Read Online Out of the Night by Robin T. Popp - Free Book Online Page A

Lanie was listening and grateful that she didn't rush him or ask a lot of questions. "We were on assignment in Iraq. In and out—that's all we had to do, but the mission was compromised from the start. The loyalties of the men in my unit were severely tested by Burton, who seemed bent on running the show his way. He managed to divide the group.
    "We were on our way in when all hell broke loose and we were ambushed. I lost seven men—ironically, the seven whose loyalty happened to be to me, not to Burton. I took a bullet in the leg. It shattered my femur and subsequently ended my military career. Only two men knew our route—me and my second in command." He shook his head, wondering exactly why he was sharing this with her. They'd only met—how long ago? Twenty-four hours?
    "And Burton was your second in command." The softly spoken statement drifted to him above the sound of hundreds of insects buzzing in the trees.
    "Yeah." He hadn't realized she'd come to stand so close to him until he felt her hand lightly touch his arm. Normally, he wasn't the touchy-feely type, but he didn't find her nearness intrusive.
    "Are you sure it was Burton who betrayed you?"
    He gave a humorless laugh. "I've asked myself that a million times over the past year. Until recently, I had no proof. Then a month ago, Rogers, one of the survivors, came forward, supposedly in a fit of conscience, and admitted that he'd overheard Burton planning the whole thing and hadn't tried to stop him. Unfortunately, Rogers died in a car wreck before anything could be proved, but his statement was enough to warrant a formal inquiry, which happens to be scheduled for next week. That's why I found Burton's death so timely." The story was more complicated than that, but he didn't feel like going into it.
    "If Burton was under investigation, then what was he doing down here in the first place?"
    Mac gave a rueful smile. "You have to understand, things had not progressed so far that Burton was being accused of anything. The first step was the upcoming inquiry. All the surviving members of the team were being brought in—including Burton. His backup would have flown down any day to relieve him of duty so he could fly to D.C."
    Mac saw the genuine concern in her eyes—her sympathy and understanding—and hated himself for what he had to do next. "What I don't know is the extent to which your father is involved in Burton's scheme."
    His words were clearly unexpected, and for a moment she simply stared at him. "How dare you," she finally said, her voice filling with indignation. "My father is—was—a good, honest man. He's a victim of whatever is going on here, and I'll thank you not to forget it." Then she stormed off.
     
    Lanie needed a chance to think—a chance to absorb everything Mac had told her, and a chance to cool down. She kept reminding herself that he didn't know her father and therefore, his accusation was to be expected, but that fine of logic wasn't comforting. His suspicions hurt and left her feeling betrayed, which, if she was honest with herself, was a projection of her own guilt. In the privacy of her own thoughts, hadn't she also wondered about the extent of her father's involvement? Because he
was
involved. She had seen him on the tape. He
had
killed. The only question that remained was, had he gotten mixed up in Burton's scheme voluntarily?
    No—absolutely not. Burton might be psychotic, but her father wasn't. He would never fake his own death or voluntarily participate in the murder of others. Yet, how could she explain his appearance on the film? The two forms had moved across the room too fast for human speed, killed innocent victims, and drank their blood. It made no sense. If Burton was hoping to quietly disappear to avoid the investigation, he was certainly doing everything he could to draw attention to himself.
    Which brought her back to her earlier theory.
    Lanie turned to pace the length of the building and saw that while she'd been