The Price We Pay (Life After War Book 7)

by Angela White

  “I also trained them for this very moment,” Angela stated in annoyance from behind the pair. “And it still pisses me off that I had to.”

  She shoved by them and Marc was the first one to notice her hair had turned solid gray. There wasn’t a single black strand to be seen.

  Adrian saw it a second later, and concern spread over his face. He held his tongue only because he could feel Marc’s rage threatening to spill over again.

  “You shouldn’t have come back!” Marc growled. “I gave you your life.”

  Adrian didn’t tell Marc he couldn’t do it, that being away from her felt worse than facing death.

  Marc knew, and it increased the anger. There were no closed doors now and he wasn’t supposed to have to feel the way Adrian’s heart was beating faster at being around Angela, or see the way she was so perfect in his thoughts. It was awful.

  Angela waved her team away from the duties that were mostly finished, silently telling Greg and Shawn to have the Eagles handle the rest of it. She needed her Eagles to be seen as the police, the enforcers. There were too many unknowns mixed in with the surviving camps around hers for comfort, though she wasn’t going to kill them. She’d only removed the offenders who made it a habit or those whose crimes were unforgivable. That was her new line.

  “Get the camp assembled. We’ll hold Adrian’s trial immediately following the leadership vote. If everyone wants to see him hang after we get all the details, Marc will make sure that happens.”

  You bet that sweet ass, Marc sent.

  Next to him, Adrian shuddered and from his thoughts, Marc began to understand that Angela wasn’t planning to spare Adrian completely. He was going to face the people he’d betrayed.

  3

  They had no more trouble getting Adrian locked into a cell next to his son. They were in a room off the same hall as Angela.

  Marc locked the brig door and dropped the key into Greg’s hand. “Try to shoot him while he escapes, will you?”

  Greg snorted and didn’t meet Angela’s gaze as he began to give her all the updates he’d been holding. “We’re starting the funerals tonight, no mass graves needed. Those holes will be filled in with our garbage. We lost less than fifty. Here’s a list.”

  Angela put it away for later, when she would punish herself in ways that her people couldn’t. “Next?”

  “There are only four camps out there now.”

  “Good. Which ones?”

  “Two Indian, one descendant, one soldier.”

  “Have the QZ set up where the soldiers are and put them all in it. Keep going.”

  “Level Six is taking turns on watch over the... over Adrian, and Kenn took the room next to him.”

  “Fine. Is that it?”

  Greg scanned his list. “Yes.”

  “She did good,” Angela praised. “All of you did.”

  “Daryl’s with her. He said she was off duty until morning, that Samantha was covering this shift.”

  “Fine,” Angela repeated. “I doubt there will be any more trouble tonight.”

  Leaning against the wall while he waited, Marc snorted silently. People were afraid to breathe right now. No, there wouldn’t be any trouble.

  Angela headed for the bed as soon as the updates were finished. Kenn would make sure that Adrian and Conner weren’t mistreated, and that they were fed. It was more than one of them deserved, but he would be alive to face the camp for the trial. And then he would either live or die and so would she. Their destinies had been intertwined since the very beginning of mankind. No one could fight something that strong and she didn’t intend to. She would tell them the truth, and let fate control the outcome.

  Marc climbed into the bed with her after locking the door, vaguely aware that he hadn’t seen Dog in a while. The wolfman twined their bodies into the position they’d gotten used to sleeping in and rested his head against her shoulder. He’d brought her back. For this moment, he was satisfied.

  4

  “I’d like to use my one request.”

  Neil and Kyle turned in surprise. Both men had forgotten that Cynthia had been promised a reward for saving Angela’s life.

  “What is it?” Neil asked first, mostly willing. He didn’t expect her to ask for something he couldn’t give.

  Cynthia glanced at Kyle, who nodded, but felt that cold hand of fate sweeping over his head. “Sure.”

  “I’d like you to be the god fathers of my son. He needs a strong set of hands from what I’ve been told and well, you are the two I trust the most.”

  “I’d be honored,” Neil responded. He was sure he would be around for long enough to do the job.

  Kyle didn’t answer, gaze going to the teenager and baby settled onto a nearby couch. After their week off, he planned to ask Jenny again and be sure she wanted to remain in Safe Haven.

  Cynthia knew where his thoughts were and didn’t push hard. She didn’t think she needed to. “If you guys stay, will you accept?”

  “Of course,” Kyle answered. “And thanks for thinking of me.”

  He frowned. “What made you think of me? I’m still on probation with most people.”

  Neil listened openly, curious if it was the same reason he’d forgiven the mobster his weakness for Jennifer. He didn’t seem to have others.

  “I let a kid die. You saved one and love her. Who am I to judge?”

  Cynthia left them standing there, shocked and a bit worried.

  “Should we…”

  “Yeah,” Kyle sighed. “But not now. Let it be a future worry for once.”

  Neil nodded, in complete agreement after the week they’d just had, but he still wrote it in his notebook. It was how Adrian had trained them and that wouldn’t be changing.

  Daryl caught up to Cynthia in exasperation. “I left you in bed!”

  The reporter rolled her eyes and continued on her course.

  “Cynthia!”

  “What? I couldn’t sleep.”

  “It’s been like…three minutes! You didn’t even try.”

  “No, I didn’t,” she admitted, sighing and slowing down. “I keep seeing myself in the grave and hearing that my son will be worse than his father, and everywhere I go, people are staring at me, wondering the same thing. I have to take steps.”

  “To protect him?”

  She lowered her voice as a small cluster of camp woman came through the hall. “I was told he should die.”

  “By who?” he demanded, instantly angry.

  “Angela.”

  That caught Daryl off guard and he wasn’t sure what to say. She hadn’t been wrong. Ever.

  “I know.”

  Cynthia’s shoulders drooped and Daryl did the first thing he thought of, flashing to the advice he’d overheard her give to Kyle about Jennifer. “Are you hungry?”

  “A little,” she said absently, hand going to rub her stomach.

  “I’d like to feed you and try to tuck you in again. What if I stay and keep you company, at least until you fall asleep?”

  Cynthia was aware of his tactics and approved. “I need a shower first. The hot water will help.”

  “Just don’t go over that five minute limit or Hilda will have you dragged out,” he joked. “The den mothers are really enforcing it now that you pointed out how low we are again.”

  “Will you try to scrounge up a lantern we can see by?” she requested. “My eyes are giving me issues.”

  Frowning, Daryl turned her toward the hanging lantern in the hall and gasped. “Your eyes are red.”

  “It’s been a long day,” she snapped, pulling out of his light grip.

  “No, Cyn, solid red. What does that mean?”

  Cynthia had no idea where to find a mirror. In Safe Haven, a small compact was usually the best a woman could do. She slid her knife from the sheath on her belt and stared into it, stunned by the glowing crimson orbs in the reflection.

  “Should I go get someone?” Daryl asked in concern.

  Cynthia thought about it and t
hen shook her head. “I know who to talk to. Come on.”

  Daryl followed her to Adrian’s cell, not surprised. The former leader seemed to have endless files on descendants.

  Daryl hung out in the doorway as Cynthia pulled a chair over and sat down near Adrian’s cage.

  Adrian had toppled his cell over and was stretched out on the smoothest side, face relaxed. His tone however, was nervous.

  “When was the last time you fed him?”

  Two mouths dropped open in surprise at the obvious answer.

  “Go spend some time alone with a friend and feed your son,” Adrian instructed. “Your eyes will be normal before morning.”

  Cynthia glanced at Daryl. “Can you give us a minute or is it against the rules? I’ve never been here while there were prisoners.”

  “None of us have,” Daryl muttered, feeling more jealousy over the request than he wanted to. The Eagle shut the door and leaned against it, not straining to hear, but aware that he still could if he tried.

  Adrian finally opened his eyes and met Cynthia’s hurt, confused stare. “No, she’s not wrong. None of your safeguards will work.”

  “Why?” she whispered, crushed again.

  “Because he’s mine,” Adrian confirmed. “My children are light or darkness. There is little gray.”

  “And there’s nothing I can do?”

  “Not unless you find a witch who will break the rules for you,” Adrian said, sure Angela would be furious with him for interfering. “One with immeasurable power.”

  Cynthia blanched. “There’s no way.”

  “Oh yes,” Adrian said. “You have to have the courage to ask for it openly and then convince her to allow the conversation. After that, you’ll be held responsible for everything that goes wrong.”

  Adrian’s words were cool warnings, with little sympathy, and Cynthia glared angrily. “What about you?”

  Adrian slowly sat up. “I’m a traitor. Do you think it’s a good idea for me to try?”

  She hadn’t thought about it from that view. “No, I suppose not.”

  “You’ll have to save him yourself, Cyn. Do you think you can?”

  She nodded slowly. “I’ll figure out how to approach her before I do it.”

  “Good girl,” Adrian murmured.

  Cynthia stood up suddenly, pain bleeding into her tone. “Do you have a reason? Something that will clear you tomorrow?”

  Adrian sighed miserably and lay back down. “If I did, would she have left me in here?”

  “Yes,” the reporter answered without hesitation.

  “Smart girl, too,” Adrian praised. “You’re making your new man nervous,” he pointed out. “Why not spend some time with him? Daryl is a great guy.”

  “Yes, he is,” Cynthia confirmed, going to the door. She wanted to believe that Adrian was innocent, but he was making it hard.

  She left without asking any of the other hundred and one questions she had. Tomorrow would determine the fates of more than just their two leaders and one love-stricken teenager.

  5

  Kenn, Tonya, and Kendle took shifts outside the door to the brig as the evening wore down and late night came. Most of Safe Haven went out quickly, happy with the results and secure enough to crash early with plans to sleep late. The trials weren’t set to start until late morning and it was if a huge weight had been lifted from their camp. It was that sense of being dogged that was missing.

  Adrian had several visitors through the night and all but one of them was turned away. Cynthia had only made it in because all three of Adrian’s guards had been out scrounging things for him and Conner. Once they were satisfied that they’d done the best for them that they could, Kenn had refused to let the waiting people in, saying Adrian needed rest too. The only person to make it in openly was Doug.

  “What do you want?” Kenn asked tiredly. He didn’t expect trouble from the large man, but he was prepared to handle things if it happened.

  “I want to talk to him,” Doug answered, appearing worried.

  “About what?”

  “Peggy.”

  Kenn frowned. “What’s wrong with Peggy?”

  “She has the cancer. John’s draughts are gone and she’s starting to have symptoms again.”

  Kenn had gone pale, thinking of all the redheaded den mother had done and continued to do for these people. The herd wouldn’t be the same without her.

  Let him in, Adrian sent.

  Doug stepped inside the chilly room and shut the door.

  6

  “Will you hold me for a while?”

  Charlie slid to her side of the air mattress that he’d scrounged and wrapped his arms around as much of her as he could reach. Being a little taller would come in handy in moments like this, he thought.

  “Can I do anything for you?”

  “Just this,” she answered quietly. Tracy had been hurt while under the drugs and had come to the next morning. Discovering what had been done to her was bad, but she was grateful not to have the memories of it, as Becky did.

  “I can’t believe she did this!” Charlie swore for the dozenth time.

  Tracy, tired and sore, slapped him in the back of the head.

  Charlie jerked back, gaping in shock.

  Tracy wanted to stay annoyed, but the laughter spilled out of her mouth before she knew it was coming. And then turned to tears.

  Tracy’s sobs hurt Charlie in new and terrible ways and he did the only thing he could while swearing that if his mom didn’t have a great reason for all of it, he was leaving.

  Tracy was too depressed to argue with him and she rolled out of his arms and onto her side, shaking as she cried. They’d won and she didn’t even remember being hurt.

  So why do I feel like I lost something that I can’t get back?

  When Charlie stormed from the tent, Tracy didn’t notice.

  Charlie wasn’t expecting two Eagles guarding his tent and he immediately misunderstood. “I’m not dangerous to her!”

  Shawn snorted. “You’re the worst of the lot kid, screaming at her like that.”

  “Especially when we’re here to guard your snotty ass,” Billy added. He didn’t want to be out in the cold and he wasn’t afraid to let it show.

  “She let females be hurt!” Charlie protested. “She sent them out there!”

  “And you think you’re the only one who wants answers?” Shawn growled. “Grow up. You got off lucky. Jeff certainly didn’t.”

  Charlie was being hit with their thoughts as well as their words and he hated them for making sense, for being right when they said each of the fighters Angela used had agreed beforehand. His inability to fix things for Tracy was a wound he couldn’t heal in himself either.

  “I don’t understand!”

  “Tomorrow should bring some answers, boy,” Billy pointed out. “Until then, do what the rest of us did when we’ve provided the service you have waiting now. Love her and bring her back. And for Pete’s sake, don’t leave her alone.”

  “That’s the biggest rule,” Shawn reinforced. “The mind does terrible things when you’re left alone to blame yourself.”

  Charlie was calm enough now to begin asking questions about the right and wrong things to say, and the two Eagles helped him eagerly. Angela needed her son and they would try to help the boy see that the sacrifices were steep, but the cost of doing nothing or anything less than what she had, would have been more than any of them could pay.

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  1

  “My name is Angela White and I’m a descendant. I’ve always had abilities, though I didn’t know about my true heritage until I came to Safe Haven.”

  Angela was on a makeshift witness stand, in front of three hundred survivors who wanted Adrian’s death. It was in their minds.

  “When I joined this camp, Adrian recognized my gifts and took me under his wing. He started teaching me to be strong, to fight for myself, and like everyone else, I fell for the line that he was doing it all to sav
e our country.”

  She looked out at the upset faces. “He was exactly what I needed, like he was for the others who came here in bad shape. There wasn’t anything I wouldn’t have done for him.”

  “Did you know he was lying about the government?” someone shouted out.

  The guards moved that way, but Angela stopped them.

  “Leave them alone. They have a right to question their leaders. I’ve always meant that.”

  The guards stepped back and Zack stood up. “Did you?”

  “No,” she answered without guilt. “I don’t see everything and the future changes with every choice someone makes.”

  “But he was a traitor,” Zack insisted. “How could you miss that?”

  “How could I miss Caesar shooting me?” Angela sent back. “It isn’t just Crista who paid that price, Zack. You remember the rest stop, don’t you?”

  All of those who had been there shifted uneasily. Remember it? They were still having nightmares about it.

  “I’m not perfect and looking into the future isn’t simple. I don’t always see everything. It is how we’ve been able to have assassins in camp,” she reminded them. “Not knowing if I’m a target when I come from my tent each day hasn’t been fun.”

  Zack slowly sat down, but his anger hadn’t calmed.

  “Adrian hid things well. He used distraction on me, as he did with the Eagles and everyone else. And when I would catch little things, he’d deny it or make sure that Kenn was there to stir shit up and take my focus off. I didn’t actually see his scheming until after I was shot.”

  Angela took a sip of the water bottle, and lit a smoke. She still had the pack Donner had given her.

  “I should have died there. I saw it right when he shot me, my death.” She paused, remembering the ugliness and the sense of incompletion she’d been sentenced to end with. “Adrian wanted to save me, to use his gifts, but it would have exposed him to everyone.”

  She glanced at some of the most sensitive among them. “None of you were ready for that. He knew I wasn’t either.”