"Anything moving?" The blond leader was sure he had been heard despite the unguarded appearance of the dusty parking area, and his eyes went over the tattered U.S. flags flapping in the heavy wind from nearly every antenna and door handle. That had been Kyle's doing, he was sure.
"Same as last night. Just the wind, my watch, and Tonya."
Despite the clear lineage, there was no Irish accent from Doug's low voice and Adrian watched him unfold from behind a small, blue Mustang.
The big man lit a cigar and gave the boss a look, but said nothing as he moved closer, leaving huge boot prints in the gravel. Adrian had saved his life and taken him in, given him work that made him feel useful, but Doug knew he wasn't really a part of these people yet, wasn't comfortable enough to joke, let alone question and he didn't.
"Where was she headed?"
Doug stretched his wide shoulders, hard green eyes going over the dark shapes of sickly looking fir trees that lined the taped off area. He kept his left hand in his pocket, the nerves jumpy, twitching slightly. He wasn't sure if the hard leader would pull him off duty for it or not, but he wasn't taking the chance. "Her tent, I think. She looked pissed."
Adrian smiled, meeting his eyes with a small smile of male satisfaction that the big man recognized. "Isn't she always?"
Doug grinned, nodded, and kept a tight leash on his mouth. He had only joined the service to keep from being just another Irish potato farmer in Idaho, but once in, he'd found a way of life and a moral code that had allowed him to keep his hope. The same was true of Adrian. That 40-something grunt still had enough hope to save the world, and though Doug had seen the easy redhead leave the boss man's tent, he wasn't about to begrudge Adrian a piece of ass that many in camp had already had.
Adrian was sacrificing everything, trying to save some of this country. Doug, who had given most of his own life for the very same thing, had a lot of respect, and willingness to overlook what might interfere. Like the camp finding out their leader was screwing the woman they all suspected was a black widow, or at least an accomplice. Information like that was dangerous and he would guard it closely.
Adrian slipped out of camp through the parking area, hating the pitch blackness that surrounded them on all sides. As he moved towards the men guarding the rear of the camp, he stalked back through the tape like an intruder would. These men were bouncers, factory workers, hardware store owners, drive-thru employees, and they were on drag, the area farthest from the Safe Haven he'd tried to create. They were the wire, the only warning system, and it put them in the most danger. Because of that and the many, many other things he had foreseen, Adrian had been working hard with them (some closer than others, like Kyle and Neil) and this was the first test of their alertness. He planned on many more in the future. It was essential...