Zack and Kirk walked among the masses of men and women dressed in their finest Army surplus wear. The large outdoor flea market venue was lined with rows of vendors and tables containing all sorts of Army surplus. Zack and Kirk blended in with the crowd almost a little too well. Kirk dug into his bag of peanuts while Zack enjoyed a large, vanilla ice cream cone with colorful sprinkles.
“Honestly,” Zack announced in all seriousness while licking the ice cream. “I could live here.”
Kirk watched an attractive, large busted, blonde woman walk past. The young woman was dressed in an army green tank top without a bra and camouflage fatigues crudely cut-off into short-shorts. Her sexy attire was completed with a pair of black, lace-up combat boots. The only thing the young woman was missing was a rifle slung over her shoulder. Kirk nearly gave himself whiplash, unable to take his eyes off her. As she passed, the sexy woman seemed to be checking out Kirk as well, which wasn’t surprising. Physically, Kirk was quite the specimen of manliness and gained more than his share of female attention. He grinned back at the woman.
“I wish we had a little more time to explore,” Kirk announced and checked out the woman’s backside.
The woman turned her head, looked back at him as well, and then smiled and winked. Kirk groaned and tossed his peanuts at Zack. Despite the quick action, Zack was able to catch the bag with little effort.
“The hell with it,” Kirk announced without taking his eyes off the woman. “We have a few minutes.” He just about tossed the weapon’s bag at Zack and then hurried after the woman.
Zack shook his head in disgrace while slinging the bag over his shoulder. “He’s so easily distracted,” he muttered aloud. Zack suddenly stopped in his tracks and stared several yards ahead of him, lust in his eyes, at the massive Apache Attack Helicopter on display. “Oh, I think I’m in love.”
Zack handed Kirk’s bag of peanuts to a passing kid then continued toward the vision of beauty before him. The Boeing Apache Attack Helicopter was a menacing marvel with a twin-engine and enough firepower to be its own war machine. Weighing over twenty thousand pounds, it had seating for a crew of two. A pilot and co-pilot gunner. The Apache had sixteen Hellfire missiles, seventy-six Hydra 70 rockets, and over a thousand chain gun rounds. Zack tossed his ice cream cone into the nearby garbage receptacle then made his way closer to the massive, flying marvel. He lovingly caressed the Hellfire missiles launcher and groaned his approval.
“We prefer that you don’t touch anything,” a man announced from nearby.
Zack turned and saw an older man dressed in Army issued combat fatigues standing a few feet from him. The man in his late fifties had gray hair in an Army buzz cut and a meticulously clean-shaven face. He was built like a tank with a steely gaze in his eyes that screamed the ‘real deal’.
The man’s expression suddenly dropped. “Zack?” the older man gasped, unable to take his eyes off Zack. “But you’re supposed to be--” The man suddenly grinned. “Well, how about that!”
“Gunny,” Zack announced and laughed.
The men exchanged a manly hug. The man called “Gunny” pulled away, held his hands up in the air, and laughed. “I’m smart enough to know I shouldn’t even ask,” he remarked. “Even though I should be shocked that you’re alive, I’m not.”
Zack eyed the authenticity of the man’s fatigues then noted his rank insignia. “Are you still in?” he asked, then indicated the colonel insignia. “Or did you steal someone else’s valor?”
“Well, Zack,” Gunny announced and indicated the helicopter. “They don’t let civilians just take these bad boys out on day trips.” He then laughed while maintaining his smile. “Truth is, every time I thought about leaving, they promoted me.” He sighed. “The wife got used to the lifestyle, so I guess now I’m in for life.”
Zack chuckled. “Do they still call you Gunny?”
“Only the old guys,” he teased.
Zack’s smile faded to a sneer. “Not funny.”
“Jesus,” Gunny announced and shook his head. “I haven’t seen you since, well, since you died. You look good for a dead man. Still jumping from moving helicopters?”
“I guess the last time would have been two, maybe three days ago,” Zack replied.
Gunny stared at him with a slightly surprised look, then laughed. “I believe you too.” His eyes suddenly narrowed. “Wait a minute. You wouldn’t happen to have anything to do with those nearby explosions earlier today.” Gunny suddenly held his hand up and shook his head. “Don’t answer that. I don’t want to know.”
“I wouldn’t have answered anyway,” Zack teased. “Plausible deniability.”
“What brings you to this out-of-the-way town?” Gunny then asked.
“The usual,” Zack replied. “Avoiding the men who are trying to kill me.”
“That would have been my first or second guess,” Gunny teased. He then nodded at the helicopter. “Want to check her out?”
“I thought you’d never ask,” Zack remarked.
§
Several men stood around the green, 1953 Dodge, hard body MASH ambulance. They appeared to be admiring the vintage medical ambulance with the giant Red Cross contained in a white square on the side. A man in his late forties wearing green combat fatigues approached his MASH ambulance while balancing his lunch and several drinks in a holder. He noticed the collection of men standing around the ambulance and staring at it.
“Go inside and check her out,” the owner announced and nodded proudly at the ambulance. “It’s for sale.”
“It’s locked,” one man informed him.
The owner appeared bewildered. “Locked?” he remarked. “It shouldn’t be locked. Let me find the keys.”
“I think there’s someone inside,” a second man announced with a strange grin on his face.
The owner now appeared bewildered and approached the ambulance. It started rocking harshly, and the faint sounds of a woman’s screams of ecstasy could clearly be heard. The rocking turned into a heavy thumping, which met the woman’s screams, now clearly heard by all. Judging by the grins on the men’s faces, it was quite possibly the reason they had collected in the first place. There was a loud male groan, and the ambulance became still. The owner remained frozen in place without taking his eyes off the vehicle. The back door finally opened, and the attractive, young woman in the green tank top exited from the back. She smiled at the vehicle owner.
“Hey, Dad,” she announced without care.
Kirk then appeared from the back of the ambulance, gave the woman a knowing smile, and headed on his way. The young woman’s father watched Kirk walk away then looked back at his daughter with his mouth hanging open. Kirk headed for the first food stand he found and approached the counter.
“I’ll have a hamburger, two hot dogs, and an order of fries,” he announced to the man in the food truck.
Zack approached Kirk while he waited for his food. “I found us a ride,” Zack announced, his weapons’ bag conspicuously missing. “I ran into an old military friend.”
“Anyone I know?” Kirk asked and accepted his food order.
Zack eyed the pile of food Kirk attempted to juggle, then met his teammate’s gaze. “Before your time,” he replied. “We need to meet him in twenty minutes.”
“Good,” Kirk announced with a devious smirk. “Enough time for me to eat.”
“I guess someone got laid,” Zack muttered with little emotion.
Kirk grinned, amused, and raised his brows suggestively in response. “I never kiss and tell.”
“That would be a first,” Zack muttered, then indicated for him to keep walking. “Eat while we walk. I don’t want to miss our ride.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Kirk groaned and shoved half the hot dog into his mouth as they headed through the exhibits and flea market stands. Kirk finished his second hot dog and was about to start on his hamburger when his curiosity got the better of him. “So who’s this old friend anyway?” he asked with a mouthful of food, then lo
oked alongside him.
Zack had disappeared without warning. Kirk became alert but refrained from drawing attention to himself by looking around. Zack’s stealthy departures usually only meant one thing. Without hesitation, Kirk casually approached a nearby garbage can and dropped his untouched hamburger and fries into the trash. While remaining in front of the trashcan, he wiped his hands on his napkin. He could feel the presence of a man moving behind him.
“Surprise, mother--” Nolte began.
Kirk rammed his elbow backward into Nolte’s gut, then spun and swiftly disarmed him before anyone even saw the weapon. Nolte was taken by surprise by the fast, hard strike and disarm. Kirk grabbed the man by his jacket, pulled him closer, and rammed his knee into his groin, all without any bystanders witnessing the action. Nolte groaned loudly and just about doubled over, but Kirk held onto him, keeping him upright. Kirk smiled and laughed while patting Nolte’s shoulder as he met a few stray gazes from those in the crowd.
“I told you not to drink so much,” Kirk announced, then turned Nolte away from the crowd while holding him up. While turned away, Kirk gave him a quick, fast throat punch. Nolte began to sink. Kirk continued to laugh. “I think you’d better sit down before you fall down.”
Kirk just about dragged Nolte to a nearby stand and lowered him to the ground, where he writhed in agony, attempting to catch his breath. Kirk straightened and scanned the crowded area full of attendees and vendors.
“He’s just going to sleep it off,” Kirk announced cheerfully to one man who seemed to be taking an interest in the situation.
Kirk then looked beyond the crowd, attempting to locate his missing counterpart. Zack casually made his way through the masses of people toward Kirk. Slade was seen sitting on the ground, his back against a tree. He was almost certainly unconscious, although there was the off-chance Zack had killed him. It could really go either way with Zack. Zack was almost to Kirk when he saw a man plowing his way through the crowd toward them. Carter had his eyes locked on Zack and touched his ear, which was obviously concealing a hidden transmitter. Zack and Kirk noticed the action and immediately looked around for the man’s backup. They saw Carter’s two large friends making their way through the crowd toward them. Although they hadn’t personally met any of the three men, they knew they had been identified when they took down Slade and Nolte. Kirk and Zack attempted to disappear into the crowd, but the three men continued their pursuit. They needed to lose their tails before meeting with Gunny if they wanted to make a clean getaway.
Zack and Kirk knew the men following them were just as hobbled by the crowd. There were too many witnesses. That a good portion of those witnesses were former military or gun enthusiasts was enough to keep their little game of cloak-and-dagger away from prying eyes. Anyone in the crowd could insert themselves into the situation and make matters worse. Even the three mercenaries chasing Zack and Kirk didn’t want to draw too much attention to themselves. Carter, Bart, and Detrick were pretty well spread out in order to watch as much of the area as possible. They exchanged looks to one another across the crowd. Zack and Kirk appeared to have vanished.
Carter touched his hidden ear transmitter. “They’re around here somewhere,” he announced. “They couldn’t have gotten far.”
From their strategic positions around the mildly crowded square, the three men scanned the area. Bart saw Zack standing before one of the blue, plastic rental toilets. Zack was looking around, making sure he wasn’t being followed, and then darted into the port-o-potty.
“Found one,” Bart announced to his teammates through his hidden transmitter. “He just ducked into one of the rental toilets.”
“Secure him in there,” Carter announced over his transmitter. “We’ll meet you there.”
Bart made his way through the crowd and reached the line of portable toilets. Instead of waiting for his teammates, he held a knife carefully hidden against his arm and gave the door a firm yank, opening it. The portable toilet was empty. Bart looked up and saw Zack’s booted feet disappearing through the topside vent. Bart lunged inside the port-o-potty and attempted to grab Zack’s foot when the door suddenly slammed behind him. Bart spun for the door and attempted to bust it open. Just outside the toilet, Kirk pulled the zip tie tight over the padlock latches and walked away. Within the toilet, Bart kicked the door, doing some damage and possibly drawing a crowd.
“You son-of-a-bitch!”
Something small clattered within the vent shaft and hit the water with a small splash. Bart eyed the open toilet seat and took a step closer. Just outside the row of portable toilets, Carter and Detrick hurried to the bathroom area and looked around for Bart. They noticed one of the toilets had been zip-tied shut. There was a soft rumble followed by a loud, male scream. Carter removed his knife and cut the zip tie holding the door closed as a crowd began to gather. Bart threw the door open but didn’t move from the opening. The large man was drenched in blue liquid and covered in human feces. The look on his blue face was a mixture of horror and rage. Carter and Detrick got one whiff of the man and stepped back while attempting to keep from gagging.
“What the hell--?” Carter cried out.
Detrick had a difficult time holding back his snicker. “Cherry bomb down the vent shaft,” he remarked while hiding his grin. “I did that to a friend when I was in high school.”
Bart sneered at Detrick, revealing teeth with a slight blue tinge. Carter cringed, realizing Bart must have had his mouth open during the small explosion.
§
Zack and Kirk approached a roped off clearing where a large crowd had abruptly gathered. As they headed into the group of people, Kirk looked around.
“We’re heading in the wrong direction for the parking lot,” Kirk announced.
“Our ride is this way,” Zack insisted and led the way.
Kirk hurried after Zack without further question. Zack moved beneath the roped off area and into the clearing with Kirk on his heels. Kirk suddenly stopped when he saw the Apache Attack Helicopter preparing for take-off, which was what had caused the crowd to collect.
Gunny approached Zack and raised his brows. “You’re late,” he announced.
“Ran into some old friends,” Zack informed him.
“Some things never change, huh? In that case, you’d better get aboard,” Gunny insisted. “I already stowed your gear.”
Kirk stared at the helicopter then eyed Zack and Gunny. “That thing only seats two.”
“Yeah,” Zack announced, then grimaced. “One of us will have to sit on the other’s lap.”
Kirk snorted a laugh. “We know who’s sitting on who, runt,” he remarked.
Zack indicated the back seat of the helicopter. “Just get in,” he snarled.
Once Gunny and Kirk were seated and belted in, Zack jumped into the back, took his place on Kirk’s lap, and shut the door. Zack reached in front of him, slapped Gunny on the shoulder, and then twirled his finger in the air. As the helicopter lifted off, the crowd cheered. Bart, Carter, and Detrick arrived on the scene and looked around the cheering crowd. They didn’t see any signs of Zack or Kirk. None of the men bothered looking at the helicopter as it lifted off. Carter nudged the men above the loud noise and indicated the area to the right. All three hurried away. Zack stared out the side window and grinned as the men scurried around, looking everywhere for them but up.
“What’s the plan?” Kirk shouted to Zack situated on his lap.
“Gunny’s going to drop us off at his house,” Zack informed him. “He has an old car he’s going to let us use.”
Kirk gave a thumb’s up sign, signaling that he understood. Zack saw the gunner's handstick in front of him and lovingly placed his hand on the machine gun control. Kirk smacked his hand.
Chapter 31
It was getting close to dark as Jackie paced the area outside the visitor’s center. The area surrounding the visitor’s center had a certain eeriness about it even during the day. Now that it was starting to get dark, the cree
p factor was rising fast. Jackie frowned while looking at her watch several times. Zack, Kirk, and Bogart were still among the missing, and she was starting to worry. She was almost certain Zack and Kirk were okay, but it was Bogart that had her concerned. What if Bogart trusted Nevada and she betrayed him? None of them knew the bounty hunter very well; admittedly, neither did Zack. The woman lacked empathy and would roll any of them over for a buck. Jackie hated that she was so distrusting of the woman, but with Bogart still being gone and so many hours between the time Nevada said she left him, it had her concerned that something had happened to him. She heard movement near the main entrance to the sanctuary and swiftly plucked her binoculars that had been hanging around her neck.
Through the binoculars, Jackie saw Zack and Kirk heading through the large entrance. Both seemed fine physically. Jackie was relieved that both were okay. Now, she just needed Bogart to join them. She was tempted to call Othello herself and ask if he’d heard from anyone regarding her brother. Othello would be their middleman in all of this, and everyone knew to rely on him. His equipment was near hack-proof. As the men approached the visitor’s center, they smiled when they saw her.
“Awe,” Kirk announced while grinning. “The little missus waited up for us.”
“Everyone else report?” Zack asked.
“Just waiting on Bogart,” she replied and attempted to hide her concern.
“Idiot probably got lost,” Kirk scoffed under his breath. “I’m starving.” He then indicated the visitor’s center. “Is this operations?”
“No, that’s the cover,” Jackie replied, then nodded toward the back. “There’s another building in the back. It’s quite cozy. I believe they saved dinner for you two.”
Without a word, Kirk continued past and headed around back. Zack remained out front with Jackie as Kirk disappeared. He then raised a brow while eyeing her.
“You okay?” he asked.
She frowned and shrugged. “Just a little worried about Bogart,” Jackie replied and nervously rubbed her hands along her cold shoulders.
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