Where We Stand Read online

  “The hip’s bad. I can walk if I have to, but the docs tell me I’ll heal fully if I stay off of it. Guess I’ll have to listen to them since I always tell you guys to.” Adrian glanced around cheerfully. “Anyone got a smoke?”

  Cynthia’s hand was the quickest and Angela was glad when the reporter ran block between the more aggressive people, using her small body for his protection.

  “This is another thing they’re against. If not for the great service, I don’t think I’d want to bunk with them anymore,” Adrian joked, drawing grins.

  Angela saw his finger put an extra cigarette into his pocket and come up with something green that quickly vanished under the cover of a swallow of Coke. He was hurting enough to risk someone witnessing it.

  “One minute and I’m directing you along,” Angela sent, not shoving energy into him like she wanted to. She would need it later, and so would he.

  “I hear there’s a party tonight. Everyone gonna get drunk, throw up, and spend all day whining about their hangover? It wouldn’t be a Safe Haven party without that.”

  Angela observed the crowd that was already starting to break up, trying not to resent them for getting to go to a stress-free evening while Adrian fought for his life. She was grateful that in all the confusion, the big question hadn’t been asked, though. No one wanted to know why they were having a celebration now, when most of them men who were heroes weren’t even out of the QZ.

  “I’m gonna get a tray, folks,” Adrian said, though even the thought of eating was painful.

  He forced himself to give another of those larger than the sun grins, dazzling them one last time. “I would have had three beers, two burgers, and danced with all the single ladies. You guys handle that for me.”

  They laughed again and it sounded relieved, relaxed. Adrian was fine to their unobservant eyes.

  The Eagles wheeled Adrian toward the little Mess. On the way, he took the last pill and closed his hand into a fist while he waited for it to take effect.

  Neil hated Adrian’s pain as much as he had Angela’s. “Why don’t you go back and we’ll bring them…”

  “No,” Adrian insisted.

  The little Mess was full of recovering Eagles and the scene of joking and calm was repeated, along with praise for following his orders.

  “You men did a good job, you should be proud. We’ve taken hits and we don’t forget or treat it lightly, but we can sleep better knowing we eliminated another threat to our survival.”

  The Coke can crackled loudly under his tightening grip and Angela nodded to Kyle. “Let’s go.”

  Kyle and Neil pushed the chair while Angela carried the tray. As they disappeared into the tent, Adrian’s energy ran out and the Coke fell from his hand.

  He sagged forward, succumbing to the bright glare.

  Angela hurried to catch him before he could slide any further. “Get John! Then tell Brady we need the camp distracted. We can’t wait any longer.”

  4

  “All yours,” Adrian muttered, fever climbing. “Lead them right.”

  Angela and John exchanged worried looks over his body. Time had grown shorter.

  “Let’s get started,” Angela instructed, bringing the Witch forward as she and Anne assisted. If John missed any of the infection, the Witch might catch it.

  The silence was thick as John began administering the drugs that would put Adrian out of pain’s reach. Two of them flashed to the last surgery John had performed and Angela shoved her thought away. Her surviving Cesar had not been this trade, hadn’t put Adrian under the reaper’s dark shadow. Even fate wouldn’t be so cruel… right?

  It took most of an hour to cut out the infection and cleanse the gaping wound. Smells of blood, disease, and decay hung thickly as it filled the tent and then their noses.

  “Mmm…”

  “He’s coming up already.”

  “Damn.. He’s at the limit. Can you do anything?”

  Angela slipped into Adrian’s fog-layered mind. The hum of power rose softly among the gore.

  “Angie?”

  Angela winced at the variation of her name that Adrian was always careful not to use out loud. Coming from his lips, it was a caress, an endearment between lovers.

  “I’m here. Stop trying to surface. John isn’t finished yet.”

  Angela heard the monitor settle into a calmer rhythm and went in a bit deeper. She remembered the fog of the medication and the sense of aloneness. “Would you like me to stay a bit?”

  Adrian reached out through the white glare, mind scattered, thoughts ugly. “Yes. I hate to be alone.”

  Angela clasped his hand tightly, heart picking up a beat. “So do I.”

  Angela listened to the music and fireworks, to John’s mutters and the machine’s steady beeps, unaware that Adrian was laboring to show her something. He shoved an image at her, one he’d been hiding–even from himself.

  Angela stared at the picture, resolutely memorizing every curve and line of the object Adrian had sworn he had no knowledge of.

  “The Witch says if you die, you kill us all.”

  John blanched at Angela’s words, working as fast as he could. He held many concerns–about the strength of the infection and Angela’s energy levels–but the worst was the self-doubt. Conner’s weakened blood and Adrian’s depression notwithstanding, John didn’t think he was good enough to pull Adrian through this.

  Anne knew John was stressing–the way he bit his lip under the surgical mask hadn’t changed in thirty years. She didn’t distract him, though. She would offer comfort later, when Adrian showed signs of improvement and John made the call on life or death.

  Unlike the others, Anne had complete faith in Adrian’s recovery. The men might not understand what was going on in this camp, but Anne was clear. The human species was evolving and much like with any other life form being forced to change in order to survive, having only one mate wasn’t enough to ensure extinction wouldn’t come within a few generations. Angela and Adrian were close–anyone could tell that–but Anne knew it ran deeper. If anything happened to Brady, Angela would go to Adrian. It wasn’t like Samantha, where the urges were driving her to have more than one partner. Angela and Adrian’s connection went further. If Marc wasn’t in the picture, their’s would also be a love match.

  About Seth and Becky, Anne hadn’t decided yet. Teenagers were unpredictable when it came to matters of the heart. She was reserving judgement on that situation, but Anne didn’t think it would matter in the end. Evolving wouldn’t be enough to stand against the government. Safe Haven’s power was a serious threat to the remaining authority and when they came, nothing would stand.

  5

  “Where is she?”

  “In the medical camper. She said she needed to lay down for a couple minutes,” Kevin explained quietly. “I didn’t like how she looked.”

  Marc walked faster, waving Kevin off when he would have followed him inside. “I know what she needs.”

  Kevin took up a post outside the door and kept his ears open for any sign that he needed to call John.

  Marc found her curled onto the small couch, nearly invisible under a stack of jackets.

  When she smiled and her teeth began to chatter, he scooped her into his arm and dropped back down, holding her on his lap. “You’re empty, right?”

  Angela slumped against his big chest, resisting the urge to inhale deeply. “I don’t want to.”

  She sounded like a petulant child and Marc burst out laughing.

  Angela couldn’t even summon the energy to adjust the slightly uncomfortable position. “Sleep, Brady. Just an hour.”

  Marc shifted so that he could see her pale face “Meeting’s in half that, honey.”

  She groaned weakly and Marc forced her hand. He talked directly to the Witch.

  “Take what you need, but nothing more. You don’t need her permission if you have mine.”

  Marc stiffened as the Witch greedily sucked at him, and Angela snapped their conne
ction, gasping at the need fluttering in her veins.

  “Not in control now, Brady. Sleep!”

  Marc wasn’t worried–the Witch didn’t want him dead. But she did want him…

  Marc leaned forward to deliver a slow kiss and felt the Witch start drawing while Angela was distracted. After a minute of the blinding heat, Marc didn’t care how much energy was taken, so long as they weren’t interrupted.

  Kevin, once he identified the noises, made sure that they weren’t.

  6

  Neil stared at the sleeping couple with a blank face and a breaking heart. Only napping together, it was suddenly more intimate than if they were naked.

  Neil forced his feet to take him closer. Samantha hadn’t made any promises and he’d known better than to ask for one. This was how she wanted things.

  Neil cleared his throat as he neared the truck, stomach boiling. “You guys awake?”

  Jeremy raised a hand and made a curt motion. “What?”

  Neil kept his distance. “It’s time for the meeting.”

  Jeremy sighed. “Yeah, okay.”

  Neil left without spewing any of the vileness coming to mind, proud that he could. He’d shared an amazing night with the woman currently rolling over into Jeremy’s arms. Neil spun around as she allowed Jeremy to give her a tight hug. Even that was too much to witness.

  Jeremy helped Sam sit up, sympathizing with her small moan at the soreness. Nothing said aches and pains like sleeping on a hard, flat surface that you weren’t used to.

  Samantha stretched, arms going around his neck. “One more minute gonna matter to the new boss lady?”

  Jeremy tugged her close. “We’ll make it up later.”

  Sam surrounded herself with his quiet protection. Yes, she did want him because he was safe, but boring? She didn’t view him that way and when she finally told him he didn’t have to hold back with her, no one else would think that either.

  “Come on.” Samantha kept her arm around his hips, a bit embarrassed at some of the glares as they walked, but determined to live life by her desires instead of someone else’s expectations. She needed both men, in different ways, and now she had them. It was finally her turn for happiness.

  Neil winced at the sight of Samantha and Jeremy walking into the meeting together, but it was his only reaction. It calmed some of the Eagles, but the tension was thick as everyone began to gather inside.

  Neil went to a far wall and was dismayed when Samantha immediately led Jeremy to his side.

  The two men glared at each other for only a brief moment, and then Jeremy gently placed Samantha between them.

  Sam put a hand on each wrist, sending a flare of pleasure up both arms.

  “Thank you,”she whispered, not letting go when they both tensed under her fingers. “This is all I need for now.”

  Neither man fully understood the details of it, but there was no denying the waves of contentment coming from her. Knowing Samantha was happy meant more to them now than their desires of ownership.

  Because they were accepting it, the other Eagles had to, but there was little chatter in the half-filled tent as they all waited for Angela to arrive.

  Kenn and Kyle exchanged a quick look in the silence. They had their own plans for the outcome of this meeting and the tension already in the canvas would help it along. The air of danger would be hard for Angela to miss.

  The noises of music and fireworks filled the tent as Marc stepped inside, sweeping each and every person before ducking back out. He looked exhausted.

  Kenn recognized the security check and gave Kyle a nod that said to stick to the plan.

  The mobster gave one in return that told Kenn he would do his part. Too much depended on this to make mistakes.

  Cynthia came in next, followed by a few senior Eagles, and the tent began to heat up as glares were thrown and caught.

  Not just Kenn and Kyle had put thought into this meeting. There were a lot of ways that an Eagle could rise in Safe Haven. Usually, those involved hard work, but in a moment like this, a promotion or demotion could happen instantly. Angela wasn’t Adrian–she wouldn’t have the same needs from a staff–and all of them were fighting flashes of previous competitions for their current place as they waited.

  7

  Angela entered the tent to find three dozen men and two women waiting. She turned a raised brow to Kenn.

  “This is a few?”

  The Marine shrugged. “I only brought the team leaders and their XOs. They brought the others.”

  Doug stood up. “You’ll want all of these men.”

  Angela didn’t argue. She went to the front of the tent and sank down into the waiting chair with relief. It felt great to sit. Marc’s energy was keeping her on her feet, but she’d stopped the Witch from taking more than he could tolerate. He hadn’t realized how empty she was.

  Kevin handed her a cup of coffee and she sipped it, surveying the area. The tension in the tent was thick.

  “The Major had troops out gathering supplies. They returned to find our mess and now, they’re on the way to Utah. The government will know about about Adrian escaping–and about Safe Haven–in short order.”

  Angela glanced at Marc, then Kenn. “How long for them to reach Utah?”

  They conferred briefly.

  “Ration conditions, eighteen hour days...”

  “Two supply stops...”

  “Roughly two weeks.”

  Angela was impressed and horrified. She viewed Kevin next. “How long did John say?”

  “At least five days, depending...”

  “On Adrian’s recovery,” Angela finished. “Okay. We’ll stay the full five that John is recommending and then go.”

  “Hard and fast,” Kenn added.

  Angela studied the Marine. “Would Adrian run?”

  “Yes, and he’d say do it now, to leave him,” Kenn answered, sure that she wouldn’t.

  The reminder that the camp mattered more than any of them echoed through the tent.

  “Are we going to take off, try to hide?” Neil asked quietly.

  “No, Adrian’s Eagles don’t run,” Angela answered firmly.

  Silence... then a cheer that she had to wait on before she could continue.

  “In the next three weeks, we have to tell the camp that the government is coming, convince them to fight, and get to the mountains to make our stand.”

  Neil and Kyle exchanged a look. She had known. She’d lied earlier. Why?

  Silence again as the enormity of the challenge struck, and Angela let them think it through. Most of these men had expected to hear that running was her solution.

  “What happens if we hold a camp meeting and tell them? A lot of them already suspect that some of our people are... different,” Kevin wanted to know.

  “We only tell them about the government coming,” Neil stated firmly. “Otherwise the camp will ask them why they can’t defend Safe Haven on their own, with just their gifts.”

  People immediately began turning toward Angela, wondering the same thing.

  “Magic,” she supplied. “It’s time we used the word among ourselves. There are people here who were born different. We have magic to use.”

  “But there’s a reason you guys can’t stand and fight alone, right?” Jeremy asked, ignoring the scowls.

  “Of course.” Angela viewed Marc. “Please.”

  Marc grunted unhappily. “Fear. If the camp witnesses the power, but doesn’t share in the fight, they’ll be scared of her–of them all.”

  “They’ll start sneaking off in the night, a few here and there, and then whole parts of Safe Haven’s population will go openly. Even the Eagles will be torn between us and loved ones.” Angela predicted.

  “Why not go out and eliminate them, like we did the Slavers?” Kenn asked, earning ugly glares.

  “I haven’t ruled it out,” Angela answered. “It depends on what type of a warning we get and how many soldiers they send the first time.”

  �
�That’s right! There’s a lot of room in even one bunker. They’ll still outnumber us.” Zack was worried for his rebellious sons. “When the first group reports, they might even send planes!”

  “Not if we kill them all.”

  Brady stood straight and unflinching in the silence caused by his cold suggestion.

  ”Adrian told me he thought the mountains were a bad idea-that bad things would happen there and push the camp into agreeing to go south. I say we stick to his plan.”

  Marc lit a smoke and tossed it toward Angela, who caught it with a juggle. She waved for him to go on. Convincing the troops was his job now.

  Marc raised his voice over the murmurs and mutters. “Adrian knew we’d have trouble with the government at some point. It was what tipped him in favor of leaving for a while. We can heal and get stronger, but only if we have the time. If the government comes and we lose or even negotiate, that puts them in charge of us. We’ll have to register our location, give information on the people here, and their doctors will want access to all of John’s patients.”

  Marc perched on the edge of a crate. “That’s just for starters. The War never officially ended. We’re still under martial law, the draft. They’ll come in and take every Eagle here. Then, they’ll sort through the camp and demand a cut there.”

  Marc looked to Angela, who took up the scene-setting moment.

  ”Those like me will have to run. If the government gets their hands on us, it’ll be like with the Major, but worse. We’ll be drugged, abused, locked up, and our power will be in their hands. We’ll try to escape, of course, but I wouldn’t leave Charlie behind. Jennifer wouldn’t leave her babies. Adrian wouldn’t leave Conner, and so on. It’s very unlikely we’d ever see the light of day again. So, we’ll scatter across the country to keep it from happening. We’ll go back to being what we were before Adrian called us together–doomed.”

  “So keep to the plan, let the bad shit happen?” Billy asked, leg propped up on the seat next to him.

  “That’s what we have to decide,” Angela stated. “But, yes, I believe so. We’ll make our stand in the mountains, then go south. By the time they find out and send a real force, we’ll be gone.

  “What about planes?” Daryl inquired. “Won’t they find us on the open ocean?”