by Angela White
The men Marc had sent were hard fighters who preferred to keep their own rules, but stayed nearby to deflect anyone coming in with bad intentions. Whatever else Marc had done while away, he’d gathered a loyal crew. They were getting daily reports of the fighting, of the wounds Marc was inflicting on their enemy, but they were also hearing of their own fallen comrades, like Paul. The mood of the camp was somber. As the fighting at the Little Rock base intensified, the mood only grew worse.
Angela didn’t stay to talk to the camper team. She’d only wanted to be see that they were okay. She moved toward the mess. The lunch meal was being served and everyone was enjoying the last harvest from the garden. Angela personally thought the fresh food was one of the reasons the camp had accepted Samantha’s secrets so easily. It was a common sight now to find the storm tracker entertaining the children with dust whirls in her downtime. They didn’t know she was also practicing nightly with Neil and Jeremy. Sam would be a powerful force when the fight made it to their gates.
Angela’s mind went to the last transmission they’d gotten from the base. There had been updates and the sounds of distant dying, but no message from Marc.
Heated tingles went over her skin and Angela searched around. That feeling was restless, lonely, and near the edge of doing something stupid. Adrian was staring at her.
Angela sighed, moving that way. Time to play her role again.
Instead of going to sit with her group of Eagles like usual, she took her tray to the rear table, causing the focus of the camp to shift.
“Mind if I join you?”
Adrian smiled and everyone around them noticed. “Always welcome.”
Doug and Neil added their agreement, and she glanced at them.
“Camp could use a tension release, I think. Maybe you two should have a fight.”
Doug approved right away. “We were just trying to figure something out for entertainment.”
“I’m in if you are. Who’s gonna win?”
Neil got excited without knowing why he was reacting so quickly to the suggestion. Maybe it was the way Sam had claimed him so completely.
Doug flexed his muscles menacingly and gave the cop a nasty glare. “You take it. About time she knows you’re the more dangerous of the two.”
Neil would have denied and Angela listened curiously, catching flashes of acceptance and reluctance to restart the rivalry with Jeremy.
“Run into me when I come through with my coffee.”
Neil raised a brow that made the giant shrug as he stood up. “Wouldn’t get mad over something cold, would I?”
Adrian waited until both men were out of earshot and then turned to her. “They’re gone. What’s up?”
“Can’t a girl sit at your table without something being wrong?” she joked awkwardly.
His tones were full of insight. “Lonely?”
Her eyes went to the left. “No.”
He leaned forward, catching a hint of vanilla. “Liar.”
She stiffened, but relaxed as quickly. “Yes, I am.”
“You clumsy fool!”
Doug’s words boomed through the mess, drawing instant attention from everyone.
“Sorry, man, but you were in the way.”
Neil sounded anything but sorry.
“Fuck! Look at me vest!”
Doug’s growled response was genuine to Angela’s ears.
The two men suddenly began swinging and people ran toward them. When security looked their way, Adrian shook his head. The Eagles stayed at their posts.
Angela took the moment to study the camp for trouble.
Adrian studied her.
The fight was ugly and drew a few dozen people from around the mess, creating a circle of nearly sixty, Samantha among them. Neil was taking a lot of hits, but he was also delivering some nasty punches and drawing blood.
Doug was already out of breath, Neil’s graceful hits wearing him out.
Samantha worried needlessly over Neil as he beat on the giant in the now stained and bloody vest.
“We done?” Doug asked.
Neil grunted, full of energy and fire that he hadn’t been aware of needing a release for.
Kyle motioned Kenn forward.
“I challenge you!” Neil spat at the Marine.
Kenn advanced warily. He’d also noticed that Neil was hot. He planned to stay out of reach until the trooper settled down.
Neil jumped, high kick landing against Kenn’s shoulder. From there, it got mean. He swung repeatedly, Kenn able to do little more than keep his feet. He was accepted again, but not enough to fight back like he wanted to, and the Marine accepted the beating–took one for the team. It was something he couldn’t do before.
Kyle jerked Neil away as Kenn went down again, and the cop swung on him, out of control.
Kyle staggered, shaking his head to clear the stars from Neil’s bloody fist. “I’m on Point, asshat! Pick someone else!”
Before Neil could sweep the area, Seth came into the circle. “How about a fair fight?”
Seth didn’t wait, just started swinging.
“Why did you choose fighting?” Adrian asked, sure of the answer, but wanting an excuse to maintain eye contact.
Angela felt more of his pull than she wanted to. She was trying to resist, but also still craving it like everyone else here.
“Besides reminding the camp how dangerous you men are, I needed to break the tension. Physical contact used to cover that, but with your men, this is the next best thing.”
He contemplated her red face. “I assume that also goes for me?”
Angela’s voice carried a slight edge as she said, “I know you’re not doing without. I thought you’d want the rush since you’ll be cleared for full duty soon. Been a while, right? You wouldn’t want to get rusty.”
He suddenly, stood up, flooded with rage. Having her setting things up to ensure his happiness was almost too much. “Excuse me.”
Angela followed him to the people-ring that now included the new doctor. He had been brought to the patients who couldn’t come to him. Seth was nearly unconscious. The two men kneeling next to him didn’t look better.
“I challenge you!”
Neil spun to meet his next target, but froze when he saw it was Adrian. The fire dimmed a bit, dampened by respect. “Not you.”
Adrian handed his gun belts to Angela. “Why not? You need someone to knock you down. That’s still a part of my job.”
Neil’s face darkened at the words, anger flaring.
Adrian felt the thrill of the fight rising. Neil was a worthy opponent. She’d been right.
Angela took a place near Samantha as the two men circled each other. Instead of studying Adrian like the witch wanted to, Angela casually touched Samantha’s elbow and witnessed it through her mind.
Sam tensed at the first hit, already sure who would win despite Neil’s flare of temper. Adrian was rock hard again. The trooper’s hits glanced off flesh that didn’t respond.
As Neil quickly went to the ground, she flinched at the spray of blood.
Neil landed a hit to Adrian’s jaw that rocked him on his heels, but when Adrian fired back, the trooper hit the dirt.
“Had enough?”
Neil roared in anger, driving into Adrian’s gut. They went down in a tangle of swinging limbs. They rolled in the dirt causing people to jump aside in order to avoid being knocked down.
They leapt to their feet at the same time, Neil’s stance a bit rougher.
“You’re getting tired.”
Neil didn’t respond, so Adrian provoked him. “Again, then.”
Neil rushed him and Adrian used the man’s momentum to flip the trooper over his shoulder.
Neil grunted in pain at the hard landing, not moving.
Samantha was at his side before the doctor. “You okay?”
Neil tried to clear the chirping and managed a rueful grimace. “I’m not mad at her anymore.”
“Well, I am. You just added to it.” Sa
m snorted as she helped him to his feet. “Neil’s due on a run now.”
Adrian had been looking at Angela. He recognized her pride at the sight of Neil and Samantha leaving together.
“I’m actually smirking over Bridget’s thoughts,” Angela stated. “She was sure Neil would get in trouble for the kiss. Instead, she did.”
“That’s what this was about.”
Angela sat down instead of healing his minor cuts and scrapes like she wanted to. “It had many benefits.”
Her voice sounded too much like his when one of the Eagles asked how he’d known to do something, and she flushed. He’d already returned so much of the old Angela. What could she do for him?
“You’re already doing it.”
He indicated the quiet, but intense conversation Samantha and Neil were having as they got out of sight. “They’re a good match.”
“So is the other one she chose,” Angela observed.
“Both men still want her to themselves.”
“Yes. It may happen, but the odds are going down.”
“She’s been lonely, too.”
Angela flushed as he brought the subject back to the previous pause.
“I can schedule you private lessons, like we were doing before. I’m clearly recovered enough.”
Her head snapped up at the word. “Private?”
“However you’re comfortable,” Adrian answered calmly.
Angela tried to resist his pull and failed. “Okay.”
He was surprised, it showed in his face, and Angela stood up before she could take it back.
“I’ll be on rounds.”
Adrian watched her walk away, thinking Marc wouldn’t have her to himself long. She had room in her heart for others.
Angela turned, catching the thought, but before she could yell, time began to slide and she was stuck in a slow motion disaster.
The moldy telephone pole teetered heavily, power lines snapping up, knocking over boxes and tables, and then the cars that were parked over the lines.
Angela shoved herself toward Adrian, feeling like her body weighed tons. She tried to shout, but wasn’t sure if she actually did.
Riiiipppp!
Twisting metal groaned…and the final wire holding the pole broke with a loud snap.
Angela dove into Adrian, lifting them slightly into the air with the force of her panic.
The lethal power cable missed them with only inches to spare as it snapped by, sharp and hungry. It severed the canopy and then the top of tree that it was secured to.
The pole and the tree crashed through the side of the mess where Adrian had been sitting, splintering the picnic table.
They landed hard, with her on his chest.
Adrian gasped for air.
“Easy, be still.” Her voice calmed him. He felt the heat of her hand over his chest, filling. The pain eased, faded…
Angela helped him up as they were surrounded by panicking, yelling camp members and grateful Eagles who hadn’t been close enough to help. She let herself be swallowed by the crowd, trembling. If she had ignored his pain and sat at her usual table, none of this would have happened, except for the pole. He’d be dead now.
Adrian let the doctor and people check him out, but shrugged off those who wanted to take him to the medical tent. “I’m okay. Thanks to Angie.”
His eyes found hers in the rear of the concerned crowd for a brief moment of intense gratitude. Then she was gone and he was forced to turn his attention to calming the herd. “It’s okay. Pole finally gave, that’s all. I’m fine. Let’s get this cleaned up.”
4
Conner ducked into the pharmacy tent as the afternoon sun began to sink, confident that he wouldn’t be missed. His next class wasn’t for an hour and he needed some time with Tonya.
“What do you want?”
Conner sank down into Kenn’s chair to stare up at her arrogantly. “Your help.”
It was like looking and listening to Adrian, except that man would never say such to her.
“With what?” Tonya asked when she could talk normally. Her one moment with Adrian was something she’d never forget.
“Something bad, of course.”
Tonya stopped dusting the shelves, wondering if this was a test. “What do you want me to do?”
“Lie. You can do that, right?”
Tonya grimaced absently. “I’m female. I can lie to anyone. What is it you want me to say?”
Conner grinned wider. “Tell Adrian that Angela needs him to stay closer, that being without a man is hurting her.”
Tonya stared in surprise. “Why would I do that?”
Conner’s eyes lit up with the red glow that the descendants were becoming known for in camp when they were upset or hungry.
“I’ll be the friend you need.”
“I have friends,” Tonya answered, not getting irate like she might have done in the past. “I won’t mess that up.”
“Because of the baby.”
Tonya tensed. “Why hasn’t anyone told him what I’m hiding?”
“You’ve been forgiven, I assume,” Conner guessed. “Or maybe they know that if you fall, you take Kenn with you.”
“Maybe,” she mused, not offended. Her history here was common knowledge. “So tell me why I should risk all that.”
“You won’t be,” Kenn stated, coming through the flap. He gave Conner a polite nod. “I’ll work on her. Go away before he finds out you were here.”
Conner quickly ducked out of the tent.
“No.” Tonya rounded on Kenn angrily. “Whatever you’ve got going on with that boy, stop it now! You’ll screw us up.”
Kenn calmly took her by the arm and led her over to the chairs. “These people want the old Adrian back. There’s only one way it will happen.”
Kenn helped her get comfortable, ignoring her worried looks. He’d known for a while now about the baby, but hadn’t said anything.
“When he came in here, Conner was hoping you’d run him off. He doesn’t want to hurt the dream, but he needs his father. He thinks Angela is the key to that. He plans to throw them together every chance he gets.”
“Why would you help him?” Tonya demanded, keeping her voice down. “You’ll lose everything you’ve worked for.”
Kenn’s tone was bitter. “No, I won’t. She wants him, too. I saw it with Marc and I’m sure. She’s hiding it.”
“You’ve found a way to finally get rid of him!”
Kenn shrugged, not feeling that old rage as much anymore. “I’ll always hate Marc, but he doesn’t matter. She and Adrian together, leading this camp, is what the sheep want and it is killing Adrian on both duty and personal levels. Conner and I have chosen to end both of those pains.”
Tonya stifled a moan as his big hands settled onto her calves and began rubbing. “She can’t be forced into anything.”
Kenn knew that wasn’t true, but didn’t say so.
“It’s not force. She’ll do the same thing that Samantha is, if Adrian gets enough time alone with her.”
“Crazy,” Tonya snorted. “I have no idea how Sam is managing to keep hers from killing each other.”
“She’ll be Angela’s XO when it’s all settled.”
Kenn had explained to Tonya that all the teams went through shake-ups as they reached (or failed) levels, and that the first chain of order on a team was rarely the one that stuck. The redhead wasn’t jealous of it. XO was a hard slot to fill.
“How am I supposed to do this without her knowing?”
Kenn pressed a kiss to Tonya’s shoulder, pushing. “Don’t even think about it. Just walk by him and throw one of your old, snotty comments. That’s it.”
Tonya groaned. “Yeah, the lies starting up again. She doesn’t need him or anyone else.”
“Not true,” Kenn refuted, hand now sliding over her wrist to rest on her stomach. “She’s keeping secrets, too. In a while, she won’t be able to hide them, either.”
Tonya forced away the fear, t
rying to keep up and absorb that he knew, but didn’t appear angry that she hadn’t told him. “You don’t think Marc is coming back.”
“No, I don’t,” Kenn admitted. “If he survives the battle at the base, he’ll keep the new woman he has and leave Angela in peace. He knows the truth, too.”
“And you’re sure there won’t be any blow back?”
Kenn sighed, unable to lie to her. “There will be, if Marc returns, but I’ll take it. Adrian won’t even remember your part, it’s so small.”
Wanting to keep the peace, Tonya agreed uneasily, “When should I do it?”
5
As Conner left the pharmacy tent, he felt the danger and quickly matched it to the lone female moving through the perimeter shadows. Where was Jennifer going while sending off vibes like that?
Conner tailed her from a good distance, while trying to keep his thoughts on classes and preparations that had become a part of daily life in Safe Haven. He watched Jennifer climb into the one of the now empty garden trucks and carefully edged closer. Before he could peer around a side, she came right back out and caught him.
Jennifer knew what was going on. “If you tell on me before I get to do it, we’re enemies forever.”
Conner flinched mentally at the hostile tone, trying to read her thoughts, her plans.
“Are you going to kill her?”
“No.” Jennifer closed the truck door. “I just want be sure she spends the rest of her life terrified of me and sorry for what she did.”
Conner felt the same way, but he also knew the peace in camp was fragile. “Angela won’t like it.”
Jennifer didn’t think that was true, but she wasn’t about to ask for permission. “I need this.”
“You’d risk our whole camp just for payback?”
Jennifer glanced around, scanning thoughts and the general mood. “They know what she did. Lilly’s bragged about it enough.”
“But if you use your gifts against the camp…”
Jennifer moved by him calmly. “She isn’t one of the herd. She’s an enemy in sheep’s clothing and I want her known for it. I’m healed enough to deliver justice for my dead son.”