by Angela White
Charlie arrived not long after they’d started, and the mother greeted his surprised look with a wiggle of her tongue that got him to grin at her.
“I love you, boy,” she sent. “We’ll make it work out somehow. I promise.”
Charlie shrugged unhappily, turning towards the dogs. “I don’t see how. He gets angrier every second you let that man stay here.”
Angela sighed. There was nothing she could do about it yet, and now that Marc was out of quarantine, the tension was only going to get worse.
3
Neil was at Marc’s tent at 6:30, expecting to have to get him up. The new man’s lantern had been on til well after midnight, but there was no sign of him or the wolf in the dim, foggy morning light.
Neil found the nearest guard, looked to the empty tent and back. The Eagle nodded toward an area just outside the caution tape where Adrian had netted off a bathing and laundry area.
Neil turned that way, frowning at the look of unease on the guard’s face.
The forest was covered in a thick blanket of knee-high, gray fog, and he moved faster once he was out of sight of the main camp. Who would pass up a hot shower for a frigid (and maybe dangerous) dunk out in the open? A man with something to prove, he thought, starting to jog. Marine or not, Marc would need help today. The new guy was about to learn…
Neil crested the small hill, clearing the thickets of pines, and stopped short at the sight of Danny, one eye a nasty shade of purple and black, and two of his lazy buddies huddled miserably behind a moss-covered spruce tree. They wore only boxers, and were starting to shiver in the morning chill.
The three men (drunks) heard his steps and looked up, but didn't move.
Neil grinned when he saw why.
The wolf sat alertly a few feet away, golden eyes watching them, while Marc, Seth, and Billy, one of Kyle’s Level Six Eagles, enjoyed a leisurely morning swim.
Neil burst out laughing. Those three had meant to rough Marc up, and the wolf had made them look like fools.
Dog’s rigid ears twitched at the cop’s arrival, but his eyes never left the three men. Neil ginned, thinking they were lucky not to have been bitten or worse.
“Tell him to call it off, O’Neil. We’re late for guard duty.”
“Yeah. It’s not funny. He’s getting us in trouble,” Danny whined.
The trooper shook his head, pushing his cover back a bit to show them his laughing eyes. “First, I think I want to hear how you got like that.”
Neil couldn’t stop another grin, wondering who had beaten on Danny's face yesterday. He knew from the coloring that it had been at least 8-10 hours and the Wolfman had still been in the QZ then.
“All right, Dog. Let ‘em go.”
At Marc’s order, the wolf advanced on the tree instead. The men behind it jumped back, tripping over each other and then flushing in embarrassment when the burly animal hiked a leg and let go of a long stream of urine.
Marc translated, "Dog says piss on you."
Neil and the men in the water laughed hard, as the wolf padded to the bank and jumped in without hesitation.
He headed for his man, who splashed him and swam away. They began to chase each other, diving around the two men in the creek with them, and Neil kept an eye on the sullen males hurriedly dressing and casting furious looks at the animal in the water. Kenn had just gained three weak allies. How would the Wolfman do today?
“So, no one’s going to tell me what happened here?”
The tone of command was clear, even to Marc, and none of the three looked at the trooper, giving the answer he’d expected - silence. They obviously regretted it now and wanted only to slink away but couldn’t, his place here too high to be ignored.
Neil snorted one last time, waved a hand. “Get out of here children, and try to play nice next time.”
The bored sarcasm made them move faster, and the cop stepped to the muddy bank, where lush green ferns and brambles lined the steep sides of the crystal clear creek.
“Well, I see you’ve met the welcoming party. Ready to see how the other half’s been living?”
Marc slapped water toward Dog, who obligingly ducked it and slapped his own paws down, drenching his human.
Brady shook his head, cold water flying as the guards laughed again. He met Neil’s eye, “They gonna play any nicer?”
Neil snorted, watching the animal with pleasant surprise. “I wouldn’t count on it.”
He exchanged a look with Seth and Billy as Marc climbed out, and turned in time to see the detailed tattoo on Brady's hip as he stripped off his boxers and used his shirt to dry off. Kenn had one just like it on his arm. Except… damn! Had that said “Angie”?
Marc slid on his jeans and guns, aware that the savvy cop had just discovered a vital clue. He waited for the questions with a cold heart.
“So how long were you recon?” Neil asked as he watched the wolf stride purposefully into waist-high sticker bushes on the opposite bank and disappear into the thick fog.
“Eight in recon. Fifteen in the service,” Marc said, pulling on his socks and boots in seconds. When he knelt down to tie, he met Neil's eye, ready for the bigger questions he saw coming.
“You’ve been in longer than him. You guys served together, right? Same unit?”
Marc nodded, using the lines he’d drawn last night during his tossing and turning; honesty as much as possible. “I was team leader. We didn’t see eye-to-eye on most things, but he followed my orders, so it worked out.”
“You were his boss?” Neil gasped, mind alarms blaring. Kenn hadn’t told Adrian that, and even lying by omission was forbidden when it came to their leader.
The two guards in the water were also staring in shock, and Neil knew Seth and Billy would pass the word. Red hair and a long, blond ponytail would be seen a lot around camp tonight, making sure all the Eagles knew.
“For the last four years.”
Marc slung his wet shirt around his neck like a towel, and Neil stored the information, went back to pretending it didn’t matter, when obviously it did.
“Kenn was your second?”
Marc adjusted his gun belts with practiced movements. “He was my right hand most of the time; communications, explosives, organizing. He was the go-to guy. Like him or not, he always got the job done.”
Neil was a little surprised to hear him say something good about his rival and pushed his hat back down on his head. “He still does. All of our CBs and radios have been installed and upgraded by him, and he’s trained all of us on these new hands-free systems.”
Knowing that was child’s play compared to the temperamental explosives Kenn had manipulated before the War, Marc volunteered nothing else, asking about their first stop instead.
Neil was thinking it was interesting to see the Wolfman without the long gunfighter’s coat, but those matching .45s slung low on his hips said not to be fooled by how normal he looked in his jeans and a camouflage shirt.
“Self-defense class. You’ll need it while the wolf’s out running.”
Marc made no complaint as they headed back down the muddy path, giving eye contact and casual nods, but no conversation to the few souls now coming to brave the frigid water.
Neil led them through the cover of the thick trees and swirling fog, preferring to work behind the direct view of the camp for as long as possible. He was glad to see only six people at the defense ring. A large circle, it was made from double-stacked bales of straw, set up at a distance from the main camp in order to distort the noise, and hide the intense training that took place with the Eagles.
As the dim orange sun began to brighten the area, the two men settled on overturned water buckets to watch, and Marc knew he was looking at the teaching staff gathered to practice before the students came.
Three men, all stocky and dressed in black, were lined up across from a hulking, redheaded man in a dirty vest who towered over them by at least six inches. The giant wore dusty jeans and a black Harley Davidson shirt un
der his red vest. The big man’s green eyes were eager, and Marc hoped they didn’t plan to use body shots. He’d seen softer-looking trucks.
The trio of men moved together, working as a team, and they all threw solid punches that landed, but appeared to have no effect as the huge man began to swing.
He nailed the middle man in the neck, and the guard dropped like a stone, struggling to breathe as the giant’s arm flew out again. He spun as he turned, and the other two joined the first on the ground, blood dripping.
The big Irishman nodded, not even winded. “You’re done. Get out.”
The two men picked themselves up, the third already back on his feet despite the hard hit to the throat, and the two watching guards took their injured teammate’s places.
“That’s a rule here,” Neil told Marc quietly. “No shame in bleeding, only in not following the rules. Especially against Doug. We want people to learn to defend themselves. When he’s the teacher, you’re all right, but only men with a death wish or something to prove will challenge or accept one from Doug. He’s brutal. Few in camp are better.”
Marc stored the information, automatically putting Adrian, Kenn, and Neil (hesitantly - there was just something about the way the cop carried himself that said he could be deadly if he needed to be) into that category of “few” as the three men went down hard and fast.
“Maybe four-to-one next time, eh, boys?” The big man laughed, shaking his heavily-bearded face as he stepped over them and out of the ring.
Doug had spotted Marc when they emerged from the trees and headed toward them now, frowning darkly. Why would O’Neil bring him here?
“Come by for a lesson?”
Thunder cracked in the distance, as if in response to the menace in the big man’s voice, and Neil shook his head, a bit surprised. “I’m just showing the newbie around. Marc, this is Doug, unofficial fifth-in-command, though he doesn’t like it spread around. Doug, this is Brady. He came in yesterday.”
“Yeah, with Kenn’s wife.”
The two men shook hands and Doug's eyes lit up when Marc didn’t flinch or pull away from the harsh grip. So, this was the man who had hit her.
“Her name is Angela, and she’s not his wife,” Marc corrected.
Doug frowned, green eyes menacing. “You may not need a lesson Neil, but your friend does.”
The words were angry, and the trooper shook his head again, aware of the sudden tension and the five men watching. Even those who were injured didn’t want to miss what might happen.
“New people get a few days to settle in, you know that.”
Doug smirked. “Yeah. The Boss don’t wanna scare off the new sheep.” Sarcastic, Doug gave Marc a look that said he was about to provoke a fight. “But I think homewreckers shouldn’t be allowed here!”
There were murmurs of agreement from the others, but Neil was shocked at such hostility from the war vet, who was usually hard to rile. The trooper wasn’t sure what to say or how to handle the situation since they were friends, and he hesitated.
Marc knew, though. His first encounter with this camp’s men had been bad. Why should this one be any different? It was what he’d spend the coming days and weeks doing - proving himself.
“What are the rules?” Marc asked, stepping forward suddenly so that Doug was forced to take a step back.
The big man’s smile of anticipation faltered a bit as he noticed the dog tag and recon emblem on Marc’s arm as he unstrapped his guns. The new guy really was a Marine.
“It’s normally over when someone bleeds, but for you, Jody, it’s done when you agree to leave Kenn’s bitch alone and get out!”
“Deal.”
Lightning flashed, closer this time, and Marc handed his weapons to a protesting Neil.
The cop was worried at the hard looks the two men were exchanging. Hadn’t Brady heard him say only men with a death wish or something to prove… The trooper's eyes narrowed, and he snapped his mouth shut, almost certain the Wolfman was in over his head.
“And when I win?” Marc asked, moving eagerly to the ring.
Doug snorted, trying to pretend Marc’s lack of hesitation didn’t bother him. Only one guy here had that kind of sand, even Kenn had been leery, and Adrian had been able to bring him down. “Don’t worry about that, wife-stealer.”
Marc just stared at the gruff Irishman. The fury was a hard pit of ice as he looked over his opponent, heart thumping steadily. His cool eyes evaluated, chose, got set. He felt his hard streak of violence surge forward as they circled each other.
“Get ready, boy.”
Doug’s grin faltered as Marc’s eyes filled with the desire to see his blood, but it was much too late to go back. The big man lunged smoothly forward, making Marc jump back.
Doug laughed. “Leave now. Last chance.”
Vaguely aware of rain sprinkles evaporating on his hot skin, Marc’s smile was taunting, calculated.
“You talk a lotta shit. Where’s the action?”
Doug’s move was fast, but Marc had drawn him out, and the Marine threw up the flat of his palm as he sidestepped, catching Doug’s nose.
He leaned his weight into it, but didn’t give the final, killing shove. Marc felt the bone give way under his hand as the Irishman’s heavy hit glanced off his wounded shoulder with a painful thud.
Blood sprayed, and Doug dropped heavily to his knees. Cradling his bleeding face with his hands, he struggled not to cry out again or puke from the pain.
Marc leaned close, and Doug flinched back, unable to stop from moaning.
“Don’t ever talk about her that way again! You don’t know her, and he’s not worth your loyalty!”
Marc stood up, moved back. “He doesn’t own her. She’ll make her own choices.”
He stepped out of the ring, and Neil was there to hand him his guns as the others gathered around Doug in surprised concern.
Brady lit a smoke, hands steady and blue eyes hard as he waited for someone to throw him out or call Adrian.
“Wow!” Neil was beyond pleased. Even Adrian had taken a vicious hit and had to use both fists to win.
The state trooper let out a cheer that the other men wanted to echo, but didn’t out of respect for Doug. That kind of skill was admired here.
“Did you break his nose?”
Marc shrugged, a little relieved and still pissed. “Probably. Angie can tell him for sure. Unless she finds out what he said, and then she might add to it.”
Neil grinned as thunder boomed ahead of them, the storm missing them as it raced by. “You sure aren’t what you seem.”
“Neither is she. I hope she isn’t being treated to this kind of welcome. She doesn’t deserve it.”
“Adrian won’t allow it here among the females, but until she makes a public choice…” He let the words trail off.
Marc nodded. “Until she chooses, they’ll try hard to get me to leave.”
Neil shrugged, face sympathetic. He liked Marc. “It’s a very close group here, and most people like Kenn almost as much as they do Adrian. They see you as a threat to the only security they’ve had since the War.”
“All I want is her happiness. No matter who she’s with.”
“People will see that in time.”
Marc hoped he was right, the anger slowly fading into frustration. One thing was for sure, it was all going to be just as hard as he’d thought.
Neil turned to the men who had been helping a dazed and bleeding Doug to his feet while listening openly and not pretending otherwise. “Two of you get him to John, and the rest of you finish setting up. People will start arriving soon. Alex, you’re in charge.”
Neil turned back to the Wolfman, knowing this story would spread like wildfire, “Ready?”
As they walked back through the woods, Neil made a mental note to tell Adrian in his nightly report that the man should be considered deadly with his hands. It was a classification that only five men here had, and Marc had just dropped one of those with a single hit.
/>
“I’m gonna ask a dumb question now,” Marc warned.
“Shoot.”
“How do so many people know? I was in quarantine and I know she isn’t saying anything, so how do they know?”
Neil gave him a pointed look. “Kenn. His behavior changed, says something’s different, that he’s unhappy - and of course, there’s his mouth.”
“Damn. He sure didn’t waste any time.”
The trooper grinned at him openly. “Can’t blame him. I’d put up a fight too.”
Marc smiled in understanding, “She’s even prettier on the inside.” He raised a brow. “So, what’s next?”
“Women and guns.”
The two men shared a grin, and Marc shook his head. “Sounds dangerous. I'm in."
4
They walked a short distance through the trees to a softball field where about twenty people, mostly women in jeans, sat on bleachers behind the gate. Inside the fenced area, men dressed like police were setting things up on home plate. They watched silently as Doug went by, being helped to the medical tent.
“Come on. We’ll see Billy. He's running the class this week, and then I want a seat next to little Becky. Her smell drives me nuts.”
Marc smiled, matching Neil’s confident stride and trying not let the open stares unnerve him.
The men (off-duty guards?) were putting up targets and sharing grins, but they kept their eyes on each other and not the females. Except… they were making subtle eye contact, he noticed, quickly understanding that Adrian picked “nice” guys to teach this class. Probably everyone wanted to do it because all the students were women, and he was guessing, single. No need of a dating service here.