Scavengers {#Wattys2016}

Chapter Twenty Five

The man stared at us silently, "Well, somebody smack me....it's the Warren family....the whole lot of you", he whispered coming around and stepped towards my father. 

They stared silently at one another registering fully the power of the situation. My father couldn't believe it either. It was Captain Kurt Mathews. In other words his army nickname Havoc. The man laughed tears brimming his eyes and he embraced my father. 

"I'll be damned... Alex Warren....Pipsqueak", he said. 

"Pipsqueak?", muttered Sammy. Even I was utterly confused. My father had never mentioned being nicknamed pipsqueak. 

"I thought dad said they called him McFarland?", whispered Anna wanting a clarification.

"That's what he calls me", whispered Sammy right back. 

"Oh....right...", replied Anna. 

"Mrs. Chloe Warren", said the man kissing her on the sides of both cheeks. Cultural greeting. This guy was definitely from a former Spanish family from Spain. 

Then he looked at us three, "Wow, they've gotten big", said the man. 

"Ge-eh, thanks", muttered Anna under her breath so the man couldn't hear. 

"Am I supposed to know who he is?", I whispered to my mother between my teeth. "No, you were all too young to remember", she replied quietly smiling. 

'Well that explains it', I thought in my head shaking hands with this gentlemen. 

Sammy and Anna did the same thing and when the gentlemen got to Jordan he tilted his head, "You guys had a fourth without telling me?", he asked looking at my father confused. 

"No, no, just picked him up", replied my father. 

"Ah! Pleasure to meet you...", "Jordan", answered Jordan shaking his hand once firmly and then let it drop. He wasn't much the social outgoing type so far. Guess not to strangers too. But who could blame him. Everyone is different. 

"General Havoc, we have a situation sir", warned an African American woman glaring at this little interruption. 

I could understand that she didn't like it. I wouldn't exactly either if I were interrupted by a group of shenanigans in a private looking sort of....conference. 

He turned introducing my father, "Ladies and gentlemen this is Alex Warren. He and I served together in the same troop. This here is his lovely family". 

"Pleasure to meet you sir, but General", warned the woman. 

General Havoc glared back and sighed. He smiled squeezing my father's shoulder. "Scout, good work, could you show them to Marry? She'll be more than thrilled to see them. I'll come catch up as soon as I'm done", he added smiling at us sadly. He wanted to catch up and chat with his former leader and commander... but he had this to worry about now. 

"Don't let her ride your ass Havoc", chuckled my father looking at the woman who was glaring at them both.

She felt threatened and that her position would be taken by this old man who had just walked in with loaded guns and a rag tag group of people. She had worked hard to get to this post and she didn't want to lose it. 

"You have no idea" muttered Havoc under his breath smirking. 

I stared at the men and women in the room. There were several of them. I wondered who they were. They definitely looked important. Plus they were all staring at us as if trying to be intimidating or pissed off so I sort of wanted to know who exactly they were. None of them looked to be too happy about this whole situation. 

Scout nodded and motioned for us to follow him again. Jordan stood stock still. He was glaring at two men. Not moving. 

I tapped him. He didn't flinch. "Jordan", I whispered. 

Jordan kept glaring. With nothing else to do I hit him in the butt making him stiffen and Jordan glared at me as I walked out the door. It got him to follow. But heck I was pretty ashamed for doing that.