From The Ashes (Life After War) (40 page)

Angela watched the Eagles play with a few of the calmer dogs they’d culled from the stench-ridden recording studio. The animals were shivering and shaking with joy, pissing all over the place, and drawing loud chuckles from these hard men. Angela found herself absorbing the good moment, storing it. She’d been braced for another awful city, and it was wonderful to have this instead. Even the deaths of the weaker dogs wouldn’t dull it for her. She often forgot what it had been like to live in a calm world that delivered good things. Since the War, she expected the worst, and Wichita would last in her heart for a while as a balm.

“
They tried to save their pets.”

Quinn nodded, ears hurting and stomach twisting violently. He gently nudged his team leader's woman toward the stairs, sure that viewing the small corpses wouldn’t help her sleep tonight much more than human ones would have.

“
Let’s get the rest of what we came for, gentlemen,” he instructed. “Brady says we’ll take the mutts with us.”

The others got to their feet, and Angela went upstairs to supervise there when Quinn motioned for her to. It had been a good trip for mission team three. She hoped the others were doing as well.

7

Bang! bang!

“
Pinned!” Shawn shouted, ducking behind a wide tree with a trim of dead roses.

Neil fired at the trader truck trying to leave, hitting a windshield.

The glass fractured and he fired again.

The window shattered this time and the driver jerked at the impact.

The prison transport truck swerved to the left and ran into a burnt security car by the gate. The impact sent the truck flipping into the brick wall, throwing debris in all directions.

Smoke and steam rolled upward as Neil ran toward the traders who fled from the transport wagon. He didn't bother demanding their surrender. That world was gone.

Able to come out, Shawn joined Neil in the chase.

“
There's another one!” Greg warned, trying to get close enough through the sporadic return-fire to be their backup. They'd already disabled two jeeps with armed riders.

Neil and Shawn spun around to see a third jeep flying towards them, guns on the front glinting in the dim sun.

“
Take cover!” Neil shouted as he and Shawn dove behind the brick divider next to the gate.

Wack! Wack! Wack! Wack!

A fourth jeep flew up the grassy hill behind them.

Trapped!

Neil hit his emergency radio as he dumped his spent rounds. “We need backup! Automatic weapons, five mobile targets!”

Only the mission teams inside the city were close enough to hear through the limited radios.

Zack responded first, grimacing at the fuel odor on his hands. “Half hour.”

Marc's team was deep into loading the dogs and books. “Fifteen.”

Seth's voice was eager. “On the way.”

Wack! Wack! Wack!

Greg fired from nearby, hoping to hit any of the four vehicles now bunched together as they came in for a sweep.

Kablammm!

Two trucks exploded with their last grenade and the other vehicles split up, realizing the mistake.

Neil ducked lower as debris rained over the battlefield. “Follow the noise.”

8

Jeremy grabbed Samantha's arm and shoved her toward the tanker. “Ride back with the water.”

Sam jerked away, drawn to the sound of the explosions. They weren't far from Neil and that was where she wanted to be. “I'm going.”

Jeremy didn't have time to argue. He shoved her toward his ride, growling. “You follow orders or I'll tell Adrian!”

Samantha smirked, sliding into the passenger seat of his sporty white Jeepster. If he really thought that would keep her in here while they fought, he was crazy.

Jeremy felt the sense of dread he'd experienced at the rest stop and made a quick choice that she would hate. He didn't want to deny Sam the opportunity to feel like an Eagle, but this was a gunfight and she wasn't ready.

Samantha didn't speak until the battle scene came into view, heart thumping at the sight of the armed jeeps and trucks circling the pinned-down team at the entrance to the boarding school.

“
What should I do?” she asked as Seth led them behind a tall brick wall that lined a gated community nearby.

Jeremy stopped well behind Seth's team, killing the engine. “Stay here.”

Sam scowled, shaking her head. “I'm good with a gun. I can...”

“
No time to argue, baby.” Jeremy grabbed her wrist with one hand and his cuffs with the other.

“
Hey! No, don't!”

Jeremy snapped the metal into place and shoved it over the steering wheel before she recovered enough from the surprise to stop him.

Click!

“
You son of a...”

Jeremy quickly got out of range of her sudden fury, barely missing being kicked in the balls.

“
I'll make you pay for this!” Sam snarled, tearing up, she was so mad.

Jeremy slammed the door in her face and went to join Seth's team. They would hit these guys hard and quick, and he wouldn't worry about Sam.

The second the door closed, Samantha was digging in her pocket with her free hand. After being held this way by Rick while he hurt Becky, she had sworn she'd never be in this position again.

Sam clutched the hairpin in a tight grip and started working it around in the hole.

Gun fire echoed loudly as she struggled–hard, flat pops of death.

9

Seth waved everyone forward, gun in hand. This was the best part of his new life. Not the action or the rush, but the legal killing.

“
Fire!”

Seth’s hoarse order was echoed loudly by his XO. “Fire!”

Jeff did as he’d bid their men, his careful aim already locked onto the circling jeep with the machine gun. The grenade launcher lurched, belching out a perfect shot.

The first jeep exploded in a splintering ball of flame and smoke, and Jeff switched his aim to the closest truck.

Kablamm!

The other jeep of traders rolled their way, and Neil's men were able to fire at it now that they were no longer pinned down by the machine gun's rapid shots.

Seth's men fell into that dangerous V as Neil's team did the same. Watching their line of fire, two full teams of Eagles emptied their guns into the remaining vehicles from both sides.

It was over soon after the call for assistance came. One Eagle team was dangerous. Two was lethal.

“
Where are the hostages?” Seth asked, reloading as Jeff and Shawn moved through the bodies. He normally would have had a lot more to say, but it hurt to talk. The quarter-shaped blood bruise on his windpipe was a constant reminder to everyone who saw it-Marc wasn’t to be challenged without a deathwish. He’d taken that slot from Doug with three hits.

“
Back of the transport truck. Greg's working on the door,” Neil answered.

Seth went to help.

Neil did a quick sweep, hating the openness of this area, but also grateful for it. With a little more cover, the traders might have been more successful with their ambush.

When their other men hadn't come back, these few had assumed them to be dead and packed up. If Neil's team had come an hour later, they would have been gone.

Neil saw Jeremy gathering guns and ammo. “What's the count?”

Jeremy shrugged, shoving guns into a burlap sack. “About fifteen usable. No ammo other than what we might pull from the machine guns.”

Neil nodded. “Water run go okay?”

Jeremy stood up, leaving the bag for when they loaded it all up. “We'll be off rations by morning.”

Neil grinned. “Guess Samantha didn't like not being allowed to come along. She's with the water, right?”

Jeremy didn't answer.

The silence made Neil frown. “Right?”

Jeremy shook his head, voice casual. “No, she's uh, handcuffed to the steering wheel of my jeep.”

Jeremy pointed to the barely visible Hurst edition. It was too far away to see her shadow, but waves of anger hit them clearly.

Neil stared. “You are in deep shit, my friend.”

Jeremy smiled uneasily, not staring at the fist-bruise in the center of Neil’s forehead. “Nah. She'll yell for a minute and then realize I didn't have a choice.”

Neil's brow went up. “Do you think so?”

Jeremy became defensive. “She refused to stay in the jeep.”

“
Did you think she would?” Neil scoffed, motioning to Greg to load it up and get rolling as soon as possible.

“
No, that's why I cuffed her.”

“
So, it was premeditated. Another mark against you,” Neil stated, walking that way. He wasn't sure there would still be a steering wheel when they got there, but he didn't tell Jeremy that.

“
It's rare, right?”

Jeremy nodded, grinning. “I've wanted one since I was ten. They only made about 100 of them. Even found a way to modify it for my cd player.”

Neil stared at the jeep, cop's eyes almost sure he'd just seen a glint of movement–
shiny
movement. “Uh-huh. And she knows that, right?”

Jeremy nodded again, chuckling. “Yeah, she said I might be in love with it instead of...”

Jeremy got the point all at once. “She wouldn't!”

Neil clapped his XO on the shoulder. “Did you tell her it even has the original T-handle shifter?”

Jeremy's nod was a slow motion of impending doom. He'd told everyone who would listen and even a few who wouldn't. “Yes.”

Neil got them moving, trying to be sympathetic. “Vehicles aren't as important to women. Maybe she won't remember.”

10

Crash!

That sound had the two men running.

Crash!

Neil rounded the edge of the wall first and came to a screeching halt as he took in the situation.

The jeep looked like it had been in the center of their battlefield. All but two of the windows were sporting large, jagged holes in the centers and glass shards littered the ground all around the jeep. The hood glinted like it was covered in diamonds. On the ground in front of the Jeepster, was a cracked-off T-handled shifter.

“
Uh, I think she remembered.”

Crash!

A thick boot heel shot through the passenger wing window, leaving only the back glass intact as a fresh rainbow of shards scattered.

Jeremy sounded like he'd been punched. “Maybe she can't twist enough to...”

Thud! Thud! Crash!

Jeremy grunted in shock. “My jeep!”

Neil clapped him on the shoulder again. “She's out of windows. I wouldn't leave her cuffed much longer or that radio you just...”

Grind...rippp!

The radio came flying through the boot-hole in the windshield, catching more glass and sending debris to the ground.

“
Oh. Too late.” Neil turned back toward the boarding school, where the teams were set to roll. “Let me know how it goes.”

Jeremy stared at the furious blue eyes glowering through the damage, warning him that she wasn't satisfied yet. “Coward.”

Neil chuckled. “Gotta tell ya. I'd rather face that machine gun again. Good luck.”

Riippppp!

Jeremy watched a brand new sun visor join the radio. Why had he thought Samantha needed protecting? They could have turned her loose on the traders and saved the grenades.

Jeremy moved closer, carefully. “Hey, Sam.”

He grimaced before he said it. “Are you still mad?”

Craaccckkk!

The steering wheel, wires flapping, landed at his feet.

“
Uh. Yeah, okay. I understand.” Jeremy held up the keys to the cuffs. “If I let you out, will you be nice?”

He winced at the sounds that came from his cherished jeep. He'd spent weeks modifying it and if he had to guess, he'd say that was the glovebox... and the cup holders.

Plastic shards flew at him, unidentifiable, and Jeremy took a step back. “How about if I throw you the keys and run?”

Silence.

“
Sam? I'm gonna let you loose now, okay?”

The dented driver's door slowly crunched open, grinding from glass and plastic caught in the frame.

Jeremy watched Sam slowly stand up and then get out with her hands at her sides. She wasn't cuffed!

Sam grinned hatefully as she stepped around the door, a wild mess still aiming for the deserving target. She drew back, baring her teeth.

Jeremy turned in time to avoid the heavy metal cigarette lighter. It was the rear view mirror that smacked him in the back of the head.

Sam grunted in satisfaction as he hit his knees, not caring that Neil and Seth's team were stopped nearby, laughing uncontrollably. She threw the flashlight without remorse, striking his shoulder hard enough to shatter it.