Adrian's Eagles: Book Four (Life After War)

by White, Angela

  Angela picked up on the tone and stepped over to Marc, keeping her voice low. “Can you come back and check things over after we’ve got them in camp? I don’t want anyone else behind the wheel while I work on them.”

  Marc nodded, worried, but not panicked like some of Adrian’s men were. The blond looked fine to him. “You know it.”

  She started to move away and then turned back suddenly, feeling that familiar chill of trouble in her gut. “Has anyone said why no one called on the radio?”

  Marc still didn’t like the lies. “I assume to keep the camp from knowing.”

  “None of them work.”

  Jeremy’s voice from the perimeter had them both turning.

  “We tried every one of them when it went down. They’re all dead.”

  “Like he was supposed to be,” Angela muttered, turning toward the ambulance Adrian was climbing into. “Get us back to Safe Haven, Brady, fast. Something’s happening there.”

  2

  They knew there was trouble as soon as Kevin came into view. Waiting outside the tape, the Level Two Eagle went straight to Adrian as he stepped from the ambulance under heavy guard.

  “We’re having trouble and I can’t get a run on it. Posts are short, people not being guarded.”

  “Fires, fights?”

  Kevin ran his eyes over Kenn’s sheet-covered body being brought out on a stretcher.” Yeah. Zack blew his top when he found out Kenn’s dead.”

  “He’s not,” Angela stated, directing them toward John. “Might feel like he is when he wakes up, though.”

  The guard surprised them with a tight smile. “Good. Maybe that’ll cool things down. They were turning out tents for proof a few minutes ago and accusing camp members. I sent my team, but we’re not enough to quell it.”

  As they moved under the tape, Angela was nearly overwhelmed by the difference in the atmosphere of Safe Haven. Even after the earthquake, when they had all been thrown into shock, orders were followed, posts were covered. Now, the waves of fear and unrest rolled over the dim camp like thunder and the golden bubble that usually greeted them was gone.

  Angela picked up on the worst vibes. “They’re at the Mess. Zack, Allan, Lee. A dozen camp members, too.”

  “Kenn’s boys.”

  “They think he’s dead. Be careful.”

  Adrian didn’t tell her it was the other way around. He moved faster and uneasy Eagles fell in behind them without being called.

  Roughly a dozen men made up the small mob, standing with their hands balled or guns already in their grip. They had Seth’s weary Eagles cornered at the Mess table they’d just settled down at.

  “Who did it?”

  “Are you covering for Brady? Did he kill him?”

  Angela tensed at the words, but didn’t take her attention off the dangerous scene in front of her. From all appearances, the work Adrian had done to bring these people together had been destroyed, and she waited to see if she could help him fix it.

  “Gonna tell you one more time to back off and then blood’s going to flow, Jeff. You know I won’t take this.”

  Seth’s Eagles were tired, worried, and in no mood to put up with undue shit, even from a teammate.

  “You’re gonna tell us!”

  “Who was it?”

  Adrian moved up behind the group with no signs of fear. “Who the runs this camp?”

  His furious bellow cut through it all, making the mob spin around.

  Frank, one of Zack’s men, raised his gun instinctively and Angela beat Neil to the place between it and Adrian.

  Recognizing them, Frank lowered the weapon and Adrian stepped around his guards like it hadn’t happened. “Who the hell do you think you are?”

  His tone was almost casual now and Zack shook his head. “We thought you…”

  “You call this thinking?”

  The Eagle flushed and his supporters tried to step back only to be the ones now cornered when Seth’s team stood up and blocked their flanks.

  “We heard you were near dead and Kenn already was.”

  “Do dead men talk?”

  Everyone looked over to see Kenn limp under the Mess canopy, supported by Alex.

  Adrian’s voice carried in the loud silence that followed. “Is this how you would react? Like panicked animals?” His voice went up in tone and down with the weight of his disappointment, his frustration with them. “These are our friends, our family. How dare you!”

  Zack and the now-ashamed men shrank back at Adrian’s anger and he surveyed the group, fighting with himself over the choices that would now have to be made. Despite their flaws, he still needed Kenn’s boys, too.

  “Clean up my camp. Each one of you who took part. Fix what you broke, apologize to everyone you upset or pissed off. And strip those Eagle jackets. You’re suspended until the moral board votes.”

  There was dead silence for a minute. Angela felt them considering a take-over and was glad when each man, Zack included, immediately decided to suffer their punishment instead. They were smart enough to know they couldn’t do what the blond leader could. It was part of why he’d chosen them.

  Needing to be sure everyone understood this wouldn’t be tolerated, Adrian delivered a final threat that they all knew was genuine.

  “Get out of line before I’m ready to take you back and you’ll pack your shit and get out.”

  There was a sudden flurry of activity as the men moved to do what they were told and the air filled with short, painful conversations.

  Adrian perched stiffly on the corner of his center table, appearing angry to the rest, but she didn’t think it was true. It felt like he was hurting. From his injuries or their near betrayal, she wasn’t sure.

  Unlike Kenn, who was proud people were falling apart at the thought of him not being around. She turned to the Marine. “Should you be here?”

  Kenn kept his head aimed toward Adrian, betraying none of the pain he was still feeling through John’s shot. “No choice. He needed me.”

  She stiffened at the ring of truth. “He would have gotten them under control.”

  “As fast and as painless?”

  Angela sighed, conceding the point. “No, probably not.”

  Kenn met Adrian’s eye. “User error?”

  “Yes. Tell them we did something wrong. None of us were tow drivers before the War and we’re learning from our mistakes.”

  Neil had joined Seth’s Eagles and Angela tensed as a small group of “rioters” approached the table. Neither Kenn nor Adrian reacted and she tried to follow their lead

  Neil held both hands out. “I did it! Arrest me.”

  There was a round of snickers at the contempt-laced tone and Zack flushed.

  “We’re sorry, you know? Got carried away.”

  Seth studied him for a minute, and then shrugged. “Hell, I understand what drove you. We need them.” The redhead wasn’t sure that was true of Kenn, but knew better than to say so. “Someone forgot to lock down the tow bar and the weight snapped the rope. It all went over too fast for us to do anything.”

  Zack muttered another apology before quickly leaving and Cynthia stepped closer now that the chaos seemed to be over.

  “Can I get an interview?”

  Seth didn’t hesitate, grinning at the reporter in surprised pleasure. “We’ll be in your new newspaper?”

  Cynthia preened under the longing tone and squeezed in across from him without waiting to be invited. “That depends on your story. Start from the beginning.”

  Angela saw Adrian’s subtle hand in that and stopped herself from protesting. He’d been expecting this reaction from his sheep and Seth had known, helped him cover it before it became a problem. Who was she to be giving advice to a man that smart?

  “I only knew to set it up because of your warnings. Don’t doubt your place with me, with them.”

  Angela followed his eyes around, seeing that other than Zack and the suspended men, the Eagles had gone back to their posts and duties, l
eaving her as Adrian’s open guard. “In their minds, you saved my life… again. Without being able to hear and bringing the rope, that whole hillside would have gone over and taken us with it. They understand you’re meant to be in this spot now.”

  Angela flushed, dropping her head to keep anyone from seeing her pleasure, her pride, at his silent words. “So, we’re here for a while?”

  Adrian shook his head at her question, recognizing her use of distraction to stop the spark. “We leave in the morning as scheduled. To do anything different would cause more unrest. We’re back to using apocalypse roads for now.”

  “And you’ll go back out with them, if we don’t find the clues this time. Keep putting your own life at risk.”

  “You saw what it came to and how fast. They aren’t ready.”

  Her tone was grim, “Our time’s about up for getting them ready. The Slavers are coming soon, and this time they’ll have this camp or die trying.”

  Adrian shook his head. “They’re already here, just picking the right moment.”

  “I can feel their hatred.”

  Adrian nodded, hand resting lightly on his gun. “Let them come. After all the hell they’ve caused, my army can’t wait to make them pay.”

  “And when the camp finds out?”

  “It will be too late for them to run. They’ll have no choice, but to stand and fight.”

  He waited for her to protest what might be a mass murder, but Angela couldn’t. A future without Adrian would be as dark as if they lost the coming battle. Without society, these sheep would be picked off, one by one, until America was nothing, but a graveyard. Better to make a stand together and die trying than to perish alone, in cowardice.

  Satisfied she was on the same page, Adrian turned to Kenn. “You good for fifteen and a slow walk around?”

  The Marine answered cheerfully, “Drugs ‘r workin’ good now, Boss. Probably okay for twice that.”

  “Stubborn-assed men,” Angela muttered.

  Kenn motioned at her, moving carefully. “Yeah, like we’re the only ones.”

  He shot it back lightly and Angela smiled, surprised.

  Adrian saw their easy banter was having a calming effect already and gestured at Angela. “Come along?”

  She agreed right away. The invite made it easier, but she would have trailed him anyway. That was part of her job. “You know it.”

  3

  “I’m sorry. I don’t remember anything after starting my shift.”

  Kyle’s head weighed so much it took a real effort to lift. “Same here. None of us do.”

  Chosen to be the guards on the cleared area, all of them had gone on duty at three a.m., but never made it out of camp.

  “I remember packing for the trip because we were set to be there all day, but it’s like walking through the fog. I’m missing details.” Daryl’s face was green.

  “I knew something was wrong and tried to go report it, but I felt so bad! I couldn’t find my set.” Billy remembered not to groan when his stomach cramped, but couldn’t stop the grimace.

  Kyle snorted, tan skin much paler than any of them were used to seeing. “At least they found you guys in your tents. I thought a shower would help. God knows how long the cold water was beating on me.”

  “What was it?”

  “Yeah, do we have something? I don’t feel so funny now, just like I have a hangover.”

  “You were drugged.”

  Adrian stepped into the second medical tent, followed by Kenn and Angela. She moved quickly to check them over even though John had already declared them out of danger. They were her team mates.

  “We have some questions.”

  “I’m sorry, boss.” Kyle’s voice was full of frustration. “None of us remember.”

  “We need to know where each of you were before going on duty.”

  “The Mess.”

  “Bonfire... Mess before that.”

  “Same here.”

  “We always hit the Mess first and then spend a couple hours by the bonfire before we go out on third shift duty,” Daryl stated and couldn’t stop a flinch as pain shot through his head. No more talking. Okay.

  Adrian looked at Kenn, who opened his notebook with fingers that weren’t quite steady.

  “Hilda on second, until midnight. Maria on third. Assistants were Mike and Timmy on second and Cynthia on third.”

  “None of them are the type.” Angela said. “Or that smart, frankly. Whoever it was, they did this as a test, to see if it would work or be noticed.”

  “They is exactly right.” Adrian informed them. “One person doesn’t do all this on their own. We’re now searching for at least two moles, but maybe even three.”

  “Then maybe it’s time we dug them out,” Marc stated as he ducked into the tent and wasn’t surprised by all the shaking heads.

  “How about a new plan, then?” he asked bitterly. “‘Cause this one isn’t working.”

  Adrian gave him a sharp response. “But it’s your plan, grunt.”

  Marc met his eye, finally admitting to all of them how much behind-the-scenes work he’d been doing. “And I’m telling you it’s too dangerous now. None of it went the way we needed it to.”

  “I wouldn’t say that.”

  Marc raised a brow. “You thought this would happen?”

  “Your plan was good, but a bit simple. It didn’t account for the reactions of the camp.”

  “Because they’ve never been my priority,” Marc muttered, recognizing the dooming flaw.

  “You tried to keep them out of it, but you also didn’t count on her. Now, we’ll do it my way.”

  Marc gave in with bitterness they all felt. “Can’t be any worse than mine.”

  “Sometimes fate throws in a wild card.”

  They all turned to stare at Angela and she flushed, grinning. “That’s one of the nicer things I’ve been called.”

  The tension broke with their laughter and Adrian nodded at her as Marc ducked back out to go over the scene. He’d just wanted to be sure she was okay first. Some of the looks he was getting had him worrying.

  “We’ll wait.”

  Angela turned back to Kyle. “You guys will be cleared in a few hours.”

  “Bet you’re glad you had new arrivals to handle, huh?”

  She laughed, thinking Lee was a firm supporter now, and his wife, a hair dresser with bright pink stripes, was a nice addition to her growing list of possible female Eagles. They’d come in alone, and settled into the Qz while she was on duty. She’d been about to scratch the scrappy woman from her list for being a cheater, when Lee had apologized for the slap. Close enough to hear them, when Candy started crying, asking him to forgive her, Angela had reconsidered. If they were willing to let it go, so could she.

  “You bet your sweet cojones.”

  That drew more smiles and she issued instructions without waiting for Adrian to okay it. His wants were clear enough to her right now, since she was listening to his mind, too.

  “For evening mess, tell John you guys need something to help you eat. It’ll control the rocking and we’ll watch for reactions when you show up in perfect condition.”

  “What was it?”

  “We’re not sure yet. Some type of party drug most likely.” Angela gestured toward the tray near the back of the tent. “You’ll get another blood test before you leave and a few more over the next couple days. Show up every 12 hours and we won’t have to hunt you down and siphon it.”

  “We’ll be around.”

  Angela was surprised when Adrian turned to her. “Next?”

  Kenn was frowning, notebook still in hand. He got it all without being told, but he still didn’t like it.

  “Double the watch… talk to the guards on the Mess trucks and get a list of everyone who got supplies, including the cooks and assistants… it all needs to be checked for tampering?”

  “Yes. I doubt we’ll find anything, but it has to be gone over anyway. Whoever did this knew the routines.�
� Adrian gestured at the notebook. “Can you two take care of that?”

  One scowling, the other pleasantly surprised, they both nodded and Adrian moved onto his next stop.

  The tension was suddenly thick again and Angela shrugged. “It’s only because you’re hurt. He wants me to be sure you don’t overdo it. You have serious injuries.”

  Kenn’s face relaxed a little and she gestured to his notebook. “Let’s get on this and get you back in a cot with a sandwich, a beer, and a pill.”

  Kenn grinned, chest aching. “Best plan I’ve heard today.”

  An hour later, they were gathered for lunch Mess, all but Marc, who had gone back to examine the scene, and Kenn, who was now in the medical tent resting.

  “What’s she doing?”

  Adrian glanced up at Neil’s question. Instead of eating, Sam was currently rooting through a box of papers and folders and had the table in front of her covered with them.

  “Searching for proof.”

  Neil lowered his voice. “She knows who it is?”

  “She has a suspect list, same as us.”

  “Should we get hers too?”

  Neil’s voice was eager, but Adrian shook his head. “I already have it. She asked me for schedules for the last month for Rick, Maria, Tony, Mitch, and Zack.”

  “Only one there I’d worry about.”

  “Rick.”

  “He’s on our list, too.”

  “Should we help her search?”

  “No.”

  “No.”

  Adrian and Angela shared a smile at the overlapping answers.

  “Tell him why.”

  Angela didn’t hesitate. “They have a history. No one can make him more nervous than Sam can.”

  “Very good. Kyle and his team are coming now. Keep talking to me and watch.”

  Nothing. Not a flicker that didn’t match what it should and all of them were disappointed. Rick had been among the welcoming rush and they could find no fault with him, even when he spotted Samantha pouring over folders from a box marked ‘past schedules’. He hadn’t tensed, no staring in worry, and when she’d looked straight at him, he’d given her only a casual nod and hadn’t turned her way again.