Life After War: Books 1-3

by Angela White

  Marc’s heart clenched. "In a heartbeat, boy. I used to fall asleep longing to hear her in my head… calling me."

  There was another long pause, and then four softly spoken words, "I wish she had."

  “Me too, boy, me too, but she made the only choice she thought she had."

  "And we got Kenny."

  The bitter tone made Marc frown. "Yeah, some great joke, huh?"

  Charlie nodded angrily, dropping the box he'd been about to start unpacking as Dog appeared in the wooded shadows around them.

  There was a brief, intense moment of concentration between the wolf and teenager that had Marc looking around to see who had noticed… Only the guards, their eyes glued, but not with surprise, only concern for the willful child. They had known. Which meant Adrian did too.

  "I probably won't be able to come back." Charlie let out a sigh, and then, "Sorry. I wanted to talk a little more."

  The teenager was gone a second later, vanishing silently into the late morning shadows around them, and Marc went back to work, worried. Charlie was so much like his mom, it was scary. Whoever he was about to confront had better know how to handle him.

  4

  “Where the hell have you been?” Kenn snarled.

  Angela gave him a cool glare as she stepped out of the long bathroom line, face going scarlet at how many people had turned to stare. He'd snuck up on her while she was busy thinking about what Adrian had said. She hated it that she hadn't been paying attention, but after the call last night, the Witch had to be let out very carefully. As a result, Kenn startled her, and she was surprised to find her anger was stronger than the fear.

  “With the doctor and then Adrian, as you damn well know, so get off my ass!”

  Kenn moved in front of her at the lie. He knew she hadn't been with John - he'd been there twice already.

  Angela shook her head, stepping around him, as those watching frowned. “Go away, Kenn. I’m not in the mood.”

  The Marine ignored her order, fell in step as people muttered and the guards scowled, fingers on buttons.

  “Where are you going now?” he demanded as she passed the tents.

  Angela snapped back at him, “I’m off. Wherever I want.”

  Kenn stepped in front of her again, drawing attention as she flinched back and went for her gun.

  “I just wanna talk!”

  He was back to the whining now, and she shook her head, stepped around him as two guards moved closer. “Not now, grunt!”

  The tone of command coming from her mouth had Kenn stopping in shock, speechless to find himself needing to obey. He watched her go with a concern that was unusual. She was seriously upset. What had caused that?

  Kenn started to look at the nearest Eagle, like he would have done before she came, then stopped. They were mostly against him already, surprised and angry that Adrian was letting him off with no punishment. He headed for the trucks instead, heart and gut burning with suspicions he didn’t want to face.

  5

  Angela had stepped from Adrian's tent with restless feet and wandered the camp for hours before lining up to wash for lunch Mess. She'd lied to Kenn, hadn't wanted him to know exactly how long she'd been alone or with the blond, but now she wished she did have duty with the kind doctor.

  Yesterday hadn't been enough of a workout to calm her, not with everything that was happening. She knew she would be glad of the free time after she worked the first guard-shift tonight that she'd volunteered for, but right now she was searching for a distraction from her fears. Like the twins. They were coming for her, and these people would be in the crossfire. Unless she gave herself up to spare them.

  Terror filled her at that thought, and she went back to roaming the camp, clearly agitated. She wasn't hardened enough yet. She wasn’t a trained killer, and when she turned herself over to the slavers, she would have to be. She had told Adrian she wouldn’t ever take another life, but if the Mexicans came here to Safe Haven, Charlie and Brady would be murdered.

  Angela’s heart screamed, and she raised her chin in defiance. She would turn herself over before that happened. Surrender… and then try to kill them all. Her gut twisted at the mere thought, but her mind went to the Eagles, and she wondered again if Adrian welcomed female fighters.

  Would she be allowed to try out? Could she? She had heard about the level tests, the physical requirements that always drew blood, and while the fear was there, waiting to evolve into panic, she found herself considering asking him.

  Angela’s feet slowly took her to the secret area again. She wouldn't do anything like she had yesterday. The Witch was locked up tight now, but she could still watch them, right? Angela stopped abruptly. Watch…

  The twins had been watching them! That had been her feeling of danger on their first night here. They would have seen her reunion with her son. They knew about Charlie! They wouldn't take her without him, not with it being such an obvious method of control.

  Panic erupted, fear ordering her to get her boy and run hard. She turned as if in a daze.

  Concerned guards moved her way. Adrian came from the shadowy doorway of his tent, and even Kenn, on point, saw her distress and responded.

  Angela wanted only Brady, and he was by her side before any of the others could reach her.

  "What is it?"

  She sent him her thoughts in one horrifying picture of a gun being held to her boy’s head by one twin, while the other ordered her to destroy this camp. In his face, Angela saw no surprise. He had already thought of it.

  "Will you take us? We'll go right now. Adrian won’t let Kenn stop us."

  "It won't do any good, Honey," Marc’s words were regretful. He’d considered it again after the call, but the twins had followed them for a thousand miles and he'd only known because of a trim mark on his bumper.

  "They're coming. We have to get ready."

  “But we could lose them…"

  "No."

  Her eyes cleared a bit at the hard tone, and she read his thoughts. The brothers were too good. She caught a flash of the fire… of him finding a bullet mark, and gasped. "They were there? They shot at us and we didn't know?"

  Marc nodded. "It's what changed my mind."

  She sucked in a breath. "I'm scared, Brady."

  "I know."

  "What are we gonna do?"

  Marc looked over her shoulder and locked eyes with the man now standing tensely behind her. "Trust Adrian to protect you both."

  Angela stiffened, but spoke what was in her heart. "And if he can't?"

  Marc turned away, waving at the wolf to stay with her. "I'll do what I should have already. Hunt them down and end this!"

  Angela spun to meet Adrian's eyes, wanting to say so much that she didn't know where to start.

  His tone knew. "I can. He won't have to."

  She looked over at the livestock area to see her boy in a shoving match with Zack's other son, this one younger, but much wider than his brother. Matt was laying on the ground close by and she swung back to Adrian with desperation flickering in her blue depths as guards rushed to break them up. "I'd send him away and give myself up."

  "I don't doubt it," Adrian stepped closer. "But will that work?"

  The Witch answered immediately, "It would keep them away for a while, but make peace with them, it will not."

  Adrian grinned savagely. "Good. I don't want to make peace!” He waved a hand. "Let's go watch the Eagles train. We'll both feel better."

  They stepped into the tent as the bell for evening Mess rang, and every head turned, all of them surprised to see her there again.

  Angela looked over the setup again, nodding to the faces she recognized. Her eyes settled on the far corner, where three men - one of them Doug - were working on what was clearly a hostage-rescue scenario. She turned to Adrian, eyes daring him to lie. "For me, right?"

  Adrian responded without hesitation. "We'd come for you." His voice lowered so only she could hear. "I'd come for you."

  Rath
er than protesting as she might have done, Angela smiled gratefully, listening to the Witch tell her the man meant it. If the twins somehow kidnapped her, Adrian would be at Brady’s side for the rescue. "Can I help?"

  Adrian felt his heart thump. Her asking was the first step. "Depends."

  "On what?"

  He waved a hand. "They're using live rounds."

  Angela considered. When the Witch said she would cover them, she nodded. "I'm in. You want me to play myself, right?"

  He subtly judged the reaction of his men. This would be a crucial test of their lessons, and he could feel their unhappiness. He wasn't certain that they were as ready as he would have liked, but he bit his tongue before he could tell them to switch to blanks. He could wait a minute, observe how they reacted to using the real hostage in their lesson. Before it started, he would have them switch to training weapons.

  Angela headed for the three men who had stopped to listen and were now frowning. "You want me to sit pretty or do what I would if I were really a hostage?"

  Adrian was impressed at the question. "Being still would be best for now. They're already spooked."

  Angela sent him a quick flash of being inside a shield of energy and felt his immediate relief, knew he had been about to tell them to switch to paintball guns. "You got it."

  She took her place in the chair in the center of the room and smiled her thanks at Billy when he handed her a set of earplugs. He had been the one to allow her into the training area yesterday, and she felt a spark of interest for the ponytail-wearing blond that she wasn’t sure of. There was something about him...

  "Be careful, will ya? If I get trimmed, the wolf's gonna want to talk to whoever did it."

  There were snorts and smiles at her words, and the use of laughter to break the tension was a technique that drew Adrian's attention. Surprised, he watched her handle herself and the males around her like she'd been doing it all her life. While they set up, she casually held conversations with the men closest, nodding to those across the room, and the leader felt his plans shift a step forward. She was ready for more now, Adrian thought, and settled himself against the far wall of the warm canvas room to watch her prove it.

  Angela couldn't believe she was doing this, was shocked to find herself here, and more than stunned to not be afraid. She had gotten used to letting the Witch guide her through the more challenging things in this new world, but being here was all her own doing, and she smothered a wide grin at the feeling of freedom. She could never have done this before the War.

  The training exercise was short. Three guards against three targets, set to randomly pop up, and of course the hostage was in the middle, the bad guys using her as a shield.

  Billy and Jeremy exchanged a long, tense look. When the ponytailed guard nodded, the other second-in-command Eagle turned toward Adrian with a pained look. "Request permission to change the team?"

  Adrian nodded and Jeremy turned to Doug with an apologetic look. "I'm sorry. Doug out, Daryl in."

  The big man took it better than Angela thought he would, and she muttered a calming spell that broke over him as he stepped from the tent, not wanting him to be upset. The other guards just didn't think he was that good, were making the best choice for the mission. Hoping no one had noticed her quiet action, she turned her attention to the three men getting ready to roll and felt the Witch inside smother her in layers of protection.

  "Team one, set."

  "Targets, set."

  They looked at her and she smiled sexily. "The innocent maiden, set."

  Instead of smiles, she got a nod from Billy, and then all hell broke out.

  Not using silencers, their deafening barrage made Angela shut her eyes and freeze, determined not to move an inch. Slugs flew, tiny missiles punching into targets near her head.

  When there was only silence, she opened her eyes to see all of them staring at her in horror. Even Adrian was scowling.

  "What?" she looked down, suddenly terrified she would see blood, but there was only a hot piece of metal in her lap. Angela picked it up with fingers that didn't tremble or flinch from the heat. "All right, whose is it?"

  There was a tone of command to her voice that made Adrian's inner Marine grin in admiration.

  When Jeremy held up a hand, she tossed him the piece of hot lead. "Do it again and get it right this time."

  Angela slid her ear-buds back in and froze, waiting.

  A second later, they were resetting it for another run. They all assumed it would have been a trim, but the bullet had come much closer. If not for her shield, she would have been hit in the chest, and Angela felt the Witch's pleasure when she didn't bat an eyelash, just took it all in stride.

  This time, there was that feeling of magic in the air, of perfect shooting about to happen, and Adrian watched the trio roll in surprise. They hadn't looked to him for confirmation.

  Angela kept her eyes open this time, their careful, practiced movements like a smooth play to her untrained eye. When the bullets stopped flying, she repeated Adrian’s words to her automatically, "Very nice. A couple more to be sure you've got it right?"

  There was no hesitation, and the groups of Eagles watching were stunned as the three men ran it again. Why wasn't Adrian saying something? She must have his approval. It was the only thing that made sense, and they watched closely to see why. What did the Boss have planned for the black-haired beauty? Was it personal?

  6

  Angela stood up as they finished round five, all of them flawless, and knew by the tension in the tent that something had shifted. When she frowned in concentration, her three would-be rescuers responded.

  "You okay?"

  "You hurt?"

  Being slapped with their thoughts, she waved off the concern, heading for the open flap. "I'm gonna go hit the showers."

  As she left, Adrian looked at his men. "I think she picked up on not really being welcome here."

  He watched them, saw their regret at interfering with his plans, and he nodded. "We need her."

  That one word cleared things up for the Eagles. When Adrian moved into the darkness, he knew his wishes would be carried out. She had to stay. They would now help with that.

  Adrian took a quick look around and closed his eyes, concentrating. Where was she? He caught a flash of caution tape and frowned, feet moving. He recognized the spot and it wasn't in camp. As he walked, he became aware of being trailed, but didn't send his shadows back. This time, they needed to hear what was said.

  Angela threw the rock as hard as she could, and was gratified to hear a loud thunk! as the stone hit the creek nearly twenty yards away. When she felt eyes on her, she didn't turn.

  "It won't always be this way."

  She didn’t answer, determined not to let him see how close she was to crying. The thoughts of some of his watching army had been mean, and she’d been slapped with a dose of reality. Good at it or not, this was a man's world, and it would be a hard fight to be accepted.

  "Angie?"

  "I’m okay."

  "It's not safe out here. It hasn't been reconned."

  She didn't answer and heard him sigh.

  "I'm sorry. I thought they were ready."

  Angela shrugged, listening to the soothing ripple of the water as it rushed by in the darkness. "Most of them are."

  "Will you tell me who?"

  She shook her head quickly. "No. It doesn't matter. They're right. I don't belong. I'm… different."

  Adrian's heart broke for her. It was the soft side she hadn't shown yet, and he felt his heart respond to her misery. "Give me time and I'll change that, my word on it."

  Angela turned to look at him with blurry eyes and a face full of pain. "There's not much time left. He'll leave soon."

  She didn't say -‘and we're going with him’ - but Adrian knew and gave her a minute, let her breathe. She didn't want to go, he felt that clearly. She needed another, bigger reason to stay, and he had it.

  "You were really good in the tent
. Solid," he said, changing the subject and lighting a cigarette.

  She frowned. "It was good for me." Her tone grew bitter. "At least this situation I could get out of."

  Her thoughts were weak, vulnerable, and he caught a quick glimpse of her pulling a trigger and being splashed with gore - her first kill.

  "What happened?"

  Angela sighed, hating it that she still had flashes, hadn't fully recovered. "He tried to rape me."

  "He got what he deserved."

  She nodded. "I think so, too. It's what lets me sleep, sometimes."

  "Killing isn't always murder. Surely you know that?"

  Angela took the smoke he offered her. "I do, and yet it eats away at me some nights." She sighed restlessly. "This will probably be one of them."

  Adrian stepped closer, let some of his plans escape. "You're the strongest female to join us, and you have the determination I've been looking for. The women here need someone like you to help teach them, lead them."

  Understanding came for her and for the trio of men listening while covering them in the darkness, and Adrian waited for a reaction, treading lightly. It had to be her idea, but he could lead it, set it up like he always did and let her fall into place… on his right.

  "You want me to train them? You want a female army, too."

  Damn, she was quick! He had purposefully not been thinking it, so that she couldn't pick it out of his mind.

  "Yes."

  Angela was quiet for a long moment, considering the consequences, but in the back of her head the Witch was reminding her she had told him to put her where he wanted.

  She nodded slowly, giving the answer that the men listening understood. It was Adrian. What else could you say?

  "I'd love to."

  It would be something she could lean on during the nights when the dreams insisted that she was now stained forever. If she were helping him, helping other women, it would be small, steady payments on the debt she owed for taking a life.

  "What about the men here? This won't go over well with them."

  Adrian chose his words carefully, knowing they would be repeated. "It would if they saw how useful a woman like you on the team could be." He gave her a pointed look. "She'd have to be... different, and it would have to be all-or-nothing from her or they'd never accept it. It's one of those things that can't be asked for, but has to be figured out to have meaning, earned."