High Overhead
July 8th
1
“I need to check your wound for signs of infection.”
The tent went quiet as it began clearing out and Angela held herself in check as best she could. Some of those thoughts were ugly.
She forced a grin. “Drop those pants, Mr. Mitchel.”
Light laughter broke the tension, but didn’t ease her annoyance as the last of his groupies filed out.
“Can we talk?”
Adrian leaned back to allow her access to his side.
“There’s no reason for you to not be in charge right now,” she began.
Adrian grunted. “So?”
Angela hadn’t been expecting that. “So, why aren’t you?”
He didn’t speak for a long moment, studying her face as she checked his wound. When he finally did open his mouth, the ring to the words was undeniable.
“Safe Haven has two leaders. This is your shift.”
Before she could argue, Kenn ducked into the tent.
“Got updates, reports, schedules, and lots of crap you both love.”
Adrian waved a hand at the table. “I’ll do it later when I’d rather be on rounds.”
Angela stayed quiet as she replaced the bandage and Adrian noticed.
He still a problem?
No.
Good.
Adrian doubted that was all there was to that story, but said nothing. He wasn’t sure of her mood today.
Angela waved at the people waiting outside the tent, eager to escape before Adrian read her thoughts. “He’s all yours folks. Healing slow and steady.”
Adrian gave his approval, even though she left without looking back. She could have said it was almost healed, forcing his hand. She still trusted his judgment despite all he’d put her through. That was encouraging.
Isn’t it more likely that she feels the magic of the job, is finally being seduced by the power? his demon asked.
Maybe. Adrian agreed reluctantly. We’d better find out. We can use that.
“Normal lessons for the Eagles are suspended until further notice. I want them getting ready to train groups. Set it up with Marc and Kenn. They know what these people need first. I also want a complete list of Adrian’s travel preparations so I can be sure that I’ve covered everything.”
Angela had begun rattling things off as soon as she cleared the tent, determined not to be distracted from her duties.
“Is it okay to let Conner roam?”
“Yes, but don’t switch him even after he’s cleared. By his father’s side is the best place for him right now.” Angela viewed the slowly moving crews working on cleaning up the mess from yesterday and last night. It hadn’t been nearly the wonderful holiday that many of them had been hoping for, but it was certainly one to remember.
Jeff started to ask another question and had to stop to cough. In that moment, other sounds rang out to Angela from across the camp. Sneezes, sniffling, coughing and spitting. Was it a normal amount or were too many people feeling the effects of so much rain after going without for months?
Angela listened harder and was relieved to hear no deep rumbles in chests or trouble breathing. Still, it was better not to take chances. She would do a complete round of the camp and look, listen for signs. An epidemic was something that could derail all their carefully sewn plans. It was something she’d keep a close eye on.
Angela spotted Samantha under the protection of the mess canopy and half a dozen men from Neil’s team, and was glad no one was treating her badly. She was getting a lot of stares, but no comments or glares and that was progress from yesterday’s mob.
The vote had been uneven for the first time since she’d come here. Roughly fifty-five percent of the camp thought they should flee for the mountains now, while the rest had voted to break into smaller groups and get out of the path. The mountain voters wanted to hole up and hide Adrian, something the Eagles were busy explaining would get everyone killed when the soldiers finally came. The split group wanted to take Adrian with them, to lead him away from the danger. She and Samantha were expected to go with one of those groups also, giving someone a distinct advantage when you added in Marc and Charlie. It had caused another loud fight this morning that had been solved by her declaring that if they couldn’t stay and fight, they didn’t deserve to care for Adrian or to be protected by his Eagles. Three more carloads of camp members had then left Safe Haven’s light.
But not forever, she thought. If we win, you’ll come crawling back as fast as your knees will carry you. And be welcomed.
She forced the images away before she could get on the radio and try to talk them into coming back now. Losing people was killing her on the inside and it was starting to be a struggle to hide.
2
Samantha glanced over the harvest, unable to stop the pride. There were five full tables of baskets from the garden–corn, beans, onions, tomatoes, green peppers, broccoli, and cauliflower. In a week or so, the potatoes, carrots, cabbage, and melons would be ready. Safe Haven now had enough vegetables for a couple months of settling into their new home in the mountains.
Samantha turned around to find a small group of camp members lingering near the tables, observing her and the food with dark expressions.
Samantha glowered defensively. “I’ll plant more as soon as I turn the soil. I’m earning my keep.”
The woman in front gave only a small grimace. “Do you need help? We know how to can food.”
Samantha’s mind took a minute to adjust. “Uh, yeah. Sure.”
She directed them toward the truck, where Li Sing would be glad to have the help with the steamy mess of jars and hot water he was currently surrounded by.
“That’s a good sign,” Hilda remarked.
Samantha’s heart lightened a bit. “Yes, it is.”
“Maybe your record here did the trick.”
“Maybe.”
“Or they’re okay with you being like Adrian and Angela.”
Samantha didn’t answer. She’d had that thought, too. It felt different than she’d assumed it would.
Jeremy appeared at her side, and he pressed a gentle kiss to her cheek, relishing the feel of not hiding his feelings anymore. “How are you?’
Samantha leaned against his arm. “Tired, but better. Headache’s gone.”
“Good. Angela sent me. She’d like to try a few things later.”
Samantha wasn’t eager, but she wasn’t dreading it, either. “Okay. When?”
“She’ll send someone for you. She said for you to stock up for the rest of the day, that you’d tell me what’ll work best for that.”
Samantha’s brows furrowed, but she didn’t fight. “Take me out into the crowds, where we’ll have to be close to them. Excitement is a good source.”
Jeremy left Hilda to monitor the food and gently led Samantha into the camp members. Only after dawn, there was already large numbers of people observing the Eagles work, helping with hands and tray deliveries. He felt it was still a slight risk, but compared to yesterday, it was calm. There was no hostility now, no real fear, either, only curiosity and relief.
Samantha assumed the relief was because they wanted her to be a good guy, to help, but Jeremy could have told her they were relieved to have been wrong about her. The camp had come to care for Samantha, but even more, they needed their leaders to be reliable. If Samantha had fallen, it might have been too much to keep them all believing in Adrian. After all, he’d placed her in the chain of command and that still meant something.
3
“Set it up right in the center of camp.”
“What?”
Aware of time counting down, Angela motioned toward the cracked blinds and flaps all around them. “They need to believe that we’re ready.”
Marc directed the men that way. “Once you unload, stay and unroll it.”
Kenn joined them and Marc pointed at the center fire. “Get that lit. We’ll use it for our testing and garbage.”
Eagles came by, carrying cases of weapons, and the waking camp began coming out.
Ten minutes into the unloading, there were a hundred boxes near the center fire. Half an hour later, there were stacks of crates and boxes as high as a man, various guns and launchers, setups, and pieces of dangerous metal that few of them could identify. There were also bags and tubes, rolls of wire and rope, buckets of knives and handheld weapons. It was impressive.
“She was right,” Zack murmured, observing camp members pulling Eagles into discussions about the weapons and tools. “This will give them hope.”
Angela went to the middle of the stacks and the top thirty eagles formed a half moon behind her.
“What we need to start with, are surprise weapons that can be easily carried. The first team is leaving in a day and they have to have a full load of items of pick from.” She glanced around. “I’d like you to break into groups and work on small items first. Nothing bigger than a fist.”
Angela saw the camp was still listening. “They’ll need help. Mostly to hold an end or go get something. That’s where you come in. Also, you can cover their guard posts so they can keep working. Either one is a big help.”
“When do we get to do something that matters?” Jerry questioned snidely.
Buuurrrr…
The sound snapped every head to the sky.
Marc was wrong, Angela thought, time again slowing as fate waited for her response.
There was only one thing they could do. The gifted people would stand together while the camp ran.
Angela opened her mouth to order a bugout…
“One plane, flying low…looks like it’s picking someone up,” Kevin reported over their radios.
Angela closed her mouth as the single plane came into view. She grabbed Marc’s arm as everyone else continued to stare. “They have to do it, Marc–the camp.”
Marc stared for only a second, admiring her less resentfully this time. Then, he leaned close and whispered what she needed.
Kenn was already adjusting his radio as Angela turned to him.
“Marc swears they’ll do a low flyover. I need to know when they report us. Make sure I hear it.”
Kenn’s hands were racing to find the right channel in time.
Angela moved toward the most mature looking section of the about-to-panic camp members that were still gathered around the stacks of weapons. “You, you, and all of you! Come get a grenade launcher.”
The ten men and women did it eagerly, and the camp settled down a bit to observe.
“Theo, bring the gun over to the middle of the piles for cover. I don’t want them to know until it’s too late.”
Eagles started to get out of the way and Angela’s voice grew sharp. “Keep working! The camp and I have you covered.”
The men did as they were told while ripples of excitement and fear ran through the crowd. A few people fled for their vehicles and Angela let them go. The plane being destroyed might bring them back, and if not, it was another cut, another thinning.
Adrian watched them leave in painful silence. He understood the reasoning, had agreed even, but it still hurt.
“Line up here, keep your weapon pointed down, and listen to Marc. He’s going to give you a thirty-second crash course on how to use it.”
Radios crackled across the area. “They made the pickup…coming this way! Here they come!”
Angela grabbed a long roll of camouflage netting and tossed it toward the other side of the camp line with Theo’s help. “Get that over your fighters or the plane will have them!”
It was an awkward struggle that shoved people, scratched hands and mashed fingers, but the two canopies went over the nervously waiting fighters as the plane came into view.
“Everyone stay still!” Angela ordered, turning to glare at Kenn. “Stand your ground. They don’t own us!”
The camp let out a small cheer at that and Angela pushed a bit. “This is what they get for the war!”
The camp cheered in a frenzy now, calling out their own insults and threats, and Angela swore under her breath. “Now, Marine!”
Kenn switched again, straining, and stumbled into what they needed.
“Looks like a large group, base, hundreds. Organized, guards in sight…and weapons, base! Stacks of weapons! They’re ready for war.”
The transmission crackled and Angela firmly controlled the people with the launchers. “Wait for it and we’ll kill them all, including those who betrayed us. Mitch and Matt are on that plane.”
This time, the camp screamed for blood, drowning out the next transmission.
“They just reported seeing Adrian here,” Kenn stated furiously, ear to the radio. “Do it!”
Angela strode into her waiting rookies, falling behind to help Marc and Doug direct them. “Drop the canopy! Let them see what’s coming!” Angela stifled the fresh guilt. “Take away their shields.”
Theo’s machine had been humming roughly, building strength from the solar reserve they’d captured, and it vibrated harshly, explaining the need for it to be sitting on something solid.
“Here it goes!” Theo hit the switch and the machine blew up.
Except nothing scattered, no fire flamed out, not even smoke came from it. The blast of solar energy was concentrated into the shell that whistled through the air toward the plane.
“We’ve been fired upon!” the plane complained.
The shell hit the air in front of the nose of the plane and exploded in a disappointing flash of green and black.
“That’s it?”
The crowd echoed Kenn’s question.
The plane didn’t react at first…then smoke began pouring from the right engine.
“We took out the wiring!”
Angela tapped Joseph on the shoulder. “Now.”
He obligingly pulled the trigger. He’d had plenty of time to aim.
The others waited until they were tapped, firing within seconds of each other.
Explosions rocked the sky.
The sight and sound of the plane going down was something that Angela wouldn’t ever forget.
“I did that,” she told herself. “I’m damned.”
Adrian was close enough to hear her over the cheers and he sent it to Marc. She would need comfort later and he couldn’t be the one to give it. When Marc left, that would change.
4
“We verified them?”
“We got there before it finished burning. Three of theirs, plus our two,” Marc confirmed stonily.
Angela was moving steadily through the busily working camp and Eagles. “And we stripped anything usable?”
“Yes. We didn’t get much in the way of supplies. Parts might come in handy.”
Kenn joined them outside the medical tent. “You got the training plans ready?”
Marc handed him a sheet of paper from his pocket. “You’ll do basic combat marksmanship in the form of Table Two, and then later with Table Three and Four, if you have time.”
Marc waited for Kenn to catch up, glad to be working with someone who understood his lingo.
Kenn grunted. That would develop certain aspects of marksmanship that were crucial in combat, like where to shoot someone–T-box, Center Mass, Groin.
“We’ll also run drills like our CO–Pick ‘em up, hit the target line, and engage the enemy.”
Kenn grinned at that one. Done to mimic the effects of a real fight, the Eagles would love it. “I’ll get it going right now.”
Angela viewed Marc as Kenn left. “You’ve got the kids working?”
“Yes. Adrian’s with them for the next three days, overseeing.”
Angela looked away at the name and Marc shot a dirty thought toward that tent. “Are you okay?”
Angela brought up her walls and forced a smile onto her face. “Never better.”
Marc let her go, but when the demon whispered, he listened to his fears and worries be confirmed. He also took the advice his demon gave. Once he heard it, Marc agreed that nothing else would succeed as well for their future. If you loved something, you let it go.
Word spread fast that Marc was leading their ambush team and it immediately calmed the twitchier members of camp. Marc was lethal. Everyone knew that.
Marc himself didn’t realize how much that meant until he put it with what Angela had planned around Matt. Then he understood that half of his setups had been to prove to the camp that he could do this, that they didn’t have to flee. Even as far back as his cage match, Adrian had known this was coming.
“And who did you see winning, you secretive bastard?”
“Us, of course.”
Marc let out a sigh at Adrian’s words. He hadn’t heard the man approach. “I forgot sneaky.”
Adrian went on as if Marc hadn’t spoken, “With their numbers cut in half, they’ll get to the base tired and nervous. You’ll wipe them out.”
Marc didn’t doubt that, only worried over who may be caught in the crossfire. “And those left in the bunker, what will they do?”
“Leave us alone until they think they’re strong enough to try again. By then, we’ll be in the south, out of the damage path.”
It was what Angela had told him and made little difference to hear again. Marc would complete the mission he’d been given.
So would Adrian.
5
“You had no right to do that!”
Already furious with herself, Angela faced Cynthia coldly. “I had to choose. That boy or this camp.”
“You sacrificed an innocent kid!”
Angela didn’t look away. “So did you. Anyone else might have developed feelings and pulled him in. That would have kept this from happening and changed our future.”
“They told the government. We don’t have a future now, thanks to you!”
“Yes, we do, only not here.”
“You’ve doomed us.”
“I helped them find the truth. Only death waits for us on this soil. We have to leave for a while. Something is coming and we have to get out of the path. These people weren’t going to go without knowing about our gifts and the protection we can give.”
“You set me up!”
“Yes.”
“Why me?”
“Anyone else would have felt pity for Matt, saved him, but not you, not with Kevin on standby.”
Cynthia stared at Angela in horror as Adrian stood up and walked to the flap.
“It was mostly my idea.” Surprised Eagle looks were ignored. “She made an impossible choice based on the greater good. It’s exactly the choice I would have made, only none of you would have questioned it to my face.”
His parting reminder was enough to calm the Eagles, but Cynthia wasn’t ready to let it go.
“I don’t know how I can stay on your team. I don’t trust you anymore.”
Angela raised a brow. “Did you before?”
“Well...no.”
“Then why does it matter? You were given an FND chore and you handled it exactly as I expected you to. It wasn’t an easy duty, but it is over now and you’re out on top. What more do you want?”
“For that boy to still be here! For you to apologize!”
“For knowing you were too hard-hearted to fall for Matt?” Angela asked coldly. “Not likely. Next?”
Cynthia argued in exasperation “You don’t get it. You’re wrong for doing this.”
“No, you don’t get it. Right and wrong don’t matter, only survival does.” Angela stepped away from the furious reporter. “Save your resignation. I won’t accept it yet. I know what I’m doing and you can quit once you understand that.”
Cynthia thought of the nights with Matt, of the service she’d put in, and turned away from her team leader. “I miss him, Angie. What did you do to me?”
Angela didn’t answer and Cynthia walked away as she muttered, “Get ready for it. I’ll be the first Eagle to leave.”
Angela doubted that was true, but didn’t argue the point. Cynthia would also adjust. She hadn’t been forced into anything, nor tricked into it, despite what she was currently feeling. She’d been given something she couldn’t refuse and after the first trip as XO, Angela was sure the reporter would accept what had happened and decide to stay.
Cynthia’s newspaper had been put on hold. They couldn’t spare the supplies or her time. There were too many other important things they needed to accomplish. That was another reason for the reporter’s lagging spirits.
Marc didn’t miss any of it and like Cynthia, he was surprised by the cold calculation. He hadn’t thought Angela capable of all this.
Adrian knew, Marc thought. He saw this right away, knew she’d be capable of the intricate plots and setups. And if he knew her that well on sight, what does it say about my bond with her?
That it’s weak, the demon confirmed. Now will you let me help you?
Marc wavered, weakened by the knowledge that he would soon be parted from her, while Adrian would be here, staying close. “I’ll listen.”
5
“When the fight starts, there will be total chaos. Screams, gunshots, animals to trip over, camp members in the way. You have to remember one thing right then.” Angela viewed them, orbs glowing red. “Find me. We are a team. We come to each other.”
“What about those of us with children?” Jennifer asked quietly.
“The men will defend the children. We have to defend the men.”
Angela waved at the battle map that she and Neil had spent hours on. She’d refused to tell him who would be in each place they’d chosen. “Each team has a job to do, but the leaders and XOs will also have separate assignments. The men know their responsibilities.”
She met Jennifer’s concerned gaze. “Kyle will keep Autumn. You’ll be on my right as much as you can stand to be away from her. I need you.”
Jennifer couldn’t resist those words. “I’m there.”
Angela let out the small breath she’d been holding. “We are the front line, ladies. Over the next weeks, we’ll put in many hours together, but you’ll have to practice while I’m busy. Cynthia has the lead for those lessons. When she’s busy, Samantha will cover it. There will always be an Eagle to help and supervise, but these men do not have any clue what I’m planning.”
Angela searched the small group, feeling a connection with them.
When that hard glaze came over her face, each of them braced for the next revelation.
“We’re going to hold the soldiers off, as if we’re a bubble. It will slow them down for the Eagles to get our weapons in place and send weaker people to cover. We’re going to buy time, something we need.”
“How are we going to do that?” Becky asked, mind coming alive with ideas. She could get into work like this.
“We evaluate the weapons we have and figure out how they work together to make something larger. For example, if you combine a steady flame with a powder keg, you’ll get a nice explosion, but if you add some shrapnel to the mix, you’ll kill. That’s what we are now, ladies. For this moment in time, we are Safe Haven’s flames, its powder kegs and shrapnel, born to defend this camp.”
“Any rewards or perks?” Crista joked, aware that her nerves were now at their roughest level since the war.
Angela grinned as the others laughed a bit. “Yes, as a matter of fact. Besides being wanted by every Eagle in camp, you’ll each be given Level One status and start choosing your own team.”
Female cheers drew attention outside the tent, but only a little. Safe Haven was busy. Training classes and lessons, supplies and rations being distributed, defenses going through testing, ideas spawning from observing the groups closest. It was a bit amazing to have the elderly population cleaning weapons, while the children carried drinks and tools. These kids hadn’t been allowed to roam the camp before. The younger ones were still in the mess, helping Peggy and Hilda with a project, but even those were being allowed to explore under supervision. It was a good thing to see Safe Haven full of life that hadn’t been corrupted or broken.
As the meeting ended, Becky caught up with Angela and Samantha. “Listen, I have an idea.”
Angela waved Samantha on.
“What?”
“I think I can turn our shrapnel into direct slugs.”
Angela had hoped her girls would think of things she missed. She’d already dug into the males here for all the schemes she could use.
“Let’s go have a cup of mud and talk.”
Angela spotted Charlie laboring in the livestock truck alone, but didn’t change her direction. Charlie’s feelings over Matt were something Angela knew to give him time with. Her own hells and guilt had a nasty way of busting through and making her stronger once she faced it. In his case, he had nothing to feel bad for, but like with Conner, that sense of responsibility was too strong to be ignored. In a few weeks, when there were signs, she would try to help him find peace. For now, she gave him space. It was what he needed the most.
6
Night fell over Safe Haven in a quick rush, reminding Eagles that there were more camp members on duty now than they were used to. Sleep would be hard to come by.
“You should stay with her tonight. I’ll bunk with the camp and keep things calm.”
Jeremy stared at Neil, a bit warily, thoughts and images flipping through his mind.
Neil wasn’t annoyed. “I don’t know how this shit works any more than you do. What I am sure of is that she needs to be taken care of. That wind gift alone could tilt a battle for us.”
“She’s been important the whole time,” Jeremy agreed.
“Yes, and we knew it, deep down. Take care of her, make her happy, and when it’s my turn, I’ll do the same.”
“Got it all worked out now, do you?”
They turned to find Samantha standing shakily behind them, holding a tent side for support.
Neil chose to be honest. “We think so, yes.”
“Is it okay?” Jeremy was quicker to be sure that she wasn’t angry.
“It depends on a few things.” She went to stand between them. “For now, it works.”
Neil gave Jeremy a slightly curt nod. “Cleaned, fed, tucked in.”
Jeremy grinned at Samantha’s snort. “I’ll cover it. You’ll call us if there’s trouble.”
Neil’s face tightened. “Think good thoughts, will you?”
Jeremy gently took Samantha’s arm. The duty he’d just been given had already accomplished that. He was eager to care for Samantha’s needs.
Neil let them go without adding more, not feeling as much jealousy as he’d expected to upon deciding on this plan. If they were sharing her, they had to do it right and set an example.
Neil snorted angrily at himself. They weren’t setting a good example with this, but he didn’t know any other way to have happiness. Life without Samantha wouldn’t be a life at all.
7
Angela stared at Marc with her lips in a tight line to keep from changing the orders. She didn’t want to be away from him!
Marc caught the wave of panic, but didn’t stop packing his gear. In a few hours, he would be going west. He had to settle some things here in that time and her emotions would have to wait behind it.
Marc fastened the last strap and set the kit by the flap. His own feelings were already locked up tight.
“I’ll talk to Charlie before we roll.”
Angela was afraid to try to speak. Fear, bright and dizzying, was beating in her mind.
Marc had expected this scene to be hard. Might as well get it over with, he thought, coming to stand in front of her. He smoothed down a stray curl, lingering. Where he was going, there would be a shortage of soft hair and sweet smelling skin.
Angela closed her lids as the tears welled up.
“I want you to know something…for if I don’t come back.”
Angela stifled a wounded moan, trying to find a last-minute plan change to keep him here.
“You can love him. It won’t be a betrayal of me.”
Angela was horrified. “I’d never!”
Marc sighed, pulling her into his arms. “Yes, Angie you would. And you’d eat yourself up with it and never be happy again. I don’t want that for you.”
Angela couldn’t prevent the tears. “Please, Marc, stop.”
“No yet,” he insisted. “Not until you promise me.”
“I can’t do that,” she whispered. “I’m changing the…”
“No, you’re not. If I’m meant to die on this run, then I will. But there’s no peace for me unless I know you’ll be cared for. He’ll do that.”
Angela began sobbing, not because he was right, but because she had hoped Marc hadn’t discovered that. He knew that if he died, she would turn to Adrian. How awful for him.
“I’m sorry.”
Marc wiped away her tears as best he could, grinning. “Stop wasting water.”
Angela’s surprise snorted out, sounding like a pig, and they both chuckled harder, hugging tightly.
“I love you,” she whispered against his neck. “Come back to me. I’d never be the same.”
Marc held her tighter. He understood exactly how she felt.
When her lips found his, he groaned. My Angie!
Her lips were demanding, arms holding him tight. She kissed him frantically, and the jacket fell to the ground.
Marc ripped his mouth from hers, fighting for control.
Angela groaned, needing him as ghosts flashed and Marc shuddered. Fire sparked, catching them both in the blast. When her leg came up, his hand was there to hold it.
Heat flared and Marc took them to the ground.
Angela cried out as his mouth found a rocky peak. The sound had him jerking his belt buckle open. Her restless hands went to his to help, and the contact shook them both.
Marc glanced down, almost unable to believe she’d made him forget everything so quickly. Her eyes were full of desire, body trembling.
Poised to claim, Marc grinned at her flushed face and used a gentle hand to spread her legs. He ran a thumb over her, felt her body tighten, reach out for his…I want to sink into her and never come up.
His thumb stroked her, bringing her to the edge. She clutched roughly at his shoulders as she exploded, and he broke a sweat, straining to wait.
“Please…”
Angela knew instinctively what he was pleading for, and gave it willingly. “I’m yours. Always.”
Marc slid into her as his own pleasure took over. “Oh, god!”
His mouth latched onto her neck as he shoved deep and froze.
Despite the stunning moment, Marc didn’t linger. He couldn’t stand it when she cried. He kissed her a last time, and slipped from their tent.
Angela didn’t allow herself more than a few minutes of self-pity before pulling on her things and fading into the shadows. Marc was leaving. It had been a long time since she felt this lost.
8
“Make sure you tell him the truth if he asks.”
Jeremy couldn’t answer, too shaken. Being with Samantha was...indescribable.
Samantha lovingly kissed his lips and dislodged their bodies. She couldn’t resist a last feel of his hair as she brushed it off his forehead. Intentional or not, Jeremy’s new haircut was the exact opposite of Neil’s neat trim. Shagged locks lightly streaked with gold and red met her fingers, struck her with the glinting softness.
Samantha ran a calming hand over his scarred leg, telling him it didn’t bother her, and felt him relax further. At some point, Jeremy would understand she saw those parts of him as proof that he was a survivor, like her.
Samantha moved away from him before the need could start back up, leaning under the water. She groaned at the feel of it. “Nice.”
Jeremy leaned against the shower wall as she washed, stunned into that perfect place where it felt like nothing could go wrong.
Fate appeared to take that as a personal challenge.
Samantha tensed, shampoo bottle freezing in midair.
Jeremy saw the color drain from her face and grabbed for his pants and gun. “What is it? Where?”
“Get down.” Sam’s mind went into survival mode.
The door opened and Jeremy ducked down as a cool wind spun into their steamy sanctuary.
He heard the door close and footsteps come closer, but it was Sam’s knowing grunt that he hated. They’d overlooked their first assassin.
“Hello, Samantha.”
Samantha set the bottle on the shelf, ignoring the gun pointed at her. “Good evening, Shellie.”
The stone thrower raised the gun a bit higher as Sam reached for the towel.
“Easy.”
Samantha slowed her movements, wrapping the towel around herself and securing it in front. “What did they offer you?”
Shellie smirked quietly. “Nothing, of course. I’m the best at our game when you’re gone.”
Sam stared in understanding and anger. “For the thrill and glory, then. That’s why you’re going to die.”
Shellie snorted arrogantly. “You’ll be gone first, baby.”
Samantha waited for either gun to fire and realized she had to trigger the moment. Now that she was here, Shellie might not have the stomach for it.
“Sam? Jeremy? Everyone okay in there?”
The call from outside ruined the element of surprise and sent Jeremy to his feet.
He fired once and didn’t miss.
Samantha hated the death and violence that marred everything good about Safe Haven. Weak and angry at this newest evidence of how hard things would become, she began crying.
Jeremy had her in his arms when Neil and the others burst through the locked door.
It only took them a couple seconds to sort out what had happened, but in that time, no one noticed the absence of someone who should have been there.
9
“Go on. I’ll live long enough to watch Marc rip you apart with his bare hands. Go on!”
Angela glared at the gun, daring the traitor to fire.
Crone hesitated again. His companion, Denny, was already on the ground with a broken nose or maybe even dead. The syringe the top Level Eagles had planned to use was currently in Angela’s hand. Her knife was in the other.
At least it’s not the gun, Crone thought, darting a quick look around to confirm they hadn’t been noticed yet.
“What are you waiting for, coward?!” Angela roared, drawing attention to those searching for her. “Do it or I will!”
Unable to follow through, Crone started to lower the gun and Angela’s hunger lunged forward. “There’s no turning back!”
She pitched the knife at his chest and when the Eagle threw a hand up to block, she leapt forward and plunged the syringe into his neck.
Angela wasn’t sure if it was meant to kill or knock her out, and she observed a bit curiously to discover if he fell asleep or died.
When Crone’s face turned blue and he stopped breathing, she had her answer. There wouldn’t be many attempts to capture her now, only to exterminate.
Marc rushed to her side and took her away from the bodies, motioning Jax forward. “Get her knife.”
Jax jerked it from Crone’s limp forearm and gave the body a swift kick. “Piece of shit.”
Marc grunted his approval, leading Angela into the main camp as she began to roll out orders.
“I want a complete check-in, the entire camp accounted for. Crone’s been here six months, Denny even longer. This has been in the works for a while and I doubt it’s over yet.”
10
Adrian felt the knife go against his throat and almost let it plunge through to end his hell.
“Check-in!”
Angela’s shout brought his arm up to snap into his assassin’s unprotected throat instead.
The man slumped to his knees and Adrian hit him again, knocking him over the next cot.
The assassin didn’t get back up.
“Men down! We have men down in the parking area!”
Angela appeared in the flap, verifying that he was safe, and then she was gone to answer the call.
Adrian slumped onto the cot, closing the wall around his mind and heart. The camp had to know that she could handle the bad, too.
Kaaaablammmm!
Adrian picked himself up off the floor and struggled to the flap, ears ringing. He gripped the tent pole tightly, vision blurring. What he saw was any leader’s nightmare, but also an exact copy of his dreams.
Wounded people stumbled by, bleeding and crying, shouts and screams echoed through the darkness. Smoke layered everything in an ominous gray.
“The medical camper! They got the camper!” someone shouted from the other side of the tent.
“Grab a hose and find Ray. We need the truck!”
Adrian put a hand to his shoulder and pulled back red fingers. I’m next to the medical camper, he thought, swaying dizzily. Am I hit?
His legs went limp, dropping him roughly to his knees. Adrian groaned, “Not again.”
Wait.
John was in the camper, along with…“Conner!”
Adrian fought to his feet and joined the panicking mass outside.
11
“The com truck and medical camper are both a complete loss. Everything else can be salvaged–including the two cars that were wired. The people who did this didn’t know what they were doing.”
Angela listened to the reports as she worked on their wounded. The medics on each team were lending a hand with the minor injuries and emotions, but it was no substitute for who they’d lost.
“We have ten bodies. Six are the enemy. We lost…”
“I know who we lost!” Angela snapped, cutting the thread on the last stitch in Daryl’s leg. “Next.”
Kevin took up the recital when Kenn spun out of the tent to keep from snapping back.
“People panicked, but only a few took off. We’ve accounted for two hundred and seventy one, so far, but we’ve got men tracking, so that number will go up.”
“Pull them off of it. We have other work for them,” Angela ordered, moving to the next cot in the line of wounded left to be tended. They were arranged in order of seriousness. Peggy and Doug had organized a quick triage, but it was still chaos.
“You want us to let those people go, then? Not look for them?”
Angela peered down the row. “Yes. Tell Marc I said those who stayed are our priority now.”
Three cots over, Adrian winced, but didn’t contradict the order. She was right and it was a choice that he wasn’t sure he would have been able to make.
“Keep going,” Angela ordered curtly.
Kevin cleared his throat. “Marc’s…talking to the two surviving assassins. He’ll come straight to you when he’s finished.”
Angela didn’t respond and the Eagle went on, “Neil and Jeremy have our backup radio under constant monitoring. All static. Our perimeter has been shrunk, all posts are overloaded, and Li Sing has hot drinks rolling out of the mess. He says it’s a tea to help calm everyone down.”
Angela felt the silent rage in the row of wounded men, able to hear it in their silence, their furiously tense bodies and clenched fists. They were waiting for her to declare war in return for the betrayal, but they didn’t realize that she’d already had Adrian do that with his call.
“There will be fighters coming in over the next few days. Don’t turn them out.”
“How do we know if they’re like these were?”
“We don’t,” she answered grimly. “But we have to have the help. I’ll find a way to screen them and remove those who don’t belong.”
Bang! Bang!
The lower level Eagles around her drew their guns, but the top men took control of them.
“Those are ours.”
“Brady’s Colts.”
“He must be finished,” Kenn stated, lingering outside the flap.
Angela’s face tightened, but she didn’t spit out the vileness in her mind. Instead, she knelt by the next wounded man and began working on his injuries. Most of this line was men who’d been on duty needing stitches from fights, mini-stampedes, and a bit of shrapnel from the two small blasts in the parking area. The com truck had been there for refueling, along with the profusely geared security jeep that always followed it. Both could be repaired. They’d gotten lucky on their vehicles.
“But I don’t feel lucky,” she muttered, tightening the bandage. “How do I feel?”
The man under her care at the moment was Dale. He’d been burned while helping Ray and the fire team extinguish the blaze in the medical camper.
“Betrayed,” Dale supplied. “You want them dead. Just like we all do.”
The Eagles standing tensed, but those on their backs added low agreements that left little doubt as to her next course of action.
“They hit us in the rear.”
“They sent in spies to kill us!”
“They didn’t even try to negotiate.”
“They are the enemy.”
Angela stood up and glanced over the row of beds again. She took their anger and their pain, and directed it to where fate meant it to go.
“Implement Marc’s full security plan. Do it now.”
12
Angela left the Eagles to get rid of the bodies, not caring that Marc had hurt the traitors for information. This was war.
Marc didn’t feel ashamed, but he was worried about Angela’s reaction. It hadn’t taken much pain to break the men, it never did, but that didn’t mean she was okay with it.
“Neither of them knew about the other,” Marc stated, blocking the images from his mind so Angela didn’t get them. “They were told to settle in and wait until the 8th of July to carry out their orders. Each one was probably forced. Those two had family inside the bunker that was going to be turned out.” The disgust in Marc’s voice was thick. “They heard Safe Haven’s calls before Cesar attacked NORAD, knew we would be a future problem. How many more sleepers are here, waiting for their given dates to act?”
Many, the witch and demon warned Marc at the same time.
“But it doesn’t change the path,” Angela stated, eyes foggy. “You have work in the west.”
Marc grimaced. “Ugly, bloody work.”
“I’ll love you no matter how much of it you spill.”
Marc kissed her lightly. “I’m your Ghost now.”
“Little Rock Air Force Base can be your defense operations center,” Adrian stated, hoping his tone didn’t show his jealousy. “There’s a river and three reservoirs within a hundred clicks. It has medical facilities, barracks, stables and supply warehouses, terrain restrictions, and natural obstacles that will make it hard for them to cross.”
“It’s also near a lot of places we can use to resupply,” Marc agreed.
“If you can’t hold it, you can slow them down by blocking the routes with concreted cars,” Kenn suggested.
Marc didn’t need their ideas. He had his own.
He gave Adrian a pointed glare and left the tent.
Adrian immediately figured out what was coming and began trying to brace against the joy and pain. He would have a visit shortly.
13
Adrian glanced up to find Marc taking the bench across from him at the deserted mess, dressed for silent infiltration.
He met Marc’s bitter gaze gravely. “You shouldn’t have told her that.”
Marc tried not to be angrier that Adrian already knew. “You’re monitoring her.”
“Of course,” Adrian admitted. “But in this case, I asked myself what I would do in your place.”
Marc raised a brow. “And?”
Adrian grunted. “I’d need to know that if I didn’t make it back, she and my son would be cared for.”
“And will you?” Marc demanded angrily. “Or will you use them up?”
Adrian winced at the accusation. “I’ll care for her as if she were mine.”
Marc scowled. “If I don’t return, she will be.”
Adrian closed his eyes. “Yes.”
“You do realize you’ll have to snap out of this plan of yours to stay out of her way, right? You’ll have to be closer than that.”
“Yes.”
Marc studied the man he could have idolized if not for feeling this coming. “And when I return? You expect to share?”
“She’s not like Samantha,” Adrian back sent defensively. “She’s yours until you die. You know that.”
“Yes.”
Marc hesitated and Adrian sighed. “Safe Haven needs you. I expect you’ll be back in a month to reclaim what’s yours.”
“And until then?”
Adrian’s eyes opened to reveal tortured eagerness and dread. “I’ll love her.”
Marc spun from the tent before he could protest. That was what he wanted. No one else would look out for Angie the way that Adrian would.
14
Marc spotted Charlie by the trucks and joined him, glad the teenager wasn’t shouting anymore. Charlie hadn’t taken it well when he’d learned that Marc was leaving.
“You okay?”
Charlie kept his attention on the ground. “Yep.”
“You gonna stay pissed and shut me out the whole time I’m gone? Be pissy and refuse to give me updates?”
Charlie wanted to return fire, but the worry was too strong. “No. Be careful!”
Charlie threw his arms around Marc for a tight hug that his father returned. Marc barely remembered the time when he hadn’t known his son, hadn’t loved him.
“I’m coming back.”
“Say it again!” Charlie demanded, wiping at tears.
Marc grinned. “I’m coming back, boy. My word on it.”
“Good,” Charlie stated, glancing at the medical tent. “If you don’t…”
Marc sighed unhappily. “He wouldn’t make a bad father, if I...”
Charlie punched Marc in the mouth.
“Don’t ever say that! You’re my dad!”
Marc shook off the surprise from the uppercut and clutched the boy close. “I’m coming back.”
Marc and his chosen team left the safety and warmth of home a few minutes later. He refused to let himself stare in the mirrors. There was only the future now, this mission ahead of him, and he would keep it that way. Anything less and he’d never make it home.
You may not survive, even if you do return, the demon warned.
Marc knew that, too. Coming here after the battle could be worse than death, depending on how much Angie loved him, on how loyal she was in his absence. This is where he discovered his true place in her heart. If it were below Adrian, Safe Haven wouldn’t be his home anymore. The wastelands would.
15
Angela and Adrian stood side-by-side to view the changes sweeping over Safe Haven. Their faces were unreadable, but their minds were full of regret at what they were losing. This new way of running the camp would be more effective and safer, but the casual days of living together in cooperation and peace were over for a while.
Fences with rolls of wire would now line the perimeter, with a second roll inside of it, creating a two-foot barrier, but also a new flow path for those who were coming to help them in the fight. Despite the attacks here, the calls asking to join the fight had tripled.
Angela studied the new panels of the wall that were being outfitted with metal sheets. This final barrier was inside the perimeter and had two gates–one at the QZ entrance to direct newly released camp members, and a large exit near the mess for a fast escape of the entire population. Big rigs loaded with their most needed supplies were being rolled into place near the large exit, along with their water tankers, fuel trucks, and weapons.
Marc didn’t like putting so much of their stock in one place any more than Adrian had, but Angela assumed if the enemy got that close, it was too late to worry over it anyway. She wanted everything they needed in one spot. It’s there the camp would go when the firefight broke out, where they’d be protected by the Eagles who wanted the weapons covered, where the chain of command would gather for reporting and meals. It was also where the assassins among them would be exposed.
“Look out! Clear a path!”
Kenn and Neil came by the pair on Bobcats, delivering the next panels. They had two full teams working on the wall today, with three more finishing the barbed wire defense that the Eagles had been secretly working on for some time. Adrian had known this was coming. Every plan she came up with, Angela had found directions for in his books. All she had to do was implement them. Later, when his ideas were exhausted, she would come up with her own.
Across from her, training classes were already in session, showing camp members the basic skills they would need for survival. Few people, other than the Eagles, recognized it as the same training that Adrian gave his army. It would not only prepare them for being on their own if the battle went sour, it would also train them to assist during that fight. Even now, older camp men and women were being shown how to reload guns, make small cocktails, and bandage wounds. Every portion of Safe Haven’s population would be used.
To their left, mission teams were getting set to roll out and gather lists of needed items, from food to weaponry. The rest of the camp wasn’t going anywhere yet. They were sticking to the original plan of staying here long enough to stock up on supplies and let their wounds heal. It would also send a powerful message to those who’d initiated the attack. Safe Haven wasn’t going to flee or become submissive because someone sucker punched them. These people had survived worse.
To their right, the training tent was also hosting lessons, though these were more mental than physical. The teenagers were attempting to share power with some of the open minded, proven men. There was occasionally a thump or cackle, but little else from that canvas.
Beside the teen area was a kids’ class being taught under a wide canopy. The little children were given bags they could carry and instructions on how to use the items in those tiny kits. Angela and Adrian both doubted any of the elementary school-age kids would survive on their own, but both of them were glad to know that the kids would have the information. Despite their young ages, each of them was hanging on every word the grieving sisters were saying.
Overhead, the bubble flashed and pulsed in every color of the rainbow as emotions ran high. The only dominant color was that crimson-killing gold, only now it was tinged in green as well–Angela’s color. It rippled above them, spinning new shades of the two into patterns that bewitched those who looked up. The shield was fully visible and people remembered her words, that she was here to protect them, that Samantha was, too. The stories they’d been told seemed proven after the attack that they’d been sentenced to. It was easier to accept that Angela was indeed what Cesar’s former slaves had been saying all along–a witch.
Angela wasn’t concerned about it anymore. If they revolted, Adrian would protect her and Charlie. The only thing that mattered was stopping the government from taking over. Everything else was second to that. The people who destroyed America wanted the chance to do it again and only the Eagles could stand in their way.
“And we will,” Adrian whispered soothingly, not even pretending he wasn’t in her thoughts.
Angela tightened her control and unthinkingly brushed his wrist in solidarity. “We’ve got this covered.”
Adrian flinched at the contact, jerking away. “You’ve got it covered.”
Angela stared at him coldly. “If that’s how you want it.”
Adrian turned away before he could say more. Nothing he wanted was possible–not from her, the camp, nor Conner. For him, it could never be returned.
Angela understood his grief, but at least Conner hadn’t been killed like the others in that tin can when the bomb went off. Kyle had managed to get Conner, the newborn he was holding, and Jennifer out in time, but John and Anne hadn’t been as lucky. Nor had Leslie or the second infant in the incubator that she’d come to visit. Jennifer was inconsolable and being sedated regularly. Kyle was storming around in a fury of work, hitting anyone who had the balls to suggest that maybe it was for the best. Four members of Safe Haven had been snatched away by a thieving blast in the night.
The funeral had been a loud, damp hour that saw a surprising number of men honoring Leslie. She’d certainly been friendly, was the most common phrase used. John and Anne were mourned more deeply. They’d been here longer, done more, and the fear of being short a doctor was real. The nursing assistant from Rapid City was a large help, as were the classes John had been holding, but it wasn’t enough. Even with the medic that each team had been assigned, there was no way they were prepared for a battle’s horrible consequences. John had known more, had more experience. There was no way for Angela to replace him or his knowledge. There was also no substitute for Anne’s caring hand on a brow or the other life they’d lost.
Angela had only spent as much time at the service as she thought was needed. It hurt her to be there, as it did everyone, but she couldn’t afford to spend the extra time. There was too much going on. Besides all the lessons and training they were setting up, they were also trying to get ready for moving the camp to the spring, searching for supplies to get them through to the mountains and monitoring the area around them for trouble. Her grief would have to come later. She hadn’t been away from Marc in a while and it hurt to think he could die out there. It also pissed her off that she had to put him in such a dangerous position in the first place. When the government came, they would feel her wrath.
The camp’s rage was nearly visible. It simmered in slow waves of hatred and misery. Taking their doctor was something only the most brutal of enemies did, something that even the old world had disapproved of. They would pay for the wounds, for the damage this time. Every angry soul in Safe Haven now demanded it and those were the people Angela went to. She let them surround her, smother her with their certainty of what had to happen next.
“I’m going to bring you down!” Angela vowed furiously, eyes bleeding crimson hatred. “I won’t leave a single man.”