BooksBarbecue
Back Illuminated
Chapters (34)
  1. Cover Page
  2. Title Page
  3. Copyright Page
  4. Dedication
  5. Contents
  6. Prologue
  7. One
  8. Two
  9. Three
  10. Four
  11. Five
  12. Six
  13. Seven
  14. Eight
  15. Nine
  16. Ten
  17. Eleven
  18. Twelve
  19. Thirteen
  20. Fourteen
  21. Fifteen
  22. Sixteen
  23. Seventeen
  24. Eighteen
  25. Nineteen
  26. Twenty
  27. Twenty-one
  28. Twenty-two
  29. Twenty-three
  30. Twenty-four
  31. Twenty-five
  32. Epilogue
  33. Further Mysteries
  34. Acknowledgments

She put away her cell phone and closed her eyes, listening as the engines roared and they sailed down the runway and up into the stars. She drifted off for a moment, sensing the need for some rest before she reached the mayhem that surely awaited.

But in the darkness of her restless slumber she saw two yellow eyes staring at her. They began as pinpricks but steadily grew until they engulfed the full range of her inner vision.

This was the dragon Dr. Winter had spoken of, not a dragon of flesh and blood, but the breed that had quietly crept into the catacombs of her heart.

She felt the fire of the dragon’s tongue, smelled the malice of his breath. And then, quite unexpectedly, she understood the beast’s true nature. She knew the dragon’s name.

Fear.

Twenty-one

twenty-one

Charlie bounded down the steps from the plane. “I’ve never been in a limo before,” he said, eyes widening as he watched a black stretch pull up, its side door opening to greet him.

“Today’s your lucky day,” Meng said, following close behind. Charlie climbed in and immediately began poking around every square inch of the vehicle. “Is there a TV in here?” he asked.

“Afraid not,” Meng said. “But don’t worry, I’ve got plenty of things we need to talk about.”

“FBI things?”

“Something like that,” Meng said.

Charlie answered what seemed to him like an endless barrage of questions from the agent. This is very helpful to my investigation, Meng reminded him. Charlie smiled. He felt like a real superspy, not just the kind he pretended to be at home.

It wasn’t long before they drove into a featureless warehouse district. “Where are we?”

“In a secret FBI location,” Meng said.

“Cool!” The limo pulled in front of one of the warehouses, and they jumped out. Two agents met them at the warehouse door. Meng flashed them a look, and they entered.

“Follow me,” Meng said. Charlie didn’t question the order, trailing behind Meng to a boxlike room set up in the middle of the cavernous storehouse. Meng opened the door to the room and pointed to a chair. “Take a seat,” he said.

Charlie sat. “What do we do now?” he asked.

Meng pulled up a chair next to him. “We wait for Cornelius,” he said. Charlie didn’t bother asking who Cornelius was. Just the way Meng said his name let him know that he was someone important.

Charlie watched as the man walked in. Slender but solid. Strong cheekbones. Charlie knew that was good. He’d heard his mom say it once. He wore a suit. Black. Black shirt. Black tie. Charlie figured he was older than his dad. His hair was silver, but he didn’t look too old. Maybe a premature graying. He’d heard Grandma Rose talk about that.