She dragged the mobile from her ear and ended the call. “Shit’s going down, boys. Big time.”
The screen lit up with a message. Gunny hit the link and her screen was filled with a frantic first report and the woman behind it running for cover.
“As you can see behind me, downtown Davonport is on fire. The explosion started in the Military Headquarters at the corners of Holbrook and Lemming Streets. Emergency personnel are flooding the scene. Three have been confirmed as deceased, four more currently missing. One of those missing is decorated Master Sergeant Nathan Stokes.”
A boom rocked the sky behind her. Orange sparks shot high, making the pretty blond reporter throw her hands over her head and duck for cover.
Gunny pressed the button and just stared at the screen for a second before she looked up. “Holy shit.”
Her phone vibrated. The name Roth in red letters. She snapped to attention, pressing the button and lifted the handset. “Senator.”
And the smooth bass-filled voice of Senator Artemas Roth spilled through the room. “Where are you?”
“Still at the Major General’s.” She looked at the folder in Alpha’s hand. “We’ve come across some interesting reading.”
“They found Stokes, what’s left of him anyway—in an unmarked grave off Thompson Highway. They’re notifying his next of kin now.”
“Jesus…Jesus…” Gunny seemed to sag. “Irwin’s just sent me the link for Headquarters. First Slater, then the bombing, and now Stokes. What the Hell’s going on, Artemas?”
“Someone is cleaning house. Someone very powerful. I want…” His voice deepened, seeped with concern. “I want you to be careful…all of you. I’ve got a bad feeling about this whole thing. Too many moving pieces, too many enemies.” This was the first time I’d ever heard the Senator shaken. “You said you had information…”
“We found files, from the very first compound. They took young men, Artemas. Young men in their prime…and they broke them.”
Silence echoed, until the stoic voice growled down the line. “Anything that might locate the Major General?”
Gunny licked her lips. Her gaze riveted on the file in Alpha’s hands, and then turned to stare at the small slip of paper and the six digits…numbers important enough to this sick sonofabitch to use as his safe code. “We might have an idea. A place where no one would bother to look. A place here no one would know.”
“And you’ll keep me updated?”
The hunter raged in her eyes. “Yeah, stay safe Senator. We’ll keep you updated.”