Life After War: Books 1-3

by Angela White

  “Charlie! I’ve come!” She sent the magic out, calling to him with her mother’s heart. “I’m here!”

  She heard his answering cry of stunned happiness and opened her eyes as shimmery forms of people moved through the chest-high, white fog. The hair on her arms and neck began to tingle and blood suddenly pounded through her ears as a door in her mind tried to swing open. There was someone here like her and Charlie? Yes, definitely. He was coming this way.

  Three tall men in blue jeans emerged from the dense fog, and Angela picked out Kenn’s idol easily. She wasn't surprised to find that the vibrant sense of strength and power she’d recognized was coming from the great-looking blond man with crisscrossed gun belts and holsters on both hips, like Marc. That was where the similarities ended.

  Sexy, rugged, sun-streaked brows, a light goatee, and spikes of yellow hair like rippling, golden wheat. He was only average shape and weight, but it was the way he carried himself, his walk not a strut but a confident step that said he could handle what came, knew what he was doing, and little would stand in his way.

  The rattling door in Angela’s mind swung open, lighting up as the Witch took over, and she was pulling hard with no time to resist as the colors of his energy flooded her.

  Stopping in surprise, Adrian stared at the very pretty woman with the long black curls and a fresh wound on her lip. Their eyes met across the distance, and the air became crisp, sharp, and then faded, taking the noises of camp away and replacing them with the soft, lapping waves of a calm ocean. A second later the sounds snapped back into place and it startled them both, making Angela jump.

  Adrian faked a yawn and forced his feet to move. “We’re done for now.”

  Instead of disappearing as they might have normally, Kyle and Seth stayed and waited, watching closely. Something had given Adrian pause, and the off-duty Eagles would know what.

  Who had seen? Adrian casually looked around. The observant males at his side for sure and probably Neil, but no camp members were in sight.

  One look at Kenn’s (bruised?) thunderous face told Adrian that not only had he seen it, he was angry about it, and understanding fell into place. This was Kenn’s wife, why he'd left... Surely she hadn’t beaten the stocky Marine. The guy with her, then…must be a hard-ass to do that to Kenn.

  Adrian saw Neil moving subtly closer to Kenn's wife and her escort, and turned his leader's eyes to the other new arrivals, content that side was now covered. The trooper probably had the same questions as he did about the bruises.

  Looking at the other two arrivals, a deep frown planted itself across Adrian's forehead and a feeling of unease sank deep into his gut. There was a very thin woman with dirty-blonde hair slumped against the Blazer on the left, her startlingly blue eyes staring hard at the uniformed guards with fear instead of relief. Abused. He could help her.

  The thin man with the black bandana around his neck made Adrian’s frown grow. He saw shifty, green eyes and a slump to the shoulders that suggested a lifetime of being shit and no desire to change. That, he had only one solution for.

  Adrian motioned Billy and Chris toward the couple and headed for Kenn. His eyes went back to the dark-haired woman with the split lip who was buttoning up her long black sweater, much more encouraged with her. She stood straight, showed no fear, and looked healthy. One for his herd or one for his Shepherds? Was she one of those he still needed? Was that the connection he’d felt?

  Ignoring Kenn's glare, Angela stepped down and over to her Blazer, locking eyes with Marc, who stood stiffly by the open door, and then with the big gray-and-black Timber wolf sitting just as tensely at his feet.

  “Please, guys. Walk the line for a bit and let’s give this place a chance. It feels good here.”

  The words were silent, and Marc nodded, eyes saying the things his tongue wouldn't as he pulled on his long coat and faded black hat. “We will. You okay?”

  “I will be, I think. We've called a truce. Just be careful, like you always are.”

  She ran her eyes over the foggy landscape again before opening the side door, drawn by the murmur of voices when the wind dropped. A lot of them, along with tents flapping and footsteps crunching - life. For her, too, or would she be run out?

  Marc handed her two full ammo clips and she slid them into her back pocket, along with a few other things from her bag. “I’m here if you need me.”

  She looked at him, but despite her words, Marc could almost feel her building the wall back up between them, pulling away. “I’ll run if he makes me.”

  “I only need 10 minutes and to know where you guys are.”

  She nodded, sad these were the last private words they would share for a while.

  “I’ll miss you,” he blurted quietly, picking up on her thought.

  Angie smiled, sure she’d never get to sleep tonight without the sound of his breathing, without being able to look over and see him looking back. “Me, too. I just need some time to read things. It might not be the right place, may not be worth it to even try. If not, we’ll go.”

  Marc’s heart thumped at the word we. “Ten minutes and locations,” he said in a normal tone, then changed the subject as the tense wolf turned menacing golden eyes on a tall man in all black, except for a state cop’s hat, who passed close by their bumper. Hand on the holster of his Beretta, the guard's sharp eyes swept them, and Marc knew he was on a gun run, seeing who was armed, assessing them.

  Marc turned back to Angela, yet kept the guard in his peripheral vision. “You're finally here. Bet you can’t wait to hug him.” She looked anything but happy, and Marc frowned, trained ears hearing no fear from the camp they couldn’t see yet. Smart to separate the areas, he thought, meeting the eyes of a couple of the perimeter men. “What’s wrong? Isn’t he here?”

  Also busy feeling things out, Angela was eased a little by the sense of a normal, safe life she was picking up from the men on watch. “He’s here, on the way to us now.”

  Marc’s lips thinned. “You mean to you. I’ll wait right here.”

  “No.”

  Marc lowered his voice as the same guard made a second pass, sharp green eyes seemingly only on the bristling wolf. “Now is not a good time.”

  Angela looked at him, and Marc saw the glints of steel, knew she wouldn’t budge. “It's the only time. You can’t hide it from him, and you two can’t start out on a lie.”

  She looked away before the sparks started. “Besides, I’m almost sure he’ll know as soon as he sees you. He picks stuff up as easily as I do.”

  “What about Kenn? He’ll go nuts.”

  Her face paled a little, but that glint of steel never wavered. “Maybe.” She slipped into his mind. "Maybe not if we can keep it quiet."

  Marc was relieved no one would know yet. He couldn’t protect her from so many.

  “Others may suspect but Kenn will eventually figure it out, call us on it. Right now, he'll see it as me introducing my son to my new man."

  “I’ll handle him if I need to. You’re sure it should be now?”

  “Yes,” Angela replied, watching Kenn. He was deep in conversation with the blond leader, no doubt telling him of the Slavers the others had escaped from.

  “Such loyalty,” the Witch whispered sleepily. “And to a stranger. Where’s the devotion he should have had to you?”

  Angela ignored the question, but it burned in her gut. “Come on, Brady. Our boy’s here.”

  Marc followed, more nervous than he wanted to admit. He had never allowed himself to consider having a child at all, and now he had one who was almost grown. “Stay, Dog.”

  The wolf sank down, mostly hidden by the tires.

  Angela led the way to the corner of the yellow caution tape, her eyes lighting up with fierce joy as Charlie’s taller form came through the thick fog.

  Neil had been watching them. He had a list of questions flying around in his head about how all the bruised faces were connected but never doubted that they were. Fighting over the woman? Who ha
d hit her? …Kenn?

  Neil stepped forward as they reached the tape. “I’m sorry, but you can’t cross the …”

  He grunted as invisible flames shot up, burning at his lightly-bearded face. The trooper rubbed his hot skin as he stepped quickly back, unsure what had happened. A hot flash of wind?

  Neil met Adrian’s eyes questioningly as he started to step in front of them again, and was relieved when the boss shook his head.

  Adrian’s harp eyes missed none of it. She explained a lot of things.

  Angela moved around the guard, eyes tinged with red, and the trooper took another step back. When Charlie stopped at the tape, young face full of overwhelming happiness, Neil relaxed only a little. Clearly, the teenager knew them. Family? He nodded. That made sense since the boy was... different too.

  Angela’s aching mother’s heart was in control, and instead of ducking under the caution tape, she snatched her knife from her boot and sliced through it in one easy movement. She resheathed the blade without losing stride, and everyone watching, including Kenn, was sure she knew how to use it. They also understood the message. Nothing would separate her from her boy.

  “Mom!”

  The teenager threw his arms tightly around her neck, and Angela crushed him close, swinging him around. His face was buried in her dark hair, heart beating furiously against hers, and she hugged him tighter, pain warring with her happiness. At least one of her sons had made it through the War.

  “God I missed you, boy!”

  Charlie kept his arms around her as she let him down, struggling not to cry, and looked up with a triumphant expression. “I knew you’d come! He said you wouldn’t make it, but I knew!”

  Hot rage pulsed through Angela’s heart, the same mother’s hate that had to be stopped from hurting the guard who had stepped between them. She held her son back, looked into eyes the same were the shade as his father’s, “Our time apart is over. We will never be separated that way again!"

  Angela hugged him tightly once more before stepping back, not letting herself think, just reacting. “There’s someone I want you to meet."

  The teenager moved reluctantly, hands in the pockets of his dark blue hoodie. She threw a comforting arm around his thin shoulders as they stepped over to Brady, who’d hung back to observe their reunion. She was obviously a good mother. It didn’t come as a surprise, but it did hurt that he’d missed it all.

  “This is a very good friend of mine. He’s the reason I made it. His name is Marcus Charles Brady.”

  They both noticed the 14-year-old showed no surprise at the exact opposite of his own name, just stared at Marc with his own cool blue eyes.

  “So you’re my Dad.”

  Glad the words had been low enough for only the three of them to hear, Marc nodded, holding out a calloused hand. “Charlie, right?”

  The boy reluctantly shook his hand, and Marc felt the subtle tinkering of a child trying to get into his thoughts.

  “Never without permission, boy,” Angela stated, the role of mother and teacher falling automatically back into place.

  Charlie lowered his head, looking at the dusty ground. “Sorry.”

  Ignoring the sarcastic tone, Marc moved a step closer. “Maybe we could talk sometime? Alone.”

  The careful request drew a nasty look from the upset boy. “About what?”

  Marc pierced him with a knowing look, pushing the silent words at him. "About the last 15 years and why we haven’t spent them together."

  The child shrugged, his young voice full of bitterness that no kid should feel so deeply. “The past is dead. No one cares.”

  “I do.”

  The boy’s bright eyes blazed with anger befitting an adult, and Marc heard the words in his head as clearly as if Angela had sent them.

  “Well, I don’t. You left us in Hell, and you’re just as bad as him. Maybe even worse ‘cause now he’s pissed at her again!” Charlie turned to his mom with angry, accusing eyes. “When’s he leaving?”

  Rage was rolling off Kenn in waves as he and everyone else watched the reunion. He couldn’t believe she would introduce her lover to their son so openly! His fists clenched with an effort to control himself, but it was one that he already knew wasn’t going to be successful. Brady had to go! Soon… maybe even right now.

  Adrian and many of the guards also felt it, that sense of the inevitable coming, and as they watched the two men lock bruised eyes, all of them were able to read the exchange.

  “I’ll kill to keep her!”

  “I’ll kill to have her!”

  There was murder in Kenn’s eyes, embarrassment fanning the flames. Adrian knew the Marine was going to confront them before he moved, but stayed still, aware that trouble had just entered his peaceful camp.

  Kenn moved forward a second later, and Adrian watched with the rest of his men, wondering whose blood would be spilled and what it would cost them.

  2

  Angela and Charlie spun around at the same time, the fear on their faces drawing the guards’ immediate attention, including Neil.

  Marc’s eyes saw Kenn, but it was the black-and-gray blur streaking toward the Marine that he focused on. “Dog! No!”

  The powerful animal slid to a rough stop, long snout drawn back in a ferocious snarl as he glared up at Kenn, who had pulled his weapon as he turned.

  “Dog! Sit!”

  The wolf dropped to its haunches, and Marc moved next to him, attention now on the real threat.

  “You should have that thing on a leash!” Kenn growled, lowering but not reholstering the 9 mm.

  Marc kept his sore hands ready. “Maybe you just shouldn’t provoke him,” he stated, rubbing behind the animal's tense ears.

  “I didn’t even see him!”

  “He saw you, read your intent. He’s very protective of her.”

  Kenn ground his teeth together and shoved his gun into its holster, giving the bristling wolf a hateful glare.

  Marc let out a sigh and gave the animal an affectionate pat on his stocky chest as the Marine moved toward Angela and Charlie. The first close call and they’d only been here five minutes. Wonderful. “Good boy.”

  “Praise for the quick response to your commands, or because he would have attacked Kenn without being told?” Adrian had moved closer during the aftermath.

  Marc met the blond leader’s vivid blue eyes without hesitation. “Both and more.”

  Adrian took it all in, liking the look of this one already, especially the sharp intelligence in the eyes studying him back just as intently. Was this hardass another of his circle? Adrian felt relief in his heart then, thinking it was so late that it made perfect sense they would come together and knew he’d give the dirty-blonde now slumped against her man another look in case they’d come in threes.

  As they faced off, the Eagles watching understood Kenn’s uncontested power and cool control had just taken a hit. The entire camp couldn’t rattle the Marine. Many had tried, but this one man had shaken Kenn, and without doing anything that they’d seen. Who was he?

  “Everything okay?” someone in the approaching group asked.

  More men had emerged from the thick fog, weapons in hand, and Marc was impressed they’d come so quietly and without being called.

  “Everything's just 5-by,” Adrian answered, voice tinged with relief.

  Watching the men reholster, Marc saw the earpieces and understood one of those already here had given a signal to alert others they might have a problem. The one Angela had pushed back? Probably. The brown-haired guard was hovering near her and Kenn, clearly watching them. Satisfied that she was okay for the moment, Marc took another quick look around.

  The two men who had been at the blond leader's side were now hanging back. They wore civilian clothes, but Marc knew they were off-duty and thought the man must be either really hard on them or really good to them to have earned such loyalty. Those piercing eyes were firmly on his now, searching, and Marc gave his full attention, waiting to see if he wo
uld be allowed to stay.

  “So, is he really dangerous or does he just look like it?” There was a tone of double-meaning, and as Adrian noted those telling eyes and dog tag, there was an audible click, of another piece being put into place.

  “He’s a wild animal with a little training. I did him a favor and he chooses to stay with me.”

  Adrian thought Kenn would be livid when he realized he had brought back the very people he would have to share power with. He considered what he’d seen so far and corrected himself. Kenn did know it, and he was beyond livid. “Do you make shit like that a habit?”

  Feeling like the man was searching him for something, Marc’s look was confused. “Shit like what?”

  “Doing favors for those less able. I need that kind of help here.”

  Marc grinned, waving a hand at the tag around his neck. “Service is my chosen field, but helping animals is easier. You normally know their nature when you first meet.”

  Adrian held out a hand in welcome, and Marc shook it, feeling like he’d just passed a surprise quiz.

  “Mitchel, Adrian.”

  Marc automatically squared his shoulders at the authoritative tone. “Brady, Marcus.”

  “Where you from, Grunt?”

  Fully at attention now, Marc was surprised to find himself responding as if he were addressing an officer. Just like with Kenn, it didn’t take him long to figure out that he was. “West Virginia. Ohio.”

  “Marine?”

  “Sir, yes, sir!”

  “Record?”

  “Eight speeding tickets in four years and a couple of bar fights. I paid restitution.”

  “Rank?”

  “Sergeant.”

  “Just what are your plans, grunt, now that the country you were sworn to protect has fallen in flames?”

  Marc couldn’t stop his gaze from straying to Angela and his son as they came toward Adrian, Kenn in the lead. “My country's not dead, and her people still need to be protected.”