The Life After War Collection

by Angela White

  That was a feeling Adrian would have recognized and sympathized with immensely.

  2

  “I have an envelope for you.”

  Becky was supposed to wait until they were alone and she had. They were camped in the high fork of a double tree, the area surprisingly wide.

  Seth didn’t want to read it. He wasn’t sure he could agree to whatever they were about to ambush him with. Angela had even sent his team with Marc to make sure he and Becky were alone for this moment, Seth was suddenly sure of it. He thought of the warning she’d given him.

  “There’s only one thing that can ruin my plan, Seth. Please don’t be the one to get us killed.”

  He glanced at the same words with a stomach tightening into cramps. Like with the others who’d had to make these choices, it was almost hard to believe this was all happening.

  “This is yours too. Kenn said wear it while you can.”

  The outfit had clearly been taken from a dead soldier. There was blood splattered over the legs of the Private’s uniform.

  “And you know about this? What I’m supposed to do?”

  “Yes,” Becky said, waiting for the outburst. “There’s a setup like this with every member of her team.”

  “Why?” Seth asked incredulously. “Why would she send in untrained women who are pregnant?”

  “To win, of course,” Becky answered coldly. “And save our men in the process. We’re tired of burying you!”

  “And you think I can live if you’re gone?” he demanded.

  “No,” she tried to calm them both down. “And neither does Angela. We have to trust her. You have to. A lot rides on our part in this.”

  Seth knew he didn’t have a choice and gave a curt nod, but his thoughts were a tornado of conflicting emotions and solutions. In the end, he couldn’t be sure which way he would go.

  3

  “Who isn’t accounted for yet?”

  Quinn handed him a list and went toward the mini-mess for coffee now that his overnight shift was finished.

  She’s in danger.

  Marc knew it without Dog’s warning. He could feel fate shifting Angela’s way, determining her future.

  “She lied to me. Again.”

  Yes, Dog confirmed. To keep you alive. May I go?

  Marc’s nod wasn’t finished before the wolf took off down the cliff in front of them and vanished into the predawn fog. The wolf hadn’t found Charlie the first time through. Marc was sure Dog would find Charlie along the way this time and keep the teenager safe, though Marc also thought Charlie could handle whatever might come flying out of the darkness to challenge him. His gifts were powerful and he wouldn’t hesitate to use them right now.

  Feeling dammed either way he went, Marc decided to take the hour and care for the herd, then go to Angela’s side for the final showdown with Donner. It was still hours away. He would have time to reach her and not have to view the condemnation in her eyes if he told her the camp was safe and sound.

  Marc scanned the small sea of tents on the narrow outcropping, then the two cave entrances. If they had…

  An ugly growl split the peaceful silence.

  Marc whirled around to discover Dog leaping through the air. The wolf landed on the chest of a man wearing all black and the sentries realized they were under attack.

  “Get in the cave!” Marc shouted, sending out the order mentally as well.

  The camp members who heard him ran for cover.

  These infiltrators had to climb for hours to reach this spot, telling Marc they had indeed had another traitor, as Angela suspected. This attack couldn’t have come from Heather. She hadn’t known where the second den would be. Dog leaving had spooked the soldiers as they waited for Safe Haven to go to sleep. They’d come over the edge early.

  Marc saw Doug and Peggy come from the mini-mess tent and start grabbing people, shoving them toward the second cave they hadn’t used yet, then he was forced to bring out the Marine as the enemy reached the edges of the cliff.

  Quinn joined Marc as he rushed toward the invaders, and other Eagles fell in with them. The two violent groups met each other with hoarse shouts and angry shots.

  4

  Seth stopped on the rise and knelt down to survey the small enemy camp below. During the walk here, he still hadn’t come to terms with the horrible chore that Angela had given him. Becky had helped by telling him the rest of Angela’s plan that she knew.

  “Angela will need you there, Seth,” Becky stated. “If you’re not, she’ll die. She has everything pinned on you.”

  As he considered all the things that could wrong, Seth didn’t think this was a mental game to get him agree. Becky had sworn that she would be protected, that Angela was the one in danger.

  “You ready?”

  Seth glanced over to see Becky wearing an outfit that brought his male side to alertness and a huge scowl to his face.

  Before he could argue, Becky reminded him, “They’re already looking for me. I’m the dancing girl. It’s sure to get you in.”

  Seth wasn’t worried about blending with the men getting set to attack Safe Haven. All he had to do there was let the asshole out. Becky’s safety terrified him.

  “I’ll be fine,” she lied, hoping he couldn’t hear the tremor in her tones. She actually had no idea if Angela had her covered or not. Adrian hadn’t before. She was scared.

  Seth felt her waver and gently put his arms around her. “We could–”

  “Don’t.”

  Seth met her eyes. “Why do you have to do this? Tell me or I can’t help her.”

  “It will give me my life back,” Becky state slowly, realizing she had to trust someone. “I have to do it. I want to.”

  “For the power she’s offered,” Seth argued quietly. He understood the allure.

  “For my soul.” Becky sent him the image of her flirting with Rick, accepting the vial of drugs to hurt Neil. She ran through the mistakes she’d made, tears pricking her lids. “I have to atone,” she forced out through lurking sobs. “Then his voice in my brain will go away.”

  Seth did the only thing he knew to. He held her close and cursed Adrian. Over the last month, he’d come to understand how many of their lives Adrian had put in danger during their time with the slavers.

  Becky didn’t let many of her tears fall. As she grew stronger, the need for justice and retribution had been replaced with the longing for her mental control back. She didn’t like being unstable. Her addition to Angela’s plan had been to suggest using a chain reaction and she was extremely happy with being proven right. She was also extremely worried about Seth. He had a dangerous job, more so than she had. Seth could be hit in the crossfire even if his role wasn’t discovered. The line they were walking was too thin for comfort.

  “Uh, they’re about to leave,” a voice above them said pointedly. “If you’re going in, now is the time.”

  They looked up to see no one there.

  “Who is that?”

  Crista had to stick a hand from her blind and wave before they found her location.

  “Oh, too good,” Becky praised. The hammock was cleverly hidden by blending with the tree trunk. One of the newer models that had come out before the war, the hammock was horizontally hung, with branches woven into the straps until it appeared to be a part of the tree.

  Even Seth was impressed, but he mostly felt relief. Crista was one of the best snipers in camp. He was suddenly sure she wasn’t alone here.

  Seth glanced around subtly, searching. He was rewarded by Zack’s face a few trees away. He was using the same setup as Crista.

  Seth realized there were hammocks and fighters all through these trees, watching them in relief that the waiting was over.

  “Feel better now?”

  Seth nodded at Becky’s breathless question, realizing she’d been scared. “If you keep lying to me, we’re going to have problems, Rebecca.”

  Seth waited for her anger or a denial, and was surprised by her answer. />
  “I’m an Eagle, Seth. I follow orders. So do you.”

  She turned toward the camp. In a few seconds, all hell would break loose and Seth would casually join the fleeing soldiers during the chaos, wearing Kenn’s dog tags.

  Being a cop was very close to being a soldier. Other than terminology, he would have no trouble blending in. Angela had provided close lessons with Marc and Kenn on the guns and gear he was currently carrying, though Seth hadn’t known why he’d been taught those things until now.

  “It’s a go!”

  Seth controlled himself as he watched Becky vanish into the sudden chaos, covered by Zack’s constant firing and Crista’s careful shots. Those two were a lethal pair.

  Seth waited like was supposed to, even when he saw Becky grabbed by a huge soldier. The big man dropped her almost immediately, staring down in horror. When he lifted his own gun and put it in his mouth, unnoticed by the other soldiers trying to survive the unexpected assault, Seth realized what Becky had been hiding. She could take over a person’s mind and make them do things. Bad things.

  5

  “I’m leaving now.”

  Kendle didn’t look up from her glower at the small camp of soldiers on the rise below them. She was two minutes from dropping. She didn’t need Kevin’s distraction.

  Kevin went to his team. “Let’s go.”

  His team had shown up during the night to offer protection and deliver the boss woman’s newest orders.

  “Your people need you. Leave Kendle.”

  Kevin didn’t have anything else pulling him away now. He felt a huge weight lift from his shoulders as he chose to return to his goals of being the best Eagle in camp. He would no doubt spend a lot of sleepless night from here wondering what had gone wrong with Cynthia, but he would get through it.

  Kendle heard them leave, but didn’t care. She didn’t want the bonds that Angela and her haven were trying to force on her. She wanted blood.

  Kendle understood on some level that Angela had sent her over the edge on purpose, but the rage in her mind was constant. She didn’t have the strength to fight it anymore.

  Kendle jumped down off the edge, knives out and ready. Saw the two other Eagle teams camped under the ledge, but it was too late to go back. Her mind switched off and the animal came out.

  Not very far away, Kevin and his team stopped, exchanging unsure glances. They didn’t like leaving anyone to die, let alone a woman, and it was obvious that that’s what they were about to do. The sound of men shouting was proof that Kendle had drawn more trouble than she could handle alone.

  “She made her choice. Let’s go. The boss needs us.”

  There was nothing else said, even when a woman’s desperate screams echoed across the mountainside.

  6

  “That’s one of ours,” Jennifer said, stopping. She and Kyle were doing a fast hike through the paths, but with so many mined places, it was hard to maintain a steady pace. Being able to recognize the Safe Haven equipment was helping them identify dangerous areas, but there were camps of soldiers to sneak around and rain running down the cliffs in furrows.

  “Should we–”

  “No.”

  Jennifer knew Angela would have their people covered. If she didn’t, there was a reason for it and Jennifer wasn’t going to interfere. Add that to the bad feeling in the pit of her stomach and it came out in a harsh, demanding tone that Kyle associated with the witch.

  “We have our orders.”

  “Down!”

  Jennifer dropped to the ground as a branch swung out, spikes meant to impale her. She stayed down, catching her breath.

  Kyle waited for her to be ready. He’d known she was tough, and she was doing well, but he was still beyond furious that Angela had sent them all out here this way. Surely there had been a better plan!

  Jennifer, who was so strong mentally that not even Angela could keep her out if she wanted in, didn’t tell Kyle the result would be worth it. If all of Angela’s team died, it was worth this goal, but it was also one the males would never have allowed, let alone supported. Their leader was a clever, evil, problem-solving bitch. Jennifer was suddenly very proud to have served her, no matter for how short a time.

  The sounds of battles behind them pushed Kyle and Jennifer back to their trekking. The mobster kept her close, sharp gaze picking out holes, triggers for traps and other obstacles, hoping the soldiers coming up the mountain were being as careless as they sounded.

  “They might be blowing them before they reach it,” Jennifer reminded, not wanting to get their hopes up for a victory. Even if Angela got what she wanted, Safe Haven could still lose enough people to be devastated, including Angela herself.

  Jennifer’s stomach flipped, hard and fast. She leaned over the faint trail, retching.

  Kyle watched their backs nervously, hating the sudden lull in the noise. Jennifer’s sounds would carry…

  A series of thundering explosions echoed from below them, signaling the onset of Angela’s chain.

  Kyle grabbed Jennifer by the arm. “Come on!”

  They both knew there would only be a short time until the chain caught up with them. They plunged ahead, hoping not to blow themselves up.

  Jennifer gagged again, stomach out of control.

  Kyle lifted her over his shoulder, ignoring the mess as he hefted them up the last part of this cliff and onto a flatter area. It was covered in tents and soldiers who’d heard the explosions and already started to flee instead of waiting for it to reach them. Until Kyle burst into their campsite. For one second, none of them moved except Jennifer, who retched over Kyle’s shoulder, and then the soldiers turned to fight, going for their guns.

  Kyle ran toward the side of the cliff, knowing he’d never make it.

  Jennifer raised her gun, firing wildly as she puked again. Her witch came forward to direct the aim.

  Kyle moved faster, picking out the edge. They were almost…

  Kyle arched as the slug hit, thrown off his feet. They both fell forward and over the edge of the cliff, with Jennifer screaming and Kyle not reacting at all.

  “Get them!”

  The soldiers followed their surprise prey to the edge, but the drop was too far to see the bottom. Rain, mud, and debris were rolling down the cliff. It was impossible to see where the bodies had fallen.

  “Go down and get them!” the highest ranked man ordered through the storm and explosions echoing upward.

  “No way, sir!” one of the men shouted angrily. “I’m heading away from that noise!”

  The other men followed the rebel and the officer was forced to do the same, thinking there was no way the couple could have survived the fall even if none of the bullets had hit.

  Kyle lay still at the bottom of the ledge, buried in mud and almost unable to move. Pain, hot and sharp, rushed over his spine as if Angela were punishing him again.

  Jennifer had landed further down, rolling with the water. She pushed herself up dizzily, blood running down the side of her face. “Kyle?”

  She stood up, shivering, and found his still form lying in the thick mud. “Kyle!”

  Jennifer splashed to him, and rolled him over, seeing the red water. She screamed for the witch as her hand found his injury and tried to plug the hole.

  Let him die.

  Jennifer wanted to shout in denial and managed not to. Save him!

  You agreed with Angela. You know she’s right. Let him die now and save him the pain of later.

  Jennifer couldn’t do it. Kyle had healed her in too many ways for her to abandon him like this. In all the leaving scenarios she’d foreseen, he’d still been alive.

  Save him! Jennifer sobbed. Give him my son’s life.

  He isn’t injured badly enough to use your credit, the demon confided reluctantly. She’d clearly been hoping Jennifer would leave him here to die in the explosions that were steadily getting closer.

  The witch sent power through Jennifer’s hand and Kyle arched again, gaining conscious
ness as the bullet was forced out of his body.

  Kyle’s scream hurt Jennifer in ways she had no time to examine as shouts of fleeing soldiers came.

  “Get up!”

  She helped Kyle to his feet, aware of his daze, and got them headed back up the water. It would be treacherous, but still better than the areas that were mined. At least the pounding water would have cleared out the traps.

  Kyle hugged Jennifer and tried to stay on his feet, barely aware of what was happening as the witch continued to heal his wounds. It was a painful, distracting process that left him breathless and groaning.

  “Shhh,” Jennifer cautioned, leading them to a small stand of trees for cover as more voices echoed close behind them.

  “Get down!” she ordered in a hiss, shoving him.

  Kyle lay still in the mud with Jennifer across his back as the two teams of soldiers came running through.

  “Keep moving!”

  “Get higher!”

  Fleeing the chain of events, the soldiers were on top of Kyle and Jennifer in seconds, and then gone, leaving only muddy prints and relieved hearts.

  “Let’s go,” Jennifer said, pulling on his arm.

  Kyle stopped her, recognizing the area they were in. “Over here.”

  He led them to a small cliff and began feeling around on the black wall.

  Jennifer grinned in surprise when the blackness fell away to reveal a cave that had been hidden by a simple black sheet.

  The pair went inside, replacing the cover, and waited for the explosions to stop. As soon as it was over or at least settled down, they would head out.

  Jennifer, stomach rolling again, quickly got a drink from her nearly empty canister and tried to think good thoughts.

  Kyle was still too dazed for clear thinking. He spent the time counting explosions and marveling over her gifts. He’d worn a double vest set up, but hadn’t counted on being shot in the small of the back. By all rights, he should be dead.

  7