“I came down here to offer you my services. I had an idea that I thought you would approve the hell out of,” Cam said, smiling a little.
“Well?”
“I’m going to train your guards for you. You’ve got a good start here, but I saw some mighty green sons of bitches out there yesterday. You need help, bud. I can get them trained up properly and teach them how to not only provide security on the inside, but also on the outside. It was my job you know. Used to be anyway.”
Jax’s brow furrowed as he considered. “Your job, you say?”
“Yep. I spent fifteen years in a specialized unit, Jax. It wasn’t just your average Special Forces unit either. I know my job,” Cam said, looking him in the eye seriously.
It was true. Cam’s unit was specialized, and highly trained. He wouldn’t be surprised at all if his former teams were thriving right now. He knew they were out there somewhere.
He even had an idea of where they may be. He would explore the possibility of a visit later.
“I’d appreciate that, Cam. These guys here…well, they weren’t my first choices. Those guys got killed by the bastards who blew up my patrols. These guys don’t know what the hell they’re doing. Tozier and Rawlis try, but they can’t whip them into the kind of shape they need to be in They lack the knowhow.”
“Leave it to me, old man. I’ll get it done for you.”
Part one of his plan was complete. Now he needed to size up Rawlis.
◆◆◆
Rawlis turned out to be the big guy with the know-it-all attitude, the one who tried intimidating Cam the first day.
Yeah, that’s not how that was all going to go…but Rawlis didn’t know that yet.
He was seated at the cafeteria table reserved for those in charge.
Some of the guards that weren’t on duty were here eating. They were clustered at the opposite end of the table, sneaking glances at Cam when they thought he wouldn’t notice. They couldn’t seem to figure out his status here.
They would know it well after today.
He saw a young woman approaching with his meal. Apparently Jax’s elite got special treatment in more than just the ‘red light district’ upstairs. They also got waited on hand and foot at mealtimes. The woman avoided eye-contact after placing his tray in front of him.
“Can I get you anything else?” she asked.
“Coffee?” he asked.
“Yes, sir. How do you take it?”
“I want to make it up myself. Show me where,” he ordered.
She looked startled at that, then looked around for direction. Seeing nobody that could tell her what to do in this situation, she motioned for him to follow.
“This way.”
She led him through the double doors into the kitchen area. At the end was a beverage station containing two large industrial size coffee dispensers. He poured a cup and saw that it was still hot. He took a sip. Fresh, too.
“Thanks. Now tell me where I can find Beverly Barnes,” he said quietly.
She was startled into looking into his eyes. What she saw must have frightened her, for she looked quickly away and to the side. He saw her glance around the kitchen a moment before settling her gaze on the far side.
“She’s there, by the fryers. She’s wearing the blue uniform with the white apron,” she said pointing.
“Thanks.”
She hurried away to attend to her duties, and he strolled casually across the kitchen. Beverly turned around abruptly and jumped when she saw him standing only a couple of feet away. She placed a hand to her chest and sighed.
“You scared the hell out of me. What do you want?” she asked with irritation.
“Beverly Barnes?” he questioned.
“No. I’m Janet Jackson, obviously,” she said, rolling her eyes.
“I need to speak with you in private,” he urged quietly.
She glanced around furtively, then back at him.
“Come with me,” she said in a low tone. She noticed his coffee cup then and spoke in a louder tone. “Let’s go see if we have any in the cooler.”
He followed her lead and watched as she opened a large, walk-in refrigerator. It had a window, but it would provide a good amount of privacy during this busy time.
“We may have some in the back over here,” she said, indicating he should go in first.
After they walked in and she cracked the door, she crossed her arms over her chest.
“What do you want with me?” she asked suspiciously.
“I happen to know some things about you. Things you wouldn’t want the warden to know,” he said, watching her reaction.
“What? That is not true! I really don’t know what you’re talking about!” she said, but he saw the shift in her gaze and other tell-tale signs of deception.
“A friend of mine told me. A friend that was recently a resident of this place, and who managed to get out,” he supplied.
She frowned and looked at him in disbelief. “Ed?!”
He nodded once, then continued. “He told me about your conversation, and about the others. How do I put this nicely?” he said, thinking for a moment. “I’m here to facilitate a coup,” he finally said.
“A coup? You mean…replace the warden?” she asked.
“The warden, the guards, everything. This place will be free. You people could come and go freely,” he clarified.
“Why would you do that?” she asked suspiciously.
“Mostly because they captured one of my friends, but also because they are committing crimes that I can’t abide by. I can never stand by while women and children are tortured or killed. I will put a stop to it, trust me.”
She stopped and considered him for a moment, then seemed to come to a decision.
“What can I do?” she asked.
“I need a place to stockpile some weapons. Somewhere nobody would ever find them.”
Her eyes widened and she thought about it for a while. Cam had considered hiding the weapons outside the prison somewhere and bringing them in, one at a time. That seemed to be too complicated, and there was a good chance he would be caught and questioned.
After all, the guards had an armory. Jax would want to know why Cam was bringing in more weapons and not keeping them in the armory itself.
No. He needed a hiding place where he could bring everything in at once and arm everyone at the same time, when the time came.
“I’ve got an idea. Meet me back here after the cafeteria empties out a bit. If I don’t get back soon, they’ll notice and question me about it.”
He nodded and left, but not before she shoved a container of coffee creamer into his hands. “Here, take this with you. Keep it.”
“Thanks.”
◆◆◆
Later, he returned to the kitchen and Bev led him to a small room in the kitchen. The end of the room contained a door. A padlocked door.
He looked at her and raised an eyebrow in question.
“This leads to a service entrance, where food deliveries used to be made. I don’t have a key, but if you can get one, then you may be able to get the weapons in through here. Then, we can store them in the pantry ceiling. There is a space up there. It doesn’t lead anywhere, and nobody ever checks it.”
“Good, we’ll use that. Don’t worry about the key, I’ll be getting a set soon. The only problem is getting a shipment in without anyone noticing. I may have a way to do it, but I’ll have to think on it more. Thanks Bev,” he said, walking back through the door.
He had to hurry and get over to the reception area. Jax was calling the guards for a meeting.
“Here he is,” Jax said, motioning to Cam as he entered the door. “Cam here is going to be heading up the security team and the guards. I expect you all to give him every cooperation. Consider him my third in command. What he says, goes,” Jax said, putting a hand over on Cam’s shoulder.
Cam stared sternly out at the assemblage.
Some glanced back at him curiously. Some o
f the young ones looked frightened. A few looked upset. One looked madder than hell, barely containing his rage. It was the large one.
“Rawlis,” Jax called.
Cam watched as the burly guard came up to stand in front of them. He glared at Cam, barely disguising his hatred.
“I need you to turn over your keys to Cam and show him the armory and guard rooms. Give him the scheduling material as well. You’ve done an admirable job so far, but Cam here is a real professional. He’ll take the lead from here on out. We’re lucky to have him,” Jax said, grinning over at him.
Cam gave him a small nod in acknowledgment and flashed him a small smile.
◆◆◆
That evening, Cam was in his room drawing up the new training schedules and shift rotations. He would revise them later when he learned who he could trust, and who would need to be…eliminated.
He would implement them tomorrow. He would watch them carefully and get a better idea of who was basically decent enough to keep around after this was all over.
Rawlis would have to go, that was for certain. He was a loose cannon. Cam supposed his problem was that he liked the power that his position had given him, and now he was back to being a little dog, and he didn’t like it. Maybe he would even kill to get his place back.
Cam wouldn’t let his guard down. He was behind enemy lines here.
He scratched his head and ran a hand over his closed eyes. He was getting tired. He checked his watch. Midnight.
Time to call the teams.
“Mojo, this is Barbarian. Do you read? Over.”
Seconds later, “Copy that Barbarian, this is Mojo. What’s the situation?” Jim asked him.
“Everything is Green. Implementing the plan. Three dawns. Over,” Cam told him.
“Roger that. Friendlies?”
“A lot. I’ll brief you and the team tomorrow. Make sure they are all equipped with comms. Have the goods ready to be loaded up tomorrow evening, around five. I’m coming out to get them in a van. I’ll brief you then. Tell Angel I love her. Out.”
He switched off the radio and stashed it back in its hiding place. He would make a trip out of the gates tomorrow after the patrol returned.
He would bring back ‘supplies’ for the kitchen…including the weapons. He would do this with Jax’s full permission, of course.
Cam smiled.
◆◆◆
Early the next morning he had called a full formation of all the guards. This meant all cellblocks would be placed on lockdown until he was finished.
It was necessary. He needed to get an idea of their characters. He also wanted to demonstrate the level of power he had in case any of them got the idea that he was going to be a pushover.
“Gentleman, come in. Line up against the wall there.”
When they complied, Cam walked back and forth in front of the line of guards. There were perhaps twenty of all ages and experience levels.
“Anyone here prior military?” he called out.
A few raised their hands. He pointed at one, a kid seemingly barely out of school.
“You. What was your MOS,” he asked.
“Uh. Eleven Bravo, sir,” he stammered out.
“Infantry, huh?” Cam said.
“Well, sort of. I was just finishing up Basic when all this happened. I never really got to my unit,” he explained. “After I found family had…well… after I checked on them, I didn’t have anywhere else to go. One of the first patrols found me and brought me here during Week One.”
So, he had barely more training than the average citizen. He seemed a decent sort though, and Cam would mark him down on list one. List one was for possible friendlies.
List two was for enemies.
“So, you were here when the prison was attacked a while ago?” he asked.
“Yes, sir.”
“Did you see who did it?” Cam asked.
“No, sir. Only that there was a lot of them. They had a lot of weapons.”
“Thank you.”
Cam moved on to the others. After cataloguing their military experience, he moved on to prior police, security, and firefighters. There were a couple of former security guards. They had been assigned to stay inside the prison during the attack. There was also a police officer.
“You, step forward,” Cam said. “What’s your name?”
“McDaniels.”
Ah, so this was McDaniels.
“McDaniels, I’m making up two squads. I want you to head up squad one. Meet me in my quarters later to discuss your duties,” he ordered.
“Yes, sir,” McDaniels said.
“Rawlis,” he called next.
Rawlis stepped forward then, waiting for Cam to speak.
“I want you to head up the second squad,” Cam said. “I’ll post the lists on the bulletin board in the common room. I want each squad to present themselves in two hours for a physical training session. Assemble in the cafeteria. We’ll be going for a little run,” he said, smiling.
Two hours gave the guards enough time to get their cellblocks off lockdown and let the residents of the prison eat breakfast.
He had finished the squad lists, attempting to place the “good” guys on McDaniels squad, and the “bad” guys in Rawlis’s. He would need to get McDaniels input later, in private.
For now, he was going to get them used to running a certain route outside the prison. A special route that he had chosen just for them.
He met the two squads in the cafeteria, pleased to see they were all prepared to run. He led them out the front entrance and out through the gate.
He noted that the claymore was imperceptible among the weeds and dead leaves of the field.
Good.
He led them through a series of slight stretches to warm up a little, then he took off. He set an easy pace and wasn’t surprised when many of them had trouble keeping up. He could feel Rawlis’s eyes shooting daggers of pure hatred into his back.
So he sped up a little.
He didn’t allow his gaze to veer toward the areas where he knew his teams had their machine gun nests set up. He didn’t want to give the squads any reason to concentrate on those areas.
He led them to a point two miles down the road, then turned and led them back. By that time, many were slowing considerably— some heaving and some vomiting.
He made them keep moving anyway. They would get over it.
He actually enjoyed the run. Being cooped up in the prison the last two days had really gotten to him. He didn’t know how anyone did it, staying in one place long term with no escape.
Death would be preferable.
They made it back within an hour, several men collapsing to the grass gratefully. He let them recuperate before reminding them to stretch.
“You’ve got ten minutes to cool off and stretch, then I want you all back to your duties. We will regather here tomorrow morning for another run. Come hydrated. Dismissed,” he said.
He went and got cleaned up before seeking out Jax in his office. As he walked into the outer office, he heard noises coming from the inner office. Noises that indicated a very specific…activity. Female moans and male grunts sounded loud in the sterile, unnaturally silent room.
He heard murmuring and the clatter of something falling over. Laughter.
He walked out into the hallway and waited until he heard the door open. Then, he casually walked back in. Margot was leaving the warden’s office, looking slightly disheveled. Jax had his hand on her ass possessively. Cam smirked when Jax noticed him there.
He grinned back.
“Cam, what’s up?” Jax said, far more relaxed than Cam had seen him yet.
Must have been good.
“I’m just coming up to see if you need anything from town. I’ve got intel on a stash of food and meds. I’m going to take a van and go pick them up. I figured you might have some extra things you want me to pick up,” Cam said casually.
“Oh. Well. That’s not something we usually do. Send peopl
e out alone I mean. Maybe you should take someone with you. Rawlis, maybe?” Jax suggested.
Shit.
“I prefer to scavenge alone. Plus, Rawlis doesn’t seem to like me much. Nah, I’ll go alone. Now, I may know where I can lay my hands on a fine bottle of very old Glenlivet…if you’re interested,” Cam said with a wink.
“Now we’re talking. You haven’t forgotten, have you?” Jax said with a smile.
“How could I forget my oldest friend’s favorite beverage?”
“I appreciate it, Cam, and what you are doing with the guards…I appreciate that too.”
“It’s no problem. I’m happy to do it,” Cam assured.
It wasn’t a lie.
Chapter Twenty-One
Conflict
Angie
Angie waited patiently that afternoon for Cam to leave the prison on his supply run.
Jim had informed them that he would be meeting them at the rally point to pick up the load of weapons and ammo. Angie didn’t know how he expected to get them past the guards in the prison, and where he would store them if he did manage to smuggle them in. She supposed he had a plan.
He always had a plan.
“Babe, let’s go back to the ORP and meet Cam. He’ll be leaving soon, and he won’t want to be waiting on us. We need to hustle.”
Angie heard Jim give the others their orders. He was leaving Nick in charge for the evening. Should be pretty easy as long as no herd passed through, or nobody from the prison came snooping around.
Jim came back to her and took her ruck from her, replacing it with a small bag containing a hydration bladder and a knife. He motioned for her to follow, and they took off at a jog. They would need to cover several miles. They would also be coming back in the dark.
It was something she hated, but there was no choice, not if she wanted to see Cam.
After forty-five minutes, they were approaching the Humvees when they heard an engine. They crouched and watched as a vehicle, using only its fog lights, made its way slowly up the trail.
It was a white van, and most likely Cam, but they wanted to be safe.
Refuge From The Dead | Book 3 | Dead Fall Page 22