Broken (19 page)

Authors: Robert J. Crane

BOOK: Broken

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“
Yeah, yeah,” Rick waved his hand dismissively at the phone. If Janus had been here, dismissing him was exactly what he would have done. Did the man not understand the importance of results in this situation? “We need her now. We need to move up the timetable. I just got briefed by our intel guys, and they say that Century has got units in Europe, the Middle East and Africa right now. You know what that means, right?”

“
They have begun to spread to the rest of the world.” Janus got it. That was good. It was easier to be a leader when you weren’t surrounded by total idiots.

“
Right you are,” Rick said with a tight smile. “They’ve been working Russia and the Far East for a while now, but they’re crossing borders and moving faster. They’re widening the net, they’re expanding, and the body count is soaring. They’ve got hunters in the field, J. Humans and metas, and they’re sweeping it clean. We need Nealon. We’ve got a playbook with a few things that might work, but you know we need her to run the best damned play.” Rick didn’t want to hear hesitation in the response, but it was there. “J … you’re not having … doubts … are you?” The word doubts came close to being breathed like a curse. Rick wasn’t the kind of leader that liked second thoughts.

“
Your father and I had many discussions about how best to proceed when he brought me back to advise him,” Janus said. “I will tell you the same thing that I told him—that what we are trying to do now is dangerous. That I acknowledge because of circumstances beyond our control that changes have to be made in to our ways, things codified into unspoken law for us for millennia. That I believe we are in very real danger of creating bigger problems if we were to—”

“
J, I think you’re misunderstanding me,” Rick said with a smile and a shake of his head. Sure, Janus couldn’t see his expression, but he could hear it, right? Maybe even feel it, given his power? Rick frowned. The idea of Janus being able to use that power was concerning. But it only worked on the weak willed, wasn’t that what his father had told him? Rick felt himself relax. Weak will wasn’t a problem for him. “I’m not intending to do anything to disrupt the way we’ve handled these things for thousands of years. What I’m planning to do is what my father called Plan B.” There was a quiet on the other end of the phone. “J? Are you being coy with me?”

“
No,” Janus said. “So you mean to remove Sovereign from the equation?”

“
Without Sovereign,” Rick said with dry satisfaction, “Century is nothing.”

“
I disagree,” Janus said, “I think they will be much reduced in their effectiveness, however, without him.”

“
Potato, potah-toe,” Rick said. “Either way, we need to take Sovereign off the board. Sienna Nealon’s our path to that. Get her over here.”

“
I will,” Janus said stiffly. “I may need some time, though—”

“
Time’s not a luxury we’re afforded right now,” Rick said, and his eyes fixed on Bastet. She was thousands of years old, had been more powerful than most men he’d met in Omega. She was still a good -looking woman, though, worthy of the statues that had once been made for her. He knew he could have her, really, in his guts. That was power. Real power. “Get her to London. However you have to. If she won’t come willingly, I will send overwhelming force against her, and we will beat her down and drag her here.”

“
I would caution you against that,” Janus said. “She does not respond well to pressure.”

“
To hell with how she responds,” Rick said. He cast one last look around the office before turning his attention back to this conversation. He felt a swell of weariness. Must be bedtime in L.A. “Get her over here, or I will. And either way, however it happens, once Sienna Nealon comes to London—to Omega—she will never be allowed to leave again.”

Author’s Note

Let me start off by saying that I know that was short. Sorry for that, and I can promise that I'll make it up to you with book 7, which is not even halfway written and already as long as this volume. It should end up being the biggest Girl in the Box book yet, if that's any consolation. This was a necessarily quick and brutal part of Sienna's story, but now that that is over with, it's time for her to start moving on as we gear up for the last four books. That's right, only four more to the end of the series (I added the titles to the list of my books a couple of pages from now, after the preview for book seven. If you want to know as soon as the next volumes are released,
CLICK HERE
to sign up for my mailing list. I promise I won’t spam you (I only send an email when I have a new book released) and I’ll never sell your info. You can also unsubscribe at any time.

Thanks for going on the journey with me thus far. I know, you're here for Sienna, not me, but still, thank you. I'm going to do everything I can to make her conclusion worthy of the story thus far. If you've enjoyed the books, I'd appreciate it if you'd take the time to write a short review wherever you purchased this book. Thanks for reading, and I hope to see you again next time.

Robert J. Crane

Acknowledgments

Here's my grateful thanks to all those who helped me get this book out the door (it's a metaphorical door; I don't think there were any actual doors involved) and into your hands (and now I'm mixing metaphors. I'm a great writer!) In no particular order:

Carien Keevey - for pints of Guinness, great conversation, and an excellent read on this book.
Kea Grace - who persevered to finish her readthrough in record time, in spite of countless paws on the keyboard trying to keep her from it.

Paul Madsen - for finding about a billion and a half errors that I carefully inserted into my manuscript just to see if he'd notice. Hah! I'm kidding. They call them errors for a reason, after all.

Sarah Barbour - for making room in her schedule to get this done unannounced, and her always-careful attention to detail.

Karri Klawiter - for one hell of an awesome cover. Once again, she takes the vaguest of ideas from me and turns it into awesomesauce (which is like applesauce, but wholly better).

Finally to my parents, my wife and my kids. Who loves ya, baby? Not Telly Savalas, I can tell you that much. No, it’s me.

About the Author

Robert J. Crane was born and raised on Florida’s Space Coast before moving to the upper midwest in search of cooler climates and more palatable beer. He graduated from the University of Central Florida with a degree in English Creative Writing. He worked for a year as a substitute teacher and worked in the financial services field for seven years while writing in his spare time. He makes his home in the Twin Cities area of Minnesota.

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Sienna Nealon will return in

Enemies

The Girl in the Box

Book Seven

Far from home, having failed in her quest to kill Old Man Winter, Sienna Nealon finds herself in the city of London, working with Omega, her oldest enemies. Surrounded by people she doesn't trust, thrust into events that could mean the extinction of the metahuman race, Sienna will discover that the line between friend and foe is thinner than she ever could have believed - and that her greatest enemies may lie within.

Coming Autumn 2013

Also By Robert J. Crane

The Sanctuary Series

Epic Fantasy

Defender: The Sanctuary Series, Volume One

Avenger: The Sanctuary Series, Volume Two

Champion: The Sanctuary Series, Volume Three

Crusader: The Sanctuary Series, Volume Four*

Thy Father's Shadow: A Sanctuary Novel*

Savages: A Sanctuary Short Story

A Familiar Face: A Sanctuary Short Story

The Girl in the Box