by Angela White
It’s the one gift I haven’t been able to replicate. Only he can bring us together, keep us together. All of our personal drama means nothing compared to the survival of our country and I can’t tell you how much that hurts me. I barely recognize myself anymore, but when the next enemy comes, I will kill them all without a second thought. I crossed the line in Little Rock. I can only go forward from that, because Safe Haven is a place of safety and of light, of duty and honor. It is a refuge for survivors. It is also a place of death and darkness, where murder and madness walk hand-in-hand.
8
“We’re gonna get caught.”
“Shut up!”
The four brothers hurried through the tunnel, trying not to make noises that would echo. They were supposed to be on duty in the bottom levels as fresh rookies who needed to toil their way up. With so many new people in Safe Haven, it was easy for them to go unnoticed for hours at a time.
“This way,” Joshua ordered, motioning toward the passage that would take them out the same way that Marc had reentered. They’d followed his group to discover where Angela was being stashed, then returned to gear up. When she’d told everyone she wasn’t safe in camp, she’d been right, but she also wasn’t safe in a dinky cave with one tired old Marine in disgrace.
All four had been among the first refugees that Safe Haven had taken in upon reaching Georgia. Joshua and his brothers had already been waiting almost two months for their shot before Vlad’s attack. They’d assumed it would be easy to finish her off while she was in the medical bay, but the doctor and nurses hadn’t left her alone. They had been resigned to waiting it out another month when they’d heard Marc was taking Angie out of the mountain. After viewing the hide-hole, it was clear that their chance had finally come. The bunker was gone, but the brothers had been paid for this and they intended to follow through. You couldn’t be the best mercenary family in the country until you captured one of the descendants on a government list. After this, all refugee camps would want to hire them to kidnap or kill a descendant.
Bran, bringing up the rear, wasn’t as eager as his older brothers were. He had respect for the people who had taken them in. They hadn’t been the desperate family trying to survive that they’d portrayed, but the Eagles hadn’t known it. They had been welcomed, fed and clothed, and now they were being trained. If they made it through the rookie level, they would get more benefits. Bran didn’t want to throw that away for a reputation that they wouldn’t even need if they stayed here. He’d brought it up, but he’d been outvoted by brothers who had always liked living on the edge. Reluctant, Bran followed them through the cold, drafty tunnel to the bottom of the mountain, shivering at the chill of fate sweeping down the cliffs. They were about to betray a camp of descendants. They would be lucky to get through this alive.
“You’re not going to.”
The traitors shined lights around to find the vet in the icy entrance of the cave.
“I know what you are,” he intoned, scanning their contemplations and preparations.
Panicking, the would-be killers grabbed for weapons, but it was too late to avoid the justice of the veterinarian who was spending most of his time off the radar of Safe Haven’s members. Angela had told him to eliminate threats first and ask for permission second. He was doing it with gusto.
Chris kept firing his suppressed Glock even after the killers were down, not leaving loose ends to unravel later. When the mag was empty, he calmly stowed the hot weapon and exited the tunnel to resume his patrolling. Wanting everyone to be clear on why they were eliminated, the vet left the scene untouched. When Eagles came across the bodies and checked their gear, they would find duct tape, knockout darts, and pictures of Angela from before the war. These four had been sent out to kill her months ago, lying in wait for the opportune moment. It was a wonder that they hadn’t tried sooner.
Not minding the cold, the vet strode confidently through the darkness, easily avoiding the holes and crags that others were always stressing over when sent out. The vet had an instinct for avoiding trouble, for places to tread lightly or step over. It was how he’d lived his entire life, from orphanage to now. His true self had to be controlled, hidden. He’d existed in a myriad of costumes over the years, but that was all over now. As Angela’s killer, he had free reign to do what he loved the most.
Chris began to whistle a merry tune as he walked. Life was good.
Chapter Eleven
Swinging Sack
1
“They got caught. That’s why we haven’t heard anything since last night. It keeps the herd calm and doesn’t spook other suspected plants.”
Robert nodded at his partner’s comments, but didn’t add anything. Joshua and his brothers had gone about things the wrong way. Dozens of assassins had been sent, all with orders to blend in and get close to the leadership in Safe Haven. Some of them had already been here when Marc and Angela came, like Alex. Others, like Joshua and Bran, had come in once they realized how many of their rivals for the target were living with them, eating next to them. Joshua had gotten in, learned the routines and thought he had it covered. He and his brothers had gone off to take down the boss while she only had Adrian to protect her, like that would be a piece of cake.
“Idiots,” Howard muttered.
Robert bobbed again. He and his small group had chosen to go all the way to top level Eagles who would be on the protection details of the council before revealing themselves. They’d had small chances to grab members already, but Bobby wanted the entire prize. The government had five of these dwellers on the list, and just because the big US bunker was gone, that didn’t mean others weren’t still around. These descendants could also be sold to any number of people, not the least of which would be slave traders. Life now depended on supplies. Who better to sniff them out than your very own magic user? Bobby planned to keep the least destructive one and sell the others. With the gear and supplies they were given, and the new rep of being the badasses of the new world, they could go anywhere and do anything without rules. Compared to that, being level three on Marc’s former team was nothing. Hell, to get here, they’d already killed several of their own during the fight with Donner. That hadn’t been in their orders, but Bobby wasn’t going to lose this payday–not to rules or rivals. If Joshua hadn’t been caught soon, Bobby and Howard had planned to reveal overhearing an incriminating conversation. Marc would shoot first and demand details later.
Used to using their positions to arrange things, this group of traitors was patient and calculated. Right now, it made no sense to attempt multiple abductions. Once the Mexicans came, it might be possible in the chaos, but Bobby didn’t believe that would succeed either. What they needed was for Angela to come home and say it was time to bugout. That would be a good moment for familiar faces to go missing. It would be expected, and lies could be told to cover in places where it wasn’t. Bobby and his team, all five of them, would each grab their chosen target and flee in different directions. Snatch and run, while keeping their victims drugged, was only part of the scheme. They also needed to keep from being followed. That would mean enlisting help or finding a way to kill every man, woman, and child in Safe Haven. Bobby preferred the latter. Time as an Eagle and on Marc’s team had taught him that leaving threats alive was a mistake. If things went badly during the kidnappings, each of his men had instructions to kill their target to at least secure that noteworthy goal. He wasn’t taking any chances on losing the game he’d been playing. It was all or nothing.
2
“Here they come.”
“Who?”
“The new men,” Donald sneered. He and Rusty were in the shower stalls on the other side of Jeremy.
Jeremy slid further down into the stall, trying to be quiet. He didn’t want to be a part of another fight between the old Eagles and the new Eagles. Angela’s insistence upon adding in Tonya’s soldiers, Samantha’s soldiers and Adrian’s soldiers had caused a lot of friction. The new citizens were rookies in th
e Eagles, and the level six chaps who hadn’t been quite good enough to make one of the Special Forces teams were still bitter about it. Jeremy was happy to have 20 new hard bodies in the Eagles. He especially liked the fact that these guys were already trained to follow orders and live by a different set of rules than the civilians did. That was pretty much Eagle life. The herd still didn’t know some of the things the Eagles were responsible for. The camp had one life, and the Eagles had a different version that allowed the first to exist.
“Is it okay to take showers now or do we have to wait until you senior men are done?” Peter asked.
Jeremy thought the rookie sounded very respectful considering how nasty some of the senior members were being to the new guys.
“Wait your turn!” Rusty immediately ordered.
Jeremy contemplated standing up and setting them straight, but the shaking fingers clutched around the bottle in his hand said he wasn’t in any condition to use his authority right now. He sat down on the bench and waited for it to be over.
Everyone paused as the lights above flickered. Safe Haven had been experiencing small blips in the power since they moved into the cave, but this one continued for so long that the camp members in the rear of the showers began flipping off water to regard the Eagles in concern.
The guards had activated their lamps and lanterns by the time the power came back on in full force.
“Everyone okay?” the sentry on this sector, Ray, asked. He was glad no one had panicked, unlike the other areas of camp, where he was certain that wasn’t the case. Ray swept the showers and benches. Many of the camp’s females and older inhabitants weren’t comfortable with the coed shower set up yet. They preferred to take their morning showers at the same time as the Eagles who always stood with their backs to them. Ray didn’t imagine that was going to change much over time, mostly because people like the rookie level Eagles glaring his way, daring him to overrule their choice, were always ogling the women walking by. Rusty and Donald were respectful of the camp members, but let an Eagle female come in with a towel over her shoulder and then several heads swiveled. The female Eagles hadn’t noticed yet, but Ray was positive that they would. When they did, it would cause a completely new level of trouble between the sexes that Safe Haven didn’t have time for. Ray had added it to his notes for leadership, hoping that Angela would eventually be made aware of it, but he didn’t expect her to change the decision. People would get used to viewing each other half clothed and be able to control their behavior. It was something the old world couldn’t have conquered because there had been too many citizens to monitor in the beginning of such a risky experiment. Here, there were enough guards to be able to protect the girls while they showered and still give the guys time to adjust to seeing so much bare skin without being allowed to touch it. Ray was curious as to whether or not this was happening in other showers where it was mostly women and the occasional male hunk came through.
As if drawn by his reflections, the object of Ray’s affection appeared in the entrance. He went cold when he saw that Dale once again had one of the new men, Dennis, standing next to him with a silly grin. Dale liked Dennis. So did the vet and the other people in their circle. Ray wasn’t sure why, but he didn’t.
“I’m going to have lunch with Dennis, so I won’t be able to go with you to the dog training class later,” Dale informed his partner. “Is that okay?”
Ray shrugged. “You’re free to do whatever you want, Dale. We both are.”
Without waiting for a response, Ray marched to the rear of the showers, motioning his Eagle duty mate, Green, to take his place in front. Unless showering, citizens weren’t allowed in here and Ray was hoping Dale would take the hint and leave. This was the wrong time and the wrong place for their personal issues.
Staring at Ray in hurt, Dale said, “He must be having a bad day.”
Dale turned towards the corridor, missing Dennis’s smirk.
Ray slid into the security booth and did a fast scan of the people around him. He scanned the rear of the chamber and swung around to sweep the stalls closest.
“Damn!”
Kenn was standing there, hair full of soap.
“So what’s up with Dale and Hotrod?” Kenn asked snidely. He didn’t care for the way Ray’s eyes had just lit up. Nor did he care for the way his own ego had risen to the attention. Tonya wasn’t in the mood to talk or plot as much as they used to and Kenn was lonely.
Ray frowned at the insensitive wording, but didn’t scold Kenn for it. Not only had the man saved his life, he was right. Dennis was a hot ride. He flirted with both men and women and didn’t care whether those people already had a partner. Ray was almost positive that the story Dennis had told to be allowed into Safe Haven was a complete lie. “You get anything on him yet?”
Kenn increased the hot water. “No. People aren’t really concerned about camp members right now, you know?”
“Yes,” Ray answered. Because of all of the fights between the soldiers and the senior men, most citizens and rookies were being overlooked.
Ray turned his back to Kenn, studying the front where he was able to observe that his replacement, Craig Green, was arguing with Rusty, who was still insisting he wouldn’t want to shower with the soldiers. The words were echoing across the shower.
“We don’t want you here!” Rusty shouted. He now had jeans on, but there was still soap in his hair. He was ready to fight.
Peter held up a hand. “We didn’t come for trouble. We need to shower before we go to our next lesson. We’ll wait.”
“No, you won’t” Green denied, glaring at Rusty. “Don’t make me call Marc.”
Instead of calming things down, as it might have if it had been Adrian or Angela’s name invoked, Rusty became infuriated.
“Fuck you! Cry to the boss like a bitch! These guys are the enemy! You should know the difference!”
No one was surprised to hear the sound of flesh meeting flesh after that.
“Are you going to help your partner?” Kenn asked jokingly.
“Craig Green, light weight boxing champion, can handle it,” Ray commented, watching the massive fight. Eagles were coming out of their stalls and soldiers coming from down the hall, drawn by Peter’s shouts for help. Craig was in the middle, doing damage.
Kenn chuckled. “Yeah, I guess so. He almost beat Neil in the last kai class. He picks up shit fast.”
Kenn finished showering as Ray kept track of the fight, both aware that the camp members were observing nervously from behind them. It was a protection issue. Some of these fights had spilled into living and dining spaces, injuring citizens when things were knocked over or broken. With Kenn and Ray both between the camp members and the fight, everyone felt safer.
“Don’t they know Marc’s in a bad mood?”
“I don’t imagine it would matter,” Kenn remarked, drying off. “Some of the guys are very unhappy about having to eat and sleep with the enemy. Asking us to shower together too is a little much.”
Ray nodded, but didn’t answer. He knew what it was like to be on both sides of that coin, where you were colored as bad while you were trying to do good. He didn’t blame the soldiers for following orders. Safe Haven gave people a second chance.
The soldiers deserved one too.
“That’s a load of shit and you know it.” Kenn wrapped the towel around his waist and came over to the booth. “They could have chosen us at any point during that fight.”
“How did…”
Both men stared in shock as they realized Kenn had read his mind.
“She was right,” Kenn murmured, a bit stunned to have what he’d always wanted, now, when it didn’t even matter.
“She always is,” Ray reinforced. “This is good, right? You’ll be more helpful.”
Remembering they weren’t alone, Kenn said, “Later.”
Ray didn’t push the issue, but he didn’t think there was a reason for Kenn to be so cautious. There were many descendants here. Some, like
Kenn, didn’t have a power that had manifested. Others had enjoyed gifts their entire lives. It wasn’t up to the individual person as to what gift appeared, if any, ever. Ray didn’t understand much of how it worked, but that part was clear. Any of the descendants may or may not have gifts at any given point. It was part of why the government had always hunted them. Even innate descendants might become active in time and the proper environment.
“How do you know that?” Kenn asked, sliding his jeans on.
Ray listened to the sound with nerves on edge. He swallowed. “Angela isn’t afraid to talk around me. She knows I can be trusted.”
“She say more?”
“A lot,” Ray admitted. “She was gathering information for a book about us. She wanted to make copies for the descendants to carry so they’d know how to handle people, how to educate them so they wouldn’t be so scared.”
Kenn doubted that would happen now. Angela wasn’t the same person that she’d been a few weeks ago. Not even all of his years with her had added up to this much pain and abuse. He was stunned that she had survived.
How do you feel about that? the new voice inside asked slyly. Does it make you happy to see her pay for betraying you with Marc?