Adrian's Eagles: Book Four (Life After War) (43 page)

Becky swung the arm toward the ground, sending another shower over the Eagles.

“Damn it!” Marc’s shirt was streaked in slimy red. “Put it down!”

Becky let go, backing up. Her face was the color of the thick gel and she moved toward the flap. She couldn’t do anything right!

The girl fled and those who’d been snickering allowed themselves to explode, drawing in the others.

“Looks good on you, Brady!” Neil teased.

Marc let out a sigh, not thinking. “Better than what I got from the other teenager.”

The tent filled with hesitant smiles and warning looks. Marc realized his screw-up too late.

Their thoughts rushed over Angela, full of her drunken son. Marc hadn’t told her.

“How could you do that to me?”

The tent went silent at her disbelieving glare.

Before he could form a response, she was grabbing her sweater and heading for the flap. “Class dismissed!”

If she didn’t get away from him now, there was no telling how bad it might get. He’d kept something like this from her and then had the nerve to get an attitude over her open actions? Who the hell did he think he was?

Marc ignored the call from Neil to give her some time, hurrying to catch up. “Angie, wait.”

Angela drew attention that she ignored as she moved angrily toward the training tent. The fake blood made her seem like she’d been hurt again, but the sheep would have to get in line behind her rage.

The fury of betrayal was ugly, dangerous. Did he know how many beatings she’d taken for that boy? Had he bled, birthed Charlie? Was it Marc’s heart ripping apart as the bombs fell? She increased her speed, holding in the pain. She didn’t want to hurt him. How could she get rid of him until she cooled off?

The training tent came into sight and she broke into a run. She would use the Eagles to her advantage; let them give him a quick lesson on how she felt about shit like this.

Angela moved for the hayroom with a fast glance over her shoulder that told them whoever she was running from was still chasing her.

The men inside the tent took in her upset state, the fresh blood and running feet, and rushed to help. The next body to come through the flap was knocked down and dragged inside to be hit with blow after blow, before he was recognized.

The Eagles had expected Kenn and there was shock to find Brady on the bottom of the pile instead.

Marc let Seth help him up, tone rueful. “I
shoulda
been expecting that, I guess.”

He shook off the bells, wiping real blood from his nose and mouth. “It’s what I get for not
tellin
’ her.”

Understanding filled the men, realizing what had happened. She couldn’t hit Marc right now and even hope to do any damage. So she’d had them do it.

“Hell of a mind on that one,” Doug commented, pulling on his army jacket.

Marc tried to joke back through the throbbing and the heavy feeling of doom settling over him. “Not a bad temper at all.”

Doug snorted. “Adrian will settle her down. Maybe you should wait and talk to her afterwards.”

Marc’s face hardened. She hadn’t come here by chance.

“Good idea,” he muttered, turning toward the flap. She’d run to Adrian. What did that mean? His stomach clenched with fresh waves of anger. Damn this place!

It was colder again and the darker skies were a complement to his mood as he stepped outside. When she needed something now, it was clear who she would go to. She’d replaced him.

Marc’s gut was burning with injustice. Nothing was turning out like he’d hoped. Even Kenn was still here! Marc couldn’t believe they’d let that piece of shit back in. She’d been hurt, before and after coming here, and they were giving him a pass because he had taken advantage of a prime opportunity. It was so wrong! They’d almost been free of him!

Marc’s mind was full of the anger he’d been carrying for the last week, but now despair had begun to creep in. Unless he could get Angie away from here, he’d lost her.

Angela had leaned against the hayroom wall, arm tensed to greet Marc as soon as she heard his steps, and Doug’s words to him had her looking around. Adrian was in here?

Adrian stayed still, taking it all in. She’d set Brady up by leading him here and was now ready to give a vicious temple hit meant to disable. How had she planned to deliver enough force with a hurt shoulder? Her gun.

“I wasn’t going to kill him, you understand.” Angela’s tone was conversational, “Just get my point across.”

Adrian’s face was unreadable, but she could feel his pleasure. Even emotional, she reacted like one of his men.

“He doesn’t understand how much I want this.”

Adrian shook his head. “Yes, he does, and that’s the problem. On the trip, teaching you was fun. Here, it’s serious and he sees the danger you’re about to be in. It’s eating at him.”

That fell into place and she nodded, putting the .357 away. “Yeah, Brady doesn’t like feeling helpless.”

“None of us do,” Adrian stated. “How about a lesson?”

Angela agreed right away. Other than standing duty over the kids’ area and her first aid class, they hadn’t been letting her do much. “Yes.”

Adrian moved out of the shadows, but kept his distance despite the urge to see if any of those bloody streaks needed tending. “Why did you come here?”

“It was the best place to ambush him, get some space.”

Adrian raised a brow. “And you would have followed through?”

Her nod was fast, but her voice was heavy, “And probably hurt him if he hadn’t realized what I intended.”

“After the first greeting he received, you hoped he would back off or keep coming?”

“Both.”

Adrian gestured at the cracks, where eyes suddenly disappeared and Angela felt the anger grow deeper. She needed a workout that her shoulder couldn’t handle. Brady had lied to her!

Adrian handed her the knife he’d pulled from the target. “Practice and we’ll talk.”

Angela felt her anger flare higher. He should have come to her right away!

She threw the sharp blade with little thought and Adrian wasn’t surprised when it stuck in the center.

“What should I talk about?”

“Versailles.”

Angela flinched, went to retrieve the blade. “You’re the boss.”

2

“New arrivals in the
Qz
.”

“Copy.”

No changes in plans were mentioned and Jeremy listened for the next call to come across the radio, along with everyone else who knew.

“Angela to the
Qz
.”

“Copy.”

At least she sounded calmer now, the Eagle thought, impressed with her reaction. Kyle’s full team was on guard at the
Qz
today, but Jeremy had little doubt a few other off-duty Eagles would quietly show up, too. None of the higher levels who took turns guarding her liked the idea of her being so close to strangers who might be sick or dangerous, especially with the huge bandage on her shoulder that the Eagles still felt bad about.

Jeremy took a quick check to verify their full team was now in their perimeter spots on the garden area, ending with Neil, who had just come through the tent area to join them. Jeremy saw the need and smiled in response to his leader’s silent question.
“Do you have this covered?”
Neil was another shadow who would be around the
Qz
anytime Angela was, and Jeremy was glad the tight-assed cop would be there. In a fight, the Trooper was the only one he wanted at his back. Neil was ruthless.

Jeremy scanned the stalk-covered area around the camp again, slower this time. They were still on doubled duty; no sign of the Slavers was making them all worry. Most of their team was on this side of the tape, scattered around the livestock and parking corner, and each of them gave Jeremy a motion of disappointment as the Trooper left. They’d volunteered to be here because of the new garden being put in, eager to observe their team leader as he watched over Samantha.

Jeremy made a motion with his hands.
“He’ll be back.”

Jeremy turned toward the crew now emerging from the trees. Sam was in the lead, loaded down with gear and she appeared eager to start her first project for Adrian. He moved forward when she looked his way and was rewarded with a smile that he returned openly. She was cute. Neil had good taste in
adult
women.

Men behind him shifted uneasily as Jeremy said something that made Samantha laugh. Did he want her, too? It was something none of them had considered. A fight over the new woman would be as bad as Neil taking Little Becky for his legal mate come October.

Samantha grinned at Jeremy’s opening line.

“I’m pretending to be in love with you today. Do you mind?”

She put her bag and box on the ground, feeling his hot gaze slide down the front of her shirt. “I guess not.” Sam looked up, flushing a bit. She wasn’t immune to the appreciation she read on his intelligent face. “You got a role in mind for me too?”

Jeremy chuckled, thinking she’d probably been a great secretary or something. He could easily see her in an office. “Got three spots open for the day’s scenes; the screaming shrew, the confused bachelor, and the slightly willing bachelorette.”

Sensing a ring of truth, Sam shrugged, voice cooling. “Games are fun until people lose. You got that covered?”

“Not yet. Working on it.”

Sam studied Neil’s right-hand man intently, ignoring the group of women waiting curiously out of hearing distance. After adding up the clues from the gun lesson and the babysitting, she had realized Neil’s team was match-making, but Sam still wasn’t sure if she was okay with it.

“It’s just for today?” she clarified, not wanting to be involved in any camp drama.

Jeremy almost caved, but held out. “That’s up to you.” Neil had seen her first… by their unspoken Eagle rules, he had first claim.

Curious and more interested in the Trooper than she wanted to be, Sam gave Jeremy a slow, sultry smile that had his team tensing again.

“Just pretend, right? I need that part clear upfront, especially if
you
plan to play the other guy.”

There was a note of curiosity in her voice that Jeremy let himself answer honestly. “I can’t promise that, Sam. He may not see your worth yet, but I do and I’d be honored.”

Jeremy turned from the pleased flush on her cheeks, ignoring the reporter staring at him in shock from the parking area. Cynthia refused to let anyone know about their relationship, saying it would hurt his place under Neil. Over the last weeks, since Angela had come, it felt more like the reporter was only with him for the information supply and that simply wouldn’t do. Neil wasn’t the only one who would get a wake up.

“And if you get hurt in the process?”
his mind asked. Jeremy answered himself bluntly,
“Then it’s what I’ll deserve for chasing her, too, when I know she belongs to Neil.”

Angela caught the thought as she moved by the area, but she didn’t react, sure Jeremy didn’t really want to own Samantha, only care for her. As for Neil… she wasn’t sure. The Trooper was hiding a possessive streak that was very similar to Kenn’s, but it was something for Adrian to handle if he needed to.

Angela was a lot more nervous than she appeared as she approached the
Qz
. She kept her face blank, even when Doug held up the tape for her, drawing murmurs from the small group waiting near a beaten-up RV.

She had the fake blood mostly wiped off now and Doug motioned at a small table under a long green awning, still amused at her tactics. When would the other women here start acting that way? “We’ll be close.”

Angela sat down without acknowledging the small group of refugees, feeling them out. John only needed one form to get them registered and it wouldn’t take long with these people, she could tell already. The little girl on her father’s hip was busy whispering her favorite story to him while they waited. It was about hunger. As soon as she mentioned food, she would have them convinced to stay.

Satisfied they weren’t hiding anything big, she smiled in welcome. “I’m Angie, one of the doctors here. Come on over and fill out a paper and then we’ll get you all fed and settled for the night.”

“Where do you want me?” Charlie asked sullenly as he joined her under the canopy. Braced for a reprimand, he obviously knew she and Marc had been fighting about him.

“In your tent tonight so we can talk.”

Charlie caught her off guard by sneering. “My
dad
already handled it.”

Angela felt the flames go up, but instead of spitting back, she slid into a comfortable position in the hard seat and smiled calmly. “It’s good that you two are getting close.”

Not sure what to say, the teenager reacted with the only emotion he seemed to have for her these days - anger.

“
Someone
needs to protect him from being hurt.”

The wounded mother snorted, shoulder throbbing mercilessly. She was fed up with both of them.

“Brady always lands on his feet, boy. Look at today. He lied and gets your support. I, on the other hand, give you the truth to every question and still get shit. It appears that you have the same double standard as your father.”