Ascendant Saga Collection: Sci-Fi Fantasy Techno Thriller by Brandon Ellis (best novels to read in english .txt) 📗

Megan raised her brows. “Heck no.”

“Shit. Suit yourself.” Drew stepped on the first stair. It creaked, the old boards whining loudly. He eyed the staircase. “I’m coming on up.”

The chair slid. Andrea had stood up. Then a second and a third chair slid a few inches across the floor. A male voice mumbled something Drew couldn’t hear. There were several people waiting, not just the doctor. Drew halted and put his hand up. He pointed his finger at the basement door, adamantly whispering, “Go back down there.” Andrea had invited Drew up, and no one else. He wanted to hear the woman out, wanted to know what she had to say. And he didn’t know if that would happen with Megan in tow.

Megan patted her rifle, shaking her head. “Move.”

Drew put his hands on his hips. “No.”

Megan sighed. “Two of us are coming up.” She gave Drew a long stare, daring him to contradict her.

“Two?” inquired Andrea.

“Yes, two,” responded Drew, wanting to kick Megan in the shin.

“How old is the woman you’re with, Drew?” asked Andrea.

What an odd question.

“I’m in my early twenties,” responded Megan.

“Okay, thank you,” replied Andrea. There was an air of disappointment in the doctor’s voice.

They stepped over the dead, purple creature from who-knows-where, its blood dripping down the staircase, and made it up the steps and to the bar. Two bulky men in sun glasses stood next to a woman who looked to be in her forties, long brown hair, and a white coat on over her clothes, as if that’s all the doctor ever wore. The men had odd-looking guns hooked to their belts and acted more like body guards than anything else.

“Wow, you don’t look like your father at all,” said Andrea, her lips downturned. She gestured to a chair that was pulled back from a table. “Take a seat.” She flashed a smile.

“She was my apprentice, Drew,” came Drew’s mother. Oh, good! Back to talking! Drew hated getting the silent treatment from his mother. Even dead, she ruled his heart. “Be—”

Gun fire rumbled outside, drowning out Drew’s mom.

She was what, mom?

No reply.

Should I trust this woman?

Again, no response.

Shit. So, his mom knew this Andrea woman. A good omen, a bad one? He sighed loudly and took a seat, cautiously eyeing Andrea. Megan took a seat next to Drew.

Drew crossed his arms. If Andrea Cross was going to spill anything that she knew about Drew and his dad, the last thing Drew wanted was for anyone in Whitefish to know, especially Megan. She was the bar owner, bar tender, and server in this joint. And who knew, maybe she had a gift for gab and gossip. His dad, Slade, wasn’t a nice guy, and everyone who had witnessed Slade’s hightail off this planet, along with the rest of the politicians, might not care one iota if he, Drew, was a good guy. The sins of the father could definitely be visited on the head of the son. His high had almost evaporated. Sad how thoughts of sin would do that to a guy. He fell to Earth with nasty realization. His Father was Public Enemy Number…well, not One…but in the top 10 for sure. Murder by association might not be off the cards. Drew was certainly associated by blood to Slade.

Andrea gestured for one of the guards to move over by the door. He did, taking a peak outside, then nodding to Andrea.

Andrea rubbed her eyes. They were tired, a little swollen and bloodshot. Whatever she’d been up to, it sure as heck wasn’t sleep. “Sorry. We’ve been trying to locate you for weeks, Drew, per your mother’s orders. If she were to die, we were authorized to find you and implement the plan. We’ve been looking for you, so we can take you to safety.

Drew frowned. What in the actual heck was she on about?

“We are to take you to safety, if and only if, your mother gave you pertinent details before she passed. And, according to our sources deep inside her assisted living center, we have confirmation that she did relay the relevant data to you.”

“Something my mother told me has kept me safe?” Drew looked around, confused.

“Close. Something your mother told you will keep you safe. We are to take you to safety.”

Still made no sense. “Why didn’t you get me right after she died?”

“We tried. You weren’t there. We now know that you took quite a long road trip, which brought you here, to Whitefish, Montana.” She tapped the table as if emphasizing her point. “And here we are now.”

“I was sitting on my ass for four days in my Charlotte home after she was killed.”

Andrea jerked slightly when Drew said killed. Why would she do that if she knew what had happened to his mother at the assisted living center?

Andrea blanched. The pause between her glancing away and glancing back at Drew signaled all he needed to know. She’d bungled something. But what? Drew concentrated hard, waiting for another tell to flit across her face. She claimed to be acting on orders from his dead mother, but hadn’t known she’d been murdered. Something didn’t add up.

“I thought she died from natural causes,” said Andrea. “I didn’t know she was killed.”

Drew blinked, doing his best to erase the memory of his mother’s death from his mind. “She was poisoned and died right in front of me.”

“You’re sure she was poisoned?”

“Damn sure. And, how—”

Megan held up a hand, interrupting Drew. “Excuse me? Why exactly are you here and how did you track Drew down to this exact location?”

Megan took the words out of his mouth.

Andrea nodded. “Good question. I’m here to move Drew to a safe place. There are plenty of safe areas in the United States if you know where to look. He’s to help us re-seed the United States for the future generations. Otherwise, we won’t have much of a nation.”

Megan tapped the table with her finger, also emphasizing her