by Angela White
There were nods of approval, and Adrian grinned. “Did you rehearse that?”
Marc shook his head, smiling back, but Adrian noticed it didn’t reach his wary eyes. He would add such strength to the Eagles.
“I’m kind of a quick thinker under pressure. My mom said I’d make a good politician, and my CO said I was a very wise smartass. I consider myself safely between the two.”
Adrian laughed. “Brains are very welcome here Marc, as are you. May Safe Haven become your ...”
“Check it out, Adrian. This is my Angela,”
Kenn interrupted, keeping his tone light, but Marc read the meaning. It said Kenn was the teacher’s pet. He had shouldered between them, not quite daring to drag Angie there, too, but pulling her arm in a way that made Marc’s eyes narrow.
“Ang, this is Adrian, our Commander in Chief.”
As Marc was forced back out of the circle, Adrian noticed the woman’s face tighten when Kenn called her “his” and saw her actually frown at the introduction. There was also great strength lurking in her eyes. The leader in Adrian came fully awake and began taking her measure.
Their eyes locked, kindred souls meeting for the first time… Lightning flashed overhead suddenly, brilliantly, drawing everyone’s attention away, but Angela and Adrian didn’t react as time seemed to stand still. Their life forces melded for a second of complete joy, and then it was gone.
To cover the flames of confusion, Angela let the Witch ask a question that demanded honesty, drawing displeasure from almost everyone but Brady. “The last men to hold that position tried to kill us all. You plan to follow in their footsteps?”
Even as he was reminded of the deep secret he was keeping, Adrian saw Kenn’s hand flinch toward her and dive into a pocket instead. Because of all the eyes on them? Was that where her split lip had come from?
Adrian locked eyes with the nervous woman, searching for that earth-shattering connection they’d made, and kept his voice steady, now feeling like the one who was taking a test. “No, I don’t, and I don’t consider myself that important anyway.”
Angela approved, already certain his people would argue if anyone else said that. Their protectiveness was evident in the quick responses and the way they stayed close and alert. “Good. We have enough controlling jackasses left as it is.”
There were more frowns and surprised murmurs, and Adrian had no doubts about who she was referring to when he replied. His tone wasn’t quite joking as he saw the bags under her eyes and the hand resting on the gun on her hip.
“Well, maybe we’ll talk later and you can point them out. I’d be happy to have them slapped and threatened for you,” he offered on a hunch, drawing a tiny smile from her that made him want to see a real one. He also caught Kenn’s reaction from the corner of his eye, the Marine’s face reddening with guilty anger. Adrian’s stomach twisted. Kenn had been here a long time, had a good place, but there had always been something a little off about him and Adrian now had a terrible idea of what it was.
“I’m a healer, not a punisher,” Angela joked back and felt Kenn’s rage grow when Adrian took the hint.
“You’re a doctor.” There was pleasure in his voice.
She nodded, eager to stand on her own, but Kenn quickly spoke, unable to let her. “You need first aid, she might be able to do it. You’ll want to talk to …”
“Later!” Adrian barked.
Kenn flushed, taking a step backwards as he was pinned by very pissed, cold blue eyes.
“Your mission has not ended until the supplies and survivors have been seen to.”
Adrian’s gaze went to the lone man watching them all; the blonde now slumped against the Blazer again, as if she couldn’t stand to take comfort from him. “Separate those two and get her to John. Get on it!” Adrian turned his back to Kenn, something he’d never done before and his men noticed it.
Angela couldn’t help feeling a bit bad for Kenn. His very nature would make this hard for everyone, but she was also relieved to be away from his anger for a while.
Adrian looked at Marc, who stood just a little to Angela’s right and behind. The place of protection, he thought, also liking the wolf’s neat stance at her side. “If you need something, just ask one of the guards. We’ll talk tomorrow, say 11:30? Someone will be by to show you around once you’re out of quarantine.”
Marc knew he was supposed to follow Kenn now and turned to Angela with a sigh and a resigned look. This was it. The separation had begun. “I’ll see you later.”
“Yes, you will.”
Adrian saw a spark of wariness enter her eyes as the man moved away, but she waved a hand at the wolf still sitting at her side, guarding. “Go with Brady.”
The wolf looked up at her with alert, golden eyes, but didn’t budge until Marc whistled.
The animal responded slowly, and Angela smiled at the wolf she’d come to care for, respect for his complete devotion. “He’ll need you more than I will.”
The wolf’s ear flicked, and he padded after the Marine, causing people to move out of their way. Adrian gave her a curious look, storing her obvious rapport with the wild animal.
“You two a couple?”
She quickly shook her head and they both saw the relief on Charlie’s young face. “Brady’s a good friend. I never would have made it without him.”
Adrian was aware of how intently the boy was listening, and how reluctant his mom’s eyes were to talk about it in front of him.
“She’d know if she was sick. Does she have to be in the QZ?” Charlie asked, wanting her to spend the day with him.
Angela shook her head before Adrian could answer. “If you have to work, we’ll meet later.” She wanted to hole-up, wasn’t sure about facing a big camp full of strangers, but the Witch said if she wanted a new life here, she couldn’t spend the first day hiding.
Adrian forced himself to act like he hadn’t noticed that she’d read her son’s mind. “He has a shift with the vet. You can wait in the Quarantine Zone, though it may be dinner before he’s finished. Or you can go on rounds with me. It’ll give you a chance to meet your future patients.”
Unaware he was breaking one of his own rules, Angela thought he was assuming a lot, but understood from the look on her boy’s face she’d just been offered something that was sought after here - time with Adrian.
“I’d love to spend the day doing… rounds with you, but I haven’t agreed to stay, let alone be your doctor. I only came for my son.”
“But you will,” Adrian promised, and turned to the teenager. “Put your mom’s bag in a QZ tent and get to work before Chris marks you late.”
The teenager snapped a salute. “Yes, sir.”
Charlie grinned, and Angela saw a lot (of Brady) in her son’s face. He was changing, growing into a man, and she was suddenly sad for all the years Kenn had kept them chained to his side. It hadn’t been easy on the boy either.
“See ya later mom.”
“Yes, you will.”
Adrian waited patiently for her to watch him be swallowed by the thinning fog and gave her a knowing look as she turned back. “He’s a great kid. Brady’s?”
Angela froze, paling, and Adrian added in low voice. “Kenn doesn’t know?”
She shook her head reluctantly, hoping the good feeling of this place meant she could trust him. If not, this would get ugly, and fast. “No. What gave us away?”
Adrian lit a smoke. When he began walking, she followed. “A number of things I’m surprised Kenn missed. Eyes and hair the exact shade, same stubborn chin… and they both worship the ground you walk on.”
Angela’s eyes flew to his in denial. “It’s not like that. Brady’s an old friend who came when I needed him. Kenny and I had been together since Charlie was a baby.”
“Had been. Until the War?”
She nodded warily. “Yes, and then I did what I had to. Nothing will keep me from my son.”
Adrian felt a shimmer of power and a measure of respect. As they w
alked through the fog in silence, he was very curious about her and the feeling of something wanting to happen that came when their eyes met.
3
Kenn had pointed Rick and the woman toward the medical tent and then watched Angela and Adrian until they were out of sight before he realized all the guards were staring at him with expressions of curiosity and a slight hint of disapproval. It had already begun, and she’d just arrived.
Brady was still staring after them too, and Kenn grunted, hefting two heavy boxes from his Bronco. “Grab one of those and stay close. Leave the QZ, you’ll be shot.”
Marc followed with a crate on each arm, nodding politely to the men who moved back to make room for the wolf, but inside he was dying. Heart on fire, he wondered how long he would last here now that Angie had her man back.
Now out of Kenn’s line of sight, Adrian pushed on, “So, you two hooked up all the way back in Ohio?”
Angela shook her head as the Witch inside looked through doors, trying to figure out who the blond leader was. “We met up in Indiana. I left Ohio around the first of February.”
“Damn. Hell of a swoop you two made.”
Angela’s eyes grew murky, like the layers of grit above the fog. The Witch was whispering of giving trust, of it being powerful because it was unexpected. “What is it you really want to know?”
Adrian blinked, felt the male inside ask before he could prevent it, “Are you sleeping with him? Was that how he was paid for getting you here?”
Instead of the anger he expected, Angela gave him a small, cool smile that made him stop walking. “That’s not the question you wanted to ask, was it?”
Adrian chose his words carefully. “No. The query I have requires a certain amount of trust to answer.”
The dark-haired woman smiled, and he noticed how foggy her eyes had become. “It’s good you have respect for these things. Ask your question.”
Adrian hesitated again, sure things were moving too fast. He watched her red lips curve into a sensual smile that he didn’t want to look away from, but did.
“I guess it takes trust to ask, too. Another time, then?”
He nodded, heart thumping. She was the real thing, he could feel it. Yet he couldn’t just come out and ask her to prove it. Everything had to be given willingly to accomplish what his dreams hinted at. Still, he longed for it to be true and was disappointed with his own sudden, unexpected lack of courage. It was a very simple question. Are you my Seer? The Sorceress I was promised?
Angela’s eyes darted to his. “Are you asking me?”
Adrian forgot to breathe and forced himself to nod. The one he needed the most was here!
“I’m here for my blood. I don’t even know you.”
Adrian hid it all as footsteps approached. “That will change and you’ll stay. We have great and terrible things to do together.”
Before Angela could deny (or question, she wasn’t sure which) the tall guard from the QZ moved to Adrian’s side, trooper hat firmly in place.
“Camp’s up and running. Kyle’s on point.”
As Neil left he gave Angela a quick, curious glance that she responded to with an apologetic smile.
“He’ll be okay.”
Angela’s face became unreadable again, eyes slowly losing their glassy look. “He’s very loyal to you. They all are.”
“It’s good here…but it could be better.”
Angela thought this was the hard sell and remained silent. What did he want from her? An immediate oath of loyalty? A moment of recognition of their…power?
Adrian got them moving, very aware of how standoffish she was. He had a hundred and one questions, but sensed she was done with it for now, and he turned them back to camp business.
“You’ll get used to the way things work here, but basically, everyone’s required to follow the rules and put in 25 hours a week on various chores. With your medical skills, you’ll be put with our doctor, John. Beyond that, your time is your own. For now, you’ll have a few days to settle in before your schedule starts.”
Adrian looked at her. “You hungry?”
“Not really. Coffee would be great though.”
He paused to light another smoke, and Angela took the opportunity to pull off her black sweater and tie it around her hips, eager to straighten herself up a little before she met anyone else. She let her dark hair out of the long ponytail, unknowingly drawing the eyes of every guard in sight, men staring in longing as she brushed through the thick curls with her fingers and braided it in seconds with a grace born of many years practice.
Her pale shoulders gave Adrian a gentle chill of lust he filed away, thinking her dark blue tank top looked almost indecently flattering against that creamy skin. The edge of a nasty scar was visible for a brief second from under one sleeve, and anger boiled in his stomach, hoping she’d killed whoever had given it to her.
Angela flashed m a smile that was a bit too bright, making him wonder if she could also read the mind of someone who wasn’t related to her.
Ready to continue, she casually said, “I know, I know; women, always waiting for them. Some things haven’t changed.”
Adrian grinned, thinking she had known he was about to ask and was changing the subject. “I’m okay with it. Most people here aren’t sure if it’s all right to joke with me, let alone keep me waiting.”
Angela gave him a curious look. She sensed a great love of humor in him. “You don’t tell them any different?”
He shook his head and got them moving again. “It’s another way to tell the leaders from the followers.”
She was able to understand how important that was now and she stopped, impressed as the camp came into view. Impressed? It was a bit overwhelming.
All the people were something of a shock, standing in small groups, talking, drinking coffee, moving in and out of tents and trucks, waiting in small lines, cleaning up Easter garbage and dog piles. They were carrying bags and boxes and laughing, and her ears rang with sounds she hadn’t heard in a long time. Brady had taught her to make very little noise.
Dogs were barking, dishes were clinking, and there were thuds of things being moved, dug out, set up, doors slamming, kids running around, playing. Her eyes picked out small details faster than her thought-process could sort them. Piles of multi-colored glass swept neatly against a charred garbage can indicating the night’s celebration had gotten out of hand. Dogs heeling neatly, being led away from stakes around trucks that likely held valuable supplies, and she noticed the animals with red collars were avoided by those moving by.
Her eyes went back to the people. Mostly white, she did see a few Indian, Mexican, and Blacks and was comforted by that. The people here seemed healthy and unafraid, prepared to face what came, yet they were somber instead of arrogant at their survival. Most wore ball caps, jeans, and light jackets that didn’t quite cover the guns on their hips, but there were also women in dresses and men in slacks, kids in lines wearing cartoon-covered coats and smiles. No bright colors though, as if they were in mourning. Except for one occasional flash of flame red, there was only blue, black and green, and Angela found she liked the feeling of respect it conveyed. These people cared about the dead. They were Americans.
“Wow.”
“Little more than you expected?”
She nodded, still taking in tents, people, trucks, grills, coolers, small neat fires, chairs, and all sorts of other signs of normal life, all covered by a thin layer of cloudy white fog that was slowly dissipating. “How many?”
“One hundred and eighty-eight, counting your group,” he stated proudly. He knew she liked that he understood who really had been in charge by the approving look she gave him as she pushed a stray curl back behind her ear.
“You’ve done well by them.”
“You think so?”
She met his eye easily, thinking of the hundred dead towns they’d passed along the way. It wasn’t like that here. Safe Haven held life. “Yes, and so do they.”
“There’s a lot to be done still. I need help.”
Angela knew instinctively he didn’t say that to very many people, but she didn’t respond.
Adrian let it go again, though it was hard to keep waiting when it had already been so long. She would stay. He would see to it that his wishes were clear to the camp, and they would convince her. He had worked a lot of it out before, how to integrate someone like her, but to his pleasure he was already seeing most of it wouldn’t be necessary. She had a strength he would use, and that would start now. After the day he was about to put her through, the people here would suspect that she was being looked over for a place in the chain-of-command, and that was good… because she was.
“Welcome to Safe Haven, Angela. May it quickly become your home.”
Chapter Forty
1
They continued down the left side of the squarely laid-out camp, and Angela’s eyes were wide.
“The two big tents are for the men and the women. They’re for people who can’t or just won’t put up their own and break it down every time we move.”
She thought it was a very considerate thing to do and also smart. It kept them off the ground and protected them from the chemical rain. “How often do you travel?
“Depends on what’s around us. Usually we’ll be on the road three or four days in a row from 9 to 5, but in areas that are bad, we keep going. If it’s good land like here in the Black Hills, or there are a lot of supplies around that we need, we’ll stay an extra day or two.”
“Where are you headed?”
“Southeast, for now. We pick places to look at each monthly meeting.”
Angela didn’t ask what he was looking for as they joined a long line of people under a dark green canopy that was attached to the side of a flatbed semi with wooden walls. There was an American flag flying high over a sign that said: Adrian’s Mess.
She noticed that nearly everyone called a greeting or nodded to the blond leader while openly staring at her, their faces not scared or hostile, only curious. She gave the buffet-style meal (pancakes and powdered eggs) an approving glance then sent her gift over the people, feeling them out while Adrian talked with those who had surrounded them. It was mostly the elderly at this end of the line, and she noticed not only his refusal of offers to skip to the front, but that he didn’t pull away from the needy, arthritic fingers of the seniors. This was a good place, but could she really stay and make a life here?