Copperheads - 12 Read Free Page A

report he couldn’t achieve the objective, the packed earth of an animal trail caught his eye.
    He followed the path with a steady gaze, a knowing smile crossing his face as he realized Bishop hadn’t seen it from across the canyon. “Well lookie there,” he whispered to Kevin while indicating the path frequented by local white tailed deer. “Let’s take the easy route.”  
    The youngest member hesitated, knowing that Bishop had ordered them to cross as a test. Grim detected Kevin’s pause. “Sometimes it’s not how strong you are but how smart you are. Sometimes experience will save your ass when muscles won’t.” Noting his partner’s persistent hesitation, he continued his sales pitch, “Besides, trail hikes can represent their own set of dangers. Come on, and I’ll regale you with stories about how I wrestled a bear on the Appalachian Trail when I was just a lad.”
    A full minute before the deadline, Grim keyed his mic. “In position, sir. Your new route is clear of tangos.”
    Down in the valley, Bishop heard Grim’s report and flashed Butter a look of surprise. “No fucking way,” he mumbled, turning to glance toward where his men should be. Sure enough, Grim stood from behind a thicket of brush, his arm waving in wide strokes. He then flipped his boss a one-fingered salute.
    The Texan was partially mystified, mostly pleased. He had no idea how Grim had pulled off what was surely a minor miracle, but in reality, he didn’t care. What really mattered was that his team was back together, and that gave Bishop a feeling of satisfaction he hadn’t experienced in months.
    Just as the SAINT leader was reaching for his mic to give Grim a rough time about sprouting wings and flying across the canyon, the thump-thump-thump of a helicopter echoed through the valley. Nick’s voice in his earpiece soon followed. “SAINT One, SAINT One, this is Honcho. Do you copy?”
    “Did you decide to deliver a picnic lunch, boss?” Bishop responded. “Butter is dying for some fried chicken and potato salad.”
    Nick, however, wasn’t in a joking mood. “Get your people together, Bishop. There’s been an incident.”
    Frowning, the Texan turned to Butter and halfheartedly mocked his friend, “Well, of course, there has been an incident . We wouldn’t want to take a few days to rest and recover, now would we?”
    Butter shook his head and then seemed inspired. Fanning his nose, the young man teased, “Mr. Bishop, I hope they at least let you take a shower before we deploy, sir.”
    Taken aback by the kid’s attempt at banter, Bishop scanned his teammate up and down for a moment. Butter, having ventured onto an unfamiliar limb, suddenly looked unsure and guilty.
    Bishop started laughing, “You’ve been hanging around Terri too much.”

     
    “Go on, show Aunt Diana what a big boy you are,” Terri cooed to Hunter, trying to coax the child away from the couch that supported his wobbly legs. “Come on,” coached the proud mother, holding out her arms a short distance away. “You can do it.”
    Hunter’s face lit in a broad grin, his glowing eyes traveling between his mom and Diana to make sure he was the center of attention. It soon became clear, however, that he wasn’t going to let loose of the sofa, no matter how appealing his mother’s promised embrace.
    “Come on,” Terri continued, waving her outstretched hands in welcome. “Take that step, big fella. Just one step.”
    Taking a deep breath, Hunter lifted his leg, but then a look of pained confusion painted across his face. He decided to plop down instead.
    “Oh, no,” Diana snickered. “Maybe next time.”
    “Dang it,” Terri chuckled, “I wanted him to take that first step before Bishop and the guys left. Dad needs to be here for that.”
    Diana bent and scooped Hunter from the floor much to the child’s delight. Bouncing him on her hip, she said, “I wanted to be in on the big event, too. I thought for sure he’d do it for his favorite