In the year 2184, the US is divided. Half the country has moved on with the rest of the world, while in middle America, the survivors of the terrorist biological attack that split the country struggle just to stay alive. Though a century has passed, few people brave going behind the borders meant to contain the danger. Even the privatized military is reluctant to do so.<br><br>But that doesn’t stop recently discharged Sullivan Eberle. Only one thing drives him anymore -- the need to find Raphael Hamada. He doesn’t know why. He only knows he must. If that means a lifetime behind the borders, then so be it.<br><br>Rafe Hamada ran away from the real world when he was still a kid. The last thing he wants is to be found, especially by a soldier who can’t even tell him why it was so important to locate him in the first place. He’d like nothing more than for Sullivan to leave, but turning his back on a man alone and friendless is against everything Rafe stands for ...

Penny Candles

“The government cares,” Sullivan argued. “They wouldn’t invest in Strike if they didn’t.”


“They care about the perimeter.” He pointed toward the other doorway in the room, an open arch Sullivan couldn’t see through. “Bathroom is just to the right, kitchen’s to the left. If you can’t sleep, help yourself to any of the books on the shelves next to the couch. All I ask is that you don’t leave and go wandering around Chadwick.” The white of his teeth flashed as he smiled ruefully. “Most attitudes are going to lean toward Joe and Luther’s. I’d hate to see you get shot your first night here.”


Panic shot through him as Rafe headed for the exit that led to the rest of the house. “Where are you going?”


When he looked back, Rafe’s features were a hollow mask, the distance and darkness erasing his identity to the point of heightening Sullivan’s sharp anxiety. “To bed. I’ve had a long day.”


“But I’ve got so many questions.”


Chapter 14