by Angela White
It wasn’t a hard choice for Conner, but at the same time, it was. He had been anticipating spending time with Candy now. “I’ll give it a month. I can wait that long.”
“I won’t forget this and neither will your dad.” Angela motioned toward the line of vehicles they could see in the near distance. “Keep rolling around and take the lead.”
Proud that he would be driving Angela in the front of the convoy, Conner sat up straighter. “I can do it for two months if you give me moments like this.”
Angela smiled. “Why do you think we’re having this ride together?”
Angela opened the glovebox and took out a small testing kit like the one Conner had witnessed Kendle use in the cave. It was more accurate than a badge that needed a length of exposure to start registering a rise in the danger.
Angela breathed a sigh of relief as she read the results. It was lower than it had been in the cave the last time they’d been able to do a test like this. The clouds were moving east again–out to sea to kill anyone surviving there. Angela refused to consider how bad it would be if multiple reactors melted down at the same time. Unchecked, it would deliver a constant flow of radiation into the jet stream that would coat the planet. That included remote islands, though it might take a year or more to reach their hopeful haven. The recesses of her mind began lighting up with plans for a bunker they could survive in while living on Pitcairn. Everyone loathed the mountain and even a basement would be argued about right now, but if citizens began to die from exposure, the herd would follow her into the earth again, she was sure. It wouldn’t be because she was the alpha, but because they wanted to live.
3
“Wow.” Kyle scowled as he caught sight of Conner driving Angela. “She never stops.”
Jennifer shrugged. She didn’t care what Angela was doing so long as they hurried to camp so that Kyle’s injury could be cared for. Kenn had already told her it wasn’t that bad, but she wanted to hear that from someone with medical training.
Kenn pulled into the rear of the long convoy, aware of Jennifer’s displeasure, but there was little he could do about it. She knew as well as he did that none of the doctor’s little ducks had come with them.
We can do it, momma.
Frustrated, Jennifer looked down at the baby. “Just this once.”
Autumn and Jennifer sent energy into Kyle, healing his injury in seconds. Even if Kenn hadn’t viewed it before, he would have been impressed with how fast they had done it.
Jennifer sat back in tired satisfaction, crossing her arms over her chest when Kyle would have scolded her. Both of their injuries had been healed.
Kyle picked up the baby with a shoulder that was no longer bleeding or screaming. “Thank you.”
It was a touching moment that Kenn enjoyed sharing with them, especially when he caught sight of a vehicle pulling out of the convoy. “Here she comes.”
The radio lit up a few seconds later. “Driver switch has been approved. Ivan’s team will provide escort.”
Kenn pulled over once again, tiring of the motion. He wanted to get as far from the mountain as he could.
Tonya slipped from the vehicle in front of them, running toward the driver door.
She jerked it open and climbed into Kenn’s lap, then dropped into the tiny space that Jennifer quickly made by picking up the baby.
Kyle and Jennifer glared at Tonya.
Tonya put her arms around Kenn’s neck. “We can go now.”
Unable to fight the mood, Kenn snorted. “Women!”
Even Jennifer chuckled.
Kenn got them rolling, unable to fight how it felt to have the love of a woman because she wanted to give it.
As they settled into a frustrating thirty-five miles per hour, it occurred to Kenn that no one had asked about the two missing men. Everyone was so glad to have Angela back that they hadn’t even noticed Marc and Adrian weren’t with them. Kenn had an idea of why the pair had been left behind and tried to lock down on his thoughts. He didn’t want to be responsible for giving away their ambush. He didn’t speak again until late afternoon shadows were settling over the convoy.
4
“They’re set up and waiting.”
Angela breathed a sigh of relief at the radio call from the truck behind them. She’d been too drained to connect. Jennifer had been able to reach Marc and do it for her, against Kyle’s mutters about the girl needing to rest.
Angela let sleep reclaim her, trying to gain enough energy to help set up camp when they stopped.
Conner paid attention to the road. Their soldier escort was rolling half a mile in front. They’d been instructed to keep going even after it got dark and that’s what they’d done. Refusing to answer radio calls asking for a break, Ivan would only stop when Conner flashed his lights twice. Angela had marked a place on his map and they weren’t pausing until he reached it. Angela had given him a job that he could do. It was great. The only thing better had been when she told him to take the lead and keep driving. Everyone had watched him and known he’d been forgiven.
“Help!” The radio in the truck jerked Angela up in the seat.
“We need help!”
Jimmy’s voice was panicked, as were the tones of the civilians in the background.
“They’ve breached the door! Please, come back!”
Angela switched off the radio.
Conner saw the tears rolling down her cheeks and felt like he could join her. The misery was so clear he could almost taste it. “That hurts, you know. Suck it up.”
Angela was startled into a harsh laugh. “Just like your dad, aren’t ya?”
Conner nodded proudly. “Of course. That’s why I’m with you, right? Because he can’t be?”
Angela winced at the boy’s accuracy. “A chip off the old block.”
Conner shrugged. “He said you’d need to talk. I didn’t know where I’d be then, so I was snotty to him about it. Sorry for that if he told you.”
“He didn’t rat you out.” Angela thought of Charlie’s short, rude demand that she make him and Tracy an official couple or he and the girl were staying with Jimmy. She had agreed because she’d already known it was coming. The basics of life never stopped, but it was galling to have the boy believing he’d been able to blackmail her. It was also annoying that Conner believed he could keep up with her in his father’s place.
“I can, for an hour or two at a time. I’m practicing on you for a much weaker target.”
Angela sniggered at her first thought. Candy is gonna eat you up and spit you out, little boy. “Just drive the truck, James.”
Conner laughed. “That makes me wish I had a special hat or something.”
Angela leaned down to pull something from her kit. She handed it to him. “Congratulations on level one status.”
Conner yelled in excitement, snatching the Eagle hat to slam it on his skull. “All right!”
Angela let his joy wash over her in place of the awful guilt for not turning around to help those in the mountain. Fate had given them dozens of chances to change their mind.
Behind the convoy, a single vehicle came to a stop.
“Are you sure, man?” Morgan waited for Ray to get out of the truck.
“Tell her I’ll catch up if I can.”
“He’s dead, Ray.” Morgan hated to say it, but he did. “You know it’s already over. Don’t waste your life on a corpse.”
Ray wasn’t angry. He knew it was a suicide mission. “I shouldn’t have left him. He was testing me and I abandoned him.”
“I’m sorry, but it doesn’t change the result. He’s gone and you’ll be killed too if you go back.”
Ray shut the door. “Tell her I’ll catch up if I can.” He took off running in the opposite direction, eager to find a set of wheels.
Morgan signaled at the passenger as he got them rolling. “Tell her when she’s already getting bad news. Don’t ruin a good mood with it.”
Booth wrote it down, now being trained. He liked it
in Safe Haven, but he hadn’t minded the cave until the quake and he’d also worked well in the Army. Booth figured he could survive about anywhere that had females and whiskey. Being required to kill bad guys just made it that much better.
5
“Do you want to eat first or after the fun?”
Marc shrugged. “I could eat.”
The two men had fashioned an oval blind to blend in with the evening shadows. Only big enough for one at a time, it allowed them to alternate staying warm while watching for their target. Both of them were very cold and aware of how alone they were, but neither man worried about anything that might run across their path. Both of them had powerful gifts that had been practiced recently. The isolated feeling came from being out of Angela’s light.
Marc ate all of the food Adrian gave him without comment, not caring what it was, only that it would stop his growling stomach. He did notice that the coffee was only warm, but it was bitter, the way he liked it. He assumed Adrian had brought the thermos along, but didn’t ask. He didn’t want the man to assume he was trying to fill the empty space that they had been working in over the past hours. While they labored, the sky had gone from dull shades of blueish green to a deep purple that was stunning. Resting while the blond took his turn outside the shelter, Marc stared at it, hoping Angela was also enjoying the view. It was wonderful to be out here again.
Adrian felt Marc’s contemplative mood as he stood in the whipping wind and darkness. There were lights around them, flashing and bobbing to prove the existence of survivors. Adrian was almost certain it was refugees. The calls for help coming from the mountain had been desperate. None of their people were among the stragglers out here searching for food and Adrian stayed alert. If a problem came right now, he had to handle it silently. It had been long enough for Bryson to reach them. Adrian wasn’t sure how Angela had chosen this particular location, but he had suspicions. The biggest was Bryson’s need for revenge and his anger at failing. A furious killer would start tracking his prey right away, but until he got close, he would stomp and storm, rampaging to vent the humiliated fury so that when he needed to go quiet again, he had the control to do so. This spot was only a few miles from Bryson’s failure and it was at a junction of three roads that circled the mountain, bringing traffic south. Bryson would know the terrain by now and come here first to let off some steam on survivors. He would also look like any other refugee who had escaped that mountain, which is why Angela had sent Adrian to identify him. “Are you okay with this job?”
Adrian didn’t stop what he was doing, but Marc felt him pause.
“For the most part. Bryson wasn’t so bad.”
Marc wasn’t worried over Adrian having sympathies for the man. Bryson was a threat to Angela, and that was enough, but Marc was curious as to how Adrian really felt about this mission.
Adrian shrugged. “I’d like it to be over–mostly because I forgot about him. He wasn’t along for the meeting with Sonya and I didn’t spot him at the train. There was no sign of him when we counted the bodies, but when we couldn’t find her remains, I should have known. Sonya gave Bryson something he’d wanted all his life and he vowed to be her body man forever. Until he’s gone, it’s a constant reminder that I missed something so obvious.”
Marc understood how that felt. It was hard to account for everything, which is why Angela was getting so much respect. Other than a few deaths and injuries, she had led them through hell. Marc couldn’t hold the earthquake against her. Descendants didn’t read well through stone, and it’s not like Mother Nature had sent a postcard warning of what was coming. Earthquakes traveled hard and fast, and did the most damage during the first few minutes. Safe Haven was lucky that Angela had put so many safeguards in place, but no one could have prevented the deaths.
“Make sure you tell her that a few hundred times a day for the next month or two.”
Marc accepted that as solid advice. Angela was ruthless, but she also had a conscience. He finally understood why she didn’t sleep very often. The things she’d been forced to do weighed on her in the wee hours.
“I’m glad you get that now. I wasn’t a Jody at first. Many of the times that I was trying to comfort her should have been yours to handle. They will be now. She won’t come to me for that.”
Marc frowned. He didn’t want to be distracted from the mission, but they weren’t expecting a lot of trouble from Bryson and this might be the last time they were alone for a while. Once they returned to Safe Haven, there was a lot of work waiting. “What will she come to you for?”
Adrian sighed. He didn’t want to discuss this either, but he’d known it would happen at some point. “A break in doing the right thing.”
“An example?”
“Once we reach the island, she’ll become a little reckless again. You have to stay out of her way as much as you can or it will cause problems. She’ll need to set an example for the men that fear of the unknown can’t rule their decisions.”
“I’ll work on that. What else?”
“She’ll be bored on the boat. You’ll need to keep her busy, but she’ll see through half-assed attempts. Spend some time on that before we sail off into the sunset. It will make the trip easier on all of us.”
Marc made a face. “Maybe you should write this down.”
Adrian wanted to laugh, but movement got his attention. “One o’clock, bold as brass.”
Marc hunkered down, finger caressing the trigger.
Doing the job of a spotter, it wasn’t needed and Adrian put the telescope-shaped gear away. He spent the time scanning their surroundings to make sure no one was sneaking up. Aware of other voices, other thoughts in the area, he braced for the ugliness to begin. Some of his past sins were about to come back to haunt him–ugly things that he had assumed were long-settled.
“But this time, I’ve got your back.”
Adrian was stunned by Marc’s words, so much that he almost missed the vet coming up behind them. “Damn!”
“The boss sent me.” The vet hunkered down between the two men without saying anything else.
Marc and Adrian exchanged glances that implied he might not make it back to camp once this mission was finished.
Chris chuckled softly. “She won’t thank you for that.”
Marc scowled toward their target. “Later. You take the shot.”
Rifle now in hand, Adrian lined up the shot and pulled the trigger without an ounce of regret. Despite what he’d said about Bryson, Adrian had no problem doing his duty to Angela.
As Adrian took down the target, Marc pinned the vet in place. They didn’t communicate, but at the same time, they did. As Marc finally rotated to study the body on the ground, he sent a single sentence.
It would be best if you were not on the boat with us.
Chris didn’t respond. Angela had told him not to argue with either of the men, but especially not Marc. The vet knew that was wise. The wolfman didn’t like him at all.
Marc and Adrian assumed he was support and that rankled.
“Let’s spring the trap.” Marc stood up, acting as if he didn’t know they were being watched.
The vet remained where he was.
Adrian stayed on Marc’s heels as they slid down the icy embankment and came to a stop near the body. As Marc knelt down, footsteps and voices rang out from the cliffs and crags around them.
“Hands up!”
“Move-in!”
“If you go for your gun, we’ll kill you both!”
Marc and Adrian lifted their hands, standing close enough to exchange mutters as half a dozen men dressed in white camo slid down the hills toward them.
“Is that all of them?”
“No. They never travel anywhere without females.”
“So another dozen at a campsite?”
“Double that. They use monitors too, usually Invisibles.”
Marc stored the information as they were surrounded and stripped of their weapons. It was brisk and routine, without e
xtra abuse, but the menace was clear and all of it was directed at Adrian.
Marc scanned the enemy, quickly discovering these were relatives of the people who had been killed by the poisoned food Angela had gifted to Sonya. That made it personal and explained the motivation for all of these killers to be waiting in the cold weather for a month for Safe Haven to emerge.
One of the mercenaries clicked the radio three times. When he let off the mike, he drew two pairs of handcuffs from his belt.
Adrian swept them, not spotting anyone he recognized except for Isaac. He took a fast look at Bryson’s body to verify he was dead, regretting that he hadn’t gotten to speak with the man first. Bryson had always been a wealth of information in the past. As it was, the body was already covered in a light layer of snow that had begun to fall.
Three of the men came over to shine lights in faces. Marc and Adrian both glanced away from the glare, but didn’t try to hide their identities.
“We’ve got them!”
That’s the Ghost and Mitchel!” Isaac laughed, slapping hands with a member of his team. “We got ‘em on our own!”
Four of the team surrounded them while the other two approached Bryson.
“What do you want me to do with his body?”
Still studying his former team leader, Isaac snorted. “Why do you have to do anything with it? We were taught that animals need to eat.”
Adrian winced. He’d delivered that lesson.
Marc caught the reaction and braced for more bad news. Does it never end with you?
Adrian dropped his chin. I’d really like to say yes.
Not resisting as he was cuffed, Marc sighed at Adrian’s memories of amazing sex and a trial that had cost him command. It’s a wonder you don’t have AIDS.
“Adrian Mitchel.” Isaac moved in front of his nemesis as soon as Adrian was secured, cruelty glinting. “I hoped we’d have a minute alone.”
Thud!
Held up by one of the grinning mercenaries, Adrian gasped at the blow to his chest. Isaac had obviously heard about his weak heart.
