Read Online Hold On! - Season 1 by Peter Darley - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Peter Darley
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swept across the letters. He could almost see her realization dawning. “You think you know where it is?”
“I’m not sure. I feel like something’s screaming at me, but I can’t quite get it. It reminds me of a crossword. Like trying to find the missing letters.” And then the penny dropped. “Salt Lake City, Utah!” she shouted out excitedly.
Brandon leaped off the recliner. “Are you sure?”
“Positive.” She pointed it out to him on the paper. “The ‘A’ and ‘L’ are missing from ‘Salt,’ only the ‘A’ from ‘Lake,’ and the ‘A’ and ‘H’ from ‘Utah.’ I have no idea what C, O, T, N, means.”
“ Colton ,” he said. “Oh, my God. It’s a munitions factory they’re gonna hit. Colton Ranch. It’s just outside of Salt Lake. Thank you so much, Belinda. You don’t know how much you’ve just helped me.”
She looked at him uneasily. “What are you going to do?”
“I’m gonna suit up and get out there.” He hurried over to his Kevlar attire draped across the leather sofa.
“And do what?”
He stopped in his tracks. She did have a point. Seeing no other way to answer her, he said, “Whatever I can.”
Her body tensed and panic appeared in her eyes. “Please don’t do this, Brandon. I’m begging you. There has to be another way.”
He looked at her, sorely torn. It was even worse than on the afternoon he’d left for Denver. This time, he had more to lose than ever. Having Belinda living and working with him had given him happiness he’d never known before, but he could see no other options. “Please understand, I don’t want to go. I’m scared, as anyone would be, but I have no choice.”
“Why?”
He picked up his combat attire. “Because there’s no one else. I have to stop them. I have to help those people.”
“Brandon, stop. Don’t do this. Don’t leave me, please.”
“I have to.”
“What can you possibly do if they’re going to attack a weapons manufacturer? You’re just one man. If they can get through that kind of security, you won’t stand a chance.”
He pulled on his combat pants hurriedly. “They won’t have to get through any security.”
“What do you mean?”
He struggled to know how he was going to explain all of the particulars to her. Every answer he could give would only lead to another question. “They’re already inside the base.”
“Then call Colton Ranch and warn them.”
“I already did that in the beginning with the Everidge attack in Dallas. They treated it as a prank call. Two hundred and thirteen people died because I didn’t act.”
Belinda was silent for a moment. But then an idea came to her. “The press.”
“What?”
“Call the press and tell them what you know. They can be deadly to any organization, believe me. My first job after college was for a government-funded communications corporation. It was shut down after the media exposed it for secretly operating a money laundering outfit.”
He didn’t speak. His fear of revealing himself, in any way, to the media was a constant concern.
“How about if I call them?” she suggested.
“You?”
“Yes, me . Now please, Brandon, don’t go. Let me help you.”
He put his combat jacket back on the sofa and looked into her eyes. Every one of his instincts cried out to stay with her in his serene utopia. But what if she was wrong? Her expression showed such assured sincerity. She’d worked in the corporate sector and had knowledge of the press and its powers that he didn’t. He’d grown to trust her, and was overcome with an eagerness to take her at her word. Her powers of persuasion were also enhanced by the realization that she was as reliant on him as anyone else. What would happen to her if anything went wrong? It was an unbearable thought.
Convinced of her judgment, he accepted there was an alternative to personal intervention, one that was likely going to be far more effective. “All right, let’s call it in.”
Belinda spoke
“I’m not sure. I feel like something’s screaming at me, but I can’t quite get it. It reminds me of a crossword. Like trying to find the missing letters.” And then the penny dropped. “Salt Lake City, Utah!” she shouted out excitedly.
Brandon leaped off the recliner. “Are you sure?”
“Positive.” She pointed it out to him on the paper. “The ‘A’ and ‘L’ are missing from ‘Salt,’ only the ‘A’ from ‘Lake,’ and the ‘A’ and ‘H’ from ‘Utah.’ I have no idea what C, O, T, N, means.”
“ Colton ,” he said. “Oh, my God. It’s a munitions factory they’re gonna hit. Colton Ranch. It’s just outside of Salt Lake. Thank you so much, Belinda. You don’t know how much you’ve just helped me.”
She looked at him uneasily. “What are you going to do?”
“I’m gonna suit up and get out there.” He hurried over to his Kevlar attire draped across the leather sofa.
“And do what?”
He stopped in his tracks. She did have a point. Seeing no other way to answer her, he said, “Whatever I can.”
Her body tensed and panic appeared in her eyes. “Please don’t do this, Brandon. I’m begging you. There has to be another way.”
He looked at her, sorely torn. It was even worse than on the afternoon he’d left for Denver. This time, he had more to lose than ever. Having Belinda living and working with him had given him happiness he’d never known before, but he could see no other options. “Please understand, I don’t want to go. I’m scared, as anyone would be, but I have no choice.”
“Why?”
He picked up his combat attire. “Because there’s no one else. I have to stop them. I have to help those people.”
“Brandon, stop. Don’t do this. Don’t leave me, please.”
“I have to.”
“What can you possibly do if they’re going to attack a weapons manufacturer? You’re just one man. If they can get through that kind of security, you won’t stand a chance.”
He pulled on his combat pants hurriedly. “They won’t have to get through any security.”
“What do you mean?”
He struggled to know how he was going to explain all of the particulars to her. Every answer he could give would only lead to another question. “They’re already inside the base.”
“Then call Colton Ranch and warn them.”
“I already did that in the beginning with the Everidge attack in Dallas. They treated it as a prank call. Two hundred and thirteen people died because I didn’t act.”
Belinda was silent for a moment. But then an idea came to her. “The press.”
“What?”
“Call the press and tell them what you know. They can be deadly to any organization, believe me. My first job after college was for a government-funded communications corporation. It was shut down after the media exposed it for secretly operating a money laundering outfit.”
He didn’t speak. His fear of revealing himself, in any way, to the media was a constant concern.
“How about if I call them?” she suggested.
“You?”
“Yes, me . Now please, Brandon, don’t go. Let me help you.”
He put his combat jacket back on the sofa and looked into her eyes. Every one of his instincts cried out to stay with her in his serene utopia. But what if she was wrong? Her expression showed such assured sincerity. She’d worked in the corporate sector and had knowledge of the press and its powers that he didn’t. He’d grown to trust her, and was overcome with an eagerness to take her at her word. Her powers of persuasion were also enhanced by the realization that she was as reliant on him as anyone else. What would happen to her if anything went wrong? It was an unbearable thought.
Convinced of her judgment, he accepted there was an alternative to personal intervention, one that was likely going to be far more effective. “All right, let’s call it in.”
Belinda spoke
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