Free Defiance: A House Divided (The Defending Home Series Book 2) by William H. Weber Page B

the car, wondering where this was going. They had called Brooke by name and Sandy caught the faint air of recognition on the girl’s face.
    They raised their hands to show they weren’t armed, although Sandy could see they were carrying pistols in leg holsters and rifles slung across their backs.
    “Looks like they wanna talk,” Sandy said, still wary.
    Brooke’s window was already down and she called out to them. “First put your weapons on the ground.”
    They looked at each other before complying.
    “Don’t you remember me?” the young man on the right asked. He had dirty blond hair and a tall, lean build. He looked like someone more at home on a surfboard than in the Arizona desert.
    “Caleb?” Brooke said, uncertain. “He was a friend from high school who moved to Utah right before the eleventh grade,” she told Sandy. Her gaze returned to her old acquaintance. “You still have your dimples.”
    He and his friend began to head over when Sandy ordered them to stay where they were.
    “We’re not the bad guys,” Caleb assured them.
    “I hope you’ll understand if we decide for ourselves,” Sandy replied.
    Caleb nodded and introduced his friend. “This is Parker, but everyone calls him Parks.”
    “What were you doing inside that house?” Brooke asked, getting out of the truck before Sandy could stop her. Sandy then did the same, her hand ready to grab her pistol in case things turned ugly.
    Caleb held a hand up to block the sun. “Same thing you were doing in that barn, I suppose. Looking for supplies or anything else of value.”
    “I didn’t know you were in town.”
    “We moved back about a year ago,” he explained. “Decided to stay with my parents while I saved up for school. Guess it was the right decision. I hear things are really bad in Tucson right now.”
    “You staying at your parents’ place?”
    Caleb shook his head. “They passed when the virus showed up. Might have been some of the first to go. Made me wonder why not me. Why I was spared.”
    “We could use an extra pair of hands around our place,” Brooke said. “Maybe two if Parks is interested.”
    “At Fortress Hardy?” Caleb said, grinning. “Don’t look so surprised. We know all about what you and your father have done. More than a few people in town think your dad’s a hero. Maybe because to others, he’s a villain.”
    “Fortress Hardy,” Sandy said, amused. “Guess it makes sense. But who’s the ‘we’ you were talking about? Are you part of a larger group?”
    “We are,” Caleb told her. “There are close to thirty of us, with new members joining every day or so.”
    Brooke’s face squished up. “New members?”
    Caleb straightened his shoulders. “We’re part of a resistance movement, Brooke,” he said. “Our leader, Nobel, decided to rise up when Sheriff Gaines’ men started stealing people’s properties. Now with the cartel in charge of Encendido, I expect our numbers will start to grow. Our symbol is the letter V surrounded by a circle. It represents victory through unity.”
    Sandy recalled the spray-painted image on Dale’s pumphouse. “We’ve seen some of your artwork,” she said. “You two might have been shot for sneaking onto our land.”
    Caleb shook his head. “That wasn’t us.”
    “Maybe not, but no one back at what you’re calling Fortress Hardy appreciated you trying to lay claim to our water supply.”
    “That wasn’t why they left it,” Parks said, his voice that of a boy in his late teens. “It was meant to tell you one of our agents was reaching out. Consider it a calling card.”
    “Something tells me we aren’t meeting by chance,” Sandy said. “Is that what this was meant to be? The follow-up?”
    Caleb nodded. “Let’s just say we share the same goals.”
    “Don’t be so sure about that,” Sandy said curtly. “We just want to be left alone.” She saw that Brooke was ready to object, but a subtle squeeze to the arm was enough to silence her. Caleb