Third Time’s a Charm
May 7th
Cedar Bluff State Park
1
Angela’s knuckles were white from her grip on the ambulance dashboard, but she didn’t ask Marc to slow down on the slick, curvy road. They might be too late already.
“Wouldn’t he have sent for John if it was serious?” Marc asked quietly, aware of how worried she was. The message had come in as they sat down to morning mess together and she’d been a bundle of live nerves since.
Angela didn’t respond. Marc was trying to calm her, but that wouldn’t happen until she knew Adrian was okay, and she found herself wishing for Kyle and her team. They were in the medical tent, being tested for a mysterious illness that had left them incapacitated. John was trying to figure it out while Kevin and the rookies kept order.
Neil’s team had been with the clearing crew this morning, supposed to be the relief for Kyle’s team that had never made it out of camp last night for their a.m. sentry duty over the tow trucks. Seth’s mental call had come while she was busy deflecting people from the QZ. He’d told her to bring rope, water, duct tape, and a lot of other things, but the one that put fear into her heart was this ambulance. My team wasn’t the only target, she thought. Another attempt had been made on Adrian’s life. Had it been successful?
The ambulance slid through a narrow curve, and then found purchase on the muddy, crumbling pavement. Angela tightened her seatbelt. She wanted to search, just a quick glance to settle her heart, but resisted the impulse. If it was as bad as it felt, she might need every bit of strength that she had.
“There they are,” Marc said, pointing.
A small group of tow trucks and tense men came into view through the drizzle. The guards waved him through and Marc flicked the headlights in response.
Angela was out first, black bag clutched tightly under her rain slicker. Marc joined the group of men for an update, but Angela hurried by them, searching for Adrian.
Neil fell in step to lead the way and she shivered at the feel of his fear. “Kyle and his team were all found in camp, unconscious.”
Neil made a motion to let the others know, but his expression held little relief.
“It’s Adrian?” she asked.
“The truck went over the edge, along with a car we were moving,” Neil told her through his concern. “We’re pretty sure we can pull them up now that we’ve got more rope, but not until we push the car off of them.”
“Why didn’t you…” Angela froze on the embankment, stunned.
The drop was easily thirty feet and she could barely see the tow truck. Upside down, it was mostly hidden by a cracked and muddy wagon that was still attached by a thick chain. The partially crushed cab of the tow truck was near the edge of another gulch and Angela couldn’t determine how far down that one went. Being wedged against the stump of a thick tree was the only thing stopping the vehicles from going over.
“Shit,” she swore. The tree was leaning out, jagged cracks branching out from the point of impact. How long would that hold?
“We’ll have to yank them out fast,” Marc calculated as he joined them at the edge.
“I need to get down there.”
Neil thought to respond, but waited. Adrian had made it clear that either she or Marc would take charge.
“Not until we get them anchored,” Marc denied. “That tree could go anytime. Even shifting might trigger the slide.”
Angela accepted Marc’s decision. She didn’t want to be in charge. She wanted Adrian.
“Have you heard anything from him?” she asked Neil.
“Right after. Nothing for half an hour or so. He said every time we yelled, the vehicle moved. I figure he heard the ambulance and knows you’re here.” Neil was glad to be able to say that and even more relieved that she hadn’t tried to fight for control. Adrian was in danger. There wasn’t time for it.
Marc joined the waiting group, motioning for Neil to be Angela’s shadow, and he waved the other men over, cringing inwardly at the crudeness of his two-minute plan. So many things could go wrong.
“The line goes behind the motor, the side that’s exposed, and then around the tow attachment. We’ll anchor it to those two trees up there,” he instructed, pointing. “If they can come through the rear window, we’ll leave it all. If not, we’ll unhook the wagon and push it off. Even if the ground goes by ten feet, the truck will stay. Dangling probably, but it’ll be there.”
There were doubts all the way around, but everyone held them inside. To voice their fears might cause something bad to happen.
They got to work immediately, and five minutes later, Angela and the rest of them held their breath as two slowly moving men neared the truck.
Marc watched them begin attaching the ropes, wishing it were him and Kenn doing this hands-on labor, and then grimaced at the thought.
The tree didn’t move as Alex and Daniel, the two lightest men here, wrapped the rope around it. Marc felt a little better about his next order.
“Get her set.” He looked at Angie, lips tightening. “Don’t yell or do anything to cause vibrations. You’ll be anchored, but your line could be snagged if the hill goes, so don’t fight if we yank on you. We can see things from here that you won’t be able to. You’ll have a second rope for messages. No yelling.”
“You already told me that,” she muttered, being still as Doug and Neil prepared her harness and lines. “Can you lower blankets and water or should I take them now?”
“Neither. Get them stable enough to roll and you can treat them in the ambulance.”
Angela lifted her arms to allow the two worried males to secure her anchor and felt the tension grow when Neil gave the okay.
Two minutes later, she was starting her descent.
The ground was slick and treacherous. Twice, she lost her footing and slid, caught herself with trembling muscles. Mud gushed under her boots and up her legs as she sank, and she tried to move faster so it didn’t have time to suck her under.
The men above muttered worriedly as she sped up, understanding if the hillside collapsed, it was likely that she would be caught and smashed by the sliding vehicles.
Everyone was relieved when she finally reached the cab of the truck and knelt down.
“Try not to touch anything.”
That drowsy voice cautioning her sent waves of relief into Angela’s heart and she carefully pulled on the door handle.
“It’s anchored now,” she answered, slowly inching the dented door open. Sliding easily despite the mud, she pushed it open and peered inside.
“Welcome,” Adrian greeted her calmly, trying to smile as blood dripped from his nose onto his brow. Pale blue eyes stared at her from the cuts, blood, and scrapes.
Both men were still in their seat belts, faces dark from being upside down so long. She had assumed it was Kenn with him when they’d arrived and didn’t spot the Marine, but Angela wasn’t sure why Marc thought it would upset her. As long as he wasn’t dead…
“Angela.”
It was exactly the right tone and she knelt, opening her bag.
“Kenn first,” Adrian ordered.
She stared past him at the unconscious man. Shallow breathing, lids fluttering, a soft moan. Not dead, but definitely hurt. “We can’t get to the other side yet. There’s a car in the way.”
“The wagon?”
Angela quickly felt what she could reach of him, checking for broken bones. “Yes. Is your vision blurred?”
“And then some. You found Kyle?”
“Yes, they’re with John. Do you feel like anything’s broken?”
“No.” Adrian answered as she dug through her bag. “How long have we been like this?”
“Almost an hour. Are you allergic to anything?”
“No. What’s the plan?”
Angela wiped his bare arm with an alcohol pad. “Marc wants you stable so they can do a snatch and grab. The truck is anchored now and he’s getting everything set for the pull-out. Be still, this will sting.”
Adrian grabbed her wrist before she could inject him. “Have Brady stay with us, him and Neil.”
His words were a hard command that she had no intention of disobeying. “I’ll handle it.”
Adrian didn’t flinch as the medicine flew through his system, stinging and burning.
Angela began to wipe his face, instinctively knowing he wouldn’t want to appear too injured in front of the men.
“Will I pass out?”
She carefully wrapped a bandage around his head. Stitches needed there for sure. “No, but you won’t have much control. He said fast. If you’re not feeling it, you can’t react. If there’s something internal, well, you still have to come out.”
“You’ll be close.”
It wasn’t a question, but she answered it anyway, his fear making her loyalty ring out.
“Count on it. You’ll come out of this alive and so will your right hand.”
2
Fifteen minutes later, Adrian was out and Angela shared her concerns for his protection with Neil as he got her set to go back down. She would only be away from Adrian for a few minutes to tend to Kenn, but that was long enough for someone to finish him off.
“My life for his.”
Comforted by Neil’s response, she headed back down.
Marc watched wordlessly from the top as guards swept the rainy shadows.
Wiping wet strands from her face, Angela slowly crawled into the muddy, bloody truck. Kenn didn’t stir as she checked him out, breathing rougher than she had hoped for. When he shivered, she tried to hurry.
He came around as she was binding his broken ribs, chattering teeth giving him away.
“Good morning, sleepy,” she joked, pulling the wrap tighter.
“This is your chance.”
“You’re still needed.” She pulled harder and he moaned.
“Sorry. It has to be tight so that nothing gets punctured when we pull you out.”
Kenn felt her cold touch on his hand and tried to squeeze her fingers, but couldn’t be sure if he had. “You should hate me enough to do it any...”
His voice broke as his ribs flared to life with red-hot pain in waves. The fire increased and he moaned.
“Yes, I should,” Angela agreed coolly, hoping to distract him. He didn’t need to know how worried she was.
Kenn felt his arm begin stinging and almost right away, his pain began to recede. Very quickly, all the other noises and miseries were gone, reduced to nothing but the sound of Angela’s voice and the beckoning grayness.
“Go to sleep now, grunt. When you wake up, you’ll be in camp, where you belong.”
They were slower, more careful bringing Kenn up and everyone was elated when nothing went wrong.
Adrian was waiting at the top instead of in the ambulance. Obviously medicated, Angela was impressed with his stamina. He was allowing Doug to keep a big hand on him, but his speech didn’t slur and his steps were steady as Marc continued to run Point over the scene. When he finally went to the ambulance, following Kenn’s stretcher, Neil’s team kept Adrian in a tight circle of protection.
Adrian spent a moment in low conversation with Seth and then made a motion. “Let’s go home.”
Angela noticed the tone and veered to Marc, keeping her voice low. “Can you come back and investigate this site after we’ve got them in camp? I don’t want anyone else behind the wheel.”
“You know it.” Marc was worried, but not panicked as some of Adrian’s men were. The boss looked fine to him.
She started to climb in the ambulance and then turned, suddenly feeling that familiar chill of trouble in her gut. “Why didn’t I get called on the radio?”
“I assume to keep the herd from knowing,” Marc answered. He hated the lies the Eagles told, even to the camp members.
“None of them work.”
Jeremy’s voice from the perimeter had them both swiveling.
“We tried every one of them when it happened. They’re all dead.”
“Like he was supposed to be,” Angela muttered, climbing into the ambulance. “Get us to Safe Haven, fast. Something’s happening there.”
Marc didn’t like the sound of that and headed for the driver’s seat.
3
Marc knew she was right about the trouble as soon as Kevin came into view. Waiting outside the tape, the Level Two Eagle went straight to Adrian as he left the ambulance under heavy guard.
“We’re having trouble and I can’t get ahold of it. Posts are short, people not being guarded.”
“Fires, fights?”
“Yeah.” Kevin scanned Kenn’s sheet-covered body that was being brought out on a stretcher. “Zack blew his top when he found out Kenn’s dead.”
“He’s not,” Angela stated, directing the stretcher to John. “Might feel like he is when he wakes up, though.”
Kevin surprised them with a tight smile. “Good. Maybe that’ll cool things down. They were turning out tents for proof a few minutes ago and accusing members. I sent my team, but we’re not enough to quell it.”
As they ducked under the tape, Angela was nearly overwhelmed by the difference in the atmosphere of Safe Haven. Even after the earthquake, when they had all been thrown into shock, orders were followed and posts were covered. Now, the waves of fear and unrest rolled over the dim camp like thunder and the golden bubble that usually greeted them was gone.
“Zack, Lee, Allan.” Angela picked up the worst vibes easily. “They’re at the mess. A dozen camp members, too.”
“Kenn’s boys,” Kevin confirmed.
“They think he’s dead,” Angela reminded the men around her. “Be careful.”
Furious, Adrian didn’t tell her it was the other way around. He walked faster and uneasy Eagles fell in behind them without being called.
Roughly a dozen men made up the small mob, standing with their hands balled or guns already in their grips. They had Seth’s weary Eagles cornered at the mess table where they’d just settled down for a meal.
“Who did it?” Lee demanded, leaning on the splintery table.
“Are you covering for Marc?” Zack interjected, wanting the spotlight. “Did he kill him?”
Angela tensed at the words, at the dangerous scene in front of her. This is bad.
All around the mess, camp members were staring at the scene in the same way and Angela realized they were viewing this as Adrian’s failure for trusting Marc over Kenn. From all appearances, the work Adrian had done to bring these people together had been completely destroyed. How can he fix this? Can I help or will I make it worse?
“Back off or blood is gonna flow, Jeff!” Seth growled. “I won’t take this.”
Seth’s team was tired, worried, and in no mood to put up with undue shit, even from a teammate.
“You’re gonna tell us!” Allan shouted. “Who was it?”
“Who runs this camp?”
A furious bellow cut through it all, making the mob spin.
Frank, one of Zack’s men, raised his gun instinctively and Angela beat Neil to the place between it and Adrian.
Recognizing them, Frank lowered the weapon and Adrian moved around his guards as if it hadn’t happened.
“Who the hell do you think you are?”
His tone was almost casual now, deadly in its peacefulness, and Zack tried to backpedal. “We thought you–”
“You call this thinking?”
Zack flushed and his supporters tried to fade away, only to be the ones now cornered as Seth’s team quickly stood up and blocked their retreat.
“We heard you were near dead and Kenn already was!” Zack tried to defend.
“Do dead men talk?” Kenn limped under the mess canopy, supported by Alex.
Adrian’s voice carried in the loud silence that followed.
“Is this how you would react? Like panicked animals?” His tone went up in tone and down with the weight of his disappointment, his frustration with them. “These are our friends, our family. How dare you!”
Zack and the ashamed people cringed at Adrian’s anger and he surveyed the group, fighting with himself over the choices that now had to be made. Despite their flaws, he still needed Kenn’s boys.
“Clean up my camp. Each one of you who took part. Fix what you broke, apologize to everyone you upset or pissed off. And strip those Eagle jackets. You’re suspended until the moral board votes.”
There was dead silence for a minute.
Angela felt them considering a take-over and was glad when each man, Zack included, immediately decided to suffer their punishment instead. They were smart enough to know they couldn’t do what Adrian could. Intelligence was part of why he’d chosen them.
Needing to be sure everyone understood this wouldn’t be tolerated, Adrian delivered a final threat.
“Get out of line before I’m ready to take you back and you’ll pack your shit and get out.”
There was a sudden flurry of activity as the men hurried to do what they were told and the air filled with short, painful conversations.
Adrian perched stiffly on the corner of his center table, appearing angry to the rest, but Angela didn’t think that was true anymore. It felt like he was hurting. From his injuries or their near betrayal, she wasn’t sure.
Unlike Kenn, who was proud that people were falling apart at the mere thought of him not being around. She glanced at the Marine. “Should you be here?”
“No choice.” Kenn kept his profile aimed toward Adrian, revealing none of the pain he was still feeling through John’s shot. “He needed me.”
Angela stiffened at the ring of truth, past ghosts crying. “He would have gotten them under control.”
“As fast and as painless?” Kenn insisted.
Angela sighed. “No, probably not.”
“User error?” Kenn asked his boss.
“Yes. Tell them we did something wrong. None of us were tow drivers before the war and we’re learning from our mistakes.”
Neil had joined Seth’s Eagles and Angela tensed as a small group of “rioters” approached the table. Neither Kenn nor Adrian reacted and she tried to follow their lead.
Neil held both hands out. “I did it! Arrest me.”
There was a round of snickers at the contempt-laced tone and Zack flushed.
“We’re sorry, you know? Got carried away.”
Seth studied him for a minute, and then shrugged. “Hell, I understand what drove you. We need them.” Seth wasn’t sure that was true of Kenn, but knew better than to say so. “Someone forgot to lock down the tow bar and the weight snapped the rope. It all happened too fast for us to do anything.”
Zack muttered another apology before quickly leaving and Cynthia came over now that the chaos seemed to be finished.
“Can I get an interview?”
Seth didn’t hesitate, beaming at the reporter in surprised pleasure. “We’ll be in your new newspaper?”
Cynthia preened under the longing tone and squeezed in across from him without waiting to be invited. “That depends on your story. Tell it from the beginning.”
Angela recognized Adrian’s subtle hand in that and stopped herself from protesting. He’d been expecting this reaction from his people and Seth had known, helped him cover it before it became a problem. Who was she to be giving advice to a man that smart?
I only knew to set it up because of your warnings. Don’t doubt your place with me, with them.
Angela followed his eyes around, noting that other than Zack and the suspended men, the Eagles had returned to their posts and duties, leaving her as Adrian’s open guard.
In their minds, you saved my life…again. Without being able to hear and bringing the rope, that whole hillside would have gone over and taken us with it. They understand you’re meant to be in this spot now.
Angela dropped her lids to keep anyone from seeing her pleasure, her pride, at his silent words. “So, we’re here for a while?”
Adrian recognized her use of distraction to stop the spark. “We leave in the morning as scheduled. To do anything different would cause more unrest. We’re back to using apocalypse roads for a while.”
“And you’ll go out with them again, if we don’t find the clues this time?” Angela asked. “Keep putting your own life at risk.”
“You saw what it came to and how fast,” Adrian explained. “They aren’t ready.”
“Our time is about up for getting them ready,” Angela pointed out, ignoring Kenn’s disapproval at her advice. “The slavers are coming soon, and this time they’ll have us all or die trying.”
“They’re already here, picking the right moment,” Angela stated quietly. “I can feel their hatred.”
Adrian nodded, hand resting lightly on his gun. “Let them come. After all the hell they’ve caused, my army can’t wait to make them pay.”
“And when the camp finds out?”
“It will be too late for them to run. They’ll have no choice, but to stand and fight.”
Adrian waited for her to protest what might have been a mass murder, but Angela couldn’t. A future without Adrian would be as dark. Without society, these families would be picked off, one by one, until America was nothing but a graveyard. Better to make a stand together and die trying, than to perish alone in cowardice.
Satisfied that she was on the same page, Adrian asked Kenn, “You good for fifteen and a slow round?”
“Drugs are workin’ now, Boss,” Kenn answered cheerfully. “Probably okay for twice that.”
“Stubborn-assed men,” Angela muttered.
Kenn motioned at her, carefully. “Yeah, like we’re the only ones.”
Angela gaped, surprised.
Adrian realized their easy banter was having a calming effect already and gestured at Angela. “Come along?”
“You know it,” she agreed right away. The invite made it easier, but she would have trailed him anyway. Adrian’s attacker was still at large and catching them had become a priority.
4
“I’m sorry. I don’t remember anything after starting my shift,” Daryl said.
Kyle’s head weighed so much it took a real effort to lift and look over at his teammate. “Same here. None of us do.”
Chosen to be the guards on the cleared area, all of them had gone on duty at three a.m., but never made it out of camp.
“I remember packing for the trip because we were set to be there all morning, but it’s like swimming through the fog. I’m missing details.” Morgan was green.
“I knew something was wrong and tried to go report it, but I felt so bad! I couldn’t find my set.” Billy remembered not to groan when his stomach cramped, but couldn’t stop the grimace.
Kyle snorted, tan skin much paler than any of them were used to. “At least they found you guys in your tents. I thought a shower would help. God knows how long the cold water was beating on me.”
“What was it?” Greg asked carefully.
“Yeah, do we have something?” Billy questioned. “I don’t feel so funny now, just like I have a hangover.”
“You were drugged.” Adrian entered the second medical tent, followed by Kenn and Angela.
Angela immediately became a doctor again and started to check them over, even though John had already declared them out of danger. They were her teammates.
“We have some questions,” Adrian started.
“I’m sorry, boss,” Kyle declared in frustration. “None of us remember.”
“We need to know where each of you were before going on duty,” Kenn stated.
His bandages and wary glances at people going by outside allowed them to answer. Clearly, they’d missed some action.
“The mess.”
“Bonfire... Mess before that.”
“Same here.”
“We always hit the mess first and then spend a couple hours by the bonfire before we go out on third shift duty,” Daryl stated and couldn’t stop a flinch as pain shot through his brain. No more talking. Okay.
Adrian gestured to Kenn, who opened his notebook with fingers that weren’t quite steady.
“Hilda on second, until midnight. Maria on third shift. Assistants were Mike and Timmy on second and Cynthia on third.”
“None of them are the type,” Angela said. “Or that smart, frankly. Whoever it was, they did this as a test to determine if it would succeed or even be noticed.”
“They, is exactly right,” Adrian informed them. “One person doesn’t do all this on their own. We’re searching for at least two moles, maybe even three.”
“Then maybe it’s time we dug them out,” Marc stated as he ducked into the tent. He wasn’t surprised by all the shaking heads.
“How about a new plan, then?” Marc asked bitterly. “Because this one isn’t working.”
“But, it’s your plan, grunt,” Adrian exposed.
“It’s too dangerous now.” Marc met his eye, finally allowed to admit how much behind-the-scenes labor he’d been doing. “None of it went the way we needed it to.”
“I wouldn’t say that,” Adrian corrected, enjoying Kenn’s reactions of shock and then realization.
Marc raised a brow. “You thought this would happen?”
“Your plan was good, but a bit simple,” Adrian explained. “It didn’t account for the reactions of the camp.”
“Because they’ve never been my priority,” Marc muttered, recognizing the dooming flaw.
“You tried to keep them out of it, but you also didn’t count on Angela’s reactions. Now, we’ll do it my way.”
“Can’t be any worse than mine,” Marc gave in with bitterness they all felt.
“Sometimes fate throws in a wild card,” Kenn remarked.
They all stared at Angela and she flushed. “That’s one of the nicer things I’ve been called.”
The tension broke with their laughter and Marc ducked out to go over the scene. He’d just wanted to be sure she was okay first. Some of the glares he had been getting upon their arrival hadn’t boded well.
Angela, not finished with her checkup, looked to Adrian.
“We’ll wait,” Adrian said, keeping Kenn still for another minute. Those broken ribs hurt, Adrian knew. None of the times he’d suffered that particular injury had been fun.
“You guys will be cleared in a few hours,” Angela told her team a few minutes later.
“Bet you’re glad you had new arrivals to handle, huh?” Lee joked, starting to feel better with each bottle of water he kept down.
She laughed, thinking Lee was a firm supporter now, and his wife, a hairdresser with bright pink stripes, was a nice addition to her growing list of possible female Eagles. They’d come in alone, and settled into the QZ while she was on duty. She’d been about to scratch the scrappy woman from her list for being a cheater when Lee had apologized for the slap. Listening from the shadows, when Candy started crying, asking him to forgive her, Angela had reconsidered. If they were willing to let it go, so could she.
“You bet your sweet cojones.”
That drew more sniggers and she issued instructions without waiting for Adrian to okay it. His wants were clear enough to her right now, since she was listening to his mind, too.
“For evening mess, tell John you guys need something to help you eat. It’ll control the rocking and we’ll watch for reactions when you show up in perfect condition.”
“What was it?”
“We’re not sure yet. Some type of party drug most likely.” Angela gestured toward the tray near the rear of the tent. “You’ll get another blood test before you leave and a few more over the next couple days. Show up every 12 hours and we won’t have to hunt you down and siphon it.”
“We’ll be around.”
Angela was surprised when Adrian turned to her. “Next?”
Kenn frowned, notebook still in hand. He got it all without being told, but he didn’t like it.
“Double the sentries…talk to the men on the mess trucks and get a list of everyone who got supplies; including the cooks and assistants…it all needs to be checked for tampering?”
“Yes. I doubt we’ll find anything, but it has to be gone over anyway. Whoever did this knew the routines.” Adrian gestured at the notebook. “Can you two take care of that?”
One scowling, the other pleasantly surprised, Kenn and Angela nodded and Adrian continued toward his next stop.
The tension was suddenly thick again and Angela shrugged. “It’s only because you’re hurt. He wants me to be sure you don’t overdo it. You have serious injuries.”
Kenn relaxed a little and she gestured to his notebook. “Let’s get on this and get you back in a cot with a sandwich, a beer, and a pill.”
Kenn grinned, chest aching. “Best plan I’ve heard today.”
Around them, Kyle and his team observed the switch in power without comment.
5
An hour later, they were gathered for lunch mess, all but Marc, who had gone back to examine the scene, and Kenn, who was now in the medical tent resting.
“What’s she doing?”
Adrian glanced up at Neil’s question.
Instead of eating, Sam was currently rooting through a box of papers and folders, and had the table in front of her covered with them.
“Searching for proof,” Adrian answered.
“She knows who it is?”
“She has a suspect list, same as us.”
“Should we get hers?”
Neil’s voice was eager, but Adrian shook his head. “I already have it. She asked me for schedules for the last month for Rick, Maria, Tony, Mitch, and Zack.”
“Only one there I’d worry about.”
“Rick.”
“He’s on our list, too.”
“Should we help her search?”
“No.”
“No.”
Adrian and Angela shared a smile at the overlapping answers.
“Tell him why.”
Angela didn’t hesitate. “They have a history. No one can make him more nervous than Samantha can.”
“Very good. Kyle and his team are coming now. Keep talking to me and watch.”
Nothing. Not a flicker that didn’t match what it should and all of them were disappointed. Rick had been among the welcoming rush and they could find no fault with him, even when he spotted Samantha pouring over folders from a box marked ‘past schedules’. He hadn’t tensed, not staring in worry, and when she’d looked straight at him, he had given her only a casual nod and hadn’t glanced her way again.
“Yeah, model citizen. He’s thinking about presidential assassinations right now,” Angela exclaimed in horror.
“Thinking about next time?” Adrian asked, stopping Neil and Kenn from moving that way with a shake of his hand.
“Yeah. He’s our guy,” Angela confirmed, searching for anything in Rick’s mind that they could use as proof. Usually, she couldn’t get in the suspected traitor’s thoughts, but he was wide open right now and she dug deeper.
“We have to catch him,” Neil stated.
“We lost some, Boss.” Alex stated lowly. He’d been waiting for Neil to tell Adrian and received a glare from the trooper instead. Oops.
“Who?” Adrian demanded.
“The women from Omaha. Lee’s wife tried to hold them, but she said they wanted to be with Ernie. That he had the sense to hide when the slavers came.”
Normally, there would have been crushing loss, but this time, everyone at the table felt Adrian’s anger.
Neil saw Samantha stand up and come toward their table. Would she call it publicly? He’d stand behind her.
Sam handed a single folder to Adrian before returning to her seat, leaving Neil disappointed until he spotted Rick guiltily slipping out of the mess while everyone’s attention was on the center table.
Adrian sat back down and the conversations slowly resumed.
Sam left the folders and papers spread across the table without a second thought, following Rick as the camp stared in curious suspicion.
“Go on if you want,” Adrian told Neil.
When the trooper did, Angela looked to Adrian. “She’s sure.”
“Yes.” He slid the folder toward them, revealing Samantha’s note.
He has to be in contact with them by now. Better channel monitoring–search his tent and check for a radio on channels 24 or 83. Those are slaver standards. And stop Mitch from spending time with him! No access to anything, but especially whiskey, so he can’t bribe our radioman. Herd him now.
“Checking his tent will have to wait,” Jeremy stated, coming up behind them to read the short note. “His was one of a dozen burned during the trouble over Kenn. He just got a new one.”
“Convenient.”
“Yes, but it won’t matter,” Adrian stated with a soft menace that they rarely heard. “Our final battle with his master is coming soon. After that, the need to be careful with him vanishes.”
6
“I’ll tell you again, Ms. Quest. I won’t give you any details about his condition and as you can see, he’s resting and I’m busy.”
“Are you hiding something, Doctor? It was a simple question.”
“Please take your accusations and rudeness and get out of here.”
Marc threw his body in front of the flap as the reporter came out of the medical tent. They collided, and he grabbed her arms to keep her from falling.
Marc jerked her up against his chest, playing it as if they were about to fall. Her flowery perfume struck him in the throat, preventing the words he’d wanted to say and she twisted in his tight grip.
“Watch where…” She fell silent as she realized who was holding her. The feel of his hard body was enough to halt her power of speech. Cynthia had a thing for spying on him and Marc had noticed.
Taking a chance, he kept her close for a moment longer, making full, intense contact. Maybe the reporter could be convinced to switch sides.
Cynthia stared into those sexy eyes without a real thought, too absorbed in the feelings. She’d been observing Marc here and there, but she’d thought Adrian was the only one who held such magnetic appeal. With his feathered black hair and smooth, gypsy-tinted skin, Marc was as sexy as Adrian. His best feature, after those amazing blue eyes, was his lips. Full and sexy, they promised pleasure–the kind that took its time and hung around for a while. Women had been trying in vain to snag his attention since they’d arrived, but it was clear that only Angela would do.
Marc slowly moved the woman back from the instinctive lean-in she was doing and enjoyed her blush.
“You okay?”
His hands fell away from her hot skin and Cynthia shook her head. “Yes.”
Marc smiled at her, stealing her breath again as he used the charm usually reserved for Angie. “Didn’t mean to startle you, Cyn.”
His voice was a low octave of chills over her spine. “I’m fine.”
Marc leaned in to deliver the final blow. “Better than that, I’d say.”
A dark stain ran up her cheeks as her rate of breathing increased.
“Maybe I’ll run into you again sometime.”
Cynthia didn’t answer, couldn’t talk through the lump in her throat.
Marc left her with a satisfied smirk. Now, she would be distracted and that would give Adrian a little more time to get her under real control.
He ducked into the Bengay-smelling tent to find John chuckling in admiration.
“Very nicely done,” John admired.
“Just doing my part.” Marc responded to the doctor’s low words, thinking the man was exhausted. He was so pale that the white sheets next to him seemed darker.
Marc frowned as he glanced around the nearly empty tent. He’d been expecting to discover Kenn and Adrian here, along with Angela and Anne, but there was only Kenn, who had stopped snoring in favor of listening.
“The reporter wanted to know about Kyle’s team, but she moved on to Kenn pretty fast.”
“She’s connected the two,” Marc commented. Where is everyone?
“As have others.” John said as he finished writing.
“Is it right?” Marc asked suddenly, unaware that he was going to. “Lying, manipulating, all this undercover shit?”
Peeling off his gloves, John was tired. “I wish I could say no, but if you had been here two hours ago, I don’t think you would ask that.”
“Neil said it was tense,” Marc commented.
John snorted. “Tents burnt, fights, searches being conducted by Kenn’s allies, levels of Eagles confronting each other. It was more than tense.”
Marc was surprised. “I didn’t see any sign of that.”
“Kenn went out there, even though that man has three broken ribs and a concussion.” John gave him a pointed look. “People thought Kenn was dead.”
Marc understood he had been accused in his absence. “Guess that means I’ll need a new canvas. Zack stirred ‘em up?”
“Yes. They’ve been suspended from the Eagles.”
“And order was restored.”
“Yes. If people knew it was an attempted mass-murder, the peace and security here would be gone.”
“And I would lose them.”
Adrian entered the tent, closing the flap, and Angela took up a place outside in the shadows with the other guards after a fast scan of the tent that verified there was no danger.
“And I’ll do anything, say anything to keep that from happening.”
Marc shrugged, not hesitating to voice his concerns now. “I just don’t know that it’s right.”
To his surprise, the leader laughed.
“What’s funny about that?” Marc demanded.
“Right and wrong doesn’t matter anymore, grunt,” Adrian explained. “Only our survival does.”
Marc conceded the point. If things had been that bad here, that fast, it proved how unready these people were to be on their own.
“Anything found?” Adrian asked.
“A shovel and some prints that were too tracked over to make a mold of,” Marc answered. “We’re almost out of time.”
“I know. I feel it, too.”
“Three attempts in two weeks,” Marc stated in concern. “They’ll come for her themselves now, since their mole hasn’t been successful.”
“We’re as ready as we can be. And so is she, for the time we’ve had.”
“When they come, Angie will expose what she is to protect these people,” Marc replied angrily. “I hope you’ve got that covered.”
Adrian ignored the bitterness. “The Eagles are on board. She’s worked hard and the women here already regard her as a champion for them.”
“That’s not enough of them,” Marc stated. “They might still turn on her.”
“Yes...”
“You have to stop that from happening!” Marc ordered fiercely. “After all she’s already done for you, you owe her more!”
Adrian was scowling. “Don’t you think I know that? The herd needs more time that we don’t have.”
“Then you have to keep her from using her magic in front of them, even if the slavers attack us.”
“That won’t happen,” John stated. “Even I know it. The best you can do is to take the fight away from here so she doesn’t have to hold back.”
Adrian and Marc had a long moment of silent admiration.
“We lure them away.”
“Yes. And what will do that?” Adrian already knew, but needed Marc to say it.
“Angie,” Marc admitted reluctantly. “If she doesn’t leave, they won’t follow at all.”
“Yes,” Adrian sighed. “Dope it out according to the setup you gave me.”
The order to do it was short and awful, and Marc forced himself to pretend it was someone else’s love about to be used as bait. “I’ll have a final battle plan ready and in your tent before dawn.”
On a cot behind them, Kenn listened in shock.
Brady can have the XO slot anytime he wants it!
Kenn hadn’t known those two were doing deep-level work already and it was another of those life-changing moments to realize that Marc had been doing his job all along and hadn’t once tried to take credit for it.
I have now officially lost it all, Kenn thought.
You never had it to lose, the demon inside refuted harshly. You were just keeping the seat warm.
7
Early the next morning Safe Haven rolled out of Cedar Bluff with the annoying cries of mating cicadas ringing in their ears.
A few short hours later, the slavers rolled in and even the invading insects fell quiet.
They had been traveling for nearly a week, using the cleared roads to catch up, and they’d made great time thanks to Rick’s messages.
Cesar shook the dirt from the baggie and scanned the letter inside quickly.
Headed to Georgia. They plan to use the caves. Made 3 attempts, all failed. Bitch keeps saving him! I can’t do it from here–up to you now. Will listen at midnight for the next week.
Cesar scanned to the men now taking over the muddy, but cleared area. The fighters here were more than 300 strong, all seasoned killers.
Cesar brandished his deformed fist. “In three days, we have supplies and whores!”
There was a resounding cheer from the Mexicans. The last three towns had been empty upon arrival.
Cesar strode toward the center of the clumsily unrolling camp, eager to examine more of Adrian’s methods from the clues left behind. There had been problems among his men without fresh females to enjoy, but he had broken into his own harem and handed out the ones with no sign of pregnancy. It had calmed his men down and made him popular again, but it had also sent a hotter fury into Cesar’s heart. When my girls cry in pain, I am to be the cause of it! Safe Haven will pay for every scream I have missed.