Adrian's Eagles: Book Four (Life After War) (25 page)

The Man turned toward his Villa. “Please see yourselves from this property at once.”

Luke stared in shock as the pristine yard emptied, military mind not understanding he had pushed things too far. Where was their honor?

Kendle was glad to see a few people remaining. They were grouped together by the gate, staring at her with normal, though cool eyes, and Kendle moved that way. If they could sway enough of the average townspeople, maybe they could get a search party together without the Mayor and his rich friends. Drawing on her nerves, she smiled at them.

“Hi. I don’t think we’ve met yet.” She extended her hand. “I’m …”

“We know who you are,” the woman in the middle spat, ugliness in her tone. “We heard when your plane went down.” Her jeans and top hung on a thin, grieving frame and her eyes were wet with unshed tears. “My boy was your camera man.”

Kendle blanched. Mac had been the only one who hadn’t made it back alive, and Kendle instinctively braced herself.

“I’m so
sorr
…”

Slap!

Kendle’s head rocked back.

The woman spit at her. “Couldn’t even come to his funeral!” she shouted, hatred lining her aged face. “
He’s
got a lot of nerve, bringing you here!”

Kendle forced her head up. “It was an accident that Mac died, Ms. Webster. The rope broke and we both fell fifty feet. I was in the hospital when he was buried,” she told the woman stiffly, voice full of pain and anger. “I’m giving you a pass because of your grief, but don’t ever lay a finger on me again!”

Kendle waited, furious enough to try if the woman made a move toward her, but the words had an effect and the slow lights of regret were sparking in the mother’s eyes.

“You both fell?”

Kendle answered stiffly, “Mac landed wrong and it broke his neck. I only had my ankle snap in five places.” She slowly raised her leg and pushed down her white sock to reveal a jagged, purple scar running five inches up her foot. “I was in surgery.”

The Mother’s mouth opened, but Kendle didn’t give her a chance to respond. She spun out of the yard with Luke at her heels, still full of shame that she wasn’t sure she should be carrying over the crash.

They’d been on a deadline and hadn’t stopped for the last fill up. When their pilot had gotten lost, the lack of fuel sent them down before they could find a clear place to land. The private jet had ended up in the canopy, over a hundred feet up and they’d been climbing down when the rope she and Mac were on broke.

Kendle didn’t stop until they were almost back to his cabin, her steps short and fast, and Luke watched her, angry. The people here had always been cruel to him, but he’d thought she would be safe unless they flaunted their relationship. Today, they’d been hand-in-hand most of the time and gotten a few hard looks, but it was still the past causing trouble. Didn’t the mistakes ever let go?

As the cabin came into view, the surf crashed loudly onto the shore, and Luke was surprised to see her bypass their dark home and keep heading for the water.

The sinking sun was beautiful, full of colors that didn’t belong, but seduced them repeatedly with vivid shades of purple and red. Gulls swooped over the beach where crabs crawled among the soggy grains and the Castaway stared at the waves with horror-filled eyes. It should have been her and not Mac, would have been if he’d been the star and not her.

Luke hung back, letting her face her demons, but he was ready to step in if she got too upset. He saw her near the water’s edge. One wrong move and he would grab her.

“I wasn’t supposed to survive the crash or the fall.” Her voice was like the waves… angry. “And I should have died out there, too!”

Kendle took another step, letting the cold salt water brush her toes each time the ripples rushed toward shore. “Sometimes, I wish I had.”

She was crying now and Luke gently wrapped his big arms around her shaking body, hoping this would help set her free. Facing the pain was hard, but it was also healing. “Come on, let’s go back.”

Kendle’s voice wasn’t quite under control. “I want to spend the night on the beach.”

Luke was surprised, but understood she was trying to banish her nightmares, and took a step back to let her.

“We’ll need a few things.”

Kendle tried not to let the sound of the ocean get to her, ruin this. “I’ll stay here and gather driftwood while you get the bedrolls and some food.”

Luke studied the red hand print on her peeling cheek, not liking the idea. “You sure?”

She sighed deeply, feeling drained. “Yes. I’ll be right here when you get back.”

Very uneasy, he turned toward the cabin. With all the tension on the island, maybe it was time to get his gun out of storage.

“Help! Luke!”

Kendle’s shout sent terror through Luke’s mind and he flew back through the jungle with his machete in hand.

She was standing on the beach near where he’d left her, hands curled over her mouth as if to stifle another piercing shriek and Luke followed her line of sight to the rushing waves of high tide.

What he saw there had him quickly ushering her toward the cabin and his dirt bike. Mora wasn’t missing anymore and with all that blood, her death had only come minutes before they’d arrived. There was a killer on Pitcairn Island and they were in the middle of his hunting ground.

Chapter Eight

April 12
^th
, 2013

Paralleling 73

Buffalo Gap, SD

1

“He’s going to have to turn around. This is a dead end.”

Angela’s words had Kyle picking up the mic. “Four to base. I suggest a new look at the map.”

“Copy.”

They were on 61 South, headed toward Martin, South Dakota and the dreary landscape gave little comfort. Instead of being burnt out, it was covered in mud. Even the road was splashed with gritty debris and they drove carefully over and around it.

Minutes later, the convoy was changing direction, using an alternate route Angela fed to Kyle. The camp wouldn’t know she’d saved them hours of extra travel time, but Adrian would. Did he also know she was searching for people around them while they traveled? Unsure, Angela watched the semi in front of her instead of the cemetery they were passing, not wanting the stacks of rotting corpses to be burned in her memory. She already had too many of those.

It still felt odd to be a part of so many people. She and Marc had spent weeks at a time without seeing another person, and she wondered if he had adjusted yet or if he still felt crowded and lost in the din.

“You feel like talking?”

Angela shrugged at the tone, meeting Neil’s eyes in the mirror. “Depends on the subject.”

“About becoming an Eagle and what it means to Adrian.”

There was a note of warning and she smiled in understanding. The trooper been nothing but ice toward her since the tank was destroyed, since she’d made him look bad by being right. “You’d be sure I’m the real deal before throwing in your support. Always protect your own ass first, huh, Neil?” She snapped her head to Kyle before the Trooper could respond. “What about you?”

After hearing her ask Adrian to join the Eagles, both Brady and Neil were stewing on how to stop it and Kyle sighed, recognizing the battle that had now begun for this quiet female. She would have to prove herself to the men, including her own. No one would just accept this.

“They’ll adjust.”

Instead of being upset that she was catching some of his thoughts, Kyle grinned, loving the way she felt like Adrian.

“I am not him,” she retorted.

“You could be with our help.”

Angela was surprised and leery. “He can put me where he wants me, but I don’t need that kind of power.”

Neil raised a brow, thinking Kyle had things to fill him in on now. “Then why be an Eagle?”

Unwilling to share her personal demons, she turned her head away. “Because he needs it and I can do it.”

Both men were quiet and she listened to their thoughts with a growing understanding. So many had been fooled by Kenn and she’d spent years with him, picking up his habits. They wanted to be sure she wasn’t the same. She would have to let these two in a bit.

“I’ve spent my entire life a victim. Until the War, I had no defenses and he… I was isolated, without my… abilities. I let myself be abused in the old world. That will never happen again. Adrian is offering me a way to be stronger than I ever have and also to help others who need it.” Her voice became a low mutter of determination. “I’d give him the female army he secretly hopes for.”

“Can you?”

Neil asked bluntly and the awful memory of Versailles flashed through her mind. “Yes. I’m able to do everything you can. I only lack the training.”

Neil’s frown was huge. “That’s a lot of power to hand over to a stranger who claims not to want any.”

Angela smiled coldly. “You mean to a woman.”

“Both.” Neil tried to even out his tone. “And then there are the things you can do. How do we know you aren’t just telling us what we need to hear?”

Angela sighed. These were the questions she’d expected from Adrian a week ago, when she’d brought Marc back from the edge of death. “If I were that kind of person, do you think Kenn would still be alive?”

There was a silence as both men had to admit that was the truth. With her gifts, if she were bad at all, the Marine would have already been another body on their road.

“So to help Adrian and to be stronger? That’s why?”

Guilt rolled over her and the observant men noticed the change.

“I also atone, as does Adrian.” She looked out the window and had to steel herself against the small skeletons still lying on the playground they were rolling by. The number of kids lost in the War was worse than the adults in every place she’d been. Abandoned, left to fend for themselves, lost, taken. It was awful.

“Some sins cannot be forgiven, but I’ll spend my life trying anyway.”

There was another uneasy silence and she blew out a frustrated breath. “I don’t know what you expect, but if it’s a confession or oath of loyalty, I won’t give it. Neither of you guys are Adrian, either!”

Purposely blocking their thoughts, Angela didn’t say another word, even when they pulled into the new camp parking area. They were right to question those who joined Safe Haven’s leadership, but she had no answers for them. That was Adrian’s strength.

2

Hours after a fast meal in the crowded Mess, Angela left the training area with an angry step. Everyone below a Level Four had been told to leave and she was on a slow burn.

Not sure she had the patience to pretend for a crowd, she moved away from the noise of camp restlessly, stepping over part of a rotting Christmas tree still wrapped in shredded red garland. The Eagles were gearing up for a mission and she was missing it. She hadn’t expected to like the danger, only the safety and confidence that came with it, but the feeling of being left out was undeniable. She wanted to go, too!

“You can.”

Angela fumbled briefly and then her weapon was in her hand and she was spinning to face the threat.

Adrian stayed still, waiting for her to adjust.

Angela pulled it back. “Testing me without a vest? Not wise.”

“It’s the way things are done now, how trust is built.”

Angela put her gun away, not taking her eyes from his. He needed something from her.

“Why do you want to go so much?”

She concentrated, determined to give the right answers. “I feel… abandoned, like everyone being invited to a party, but me.”

She held up a hand to stop his harsh words. “I know it’s not and I know I’m not good enough yet. It doesn’t stop me from wanting it now.”

Adrian gestured toward where his men were preparing their transportation and trying not to get caught eavesdropping.

“I’ll take you along tonight. If you still give me the same answer come dawn, then I may have a place for you.”

She pushed away the nagging voice that was saying neither of her men would like this. “I’ll be ready when you are.”

“Ten minutes, cover your exit. I’ll be driving the black truck again.”

Angela’s heart lightened and Adrian felt some of his tension fade. The Slavers were a hundred miles away now, maybe even more. She would be as safe as any of his sheep ever were in this new world.

“Thank you.”

Adrian blinked away the urge to respond openly. That grateful tone had sent a flash of need deep into his gut. “Don’t forget your vest.”

Angela hurried. The clothes and gear from her days in the quarantine zone were easy to put on under her doctor’s coat and she felt pride at the surprise on Adrian’s face when he opened the driver door to see her laying back to stay below the windows. She’d beaten him.

He recovered quickly and climbed in with a smile that had her staring. His happiness was stunning. Neither of them spoke as he got set and the sound of engines came to her. The Eagles were heading out.

Adrian shifted into drive and rolled along behind the two full teams. He fell back slowly, until there were only the two protective jeeps in sight.

“You can sit up now.”

Angela stretched with a soft yawn, the comforting motion of the ride sending her thoughts to the last weeks with Brady, where they’d been alternating driving to save gas. For a brief moment, Angela felt naked without his protection. Every turn of the tires took her further away and she turned towards the dangerous darkness they were rolling through, not wanting Adrian to pick up on her unease.

“I can take you back.”

His tone said he understood, but she shook her head, face reddening. “Please don’t. I need this as much as you.”

“Tell me when it’s too much and we’ll turn around. My word.”

He was warning her it would get ugly. “I will.”

Adrian snorted. “Liar.”

She smiled a bit. “Maybe.”

Angela didn’t ask where they were going or what was happening… content to see it at all. She was very aware that his offer to take her back had calmed her down. Adrian was a comfort to a woman, and against her will, Angela began to accept that Marc wasn’t the only man who could make her feel safe. Safe Haven’s sharp Leader also had that magic power and it was a bit disconcerting to discover after believing for so long that Brady was the only man she would ever trust.

3

“We had no choice.”

His voice was miserable, full of a self-loathing that had her compassion warring with her outrage as they watched the assault. It was a side of him she was sure the camp and his Eagles never saw.

The gang didn’t stand a chance. The two teams of Eagles rushed in from all sides, opening fire on both armed and unarmed alike. Awake, asleep, fleeing, none of the gang was spared.

The gunfire echoed heavily at first, then died down to sporadic shots as the Eagles picked off those faking death or hiding.

“They were gearing up to attack a group of refugees near here. We’ve been keeping tabs on them.”

Angela said nothing as she observed through his binoculars, the entire show lit by the gang’s bonfire. Bodies were everywhere, the flames flickering with armed shadows and in the middle of it all, Kyle. Leading and directing, he was also checking that the dead were indeed gone… by putting a bullet in the head of every corpse with his Glock.

It was gruesome and both Adrian and the Witch hung back, letting her see it for what it was. This part of being an Eagle was uglier than most women would be able to accept.

Angela didn’t look away, absorbing the lesson. When the bodies were thrown on the fire, her face didn’t change expression, but Adrian could feel her mental battle to understand why he had ordered this.

Minutes later, all that remained of the gang was the huge fire. Angela jumped as the radio crackled.

“5-by.
Movin
’ on.”

Adrian clicked his button in response and when he shifted into drive, she assumed they were headed back to camp. Instead, he turned them toward the glowing brightness that the Eagles were now leaving, and Angela realized the mission, the lesson, wasn’t over.

The closer they got to the fire, the harder her stomach twisted. The bodies were charring, stinking despite the windows being up, and she clamped down on her guts, as well as her heart, as he drove slowly by. It was War, right?

Adrian rolled them back into the cool darkness, seeing she’d noticed they were still headed away from camp. He had to let her deal with it like one of the men, but the urge to comfort her was hard to fight as the Eagles came into sight, and she stiffened, expecting more of the same.

“We’ll observe for a minute.”

The exact words that had begun the gang’s demise made her heart thump and she made herself watch as his top two teams once again rushed from their vehicles.

This time though, Kyle’s men carried boxes, and their guns were holstered as they approached the moldy shed, Neil’s team providing a careful guard. After setting the items near the crooked door, the guards then pulled back.

Confused, Angela waited quietly, glad there hadn’t been any more deaths yet and secretly praying Adrian could justify his actions. If not, this was the end of the path for his plans. She felt the wrongness of the gang, but had only his word about their intended crimes. For someone so against killing, he seemed very fast to be the cause of it, and she had to know why he’d decided those men should be handled that way before she agreed to be his Warrior by day and his Sorceress by night.