Stewart had waved that off as inconsequential. There were ex-soldiers missing both feet who were competing in international and Olympic races. It was what Mike had in his head and heart that would qualify or disqualify him.
So he , too, had undergone additional training. But while much of it was spycraft, weapons, unarmed combat and surveillance technique, there had also been intensive work done to hone and develop his innate gift for finding quarry. All of Stewart’s people had some gift or other, gifts that belonged in fairy tales or movies but existed here in the real world.
When he was done, he was turned loose with a few leads on the mysterious and incredibly dangerous organization known as agents in rebus, whose symbol was crossed swords over the word AIR .
Th ose leads, developed further by Michael’s uncanny gift, had led him to Machete. And now, Machete was leading him to something that his gut told him was of huge significance to AIR. Whatever—or, in this case, whoever —that was, Mike West vowed to himself as he adjusted his prosthetic foot, AIR wouldn’t get it first.
Chapter 5 – Declan
PE was the second-to-last class of the day for me and Jonah. We were both changed and loitering in the gym as most of the class arrived. So we watched Trey Johnson, Micah Issacs, Kevin Otts, and Steve Randal arrive with Jessica Connors and Lisa Tesslor. The football team and cheer squad were well represented. Then I saw Sarah come in. She went to Mrs. Bockman, our PE instructor, who took her slip, then rummaged in her office for spare gym clothes. Sarah disappeared into the locker room along with the cheer girls.
The volleyball net was set up, so Jonah and I started passing a ball back and forth to warm up. Trey and his football buddies came out of the boys’ locker room and began their own warm up on the other side of the net. Jessica Connors, Lisa Tesslor, and a girl named Alli Monroe came out. Jonah missed the ball as he gazed at Jessica’s long, tan legs.
The Connors family owned a car dealership, and I heard they had a summer place with a big boat on Lake Champlain. From Jessica’s tan, it was easy to see she’d had a sun-filled summer. The cheer girls automatically went to the same side as Trey and company, but Alli joined us. As a member of the varsity volleyball team, Alli would have been welcome on Trey’s side, but her older sister, Emilee, worked as a waitress for my aunt, and Alli was starting work there soon as well, so she preferred our side.
More kids trickled out of the locker rooms, automatically separating themselves according to status. Basically, you had to be approved by Trey to be on his side; otherwise, you ended up with us. It wasn’t a fair mix, as most of the athletes were on Trey’s team, but Jonah, Alli, and I added enough ability to make it interesting.
Coach Bockman was counting up players when Sarah came out. I looked over when I heard Coach speak. “Ah, Williams there you… are.”
The reason for Coach’s verbal pause was obvious. Dressed in tight spandex volleyball clothes, Sarah was a surprise. She looked... sexy. Not the long-legged, skinny model look that Jessica embodied, but a defined, muscled look that screamed physical capability. The tight material of her blue jersey even showed the outline of an actual six pack—or maybe an eight pack. I had thought she was kind of cute before, but this was different. She reminded me of an Olympic caliber sprinter. Someone on Trey’s side wolf whistled; maybe Steve Randall.
“Ah Sarah, we’re doing a module on volleyball. Have you ever played?” Coach said, shooting a glare at the football players.
“Nothing formal, Coach. Just some games with people from my mom’s workplace,” Sarah answered, looking at the class, who were all looking at her. She ignored everyone’s stares although her eyes narrowed a bit when she met my
Mike Ditka, Rick Telander