Adrian's Eagles: Book Four (Life After War) (27 page)

“What’s her name?”

“Missa.”

“Missa? Missa, can you hear me?”

Angela gave the feverish Indian woman an injection, but didn’t even try to peel back the blood-crusted blankets. She wasn’t surprised when there was no response to her voice or the needle.

“How long has she been like this?”

Angela demanded curtly and Adrian could feel her anger, her need to stop it from happening to the rest of them. It matched his.

It was the old woman who answered. “Been two days now. They caught us
gatherin
’ wood and chased me off. When I snuck back, they’d all been at her.”

Angela used her penlight to check the dark-skinned woman’s pupils. “Any fresh blood?”

“Not today.”

“She been awake at all since it happened?”

“Only while I was
draggin
’ her back. She cried.”

Angela stood up, removing her gloves. “She has internal injuries that need more care than I give her here.”

Angela’s gaze swung around the cluttered room.
 
“You can visit her and she can leave as soon as she’s able, but we’d rather help all of you.”

She pointed at the unconscious woman. “That
never
happens at Safe Haven. We’ll kill the first man who does it.”

Angela moved toward the door, so furious she was almost shaking. “Make your choice and do it fast. My men are eager to be back with their families.”

Leaving them staring at each other, Angela and Adrian stepped out into the wonderfully cool air. She waved Kyle over, glad to see the stretcher was padded with blankets. “Try not to jar her any more than you have to.”

The Mobster was glad for his training, since shock had him speechless. He waved Chris and Daryl over to help.

“We’ve made our choice.”

They turned to see the pregnant teenager staring at Angela’s white coat with terrified eyes.

“We’ll go, but we leave when we want to.”

“Agreed. “ Angela motioned Kyle in. “The men can bring heavier things out for you after we load Missa.”

Angela took a step closer to the girl who had the shotgun still clutched in a tight grip, barrel now pointed down. “You can listen to your baby’s heartbeat while they do it.”

Angela held out her stethoscope and the teenager’s smile was huge. Beth rushed to share with her packing family, tool of life in one hand, instrument of death in the other.

“Perfectly done.”

Adrian’s whisper drenched her in pride and Angela felt the last of that outsider shell shatter at his feet. Like the rest of those under his care, there wasn’t anything their Leader asked of her now that she wouldn’t try to give him, for more of this feeling.

They watched Neil’s team load the Nuns in one vehicle and their belongings in another, talking calmly with the jumpy women. More observant people might have realized Adrian was important by the way the rest of the guards stayed so close to him, but Angela’s show had been convincing enough to make them think she was also Safe Haven’s Leader. It was that weight that tipped the choice for the Nuns. Missa was nearly dead now; she didn’t have to suffer anymore as far as they were concerned. But for the future, to think a woman could lead these hard men, meant there was a new chance to be taken.

When Angela sent this to Adrian, he looked back evenly. “Right now, you are in control.”

“Of this mission, not the camp,” she clarified.

Adrian said nothing, aware that at least two of his men had heard. Big changes were coming.

Angela felt the ring to his unspoken words.
“Of it all.”

“That’s not what I
wa
…”

“Are you sure?” Adrian cut her off. “Don’t turn down destiny. Sometimes, you only get one knock.”

He moved toward the driver’s side and the air suddenly went cold, plunging the Eagles into instant alertness.

Angela blanched as a wave of panic swept over her.
“Your gun!”
The Witch ordered sharply.

“Boss, watch out!” Kyle’s hand dropped for the Glock, already knowing he couldn’t make it from where he stood.

Bang!

The single shot seemed to echo forever.

All of them, except Adrian, turned to see where it had come from. Instead of staring at Angela, he looked at the dead rattlesnake by his tire, listening to its mutated tails twitch. The attempts on his life would increase now.

The Eagles around them stilled, waiting to see if she would be treated the same as one of the men. When they saved someone’s life, he gave out a free pass on something or offered a rank they’d been shooting for. What would he give Angela?

“You have one request.”

Angela calmly re-holstered. “I’ve already asked it.”

Adrian’s tone remained neutral, but his eyes were intense.
 
“Why do you want to be an Eagle in my army?”

Heart in her throat, she gave him the answer she’d kept from Marc. “Because without it, a woman can’t lead in this new world, can’t train the others.”

“You’ll learn my ways, follow them?”

“I’ll live by them until I’m dead.”

“Then I accept you.”

“And you’ll train me to the best of your ability, no matter your personal feelings or limits?” She challenged.

“With everything I am.”

Lightning flashed overhead and Adrian felt the magic rising up around them to form a future that finally included hope.

“Let’s go.”

His call was short, a Leader now back in command, and Angela followed him gratefully. He was right… she was different, and because of the Witch, more equipped to do the things he needed.
The life he was offering!

Angela lit a smoke and rested her head against the seat, considering. The Witch had been right there, waiting to help tonight, but she hadn’t really needed help, thanks to the psychological games she’d played for so many years with Kenn, and as a doctor. Had she forgotten anything? Was there anything she could have done better? If Adrian had been bitten, would she have been able to save him?

She observed the dark, corn-filled landscape through the window, but didn’t really see the mold-covered stalks. Her mind kept clips of his death running and she was glad for the first time to be without Brady by her side. He wouldn’t understand or like this fast bond between her and Safe Haven’s very capable Leader. He really wouldn’t care for what had happened tonight.

Angela sighed. If it had been up to Marc, she would have missed out on this feeling. He hated the idea of her joining the Eagles and bitterness would come next. After that, he’d stay angry, all the time, until she gave in or he left. Brady would deny her this way of atoning. Because of her, these women had been spared death and there was no way she would back down now. Parts of it had been ugly, but the rest of it was salvation to her tortured soul.

Speeding them up, Adrian handed out a bit of extra praise, unable to wait for her to speak. “You were amazing, for not being trained. They’ll start coming around faster.”

She raised a brow. “You’re happy, not for the shot, but for proving myself to them?”

He smiled over at her. “Grateful for your aim, too, don’t doubt it, but yes. Now the Eagles will start to genuinely accept you.”
 

Angela knew he wasn’t assuming too much. She was already sensing different thoughts from those with them. Word would spread and there would be more friendship gestures.
 
Like he’d been hoping, she realized.

 
“Did you set this up? Did you know about the snake?”

Adrian didn’t think of lying. “Yes. This mission played out in my dreams last night.”

She was quiet for only a minute as she ran through what that meant. “Were there any differences?”

He held out his pack of smokes when she crumbled her empty one. “It was daytime. I couldn’t hit it from that angle. Woke up at the gunshot.”

Her voice was as angry as shocked. “Then why walk by it? You could have been killed!” His answer was one she didn’t expect.

“I never try to change what I see, only prepare or adjust for the consequences.”

“What?” She frowned. “Karma?”

“Destiny. If I was meant to die and escaped it, death would come later and not take just me, but anyone in the way… my people.”

“And you’d rather it be just you.”

Adrian swept the darkness before answering and she heard the worry lurking behind his words.

“Knowing, even if it’s bad, is a comfort. You can change your actions and words, and try to make up for the past, but you cannot avoid the future.”

“Maybe she knew… set it up?”

Riding Point ahead of Adrian’s truck, Neil’s voice held none of the usual suspicious razors bent on finding a reason. He was too busy being glad of her aim to put any real heart into it.

“Do you think so?” Kyle responded, opening his window so the cigar smoke wouldn’t annoy the cop.

“No. I was looking at her face, trying to figure out what he’d warned her of. She was panicked at first.”

“What about him? He’s pushing this female Eagle thing real hard with the boys right now. Good show for ‘em.”

The Trooper didn’t bother with the normal reproach. It wasn’t required with Kyle. He and the Mobster understood what Adrian was. Some of it was harsh, but all of it was useful.

“Maybe.”

“He does usually come to me or Chris for that.” Kyle gently swung it the other way. He didn’t need convincing anymore and Adrian knew he would sway Neil.

“He’s trying to convince us too, this time,” Neil pointed out and the Mobster shook his head.

“It’s not like with Kenn. There’s no stink of something being wrong.”

“There is to the camp.”

“That’s ‘cause she can’t do… her things… around them. They realize she’s hiding something, though.”

Kyle turned them firmly toward the bright lights now beckoning to them in the distance.
 
“Even if it was a setup, did you see that shot? Around the corner of a bumper! Seth might have made that, but no one lower. She’ll be hell on the records.”

Neil was saved a response by the radio lighting up and they listened to the transmission.

“You are entering an American Military Refugee camp. Identify yourself immediately!” Matt’s voice sounded older than the 15 he’d just turned, but not by much.

“Purple Mountains.” Adrian’s voice in contrast was a hard, raspy rock that was timeless.

“Welcome home, Eagle One.”

The two team leaders were silent as they rolled without headlights through the back paths, to the rear of camp. As they gathered their gear, Neil said what they were both thinking, “I owe her an apology.”

“Yep. You will still be begging long after I’m in the clear.”

Neil snorted, grinning at the half joke, half warning. “I was a little rough.”

“Not near what Kenn’s
gonna
be like with her in the levels. Can you see that cage match?”

“No, and neither can the others. If there was a way around that, most of the men probably wouldn’t be so against it.”

“They’ll have help in that feeling.”

Neil sighed unhappily, sliding his hat back onto his head. “From both of her men.
 
Brady won’t like this either.”

“Can you talk to him, tell him how good she might be, and how much Adrian needs it?”

Neil shrugged. “Not if we have to do all this in secret. Marc hates liars. It would be easier if we can talk about it.”

Kyle opened his door to a tense Billy. “I’ll mention it to the Boss. We need freedom on this one. Adrian wants it and if she’s good enough…”

Neil’s voice was regretful. “Yeah. I almost choked when she said she can do what we do, but now…”

Kyle grinned. “Maybe she can.”

4

Seth met Adrian as he put it in park and the blond rolled the window down as he gathered his things, sure it was about Kenn or Brady.

“Kenn pitched Point off and both of them have been asking. She covered her absence, but they sent the boy in to her tent to check.”

“She’s been in the quarantine zone, helping prepare for new arrivals.”

Seth’s curious gaze went over the dark clothes beneath her white coat and battle-glazed eyes. “John’s already in the
Qz
, handling a new arrival. Send him out?”

“No. Tell him to prep for surgery, internal bleeding.” Angela interrupted.

Adrian motioned to the surprised man. “Code Raven for check-in.”

Seth moved toward Angela’s door, opening his notebook expectantly and she turned to Adrian in surprise. When he ignored her and headed for Kyle, both she and Seth stared with open mouths. He wasn’t even going to listen and make sure she got it right?

Angela shook her head at a searching look from the cop. “I don’t know either, but it’s what he wants, so let’s get it done.” She drew in a lungful of air, concentrating.