If he were in their place, he would work out a plan of attack to get Daniel to talk.
Bryan watched them a little longer. The woman gestured toward the tower where they'd taken Daniel. Nope. His story didn't convince her.
If Atlas attacked, this group would be ready. On guard. Many of the people at Atlas would die. Vixen needed to call this whole thing off, but he doubted she would. At least not of her own free will. The stubborn witch.
Mary Anne walked out of the house. She joined the trio on his side of the river, so he got a good look at her.
Thin, but that was to be expected after losing her son. Color looked good. Eyes bright. No signs of distress. She shifted her jacket, and he got a glimpse of a gun. Always armed.
He needed to make contact, but not until he watched what they did with Daniel. If they were smart, they wouldn't trust the man.
Bryan continued to watch for a long time. When Vixen found out about Daniel, what would the woman do to his children? A chill raced down his spine. He didn't trust the woman to not hurt them.
Vixen sat with Alton, Jose, Jane, and Lewis. Marguerite stormed into her office. Vixen stared at hole through her. "I'm in a meeting. You know better than to interrupt me."
"This is important."
She glared at Marguerite. "It better be, or you'll regret it."
Marguerite took a step backward. "They captured Daniel."
Vixen threw her coffee cup and beaned Marguerite in the forehead. "You're worthless. How did you allow this to happen?"
"I was in the distant area." She rubbed her forehead where the cup had left a large red mark. "You're not pinning this on me. Daniel's a big boy. He should've kept better watch in his area. Nothing unusual went on in mine."
"If everything was normal, you should've seen them take Daniel."
"How? I can't see into the camp from the outer area. The place is too large to keep watch on all parts of it. I didn't even know they'd taken him until I tried to rouse him on the radio. I moved closer to get sight of the compound, and they had him inside. What did you want me to do? Storm the gates with guns blazing? They would've taken me down and been expecting you."
Vixen sat silent waiting to see if the woman would provide more details. The brainless twit. Vixen clenched her jaws, stood and planted her hands on her desk as she glared at Marguerite. "You said they took him inside. What happened next?"
"How should I know?"
The insolent fool. Vixen raised an eyebrow then turned to Jose. "Gather everyone."
Thirty minutes later, she walked to the dais in the park. "First, I would like to thank each and every one of you for coming together and training. You've spent many hours learning to handle weapons so that we may protect our community. I commend you for those efforts."
She took a deep breath and looked out over the crowd. "We had hoped to join with another community. They have a large compound surrounded by fences and teeming with game, but as Daniel and Marguerite checked out the group to see if they could be trusted, they took Daniel captive."
The crowed murmured as Vixen waited to allow them to digest the fact that Reginald's group took one of their own hostage. "We don't know if he's dead or alive."
Pleased by the gasps, she suppressed a smile. If they thought Barker's crew took someone like Daniel and maybe killed him, her citizens would be ready to fight. "I'm afraid there's no way to rescue him or to know if he's told them of our plans.
"While we had originally thought we could prove our worth to these lowlifes and join them, it's obvious their greed knows no bounds. They want the land all to themselves.
"We're outgrowing our small town and to hunt, our men must trek outside of our walls. The new community has acres of fenced area where the deer roam freely. If we want to survive...If we want our children to survive, we must fight."
Most of the community cheered, but Alton, her favorite, remained reserved. Did he think they were making a mistake? She would discuss this with him later. "I only sent Phil to relieve Marguerite. I expected Daniel to remain in position. Bryan is doing his own recon, so I don't expect to hear from him or see him until he's ready to report back. He is in a unique position with his military training to formulate a plan of attack. While he's away, and I don't know how long he'll be, we will continue to send teams of two or three to observe and report back. Do I have volunteers to join Phil?"
Angie Potts stuck her hand in the air. "I haven't done a turn, so I'm happy to head out as soon as possible."
"Very well. Join Phil and take copious notes. We need to know what's going on inside of that place. Keep a watch out for Daniel. We need to know if he's told them about us, if he's dead, or if he's being held captive." She looked out over her subjects. "That will be all."
Alton continued to watch her with a wariness in his eyes. She walked up to him and placed her hand on his chest. "What's wrong?"
"I've got an uneasy feeling about this."
Not him, too. "That's why I sent Bryan out to do his own recognizance. We won't move one iota without his okay."
Alton rubbed her shoulder. "That helps. I just don't want to see our group destroyed."
Let's talk to him again." Randi started toward the bridge. He'd been worrying about his kids long enough.
"Wait." Mary Anne stifled a yawn. "Let me get Belle. She can tell him what Vixen did to her. That will make him stop and think about the evil woman he works for."
"Good idea. We'll meet you in the tower." Josh motioned for Ethan and Randi to walk with him. "I think we need talk to him before Aunt Mary Anne and Belle get there."
Randi led the way. She unlocked the door and walked inside. The bottom area was empty. Daniel must've stayed upstairs where there were chairs. She took the steps two at a time.
Daniel moved as far away from her as he could. "I have nothing else to say to you. I've answered your questions, and you're still holding me hostage. That's not right."
"Give it a rest, man." Randi flipped a chair around and took a seat. "Here's how it is, we know you're lying. Your family is in danger, and the longer you sit here and whine, the better the chance that Vixen kills them. So, until you're ready to tell the truth, I don't want you to talk. Got it?"
He glared at her.
Ethan stood behind Randi and rubbed her shoulders. "If he decides to cooperate, do you think we can rescue his family?"
"We'll try to work it out, but if he takes too long, they'll be dead before we have the chance."
Josh crossed his arms and stared at Daniel. "If we're going to help him, he's got to start talking. Otherwise, he's wasting our time and energy. If he doesn't give a flip about his children, why should we?"
Daniel's face contorted. Hopefully, he was thinking about his kids at the mercy of Vixen.
The door opened and Belle and Mary Anne walked inside.
Belle strode over to Daniel. "Your children are still with Vixen?"
He stared at the wall. She turned and raised her shirt displaying her back. "This is what she did to me because I told her making one of the older kids cut the grass at the park with a pair of children's scissors was a lame punishment." She situated her shirt and turned back to Daniel. "Peyton's your daughter and Jay's your son, right? Jay and I were friends."
Daniel remained silent. He watched Belle, but his respiratory rate increased and sweat beads popped out on his forehead. The kid was getting to him.
She moved close to Daniel and dropped her voice to a mere a whisper. "Jay told me about Vixen's penchant for tying disobedient citizens to trees and leaving them for the zombies. Do you want that to happen to Peyton? Jay?" She held eye contact with him for a little longer. "You know as well as I do, he didn't make that up. He's seen it happen, hasn't he?"
Dang, they should've brought this kid in earlier. Where did she learn to interrogate like that?
Daniel shoved the chair back and jumped up. "I can't talk to you. If I do--"
"If you don't, your children are dead." Belle crossed her arms and stare
d at him. "You may think we're hard-hearted and cruel, but I'm not going to lie to you and tell you everything's just fine. If we don't get Jay and Peyton out of Atlas, they are dead. You know that as well as I do."
"Why would you help me get my kids out? How do I know I can trust you?"
"We aren't monsters." Randi wanted to shake the man. Until he gave them all of the information he had, they couldn't help his children. "We don't want to see kiddos hurt. In case you hadn't noticed, we have quite a few children in this compound, and we'll be happy to bring yours in here to keep them safe."
Daniel shook his head. "You don't understand. If I talk, you won't have a chance to get my kids out."
"How will Vixen know if you've talked to us?" Josh placed a hand on his shoulder. "Think about this logically. She already knows you've been captured, and you can bet she thinks you're spilling everything you know right now."
"No. I can't believe that." Daniel's hands shook as he rubbed his face. "Peyton and Jay...I need to go outside--" He clamped a hand over his mouth, and Randi moved to let him out.
Ethan and Josh followed him onto the walkway.
No way would she stand in the way of a vomiting man. She rubbed her arms. The thought of his kids with that vile woman made her want to go in there with guns blazing, but that would never work. How could they get them out of there?
"Randi?" Belle looked at her. "Daniel's house backs up to the road. There's a row of rose bushes right behind the house and then the fence. If the kids are still in the house, we could figure out a way through the metal."
"If they're alone. We need to set up observation, but I don't want to leave the compound with the risk of Vixen attacking."
"No one would suspect a kid of anything. Toni could go to the door--"
Randi's heart flip-flopped. "No. She's too young, and it's too much of a risk."
"She's mature for her age. You know she could do it." Belle tapped her foot in a rapid beat. "These children in this compound are going to have to grow up and fast if they're going to survive. It's time to quit coddling them."
"I don't coddle Toni, but she's only seven. Even though she's mature for her age, she's still young."
"What about William?" Belle asked.
"No." Mary Anne shook her head. "He's old enough to set off Vixen's suspicions. It has to be one of the younger ones if we're going to get away with it."
"Isabella? She's almost thirteen but looks much younger because she's so tiny." Belle sat in Daniel's vacated seat. "She wants to help out more around here."
Thirteen? No way was the little girl that old. "Does she talk to you?" Randi hadn't heard more than a few words from the girl.
"Yes. She's quiet, but she respects you. A lot. She told me she wishes she could get to know you like Toni has."
The child wanted to get to know her? Why? "Okay. Uh. I didn't realize."
"It's okay. I told her if she wants to get to know you, she just needs to talk to you."
Randi smiled. The more she was around Barker's kid, the more she liked the girl.
The three men returned. "Daniel's feeling a little better. He's willing to talk, now." Josh motioned for him to take a seat in one of the empty chairs.
"Belle said your house backs up to the street and there's not much room between it and the fence." Randi knelt to eye level. "Do your kids stay there alone while you're gone or do they stay with someone else?"
"By themselves. Vixen says since Atlas is safe, there is no sense in having a bunch of whiny babies. They need to grow up and learn to take care of themselves."
"That witch treats your babies like that, and you spy on us for her?" Mary Anne let out a loud groan. "What kind of stupid are you?"
"She told us that your husband kidnapped you and your daughters and forced you to leave."
"Do I look like I'm here against my will?"
"No."
Mary Anne balled her hands into fists and glared at Daniel. "Don't believe a word out of the lying witch's mouth. Tell us what we need to know to get your children out of there and to protect our community. Once they're safe, you'll all become hard-working members of this community, or you'll find somewhere else to live, but at least, you'll be safe from that woman."
Chapter 17
Josh left the tower after Daniel told them everything he knew. Which was precious little. He strode across the hard-packed earth. The scent of pine wafted on the cool breeze. If he closed his eyes, he could almost believe the world was normal. Almost.
Xever was in the house sitting at one of the computers they'd found. Perfect. "Hey, Xever. We need to talk."
He looked up from the display. "What's up?"
"Vixen, the woman who runs the compound where Uncle Reg was before they came here, is planning to attack. We need to improve security. I'll talk to Uncle Reg and Miguel about suspending testing. Please make a schedule for everyone, including the older kids, to do guard duty. We need to keep watch. The man Randi captured can't give us any details, but he did say she's planning to kick us off the land."
"I'll start to work on it now."
"When you get it done, we'll have a meeting and get everyone set up." He left Xever to complete the scheduling task and headed down to the basement. Uncle Reg looked up and held up a hand to stop him from coming in the room.
"We're working with contaminated samples. Don't come in."
"That's what I want to talk to you about. We need to suspend all research."
"Let us finish this, then we'll decontaminate everything and come talk to you."
"How will you dispose of the samples?"
"Cremation pits." Miguel pointed to a biohazard bag. "I'll load them up in a minute and get rid of them."
"When you're done, come up to the living room for a family meeting." Josh went back up the stairs. Would Miguel use the escape hatch to keep from carrying contamination through the house? Josh shrugged. No matter. He and Uncle Reginald wouldn't risk anyone. He didn't need to waste time worrying about it.
He headed outside and passed the word they were having a family meeting in the living room. Randi nudged him with her shoulder. "Should I bring Daniel inside?"
"I've been wondering the same thing, too." Josh frowned. "What does Ethan think?"
Randi raised an eyebrow and stared at him. "You want Ethan's opinion, now?"
"Are you going to make me say it?"
"Yup."
"Going on a run with the man was good for me." Heat crawled across his face. "I should've listened to you."
"Yep, but I haven't asked his opinion on bringing Daniel to the meeting."
"Let's find him. He's good at reading people."
Randi continued to look at him like he'd grown horns, but she led the way to the RV. She opened the door to Ethan, who was sitting at the table reading one of the Bibles they'd brought back from their run. He looked up and smiled. "Hey darlin', Josh. What's up?"
"Why do you think something's up?" Randi slid into the u-shaped dinette across from him. "Maybe we just wanted to visit."
Ethan tilted his head to the side and a slow smile spread across his face. "Randi, you never want to just visit. You're always on the move, always working, so what's up?"
She laughed. Actually laughed. Her eyes lit up, and her face transformed. Josh had never seen her laugh. Maybe a chuckle or something, but never a real laugh. If he stepped outside of his petty jealousy, he could admit Ethan was good for her. Whether their relationship was that of friends, or more, he needed to reign in his emotions and think of what's best for Randi.
Josh motioned for her to slide around, and he took a seat. "Sorry to interrupt your Bible study, but we need your opinion. Should we take Daniel to the family meeting? Or would he disrupt it too much?"
Ethan furrowed his brows in thought for a few minutes. "Have him sit in. That way if anyone has questions, they can ask him directly. At least, that's my thought. I'm no expert, though."
"I'm good with following your advice." Josh rubbed the back of his ne
ck. "If I hadn't wanted it, I wouldn't have asked."
"Another thought, perhaps we need to move Reginald's equipment into here so we can make a quick getaway?" Ethan looked around. "Not sure where to stash it, though."
"I'll find a place." Josh slid out of the seat. "I'll go talk to him and Miguel and make sure they've decontaminated all of the equipment so it's safe for us to move." He reached for the door. "See y'all at the meeting in a few."
Josh walked back to the house and found his uncle and Miguel in the kitchen eating. He pulled out a chair next to them. "Ethan and I were wondering if your equipment is decontaminated enough to move into the motor home safely?"
Uncle Reg swallowed his bite of food. "We bleached everything. Walls and floors included. Poor Cooper probably thinks we've got him working his fingers to the bone. I do have some slides in biohazard boxes. We need to keep them cool."
Josh took a long drink of water, but had no answers for his uncle.
Cooper shrugged. "No problem, guys. We save the indoor fridge for our food and the outdoor fridge for the samples. It runs on propane or electricity. We can slap a biohazard sticker on it."
Miguel fist bumped the kid.
Voices from the living room caught their attention. "As soon as we finish, we'll haul everything we can to the RV. There's storage underneath. We can slide boxes in there with the equipment. Pack it well," Josh said as he walked into the living room.
He made his way the front of the room. "Randi found this man watching our compound." He pointed to Daniel. "I'm sure you have all heard."
The murmuring died down, he motioned to Xever. "Xever's put together a watch schedule that includes use all of the older children. Vixen's group could show up any time during the day or night. We need to prepare to fight, but we don't know how many people we could come against or what type of weapons they have."
"Maybe we need to go ahead and leave. Now before her group attacks us." Gabriel rubbed her arms. "If they have enough people, there's no way we can stand against them."
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