Adrian's Eagles: Book Four (Life After War) (7 page)

Eagles were moving his way and Adrian’s stance said he wanted it as much as they did. Angela sighed. What was it with men and fighting?

“They won’t hurt him,” Neil assured her, grinning. “Now them, well, that’s another story.”

“Let’s thin things out a bit; no one below Level Three.”

There were good-natured groans and movements that left only half a dozen men in the ring with Safe Haven’s nearly naked Leader. When they all rushed him, Angela tensed, drawing a disdainful thought from the man at her side. She had to know they wouldn’t hit him, right?

Thud!

Marc’s eyes narrowed as the blond took a sharp hit to the jaw and fired back with a blow that sent the offender to his knees.

Thud!

Another punch to Adrian’s chin and a second Eagle on the floor an instant later.
Damn, the blond man was fast
, Marc thought, caught off guard. He had known Adrian was lethal in many ways, it was in his body language, but he hadn’t expected the 40-something year-old to be so…quick.

Angela watched with her hands balled into fists to keep her emotions from showing. The Witch was whispering, muttering of the wasted energy, but Angela could feel their need for this. Adrian was giving them a release from the tensions of being perfect all the time in front of the camp.

 
“And showing you what to expect,”
the Witch cautioned, fading back.
“Pay attention if this is what your future holds. You’ll have need of it.”

Another man went down and Adrian took out the last two in one very fast leg sweep that made the Eagle next to Angela almost whimper in longing.

“He’s been practicing,” Neil muttered, forgetting his duty, as the desire to join in flooded him. Matchup with Adrian was an incredible rush.

“Anyone else?”

Unable to stop himself, Neil took a step forward. “Request permission to trade off?”

Adrian allowed it and Todd motioned Seth over to cover his duty as he moved toward the blond.

“Level Ten.”

The Trooper froze for only a brief second before starting to strip his hat and Beretta. “You got it.”

 
Each Eagle there suddenly didn’t envy him for the personal time. They recognized the punishment. Level ten was only for tests and even then, few passed.

Angela had never seen anything so brutal. The hits were cruel, intended to inflict pain as well as injury, and yet it was a vivid show of the power in a human body that had her cheering along with the rest of them.

Sure Neil needed a reminder of his place and the plans being made, Adrian didn’t pull his punches.

Neil hit the ground, hard, and got back up. He adjusted his strategy and attacked, only to be driven back with a brutal hit to the shoulder blade that sent him to his knees. For every swing he got in on the blond, Adrian’s fist was there to make him pay double.

“Get him, Neil!”

“Come on, man!”

With Brady cheering next to her, she was caught up in the rush, and Angela let the Witch free in a burst of uncensored pleasure.
She liked it here!

Energy exploded, sending a gust of heat-drenched air through the tent in a resounding blast that echoed off the canvas walls and bounced back. It hit men with an unexpected flare of furious need that sank deep and immediately vanished, leaving them all a bit confused as to what had happened.

Angela wanted to slip out, sorry she’d lost control, but they would know she was responsible for sure then. She turned to Marc with a casual tone instead, “I’ll be adding that one to the journal. Remember the heat flash we felt back in Indiana?”

Marc’s words were careful, “That one lasted longer.”

She shrugged, very aware of the men listening. “Things are very different now.”

There were nods and mutters and the two men in the center shared a look that said they were done. Adrian headed for his gun belts and shirt. “We leave in an hour. Is everything set on this side?”

He barely sounded out of breath, Angela noticed, watching him use the shirt to wipe his bloody face. His jaw was already swelling, skin bruised, and she realized Kenn and Brady having shiners wasn’t something so big here. The camp had to be used to seeing their men this way.

“All set, Boss.”

Adrian handed out the next punishment he’d settled on. “Good. Neil has Point until midnight.”

The Trooper stiffened, recognizing another reprimand, but didn’t say anything as Adrian left. Point man was a great duty during camp times. On travel days, it was hell.

“What did you do?” Kyle asked curiously.

Neil spoke without thinking. “I wasn’t paying attention to the lesson he wanted me to give the Barbie doll.”

Silence fell, and this time Angela did duck her head. “
How does that feel?”
the Witch asked bluntly, making her face it. “
Because there’s more of the same waiting if you choose this path.”

Angela’s cheeks were blazing, but instead of the tears or tirade most of them were expecting, she lifted her head and fired Neil’s own warning back coldly. “Don’t blame me for slacking off. When he gives me a job, I’ll follow his orders, no matter what they are.”

She spun from the tent as voices rose behind her and stopped when she saw Adrian waiting outside the flap.

“You handled that pretty well. Would have been better if you’d hit him for the insult.”

Inside the tent, there was now a fresh silence while ears strained to hear and a Trooper cringed.

“I’m not that good yet, but I want to be.” Angela gave the wolf a comforting rub when he appeared at her heel.

“And will you give everything? They do.”

“Yes. I want to be an Eagle in your Army.”

Inside the tent, Marc froze and everyone waited, almost holding their breath.

“I’ll get back to you on that.”

She didn’t smile. “I’ll be here.”

Behind her, the Eagles were now coming out of the tent and Angela headed for the bathroom to clean up and get herself under control. She was also looking forward to a couple minutes alone to think. Adrian had given her a clear show of what she was in for and she’d asked anyway. Was she insane?

Marc watched her, trailing behind, and heard Kyle’s well-meaning words.

“He
woulda
said no if he thought she couldn’t do it.”

Marc didn’t answer. That wasn’t the problem. He’d known Angie when she was that young girl playing with fire and delighting in what she learned from the burns. In time, she would be able to hold her own with most survivors, man or woman.

Then why was his gut all twisted? Because these men would be training her and not himself? That they were getting his Angie time? Marc grimaced. If that was the only reason, then she’d had every right to be upset with him. Not that it mattered either way now. A no from Adrian would have shut it down from the start, but instead, she had his support. The blond hadn’t said yes, but Brady knew clever tactics when he saw them. That whole show had been about getting her in, drawing her closer, and it had worked. The biggest part of his issue with that was how willing Angie was to turn control over to Safe Haven’s Leader. She’d only known him for a few days!

Marc was sure whatever she was getting from Adrian’s thoughts must be the reason, but it still bothered him and he was glad when she spent the next hour sitting on the hood of her blazer.

Busy writing in her journal, Angela didn’t notice it had been parked between three trucks, blocking it from even the best sniper, but she was aware of how many guards lingered near her, each wondering in silent speculation.

4

“Kyle said you wanted to see me?”

Adrian and the rest of the large camp were taking down tents and packing up to go, and Sam wished she had it all down so well. It had taken her half an hour to dismantle her own canvas.

“I’ll be right with you.” he stated, but instead of just waiting, she started on the last side of his large tent, earning an approving smile.

“Thanks. How’d you sleep last night?”

It was a very normal question and shouldn’t have drawn a nervous twitch. Adrian frowned at her. “Why are you still hiding, Sam? You pull your weight and I know you’re one of us, but you still don’t have a single friend here. You don’t eat meals in the Mess and you’re very neutral with what comes out of your mouth. There’s something keeping you from the shelter of this camp and I want to know what it is!”

Her face flushed with guilty offense and she kept her voice low as people moved by. “You see all. You tell me,” she retorted sharply.

He snorted, nodding, “Okay, I will. You’re a loner and you think you’re different than anyone else here.”

Sam snorted, mind flashing to the dead man in the NORAD compound. The man she’d killed.

“I am different.”

Adrian met her eye. “You’re special, Sam, but not more so than everyone here.” he paused to light a smoke, “Angie said I should talk to you. Today.”

Sam crossed her arms over her chest, not letting his aura of persuasion distract her. “Speaking of special, I don’t even know her. I didn’t think she remembered my name.”

Blank blue eyes waited for his response and it pleased Adrian to see her use one of his favorite tactics against him. Women were always harder to handle than men, but they were also more gifted.

“We are not adversaries, Samantha. You’ve been hurt enough since the War to know that.”

She flushed under the scolding tone. “It’s good here, really. You’re good.”

“So are you Sam, but as long as you hide and cast that outsider image, these people won’t pull you in where you can relax and belong. You have to give them a fair chance.”

Sam’s expression didn’t change and while her control impressed him (like Angela, this one was a fighter, one who didn’t know her own worth), he hated how censored she was. Where were the real emotions, the fire?

“And how do I do that when even a simple conversation goes bad?” Sam asked, referring to the argument she’d gotten into yesterday with a small group of women who didn’t like her opinion on making a stand against the Slavers. Their town had been attacked by Cesar, let through the barricades by a traitor who was leaving buried messages, and they were terrified. Sam, who had been face-to-face with the Mexicans and escaped, hadn’t been able to stop herself from recommending they should have tried harder to kill the evil men. One of the Eagles, Jeremy, had broken it up before it had come to blows.

Adrian’s words were patient. “By being useful and honest. I don’t expect blind loyalty and from some people, it wouldn’t mean as much anyway, but I have to have the truth.” He lowered his voice, pushing. “What’s headed for this camp?”

She only stiffened for an instant, and again, it was impressive.

“The final hand of God? How would I know?”

Sam’s tone held deep sarcasm and she expected a threat or at least a warning, but Adrian only waited with a raised brow.

Samantha shrugged, shoulders slumping. She wanted to tell him, but then she’d have to leave. “I don’t know what you’re…”

“Don’t lie to me!” The bark was mild, but it still drew attention to her flinch. His cool voice pinned her in place. “Say you’d rather not tell me or you don’t trust me yet or even tell me to go to hell and walk, but lies are not allowed.”

Sam’s face was covered in the fear that she was about to be alone again in this hard new world. “You won’t believe it if I tell you.”

“Try me, Sam. You might be surprised.”

She studied the packing camp for a long moment, feeling much the same as Angela had when she’d made her choice to tell him about Danny being the thief. When she spoke, her voice held the first true emotion he’d heard so far. Terror.

“Might as well tell you, I guess. These people can’t hurt me as much as the War did.” Sam drew on her courage. “I don’t always track a storm in the ways I told you. Sometimes, I see things, things that happen.”

“Like what?”

There was no doubt in his voice and the surprise of that let her answer openly, unlike the conversation in his tent, where she’d been very careful to imply she used data for her predictions.

“Weather. Bad weather’s coming.”

“What was it last night?”

“Water. Rain was everywhere.”

His eyes darkened with worry. “When?”

“In the next week…you believe me?”

Her voice was shocked and he answered patiently. “Why wouldn’t I?”

She smiled uneasily. “Because…”

“In the old world, you were mocked and scorned, and then feared when you were right. They turned you into a necessary evil and you’re sure the same will happen here.”

“Lie to me now.” she demanded, “Tell me it won’t.”

“I can’t. Everything is balanced on the edge.” He indicated the camp around them now climbing into the neatly lined up vehicles. “These sheep need you even if they don’t know it. Help me keep them alive.”

Sam was shaking her head. “I don’t want to be in charge of anything or responsible. I know that’s selfish, but I can’t. I’m not worthy.”