forbidden (illicitus) wrote in the_colony, @ 2011-03-26 22:21:00 |
|
|||
Entry tags: | ^ week 35, alice munroe, jed bailey, thomas galloway, ~ series: traders |
Week 35 - Tuesday
Characters:Tom Galloway, Jed Bailey, Alice Munroe, Evie, Rizzo, Noah
Location: Tom’s office and Evie’s trailer
Summary:Tom has to clean up the mess.
Rating:PG-13 for language and content
”Zeke!”
The ex-firefighter looked up from the plans for the field that he had been working on with Amelia, frowning at the concern in his leader’s voice. She looked upset and her face was flushed from running. That was never a good sign.
“I’ll be back in a sec,” he directed to Amelia, who nodded without looking up. Most of her communication was a series of nods or head-shaking anyway aside from a few notes in the margin, but he still felt the need to speak to her since she wasn’t deaf and it was faster to begin with.
Zeke met Evie in the last few feet. “What’s up?”
“I need you to come with me into the camp’s house,” she said, her voice only a little labored. “I don’t wanna go alone.”
Zeke’s frown deepened. He was sorely tempted to ask what had happened, but her urgency held him back. Pausing only a moment to retrieve his gun from inside his camper top, he fell into step behind Evie as she lead the way into the house.
Tom looked up from his sandwich as Evie and Zeke entered the house from the back porch into the kitchen, and it was quickly forgotten as he got a good look at the expression on Evie’s face. Had there been an accident? Someone badly hurt? Whatever it was, it didn’t seem well.
“What’s the matter?”
“Can we speak privately?” she asked, her voice low. Evie didn’t want the whole house to hear her personal business.
Both eyebrows went up at that question, but he quickly nodded. “We can talk in my room, follow me.” He led the two outsiders to his bedroom slash office and closed the door behind them.
Rollo looked up from his spot on the rug and lazily got up to sniff at the newcomers. “Don’t mind the dog, the worst he’ll try and do is lick you to death.”
Zeke pulled up a chair for Evie before settling himself against the wall sharing the door, looking just as concerned by what was happening. Evie hadn’t even finished sitting yet before she got straight to business:
“You need to get some of your people under control if you want us to keep doing business here, Tom,” she said, her voice severe. “I don’t know how it works here, but in my camp if someone tells you to leave their space, you leave. I shouldn’t have to pull a gun on someone to make them leave my space, and I almost had to just now.”
Tom’s expression darkened and he pinched the bridge of his nose in annoyance before sighing and returning his attention solely to Evie. “That’s how it’s supposed to work here too, Evie. I didn’t have the luxury of picking everyone in this group, but they normally know better than to stay where they aren’t wanted. Who was it? I’ll deal with them.”
Evie ran a hand over her face, her jaw tightening. “Jed Bailey,” she informed him. “Apparently he had an epiphany and realized that my pregnancy fits up pretty closely to the last time he shared my bed.”
Zeke, who had been quiet the entire time, looked at Evie with slightly widening eyes before his expression grew sour and angry. Evie didn’t see it and continued on. “Unfortunately, he caught me when I was still a bit fuzzy from a nap and I wasn’t in the clearest of mental states, so I told him the full truth.” Her expression turned fierce. “He had the nerve to demand that I stay here and let my tribe leave without me.”
Tom almost wanted to laugh at the brash impossibility of the Texan’s demand, but the look on Evie’s face killed the urge. Jed wasn’t the sharpest knife in the drawer but he did have a sense of honor of sorts. He could easily see how things could spiral out of control, like they had with Alice. “Where is he?”
“My brother and another one of my men are holding him in my camper van, to keep him from boxing me in or following me,” she answered. Evie took a moment to visibly calm herself, one hand sweeping her long brown hair out of her face as she met Tom’s eyes levelly with hers. “Please understand, Tom, that I am a businesswoman. I love my life and my work, I want to help the rest of the world the best I can the only way I know how. I don’t want this relationship--” she gestured between the two of them “--to go bad. But I don’t take kindly to men calling me a slut to my face or trying to hold me hostage. If he comes into my camper again, or anywhere near me, your ER doctor is going to have her hands full. Am I clear?”
“Crystal.” Tom gritted out, his eyes locked on the young woman’s face. “I’m an old soldier, Evie. I won’t pretend I’m purer than the driven snow, but I absolutely will not tolerate that sort of behavior toward women, or guests, from my people. You’re both. You have my word this won’t happen again.”
He gestured for Zeke to open the door, and the younger man jumped to oblige him. “Now, let’s go deal with Mr. Bailey.”
***
I’m definitely getting too old for this shit. Tom wearily thought to himself as he spotted Jed out in the yard instead of in Evie’s trailer, Alice by his side. Why was it that every time a major blowup happened, those two were in the center of it?
When Evie had rushed up to the house looking for him, Zeke in tow, his first thought was that someone had been hurt. She’d quickly dispelled that thought and as she went on Tom found himself working to control his temper in front of the outsiders.
You will not yell. he reminded himself for the umpteenth time. Whatever happens, you keep your cool, Galloway. You can yell later, behind closed doors.
Zeke and Evie continued onward toward Evie’s trailer. Evie disappeared inside without even a glance in their direction while Zeke positioned himself outside the door, glaring murderously at Jed. Tom was sorely tempted to ask just what the hell Jed was thinking, and how he’d gotten free from the trailer where he’d been kept. Instead he kept his jaw firmly clenched as they reached Alice and Jed’s position and he raised an eyebrow at his second in silent inquiry.
Alice’s frown only deepened, and she shook her head. “I heard shouting, so I came running. They were holding him against his will.”
Tom said nothing for a long moment, looking back and forth between the two until he finally turned and pointed back toward the house. “Inside. I’m not going to get into this in front of God and everyone.”
Jed scowled, taking a step towards the house before stopping short. “This ain’t got nothin’ to do with Alice, so she don’t need to be there,” he said, glancing her way.
“First of all,” Tom ticked off, scowling right back, “she’s the one that got your ass out of the fire and back into the frying pan. Second of all she’s my XO and I want her there.”
He started toward the house without looking back, expecting the former couple to follow him in. Alice frowned at Jed severely --based on Evie and Zeke’s reaction to him, she had a pretty good idea what might’ve happened-- and lingered to make sure that Jed followed. She knew that Jed would run off if he had the chance. Shoulders hunched, Jed walked after Tom. This was going to be a special kind of hell.
Their grumpy little parade was silent all the way to Tom’s room, where the door clicking shut sounded awfully loud to Jed.
Tom wasted little time in rounding on the other man. “Were you dropped on your head as a child or are you just terminally fucking stupid?” He began heatedly. “Do you know how close you came to getting your sorry ass blown away and them dumping your body out the door as they rolled out?”
“They wouldn’t’ve done that,” Jed said, his jaw clenched. “Dumped my ass, yeah, but it weren’t goin’ anywhere else.”
“If you go near them again that’s exactly what’s going to happen.” Tom shot back. “Evie told me in no uncertain terms that you’re persona non grata, which means in English that you’re not welcome at their camp. In fact, you go anywhere near Evie again she’ll shoot you herself.”
He stared hard at Jed. “I thought we’d already had a talk about how we treat women around these parts.”
Alice stared in wide-eyed shock at the quick exchange between the two men, then her eyes settled on Jed. Had he tried to strong-arm Evie? She felt like she was overhearing a conversation one-sided and only had half the details, but she had a vivid imagination and could easily see how everything had panned out.
Worse still was the fact that it was obvious that Jed had wanted to be involved with Evie’s baby. She felt like holes were being ripped through her chest, and it took all her energy to keep herself quiet, but the betrayal and grief showed all over her face.
If Tom’s words weren’t bad enough, Alice’s accusing expression was worse. “I didn’t touch her, alright?” he snapped. His eyes went to Tom, then the floor. “The baby might be mine. She was bein’ unreasonable.”
“What did you expect, Jed?” Tom shook his head, barely able to contain himself. “If she wanted to settle down and play house with you she’d have told you long before this. She’s not that type and she’s already got the life she wants. If the kid does have your DNA, you were just the sperm donor.”
Jed looked up sharply, eyes wide with betrayal. He’d thought of all people, Tom might understand. “I didn’t agree to that. Why’s she the one who’s got all the say? If that’s my kid, I got much right to it as she does!”
Tom did have a little sympathy for the other man’s position and he sighed, some of the fire going out in his expression. “Jed, what would you have me do? She’s the boss of her own people and she’s made her decision. We can’t force her, and instead of offering to go with her you’ve burned any chance of that with your actions in the trailer. The kid might be yours, and it might not. I’m not going to start a war over it.”
Alice couldn’t stand hearing the conversation any further. Her eyes moved to Tom’s face, her jaw tight. Tom caught her expression and nodded slightly. The woman had brought herself into the situation by getting Jed out of the trailer, but did he really need to twist the knife like he was by having her there?
“Go on and get back to whatever you were up to before all this came up, Alice, sorry to drag you into it.”
“I’ll come back inna bit,” Alice replied, looking grateful. She didn’t even look at Jed as she slid out through the door and closed it behind her.
Jed’s stomach twisted. “I told ya this had nothin’ to do with her,” he snapped, sitting down hard. He felt his hands shaking and ran them into his hair. “I don’t know what t’do no more.”
Tom ignored the comment about Alice and moved to lean against the wall, not feeling like sitting. “First off admit you fucked up, I’ve found that’s generally a good first step.”
The veteran sighed and looked over at the younger man with a mix of disappointment and annoyance. “Look Jed, I’m not going to pretend I have all the answers and I’m not going to pretend I’m not pissed off at you at the moment. Evie made her choice, and so did you six months earlier. You could have tried to form a deeper relationship with her, even left with her and her ‘tribe’, but you didn’t. Trying to change things now is like trying to stop the sunrise.”
“This ain’t about me and her. I don’t wanna be with her,” Jed mumbled at his knees. “But if it’s my kid... I can’t juss let her do whatever she wants with him. We don’t know what they’re like.”
“‘What they’re like’?” Tom parroted, eyebrows raised. “Hell Jed, they’re a bunch of post-apocalyptic gypsies. I haven’t seen any evidence that they plan to sacrifice the kid in a blood ritual or something so I assume Evie’s going to raise him or her as she sees fit. What does it matter to you if it does turn out to be yours? You never gave any hint about wanting to be a father before this.”
“I don’t. I mean, I got Jack, but I never...” He ran his hands through his hair again. Maybe Tom was right. He just shouldn’t be bothered, but he was. Jed was just having trouble putting into words why. “If I ain’t there... If it’s my kid, then I’m responsible for what happens to him.”
“Jed,” Tom pushed off the wall and walked over to the younger man, putting a hand on his shoulder. “I’m not saying wanting to do the right thing by your child is wrong. I’m saying it’s a moot point: Evie wasn’t interested in you being there before and she sure as hell isn’t now. Short of us starting a pitched battle with her tribe to take her prisoner and keep her here till she gives birth there isn’t much we can do about it. I’m not prepared to do that, and I’m also not prepared to throw away the relationship we’re building with these people.”
Jed clenched his jaw. That was the problem. Didn’t matter what he did, he wasn’t getting things his way. He wanted to be with Alice, she left him. He wanted Jack to stay safe, she ran off whenever she liked. He wanted to even see if he had a kid, and now that was all fucked. Letting out a long breath, he finally said, “Alright. I’ll juss keep to myself. Won’t bother ‘em.”
“Give it time, Jed.” Tom counseled after a moment’s thought. “If it does turn out to be your child you’ll get a chance to know them eventually. Evie’s people will be through here regularly, maybe you can repair the damage once there’s some distance from the event. An apology wouldn’t hurt things after she’s had time to cool down.”
“Yeah, I got it,” Jed said, resignation in his voice. He got to his feet; there wasn’t anything left he could do and wasn’t like Tom could make it any better. He just wanted to leave. Except. He looked Tom in the eye. “I didn’t touch her. I promise.”
Tom stared him in the eye for a moment, then nodded. “All right, fair enough.” Maybe the Texan was learning something after all.
**
He’d given himself (and truth be known, Evie) time to calm down before making the trek to Evie’s trailer. Instead the veteran had taken Rollo out into the back pasture and tossed the Frisbee around for a half hour or so, just to decompress and think about what he’d say to the woman.
Eventually though he found himself walking up to the trailer, a happy Rollo at his heels.
The fact that the woman had a guard posted outside her door didn’t go unnoticed as he approached, and Tom nodded at Noah as he arrived. “Is Herself available? I’d like to touch base.”
Noah cracked a small smile at the honorific, clearly pleased and amused, before giving a little nod. “Gimme a sec to see if she’s up,” he said calmly, pulling away from the door and slipping his body partway through it as he called into the space.
“Tom’s here,” he heard the younger man say. There was a brief pause before he pulled back out and held the door open for the veteran.
“Rollo, stay.” The lab-mix whined a little at not getting to investigate the new vehicle, but obediently sat down by Noah’s side as Tom stepped into the trailer. He spotted the young woman on her bed and cracked a small smile. “This looks familiar. Feeling better?”
“Much,” she admitted. Evie was in what could only be described as a nest of pillows and blankets, curled up on her side with a book and a small container that undoubtedly contained food. “Forgive me if I don’t stand up.”
“You’re not the first pregnant woman I’ve dealt with,” Tom waved the apology aside and sat down on one of the bucket seats nearby.
“I wanted to come by to let you know I’ve made things perfectly clear to Jed, and he understands the gravity of his actions.”
Evie nodded in approval, though her face remained solemn. “Thank you. I appreciate that.”
“He won’t be coming into your camp by himself again, or without prior approval for that matter.” Tom paused, not sure what else to say for a moment. “I won’t allow one man to screw up the relations between our two groups. That said, if you decided for some reason that you or some of your people wanted to give up the travelling lifestyle, you’re welcome here.”
At his words, Evie finally smiled. It was small and a little sad, but it was also sincere. “Thank you,” she repeated. “I’ll be sure to pass the word along to everyone. We’re all very close, so I don’t know how well I’d take it if anyone left, but I’m not about to force anyone to stay.” She paused a beat, studying his face before adding, “The invitation goes both ways, y’know.”
“I’d be lying if I didn’t say I’m sorely tempted.” Tom admitted quietly, shrugging his shoulders a bit. “Wintering down in Mexico sounds better to these old bones than up here in the northwest, but I’m needed here. My people need someone who can keep everyone focused on the same goal and manage the various personalities, and for better or worse that seems to be me.”
Evie nodded in sympathy, then chuckled. “You’re preaching to the choir there,” she said, the sadness gone from her smile before it disappeared altogether. Her expression turned thoughtful. “I want you to know that we’ll be very careful coming and going around here. I did know about the breeder camps, but I didn’t think there was one close by. How close is it, do you know? I want to be sure when we’re planning out our exit route where to avoid.”
Tom’s eyebrows shot up. “There are more of them?” He demanded, almost angrily. The heat wasn’t directed at her, per se, but the idea that more of those places out there. It offended the soldier in him on a very basic level: he’d sworn an oath to defend the constitution many years ago, but what that had really meant to him was to defend the country and its people.
The idea that Americans could to that to other Americans...it turned his stomach. “If I had a squad of Rangers, let alone a platoon or company, those people would never harm another soul.”
Evie’s brows knit together and she sighed, running a hand through her hair. “Maybe I should tell you a bit what I’ve seen out there in the world, since you seem a bit in the dark.” Her lips quirked slightly. “You might understand why I’m not so quick to stick my roots in the ground.”
Tom sighed and deflated a bit. “I’ll have to deal with this bunch eventually, they’re too close for comfort, but right now I don’t have the manpower to spare. According to Greg, they’re just north of Eugene.” A thought occurred to him and he leaned forward. “I wouldn’t recommend going near them, but on the other hand I would dearly love to get some intelligence on what’s going on up there.” Numbers of armed men and what sort of training they’d had, for example.
The expectant mother shook her head abruptly, her frown lengthening. “No offense to you and yours, but I’m not putting my tribe in danger. Those people are monsters, and they’re not the type to miscount their numbers should another face suddenly show up among them.”
Tom put his hands up in surrender. “I wasn’t suggesting that you spy covertly, Evie. But I agree with you that your people come first, especially in times like these. What I will ask though is that you keep an ear to the ground so to speak, and keep me informed on what’s going on out there when you pass through.”
The group up north would definitely have to be dealt with before they decided to deal with his people, he just wasn’t sure he would have the manpower or time needed to do it.
“You want my advice?” she said, brows arching just a little. “Keep going unnoticed. And stay off the main roads. They go hunting for people. Men, women, doesn’t matter what you are or how old to the breeder trappers. They’re almost as bad as the laborers, but they get inside your head and make you like them. It took me weeks to get Nevaeh to open up to me.”
“Our Abigail and her brother both were rescued from those people by Greg. They don’t talk much about it, for obvious reasons, and Abby took months to warm up to any of the men aside from those two.” Tom confided. “I’m not going to allow them to stay up there and get stronger forever, it’s too dangerous, but it’ll probably be another year before I can realistically have things secure enough here to go try and deal with them.”
He was aware though that Fortune might not give him that year, and given Evie’s expression she seemed to share the understanding.
“Since I started traveling,” Evie said slowly, “I’ve come across a lot of horrible people. I’m sure you’re aware of the sand pirates on the outskirts of the desert, since you guys came out from Vegas.” Her frown deepened. “There’s slave laborers, too, like I said before. And the breeders. I’ve seen two types with the breeders: the Revelationist Movement, and another group of sick bastards who are just out to have harems. I don’t know which is worse; being brainwashed into believing that you’re God’s Chosen People and it’s your job to repopulate the world, or just straight-up gang rape.” A small shiver passed through her, but she forced herself to keep going.
“I’ve got contacts with a few small communities now, and there’s good ones out there yet that I still haven’t found, but every so often we’ll run into very militant-run areas. I don’t know if it’s actual military or just raging paranoia, because I don’t let us get close. We were traveling through Colorado on our way to Vegas and got stopped by a roadblock through Rock Springs. They refused to let us even use the road; we had a three-day detour. It’s a crazy world we’re living in. And honestly?” her lips twisted into a wry smile. “I would rather run than let any of them find us. We’ll keep running until the ground falls out beneath us.”
“I can respect that choice, but it isn’t something I can do.” Tom told her honestly. “Not unless I have no other choice. If we’re going to rebuild this world eventually, then someone has to try and start someplace--”
“And all the power to you for that,” she interjected.
“--and if that means standing and fighting instead of running away, so be it. Between myself and Greg we can teach how to fight 21st century style or,” his lips twisted in a wry grin, “we can teach how to fight like it’s Nine ninety nine.”
Evie clapped her hand over the sudden and loud laugh at his joke, her eyes crinkling in the corners. After a few seconds she finally nodded, good humor still lingering in her muted features.
“Thanks again,” she said, “for coming to talk to me about this. I feel better knowing he’ll back off.” The humor in her eyes left. “I had a moment there where I felt like he was gonna grab me, and I really didn’t want to have to shoot him.”
“Jed and I had a talk once before about proper interactions with women, I don’t think he would have done anything more than he did.” Tom assured her, though privately he did wonder. “I was rather blunt with him earlier today about what it would take to keep you here against your will, and how I wasn’t prepared to pay that price. He’s not a bad man, Evie.”
“I’ll take your word for it,” she replied. A frown played on her face, but she didn’t say anything more.
Tom nodded and rose to his feet. “I’ll let you get back to your rest, thanks for the conversation.”
“See you,” she said, raising her hand in a little wave before returning to her prior activities.