Did she think he was going to slink away with his tail between his legs? “Yes.”
It took her only a handful of moves to clobber him a second time.
“I didn’t know it was possible to lose a game in eight moves,” Leo said.
“It was four, actually,” Cassie said. “A move is considered two plays, one from each side. So I actually beat you in four moves.”
He liked that she didn’t pull any punches with him. “I think you just told me I’m a really shitty player.”
“Just at chess.” Cassie’s eyes were bright with amusement. “What I just did is a sequence called Scholar’s Mate. Don’t worry, if we were on the football field, you’d probably give me a concussion. You’re getting off easy in comparison.”
He wasn’t sure about that. His pride felt thoroughly concussed, although at the moment he wasn’t bothered by this at all.
He noticed a black knight pendant resting just above her heart. “Is that your favorite piece?”
“Yeah.” She rubbed the pendant between her fingers, smiling. “Jennifer gave it to me for my sixteenth birthday.”
“Why do you like the knight so much?”
“Because a knight never moves in straight lines. It’s not predictable, you know? A good game is never predictable.”
“If I’d known how good you are at strategy, I’d have convinced Coach Brown to let you design plays for the football team.”
Her eyes widened. Another flush crawled up her cheeks. Damn, she was pretty. And smart. He wasn’t sure what he liked more about her.
Cassie busied herself resetting the board. “Again, Jock Face?”
“Sure, Squirt.” He hunched over the board to study it. He was determined to last more than twelve—no, six—moves. He absorbed the different pieces, assigning them football positions.
Pawns were like the lineman. They were the first line of defense and were more powerful as a unit than as individuals. The queen was like the running backs—versatile and useful in a variety of ways. The rooks were the tight ends. The bishops were the wide receivers. The king was like the quarterback, to be protected at all costs. Really, it wasn’t that different.
Or maybe it was vastly different. Cassie creamed him in less than ten minutes on the next game. Leo smacked his knee in annoyance when she said, “Checkmate.”
“Damn. Explain to me how you did that.”
“I just used something called the Ruy Lopez opening on you.”
Both his eyebrows shot up. “There’s a name for what you just did?”
“Yeah. It’s also known as the Spanish Torture.”
She was messing with him. She had to be. “Explain it to me.”
“To get out of it, you needed to put the question to my bishop.”
“I needed to what?”
Cassie launched into a long-winded explanation which had Leo frowning at her. Not only had she not been messing with him, but now she was talking circles around him.
He attempted to focus on the lesson, but he eyes kept straying to the wisps of hair around her face and the graceful line of her neck. By the time she finished, he realized he hadn’t heard the last fifty percent of whatever she’d said.
“I’m glad I rescued you, Cassie.”
“Really? Even though I’m not very useful?” A shadow crossed her face that had nothing to do with fatigue. Her shoulders slumped and she looked away. “That’s the real reason I couldn’t sleep. I was trying to figure out how I could make myself useful to a guerrilla army.”
“Are you kidding me? Look at you.” He gestured to her and the chessboard. “You’re a strategist, Cassie. I’m officially putting you in charge of strategy. We’re going to need strategy to stay ahead of the Russians and defeat them.”
She stared at him without speaking. She was silent for so long that Leo felt the skin between his shoulder blades itch.
“What are you thinking?” he asked.
She frowned. “You said defeat the Russians.”
“So?”
“You didn’t say pester the Russians. You didn’t say annoy the Russians. You said defeat the Russians.”
“You know what I mean.”
“You want …” She counted on her fingers. “You want eleven adolescents and one grandma to defeat the Russians?”
“We’re not adolescents, Cassie.”
“That’s the part you’re sticking on?”
Leo huffed in annoyance. “Someone has to defend our country.”
“You realize we’re going to war with, like, half a board of players?”
“But we’re unexpected. That has to count for something.”
“A little, I guess.” She wrinkled her nose at him. “Okay. I can work with that.”
“Okay meaning … you’ll help?”
“Of course. Did you know Napoleon played chess?”
“No. Was he good?”
She frowned at him. “He conquered most of Europe.”
Leo supposed that made Napoleon a damn good chess player. Well, he didn’t need to conquer all of Europe. He just wanted to protect West County. Maybe learning chess would help him do that.
“Want to play another game?” He’d never beat her if they didn’t keep playing.
“Sure, okay. But I’m not going to go easy on you.” The smile she gave him was dazzling.
It went through his body like a current of electricity. He found himself grinning back. “I wouldn’t like it if you went easy on me.”
“Cassie? Leo?”
They turned as Jennifer padded into the room. She was dressed in jeans and a sweat shirt, ready for the day’s mission. She had volunteered to go to the Craig house this morning. Leo had been so absorbed with Cassie that he hadn’t even noticed the windows lightening with the dawn.
“What are you guys doing?” Jennifer asked. She sat down beside Cassie and put an arm around her shoulders. By the way the two girls leaned into one another, it was clear just how close they were.
Leo was suddenly very conscious of how much he’d been enjoying himself with Cassie. He tried to hide it beneath an easy, casual smile.
“Neither of us could sleep,” he said. “Cassie just handed me my ass in chess. Three times. And then she tried to explain exactly how she obliterated me.”
Jennifer grinned, but he did not miss the way her eyes sharpened on him. “Let me guess. Did you hear about the Bird Defense? Or the Steinitz Defense?”
“No.” Leo met her eye, refusing to look guilty. He hadn’t done anything inappropriate. “There was something about a guy named Murphy and another guy named Ruy.”
“My sister is a genius,” Jennifer said. “Did you know she made it to the state chess championship tournament for the last three years?” She beamed proudly at Cassie.
“No, I didn’t know that,” Leo said.
“And she always sees three to five moves ahead when she plays a game.”
Leo absorbed this. Could Cassie really see three to five moves ahead? In stupid person language, that meant she could anticipate the next six to ten moves. There weren’t even that many moves in a football play.
His gaze flicked to Cassie for confirmation of this statement. She gave him a small nod.
No wonder she creamed him. He couldn’t stop the grin that stretched across his face. Cassie was the Snipers’ secret weapon.
“She’s going to help us come up with strategies to use against the Russians,” Leo told Jennifer.
She didn’t even blink at this statement. “Cassie will be great at that. She has a good mind for strategy. She—”
“I’m not used to people getting up before me.” Nonna entered the room. She didn’t bother asking why they were all awake. “Good. I can use some help in the kitchen.”
They broke apart then, each of them going in a different direction. Leo let his gaze linger on Cassie for only a moment, watching as she swept up her chess pieces and returned them to the little travel box.
Then he caught Jennifer watching him. He t
urned his back on both sisters, marching outside to relieve himself.
10
Terms
Leo led the way down from Pole Mountain on a bike. Jennifer was right behind him, along with Anton, Bruce, and the Craig brothers.
As they hit a smooth downhill, Jennifer picked up speed and caught up with Leo. He tried to outpace her, but one look at her profile was enough to tell him she was not going to be deterred.
He knew what she was going to say before she said it. He could practically feel the words radiating off her.
“I saw you looking at Cassie.” Jennifer had never been one to beat around the bush.
He decided to play dumb. “We were playing chess. That usually involves looking at someone.”
“You know what I’m talking about. You like her.”
“I just met her less than a day ago.”
“You’ve known her since we were in high school.”
“You know what I mean. She was just a scruffy kid back them.”
“Don’t bullshit me, Leo. There’s no timeline on chemistry. I saw the way you looked at her.”
He grit his teeth, not in the mood for confrontation. “Nothing inappropriate happened. We have a mission to focus on, Jennifer.”
“So you admit you like her?”
He kept his mouth shut, refusing to walk into her trap. “I’m not going to play your game. She’s your little sister. I respect that, and I respect Cassie.”
“I just want to hear you say it.”
“Say what?”
“That you like her. Tell me you like her.”
“Dammit, Jennifer.” He glared at her. “We don’t have time for this shit. In case you forgot, we’re in the middle of a war.”
“Tell me you like her.”
“She’s neat, okay? And smart. Is that what you want to hear?”
A smug, pleased smile split Jennifer’s face. “And you sort of like it when she kicked your ass at chess, didn’t you?”
Leo huffed.
Jennifer just grinned. “I knew it. Cassie always had a crush on you, you know.”
Leo didn’t respond. Now that Jennifer brought it up, he recalled the way Cassie had always stared at him whenever he came over to their house. She’d go out of her way to talk to him, even if all she did was call him Jock Face. Even back then, it occurred to him she had a crush on him, though he hadn’t thought much of it at the time.
“You didn’t even notice, did you?” Jennifer snorted. “Why would you? Every girl in Bastopol High had a crush on the great Leo Cecchino.”
“Now you’re just being an ass.”
“Whatever. You know it’s true. You have my permission.”
“Your what?”
“Permission to date my sister.”
Once again, Leo’s head snapped in Jennifer’s direction. He was in serious danger of giving himself whiplash. One look at Jennifer’s face told him she was dead serious.
“Why?” he said at last.
“Because.” Jennifer shrugged. “We could all be dead tomorrow. If you like Cassie, do something about it. I don’t want either of you beating around the bush on my account.”
“I just met her.”
“We’ve been over this already. Look, remember that guy I told you about?”
“Brad.” Leo wasn’t likely to forget that particular conversation anytime soon.
“Yeah, Brad. I knew within five minutes of meeting him that he was the guy for me.”
Leo didn’t know what to say to this. Back in high school, he’d been convinced Jennifer was the only girl on the planet for him. Hearing her admit that she’d never felt the same should have been a blow to his ego. He was surprised to realize it didn’t bother him at all anymore.
“Are you telling me you believe in love at first sight?” he asked.
“I’m just saying this doesn’t have to be complicated. When you know, you know.”
Leo let his mind drift back to earlier that morning when he’d played chess with Cassie. If he were being honest, he’d felt electric beside her. And he had loved it when she handed him his ass over the chessboard. That was sexy as hell. Even if he didn’t like losing, losing to Cassie was all right.
“That’s what I thought,” Jennifer said, watching his face. “You know. You’ve never been a guy to go half way, Leo. Just know that if you hurt her, I’ll stab you through the heart with my stiletto. I still have them, you know. The red ones I was wearing when I got here.”
“I remember.” It was humanly impossible to forget those shoes. He’d watched her kill a zombie with them.
“Good. Then be a gentleman and I won’t have to hurt you with them.”
Leo wasn’t sure he could stand this conversation any longer. “Can we stop talking now?”
“No. There’s one more thing.”
“What else?” he asked, exasperated.
“Don’t try to sideline her.”
“What are you talking about?”
“You heard me. Cassie is smart and capable. She has a lot to contribute to this war.”
War. When had they started using that word? Had it been last night? As much as Leo didn’t like it, he knew it was the right word.
“You can’t sideline Cassie just because you want to keep her safe. I know you, Leo.”
Now she was just pissing him off. “Fine. Are we done now?”
“Sure, so long as we’re clear on the terms.”
“I be nice to Cassie and you won’t stab me with your shoe. Was that the gist of the conversation?”
Jennifer chuckled. “Yep. That’s it. Pretty simple.”
Leo jerked his handle bars to the left, riding away from Jennifer. He cut down a steep grassy slope, heading toward a switchback in the road. He needed space to clear his head.
He thought back to the past few years. There’d been a few dates here and there, but nothing serious. Hell, he couldn’t even remember the names of the few girls he’d gone out with. None of them had meant anything. He hadn’t felt anything for a girl in nearly three years.
Yet he’d only become reacquainted with Cassie for a day. It was too early to leap to conclusions, no matter what Jennifer said. He was beginning to think she was crazy anyway.
But Jennifer was right about one thing. Leo had felt something—whatever it was—when he first rode onto the Nielson property and saw Cassie. The sight of her skewering the zombie with that piece of rebar was a sight he’d never forget. She was fierce, brave, smart, and beautiful.
Taking a deep gulp of air, Leo put Cassie Miola firmly out of his mind. He’d figure things out about her later.
He steered his bike back onto the dirt road and turned his mind to their mission. It was time to visit the Craig cattle farm.
11
Spies
Leo brought everyone to a stop at they reached the edge of the Cecchino property. They had to pedal a short half mile down the highway to get to the Craig farm. They would be out in the open and exposed.
They stood in silence, listening for any sounds of danger.
Soft wind. Chirping birds. The whine of the cicadas. Nothing out of the ordinary. No cars or gunshots.
“All right,” Leo said. “Let’s move out. We ride in pairs. Stick together.”
Jennifer rode beside him. The Craig brothers rode behind them, with Anton and Bruce bringing up the rear.
They reached the entrance to the Craig farm without incident. Jim and Tat pulled ahead, anxious to see their parents. Leo pulled out his binoculars, looking in the direction of the two-story house tucked on the back corner of the property beside the milking barn.
“See anything?” Anton pulled up alongside him.
“Just Mr. Craig and his dog herding the next group of cows in for the daily milking,” Leo replied.
Ten minutes later, they pulled into the front yard of the Craig farm. They arrived to find Mrs. Craig in tears as she hugged her two sons. Mr. Craig was also there, the four of them standing in a tight circle on the porch.
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Leo felt his throat tighten at the sight of the family together. Without realizing it, he glanced over at Anton. His little brother watched the reunion with a look of mixed emotions. He was happy to see the Craigs reunited, but it was a reminder that both their parents were gone. Leo felt the same way.
He edged over to Anton and elbowed him in the ribs. Anton grinned and elbowed him back. A rare, silent moment of brotherly affection ran between them.
“I knew you were with the Cecchinos.” Mr. Craig turned to his wife. “Didn’t I tell you they were with Leo?”
After being rescued from Russian kidnappers, Tate had come up with the idea to spray paint the word Snipers into the grass. It was the direct translation for Cecchino. He’d hoped his parents would understand he and Jim had gone to the Cecchino farm. Looks like it had worked.
Mrs. Craig wiped happy tears from her face. “It seemed too much to hope for.” She came down the steps and seized Leo in a hug. “Thanks for rescuing my boys. How’s your father?”
Leo stiffened without meaning to. Mrs. Craig pulled back and studied his face. Her eyes rounded with sadness.
“Mr. Cecchino scarified himself to help Dal and Lena get out of Rossi when the Soviets first attacked,” Jim said quietly.
Mr. Craig blew out a breath. “May he rest in peace.”
“You kids better get inside before anyone sees you,” Mrs. Craig said. “The Russians came yesterday, but we shouldn’t take any chances. I have fresh-baked carrot muffins.” She had them stash their bikes in the barn before herding them all inside.
The Craig family home had been built in the early nineteen hundreds. It had been added onto over the years, each room reflecting the era in which it had been built.
The most modern room was the spacious kitchen. A big, scarred wooden table sat in the center of the room. Mr. Craig brought in fresh milk while Mrs. Craig set out the muffins.
“We heard Dal’s broadcast from Rossi,” Mrs. Craig said. “I can’t tell you how good it was to hear an American voice on the radio waves. All we get is that filthy Russian propaganda.”
Zommunist Invasion Box Set | Books 1-3 Page 31
