Hangman's Army: Lake Of Sins, #3

by L. S. O'Dea

  “She needs to forget about me,” said Jackson. “And your running over there reminding her about us doesn’t help.”

  “She loves you and you love her.”

  “That isn’t enough.” Jackson’s anger had been replaced by sadness. “You should know that better than anyone. Swear you didn’t go there to see Jethro.”

  Her face paled and she lowered her gaze to the floor again.

  “You did, didn’t you? You little fool.” Jackson face was grave. “Jethro is not the same boy—”

  “I know that.” She raced out of the tent, tears running down her cheeks.

  “I’ll go talk to her.” He hated crying females. He avoided them at all cost, but the thought of her alone and crying tore at his heart.

  “No,” snapped Tim. “You stay here. I’ll go.” He started to walk away and then stopped. “Jackson, don’t let him out of your sight.”

  “Why?” asked Jackson.

  “He’s being stupid again and thinks turning himself over to the authorities will stop the Almightys from killing the Guards,” said Tim.

  He ran his hand through his hair, wanting to yank it out. Now, he was going to have to explain everything to Jackson and once he did that the Guard wouldn’t let him take a piss alone. He’d be forced to sit, safe in his tent, while more Guards died.

  CHAPTER 50: HUGH

  AFTER EXPLAINING EVERYTHING TO Jackson, Hugh sat on the cot in his tent. The Guard was on a chair by the table.

  “Tim’s right. It kills me to say it.” Jackson shot him a cocky smile. “His being a Servant and all, but turning yourself in won’t do anyone any good.”

  “I know. Even if I insisted that they free them first, they’d probably scoop them back up to teach us rebels a lesson.” He rested his head against the wall. “I don’t care what you say, this is my fault.”

  “No, it’s not. You have to stop blaming yourself for every bad thing that happens.”

  “And you’re such an expert on this.” These lectures were getting old and they didn’t change his mind. This was, at least, partially his fault.

  “What do you mean by that?”

  “Why did you leave Kim? And don’t use freeing me as an excuse.”

  “It’s not an excuse.”

  “Right.” He laughed. It was a harsh empty sound. “You could’ve figured something else out or she could’ve lived with you here.”

  “As a fugitive?” Jackson shook his head. “No way.”

  “At least, you’d be together.”

  “It won’t work and you know it. I’ll only hurt her.”

  “Stop blaming yourself.” It felt good, throwing that back at the Guard.

  “It’s not the same thing.”

  “No. Not exactly.” He stood. “Being a Guard doesn’t make you a lesser creature. Kim sees that, why can’t you?”

  “You don’t know anything about Guards, not really. Sure, you were a kind master but you were still a master.” Jackson stood, fists clenched at his sides.

  “I may not know much, but I do know that Guards are equal to Almightys.”

  “Really? You had all your Guards altered so they couldn’t reproduce, didn’t you? Did you do that to your Almighty friends?”

  “You have no idea how sorry I am for that.” He’d been an arrogant fool and he’d hurt so many.

  Jackson barked a laugh. “Not as sorry as them, I’m sure.” The Guard’s false amusement vanished. “Think about what would happen if Kim and I continued to be together. We’d have offspring eventually. Even with protection, it happens. Plus, she’s the type who’d want them.” He shifted his gaze toward the door. “Where would our young belong in this world?” His eyes gleamed slightly as they met Hugh’s. “Look at Trinity.”

  “What about her?” No one was going to say anything negative about her around him.

  “She doesn’t fit in anywhere and who is she supposed to mate with? She’s got three different classes in her blood. What will happen to her offspring? She doesn’t belong anywhere. Her kids certainly won’t.”

  “They’ll belong anywhere they want.” He was done with this conversation.

  Jackson snorted. “In what world? It sure isn’t this one.”

  The Guard was right. Trinity had told him herself that she wasn’t accepted by any of the groups. That had to change. “In the world that we’ll make. Together.”

  “What are you saying?” Jackson’s eyes caught his.

  He began to pace. He’d change this world for Trinity, for Jackson and Kim and for all the kids in the future. “The Almightys aren’t the only ones who can retaliate. We’ll strike back but our purpose won’t be a lesson or revenge.” He stopped pacing. “Our purpose will be to win this war, but first we need help.”

  “You’re joining the Allied Classes.”

  “I’ve always been with you.”

  “You’ll fight with us? Lead us?”

  “Yes. Until I get my lab.” He held up his hand to stop Jackson from speaking. “I told you the deal that I made with Trinity. I have to make that serum, but right now we need to figure out how to free the House Servants and Guards.”

  “The Midtown Shelter is going to be heavily guarded this time,” said Jackson.

  “I know. We won’t be able to sneak in like before. We’ll need another plan.” He continued to pace, mumbling to himself. “We have other problems too. We can’t win a war without an army. The Almightys have an army. They have weapons.” He froze, surprised at his own thoughts. “I got it. They’ll never expect it. It’s perfect.”

  “What won’t they expect?” Jackson followed him out the door.

  Hugh stopped right outside his tent. He had to send Birdie back to Townsend to gather information on the shelters, but Trinity was alone by her tent. Her eyes were red from crying. He wanted to go to her, but he needed to know the facts first. He turned to Jackson.

  “I’ll tell you the plan in a minute. First, what happened at Kim’s?”

  “She’s seeing some Almighty. They kissed. For a long time.” Jackson’s face was hard with anger.

  “Trinity’s seeing an Almighty?” He took a step in her direction. Oh, they were going to have a talk. Who was this guy and why was she sneaking to Kim’s to kiss the man?

  “What? No. Kim.”

  The pain around his chest loosened. He refused to think about why that was as he glanced at Jackson. The Guard’s lips were curled in a sneer but his eyes were defeated. “I’m sorry, Jackson.”

  “It’s for the best.” There was no conviction in the Guard’s words.

  “I don’t agree, but it isn’t my decision.”

  “You’re right. It isn’t.”

  “While you were there, were you able to get Jethro’s DNA?” Hopefully, his lab would be ready soon and he wanted that sample.

  “Shit. I forgot.” Jackson’s frowned. “I’ll go back and talk to Carla.”

  “No. Not yet. We have other more important things to do.” His eyes landed on Trinity. She’d better not have gone to Kim’s to see Jethro. “Can you tell me what happened at Kim’s that made Trinity so upset?”

  “I don’t know. I didn’t go inside.” Jackson stared at him.

  “She was inside the house?” He was going to kill her.

  “Yeah, and Jethro was home. Carla told me.”

  “I know he’s your friend and Kim’s brother, but if Jethro hurt her...” The only way he’d find out was by talking to her.

  “Let it go.” Jackson grabbed his arm. “Leave her alone. Until you fix this world, you should stay as far away from her as I am from Kim.”

  “It’s not like that. We’re friends. That’s all.”

  “Please. I recognize longing when I see it.”

  “I swear. There’s nothing between us. There can’t be. Ever.” She was too pure, too innocent for him, but Jackson was right. He had to stay away from her. He hurt everyone that he cared about.

  Jackson patted him on the shoulder. “Welcome to the club.”


  He glared at the Guard as they headed toward Birdie. He’d win this war and make the world right for Trinity and her children. The only way to do that was to gather scientific proof of the genetic similarities between the Almightys and the other classes and that meant he was going to have to break his word. She’d be furious with him, but only if she found out.

  CHAPTER 51: HUGH

  BY THE NEXT MORNING, Hugh had his plan. It was risky, but it’d work. It had to. Him, Jackson and Tim had stayed up all night going over every possible obstacle. Tim had gone home about an hour ago and Jackson was passed out on the floor. He should try and get some sleep but he was too excited. He hadn’t felt this way since he’d envisioned the tracking device. He’d never thought that waging war would excite him. The General was probably trying to claw out of his grave, livid with the fact that all his knowledge and lessons were going to be used against the Almightys. Hugh had never felt happier. He got out of bed and moved quietly across the tent.

  “Where are you going?” Jackson mumbled from under a pile of blankets.

  He understood why the Guard didn’t trust him, but since he wasn’t leaving the camp and Jackson needed to sleep, he’d lie. “I’ve got to piss. I’ll be right back.”

  He slipped out the door. The crisp air was invigorating. A few others were already moving about the camp. He nodded a greeting to them. Most of those here were early risers, having worked their entire lives, although the House Servants were the first to let their work ethics lag. The longer they lived without the rule of the Almightys the more they slept and sat around doing nothing except what they wanted to do and that was never work. A lot of the Guards were also getting lazier. The Producers and Grunts didn’t seem to know what to do in leisure so they worked, almost constantly. He’d have to do something about that. They all needed to do their fair share around camp. When they didn’t, it caused additional dissension among the groups and he couldn’t have that. Not now. In order to win this war they needed to be united.

  The Producers who were up and working merged together into a couple of small groups. The few Guards who were awake stared into the forest. Something was wrong.

  He walked over to Curtis. “What is it?”

  Curtis had his head tipped back, sniffing. His eyes were worried. “Not sure, but something is coming. I can’t quite make out the scent.”

  Trinity came out of her tent a wide smile on her face. After her tears last night, it was good to see her happy. It made him happy for some reason. He smiled back and then realized that she wasn’t looking at him. His good mood disappeared as he walked over to her.

  “What is it? Curtis is worried.” His tone was harsher than he’d meant, but her eagerness to see someone other than him made him want to hit something, preferably, whoever she was so eager to see.

  “Guards and their noses.” She didn’t seem to notice his irritation because her smile widened. “It’s Gaar.”

  He pushed his annoyance away. Gaar was her friend. She should be happy to see him and the Handler would be a great asset on this mission, if he were willing to help. He walked back over to the others to let them know that it was Gaar. They all wandered back to what they’d been doing. A few minutes later, the Handler walked into the clearing. Hugh’s breath caught. Seeing Gaar come out of the misty forest was like being in the past, when the earth was young and mythical creatures roamed the lands—terrifying and deadly mythical creatures. Trinity’s smile widened even more as she raced across the camp. Obviously, she didn’t see the Handler the same way he did. He wandered toward them.

  Gaar grabbed her, lifting her in the air and hugging her. “Little One, I missed you.” He put her back on the ground. “Have you been staying out of trouble while I was away?”

  “How’s Mirra?” She ignored his question.

  “Hi, Gaar. Good to see you,” he said.

  Gaar acknowledged him with a nod. “Mirra seems to be doing well. A bit fidgety...”

  “Many females are when pregnant.” He prayed that was the reason for the unease.

  “It’s more than that,” said Gaar. “We need the serum.”

  “I know. It’ll be the first thing I do once I have a lab.”

  “The only thing you do.” Trinity raised her eyebrow in challenge.

  “I’m aware of our deal.” He didn’t want to break his word to her but it was the only way to win this war. If she wasn’t so stubborn, he’d explain things to her, but she’d never agree because that’d be admitting she was wrong.

  “We can wait a little longer, but not much,” said Gaar.

  “I have two people working on getting me access to a lab, so it should be soon.” He hoped. He glanced at Trinity. “Until then, we have a mission we need to run.”

  “Little One, what have you done now.” Gaar’s black eyes gleamed with humor.

  “Nothing.” A hint of pink filled her cheeks.

  “Nothing? That’s impossible. I know you. You can’t seem to avoid trouble. So, tell me what you’ve done.”

  “And I thought I missed you.” She gave the Handler a playful slap on the shoulder.

  Gaar seemed in a good mood. It was a good time to tell him their plan. “I...we could use your help, if you’re willing.”

  Gaar’s smiled died as he turned toward Hugh.

  He had to make his argument fast. “Let me tell you what we’ve been up to around here.” He winked at Trinity. “All the trouble she’s been in.”

  “Hey!” she said.

  Gaar groaned. “I knew it. I just knew it.” But there was laughter in his dark eyes. The tension had been broken.

  Hugh relayed everything that’d happened since the morning of his first training session. It felt like a lifetime had passed but it’d only been about a week.

  “I’ll help,” grumbled Gaar. “I don’t particularly like Guards but I like Almightys less.” He grinned at Hugh. “Not you, of course.”

  “Of course.” Although said as a joke, he was pretty sure that the Handler did like him. Not much, but a little...maybe.

  “Oh, let’s not forget this.” Gaar dug in his backpack, pulled out another small sack and handed it to Hugh. “Take care of these. They weren’t easy to get.” He rolled up his sleeve displaying several large gashes on his arm. “Those are the only ones I’m willing to show in mixed company.”

  “I’ll be right back.” He went to his tent to put the samples of Tracker blood in a safe spot.

  Jackson sat up as he entered.

  “Would you get everyone together? It’s time to let them know our plan. Gaar came back and he’s with us.”

  “That’s great.” Jackson stood. “I have a better feeling about this with him helping.”

  “So, do I.” A Handler was one thing that the authorities would never expect.

  CHAPTER 52: TRINITY

  TRINITY SAT ON A log outside her tent, wishing they’d hurry and gather everyone together. She needed something to take her mind off last night. Killing someone would do it, especially an Almighty with black hair and blue eyes. Her gaze wandered to Hugh as he spoke with some of the Producers. Well, not that blue-eyed, black-haired Almighty.

  Gaar came over, dropped a pile of sticks near her feet and sat.

  “Thanks for agreeing to help,” she said.

  He grunted. Typical Gaar. She smiled a little. It felt good to smile again. She’d spent most of last night curled up on her cot crying.

  “Tell me what happened.” He pulled out his knife, grabbed a nearby stick and began to whittle.

  “Hugh told you every—”

  “He didn’t tell me what’s making you sad.”

  Tears pooled in her eyes again. He knew her too well. “Promise not to tell anyone. Jackson’s already mad at me.” She glanced at the hairless Guard who was gathering everyone together. The moniker fit once again; he’d shaved sometime while she and Hugh had been gone.

  “Who would I tell?” Gaar shot her a disgusted look.

  “Sorry.” He’d never say anything t
o anyone. She grabbed a stick and began to whittle. She’d get right to the point. He didn’t like to be inundated with details. “I saw Jethro the other night.”

  His knife paused in the air for a fraction of a second before it connected with the stick. “And.”

  “It didn’t go well.”

  He stopped whittling and looked at her. “What happened? Did he touch you?”

  What was it with males and their worry about that? “No. He’s...he’s changed.” He was no longer the boy she’d fallen in love with. The boy she’d wanted as her bonded mate.

  His shoulders relaxed and he began whittling again.

  “I was so sure that as soon as he saw me, everything would be okay.” A tear ran down her cheek and she wiped it away with the back of her hand.

  “Life seldom goes as planned.”

  She knew that better than anyone. “I know, but I thought...I’d waited all these years.”

  He grunted.

  She glanced at him. He wasn’t at all sympathetic. “Jethro’s so different now.”

  “How?” he asked, a hint of boredom in his tone.

  “He’s on the other side. He thinks that...that the lower classes should be taken care of by the Almightys.”

  “He said that to you?” His lips twitched a little.

  “It’s not funny and he didn’t say it to me. Not exactly. I overheard him and...I lost my temper and burst through the door.” She blinked back tears. “Even after what he’d said, there’d still been a small part of me that’d thought...that seeing me would make him realize that he was wrong. He’d been so nice when I was in the cage in his barn. He’d stayed with me as much as he could. He’d argued with his dad for me.” She turned toward Gaar. “He was going to refuse surgery unless his dad released me.” It’d been that moment when she’d fallen in love with him. He’d been willing to sacrifice so much for her. No one else had ever done that.

  “What happened when he saw you?” Gaar’s knife continued to fly across the stick, scraping away the bark and exposing the soft hidden flesh.