The Collected Part 46

__________.

Ja.n.u.s COULND'T SEE the plane, but he could hear it. Afraid they'd know he was following them if he moved any closer, he'd stayed within the cover of the jungle, a dozen feet from the clearing.

The walk from the fort had drained all but the last bit of his energy. Each step now felt like he was moving through a vat of mud. His eyesight, too, had become problematic. Though he could see the others standing together near the landing strip, he had to use all his concentration to pick out the one he was pretty sure was Quinn.

He was the one who had to die.

The roar of the jet increased. Putting a hand on the tree next to him, Ja.n.u.s leaned forward so he could see the end of the runway. A plane appeared over the island, and seemed to hover in the air for a second before landing. He watched as it raced down the runway, pa.s.sed the group waiting for it, and stopped near the other end.

He thought it would come back this way, but instead Quinn and his friends were walking toward it.

No!

He knew he couldn't go much further. His body had given him all it had and more already. But he couldn't let Quinn get away.

He weaved unsteadily out of the brush, and forced himself to follow the troublemaker. Halfway there, he knew he wouldn't make it. Worse yet, Quinn was at the front of the group, greeting someone who had just come out of the plane. He was too far away.

Ja.n.u.s wanted to scream, but he held it in.

Do what you can.

The rifle felt like a thousand pounds as he raised it to his shoulder. He steadied himself as best he could, pointing the weapon at the back of the pack.

"You all go to h.e.l.l," he whispered, then pulled the trigger.

__________.

TO SAY QUINN was getting used to seeing his sister and Nate embrace would have been stretching reality. But this time there was a certain satisfaction.

There'd been moments over the last few days when he wondered if the two of them would ever have the chance to be together again. But here they were, arm in arm. It was a sight to be cherished, not frowned upon.

"All right, everyone," Quinn said, turning toward the others. "Let's get on-"

The word stuck in this throat as he saw Ja.n.u.s standing seventy yards behind the group, not only alive but pointing a rifle in their direction.

As he pulled out his gun, he shouted, "Down! Everyone!"

But his warning was drowned out by the bang-bang-bang-bang-bang of the semiautomatic rifle.

Quinn saw movement at the back of the group. Someone going down.

He ran to the side and let off five quick shots. Four more shots came from off to his right, Daeng circling the other way and mirroring Quinn's course.

Ja.n.u.s took two steps backward, his rifle tilting up in the air.

Quinn emptied the rest of his magazine.

As Ja.n.u.s went down for the last time, his finger jerked on the rifle's trigger, sending a final hail of bullets flying high over the jungle.

As Quinn ran toward Ja.n.u.s, he released the empty mag and jammed in his final one.

He and Daeng reached Ja.n.u.s at the same time.

The man's chest was full of entry wounds, and his eyes had the empty death stare Quinn had seen so many times before. But there was only one way to make sure the man never got up again. Quinn aimed his gun at Ja.n.u.s's forehead and pulled the trigger.

"Quinn!" Nate called out.

Quinn whipped around, thinking maybe there was another attacker somewhere. But Nate was at the back of the group, kneeling on the ground. There were two people lying to either side of him.

"Hurry!" Nate yelled.

The hair on the back of Quinn's neck stood on end. He ran as fast as he'd ever run, trying to keep his mind blank.

The closest person on the ground was Peter, and Quinn instantly knew the former head of the Office would never get up again. A bullet had caught him on the side of the head just above his right ear.

Then he twisted around and saw the other person Ja.n.u.s had hit.

__________.

ORLANDO HAD NO idea what happened.

She'd been standing, she was sure of that, but now she seemed to be lying on the ground.

Why can't I get up? Why can't I move?

Voices. Hollow. Distant, but not distant.

"Quinn...Hurry..."

I'm tired. Why am I so tired?

The ground shook under her. Thud. Thud. Then something b.u.mped against her arm.

She could feel it. She couldn't move her arm, but she could feel it. That was good, right?

"No, no, no, no, no!"

Quinn?

"Orlando. Orlando, can you hear me?"

I can hear you.

"Orlando? Come on, baby, stay with me!"

It was strange. Though she knew he was right beside her, it sounded like he was a million miles away.

"Do you hear me? Baby, please, stay with me!"

Growing farther and farther.

"You're going to be okay. You're going to be fine. Just stay with..."

Thank you so much for reading THE COLLECTED.

If you have time and the inclination, a review posted at the site you purchased the novel is always appreciate.

Quinn will be back in 2013.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS.

As always, any book is a team effort, and I am very thankful to my Team Quinn members, and to all the readers who continue to enjoy the adventures of Quinn and his friends.

This time, special thanks go to: Ivonne de Cervantes for helping me with my Spanish (any errors, as much as I always hate to admit it, are mine); friend and fellow novelist Robert Browne, not only for the long conversations about plot, books, and basic BS, but for creating the fantastic Quinn covers; and, of course, Elyse Dinh-McCrillis, whose expert eyes find the errors, both easy and deceiving, that I never catch. You have my undying grat.i.tude.

Finally, my thanks and love to the three people who make doing this even more worthwhile than I could have ever thought possible-my kids: Ronan, Fiona, and Keira. The future is yours, and I can't wait to see what you do with it.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR.

Brett Battles is the Barry Award-winning author of over a dozen novels, including the Jonathan Quinn series, the Logan Harper series, and the Project Eden series. You can learn more at his website: brettbattles.com

Becoming Quinn.

Every Ident.i.ty Has an Origin.

This Is Jonathan Quinn's.

Most careers begin with an interview and a handshake. Others require...something more.

Meet Jake Oliver. The day will come when he's one of the best cleaners in the business, a man skilled at making bodies disappear. At the moment, however, he's a twenty-two-year-old rookie cop, unaware his life is about to change.

In a burning barn a body is found-and the fire isn't the cause of death. The detectives working the case have a pretty good idea about what went down. But Officer Oliver thinks it's something else entirely, and pursues a truth others would prefer remain hidden-others who will go to extreme lengths to keep him quiet.

Find Becoming Quinn in the Kindle Store.

"A pure delight."-Jeffery Deaver, author of Edge and the Lincoln Rhyme novels, on the first Quinn novel, The Cleaner.

"Quinn is one part James Bond, one part Jason Bourne."

-Nashville Book Worm.

The Project Eden Thrillers.

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If Project members have their way, humanity is about to get a reboot. It's up to Daniel Ash and the others in the outnumbered resistance to keep the Project from severely downsizing mankind. But can their small force succeed in the face of a plan decades in the making? The human race had better hope so, because if Ash and his friends don't succeed...

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A simple push of a b.u.t.ton and the world will never be the same.

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Do you think you're safe?