“Hey, boss. Just offering some help to the lady.”
Neil wiped his face clean, shoved that rarely seen part of him back into its cage. “Good.” He flashed a tight smile toward Sam. “I have an hour free after Mess?”
Samantha smiled, moving his way. “You think we’ll get to do it this time?”
Neil’s voice was intense, “Even if I have to post a guard. For that hour, I belong to you.”
Samantha flushed as hot images swung through her mind and Jeremy’s mutter reminded her of the role she’d agreed to play.
“Unless Becky calls, anyway.”
Neil turned to scold his right-hand man for continuing the dangerous match-making game, but couldn’t at the challenge in Jeremy’s stance. His XO meant it.
Determined to do the right thing, Jeremy moved to the door and carefully climbed out of the truck. The tension was thick when he nodded at Sam. “Take five.”
He moved away with the supplies and Sam watched him go with confusion and regret. The jealousy in Jeremy’s tone and body language was very convincing.
“He likes you.” Neil’s voice held surprise.
“He’s nice. Attentive.”
Neil felt his anger fading. Attentive. That’s what she would need and the Trooper wasn’t sure he was capable of giving it. She intimidated him too much.
“Can you do me a favor?”
Neil braced to be reduced to a message boy between them.
“Sign me up for third shift guard duty and maybe… some personal time? Like what Angie’s getting, only quieter.”
“I’d be happy to handle that.” Realizing how much grovel was in his tone, Neil snapped his mouth shut.
“Great.” She turned back to the shelves. “Thanks. See you after Mess.”
“Yes… okay.”
Neil turned away in confusion and Sam realized Jeremy had their roles pegged perfectly. So was Becky really a screaming shrew? She seemed much too young to play that part.
Sam shrugged. They would find out. It was time for the evening meal now, and it was the big one Adrian liked to schedule occasionally to show them all how large Safe Haven was getting. That meant twice as many people. Lovely.
Sam straightened her kinked spine, thinking she wasn’t caving and sitting with the other females tonight. She didn’t want to chat and if she had to sit alone to avoid it, she would.
3
“Can I sit here?”
Angela looked up from her tray with an unguarded smile that made Marc’s heart thump.
“You know it.”
Her words, however, made his anger flare higher. She sounded more like these people every day. “I’d like to talk to you about something that’s bothering me.”
Angela answered distractedly, glad to feel the pill finally starting to calm the heat in her shoulder. “What’s up?”
Marc sat across from her and braced himself, suddenly sure it would go badly. “I don’t think you should be an Eagle.”
A breathless sort of shock slid over her face and Marc dropped his head, but didn’t stop. “I’d like you to resign, find something else. There has to be a safer way for you to help him.”
“I see.” There was only ice now. “And your reasons?”
Marc felt the ambush coming, tried to head it off. “There’s a lot you’re not seeing and it might get you hurt. These people don’t want you to do it, not even the women here. Just you and Adrian.”
There was a sneer in his tone that had her frowning. He still didn’t trust or even like Adrian.
“That’s not true,” she argued, thinking of her shower visit from Hilda and Peggy. “There are a few.”
Marc shook his head. “Trained lapdogs don’t count.” His voice gentled, became almost patronizing to her wounded ears. “And none of them really think you can either. When the first cage match comes and no one hits you, everyone will see the flaw in his plans.”
Angela knew she should be furious with his lack of support, but she’d already noticed those things hadn’t she? Marc’s beef wasn’t the Eagles at the moment, but Adrian. “You’re jealous.”
It was a fact being stated. Marc couldn’t, wouldn’t deny it.
Sadness hit Angela in waves. “Why can’t I have both, Brady?”
“What?” Marc had been bracing for her anger, not a compromise.
“Both. You and the Eagles.”
Marc didn’t know what to say to that and she leaned forward. “I have the room and I’ve been working on it from the moment we got here. I want both.”
Angela’s voice lowered to a plea. “I need both. Please don’t make me pick one or the other.”
Marc hated it that he could feel himself turning into Kenn. “How does that work?”
“You have to let me do what I am meant to. If I get hurt in the process, that’s life now. I’ve been held back for so long!”
She noticed the nearest perimeter guards changing, made contact with the shadows. “And there’s so much I can do, so many ways I can help if I’m an Eagle.”
Angela turned back to him with flecks of steel shimmering. “I will be one of them, in every way, Brady. I’m almost free of the past, but this can’t hang between us. You’ll have to decide if you can let me live my life the way I see fit. If you can, I’ll share it with you, openly.”
Her tone went back to ice. “But that means accepting me as an Eagle.”
“And that’s firm? No room to bend?”
Angela sighed at the stiffness in his voice. “What if I said okay, Marc? I’ll move my stuff into your tent today and resign, go back to just being a doctor. Is that what you want?”
She had tried hard for casual, but the pain in her eyes was clear and Marc shook his head. “Yes.”
Angela’s face tightened. He wouldn’t force her, would he? “I’ll go pack. You tell Adrian.”
Marc’s eyes flashed and she gave him a hard stare, pushing away from the table. “I owe you, right? It’s time to start paying off that debt.”
Was she bluffing? Did it matter? He could never follow through. “I’m leaving soon. Get ready for it.”
Angela stood up, voice scornful as she struck back. “I was ready for it when you found me in Indiana. Surprised you’ve stuck around this long.”
Before he could respond, their attention was drawn to loud voices from the long line still waiting to eat.
“She’s not really an Eagle.”
“Adrian says she is.”
“He’s carrying this women’s lib shit too far.”
“You watch your mouth!”
“Make me!”
Angela spun away from the coffee line where the two men were now brawling. The shouts were drawing more spectators from across the camp and she was glad to see Doug and Kyle rushing to break it up. It was happening a lot. Yesterday it had been two women arguing during evening Mess, and last night, Kyle had punched a rookie for a nasty remark about Adrian. Now, another fight. Her joining was causing problems and unless she could find a way to fix it, Marc would get his wish.
Female Eagles were a big part of Adrian’s plans. She could feel that clearly, knew he needed her to be accepted, but how could she? She wasn’t a man, her magic was off limits for this, and as far as these men were concerned, she was already being given special treatment, even before the cage match. They had tryouts and tests to become an Eagle and it had just been given to her… Angela stopped, barely breathing as the solution came.
Would that work? She stood there, surrounded by Safe Haven’s light as she considered. Yes. All of it would matter, but if she could stack that one moment… Angela changed directions, absorbing the screaming fear and she stiffened her chin into that set line as her target came into view.
Kenn stared at her stupidly a moment later. “You want to what?”
Angela willed her nerves to relax. She and Kenn hadn’t exchanged a single word since the sauna room scene that had shown his true colors, and she made herself sound confident. “I want to take the level tes
t with my team.”
Kenn laughed unpleasantly, missing those flecks of steel in his relief over her demand. He’d been expecting much worse.
“You? In the cage? Yeah, that’ll happen.”
He let out another bray of hard laughter and Angela made a fast choice she wasn’t sure of. She ducked, threw out a leg sweep and used her free hand to shove him backward onto his ass in the dirt.
“Sign me up, Marine. I mean it!”
Kenn was surprised to feel admiration and a strong wave of attraction instead of the anger or embarrassment it should have brought to be put down by a female; by this female. “There’s no way he’ll let you take the real test.”
He stood up, brushing himself off and he was careful to stay back so none of the Eagles would think he was still a threat to her. “Can’t hit a woman here for any reason.”
Her voice was pointed. “I got through Neil’s class. I want to be one of them, Kenny. And there isn’t anything I won’t do, anyone I won’t destroy, to get it.” The complete honesty was a change for both of them, but more for Angela, who had spent so long carefully censoring her words.
Kenn was aware of how pleased Adrian was that she had been keeping up. He conceded reluctantly. “I’ll mention it to him.” He added a warning with a new caring she was surprised to see. “It’ll hurt his plans, if you fail.”
“I won’t.”
Kenn scowled, still hating her new confidence and dreading the hard months ahead for him to endure while earning back what he’d thrown away. “If he says yes, it’ll be on your schedule. Now get to the kids’ area. Your shift starts in five.”
Angela snapped a salute and nodded at Jeremy as he went by with a determined face. She shook her head at the images running through his mind. The crowded Mess was about to get another show. Encore!
Samantha had watched Marc and Angie’s fight with sympathy, but would have gladly traded places when Jeremy ducked under the Mess canopy.
He found Neil first, settled comfortably at Adrian’s center table, and then her, sitting alone in the back. His scowl was threatening and Samantha couldn’t stop herself from responding to the righteous anger on her behalf. She gave him a raised brow and a short wave, offering him the seat across from her.
His face lit up and everyone in the area stared in surprise at the happiness he didn’t try to hide. Jeremy joined her quickly, but before any conversation could start back up from those around them, his words echoed softly.
“Scene 2: the screaming shrew.” His eyes darkened. “I’m sorry for this. The location was a write-in.”
Sam was expecting Becky and she grinned. “Little girls should be careful who they challenge.”
Coming up behind them, Cynthia drew up short at the clear warning… then the reporter started shrieking, “I’ll show you a little girl! Who the hell do you think you are? I’ll…”
Caught off guard, Sam lost her temper fast and she jumped up to put herself in the woman’s face. “You’ll what?”
The tone was soft, menacing, and Cynthia realized she had made a mistake.
Samantha slowly gave the expensively dressed woman an insulting once-over. “Be a shame to get blood on Gucci. It won’t come out… or so I hear.”
The reporter flinched back at the word blood, now trapped. She couldn’t shout that Jeremy was hers without the camp finding out about their affair, but she wouldn’t back off and lose him either. His connection to Adrian was too good to give up.
“Cynthia.”
Adrian’s tone knew, was just patronizing enough, and the reporter shot a last lingering glare at Samantha before leaving the Mess.
Sam sat back down, not looking at Jeremy. He and Cynthia had something going. Whatever she had felt from the helpful guard could have been only great acting to make Neil jealous. And Cynthia, she added a little bitterly.
“Are you mad?”
Jeremy’s question was low and Sam shrugged. “I’ll have to get back to you. I didn’t see that shrew coming and I’m not a fan of surprises.”
“I can try to explain, if you want.”
She shook her head. “I’ll pass.”
There was silence for a minute and then he flashed a charming smile. “Ready for scene three?”
Sam snorted. “Depends on what it is.”
Jeremy leaned closer, aware of being the center of everyone’s attention. “Scene three is where apologetic bachelor number two becomes scarce so the slightly willing bachelorette can cool off with still very confused bachelor number one.”
Instead of the playful response he was hoping for, her tone sharpened. “And you’re one of the players, not an actor, right? Another alpha male who wants two mates instead of one.”
Jeremy’s face reddened, but he didn’t deny it. “That scene comes later in the story.”
Sam snorted again, flattered and wary. “Guess I need a copy of the script.”
“I’ll see what I can do about that.” He stood up, taking his untouched tray. “Try to have fun with Neil tonight. He’s a good man.”
Sam watched him leave the Mess, aware of the surprised, upset people around them. Jeremy had to know how this would end. He would be left out. As nice as he was, there was no way that Eagle would ever be able to break through the wall of ice around her heart.
Samantha’s gaze went to the center table and found Neil staring at her. There was enough heat there to melt an iceberg and she dropped her head. There was little choice between the two, but she wasn’t sure if she even wanted one of them yet. She didn’t have enough of her self-respect back to be in a relationship. All she wanted from either of them right now was friendship and training. Everything was secondary to surviving the Slavers.
Adrian’s table was much quieter than usual. Kenn tried to keep the conversation going, knowing the boss didn’t like the tension, but with Neil distracted, Doug on guard in the Qz, and Kyle still angry that Kenn had been allowed to come back, there was little cooperation.
“I’ll see you guys later.” Neil left the table and let his feet go where they wanted instead of where they should.
“You ready?”
Sam jumped when the Trooper dropped onto the bench across from her.
His tone was slightly defensive and Sam responded sarcastically, “Shouldn’t we wait and let Becky have her say, too?”
Neil followed Sam’s line of sight to see the teenager staring at them with furious eyes, frozen in place.
The line around her moved and Becky forced herself to do the same. She did her best to clear her face, female mind flying through suitable retaliations. She could ignore them and keep up the act that there was nothing going on with her and Neil. She could also cause a scene and force him to claim her early, but she knew both of those options would lose her his affection.
Becky spotted Rick sitting by himself in a back corner and hoped he wouldn’t mind, but didn’t hesitate to carry her tray to his table. Take that!
“Talk to her. Tonight,” Sam ordered and Adrian’s face demanded the same.
“I will,” Neil answered them both. He turned back to Sam. “Let’s go now, okay?”
Samantha went willingly, glad to escape the attention, but her mind was on Rick and Becky. At this point, not telling the girl some hard truths would be more dangerous than keeping quiet.
They moved through the camp at a steady pace and the sight of the training tent had Neil’s stomach twisting. He didn’t want to do this, but the thought of Seth (or Jeremy!) alone in there with her was enough to make him follow through.
“So, are you ready to fight?”
Sam smiled shakily at the joke. “Sure.”
Neil held the flap for her, and ducked inside after a quick glance around verified only one bitter guard lurking in the shadows. He had no idea how this might go. The fewer witnesses, the better.
Samantha waited by the flap for Neil to light a lantern and lead her into the huge canvas room. When he took them inside the large area made of hay bales, she held her nervo
usness in check and followed him without a protest. She’d asked for this and he was breaking the rules to give it to her. She wasn’t an Eagle or in official training so they had to be somewhere private. This fits the bill, she thought, taking off her gun and placing it next to his. It was so quiet in here, it was almost like they were alone.
Neil kicked off his boots, stalling as she did the same. He was hoping to see cold feet that he could respond to. If she would just give him a sign that she didn’t want this…
“So what’s first?”
Eager. Damn it! “I’ll show you the basic moves and we can go from there.”
“No, Neil.”
He turned to look at her in surprise.
“I want exactly what you gave Angie.”
“You’re not ready for that yet.”
They both turned to see Adrian in the doorway. Neil hid a sigh of relief, grateful.
“Angela was already a level fighter when Brady got her here. You’ll need to work up to that.”
Sam could feel how much happier Neil was as Adrian left them alone. He hadn’t wanted to give her the lesson. Afraid to hurt her? Maybe. Afraid to be caught was more likely and she didn’t stop herself from reacting.
Neil was unprepared for her swing and it rocked his head back.
Samantha saw the blood run from his split lip, and waited nervously for his response. She needed this and if she had to push him to get him to do it, she would. As for Adrian’s rules, well, he hadn’t said anything about a workout.
“What was that for?” Neil questioned, ears ringing from being caught unprepared.
“Lying, pretending, and screwing around with my head,” Sam spoke coldly. “Take your pick.”
“But it was Adrian’s choice,” he protested, staying back as her fist clenched again.
“He did it for you. He felt your fear.”
Neil opened his mouth to argue and found he couldn’t lie to her. “I’m sorry.”
“I’m not. Now show me the moves.”
Neil stared at her, more confused, if that was possible, than he had been before. She had a hell of a swing.
“Later. Let’s do a workout first. It’ll settle you down, let you concentrate.”
Sam raised a brow. “Who says I can’t now? As I’m sure you know, anger is great for that.”
Adrian's Eagles: Book Four (Life After War) Page 36
