No one moved.
Hodge weaved through us, looking at each person one at a time. As he stood behind us, he spoke. “Many of you are wearing uniforms. Are you associated with New Eden?”
No one spoke.
Something moved, and somebody cried out. I swallowed back my fear.
“I’ve never heard of New Eden,” Tyler said from several feet to my left.
The leader came walking around and stood in front of Tyler. “If you’re not with New Eden, what base are you with?”
Tyler didn’t answer.
Hodge bent to stare him down, his smooth brown hair covering some of his face, but Tyler stared straight ahead. “Yeah, you’re military, all right.” He looked up and narrowed his eyes at Clutch. “I’d bet quite a few of you are.” He walked over to Deb and held his pistol to her head. She whimpered and tightened her lips. “Since I’m not, I’ll ask one more time. What base are you with.”
“We’re with the Camp Fox National Guard base,” Tyler ground out.
Hodge lifted his pistol. “Never heard of it, but that doesn’t matter. You military folks are all in bed together, so you are going to help me.”
“Please,” Vicki said through shivers. “We’re hungry. At least feed the children.”
The leader looked up. “Tell me boys. How does a beggar earn food around here?”
“Fuck for it or fight for it,” several bandits replied in unison.
A cruel grin curved upward on Hodge’s face as he bent down to get eye-level with Vicki. “So, which is it going to be?”
Her lips tightened, and she didn’t answer.
He stood, nodded to his men, and they walked around and yanked the adult men forward and made them kneel in front of us. I bit back my cry when they pulled Clutch away and made him kneel with the others. I wanted to lunge forward, to grab him and run, but I didn’t move, feeling like a failure.
Soon, every adult man was kneeling in a row before us in the snow. Clutch and I never broke eye contact. I’d never seen him look as pissed off as he did right now. I prayed he didn’t do something stupid and heroic. Hodge walked behind each of them, holding his pistol in his hand. “So tell me, which one of you are in charge of this little group?”
No one spoke.
“I’m not going to ask again.” He nodded to one of his men, who went to stand next to Vicki, holding his pistol against her temple. She closed her eyes, and tears fell down her cheeks. “In three seconds, I’m going to have my colleague here kill this woman.”
He looked across our faces. “One.”
Clutch opened his mouth to speak. My brows furrowed, and I shook my head once. Don’t you dare.
“Two.”
“I’m in charge,” Bryce said hurriedly from next to Tyler.
The leader’s brows rose as though he was genuinely surprised, and he sauntered over to Bryce. “You? Really?”
“You’ve got me. Release my people. They’ve done nothing wrong,” Bryce added. Even though his voice cracked, he put on a good act. I almost believed it myself.
“No, I don’t believe I will.” He raised his sidearm, and clicked off the safety.
“Stop!” Tyler yelled. “I’m Captain Tyler Masden, commanding officer of Camp Fox.”
Hodge smirked. He grabbed Bryce’s hair and yanked his head back to look him in the face. “That was stupid of you. I already knew that asshole was in charge. Everybody knows that whoever speaks up first is a hero, an idiot, or in charge. Usually all three are the same.”
He looked up to his men. “Get them to their feet.”
Tyler, Clutch, and the other fifteen men were pulled to their feet by the eight bandits. I could see in Clutch’s, Tyler’s, and all of the Fox men’s eyes that they wanted to turn and attack. We outnumbered them, but they outgunned us. It would be a massacre.
The leader stood in front of Tyler. “Now I know how far I can push you and how loyal your people are to you. Disappointing on both counts.”