SEVEN
DAN GLANCED AROUND the table where his men sat with four of the cadets and Grace. When he’d asked her where the others were she’d explained that Neal, Sherry and Sabrina were monitoring the cameras and radio, Stephan was with the injured cadet, John, and the six cadets they’d rescued the day before were resting and recovering.
He took a bite of beef stew and wanted to groan with pleasure. It was the best meal he’d eaten since the world had gone to hell. While he chewed, he watched Grace and the way she dealt with the cadets. She was definitely in charge. They treated her with respect, but he could tell they also liked her. She looked up and caught him watching her and he decided to needle her. “I’m impressed with the condition of the bunker. Everything is clean and in order.” She started to say something then pressed her lips together and remained silent. He knew she wanted to blast him but her silence told him that she wouldn’t do it in front of the cadets. It made a difference that she was willing to do that rather than upset the cadets sense of security.
“The cadets have self-discipline and are well-trained. They each have daily tasks to accomplish as do I. For instance, I’m in charge of the laundry. The clothes you wore when you arrived will be laundered tonight and ready for you in the morning,”
“We put them in the washer before we showered then hung them up to dry before we came in here for chow,” Dan said, and quickly added when he saw the narrowing of her eyes, “I want a copy of your schedule.” He nearly smiled when she ruffled the blond curls on her head, tucked the sides behind her ears, and stared at him with icy blue-green eyes. She reminded him of a sniper he’d met in Iraq. The guy had been a legend but his real gift had been his sharp instincts. He’d always seemed to know what the enemy would do next.
Watching Grace, he figured she was trying to find a way to deal with him and his men. It would be amusing messing with her but to his advantage to get her on his side instead and keep her there.
“Well, great, thanks for helping out but just so you know I do laundry late at night when there isn’t as much drain on the system, but if you need anything else let me know.” She stood up and moved into the galley. A couple minutes later the scent of coffee filled the room.
His men sniffed the air like Variants then turned and stared at her. He figured in that moment they’d all die for her.
Megan jumped up and helped Grace set a large pot of coffee on a tray along with cups, cream and sugar. She carried it to the table while Grace went to the hot buffet and lifted a large stainless steel lid. She stuck a large spoon in the pan and using hot pads she carried a large pan to the table. She slipped between Snake and Books and set it on the table. “Hot peach cobbler for dessert.”
Sharp, who was notorious for having a sweet tooth, grabbed the spoon first and served himself before passing it on to Books.
“Grace, this is the best meal we’ve had in months. I know I really enjoyed it but if you continue to eat like this you’re going to run out of food,” Dan said.
“On the contrary. I’m a nutrition specialist. The night of the attack we received a food shipment that would feed eight hundred cadets for six months. A lot of it was fresh produce so the cadets helped me process it. We freeze dried the bulk of it and put some in the freezer for immediate use. I designed a menu that would feed the ten of us for more years than we have fuel to run the generator. I haven’t had time to adjust it to include the six cadets we rescued and now the five of you.”
Dan took a sip of coffee and held it on his tongue for a moment before he swallowed. It was so damn good and reminded him of early mornings on the ranch when the smell of freshly brewed coffee filled his childhood home. He locked the memory away and got back to business. “Tell me about the bunker.”
Grace told him everything she knew while she watched him. He was over six feet by at least several inches and had a commanding presence. Even the cadets had recognized that he was the guy in charge and that was before they’d seen his rank. She figured he was in his late-thirties and in good condition. Nice to look at but much too bossy. She glanced at his left hand then realized what she was doing and looked at the paper napkin she shredded while she talked. She finished with the condition of the solar energy system and the broken panels. Looking up, she came to the conclusion that he hadn’t been surprised by anything she’d just told him. “But, of course, you already knew all this.” The statement was a challenge.
Dan grinned. “Is that it?”
“No. You know our names so why don’t you introduce your men? Otherwise we’ll just assign unflattering nicknames to each of you.” She shrugged. “Which ever you prefer.”
Dan stared at her and she stared back, refusing to be the first to look away. Finally, he broke eye contact but for some reason she felt as if she’d just lost a point or two.
“Sherlock is in the security room.”
She’d seen the guy with Neal, Sabrina and Sherry in security. He had dark red hair and a lighter complexion but he was tall and strongly built with startling blue eyes.
Dan pointed to the guy across from him. “Snake.”
“Because on just about every mission one of the damn things drops or crawls on me,” Snake said.
Grace smiled. Snake was tall and lanky with dark hair, brown eyes, and mahogany skin. He had a quirky smile.
Dan pointed to the guy next to Snake. “Sharp.
Sharp wiped his mouth and pointed at his team members. “Because I have a higher IQ than these three jarheads but I also have great aim and a sweet tooth.” He winked at Grace and put another serving of cobbler on his plate.
Aw, he’s the flirty one, she thought, and why wouldn’t he be? He was gorgeous with the kind of face that made a woman look twice. Six feet tall and in excellent physical condition with gray eyes that seemed to see and take note of everything around him.
Dan pointed to the first guy Grace had seen. “Books.”
“Medic and avid reader,” Books said. “I hope you have some decent books around here.”
Books face was a dark mocha color making his hazel eyes appear lighter. He was the quiet one.
Megan laughed and pointed to a cabinet. “The books are in there, and of course we have an entire library on campus if you can get in and out of it alive.”
“That won’t be a problem for much longer.” Books turned to Dan. “Once we deal with the Variants, Sharp and I will fix the panels on the roof. There are extras in the battery room.”
“Still doesn’t solve the food problem,” Dan said to Grace. “We’re bringing in a platoon.”
“How many is that?” Grace asked, frowning.
Dan smiled. “Around forty including us.”
Grace sighed. “I’ll work on a new menu and stretch the food as far as I can and still keep everyone healthy. Will they bring more food with them?”
“They’re bringing an armament to defend this place,” Dan said. “Very little food if any. It’s hard to get to the food sources in the bigger cities because of the Variants.”
“What about hunting,” Luke asked. “These woods are full of deer.”
“Not any more, kid,” Books said. “The Variants have eaten them.”
“They couldn’t have eaten all of them,” Luke said.
“There are hundreds of millions of Variants,” Snake told him.
“Holy crap, that many still? Even after you killed the first creatures,” Luke asked.
“Yes,” Dan said.
“You’ve been fighting them all this time?” Mark asked.
The Marines nodded but didn’t say anything and it was obvious that they’d lost friends in the battle against the Variants.