100 Days in Deadland (Deadland Saga, #1)(57)

“You don’t have the authority,” Tyler said. “This man is Army and has been reactivated. He goes to Camp Fox under Lendt’s command.”

I could feel the tension roiling off Clutch, yet he sat there, saying nothing.

“Bah!” Doyle waved a hand through the air. “It’d be a waste for Clutch to join Fox, and he doesn’t want to, anyway.”

Tyler narrowed his eyes. “How would you know?”

Doyle blew him off. “Besides, the National Guard has never been anything but wet nurses. The militia is the people’s real protector. I’ve seen the future, and it ain’t pretty. The only way to protect people is to be hard. That Clutch took out two of my men today proves it all the more. Clutch would be a good fit here.”

“Excuse me? You don’t have the authority.” Tyler came to his feet, and the two soldiers with him stepped closer.

Doyle ignored him. “Really, Clutch, tell me. Do you think you can hold down your farm against the zeds that will be pouring out from every major city with only a kid and a wetback?”

My jaw dropped, and I stood. “Wetback?”

Clutch grabbed my arm, whether to protect me or keep me from going for Doyle’s throat, I didn’t know. He glared. “Watch it, Doyle.”

I put a hand on my hip. “My mother was Puerto Rican, and my dad was Irish. I was born here, just like my parents, and my parents’ parents before them. That makes me as American as anyone in this room, so f*ck off.”

Doyle smirked. “No wonder you’re keeping this one for yourself. She’s feisty. She’d make good bait.”

I went to raise my rifle, but Clutch latched onto my forearm. I tried to rein back my temper, failing miserably.

“Fucking racist,” Griz gritted out from behind me.

I nodded.

“Enough!” Tyler slammed a fist on the table. “This ends now, Doyle. You hear me? No more games. We’re all in this shithole together and need to be working together.”

A door off to our side opened, and I swung my rifle around.

The three women carrying platters entered the room and froze, eyes wide.

Doyle motioned to the women. “Come in, come in.” He sat down as though everything was dandy. “Have a seat. Oh, and Captain, I’ve already sent a plate out to your driver.”

“Thank you.” Tyler eyed the room cautiously as he and the soldiers with him pulled out wood chairs. He waited until Clutch and I took our seats before taking his own chair. I propped my rifle against the table next to Clutch’s, keeping it in easy reach.

As Doyle poured the wine, I realized that all we were missing was Jesus because it sure as hell felt like we’d been brought in for the Last Supper.

Even with the heavy atmosphere, my mouth watered and my stomach growled as the aroma of roasted ham wafted through the air. Clutch hadn’t yet let us butcher a hog or cow, not until we worked the kinks out of the smokehouse. When the older woman set down the tray full of meat, I made a mental note to finish the smokehouse tomorrow.

“It looks delicious. Thank you, my dear,” Doyle said, briefly holding the woman’s hand.

She smiled and kissed his forehead before leaving the room.

On the second platter lay a round loaf of bread and spring greens. “Mm, I missed bread,” I murmured and craved to dig in, but I didn’t trust Doyle. I watched him, and he smirked like he enjoyed having that kind of power over me. He took his time tearing off a chunk of bread and popped it into his mouth. After he swallowed, I pulled off a piece. As I took my first bite, I found Clutch watching me with a hint of a smile.

I savored the first taste of bread in two months. It had a heavy, whole-grain taste, making it easy to eat without any butter. I tore off a piece for him. “I like carbs.”

Before leaving, two of the women bowed to Doyle as though he was a god. There seemed to be a lot of that going on around here. I watched the two Dogs standing behind their leader, not eating. After swallowing, I turned to Doyle. “Why do you make your guys shave their heads?”

“It started as a matter of hygiene,” Doyle said while carving the ham. “It took me less than a week to start up the militia, but within two weeks, three men already had lice. Now, it’s become a badge of honor, and all new minutemen have their heads shaved before their training even begins.”

“But you didn’t shave your hair,” I said.

“No, I didn’t.” He took another bite.

As I chewed, I suspected their shaved heads had little to do with hygiene and everything to do with Doyle’s need for control. Not that I would ever say those words to his face, and I started to believe that Doyle had wanted Clutch to come to him all along.

Doyle handed plates to Tyler, who then passed them along to Griz and Tack.

“You keep this much extra food around?” Tyler asked.

“My men need to keep their strength up,” Doyle replied.

“No wonder why you’re going through rations at over twice the per capita rate at Camp Fox,” Tyler said. “Last week I let it slide because of the survivors you brought in. But, your ration list is even longer this week. Yet, you’ve brought no more survivors to the Camp in four days.”

“Just because we haven’t found any more survivors, doesn’t mean my men aren’t working hard.” Doyle handed a plate to Clutch, who then handed it to me.