by Angela White
Adrian collected his gun belts and shirt. “We leave in an hour. Is everything set on this side?”
He barely sounds winded, Angela observed as Adrian used the shirt to wipe his bloody face. His jaw was already swelling, skin bruised, and she realized Kenn and Marc having shiners wasn’t something so big here. The camp had to be used to witnessing their men this way.
“All set, Boss.”
Adrian handed out the next punishment he’d settled on. “Good. Neil has Point until midnight.”
Neil stiffened, recognizing another reprimand, but didn’t say anything as Adrian left. Point man was a great duty during camp times. On travel days, it was hell.
“What did you do?” Kyle asked curiously.
Neil spoke without thinking. “I wasn’t paying attention to the lesson he wanted me to give the Barbie doll.”
Silence fell, and this time Angela did duck her head.
How does that feel? the Witch asked bluntly. Because there’s more of the same waiting, if you choose this path.
Angela’s cheeks were blazing, and most of the men expected tears or a tirade.
“Don’t blame me for slacking off,” Angela fired Neil’s own warning at him coldly. “When he gives me a job, I’ll follow orders, no matter what they are.”
She spun from the tent as voices rose behind her and stopped when she saw Adrian waiting outside the flap.
“You handled that well. Would have been better if you’d hit him for the insult.”
Inside the tent, there was now a fresh silence while ears strained to hear and Neil cringed.
“I’m not that good yet, but I want to be.” Angela gave the wolf a comforting rub when he appeared at her heel.
“And will you give everything? They do.”
“Yes. I want to be an Eagle in your Army.”
Inside the tent, Marc froze and everyone waited, almost holding their breath.
“I’ll get back to you on that,” Adrian said finally.
“I’ll be here,” she stated evenly.
Behind her, the Eagles started coming out of the tent and Angela went to the bathroom to clean up and get herself under control. She was also anticipating a couple minutes alone to think. Adrian had given her a clear view of what she was in for and she’d asked anyway. Was she insane?
Marc watched her, trailing behind, and heard Kyle’s well-meaning words.
“He woulda said no if he thought she couldn’t do it.”
Marc didn’t answer. That wasn’t the problem. He’d known Angie when she was that young girl playing with fire and delighting in what she learned from the burns. In time, she would be able to hold her own with most survivors, man or woman. Then, why was his gut all twisted? Because these men would be training her and not himself? That they were getting his Angie time?
Marc grimaced. If that was the only reason, then she’d had every right to be upset with him. Not that it mattered either way now. A no from Adrian would have shut it down, but instead, she had his support. The leader hadn’t said yes, but Marc knew clever tactics when he saw them. That whole show had been about getting her in, drawing her closer, and it had succeeded. The biggest part of his issue with that was how willing Angie was to turn control over to Safe Haven’s leader. She’d only known him for a few days!
Marc was sure whatever she was getting from Adrian’s thoughts must be the reason, but it still bothered him and he was glad when she spent the next hour sitting on the hood of her Blazer.
Busy writing in her journal, Angela didn’t notice it had been parked between three trucks, blocking it from even the best sniper, but she was aware of how many guards lingered near her, all wondering in silent speculation.
4
“Kyle said you want me?”
Adrian and the rest of the large camp were taking down tents and packing to go, and Samantha wished she were as good. It had taken her half an hour to dismantle her own.
“I’ll be right with you,” Adrian stated.
Instead of waiting, Samantha started on the last side of his large tent. She needed the extra practice.
“Thanks. How’d you sleep last night?”
It was a normal question and shouldn’t have drawn a nervous twitch.
Adrian frowned at her. “Why are you hiding, Samantha? You pull your weight and I know you’re one of us, but you still don’t have a single friend here. You don’t eat meals in the mess and you’re neutral about what comes out of your mouth. There’s something keeping you from the shelter of this camp and I want to know what it is.”
“You know all,” she retorted sharply, flushing. “You tell me.”
“Okay, I will. You’re a loner and you think you’re different than anyone else here.”
Samantha snorted, flashing to the man in the compound. The man she’d killed. “I am different.”
“You’re special, Samantha, but not more so than everyone. Angie said I should talk to you. Today.”
Samantha crossed her arms over her chest, not letting his aura of persuasion distract her. “Speaking of special, I don’t know her. I didn’t even think she remembered my name.”
Blank blue eyes waited for his response and it pleased Adrian that she used one of his favorite tactics against him. Women were always harder to handle than men, but they were also more likely to be gifted.
“We are not adversaries, Samantha. You’ve been hurt enough since the war to know that.”
She flushed again under the scolding tone. “It’s good here, really. You’re good.”
“So are you Samantha, but as long as you cast that outsider image, these people won’t pull you in where you can relax and belong. You have to give them a fair chance.”
Samantha’s expression didn’t change and while her control impressed him (like Angela, this one was a fighter who didn’t know her own worth), he hated how censored she was. Where were the real emotions, the fire?
“How do I do that when every simple conversation goes bad?” Samantha asked.
She was referring to the argument she’d gotten into yesterday with a small group of women who didn’t like her opinion on making a stand against the slavers. Their town had been attacked by Cesar, let through the barricades by a traitor who had left buried messages, and they were terrified. Samantha, who had been face-to-face with the Mexicans and escaped, hadn’t been able to stop herself from recommending they should have tried harder to kill the evil men. One of the Eagles, Jeremy, had broken it up before it had come to blows.
“By being useful and honest. I don’t expect blind loyalty and from some people, it wouldn’t mean as much anyway, but I have to have the truth.” He lowered his voice, pushing. “What’s coming for us?”
She only stiffened for an instant, and again, it was impressive.
“The final hand of God? How would I know?”
Samantha’s tone held deep sarcasm and she expected a threat or at least a warning, but Adrian only waited with a raised brow.
Samantha’s shoulders slumped. She wanted to tell him, but then she would have to leave. “I don’t know what you’re–”
“Don’t lie to me!” The bark was mild, but it still drew attention because of her flinch.
“Say you’d rather not tell me or you don’t trust me yet or even tell me to go to hell and walk, but lies are not allowed.”
“You won’t believe it if I tell you.” Samantha’s countenance was covered in the fear that she was about to be alone again in this hard new world.
“Try me. You might be surprised.”
She studied the packing camp for a long moment, feeling much the same as Angela had when she’d made her choice to tell him about Danny being the thief. When she spoke, her voice held the first true emotion of her arrival–terror.
“Might as well tell you, I guess. These people can’t hurt me as much as the war did.” Samantha drew on her courage. “I don’t always track a storm in the ways I told you. Sometimes, I see things…things that happen.”
“Like
what?”
There was no doubt in his voice and the surprise of that let her answer openly, unlike the conversation in his tent, where she’d been very careful to imply she used computer data for her predictions.
“Weather. Bad weather is coming.”
“What was it in your dream?”
“Water. Rain was everywhere.”
“When?”
“In the next week… You believe me?”
She was shocked and he answered patiently, “Why wouldn’t I?”
Samantha shrugged uneasily, preparing to lie again. “Because–”
“In the old world, you were mocked and scorned, and then feared when you were right. They turned you into a necessary evil and you’re certain the same will happen here.”
“You lie to me now,” she demanded. “Tell me it won’t.”
“I can’t. Everything is balanced on the edge.” He indicated the camp around them now climbing into the neatly waiting vehicles. “These people need you, even though they don’t know it. Help me keep them alive.”
“I don’t want to be in charge of anything or responsible for them,” Samantha quickly denied. “I know that’s selfish, but I can’t. I’m not worthy.”
Adrian let that go. “Just tell me when something’s coming, so I can prepare for it.”
Samantha had been expecting much more and she let out a tired breath. “I think I can do that.”
“And in return?” he asked, needing to be sure of her ethics.
“That was the old world.” She regarded him coolly. “I don’t want to be a prize rat anymore.”
“Tell me what you do long for, Samantha. Maybe I can give it to you.”
Horrible pain flashed and her voice choked. “Can you give me back my dignity?”
Adrian pushed his magic over her. “Most of it, yes. You’ll earn the rest and then you’ll be able forgive yourself for surviving when so many others didn’t.”
“How did you–”
“Angela.”
Samantha frowned. “She knows a lot about me for someone I’ve never had a real conversation with.”
Adrian chose his words carefully, hoping this would bring the two women together. “You’re not the only one here who is special, Sam.”
She let that sink in, realizing things had changed for her again. Angie was different, too. And she was already on Adrian’s payroll.
“What else would you want me to do, besides the warnings?” Her tone was leery, but hope lurked.
“Ride with me and we’ll talk.” Adrian was careful not to show too much excitement. “Later, that’s up to you.”
“Okay.”
Nearby, Neil watched Samantha climb into Adrian’s rig, almost gawking, and his right-hand, Jeremy, took notice. Was there anything he could do to help that along? Samantha was cute and she shared Neil’s feeling on taking out the slavers. Maybe some match making was needed.
5
“This is Safe Haven mobile refugee camp. Is anyone out there? Hello? Can anyone hear me?”
Mitch’s cheerful voice rang through the radios as Safe Haven pulled out five minutes late, with everyone accounted for. Adrian was always afraid they’d be short people and the fear of hearing that allowed him to offer Samantha the honesty she obviously required.
“I need to know when it’s coming, Sam. I have to have time to get ready.”
He noted her sigh.
“I can’t tell you the exact moment. I know it’s within a week, but probably less. I’m listening for it.”
Adrian felt the frustration rise up and forced it down. Beginnings were always hard and he wasn’t prepared for this conversation any more than she was. Keeping that in mind, he softened his tone.
“Where should we be when it comes? Where would you take us?”
Her unease grew. “We need a basement area that’s underground and out of sight. Sometimes, storms…hone in on things.”
“Things like heat or even people?”
“Happiness. The big ones are jealous of peace and happiness. It’s a calm state they achieve only when they die.” Samantha wasn’t quite able to believe it was her mouth spilling these long held theories.
Adrian took a minute to decide if he could accept storms as living things with not only intelligence, but also emotions, and found it easier than expected. How many times had he heard stories of survivors swearing the funnel cloud had come down just for them?
“I’ll get you a list of places like that near us and you’ll circle the ones we’d be safest at. I’ll have Kenn give you a sheet each week.”
“I’d rather not know which ones you pick, if that’s okay,” she stated, shifting pressure off the healing cigar burn on her hip.
“Why not?” He already knew by her nervous tone.
“I…I’m still keeping track of Rick, even though you said I don’t have to and it might get people hurt if he catches me.”
Adrian’s anger grew with his certainty that the man was a wolf in sheep’s clothing, but the sights out his window confirmed his choice. Everything they were passing was burned, charred. A battle had taken place here, one of thousands still happening across their broken country, and most of his people wouldn’t last long on their own. If he spooked them and they ran, it would be a slaughter.
“Why haven’t you thrown him out?”
That was a question he’d been asked too many times already by his top men and Adrian gave her the rehearsed answer they’d all received.
“If there’s a rabid dog on your farm, you can track him. You have an idea where he’ll attack. If you put him outside the fence, he’s hurting others, and sooner or later he’ll find a way to slip back in and rip your throat out.”
“And if you put a bullet in its head?”
“Are you sure enough to pull the trigger yourself?” Adrian demanded, surprised.
That stopped her next words and he gave her pale profile a brief glance. “Personally, I think you’re right, but until he makes a mistake, I can’t…remove him. For now, he’s being monitored. Letting him loose out there is like condoning murder. At least here, he’s following the rules and that alone is a better alternative than to have him hurting others.”
“And that’s why these people will follow you anywhere,” Samantha realized. “They know you give a damn.”
Adrian’s heart twisted with his secrets. “I’m giving that and more.”
6
“It’s time. Switch to channel seven.”
Kyle consulted his glossy notebook again, getting settled as they followed Marc’s new black truck out of the parking area. They were seventh in a line of ninety.
Glad to have noise filling the tense silence between her and Neil, Angela listened in fascination as the two Eagles riding with her held what was clearly a lesson on a second radio that was cleverly hidden in the glove box.
“From where we left off last night,” Kyle instructed.
“A first instinct is to use the hostage for protection. Don’t give them the opportunity. Make contact with the enemy when he is as far from the victim as possible,” Neil relayed over the mike. “Never direct attention to the hostage or depend on them to react the way you need them to. Assume they will either panic or freeze.”
Word for word, Neil repeated it into the radio from his front seat position. He was also working on a drawing of the camp at the same time.
This lesson is about me, Angela realized. She steered carefully around the charred frame of a school bus, purposely not viewing the small skeletons still inside. What awful, new landmarks the war had left!
“Be ready to shoot the hostage, to kill the enemy. Minor leg and arm wounds are preferred in this situation, but at no point should the hostage ever be in mortal danger from a stray round. Be precise. If not sure on the angle or line of fire, do not take the shot. I repeat, an Eagle who accidentally kills a hostage, even if the enemy is eliminated, has committed murder.”
Angela wanted to protest that one, but caught Kyle’s he
adshake in the mirror, and clamped down on her words as Neil repeated it over the secure channel.
“Break for discussion. Questions?”
The radio was silent and Angela opened her mouth hesitantly. “Are there exceptions to that rule?”
“Such as?” Kyle demanded, ready for her.
Angela flushed at being put on the spot as the rookies were. “Well, like if the enemy throws or pushes the hostage into the line of fire, or if there’s a big fight.”
Kyle gave her an assessing once-over, thinking many of Adrian’s Eagles were likely discussing those options right now. “Yes. There are exceptions to every rule, but each situation has its own way of being handled. During a fight, we would ideally try to wait for an end to it or for a sure opening.”
“Rescue missions are chaos. Care has to be taken,” Neil added tonelessly.
She responded the same way. “And it has to be made a priority, thus the harsh rule. Got it.”
They exchanged a look at her casual acceptance, not certain she understood the gravity of what it meant.
“An Eagle found guilty of murder, accident or otherwise, isn’t tossed out of Adrian’s army or banished. They’re executed, by Adrian himself,” Neil clarified.
“It ever happen?” she demanded of Kyle, trusting him not to lie.
“Not on my watch.”
“Would he?”
“Yes,” Kyle answered immediately.
Angela let that sink in, not sure that their impressions were correct. That sense of life having great value to Adrian was hard to miss. Maybe he did these things anyway and dealt with the pain afterwards? That, she could believe.
Neil took a quick sip of water and when Kyle made a motion, Neil pushed the button on the mike. “Discussion questions?”
There was silence and the lesson resumed.
“In a hostage situation, we do not negotiate. We will not meet demands or even talk about them honestly. We do not allow the enemy time to think. Quick and hard plans work best.”
Angela listened to the rest of the lesson in rapt silence, absorbing as much as she could. She would have been just as interested in the conversation going on between the three Eagles in the black truck ahead of them.
