Cynthia Quest Reporting
May 10th, 2013
After
the way the camp was so fast to accuse Marc of trying to kill Kenn and Adrian,
I realized it was way past time I asked this hard loner some of the questions
still lingering in everyone’s mind.
He
looks too calm, too ready for this as he sits down in the chair that has now
held so many of Safe Haven’s Eagles. I hope that isn’t true, and to increase
the odds of honest answers, I’ve chosen some questions he won’t care for. Everyone
settled at a table with a tray? It’s time to talk to Marc Brady - Wolfman and
Possible contender for Second in Command.
“So,
tell us Marc. Why did you agree to this interview?”
“I
didn’t. It was on my schedule, so I showed up.”
Cynthia
grinned in slightly jealous understanding. “If the boss man says jump…”
Marc’s
snort was light. “Yeah, that’s about it.”
“Do
you always follow orders?”
Marc
grinned widely. “Nope.”
It
wasn’t true anymore, but for now, how close he and Adrian were working together
wasn’t public knowledge.
“Why
not? I thought all the Eagles have complete faith.”
“Guess
I’m just a rebel.”
Cynthia
glanced down at her notes. “Let’s talk about the wolf first. Where did you get
him, and why does he stay with you?”
Marc
looked over at the large animal curled protectively in the doorway of the tent.
“Dog was brought in with a pack of wolves. He was supposed to be put down. He’s
a survivor, the same as the rest of us. I think he senses that bond and it
keeps him with me, but really, I don’t know why.”
“So
you’re saying he thinks like us?”
He
shrugged, grinning again. “Wish I knew - would make breeding him easier.”
Marc
watched her face flush, realized he’d drawn first blood without meaning to.
Inwardly, he braced for the real topic the reporter wanted to cover. Outwardly,
he gave a smoldering stare that had her squirming and him swallowing a grin. It
was easy to see what she needed, but he wasn’t interested in being the one to
deliver it.
“Ah,
yes, breeding. You’ve sired an interestingly obedient child. How does it feel
to be the dad of a teenager you didn’t even know you had?”
There
was no shocked response from him like she’d been hoping for. He and Adrian had
covered it a week ago. “Good, actually. I got to skip diapers.”
Cynthia
frowned slightly, hating it that these men were always one step ahead of her
ambushes. She’d thought her knowing of Charlie’s parentage would be a hard hit.
She moved on quickly. “What about his mother? You two sure have stirred up a
lot of anger and bad energy here.”
“Sometimes,
even those things have a place.”
“How
long have you two known each other?”
“All
our lives.”
“Ohh…
Childhood sweethearts?”
“Yes.”
“Why
did you two split?”
“Life
got in the way.”
“Who
walked away first?”
“Our
parents made that choice.”
“Has
Angie told you why she kept the truth about your son from you?”
“Yes.”
“Will
you tell us why?”
“Of
course not.”
Expecting
it, Cynthia didn’t react. “When did you find out about Charlie?”
“After
the War.”
“When
you… helped his mom to get here?”
The
tone was suggestive, and Marc frowned. “All I did was drive and show her a few
Marine things. She did the rest.”
“Sure,
sure. Can you tell us about the trip here, while you two were alone together
all that time?”
Marc
held in the sharp remark. “It was hard. We traveled a rough road.”
“What
about all those long nights around the campfire, talking about your past, your
teenage son, the future?”
Marc
snorted, thinking there hadn’t been nearly enough of those. “Not Angie. We
traveled or took turns sleeping.” He let out a proud snort he didn’t feel. “She
was always in a hurry, but we got here in record time after she killed her
first man - made her more determined.”
It
was an answer she wasn’t expecting, and Cynthia dropped down to her hardest
queries restlessly. Her respect for Angela went up, along with her jealousy.
Afterward, there had been Brady’s big arms for comfort. She’d bet on it.
“How
do you feel about your mate being an Eagle?”
“I
worry over her safety and love it that she’s so strong. The same as she does
me.”
“Uh-huh.
But it wasn’t always this way, was it?”
“No.”
His hard tone said to leave it alone.
Cynthia
pushed harder. “In fact, I remember a few of those moments. Most of us didn’t
think she could yell that loud.”
Marc
blew out a sigh, realizing he would have to take the blow she wanted to
deliver. “It took me a while to get over the way I still saw things from the
old world. It’s better now.”
“So
there won’t be anymore screaming?”
“Not
unless she gets pissed at you for printing personal questions.”
Cynthia
smiled coolly. “I think I can manage. Tell us about your rivalry with Kenn. Do
you think you’ll be able to bump him out for second in command?”
“No.”
Cynthia
raised a brow. “Given up?”
“Yep.
Just gonna fall in line where I belong.”
Cynthia
laughed at the sarcastic humor, but sensed he really meant it. “I’m pretty sure
it’ll be the front of a line.”
Marc’s
face reddened at the open compliment. “Thanks.”
The
waves of need flowing from the flowery scented woman were smothering, and Marc
was glad to see their time was almost up. Five minutes was all the sheet said,
and that was all she would get from him.
“A
lot of the camp and Eagles think you’ve been going head-to-head with Kenn,
trying to get him thrown out. Are you?”
“No.
I have what I want.”
“His
wife...”
Marc’s
face darkened ominously. “My soul mate.”
Cynthia
watched him stand up, seeing his instinctive glance toward the flap. Time was
about up, but she had one last topic to cover.
“How
did it feel to kill for her?”
His
head swung back, blue eyes blazing, and she wisely kept the triumph from her
face. He hadn’t been expecting that one.
Marc
stared at her, thinking of seeing her spying on the Eagles. When he’d told
Adrian, the blond leader had said she was important to Safe Haven’s future.
Today, under his scheduled time, there had been four words. Off balance is best. What threw someone
off balance more than honesty?
“It
felt good. Doing my job well usually does.”
Marc
left her staring in surprise, hoping he’d given Adrian whatever it was that he
needed from the encounter. One thing was for sure. The more FND work he did,
the better he felt about their leader’s past. Anyone who had this many irons in
the fire had better be an evil genius to keep them all straight.
“Do you really
see him as evil?”
That voice inside asked.
Marc
shoved the answer away. He’d swung to Adrian’s side, but he clearly wasn’t a
convert yet.
"This
is Safe Haven Refugee Camp. Can anyone hear me?
Hello?
Is anyone out there?"
The Survivors
*Free on all
retailers
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