Read Online Fight for Power by Eric Walters - Free Book Online Page B

about?” I demanded.
    â€œBecause of what you did. You put your life on the line for that man. It just makes me realize what you’d be willing to do for the people of this neighborhood. With you this isn’t just about empty words. You mean what you say; you believe in doing the right thing. That means a lot to me. Maybe more than I can express.”
    â€œThanks. I guess that helps—” Then I had another thought. “You could just be playing me again right now, couldn’t you?”
    He gave a sad smile. “I could be, but I’m not.” He paused. “At least I don’t think I am. I’ve played so many games in my life that sometimes I’m not even sure anymore. What I am sure about is that we need people like me to help us survive. We also need people like you to help build something that matters once we do survive.”
    â€œI think we each need to be part of both. Don’t sell yourself short,” I said. “I know in the end you’ll not just do what needs to be done, but you’ll do the right thing.”
    â€œI know I’ll do what needs to be done,” Herb said. “I just hope the right thing doesn’t get in the way.”
    I wasn’t sure if I believed him or not. I didn’t seem to know much for sure, but what I did know was that I needed to get away, and there was only one place—and one person—I wanted to be with. I’d find Lori. I didn’t even know if I’d tell her what just happened, but being with her, sitting beside her, would make it all feel better.

 
    6
    Herb was beside me in the ultralight. We were cruising at slightly less than one hundred and twenty feet. Being up in the air, waiting for dawn to come, was eerie. As eerie as the fact that we were on our way to launch the attack. After not sleeping at all last night I needed to get my mind focused on what we were doing. I kept drifting back to yesterday and the way we’d fooled Quinn—the way Herb had tricked me. Knowing it was necessary and being okay with it were two different things. There was no room for my thoughts about that. I needed to keep us in the air and on target and on time. Our arrival had to be timed precisely.
    Flying in the dark was new and unnerving. Last night, Lori and I had sat on her porch, holding hands and talking—while each of us wore a pair of night-vision goggles. I was trying to get used to them because I was told I’d be wearing them in this flight. How romantic, looking at my girlfriend in shades of green, a shadowy figure. Usually, looking deeply into her eyes meant something very different.
    From the first time I’d laid eyes on her I knew how beautiful Lori was. Through school I’d learned that she was smart. Now over the past months I’d learned that she was smart in a whole different way. She understood what was going on, calmed me down, helped me understand. And behind those beautiful eyes she was strong, the sort of person I wanted beside me if things ever did go from bad to worse. But now I had other things to think about.
    I could see just enough to make out landmarks below, and I was basically following a bright ribbon of road, using it for direction and the altimeter on my control panel to keep us at the right height.
    We were heading for the compound, which was about thirty miles away. Ahead of us were over 240 of our people, evenly divided into four attack parties, aboard a number of trucks and cars. Each group was equipped with rifles, pistols, and an RPG launcher. Each group had departed at sundown the previous day, taking a different route, and had spent the night moving forward, getting in position, almost within sight of the compound but still away from where they could be seen by sentries on the walls or fences.
    We’d be the first in. Hopefully we’d sweep in, do our business, and be gone before anybody had a chance to react and knock us out of the