Rebels & Lies (Rebels & Lies Trilogy Book 1) (35 page)

Kaspar smiled. “After you.”

The bright morning sun began to shine through the living room
windows of the Sullivan residence. There were Agents all around the house,
dusting for prints, and examining the numerous bullet holes in the walls.
Sullivan stood in the living room, with little Davie at his side. Fitzpatrick
had tagged along with the search team. He walked in front of Sullivan,
obscuring his view of the morning news on the television.

“Let me get this straight,” Fitzpatrick said. “He just let you
go?”

“That’s right. He barged into my room, ready to kill me, and then
when my boy ran in, he just left.” Sullivan replied.

“I always knew your son would do great things. What about the bullet
holes littered everywhere?”

“He fired at me as he made his escape. I don’t think he was trying
to hit me, more like warning shots so I wouldn’t pursue. Then he vanished.”

“And, you didn’t get any good looks at him, right?”

“Just like all the other resistance members, he wore a mask, but
he did have some nasty gashes on his arm like an animal attacked him.”

“Now things are starting to make a little more sense.” Fitzpatrick
said, scratching at his head.

“What do you mean?” Sullivan wondered.

“You heard about your two partners, right?”

Sullivan fought back a smile. “Sure did.”

“Well, Demarcus had a large dog who had its brains blown out.”

“So, he was going after all three of us, then?”

“Sounds like it. I’m going to go upstairs, help those fellas out.
Let me know if you need anything.”

“Will do.”

Sullivan turned his attention back to the television screen. The
picture started to get fuzzy then went completely black. When the picture
returned, it was not the USR news. Instead it was a picture of a waving
American flag. After the flag faded away, there sat a man with white, scraggly
hair and thick glasses behind a desk.

“Citizens of the USR, this is the resistance…”

THE ACTION CONTINUES IN:

PATRIOTS & TYRANTS

LOOK FOR IT NOW ON KINDLE!

Though
writing in itself is a very solitary act, the novel you have just read (and,
hopefully enjoyed!) would not have been possible without the encouragement and
support from several people. To my parents, who have always supported this
crazy dream of mine to write a novel. Thank you for your constant support and
for instilling in me a never say die attitude. Despite all the disappointments,
getting my hopes up with partial requests, and self-doubt, you never let me
quit. To my buddy Billy who read not one, but two completed drafts, which was
more than I could ever ask for. Thank you for your time, encouragement, and
feedback. To my wife and editor, Chrissy, thank you for putting up with me
through all the long hours it took to get this thing done. Thank you for your
support, kind words of encouragement, not laughing at me for my silly
grammatical errors, and for being the best wife ever! I love you. Big thanks to
my sister-in-law Charity for the various connections she helped me make. Thanks
to Greg Dejaynes for the awesome cover art. And, last but certainly not least,
to my friend Dani, who always wanted to see her name written in a book. There
you go.

Brian Cotton grew up in many
parts of the country, but calls Springfield, OH home.
Rebels & Lies
is his
first novel. When not writing, he can be found reading, gaming, or standing and
cheering for the Carolina Panthers on NFL Sundays (Keep Pounding!). He lives
with his wife and pets in Kentucky.