How Many More
August 10th
Route 40, East of Amarillo
1
“Thirty more today, sir.”
“What’s the total now?”
“Over four hundred.”
“Base knew this would be a hard fight,” Francis commented calmly. “Too bad they didn’t have the foresight to send us through a more hospitable area.”
Wayne, second in command, agreed wholeheartedly. “We need more men. At this rate, we’ll get to Little Rock on a skeleton crew.”
Francis wasn’t overly concerned. “That’s all we need to secure it. Once it’s in our hands, the planes can bring out fresh men and supplies.”
“Wish they’d dropped us all there. They had the fuel.”
Francis frowned slightly at the grumbling. “The fuel in the bunker has to last a long time, Captain. They can’t be without power, can they?”
Chastised and aware of his commander’s violent temper, Wayne leaned back. “No. You’re right, sir. My apologies, sir.”
Francis didn’t react. “We can expect another trio of attacks tomorrow. Keep security as is, but widen the formations and clear the holes as we go.”
“Yes, sir.”
Wayne went to the meeting tent to relay the nightly orders to the platoon leaders.
Francis stared into the murky darkness. “Where are you, my Raven? Are you with the Ghost or in the nest?”
Footsteps crunching behind gave Francis no worries. He was the last of his kind, brought out of retirement to spearhead the charge against these disgusting descendants. He feared nothing.
“We have a new report, sir. The casualty number went up to 51.”
“A patrol?”
“Yes, sir. Their throats were slit.”
Francis scowled this time. “Damn rebels!”
His growl sent the Sergeant scurrying away before he could become a target.
Francis hated showing any emotion. He couldn’t stand compassionate, weak-minded humans who wanted peace and joy. He thrived on the battles, the thrill of doing what others couldn’t, and this fight had already proven a challenge. There was even a chance of failure.
The former CIA operative grinned like a lunatic. “I will crush you, Ghost!”
Francis ducked into his luxury tent and gasped as a blade plunged viciously into his throat.
“Someone might. It won’t be you.” Marc wiped his knife across the tent wall in defiance and then slipped through the hole in the rear of the canvas.
He emerged a short few yards away from the tent and checked to verify that the shadow implied the dead commander was in his cot. He was hoping the boss wouldn’t be found until morning. It should start the day with a delay.
He turned to find himself looking down the barrel of a gun. Damn.
Marc’s eyes spoke a million thoughts.
The Private, shocked to find Marc here on his rounds, stared at the legend in the making.
Neither of them moved.
Marc took advantage of the moment. “Let me go and you have a place by my side when you flee their control.”
Ivan was much like the other men here–without any family and glad to be out of the ground, even though they were fighting their fellow Americans. He hesitated. It would be a promotion to capture the Ghost, but what would that really gain him?
“My men are loved,” Marc coaxed. “Come with me. Help me.”
Ivan may have come on his own, but Marc couldn’t wait for him to make up his mind. He sent out a wave of power and insisted, Let me go.
The Private gave a jerky nod, mind reeling. He’d heard the rumors of the power the descendants held, but hadn’t believed them. With that command centering his thoughts, it was impossible to deny it any longer.
He slid to his knees. “I’m sorry.”
Marc turned away. “Do not kill another of my men and you have a place with me.”
Ivan slowly returned to his rounds, mind a confused daze.
A bit later, when the news of General Francis being assassinated came down the ranks, Ivan said he’d been on the other side of his post and hadn’t noticed anything out of the ordinary.
He wasn’t sure exactly what it was that the government was fighting for, but the descendants were battling for their very right to live, and Ivan wasn’t killing any more of them.
When his shift ended four hours later, he quietly slipped into the shadows to use the bathroom and didn’t return.
2
“We can’t hold them!”
Men ducked the incoming whistle, hoping any of their group still alive did the same.
Boom!
The ground blew up near them, throwing two Shadow Riders into the air.
Marc’s voice echoed through their radios, “Retreat! Full retreat!”
Those who heard took off in relief. Those who didn’t hear the call saw their team pulling out and followed. In all the explosions and gunshots, sight was the only reliable communication, but even that was hard through the smoke and dust.
The soldiers had adapted, improvised. They were now clearing a path, blowing traps with civilian cars and other property before their main troops came through. It was forcing Marc’s men back faster than he could reset the plans, causing high numbers of causalities as he struggled to get everything in place before the battalion came in.
“Call it!” Marc ordered, waving at his men. “Full retreat. Meet at base Alpha.”
“It was a good fight, my brother,” Grendin said sadly.
“We’re not done,” Marc declared. “The majority of their losses will come in Arkansas. Move out!”
The Shadow Riders split up as the soldiers peppered them with fire, killing too many of them for Marc to recklessly run into the crossfire. He ducked behind a boulder the size of a car to reload, ignoring the sounds of boots crunching closer. They couldn’t hurt him now, at least not with slugs.
Marc lunged from his hiding place.
Stunned to find the Ghost so close, the five soldiers hesitated.
Marc didn’t. He killed them all. Only the last man fired at him. The soldier died in shocked confusion when his bullet bounced off Marc’s chest.
Marc snarled in triumph and power as he fled. His gifts had evolved, painfully, and he now produced a shield like Angela had. Fire didn’t even get through it. Marc was considered invincible by both his men and the enemy. He wasn’t, of course, and Kendle knew the weaknesses. She’d been insisting on having his food tested and preparing his kit herself. She knew that when you blocked the enemy in one way, they always came in through another route.
Marc joined the men on their horses, picking out Kendle on Thaddeus’s right. He leapt onto his animal without a word.
He led them southeast, away from the fighting, then began gradually doubling back toward Oklahoma. He wanted the soldiers to think the Mexicans were hiding the rebels, a lie that Sebastian was encouraging. He liked having the excuse to get his army involved.
Marc wasn’t worried. Sebastian was only a single future bullet. First, he would be used. If the soldiers thought the rebel support was mostly Mexican, south of 40, they would keep traveling through Oklahoma and meet thirty-seven pissed off Indian nations. It would slow the troops enough for Marc to get to the base and blow the roads. There would only be one usable Avenue of Approach that he would be removed when he and his men came through.
In the distance, the sounds of battling were receding and the invasive noise of troops once again marching became dominant.
Marc keyed his mic. “Do not lose hope, my friends. Your days of walking through my hell will be over soon. The Ghost has seen your deaths.”
Marc kneed his horse faster now that the bait was set. They’d made no secret of the fact that they were meeting at the Air Force Base. The soldiers would think that’s where Adrian and Angela were, as well. The next part of this massive plan would take place there.
“Open fire!”
Not expecting it, Marc grabbed Kendle’s arm and dragged them off the horse. He threw them into the water that lined their path and held her tight as she struggled. Above them, a fire team did what they were trained for. Slugs flew.
Marc let his lungs begin hurting before he let them come to the surface.
Kendle gasped in air and then she was under the water again and panicking blindly as more bullets slammed into the water around them.
Marc held her in a vise, hissing out pain as she raked her nails down his skin
It’s almost over! he shouted mentally. Wait!
Kendle couldn’t. The panic of being under the water was one she wouldn’t ever fully conquer and she fought harder.
Forced to surface or take other measures, Marc shoved his mouth to hers and blew.
Kendle gasped in both air and water as she panicked.
Marc shoved them for the surface, wishing the current were faster. He was certain the fire team was still up here, waiting for them.
Slugs came from Kendle’s first cough, drawing immediate fire.
Marc jerked them under the water again.
Kendle sagged after only seconds as Marc shoved them through the murky bottom, going back the way they’d come. As he swam, he brought up the shield.
Kendle slowly woke to find them inside Marc’s shield, hovering near the bottom of the muddy water. Fish and other marine life swam around them in panic.
“What the hell?”
Marc grinned arrogantly. “I evolved.”
Kendle’s face began collapsing into sad horror.
Marc stared, pride fading. “What?”
“Why are we so different?”
Her voice was a pathetic, echoing whisper that jerked on his heart. Marc gently pulled her closer and let her bury her face against his chest, but he answer. He didn’t have one.
3
Marc’s mental tactics were effective. The soldiers on the outside of the line and those bringing up the rear were as much his target as those in the front, and it made for collapsing lines when he attacked.
To counteract this, command sent down orders of executions for anyone leaving their assigned places. Because they chose to use a threat instead of a solution, it wasn’t helping them retain their numbers. What men the Ghost wasn’t killing, the harsh conditions were causing to go AWOL. Some of those were even joining the enemy and helping the rebels to spot weaknesses in government defenses.
It was chaos, but there was little that command could do to quiet the unease. Every night since Denver had ended with dead men on duty and soldiers not returning from their posts. Whole teams and even two platoons had been snatched in front of hundreds of men. The talk of rebellion among the ranks was growing. It didn’t matter that they were gaining ground or that the Shadow Riders were easy to kill when they got them out in the open. These soldiers didn’t like the mission or the orders anyway, but to have the Ghost talk to them on their own channels was almost too much. He sounded like a real leader, like a patriot, and many of the soldiers had been both before the war.
Now, they had been reduced to a no frills life of servitude that was on its way to crush out the hope of the few Americans who had managed to survive. It didn’t sit well with more than a few of these hard men. They fought and died while command stayed safe in the bunker. The reminder that they were expendable was the topic of lowly spoken conversations between team leaders who were thinking about trading sides. Some of these men were reported and dealt with, but the battalion had only a few rats, and the rumors and gossip continued.
Marc would have been thrilled.
4
“Blow it! Blow it!”
Marc kicked his horse harder, feeling the others doing the same as the soldiers opened fire on them. They’d been trapped by a split force and barely been able to fight their way up to the cleared street.
Kablamm!
The road behind the riders disintegrated, taking a few of their own and a large group of the enemy with it.
“Do the reservoirs!” Marc ordered, shielding himself from the showering grit.
“Marc!”
Kendle’s shout went through him in a sharp flare of need. He saw that she had fallen in the mad crush of everyone trying to get down the road before it was blown or overrun. She was perched on the edge of a wooden fence.
Marc wheeled his exhausted mount against the mass of their fighters to get to her.
Kendle dropped heavily behind him, making the horse rear up.
“Easy…easy.” Marc manhandled it into obedience and got them racing for safety.
They made the entry into Little Rock Air Force Base with her clinging to him like a second skin.
The ground shook under the complex and around it, vibrating through the walls and floors in warning.
“Brace, folks,” the sound of Quinn calming people was music to Marc’s ringing ears.
“We might get a bit of recoil…”
Bamm!
The building felt like it had been hit by a bomb blast.
Kendle clutched Marc in confusion. She didn’t know about the two reservoirs rigged to blow and block the soldier’s coming attempt to pin them down.
Blamm!
The second explosion wasn’t as strong and Marc continued to the main office, noting what they’d accomplished while he was away fighting and buying them time.
Crates and barrels of supplies were already being invaded by the small army that had met up with him and Kendle after they’d come from the water. He’d waited until nightfall to move openly and his Shadow Riders had fallen in around them all through the wee hours. These were his hardest men, his closest bonds. He thought it was likely that if they survived, these fighters would be with him when he returned to Safe Haven.
“That’s it! Close us up!”
Quinn’s call was met with a loud echo that told Marc the men they had inside here right now were all they would have for this battle. No other groups were going to get through those soldiers.
Marc keyed his radio, “Perimeter groups move in. I repeat, move in and lock them down!”
Fresh gunshots echoed in the distance around the base from all sides, and Marc’s men yelled in angry delirium. Their hopes of those outer camps crushing the soldiers were unrealistic, but Marc didn’t stop their celebrations. They needed hope and he wouldn’t deny it, but inside, he already knew they would lose. The enemy would take over and use this as a command post to send out horrific attacks across what was left of the country unless he stopped them.
Marc entered the command room under the awed gazes of the second floor guards and leadership. It took him a minute to understand how many men were there. He’d left less than a dozen. There were now hundreds sitting, sleeping, washing, prepping weapons.
Marc heard Quinn’s approach and turned to him with approval thick in his voice. “You didn’t mention how much company you’d gotten in that last call.”
Quinn shook Marc’s hand as if he’d won a prize. “Thought you’d need the boost when you got here.”
Marc took a seat near the cluttered desks they had lined up. “Understatement. Give me a minute to tend her wound and then I want updates.”
Quinn reached for the first aid kit, but stopped when he felt the room hum with power. The light chatter disappeared into stunned respect.
Marc ran his glowing hand over Kendle’s arm, where she’d been grazed by a bullet. The wound healed as a tense silence filled the room.
Thaddeus didn’t understand and Kendle explained as Marc glanced at them, “They didn’t know the Ghost was like me.”
Those words drew concern from the Eagles. Marc had lied about not being like Angela, and who was the woman that clung to him, got his attention first, and acted like their boss?
Marc didn’t want to take the time for explanations. That’s why he’d done it openly. “Updates.”
Quinn gave them without leaving anything out, but the tone of warmth he’d greeted Marc with was gone.
Marc took in the information while repacking his kit from the barrels and pouches they had stored in the rear of the room. He left Kendle to fend for herself intentionally. Once they saw she was like Angela, they’d ask their questions and she would give answers. They wouldn’t care for them, though. Marc was ready to interfere if needed.
“Who the hell are you?”
Kendle’s expression darkened. “A nightmare. Bug off.”
She was surprised when Quinn’s mouth tightened, but he didn’t go away.
“You one of his strays or a threat to be handled later?” Quinn demanded, ready to be hurt to know that answer.
Kendle barked a laugh, impressed despite herself. She’d been expecting all weaklings in the Eagles that Marc spoke of so lovingly. Paul and Jax certainly hadn’t known much.
“I’m Kendle.”
Quinn held out a hand. “You’re the island woman Marc’s son told us about.”
Kendle blinked. “Son?”
Quinn began to suspect right then, but didn’t ask his questions. “Yes. You’re from Pitcairn?”
Kendle’s rage was suddenly gone. “Yes, and I’m anticipating going there again.”
“We’ll be along for that ride, I think” he commented, trying to find out how much she knew.
Kendle didn’t think that was such a bad idea as she saw the way he appraised her scars and reflected respect. Maybe some of these other Safe Haven men really were different.
“You ready for a meal?”
“If I have to.”
Quinn waved Shane over. “Hook her up with grub and gear, like we would Angela.”
Kendle winced at the love and loyalty in his voice, in the name. She’d never be able to compete with that.
Kendle’s heart began accepting right then that she would be Marc’s second choice. Any female who could inspire those feelings in these men would never settle for her man having a whore. Kendle wasn’t sure she could live as one anyway.
I’ll start separating myself from him after we leave here, she thought, giving Quinn a searching look. Maybe this one was lonely and needed a strong woman.
Try being on your own for a while, her demon suggested bravely. You might like it.
Kendle wasn’t sure. She only knew that the thought of being split from her Ghost was terrifying. She wasn’t sure if it was love. She thought maybe it was more like fear of being alone again with no one else inside her mind but this voice. She stayed quiet as the men around her made their plans and updated each other. The only time she broke out of her heavy thoughts was when that already hated name was spoken.
5
“You should call Angie, man. She needs the lift.”
Kendle felt Marc’s gaze swing to her and her heart thumped painfully. She didn’t want to listen to him exchange emotions with his first choice.
“No.”
Quinn tried again, using careful words. “There’s a lot going on in Safe Haven these days. A personal check-in would do good for our people, not just her.”
“You call them,” Marc ordered. “I need a shower.”
No one spoke when he left the room, but Kendle could feel their accusations. She quickly followed Marc from the room.
Marc let her join him in the locker room next to the showers. He took a seat on one of the dusty benches and let out a hard sigh. “We have to talk.”
Kendle perched on the bench across from him, trying to brace to be told to stay away once they reached his camp.
“The opposite, actually.”
Kendle stared in surprise. “I don’t understand. You love her. Why have me?”
Marc couldn’t refuse to answer, though it hurt. “She cares for someone else, too. And someday, she’ll leave me for him.”
Kendle took that in with a burning gut and a sickened heart. But she didn’t protest. Marc was her lifeline right now. She needed him.
“And I’ve needed you, as well,” he stated softly. “It will depend on her, when we get there.”
Kendle understood in one quick blast of insight. “You want me in case she’s with him now.”
Marc dropped his head to his hands. “Yes.”
Kendle was crushed by his pain. “She won’t.”
“You don’t know them.”
“I know you,” Kendle answered firmly. “She feels the same. You wouldn’t need someone who would betray you that way. She’ll be waiting.”
Kendle went to the door, more upset than he knew.
“And if not?” he asked reluctantly.
“Then I will be.”
Kendle left and Marc lay back on the bench, miserable in his success. He’d seen her appraise Quinn, but instead of encouraging it, he’d locked down his own claim.
“And I called Kenn a piece of shit,” Marc muttered, lids closing. “Guess we’re even now.”
6
Despite being inside a base, it didn’t change much for the Shadow Riders. The soldiers were still on their heels and the need to fight was prevalent. The feeling of being pinned in was one that few of them could ignore, though everyone joked as if they weren’t worried. The only time that facade broke was when a burst of gunfire or screams was particularly close. The fighting going on outside these barricaded walls was fierce. The enemy had broken through their lines near the northern reservoir, which had failed to kill the soldiers in the explosion. The water rush had gone around and even cleared them a path in. The perimeter men were still working on them all around the base, but it was clear that this shelter wasn’t going to last.
Ten hours after arriving, Marc once again had them working on that understated three attacks a day plan. It kept the soldiers off schedule, drowsy from lack of sleep, and allowed Marc to do damage in small, effective bursts. He estimated that they’d now killed more than five hundred soldiers. That would force them to gather more men from the bunker before going any further than here. It also meant they would send everything they had left this time. When they came, bullets would no longer be enough. Only magic would save Safe Haven at that point, and Marc hoped Adrian had a plan for getting the camp to accept it.
Adrian had been working on that since Angela joined, Marc assumed, but if the timing were wrong, the herd would run. Marc wasn’t sure that was such a bad thing anymore. He didn’t like the idea of losing camp members, but those he was serving with now had accepted the differences and understood the advantages. If Safe Haven’s members couldn’t do that, Angela would always be in danger. Charlie would also and Marc would force a choice on it when he returned.
“A lot of things there have to change,” he muttered, observing the base flank through his glasses.
Considering they’d been attacked two hours ago, Marc expected the troops to be getting sleepy again about now. The rebels had the soldiers at a disadvantage. They needed to keep the base intact, so many of their usual tactics were off limits. There were no incoming rockets up here, only sharp cracks of snipers picking men off by their shadows. There was some heavier caliber weapons being used, but they were aimed at the battalion’s flank and sides to keep the Indians, Mexicans, and Shadow Riders at bay.
“Break time?”
“As soon as I finish my sweep,” Marc stated.
He turned the glasses toward Kendle’s post on the other side of the base and scowled. Where was she?
Kendle lunged from her hiding place, knives and teeth raking the man’s neck together. He jerked away, spewing blood as she cackled in glee at the sight. “More!”
She slashed at his stunned partner and then plunged her teeth into his throat.
“Ugg…”
Marc ran through the base, staying low, but not enough to avoid drawing fire. Slugs peppered the wall above him as he flew through the halls and his fighters ducked.
Marc emerged in the small courtyard behind the water tankers and found her sitting between two bodies. Blood dripped from her chin and hands.
Marc stared in horror as she tried to smile at him.
“I’m getting worse.”
Marc heard the witnesses, but didn’t let them instill their fear or approval in her mind. He scooped her into his arms and went to the shower.
“I’ll find a way.”
He’d already tried to heal her, with no luck. Adrian was the only one of their kind who had the skill to bring someone back from insanity or desolation. The man was good at putting people together, but Marc wasn’t sure he would be able to get her to Safe Haven’s light before she flipped completely.
“They call me zombie…the Indians and the Mexicans.”
Marc felt her shudder and let her hide against his chest. “You are a killer, Kendle, one who knows right from wrong. Hold onto that part of you.”
Kendle wasn’t sure she could. Right and wrong were secondary to spilling the blood, and she wasn’t sure now that she could live among normal, peaceful people again without becoming the threat.
Marc helped her change her clothes, gaze never straying anywhere it shouldn’t.
For Kendle, it wasn’t as if he was revolted by her and couldn’t stand the thought. It was as if she was just any other body to be taken care of. He had no attraction for her.
Marc cleaned her up and helped her dress, aware of her distracted, slightly disoriented thoughts. What could he do that would help?
“LJ…” Kendle forced it out. “He rocked me, at night.”
Marc changed his shirt for a dry one from the stack. “I already do that.”
“While he kissed me.”
Marc forgot to breathe. If Kendle wanted a physical relationship now, was he ready for that?
No.
“I’m not him. I won’t give you that comfort, not now.”
Kendle didn’t stifle the tears, but she did turn away from him. “What can you give me?”
Marc heard the rest of the plea.
Why am I wasting what little time I have left?
“I can help you get where you need to be.”
“You honestly think your Adrian can help me?”
“Yes, I do.”
Marc had confided in her upon waking. She’d been asleep outside the door, guarding him.
“And you don’t want me unless…things are bad with her.”
“Yes, that’s right.”
His tone wasn’t insulting, but it still hurt. Kendle inhaled, struggling to hide it. “Then I’ll find my comfort somewhere else until I’m called.”
Marc didn’t feel even a tiny urge to protest. “You can. I won’t interfere.”
“And if I find a mate instead of a friend?” she challenged.
“Then I will have lost.”
Kendle was angered by his answer and moved by him to resume her post without being told. They were clear now on where things stood. She would adjust.
7
“What’s the deal with you and Marc?”
Quinn hadn’t meant to ask, but now, while they were alone in the tower, he couldn’t stop himself.
“He’s a good friend,” Kendle responded.
Those words mirrored Angela’s when she’d first joined Safe Haven. Quinn wasn’t sure what to make of them.
“Meaning?”
“Why do you want to know?” Kendle asked defensively.
“Are you’re a threat to Marc and Angie?”
“No.”
“We’d like to believe that. You’ll make a great Eagle.”
“You think so?”
“Sure.” Quinn surprised her by grinning. “Good mate, too, probably. Kinda cute under all those scars. What happened to you?”
Kendle drew back and punched him in the mouth for an answer.
Quinn stumbled and tripped over the chair. He went sprawling at her feet.
“What? What did I do?” he asked in confusion.
“Never ask about my scars!” Kendle growled.
Quinn slowly stood up. “You hit me for that?”
Kendle swallowed as he towered over her. “Screw you.”
Quinn laughed, impressed. “Marc always goes for the best!”
Kendle moaned at the thoughtless words.
Quinn’s cheer vanished. “You’ll never make him happy, not with her around.”
“I’ve already figured that out for myself!” she sent back.
Quinn leaned closer. “Does that mean you’ll consider other offers?”
Kendle hated the blush on her cheeks. “No.”
“Okay. Thank you for not hitting me again.”
Kendle snickered, drawn against her will. “Damn arrogant of you to assume that if I can’t have him, I’d want you in his place.” She glared with a challenging sneer. “Are you that good?”
Quinn’s heartbeat tripled in the space of a second. He slowly nodded, drowning in her light. “Yes, I am. Would you like a demonstration?”
Kendle was painfully aware of the heat between them. “Some other time, maybe.”
Quinn took that and carefully stored it. “Works for me. You eat yet?”
“Later,” she said distractedly.
“I’m going there now. I’ll bring something for you.”
“Thanks.”
Quinn left the door open, not sure if he trusted her.
Kendle sank into the office chair with a groan of depression and frustration. She didn’t really want any of them, but at least Quinn held a spark of fight. The others would only be her willing minions and she already knew that wouldn’t work. She would walk all over a weak-willed person. She was too strong now.
Kendle read the paper on top of the notebook absently, lost in her own thoughts. It was a note on their plans, added after Marc left the briefing.
Safe Haven called. There was another attempt on Angela’s life. Adrian says it’s time to come home.
Quinn returned with the plates to find Kendle gone. He didn’t notice the missing paper.
8
“Thank you.”
Kendle left the bunkroom. She felt no guilt about making sure that Marc got the message. If Angela needed him, he should be there. These men had no right to keep it from him.
Marc knew Quinn and the others had been waiting for the right time, but he was glad Kendle had told him before they could. It would keep him from reacting wrong. If he showed too much concern, his men would realize it had all been an act, that he had longed to be in Safe Haven’s safety the whole time. He would lose them.
Marc could almost hear the reluctance in Adrian’s voice as he delivered the message Marc was sure Angela didn’t know about. She hadn’t called out to him in a while, determined not to come between him and the duty he’d accepted. He also knew it was a struggle for her, that she wanted him there more than anything. He didn’t have to connect to her to know how she felt. He’d been carrying it since he left the camp gate and the weight had only grown in the time they’d been apart. She hadn’t wanted to send him, but there hadn’t been anyone else who could handle a job like this.
Marc was still holding the paper when Quinn came to wake him. The Eagle’s face tightened as he realized how Marc had gotten it.
Marc crumbled it up and set it next to him. “We’ll talk about that later.”
Quinn swallowed. “Updates?
“No,” Marc refused.
“Pack it up and head for home?”
“No.”
“You aren’t going to Safe Haven now?” Quinn asked hesitantly.
“Not until this job is done.”
Quinn understood he had underestimated. “I’m sorry.”
Marc shrugged. “Maybe you are and maybe you aren’t. What matters, is truth. We don’t have that anymore.”
“Why?” Quinn protested. “Because you want them both? I only pushed to find out what her lines were.”
“Because you don’t trust me, Quinn, not the other way around. As soon as we rode in here, you assumed the worst.”
Quinn couldn’t deny it. “Tell me I’m wrong.”
“I’ll tell you that you don’t know the full story on either end. Until you do, you should butt out.”
Quinn flushed angrily, but wisely shut up as Marc stood.
“I have plans based around her, Eagle. Don’t get in the way of them. Get on board.”
“I want to,” Quinn confessed. “But I have to know what those plans will lead to.”
“I’m getting her ready,” Marc confessed. “For someone else.”
Enlightenment came and the Eagle scowled. “You’ve changed.”
Marc grunted, lying back down for his last hour. “I’ll be your boss at some point. Make your choice now, Quinn, and save me the time of coming to you when that happens. You’re either mine or his. It can’t be both.”
Paul and Jax gave Quinn pointed looks indicating they agreed with Marc.
“How can you support him?” Quinn demanded.
Both men spoke together, “He’s the Ghost.”
“What the hell does that mean?”
Marc’s voice came from behind him. “They’ve made the choice that you’ll struggle with over the next few days or weeks.”
Quinn turned around “You’re gonna challenge Adrian for leadership!”
Marc looked up with glowing red orbs. “Can you think of a single reason why I shouldn’t?”
Quinn wanted to. The desire to serve Adrian hadn’t gone away, but it had faded a lot more than he’d thought it would. In its place was a new light of leadership that glowed too brightly from the man in front of him to be ignored.
“No.”
Marc closed his lids, satisfied. “When the time comes, take my left. You’ve earned it for your service here. And her, if she wants you. I’ll find someone else for him.”
Hearing Marc openly planning their lives the same way Adrian had was proof for Quinn. Adrian had been sent to lead them through the aftermath. Marc would carry them into the future. He was more open, more honorable, than Adrian ever had been.
“I’ll be there when you need me.”
Paul and Jax clapped him on the shoulder, bringing him into the light, and Quinn went gratefully. Marc was stronger than Adrian. They could put their faith in him and it wouldn’t be abused. Adrian was still important, but Marc would lead them. If Adrian refused to step down, Marc’s Eagles would remove him.
9
“The Mexicans have left.”
Marc glanced over from his post at the dusty window as Paul went on with the report.
“Red Stone said he can’t be away from his people anymore with the soldiers so close. He’s worried they may have sent another force south.”
“Tell him it was our honor to fight alongside him,” Marc ordered.
Paul relayed the message.
Marc sighed in resignation. With the Mexicans leaving, it was likely that the Indian groups would, as well. Which meant the fighters inside this base were on their own.
Marc spotted several soldiers doing recon on the base, and waved at one of them as he disappeared from the window. It was time to get ugly and there were few men better at it than him.
As the sounds of fighting outside grew louder, Marc went to their command room. “It’s time. Get them ready.”
Jax went to the radio to make the announcement.
Kendle fell in behind Marc as he went to notify other parts of the base. This was the inside of Marc’s plan and it was complicated. Kendle was worried about it, too. She had little faith in these men keeping him safe and she stayed close as the preparations began.
“Wider,” Marc instructed to those working on the sealed doors of the mini-bunker. “We have to be able to get in there on the run. Prop it open.”
Marc waved at the stacks of supplies. “Get those inside, along with radio. When we start making calls from down here, the static will make it hard to decipher. Don’t forget the antenna.”
The men began working on the last levels of Marc’s plans and he stayed close, being sure it was right. Making a mistake now was likely to get them all killed.
“Are you sure?”
“They’ll think we’re trapped,” Marc answered. “Make it look that way.”
Outside the base, the enemy was moving into position. No longer forced to defend their flank from the Indians and Mexicans, the soldiers could now concentrate on a frontal assault. These troops were tired, cold, and bloody. They wanted to be in the base. Little would stop them.
Marc was counting on it. “Now!”
The ground in front of the base shook as the charges went off, rattling items and knocking over haphazardly stacked boxes.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
The horrific sound continued until all the explosives around the base had been blown.
Through their windows and peepholes, there was only dust and dirt flying through the air. Everyone waited for it to settle down to determine how much protective damage they’d done. In the uneasy silence, they could hear the soldiers outside.
“Move in! Move in!”
“Hit the deck!” Marc ordered.
The building rumbled as the tank came closer.
Marc waved Paul and Jax to the other window. “Just like we practiced.”
Paul handed Jax the box, gaze glued to the tank. “Ten.”
Jax took his place proudly. “Copy, ten.”
The Eagles adjusted the aim as Marc and the others drew fire away from them with peppering shots that pissed men off with nicks and cuts. Their body amour was hard to get through, but Marc’s rifle did damage and kept the men on Paul’s side pinned down.
Pop! Pop! pop!
Grinnddd!
The tank rolled over a concreted truck meant to slow it down and Marc made the call. “Now.”
Jax hit the button and the magnet descended on the tank.
“It’s got them!” Paul shouted. “We’ve got...”
Paul slid to the floor, caught by sniper’s luck.
Jax caught him in shock.
Marc shoved them both under the window line as that side of the wall exploded.
“Get the other one!” Marc ordered, yanking Jax away from the incoming fire.
He shoved the stunned Eagle toward Kendle’s flank and went back to firing. Paul’s body would have to stay where it was.
“We have a breach! Breach in command!”
Marc grabbed the radio from Quinn. “Stand your posts! That’s an order!” Marc pointed at the last stick of dynamite. “Close the gap.”
Quinn wasn’t sure where to aim.
Marc pointed to where ropes were being shot for the invasion. “Bring it down on them.”
Quinn saw what he meant and tossed the lit stick with a harsh sneer. “Get out of our base!”
Kablammm!
Marc was thrown to the floor and showered with sharp, hot debris. Behind him, the wall began to collapse.
“That’s it! Get out!” Marc shouted, shoving himself and Kendle toward the door. As they fled, he hit the switch taped to the wall and took off running.
Boom!
The concussion from the blast knocked Marc down the hall and sent him into the other bodies that had dropped at the sound, not sure where to go.
“Get in the stairwell!”
Marc kept them moving, only glancing back to confirm that their command center was now a pile of smoldering rubble.
He’d expected them to try punching through wherever the command room was and he’d prepared for it, but now, they were down to the last tricks that Marc had up his sleeve. They would hold out in the bottom floors for a few days more if luck was with them, but after that, this base would once again become government property.