“Private Stein.” Connor greeted with a nod.
Stein was in his mid-thirties, but stress and grief had aged his face by at least ten years. With a grim expression, he approached Connor.
“Excuse me, First Sergeant, but have you seen Captain Ortega recently?” Stein asked. Then as an afterthought, he saluted and apologized.
Connor shook his head. “I haven’t seen him since this morning. Is everything okay?”
Stein hesitated and glanced around, clearly still unsure of protocol.
Smiling, Connor reassured the soldier, “I rank high enough to receive whatever intel you have.”
“Right.” Stein frowned. He seemed to consider Connor for a moment before bowing his head. “My apologies, First Sergeant. Private Warren and I were out checking the game traps to the east. On the way back we found a few sets of boot tracks heading south. They’re new.”
“How new?”
“Today. Early this morning. I believe we just missed the intruders.”
“How close did they get to the camp?”
“About a hundred yards, but they know we’re here.”
Connor scratched the stubble on his chin. “How can you be so sure?”
“They broke the trap.”
“They left us a message.” Connor frowned. “And they didn’t even stop in for a cup of coffee. Imagine that. Find the captain and tell him what you’ve found. I’ll be in the main tent, ready and awaiting his orders.”
“Yes, First Sergeant!” Stein saluted again and then jogged off.
Connor scanned the surrounding trees, wondering what sort of play the Progression was making.
Only a few? So they know where our camp is. Now what?
Just outside of the main tent, Connor greeted Sergeant Kai Soseki, who headed toward the northeast machine gun position. Now in his mid-twenties, Soseki had joined the military fresh out of high school. He stood about five and half feet tall, his body all lean muscle. Boom had hand-picked Soseki for their current mission because of his skill in stealth and hand-to-hand combat. He was one of the few trained soldiers the platoon could boast of.
The smell of cooking meat tantalized Connor’s taste buds and made his mouth water. Deciding to wait for Boom behind a plate of warm venison, he followed his nose and slipped into the largest tent in the camp.
The “main tent,” was a green rectangular structure about 650 square feet in size. Two flaps allowed entrance; one on either side of the eating area. The first, Connor had entered through. The second led to a Dakota fire hole—a smokeless fire pit dug about a foot into the ground with a second hole to ventilate it—with a giant cast-iron pot balanced on metal stakes above it. The front three quarters of the “main tent” held utilitarian folding tables, surrounded by collapsible chairs, about half of which were currently full of soldiers. Beyond the tables, a canvas divider separated the front from the back quarter of the tent. Behind that divider, another table stood, covered by the maps, schedules, and paperwork Boom used to run the camp.
Connor slipped through the tent and peered into the cast-iron pot. Chunks of venison, potatoes, carrots, and onions swam in a thick, brown broth. Much better than their usual fare. He grabbed a bowl and ladled himself some stew.
When Connor stepped back into the main tent, he found Liberty sitting toward the end of the middle table, talking to the man with dark hair, a scruffy beard, pockmarked face, and bags under his eyes.
Connor paused in front of the empty chair beside Liberty and asked, “This seat taken?”
“No,” she said between bites. “Sit and meet my new friend, Tyler.”
The new recruit stood and offered his hand, clearly ignorant of protocol.
“Name’s Private Tyler Noke. Pleasure to meet you, First Sergeant.”
Connor decided to ignore protocol as well and shook the recruit’s hand before settling into his seat. “How long have you been with the platoon, Private Noke?” he asked.
“I joined about a week before the two of you showed up. Used to drive log trucks out of Sedro-Wooley before the country went all to hell. Was holed up in my house with a rifle and a shotgun, surrounded by a bunch of kids who promised to shoot me if I didn’t turn over my weapons and join them. When the captain and his men came through town they ran off the kids and invited me to enlist.” Noke shrugged. “I didn’t have nuthin’ better to do and I’ve never been good at stayin’ in one place too long. Figured I might as well join the good guys.”
“Lucky you were home, and not on the road, when everything happened,” Liberty observed.
Noke nodded. “Yes, ma’am. I was scheduled to head to Boise later that week. I saw what Boise looked like before the T.V. went dark. Thank the good Lord I wasn’t in that mess.”
A heavy silence settled over the trio at the mention of the riots. Connor stirred his stew, searching for chunks of meat through the mush of over-boiled vegetables as his mind drifted back to the riots.
He parked in front of his brother’s store as Jacob waved frantically for him to hurry into the store’s walk-in safe. Connor grabbed the box of food he’d salvaged from his house and opened his car door. Alarms and sirens greeted him, blaring from the strip mall on the next block. Shots were fired. Clutching the box, he sprinted toward his brother’s store.
“You okay?” Liberty asked, interrupting Connor’s thoughts.
He looked up. Noke had disappeared. Liberty’s bowl sat empty and concern creased her forehead as she stared at him.
“Connor?” she prompted.
“Yeah. Just… remembering.”
She nodded. “That’s dangerous. You should eat before your stew gets cold. I mean it’s not ahi and tenderloin, but it’s not bad.”
Thankful for the rescue from his memories, he took a bite. “Nope. Not bad at all. Not as good as that quail you cooked for us, though. Now that was some tasty meat.”
Being quite possibly the worst person in the world at taking a compliment, the slightest hint of pink colored her cheeks before she broke eye contact.
He couldn’t resist the urge to poke at her more. “I can’t wait to see what else you can cook.”
Before she could turn tomato-red Boom entered the tent and made a beeline for Connor. Connor stood to greet his friend and commanding officer.
“Good afternoon, Connor. Libby.” Boom nodded to each.
“Hello Boom.” Liberty stood. “Is everything okay?”
“It will be. I apologize for interrupting, but I need a few words with Connor. Will you please excuse us?”
“Yes, of course,” Liberty replied.
Connor took his bowl and followed Boom to the back of the tent where they went through the flap and straight to the table.
Always one to get to the point, Boom uncovered the largest map, spread it across the table, and placed a marker to the east of the campsite. “This is where the tracks begin. Stein said they go to the southeast. You’ll take five men with you and find out if the tracks lead to a camp or not. We need to know how far away the camp is and whether or not they have mobilized their forces to come for us yet.”
Connor nodded. “Yessir.”
“Stein will be your tracker. Who else do you want to take?”
Connor looked at the map and considered his options. “Soseki for stealth. We’ll need a medic just in case. Maybe the veterinarian. What did you say his name was again?”
“Magee.” Boom rubbed the stubble on his chin. “Yes, that leaves Osberg here. What about Thompson?”
“Jeff?” Connor let out a breath. “I’d rather not.”
“You still don’t trust him?” Boom asked.
Connor shook his head. “I’d rather keep him here under surveillance.”
Boom nodded. “Alright, Jeff stays behind. Who else do you want to take?”
“You have some pretty green recruits. Met one by the name of Noke today. Does he have any combat training at all?”
Boom chuckled. “No, but don’t let him fool you, he’s excellent with
a rifle and his sense of direction is spot on. If you need to communicate with the camp, he can be your runner. He’s faster than he looks. You should take Mark Teran as well. He’s been with us since right after we left the fort. He used to be a department store manager in Tacoma, and I caught him trying to steal food from the wagon. He’s got guts, but desperately needs training. That will round out your team.”
Connor nodded. “I’ll get started on the op order. How soon do you want us to head out?”
“Within the hour. It’ll be a good training exercise for the recruits.”
CHAPTER THREE
Liberty
MY STEW BOWL sat empty, and I had nothing to do but wait for Connor and Boom to return from the back of the tent. Determined to make myself useful, I collected empty bowls from the soldiers who were finished eating and washed the dishes in the buckets of water beside the fire. While I cleaned, someone filled my vacated seat, so I homed in on the empty seat beside a man reading a tattered John Grisham paperback.
He had short blonde hair and didn’t even spare me a glance as I slid into the chair beside him. Since he didn’t seem open to conversation, I watched the back of the tent, wondering what took Connor and Boom so long to return.
After what seemed like forever, Connor pushed through the divider and headed toward me. Halting directly behind my chair, he handed a sheet of paper to the soldier beside me.
“Corporal Marr, deliver this warning order to Stein, Soseki, Magee, Noke, and Teran. Relieve Soseki on the northeast machine gun.”
Pocketing his paperback, Marr stood and saluted. Then he hurried out of the tent.
“A warning order?” I asked. “That sounds pretty serious. They’re not in trouble, are they?”
Connor sat in the chair that Marr had vacated and turned toward me. “No. It’s just a heads up to help them prepare for a little adventure we’re planning.”
“You’re leaving,” I said.
It wasn’t a question, but he nodded anyway. “We had some curious visitors checking out our camp this morning. We’re going to go say ‘hi.’ Maybe even take them a fruit basket.”
He joked about it to set me at ease, but in truth, his humor did the opposite. Goosebumps rose from my skin. I glanced toward the door of the tent, wanting to run out, find Ashley, and reassure myself of her safety. “What do you mean by visitors? They were in the camp? Watching us?”
He grabbed my hands and held them in his. “We have vigilant security. There is no way they could get into this camp unannounced. I don’t think they even know the exact location yet. If they would have come within view, we’d know.”
I must have still looked worried, because he squeezed my hands and said, “I’m not telling you about them to freak you out, but I do need you to be careful. Look after Ashley and please don’t leave the camp while I’m gone.”
I nodded. “When will you be back?”
“We’re just gathering intel. We’ll find out how many of them there are and what they’re up to. We should be back before dark.”
With the mid-summer days stretching into the night, dark was a long way away. A thousand protests formed on my tongue, but I didn’t have the courage to voice a single one. I wanted to ask him not to go—no, I wanted to beg him to stay—but I couldn’t. Even if I could, Connor’s sense of duty would torment him until it ripped him from my side and flung him into combat.
“I’ll be careful,” he replied to my unasked request.
I nodded, not trusting myself to speak without sounding like a codependent idiot.
He leaned forward and kissed my forehead.
“I love you,” he whispered, then stood. Without waiting for me to return the words we both knew I couldn’t, he said “I’ll be back.”
Then he walked away.
A sense of dread crept up my spine as I watched Connor walk out of the tent.
“No need to worry about that one,” said a voice tinted with a slight Hispanic accent.
I hadn’t heard Boom approach, and his sudden appearance made me jump. I looked over my shoulder at him. “Would you stop that already? I swear I’m going to put bells on your boots or something.”
Boom laughed and sat in the seat beside me. The Army captain was made up of five and a half feet of Latino Catholic faith and wielded explosives with a level of ease that most people used to operate a remote control. He and Connor had a past, and though I didn’t know all the details, I knew Connor trusted the man more than anyone else alive. It would be difficult not to trust Boom. He had a genuine smile that lit up his eyes and created crinkles around the edges and a compelling sense of peace about him.
“How are you?” he asked, resting his hands on his knees and leaning toward me.
I wanted to lie and reassure him of my wellbeing, but the concern in Boom’s voice demanded honesty.
“Worried,” I admitted. Since the ground didn’t open and swallow me up for admitting my weakness, I continued, “Tired, sad, confused. How are you?”
He chuckled. “Better than you apparently.” He rested his hand on my shoulder and asked, “Anything you want to talk about?”
“Have you ever been to Canada?” I asked.
“Yes.”
“Which part?”
Boom rubbed his chin and looked up at the ceiling.
“Is this one of those things that if you told me about it, you’d have to kill me?” I asked.
Boom chuckled and shook his head. “You know we don’t actually say that, right? Anyway, my business in Canada was more of a personal nature. I flew to Whistler for a friend’s wedding. Why do you ask?”
“I have a friend who lives in Kamloops. That’s where I was heading before… well before I ran into Ashley and Connor. I had an incredible plan to start a new life in Kamloops.”
Boom chuckled again. “Yep. I’d imagine you did. I had a friend who used to say ‘Man plans, God laughs.’ I believe that’s pretty accurate.”
I frowned. “Well, that’s rude.”
“Indeed.”
Boom watched me for a few moments, and I got the feeling he wanted to tell me something, but held back.
“What is it?” I asked. “Just give it to me straight and don’t pull your punches.”
“Did you ever play a sport?” he asked.
I shrugged, wondering where he was going with his question. “A little volleyball and basketball, but I was never very good. Too clumsy.”
“I played baseball and I was very good,” Boom grinned. “I was a solid base hitter, but first base was my sweet spot. My whole family made it to every game, and we all knew that baseball would be my future… my ticket to a better life.”
He paused and stared off into space for a moment.
“What happened?” I prompted.
“We got a new coach my senior year.” Boom chuckled and shook his head. “And man, did he hate me. I don’t know what I did to him, but he seemed determined to hold me down. Stuck me out in right field and kept me there for the entire season.”
“Ouch. That’s rough.” I replied. “I played right field in little league. It’s where they stuck me to keep me out of the way of the action.”
Boom nodded. “My pride was hurt, and after the new coach told me he had no intention of returning me to first base, I quit the team and walked away from baseball. I used to spend a lot of time wondering what would have happened if I’d only stuck it out. Maybe if I’d shown him how well I played right field, he would have changed his mind and given me back my base. But now I understand. That coach was the best thing that ever happened to me.”
Confused, I raised an eyebrow at him. “Why would you say that? Do you have any idea how much professional baseball players make? You could have done a lot of good with that money.”
Boom laughed. “I was a selfish young man. The only good I would have done was for myself. But where do you think those professional baseball players are now? What good is all their millions doing for them in this?”
“Good point.�
�
“My plan was ripped out of my hands, and I went into the Army because I didn’t know what else to do. Now I get to help people and rescue them from the oppressive hand of the Progression. Look around you. Each of these men is worth more millions than I ever could have made playing ball.”
He gestured, and I glanced around. Only five soldiers remained in the main tent. They had gathered around the table by the entrance, playing poker. They looked like a family, with how they joked around and poked fun at each other.
I nodded.
“We all have a role to play in this, Libby. Are you prepared to make sacrifices to help others?”
Was he calling me selfish? He didn’t even know me. He didn’t know what I’d been through. I tried not to bristle as I asked, “Do you think I’m supposed to join the Army? I won’t kill again. I can’t, Boom.” I hadn’t meant to blurt out that last little tidbit of information. I swallowed back the lump in my throat and rubbed my hands on my pants, as if that would wipe off the invisible blood stains.
Boom stared at me. “Who did you kill, Liberty?”
I didn’t want to talk about it, but when an Army captain asks you a question, you answer. “One of my neighbors, Rodney. He broke into my apartment and threatened me with this.” I pulled the Sigma out of its holster and studied it. It felt like death and security, such an odd combination. “I don’t know what happened. One minute he had the gun pointed at me, then the next it was warm in my hand and Rodney had a hole in his chest and was dying on my floor.” My sadistic mind served me up an image of Rodney.
A red flower blossomed from his chest. Strangled sounds came from his dying body as he fell to the floor. Blood pooled around him as his eyes watched me until his life drained away.
I shuddered at the memory.
“You disarmed him?” Boom’s eyebrows rose in question.
“I guess, but it was weird. Like I had no control. Like I went on autopilot or something.”
Boom continued to watch me. “What did you do next?”
“Threw up. Seriously, it was the worst feeling ever. I’d been hunting before, but this… it wasn’t the same.”
Liberty's Hope (Perseverance Book 2) Page 2
