The Enraged (A Jonathan Quinn Novel) by Brett Battles

didn’t want to worry you too much. You have to concentrate on your own recovery.”
    Liz’s assurances about Orlando had allowed him to relax. Still…
    “I know you were only trying to help,” he said, “but you can’t sugarcoat things like that for me, or hide anything just because you don’t want me to worry. It doesn’t matter what condition I’m in. I can never afford not to know what’s going on. Lives could depend on it. You understand that, don’t you?”
    She turned her head, not meeting his gaze.
    “Liz, please tell me you understand.”
    “Sure,” she said, pushing herself out of her chair. “I understand. I’m sorry.”
    She headed for the door.
    “Where are you going?” he asked.
    “Out.”
    “Liz, I’m not trying to—”
    “Please. Not now.”
    She yanked open the door and left.
    Nate stared after her, not knowing what he should do. While one voice in his head yelled at him to go after her, to help her understand, another argued to let her be, that she just needed a little time.
    And then there was the third voice, the softest of the three that he feared was the closest to being right. “It doesn’t matter what you do. She’s not of your world. She never will be. What you have together has been nice, but how could there possibly be a future?”
    Paralyzed, he stood where he was, watching the ghost of her at the door, and wishing that he were still back in his dream, fighting the jungle and not the woman he loved.

CHAPTER 10
     
    SEPTEMBER 2 nd
    WASHINGTON DC
     
    “T ERMINAL EIGHT, THIS is Central.”
    “Yes, sir.”
    “Who’s up next?”
    “Team Five, sir.”
    “Put them on standby. I’ve been told to expect information on a new location for the subjects who broke into RZ-47.”
    “Yes, sir. Consider it done.”
    There was no missing the enthusiasm in Terminal Eight’s voice, nor was it surprising. Everyone at O & O knew of the failure the previous afternoon, and the maiming of one of their men. Righting the balance was on all their minds.
    “I’ll pass on the exact location as soon as I have it,” Central said. “But you can inform the team that it will likely be in Virginia.”
    __________
     
    ARLINGTON RIDGE, VIRGINIA
     
    A BUZZ, AS familiar as it was foreign.
    Quinn stirred, but didn’t open his eyes until he heard the sound again. His phone, vibrating against the nightstand. He snatched it up. The name on the display read: STEVE HOWARD . The time, almost one a.m.
    “Hello?”
    “Quinn, get up. Now.”
    Quinn immediately threw the covers back and swung his feet onto the carpet. “What is it?”
    “You need to get out of there,” Howard said. “Fast as you can. There’s a very good chance the place has been compromised.”
    Quinn flipped his phone to speaker and began pulling on his clothes. “What happened?”
    “The contact who helped me set it up for you is dead.”
    “When?”
    “Sometime in the last thirty minutes. I talked to his friend, another op. They were out having drinks, and my contact went to the bathroom but didn’t come back. They found his body in the alley behind the bar.”
    “How do you know that’s related to us?”
    “I don’t. But his friend said my contact wasn’t working on anything, so the last thing he would have done was arrange for the house. Better if we play it safe, don’t you think?”
    “Yeah. Definitely.”
    “I can meet you, but it’ll take me over half an hour to get there. And you shouldn’t hang around that long.”
    “You’re back?”
    “Flew in right before midnight. I’ll call when I get close, and we can figure out a meeting point then.”
    “All right. Thanks, Steve.”
    “Be safe.”
    Quinn finished dressing and rushed into the hall. He was about to open the door to the room Misty was using when Daeng appeared at the top of the stairs.
    “Steve just called,” Quinn said. “He thinks this place might be compromised.”
    “That would explain the men surrounding the house.”
    Quinn pulled his