by Angela White
Angela lit the weed, inhaled before answering. When she passed it, he noted how careful she was not to touch him at all.
“Help me get my son back. Clearly I’m not cut out for the trek.”
“So, just for the trip?”
“No, probably not. Kenny’s also a Marine. My son is a cadet. They’re together now, in western Utah, and Kenn can be…harsh when he doesn’t get his way.”
His worry confirmed, Marc didn’t respond, busy running over what that confrontation might be like. She wanted him to challenge a fellow Marine. He could do it, but only for the right reasons.
“When he gets like that, I can’t handle him alone. I need you to stay close once we find them, while we talk. Maybe we’ll work things out.”
Marc heard a mix of emotions in her words, but doubt was the clearest. “You don’t think so?”
She took the smoldering blunt, and again made sure they didn’t touch, drawing a deeper frown from Marc. Where was his Angie?
“No. Kenny doesn’t know what a compromise is. He’s never had to before, and unless the war changed him, he’ll fight to keep what he considers his. I still owe him six years.”
Marc knew trouble when he heard it. “So, I get you there, and what? Protect you so that you can tell your man you don’t love him anymore?”
Her eyes blazed, and he knew it was at the accusing tone more than the words.
“It was never love! We made an unfair deal, and he’s had over a decade of my life that I can’t get back! You don’t know, so don’t sit there and think I’m playing games. Kenny will be furious that I’ve left Ohio, and he won’t care about my reasons or needs. When he finds out I want to change the terms of our deal, that maybe I want complete freedom, he’ll do whatever it takes to hold me. Unless he’s changed.”
“And you hope he has?” Marc asked slowly, not wanting to know, and yet needing to. When she hesitated, his heart stirred. There was room there…and it was still wrong.
“We were a family for a long time, and if he can stop–” Angela caught herself quickly. “If he can compromise, I might be willing to resume our old life.”
“And if he won’t?” Marc took the tiny blunt and stubbed it out. When she met his eye again, there was no mistaking the fear, but there was also determination that reminded him of the old Angie, of his Angie.
“I’ll grab Charlie and go north. Kenny would never expect a weak woman who speaks a little bit of Spanish to pick Canada.”
Marc let out a frustrated sigh. She wasn’t telling him everything. “We could do that anyway.”
“No. I have to give him the chance.”
“So, I take you there and hang around until you make up your mind, and then maybe take you north. What’s the catch?”
Angela sighed ruefully. “There’s more than one, but the biggest is that Charlie doesn’t know for sure Kenny is not his father. I’ve never been able to tell him, but he’ll figure it out, and then Kenny will know. Once my Marine realizes who you are, he’ll never agree to anything. You may have to fight for both of us.”
Marc said nothing, waiting, and she let out a worried noise that called to him.
“He’ll be madder than I’ve ever made him, and maybe it’ll come to blood.”
“Surely you’re exaggerating?”
“No, I’m not. He’ll recognize you for the threat you are and try to run you off or hurt you. It’s only fair you know what you’re getting into.”
Marc felt a fresh tremor of unease at the tone. “Then why take the chance the boy will get caught in the cross fire? We’ll grab him and go.”
“No, Brady. I would have been sent home, and they would have taken my baby. Kenny saved me from that. We made a deal. Eighteen full years no matter what, and while I can’t keep that promise now, I at least owe him the chance to accept that things have changed and keep the family he had, on different terms.”
Marc studied her, not liking it. If her man was that possessive, there was bound to be ugliness that he wanted no part of. “What you’re asking is unfair. I can’t even spend time with my son. It’s a bad deal now too.”
The storm had broken while they talked, rain thumping roughly on the roof as the wind gusted, slamming things around. She stared at him with an expression that said she didn’t think she could do it on her own.
“You won’t help me?”
The crushing disappointment in her voice had him looking away, sure if he held her gaze, he would give in.
“I’ll think on it, but probably not. I can’t be your show of force and maybe even your attack dog because you can’t live up to a decade-old promise and are too honest to skip out on it, even after all that’s happened. I certainly won’t challenge a fellow Marine for those reasons.”
Angela held in hot tears. “I understand. I’ll go my own way come morning… I’m sorry, Brady, for all of it.”
She lay down with her back to him, trying not to cry. She couldn’t bring herself to tell him the awful truths about how bad her life had been. He had to realize on his own how much she needed him.
Marc wanted to talk more. He wanted to convince her that she didn’t have to stay with a man she didn’t love, that even after all these years he was still waiting. But he also loathed the idea of being a Jody. No real Marine let himself become the guy who stole a fellow grunt’s girl while they were away.
Marc blew out a sigh of frustration, frown growing when the small sound made her flinch. What was he supposed to do?
Whatever she asks! his heart reproached miserably, already aching at the thought of being split from her again so soon. His emotions insisted she was the real thing, a true damsel in distress, and he went over her words and reactions repeatedly, searching for clues to what he was missing. What hadn’t she told him?
5
A short time later, Angela jerked out of a deep sleep, the first she’d had since leaving Cincinnati. Weak alarm bells blared for the second time in the same night, and she pushed herself up, but the door in her mind refused to swing open. She was too tired.
Marc woke the second she sat up, heart thumping at the sight of his dream woman with sleep still on her.
“We have to get out of here,” she said.
He pulled on his boots, not hesitating, and the clink of his dog tag caught her ear as he stood up to fasten the jeans he’d discreetly loosened. The sexy strip of hair that ran from his flat, tanned stomach to his groin kept her attention, and she snatched in a surprised breath at the clear chill of desire that went through her. It had been a long time since she’d felt anything even close to passion.
“What is it?”
Angela tore her eyes away as she grabbed her blankets, sweater, and the heater. “I can’t tell. Big and fast, whatever it is.”
She moved toward the ladder, leaving the rest of her things. She could hear Dog whining impatiently in the darkness below. Whatever it was, the wolf felt it too. Angela quickly climbed down, going for the door.
“Oh, my God!”
That brought Marc from gathering their things, and he stopped in the doorway behind her, stunned.
Thick, orange flames licked up the porch rails of the house, and the tree line was ablaze in every direction. Even the air was burning; fat drops of acid rain catching fire as they hit a burning branch or rail. It was as if the sky was on fire from the ground up, tiny sparks moving into the night like fire following gasoline.
The rear of the garage was also sending up smoke, telling Marc that direction wasn’t safe either, and he searched for an exit.
Angie was still frozen, and Marc gave her a nudge as a wave of thick, black smoke gusted toward them. He noticed that she cringed away from him, even in a moment of danger.
“Back the way we came, and stay on my ass!” he called over the growing roar of the blaze.
They were rolling a few seconds later, tires traveling over hot, smoldering branches and limbs that had already fallen. The smoke grew steadily thicker, making it harder and harder to see
as they went by smoking cabins and tall, flaming trees that threw hot showers of sparks on their vehicles. Neither noticed the bullets that all barely missed the tires they were aimed at. They slammed into the ground with hard, quiet thuds that couldn’t be heard over the crackling, popping rumble of the fire around them.
Smoke rolled across the road in thick waves, flames blocking their way in places, and Marc was forced to lead them in and out of trees that had become horrible, giant torches.
Dead limbs fell, thumping to the ground in geysers of flaming debris, and Angela followed him tensely, heart in her throat. They’d almost burned! It was hot and smoky, her neck and face sweaty, cheeks streaked with soot, and Angela tried to keep her attention on his bumper instead of the flames. How close to death they’d been!
Marc took them back the way they’d come, but instinct told him this wasn’t a natural fire. When the flames continued to get heavier, he turned them again, going west as sweat poured off him in small torrents.
The flames rose suddenly in a thick wall, and he keyed the mike. “Hit the gas! We’ll go right through!”
They plunged into the fire at high speed, the heat rising, and then they were through, coming out unharmed on the other side.
The temperature was instantly cooler, and the path Marc picked went downhill steeply, winding into more coolness with long, bone-jarring bumps. The flames hadn’t been through this brown and green terrain yet. Maybe they had gotten out in time. Because of Angie.
They could still view the flames in their mirrors, though, and Marc went for White Creek, where they detected animals following the current. He eased them down into the half foot of casually flowing water. He rolled slowly down the middle of the creek, hunting for the dirt path he’d only been on twice. It was nearly inaccessible to anything but a bike or jeep, and it would take the fire a long time to spread up the hill.
Spotting it, he headed them gently that way, being careful not to crush animals still darting into the water for safety.
“Remember how we used to ride dirt bikes behind Daniel’s house?”
“Yes.”
“This is trickier. Stay a few lengths behind and remember that an uncontrolled slide doesn’t happen unless you hit the brakes too hard.”
Angela had to grin at his tone. It said he was eager for the next thrill, like when they were young. The fun they’d had together was something she hadn’t allowed herself to think about in a long time. She hadn’t been able to deal with the crushing pain and anger without Kenny sensing it and reacting badly (violently). It still hit her at odd times that she was now free to think about anything she wanted.
“You lead, I’ll follow.”
Since when? Marc shifted gears as adrenaline raced through him, and he could almost feel her catch his mutter and smile.
He went up the steep hill with an easy burst of speed, and Angela counted to five before following, glad when he didn’t seem to have any trouble with the dark path.
His Blazer fishtailed as it hit the top, brake lights flashing briefly before he suddenly dropped out of sight.
Heart in her throat, Angela hit the gas harder as she neared the top and only tapped the brakes as she started to drop into thin air.
She saw Marc halfway up the next incline, and then she had her hands full as gravity pulled hard. She landed on a narrow path that shot downward at an awful left tilt and the Blazer slid heavily, thick gobs of mud spraying the trees.
Her hands worked the wheel, foot on the gas, and she just made the curve, shooting up the hill where Marc was disappearing.
Her Blazer slid to the right again when she made it to the top, and Angela winced as she scraped branches and trees, forcing her foot away from the brakes. She used loose hands on the wheel to keep the teetering vehicle on the edge of control and was able to make the turn.
Angela brought it gently away from the steep side, proud of herself, and jumped when his thoughts came flying at her.
It gets bad from here. I’ll tell you which way to aim for.
She heard him clearly in her head, the worry but also the excitement, and was suddenly sure Marc would never let her go on alone. His sense of honor would be the excuse he gave himself, but it would really be the connection between them, the old hunger and restless need. Their lives, her life, had been in grave danger twice, in the same eight hours, and the Marc she had known would never–
She stopped the thought, not ready for the pain that would come with completing it. This trek would be easier on both of them if she remembered that the old Marc was probably gone. It would be best not to get her hopes up.
6
The twins had come up, and then down, the steep miner’s road much more slowly than Angela and Marc. They were barely able to make the muddy, hairpin curves.
As they reached the summit of the last dark, treacherous hill, Dillan pointed at two sets of brake lights disappearing into the foggy valley below. They watched for a long moment, but saw nothing else.
“Still going west.”
“Meeting someone?”
“Cesar, if she goes far enough. He’s in that area by now.”
“She won’t be able to handle all those men.”
“Neither can we. Have to share.”
“No.”
“Exactly. We’ll follow but hang back, let them think we died or gave up. Our chance will come.”
Dean dug through his kit for two capsules, glad to be traveling in the same vehicle together again. He’d missed his brother’s warmth. “Start out again at daylight?”
“Yeah. We know which direction she’s going. We’ll camp high before dusk each night and keep track by their lights or fires. They’ll relax, and we’ll take ‘em off guard.”
“We need a strong tranquilizer.”
Dillan’s face was full of bloodlust. “And sharper knives. I want it to last.”
7
Angela and Marc didn’t stop until almost noon. They were both bleary-eyed and exhausted as they sat on opposite corners of their tailgates with the tuna sandwiches and coffee she had made. Marc had gassed their vehicles while she cooked.
The layer of grit in the sky appeared thicker despite the heavy rain the night before, and Angela tried to avoid looking at the suburbs of identical condominiums that were crammed together across from the field. It sickened her to see how many yards and windows had corpses of starved pets. Most of them appeared to still be hoping for the masters who had left them to such an awful fate.
“We have to come to some terms before we go any further together.”
A sweet smile of relief lit her tired face and made Marc suck air into lungs that felt too small. It was no wonder that he’d never gotten over her. No one else hit him this hard.
Marc watched her happiness cool, and knew instinctively that she was waiting to determine if she could pay the price he was about to demand.
“First and most important, I’ll teach you some basic defense and how to use a gun.”
Marc knelt down by her bumper and worked with his small tool kit while they talked.
Angela nodded, frowning at the thought of being close enough to him (to any man!) long enough to learn something like that. “Okay, to both.”
“Good. We’ll plan routes together and share the chores. I’ll keep my distance as best I can and still protect you,” Marc said as he removed the brake lightbulb and placed it in the bag with the ones from his vehicle. “In return, I’ll need more than an introduction. It can wait until you decide about your man, but then they’ll both have to be told so that I can spend time with my son.”
Angela frowned again. The things he wanted were reasonable, but there was great fear in her heart. “Agreed. Anything else?”
“Yes. I need to know things about your life. We can leave that for when you’re ready, but on the way, I’d like you to tell me about...Charlie. Everything I missed. Bedtime stories, any pictures you have?”
She gave him a small smile that didn’t reach her cold eyes, a
nd he wondered what about his words she hadn’t liked. All of it?
Angela gave him another nod, a thin smile. “Is that it? Good. Now, I have conditions. First and most important, we will travel every day. I’m in a hurry, and I want that clear up front. Second, you’re in charge, but when I say to change direction, we do it. We’ll use the maps, but I’m tracking him too, and I trust me.”
Marc thought she sounded like a mother bear protecting her cub. To a man who hadn’t had anything but guilt and loneliness for a long time even before the war, it was attractive. “Agreed, next?”
“Next is last. When we get there, do as I ask and abide by my choice. I want no violence if it can be helped.”
“You’ll see that I get time with Charlie, even if we have to sneak?”
Her voice was shaky. “Yes. You’ll protect us from Kenny, even if it comes to blood?”
The open fear in her expression hurt him. “With my life, baby.”
The answer fell easily despite the years between them. When she only nodded again, Marc caught the fact that she didn’t tell him that it wouldn’t come to that. What was he walking into?
“Then I agree.”
Mindful about keeping his distance (still stinging from it) Marc didn’t put out his hand until she did hers. He recognized her reluctance, saw her almost draw back before placing her small fingers against his.
Lightning flashed, forking into thick clouds that rolled across the sky as the lovers touched. Electricity sparked, threatening to sweep them into the past.
Marc let go. He was a man of his word.
For Angela, the silence after the crash was deafening, but she didn’t apologize for the small theft of some of his healthy energy. She was almost sure he hadn’t noticed anyway. Her oddness was something that she planned to rely on now, and he would have to get used to it. Kenny couldn’t, hadn’t even been able to consider accepting her for what she was without using it for his own gain. Would Marc be different?
She stood up, began cleaning their lunch mess. Only time would tell.
“Come on, Sir Lancelot. I’d like to make another three by dark.”