How could anyone think this was alright?
Cambria cautioned herself not to care about the enemy. As sad as Grace’s predicament was, she had chosen her fate.
“All you have to do is help them find the shifters and they’ll let you go.”
“Is that what you think?” Grace asked. “They’ve already lured my friends out of hiding. They’re probably already in Florida right now, looking for me. Do you really think they’re going to just let me go?”
“Of course they will.” Cambria wanted to believe it, but she didn’t.
“I can hear it in your voice. You know the truth.” Grace lowered her voice, looking young Cambria directly in the eye when she spoke. “You can help me get away. If I can just get away, I can warn them and no one has to die.”
“No, that’s not true. We can’t let the shifters keep doing what they’re doing. They’re destroying our nation.”
“Who is telling you these things? Shifters are good people. My friends are good people. They don’t deserve to die.”
“They left you here to fend for yourself.”
“No they didn’t, I didn’t want to leave. I thought this entire thing would blow over and everything would get back to normal. They begged me to come with them, but I didn’t want to leave my life here. When that man kidnapped me I was on my way to the airport because Olivia bought me tickets so that I could go live with them, where it’s safe.”
“It doesn’t matter. Even if you don’t understand, it’s the right thing to do. You’ve been brainwashed into believing the shifters are good people. But they’re not.”
“It’s you who’s been brainwashed. No one has to tell me how to feel about people I love. And what about their child? Their son Morgan is five. He’s five years old. You know they’re going to kill him too, right?”
Cambria swallowed the lump in her throat and the knot in her stomach grew.
“He’ll be a full-grown shifter then, and he’ll be just as dangerous as his father.”
Grace gave her a knowing look, but it was clear that she’d given up trying to convince Cambria of the truth. “You don’t believe that, and you know it. I hope for your sake that you see the truth before you die fighting for the bad guys.”
Heavy footsteps fell in the hall just outside the door. Cambria stood abruptly, picking up the empty plate and the water bottle. Grace watched her as she went, her unwavering stare boring holes into her.
Cambria passed Tom in the hall.
“I see you got her to eat. I hope you didn’t untie her.”
“No, I didn’t.”
“Smart girl. I’ll see you in a little bit. You’d best get home, it’s dark out.”
Cambria nodded but said nothing. She didn’t trust herself to speak. Jogging the short distance to the main house when a noise caught her attention. A long-bed pickup had pulled up to the mess hall, and Laskin had stepped out of the passenger seat.
What was going on?
Cambria altered her course, heading for the mess hall and towards all the commotion. She walked quietly through the back door, surprised to see all the men gathered there. Once again, she’d been left out of the loop.
Silence fell as Laskin held up his hand.
“I have it on good authority that the shifters-the ones we’ve been hunting for the last five years-are here, looking for the woman we’re holding captive.”
The men whooped with joy, all of them clearly ready for a fight. Laskin held up his hand and they stopped immediately.
“Do not celebrate yet. When they come, it will be a battle of epic proportions. They will not go down easily. I need men to spread out and guard the perimeter, and I need men to ride with me to spread out into the forest surrounding us.”
Hands shot up and quickly, Laskin counted off the men he needed and sent them outside.
“The rest of you, be ready. We may outnumber them, but don’t underestimate their evil. They are here to kill us all and take the woman. If we fail, they will breed an army and destroy our great nation with their spawn. Do not give up!”
The men roared and Cambria ran up to the front, stopping Laskin as he worked his way back towards the door.
“I want to come.”
“No Cambria, I need you here. Take care of the woman.”
“Gary is taking care of her. They don’t need me. She’s tied up and she’s been beaten so badly she can hardly hold her head up. I can be helpful, I’ve worked so hard and I want to fight.”
Laskin let out a sigh, his face softening as he regarded her.
“I need you here. I can’t trust the others the way I trust you and I need to know that everything here is taken care of.”
Cambria could tell she was being blown off, and she forced herself to remain calm. Laskin turned and started walking out the door and onto the large porch that ran along the front of the building.
Cambria hurried after Laskin.
“But I can help!”
Laskin paused as he was entering the truck, regarding the young woman with disdain and a touch of amusement.
“You need to stay behind and be ready.” Without another word, he drove away, leaving her standing in his dust. Angrily, she kicked a rock with the toe of her boot, sending it sailing into the air.
She watched the dust settle behind him, doing her best not to cry. That was it. All the men were in that truck. And she was left to babysit a woman who was tied and beaten. Grace was in no shape to leave on her own, even if Cambria cut her loose right now.
“This is ridiculous,” she grumbled, kicking at another rock as she walked down the packed trail towards the main house.
Laskin couldn’t make her watch that woman, and the last she’d seen, both Tom and Gary had been taking turns watching over her. More like torturing her, Cambria thought. She was going back to the house to cool down. Later on, if she wasn’t angry, she might consider checking on the woman.
Cambria heard a soft rustle in the leaves near the edge of the tree line. She stopped for a moment, listening for the sound to come again, but the leaves remained still. It was probably just the wind.
She continued walking, letting her mind wander as she did. She was so angry, and with each step her anger grew. She was still being treated like a burden, even though she’d worked really hard to get where she was today. Cambria had run circles around the new recruits less than a week ago, yet Laskin was so willing to let them go out for such an important mission.
One that could make or break their cause.
Cambria was starting to question everything she knew about the people she’d come to know as her family. Maybe Laskin was letting his personal feelings overshadow his good sense. There wasn’t another explanation that she could come up with that made sounded true.
And then there was Tom. Tom, who ran hot one minute and ice-cold the next. She never knew where she stood with him and that drove her mad. She couldn’t get past the little voice in her head planting the seeds of doubt against both Tom and Laskin. Things weren’t the way she thought they’d been, and it was making her question everything.
She heard another quiet noise in the darkness off to her left, but this time, she kept going. She didn’t have time for her mind to play tricks on her. She knew as well as any man that there were animals in the woods. If it had been anything else, the noise would have been much louder.
Being that she was a woman walking alone in the dark, any man hiding in the woods would have made his move long ago.
This is why they don’t think you can handle a real battle, she thought angrily.
No matter how hard she worked, she was still just a girl.
The main house finally came into view and she was relieved. With everyone gone, she was free to spend time in the common room, watching television while she sat on the tattered sofa. It wasn’t what she wanted to be doing right now, but it was better than sulking in her room like a spoiled teenager.
A dark figure moved off to her left, and for an instant, her heart
raced. But the figure held up his hand in a familiar gesture, signaling that he was one of the recruits. He moved along the shadows, going towards the mess hall in the opposite direction from Cambria.
Further up, a low whistle gave away the position of another recruit, who was letting this one know that he was there so he didn’t get shot.
Cambria rolled her eyes. With men like that in charge, she had nothing to worry about.
She almost laughed, but she was still too angry. When tonight was over and she had a moment alone with her uncle, she was going to give him a piece of her mind.
Cambria was done being pushed to the side and treated like a burden. She stomped up the steps into the main house, stopping for a moment in the doorway to survey the woods beyond the well-kept yard. The soft, yellow glow of the light prevented her from seeing much, but it didn’t matter. She could hear the men at the far end of the field, moving around in the bushes. She should be out there with them, but as usual, she was left behind like a burden. She was starting to wonder what the point of taking and passing the stupid combat test was. It hadn’t changed anything, even though she’d proven herself more than capable of doing what needed to be done.
She sat on the sofa, arms crossed angrily in front of her as she watched the TV. The news flashed images of civilians clashing in the street across the screen while the news anchor read the words on the teleprompter with little emotion. All hell was breaking loose and she was stuck at home, waiting her turn to babysit the prisoner again. She was so angry she didn’t even notice when a shadow filled the doorway of the darkened room.
He stood in the doorway for several seconds before his presence registered with Cambria. When at last she noticed him, she threw him her most angry glance. If Tom thought she was going to welcome him back after she’d been left behind he had another think coming. He had dismissed her so easily when she wanted to fight, and she was still pretty upset with the entire situation. If they were back so soon, it couldn’t have been that dangerous, anyway.
“I’m not in the mood to talk right now.” She set her mouth, hoping Tom would take the hint and walk away. As charming as he was, there was nothing he could say that would help right now. She was just too mad to be placated right now.
The man in the shadows stepped forward and Cambria took in the tall, muscular man standing there so casually, a gentle smile tugging at his lips. She didn’t recognize him, but she knew he wasn’t one of the recruits. She didn’t know all of them by name, but she knew that there wasn’t a man like the one standing before her anywhere in the compound.
He took a step towards her, his arm out and his eyes focused on her. His expression was strange, though Cambria couldn’t quiet place it. One thing was for sure, she was in trouble, and all the men were gone. There was no one around to rescue her.
CHAPTER SIX
She jumped up on the sofa, sailing over the back of the tattered chair in search of a weapon. The man lunged at her, diving over the sofa and landing on top of her, nearly knocking the wind from her. She had her hand outstretched, reaching for a rifle propped up against the wall. Wrapping his arms around her, he pinned her to the ground.
“Wait, wait. I’m not here to hurt you. I just want to talk.”
“That’s what they all say.” Her voice was strained under his weight.
“I’m not going to hurt you, please, just listen to me.” She stopped struggling briefly, and he took that as a sign that she was willing to talk. He moved off her, close but giving her room to breathe so they could talk.
She pulled up her knee, catching him in the groin and running as he struggled to stand up in spite of the pain. He hobbled after her as she ran. She ran with everything she had, not bothering to call out for help. She was certain that he knew as well as she did that all the men were gone except for the one left to guard Grace. Cambria was on her own. Better to save her energy and not give away her position in the dark with pointless screams.
He pushed through the pain, a smile painted on his face as he chased her towards the woods. He moved with a slight limp, but otherwise looked unscathed. More than once, Cambria looked over her shoulder to see how far behind he was, but she didn’t stop.
The man was gaining on her, and Cambria was in a panic. There was no one to help her, her hand gun was in her room, and she didn’t even have so much as a knife on her. If he caught her, she was done for. Fighting this man hand to hand, no matter how good she was, would be a losing battle.
Cambria ducked behind a large tree, bending down to pick up a rock the size of her fist. She could hear the man coming after her, his steps heavy and his breathing labored with pain. When he burst through the forest edge and a few steps in front of where she hid, she smacked him in the back of the head with all her might. He went down to his knees, but he didn’t lose consciousness.
Cambria ran, trying to put as much distance between them while he was down, but his hand snaked out and grabbed her ankle. She went down hard, her breath escaping in an audible whoosh.
She rolled away in the dark, kicking every time his hand made contact with her legs. Cambria was able to roll out of his grasp while he kneeled t on the ground, shaking his head against the encroaching darkness.
She got up and started running again, wishing that she something to fight back with. Brains over brawn only went so far with a man thrice her size.
The man stood and went after her, stumbling in the dark. He shook off the pain in his head, calling out to her as if she was lost and not his intended victim. His behavior was confusing, but Cambria wasn’t about to stop and ask the man what was going on. She crashed through the trees and onto a sandy trail, slender legs pumping frantically as she ran.
The man hit the path behind her and picked up speed, calling out to her.
“I just want to talk.”
She flipped him off over her shoulder without breaking stride. Surprisingly the man laughed at the gesture, as if he found it amusing rather than insulting. Cambria was in a panic. Each step he took brought him closer to her, and none of her effort seemed to help her get further ahead of him. Even after she’d assaulted him twice, he still kept coming.
They ran for a while, with Cambria managing to keep several yards between them the entire time. Over their strained breathing, she heard a scream in the distance, and a mighty roar. Her steps faltered as she pulled up short. The sounds of a fight drifted towards them from directly ahead. Undeterred, the man closed the distance between them and grabbed her, clapping one hand firmly over her mouth to keep her from screaming.
She kicked and fought, but he held fast, carrying her in front of him towards the sounds of the fighting. Several yards ahead, Cambria could finally make out the scene in the darkness. Laskin was fighting another man who was in the process of shifting as the two pummeled each other. The men who had piled into the truck stood mere feet away from where Cambria stood trapped, their eyes riveted on Laskin and the shifter. Cambria attempted to scream through his hand, kicking and twisting in an effort to break free and run to Laskin and his supporters.
She suddenly stilled when Laskin began to shift, her screams dying abruptly as she and the others noticed Laskin’s transformation. She started trembling, moaning forlornly through his hand, tears streaming down her face. She shook her head no, over and over, as she shrieked in rage and heartache. The man who had saved her, who had trained her to fight the evil shifters was a shifter himself. She and the others had been fooled.
Cambria’s knees started to give way as the sobs wracked her body. Laskin had been like family to her. For years, she’d only had him to look to for guidance and for love. And yet, he’d been lying to her for the past six years and she’d had no idea. She was heartbroken. And she was angry.
The man leaned close and whispered in her ear. His voice was surprisingly steady and kind, even as Cambria watched her world crumble before her.
“Things are about to get really bad. We need to leave, okay?”
She nodded behind his
hand, her eyes wide as she watched in horror as Laskin, the man she’d followed for the last few years, turn into the very thing she was fighting against. The man holding her grabbed her hand and ran away from the fighting, heading for the place where he’d hidden the rental car. She stumbled behind him, struggling to keep up and trying to yank her hand out of his.
They burst out of the tree line several hundred yards north of his rental car. She planted her feet, finally pulling her hand free.
“I’m not going with you.”
“And where will you go? To your family? To those men and Laskin? The one’s that left you alone to fend for yourself?” She stared him down, arms crossed, stance defiant.
I don’t have a family. I only have myself, and I don’t need you.”
“We don’t have time for this. We’ll talk later. Right now, we have to get out of here before this place is crawling with police.” He bent down and threw her over his shoulder, his strong arm locked around her tiny waist. “The trunk or the passenger seat. Your choice, but if you haven’t chosen by the time we get to the car, I’ll choose for you.”
“Gah! I hate you!”
“Trunk it is.”
“No, no the passenger seat.”
“I thought you’d see it my way.”
He jogged to the car, ignoring her protests as she hung gracelessly upside down over his shoulder, bouncing along with his stride. He opened the driver door and set the automatic locks before pushing her across the driver’s seat and into the passenger seat. She didn’t bother trying the lock, she knew it wouldn’t budge when locked from the driver’s side.
The man slid in, and Cambria scooted further away, pressing herself against the door. He turned over the engine and threw it into gear, growling at her to buckle her seat belt before he did it for her.
“Where are you taking me?”
“I don’t know yet. We’ll figure it out when we get there. Right now, I’m taking you away from this mess. Somewhere quiet. We have a lot to talk about.”
She opened her mouth to ask him a question, but thought better of it and closed it., Arms crossed tightly across her body she leaned against the window, still trying to get as far away from him as she could get.
CORAM Page 23