Jennifer was right. He liked Cassie. It didn’t matter if he’d only just gotten reacquainted with her. She ignited a slow burn that went from the top of his head all the way down to his feet. He was pretty sure she liked him, too.
But they were in the middle of a goddamn war. This wasn’t exactly the time to date a girl. It wasn’t like he could ask her to movies.
Hey, Cassie, want to go kill some Soviets with me? That wasn’t any girl’s idea of a good time. His, either.
She had quieted against him. Sobs no longer wracked her body. Upstairs, Stephenson’s cries had leveled off.
“Come on. Let’s go check on Stephenson,” he said.
She nodded and pulled back from him. Leo reluctantly led her go. He watched as she dried her eyes on the sleeve of her shirt. The process left blood smeared across her eyebrow and forehead.
“Here, wait.” He cupped the back of her head and wiped the blood away, ignoring the way his heart leaped when she closed her eyes and relaxed into his grip.
“There. All gone.” He gave her shoulders a squeeze before releasing her.
Her eyes opened, looking straight at him. “I don’t know why my sister ever broke up with you. That was the stupidest thing she ever did.” Red crept up her neck. She turned her back and hurried away.
Leo followed her, feeling glad she had asked him for shooting lessons. He didn’t want anything to ever happen to her.
15
Lesson
The next day, Cassie awoke early, ready for her shooting lesson. Jennifer and Amanda got up with her, both of them eager to learn how to defend themselves.
Stephenson opted to stay behind. Even though the sun hadn’t fully risen, Nonna put him to work peeling carrots in the kitchen.
“Don’t worry,” he said to Cassie. “I don’t need to learn how to shoot. By the time Leo is finished with you, you’ll be able to protect me.”
“I’m so sorry about your foot,” Cassie said for the hundredth time.
“It’s okay.” The smile he gave her was genuine, even though his face was wan from the ordeal.
“It’s not like anyone needs a pinkie toe.” Amanda elbowed Stephenson. “Besides, just think of all the girls you’ll impress with a missing toe.”
If possible, Stephenson went even paler at this suggestion.
Nonna bustled over and inserted herself between Amanda and Stephenson. She plopped a cup of tea in front of him. “Willow bark tea. Drink,” she ordered.
Cassie and the other girls went outside to where Leo and Anton had the three horses waiting.
“Jennifer, are you okay to ride a horse by yourself?” Leo asked.
“Yes, Mr. Quarterback,” Jennifer replied. “I can handle a horse.” She jumped astride the stocky mare Leo usually rode. She made it look easy.
Leo rolled his eyes, but didn’t comment on the snide remark. Cassie watched the exchange intently. All she saw was the two of them annoying one another like siblings. It baffled her.
“Amanda, ride with Anton,” Leo said. “Cassie, you’re with me.”
Cassie threw a quick glance at her sister to see how she would react to this. Jennifer didn’t appear to be paying attention. She was already riding away like she knew where they were going.
Leo grabbed Cassie around the waist and boosted her onto the horse. Seconds later, he jumped astride in front of her. As they rode away from the cabin, Cassie snugged her arms around his waist.
“Jen, do you know where you’re going?” Leo called.
“You said we’re going north. So I’m riding north,” Jennifer replied.
Cassie laughed despite herself. Jennifer always thought she knew where she was going, even when she didn’t.
They rode to a remote valley a few miles away from the cabin.
As Leo pulled his horse to a stop, he said, “The natural shape of the valley will mute the echo of the guns.”
“Great,” Cassie replied. “I’m ready to learn how not to shoot my friend in the foot.”
Leo didn’t laugh at her, but he looked like he wanted to. Well, that was okay.
“Our father taught us to shoot when we were kids,” Leo said. “When it comes to guns, the first rule is always, always assume a gun is loaded.”
Anton flashed a grin a Leo. Cassie could tell they were sharing a happy memory of time spent with their father.
“The second rule is never, ever put your finger on the trigger until you’re ready to fire,” Anton said.
“The third rule,” Leo said, “is never to forget rule number one and number two. That will keep everyone safe. Now, you guys ready to learn how to shoot?”
Cassie spent the next several hours sweating her brains out under the sun while Leo and Anton attempted to teach the three of them how to handle firearms. Anton had spray painted a target on a big tree. They practiced with rifles, Soviet machine guns, and a .22 caliber.
Of the three of them, Jennifer picked it up the fastest. Cassie and Amanda threw themselves into the training with determination.
“You always make everything look easy,” Cassie complained. “It doesn’t matter what it is.”
This was why Jennifer had always been their mother’s favorite. She was perfect in everything, from cheerleading to gymnastics to her looks.
Cassie had tried to catch up with perfect grades, but what was a four-point-three GPA when your big sister could do flips like a Shanghai acrobat and snag the hottest guy at school?
“It’s not that I make things look easy,” Jennifer replied. “It’s that I decide going into things that I’m going to kick ass at them. It’s all about confidence, Cas.”
“That’s your secret?” Amanda asked.
“Yep.” Jennifer illustrated this point by firing the rifle five times in a row. Every bullet hit the target tree.
When she finished, she lowered her gun and gave Cassie a gentle smile. “Try it,” she said. “You can do it.”
Cassie decided to take a page out of Jennifer’s book. By the time the day ended, her hands and forearms shook with fatigue. But she couldn’t stop a pleased smile from splitting her face. She had hit the target no less than seven times in a row.
“Nice work.” Leo grinned at her.
Cassie tried to pretend the look didn’t melt her from the inside out. Honestly, it was amazing she could even concentrate with him constantly touching her and adjusting her stance.
“Do you think the rest of Stephenson’s toes are safe?” she asked.
Leo burst out laughing. “I hope so.”
“I knew you could do it.” Jennifer slung an arm around Cassie. “Good job, Sis. The Soviets don’t stand a chance.”
As they rode back to the cabin, Leo said, “Still up for a a chess lesson tonight?”
In an attempt to cover up how much she looked forward to it, she said, “Sure thing, Jock Face.”
“You don’t stand a chance against my sister.” Jennifer rode up beside them. “Have fun getting trounced, Leo.”
For some reason, Jennifer winked at him. Her expression was smug. Leo ignored her. It occurred to Cassie they might not be talking about chess, but she couldn’t be certain. Maybe it was an inside joke between them.
“After dinner?” Leo asked after Jennifer had ridden away. “You said you wanted to play outside under the stars, didn’t you?”
“I said I didn’t want to play under the stars because I might get eaten by a bear. Or a mountain lion. Or whatever else lives outside. But I guess I know how to shoot now. Can I keep a gun on the table while we play?”
Leo’s shoulders shook with laughter. “So long as you don’t use it for a chess piece, that won’t be a problem.”
16
Gordon Gambit
They spent the next two days making bombs under Nonna’s supervision, gathering supplies from the Gonzales farm, and target practice.
Cassie never dreamed she’d feel comfortable walking around with a rifle over one shoulder, but after long hours of practice with Leo and Anton, she n
ow took one with her anytime she left the cabin. She might not be an expert marksman, but she knew she could defend herself. And not shoot the toes off of her friends.
She and Leo played chess each night. He couldn’t beat her, of course, but he was starting to play with real strategy and tactics. Cassie spent her days anticipating the evenings with Leo on the cabin porch. Her crush on him was escalating to ridiculous heights, though she did her best to tamp it down. It would help if he wasn’t so damn nice.
The only thing keeping her from making a complete idiot of herself was Jennifer. Though she and Leo argued like siblings and didn’t appear to be reigniting their relationship, Cassie didn’t think she’d appreciate her little sister flirting with her ex-boyfriend.
The afternoon of the third day, she, Jennifer, and Amanda had their hour of target practice. After that, Cassie got to work inventorying all the supplies Jim and Bruce and scavenged from the Gonzales house. She was counting bags of black beans when she heard the shout.
“They’re back.” Anton’s voice echoed through the clearing outside the cabin.
Cassie hurried outside. Everyone else piled out onto the porch as Lena, Dal, Jim, and Tate rode up the hill on their bikes.
The group had already gone once to the Craig’s house to spy on the Russians. Lena had learned of a round-up of residents in western Rossi, but it had taken place the day before. Everyone had been frustrated they hadn’t learned of the attack before it happened.
Today was different. Cassie knew it was soon as Lena and the others arrived back home. Every last one of them pedaled with urgency.
“What is it?” Leo demanded.
“There’s another attack planned for tomorrow.” Lena dropped her bike to the ground, breathless from the long ride up Pole Mountain.
“Where?” Anton said. “When?”
“Everyone, inside,” Nonna barked.
Once they were gathered inside the cabin, Lena related everything she had learned. The Soviets were planning yet another round-up. Their target was a tiny town north of Bastopol called Hillsberg.
“We have to get the word out,” Dal said. “We can save people.”
“Not if we tip our hand too early,” Leo said. “Lena, what time is the attack on Hillsberg?”
“Tomorrow morning,” Lena said.
“Then we make sure we are in position by dawn,” Leo said. “We’ll ambush the Soviets. Dal, you and Lena can warn the people at dawn.”
“We can’t wait that long,” Dal argued. “That won’t give people enough time to get away.”
“If we broadcast too soon,” Leo said, “the Soviets could change their plans and attack someplace else. It has to be this way if we’re going to ambush them.”
He grabbed a stack of auto maps off a book shelf and rifled through them. He found one for Hillsberg and spread it out on the kitchen table.
“We need to figure out where they’re going to take the people to be infected,” Leo said. “They’ll likely pick a central location for the soldiers to bring the people to. At the Westville round-up, they picked a main highway crossroad. We just have to figure out where that central location will be in Hillsberg.”
“Downtown square,” Anton said. “Or the high school football field. Those are the best places for a large crowd.”
“I say we start with the high school,” Bruce said. “At least there are vineyards that grow close to it. That will give us a place to hide for a stake out. There’s no place to hide downtown.”
“But what if they never show up at the high school?” Tate asked. “Then we’ll have wasted all that time setting up an ambush for nothing.”
Cassie considered this argument. Leo and the others had gotten lucky when they stumbled onto the round-up in Westville. There was no guarantee they’d get lucky a second time.
“The Gordon Gambit,” Cassie said.
Nearby, Stephenson groaned. “Enough with the chess moves, Cas. That way of thinking almost got us killed at Amanda’s house.”
“That’s not true” Amanda said. “Cassie got us out of the house. It’s not her fault those zombies broke through the window.”
“What’s the Gordon Gambit?” Leo asked.
Cassie made an effort not to get technical. She turned the strategy over in her mind, boiling it down to its base form. “In chess, you trick your opponent into taking a poisoned pawn. They think it’s a decent move, but you’re really setting up a double check that turns out to be checkmate.”
“A poisoned pawn?” Bruce asked.
“A pawn that looks innocuous, but capturing it sets up the opponent to get creamed in the worst way,” Amanda explained.
“Basically, we trick the Russians into taking us prisoner,” Cassie said. “We sneak into a house and get ourselves caught. We’re the poisoned pawns. It doesn’t matter that we don’t know where the round-up will be. We’ll let the Soviets take us right to where we need to be.”
“That’s a terrible idea,” Anton said. “We can’t take any weapons with us if we do that.”
“Sure, we can,” Cassie countered. “We’ll look like stupid kids to the Russians. We can all shove a few bombs down our pants and hide handguns in our socks and waistbands.”
“It’s a good idea,” Leo said.
“What are you talking about?” Anton frowned at his brother. “It’s the dumbest idea ever.”
Leo opened his mouth to say something, but Cassie cut him off. She’d run all the scenarios in her head in the last thirty seconds. She might be mediocre with a gun, but she excelled at looking three to five moves ahead.
“We’re at a disadvantage,” she said. “We don’t know where they’re gathering. There’s no way to move in ahead of time and set up an ambush. We could go to the high school like Bruce suggested. But if no one is there? Diverting to downtown will take too long, especially with patrols everywhere. We could have the reverse problem if we chose to stake out downtown. The only way to guarantee we are in the right place at the right time is to get ourselves captured. Then we set off some bombs to cause a distraction, steal guns from the Russians, and attack from the inside.”
Everyone stared at her as though seeing her for the first time. Except for Leo. His eyes gleamed with pride when he looked at her.
Leo turned to his younger brother. “Do you have a better plan? Do any of you have a better plan?”
No one responded. The look Anton gave Cassie was one of consideration. It was a bit unnerving. Despite being in the same grade as him, she was pretty sure he hadn’t even known who she was until she arrived at the cabin a few days ago.
“We go with the Gordon Gambit,” Leo said. “That’s our play. Lena and Dal, you’ll make the broadcast at dawn.”
“Stephenson and I will help with the broadcast.” Amanda raised her hand like she was still in school. “I’ll help Lena keep watch around the truck. Stephenson can help with the transmitter and antenna.”
Stephenson opened his mouth to protest, but Amanda stepped on his good foot. “We all have to do our part,” she said pointedly.
“Anton, Bruce, Jim, and Tate,” Leo said. “You’re with me. We’re riding out to Hillsberg before dawn.”
“Don’t forget about us.” Jennifer grabbed Cassie’s hand and dragged her forward. “We’re going.”
Cassie was torn between wanting to help and wanting to crawl under the table. Since Jennifer had her hand in an iron grip, she remained where she was.
Leo frowned at Jennifer. He opened his mouth, argument clear on his face.
“Leo, we’re going,” Jennifer said. “You need every hand on deck for this.”
Leo pursed his lips. “Fine. You guys can come. Just—promise me you’ll be careful.” His eyes met Cassie’s for a brief moment. “It’s going to be dangerous out there.”
“All the more reason for you guys to have all the help you can get,” Jennifer replied sweetly.
And that was how Cassie found herself rousted from bed at four in the morning. With a Russian machine
gun slung over one shoulder, she exited the cabin with the group bound for Hillsberg.
17
Hillsberg
Leo’s team rode out on bikes. They left the horses at the cabin, knowing they’d have to leave them when they went into Hillsberg.
He wasn’t too worried about Jennifer being on the mission, but he had misgivings about allowing Cassie to come. Just because she had a few days of target practice under her belt didn’t mean she was ready to take on Soviets. She wasn’t a natural shot like Jennifer.
His own hypocrisy mocked him. It wasn’t like he was a real soldier with training. Growing up hunting on the family property was a pathetic resume for war. Besides, Cassie had an important role on his team. As evidenced by the fact that she had come up with the only viable plan of attack.
He took up position beside her as they rode through prune orchards on their way to Hillsberg. She looked scared out of her wits, though she had yet to complain. And she hadn’t balked when it came to stashing the homemade bombs in various parts of her clothing.
He’d been careful not to watch when she shoved two of them down her shirt into her bra. Or at least, he hadn’t watched directly. He couldn’t exactly turn off his peripheral vision.
His crush on Cassie was intensifying. Even knowing this, he was reluctant to act on his feelings. They were in the middle of a war. Dating would just be a distraction. He needed to stay focused. It was bad enough he spent much of his daytime hours anticipating their evening chess games.
When they were less than a quarter mile from Hillsburg, they ditched the bikes in a vineyard. Leo reluctantly set his machine gun on the ground. This was the end of the line for their firearms. At his nod, everyone removed their guns and left them in a pile under the grapevines. Nothing but knives and bombs from here on out.
Leo led them on foot into the outskirts of Hillsberg. The tiny farming community had a few small subdivisions on the west side. They would take up position in one of those homes.
Zommunist Invasion Box Set | Books 1-3 Page 34