From The Ashes (Life After War) (75 page)

He fired the dart and hit Adrian in the neck.

Garret laughed in delight. He hadn't been sure, either.

He gestured to his guard. “Now the son.”

Conner turned to run, and the dart caught him in the back, took him to the ground almost instantly.

“
And now, a bit of fun for me.”

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Garret paused long enough to throw an order now that Adrian's team had seen him being hit. “Dart them all.”

The drugs forced Adrian to endure the beating as his men fell around them.

Thud!

“
That's enough... for now,” Garret panted, slinging blood onto the walls.

Adrian sagged, sliding to his knees as the bounty hunter let go of his arms.

Around him, all but Kyle and Angela were down. Only the mobster holding her back was delaying their turn.

In the room were three dozen bounty hunters dressed in long coats with guns and hatred showing clearly.

“
Nice to see you again, Mitchel.”

The bitter man standing before Adrian was the same one Angela had seen in his mind, but with years of hatred layered on. The green eyes and brown spiky hair were still sexy, and the body was incredibly defined under the dusty coat, but the demeanor was schizophrenic and extremely unstable.

Angela hated their captors on sight. Unlike Cesar's vendetta, which could almost be understood, these were Americans, and she was once again sickened by her fellow man. Before the War, Angela had been one of the few who'd believed things would be so ugly–her time with Kenn had shown her the hard side of human nature–but she'd never expected the aftermath to be so violent. She'd even hoped for groups of traveling aid convoys back in the beginning, but there was only this setup, time after time. Evil reared its head, and she and Adrian destroyed it. That would be their life's work.

“
If you don't let me go, I'll hurt you,” Angela warned furiously.

Kyle gave her a rough shake. “Be careful! Rape is the least of your worries with someone like that.”

Angela closed her eyes as tears of rage welled up. “I'm going to kill them all, Kyle, but I need strength.”

The mobster approved. “On your mark.”

Angela began to draw power, and Kyle jerked, distracted by the powerful sensation.

Flames spun into her wrist, and Angela drew back...

“
Shoot her,” Garret instructed.

No panic in it, the icy voice told her where to aim. Angela threw as the bounty hunter fired.

Flames exploded over the area where the Major had been standing, hitting two of his personal guards.

Kyle spun her around, but the man firing had counted on that.

He ducked as he fired.

The dart plunged into her neck.

Angela gasped as the drugs hit her like the blast of fire she'd sent.

Kyle scrambled to catch, flashed to the rest stop. Except this time there was no blood and no smell of burning flesh.

Angela's mouth opened, panicking, and Kyle held her closer. “I've got ya, rookie.”

She managed to smile, and then her lashes fluttered closed and her face smoothed into a beautiful void.

“
Can you carry her?” Garret asked calmly.

Kyle gently positioned her along one thick arm and shoulder, freeing his other hand. It went to rest on an empty case. His Glock was currently riding in the Major's extra holster.

Garret laughed. “He trains them so well!”

The Major stepped in front of Adrian, not caring about the loose ends that had fled. They'd be blind down here, trained or not, and help wouldn't come from any source–including those they'd already had contact with. The snake women had bartered their own escape from these tunnels and then taken their way out.

“
You want him hit again, with the knockouts?”

Garret shook his head at Hudson's query. “Adrian and I have catching up to do. We'll have a talk now–while he's unable to lie.”

Adrian was still alert enough to understand what he'd been given and quickly forced the moment. Garret couldn't find out about Safe Haven.

“
Shannon tasted like the best pudding I ever ate,” Adrian taunted. “Did she swallow with you when...”

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Hudson watched the beating with uneasy eyes. When their drugged prisoner dropped and Garret kept swinging, Hudson reluctantly interfered.

“
Hey!”

Garret spun around, swinging and slinging blood.

None of his men were hit–they knew how to get his attention without the bruises now–and Hudson waved a hand. “No reward if you kill him. And no revenge later, if you have it all now.”

The Major slowly froze. His hardened face was immobile, his expression a mix of hatred and confused anger. His men waited patiently. This was Garret getting that dangerous rage back under control.

Hudson didn't move, not even to scratch or switch feet. The Major was unstable–everyone knew it–but if you were careful, there wasn't a more rewarding place to be than on his crew. He currently had a hundred semi-loyal men.

“
Gather up the ones we want and take them to the cells. Leave the rest.” The Major slowly began to regain life. “Do it now.”

2

Kyle followed on the heels of the men supporting Adrian's mostly limp body, mind racing and eyes searching the dank tunnels. If Kenn and Kevin followed the complete lesson, there was a chance for the unconscious Eagles to be rescued. Kyle's duty was to the leaders that had been captured by the enemy with just a few shots from a powerful dart gun.

Kyle stiffened as Garret moved back to place a crushing hand on his free shoulder.

“
You're his killer. I smell it on you.”

Kyle knew better than to ignore him. “I do what I'm told.”

Garret's hand dropped. “So did we. Until he started seducing our wives and giving us his sons to raise.”

The man fell back further to talk with someone else, but Kyle didn't let the words bother him. He already knew Adrian had a weakness when it came to women.

Kyle shifted Angela's limp body to his other shoulder. He also had great taste in them. Her shot had missed the Major, but nailed the two men standing behind him. They were currently hissing and groaning lowly as they did triage from kits around their waists. Three months at Adrian's side, and she was extremely dangerous. Kyle hoped to see her at lethal. He was determined she would have the chance, and the boss would be there to witness it.

Kyle studied the men around him, picking out details like Garret was no doubt doing with him. The hunters carried extra ammunition in wide straps across their shoulders instead of hips, and their holsters rode high. It was designed for fighting while moving through these sewers, Kyle realized. It kept the most important tools above the water. These men were fighters, survivors, but not of the same strength as Safe Haven. Garret's crew clearly took what they wanted and left destruction behind. Adrian's camp did just the opposite.

Unlike the tunnels they'd come in through, the Major's route took them through his bunker of supplies. Very near to where Conner had taken them, it told Kyle that the kids hadn't been down here in a long time. The man leading these hunters wouldn't have left any food, water, ammo, or buckets of other goods to be stolen.

The underground bunker–once a utility room and bomb shelter–was stacked floor-to-ceiling around the walls, leaving narrow paths for the passing men to traverse. With a burden over his shoulder, Kyle did the best he could not to disturb the stash, but he marked where it was. If possible, they'd be back for it when this was over.

Thunk!

As they moved out of the bunker, Kyle caught sight of the bomb shelter door, and immediately recognized recent modification marks. That heavy steel door would probably lock behind when you went in and trigger an alarm topside. Clever.

Thump!

Two mean laughs hit Kyle's ears, and he shifted to be ready. “How much farther?”

Garret sneered scornfully. “Tired already? I thought you were his killer.”

Kyle grinned back like they were having high tea. “Oh, I am. And, if they mishandle his son one more time, you're gonna have proof of it–sooner than you've planned for, I'd guess.”

Garret glanced at the two nervous men and the bloody boy, then back to Kyle.

“
You understand he lied, right? Betrayed you all?”

Kyle didn't answer because it didn't matter.

Garret frowned. “Carry them both.”

Kyle immediately turned around to do just that.

Surprised by the boldness, the two bounty hunters carefully loaded Conner's body over his other shoulder, not meeting the mobster's eye.

Kyle began breathing in and out in steady breaths, and resumed matching the pace of the marching convoy.

Garret laughed. “Once we wash Adrian's stink off of you, there might be a job offer.”

The Major stopped laughing and all friendliness vanished from his tone. “Or a set of slugs–just to be sure you can't follow. That choice will be yours to make.”

Kyle didn't respond to the prompt. When Adrian woke, there would be hell to pay, and the Major would be responsible for the bill. If Garret knew Adrian, then he already had that information.

Garret came back up the long line, and Kyle openly eyed the shotgun on his back, and then the full belt of knives, clubs, and guns. “Jumpy?”

Garret laughed without offense. “Yes, and you know why, don't you?”

Kyle kept quiet. Of course, he knew. Garret was scared of dying at Adrian's hand.

You should be,
Kyle thought, breathing deeper.
But it's the Witch you won't see coming. Angela won't stand for this.

3

“
Come on!” Kevin whispered angrily. “We'll lose them!”

“
That's not everyone.” Kenn didn't say they probably weren't alive. The fact that they hadn't heard any gunshots was good.

Adrian's bloody form had angered them, as had Angela's unconscious body, but for both of them, it was the careless handling of Conner by those in the rear that was enraging. They tossed him over shoulders, bumped his arms and legs into the walls, and snickered. They clearly hated the boy, and it made the men fill with determination to see that they paid for it. They didn't understand Conner had betrayed them, but it wouldn't have mattered. He was Adrian's son–that made him valuable in their hearts.

Kenn and Kevin eased back into the kids' area, glad to find the men alive, but confused as to why. Whatever they'd been hit with was strong–none of the men responded–and while they could probably hole-up here and wait, Kenn was sure Adrian didn't have that long to live.

“
If you leave them here, the vines will come.”

Both men spun, guns out.

Cara didn't move, but her snakelike demeanor was enough to startle them both, even after they recognized her under the new fighter's clothes.

Cara stuck her tongue out and sniffed. “Smells like good meat in here.”

Kenn blinked in confusion.
Sniffed?

Cara closed her mouth, still yearning for what she couldn't have. She saw Kenn's eyes on the golden scales in her hair and explained,“ We are waterproof this way.”

“
We could use some help.”

Cara snorted at Kenn, pupils reddening. “You need a miracle.”

Kevin followed his instincts. He had a good idea why she'd come prepared for battle. “So does Conner.”

Cara stiffened, face paling in near-panic. “Can you save him?”

Kenn silently thanked fate. “Yes.”

“
You'll owe me.”

Kenn wasn't about to argue that point. “Name your price.”

Cara looked at the bodies and then back to Kenn. This time, there was greed and lust warring for room. “We'll take them to the park and cover them with netting. After that, we're leaving this city.”

“
The Major thinks you're already gone,” Kenn stated, not immune to the way she was admiring his body.

“
Yesss, well, the Major is on a need-to-know basis with us now.”

Kenn chuckled. “Fair enough.”

Cara's face lit up with raw hunger. “Again!”

Kenn didn't have time for the games. “Now or after. Cara, was it?”

She shuddered at the sound of her name on his lips and forced herself to breathe. “Now. If you die during, I'm already paid.”

“
And how do I know you'll keep your word?” Kenn questioned.

Cara whistled, and the sound of footsteps came. Women in shiny snake skins began to fill the room, and Cara indicated the fallen men. “Take them to the park and hide. Valuable cargo–not for eating.”

The women muttered and grunted, but dutifully began picking up burdens and taking them out.

Kenn and Kevin both frowned.

Cara saw their worry and shook her head. “We are not starving–because we'll eat what others won't. It means they can't sell them to the other city residents for food.”

Kenn wasn't amused. “And when your food source runs out? What will the snake women eat then?”