Omega: the Sequel

Chapter Two

            A noise from behind caused us both to get to our knees and look in that direction, to see Clark Davis, another agent with us, coming towards us. “I’m here to relieve you two,” he said, dropping to his heels beside us and throwing his bag down. Janice began to pack up her things with a look of relief on her face, but I frowned at the agent.

            “Only you?”

            He shrugged, not meeting my eyes. “That’s what Wulf says, and who can argue when he’s pack leader?”

            Scowling to myself, I hoisted my bag over my shoulder and began to move away from the hilltop in a crawl. Once I had made it over the crest, I rose to my feet, slipping and sliding on the muddy grass as I walked down the hill towards the pitched tents that was our camp. Janice came behind me, grabbing my arm as I nearly face-planted into a mud pool at the bottom. I nodded my thanks, brushing her hand off as I strode towards a dark green tent to the right.

            Wulf was standing in front of it, speaking with an irritated expression on his face to a slim, golden-haired agent. Given how wide Georgia Madden’s eyes were, I would probably have been quite annoyed myself. As it was, I didn’t need any seduction from the female agent to get my temper rising as I stomped my way through the rain and mud and grass towards the “pack leader.”

            “And that’s final,” he was saying to Georgia, who put her red lips into a pout that would have made any other man change his mind faster than lightning. Wulf, however, merely sent her an impatient look before turning to look at me. His face then took on that world-weary expression that I had become quite accustomed to seeing over the past few weeks. It practically screamed you’re wasting my time, kid.

            “What is it now?” he said in a bad-tempered voice before I even spoke. “You lot are like a bunch of children, squabbling about what he said and she said.”

            “I’m here to complain about something someone said,” I agreed, stopping in front of him and putting on my most aggravated look, which wasn’t hard. “The guy who was relieving Janice and I – there was only one of them, yes. So even after all this you still don’t trust me enough to let me have freaking guard duty by myself?”

            “Listen to him.” Wulf’s voice was amused. “Can’t even say a swear word.”

            I glowered at him, several coming to mind, but Janice laid a hand on Wulf’s arm, giving him a warning look. “Hans, be nice to him.” Her voice was low, and even though I knew she was on my side, it still sounded pretty patronizing. “He’s been through just as much as you have, okay? Maybe you should trust him.”

            “I agree,” Georgia Madden put in staunchly. “He’s a good boy, aren’t you, Joshie?” Her eyelashes fluttered as her lips parted in a smile that had definitely earned her the highest markings in seduction.

            I grimaced. “Just ‘Josh’ is good, thanks.”