SurvivorZ: Grave Harbor

75

DENISE

Denise found herself distracted during the colonel's briefing the next morning. The absence of a couple of faces in the crowd left her regularly checking over her shoulder. It wasn't until she spotted Mike and Eve coming down the road together that she finally allowed herself to relax.

"Everything all right, Sarge?" Martinez inquired next to her, noting the couple's arrival herself.

"Yeah..." Denise eyed the way the pair returned, hand-in-hand. Eve's concern for Mike's welfare last night suddenly made a lot more sense.

She realized Kim was still staring at her. "Yes. Everything's good," she answered with a smile.

Everyone who survived Harvard's final night, military and civilians alike, were now assembled in Lincoln Park to discuss options for their survival. The day was uncommonly warm for November. Denise couldn't say if this was the start of Indian Summer or not, but the heat made a nice change of pace from always freezing their asses off.

She glanced back again as Mike and Eve parted with a kiss before going their separate ways. Eve pushed through the crowd to rejoin Graves and the DiMarcos, while Mike waded through a forest of camouflage, heading in her direction.

Apparently, she wasn't the only one who noticed the affectionate couple. Eve's companions also eyed her closeness with Edwards. While Graves maintained his characteristic stoicism, Denise caught his younger companion glaring daggers at Mike's backside. He reminded her of a lion defending its kill from jackals.

The look disappeared in an instant. When he faced away from Mike, he was all smiles again as he welcomed Eve back into the fold.

Denise had never met Carmine DiMarco. Months would pass before she heard of his chameleon-like ability to mask his dark nature behind a guise of civility. Upon hearing about this particular characteristic, the first thing that caught in her mind was the memory of this precise moment.

Had she known beforehand that Tommy's jealousy would sow the seeds of their undoing, she would have marched over there right now, pulled out her gun, and demanded he start walking and never look back. Ultimately, she didn't. She misjudged the power that dark impulses now held sway over their lives.

Also missing the obvious from her brother's demeanor, Erica DiMarco wasn't lacking in drama herself. She waved and blew a kiss at someone in the crowd. Denise peered over her other shoulder, searching for the subject of her affections. All she found was Robin standing off with her friends, blushing and trying not to make eye contact with the teenager.

Mike appeared, blocking her view of the second party involved in their spring-summer romance. "Hey, sorry I'm late. What did I miss?"

"Not much," Denise replied. "Lieutenant Chu was just giving his report on the state of our supplies and personnel."

"Basically, we're screwed," Martinez added.

"The colonel is speaking next. He's going to present his plans for leaving the city," Denise said. "With Hanscom gone and most of the areas around it picked clean, I suspect we'll be pushing further south."

Mike winced and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Good. Okay."

Denise studied his pained features. "You all right?"

"Yeah. Rough night."

She glanced back at Eve with a raised eyebrow. "Not too rough, I hope."

Mike followed her gaze. He cracked a smile at her meaning. "I know. I'm still feeling guilty over how fast everything turned around. With Barb and Katie gone..."