Recruits (Keeper of the Water Book 2) Read Online Free Page A

that bad, which relieves me. I know I’m supposed to worry more about myself and the Keeper and the Amazons – and not so much about men – but I don’t want to hurt people just trying to do their jobs. If I was in the same position as them, I’d be trying to chase us down, too…
    With our tail gone for the moment, Celeste slows down long enough for me to climb back into the van. Adrenaline races so fast that my hands shake uncontrollably. I wonder how I could’ve possibly made that last shot. I try to take a few deep breaths to calm my nerves. But we’re no sooner out of danger when two more cop cars screech around the corner and block our path.
    “Hold on!” Celeste yells and cuts the wheel, turning us down a much smaller country road.
    The slight tingling I felt minutes earlier fades and I’m certain we’re heading in the wrong direction. But when I try to explain this to Celeste, she holds up a hand to shut me up. For some reason, she turns up the radio even louder, as if we need a soundtrack or something for the chase. But it’s not even music she’s listening to; it’s some local news station that produces as much static as talking.
    “Why are you listening to – ”
    “Shhh,” she snaps. “This is what I need to hear.”
    “ We’ve received word of a biplane theft occurring moments ago, ” says the newsanchor on the radio. “ The old-time plane was stolen from Zultanky’s Barnstorming Pocono Tours at a local airfield. Authorities ask everyone to be on the lookout for the suspicious plane, which can not get very far since its small gas tank makes for a short flight range. We’ll keep you posted on any new details. In other news… ”
    Celeste turns the volume down and leans her head forward, trying to get a better view of the sky. She pays little attention to the police cars gaining ground behind us, or to the traffic in front of us for that matter. We nearly plow into a minivan but she turns at the last second – now it’s her side-view mirror that gets taken off. It takes me a few seconds to figure out why she’s so interested in the news report and looking toward the sky.
    I lean forward and check the sky, too.
    “Do you think John’s other soldier kidnapped Cassie and stole the plane to get away?” I ask, the idea filling me with dread.
    “I don’t know who took her,” Celeste says, still scanning the sky. “But that brute could barely tie his shoes let alone fly a plane.”
    “Then who do you think took it?” I ask.
    Celeste doesn’t have the chance to respond, not that she ever gives me a straight answer anyway. A new sound suddenly joins the symphony of rushing wind and police sirens: whirring airplane engines. I look back toward the sky and spot a low-flying yellow plane. It looks old and makes me wonder if the Red Baron had a twin brother who flew yellow. The plane soars low and slow, crawling beneath the clouds, and I worry it’ll plunge out of the sky.
    “Take the wheel!” Celeste yells.
    “Huh? Why?”
    But she already let go and grips the rearview mirror in both hands. There’s barely space for me to reach across and grab the steering wheel. I yank it to the side just before we smash into a school bus. Celeste loses her balance and crashes into me. It’s a miracle I keep control of the wheel and stop us from driving off the side of the road.
    “Would you take it easy?” Celeste snaps at me as she finally yanks the mirror off the windshield. “You’re going to get us killed!”
    “Me?” I snap back. “You could at least let up on the gas!”
    “And let them catch up?” she asks, gesturing back to the cops.
    For good measure, she pushes down the gas pedal as far as it’ll go. Before I can complain, she leans out of her open window. I have no idea what she’s doing and can hardly watch her to figure it out. All of my concentration is focused directly in front of me and I jerk the wheel from side to side, somehow avoiding disaster after disaster. If my