Read Marcus for Free Online

outside again. He
knew he’d see that little girl’s face when he went to sleep that
night. He stared, unseeing, down at the trees lining the Blue
Mountains. There was speculation that the thick trees were one of
the things helping to keep the base safe. Raptors didn’t appear to
like being amongst the trees, and as a result, they stuck to the
city, open farmland and even the desert.
    Oh, the bastards had to know they were here
somewhere. But combined with the heavy forest, the entrances to the
base were thankfully well hidden—and Holmes had entire teams
dedicated to keeping it that way.
    They passed over a river and a wide expanse
of rocks. Suddenly, the rocks began moving. The giant doors above
the Hawk hangars—disguised to blend into the scenery—retracted. The
Hawk’s rotors tilted and they began their descent.
    Marcus shifted his carbine and his injury
burned. Shit. He hoped it wasn’t bad enough to require a trip to
the infirmary. He hated the infirmary.
    The Hawk touched down.
    He slid the doors back. “Everyone get some
rest. Grab a beer, watch a movie, find someone to fuck. Work out
the bad and get your head screwed back on straight. We should have
a mission soon to recover some crystals that’ll help decode the map
we found.”
    He got nods and grunts in reply.
    “And you, amigo ?” Cruz murmured.
“What will you do to rest?”
    “I’m fine.” He couldn’t rest. He had drone
footage he wanted to review and he needed to do some prelim
planning for the next mission.
    One of Cruz’s dark brows rose. “This must
remind you of—”
    “Don’t want to talk about it, Ramos.” Cruz
was a damned good friend, but that also meant he knew exactly what
buttons to push. Instead, Marcus pushed back. “Why don’t we talk
about you? The fact you’re getting quieter, playing the guitar
less, fucking less? What’s going on?”
    Cruz’s mouth snapped shut. With a final look
at Marcus, he turned and leaped out of the Hawk.
    As the others left the Hawk, Marcus stared
at Cruz’s back. Damn, he was worried. Cruz was normally all
charming smiles and laughs that women said were sexy. He wasn’t
usually wound so tight he might explode.
    With a sigh, Marcus jumped down from the
Hawk, and his shoulder throbbed again.
    Then he saw Holmes and Elle waiting for him.
Dealing with Cruz was going to have to wait. He headed over to meet
them.
    “Well done bringing the survivors in,”
Holmes said. “They’re already being checked over by Medical and are
being assigned quarters.”
    Marcus’ jaw worked. “We left most of them
lying dead in the dirt.”
    “You can’t save everyone.”
    The little girl’s terrified face flashed
through his head. He managed a nod.
    “And I need you and the team ready to head
out again.”
    He stopped. Saw the other members of his
team moving ahead of him stop and turn back. “What?”
    Elle stepped forward. “The general’s
authorized the mission to the recover the crystals.”
    “We need to find that comms hub, Steele.
Whatever it takes.”
    Looked like they were going to wade through
more raptor muck much sooner than he’d thought. “Okay. But we need
a few hours. We have minor injuries and the guys need some
downtime.”
    Holmes looked like he wanted to argue, which
made Marcus want to punch the guy’s perfect face.
    “Fine.”
    Elle cleared her throat. “There’s a
catch.”
    Marcus’ jaw tightened. There was always
something. “I’m listening.”
    She shoved her hands in her pockets. “I
talked more with Roth and his team. They saw loads of
crystals.”
    Marcus frowned. “So we’ll grab all of
them.”
    “Hundreds. You can’t grab all of them. You
need to find the right ones.”
    “You’re saying we’ll need to look at what’s
on them?”
    She nodded.
    “I can do it.”
    She shook her head. “You don’t know enough
raptor.”
    “So, teach me what to look for.”
    “You know that won’t work. I’ve been
studying this for over six months. You can’t