“Wise choice, Ms. Kerkonen,” Stricken said. “Get your bags and let’s go.”
Heather turned to him. “Earl…I’m sorry. I’ve…I’ve—”
He took Heather in his arms and held her close. “Don’t do this.”
“I’ll be back.” Heather was trying not to cry. “I’ll stay strong.”
“It’s not you I’m worried about. Don’t trust anyone,” Earl whispered. “I can—”
“Excuse me,” Stricken interrupted. “I said grab your shit and let’s go. Time is money, Ms. Kerkonen.”
Hesitantly, Heather broke away and entered the cabin. Earl watched her go, and there wasn’t anything he could do. The government was the most merciless monster he’d ever dealt with, and it was the only one that he could never truly beat.
“Don’t try to contact her. That will only make things worse,” Stricken said.
Earl’s hands curled into fists. “Heather serves her time. Then she goes free. You stick to the deal or you deal with me.”
Stricken nodded appreciatively. “And I’d expect no less. I would hate to sully our blossoming friendship. I’m not the bad guy here, Harbinger. I’m just doing my job, just like you had to. I don’t get off on dragging monsters into slavery. We’re doing important work, and it absolutely has to be done.”
If hate could kill, Stricken would have burst into flames. “Fuck you and your important work,” Earl whispered.
The door opened in a rectangle of firelight as Heather came out of the cabin, backpack in hand. Earl held her again, stroked her hair, lied and told her everything would be okay. “I love you, Earl. Wait for me.” He couldn’t form a response, other than to nod desperately. They kissed good-bye, lips salty with Heather’s tears, and then Heather was walking away, a soldier flanking her on either side, and there was nothing Earl could do but watch.
“You’ll get her back,” Stricken said. “You have my word.”
“Your word means nothing. I don’t even know who you people are.”
Stricken paused, weighing his answers. “We’re nobody. You think monsters are secret? They’re famous compared to us. I’d tell you to remember that, but you’re better off forgetting this ever happened.”
The soldiers escorted Heather up the ramp. She turned, waved, and bravely blew him a kiss. A solider took her by the arm, and then she was out of view. Earl exhaled, and did his best to retain both his composure and his humanity.
“Listen to me carefully, Stricken. She’s a good girl. She’s got a human’s heart. She’s not like Adam, and she’s sure as hell not like me. You go back on the deal, and I swear you’ll be worried about a lot more than me talking. I swear to God, if anything happens to her, nothing in the world will save you.”
“I’m not worried about you talking or your threats. Kill me, and somebody else will take my place. I’m humble enough to know I’m a little cog in a big machine. Talk? Well, no one would believe you, anyway.” Stricken put his odd glasses back on as he turned and walked to the waiting Chinook. He called over his shoulder, “Because remember, Mr. Harbinger, everybody knows there’s no such things as unicorns.”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Larry Correia is the New York Times bestselling author of the Monster Hunter series and the Grimnoir Chronicles for Baen Books. He graduated with a degree in accounting from Utah State University and went to work for a Fortune 500 company as a financial analyst. Eventually, Larry ended up in the gun business, where he was a machinegun dealer, firearms instructor, and freelance writer for various gun magazines. Most recently he has worked in military contracting. Larry lives in the mountains of Utah with his very patient wife and children.
Table of Contents
PART 1: THE MONSTER
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
PART 2: THE HUNTER
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
PART 3: THE HARBINGER
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
ABOUT THE AUTHOR