Adrian's Eagles: Book Four (Life After War) (40 page)

John’s medicine had worn off now and she moved her arm slowly, tearing up at the sting. She’d had stitches before and knew the way it worked, but that didn’t mean it was easy.

Sighing in boredom and weariness, she stood up and began to sweep the scraggly trees a full minute early. She understood now why she had never been able to get the exact routine of the guards down. Each area had a rotating part to be covered a set number of times in an hour. It was up to the Eagle to decide when, during that 60 minutes, those patrols took place.

Satisfied things were quiet here, she moved into the center of the grid around her. Stepping into the parking area, she exchanged nods with two of the three men on duty, and kept going, assuming the third guard was on the other side of his route. That happened everywhere in camp so that more than a dozen Eagles would be crisscrossing the entire area at any given time. To make up for those hiding laziness and carelessness, the senior men and Eagle on Point had a set pattern they walked for half an hour and then they did rounds of all the guards, keeping men alert. It was complicated from the outside, but once in on the secret, it became clearer. Twenty overlapping circles that covered the entire camp, it was smart and very effective. It was also easy on staffing, as it required only two men in each area instead of four.

Angela settled against the bumper of a truck to light a smoke and give her body another quick break. She was pushing herself, but carefully this time, unlike during the trip here with Marc when she’d run his full course and passed out. She’d had to relive her baby’s death to explain it, but now she was stronger than she had ever been and not even close to quitting like some people were hoping would happen.

Thanks to John’s care, she could still do her duty, and in the morning when she woke feeling like she was actually dead? That was what pills were for. She wasn’t missing her training time.

Shoulder moving from stinging to throbbing, Angela switched it to a better position, not hiding her grimace. The rest of the parking lot couldn’t see her from here, only her boots, and the shadows were dark, empty except for the two men she could feel on sniper duty over her patrol area.

“I can make that go away.”

Twitching, Angela stretched her arm out carefully. She hadn’t picked up on him at all. He was good.

“Then I wouldn’t be able to use it at the first aid class tomorrow.”

Angela leaned back, hand coming up to reveal her gun. She was very fast to pull it again and she slid it back into the holster with a sigh. “When can we start my real lessons?”

“A week or so.”

“I don’t want to wait.”

“I know.”

“I’m working my regular schedule.”

Adrian’s sigh was resigned and proud at the same time. “I know that, too. It’s why you were chosen for this, why you’ll succeed.”

Adrian moved closer, seeing she had gotten the wound bleeding again by spending time with the camp and then on duty, instead of resting. He concentrated, pulling from his fury at her injury and a bolt of vivid gold energy shot from his hand and sank into her shoulder.

Angela arched at the sensation, body alive with need and then it was gone, as was the pain. She drew in a calming breath.

“My thanks.”

“My honor.”

The pain would return with dawn, but the open show of his own gifts, of their likeness, had Angela fighting the urge to step toward him. She was saved the battle by the sound of a guard coming.

Jeremy slammed an icy façade into place at the sight of them, at the striking need in the air. “Marc’s back, headed this way.”

Suddenly bone weary, Angela surprised both men. “I’ll find him in a bit.”

The Level Three Eagle left quickly and Angela tried to resist the comfort Adrian wanted to give. Marc would be hurt, but it was still better than his oaths of better protection and guilt. She didn’t blame him, but she wasn’t ready to spend this time, when her mind was so empty, being filled back up with things that didn’t matter. This was her life, her choice to make and those who were really with her would accept it.

Adrian watched her, unsure of her mood. Was she blaming Brady? Did she blame him? The Eagles were his and their failures belonged to him as well. He started to speak and then realized that was likely the reason she had turned Marc away. This was her time.

“How did it happen?”

“With the disks out, he must have crawled all night under the fog.”

“I meant this shift in power that you’re currently putting in place.”

Adrian’s tired face became shuttered, but he didn’t lie. “It’s destiny, fated.”

Angela’s voice demanded more. “And you have no doubts, even though everyone else, including me, does?”

“None.” His words were rough with emotion. “It’s meant to be.”

He didn’t say more, but Angela felt it anyway and refused to let the two words even form in her head. Aware of all the ears on them, she opened her eyes to reveal those glints of steel that Marc would have recognized instantly.

“Cesar has to die. We’ll never hold them together while he continues to murder our people.”

Adrian was relieved to have her agree, but it also sealed his choice. If he didn’t get her ready for it, she would do it untrained. Her loathing of the evil man had finally conquered her fear of carrying the guilt over his death.

“Yes, it has.” Like the man she’d ended on her trip here, it was another life that would be sacrificed for hers. It was hard to swallow, but Angela let it slide down her throat like a fine drink after a toast.
Everything she was and would be to eliminate the Slavers!

The man beside her echoed those thoughts. Together, they would give their flock room to grow without the wolf nipping at their heels.

Marc listened to the conversation with only a little guilt and a lot of confusion. He had just gotten back and gone to the medical tent first, expecting her to be there recovering. Instead, he’d been told she was on guard duty in the parking area. He was pissed, wanting to tell her to get back to bed, but even with all that frustration, their words sank in. Had his sweet Angie ordered a hit? And why wasn’t Adrian telling her the Eagles would handle it and she would be in the back?

Marc scowled in the darkness, making Dog’s ears tense. Because she wouldn’t be. If the blond had his way, Kenn the Destroyer would be on his right and Angela the Witch would be on his left. With that type of an opening line, a Leader would be nearly invincible. There isn’t anything, it seemed, that the pair wouldn’t do for Adrian. And he’d had brought her here, to this… savage garden. To the very place that would take her away again.

6

Kenn was on a high. Being back in everyone’s good graces had him feeling like there might be hope for the first time since he’d seen those two blazers in the street and known she was here. Saving Angela’s life had made up for all those little moments with the camp and even some of the Eagles. When he ducked into the medical tent hours after making the shot, he felt attention on him, but not in suspicion. If he wanted her dead, she already would be. He only wanted to talk…

“She’s not here.”

Adrian’s voice was hard and Kenn knew instantly the blond hadn’t forgiven him a single hit.

He stepped inside the dim tent, seeing five other hard faces waiting. “What happens now? You shoot me even after all those pretty words?”

Adrian’s face was set in stone. “This is just a conversation.” He indicated the empty bench. “A short one.”

The Leader waited until Kenn was seated before giving him another hard, searching look and left the tent. It told him this had Adrian’s full support and Kenn braced for the blows to start.

Instead there was silence until Kyle finished lighting a cheroot. “Is it over now?”

Kenn didn’t blink. “Is what over?”

“Your vendetta against her and Brady. Is it over?”

Kenn’s mind flew through answers. His first thought was to lie. “I don’t know,” he ground out. “Maybe.”

“It is!” Seth warned.

Kenn sneered at him in hatred. “It isn’t up to you, scrounger!”

Kyle gave Seth a resigned nod and the undercover cop leaned closer. Disgust crept out in waves and Kenn was surprised to feel a small tinge of fear.

“You seem to think you have the power here.” Seth delivered their message as Kenn’s cheeks darkened. “We’ll run you out.”

“And we won’t give you the chance to sneak back,” Jeremy warned coldly. “You won’t leave this tent if we’re not convinced it’s over. We won’t let you bring it all down.”

Kyle took control back. “We don’t want to have to talk to you again and we won’t.” The Mobster’s hand went to his Glock. “If you break this deal, we’ll kill you and we won’t worry about the herd seeing it.”

Kenn was silent for a long moment, doing his best to shield his thoughts from his face. If he got his place back, he might be able to let go of the need to hurt them, but would it be enough? “Things will be back the way they were?”

“As much as they can be, but there are limits to this deal,” Kyle stated. “Leave her alone. If you can’t help her grow at least stay out of our way.”

“I already do that.”

“And if she crosses your line and becomes Marc’s legal mate?” Seth was still furious Kenn was being let back in. “Because she will as soon as you back off.”

Kenn let his mind go where it wanted, needing to see if he could accept that, and he let out a breath. “I’ll work through it.” And instantly, he knew he could. She wouldn’t rush into Marc’s arms anytime soon. He would slowly adjust.

“You sure?”

“You sure you can step back and treat me with respect?”

Seth snorted. “For Adrian? Absolutely.”

Confident they’d made their point, the redhead moved toward the door with his fingers snapping and unsnapping his holster. “But all’s not forgiven, Kenn. You’ll break this deal; I have faith in that as much as Marc does, and since I drew the short straw, I get to pull the trigger.”

Seth moved into the light of camp. “It’s worth the wait.”

Kenn snarled his anger, pushing to his feet in a way that had the Eagles tensing to fight.

“We’ve made a deal and I’ll stick to it, but be careful. This trap could still blow up in your faces!”

Kyle shoved forward at that. “Are you one of us?”

“I’m Adrian’s.” The Marine ducked outside, hoping Tonya was still up. “The rest of you can go to hell.”

7

Rick read the letter a bit nervously, not sure if he had missed anything. The camp around him was half angry, half happy mob and his frustration grew as music blared to life in the Eagle tent next to his. Had he gotten across the importance of laying back and taking out the leadership here before attacking again?

He’d been able to get Mitch to tell him the truth about the tank and then spent some time with a map. If the Slavers were trapped by the Cheyenne River, they would have to take the long way back around. He had roughly ten days before Cesar got here using their cleared roads, a week and a half to take out Adrian. Rick snarled in anger. And O’Neil if he could.
That
one had it coming.

Rick slid the two paragraph note into a plastic baggie and then deep into his pocket. He would put it in the ground tomorrow as they left. There was too much attention on him to do it tonight. After defeating the bad guy, Safe Haven was in higher spirits than ever. If Cesar came now, he would need more than a tank.

Chapter Twelve

1

Kendle was drowning. Her lungs burned as the shark dragged her below the icy water, and her desperate punches had no effect.

“Home. Have to…”

Kendle thrashed restlessly and Luke listened with a heavy heart. Soon, she would ask him to leave with her and he would go, even knowing he wouldn’t survive it. He wasn’t sure how it would happen, was terrified of that part, and yet, he would go wherever she did. When he’d first found her, he hadn’t realized it was his pain that would be healed. He no longer woke with his own screams echoing in his head; no longer slipped into those trances of the past that he couldn’t be awakened from. She had healed the rift and there wasn’t anywhere she could go that he wouldn’t follow; nothing she wanted to do, that he wouldn’t help her with.

“Please…”

“Kendle, wake up.”

She jerked out of the dream like she’d been slapped, gasping for air.

Luke jumped back, startled. “You okay?”

Kendle tried to control her ragged breathing. “Yeah… shark.”

Luke moved to get her a drink. She’d told him of her battle for survival after her cruise ship flipped and about how, in her dreams, the Great White always won. He was amazed that he believed her. Movie star, female, young, and yet one of the strongest people he’d ever known.

“Do you want a pill?”

Kendle considered. She’d refused the last couple times. “Yeah.”

He got it without a comment, handing her the milk and capsule before going to the small table to roll a smoke.

They’d been in the hole-up for four days as soon as the chilly daylight graced them, and in that time he had fortified their new home. His assessing gaze went over the traps and wires along the baseboards, the caps in the ceiling. Ethan was responsible for the body on the beach, Luke was sure, and it was only a matter of time before the rich playboy decided to tie up the loose ends and take what he wanted.

LJ glanced over at Kendle and was glad to see she’d lain back down. He couldn’t lose her now. They’d spent the last days quietly so he could think it all through and make plans. He’d strengthened the hole-up so that they would have a place to make their stand, and he’d packed them both survival kits, but the next steps would be harder and he wasn’t sure she was ready for it. He had a duty to perform, and soon, before anyone else died.

Kendle’s thoughts were closer to Luke’s than he would have guessed. The sight of the body on the beach had woken the old Kendle. Until that moment, she had only been a victim of an unnamed disaster, the sole survivor, and thoughts of her old life had come and gone without much effect. She couldn’t really recall the Kendle who had bungee jumped, rode the rapids, and spent weeks away from her California home. That girl had been determined to make her mark on the world, fearless.

The Kendle after War was a ball of live nerves and a terrified survivor who saw only what could have been. Even her grief at losing her twin, her entire family, was second to the need to survive and her waking moments had been consumed with it. Ethan’s subtle stalking had magnified that helpless feeling and she’d fallen back on LJ for security. And she may have remained in that shocked state for an unknown amount of time, if not for the body on the beach.

Mora had looked enough like her to give Kendle the sense that she was seeing herself, in the future. It had been eerie and scary, but also shocking enough to work where all else had failed to reunite her with that other Kendle. The maid from Baxter’s was dead, murdered, and LJ was about to be framed, leaving her unprotected. Ethan would claim her the instant Luke was in custody. And then, he’d start making her sorry for the wait.

“Are you all right?”

Kendle glanced up from her seat against the wall, giving him a serious smile. “I will be after we catch him.”

Luke blinked. She already knew what he had to do.

Kendle rose slowly, feeling the strength, but also the limits of her body. Whatever she’d been hit with on that cruise ship had done permanent damage besides turning her the color of a boiled lobster and she was still hoping time and work would return more of her health.

“We should go see Jenna.”

Luke wanted to tell her no, but after their confusing trip to the Sheriff, he’d come to the same conclusion himself. The only reason Cole had let them go was so the body could be found by a town resident and complete the frame-up. His ex, on his part of the beach, and now he and Kendle were
awol
. The residents would think they were guilty. Travel would be dangerous, to say the least.

“Luke.”

“Yeah, I know.”

The crazy woman was related to the ruling family here, but more than that, she had those little details that would help them solve this mystery. Without her, he was going to take the fall. Luke’s mind flashed back to them arriving in town to report what they’d discovered.

“Very convenient, it being found at your place.”

Luke frowned at the Sheriff. “She’s on the beach. If you don’t hurry up, the tide will pull her back out.”

“You mean go there now, at night?” The Sheriff’s tone was sarcastic, but the fear on his sweaty face was genuine. “Why should we do that when her killer is standing right here?”

“He was with me.” Kendle spoke up gently, hating how the Sheriff’s slimy gaze went over her. “We were going to spend the night on the beach.”

Silence fell at the image of her and Luke about to share a romantic evening and Kendle took the moment to check out the room. The two-cell town hall was dusty and obviously not used very much. Sheriff Cole had been sleeping in the bottom bunk of the smallest one, but he’d jumped to his feet when they came through the door.

Like he was expecting trouble, Kendle thought, recognizing his instant accusations as distraction. He’s in on it. Kendle swallowed her need to strike out in anger, feeling that old fire. This man could lock them up and then they’d be sitting ducks for the real killer.

Luke’s thoughts were along the same line and he waited for the Sheriff to decide what to do next. Things were far worse than he’d thought, even upon seeing that body.

Knowing that locking them up wasn’t in the plan yet, the Sheriff turned glowing green irises toward the door. “I’ll check things over when I get out that way.”

Luke nodded, slowly moving Kendle toward the exit. Those eyes!

“Fine.”

“And we’ll be by, for your statement.”

Luke nodded again. “I’ll be watching for you.”

That had been four days ago and they had only been back to the cabin once. A fast trip to gather their things, Luke now had them in his hole-up. Kendle had assumed he was making plans and left him alone, but with each day that had gone by, the tension had thickened. Mostly, it was because of an answer he’d given a while ago, when they’d come here to avoid an early hurricane.

 
“Anyone else know this is here?”

“Probably. Everyone out here has a hole-up. It’s the way you do things on Pitcairn.”

Eventually, the Sheriff and his co-conspirators would show up.

“We’ll leave at dusk.”

Kendle didn’t protest being in the jungle during the night. It wasn’t safe for them anytime, now.

“What causes their eyes to do that? Do you have a theory?”

Luke set his mug down so she wouldn’t see the way his hand shook. “None I care to share.”

“I have ideas of my own, you know.”

Luke grinned. “Are they naughty? We’ve got a few hours to kill.”

Kendle didn’t return the joke, too worried to be distracted so easily.

“I think it’s something from the War.”

That had Luke’s mind taking notes. He hadn’t thought of that. “Like a side effect?”

She was thumbing through one of the old magazines he’d dug out for her. “Chemical Warfare.”

“Our nukes didn’t have that shit.”

“But if there was a world war, not just our weapons were fired, right?”

LJ saw her point and found himself almost able to see where she was going. “If it were a gas, it could affect optic nerves, too…”

“Yes. I think parts of this island are contaminated with something that has side effects that include dementia, rages, and changes in appearance, like a mutation almost. Did you see the twitching the Mayor was doing when we first met him by the creek? Some type of nerve agent is what I think.”

Luke felt his panic slowly begin to ease. He hadn’t been able to explain those irises, but her theory made sense.

“We’ll do a scouting trip on the way to Jenna’s, see if we can trace anything down by the wildlife.”

Kendle turned to him worriedly. “Will they be watching her place for us?’

“Yeah, I’d think so. We’ll have to go on foot.”

“And if they catch us?”

Luke didn’t lie. “They’ll hang me right then, probably save you for a trial, but it’ll be fixed. You’ll be dead before I’m buried.”

Kendle’s harsh sneer took Luke by surprise.

“Then we’ll have to get them first, won’t we?”

That was the old Kendle, the one he’d viewed on TV, and the outcast agreed reluctantly. “Yes, if it comes to that.”

“You already know it will.”

He sighed. “No, I don’t and until it’s sure, we won’t talk about killing them. It’s one of my hang-ups.”

Kendle understood going back to the past that had almost destroyed him was painful to even consider, but she had a feeling that before this was over, Whacker, as Luke had been called in Vietnam, would be required. If Ethan and the others were infected with something, they had nothing to lose and it took them from dangerous to deadly. She and Luke would have to react accordingly.

“How long til dark?” she asked, missing the cabin’s windows, but not its background noise of angry ocean.

“Four hours, give or take. We should get a snooze in.”

Kendle flushed at the instant image of sleeping in his big arms and that sent her thoughts to the mission they were about to undertake. Things would get rough from here; she could almost sense it coming. These might be their last few peaceful hours together and she couldn’t think of a better way to spend them.

“I could take a nap,” she stated softly, smiling.

Luke felt her need and grinned in return. “You want front or back?”

“Front.”

Her furious blush had Luke forcing a yawn. “Yeah, me, too.”

2

Their trek back down the cliff took a lot longer on foot. The sun was long gone before they hit the bottom and Kendle stayed close to Luke’s warm shadow as they moved through the darkness. He had them tied together again, but for Kendle, it wasn’t enough to dispel the tension caused by the sense of being watched.

Luke was feeling the attention on them too, and was glad when they reached the bottom and slid beneath the dense canopy of the jungle. In here, they could move without being seen, thanks to his liking for not taking the beaten path.

They moved steadily through the night, stopping only for short rest and food breaks where they sat close and didn’t speak. Now that they were actually taking steps, the seriousness had set in. They were tracking down a murderer.

Dawn was still an hour away when Luke finally called a halt and Kendle sank to the ground gratefully. She was determined not to complain about whatever pace he set, but it was clear that her body wasn’t ready for much more than walking.

“You okay?”

She was looking forward to curling up with him to wait out the daylight. “Fine as frog fur.”

Luke laughed. “Didn’t know frogs had fur.”

“It’s very fine,” she teased, as he prepared the area for a campsite. They were about a mile from the base of the cliff that hid his hole-up and Kendle tensed suddenly as the sound of water came to her ears. They weren’t near the ocean here. What was that noise?

Luke knew her demons well and sought to soothe her. “It’s a waterfall, from the cliff. We’ll stop by later and cool off.”

Kendle agreed happily. Despite the darkness, the temperature was still above seventy and she’d been sweating heavily most of the trip so far. Cooling off sounded wonderful.