Page 37 of Ravens
“Yeah, well, if anyone has been pissing nearby, there’s no avoiding the fucking thing now,” August says as he comes out of his own tent with a pump-action rifle that makes me raise my eyebrows.
York gives me my gun back for the second time in less than twenty-four hours, but this time it’s loaded. I check it and stow it. Carter doesn’t move from the fire, and I pick up my coffee from earlier. The fire kept it warm.
“We should blow shit up soon,” Carter suggests. “I’m getting bored.”
“I’m game.” I sit. “Unless you want to try and kill me too, in which case I’m all done second-guessing myself, and I have an itchy trigger finger now.”
“I’m a gentleman,” he offers quietly and scratches his beard. “I don’t hurt women.”
“I’d say that too if I wanted a woman to trust me.”
“Shit.” He smirks. “You’re working with some real trust issues, aren’t you?”
“Every issue I have has been gained from experience.” York sits down with us, and I give him my eyes briefly before turning back to Carter. “And trust me when I say the list just keeps growing.”
“I believe you.” He stands up. “Let me pack up some shit.”
York gives me a questioning look, but I just stand up and turn my ass to the fire, drying the massive wet spot that has seeped out from my soaking panties.
Nineteen
Acouple of hours later, I’m sitting in the woods with Carter listening to him talk about wires, charges and detonators. He drones on about which explosives work best for what and how to rig some basic household chemicals in a pinch.
Science isn’t my forte, but I can memorize anything. I set a charge and run the wires for a very small blast, just to get the feel for it. After double checking my work, Carter hunkers down behind a log with me.
“There are different types of detonators. We’re going to use this today.” He passes me a battery. “But this works too.” He pulls out a cellphone.
I try not to stare at the phone as he flips it into his other hand.
“Put the wires to the battery, and let’s do some damage.”
My little charge pops a moment after the wires connect with the battery, and I smile. I’ve never done demolition work before,but so far, I like it. Still, my attention falls back on the phone in his hand. “How does it work with that?”
He gives me a devious grin. “Let me show you.”
Grabbing his bag, he disappears for about ten minutes before dropping down beside me again and handing me the phone.
“The cell will send asignal via radio airwaves that energizes a relay connected to the blasting cap.” He taps it in my hand. “Just call it in andboom.”
I open the old phone and find one number saved in it. When he nods at me, I press the call button. There is a series of popping sounds, and then a large blast that is way too close. My heart leaps as dirt showers down on us and the ground trembles.
Carter hoots, turning on his knees, and shouts, “Heads up!”
I throw my arms over my head to the sound of crashing and wood snapping. Carter hops back over the log, and I look out to see a downed tree. Quickly, I type out the text message on the phone and send it before deleting the evidence and scanning around me.
About twenty feet away, Carter is inspecting the tree and none the wiser.
Climbing over the log, I go and join him. “That was cool.”
“Blowing shit up is always cool.”
Shaking the dirt out of my hair, I hand him the phone, and he pockets it absently. Next time I blow something up, I’ll wear a damn hat.
“Walk me through the mechanics of a bomb,” he says, turning away from the tree.
“What?”
“Teach me. Tell me what you remember.”
