Seamus snorted. McKay lifted his hand to hold his best friend off. “What kind of show of faith are you talking about?” he asked.
Roman looked to Bridgette. She wasn’t sure what he was talking about, but it really didn’t matter to her. She didn’t need anything to make her trust him, she already did, unwaveringly. He looked to the others, his mouth set in a grim line, a small glint of hope in his eyes that whatever he was about to offer would be enough to create a sort of peace between them all.
“As strong as the rebels might be,” he began, looking at them all, “whether it be your crew, or the General’s, you’ll never be strong enough to overpower Ludwig.”
A course of curses followed.
“Bugger off,” Seamus said.
“That’s bullshit,” said Sam.
“Bollocks,” Trent muttered.
“I’ll show you strong,” Phoenix said.
Charlotte and Bridgette simply waited for him to continue, as did Lake.
Michael raised his hand to silence the others as they continued to mutter amongst themselves. “Let the man finish,” he ordered.
“I’m sorry if that offends you, but it’s the god’s honest truth,” Roman continued.
“Maybe your leader isn’t as strong as you think he is,” Vi argued.
“It’s not him you have to worry about, it’s the extensive army he commands,” Roman replied. “No matter what headway you make, the bare fact is that he has the ammunition to completely destroy you. There is no way the rebels will be able to overthrow him. The only reason he bothered to pay you any attention was that he wanted Douglas back. Blow up as many buildings as you want, it hardly registers as a chink in his armor.”
Everyone sat in silence, eyeing one another skeptically. Bridgette knew what he was saying was the truth, as did Charlotte most likely. She had a feeling, looking at everyone else, that they weren’t naïve enough to think he was off the mark.
“What do you suggest then?” McKay asked, breaking the silence.
“I have the knowledge of some back-up that would aid you in your fight against Ludwig.”
“You think this back-up is going to be enough to go against the all-powerful Ludwig Tennebris?” Trent asked.
“I am certain they will have the manpower and weaponry to take him out,” Roman answered with confidence.
“Is that so?” McKay said, leaning forward. “And who is this back-up? Why haven’t we heard of them before?”
“Ludwig has done his best to keep them away, but I know of ways to get to them since I was the one who was in charge of our defence.”
“Another rebel group?” Lake asked.
Roman shook his head. “No.”
“Who then?”
Then he dropped a bomb no one was expecting. “The US Army.”
Missy hurried down the street, a rain cloud just at the horizon. It was going to pour soon and she really didn’t want to get caught in it. Supplies at the house were seriously low since they had so many people staying with them. She’d already stopped at the candle maker to grab more candles, and had ordered wood to be delivered later that evening for the fires. Now she headed over to grab eggs from a lady that sold them out of a small booth on the outskirts of downtown.
There were better vendors in the main market that had been established right downtown, but Missy never went there anymore. Too many bad memories clung to the surroundings there. Just walking where she had today had her nerves tight and her palms sweating. It took a lot out of her, but she knew, what with everything that had been going on, she needed to pull her own weight. And since she couldn’t go out and fight alongside the others, the least she could do was make sure there was food for them to eat, and fire to keep them warm.
Footsteps behind her had her stomach dropping, fear slithering its way up her back. You’re being ridiculous, she scolded herself. There were plenty of people out now, it was mid-morning. There was no reason for her to be alarmed, and yet she still caught herself glancing over her shoulder. She stopped walking when she saw who was there.
Tyler walked casually behind her, his large arms bare in a white t-shirt, despite the chill in the air. He was going to get sick, walking around like that, she thought to herself. He walked up to her, stopping where she had.
“What are you doing?” she asked.
“Enjoying the morning,” he answered, his accents caressing the words in a way that had her heart racing for completely different reasons than fear. She’d done her best to avoid the large Scotsman since their arrival, although she’d catch herself glancing his way more often as of late.
She arched her brows skeptically. “What are you really doing?”
He smiled, sending her nerves into overdrive, but didn’t answer her question.
Missy sighed. “I don’t need you to watch over me,” she said, walking again. “I’m perfectly capable of running errands alone.”
Tyler fell easily into stride beside her. “There are more soldiers milling about,” he pointed out.
The mention of soldiers had her feeling instantly sick. She was tempted to turn around right then, to hell with the eggs, but she forced her feet to keep going in the right direction. They continued in silence. As she bought the eggs, chatting with the vendor woman, Tyler was like a constant shadow in the background.
When she left, she picked up her pace, leaving him behind her. She glanced back a couple of times, seeing that he had fallen further behind, giving her the space she needed. How he knew that, she wasn’t sure, but part of her was grateful. She just didn’t do well with men, sadly. She wished she could be stronger about it, but couldn’t see that happening with someone as physically intimidating as the man behind her.
They were nearing their street when she heard wheels behind her. The sound of a vehicle in these parts was practically unheard of, so it immediately had her looking around. She turned just in time to see a large, white van pull up to the curb just ahead of where Tyler was walking. Missy stopped, something in her gut telling her that what she was seeing wasn’t right.
Tyler was looking at the surrounding buildings, seemingly unaware of the strange appearance of the van. Two men stepped out, dressed all in white. Tyler saw them right as he came up to where they stood.
Missy couldn’t hear what they were saying, but she saw Tyler’s mouth moving. The men’s backs were to her while they conversed. Suddenly one of the men moved, his closed fist going to Tyler’s throat. Missy bit back a cry, stuffing her fist in her mouth so she wouldn’t draw attention to herself.
Tyler struggled against them as both men moved forward now, each grabbing one arm. His eyes met hers over their shoulders. He seemed to be trying to say something to her with that look and she had a pretty good idea that it was to run. Missy knew there was no way she’d outrun a vehicle, and if she started to take off she was bound to draw their attention.
Instead she dove into the nearest doorway, pressing herself back so she wouldn’t be seen. Carefully she looked around the corner, peeking one eye out. Tyler’s head was hanging forward, his whole body seemed to be dead weight now as the two men dragged him to the open door of the van. They threw him roughly inside before jumping back into the front seats.
Missy jerked back just as the van sped by her. She stood there in disbelief, shock racing through her entire body. Her hands shook as she stepped out of the doorway and began running as fast as she could toward the house.
When she entered she heard everyone from the kitchen. Almost tripping in her haste, she raced through the living room into the kitchen where she found them all sitting.
“There you are,” Phoenix said, her smile instantly disappearing when she saw the look of horror on Missy’s face. “What’s wrong?”
“It’s Tyler,” she said, her breath coming out in huge gulps. “He’s been taken.”
AUTHOR BIO
Janelle Stalder was born and raised in Brampton, Ontario. At an early age she developed a love for literature. Her debut novel, Eden
, was the first book in a series of four, released in September of 2011. The second book, Eden-West, was released in July of 2012, and the third book, Eden-South was released in March of 2013. The fourth book of the Eden Series, Eden-East, will be release at the end of 2013. She is a strong supporter of other independent authors, and loves to interact with her readers. When she's not writing, Janelle is at home with her husband, two children, Aiden and Elora, and her two furry children, Alice and Lily. She now resides in the small town in Ontario in her old, possibly haunted, century home.
Janelle loves to hear from her readers. Contact her at [email protected]
Follow her on Twitter - @jmstalder or Visit her Author Page on Facebook!
www.JanelleStalder.com
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