Adrian's Eagles: Book Four (Life After War) (67 page)

“Sometimes fate throws in a wild card.”

They all turned to stare at Angela and she flushed, grinning. “That’s one of the nicer things I’ve been called.”

The tension broke with their laughter and Adrian nodded at her as Marc ducked back out to go over the scene. He’d just wanted to be sure she was okay first. Some of the looks he was getting had him worrying.

“We’ll wait.”

Angela turned back to Kyle. “You guys will be cleared in a few hours.”

“Bet you’re glad you had new arrivals to handle, huh?”

She laughed, thinking Lee was a firm supporter now, and his wife, a hair dresser with bright pink stripes, was a nice addition to her growing list of possible female Eagles. They’d come in alone, and settled into the
Qz
while she was on duty. She’d been about to scratch the scrappy woman from her list for being a cheater, when Lee had apologized for the slap. Close enough to hear them, when Candy started crying, asking him to forgive her, Angela had reconsidered. If they were willing to let it go, so could she.

“You bet your sweet
cojones
.”

That drew more smiles and she issued instructions without waiting for Adrian to okay it. His wants were clear enough to her right now, since she was listening to his mind, too.

“For evening mess, tell John you guys need something to help you eat. It’ll control the rocking and we’ll watch for reactions when you show up in perfect condition.”

“What was it?”

“We’re not sure yet. Some type of party drug most likely.” Angela gestured toward the tray near the back of the tent. “You’ll get another blood test before you leave and a few more over the next couple days. Show up every 12 hours and we won’t have to hunt you down and siphon it.”

“We’ll be around.”

Angela was surprised when Adrian turned to her. “Next?”

Kenn was frowning, notebook still in hand. He got it all without being told, but he still didn’t like it.

“Double the watch… talk to the guards on the Mess trucks and get a list of everyone who got supplies, including the cooks and assistants… it all needs to be checked for tampering?”

“Yes. I doubt we’ll find anything, but it has to be gone over anyway. Whoever did this knew the routines.” Adrian gestured at the notebook. “Can you two take care of that?”

One scowling, the other pleasantly surprised, they both nodded and Adrian moved onto his next stop.

The tension was suddenly thick again and Angela shrugged. “It’s only because you’re hurt. He wants me to be sure you don’t overdo it. You have serious injuries.”

Kenn’s face relaxed a little and she gestured to his notebook. “Let’s get on this and get you back in a cot with a sandwich, a beer, and a pill.”

Kenn grinned, chest aching. “Best plan I’ve heard today.”

An hour later, they were gathered for lunch Mess, all but Marc, who had gone back to examine the scene, and Kenn, who was now in the medical tent resting.

“What’s she doing?”

Adrian glanced up at Neil’s question. Instead of eating, Sam was currently rooting through a box of papers and folders and had the table in front of her covered with them.

“Searching for proof.”

Neil lowered his voice. “She knows who it is?”

“She has a suspect list, same as us.”

“Should we get hers too?”

Neil’s voice was eager, but Adrian shook his head. “I already have it. She asked me for schedules for the last month for Rick, Maria, Tony, Mitch, and Zack.”

“Only one there I’d worry about.”

“Rick.”

“He’s on our list, too.”

“Should we help her search?”

“No.”

“No.”

Adrian and Angela shared a smile at the overlapping answers.

“Tell him why.”

Angela didn’t hesitate. “They have a history. No one can make him more nervous than Sam can.”

“Very good. Kyle and his team are coming now. Keep talking to me and
watch
.”

Nothing. Not a flicker that didn’t match what it should and all of them were disappointed. Rick had been among the welcoming rush and they could find no fault with him, even when he spotted Samantha pouring over folders from a box marked ‘past schedules’. He hadn’t tensed, no staring in worry, and when she’d looked straight at him, he’d given her only a casual nod and hadn’t turned her way again.

“Yeah, model citizen. He’s thinking about presidential assassinations right now,” Angela exclaimed in horror.

“Thinking about next time?” Adrian asked, stopping Neil and Kenn from moving that way with a shake of his head.

“Yeah. He’s our guy.”

“Now we have to catch him.”

“We lost one, Boss.” Alex stated lowly. He’d been waiting for Neil to tell Adrian and received a glare from the Trooper instead. Oops.

“Who?”

“The women from Omaha. Lee’s wife tried to hold them, but she said they wanted Ernie back. That he had the sense to hide when the Slavers came.”

Normally, there would have been crushing loss, but this time, everyone at the table knew Adrian was angry.

Neil saw Sam stand up and move toward their table. Would she call it publicly? He’d stand behind her.

Sam handed a single folder to Adrian before heading back to her seat, leaving Neil disappointed until he spotted Rick guiltily slipping out of the Mess while everyone’s attention was on the center table.

Adrian sat back down and the conversations slowly resumed.

Sam left the folders and papers spread across the table without a second thought, following Rick as the camp stared in curious suspicion.

“Go on if you want,” Adrian told Neil lowly.

When the Trooper did, Angela turned back to Adrian. “She’s sure.”

“Yes.” He slid the folder toward them, showing Sam’s note.” She is.”

He has to be in contact with them by now. Better channel monitoring - search his tent and check for a radio on channels 24 or 83. Those are Slaver standards, too. And stop Mitch from spending time with him. No access to anything, but especially whiskey, so he can’t bribe our radioman.
Herd him now!

“Checking his tent will have to wait,” Jeremy stated, coming up behind them to read the short note. “His was one of a dozen burned during the trouble. He got a new one.”

“Convenient.”

“Yes, it is, but it won’t matter,” Adrian stated with a soft menace that they rarely heard. “Our final battle with his master is coming soon. After that, the need to be careful with him vanishes.”

4

“I’ll tell you again Ms. Quest. No. I won’t give you any details about his condition and as you can see, he’s resting and I’m busy.”

“Are you hiding something, Doctor? It was a simple question.”

John’s tone was cold. “Please take your accusations and rudeness and get out of here.”

Marc threw his body in front of the flap as the reporter came out of the medical tent. They collided, and he grabbed her arms to keep her from falling. Marc jerked her up against his chest, playing it like they were about to fall. Her flowery perfume struck him in the throat, preventing the words he’d wanted to say and she twisted in his tight grip.

“Watch where…” She fell silent as she saw who was holding her and the feel of his hard body was enough to halt her power of speech. Cynthia had a thing for spying on him and Marc had noticed.

Taking a chance, he kept her close for a moment longer, making full, intense eye contact. Maybe the reporter could be convinced to back off.

Cynthia stared into those sexy eyes without a real thought, too absorbed in the feelings. She’d been observing the Wolfman here and there, but she’d thought Adrian was the only one who held such magnetic appeal. With his feathered black hair, and smooth, gypsy-tinted skin, Marc was as good-looking as Adrian. His best feature, after those bright blue eyes, was his lips. Full and sexy, they promised pleasure, the kind that took its time and hung around for a while. Camp women had been trying in vain to snag his attention, but it was clear that only Angela would do.

Marc slowly moved the woman back from the instinctive lean-in she was doing and saw her flush. “You okay?”

His hands fell away from her hot skin and Cynthia shook her head. “Yes.”

Marc smiled at her, stealing her breath again as he turned on the charm usually reserved for Angie. “Didn’t mean to startle you,
Cyn
.”

His voice was a low octave of chills over her spine. “I’m fine.”

Marc leaned a bit closer, ready to deliver the final blow. “Better than that, I’d say.”

A dark flush ran up her cheeks and he moved back as her rate of breathing increased. “Maybe I’ll run into you again sometime.”

Cynthia didn’t answer, couldn’t talk through the lump in her throat.

Marc stepped around her with a satisfied nod. Now, she would be distracted and give Adrian a little more time to get her under real control.

He ducked into the Bengay-smelling tent to see John chuckling in admiration.

 
“Very nicely done.”

Marc shrugged at the doctor’s low words, thinking the man looked extremely tired. He was so pale, the sheets looked darker. “Just
doin
’ my part.”

He frowned at the nearly empty tent, expecting to see Kenn and Adrian here, along with Angela and Anne, but there was only the Marine, who had stopped snoring the instant he heard Marc’s voice.

“She wanted to know about Kyle’s team, but she moved onto Kenn pretty fast.”

“She’s connected the two,” Marc commented, distracted. Where was everyone?

“As have others.” John finished writing.

“Is it right?” Marc asked suddenly, unaware he was going to. “Lying, manipulating, all this undercover shit?”

Peeling off his gloves, John’s voice was tired, “I wish I could say no, but if you’d been here two hours ago, I don’t think you’d ask that.”

“Neil said it was tense,” Marc commented.

John snorted. “Tents turned out, fights, searches being conducted by Kenn’s allies, levels of Eagles confronting each other. It was more than tense.”

Marc was surprised. “I didn’t see any signs of that.”

“Adrian and Kenn went out there, even though that Marine has 3 broken ribs and a concussion.” John gave him a pointed hint. “The camp thought Kenn was dead...”

Marc understood he had been accused in his absence. “Guess that means I need a new canvas. Zack stirred ‘em up?”

“Yes. They’ve been suspended from the Eagles.”

“And order was restored.”

“Yes. If the camp knew it was an attempted mass-murder, the peace and security here would be gone.”

“And I’d lose them.”

Adrian moved into the tent, closing the flap, and Angela took up a place outside in the shadows with the other guards after a fast look around the tent verified there was no danger.

“And I’ll do anything… say anything… to keep that from happening.”

Marc shrugged, not hesitating now to voice his concerns. “I just don’t know that it’s right.”

To his surprise, the Leader laughed.

“What’s funny about that?”

“Right and wrong doesn’t matter, Marine,” Adrian stated firmly. “Only survival does.”

Marc conceded the point. If things had been that bad here, that fast, it proved how unready these people were to be on their own.

 
“Anything turn up?”

“A shovel and some prints too tracked over to make a mold.”

“We’re almost out of time.”

“I know. I feel it, too.”

“Three attempts in two weeks. They’ll come for her themselves now, since the mole hasn’t been successful.”

“We’re as ready as we can be.”

“So is she, for the time we’ve had.”

Marc scowled. “When they come, she’ll expose what she is to protect these people. I hope you’ve got that covered, too.”

Adrian ignored the bitterness in the man’s tone. “The Eagles are on board. She’s worked hard and the women here already see her as a champion for them.”

“That’s not enough of the camp,” Marc stated. “They might still turn on her.”

“Yes...”

Marc’s expression turned fierce. “You have to stop that from happening! After all she’s already done for you, you owe her better!”

Adrian was scowling. “Don’t you think I know that? They need time that we don’t have.”

“Then you have to keep her from using her magic in front of them, even if the Slavers openly attack this camp.”

“That won’t happen,” John stated. “The best you can do is to take the fight away from here.”

Adrian and Marc had a long moment of silent admiration.

“We lure them away from camp.”

“Yes. And what will do that?” Adrian already knew, but need Marc to say it.