Annihilate (Hive Trilogy #3)(23)

“Who is your tech guy?” he asked me, and I nodded to Sam.

Zach pulled out his phone and handed it to Sam. “The picture of the pug in my photos is the back door into the network. I don’t have time right now to get the full story, so you’re going to have to figure out how to access the network and get your message into the world.”

Sam nodded staring at the phone like it was made of twenty-four carat gold.

Zack eyed the door and then spoke softer: “Some Hives are taking away all electronics, going back to the Dark Ages, and there’s talk about cutting the enforcer program altogether, in which case we’ll never be allowed outside again.”

Ryder groaned next to me. Shit.

“We need to get word to every Hive in record time,” I told him.

He nodded. “Put it on the network, but I’m telling you, nothing spreads faster than word of mouth. I was just in Seattle escorting my Quorum to a meeting when I heard about what happened to your enforcers. I’m sorry.” He directed that last comment at Ryder.

Ryder nodded solemnly.

“Use the phone. I’ll meet you here tomorrow at noon. If I don’t show, leave the phone in the top desk drawer. Angela can be trusted.”

We all nodded and he took another second to glance at me. “The cure…” He shook his head in disbelief and then left the room, leaving us all to stare at each other.



Ten minutes later we were all walking down a side road that paralleled the 3rd Street promenade.

“We need somewhere to lay low while I figure out this phone,” Sam said, still clutching it like it was the most precious thing in the world.

Jared spoke up: “I have an old surf buddy who used to live a few blocks over. He’d be in his sixties now if he’s still around. Total chill dude who’d never rat a brother out.”

Ryder didn’t look like he was immediately jumping on board with this plan. “You still trust a guy you haven’t spoken to in decades?”

Jared gave Ryder a bit of a glare. Unusual for the normally happy Aussie. The stress was getting to all of us. “Me and this guy went through a lot, okay. I trust him.

Ryder nodded; that was enough to placate him for the moment. We followed Jared down a side street. After a bit of getting lost, he finally recognized the small blue beach shack five blocks from the ocean. There were Tibetan peace flags hanging over the front door and a marijuana leaf sticker in the window. I raised an eyebrow at Jared, but he just chuckled.

“He’s still here. I knew he would never leave the beach.” Jared walked right up to the door like he owned the place and banged on it.

Sam, Oliver, and Markus hung back on the lawn while Ryder, Kyle, and I stood behind Jared. I heard some shuffling and then the door opened. Standing before us was a buff, graying old guy with surprising good looks for his sixty-plus years. He wore tan cutoff shorts and a tank-top, his skin leathery and dark from all the hours under the sun. He looked confused for a second, and then Jared dropped his shades. “Hey, mate.”

The guy broke into a grin and actually began tearing up. “Oh my God! Jared. Buddy.” He jumped out the front doorway and took Jared into a hug. Now that he was in the sunlight I saw that he was missing one of his legs but wore a cool, carbon-fiber prosthetic.

He pulled back. “I haven’t seen you in ages. I heard you were an ash and that was it. How you been?”

Jared smiled. “Good, man. I’m good. My buddies and I are kind of having a hard time. We need a place to crash…”

The man immediately stepped aside. “Mi Casa es su casa.”

Jared looked on the lawn. “There’s seven of us total…”

“The more the merrier, brother. I’ve got plenty of beer and I was just about to make some pasta. You guys eat, right?”

We all chuckled as he led us into the house. Ryder waved for the boys to come in off the lawn. I was glad to finally unclick these heavy camping backpacks and release the weight from my shoulders. I was grateful we would have a roof over our heads tonight.

After handing out water and beer, the old timer introduced himself: “I’m Brian, but my buddies call me Shark Bait.” He smiled and Jared shook his head, chuckling.

“How do you guys know each other?” I asked, trying to make small talk.

Brian gave the Aussie enforcer a somber look. “Jared saved my life when a shark in Australia took my leg clean off.”

Okay, so “sexy surfer hero” was totally my new nickname for Jared. Always knew he was a brave one.

Brian nodded. “I heard Queensland had some killer waves, so I sold my VW van and bought a one-way ticket to Gold Coast in the ‘80s. Met Jared and his mates on the water. Barely knew him six hours, and when the shark pulled me under Jared swam after me like he had known me all his life.”

Jared raised his beer. “Surfer code, bro.”

Brian clinked his beer. I had a feeling we were going to be hearing lots of bros over the next twenty-four hours.

“What happened?”

Brian shrugged. “The second I got dragged under and felt that crunch, I passed out. Woke up with Jared hovering over me, tying off my leg.”

Jared looked haunted at the memory. “You still surf?”

Brian smirked. “What do you think? I’m the best damn one-legged surfer in the Pacific. No shark’s going to take surfing from me.”