Good Intentions - Adrian Hell #6 (Adrian Hell Series) Read Free Page A

professional, after all. I’ve been in much shittier situations than this. I just need to—
    Whoa!
    Shit!
    Ow!
    Shit!
    Fuck!
    Ow!
    Ugh!
    I’m lying flat on my back, staring up at the treetops and the clear blue skies beyond. The ground feels soft. I move my hands around next to me. Yeah… twigs, leaves and damp earth.
    Oh, man, that sucked…
    I raise my head slightly and look down my front. Both straps broke. My back is sore and I’m a little winded, but thankfully, I don’t feel too bad. Hell of a fall, though.
    I prop myself up on an elbow and twist my body, slowly rising to my feet. I stretch everything, take a breath, and turn in a slow circle. I hear birds tweeting sporadically above me. Aside from the occasional noise of whatever wildlife is nearby, it’s unnervingly quiet.
    Where the hell am I?
    Okay, think… It’s very humid. My first thought is I’m in a jungle, but there’s no sound of water and the trees look too… green. It’s hot, but it’s not tropical. These trees see their fair share of rain, I reckon.
    I glance at the ground, searching for any signs of tracks. It doesn’t look as if any animals or people have passed through here in a good while, either. I’m nowhere wild… so I’m going with forest. It’s a pretty dense tree line, so it makes sense. If that’s the case, I reckon that puts me somewhere in the region of twenty miles from civilization. And that’s a very rough guess. I’m far from an expert on the great outdoors. The Discovery Channel was always Josh’s thing, not mine.
    Shit! Josh!
    I’ve not had time to stop and think about much of anything since waking up after my fake execution. It sounds awful, but I completely forgot about him. I can’t imagine how he must be feeling right about now. He thinks I’m dead…
    I’m such a prick for putting him through that. I should have told him. I should have found some way to let him know that—
    You know what? Now probably isn’t the time.
    I look up, find the sun, and set off walking toward it. I don’t know what time it is or where I am, so I’m either heading north or south. I guess it doesn’t really matter which one—everywhere leads somewhere, right?
     
    ??:??
    My body clock isn’t what it used to be, but I think I’ve been walking for about an hour. I’ve kept a steady pace, only pausing for a few moments every now and then to make sure I’m still traveling in a straight line. I’m following a faint path through the trees and plants. In the last ten minutes or so, I’ve been able to hear the gentle sound of running water in the distance. I’ve covered maybe three miles now, so I’m hopefully closing in on somewhere.
    I tread carefully, trying to minimize the noise of my footsteps. I’m always glancing left and right ahead of me, alert for any sign of a threat. Bottom line is, The Order sent me here to kill someone, and no matter how far off course I was blown, I can’t be too far away from where they intended me to land.
    With a bit of luck, I’ve not been walking in the opposite direction to my target for the last hour…
    CRACK .
    What was that?
    I drop to a crouch, placing a hand on the ground for balance as I hold my breath.
    I heard rustling over to my right.
    I wait patiently.
    CRACK .
    There it is again.
    Might be an animal… No idea what, as I don’t know where I am. Could be anything from a squirrel to a grizzly.
    Too quiet for anything bigger than me, though, which is a small comfort.
    I take a step and shuffle toward the nearest tree trunk, rest against it, and peer around. The sound of water is more prominent now. There might be—
    There!
    Through the gaps in the trees I can see a figure moving confidently across my line of sight. It’s hard to see, but… yeah, it’s a woman. Small. Can’t see her features.
    Where are you going, lady?
    I stand, staying low, and make my way quietly toward her, pausing behind each trunk that’s big enough to cover me.
    I don’t want to scare her, and