by Angela White
“And me,” Kendle admitted, not wanting lies between them. “She didn’t tell me to keep it quiet or anything.”
“But you were happy enough to do it,” Marc guessed. “Especially if it might drive a wedge, right?”
Kendle dropped her head without replying.
Marc didn’t let the anger take control. “She’s the boss and you’re both on her shit list. I’d follow her orders to the letter if I were you.”
Adrian was glad Marc had taken it so well. Now that the moment of his capture was closing in, Adrian wasn’t feeling very snarky. Jack and his men had been waiting a long time to get their hands on him.
“Does she want us to hang around and rescue you?” Marc asked, not sure if he would or not.
“No,” Adrian answered. “She said if I die, I deserve to.”
Instantly soothed, Marc also stopped, taking the reins of Adrian’s mount as he realized they were splitting up now. “Good luck.”
Adrian grunted as he went by, but he didn’t say anything else. Angela’s messages were hard and cruel, and he did deserve it, but the pain wasn’t taken lightly.
Marc told Kendle, “Let’s make it obvious that we’re leaving. Give them the red eye.”
Kendle snickered, letting her rage bleed through, and she immediately felt the shield around Jack grow stronger.
She waited for Marc’s cue and when he rotated, presenting his back, she did the same. It would appear as though they were headed home now that they’d escorted the bad men away.
“Are we going straight home?” she asked, suddenly not confident that was a good idea.
“Yes, but we’ll make stops along the way,” Marc answered. “We’ll set up some disks and alarms. The next time they come through here, I want advance warning.”
Kendle was already anticipating being alone with him and she managed,” Okay” instead of gushing.
Walking by her, Adrian leaned in and whispered, “You haven’t got a shot in hell. Best stick with me.”
Angered, Kendle stuck a foot out and heard a satisfying thump as Adrian hit the ground.
“Asshole,” she spat, before following Marc.
Adrian grinned, picking himself up. “That’s me, sweetheart. And one day, you’ll be glad of it.”
Kendle kept going and Adrian headed for Jack’s camp. Jack’s crew was getting set to spend the night out in the open and Adrian had recognized a good opportunity to sneak in. He was hoping to overhear a few tidbits before allowing himself to be taken hostage.
Adrian eased into the trees around where tents were going up and found the edge of a personal shield covering the area. He took a seat among the weeds and quietly sank down to wait for the right moment to act.
“Now!”
Adrian felt Alpha power slide over him in a slimy flash and began resisting. He struggled for a moment, panting. Jack’s power had grown stronger than he had expected and Adrian shuffled those thoughts to the rear of his mind, where they would be safer.
“Ah, who do we have?” Jack asked happily, sucking at the person’s power until the shield flickered and the man was revealed.
“Kneeling already,” Jack joked, leaning down to get a better view. “A good start. Maybe you’ll–”
Jack leapt away as he recognized his captive and then hard laughter rang out. “This is a day for gifts. Gentlemen, we now hold Adrian Mitchel. Let’s have that meal and drink.”
“Do you want him darted” Vlad asked, jerking Adrian to his feet.
“No,” Jack answered, waving to a spot across their small fire. “I want information first. He can fill us in on the two hard-asses that were following.”
Adrian yanked his arm from Vlad’s harsh grip and sank down where he was told. “If you’ll kill someone for me, I’ll join your crew.”
Jack cackled in surprise and Adrian waited patiently for it to pass. Once Jack realized he was serious, he would make the deal, though Adrian expected to be killed when everything was over. Jack wasn’t a forgiving master. Neither was Angela, and a deal with this lunatic wasn’t in her orders.
3
“Where are we stopping?”
Marc pointed toward the distant light. “The lumberyard. After that, we’ll check on the other crews who are still out. Then we’ll go back for our evening shift.”
“She’ll be happy that you checked in,” Kendle commented.
“Not doing it to make her happy,” Marc replied, kicking his horse faster. “I care about these people, too.”
“Wish I could,” Kendle muttered under her breath. “It would make adjusting easier.”
Kendle opened her mouth again. “She also gave him a ghillie suit and there was a big red question mark on the map.”
“Figures,” Marc grumbled.
Kendle couldn’t stop another peek over her shoulder and Marc caught it.
“You can go and babysit him if you’re that worried.”
Kendle twisted around, reddening. She didn’t want to be worried about Adrian. It was just hard not to be.
Marc sighed, taking pity. “Lead the way and try to spot anything that will be of use.”
Grateful for the distraction, Kendle took the lead and tried to keep her mind on her new mission. Adrian was a traitor. Marc was the light. She needed to remember that or she’d never have peace.
4
“Everything’s calm and quiet.”
Angela took the sheet of paper from Greg and gestured toward the filling line. “Go get fed. I’ll still be here when you’re through.”
Angela planned to be sitting here, resting, when Marc arrived. He would have questions and updates before she could go to bed and Angela was looking forward to leaning against his heat the entire time. The chill in the wind said flurries again tonight weren’t out of the question.
Greg headed for the food line and Angela opened her notebook as others approached her. The rest of her evening would be spent this way, but her mind wasn’t in it at all. Her thoughts were with the lone man in quarantine Zone A. The sentries thought Darian might be an assassin. The other descendants couldn’t get a read on his thoughts, and Angela knew that wasn’t good, but she couldn’t help the guilt. She had executed his sister. He had every right to demand a trial. He wasn’t going to get one, but he had the right to it.
“Everyone is accounted for,” Shawn stated, joining her at the table. “Work goes on in all the places it should be and there’s nothing new to report other than all the zones have people in them again.”
Angela took his sheet and put it with the others. “You eat yet?”
“Went back for seconds. That Li Sing can cook.”
“Yes,” Angela agreed. “Would you make a round of the QZ, please? See how all our guests are doing.”
“You got it,” Shawn stated, rising. “You letting any of them in here?”
“Not from Zone C. Keep the patrols heavy on them.”
That was all Shawn needed to hear and he waved a few men with him as he left. The group in Zone C was loud, crude, and armed. None of the guards cared for that, but Angela hadn’t ordered them disarmed yet. If she didn’t plan to let them in, it made sense that she would let them keep their weapons for when they were out in the wilderness again. They would need those guns then.
Shawn wanted to feel sorry for them, but it was hard to when the men screamed obscenities at the females they saw and threatened the weaker sentries around the area. A few of the Eagles were already talking about removing a few of those problems, and Shawn had it on his list of updates for Marc. At some point, those people would become a problem that had to be handled.
As Shawn neared the gate, he could hear the drunken shouts of Zone C and he motioned a few more men to take a place along the gate. If Marc heard that, but didn’t find a doubled watch, there would be hell to pay.
“Let us in there, you bastards!”
Shawn climbed the gate ladder to the top partition, joining the gate sentries. He peered down at the troublemakers, at the broken bott
les and trash littering the area. Small fires burned moodily and drunken shadows fought and ran among the smoke.
“Not good,” Shawn muttered. “Not good at all.”
“Yeah, the boss needs a plan for this area,” Zack agreed, rifle in hand. “If they storm our gate, we’ll kill them all.”
“Good,” Shawn said firmly. “She already passed sentence on this group. They’re not coming in.”
“Glad to hear it,” Zack stated angrily. The leader of Zone C was lurking in the shadows to study the Eagles on the gate, getting set to bite the hand that was feeding him. “That one has to go first or he’ll rile the others into attacking.”
“I’ll make sure she knows,” Shawn promised, lingering to observe. “I’ll also talk to Marc.”
“If she wants Marc to know, she’ll tell him,” Zack said pointedly. “Don’t forget who the boss is.”
Shawn scowled, but didn’t respond. If Angela didn’t get to rest soon, she would lose the baby and then nothing would be the same. Marc needed to be running Safe Haven until after she gave birth, and Shawn planned to mention it to him at some point. Then, they had to get Angie to agree.
5
“I’m sorry about Beth.”
Jennifer ignored Theo’s concern and handed him the blueprint she’d finished. “This is the last one.”
Theo understood she didn’t want to talk about it, but he also knew Kyle would have forced her to confront the emotions. “Jenny, you can talk to me.”
Jennifer didn’t like the pity and tried again to get them onto business. “Do you need anything else?”
Theo sighed. “No. Thank you. These are great.”
Jennifer picked up the baby seat, aware of Autumn drooling in her sleep. If not for the feeling of doom, it would have been a good moment.
“I’ll walk you,” Theo stated, set tone marking it an order and not an offer. He wasn’t giving her the chance to refuse. He had also instructed his men to escort the women and kids all the way to the gate.
Jennifer appreciated his concern and immediately understood it when they neared the QZs. The people in that top area were shouting, drunken, some fighting, and the ground was littered with trash. As they went by, Theo automatically placed himself between them and Jennifer, and his hand rested on his gun.
“That’s a problem waiting to happen,” he commented, not liking how the men leered at Jennifer and the baby.
“She has it covered,” Jennifer answered firmly. But she didn’t like it either. From now on, she would take the longer route that wound through the rear of camp.
Theo waited until Jennifer was safely inside the gate and then returned to the tent outside the cave entrance. He needed to go over the blueprints and numbers on the supplies for the day, but all he could think of for the moment was Jennifer’s prediction. He needed to talk to Candy and make sure she knew where they stood. It was a conversation he wasn’t anticipating and when he heard the gates open again to admit the female team that had left earlier, Theo stayed in his tent. It would keep.
6
Jennifer went to the crowded mess, forcing nods and the correct replies. She left the baby with Peggy and Hilda, noting Tonya sitting between the den mothers, and then headed for the showers. She looked and sounded normal, but the glaze over her expressions would have worried Kyle, who was gone on the run to the north.
As she entered the camper, she found it empty, and Jennifer broke. Tears streamed down her cheeks and she stumbled into the farthest stall and sank to the floor to let her grief flow. Out there, she had to be strong or she could lose all the progress she’d made in gaining control of her life. In here, she could let her pain out so it didn’t fester inside like an open wound. She’d missed Beth’s pain, her depression over the death of her child. It was awful.
Angela lingered outside, giving the teenager a minute of privacy. When she thought the sobs had gone on long enough, Angela climbed into the camper and slowly joined Jennifer on the floor. When the teenager peered at her with abject misery, Angela held her arms out and Jennifer crawled into them like a baby needing the comfort of a parent.
“It’s not your fault,” Angela crooned. “You know that. And you know whose fault it is, don’t you?”
“Yours!” Jennifer cried, sobbing harder. “You didn’t warn anyone.”
“No, I didn’t. I hoped she wouldn’t make that choice, but it was hers to make. I’m sorry.”
“Sometimes, I hate you,” Jennifer confessed, still clutching Angela tightly.
“I know, sweetheart,” Angela replied, rocking her. “So do I.”
Angela left Jennifer in her crowded tent with a number of kids who needed to feel safe tonight. The loud men outside their gate were causing bad memories to haunt some of Safe Haven’s members and it would provide a good distraction for Jennifer.
Angela shut the tent flap, signaling for the Eagle on duty in the center to monitor the girl. She got a nod in return and allowed her tired feet to carry her toward the front gate. Marc and Kendle would be arriving soon and Angela was eager to pass the shift. She was exhausted.
On the way, Angela detoured to check in with Tracy, who was on guard outside Tara’s tent. As seemed to be her routine, Tara was already in her tent for the night, with her daughter at her side.
“How did things go today?” Angela asked, hoping her swollen lids weren’t commented on.
“Not bad once we all got over the surprise.”
Angela didn’t offer an apology, but she did wait for any complaints that Tracy wanted to give.
Tracy, busy examining her own mind, didn’t give any. Samantha probably would and Candy definitely would, but Tracy didn’t have a grudge against Conner. She wouldn’t say it, but she thought being around such strong women was a good idea for Conner. Angela knew what she was doing with the boy.
“Thank you,” Angela gave kindly.
Tracy shrugged. “You’ve got enough on your plate.”
“Yes,” Angela agreed, heading for the gate. “I do.”
She didn’t ask for an update on Tara and Missy, confident Tracy wouldn’t have any information yet. She’d only been on duty over the pair for half an hour. The other three female from today’s run had dropped their supplies and went to the showers. Angela expected a visit from each of them at any time.
The noise of drunken men grew louder as she neared the gates and Angela swallowed her scowl. After tomorrow, they would quiet down. Fear had a way of doing that to people, even those who thought they were too hard for such an emotion.
Angela beckoned to one of the guards on the gate and Doug came quickly, hoping for an order about the unruly QZ group.
“I want you to help someone settle in here,” Angela said. “Interested?”
“Yes,” Doug answered, hoping it wasn’t any of the troublemakers. “Who?”
Angela led him into the smallest QZ area and took him to Darian’s tent.
Darian came out as they approached and Angela said, “Sorry for the noise. We’ll let you in now and you can get a good night’s sleep.”
Angela smiled at Doug. “This is one of my highest men, Douglas. He’ll show you around for the next few days and you’ll bunk with him, eat with him, work. It’s how we do things here.”
Darian didn’t respond and Angela could tell that the doctor hadn’t had anything good to say about her. Instead of defending herself, Angela left the two men alone. Doug would get through to him without even trying.
The sound of the main gate opening drew Angela, and she was with the other welcoming Eagles as Kendle and Marc came in. They were covered with dirt, and Angela understood Marc had done all that she’d asked, including leaving Adrian in the hands of the enemy.
Marc swung down from his horse and turned his glowering red orbs toward the noisy QZ.
Silence fell as he glared and Marc warned, “I’ll handle that soon.”
Angela didn’t argue as she went to him. She rested against Marc’s heat and let herself breathe again. She hate
d being apart.
Marc felt her weariness and led the way toward their tent. “You’re off-duty, as of now. I’ll get the next lists while you get comfortable.”
Angela sighed gratefully. It had been a long day. “I have a couple people I need you to talk to and then we’re all set for tomorrow.”
“Good. After today, I have another list of my own to accomplish.”
Angela, confident they were on the same page, yawned. “Welcome back.”
Marc hugged her again and pressed a kiss to her cheek. “Missed you.”
Angela blushed and the couple disappeared into their tent for a few minutes alone.
Kendle, hurt at being ignored, wheeled her horse toward the gate. “Let me out.”
No one argued. The camp liked Kendle well enough, but the Eagles still didn’t trust her and they wouldn’t until she quit chasing Marc like a lost dog.
Darian observed it all without speaking and Doug led him toward the main tent area, chatting lightly in an attempt at conversation. He didn’t know why Angela had put him with the new guy, but he planned to do a good job and stay alert. Troublemakers were everywhere these days.
7
An hour later, Marc keyed the com truck radio mike. “Mission people, move out now. Stay ahead of the storm.”
Shawn handed Marc the latest reports from their spies and Marc skimmed them wearily. Angela was sleeping now, but she would be up soon to help him carry things through.
“We’re all set,” Shawn stated as three mike clicks came to confirm Marc’s order.
“Yeah,” Marc agreed. “Let’s hit the mess for some hot chocolate.”
“That sounds good,” Shawn stated, yawning. “It’s already been a long night and it’s only half over.”
“Tell me about it,” Marc answered. He hadn’t been to bed yet at all. When Angie had said he would need that extra sleep, she hadn’t been exaggerating one bit.
8
“Incoming!”
Adrian eyed the men coming into Jack’s camp in sympathy. Without gifts of their own, the nine males were slaves who had no choice but to carry out their master’s bidding.