Page 38 of Taken By the Soldier
“Wait!” Forrest shouts. He’s peering at a tablet with a shocked expression, and a second later, my wrist comm beeps and buzzes. “There’s news about the war. It’s over. The Americans have officially surrendered to us.”
I stare at the information on my wrist comm in shock. It’s almost too good to be true. “The American president and many of his officials have confessed to war crimes,” I say, “and they will be tried by an international tribunal. Furthermore, all territory east of the Mississippi River has been declared part of the new Republic of Zassfor.”
A cheer erupts in the room, and I can’t help but join in. Fucking yes. The war is over. And we don’t have to worry about losing the land we’ve claimed. Our Deep Creek settlement will be safe.
Well, it’ll be safe once we vanquish the fuckers who are messing with our protective shield. Perhaps they are American soldiers gone rogue, men with nothing left to lose.
“This news doesn’t change our plan,” I announce in a booming voice once the cheers have quieted. “We still need to fix the shield and make sure no one trespasses into our territory while it’s temporarily down.”
As we set out for our positions, I regret that I’m not able to stop at home quickly to tell Judith what’s going on. If I take the time to stop and speak with her, I’ll have thousands of men wanting to delay the start of the mission so they might also go home and speak with their wives.
Regret wells in my heart over my cold treatment of her this morning. I’d been in the throes of a terrible dream about losing Isabell and Harlow, and she’d woken me quietly and tried to comfort me. Yet I’d blown her off and left the cabin without saying goodbye.
I resolve to make things right between us once I return to her.
Chapter23
JUDITH
Something’s going on.Something bad.
I squint into my binoculars as I watch dozens upon dozens of armored trucks pull away from the meeting house. The trucks speed off in multiple directions and out of sight.
Across the lake, I glimpse a similar situation—lots of trucks heading off in various directions.
An odd beeping noise sounds downstairs, and I follow the sound and soon realize it’s coming from the security system panel. Three ominous words flash in red on a small screen above the panel.
SHELTER IN PLACE
My pulse quickens with worry and my thoughts immediately go to Luka. I couldn’t spot him among the soldiers that poured out of the meeting house before all the trucks took off, but I assume he’s with them. Whatever danger they are going off to fight, he’ll be smack dab in the middle of it. That’s just the kind of man he is. The kind of leader he is.
Emotion tightens in my chest, making it difficult to breathe, and my throat burns. If something happens to Luka…
I give my head a harsh shake, trying to banish the thought.
He’ll be okay, I tell myself.
He’s a warrior. He will survive whatever danger has befallen the settlement.
But my worry intensifies when I hear a loud boom that makes that cabin rattle. When another boom comes, the huge bay window shatters, and the security alarm blares.
Fuck fuck fuck.
I stare at the panel and try to guess Luka’s code to turn it off, but none of the number sequences I type in work. I cover my ears and retreat upstairs, where I run to one of the windows that faces the lake. Using the binoculars, I survey the landscape until I notice a thick stream of smoke in the air. But it’s so far away, I don’t understand how an explosion across the lake could’ve caused the bay window to break.
I rush from room to room and window to window, until I finally see a second stream of smoke, this one much closer. My heart lodges in my throat. It’s where the school is supposed to be built. I didn’t attend the groundbreaking ceremony this morning, so I’m not sure how much work was done already. Likely just a little bit of digging and maybe some of the foundation. But was anyone still there working when the explosion happened?
I don’t know what to think. Did someone plant bombs in the settlement, or is someone shooting at us with missiles? Shouts in the distance set me on edge. Peering through the binoculars, I catch sight of about twenty soldiers rushing out of the trees, weapons in hand. Most of them carry blasters, but a few are holding old-fashioned guns.
American soldiers. My stomach drops to the floor.
Holy shit.
They’re wearing US Army uniforms…
I glance around the guest bedroom I’m standing in, looking for anything I might use as a weapon. Then I laugh aloud. Because there’s nothing in this house I can use as a weapon. Well, nothing but kitchen knives. Luka always keeps his blaster locked in a box he stores under our bed when it’s not on his person.
I watch in horror as the soldiers start entering houses along the lakefront. Oh my God. Feminine screams fill the air, but I’m thankful that I don’t hear blaster fire or gunshots.
