Page 42 of Freedom Fighters
The President tugged on his vest. “I took a call from the president of Astra Corp late last night. He was upset. Serrano is digging silver out of his mine and using it to fund his war efforts.”
Nick nodded. “We have proof of it.”
Thecar came to a halt. The door opened smartly.
The President looked out, then back at Nick. “You pointed out that allies help each other. I can see my way to helping you if you help me. Call it an overture of friendship.”
Olivia caught her breath.
Even though Nick didn’t move a muscle, she couldfeelhis alertness. “You want your mine back.”
“I want my mine back. I can’t go in there with mymilitary because the facility is privately owned, but I object to third rate thugs liberating United States assets. You can keep the Black Hawks. They’re a speculative investment I expect to pay off in a large way.”
“With or without Mexico’s approval?” Nick asked.
Richard Collins the Third smiled thinly. “I am the President of the United States. I don’t need Mexico to tell me what to do.” Heclimbed out of the car. The door shut behind him.
Nick sat back and blew out his breath.
Adán grinned. “He likes you.”
“All you have to do is win back the mine, Nick,” Olivia pointed out.
Nick looked out the window, his fist against the glass. “Yes, that’s all I have to do,” he said softly.
* * * * *
Carmen was back to hating Garrett’s guts.
She leaned over, her hands on her knees, gaspingfor breath. Sweat dripped from her chin. It soaked her shirt from neck to hem. Her hair felt disgusting. It flopped damply against the back of her neck. If she’d had two minutes to spare, she would have pulled out her knife and sawed it all off.
She hadn’t had two minutes to draw breath since sun-up.
Garrett had called a surprise PT drill not long after dawn. Everyone had scrambled out of theirsacks, dropped breakfast bowls and raced to dress and throw on their boots.
Garrett led them on a three mile run deep into the forest along one of the local trails they had calibrated for distance. That was the first stage. By the time they arrived back at the camp, Carmen’s legs ached.
Then came a series of drills. Squats, three different kinds of press-ups, jacks and the one she hated themost, burpees.
At the end of each round, they got thirty seconds to recover, then they went into another round.
“We’re doing ten rounds, gentlemen!” Garrett yelled at them. “If anyone falls off the beat, or stops, another round will be added. Go! Push-ups! One…two…three….”
Everyone groaned as they worked through the set of ten standard push-ups. The ground dug into her fingers and stones bither palms. Carmen groaned as loudly as all of them.
Garrett zeroed in on her. He walked to where she trembled her way through the last two push-ups. “You’re falling behind, Escobedo!” He grabbed the back of her teeshirt and pulled her up and let her down. “Faster!” He leaned right over her, like the world’s worst drill sergeant.
She picked herself up and went into jumping jacks.
“Too slow!”Garrett called. “Elevenrounds!”
Ledo, who was next to her, glared sullenly. There were a few groans. No one had breath left to vent their frustration.
They ended up completing thirteen rounds. The additional three were her fault, even though Carmen could see others, like Archie with his huge muscle-bound body, falling behind as well.
“Sixty seconds!” Garrett called. “Breathe!”
Carmen bentand parked her hands on her knees. She felt sick. Faint. It was a stinking hot day. The air was still and thick. The heat covered her like a blanket.
