Dark Allegiance

Chapter 5

FIVE

Hanson attempted to stare Jackson down. ‘You are not coming with us.’

‘I’m captain here, Hanson. Not you.’

‘Then act like it. You’re in no condition to go up against Councillor Dillon. Hannah said you need to take it easy until your blood levels build up. Not go tearing off and starting a war with another township.’

‘I’m not starting a war with Brimfield. We just need more resources.’ Jackson grimaced. ‘I can’t sit around and do nothing while you and the others put yourselves in danger.’

‘Then go find us some other resources, ones that aren’t guarded by angry humans out for your blood. At this stage, you are the only person Hannah can use to make her vaccine. We can’t afford for you to get caught, or worse.’

‘Hanson is right,’ Justice said, putting a hand on Jackson’s arm. ‘We need you more than we need Hanson.’ She shot him a tight smile. ‘No offence.’

He grinned back. ‘Is all good. I know you love me.’

Justice rolled her eyes and then focused on Jackson once more. ‘Besides, there is something I need to tell you.’ She led him away, and Hanson let his smile go.

As confident as he sounded, he knew that getting in and out of Brimfield in one piece was not going to be easy. He strode over to the ATV Jackson and Carstairs had taken to Harlington and checked the gear his team had prepared for their mission. Stun guns were in one pile, with the medical equipment beside it.

Hanson looked over at Leon, who was ticking items off a list Felice had given him. ‘Which of the medics will be coming with us?’

‘That would be me.’

Hanson spun around and faced Hannah. ‘No way. You are not coming with us. It’s too dangerous.’ He didn’t need to hear Leon’s low whistle to know that delivering an order to the pretty young half-breed was a bad move, but he couldn’t help it.

Hannah put her hands on her hips and glared at him. ‘You do not get to tell me what I can and cannot do, Hanson Forsythe. And if you think I’m going to let anyone else handle my equipment, you’d be wrong. I am going on this mission whether you like it or not.’

‘We’ll see about that.’ He stormed off, searching for Jackson. Maybe he would have more luck convincing Hannah that she was needed here.

After a short search, he found Jackson and Justice standing with the grim-faced commander of the mercenary unit, the Righteous. Mouth twisted into a wry smirk, he scanned the black-clad man, aware he’d formerly been contracted to kill him and Jackson by Councillor Dillon. It had only been luck, an uprising by humans from Harlington, that had forced the councillor to cancel the contract. The Righteous never gave up on a kill order otherwise.

Even though the mercenaries had helped them to defeat General Butcher and the sadistic Major Templeton, Hanson was glad to know that they were about to leave.

‘Are you sure we cannot convince you to stay?’ Jackson asked. ‘We could use your help in Brimfield again.’

Before Hanson could protest that he was more than capable of seeing his small team victorious, Isaac Smith shook his head.

‘I’ve got bills to pay, men to take care of. If I keep taking on jobs pro bono, the Righteous will fold. As it is, the only reason I helped you in the first place was for Justice’s sake.’ He gave a grim smile.

‘And the vaccine,’ Hanson said, crossing his arms in front of his chest as he came to a halt beside Justice. ‘It wasn’t as if you got paid nothing for your trouble.’ A good portion of Hannah’s vaccine had been used to inoculate the mercenaries against the freak virus. That vaccine could have been used on the half-breeds the security guards in Harlington had infected to produce more freaks for their training exercises.

Now that Harlington was barred to them, the remaining portion of vaccine was all they had unless he and his team returned from Brimfield with more blood. A team that was not going to include Hannah.

Jiggling from one foot to the other, he waited for the mercenary commander to say his final goodbyes and head for the gate with the rest of his people before rounding on Jackson.

‘You need to tell Hannah she can’t come with me. She’s too valuable to risk.’

Jackson shook his head. ‘Sorry, Hanson. I wish I could, but she’s as stubborn as you are. She insists on going with you, and nothing I say will change her mind.’

‘You’re the captain. She has to listen to you.’

‘So you’d think, but I’m finding I don’t have as much authority as I would like these days.’ He leaned in and smiled down at Justice.

The smile she gave him in return was so full of emotion, Hanson had to look away.

He cleared his throat, scuffing his feet in the red dirt. ‘What if she gets hurt? What if something goes wrong?’

Jackson clasped him on the shoulder. ‘You’re a good man, Hanson. She’ll be in good hands. I know you won’t let anything happen to her, and neither will Carstairs. He’ll be in charge of the team to get the airship. Once he has that in the air, he can spirit the rest of you out of Brimfield and away from trouble. Just make sure you don’t miss the deadline.’

Hanson grimaced at the mention of the lieutenant from Harlington. He was way too friendly when it came to Hannah. But at least she would be on his team, not Carstairs’. He would only have to put up with him and his overly friendly smiles on the way to and from Brimfield. Maybe he could get Carstairs to drop his team to the ATVs so they could drive back with Barrett.

No, he didn’t need Carstairs’ help to look after Hannah. His team would watch her back. They all knew how important she was. They’d never let anything happen to her.

Resigned to having Hannah as part of his team, despite his misgivings, Hanson strode back to the ATVs that would take both teams to Brimfield, working on a way to make sure Carstairs travelled in the second ATV.