Killing Time

29

It was after seven p.m. when the door to the cabin opened and Eva walked in. It was on the tip of Mike’s tongue to ask, “And how was your day, dear?” but one look at her flushed face and angry eyes told him she wouldn’t appreciate the joke. He knew they’d worked her like a mule.

“You would be wise not to talk to me right now.” She tugged off the bonnet and hung it on a peg by the door.

“Way ahead of you on that one.”

Poor baby. Even though the uniform made it difficult to distinguish one woman from another—part of Lawson’s plan to break them down and strip them of their individuality—Mike had managed to catch glimpses of her on and off throughout the day. Once he’d seen her lugging a basket of wet laundry to a clothesline. A couple hours later, he’d spotted her in the garden, weeding. That was around two p.m. The sun had been brutal. The last time he’d seen her was in the communal dining hall. She’d been clearing tables after dinner, which explained why she was a full hour behind him getting back to the cabin.

Her hair was plastered to her head, damp with sweat. Her clothes were dusty and spotted with what he suspected was food from her work in the dining room.

She looked exhausted and irritated and beautiful, and he couldn’t stop himself from walking across the room, taking her in his arms, and hugging her close.

“All in all, you look pretty good for a beast of burden.” He dropped a kiss on the top of her head.

“I need a shower,” she said on a weary breath and leaned back against him. “Then I’ll be ready to talk.”

“I’ll walk you there,” he offered even though he’d already had his shower.

She shook her head. “I need a little alone time, okay? I’ve got a lot to process.”

He got it. “Sure. Take all the time you need. Here.” He squeezed her shoulders, then reached for a stack of clean clothes. “Someone dropped by with these. I even got my uniform.” He spread his arms wide to show his camo pants and T-shirt, WALKER stenciled on the breast pocket.

She stared at his bare feet. “No soldier boots?”

He grinned. “They’re under the bed.”

“And did you have fun playing war games all day?”

“Thought you didn’t want to talk yet.”

“You’re right. I don’t.” She snagged the clean clothes and a towel from the chest and headed out the door.

It was almost dark by the time she got back. Not quite as pissed, but still exhausted. Still quiet. But looking a little more in control.

As soon as she closed the door behind her, she stripped out of the confining blouse and skirt and into the T-shirt and boxers she’d washed out during her morning shower.

“Much better,” she said on a sigh and crawled onto the bed. She plumped a pillow behind her back, crossed her legs, and breathed deep. “So… how was your day, dear?”

He grinned at their like minds.

“Interesting. I got access to some of the workings of the camp. Because I’m good with engines and electrical—”

“You are?”

“I might have fudged a bit, but I’m hoping we won’t be around long enough for them to find out. I’m also a crack shot—that, at least, I can back up. Anyway, they showed me their mini power plant. Besides a few gasoline-powered generators for emergencies, the camp gets its electricity from the local electrical cooperative—as I suspected, stolen by splicing into rural power lines. Since the electric company doesn’t have a chance of patrolling more than every other year or so, they’re pretty much home free. It’s located at the south end of the compound. It’s also stocked with some large propane tanks.”

“All critical information.”

He sat down beside her, propped his own pillow behind his back against the headboard, and stretched his legs out in front of him, wanting to touch her but knowing she needed her space. “Yep. If we have to make a break for it, we can knock out their power source, blow the propane tanks, and at least make it confusing for them to search for us.”

“Got it. What else?”

“Lawson’s office is the camp’s command center. Doubles as the surveillance and communication room. That’s where I first met him yesterday. He took me back today, had me sit in on his weekly podcast so he could impress me while he preached to the faithful and spread the word. The sonofabitch clearly sees himself as the zealot enforcer god they all worship.”

“Sounds like you’re in like Flynn.”

Because he couldn’t help himself, he lifted a lock of hair away from her face, played absently with the ends. “Not exactly. He hasn’t turned over our handguns or the phone, so apparently he sees me as enough of a question mark that he’s not yet ready to hand me keys to the kingdom. He’s short a training specialist, too. I’m going to convince him I’m the man for that position but that’ll take a little more time. Just like it will take a little more time to finagle a tour of the armory. I might have to resort to a sneak-and-peek to see what they’ve got tucked away in that building.”

“You’re going out tonight?”

Mike bent a knee and rested his forearm on top of it. “Lots of cloud cover. A little wind. Sounds like good conditions.”

“You want company?”

She was so tired, she could barely keep her eyes open. Yet she was ready to go if he asked her. “I think this is a solo gig. Just to get the feel of the place.

“Hey,” he said before she could lodge a protest. “I made a friend today.” His grin told her he was pretty pleased with himself.

“You and Simmons bond over bullets, did you?”

His grin widened. “Nah, I think I burned that bridge. Guy by the name of Beaver. Even has the buck teeth to go with it. He’s not much more than a kid—physically or mentally. Exactly the type Lawson likes to mold. Only Bucky has a little weakness. He’s pretty much in awe of me for doing time for that B&E. Sees me as a real badass.”

“I’m sure the black eye helps cement the image. How does that feel, by the way?”

“It’s fine. As for Bucky, yeah, just about everything about me impressed him. It didn’t take long to figure out that all I had to do to prime his pump was tell him a few stories about life in stir while we were on the shooting range.”

“That must have been good.”

“Oh, it was. Plus he hates Simmons. The big dog has lifted his leg on the little dog one too many times, so we have something in common. Anyway, now he wants to show me he’s important and a badass, too.

He wants to share secrets.”

“What kind of secrets?”

“I don’t know yet. But he’s busting to let me know he’s got inside info. Important enough to make him feel superior and show me he’s got status around here.”

“And nothing makes a little man feel bigger than sharing what he knows, to prove his importance.”

“Exactly. I’m hoping he can clue me in on where Lawson spends his time. I haven’t figured out where the general lays his head yet. That seems to be top secret… so maybe when I find his bed, I find where he stashes his important papers.” Which was the purpose of their visit.

“Anything else?”

“Yeah. I let Lawson know I had a couple friends wanting to join the movement.” Gabe and Green, who were waiting in the wings for the call.

“How’d he react to that?”

“He didn’t have much to say. But I know he’s thinking about it—especially after I told him they were disenfranchised former Special Forces. He could use some thinkers with military backgrounds. It’s pretty clear his recruits are mostly rejects and derelicts who don’t lend much more than muscle to the cause.”

“Maybe that’s the way he likes it. Men like that are easily led.”

“True, but Lawson can’t do all the leading—not and keep his fingers in his other pies.”

“Like fraternizing with the Juarez cartel.”

“Exactly. His executive officer was Army for four years but that’s it. No one else has any special skills. Not too many sharp tacks in that drawer, either. I can tell that Lawson knows his top tier is lacking. He tries not to show that he’s frustrated by it. He has to delegate at some point and it’s apparent he’s starting to realize he doesn’t have a lot of go-to guys to carry the load.”

He grinned again. “That’s where I come in. And Gabe and Joe. Military background, school of experience and hard knocks. At least that’s the plan.”

“So fingers crossed.”

“And soon, I hope. We could use more eyes. It’s a big compound. And Lawson is as paranoid as we figured he’d be. He’s stationed guards everywhere. It’s going to be hard—even pulling night recon—so I’m hoping he falls for the bait and lets me contact them.”

She yawned then, and he realized how tired she really was.

“So what about you?”

“Oh, you know how it goes. A captive woman’s work is never done. Didn’t offer much opportunity for recon. But I did figure out their work patterns. They divide the women up into units, then rotate duties every two hours. That way everyone hits the laundry, or garden, or kitchen, or child care duties at some point every day. Makes us well-rounded little robots. When the women change work shifts, I noticed the men changed guard duties as well. So it looks like they run two-hour shifts all the way through.”

“Any dissension in the ranks?”

She compressed her lips, shook her head. “If there is, they didn’t share with me—not this quickly. It’s going to take a while to gain any trust. I think they’re so browbeaten and brainwashed, they simply move with the herd.” She fisted her hands, then winced.

“What?” he asked.

“Just a blister. It’s really pretty disgusting, how soft I am. I don’t know whether to admire these women for how tough they are, or slap them silly for letting these men use and manipulate them this way.”

He lifted her hand, inspected it in the fading light, then brought it to his lips and kissed her boo-boo, which made her smile in a way that told him he’d surprised her and pleased her.

“It’s the kids that tear me up,” he said. “The girls, especially.”

She nodded, then yawned again and dragged her hair away from her face. “I don’t know what’s going to give me more pleasure: exposing Lawson or giving these people a chance to go back to a normal life.”

“How about you forget about Lawson until morning, because I think I know exactly what kind of pleasure you need tonight.” He got up and flipped off the overhead light, then rejoined her on the bed.

“Oh, Mike—I don’t—”

“Shh.” He pushed himself to his hands and knees and straddled her. “All you have to do is lie there.”

As tired as she was, she gave a pure female shiver when he gripped her hips and pulled her down the bed until she was reclined.

“I’ve been thinking about this all day,” he murmured, pressing a kiss to her flat abdomen after peeling the cotton boxers down her hips.

“And this,” he whispered, lightly nipping the point of her hip, then slowly working his way down to the apex of her thighs. “All. Day. Long.”

Her low groan of pleasure made him smile as she opened her legs wide for him and let him have his way. Let him open her feminine folds with his fingers. Let him nuzzle and kiss and lick and suck, until her hips were lifting to his mouth and her hands were clutching the sheets and she was coming apart for him, overwhelmed by passion, victorious in her surrender.