Read Online Matt Archer: Redemption by Kendra C. Highley - Free Book Online
Authors: Kendra C. Highley
Ads: Link
called to help.” He calmly pulled me away from my brother. “Matt’s right, Brent. You have no idea what your sister’s become. None of us do, I think.”
“No, we don’t,” I said. “I found her on the Mall, picking up a four-year-old. This monster swooped out of nowhere to grab her, then just veered away. It never touched her, like it was scared of her.”
“They were scared of me,” Mamie murmured from the bench. “And you and Brent better stop fighting. You’re upsetting Mom.”
We rushed to her side—Johnson included—and she sat up slowly. “Tired. Does anybody have any chocolate?”
Johnson lumbered out of the room without saying anything.
“Chocolate?” Mom looked confounded and frazzled down to a nub. “Sweetheart, what happened?”
“I had something to do.” She blinked, like the dim lighting in the bunker hurt her eyes. I recognized that expression—I had it often enough after a fight. Post-magic migraine.
Glass shattered down the hall and every wielder dropped into a crouch, knives out.
“Everyone back,” Mike ordered.
Tense seconds ticked by as heavy footsteps crunched on the debris in the hallway, headed straight at us. Had Nocturna Maura called something new to torment us with?
Then Johnson appeared in the doorway, his arms full of junk food. “Mr. Congressman? In that list of things we need, you might want to include a vending machine. I didn’t feel like bumming spare change from the MPs.”
I relaxed, rolling my eyes. Jumpy. We were so freaking jumpy. Johnson shot me an amused smile as he went to Mamie, offering her first pick of his stolen snacks. She thanked him before taking a package of peanut M&Ms. And a Snickers bar.
And a bag of Skittles.
“Holy crap, Sis. You trying to go into diabetic shock or something?” I said, relieved to see her interested in food.
“My blood sugar dropped after, uh, everything,” she said, darting a worried glance at Mom and Brent. “I need a boost.”
I snagged a bag of potato chips for myself as Johnson came by, along with a Crunch bar for Ella. She kissed me on the cheek for that, which calmed me down a little more. Which was probably why she did it.
Uncle Mike joined us and gently tugged one of Mamie’s braids, before saying, “We need to meet then we can go to the hotel.”
Mamie downed half the M&Ms before saying, “Do I have to go to the meeting?”
“Not this one, Daisy May,” he told her. “Why don’t you stay here and rest a bit. We won’t be long.”
Then he stared at Brent—a cold-ass Colonel Tannen glare. “Do not question your brother in front of his men. Not ever.”
Whoa, I wasn’t expecting that. Brent’s furious expression told me he hadn’t expected it, either. “Fine, whatever. But I’m Mamie’s bodyguard. Don’t you forget that.”
“Brent Michael Archer, do not talk back to the colonel,” Mom said, sounding more weary than angry. “This isn’t our place. We’re here by happenstance and they need to do things their way.”
I really wasn’t expecting that. Much as I appreciated the backup, I knew what this meant. Every raw wound that had scabbed over between Brent and me had just been ripped open.
“Archer, let’s go,” Uncle Mike barked from the doorway.
Calling me Archer was one more reminder to my family of how much had changed.
I reached out to squeeze Mamie’s hand. “We’ll be back.”
She nodded, taking a huge bite of her candy bar. “Ella and Penn will keep us company.”
Ella whispered in my ear, “And we’ll make sure she stays down for a little while.”
Glad they planned to take care of each other, I followed the colonel into the hall. Everyone else had already gone to the operations room, so I pulled him aside.
“Sir, there’s something I need to do,” I said.
He tilted his head to one side, and I knew he was afraid to ask, but he did anyway. “What?”
I pulled Parker’s knife from my belt. “The spirit, well, I was the only person he allowed to
“No, we don’t,” I said. “I found her on the Mall, picking up a four-year-old. This monster swooped out of nowhere to grab her, then just veered away. It never touched her, like it was scared of her.”
“They were scared of me,” Mamie murmured from the bench. “And you and Brent better stop fighting. You’re upsetting Mom.”
We rushed to her side—Johnson included—and she sat up slowly. “Tired. Does anybody have any chocolate?”
Johnson lumbered out of the room without saying anything.
“Chocolate?” Mom looked confounded and frazzled down to a nub. “Sweetheart, what happened?”
“I had something to do.” She blinked, like the dim lighting in the bunker hurt her eyes. I recognized that expression—I had it often enough after a fight. Post-magic migraine.
Glass shattered down the hall and every wielder dropped into a crouch, knives out.
“Everyone back,” Mike ordered.
Tense seconds ticked by as heavy footsteps crunched on the debris in the hallway, headed straight at us. Had Nocturna Maura called something new to torment us with?
Then Johnson appeared in the doorway, his arms full of junk food. “Mr. Congressman? In that list of things we need, you might want to include a vending machine. I didn’t feel like bumming spare change from the MPs.”
I relaxed, rolling my eyes. Jumpy. We were so freaking jumpy. Johnson shot me an amused smile as he went to Mamie, offering her first pick of his stolen snacks. She thanked him before taking a package of peanut M&Ms. And a Snickers bar.
And a bag of Skittles.
“Holy crap, Sis. You trying to go into diabetic shock or something?” I said, relieved to see her interested in food.
“My blood sugar dropped after, uh, everything,” she said, darting a worried glance at Mom and Brent. “I need a boost.”
I snagged a bag of potato chips for myself as Johnson came by, along with a Crunch bar for Ella. She kissed me on the cheek for that, which calmed me down a little more. Which was probably why she did it.
Uncle Mike joined us and gently tugged one of Mamie’s braids, before saying, “We need to meet then we can go to the hotel.”
Mamie downed half the M&Ms before saying, “Do I have to go to the meeting?”
“Not this one, Daisy May,” he told her. “Why don’t you stay here and rest a bit. We won’t be long.”
Then he stared at Brent—a cold-ass Colonel Tannen glare. “Do not question your brother in front of his men. Not ever.”
Whoa, I wasn’t expecting that. Brent’s furious expression told me he hadn’t expected it, either. “Fine, whatever. But I’m Mamie’s bodyguard. Don’t you forget that.”
“Brent Michael Archer, do not talk back to the colonel,” Mom said, sounding more weary than angry. “This isn’t our place. We’re here by happenstance and they need to do things their way.”
I really wasn’t expecting that. Much as I appreciated the backup, I knew what this meant. Every raw wound that had scabbed over between Brent and me had just been ripped open.
“Archer, let’s go,” Uncle Mike barked from the doorway.
Calling me Archer was one more reminder to my family of how much had changed.
I reached out to squeeze Mamie’s hand. “We’ll be back.”
She nodded, taking a huge bite of her candy bar. “Ella and Penn will keep us company.”
Ella whispered in my ear, “And we’ll make sure she stays down for a little while.”
Glad they planned to take care of each other, I followed the colonel into the hall. Everyone else had already gone to the operations room, so I pulled him aside.
“Sir, there’s something I need to do,” I said.
He tilted his head to one side, and I knew he was afraid to ask, but he did anyway. “What?”
I pulled Parker’s knife from my belt. “The spirit, well, I was the only person he allowed to
Similar Books
