Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Armadillo: Cryptid Ops, #4
    Armadillo: Cryptid Ops, #4
    Armadillo: Cryptid Ops, #4
    Ebook216 pages3 hours

    Armadillo: Cryptid Ops, #4

    By Jo Carey

    ()

    Read preview

    About this ebook

    It’s tough to focus on six foot armadillos when you’re being chased by international terrorists.

    Cassie’s feeling like she might have a handle on where her life is going until a kidnapping puts any future in doubt.

    Hunting six-foot armadillos in the Kansas farm belt, Cassie’s team has been targeted by the terrorist group behind the robotic flies they encountered in the Black Fly Op. The terrorists are out to avenge a comrade who fell at Cassie’s hands and take revenge on the agents who forced them to evacuate their lab.

    Armadillo is the fourth book in this unique SciFi adventure series. If you like strong female characters caught up in exciting adventures with a bit of romance, you’ll love Jo Carey’s Cryptid Ops series. 195 pages.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherJo Carey
    Release dateApr 22, 2018
    ISBN9781386395324
    Armadillo: Cryptid Ops, #4
    Author

    Jo Carey

    Jo Carey grew up in the Midwest but her curiosity and gypsy-spirit has kept her on the move. She's lived in eight US states and spent three years living in Ireland. She has always loved creature movies, so creatures and bugs often show up in her books. Jo, a former information security compliance guru, writes fast-paced, character-driven stories in a variety of genres from medical thrillers to space operas and cozy mysteries. Her novels are filled with humor, romance, and sometimes creatures or aliens, or maybe even all of the above. She often builds her stories around a strong female lead character surrounded by plenty of hunky male heroes. Jo's been under fire on a golf course and climbed out the roof of an elevator in the Netherlands. Life hasn't been boring. Now residing in Texas, setting often plays a huge role in her stories. Jo was intrigued by the League of Planetary Systems, a world her husband, Frank, created for his science fiction books, and she now writes mysteries and other types of tales sets in that world. Jo was bitten by a cat, a fire ant, and a snake, before succumbing to the bite of the writing bug.

    Read more from Jo Carey

    Related to Armadillo

    Titles in the series (6)

    View More
    View More

    Related ebooks

    Science Fiction For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      How we MET

      Aug 1, 2023

      How we MET
      6 min read

    • Article

      Child’s PLAY

      Jun 2, 2020

      Child’s PLAY
      6 min read

    • Article

      ANIMAL Passion

      Oct 13, 2021

      ANIMAL Passion
      2 min read

    • Article

      Absolute Best

      Apr 30, 2021

      Absolute Best
      20 min read

    • Article

      ‘Sing to It’: Featured Fiction from Amy Hempel

      Mar 25, 2019

      If she was home at night in her husband’s bed, did he care what she did with her days? The post ‘Sing to It’: Featured Fiction from Amy Hempel appeared first on The Millions.

      7 min read

    • Article

      These Bad Things

      Dec 23, 2019

      These Bad Things
      9 min read

    • Article

      Reach

      Apr 10, 2021

      Jack Benson stands dissolved in an ocean of strangers, humans he couldn’t have known existed until forced to jostle with them for space and share odors. He recoils imperceptibly with each touch, eager not to offend or stand out any further. As a mass

      10 min read

    • Article

      One Night Of Fun One Deadly Outcome

      Jul 15, 2020

      One Night Of Fun One Deadly Outcome
      6 min read

    • Article

      Reach

      Dec 10, 2023

      Jack Benson stands dissolved in an ocean of strangers, humans he couldn’t have known existed until forced to jostle with them for space and shared odors. He recoils imperceptibly with each touch, eager not to offend or stand out any further. As a mas

      10 min read

    • Article

      Dude’s Last Hunt

      Jul 17, 2023

      Dude’s Last Hunt
      6 min read

    • Article

      It Takes All Sorts

      Nov 26, 2020

      FOUR SOGGY BUMS, we sat in the lodge, squeezed together on a two-person sofa. Our waterproofs were soaked with rain on the outside and dripped with sweat within. By September, it was our routine. After a long day on the hill, we’d slump in front of t

      3 min read

    • Article

      On Verisimilitude

      Jun 18, 2020

      My husband tells me he feels reassured by the way the book preserves the memory of his father. I never intended my novel to carry this weight, but I am glad for it now. The post On Verisimilitude appeared first on The Millions.

      7 min read

    • Article

      Living With A Painful Past

      Jun 24, 2023

      Living With A Painful Past
      8 min read

    • Article

      HAPPY NEW YEAR (or so I hope)

      Dec 23, 2022

      HAPPY NEW YEAR (or so I hope)
      3 min read

    • Article

      Paying The Price

      Jul 1, 2021

      Paying The Price
      4 min read

    • Article

      Drawn to THE MOORS

      Feb 8, 2022

      Drawn to THE MOORS
      11 min read

    • Article

      Armed And Dangerous

      Sep 30, 2021

      Armed And Dangerous
      4 min read

    • Article

      A friend IN NEED

      Oct 28, 2020

      “‘And then she said the final straw was when he decided to became a nudist.’ My charity shop colleague, Grace, and I are sitting in the window of The Nice Little Coffee Shop In The High Street, which has managed to survive lockdown by the skin of it

      3 min read

    • Article

      How We Met

      May 26, 2021

      How We Met
      6 min read

    • Article

      The Mother I Loved

      Aug 13, 2023

      The Mother I Loved
      2 min read

    • Article

      Family Room®

      May 26, 2023

      When Dianne and Earl Wickline (To the Rescue, page 20) brought Jaydon, their three-year-old golden-doodle, home from the vet last Thanksgiving, they couldn’t comfort him enough during his recovery. They even let him sleep on their bed—once strictly o

      3 min read

    • Article

      Family Room®

      May 26, 2023

      When Dianne and Earl Wickline (To the Rescue, page 20) brought Jaydon, their three-year-old golden-doodle, home from the vet last Thanksgiving, they couldn’t comfort him enough during his recovery. They even let him sleep on their bed—once strictly o

      3 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for Armadillo

    0 ratings

    0 ratings0 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

      Book preview

      Armadillo - Jo Carey

      CHAPTER ONE

      Be careful, Fred. The snow is really mounting up. We should have left earlier, Margie said.

      I know, but you wanted to wait until you tucked the grandbabies into bed. We could have stayed over, Fred said.

      Driving west on highway 54 toward their home in Pratt, the weather had deteriorated with each mile. It was after 9:00 PM on a Sunday night, and the roads were deserted. The ninety-minute drive had already taken more than two hours, and they still had another thirty miles to go. It was early for a big snowstorm, but Mother Nature hadn't gotten that memo.

      The creature had eaten well. It was cold and heading to its burrow. With its bad eyesight, it didn't see the car, but it turned toward the noise. Blinded by the headlights, it froze.

      Look out, Fred, Margie screamed.

      Fred yanked on the wheel to avoid the creature, but the roads were slick. Going too fast for the conditions, the car crossed the highway and flipped over. It came to rest on its roof in the ditch. Margie was knocked unconscious when her head hit the passenger door. Fred's head hit the windshield.

      There was a loud noise, and then darkness returned. The animal continued on across the road leaving a trail of footprints in the fresh snow.

      A snowplow driver clearing the highway early in the morning, called the Kansas State Highway Patrol when he discovered the wreck. Both Fred and Margie were alive when the EMTs arrived on scene. Fred’s injuries were severe and he was pronounced DOA at the hospital. Margie survived.

      The following day, when Margie was well enough to be questioned, the officers discounted her story thinking her concussion and medication were causing her confusion.

      I know it sounds crazy, Margie told the two officers. I screamed for Fred to swerve to miss the giant armadillo in the road. I don't know if we hit it or not."

      We understand, Mrs. Johnson. Can you describe the animal?

      I just told you, it looked like a giant armadillo. You know—pointed snout, armor plated body. I couldn't say what color it was. It was dark.

      Trying to be helpful, the other officer pulled up a picture of an armored personnel carrier thinking an APC was armadillo-shaped and might be what Margie saw. Holding his phone in front of her face, he asked, Is this what you saw, Mrs. Johnson?

      No. That's a military vehicle. I know it sounds crazy, but I saw a giant armadillo. It had strange purple eyes that glowed when it looked into the headlights. It wasn't a vehicle. It was an animal.

      A nurse came into the room. Officers, I'm afraid you'll have to continue this later. Mrs. Johnson needs to rest.

      In the hallway, the two officers looked at each other shaking their heads. They knew Margie was older, injured, and had lost her husband in the crash. They had sympathy for her but knew she couldn't have seen a bear-sized armadillo as she claimed. That was crazy.

      A reporter looking at the crime scene photos to write a news story on the accident, asked the officer about the tracks in the snow. The officer said it wasn't related to the accident. The tracks looked interesting, so the reporter snapped a picture of the photo with his cell phone. Back at his office, he uploaded the photo to his computer and enlarged the picture to better see the prints. Something had crossed the highway at the scene of the accident. When you combined that fact with Mrs. Johnson's claim that her husband swerved to avoid hitting a large animal, it got interesting. It seemed to corroborate her story. He called the investigating officer with more questions about the tracks, but the officer told him it wasn't worth worrying about. The reporter decided he'd include the tracks in his story. He hoped it might make it less depressing.

      X X X

      Cassie couldn't put her finger on it. For some reason, she felt strange being back at her condo. Everything was as she left it, but something wasn't right. She and Jared drove back to Las Cruces to pack up the things she wanted to move to the ranch. She didn't need most of the furniture. Jared's house was furnished in a style she loved. Her furniture was cheap dorm room stuff. As she looked around the rooms, she realized there wasn't much she wanted to take. She planned to add her desk to the office in the loft. It was the only large item they'd need to move. They packed the rest of her personal items into bins they could transport in the back of her SUV.

      You know, Cass, unless you're attached to this desk, we could leave it, and buy you something new for the loft. If we do that, everything will fit in the SUV. We won't need a trailer. Besides, leaving the desk in the condo will be good if you want to rent it out furnished, Jared said, carrying another bin to the car.

      The thought that she was moving to the ranch to live with Jared still seemed unbelievable to Cassie. She'd never done anything this impulsive in her life. Things had developed quickly between them, and not in the way she thought a relationship should develop. She knew she should just sell the condo but hadn't been able to make that commitment yet. For now, she'd rent it out, rationalizing it as being cautious. As long as she kept the condo, she always had a back out plan. Whenever those thoughts crept into her head, she tried her best to ignore them. Cassie wanted to be fully committed to this relationship. She was trying to stop over-analyzing things, but it was a hard habit to break.

      CHAPTER TWO

      Cassie introduced Jared to Bob over dinner. Bob had been Cassie's partner when she was a ranger for the Bureau of Land Management. He was like a second father to her. It was important to her that Bob and Jared got along well. She didn't expect it to be an issue since everyone liked Jared. Jared’s Texas drawl and cowboy values made him easy to like. While they were eating, Cassie excused herself to go to the ladies' room. When she returned to the table, Cassie felt she was interrupting a serious exchange between the two men.

      Everything alright here? she asked, taking her seat between them.

      Every thing's just fine. Bob answered with a pointed look at Jared.

      OK guys, you both know me well enough to know that it pisses me off when I get the feeling folks are trying to run my life and leave me out of the decision-making. How about one of you telling me what's really going on here?

      It's nothing, Cassie. Bob was just telling me how concerned he is about you because of all the things you've been through in the past few months. He wanted to make sure that I planned to take good care of you.

      Cassie looked from Jared to Bob. Really? I thought you both knew I was capable of taking care of myself.

      Look, Cassie, I'm just worried about you. I'm sorry if that upsets you. I don't know Jared, and he's taking you away where I can't be involved in your day-to-day life. I needed to make sure he knew that I'd do anything possible to keep you from getting hurt. It was just typical guy talk. You should feel lucky to have so many people looking out for you, Bob defended himself.

      OK. I get it. Can we put a lid on this macho bullshit and have a nice dinner? I'm out with my two favorite men. I want to enjoy it.

      The rest of the meal was pleasant, but Jared knew he'd have more explaining to do when they got home.

      Guys, listen to this report, Cassie said. A news story on the TV behind the bar had caught her eye. They stopped talking and turned their attention to the broadcast.

      It was the last news story in the broadcast, a slot usually reserved for something funny or strange. A reporter was at the scene of a fatal auto accident in Kansas. The driver died but the passenger survived. The elderly woman told the officers they swerved to avoid a giant armadillo. Maybe that's our next BITES assignment, Cassie said as they all turned their attention back to their meals.

      Bob understood the appeal of life on the ranch for Cassie, and Jared seemed like a nice guy. It was obvious Jared cared about her. Bob knew he'd miss seeing her on a regular basis, but since they were writing a book about the discovery of the Thunderbirds, they'd be forced to stay in touch and get together in person once in a while.

      Bob, you'll have to come visit us on the ranch. I'd love to show you around. You'll love it, Cassie said as they said their goodbyes.

      I'd love that Cassie. For one of our book meetings I'll drive to Texas and visit you on your new turf, Bob agreed.

      As they headed out the door, the hostess stopped them. Are you Cassandra Carter? she asked.

      Cassie's picture had been in the local press often with the thunderbird stories, but no one had ever approached her like this before. Yes, I'm Cassie Carter.

      I believe you lost your wallet. A gentleman found it on the floor and brought it to the hostess stand just a moment ago. I'm glad I caught you before you left, the young woman said, handing Cassie her wallet.

      Cassie checked to see that everything was inside. Thanks for returning it. Is the gentleman who turned it in still here? I'd like to thank him.

      No, I'm sorry. He turned the wallet in on his way out, the hostess said.

      As they left the restaurant, Cassie said, I don't even remember taking my wallet out of my bag. I don't see how I could have dropped it. It nagged at her but didn't seem important since she had the wallet back and nothing was missing.

      CHAPTER THREE

      On the drive back to the condo, Cassie replayed the events of the evening trying to figure out how her wallet got out of her bag. Jared used the time to figure out how he'd explain his conversation with Bob without pushing Cassie's buttons. When she asked him about it at home, he explained that it was a typical ‘father to guy dating his daughter’ talk.

      I expect I'll get the same thing from your dad next time I see him, Jared said. By the way, have you told your folks you're moving yet?

      Well played. Shift the focus to my insecurities. I surrender. You win.

      I won when you agreed to move to the ranch, he said, hugging her on the way to the door.

      I'll call Mom tonight and tell her what's happening. Cassie kept her word. Sort of. While Jared checked email at the kitchen counter, Cassie called her mom from the bedroom. After a few minutes of small talk, she launched into the real reason for her call. I called to tell you I have big news.

      Great. Tell me, her mom said.

      I'm moving to Texas.

      That's terrific. What part? When? Why? Tell me everything.

      Cassie told her almost everything. She explained that the BITES reorg had changed the team assignments, and she'd been reassigned to a team based out of Texas. Details still had to be worked out. She didn't know where in Texas yet, but as long as it was Texas, she'd be closer to them.

      So what will you do with your condo? Her mom asked.

      For now, I plan to rent it out. With White Sands Missile Range and New Mexico State University in town there should be no problem finding a tenant. That way I can see how things work out with the reorg and all.

      That's great news, Cass. Be sure to keep us posted as you get more details.

      Jared was wondering how her parents would react to the news. He thought they liked him, but he'd only met them once. He knew they might be concerned that Cassie had only known him for such a short time before making this kind of commitment.

      So, how'd it go? He asked when she finished the call.

      It went fine. They're very happy I'm moving to Texas and will be closer to them.

      How did they react to you moving in with me?

      No big deal, Cassie said, trying to end this line of questioning before he saw through her.

      You didn't tell them, did you?

      I did tell them. I told them I'm moving to Texas.

      How did you manage to do that and not mention me? I thought I was a big part of the reason behind the move, Jared said.

      You are, but I didn't think they needed to know that yet. I figured I'd feed them the good news a little at a time. You know, let the anticipation build. They know I'm moving to Texas. They don't know where I'll be living or when I'm moving.

      For such a strong, fearless woman, you get nervous about the strangest things. They're your parents. They'll support you no matter what. I could tell that just from the short time I spent with them. You know you can invite them to visit us on the ranch whenever you're ready.

      I know. Just let me work up to it my own way, OK?

      Jared agreed, and they finished packing up Cassie's belongings. During the night, Cassie woke up with a start. She didn't know why.

      Is something wrong, Cass? Jared asked.

      I don't know. Something's running around my head, but I don't know what it is.

      Are you sorry to be spending your last night here?

      Not really. I mean it's sad to say good bye to this place, but I'm not worried about it. I love you, and I love living on the ranch. This is something else.

      Try to get back to sleep. Maybe it'll come to you in the morning.

      X X X

      As they put the last load in the car, Mrs. Lewis walked over. Hi, Cassie. How have you been? she asked.

      I'm fine, Mrs. Lewis. How's Trevor doing?

      He's doing well. I'm not sure he'll ever be comfortable going back into the desert again, but otherwise he seems to have bounced back, thank God.

      Jared went back to lock up the condo while Cassie talked with Mrs. Lewis. I wanted to tell you that a man came by asking for you a couple of days ago. I'd forgotten all about it until I saw you this morning.

      Did he say what it was about? Cassie asked.

      "He was kind of secretive. Didn't seem to want to tell me too much. I got the impression it might be some background check because of your federal job. I was walking to my car, when he pulled his black SUV into the space beside mine. He asked if I lived in the complex. When I said I did, he asked if I knew you. I said yes. He asked which unit was yours. I pointed it out. He thanked me and walked toward your door. I told him I didn't think you were home, because I didn't see your truck in the lot, but he went to the door anyway.

      I've been out of town. Did you see him leave? Cassie's recently acquired Spidey-sense was tingling.

      When I left, he was still here.

      I'm sure it was something routine. Thanks for telling me, Mrs. Lewis. Say hello to Trevor for me. I'm just clearing things out. I'm moving to Texas.

      I'm sorry to hear that. It was nice having such a good neighbor. Enjoy Texas, she said as she got into her car.

      Jared had locked up the condo and was waiting in the car while

      Enjoying the preview?
      Page 1 of 1