Page 76 of Wild Sentinel

"Who do you think the other suit was?" JD asked. “CIA, Foreign agent?”

I shrugged.

We blazed down the dirt road, kicking up dust. Anyone in the air would be able to see us from miles away, but I think Scott had other concerns at the moment.

"What do we do now?" Brooke asked.

"We find Adam and shut down Sentinel,” I shrugged.

"What about Scott?"

"Something tells me if we shut down Sentinel, he'll come looking for us."

45

"Watch where you step," Brooke said. "Follow me exactly."

We had driven deep into the desert, along another dirt road. A lone fence post with a bleached animal skull at the base served as a marker. At a casual glance, you wouldn't think much of it.

We pulled off the road and hopped out.

The land was barren and rocky, full of shrubs and foothills.

There wasn’t a house for miles. No structures. Nothing.

"Are you sure we’re in the right place?” I asked.

"Trust me, I've been here many times. Adam has lined the trail with booby traps.”

The three of us weaved through craggy shrubs and jagged rocks. We had probably walked half a mile when we followed Brooke into a small valley with large boulders and red cliffs.

The afternoon sun hadn't let up. Sweat drenched my skin and soaked my shirt. After all we'd been through, I was tired, hungry, and thirsty. Marching through the desert without food and water was a recipe for dehydration.

From behind a boulder, a man emerged wearing desert camo and twigs to break up the pattern. It wasn't quite a ghillie suit, but something in between. Curled up on the ground, he could pass for a shrub at first glance. He aimed an AR-15 at us. "Who are these people, Brooke?"

"They’re on our side.”

Adam wasn't sold. "Nobody's on our side.”

Adam was about 6’1”, with curly dark hair and a thick beard. He’d spent some time in the desert and had a swarthy tan.

"Why did you bring them here?” he asked in an annoyed voice.

"Scott kidnapped us. He tried to kill them and get me to lead him here."

That didn't settle Adam’s nerves. His wary eyes glanced to the sky, looking for threats. "Maybe that's what you've done. Maybe you’ve been tracked.”

She gave him a look. "I haven’t been tracked.”

“How do you know? They could have placed a tracker on you.”

“We weren’t tracked,” she assured.

“Who are they?” Adam asked, nodding to JD and me.

“They’re deputies from Florida.”

Adam’s face wrinkled with confusion. “Florida?”