Page 42 of Crew

His males nodded.

Asher cleared his throat. “What’s the plan?”

* * *

Crew located the security camera on the tree and set the ladder against the trunk. He climbed up, stopping as he reached the camera, which had been set seven feet off the ground but angled down to catch anyone approaching. He lifted it from the mounting and grimaced. Looking down at Ford, who was holding the bottom of the ladder, he said, “This one’s screen is cracked.”

“That makes three so far that aren’t just covered with paintball paint but are actually ruined.”

They’d been cleaning the lenses of the cameras, starting with the ones closest to the farmhouse and barns, but they would have to order replacements, which left them with some vulnerabilities in their security system.

He dropped the camera to Ford, who put it into a bucket and then held the ladder as Crew made his way back down.

“Tell me why we’re even bothering with these cameras when they clearly didn’t stop Colton or his people from getting close?”

“Because it’s better than nothing. The cameras along with our patrols are all we can do. Our territory is simply too large and we don’t have enough people in the herd to do serious, long-term security patrols.”

“It’s not enough by a long shot,” Ford muttered. “We’re sitting ducks.”

Crew marked the tree so they’d know easily which units needed to be replaced and then moved to the next tree. “We’re not sitting ducks.”

“Feels like it.” His frustration was evident, and Crew shared it.

“Our options are pretty limited,” Crew said. “I understand how you feel, but I’m doing the best I can to keep us safe. I know that they can take out the cameras, I know they can set fire to the fields, or worse. But doing nothing isn’t the answer either. If you have any ideas that would work better than what we’re doing now—which I agree is not enough—then let me know.”

Ford didn’t answer right away. He set the ladder on the next tree and moved up himself, cleaning off the lens and then making his way back down.

“We could hit them first. Before they come back at us again.”

“I can’t risk it,” Crew said. “We weren’t able to keep cameras on them to know their whereabouts, so we could be walking into a trap. Plus, Colton is unhinged as hell and, from what Zara’s told me about the ones loyal to him, they’re just as bad or worse than him. You and I are trained fighters—hell, Grey and Avi could hold their own—but what are four of us against five who seem bound and determined to get to us?”

“I’m just…” Ford let out a grunt. “We just keep reacting. They set a fire, we put it out. They mess with the cameras, we’re spending hours cleaning and replacing them. What’s next? What if they come for Zara or Tris or Nancy? What if instead of the fields, they set the farmhouse on fire while we’re sleeping?”

Crew’s jaw tightened as everything he worried about was laid bare by his friend. “We can’t afford to act without a plan. What I hope is that they’ll get tired of this and move on. I don’t believe that will happen, but it’s the best-case scenario. But we will keep the patrols going and we’ll have each other’s backs. They can’t keep this up forever.”

Ford looked like he wanted to argue, but instead, he nodded. They finished checking the cameras around the farmhouse and buildings and then headed inside to check on the feed and order replacements.

Crew kissed Zara on the cheek when he found her in the den watching the security footage. “It looks good,” she said, pointing to the feed showing the cameras they’d cleaned. “Even with the ones that are missing, we don’t have many dark spots in what we can see.”

“Okay,” Crew said, looking at his friends. They’d all gathered in the den, even Dexter and Khyle. “We will keep up with the patrols, focusing on the immediate area. Avi finished the harvest of the corn, so at least that’s out of the way. You two”—he pointed to Dexter and Khyle—“don’t need to worry about patrols since you have your own homes to keep safe. But hopefully, if Colton and his herd try anything, we’ll catch them in the act.”

“I’ll take the next shift,” Ford said, rising to his feet.

“If anyone is going anywhere outside of the immediate area,” Crew said, “don’t go alone. Keep your phone and a walkie on you at all times, and if you see anything, call it in.”

“What if I see a raccoon?” Avi asked, raising his hand like he was in school, a goofy smile on his face.

The tension broke as Crew laughed and the others joined in. “Yes, let us know if you see raccoons.”

“Agreed,” Dexter said.

“Really?” Avi asked.

Dexter snorted. “No, I mean I agree that we need to be vigilant. The last thing we need is a false sense of security. We all need to stay sharp, whether we’re at our homes or here.”

Crew wanted to reassure his herd that there would be a light at the end of the tunnel with this soon and they wouldn’t be doing around-the-clock patrols, waiting for Colton and his herd to come after them again in increasingly dangerous ways, but he couldn’t say that in all honesty.

All he could do was tell his people to be safe and careful, and that felt woefully inadequate against the kind of danger that lurked beyond their territory.

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