Zeke’s bar was already packed by the time the girls got there. The front door was wide open. Bikes were double-parked in between the lines meant for autos up and down the street. They approached the place arm in arm and grinned at the guard on duty, who let them pass without a cursory look at their IDs. He wore the black leather kutte of the Club.

Bars had opened and closed throughout Jasper’s history. One would attract the Club’s patronage for a while and become popular before something turned the Club off or they closed their doors and the Club spread its money to all the other bars in Jasper. The latest popular hangout of choice was Zeke’s Bar and Grill.

Zeke himself was a biker, but not Club. He stood tall behind the bar in a black button down shirt, a pair of jeans and his belt had a big buckle. He knew every aspect of his bar from mixing the cocktails, to running the fryers and grill, to operating the cash register, to guarding the door.

He’d gone to school with Ashley and Savannah. Ashley thought at one point that Savannah had had a crush on him. Though it’d never gone anywhere. Zeke had married his high school sweetheart, and they had a couple little girls together. And his rounded face and slight paunch, despite his muscled arms, showed that he was indeed a family man.

The whole vibe of the bar was like walking into a garage. From the custom wheel rim ‘sculpture’ made from scrap antique custom motorcycle wheels on the wall under and around the bar logo, to the huge tin antique art from Harley Davidson with the eagle on the other. The exposed brick painted Heathen’s maroon and exposed black I-beams contributed to the overall feel of the place. And Ashley’s favorite feature, the motorcycle with real working lights that changed with the music near the jukebox in one of the corners.

The story that Ashley had heard and she’d never heard anything to contradict it, was that Zeke, though not a member of the Club, had applied to Brand for a loan from the Club funds to open the place. Zeke had then decorated it to make the Club feel comfortable, and had promptly paid back the loan with interest from the money the Club members had paid him to drink there. Brand had been amused by it, mentioning something about someone being conned.

The girls managed to make it to the bar and ordered cocktails. Diane bit her lip and leaned closer to Ashley. “I don’t see him anywhere,” she said, speaking of the new prospect.

Sappho wiggled between two larger members of the Club and hugged Ashley. Her dark blue dress set off her fair skin.

Ashley hugged her back. They bussed each other’s cheeks.

“Kolzak’s guarding a table,” Sappho said. She reached up and touched her brunette spiraling curls that went to her shoulders.

“Great! If we can get to it,” Ashley told her. “Have you seen the prospect?”

Sappho shook her head. “Not yet.”

“Maybe Cerise will see him,” Rory said and picked up her cocktail. Cerise had headed to the bathroom to change into something more festive.

“He could be hiding behind anyone and we wouldn’t see him in this crowd,” Ashley said and she strained her eyes to look at and between everyone. Her face brightened as she saw someone she knew in a bright orange dress. “Poppy!” she shouted and waved at her.

Poppy grinned at her talking companion, bussed his cheek and laid a hand on her shoulder before leaving. She came over and hugged Ashley. “Ashley!”

“I didn’t think we’d see you here tonight.”

Poppy pushed her hair behind her ear and sighed. “I left Poppet with Blake’s parents. With Blake out of town, you know, it’s a bit easier on her to be with them without Daddy to tell her a story and put her to bed. They’ve got their own routine.”

Diane giggled. “Grandma’s house, Grandma’s rules.”

“And you get a break and to play.” Ashley grinned and winked at her.

Poppy wiggled her hips and raised her hands up to dance to the music. “And I intend to play!”

The girls laughed.

Cerise sidled up next to them, her work clothes replaced by a dress that was a dark red, in the low light it looked close to black. “Have you seen him?”

“Have you?”

Poppy looked between them. “Seen who?”

“The new prospect.” Ashley touched her hair. “The handsome one.”

“We want to meet him,” Diane hissed.

Rory raised an eyebrow and leaned forward. “To take a ride in his auto,” she said with a wink.

Ashley took another look around. “I don’t think he’s here,” she said and felt a twinge of disappointment.

“How can he not be here?” Diane pouted.

Houston came up behind her and put his head on her shoulder. “Who isn’t here?”

Diane wrapped her arm around him. “Cousin!” she said and hugged him.

He grinned and hugged her back, kissing her cheek. “Hello, cousin,” he replied.

“The prospect isn’t here.” Diane pouted.

Houston blinked. “Oh. Brand sent him on the job with Savannah.”

Ashley’s stomach twisted. “With Savannah?” That wasn’t fair.

Poppy’s eyebrows rose. “Brand’s put him to work already?”

“I’m sorry, girls. Maybe I can help ease the disappointment, and offer to dance with you.” Houston didn’t sound sorry at all.

Poppy held out her hand. “I’ll take that offer, brother!”

Houston grinned, grabbed her hand, and she dragged him out onto the dance floor.

Diane finished the drink in her hand. “Wait for me!” she said and dashed after them. Houston laughed and the couple opened up to include her.

Rory shouted, lifted her glass, and charged out into the open space that served as Zeke’s dance floor and started dancing.

Ashley hung back and leaned against the bar. She picked up her cocktail and sipped it, staring at her heels. For once in her life, she wanted to do something, to know someone before Savannah did. Ashley had been the one keeping track of his movements and watching him to make sure he behaved after all. She should have the privilege of being the first single female to meet him. Damn it. She’d blown a perfect opportunity after potlatch, but she’d been counting on today. And then Brand had sent him with Savannah.

Ashley wanted to kick something. What was special about Savannah? Why did she get all these opportunities and responsibilities first? Oh, Ashley knew that Savannah was Brand’s granddaughter and about Savannah’s parents. It never felt fair to her. Savannah had been promoted to Vice President as soon as she’d hit twenty-one because Brand had wanted her to be. She’d been made a member at eighteen because Brand had bent the rules, and a prospect at sixteen because once again, an exception had been made for Brand’s favorite. While everyone else had had to wait until they were eighteen to prospect and twenty-one to be a member.

It wasn’t like Savannah had ever held it against anyone or held her new status over their heads, but it still rankled. And now Savannah was out on a job with the hot new guy with a long trip there and back to talk about who knows what and get to actually know him and color his perception of the rest of the Club before the rest of the girls had a chance to say hello.

She’d wanted to meet him first, ask about his auto, and let him know there was more to the Club than Savannah and her little groupies. There were people in the Club with style and sophistication who enjoyed more things than running around getting dirty and shooting people.

Not that running around, getting mildly dirty, and shooting people couldn’t be fun, Ashley justified. But to her, it was all Savannah seemed to do. There was more to life and more to Jasper than the Club. And if he got around Savannah and those who thought like her, this new guy would never know that.

Ashley scowled at her drink and finished it. She caught a flash of orange out of the corner of her eye and looked over.

Poppy smiled at her. “Not having fun?”

Ashley shrugged and swirled the swizzle stick from her drink around her empty glass. She set it on the bar.

Poppy put a hand on her arm. “What’s eating you?” she asked.

Ashley sighed. “It’s fine.”

“You’re over here by the bar alone and there a lot of guys to dance with, enough that an old married lady like me has a partner. I saw like four of them look at you and you were engrossed in your toes you haven’t noticed.”

“I don’t want to dance,” Ashley said.

“With them,” Poppy finished. “This is about the new prospect.”

Ashley flushed. “Why not?” she asked. “I have spent a lot of time keeping track of him. It’d be nice to meet the guy behind the—”

“Fine ass?” Poppy supplied and grinned. “Thanks,” she said to the bartender and picked up her cocktail and sipped at it.

Ashley used her shoulder to push her hair forward between her and Poppy to hide her red face.

Poppy looked up at the ceiling with a small smile and reached over and tucked her hair back. “I saw him at potlatch. He did look handsome.”

“And now he’s out with Savannah,” Ashley said, her voice laced with bitterness and disappointment.

“Running through jungle, following cryptic orders and possibly shooting things,” Poppy supplied. “Savannah will be busy with her plans that she’ll barely notice him, if she bothers to acknowledge him long enough to get his name.”

“But he’s still with her.”

“Blake said this is a simple snag and drag, there will be plenty of time to meet him. And given that they’re gone this weekend, there will certainly be a party next weekend to welcome him, at least to give enough time to get the food ready.”

“That’s in a week!” Ashley sputtered. Savannah was with him now.

“You’ll be able to wash the dress.” Poppy took a sip of her drink and smiled at Ashley.

“It’s not about the dress!”

“Zeke’s isn’t moving and if he wants to join the Club, this new prospect, Gideon right, won’t be going anywhere.” Poppy tilted her head. “Oh, I love this song.” She set her drink down, abandoning it. She grabbed Ashley’s arm. “Come on. I know this is one of your favorites.”

Ashley let Poppy drag her into the crowd on the dance floor. It was her favorite song. And, she hoped Poppy was right about Gideon and there being time. One of the guys on the floor caught her eye and held out his hand. She smiled at him and grabbed it and let the music dictate her movements.

Poppy had better be right.

---

They reached the first rendezvous point after several hours. Savannah held a hand up and found a good place to stop. Morgan and Frankie moved off to find a place where Morgan would be able to see. Savannah noted it and nodded in approval. From here on out, they would have to be more careful. Plus, there was the prospect to deal with. He was supposed to be her partner here, her backup, and she still didn’t have any useful ideas on what to do with him. Her eyes narrowed and she turned around.

She gestured to the prospect. Until she knew what exactly he was capable of, she guessed there was one thing to do with him. She cleared her glasses of their color. She looked him in the eyes.

Gideon practically bounced over.

She pointed at him. “You, Prospect, stay on my tail.” That was her one order to him. That was all he needed to do. She wanted him where she could sit on him if she had to.

He grinned. “Oh, neat, I can shoot over your head.”

Her eyes narrowed and her jaw clenched. Shoot, over, her, head? Her fist clenched. Her nostrils flared and the urge to deck him was near to overpowering. She might be considered short, but she wasn’t that much shorter than he was.

The entire group had heard the exchange and Morgan and Frankie paused to watch. The insects buzzed as the silence lengthened. Eberron snickered.

Savannah transferred her glare to him.

Gideon looked at his boots. He pretended they were exceedingly interesting. Oh boy, he’d struck a nerve. “But I won’t.”

Savannah’s head whipped back to the Prospect. “You better not, puppy,” she snapped. She didn’t know or care how good a shot he thought he was. He was not to shoot over her head at any time.

“Intentionally,” he mumbled. Really, she was tiny. If she blamed him for forgetting because he had a clear line of sight, it wasn’t going to be his fault!

Savannah rolled her eyes upwards. She snarled, turned around and jogged off into the woods reinstating her sunglasses. Greenies.

Gideon gave Eberron a sheepish look and started after her.

The others looked at each other and quickly took off after them, grinning and snickering.

Morgan and Frankie moved off. Morgan looked over at Frankie. “Does Savannah know the prospect’s name?”

Frankie’s eyes widened and she looked over at her sister. “Um, I don’t think so.”

Morgan paused and pushed a leaf out of the way. “Right. Did any of you think to tell her?”

“Nooooo.” Frankie batted her eyelashes. Really, Morgan could be no fun.

“This should be amusing.” Morgan ducked under a limb. “How much is riding on this?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Frankie said in a tone she’d learned from Eberron.

Morgan reached into the combat vest over her armor and pulled out a wad of bills. She counted out a few and passed them over to Frankie. “Sure, you don’t.”

Frankie smirked and counted the cash.

“I did notice he didn’t introduce himself either,” Morgan observed.

Frankie tucked the cash away into her utility belt. “I think it was the breasts in the face thing.”

“Yes, that does always seem to get their attention,” Morgan muttered, then shrugged, remembering the book that Savannah had quoted out of. It was currently her youngest child’s favorite, right next to the one about having a hole in your head. “Or maybe he lost a marble down the drain.”

Frankie giggled. “If the drain is Savannah’s cleavage.”

“He’ll survive,” Morgan said dryly.

Frankie lowered her lashes. “Savvy thinks that Brand is going to make her Gideon’s sponsor.”

“But you do know his name.”

Frankie tilted her nose upwards. “I had an introduction.”

“So did I.”

“Not that you were probably paying that much attention.” Frankie made kissing noises at her sister.

Morgan flushed. It was time to get the subject back to Gideon. “I still think he’ll survive.”

“With Savvy as his sponsor.” Frankie’s eyes widened. True. She thought this was a great thing for Savannah and she was excited for her. She could still feel a flash of pity for Gideon. The poor boy probably had no idea what he was getting into.

Morgan reached into her pockets again, pulled out an energy bar, opened it, and took a bite. “Flint and I are talking about another baby.”

Frankie stared at her, her jaw dropped. She sputtered a second, and then shook her head rapidly. “You do know Daddy is going to kill you, right?”

We’re merely talking.”

“Past experience says, talking leads to doing and doing leads to you being crabby and crabbiness eventually leads to me having to do yet more babysitting.”

“They love you.”

“Yes, and yet, someday I want to have my own. And then you can baby-sit.”

Morgan grinned. “Think of all the practice you’re getting.”

“Daddy is still going to kill you.”

“I’ll blame Flint.”

“Flint is not the one gestating a baby in his tummy. That’s all you.”

“Mom’s okay with it.”

Frankie rolled her eyes. Of course their mother was okay with it. “Because Bentley isn’t having any yet and I’m not married, you’re her sole source of grandchildren.”

“You should get on that marriage thing then.”

“Georgie is still finishing his Masters.”

“Georgie is not the only fish in the sea,” Morgan said in the same tone that Frankie had used with her.

“I love Georgie.” Frankie picked a leaf randomly and tore it up. “Get on Bentley to have them. She has a husband already.”

“Have you tried getting Bentley to do something she doesn’t want to do ever?”

Frankie smirked.

“That time doesn’t count.”

Frankie’s smirk turned into a grin.

“You tricked her.”

“She still did it.”

“You can’t trick her into having kids.”

Frankie wrinkled her nose. “But it could be entertaining to try.”

Morgan thought about it, looked at her sister, and smirked. “We should start with Marion.” Marion was Bentley’s husband.

“Sneaky,” Frankie approved.

The sisters moved closer together and began to conspire.

---

Gideon followed Savannah, trying to stick as close as possible without running over her and yet with enough distance that if something happened, he’d have the time to do something. He relaxed a little, his eyes flicking around towards any movement and the bright green color of the jungle toned into more muted shades heading towards gray.

The complex they were going to had a wall built around it. It wasn’t a good wall, made of chicken mesh and barbed wire. However, walking around on the inside was a guard. Gideon saw him.

So did Savannah, she stopped and dodged to the side of the faint animal track they were using, and pressed her body to a tree. She had a gun out and pointed at the ground. Gideon moved in right next to her, a gun in his hand already. He pointed it at the sky.

Savannah peered around the tree and waited.

The guard fell to the ground, a long black stick protruding from his chest.

Savannah rolled her eyes. “Next time, Pocahontas, maybe you could try using something a little more lethal,” she murmured, her microphone picking it up and transmitting it to Morgan.

“Will do, boss,” Morgan responded.

Gideon winced. The arrow seemed lethal enough to him, and quiet.

Eberron ran over to the fence, and ran machine along it, cutting through the wires and making a hole. Blake and Dana stood beside him on guard and as soon as he was done, Blake ducked in, picked up the body, slung it over his shoulder and hauled it out of the way. He dumped it in the bushes. Spike pulled the arrow out of it and put a bullet where the arrow had been. The body jumped. Spike tucked the arrow away.

Blake and Dana were already inside the compound. They all went through the hole in the fence and inside the army camp. They all knew they wouldn’t go undetected for long. They jogged down the outside corridor, weapons ready. Savannah had the outlay of the camp memorized, including what looked like the medical section. At every intersection, they paused, checked, and had their guns ready. She was prepared to check every tent if necessary.

They didn’t have to.

The tent that looked like the most obvious place to hold the doctor had two guards on it. Her gun came up, she switched ammunition without thinking about it to something that would knock them out but not kill them. She fired without hesitation. They fell to the ground.

Savannah ran across to the tent, Gideon on her heels, and the others fanning out behind her. The noise would bring them attention.

She shoved the tent flap open. There were rows and rows of beds filled with dark faced soldiers. She ran down the line, checking each face against the picture in her computer. The doctor wasn’t in any of the beds, and there was a smaller room curtained off. She pushed it open. Another man lay on the bed, his eyes closed and his fists tight, obviously in pain and doing his best to not make any noise and let anyone know.

“Paramecium,” she whispered. The picture was definitely out of date, but the skin tone and face shape were the same. The skin tone would have matched better if the man’s face hadn’t been gray with pain. This was not the young idealistic young doctor that’d been pitched to her. The doctor was an older black man with worn skin, dark freckles, a full head of white curling hair and he was hurt, deliberately mutilated.

The man opened his eyes. His eyes widened and his mouth opened and closed but no sound came out.

Gideon paled. The man’s knees and feet had been bashed to a pulp. They’d left his hands pristine. They needed his hands.

“Medic,” she murmured, knowing her short-range communicator built into her computer and helmet would pick it up. She went over and knelt by the doctor and let her glasses collapse. She looked him in the eyes. “Dr. Brown, my name is Savannah and I’m with Heaven Has Mercy Security. We’re here to rescue you.”

Dr. Brown turned his head, his eyes glazed in pain. He swallowed several times before being able to talk. “Tried to run,” he said.

Outside, men shouted. Their hole or the large group of white men and women in a predominately black camp had been discovered. There weren’t any shots yet.

“That was brave of you,” Savannah said in a soothing tone, bottling her rage at what had been done to him. “I have a medic coming to assist you out. He’s large. I don’t want you to be scared.”

Jordan pushed the curtain aside. Gideon moved over and covered them.

Jordan took Dr. Brown’s condition in at a glance. He pulled out his med kit and squatted by the other man. Dr. Brown grabbed his arm.

“You a doctor, son?” he asked.

Jordan met his gaze. “EMT, advanced life support,” he said and gently pried the doctor’s hands away from him.

“If you were a doctor, you’d know there was no saving me.”

Jordan smiled. “Good thing I’m not a doctor. I’m going to try anyways.” He pulled out a syringe. “Are you allergic to anything Dr. Brown?”

Brown shook his head.

Jordan pushed the syringe into his arm and emptied it. “Then rest,” he said. The doctor’s eyes rolled back and closed. Jordan quickly wrapped his knees and feet and administered several other drugs. He then picked him up in a fireman’s carry. He nodded at Savannah.

Savannah nodded back.

“Guys, time.” Dana said over the radio. He swore.

The shooting started.