Adrian's Eagles: Book Four (Life After War)

by White, Angela

  Chapter Nineteen

  May 1st, 2013

  Swanson Rec. Area

  Nebraska

  1

  “Your aim’s improved.”

  Sam reloaded, but didn’t answer and Neil could see she wasn’t any happier. He and Jeremy had followed her after the wolf mission, hoping to apologize, but she’d refused to speak to either of them. She had finally called in Hilda and the other females to run block and they’d taken up places outside the shower camper. The German had gotten through to them with only a single sentence “How’s the boss?”and they’d left her alone.

  Now, two days of traveling across the eerily deserted Swanson State Park had gone by since they’d returned from the mission and this was as close as Neil had gotten to her.

  “I’m nowhere near Zena over there.”

  They both turned to see Angela taking her turn at the targets. She stepped up confidently, fingers hovering, and then she was drawing and hitting everything she aimed at.

  “Show-off,” she muttered good-naturedly, but Neil could hear the loneliness behind it. “Sam…”

  “No.”

  “We’ll wait years if you make us.”

  Samantha looked back at him with tormented eyes. “You know why I can’t! Why are you doing this to me?”

  Neil was helpless against the need. “Because you’re like a fire that burns in my blood.” He took a step closer. “I want you, Sammi.”

  Samantha opened her mouth and snapped it shut just as fast. She couldn’t lie and tell him she didn’t feel the same, but she didn’t have to confirm it either. She shook her head and stepped around him. “You don’t even know me.”

  “Sam…”

  “No, Neil.”

  She left him standing there with stiff shoulders and a red face. How much rejection was one man supposed to take? Neil caught a glimpse of Brady moving toward the Mess, face happier than the Trooper had ever seen, and his gut twisted. More. To get that, he could stand a little more. But not like this, Neil thought, turning to clean up for the next set of students. Sam didn’t want an open relationship. What did she want?

  Jeremy waited until Sam was out of Neil’s sight and then fell in step. When he kept his mouth shut, she let him stay, knowing there were things they needed to get straight. It was different with Neil, who would become more determined with every “no”. He delighted in the game, the chase. Jeremy had tried to give Neil happiness and his own feelings had come as a surprise.

  “I guess this backfired for you.”

  Jeremy knew he was more like Sam than Neil. He wore button-downs on his off day, unable to completely escape that sense of looking professional to the public. He was quick to be a gentleman, or break up an argument before it could get started. He tried to keep the peace and the camp rarely saw him bent out of shape. He loved being an Eagle. He had been a sickly child, always weak and isolated from anything that might trigger an illness, but inside, he’d dreamed of being an explorer. He’d gotten his wish. It was a big source of pride to him that he’d come so far from that lonely little boy. He was now a man without an ounce of fat to spare. He was one of the few people in Safe Haven who was grateful for the end of the world. It had given him a life he’d never dreamed of. But it couldn’t give him Sam.

  The Eagle shrugged, keeping his tone light. “I don’t know. Cynthia’s suddenly warmer to me than she’s ever been and the questions about what we do have stopped. Something good came of it.”

  “Plus giving your team leader what he thinks he wants.”

  “Neil knows what he wants now, Sam. We both do after listening to Marc and Angie.” Pain flashed and Jeremy dropped his head. “He’ll be good to you.”

  “And if I don’t want him after all the trouble you’ve gone to?”

  Jeremy’s voice was pointed. “If he had said love back there, would you have given him the same answer?” She didn’t respond and he pushed harder. “I give it a month, maybe less.”

  “For what?”

  “For him to wear you down.”

  Sam snorted, thinking of her tortured dream last night… she and Neil made violent, passionate love and at the moment of climax, Rick shot them both. “Not likely. It’s more than just our wants at stake here. I’d never endanger these people that way.”

  Jeremy frowned, letting her go on alone. What did her relationship with Neil have to do with endangering the camp? Did Neil know? Would he share her secret?

  He found the Trooper getting set to enjoy a bit of quiet before they left, his fishing pole and a beer on the muddy bank. He’s changed, Jeremy thought, settling down next to him. The Neil he’d first trained with had been an uptight prig who always followed the rules. Having a beer and a smoke was something he wouldn’t have done before.

  “Any luck?”

  “I could ask you the same thing.”

  They stared at each other for a moment while a fight seemed inevitable and only a loud call from the camp interrupted the tension.

  “Hold it higher. I can’t get it to stop squirting!”

  Both Eagles, and most of the camp, turned to see Kevin and his team helping Marc with the fire engine hose. They were currently using it to flood out the huge ant holes around them, getting practice and hopefully killing the larvae of the shoe-sized mutations.

  “Anyone got a condom marked super-sized?” Jax joked from his place on top of the truck.

  “Someone ask Doug.” Kenn called, shocking everyone in hearing distance into a fit of laughing.

  Jeremy and Neil stared.

  “Did that just happen?”

  Neil grinned. “Yeah. Super-dick made a joke. It might be his first.”

  “You think he’s okay now?”

  The Trooper’s sigh was relieved. “Yeah, I do” He began reeling in the line he expected to be stripped of the worms he’d dug out. “And if he can do it, so can we.”

  “Why won’t she let you claim her?”

  Neil tensed. “Or maybe not, if you keep being so stupid.”

  “I know she has a secret that would endanger these people.”

  Neil wasn’t sure about telling him because of Sam’s trust, but being an Eagle came first and he quietly filled in his XO. It only took a minute for Jeremy to understand.

  “And you can’t tell anyone, not even the rest of the team.”

  Jeremy nodded, shocked. Samantha had been government!

  “Does it matter to you?” Neil demanded, not sure if he could trust his right hand anymore.

  Jeremy bristled. “Yes, it matters. We have to keep an eye on her. If these people find out, she’ll be in danger…” And that’s why she wouldn’t become Neil’s mate, he realized. If it came out, her secret wouldn’t just hurt Neil. It would damage Adrian’s dream.

  “How do we fix that?”

  “You don’t.”

  Both Eagles turned to see Adrian behind them.

  “She’s had the worst trip here of any of these sheep and you two have spent the last weeks playing head games.” The angry blond took a step closer. “What about getting her accepted, instead of trying to claim a woman who doesn’t want to belong to you?”

  The harsh tones were unexpected, but well deserved and they slumped under the weight of Adrian’s disapproval.

  “Effective immediately, you will both stay away from her. When she needs a shadow, someone else will do it. The only time I want to see you two around her is during Mess, classes, or if she comes to your way.” His voice hardened even further. “If you can’t do that, maybe you should stay here instead of escorting the supply mission to McCook.”

  2

  “I need you to talk to Tonya.”

  Moving by the fire truck, Angela looked up at Kenn in surprise, “Why?”

  “Adrian wants it, said to ask you.”

  Angela understood then. The blond wanted to be sure Kenn wasn’t abusing her, and who better to know than his former victim?

  “I’ll do it before we leave.”

  “Report to him,
not me.”

  Kenn turned stiffly back to the hose they had wrapped in duct tape to stop the leak, and though she could have assumed it was because he was scared of more transgressions being revealed, Angela thought it was really about trust. Tonya was a snake that would turn on a man if it suited her needs. The Marine wouldn’t have to have done anything for her to say it was true.

  “That’s why he’s sending you,” the Witch enlightened. “We’ll know if she lies.”

  Angela changed directions, heading for the small hooch the camp whore called home. Tonya was set up in the rear, under the sparse trees that were chirping loudly with young cicadas and Angela knew from her time with Kenn that it was to cover the noises they made.

  She tapped on the flap, ignoring the dozen or so camp members watching her in surprise.

  “Come in.”

  Tonya’s face tightened at the Eagle stepping through her flap. “What the hell do you want?”

  Angela picked out the new clothes, jeans and a t-shirt with a flag on the front, the clean tent, and the strands of red scattered around the vinyl floor. Kenn had taken her advice. He was trying to reform Tonya.

  “Well?” Tonya’s snarl was more misery than threat.

  “Is this a chopping party?”

  Tonya snapped another large chunk with the scissors and tossed it on the floor next to her chair. “I’m making your Marine happy, as I’m sure you know.” Tonya glared at her. “And I agreed to it, so go back and tell the Guardian I’m fine.”

  Angela stared in surprise. Was Kenn sharing that much information with her?

  “Why does the hair have to go?” Already knowing, Angela waited.

  “He said I’m vain, about these.” Tonya snipped another clump, and a tear rolled down her unpainted cheek. “I guess he’s right.”

  Angela instinctively knew not to say anything yet and the cicada song-filled tension thickened.

  Tonya kept her nasty comments to herself, following Kenn’s orders. “Get along with them or get away from me. If I can do it, after everything that’s happened, this should be easy for you.”

  “Well?”

  “I’d like a prescription.”

  That had Tonya stopping mid clip. “A what?”

  Angela gave her a sharp look, moving toward the broom in the corner. It still had a tag on it and Angela took offense at the unwelcome reminder of their old world. She ripped it off and crumbled it up. It joined the red hair on the floor.

  “Right now, you’re a drug dealer.”

  Curious as to how smart Tonya really was, Angela didn’t add more. She wasn’t disappointed.

  “But if I’m a... Pharmacist, the camp might go for it.”

  “They will go for it. Most of them come to you in secret now. If it weren’t a backdoor transaction that reminded them of the past, they’d be willing. Especially the non-drinkers.”

  “Why would Adrian agree to this?” Tonya asked, confused. Had Kenn’s attempts to get her accepted been green-lighted?

  “Because it solves problems, of course. Why does he do anything?”

  There was silence for a minute and the redhead’s eyes flicked over the newest bandage Angela was sporting. That alone would earn any other camp member a free joint at least. To those she didn’t have a vendetta against, Tonya amended. And other than a sharp remark during her first day here, this tough female hadn’t bothered her even though she knew about the affair with Kenn.

  Tonya let out a deep sigh that Angela recognized. Whatever deal she and Kenn had made, the redhead was willing to do what it took to uphold her end of it.

  “I’ll drop something off later.”

  Tonya went back to cutting her hair, tears replaced with fast-connecting thoughts and Angela didn’t linger. The woman wasn’t being abused. If anything, they might need to put a guard on her. Tonya was sharper than Adrian had given her credit for. Maybe, Angela conceded. He had been able to keep the whore on ice for months.

  Reaching the parking area, Angela slung her new rifle over her shoulder with a feeling of power she knew was shared by the nine men coming through the vehicles around her. With Zack and Kevin’s full teams on duty, plus the two rookie levels, they were free to go hunting for supplies. By the time they got back, Lee would have a small crew of friends together and be on the way to Lincoln for his cheating wife.

  Angela climbed into the Excursion without looking over at the bonfire. Brady was there, drinking and hanging out with his team, but his eyes hadn’t left her since she’d come through the trees.

  Kyle closed the driver’s door and Angela followed his lead. She and Marc had already said their goodbyes and she blushed at the memory of being in his arms, of kissing him in public. Different, was an understatement.

  “Eagle Four, signing off.”

  “Copy…”

  The pause filled itself and Kyle shared a grin with her. “He wanted to say be careful, but he knew Adrian wouldn’t like it.”

  “Yeah, he didn’t enjoy being told what to call us on the air, either.”

  “You mean you’ll miss being little... hick-up! …little Darlin’?”

  Angela snorted laugher at the close match to Mitch’s voice. “No more than you’ll miss being that Damn Italian!”

  There was another round of laughs at her words. Mitch and Kyle had a hate-hate relationship and it was often entertaining to watch them butt heads.

  The other Eagles went into check-mode around her and Angela did the same as Kyle pulled them out of the light and into the hard darkness.

  He keyed the mic. “Eagles by three.” He switched the channel and hit the button again. “Fifteen. Vests and guard, the new rotation. Billy has Point when we land, Daryl on Drag.”

  Angela ran over all of it in her head as she got comfortable. They would arrive in fifteen minutes. They were to wear their vests and run immediate patrols from the moment they arrived. They would be using the new formations they’d been practicing for the last two days, with her in the center, Billy in front, and Daryl in the back. Neil and Seth were riding with Adrian, and their teams surrounded the convoy.

  Satisfied, Angela lit a smoke and leaned back, listening to the light banter of the men around her. She was definitely learning and the perks of it continued to please her as well. She slipped an adoring hand over the shiny barrel of the new rifle that had her initials burnt into the stock. It was her reward for the wolf mission.

  Kyle and Billy saw the motion and exchanged looks through the rear view mirror. When she fell into battle mode, she wasn’t a woman, only an Eagle in Adrian’s Army, and the feeling was better than any of them had dared to hope for.

  3

  Nothing moved around them.

  The Eagle teams swept the dim buildings and shadowy streets of McCook continuously, but other than the cleared path through the middle of Norris Avenue, there was no sign anyone had been here recently. Guns already in hand, they rolled tensely by the one square block that still held a generous bandstand covered in shredded red tinsel and dark bulbs. They slowed down.

  Adrian held up a hand as they came to the Amtrak hub. The size of a small warehouse, the brick walls had been defaced with ugly slogans, the most disturbing of which, was the dark red message: Fresh Meat! The windows were broken out, huge antenna collapsed and hanging over one side of the tall roof, and debris covered the short set of steps to the front door.

  There was food in there? It was a common thought as they got out of their vehicles and fell into battle-mode. It was too quiet, not even the crows were circling, but the sense of being watched was clear.

  “Anything?”

  Angela shook her head, staying close. “Not yet… it’s darkness.”

  Frowning, Adrian motioned them forward and Kyle led his team inside, while Neil and Seth stayed around their Leader. Angela remained with Adrian, as per Kyle’s instructions before they left. Adrian didn’t usually go on runs out of camp - the sheep liked having him there - but since the attempts, the blond man was determined to dra
w out their traitor.

  “5-by, ground floor.” Kyle’s voice was tense as he cleared the first level, clearly hating the alien environment around them. There wasn’t any debris blowing or even wind whistling. The silence was disturbing and the team cleared the next area quickly.

  “5-by, basement.”

  The supplies they needed were on the bottom floors, where the trains came in. The halls were filthy… and empty of noise. Nothing slammed, moved, twitched. Except them, at their own noises.

  “This feels hinky,” Daryl stated lowly as they swept the room they needed and took up guard positions around it.

  “Yeah.” Kyle hit the button. “In and clear from ground, down.”

  Adrian motioned again and Seth’s team moved inside to clear out the top floors. His fear went with them. It was something that never changed, the horrible feeling of waiting, hoping they came back when he sent them out.

  Angela gave him an understanding smile as they moved inside with Neil’s team flanking them. She could feel his worry as they joined Kyle’s team in the long room full of crates. She opened her mouth to give him comfort, and they both looked up in concern at a loud thump from the direction Seth’s men had gone.

  “Check in, Redbird.”

  “Redbird clear. Watch for booby traps. Seems like someone tried to make a stand here.”

  Angela shook her head, mental alarms blaring to life. “I don’t think it’s safe up there.”

  Adrian keyed his mic. “Get down here, double-time.”

  “Copy.”

  Adrian went to Kyle, who already had his men prying open the dusty shipping pallets. “Five minutes.”

  Unaware that there might be a problem, Kyle’s eyes spotted the clipboard still hanging on the damp wall. “All full of cereal and water bottles. We’re set for another month now.”

  Adrian moved back toward where Angela was standing guard on the door to the small room. When Seth came through the hall, his hand dropped automatically.

  “We saw a kitchen setup. Someone’s living here.”

  Adrian raised his voice a bit. “Maybe they’ll come with us when we leave. We welcome all survivors.”