Takedown Read Online Free Page B

tortoise move half as fast as Jeremy does. And it doesn’t fight like a tortoise, either. It fights
     more like… like a tiger.”
    Kormoski frowned. “A tiger?” he asked doubtfully.
    “Have you ever seen one tortoise battle another?”
    “Not firsthand, but I hear they go at it rather slowly.”
    “To put it mildly, sir. They face off and charge toward each other at a blazing two-tenths of a mile per hour. That’s just
     slightly faster than crabgrass grows. When they finally ram—and I use the word loosely—you might imagine you’re not going
     to hear the
clack
of mountain sheep. More like a war of opposing hand-cranked car jacks. Their feet dig in and it’s neck against neck until
     one retreats. Except for some fatigue and muscle soreness, the dominated tortoise is usually unharmed.”
    “But not when Jeremy attacks,” Kormoski said.
    “No, sir. Jeremy has been known to plow into full-grown giants, three times his size, flipping them over onto their backs
     and biting at their exposed flesh. When they pull in their head and feet for fear of their lives, he gnaws on their shells
     until someone separates them. A dangerous task in itself.”
    “How long has this behavior been going on?”
    “I don’t know, sir. I became aware of it through one of my techs a few months ago after a routine checkup. Jeremy nearly bit
     his finger off while being inspected for ticks.”
    “I remember hearing something about that,” Kormoski said, nodding.
    “But he was already in isolation.”
    With a furrowed brow, Kormoski turned to Davis. “Lester?”
    “Jeremy’s been under my care for four years, Mr. Kormoski. I admit he’s been going through some growing pains lately, but
     that’ll pass. He just needs a little special attention right now. He’s healthy. I’ll see to it he gets everything he needs,
     sir. I promise.”
    Cocchiola rolled her eyes. “I’m sorry, sir, but the kind of attention Jeremy needs we can’t provide here in the Bronx. Keeping
     giants at this location was an experiment that, in my opinion, has failed. I think we should send the lot of them to a more
     southerly location where they can be outside year round. Then they’ll benefit from the symbiotic relationships that naturally
     form between them and say, finches, for example, which clean them of ticks daily in their natural environment.”
    “Lester? You seem troubled by that suggestion.”
    “Nobody knows Jeremy like I do, sir. I don’t mind if you send the rest of them south, but Jeremy needs me.”
    Kormoski frowned again.
    “Jeremy needs Honolulu, sir,” Cocchiola interjected. “Theirs is the absolute best facility in the world for giants, and they’ve
     been at it the longest. It’s giant heaven. The animals all have remarkabledispositions and breed readily there. Jeremy may still need special attention, but if he’s going to have a chance to assimilate
     anywhere, it would be in Hawaii.”
    Davis felt a sensation like an army of ants crawling down his back as he saw Kormoski nod approvingly at Cocchiola’s suggestion.
     From what Buck had told him, the tortoise would do anything to die and would have outside help if left in the open. Davis
     had spent the last two years fearfully speculating on how long it would take for Krogan to hunt him down once freed. No. There
     was no way he could let Jeremy out of his protection.
    “Mr. Kormoski. Jeremy’s gonna be fine. He’s already on the mend. If you can just give me a little more time with him I—”
    “I anticipated this type of resistance, sir,” Cocchiola interrupted. “Lester is as capable a wild-animal keeper as I know,
     but for some reason, he keeps fighting me on this one. So I’ve arranged a little demonstration.” She took out a small radio
     and spoke into it. “Karen, please bring in the rat.”

4
    G avin drove over the Throgs Neck Bridge in light traffic, convertible top down, afternoon sky high and bright, Long Island
     dwindling in his rearview