Red River Blue
Chapter 62
Rosita pounded her fists into the leather punching bag. The hair on the back of her neck was damp with perspiration and there was sweat pooling up between her breasts, soaking through her cotton sports bra. She loved the rush of adrenaline that came with vigorous physical activity. And even if she didn't, she was bound and determined to get herself back in fighting shape after having her son. The weight came off quickly. It was getting her endurance built back up that was the challenge. She was already winded by the time the timer finally rang and she'd only been going hard for about fifteen minutes.
"My turn," Aiden said, casting an appreciative glance at her tight leggings as she switched places with him and prepared to hold the bag in place for him. He was bare from the waist up, his shoulders tinged with pink after spending the first sunny morning of the year outside pulling watch duty. He let his beard grow over the winter. Most men in town didn't bother shaving when it was cold outside. But when he scraped his excess hair off earlier in the week, he left himself with more of a goatee than he usually wore. Combined with the stick and poke tattoo that he left Wren give him on his bicep, he was really looking more like a bad boy than a senator's son. And Rosita let her eyes wander over his body and he went to work on the large leather bag, lingering on the little patch of hair that led down into the waistline of his sweatpants with a smile.
"I have a good idea how we can get our cardio in today," she teased. Aiden chuckled as he pounded his fists into the bag.
"What happened to if you ever get me pregnant again I'll kill you?," he asked, repeating her own sassy threats back to her with another round of low rumbling laughter. They were going to end up with a whole baseball team worth of kids if Rosita kept looking at him like that. Not that he would mind. Being pregnant made her want it even more than usual. And his son made him happy in a way he hadn't been since he lost his brother.
Harley had become like a sister to Aiden over the years. And he loved Monroe, Spencer's fierce and fearless little daughter. But sometimes being with his niece just made Aiden miss his brother more. It was hard not to watch Monroe grow and think of all that his brother was missing out on. Having his own family was all the same joy without the sadness that often weighed it down.
Rosita released her hold on the bag. Skirting around it, she raised her fists and began to shift her weight from one foot to the other like a professional boxer. Aiden laughed. But only a little. He'd sparred with the petite woman enough times to know that her speed more than made up for what she lacked in height and weight. And unlike Harley, Rosita was always switching up her tactics. That made it harder to anticipate her moves.
After a few rounds of sparring, that Aiden enjoyed far more than he thought he ought to, they headed back in from the garage to check on the babies and replenish their fluids. Aiden heard a high pitched giggle and headed for Eugene's office/workshop as he chugged down his second glass of ice water. Stepping inside, he chuckled a little at the large chart the man had drawn on his whiteboard. He was tracking how much the babies weighed, complete with a food chart and copious notes. But at the moment, he appeared to be working on a separate project. Parts of an engine were strewn across the large work bench. Below the table, the babies were circling the man in two wheeled exersaucers that Eugene had designed and built especially for them. Aiden knew that Eugene's odd fascination with their son drove Rosita a little nuts. She was constantly getting after the man, telling him that her son wasn't a science experiment. And while there was no doubt that Eugene was an odd duck, as his mother always liked to say, he wasn't hurting anything. The kids always seemed to enjoy his attention.
"Did anyone radio in yet?," Aiden asked. He was waiting to hear how the training went. And if they were able to clear out the large cruise ship they beached on shore at Oceanside. He would have liked to be there himself. But someone had to stay in town and keep an eye on things. And since he was the only council member with small children, more often than not that person was him. Since the incident last summer when
"Big negative on that," Eugene announced, only glancing up for a moment from his engine project.
"Still working on the biodiesel engine?," he asked.
Eugene nodded. He'd mastered the art of making antibiotics and bullets. And painkillers. He'd enhanced their solar grid twice. Now he was determined to create what he thought was going to be the transportation of the future. This was either biodiesel cars or steam engine trains, depending on the day. Aiden didn't mind riding horses and traveling by wagon. But driving a car again would be like a dream. And having a large flatbed semi to haul things sounded like a wet dream. Like the rest of Eugene's creations, it would just make all their lives that much easier.
The loud buzz of the radio pulled Aiden's attention away from Eugene's latest science project. His son was reaching for him. So he plucked the boy out of his exersaucer and carried him into the next room, settling down behind his mother's old desk.
Come in Alexandria…
This is Harley calling from the Kingdom…
Come in Alexandria…
Aiden smiled as he hit the button to talk back. He would have known it was Harley even if she hadn't announced herself. Not only did he recognize her voice, she was the only person that never said over when she was done talking.
Hey Harley, how did the ghost ship combat training go? over…
Well we're still alive so I'd say it was a success…
Aiden laughed. And before Harley clicked off, he was pretty sure he heard some laughter drifting through the speaker. If he had to wager a guess, he'd say it was Rick. The two of them had become almost inseparable lately. Which always made him laugh because they could never seem to agree on anything except the fact that they liked each other.
That's good. over…
We've got another problem…
Go ahead. over…
My mom and dad found a campsite full of people on our side of the boundary that were all attacked and killed. Some of them were skinned. I think we should go on alert…
Where was it? over…
Aiden hugged his son closer, feeling a slight chill run up his back. The winter was long and quiet. But they all knew this day was coming. Even if Lydia's people didn't cross the line first, they would have gone after them eventually anyway. A threat like that couldn't be tolerated.
In the woods between Oceanside and The Kingdom about a mile inside the line. I want to put everyone on alert…
Aiden heard a scuffle on the other side of the radio transmission. The sound clicked on and off a few times. And for a moment he was worried that they might be under attack. But then he heard Rick's voice come in through the speaker. There was no attack. Harley and Rick were just fighting with each other. Per usual.
Cancel the alert. I don't want to panic everyone over what might turn out to be nothing. over…
Given that River and Merle sounded the alarm, Aiden seriously doubted that it would turn out to be nothing. Neither of them was the type to panic without cause. But he could also see the logic behind not putting everyone on a full red alert lockdown just because they found an old walker skin in the woods.
If we're not going on alert then what do you want me to do until you get back? over…
Just keep your eye peeled and put some extra guards on watch duty. over…
Aiden shrugged, pulling his son's hands back to keep the boy from grabbing the radio equipment. He was about to message back and tell them to stay safe and get their asses home when he heard Rosita screaming in through the open front door. Aiden leaped up, grabbing his gun as he headed for the door. With the whisperers fresh on his mind, he was prepared for some sort of attack. But Instead of pointing towards the gate, Rosita was pointing up towards the sky. He followed her gaze, sucking in a hard breath of air when he saw the giant ball of fire streaking down towards the treeline.