The Chronicles of Benjamin Jamison: Call Sign Reaper Read Free Page A

heard the hover car following the creek, searching for him. There was an area where the trees and plants uprooted during the last storm had collected in a bend along the bank. He took a deep breath and dove under the water, grabbing the limb of a submerged tree and holding on. He was looking up through the branches and plants as the car’s lights passed over the area then moved off on down the creek, still searching. He eased up to the surface to take a gulp of air then dove down again to his spot under all the brush and plants. He decided that he wasn’t going home. Gus’s place was two miles back and if he stuck to the fields, he could get most of the way there without getting in the open. He started wondering if his old C. O., who hated him, had put out a hit on him.
    He had done nothing to the man but save his life. Who would think that a person’s ego was so big he couldn’t stand having his life saved?
    Ben had been convicted on trumped-up drug charges and dishonorably discharged. He had an exemplary record with numerous commendations and medals. He was framed for being a hero.
    The drugs were planted in his duty bag in his locker. It was an open and shut case. That was 10 months ago. Why would he send a kill squad after him now? On second thought, they didn’t seem like a kill squad.  Ben decided to let that all stew in the back of his head while he worked on getting somewhere safe for the night.
    In the hover car, the major was cursing. Her driver and passenger were smirking and hoping she couldn’t see from the back seat. They headed for the farmhouse where they knew Ben rented a room from the Vander Hoyts. They wouldn’t bother the oldsters, but they were going to look around the farm.
    The driver said to no one in particular, “They said he would be a handful. He was the best of their unit. Railroaded as he was, wouldn’t exactly warrant friendly cooperation towards us. We really didn’t need to test him. We should have just approached him and offered him the job.”
    The major knew they were probably right, but it had been her idea to test him. She wanted to see how he reacted out of the comfort zone. The passenger was saying something but her mind was drifting elsewhere thinking about a kiss. How had that happened? Why did she even put herself in a position for that to happen? Benjamin Jamison was dangerous, she knew that for sure, but not in the way the men in the front seats thought him to be. She would have to be damn careful.
    Arriving at the farmhouse, the hover car parked 200 meters away so they could approach and observe without being blind-sided by a pet or alarm system.
    Ben crawled out of the creek after coming up for air and listening for a few minutes, figuring they must have moved on down the creek or headed for his boarding house. He took off in a jog through the field, listening and watching the sky as he made his way back to Gus’s bar. He knew it was only about 1 am, and being a Friday night, with the added excitement they had had tonight people would still be sitting around there talking. He was winded when he got to the back door. He was also wet and dirty and his clothes were ripped in places.
    The night cook was startled for a second when he saw Ben. Then a light went on and he said, “Man, what happened to you?”
    “I wish I knew.” Ben asked him to get Gus while he stood at the back door. The night cook went up to the bar and whispered to Gus, whose eyes lit up. He called Cindy over to watch the bar.
    Gus saw Ben by the door and a concerned look came over his face. Ben took Gus out the back door and gave him a generic version of what had happened after he left When he finished, Ben asked, “Do you think I can crash here for the night?”
    “Sure, I have just the thing. There’s an apartment up those stairs,” Gus replied. “It’s been empty for a few weeks.”
    He told Ben the last tenant had skipped out on him but left a lot of stuff, and he could use the apartment