Read Bone Dust & Beginnings (Alexa's Travels Book 1) for Free Online Page A

reaching her goal as late afternoon fell.
    Set on an acre of flat, wooded ground, the bunker was much smaller that the Utah Facility, but more fortified. A mere ten foot of it was above ground, and the single door was time-locked except in case of a fire. There was no way they were storming those walls. The inside, would have to come out.
    Finding this alternate underground facility hadn’t been hard for Alexa after her escape, but leaving once she had, was a torment she still carried. Alone, she’d had little hope of keeping her kids free once she rescued them, and they couldn’t come on the quest.
    Then there was also the question of what to do with the children once the soldiers picked up the trail. Until she’d had that settled, taking them away from here hadn’t been an option. That had changed now. She would free them before Corbin chose to use them against her again. Even a week’s hunted freedom was worth it, a small light of hope that would spread o the others still waiting.
    And it would rattle Corbin. He knew the quest had begun. His determination to find Safe Haven matched her own, but not his intelligence. If he’d been truly smart, he would have killed her long ago. It was a mistake that either she or her father would see he paid for in time.
    Alexa glanced over at the tired, determined man at her side. She hadn’t had an energy source to draw from then, wouldn’t have been able to send for the birds after her escape.
    The woman wondered briefly what Edward’s reaction would be to finding out that his energy was a part of why he was here. The horseman hadn’t been with her long enough to know that it was a lot more than that. She honestly needed a crew for this journey, but he would think it was the only purpose he had for a while. Would he still be at her side after that revelation? Alexa pushed the worry away, and continued studying the bunker.
    Edward stared in concern at the concrete entrance set into the granite cliffs. They’d spent two hard days getting here, hours where he’d copied her movements and habits, and tried not to feel inferior. She hadn’t stopped the whole time - not to eat or sleep - and even bathroom breaks were quick trips into the brush.
    They hadn’t encountered any problems, other than the wind that was cold enough to make a man’s eyes water. He’d been glad of the goggles and gloves she’d had in her kit for him. Her own skin didn’t seem to get cold, and he had envied her steady stride more than once. By the time they’d gotten here, Edward had been grateful it was over for more than a minute so he could sit down and try to feel his feet again.
    Alexa was aware of his soreness, she had her own aches and pains, but if she let him rest, he would stiffen-up and be useless for an entire day.
    Grimacing at the pop of her knees as she stood, she waved him to the place directly behind her. “Watch the south.”
    Edward started to argue that he was too exhausted to be part of a rescue, but stopped himself. Had he thought a life with her would be easy?
    They moved toward the main door openly, hands hovering over holsters.
    The guards inside noticed them with shock. Other than those being guarded here, they hadn’t seen a survivor in years. Alarms began to blare all over the government compound.
    “Stay behind me, no matter what.”
    “Aye.” Thinking it was to guard her back, Edward did as he was told, while wishing he’d asked what her plan was.
    She stopped ten yards from the reinforced door, an easy range for anyone decent with a gun. Edward waited tensely to see her shot.
    Alexa concentrated, eyes fluttering closed. In her mind, doors swung open.
    “The time has come… I have come!”
    Inside the bunker, guards were distracted from the mild entertainment by captives surging for freedom. Alexa and her companion were quickly forgotten.
     
    3
    Edward watched the door, hoping he would be able to kill the first one out and maybe convince them to negotiate for