Perception
1
“Go on and print it out,” Angela stated, folding the paper. She would go over it in detail later, especially the interview Cynthia had done. Everyone would want to read that a few times.
“You want me to change anything?” Cynthia asked, a bit nervously. Some of the wording wasn’t very supportive of the current leadership.
“Nope,” Angela answered. “Our people deserve the truth. You’ll give them that.”
“I’ll have it ready to hand out in the morning.”
“Good.”
Surprised, Cynthia left Angela to her stack of papers. She hadn’t expected the first draft of her paper to be approved. In fact, she hadn’t been certain any of her drafts would make it. She’d expected censorship and lies, not freedom to tell the truth.
“I’ve read that draft,” Greg stated, also sorting through stacks of papers. “It might cause some problems.”
Angela didn’t tell him that sometimes problems were useful. Cynthia would help her push these people back into American values and strength. It had built the country once and they needed it now, more than ever.
Angela opened her notebook. “I think I’m ready.”
Greg lifted the first sheet and they got on with the morning updates. “We had another group of refugees come in around dawn. Marc put them in Zone A.”
“The doctor’s home,” Angela stated, able to feel the displeasure coming from the medical bay. “Get him on the testing.”
Greg wrote it down and continued, “The ants are making a home in the secondary cave we chose–the one that connects to ours. Is that okay?”
“Yes,” Angela answered. “But keep them out of ours. Some of our sheep haven’t accepted them yet and sharing the cave with them during the snow drew a lot of complaints.”
“I’ll have Jennifer pass the message for them to stay out of sight for a while,” Greg offered.
“Good. She’ll do it without hurting feelings. Have an extra bin of scraps delivered to them each day. That’ll help them not feel shunned.”
Greg wasn’t sure about ants having emotions, but he didn’t bring it up. He was one of the people who didn’t care for the sight of the mutations, but he did recognize their usefulness.
“Have her ask them about helping take some of our heavier equipment down to the bottom levels,” Angela said suddenly, running with the new idea. “They can still carry a hundred times their own weight, so that could be very useful.”
“I agree,” Greg replied, stifling a protest about having to labor with the ants. If they could carry the heavy machinery down, that would be more than useful. It would be amazing.
“We’ve gone through the first week’s loads that came in. Shane found two wood gas generators at the lumberyard and Theo’s already using them. He said he’ll need a safe place to store the fuel we get from them.”
“That rocks!” Angela exclaimed. “Have it put in a truck by itself and I’ll send it out to locations that need it.”
Greg didn’t ask for details on that, knowing the answer wouldn’t be one he cared for. If Angela felt the need to stock locations for an emergency, it probably meant that trouble was already verified.
“Not always,” Angela tried to soothe. “Sometimes I’m just being careful.”
Greg still didn’t ask any questions. “We’re not uncovering much food. The stores have been cleaned out.”
“I expected that,” Angela told him. “We’ll do more rationing, quietly. Here’s a list of things for the cook and the garden crews.”
Greg read over it and approved of them. Subtly changing their diet to more bread-based items would slow their supply usage, though it wasn’t healthy. To combat that, Angela was having more vitamins passed out, and releasing their reserve of fish to be consumed now. It would add a couple weeks to their estimates. “No problems on these. Most people won’t notice.”
“Good. I hope it will only be that way for a month or so, and then we’ll have the second harvest from the garden. How are we on animals?”
“Not great,” he replied checking a sheet. “And we don’t have anyone free to go searching.”
“We’ll cover that next week. Gatherers become stockers and we’ll be able to spare a couple of teams then.”
“Good. Next is an update on the settlement in general.”
“Yes, where are we on everything? Any chance we’ll make the morning’s deadline?”
“None at all. The plumbing should be finished today, along with the power. Air is done and working well. A few reports of groans and creaks, but we’ve all agreed that’s normal, considering that we’re drilling, banging, and making plenty of noise while we sweat.” Greg scanned the sheet again. “I’d say we have a shot at twelve days, unless something happens to speed things up.”
Angela wasn’t worried over it. She’d known her deadline wasn’t reasonable, but the cold weather was coming and hurrying these people along had been necessary. “What about sanitation and escape routes?”
“The sanitation will be finished tomorrow, if we can get more septic equipment. We’re stuck waiting on loads to come in for that one. However, the escape routes have been reconned, mapped, and we have guards posted.”
“Excellent,” Angela praised. Exiting the cave through those damp bottom tunnels wouldn’t be pleasant and she hoped they didn’t need to use them.
“We do have full loads of wood, gravel, sand, and dirt. Very low on water and fuel.”
“That’ll be better after today,” Angela informed him. “The water from Neil’s run will hold us for the rest of the month. We also have a team collecting from the northern oil refinery now.”
“Okay. Next is…Eagle training. Marc left sheets for you to approve. Said Kenn and Shawn did well on them.”
“I’ll go over it later, with these other things,” she said, placing the papers into her book. “Who do I have meetings with today?”
Greg consulted his schedule. “They’re all covered. Marc handled the doctor, Samantha told Conner he isn’t getting in here yet, and that’s it.”
“Really?” Angela gushed. “I’ve got a free hour?”
Greg laughed at her innocent pleasure. She was cute when she wasn’t being the boss.
“Last thing I have is Tara–she asked for a different job. I told her we need hands in the caves and she agreed to try that.”
Angela’s demeanor turned cold. “Any word from her settling partners?”
“None that I’ve noticed,” Greg answered, scanning his papers again. “She follows the rules and stays out of the way.”
“And Missy?”
Greg gestured toward the kids’ area, where a large group of children and their chaperones were lined up to enjoy field trip day. Missy was with Leeann, and the two girls were chatting happily and ignoring everything else around them.
“Seems content enough.”
Angela didn’t comment, staring at the little girl. Missy’s gifts were incredible, but Angela was loathe to have her use them. She needed time to be a kid before being a descendant consumed her life.
Angela stood up, pocketing her notebook. “I’ll be on rounds.”
Greg nodded, thinking she looked better today than she had the entire time they’d been here. It was heartening, and Greg was whistling as he strolled to the front gate for a check-in with the sentries over Zone C. That was the only area he didn’t have an update on yet and at lunch, he wanted to have it ready if the boss asked for it.
Angela headed for the female tents, hoping to catch Hilda before she started her day of laboring in the caves. If Hilda were willing, she would submit to a new exam and discover if she and the baby were out of danger for a while. The life forces were capable of healing many things and Angela needed to hear that her horrible gambit had succeeded. She’d already given her soul to these people. She shouldn’t be required to sacrifice her unborn child, too.
2
Neil slid into the shower stall with a groan. “That feels good.”
A few stalls over, Jeremy chuckled. “Yeah, hot water will cause that reaction.”
Neil let it beat on his sore shoulders while he stared through the window. He and his team were going back out after lunch mess, to supervise the collection of water from the treatment plant. As he stared, he caught a glimpse of Samantha going by. Her pace wasn’t the confident stroll that Neil was used to and he frowned.
“Can I talk to you about something?” Neil asked, leaning against the stall.
“Sure,” Jeremy answered, not hearing the tone. He was busy ignoring his body while he washed.
“Have you, uh.” Neil flushed. “Have you and Samantha been… You know.”
Jeremy grimaced. So much for ignoring my needs. “No, not since the night we got here.”
Neil felt the heat rise at that memory, but the concern overruled it. “I haven’t either.”
Now Jeremy was the one frowning as he realized what Neil was getting at. “You think she’s hiding something or just not in the mood? We’ve all been pretty busy.”
“I’m not sure,” Neil confided. “And I’m out again after lunch, so I can’t watch her.”
“I can,” Jeremy offered, rinsing. “I will.”
Neil got a rag wet. “I know it’s only been a little over a week and being pregnant has to screw with things, but it isn’t normal for her. You know?”
“Yeah.” Now that it had been pointed out, Jeremy agreed. Samantha’s sexual appetite was new to them, but it had been voracious from the instant they’d started having contact. For her to go cold turkey wasn’t normal. “I can try to talk to her about it.”
“That’ll go well,” Neil snorted. “Let me know when you plan to do it so I can be there to sew you up.”
Jeremy snickered. “Okay, I’ll let you know if I spot anything we should be worried over.”
Neil hoped that would be enough. He already knew Samantha wasn’t going to want to talk to them about anything that might be wrong. “Do you think she’d talk to someone else? Like maybe Cynthia?”
Jeremy considered it. “They have gotten close. Maybe.”
“I might mention it to her before I leave,” Neil stated, soaping up. “You’ll have to deal with the fallout if Samantha figures out it came from us.”
“Yeah, but it’s worth it to make sure she’s okay.”
“I agree,” Neil said. “I’ll do that when I’m finished here.”
Jeremy didn’t tell Neil that he’d seen Cynthia stomping toward the gates, where the next teams were getting set to leave for the day’s labor out of camp. The reporter wasn’t happy and Jeremy was almost certain it was because Conner was working with them. He wasn’t supposed to have that information, but he’d overheard Samantha and Cynthia complaining about it. Jeremy wasn’t happy about the arrangement either, but he trusted Angela and if she thought the boy deserved a second chance, then he did.
Jeremy’s thoughts went to Adrian and he drew a mental line. That criminal didn’t deserve to be let in and Angela needed to be very careful about using him, even from a distance. If people thought she was conspiring with a traitor, she would lose leadership and that would be bad for everyone. Angela was a gifted leader and Safe Haven wouldn’t be the same without her.
Neil’s thoughts stayed on Samantha. He’d noticed more things off about her, other than the lack of sex and the weaker body language, but he was hesitant to explore them. Samantha had spent a lot of time in the west, on foot and in compounds that had been contaminated with radiation, and Neil was terrified she was one of the members trying to hide a disease diagnosis.
3
“He’ll have another nasty scar,” the doctor stated, keeping Kyle between him and Jennifer. “Nothing else wrong with him.”
“See?” Kyle complained. “I told you we didn’t need to come in.”
Jennifer didn’t rise to the bait. She’d insisted the doctor give Kyle a compete check-up and though neither man had been happy about it, she’d gotten her way.
“Your turn?” Kyle asked.
Jennifer scowled and the doctor shook his head.
“I have a lot of work today.”
“I’m spending the day with my sons after this.”
Kyle grinned at both of them. “Cowards.”
The doctor couldn’t deny it, but Jennifer slapped Kyle on the arm. “Stop it. You know he’s scared of me.”
“With good reason,” Kyle replied teasingly. “You’re a vicious killer.”
Kyle had meant it as a joke, but both of them wincing made him take it to the next level.
“I mean, we all know how terrified the babies and animals are of you.”
Jennifer recognized the joke, but the doctor took it as an insult.
“I’m not scared of her. I don’t like it when people get special treatment.”
Jennifer laughed, unable to help it. “Yeah, special.”
Kyle loved the sound of her laughter. “I think so.”
Drawn into their bond against his will, the doctor was forced to accept that the teenager also had a soft side. She was gentle with Kyle and with her daughter, who the doctor had double-checked for signs of abuse.
“You’ll never find any!” Jennifer snapped, angered at the mental accusation. “I’m capable of love and kindness. That may not be true of you!”
Jennifer left the medical tent, slamming the flap in a vain effort to express her outrage.
Kyle sighed. “You’ve gotta stop doing that. People here are tired of being prejudged.”
The doctor didn’t respond. He was busy trying to sooth his guilt for hurting Jennifer’s feelings. She shouldn’t have been in my mind. I hate that!
Kyle followed Jennifer, pulling his shirt on over the thick scar that should still be a gaping wound capable of taking his life. Kendle had done fast, amazing work, and Kyle knew that was part of the reason that Jennifer had insisted on the check-up. She didn’t trust Kendle.
“No, I don’t,” Jennifer admitted, letting go of her anger at the doctor in favor of her anger at Kendle. “She’s going to keep messing around with Marc and we’ll get the order to remove her. I don’t want that to happen.”
Kyle didn’t tell her that Adrian would be the one to get that order. Instead, he said, “We need to help her adjust and find someone–other than the traitor.”
Jennifer glanced at Kyle. “You have to forgive him sometime, you know. He’s not going anywhere.”
“I won’t,” Kyle stated. “Ever.”
Jennifer thought in time Kyle might be able to understand why Adrian had made those choices, but she agreed with the sentiment. What Adrian had done was awful and it had hurt his men more than anyone else. Those in his army had been believers.
“The puppy is almost trained and ready to come home with us,” Kyle told her, neatly switching the topic. “Next couple of weeks.”
“Nice! I haven’t played with him in a while.”
Safe Haven animals were put through a training program before being handed over to an owner and the owners had to know the methods and continue them. Angela had added it to Adrian’s training program not long after they’d had their dog uprising. So far, the few dogs here hadn’t shown any signs of following their fellow canines, but the Eagles were still watching for it. Jennifer was still going to the weekly training lessons, where she often scanned the animals as well.
“Can I bother you for a minute?”
Kyle and Jennifer rotated to find Sheila behind them. The former slave from Cesar’s camp had chosen to remain with the herd for Angela’s war and she’d been keeping her head down since then.
“What?” Jennifer asked rudely. She had little forgiveness for any of them.
Sheila flushed, hesitating, and Jennifer turned away. Reading her mind had barely taken an instant.
“No, I won’t,” Jennifer called over her shoulder. After finding Lilly with her baby, Jennifer had no sympathy. “My forgiveness isn’t for sale, so keep your offers.”
Kyle caught up to Jennifer, but he didn’t give her the expected lecture on forgiveness. He had his own demons to fight in that area.
4
Tonya spotted her target and beelined for the mess before she could lose her nerve. Dealing with other people was still hard for her sometimes.
Tonya dropped onto the bench across from Peggy, smiling. “I have something for you.”
Peggy, who was watching for Doug, frowned. “What?”
Tonya slid a large baggie over, glad she’d thought to put it in a sack first.
Peggy realized it was the next batch for the cancer drinks and allowed a small bit of approval to come through. “I’ll take care of it. Thank you.”
“Welcome,” Tonya stated, lingering instead of leaving right away like she had been doing.
Peggy frowned deeper. “You all right?”
“I need to ask you for something,” Tonya admitted.
“What?” Peggy couldn’t think of anything Tonya would ask for that was over the line now. Things had changed.
“I’d like your help birthing my baby.”
“You what?” Peggy repeated distractedly. She’d caught sight of Doug’s big shoulders coming through the line with his tray.
“You’re nice and I know you plan to help some of the other women here,” Tonya explained. “And I won’t go to the new guy. He creeps me out.”
“Creeps you out,” Peggy repeated. “Got it.”
“Yes, and I could even do a couple of your shifts, if you feel like teaching me.”
Peggy wanted the woman gone. “Sure, fine.”
“Thanks!” Tonya beamed, standing up. “Kenn was right about asking you. You are nice.”
Before Tonya could add anything else, Peggy lunged from the table and stabbed Doug in the arm.
“Son of a…”
Startled, Tonya quickly backed out of the mess and fled for the pharmacy.
“There you are.”
Tonya jumped, spinning to discover Samantha waiting by the shaded corner of the pharmacy tent. None of her helpful rookies were here yet and Tonya tried not to appear nervous as she opened the tent and stepped behind the makeshift counter.
“What do you need? We’ve got a fresh supply of baby wipes now, and a roll of toilet paper, but one per person.”
“I need something that you have to keep your mouth shut about,” Samantha stated coldly. She’d accepted Tonya on the team because the redhead could hold her own. It didn’t mean she liked her.
“Fine, as long as it doesn’t break the rules.”
Samantha blinked, still not used to Tonya being upstanding. She also wasn’t used to the short hair. “I need you to tell Neil and Jeremy that I came in for the wipes.”
“Okay,” Tonya slowly agreed, handing her the thin package. “And what am I really giving you?”
“Something to keep me from starting each day by puking.”
Tonya’s quick mind added it up. “You’re having trouble and you haven’t told them?”
Samantha came further into the tent, trying to appear menacing. “No, and you’re not going to either.”
Tonya chuckled, not scared of Samantha. “I will, if you don’t convince me you have a good reason.” Tonya began digging through her bins. “I’ve got what you need, but take it easy on them. Studies hadn’t determined long-term effects on a fetus.”
Sam was surprised again at how professional Tonya sounded. “Did you have experience at this before?”
Tonya shrugged. “Not legally.”
Samantha took the bottle and said,” I’m sick and the doctor can’t do anything. He wouldn’t even give me something to calm my stomach. Said it was a waste of supplies since I’m gonna die anyway.”
“Sick with what?” Tonya forced out through the shock.
Samantha leaned in and revealed her misery. “Cancer, John said.”
“Oh, shit,” Tonya exclaimed. “I’m so sorry.”
“Yeah, me too,” Samantha stated. “But I’m going to have these babies and you can help me with that.”
“I will. I’ll do some reading when I get time and see if there’s anything else we can do.”
Tonya’s quick offer to help eased Samantha’s mind about coming to her and she lingered, waiting for her shift time to roll around. As she hung around, she realized Tonya had a calming effect on people. Her customers left happy, with what they came for, and her trade requests were reasonable. Tonya had become friendly, open, and it was a good half hour for Samantha, who needed to believe in miracles. No one thought cancer was beatable, but no one had thought Tonya capable of this level of reform, either.
Samantha slipped out as the next customers came in for Advil and wipes. Tonya had beaten the odds and now had an entirely new life. Samantha was certain she could do the same.
“Hey!” Cynthia called, kit in hand. “Ready for another fun day?”
“If we give Candy one of Li’s egg rolls, she’ll get gas again,” Samantha suggested.
The women laughed at the memory and they were still snickering as they began loading their gear onto the horses the animal crew had ready for them. They were only a few miles from home and they needed to conserve fuel, but Samantha didn’t think she could take another ride down the mountain on a jostling horse. She glanced over at the team next to them. Allan’s crew was piling into a large van that would return with the supplies from the electric store that Kyle had secured before getting hurt. “You guys feel like helping a lady?”
Cynthia stared in surprise as Samantha bartered a ride for them to the bottom of the hill, arranging for the horses to be tied to the rear and the driver to go slow.
“What’s up with that?” Tracy asked, also surprised. Their first day on horses, Samantha hadn’t wanted to get off hers.
“I think she’s feeling restless and trying not to let herself get out of control,” the reporter stated. “Or she’s hiding something. I’d rather believe my first guess.”
“So would I,” Tracy agreed. She liked Samantha and had deep respect for her. Finding out she was hiding lies, like some of the others here, would be a huge disappointment.
Samantha didn’t answer the glances or raised brows as she gestured to the van. “All aboard, ladies.”
They would discover it at some point, but for now, Samantha didn’t want to discuss her future. All she was concerned with right now was giving birth to two healthy babies. After that, she would worry about herself.
5
“I think it’s selfish. We don’t have to eat meat.”
Ray turned to find out who said that and clamped his lips shut as he saw Chris and the rest of Billy’s crew entering the gate. The veterinarian was staunch in his beliefs that the animals should be protected, not eaten, but the camp refused to listen. Ray agreed. Meat was a key to life. Vegetable and fruits would keep a person alive, but Ray didn’t think they actually satisfied the body. Many of his old friends had tried those diets, wanting a more natural existence, but the illnesses that had come afterwards had convinced Ray that meat was important.
Chris nodded to Ray as he came through the gate and Ray gave a bob in return, but didn’t take his attention from the afternoon surroundings. The refugees in Zone C had discovered missing members and then held a fight to determine who would lead them next. The loser’s bodies were currently sprawled outside their area and Ray was waiting for it to draw the ants. Angela had told them not to remove bodies that nature needed, and Ray was hoping that the ants dragging off the corpses would settle these new people down. Even the other refugees in Zone A and B were afraid of them, and Ray thought it was smart of Angela to separate the wild arrivals from the others. Those two-dozen survivors were trouble.
“I can’t believe Chris joined the Eagles. I thought he’d always be the veterinarian.”
Dale had climbed the first rafter to spend the last minutes of his shift together, and Ray didn’t send him away. Many of the other men had their girlfriends here at the end or start of their shifts and Ray was tired of denying Dale the benefit.
“He might do okay,” Ray answered, scanning the southern border that ran along the road. The street was busy today, but so far, all of the traffic was Safe Haven crews.
The other Eagles who noticed Dale standing by Ray on the rafter turned away from the couple. They no longer beat the gay men, but ignoring them was common.
“I hate that,” Dale complained. “Why do they do that?”
“They don’t like what we do, they don’t agree with it,” Ray explained. “We’ve talked about this.”
“But why do they even care?”
“Because we’re not hiding it. Do you like being forced to watch something you don’t like?”
Dale frowned. “Why do you always defend them? They’re wrong.”
“This is America, Dale. They have the right to dislike it, as much as we have the right to do it.”
“We were changing that before the war, changing the law to include us,” Dale reminded his lover. “We could do that again.”
The bell rang for shift change and Ray stared at Dale in disapproval. “Didn’t you learn anything from the war?!”
Ray jumped from the rafter as his relief exchanged places and Dale hurried after him, not sure what he’d done wrong.
“Wait!”
Ray did, because so many people stopped to stare. He didn’t want them to know he and Dale were having an argument. They were already in the gossip too often. They didn’t need to add more fodder.
“I’m sorry for what I said,” Dale rushed to placate his angry man. “I’ve learned a lot since it all blew up.”
Ray took a deep breath and gently took Dale’s hand. “Listen to me, okay? It’s important.”
Dale nodded eagerly, thrilled with the public display of affection.
“There has to be equal protection for everyone and the line is American. Not gay, not minority, not handicapped, but American. We’re all equal.”
“When there are more of us, that won’t be how things happen,” Dale stated firmly. “I’m not an activist, but even I recognize the opportunity for changing things from the beginning this time. Why wait another two hundred years for equality?”
“Because that’s not equal. That’s us being set aside as something other than American and I won’t allow it,” Ray answered, not caring about the listening people around them. “And when others come, we’ll make them understand or we’ll drive them out of here. Safe Haven is a paradise and it will decide the laws for the entire country at some point. We’ll help with that–fairly.”
Ray let go of Dale’s hand and straightened his shoulders. “And just so you know, the others who come here won’t be my kind. I’m an Eagle, a full member of Safe Haven. They’ll have to try to be my kind before I can ever spend time around them.
“Because of the preconceived notions here,” Dale insisted.
“No,” Ray refused to let it go. “I’m not gay, white, Christian, or any of those other labels. I refuse to be a part of the problem anymore. I’m an American. That’s all I need for my identity and I’d bet survivors in other lands feel the same right about now.”
“Do you think I’m part of the problem?” Dale asked quietly.
Ray sighed. “Maybe a little, but everyone is. We have to try harder to be better people. All that other stuff doesn’t matter. It never did.”
A few of the people going by were giving the two men approving looks and Ray realized that was something everyone had been waiting to hear. Knowing he and Dale had no plans to restart the old politics had just given them a new level of acceptance.
“Let’s get some food and spend the day roaming the new tents they’re putting up. I heard one of them is a movie theater.”
Dale returned the eager glance and the couple walked to the mess without feeling the usual sneers of ignorance. It was a nice moment and Ray absorbed it. He was tired of the constant stress. It had been a long nine months since the war and he needed the break that Angela had told them all was coming. Everyone did.
6
“Break time!” Adrian called. “Sniper switch.” Adrian had brought all of his camp with him today and they’d been toiling alongside the women until about noon, when Adrian had pulled the men off work detail and spent time on training. He was still covering the guard duty over the women, but his ten other men were as sweaty and filthy as the females. He’d put them through basic rookie training today, jumping them faster than he had any of his other teams. As a result, they were exhausted and viewing him with hostile thoughts.
Adrian, also filthy from demonstrating, climbed the nearest telephone pole and signaled Conner down. “Stay away from them.”
Conner intended to. He was still embarrassed about Candy farting on him and making everyone laugh, but he also wanted to make peace with her. The slightly noticeable stomach bump hadn’t changed his interest in her, but it had given him a new respect. She was going to be a mother. Conner had adored his, and it was harder to view Candy as a sexual object because of that.
Conner slid into the truck they’d pushed aside; glad to be out of the wind. It wasn’t cold until the air gusted and then his eyes had watered and wouldn’t stop.
Conner wiped his face and lay against the seat, ready to snooze until his dad called him for the rest of his shift. Hoping to get half an hour, the teenager shut his lids and let himself relax. He wasn’t recovered from saving Jennifer and the others yet. He hadn’t ever taken a life force and he wouldn’t. His recoveries would be natural and slow.
Steps crunch outside the door and Conner refused to look. If it were trouble, his dad would yell.
Samantha knocked on the window, not feeling bad when the boy jumped. “Put it down.”
Conner cranked the window open, frowning. “What?”
Samantha bent down and the teenager immediately leaned away. Her unstable emotions were easy to read and Samantha didn’t try to stop him as he dug into her mind.
Conner groaned as he understood what she wanted. “This is what he meant when he said I’d never have any peace.”
Sam winced, but didn’t reply. She waited for him to decide her fate with a mind flashing through scenes of her death and the effects it might have on Safe Haven.
“You guys are gonna use me up,” the boy complained. He was already exhausted.
“I’ll get you time with her,” Samantha blurted, flushing guiltily. “She doesn’t hate you.”
Conner had stiffened, considering the offer, and he reluctantly said, “It can’t work that way. I’ll help you because it’s the right thing to do.”
Samantha, relieved, smiled at the tired boy. “Thank you.”
Conner shrugged it off. “Can you let me sleep a little now?”
Sam left him alone. She would make sure he got rest and anything else he needed. She would also try to get Candy to spend a little time with him. Once he saw Candy as a pregnant woman with a nasty attitude, his infatuation would go away and then they might even be able to be in the same camp together.
Samantha had taken Angela’s words to heart about second chances. Conner was young and dumb, an excuse she hadn’t had when she’d made her own huge mistakes. Holding onto a grudge against the son because of the father wasn’t fair, and Samantha intended to let go of it if she could.
She glared at the sniper above them, face darkened. But not that one, she thought. That’s my line.
7
“I can’t see the lines on this road,” Shane remarked, driving the crew to base. “I didn’t expect the paint to fade so fast.”
“Wow, I didn’t think about it. Only nine months. That’s a riot!” Nathen exclaimed.
Nathan was a rookie and very young to have volunteered. One of the kids from Angela’s airfield rescue, Nathan often said things that his older companions ignored. The pregnant girl from that same rescue was almost the exact opposite. When she spoke, people listened.
“It got dark fast,” Tommy commented, yawning. They’d spent the day loading the last of the water and all of their crew was ready for a hot shower and sleep. The trucks had been sent ahead while they finished clearing out a small room of vending machine snacks and toiletries. Thanks to Li Sing’s all-day meal packing, they’d been well fed and watered, but none of them had thought to bring painkillers for their sore muscles. They had items in their medical kits, but all of them were reluctant to use those things except in an emergency.
“Hey, is that a light on in that house?”
Everyone peered through the dusty van windows.
The tremor reached their vicinity at that moment. The road shifted under them, vibrations pounding through the tires, and then the street under them buckled and Shane lost control of the van. It slid with the crumbling pavement, tilting, and then rolled the rest of the way down the cliff.
The van came to a stop upside down, with dust and glass billowing from the impact.
The rumbling didn’t last long and as it faded, the door to the house opened and a small group of people rushed out with torches and guns.
8
Shawn shifted his Colt to a better position so that he could lean against the cold cliff. It felt good on his spine.
Shawn was on duty outside the Eagle training area and though the tremor had brought a few people from their tents and the cave, things had already quieted down. Marc and Zack were calmly making rounds and Angela hadn’t even come from her tent.
We’re getting used to the new environment, Shawn thought, scanning the far perimeter. The snipers would be on full alert right now, as all the Eagles were, but Shawn didn’t expect any problems. Even the refugees in Zone C were quiet. As 3am came, the temperature had dropped into the 40s and everyone not required to be out had sought the warmth of shelters.
Shawn was enjoying it. He had long underwear under his thicker Eagle clothes, and the only part of him that even felt the cold was his face. He had the mask in his pocket that all of them had found in their gear yesterday, but he wasn’t positive about using it. Shawn didn’t like how it limited his vision.
A movement nearby drew Shawn’s attention and he quietly ducked into the deeper shadows of the cliff to remain undetected.
Someone had come from the large tent area and while he could have assumed that he or she had the permission of the guard on that vicinity, he didn’t. As cold as it was, those two sentries might have gone into the station tent to get warm and missed things.
The person was wearing a long dress and tall boots, and Shawn carefully followed as she took the path toward the front row of tents. Those were all secured at this time at night. Anyone needing items from them had to talk to the man on Point–Marc–who had the keys. Stock inside the tents was crated and padlocked each evening.
The woman paused near the pharmacy tent, and then kept going down the lane. She took a left at the end, toward the new activity tents that Kenn had been toiling over all day.
Shawn found Logan in the station tent and waved to get his attention. When the man realized there was a problem, Shawn quickly used the Eagle hand code to give instructions. He told the man to stay where he was and act as if he hadn’t witnessed anything.
Curious, Logan did as he was told, trying not to glance at the woman about to vanish into the garden area. There wasn’t a sentry in there yet, since it was still under construction.
Shawn waited for the woman to be out of sight, and then gestured for Logan to alert the others on duty.
Shawn advanced on quick, quiet feet, and drew his Colt as he entered the darkness. He flipped on his Surefire light and found the woman cowering along the wall next to the bags of seed. “Don’t move!”
Tara cringed, hands coming up. “I’m sorry. Don’t shoot!”
Shawn eased closer, sweeping her for weapons. Her hands were empty, face flushed, and he signaled for her to stand up. “What are you doing here?”
Tara stood up, trying to smile. “Getting a moment alone with you.”
Shawn stared in surprised confusion at the answer. “Excuse me?”
Tara took a step toward him, shielding her eyes from his light. “I know what she told you, about us. Can we talk?”
“You snuck out so I would follow you here?” he repeated, hearing boots.
Tara flashed a brighter smile. “Sorry. I didn’t mean for you to think I was doing something wrong.”
Shawn indicated the coming sentries. “They won’t believe that. Neither do I.”
Realizing she was in trouble, Tara paled. “Hey, wait. I didn’t do anything.”
Shawn felt her fear and didn’t have trouble believing her, despite his words. He sighed. “Tell them you got lost. If they hear the truth, I’ll never live it down.”
Tara nodded quickly, coming over to take his arm. Sparks flew at the contact. “I really am sorry. Please don’t be mad.”
Shawn couldn’t feel anything but attraction and he led her from the darkness with a curt gesture to the waiting Eagles. “It’s okay. She got lost.”
The other Eagles, who had been dealing with that same reply since they arrived, chuckled and returned to their posts. The layout would be better when it was finished. The signs were already painted and waiting for the structures to be in place.
Shawn holstered his Colt and led Tara toward the tent locale, conscious of how it felt to have a woman on his arm. Aware of his distraction, Shawn gestured for a rookie–Joseph–to take his post.
Tara allowed their bodies to brush as they walked, giggling when Shawn stumbled.
Shawn tried harder not to trip over his own feet. He’d had a quick moment with Leslie right after she’d first joined Safe Haven, but he could hardly remember it now. Especially with Tara’s perky breast brushing his arm.
The tent guards hurried out to meet them and Shawn realized the pair was also dating. He quickly added a note to his book while Courtney and Howard watched in dismay.
Shawn escorted Tara all the way to her tent, frowning a bit when he saw Missy’s shadow and realized Tara had left the girl alone to come and find him. Not good, he thought. She’ll need the parenting classes Angela wants drafted.
“I’ll have evening mess without my friends tomorrow,” he told her. “You can join me and we’ll talk.”
“In front of everyone?” she asked, a bit breathlessly.
Shawn nodded. “I don’t sneak around for anyone.”
Tara flushed, taking her arm from his. “Maybe I shouldn’t either!”
She ducked into the tent without giving him time to respond and Shawn stared at the zipping flap. “What did I say?”
He heard Tara’s snort, but she didn’t speak and he left the vicinity. He had no idea what he’d done wrong.
The guards were concerned with the punishment that would come and they remained outside the hut, not chatting and flirting as they’d been doing earlier. The boss wouldn’t be happy when she found out they had let someone get by unnoticed.
As Shawn returned to his post, he found more movement where there shouldn’t have been any and he hit his radio. “Breach in the training area!”
Eagles and lights flooded the vicinity and Shawn stayed where he was as a man was dragged violently from the training tent.
Marc appeared seconds later and jerked the man up by his shirt to find out who it was.
Darian grimaced, blood dripping from his lip. “I got lost.”
Marc gave the man a harsh shake. “Well, you’re found now. Come on. We have the brig ready. Kenn finished it today.”
Shawn watched the man be led to their new jail, full of worry and guilt. Tara hadn’t received that type of treatment.
Is she worthy of my protection? Shawn asked himself.
He didn’t have an answer to that and he vowed to get one. Mate or not, if she was bad, he didn’t want her.