by Angela White
8
“Thank you.”
Kendle left the bunkroom. She felt no guilt about making sure that Marc got the message. If Angela needed him, he should be there. These men had no right to keep it from him.
Marc knew Quinn and the others had been waiting for the right time, but he was glad Kendle had told him before they could. It would keep him from reacting wrong. If he showed too much concern, his men would realize it had all been an act, that he had longed to be in Safe Haven’s safety the whole time. He would lose them.
Marc could almost hear the reluctance in Adrian’s voice as he delivered the message Marc was sure Angela didn’t know about. She hadn’t called out to him in a while, determined not to come between him and the duty he’d accepted. He also knew it was a struggle for her, that she wanted him there more than anything. He didn’t have to connect to her to know how she felt. He’d been carrying it since he left the camp gate and the weight had only grown in the time they’d been apart. She hadn’t wanted to send him, but there hadn’t been anyone else who could handle a job like this.
Marc was still holding the paper when Quinn came to wake him. The Eagle’s face tightened as he realized how Marc had gotten it.
Marc crumbled it up and set it next to him. “We’ll talk about that later.”
Quinn swallowed. “Updates?
“No,” Marc refused.
“Pack it up and head for home?”
“No.”
“You aren’t going to Safe Haven now?” Quinn asked hesitantly.
“Not until this job is done.”
Quinn understood he had underestimated. “I’m sorry.”
Marc shrugged. “Maybe you are and maybe you aren’t. What matters, is truth. We don’t have that anymore.”
“Why?” Quinn protested. “Because you want them both? I only pushed to find out what her lines were.”
“Because you don’t trust me, Quinn, not the other way around. As soon as we rode in here, you assumed the worst.”
Quinn couldn’t deny it. “Tell me I’m wrong.”
“I’ll tell you that you don’t know the full story on either end. Until you do, you should butt out.”
Quinn flushed angrily, but wisely shut up as Marc stood.
“I have plans based around her, Eagle. Don’t get in the way of them. Get on board.”
“I want to,” Quinn confessed. “But I have to know what those plans will lead to.”
“I’m getting her ready,” Marc confessed. “For someone else.”
Enlightenment came and the Eagle scowled. “You’ve changed.”
Marc grunted, lying back down for his last hour. “I’ll be your boss at some point. Make your choice now, Quinn, and save me the time of coming to you when that happens. You’re either mine or his. It can’t be both.”
Paul and Jax gave Quinn pointed looks indicating they agreed with Marc.
“How can you support him?” Quinn demanded.
Both men spoke together, “He’s the Ghost.”
“What the hell does that mean?”
Marc’s voice came from behind him. “They’ve made the choice that you’ll struggle with over the next few days or weeks.”
Quinn turned around “You’re gonna challenge Adrian for leadership!”
Marc looked up with glowing red orbs. “Can you think of a single reason why I shouldn’t?”
Quinn wanted to. The desire to serve Adrian hadn’t gone away, but it had faded a lot more than he’d thought it would. In its place was a new light of leadership that glowed too brightly from the man in front of him to be ignored.
“No.”
Marc closed his lids, satisfied. “When the time comes, take my left. You’ve earned it for your service here. And her, if she wants you. I’ll find someone else for him.”
Hearing Marc openly planning their lives the same way Adrian had was proof for Quinn. Adrian had been sent to lead them through the aftermath. Marc would carry them into the future. He was more open, more honorable, than Adrian ever had been.
“I’ll be there when you need me.”
Paul and Jax clapped him on the shoulder, bringing him into the light, and Quinn went gratefully. Marc was stronger than Adrian. They could put their faith in him and it wouldn’t be abused. Adrian was still important, but Marc would lead them. If Adrian refused to step down, Marc’s Eagles would remove him.
9
“The Mexicans have left.”
Marc glanced over from his post at the dusty window as Paul went on with the report.
“Red Stone said he can’t be away from his people anymore with the soldiers so close. He’s worried they may have sent another force south.”
“Tell him it was our honor to fight alongside him,” Marc ordered.
Paul relayed the message.
Marc sighed in resignation. With the Mexicans leaving, it was likely that the Indian groups would, as well. Which meant the fighters inside this base were on their own.
Marc spotted several soldiers doing recon on the base, and waved at one of them as he disappeared from the window. It was time to get ugly and there were few men better at it than him.
As the sounds of fighting outside grew louder, Marc went to their command room. “It’s time. Get them ready.”
Jax went to the radio to make the announcement.
Kendle fell in behind Marc as he went to notify other parts of the base. This was the inside of Marc’s plan and it was complicated. Kendle was worried about it, too. She had little faith in these men keeping him safe and she stayed close as the preparations began.
“Wider,” Marc instructed to those working on the sealed doors of the mini-bunker. “We have to be able to get in there on the run. Prop it open.”
Marc waved at the stacks of supplies. “Get those inside, along with radio. When we start making calls from down here, the static will make it hard to decipher. Don’t forget the antenna.”
The men began working on the last levels of Marc’s plans and he stayed close, being sure it was right. Making a mistake now was likely to get them all killed.
“Are you sure?”
“They’ll think we’re trapped,” Marc answered. “Make it look that way.”
Outside the base, the enemy was moving into position. No longer forced to defend their flank from the Indians and Mexicans, the soldiers could now concentrate on a frontal assault. These troops were tired, cold, and bloody. They wanted to be in the base. Little would stop them.
Marc was counting on it. “Now!”
The ground in front of the base shook as the charges went off, rattling items and knocking over haphazardly stacked boxes.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
The horrific sound continued until all the explosives around the base had been blown.
Through their windows and peepholes, there was only dust and dirt flying through the air. Everyone waited for it to settle down to determine how much protective damage they’d done. In the uneasy silence, they could hear the soldiers outside.
“Move in! Move in!”
“Hit the deck!” Marc ordered.
The building rumbled as the tank came closer.
Marc waved Paul and Jax to the other window. “Just like we practiced.”
Paul handed Jax the box, gaze glued to the tank. “Ten.”
Jax took his place proudly. “Copy, ten.”
The Eagles adjusted the aim as Marc and the others drew fire away from them with peppering shots that pissed men off with nicks and cuts. Their body amour was hard to get through, but Marc’s rifle did damage and kept the men on Paul’s side pinned down.
Pop! Pop! pop!
Grinnddd!
The tank rolled over a concreted truck meant to slow it down and Marc made the call. “Now.”
Jax hit the button and the magnet descended on the tank.
“It’s got them!” Paul shouted. “We’ve got...”
Paul slid to the floor, caught by sniper’s luck.
Jax
caught him in shock.
Marc shoved them both under the window line as that side of the wall exploded.
“Get the other one!” Marc ordered, yanking Jax away from the incoming fire.
He shoved the stunned Eagle toward Kendle’s flank and went back to firing. Paul’s body would have to stay where it was.
“We have a breach! Breach in command!”
Marc grabbed the radio from Quinn. “Stand your posts! That’s an order!” Marc pointed at the last stick of dynamite. “Close the gap.”
Quinn wasn’t sure where to aim.
Marc pointed to where ropes were being shot for the invasion. “Bring it down on them.”
Quinn saw what he meant and tossed the lit stick with a harsh sneer. “Get out of our base!”
Kablammm!
Marc was thrown to the floor and showered with sharp, hot debris. Behind him, the wall began to collapse.
“That’s it! Get out!” Marc shouted, shoving himself and Kendle toward the door. As they fled, he hit the switch taped to the wall and took off running.
Boom!
The concussion from the blast knocked Marc down the hall and sent him into the other bodies that had dropped at the sound, not sure where to go.
“Get in the stairwell!”
Marc kept them moving, only glancing back to confirm that their command center was now a pile of smoldering rubble.
He’d expected them to try punching through wherever the command room was and he’d prepared for it, but now, they were down to the last tricks that Marc had up his sleeve. They would hold out in the bottom floors for a few days more if luck was with them, but after that, this base would once again become government property.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Crossed Lines
August 11th
Near Borden Springs, Alabama
1
“Please…”
Tracy closed her eyes as Charlie’s lips brushed her ear. Flames scorched her skin.
“Please.”
Charlie paused, not sure what she meant. “Should I stop?”
A deep, painful sigh. “No.”
Charlie went back to the massage. She’d made herself sore again and he’d offered a massage before she hit the showers. Fully clothed, but protected by the camper door, they were both enjoying the contact.
The urge to do more was strong, but the teenager resisted, sticking to his plans. “You smell good.”
Tracy shivered at the tone, at the feel of him touching her. She couldn’t stop the thoughts, but she did keep her hands at her sides. We’re not doing anything wrong, she told herself. We’re not doing…
Charlie’s warm hand slipped to her neck in a telling caress that sent a chill of need down her spine.
“Please.”
Charlie paused again, more sure of her tone this time. “Please stop tempting you?”
“You know you do,” Tracy agreed shakily. “It’s intentional, to determine what works and what doesn’t, right?”
Charlie didn’t deny it. Instead, he moved away from her, to their mutual disappointment.
Tracy regretted denying him, but wouldn’t ask him to continue.
Charlie perched on the bench, staring at her. “Why did you tell Billy no last night, when he came to your tent?”
Tracy flushed. She’d thought Charlie was close, but hadn’t been sure. Which meant he’d heard what she did afterwards, too.
Charlie’s cheeks flushed. “I left after the first moan. I didn’t watch your shadow, either.”
Surprised, Tracy leaned against the camper wall. Would this young man always be able to give her that feeling of respect?
“Yes. My word on it.”
Tracy’s heart melted a bit more. She turned away to keep from caving. He was still waiting on an answer from her and she was tired of trying to hide what she wanted.
“Then don’t. No one will stand in our way.”
“It isn’t about us, anymore,” she refuted quietly. “I’ll lose my place on her team.”
“No, you won’t.”
Tracy didn’t turn around. “I don’t like it when you threaten your mom. She doesn’t need that right now.”
Charlie snorted. “She gave me permission a while ago, Tracy. I’ve waited because of you.”
Tracy spun around to catch his face with the lie on it, and found only the truth. “She didn’t...”
“She knows I’m sure or I wouldn’t have brought it to her.”
Tracy still hesitated. “October isn’t so far away…”
Charlie took the steps that brought them face to face. “If we lose the battle, October will never come for us.”
That hurt. It stunned her with the sense of need and urgent regret that Tracy didn’t have the strength to fight anymore.
“Why me? The truth.”
“Because I love you.” Charlie’s hand went behind her neck to gently pull her closer. “And because I saw us, in the future. We make pretty babies.”
Charlie caught her gasp with his mouth.
2
Bridget waited as Neil and Jeremy came around the edge of the last garden truck. She slid in front of them with a sunny disposition.
“Good morning!”
Both men sent the same to her and continued on their way. They’d both decided she wasn’t worth the risk of losing Samantha.
Bridget quickly slid into Neil’s personal space and planted a soft kiss on his mouth. “Mm...Thank you for last night.”
Neil had frozen. Before he could respond, Bridget pranced away, leaving him in complete confusion. He’d been on duty last night. He would get to sleep by Samantha tonight when the sun went down. What the hell?
Jeremy peered at Neil’s face and knew something wasn’t right. He also knew the Eagles who had witnessed it wouldn’t think so. They would assume Neil now had two women and the problems would come from that. The camp was tolerating Samantha’s choice, but if he and Neil broke out of the routine she’d set up, it would disturb the herd. Because Sam didn’t want them whoring around.
“What do I do now?” Neil asked, in shock. He had no idea how to keep this fire from spreading.
Jeremy spotted a furious woman staring in shock at them from the garden truck. “I don’t know, but it better be good. Here comes Samantha.”
Both men turned to find Sam prowling toward them with an evil expression. Instead of stopping, she strode by them without a word.
The two confused men followed, not sure what was going on.
“If you want her, either of you, stop me now!” Sam growled.
Neither man interfered, understanding that Bridget was about to discover the penalty for crossing this line.
“Hey, Heart Ass!” Samantha shouted, voice a gravelly threat that drew instant attention from the Eagles.
Bridget, who loved the nickname she’d been given, turned with a sweet expression, all set to turn down an offer of a date because she was dating Neil.
Slap!
Samantha followed it with a harsh kick to the stomach before Bridget could recover.
“Fight!”
“Fight!” the camp around them chanted, drawing others.
The two women weren’t fighting. Bridget was trying to stay conscious while Samantha took out her anger on any exposed body part that she could reach.
“Better get in there,” Doug stated. “Bosses won’t like this.”
Neither man reacted. Samantha was delivering a series of punishing, but not deadly hits, and they weren’t about to draw her ire.
“Break it up!”
“Stop it!”
Kenn and Adrian got the two women apart before Bridget could be seriously hurt, but Samantha wasn’t finished.
She lunged from Kenn’s weak hold and slammed her head into Bridget’s chin.
“Stay away from them!”
Bridget slowly sank to the ground without answering. It was clear that she couldn’t.
Samantha turned to Neil with chips of crimson ice.
“The next time she touches you against your will, I’ll kill her.”
Neil grinned, flooded with heat. “Okay by me. I only want you.”
“Same here.” Jeremy sighed. “But we’re trading off tonight and tomorrow. I can’t handle her when she gets like this.”
“Sweet!” Neil agreed eagerly. He had no trouble with being a little rough to please her. He knew the differences now in pain for training, pain for pleasure, and pain just to cause pain. Samantha’s needs were helping him learn those lines clearly.
Jeremy left Neil to deal with the chaos and went to the mess. He hadn’t slept well with all the tossing and turning that Samantha now did. Besides the stunning moments when she turned to him in the night, Jeremy loved being able to look over and check on her, but he hadn’t honestly adjusted to this setup. He didn’t hate Neil, only the circumstances in which they’d been brought together. All of them deserved happiness and the time to find it, but that wasn’t going happen unless Safe Haven drove the government back. The time to fight or die was almost here and there was nowhere else he wanted to be than with Samantha when it all happened.
It also didn’t hurt that Neil was able to carry half of the load. Samantha was high maintenance. Jeremy hadn’t realized it before, though he should have. She and Neil were a better match and there were times when he felt like an outsider in their relationship. Samantha often told him he was the reason she still had hope for the future, but Jeremy didn’t know if he believed that or not. For now, it was enough to stay close to her, but if they won, he knew he would have to decide if he wanted to spend the rest of his life this way. If that was only a few more weeks or months, he didn’t want to change anything. If it was decades, he wanted Samantha to himself.
3
“Camper crew is pulling in, Boss.”
“Copy.”
Angela went that way tiredly. She was keeping them next to natural springs now, so their water tankers were staying full. But the camp had begun to grumble about still being in tents. She’d sent out a team to bring in a load of campers, thinking they could use the materials if they were pinned down. The RVs wouldn’t stop much in the way of bullets, but they could be reinforced. She’d worried the whole time the crew had been gone and it was good to find her men coming from the shiny new motorhomes with jokes instead of wounds. She wasn’t sure, but she thought maybe the team had been protected by one of the camps around them.