by Angela White
The bottom of the sheet held the names of the last minute people who weren’t confident they had what it took and Marc snorted as he spotted Kendle’s handwriting. She already had a slot on Angie’s team, but she wanted to officially earn it, like the others had.
Except Candy, Marc corrected himself. She’d also been given a place to help ease her rage and Marc didn’t think either of them should even have a gun. Kendle was doing better and if they were in another war, he would want Kendle with him then, but for this time and place, she was still too dangerous to trust. As for Candy, Marc was still waiting for the snap. That cold, ‘nothing gets through’ attitude was a façade that held a pit of grief and anger that Marc didn’t want to blow up on anyone.
Marc kept reading, almost at the bottom, and the final name to catch his attention caused a disturbance in the force.
Marc spun toward the nearest guard and made a curt motion.
When was he here?
Zack, tired and a bit annoyed over it himself, gestured angrily, She did it while we bugged out.
Marc wanted to cross the name off the list, but knew that would be exceeding his authority. If Angela wanted Conner among the rookies, he was in no position to argue.
“But I don’t have to pass him,” Marc muttered under his breath. “And I won’t, unless he proves to me that he’s not a threat like his father.”
“How could ya, when it’s been in my pocket?”
Peggy’s shout drew groans and grins, and Marc waited for the inevitable with everyone else.
“No, it’s morning now. Do it!”
A short pause and then, “Fine!”
“Oww, woman!”
Marc snickered, anger dimmed by amusement. If Doug didn’t test his sugar every morning, things could get ugly for him. Peggy was determined and when a woman set her mind to something, she usually got it.
Marc paused, mind clicking that into place. Angela wanted Conner to be an Eagle, to be away from Adrian and be saved.
Can I do that? Marc asked himself. I would have with Matt, though I didn’t realize time was so short. Can I train the son without holding the sins of the father against him?
No, Marc admitted. I’ll have Kenn and Kyle do most of it. I don’t want to be that person.
Satisfied with his own character, Marc headed for their small, quickly chosen bathroom area, hoping the port-o-lets were holding up. They didn’t have a pit ready yet and the odor was terrible.
Marc moved to allow Li Sing and his family to leave the bathroom, nodding and exchanging greetings. The nine men, women, and children did almost everything together, like they feared being alone and Marc made a mental note to make sure that wasn’t the case. If they were having problems with someone, he would handle it. Li and his clan were a wonderful addition to Safe Haven. They obeyed the rules, helped even during their off time, and remained respectful of each other and those around them. They were model citizens here and Marc wished the new soldiers were more like them. Those men were loud, crude, and often caught saying the wrong things about people. If they weren’t careful, Angela would put them on an Eagle team together and then tell the rest of her army to make them feel what it’s like to be bullied. Marc didn’t want that to happen and he decided he would spend a few minutes with that poker-playing group of men. A few words of advice might save them a lot of bleeding.
After that, he planned to make certain the ants weren’t being disturbed, and then do a complete round of the sleepy people. It suddenly seemed like he might have missed something and Marc didn’t care for that feeling at all.
12
As the storm wound down, the shift change came and those who had been on duty overnight were too wound up to lie down and sleep right away. Many of them went topside to dig through the debris or access a tent that was still standing.
Kendle and Daryl were two of those, joining Jeremy in the training tent that had remained because it was along one of the cliff walls that surrounded them.
Jeremy had stayed in the hayroom, occasionally letting out a moan that mirrored theirs as Daryl led her through her second kai lesson.
Kendle wasn’t afraid to hit or to be hit, and it made her a quick study that Daryl was already using level two lessons on. She also hated the one-hour limit, and had made him agree to double it, so she would be tired enough to sleep.
Daryl didn’t think she had it in her, but they were about to find out. After being cooped up in that cave for all those hours, Daryl was anticipating the exercise. He hadn’t admitted it would be good for him too, though. He didn’t think it was a good time to show any weakness. He had too many plans to let something small like a reputation screw things up.
“Mind if we join?”
Shawn and Greg were by the flap, and Daryl waved them in eagerly. When Kendle got tired, he could advance to a real opponent and not have to hold back.
In the hayroom, Jeremy quietly shut off the laptop and stowed it in his kit, under his other gear. He’d spent the evening tracking the storm and trying to figure out how to activate the satellite links that he needed to inspect the western half of their country. When he got those, they would be able to view Yellowstone and determine how bad the damage was. It was information that he and Neil had agreed was worth hiding from the camp, worried that if they reminded Angela about it before he found those links, she might shut it all down and then they would never know. However, if they could show her the Internet would still be useful, she might not ban it. For Jeremy, that mattered. He’d spent too many years on the net to ignore such a valuable source of knowledge. He’d planned his speech, but she’d cut him off today and revealed that she hadn’t forgotten about the Internet at all. The camp had, though, and the boss clearly wanted it that way.
Jeremy joined the other four Eagles at the training mat, noticing small leaks and tears in the vinyl. The winds had been awful, but not as bad as hearing them from inside that stone tomb would have been. There was no way he could live in there, but he hadn’t figured out how to tell Angela or Samantha that yet. Neil, he suspected, already knew, but the former state trooper wouldn’t give him away. He might even try to help, though, Jeremy wasn’t sure there was anything that anyone could do. If he went inside that mountain, he would die. It was that simple.
Outside, the sky began to lighten with the coming of dawn and six foggy shadows slowly approached Safe Haven while there were no Eagles on duty along the gate.
Chapter Nine
Watch Your Six!
1
“Is everyone clear? I don’t want any screw-ups.”
There was silence and Jack twisted around on his horse, pausing to regard his men. “Not like last time. Canada got out of control. I know it was mostly Major Donner, but I also know you guys helped things along by not following my orders to the letter. That won’t happen again.”
The five men also stopped, each giving the expected nod without a comment. Jack didn’t like it when other people talked. Everyone knew that.
“Good. If there’s even one survivor, we’re done as a team,” Jack warned them. “I’ll draft a new crew.”
Again, none of the men spoke. When a new crew was drafted, the old one was executed, and Jack had full authority to make such a switch whenever he felt like it.
Jack spent another moment studying his men, using his Alpha gift to force his will on any rebellious thoughts he found lurking. Resisting was impossible.
Satisfied he had his men under control, Jack surveyed the area around the large camp. He would concentrate on Safe Haven itself when he reached those shiny gates, but out here was the more important area. Mountain terrains made for fun hunting grounds and he had brought his men in from the opposite side, so that they would have the advantage from the beginning. It had also toughened them up from their month of recovery at their base. Canada hadn’t gone well.
“But Safe Haven will,” Jack muttered, narrowing in on one of the many ledges surrounding his newest target. Roughly half a mile from where he now sa
t, the area was covered in tall, thick trees and the light foliage that appeared undisturbed. But, it felt like there might be someone spying from there and Jack didn’t want the people in there to have any warning. Jack quickly blasted the area with his Alpha power to capture the person. Only one in a million descendants was immune to him–a gift that had provided countless victims.
Traveling mentally with his power as it rushed out, Jack immediately sensed the presence of at least two descendants, though they weren’t here now. They had been recently, he knew. Descendants always left bits of their light wherever they went. It faded after a few days or a week, unless the person kept using the same area. After regular use, the trail would build up and become blindingly trackable.
Jack also found half a dozen soldiers sleeping inside snowy tents, but no one else, and he slowly withdrew without disturbing the men. They were the least of all possible threats, but Jack was suddenly certain he would end up killing them. Fate often worked that way.
Jack stored his gift and slapped his horse with his hand. The animal took off toward Safe Haven’s main gate, shuddering heavily at the unexpected action.
Reminded of the animal’s previous owner, Jack dug his spurs in as he viciously yanked on the reigns. “Control your disgust or I’ll slit your throat!”
The quarter horse forced himself to obey instead of attacking like he’d done upon capture. The evil human had already taken his balls. Life was all he had left to lose.
Behind him, Jack’s men exchanged a dangerous glance and then followed their boss. They kept their thoughts carefully blank, but in their hearts, Jack’s death replayed like a broken record.
Each of them planned to participate. They had never made the mistake of speaking about it or exposing the goal through their occasional private thoughts, but it was in every look that they shared. Big Jack Devine wouldn’t be forgiven. He would be slowly consumed.
Adrian shielded himself as the riders went by, able to scan lightly without drawing notice. An old enemy was here and Jack hadn’t suffered much from time. Power radiated from the riders in ominous waves that traveled outward and upset even the animals. Jack was a lethal force and it showed.
Adrian dug a little deeper into the rear rider, trying to figure out where Jack’s usual bodyguard were, but the shields around the riders were formidable and Adrian reluctantly withdrew to get ready for whatever Angela chose to do. His advantage was that Jack’s Alpha power didn’t work on him and he would be careful with it.
“We have a shadow,” the rear rider stated.
“Yes, friends can pop up anywhere,” Jack said cheerfully. “We’ll be covering that shortly.”
Safe Haven’s tall gates appeared in the near distance and Jack grinned. “Let’s see how fast we can get an audience with their Alpha.”
“Are we attacking now?” Kranten asked, eager to spill blood for any reason.
“Let’s see what type of a hand they’ve gathered here first,” Jack drawled confidently. “We could use a few replacements to cover us from the last time we took a settlement. Our town is a bit light on women still.”
“And if they’re not like us, or if they’re not weak enough to enslave?” that rear rider asked, hating the thoughts of Canada that Jack’s comments constantly brought up. The fire had been Donner’s idea, but Jack had lit the fuse.
“We take them.” Jack ordered, orbs crimson. “I want my property!”
“You’ll get it, boss,” Vlad promised. “We’ll do it right.”
2
“What is that?” Kendle asked, pausing in the long lesson. “I can’t… That’s screaming!”
The sound was coming from the cave where their people were and all of them ran for the flap. They emerged into a dreary dawn over thin slush and ran for the cave.
“Hey, there!”
The ugliness in that unknown voice said Daryl had just been marked for death and he instinctively grabbed Kendle’s arm and swung her around to stand by his side as the others went to help Angela.
The screams grew louder and Kendle was able to make out the words. “Daddy! Daddy’s here!”
It was Missy, trying to warn them that her father had arrived.
“Sounds like trouble,” that ugly voice commented happily. “Maybe we can help.”
Daryl and Kendle stared at the group of riders outside their front gate, instantly on edge. If the glowing red orbs hadn’t given the strangers away, the fiery halos of their protective shields would have. These were descendants and unlike Safe Haven’s people, these were evil. It was obvious in the menace that struck Daryl and sent his heart into a terrified gallop. He didn’t know why he’d already been marked, but the feeling grew stronger as the men stared at him.
Kendle stepped in front of her weaker partner instinctively, drawing on her own reserves. She also felt the evil surrounding them, sampling their scents, her gifts. This was worse than trouble.
Aware that she was alone in this fight for the moment, Kendle opened all of her mental doors to be ready. As soon as an aggressive act was made, she would open fire in every way.
“Ah, there’s no need for that, my friend,” the leader of the newcomers stated pleasantly. “If you give me my property, I’ll even leave without anyone dying. Better offer than I’ve made anyone else, dear.”
Kendle didn’t doubt that, but she chuckled as if she had the upper hand. “Stand by for the boss, mouth.”
The leader frowned at the insult, eyes glowing darker.
“You can’t use that on me!” Kendle sneered. “I’ll drown you in your own shield.”
The leader’s eyes returned to those pale orbs of death and devious pleasure, and Kendle stopped gloating. His thoughts were open to her and the blood in them was tempting. He wanted everyone here dead. Kendle could almost agree with him and felt her rage rising.
“Keep pushing those images,” Kendle demanded. “It’ll flip me and I’ll take us all out. Been on the edge of it for a while now.”
The pictures disappeared and a large scowl placed itself across the man’s weathered countenance. “Who are you?”
“More than you can handle,” Kendle answered. “And that’s just me. You’ll meet the real power any second now.”
An instant later, Angela came from the cave with Marc on her right and Jennifer on her left.
Other people peered out, but no one else left the den, and Kendle thought that was wise. If this got ugly, inside the stone was the safest place for their herd. Kendle wanted to be surprised at her longing to spill blood in defense of Safe Haven, but there was no time to ponder it as Angela approached the gates.
“Welcome to Safe Haven refugee camp,” Angela stated warmly, hands resting on her guns. “What can we do for you?”
The leader surveyed Angela, as did the other five men, and Marc took the moment to return the favor. He found power and problems, but not anything that they couldn’t handle if they were careful. In fact, Angela’s level one females could probably handle half of these guys on their own.
“Do you think so?” Angela asked Marc, intentionally interrupting the newcomer before he could answer her.
“Probably, but it’ll cause damage.” Marc lifted a brow. “Is this what you want?”
“No, but it may have to happen,” Angela warned, ignoring Jack’s growing anger at being treated this way.
Samantha had joined Jeremy topside, taking a place behind Angela. She swept the threats, lingering on the big man by the leader’s side. He appeared more dangerous than the others.
Samantha felt the man’s leer go over her and knew she’d been claimed.
Jeremy flashed a harsh glower of hatred toward the man. “Over my dead body.”
Vlad laughed. “Exactly what I was thinking!”
“This is that moment,” Samantha muttered, finally understanding what Angela had been trying to tell her all along. “And we have to let them go.”
Jeremy wanted to know why, but waited. There was too much danger to be distracted ri
ght now.
Tara and Missy appeared in the cave entrance, but didn’t come any closer. Tara hovered over the child, twitching in agitation as she stared at her ex.
Angela spoke to the leader silently. You can’t have them. I’ll kill them both before I give that power to you.
You will return my daughter! Jack growled. The bitch, I don’t care about.
Angela shook her head. “Never.”
Jack leaned back on his tall mount, contemplating Angela and the others with her. There was a thick shield over the rest of the camp–to hide how weak they were, he assumed–but that wasn’t a guess that Jack was willing to risk his life on openly. Missy’s warning to avoid the Ghost at all costs had scared him and that mysterious man could be hidden under that shield. Even if he wasn’t, the four descendants in front of him were priceless and he was sure to lose them in a fight. His own crew was recognizing the gifts here and already growing eager to consume them.
Jack dug deeper into the man at Angela’s side, and didn’t like the resistance he found there. He wasn’t any happier with the reaction of the teenager or the blonde woman flanking her, and reluctantly made the call. “I’m leaving, but I guess we both know it’s temporary.”
Jennifer had the camp completely covered and Marc was busy digging into their evil minds for plans or weaknesses. She needed to draw this out a bit. “How about arranging visitation?”
Jack recognized the ploy, but played along. “I never considered that.”
“Will you now?” Angela asked politely. “We don’t have to destroy you.”
Jack laughed, denying the feel of death hovering on his shoulder. That was the image Angela was sending and he was loath to admit, even to himself, that she was intimidating while doing so little.
“I’m so much worse than intimidating,” Angela stated matter-of-factly. “I’m as evil as you, and your death will come exactly like the nightmares you often cried about as a child in the labs–quick and unexpected.”
Jack paled and then the red bloom of anger came to his cheeks. “I’ll see you again, fire walker, and of course, your friends. You’re very weak friends.”
