Read Online Darkening Dawn (The Lockman Chronicles Book 5) by Rob Cornell - Free Book Online Page A

her right. The night sky acted as a black backdrop to her translucent reflection. Black circles under her eyes. Hair with split ends. Black lipstick smudged so that her mouth looked like a bruise smack in the middle of her face. What a wreck.
    Her stomach lurching, she turned away so she didn’t have to look at that frightening girl looking back at her.
    Not a girl anymore.
    A woman.
    And what difference did that make?
    “Jessie.” Ree was looking at her, finally with the courage to speak up. Not that he could say anything that could make Jessie feel better. He shouldn’t have bothered trying, but Jessie knew he probably thought it was his responsibility or some stupid shit like that.
    Jessie waved a hand. “Don’t.”
    “I just want to make sure you’re okay.”
    She snorted and rolled her eyes. “Seriously?” She huffed and crossed her arms, leaned back in her seat.
    “Yes, seriously. Our whole mission revolves around you. It’s my duty to protect you.”
    Jessie closed her eyes. If she had to listen to any more of this, she’d puke. She could already taste the bile. “I don’t want to hear about your duty .” She spat the last word like a curse word.
    Ree rubbed his toffee colored face with his hands. When he dropped his hands, he leaned forward, an intense look in his eyes. “I’m not using the right words. I ain’t got kids, and the most I’ve dealt with you is on the field. I’m not sure how to talk to you. Sue me.”
    “First off,” Jessie said, “I’m not a kid. Second, I don’t want a pep talk or a ‘things happen for a reason’ speech. I don’t have the stomach for bullshit at the moment.”
    “I’m not trying to bullshit you. I’m trying to…”
    His gaze dropped to the bottle of water on the table between them. The tense look in his eyes turned to soft contemplation.
    An extra punch of turbulence shook the plane, startling Jessie as if someone had snuck up behind her and shouted Boo . Her heartbeat kicked up a notch.
    She laughed to herself. Once upon a time, she had giant vamp wings. She flew through the sky with nothing between her and the wind except her clothing. She had never thought to be scared then. Now, inside an airplane, a little turbulence put a fright in her.
    She chalked it up to the aftershock of adrenaline from the attack at the safe house.
    “Thanks,” Ree said, lip curled.
    “What?”
    “For laughing at me when I’m trying to make an honest effort here.”
    His face was pinched. He really did look hurt. Jessie flushed. She didn’t have to be such a bitch. It wasn’t Ree’s fault Wertz had been killed. No, that weight sat squarely on her shoulders.
    “I’m sorry. I wasn’t laughing at you.”
    He hitched a shoulder. “We’re all upset. Those fuckers killed one of the best damn commanders I ever worked for. I don’t care that he was a gnome.”
    Sometimes Jessie forgot Wertz was a supernatural. His presence always dwarfed his physical size. As it turned out, he was even bigger than she had realized. Which raised one of the questions that had bothered her since the attack.
    “How…back at the house…what the hell was that?”
    “You mean Wertz blocking that weapon’s fire?”
    Jessie nodded.
    One corner of Ree’s mouth quirked up. “He’s a gnome.”
    “No fucking duh. But how could he stand there and not get hurt?”
    His eyes narrowed. “You really don’t know?”
    She held up her hands and gave him her best duh face. Ree seemed to need a lot of duhs .
    “Right.” He seemed to mull over his next words. “Where did you normally find gnomes before you knew they were real beings?”
    Jessie scrunched up her face. “I don’t know.”
    “Gardens, right?”
    Jessie instantly thought of an animated movie she’d seen about a whole bunch of garden gnomes at war with each other. A cute little film, but not really her thing. “Okay. Gardens. So what?”
    “What are those gnomes made of?”
    “They’re statues. Their made of…stone?” She