Alpha Blood Box Set(84)

“But where are we going to get a group large enough to help us?” Brier asked him.

“From Callean, if we can find him. He has the men and money to back us up, if he’s willing.”

Burnbaum chuckled. “It is simple to find him. He is in the Prospera region.”

Luke raised an eyebrow. “That’s Lance’s region. What’s he doing there?”

I snorted. “Prospera? Can Lance really be that conceited?”

“Hiding from Lance. What better place to hide than beneath the nose of your enemy?” Burnbaum pointed out.

“Can you get him in touch with us?” Luke asked him.

Burnbaum frowned and shook his head. “No, that is no longer possible. We were in contact with him using radio codes created by Stacy, but no more. She is captured, and the plan if that happened was to change everything in code, even the message reader. He-how do you say?-cracked our old code long ago, but there is no way to send him this new code without showing Lance we are transmitting.”

Luke gave a nod. “I agree. Lance no doubt has Stacy under his control and is using her knowledge of the former network to gather information. We’ll just have to go to Callean ourselves and convince him to join us on a raid on the convoy.”

“How do you propose we travel across one and a half regions without being caught?” Adam questioned him.

My eyes widened. “Wilson!” I blurted out. Everyone looked to me, and I sheepishly grinned and shrugged. “He seemed to know his way around at least the Manutia region.”

Luke turned to Burnbaum. “Can we get a hold of this Wilson?”

“We could if there was not the problem with the radio message speakers,” Burnbaum replied.

“What’s the problem? Hasn’t the code been changed?” Luke asked him.

“We have the code changed, but we forgot that Stacy listened much to the network. She may recognize the voices of the radio message speakers,” Burnbaum pointed out.

Luke frowned. “So we need someone to transmit the message in a voice she might not recognize.”

“What about Steve?” I spoke up.

“Me?” Steve squeaked.

Again I was met with looks of surprise. I scowled back at them. “Is it really that ridiculous? Stacy knew Rick, but did she know Steve?”

“Nope,” Rick spoke up. “She wasn’t too familiar with Steve. Didn’t really want me to get him involved with this mess.”

“I wish you wouldn’t have. . .” Steve mumbled.

“And Wilson knows Steve a little,” I added.

“So we have our transmitter and we can send the message through the new code. How soon can we send a message for this Wilson to meet us at a rendezvous point?” Luke inquired.

“Any time,” Burnbaum answered.

“Good, then we’ll send it immediately and-”

“Wait a sec,” I spoke up. “What if Stacy knows where Callean is hiding?”

“If she does then we will have to find Callean before Lance sends his own men,” Luke commented.

“I will be sending message to Wilson after meeting,” Burnbaum told us. He wrapped an arm around Steve’s shoulders and grinned at the cowering young man. “We will find this fun. All equipment at barn and sometimes the chickens like to play.”

“Oh goody,” Steve muttered.

“Who will be meeting this Wilson?” Adam wondered.

“The fewer the better,” Luke replied. “Callean is familiar with me, so I will go.”

“And I’m not going to let you get yourself killed alone,” I added.

“And I’m staying right here with Steve,” Rick spoke up.

That surprised me. The old gruff-and-suicidal, trigger-happy war machine wanted to stay behind. “But how are you two going to keep up with a bunch of werewolves if they have to run somewhere?” I pointed out.

“I have big pickup full of guns. They have promised to drive if they are careful,” Burnbaum spoke up.

My eyes widened, my mouth dropped open, and I held up a finger. “Uh, I don’t think that’s-”

Luke wrapped his arms around me and pulled me against him. “That will be for the best. They will only slow us down in getting to the rendezvous point, and finding Callean.”

“Then I will go with you. I know the new code,” Adam volunteered.

“We would be glad for your company,” Luke agreed.

“I will stay, also, and wait for any message you have,” Burnbaum told us.

“Yes. If we manage to reach Callean we can communicate with you through the new code and coordinate our movements,” Luke agreed.

“We will be sending message now to Wilson. Come, little one,” Burnbaum commanded Steve, and he dragged off the hapless young man to deliver the message.

“I better see that he behaves himself,” Rick spoke up, and followed them outside.

I wrapped my arms around one of Luke’s and tugged him toward the door. “And I have some questions I want to ask you,” I told him.

“And I will try to answer them,” he teased.

“Do not wander too far. We may hear back from Wilson in thirty minutes or four hours depending on when he’s listening,” Adam advised us.

“Plenty of time,” I cooed at Luke.

His eyebrows shot up as I pulled him outside and around the house towards the uncrowded woods. “Do I hope too much to receive a hero’s welcome?” he teased.

“Yep,” I quipped. I took some delight in his crestfallen face as I guided him into the trees.

“Then a midnight stroll to reminisce on our victories?” he guessed.

“Not quite.”

“I’m out of guesses. Why are you leading me out here?”

“To scold you until you collapse beneath the weight of my nagging,” I told him.

He chuckled and looped my arms through one of his. “After what we have overcome I will gladly hear your scolding.”

“Funny you should talk about hearing because I swore I heard you say something about ‘let me protect you one last time’ on the back of the truck. What was that about?” I questioned him.

He shrugged and sheepishly grinned. “I wasn’t sure I would make it out of there, and under such circumstances the words had a uniquely heroic ring to them,” he pointed out.

“Well, let’s not try to put ourselves in that circumstance again so you don’t have to act the hero, or at the very least try not to leave me behind,” I recommended.

“I will try my best, but we should forget the past for a moment. I must say you did wonderfully leading Steve and Rick as far as you did. It could not have been easy,” he mused.

I snorted. “Like taking care of two children, and me playing the packhorse the entire time for their traveling armory. Then we met Wilson and had a run-in with some of Lance’s men, and if it wasn’t for the locals we would’ve been in a lot of trouble.”

Luke stopped our walk and grasped my chin between his fingers to raise my eyes to his. “You don’t know how much I missed you on these long nights.”

“Yeah, I missed your warm body, too,” I returned. I gently but firmly grabbed his hand and pulled it down. “But one last question before we go on with the smooching. How did you find us?”

He shrugged. “I merely followed your scent. It was difficult to track after Wilson retrieved you, but I concluded that you were headed for our home territory. Who better to go to than Stewart?”

My jaw slowly dropped open and my eyes narrowed. “So you followed us on a guess and saved us all on a fluke?”

“Precisely.”

“I won’t bet against you in a game of chance.”

He leaned in close to my face and his breath brushed against my lips. “Then I bet right now that we will kiss.”

I smiled. “That’s-” He pressed his warm, soft lips against mine and all thoughts swept from my head. I groaned and wrapped my arms around his neck. The warmth of his body was soothing against mine, and I rubbed myself against his hard-

“Who goes there?” a voice called.

I growled and turned around to find myself staring at one of the patrols. He was recognizable by the green armband on his arm.

“We were merely taking a stroll,” Luke spoke up.

The sentry walked up to us. “You’d better go back. There’s no telling if more of Connor’s men might be out here,” he advised us.

I sighed and Luke took my hand. “Thank you, sir, we’ll take your advice.” Luke led me back toward the house.

“You know, it’s not much fun fighting a war,” I commented.

“No, but I have heard the victory party is worth the effort,” Luke returned.

I smirked. “Then we’re just going to have to make sure that happens soon.”





15





We returned to the house to find two blanket beds on the floor and Martha waiting for us. “I thought perhaps you would want to stay here while you wait for a reply from Burnbaum,” she suggested.

“I can’t think of a more hospitable place, but has there been any word from Burnbaum or Brier?” Luke asked her.

Martha shook her head. “No. They are having trouble reaching the man, but they will keep repeating the message until they succeed.”

“Sounds like Steve has a long night ahead of him,” I mused.

Abby stuck her head out of her parents’ room and her face brightened when she saw me. She dashed out and showed me she was dressed in her night shirt and had a teddy bear in hand. Abby latched herself onto my legs and smiled up at me. “Becky, can we do a slumber party?” she pleaded.