Vengeance (Twenty-Five Percent Book 3) Read Online Free Page A

dwindling cheesecake, trying to make it last as long as possible. “I worry about you sometimes.”
    “You ready to go out into the big, wide world again?”
    “Are you?”
    Micah scraped out the last of his yoghurt and tossed the empty pot into the sink without getting up. “It’s not like we have a choice.”
    “Then it doesn’t really matter how ready we are. After we’ve dealt with Boot, then we’ll get a proper rest.”
    “In a country full of flesh eating monsters?”
    “Rest is a relative term.”
    They were silent as Alex chased the last few crumbs of cheesecake base with his spoon.
    “Are you really going to do it?” Micah said. “Kill Boot I mean?”
    Alex leaned back in his chair. “I’ve been killing monsters for three weeks. What’s one more?”
    “It’s just, I remember you saying, back when we first came across Gaz and friends, that you didn’t think you could kill an uninfected person.”
    Alex studied his sadly empty cheesecake container. “A lot has happened since then. Now, I’m not sure you could hold me back.”
    Micah glanced at the fridge freezer where he’d used two of Alex’s novelty magnets to fix the photo of his family he’d been carrying around with him to the door. “I’m not sure I would even try.”
     
    . . .
     
    The meeting to discuss the defence of the city was held in Janie’s flat as she had the largest living room of the East Town group. Even so, it was a tight fit and many of those assembled were standing or sitting on cushions on the floor.
    By the time Alex and Micah walked in at 12:10pm people were drinking coffee and tea, eating biscuits, and chatting in small groups. There was the briefest of pauses in the murmurs of conversation as they entered the room, glances darting their way, before the low susurration resumed. Many of those assembled greeted them. Rodney Cutter nodded at Alex. Alex hadn’t seen him since the second day of the outbreak and he was glad to see his partner was all right. Neither Beth nor Carrie were with him. Micah was clearly disappointed.
    Sam waved to Alex from across the room, beckoning him over to where he was seated on the sofa next to Claire. “I saved you a seat,” Sam said, patting the cushion next to him.
    “Thanks, Sam,” Alex said, glad of the comfortable seat.
    Micah stood staring down at him, eyebrows raised. Alex sighed and shifted closer to Sam and Micah wedged himself into the gap. The four of them on the three-seater sofa was a squeeze and Alex had to press close to Sam. When they’d first met he would have felt awkward, but now he understood Sam better he didn’t mind. Besides which, by the way he gazed at her Sam seemed to appreciate being close to Claire a lot more than being close to Alex.
    “I missed you,” Sam said. “Are you feeling better?”
    “I think I am thanks. How about you?”
    He felt Sam’s shrug against his shoulder. “I’ve been doing a lot of stuff, like shifts as a spotter, and I’ve been out with the food distribution teams twice. And this morning I went with Ben, Dave, Leon, Penny and Janie to fix cables to buildings.”
    “Fix cables to buildings?” Micah said, leaning forward so he could look at Sam across Alex.
    “Mr Bates thinks we can use them to stop Mr Boot’s helicopters. There are two outside here.” He pointed to towards the front of the building. “Didn’t you see them?”
    Micah shook his head and looked at Alex.
    “I didn’t see anything,” Alex replied. “Maybe we should look up more.”
    “Well, they aren’t hard to miss if you don’t know they’re there,” Sam said. “That’s the point, so they just fly into them.” He chewed his lower lip. “I don’t really want anyone to get hurt though.”
    “We might not be able to avoid it,” Alex said.
    Sam sighed. “I know.”
    A steaming mug descended into Alex’s field of vision and he took it, glancing up at the tall, blond man who’d brought him and Micah coffee.
    “Thanks, Logan,” he said to