by Angela White
“What?” Kenn was almost too shocked to drive. The truck slowed as it rolled over the narrow stone path between huge trees and lethal drops.
“I’m on the other team,” Adrian clarified rudely. “Marc put the pieces together right after he started sleeping with your ex.”
“I don’t understand,” Kenn said, turning so he could look at them both.
Marc waited, pushing out that powerful mental order for obedience.
Adrian couldn’t fight it. He’d never felt anything that strong. Even Angela wouldn’t be able to resist.
“I can’t be distracted by thoughts of her like you can,” Marc refuted calmly. “Last chance to do this on your own. I can make you tell the truth.”
“Fine!” Adrian glowered at Kenn, his most loyal man. “I work for the bunker. I’m on their payroll.”
Kenn’s stunned silence filled the truck. His mind flitted from crime, to trial, to judgment, to sentencing. Adrian had helped kill people. The camp wouldn’t forgive him. If this was true, Adrian had committed treason. He was an infiltrator, a liar, a…a traitor!
“He gets it!” Marc remarked happily. “Yes, the man we’ve all looked to for protection of our lives and our future, is actually one of those who want to take it all away from us.”
“How is? That can’t…” Kenn tried to form sentences, questions, hoping Adrian could defend himself. “Why would... When?”
“He’s a sleeper, Kenn. He was supposed to deliver all ‘havens’ he found into government hands. I doubt he’s ever been out of communication with someone in the remaining military.”
“But why would he...you do that?”
“It’s more like why didn’t I hand over this camp or let everyone die.” Adrian’s guts tightened into a knot. “The answer is currently sending the next team out behind us. I can feel her wishing you’d drive faster and get Marc back to her side. It makes me sick.”
Marc laughed at his rival’s pain. It was great to be home.
Kenn wasn’t amused. “I don’t understand.”
Adrian’s anger fled, replaced with misery. “I…changed. I got distracted. I…”
“He fell for that nice ass and those sweet titties, same as we did,” Marc supplied cheerfully. “She screwed up his plans but wouldn’t screw him! Talk about irony.”
Kenn grunted. Angela was definitely a distraction, but it didn’t explain enough. “You mean you weren’t on the other team?”
“Yes.”
“No.”
Kenn scowled. “Which is it?”
Marc waited again and Adrian was forced to answer, “Because I love her, you idiot! I couldn’t have her if I handed this camp over. I knew that as soon as she signed up for my army.”
“And César?” Marc prompted, temper waking. He didn’t know the details. He’d only been sure that Adrian wasn’t a good guy.
“He was on the bunker’s list for destroying NORAD.” Adrian shrugged. “It worked out well for both sides.”
Marc leaned forward and growled in Adrian’s ear, “She almost died!”
Adrian shrugged again. “That’s the price we pay for defying those who want authority over us. She knew what she signed up for. I carry no guilt for bringing her into my Eagles.”
Marc leaned back. “No, you shouldn’t. It’s the one honestly good thing you’ve done for her.”
“I’ve done a lot for her and the rest of the camp,” Adrian reminded him angrily. “Don’t get too high on that soapbox. You’d all be dead without me.”
“No,” Marc refuted. “We’d be dead without the people who’ve worked under you. Samantha’s warnings, Hilda’s influence, Kyle’s recons. You’ve had everyone else doing the work, but now, that’s over. You’ll bleed and sweat like the rest of us.”
“I always bleed and sweat with my men!” Adrian retorted sharply.
Marc was delighted to have already gotten under Adrian’s skin. “Settle in. It’s gonna be a fun ride.”
Kenn scowled when Adrian stopped defending himself, but didn’t argue. Kenn had already heard enough of the story to need the rest of it.
Marc was ecstatic at Kenn’s mental choice. “I thought it would take you longer.”
“I’m an asshole,” Kenn grunted. “I’m not stupid.”
“Honestly,” Marc snickered. “I’ve always thought you were a bit of both.”
Silence fell again.
Marc returned to dozing, mood growing steadily better despite the miles once again coming between him and Angela. He’d waited months to expose Adrian. Now that the time was here, doing it in front of Kenn made it perfect.
3
Angela went to Kyle next on her rounds. He was busy guiding his first load of assigned gear into the truck and she waited for him to finish. While she did, she scanned his fares. These females knew their roles, so much that they were ready half an hour early. They wouldn’t let her or the camp down.
“We’re set,” Kyle called out to the small group of people lingering near his dark colored van. “We leave in thirty.”
Some people began climbing onboard as the former mobster joined his boss.
Angela held out the instruction packet. “Make sure it’s too late to turn around before you handle it.”
“I will,” Kyle promised, observing Jennifer as she and three other shadows vanished into the fog outside the gate. She wasn’t going with him. The worry burning in Kyle’s gut was constant.
“The first time I think about a traitor they’ll know, if they’re descendants.”
“I’m going to give you an advantage over that little girl and all the others, Reece. Are you ready to appreciate it?”
Kyle gave a curt nod, not sure if he should brace for more pain. He’d chosen to pay that moment back when all of their lives weren’t at stake.
“Distraction, denial and defiance. The three Ds are how you handle us, like with the camp. And when that doesn’t work, you block.”
Kyle’s brows drew together. “She can get through any of my walls.”
“Why does everyone always try a wall and nothing else?” Angela wondered. “Hum an annoying song she would know or an old commercial. Say poems or tell yourself jokes. As long as it blocks her, it works.”
“That’ll make thinking hard,” he observed, sliding his gloves on tighter.
Angela stared at his scars, his badges. She lingered on the teeth marks. I put those there, when death almost took me. “Do you really need to think about this one, Reece?”
Kyle tensed for an instant, and then his shoulders drooped. “No. It’s what has to happen now.”
“I agree,” Angela stated, swinging around to stop a rookie hand from grabbing the bandana on her belt.
Kip grinned up at her, hoping for a pass since he’d gotten close enough to touch the red cloth. He wanted to shout in victory, but his throat was still stinging despite the pain pill.
“Fail. If you want onto a mission team, you’ll be perfect.”
The playboy dentist stormed off as Angela glanced at Kyle, who was ready to get going now that he had a new defense to use.
“It won’t work if they gang up on you,” Angela warned. “And if they decide to do that, my advice is to surrender. You are no match for a descendant.”
Kyle left with the ugly thought in his mind. He still didn’t doubt it was true, only loathed being able to deny it.
Angela had four more teams to send off and the list would restart tomorrow. This was a timed plan to get her people into the right areas before it was all mined. She wouldn’t miss a departure because of emotions.
Angela went to the gate on the other end of the quickly emptying camp, where Neil, Jeremy, and their two teams were loading up. Few of them wanted to leave at all and the mood was somber.
Angela surveyed the small pile of weapons and gear they had stacked by the rear of their vehicles. The men were currently saying quick goodbyes between carrying loads over, and it was sweet to witness these hardened men caring for their women. The fact
that some of their women were becoming as hard as they were didn’t matter. They understood their females still needed the emotional care that they always had. In battle, that would sometimes become an issue, but it was unavoidable. Women would learn to handle it the same as any other fighter had to.
“We’re ready in five,” Neil called, checking the kits against what was on his list. Samantha was in the van, and he and Jeremy were staying busy. Kyle would watch over her. They would all do their part.
Angela handed Jeremy the envelope. “Call if you need more men.”
“We will,” Neil promised, thinking her hair was going gray faster than Marc could fill her up on energy. What would she do while he was gone again?
“I’ll take what I need, the same as Samantha will.”
Neil held his tongue. He hated not knowing what was going on, what the plan was. He also hated the tension in Safe Haven and the camps that surrounded theirs. The relief to be away for a while was warring with the need to stay close.
“You guys ready?”
The call came from Stanley, their radioman and medic, newly appointed to both positions.
Neither Neil nor Jeremy answered.
Stanley frowned. “I’m sorry I’m late. I had to pack.”
The kit Stanley dropped, as his proof, was clumsily packed and bulging.
Jeremy waved at the neat pile he was loading. “Make yours look like these and hurry up.”
Stanley stumbled forward and the XO gave his CO an exasperated gesture.
Neil shrugged, and the two men went back to work. Stanley was hopeless no matter what he did. Someone had to take him along for this ride. If he were left in camp, they wouldn’t have one to return to.
All around them, Safe Haven was having a busy morning. People were coming and going with serious intent, and Neil stopped for a moment to watch the small circus nearest to them. The livestock truck was being loaded for the morning’s trip deeper into the mountains. Everyone assumed that Angela had found them a cave and this would start getting people used to living inside it. By the time the battle made it to Safe Haven’s front gate, she would have them all ready to shelter-in place. Neil thought that theory was likely. Once the camp was bunkered-in, it would be hard for the government to get to them without blowing up the entire ridge of cliffs, but if they did that, they would end up killing the descendants they seemed to need so badly. Angela was obviously relying on that to protect their mountain shelter. So was everyone else, because if the government came in with planes and bombs, Safe Haven would be buried alive.
Chapter Seven
Stirring the Pot
1
Seth slammed his kit into the truck, punching the door when it refused to close. He hadn’t gotten to see Becky this morning and now she was gone. Overnight, the babies and younger children had been safely transferred into the mountain den that Angela had chosen. He’d returned an hour ago, gotten his packet from the boss lady, and then discovered Becky had left with Jennifer. How would he get to her when they lost, if he didn’t know where she would be?
“Faith matters now, Seth,” Angela stated from behind him. “We can do this.”
“I’ll follow my orders,” Seth spat, slinging the next kit into the backseat.
“Seth.”
He didn’t want to look at her. He loved Angela as much as any of the men did, and he was still as loyal to Adrian as he could tolerate, but he’d give it all up for Becky and the baby. The feel of being about to lose it over the edge was too clear to ignore.
“There’s only one thing that can ruin my plan, Seth. Please don’t be the one to get us all killed.”
Seth spun around, but Angela had vanished, leaving him to wonder if she’d been there at all. Her gifts were stronger than the other descendants were. Seth thought Becky could reach that level of power in time. If she lives.
Seth turned around as gunfire rang out. Eagles flooded the area, but he stayed by the vehicle. He wasn’t only in charge of loading gear. He was protecting it. Angela wasn’t taking chances that their food would be poisoned or their supplies would be sabotaged. She also had sentries on the mess, the supply trucks, the water, and guards on those guards. Cameras were in place, with a constant crew viewing them, and the mood was one of oppression. Seth missed the freedom, the love they’d shared under Adrian’s reign. So did the rest of the camp.
“After we win,” he muttered resignedly, repeating what everyone was telling themselves. “We’ll have it again. The fences will go away and the bubble will return.”
That magical sight hadn’t come into view in a while. None of the love and hope that had filled it before existed now and Angela refused to reveal the black shroud hanging over them.
Seth scanned the truck, the area around it, the guards on it, before hitting his radio. “We’re set. Five minutes.”
Seth’s hard tone was quickly answered. The entire team was tired, but none as much as Seth. They all knew to tiptoe around him. Many of his men had also returned to discover their loved one already gone, so it was a feeling they understood. They were ready to rip someone apart. It almost didn’t matter who.
2
“You’re stirring the pot kinda’ hard aren’t you?”
“Yes,” Angela agreed, not looking at Cynthia. The reporter had refused to leave her side for the fighting and Angela had switched her with Heather, who she’d originally chosen to be her personal assistant for today. Heather was one of the click sisters who’d recently signed up to be on the next rookie female team. Kyle would now handle that issue during his ride.
“Ready for your stir, Cynthia?”
The reporter swallowed nervously. “Yes. Get it over with.”
Angela chuckled without amusement. “What’s the rush? Kevin already left.”
Cynthia froze, furious. “You told me he would be here when you were finished with rounds!”
Angela moved toward the next parking area. “I’m not finished, am I? You wanted me to talk to Hilda and then doctor had a favor to ask about his sons, and then the vet needed…”
“I get your point!” Cynthia snapped.
“Good. When the van leaves, be on it. I don’t need a babysitter. I need my teams to do their jobs!”
Before Cynthia could protest, Angela stopped by the main gate and took a minute to view the area around them. The chilly mountains were serene, stunning even, but something wasn’t right. She was monitoring a number of people in their camps, but it wasn’t enough. That old feeling of cold dread swarmed over her.
Angela hit the button on her radio. “Full alert. Lock us down!”
Cynthia spun round, searching for the threat, and found them surrounded by Angela’s personal guards. Chosen by Marc, the seven men stood shoulder to shoulder.
Cynthia unthinkingly climbed up on the nearest man to see better. Her training said to get up high to get eyes on the threat.
“Be still,” Cynthia snapped when Jax started to fight with her, thinking she was the problem. “I need to see.”
Angela motioned for Jax to pull her down.
He did it carefully, not about to risk hurting the reporter. All the pregnant women were being handled with care.
Camp alarms started blaring to their right and the guards moved with Angela as she ran that way. Marc’s orders were protection, not detaining, but the men running along considered grabbing her and keeping her in the middle, before quickly discarding the notion. Considering it was the only comfort they were allowed.
Angela darted between running people, and scaled a water tanker. She tossed herself down, hip taking the tolerable pain. She quickly slid forward on her elbows and knees like a reptile.
Her guards came up in almost identical movements as shots rang out.
Angela racked the slide on the 9mm that Marc had insisted she switch to. In a real fight, her 6 shooter wasn’t enough. She wasn’t a crack shot anymore, but she could hit what she aimed at as long as she used both hands.
Angela peered over the e
dge to find a large herd of mountain goats invading their walls. Many of the dingy white animals had been trampled in the rush down the cliff where Safe Haven was camped. The rest were bunched painfully against the fenced walls. Wood groaned, creaking under the strain and more shots rang out as those on watch tried to alleviate the pressure. Aiming at the crippled goats closest to the fence, the sentries were creating a barrier of bodies, as they’d been taught.
Angela was pleased. She stood up, looking around at the guards to let them know everything was okay. Her protection also rose.
Hiss! Thud!
The Eagle on Angela’s right fell off the side of the tanker.
“Sniper!” Jax grabbed Angela, covering her. He slid her off the tanker and into Daryl’s waiting arms, then rolled onto his spine and hit his radio.
“I saw a flash, Shawn! He’s at my noon, high!” Jax directed.
There was about three minutes of tense silence and then one muffled shot rang out.
Everyone waited.
“Sniper’s dead. I’m hit. Switch out.”
Angela headed for the gate before Jax could roll from the top of the tanker. He had to run to catch up.
Angela met Shawn, healing him before he was in physical reach. The handgun wound wasn’t serious, but she needed all of them at the full health. The witch, who wanted this baby as much as she did, would let her know when it became a problem.
After he was healed, Angela went to help the Eagles gather the meat that had delivered itself to their front door. She couldn’t do anything for Jack. He’d been dead before hitting the ground. Two of the camp’s older women would come to direct handling of the body. They were getting too good at the routine.
“Can I talk to you?”
Angela slung her end of a carcass onto the cart, scowling. “I’m not. So don’t ask.”
“You’re getting good men killed!”
Daryl’s accusation wasn’t new, but Angela felt the guilt threaten to overwhelm her. She shoved it aside to embrace the anger that she was working so hard to bring out in everyone else.
“I’m trying to save an entire country, our future. I can’t do that from a covered tent!”
