Slowly, all the adults trickled into the common space. The theatre lobby made up their common space and their dining space. They made sure there were enough lounge chairs and couches for everyone to be in the room at the same time. Charlie and Rafe entered, holding hands, like they typically did when they were close to each other.
Max admired the spirited little doctor that her brother had fallen for. After years of harassing him about his love life, the apocalypse found him his perfect match. Griffin found his seat next to her and he leaned back casually with an arm behind her shoulders on the couch. Alex was the last to enter with Easton and Candace with her.
“Thanks for taking time from your tasks to come together for this. We’d like to discuss the need to find Liam Reynolds,” Alex started.
Max could feel the flush raise in her cheeks. She had been very clear about her disagreement in finding the man who was the father to the teens. Understanding family loyalty, Max could see why they wanted to find their father, especially after losing their mother to an infected. But the man worked for Callahan, and Max was positive he couldn’t be trusted.
Her body language must have given her away because Griffin moved and put his hand on her leg, a symbol of restraining her. Alex looked directly at her as well, and Max knew she couldn’t keep her mouth shut.
“I guess I’m just going to keep repeating myself. I’m sorry, guys,” she pointed her gaze to Easton and Candace, “but there is no way in hell we should be trusting Reynolds. He works for Callahan. We can’t even begin to guess where his allegiances lie.”
Easton stepped forward, as if he wanted to argue, but Alex pulled his arm back.
“Your concern has been noted, Max. But I want you to think about this. If Dad was still alive and we found out and needed to find him, what would stop you from looking?”
“I agree with Max,” Private Smith spoke up from his seat in the corner.
Max hadn’t seen him join the meeting. Since he had been taken prisoner by the Duncans, he had slowly infiltrated their family circle. Deep down, it made Max sick. Smith had been part of her torture with Callahan, and Griffin had beaten him for it in Rapid City. However, once they took Smith as a prisoner, Max couldn’t bring herself to allow him to die. He was really just a kid, not even twenty-years-old. He didn’t know any better than to follow his superior officer's orders.
“Of course you do, since she’s the one that made sure we didn’t throw you to the infected,” Griffin bit out. It was Max’s turn to restrain Griffin. She knew he had serious issues with Smith, especially having him part of a family meeting.
“Smith is actually a good example of why Liam is a risk we should take. Griffin, if your commanding officer gave you orders, what would you do?” Alex asked.
“I wouldn’t beat a woman.”
“So there was never torture for information during war?” Alex asked sarcastically.
“That is not the same thing,” Griffin said.
“It is!” Smith interjected. “When I was with Callahan, all I knew was the world had come to an end and the only way to save it was a cure that this family named the Duncans were keeping from the world. Maybe it seems nuts to you all now, but we were cut off from any other information. Callahan made sure we didn’t interact with the survivors. We checked them in, sent the kids off to be safe at another base, and got people settled. After, we were to not socialize in any way. And those survivors weren’t allowed to leave base.”
“And it’s possible that Reynolds is going to be of the same mindset as Smith was, before he came here? How do we know he’s not going to kill us all if we approach him?” Max asks.
“He’s our father. If anything, he’s not going to hurt us in that manner,” Easton interjected.
“We can hope he won’t hurt you. But that doesn’t protect the rest of us,” Max replied.
For a moment everyone spoke over each other, arguing their points, voices rising as the disagreement raged. Max knew some of her disagreement was fueled by her irritation that they were even taking the time to find Liam Reynolds. She could understand the kids wanting to find him, but they were wasting valuable time looking for a guy that could solidly be in enemy camp. Alex finally held up a hand and yelled above everyone.
“So, clearly, we all have some strong feelings around this subject. We aren’t trying to put anyone into harm's way. We want to use the radios we have and see if we can contact the camp and find out where Liam is. We are not going to give away our location or even who’s talking. Smith, that will be where you come in,” Alex said.
“I’m not sure that’s a great idea. I’m supposed to be dead, remember?” Smith replied.
“We don’t actually know what Callahan thinks, but that’s not the point here. You know how they talk, how they use codes and which ones would apply in this situation. You could use a different name and just try to get the basic information about Liam. We won’t know if it’ll work until we try,” Alex explained.
“This is a waste of time. We would be risking everything, for nothing,” Max said.
She didn’t miss the red flush that crept across Easton’s face or how Candace frowned and looked down. Max didn’t mean to be harsh, but she thought they needed to know the truth of what was really happening. They were wasting time they could be using to handle Callahan, to look for their possibly still alive father, who was a Callahan lackey.
“Easton, Candace, can you excuse us?” Alex said.
Alex looked at both of them with affection and Max already knew she had overstepped by upsetting them. Alex saw them as her own. Of course Max held affection for them. If they were her sister’s kids, that made them her family. However, that didn’t mean she would tiptoe around them and lie. Once the teens had left the common area and out of earshot, Alex turned her blazing eyes on Max.
“That was too far, Max,” she said.
“I’m only telling them the truth.”
“The truth is, you’re pissed at me. Fine, be mad at me. But do not take it out on those kids. You can argue and fight this plan all you want. But you, me, and Rafe know if this was our dad, we would stop at nothing to find him.”
Max went to open her mouth, but Rafe cut her off.
“Before you dig in and we need the jaws of life to get you out of the hole, choose your words carefully, Max. Alex isn’t wrong. Nothing would stop us from getting our father back if we had the chance. How do you think Easton and Candace feel, hearing how their father is a waste of time? What would you say, or even do to someone if they said that to you about Dad?” He said.
“I don’t want to hurt the kids. I care about them too. Why does everyone just assume I’m heartless?” Max sputtered.
“No one said that, babe,” Griffin said, trying to rein her in.
“The difference here, dear siblings, is that our father would never work with the government, ever. We would never have to worry about his loyalties. They would always be with us,” Max said.
“You don’t know Liam. Until this apocalypse, serving with the military could be an honorable profession, right, Griffin?” Alex said, looking at Griffin pointedly.
Griffin looked between Alex and Max. It was clear he was being put on the spot and he was trying to decide which Duncan would be easiest to piss off.
“That’s true, before now. But to Max’s point, we don’t know what Liam is now,” Griffin said, walking the sharp edge of a blade. Either way he fell, he would be cut to pieces.
“From the stories Easton and Candace have told me about their father, he was a good man, even if he was gone a lot. He worked hard, so the kids didn’t have to move around every time he moved. He loved his wife fiercely,” Alex said.
“Before the infection, how long had it been since they had seen him?” Max asked.
“A few months. He had been deployed to Iraq,” Alex replied.
Max stood up, done with the back and forth that was getting them nowhere. She started to walk away as she said, “And this is my point. Months fo
r him to decide he’s on Callahan’s side. It’s not worth risking our entire group.”
Max was almost to the hallway when Alex called her name. She looked back at her sister.
“Max, we are going once the plan is made. With or without you. I would much rather have you with us.”
Chapter Three
Max leaned against a wall, enjoying the shade while she waited for everyone else. She studied a poster with Rafe and Charlie’s faces on it. This was different from the wanted posters that had been posted for the last few months. Instead of lies created by Callahan and ‘The Suit’, these posters were the entire true story of the start of the plague. Before they left the compound Charlie had pulled together all the information she had, minus the scientific terms no one but her could understand. She printed out over a hundred fliers and they had been posting them in every town they came to.
The truth is out there. Wasn’t that the X-Files or something? Max asked herself. She snickered quietly. She wasn’t sure if the posters would make any difference. People like Callahan didn’t care about the truth. He only cared about the power he could obtain now that the country had fallen apart. Alex had hoped getting the information spread through the survivors would help keep their location secret. They ripped down every wanted poster they found. The poster promised rations and other supplies if Rafe and Charlie were turned in alive. The world was full of desperate people, capable of doing anything to survive.
Part of Max wouldn’t blame a starving person from turning in Rafe and Charlie. Staying alive was an everyday challenge. When you didn’t have the skills to feed yourself without a McDonalds on every corner, people would do whatever was necessary to live. They had seen some of the worst human nature when Alex was taken by the Noble Lord’s men and taken to a brothel for druggies and people that had been bitten. Even though Max could see why good people would go bad, she would crucify anyone that hurt her family.
That loyalty stood, whether she and Alex were fighting or not. Which was why she would leave their theatre shelter. She didn’t agree with trying to reach Liam Reynolds, but that didn’t mean she’d leave her family on their own out in the open. They had been separated too often, and Max didn’t want to chance that happening again. Alex wasn’t surprised that Max decided to join them. She had just nodded and told her to pick a seat. Griffin hadn’t liked Max asking him to stay behind, but she didn’t want them both to leave Jack a second time in just a few days.
Now they were just on the outskirts of Rapid City, way closer than Max liked. She volunteered to be a lookout, because she couldn’t handle not seeing what was going on outside the gas station they had decided to use as cover. Her imagination ran wild with Callahan himself sneaking up on the station and taking her away. Thinking of his cold expression as she was tased and waterboarded, caused a shiver to run up her body. Max shook her head slightly to clear the picture and refocused on their surroundings.
The small gas station was probably a hub in its day. Old metal signs for Coke and different oil companies hung in the one stall garage. The layers of dust and grime were well older than the apocalypse. The small shop still had an open sign hanging on its glass door, opening to a few small aisles that held food, magazines, and travel supplies. Some shelves were empty, but they were able to scavenge some bags of pretzels and mixed nuts. Max enjoyed the snacks when they found them and was excited to fill her pack.
The gas station door opened, and Alex stepped out.
“You should come in when we call. It would be good for us all to hear what is said,” she said.
“I don’t want to leave our backs uncovered,” Max replied.
“There are lots of vantage points inside, I checked them myself. Come inside, Max.”
“How is this going to work anyway?” Max asked.
“Smith is going to conduct a call to the base that would be typical of a scavenging party. There are parties out at all times, so he knows it won’t be suspicious for him to call. He just has to guess on the name, that’s the only questionable part.”
“Seems like a large hole in the plan,” Max said.
“You don’t have to like the plan to benefit from any information we may receive. We’re hoping to find out what the condition is of Major Callahan as well,” Alex replied.
Max finally gave in and followed Alex inside. The room was lit only by the sun shining through dingy windows along the entire front of the building. The dirt staining was what made the building easy cover. No one from outside could see clearly inside, without coming close. If they came that close, the Duncan group already knew they were there. Smith was pacing by the register and small counter. Max recognized the radio that sat on the counter next to him. It was the one they had recovered when they took Smith prisoner. They hadn’t turned it on since they received it, afraid of any possible tracking. That was also why they had gone closer to Rapid City to make the call.
Smith finally stopped by the radio and looked at everyone. Rafe, Alex, Max, and Cliff were in the room and all eyes were on Smith.
“I still think this is a ridiculous plan,” Smith said.
“What are you so worried about? It’s not you that’s been put on wanted posters that last few months. It’s not you that Callahan wants,” Max asked.
Max wasn’t exaggerating when she threw that information around. It wasn’t only Rafe and Charlie who were on those wanted posters, Max’s own face made appearances as well. Major Callahan hadn’t been pleased that Max had been rescued and escaped his Camp USA. And though Max didn’t often throw past events in Smith’s face, she thought sometimes he should be reminded of why he was even still alive. Having his own hand in her torture and then being part of the party that kidnapped Rafe didn’t make him their new best friend.
“I know. I’m just saying… well damn it, Max, if Callahan were to find out I was alive and living with you, my head would be on the chopping block with the rest of you,” Smith said.
“The door is there. You have been free for the last few weeks to walk out it,” Alex said.
Max knew Smith shouldn’t be fooled by her calm demeanor. Alex had wanted to get rid of Smith in the beginning as well. However, she had lightened up on that and they had all given the young soldier the grace to decide to change his position in the fight between the family and Callahan. Her words caught Smith off guard and for a moment he did look at the door, then turned to study the surrounding faces.
“I know some of you don’t believe me, but I’d rather be with you than back with Callahan. I didn’t want to be a part of what he was doing. But it was hard to believe that the cure didn’t exist, that out there is just what we have to live with now.”
“Then make the call so we can get back to the family,” Alex replied.
Smith looked at the radio as if it may explode, or maybe he was having the same thoughts as Max. In the craziest part of her mind, she saw the radio cracking apart and hands coming from inside to grab her. She looked at Smith, wondering if his mind was deranged. When his hand wrapped around the radio, Max figured not. The young man took a few deep breaths before switching the radio on and changing the station to what scavenging parties should use. A quiet static seemed to fill the gas station.
“Scavenging to base, scavenging to base, over,” Smith said into the radio. He let go of the transmit button and waited. When no one replied, he tried again. Everyone seemed to be holding their breath.
“Base to scavenging, go ahead, over,” a voice came from the radio speaker.
Smith took a calming breath. They had already decided on a script to see what they could find out. He just had to remember his lines now. Rafe stood close to him, to ensure he didn’t decide he was loyal to Callahan and give away their location.
“Base, looking to connect with Reynolds. He asked me to call if I came across an automotive store on our run. He needed some items, over.”
The silence went for longer than Max liked. Did they realize Smith wasn’t on a scavenging party? Did Reynolds give t
hem away by saying he didn’t ask anyone for any sort of favor. When the static broke again, Max could feel her heart beating wildly.
“Liam Reynolds. Looking at my log, says he went AWOL a week ago. He took a Hummer which was searched for at first, but he has been written off as a loss, over.”
Absent without leave? Max thought. Why would Liam Reynolds go off on his own, steal a Hummer, and not communicate with base? This information only caused more questions, and Max looked around at her siblings and Cliff. The same look was reflected on their faces.
“Copy, base. He asked the favor awhile back, didn’t think to check with him before leaving. The team would like an update on the condition of the Major. All worried out here, over,” Smith said.
This was the part they had given Smith leniency to go off script, dependent upon the response in regard to Reynolds. He was proving to be a smooth liar, his voice not holding even a hint of nerves as he spoke into the radio.
“The Major is improving every day… how long have you been out scavenging, over?”
The question sounded suspicious and Rafe reached over and immediately turned off the radio. It was possible no scavenging party should be out long enough to not know the status of Callahan and asking tipped their cards. They got the information they needed, though, and didn’t need to dig the lie any deeper. Rafe sighed and looked at Alex after he packed the radio away.
“He’s gone,” he said.
“AWOL. Why wouldn’t they say assumed dead?” Alex asked Smith.
“I’m not sure. The only thing I can think is no one would be permitted to leave with a Hummer on their own. It would have to be a scavenging party or something. If it was a special assignment, that would have been noted, and if he didn’t return, he would be considered dead until otherwise found,” Smith said.
Sundown Series | Book 5 | Vengeance Page 3
