The Life After War Collection

by Angela White

  They both witnessed Zack stiffen and Angela hid a smirk of her own. “Back it up, Allan, and let the cars go on. We’ll just be a little out-of-order for the check-in.”

  Allan was relieved, despite being on Zack’s team. He hadn’t wanted to go out on that merciless river; had been sure he would have to jump and maybe even be drowned.

  Allan glanced at Angela as she hung on the side to stay out of the way while Kyle directed the traffic around them. “Thanks. You…okay and all?” He swept her various scars in a quick glance.

  It was another sign that she was making progress with the rest of Zack’s team and Angela smiled. “I’m 5-by. What about you?”

  Allan grimaced at the choppy waves of the Smoky Hill River that were sloshing onto the pontoon. He hated water. “Right now, I need a drink.”

  Angela pulled a beautiful silver flask from her pocket and tossed it onto the empty seat next to him. “Make sure I get that back.”

  “I will.” Allan was surprised she would share the gift with him after the coldness a few of Zack’s team had still been stubbornly treating her to. “If I don’t, Lee will rack my knees for me.”

  Angela laughed. “You’re probably right. He’s a big fan now.”

  “He should be,” Allan answered gravely. “You’ve given him his heart and…I’m sorry.”

  “I forgive you,” she answered easily, mentally moving his name to her side of the board. “Change takes time.”

  “I guess she don’t have to work,” Zack complained as he came by the driver’s window with a large box.

  “Lay off!” Allan snapped.

  Zack gaped in surprise and Allan finished declaring his loyalty.

  “You were wrong. We all were, so lay off.”

  Zack stomped away and Angela delivered another sweet smile. “Thank you.”

  Allan shrugged, uncomfortable at the kindness he didn’t feel he deserved from her. “He might have gotten me killed.”

  Angela’s thoughts were along the same line and she hopped down, catching Kyle’s motion. “It’s probably light enough now. Ease the wheels out and I’ll let you know.”

  The truck rolled across the pontoon bridge with no further problems and Angela resumed her post as the other vehicles continued. The last four jeeps were full of Eagles and when Neil stopped for her, she climbed inside without protesting that there were still cars left. If the trucks had made it, so would the rest.

  Angela felt them ease onto the floating pontoons, uncomfortable with the way the floating road sank and then accepted the weight. She tried not to stare into the river.

  They were across a minute later and the last two jeeps of men quickly ran to collect their equipment.

  They were up and loaded with routine precision and then all four vehicles were rushing to fall in behind their convoy of light in the barren wilderness.

  “I hate these damn hills,” Angela muttered as the convoy slowed again for another sharp curve. The road was two lanes, cleared only an hour before, and it wound upward at an awkward angle. Complete with steep drop-offs on both sides, after Adrian’s accident it was a cruel reminder of how things could go wrong without warning.

  Neil flipped the radio off, tiring of the female ballads she had put in. “Yeah. We’ll be out of them in another day or two.”

  Angela narrowed her lids against the lightning, not anticipating the storm that was coming with it. Samantha had warned Adrian and he’d taken them to higher ground. Day after tomorrow, they would be in the clear from a slaver attack during the bad weather, but until then?

  Angela shut her lids. Breathing becoming shallow, it was the only sign of magic and Neil hoped she’d fallen asleep. He couldn’t stop from glancing over to check on her every few minutes, though, uneasy and not sure why.

  2

  Angela still hadn’t moved when they finally stopped for the night and Neil killed the engine. “We’re here.”

  “I’ll catch up.”

  Not expecting a response from his lowly spoken words, he jumped. Her tone was…disconnected, and when the dome flashed on, her eyes were much too big.

  Neil got out and shut the door quickly, instinct warning him not to disturb the power behind those empty sockets.

  “Who’s her shadow?” Neil called.

  “I am.” Seth was already near her door despite his limp and he motioned Neil on. “I’ll handle it.”

  Seth opened the door with caution, able to feel the hum of the witch hidden within her.

  “Is everything okay?” he asked lightly, using his hand to reach in and cover the glare.

  “We look.”

  There was an eerie double timbre to her voice and Seth put the window down before quietly closing the door. “Take your time. I’ll deflect.”

  There was no answer and Seth scanned for people coming her way.

  Everyone was busy hurrying to get set before the heavier rain came, and he tapped out a short message, aware that this was over his head.

  Angela blinked when the dome came on again and she took the bottle of water that was handed to her, but didn’t open it.

  Adrian slid into the driver’s seat and shut the door. “When?”

  “Tomorrow or the day after,” she answered immediately. “In these trees, on this road.”

  “Kyle checked in,” Adrian said. “They have spies on us, two groups.”

  “One in front, one in rear?”

  “Two in front, covering the two main roads east. To run, we’d have to go south from here or be pinned in by the Interstate, and that’s where he expects to trap us with the main group.”

  “How will it happen?”

  “Is that the question you really want to ask?”

  Flashing to her first day at Safe Haven, Angela sighed at the bittersweet memory. “No. I’d like to stay with you for the whole thing, no matter the risk or ugliness.”

  “Why?”

  “Because it’s my duty to help you kill him.”

  “And we will do that,” he swore, face twisting with a hatred she’d never thought to see from him. “My life or his. Only one of us will walk away.”

  3

  “…still using our old sites.”

  Samantha stopped, staring at the two men as they strode by.

  “Makes us all feel wrong, but we’re not sure why.”

  Sam climbed out of the passenger seat of Hilda’s minivan and shut the door, noticing, but not returning Neil’s friendly glance.

  Using our old sites.

  “You okay?”

  The words jarred her concentration and Samantha realized Neil had joined her. “What?”

  “I asked if you were–”

  “I heard someone say the slavers are using our old campsites,” she interrupted, mind full of those beautiful webs of connection.

  “It’s bothering all of us. I’m sure it’s meant to.”

  Sam’s unease grew.

  Using our old sites.

  She’d heard that before. Where? Sam picked the thought back up, moving slowly toward the bathrooms, and Neil stayed with her, sensing she was onto something.

  “What would they gain? An already cleared area? Leftover supplies?” she muttered. “We don’t leave anything, and sure, it’s easier than traveling over the jammed streets but…they have to be getting more or they would take our cleared roads and try to ambush…

  “To do that, they’d have to know where we are!” She spun to Neil with fury. “I know how he’s doing it. Someone has to go search our last site.”

  Sam swung toward the last place she’d seen Adrian.

  Neil grabbed her arm. “I’ll do it. Tell me.”

  Sam let her discovery out in a fast, low rush of words. “Check where his tent was, dig if you have to. He’s leaving them messages.”

  “How do you know that?”

  “One of the refugees from Trinidad said that was how they were beaten. One of their people was leaving messages in baggies at their camping spots.”

  Neil’s min
d slammed it into place and he spun wildly, picking a team. “Jeremy, Daryl, Jeff, Kevin, find replacements and mount up now. Recon.”

  He ignored their surprise, speaking to Samantha, “Tell Adrian and then Angela. Let them know where we’ve gone.”

  Samantha stared at him apprehensively, wanting to say things and Neil felt the moment for what it was. “When this is done.”

  She flushed, nodding.

  Worried, Samantha stared until the jeep was out of sight.

  Rick ducked further into the shadows as Sam stepped by, heart beating furiously. All of his attempts had failed. He’d caused damage, but not the chaos he’d been hoping for. Neil had even escaped Kenn’s pain with the early morning switch so he could cover Kyle’s team. None of it had gone like it was supposed to and now that they knew, Rick couldn’t even go to his tent for the gun. He would have to sneak out to Cesar, empty-handed.

  The traitor frowned. Do I have to go to the slaver? I’ve done everything I could to take out the leadership here. They’re too strong.

  Not that Cesar would care for his excuses. If he ran to the Mexican now, he wouldn’t view another dawn.

  Rick’s thoughts flipped to Samantha. Could he leave without her?

  No.

  Rick winced at the increase of guards flooding the area. He would lay low, follow. He wasn’t done with her yet. Maria had been a poor substitute.

  What about the cook? he asked himself. Do I need to get her out of here?

  Rick pulled off his grimy black bandana. They might be quick to come hunting if they didn’t have a distraction. And who better to punish than traitor number two?

  4

  Leveled out and covered with trees, it was cool and shady in the field where Safe Haven made camp.

  Dinner was a damp and muddy, but comfortable affair and Adrian listened to his people. There was little time left for enjoyment now and it didn’t matter if they traveled for another day or let it happen right here.

  He stood up, drawing their attention. “Everybody ready for travel in the morning?”

  There were half-hearted responses and Adrian smiled. “My feeling, too. How about we start our break now?”

  The cheers were huge and he held up his hand, pretended to stumble. “I can take a hint.”

  He motioned at the corner, where two Eagles were sweeping the damp trees. “Kyle and Angela have point. Set us up.”

  Adrian took his seat and resumed eating, pleased that the call had only drawn a little interest. Even the Eagles were going about lunch as if it didn’t matter. Good. He’d run out of time to get her ready. These men would have to teach her the rest as they went.

  Kyle and Angela had the camp set up in decent time, the team leader mostly guiding her. The effects of the drug had faded quickly, allowing the top men to support Adrian’s claims of coincidence. The camp thought they’d gotten food poisoning. That was a common ailment when new supplies came in.

  “You understand how it has to be?” Kyle queried.

  “Yes,” she answered. “Don’t rush them, but use your approval to encourage the results you need.”

  Angela hadn’t questioned Adrian’s lessons, but when the witch muttered lowly, she couldn’t help but notice the demon inside was right about her observations. Adrian had been doing it a lot. Training lessons and even simple workout moments always seemed to become leadership sessions. He was training her differently than the others. This wasn’t just catch-up.

  5

  Short hours before dawn, Neil rolled in and each guard who saw him knew there was trouble.

  Neil took the baggie straight to Adrian, expression a grim mask of loathing.

  When the boss gave an order he hadn’t heard before, Neil called his team over and filled them in with a simple action. He let them read the letter he had found buried under Rick’s tent space.

  Where are you? The time is now! They’ll be on Interstate 183 for the next two days, near Hays. Maria has enough powder left to dose the entire camp for a meal. They’ll be out for 6 hours. We’ll use it as soon as we hear from you.

  Neil leading, the group of men moved silently toward the tent area and Adrian held his guilt in place, letting them do their duty. The fact that Maria was a woman wouldn’t matter now. She would soon be another body on the side of man’s roads and nothing more.

  As Neil and half his team stormed to the men’s side, the other half moving for the women’s, Adrian also strode that way to start singing. The herd would be told Maria was being banished and escorted out. Only he and Neil’s team would know otherwise. As for Rick, there wasn’t a need for a trial. Once the camp read the letter, that shifty traitor would be killed on sight. His justice would come from the people he had betrayed.

  “There’s a call for you, Boss.”

  Kyle’s voice told him everything he needed to know and Adrian changed directions after motioning for Kyle to get Kenn on things. The Marine would have to pick a tune to sing in his place. Another crisis had sounded.

  Still lurking in the shadows, Rick snickered softly. He also knew who had finally made contact.

  6

  “Rick’s gone.”

  Adrian had known it, felt it, before each of the guards reported. He wasn’t surprised, only worried. Traitors had a keen sense of self-preservation. Likely, they’d tipped him off by sending Neil back. Returning to their old sites was something they didn’t normally do.

  “Keep the watch on double and put an extra man on Samantha.”

  Jeremy’s expression said he would handle it and Adrian let it go. He and Neil could fight that out later.

  “What about the camp?”

  “Tell them he was banished, too.” We have bigger problems, he thought, zipping his jacket against the chill.

  The only one to frown at the lie was the one none of them had noticed.

  Marc waited until the senior men left and came from the darkness. “I know who you are…who you were.”

  Adrian spun to find Marc standing by the supply truck. Filled with dread (he wasn’t sure Marc was a convert, even though he and Angie were a legal couple now) Adrian only raised a brow. Would this be the moment it came out? There was no worse time for it.

  Marc studied Adrian without mercy, Dog at his heels. “When they find out…”

  Adrian chose to act as if Marc was one of his all the way. “You’ll help her hold them together and finish what I’ve started.”

  Marc grimaced resentfully. “I thought it was like that.” He wearily swept the half a dozen shadows working hard behind the cover of darkness. He had only a little sympathy for Adrian’s worry. Despite the show of confidence by divulging the truth, they weren’t friends. In fact, Marc secretly loathed the leader for making the Eagles more important to Angie than him.

  Adrian read it, the time for truth fully here, and the leader lit a smoke as he leaned against the tailgate. “Tell me something, Brady. What did you expect to happen when you guys got here?”

  Marc didn’t hesitate to give the same honesty. “I thought he’d hit her in front of me and I’d kill him. After that, we’d leave together, with our son.”

  Adrian didn’t point out the obvious flaws. Again, Marc hadn’t accounted for the reactions of the camp or Angela, and they both knew it. The failures he wanted to expose were not the cause of his anger. Would Marc do it anyway? He’d lose her if he did.

  “I know that, too.” Marc didn’t glance away from Adrian’s guilty expression. “I don’t need mental powers to read your mind right now. If I tell these people, Safe Haven falls tonight, instead of tomorrow when Cesar comes.”

  Not correcting him, Adrian asked, “Do you have so little faith in your own plans?”

  Marc’s face twisted cruelly. “I have that little faith in you. All these lies and manipulations! And for what? So you can have a flock of sheep.” Marc kept his voice low even though he wanted to shout. “These people would be fine on their own. They don’t need you or this place.”

  “If you believe that
, then you’ve been lying and manipulating them as well, to get her.”

  “I’ve never made any secret of how I feel.”

  Understanding the man wouldn’t be talked out of it, Adrian tried surprising him instead. “If your hatred of me is that strong after being here these weeks, then maybe you should go wake Hilda and the others now. They’ll get the board together for a vote or a trial.”

  Adrian didn’t bother with the warnings about Angie’s reaction. Marc already knew what would happen.

  “Why?”

  Adrian gave him an incredulous snort. “You’re kidding, right?”

  “These people worship you. The truth could have come out at any time.”

  “Not with these results.”

  “Yes. You underestimate them.”

  Adrian knew Marc hadn’t been here for the unrest, but he was quickly growing annoyed with the man’s lack of understanding. “Do you know that I saved your life, grunt?”

  That hard tone was impossible for Marc to ignore. He’d lived too much of his life by it. “What?”

  “They thought you were the traitor.”

  Marc slammed that into place with a loud click, explaining the curtness when he’d been the one to arrive driving the ambulance. “Why the hell would they think that?” he demanded angrily. “I’ve never given them any reason!”

  “But you have,” Adrian explained tonelessly. “You’ve bucked the setup here from day one. They’ve tolerated it because of her.”

  “It was never openly.”

  “No. You’ve kept your head down and played it well.” Adrian crushed his butt under his boot. “But, they know a fake when they see one.”

  Marc snorted. “They missed you.”

  Adrian blazed with scorn. “I believe in everything we do! I’m not on a power trip. I never have been.” He surveyed the very faint glow in the distance behind them, voice tinged with not only pride, but also the weight of it. “They need me.”

  “They need to care for themselves,” Marc protested, unable to hold onto his anger. Neil had been right when he’d said the need to repay the debt would come after he and Angie became a legal couple. Even now, it was telling him things had to be this way.