MoonRush (50 page)
Authors: Ben Hopkin,Carolyn McCray
“Gil, how’s it feel to be the gazelle taken down by lions?”
Gil’s mouth worked, but no sound came out as he was dragged off toward the base in Stavros’ wake. What awaited Gil there, Jarod was not entirely certain. It would make for some awesome conjecturing as they were being debriefed, though.
Rob gazed up at the palm trees surrounding the base as the crew was led inside. “Well, at least we got a free trip to someplace tropical.”
The debriefing was as long and as painful as Stavros had probably ordered it to be. Jarod felt a bit as if the captain had to take out his frustration on someone. At least they weren’t in Gil’s shoes right about now.
Even their ejection from the base wasn’t gentle. Their escort threw open the gate and all but threw the Rogues into the street.
“Hey…” Jarod protested. “The least you can do is buy us dinner after stealing our diamonds and grilling us for hours.”
The only response was the gate
slamming shut
.
The Rogues brushed themselves off, looking at each other. Cleo broke the silence.
“Where to now?”
Jarod shrugged, picked a direction
,
and started walking. Mia, looking as dead tired and haggard as Jarod had ever seen her, fell into step beside him. She glanced over at him.
“I don’t suppose there are any taxis?”
Jarod laughed. “We couldn’t afford one
,
anyway.” He stopped and slapped himself on the forehead. “Damn! I lost my boat, my car,
and
my house…Man, this has
not
been a good week.”
Mia grinned up at him, her eyes twinkling. “Hey. You met me.”
Jarod chuckled, assenting. “You’re the silver lining, babe.”
Mia drew herself up at that, apparently taking umbrage. “Silver?” She punched Jarod in the shoulder, causing him to shake his arm out. Mia continued. “I’m worth
way
more than that!”
Mia pulled out her scorpion pendant. She turned it around and opened up a compartment in the back to reveal a small but brilliant diamond. Jarod gaped at her, his eyes moving from her face to the gem
,
and back to her face.
“How?”
“Cleo and I took a little precaution.”
Cleo grinned at him. “We girls have to tuck something away for a rainy day.”
Jarod whooped, then grabbed Mia around the waist and spun her around. She giggled… Mia
giggled
…then flushed. She gazed through her eyelashes at Jarod.
“It’s worth enough to outfit the Rogues with a new seagoing vessel…And maybe even a little left over for my research.”
Jarod peered deep into Mia’s eyes. Damn
,
but this woman was beautiful. She had whirled and kicked and insulted her way into his heart. His pulse pounding in his throat, Jarod leaned in and kissed her. She stiffened for a moment, then melted, wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back. Enthusiastically. The Rogues cheered.
Rob slapped Jarod on the back. “It’s about freakin’ time
!
”
Jarod held out his hand to Mia, gesturing at the gemstone. “Let me see that.”
The shard flared up brightly,
as though it reflected
a tiny piece of the sun.
Jarod turned to the crew. “You know, guys…I think I might just know which ‘shipwreck’ to pursue next.”
“Let me guess…” Mia teased. “Was it sunk somewhere near the Mariana Trench?”
“For someone who just met me…” Jarod pulled her in to his side, tight. “You know me too damn well!”
Buton smiled at Jarod, showing all his teeth. “How do you feel about karma now?”
“I’m loving it!” Jarod announced to anyone who would listen.
The Rogues turned as one and walked back toward civilization, leaving the base and all its conflict behind. Jarod looked out over the group. It didn’t really matter where they were going.
They were together. They were already home.
EPILOGUE
Deep under the surface of the ocean where little to no light penetrated, a glow suffused the terrain. The seascape appeared exposed, almost uncomfortable, with this new intruder to its realm. Fish and more mysterious
sea creatures
darted away, seeking darker, more hidden climes.
The massive stone shone with an inner radiance. Denizens of the deep, those with no eyes to be burned by the light, crawled onto its surface, extruding sediments and catalysts that would eventually turn this radiating orb into just another dark stone on the floor of the ocean.
But for now, the gem burned brightly, brilliantly in this darkest and deepest of the world’s hidden places. It shone as a beacon, calling out for rescue. Calling out to be seen. Calling out to share its beauty with the world.
The call…was heard.
Thank you so much for joining us on this romp we like to call
MoonRush
! We really hope you enjoyed all the exciting twists and turns as much as we loved writing it. Jarod and
crew took us on quite a romp!
As reviews are the life's blood for any indie book, we would really appreciate if you liked
MoonRush
to please go back to Amazon and give it a review! You can imagine how much J
arod would love the attention!
If you couldn't tell by the epilogue of
MoonRush
there are more adventures awaiting the Rogues. Expec
t to see
MarsRush
summer 2013!
Until then you might want to check out the Thriller anthology,
Bullets, Brass, and Babes
to read our short story
With
(Star) Diamonds in Her Eyes
. It is a great look at Mia and how s
he came to shoot for the moon!
If you'd like more books by Carolyn or Ben scroll down to the next section where you will find plenty!
Other Works by Carolyn McCray and Ben Hopkin
If you enjoyed the
adventure-filled romp of
MoonRush
, you might also enjoy Carolyn’s action-packed techno-thriller,
Encrypted
.
“Dan Brown blinked, and Carolyn McCray took over.
Encrypted
is the best thing that I’ve read in the thriller genre, hands down. It’s got history, mysticism, and shadowy organizations manipulating world events. Oh, and did I mention the most incredible opposites-attract relationship EVER? This novel knocked my socks off.”
ThrillersRockT
Book Reviewer
More praise for
Encrypted
….
“Imagine a roller-coaster ride filled with historical twists and turns, fabulous action, and a great love story. You’ll soar to the skies, then grip your seat on the way down.
Encrypted
will leave you breathless in the end.”
Author
“If you like Lara Croft, you’ll love
Encrypted
’s heroine, Ronnie. From one explosion to the next, my heart raced with each turn of the page. And the plague making a comeback? Written with such realism, after reading
Encrypted
, you may never want to leave your house again.”
Author
To purchase or sample
Encrypted
on Amazon
,
just click
here
.
* * *
If you loved the thrills, and
excitement of
MoonRush
, you should check out my #1 Bestseller in Men’s Adventure /War/Techno-Thrillers,
30 Pieces of Silver
.
Be warned, however, that
30 Pieces of Silver
is an EXTREMELY
controversia
l historical/religious thriller. Please be sure to read the warning on the Amazon page before purchasing!