Read Online Vendetta Nation (Enigma Black Trilogy #2) by Sara Furlong-Burr - Free Book Online Page B

standards.” He rolled over so that his back faced me, and I stayed in the bed next to him until I heard the familiar rhythmic breaths of slumber, when I carefully climbed back over him and left his room.
    My mission changed today. Not only would I be seeking to destroy The Man in Black, but now I had Victor in my sights as well.
    *****
    “He has at least one underground bunker—maybe several for all we really know for sure,” Jeremiah Delaney said, observing the map of Washington, D.C. spread out on a workbench. “It’s hard telling where he’ll run to after he’s surrounded.”
    “All that matters is that he’ll be running,” Marshall stated. “And that we get it streamed live for the rest of the country to see. No matter what the cost.”
    “Brooks will put his own spin on things, Marshall. He’ll have the address streamed so that he can control what the public sees, and he’ll use every angle he can to garner sympathy from the viewers. You’d better make sure your technicians are at the top of their game. Their interference with the broadcasting system will be met with solid resistance.”
    “I think you’d be surprised by how many friends in high places we have, Senator.”
    “And I think you’re going to be surprised by how many supporters Brooks actually has. Ignorance is bliss, and the public has been shrouded in it. What do our numbers look like, anyway?” Jeremiah asked.
    “Somewhere around two thousand total; one thousand, nine hundred eighty-four to be exact. There will be four hundred from our group, and others from New York, Virginia, Michigan, California, and Texas.”
    “What about fire power?”
    “Most will be armed, but they’ve all been instructed not to fire unless fired upon.”
    “This is all going to be about how you sell it, Marshall. You’ll never be able to turn Brooks, but if you can convince enough of the right people or just sheer volumes of them, we may be able to make a difference at this rally.”
    “Either way, this is going to be a suicide mission.” Marshall stared stoically at the map.
    “Yes, but nothing good was ever accomplished by sitting back and doing nothing. Sacrifices are a requirement for change.”
    “If there is change, that is. It’s going to take more than just a spark to ignite it with the damage that’s already been done and continues to be done by the Brooks Administration.”
    “Yes,” Jeremiah agreed. “The riots as of late have been blamed on the rebellion by the media. The public is beginning to sour on your cause, Marshall.”
    “The times are changing, my friend. And this rally will be a further catalyst. Whether it’s a catalyst for war or a catalyst for good remains to be seen.”
    “Nothing remains to be seen, Marshall,” Jeremiah said, picking the map up from the workbench and folding it. “There will be a war whether the country wants it or not.”
    *****
    I walked down the corridor in the direction of Victor’s office, pressing my ear to the door when I came to it. Just as I’d suspected, there was no sound coming from inside. Pressing my thumb to the plate next to the door, I figured I’d try to see whether it would open. It didn’t budge. Inside that office were answers. Answers to questions I didn’t know, but answers nonetheless. There had to be a way in, and I would figure it out one way or another.
    “Trying to break into Victor’s office?” Cameron’s voice appeared out of nowhere, startling me.
    “Jeez, Cameron, what are you still doing up?”
    “You guys aren’t the only insomniacs around here.” He ran his fingers through his shaggy red hair. On his pale skin, the dark circles under his eyes stuck out like sore thumbs. There was something about him, something different, something un-Cameron like.
    “You look like hell. Are you okay?”
    “You don’t know the half of it.” His expression flattened, all traces of the mischief-maker I’d come to know cast aside.
    “What is it,