by Angela White
Mark let the relief fill the growing black spot in his heart and heal it. Thinking that he’d fallen asleep on watch had been devastating.
The other groups were tending their wounds and salvaging their valuables from the debris without any complaint, and Alexa understood these people had been suffering these attacks regularly to be so desensitized. Other than Paul, there hadn’t even been screams.
Alexa raised a brow at Merrik.
Merrik felt her disapproval across the blood-splattered dirt and wasn’t able to cover his shame. “There are only so many bullets. Base says to protect, not hunt.”
“Base doesn’t understand how bad things are out here.”
Merrik snorted. “You got that right.” He waved Zale over. “The usual.”
“Wagon’s got some damage from slugs,” Zale stated, glaring at Alexa and Paul. He still didn’t care about her men, though he wore the print of Edward’s boot on his face.
“How long?” Merrik asked in annoyance.
“Three hours.”
“We leave as soon as it’s ready.”
“I’d wait another day,” Alexa advised.
Her suggestion gained the attention of all the soldiers in hearing distance. No one openly questioned captain Merrik, but none of them had faith in him either.
“Why is that?” Merrik asked. His tone gave nothing away.
“Second wave is gonna do more damage than you’re used to.”
“What second wave?” he asked angrily. “We’ve been living here for five months! There’s nothing you can tell me…”
“Duck!”
The red-talon crows came from the corn in silent, pecking shadows that hurled towards the people now fleeing from them.
“Get down!”
Alexa signaled for her men to get low, but Paul had been staring at the blood and bodies, and missed the entire conversation.
A line of crows slammed into his hip and knocked him into the small pile of corpses that the soldiers had been stacking.
“Nooo!” Paul’s screams were full of revulsion. “Get me out of here!”
Seeing he was fine, the fighters left him there to wait out the flyover. The small crows couldn’t do much…
“Decoy!”
The shout came from behind them and everyone turned to find the wolves streaming through the corn again.
“They never hit us like this!” Zale shouted through his bruised mouth. “This is her fault!”
Alexa didn’t spend time giving orders like Merrik was now doing. She got her men into the line the soldiers had used and headed for the point where the wolves were coming in.
The soldiers joined her line, curving at the ends, and they were able to drive the wolves back, but not before the grandmother and kids had been forced from their shed and into the warehouse. Bloody handprints on the rails said one of them was hurt.
Zale pointed toward Alexa, ready to shout.
Edward slid in front of his boss. The barrel of his gun rested against Zale’s chin.
Zale went still, but his face screamed for Merrik. None of the soldiers wanted to miss what might happen and no one went for the boss.
“May I?”
Alexa wanted to tell Edward yes, blow the idiot’s brains out. “No, and I’m sorry for it.”
Edward stepped aside to let Alexa handle it, glowering with intent.
Zale brush with death gave him a respect that showed in his lowered tone. “You’re trouble. You led them to us.”
Alexa walked away, not answering, and Edward smirked at her insult before following.
Paul was still wiping away blood and other disgusting things, hating everyone for his own cowardice. He’d thought about helping them during all of it, but in the end, it had been easier, safer, to let them protect him. He shoved his way by Zale.
Still angry himself, Zale stuck out a foot and tripped the scientist.
Paul fell again, right back into the same pile of bodies, and screamed in revolted rage.
Zale laughed cruelly and turned away.
Paul rolled over and shot him through the neck with the same gun he’d used to kill his father.
“And we didn’t think he was learning anything!” Mark exclaimed in the stunned silence.
“Time to go,” Alexa ordered pointedly. She scanned the scattered station’s residents, then Merrik, who was angrily moving toward them.
Alexa grabbed a camo-wearing shadow on her right, wrapping him up tightly in front of her. “We’re leaving now.”
Merrik stopped and signaled for his men to do the same. He had no doubt that Alexa would kill the boy.
Alexa felt the pause, the shift, and scowled as her target was confirmed. “What’s this kid doing here, Merrik?”
“He’s part of the delivery that came through last month. I bought him.”
“From the slavers or from the draft?”
Merrik shrugged. “Does it matter?”
“Not yet.” Alexa let go of the perfectly still boy.
She moved toward the corn at a fast clip as her men covered her with their guns. “There are a few possessions we’re going to want back. I’d be careful with them if I were you.”
Alexa spun and vanished into the corn, and her men came swiftly behind her.
Last man to disappear, Paul shoved his gun into his shirt and tried to keep up. He was one of them now.
Brian came to Merrik’s side with a pale face and confusion. “Why was she asking about me?”
Merrik ignored the question and headed inside to get ready for the trip. “We leave as soon as the wagon is fixed!”
5
Alexa led her men in a wide circle, and then brought them back to the edge of the waiting station. She’d counted on Merrik not wanting to lose men to hunt her in the corn and the eight of them watched the soldiers pack up their things and toss them into the rear of the last wagon. They didn’t know if it had been an order, but nothing was stolen or destroyed, and they all assumed Merrik had taken her words about their stuff seriously.
Alexa silently gave her fighters their assignments. She put Edward with Paul, after telling the horseman to take Paul’s gun. She directed Mark and Daniel to the wagon with their things, and she took the rest with her to create the distraction. It was a simple plan she had used many times. Simple was often the best choice anyway. It was easier to remember the details in the chaos of battle.
Mark and Daniel stayed on their stomachs as they crawled through a few feet of corn to the clear area. They were only a couple seconds from the wagon when gunfire on the opposite side of the weigh station echoed.
Men ran that way and Mark darted forward on their heels, with Daniel right behind him. They were in the wagon seconds later and hidden by the thick cover.
Alexa whistled.
A few hundred feet to the left, Edward fired into the air, then grabbed Paul and ran for the place where Mark and Daniel had snuck through. A minute later, he dumped Paul into the wagon and joined him.
Alexa and her three fighters ran into the corn as the soldiers spotted them, vanishing and the angry shouts of Merrik and his men filled the air.
“Give yourself up!”
“Come on out!”
Alexa began circling around again. In a little while, she and these men would be with the others-in the wagons to rest and conserve their strength for a few hours of the trip. If they stayed lucky, they might pass a full day’s travel that way and be ready for whatever came.
Standing in front of the barn, Merrik ignored his men and concentrated. What was she doing? What did she hope to gain by drawing them out? Weakening their numbers? To get their supplies? Maybe for Brian. She’d shown too much interest in the kid, as if she knew they were holding onto him for someone.
“Get that damn wagon ready!” he bellowed.
The soldiers rushed to comply but with the covers on, none of them noticed that two of the wooden vehicles now had occupants.
6
Edward grabbed Paul by his jacke
t and jerked him forward until they were nose to nose. “Don’t ever do anything like that again!”
Paul squirmed, trying to get free, and Edward gave him a harsh shake, being careful not to rock the wagon. “Well?!”
Paul’s head bobbed furiously. He pulled away as Edward let go, falling into the side of a stack of boxes.
The boxes slid over, jarring the wagon.
Edward’s hand went to his gun as he glanced toward the driver’s seat.
The eyes staring at him were not a comfort.
The driver of their wagon was at least sixty, with grizzled features set into a gray and black beard full of wild curls. His oversized hat blended into the cover of the wagon perfectly as he glared at the stowaways.
Edward slowly held up a hand, and then moved it toward his pocket. He pulled a pouch of dust free and held it out. “I have coins if you’d rather.”
The driver grunted, still studying them. “What are you buying?”
“A ride, nothing more,” Edward bargained.
“And will I be shot in the back or hit by accident?”
Edward’s voice was a cold copy of Alexa’s. “Not by mine. We’re better than both of those.”
Edward held out the pouch, hoping the driver would make the right choice. Behind him, Mark was doing the same.
The driver of wagon One looked at Edward’s pouch for a long moment. “I didn’t see anything, hear anything, I don’t get killed?”
Edward nodded. “Agreed, but no man can speak for fate. You understand?”
The driver appeared to accept that and turned around to spit. He didn’t look back for a long time. When he did, the pouch was on the edge of the wagon bed and Edward’s hand was on his gun.
“Don’t steal anything. Keep your pay and owe me something later.”
Edward didn’t like owing a debt, but didn’t feel he had a right to argue. “Done.”
Paul grabbed the pouch and spent a minute examining the powder inside before handing it back to Edward.
Edward allowed it, hoping he wasn’t the one who ended up killing the scientist. He didn’t want to be on Alexa’s bad side, but as sure as his skills were guns and horses, Paul wouldn’t be alive by the end of this trip.
Instead of more argument, Paul rested his head against the boxes and tried to consider his options. He needed a way to prove to Alexa that he belonged at her side. There was a way, he knew. It would involve saving one of her beloved pets, but even that wasn’t too much to ask in return for what he wanted.
Edward peered through the cover to wagon Two and found Alexa’s hand giving the all clear signal. Her driver was snoozing and the Edward settled into a thickly packed corner next to Paul. He used his hands to position the scientist so that he wouldn’t be seen and ordered him to get to sleep.
Paul did it eagerly, worn out. He couldn’t wait for this day to be over and it wasn’t even noon yet!
Edward leaned his head against the wagon, exchanging looks with Mark and Daniel. It was a stunning moment that only they understood. One day of living on the edge like this with Alexa was worth years of their old lives. They’d never quit this quest.
Chapter Five
Small Favors
1
The travelers were jolted from their drowsy boredom by a rear man, Private Peters, calling a halt and Merrik refusing the order. Those inside the wagons listened in anger.
“We are not stopping.”
“But their horse is injured. They’ll fall behind.”
“Not my problem. They’re not on my list.”
“What list?”
“Those who matter and those who don’t.”
“Sir, I think—”
“Get moving, Dick!”
“Yes, sir,” Private Richards grumbled and the travelers kept going.
Inside Edward’s wagon, he waited for a signal to go help the family. When it didn’t come, he worried over it. Alexa would send someone and he was once again missing a chance to earn more of her affection.
Mark and Daniel felt the same way and all of them blamed Paul.
“Who will she send?” Paul asked, not picking up on the hostile tension.
None of them had thought Paul was smart enough to realize Alexa would help the family, and it stopped them from being nasty.
“Probably Billy. He’s good with people,” Mark answered, sighing. “She loves him for that.”
“She doesn’t love him,” Paul denied quickly. “Or any of you.”
“You have no idea, little man,” Edward drawled.
Paul’s cheeks bloomed with color, but before he could respond in kind, Edward peeled up a corner of the tarp.
“She sent Billy,” Edward told them.
“What did she say for us to do?” Paul wanted to know.
“She didn’t,” Edward nearly growled. “We’re babysitting. How hard is that?”
Paul opened his mouth.
“Shut up there!” the driver snapped lowly.
Silence fell in the wagon.
After a moment, they realized the man had likely just tired of their bickering. He was a lot like their fearless leader-quiet and effective. It was comforting
2
Billy found the small family a few minutes after leaving Alexa’s side. They reacted the way he’d expected them to-fearfully.
The man stood up and ushered the children behind him, while the two women raised guns to keep him away. The females were clean, with pants that fit and coats that provided protection. Their slave on the other hand, wore a dingy white robe and bare feet that announced his status. If Billy had to guess, he’d say they came from the south.
“I came to help. I’m with Alexa.”
The words allowed a bit of the tension to ease and Billy carefully skirted around them to view the horse. Normally Edward would have been sent to do something like this, and he was determined to do as good a job.
He knelt down by the mare and spent a minute listening to her. He examined her gently, noting the colors and conditions that Edward had drilled them on.
“What did she have to eat over the last day?”
Billy got the information from them as quickly as he could, aware of the two women now standing over him with guns and leers. Leaving might be a little harder than getting in. Thanks to Alexa, he was ready for that.
“I think it’s a sore ankle,” Billy offered as he stood up. “Walk her all the way and a friend of mine will come by when things settle down. He’s much better with horses than I am.”
The women were still viewing him as if he was water and Billy flashed the asshole inside. “I’ve killed women before. Won’t bother me to do so now.”
They both retreated from the barely bridled rage in his tones.
“I’ve done you a service,” Billy pointed out. “You owe me a debt. How do you intend to pay?”
“We’re letting you go without a fight,” the younger of the two women stated coolly. She clearly hated men and was likely the one who was abusive. “That’s all you’ll get here.”
Billy helped the slave male get the horse onto its feet. “I’d take everything you have if I wanted it. Be grateful my mistress isn’t evil. I’d beat you both, and then slit your throats in payment for the bruises on your males.”
Billy didn’t wait for them to respond. He padded to the front of their group, leaving all of them no choice but to follow. He strode down the path made by the other travelers, shoulders set in ridged anger. Male slavery was something he would never submit to and he loathed women for it.
But aren’t you Alexa’s slave? his heart inquired.
Billy nodded. “Until I die.”
3
The day was hot and long for most of the travelers, with insects buzzing maddeningly out of reach and the smell of the corn distracting them. It was hard to stay awake, let alone alert and those with carts or wagons dozed miserably in the heat of the day.
Inside the two mule wagons, Alexa’s group wasn’t suffering the same way. They w
ere used to the heat and trying to breathe through it. Getting a ride was a gift. They joked quietly, taught Paul and the two newest men needed rules, and slept comfortably with their hats over their faces.
Traveling stayed that way for the first five hours. It wasn’t until the day was at its hottest that Alexa felt the need to get them ready.
“They have us park away from the group to minimize losses. Stay down and still,” her driver warned.
The mule drivers were dressed in the same brown pants and long brown coats. The only difference was in the long hair of the three men and the crew cut of the only woman. All dark skinned, rugged, and quiet, they were a relief to ride with.
Alexa used her hands to deliver the message to Edward and they all did as instructed. If the driver was wrong, they would come out fighting. They didn’t need to exchange messages for that.
“Let’s pick a spot!”
Merrik’s call, much too early in Alexa’s opinion, was repeated by the soldiers patrolling the long caravan.
“Make camp! Set us up! Camp time!”
The shouts continued long enough to make Alexa and her men nervous. They never made so much noise, but to do it so openly in such a dangerous area was a level of incompetence they hadn’t expected.
“He hasn’t done this before,” Alexa muttered. “That changes things.” Alexa had planned to travel with the group, much like they were with the mule wagons, but Merrik wasn’t going to be able to handle what was coming.
“Why do they keep sending these idiots out into hell?” Alexa sneered.
“A fine question, lady,” their driver agreed.
She leaned toward the front of the wagon, sending her scent over the man. “There’s a set of buildings an hour further along. Any chance you can get him to go there?”
The driver broke out into a sweat and quickly took a swig of warm water. “Not likely. My boss says never argue unless it endangers the haul.”
“Who is your boss?”
The man spat off the side of the bench and wiped his mouth on his coat sleeve. “At the moment, Roscoe.”