Witness Protection 9: S.N.A.F.U.

by Holly Copella

  “Those boys don’t go down without a fight,” Zack gasped while again spitting out the foul water, then looked toward the murky pond. “I lost my weapon.”

  “You’re not going in there after it,” Jackie snarled.

  “That’s my Honey Badger PDW,” Zack informed her matter-of-factly. “I like that one.”

  “Too bad,” Jackie huffed while clutching his wet jacket sleeve. “We have to move before that alligator’s very pissed off girlfriend reaches us.”

  They saw someone enter the habitat with eyes on their location. Zack hurried Jackie for the nearby man-made rock formation, which provided shelter for the hippos when the sanctuary was operational. They weren’t a second too soon. A bullet ricocheted off the faux stone near them as they bolted inside the shelter. Jackie and Zack took cover and removed their semiautomatics from their shoulder holsters. Both pulled the slide bolts back to drain any water that may have entered the weapons during their unexpected swim. Jackie tapped her ear transmitter and then frowned. She ripped it from her ear and tossed it aside.

  “I lost communication after our little swim,” Jackie reported. “We can’t get any intel from the others.”

  Zack tapped his ear transmitter as well and shook his head. “Mine’s dead too,” he informed her. “Cheap crap Monroe picked up.”

  “Options?” Jackie asked while looking around their manufactured shelter.

  Zack looked behind them and indicated the rest of the fiberglass cave. “Check for another exit,” he announced. “I’ll cover our asses from here.”

  Jackie nodded, then hurried through the fake cave. Zack looked back out the opening while remaining against the wall near the entrance. He saw one of the three familiar men from the military show. Detrick ran across the hippo habitat and ducked behind a large tree. Zack aimed his semiautomatic at the tree and kept his sights locked on it, waiting for the big man to poke his head out for a clean shot. While focused on the shot he was waiting to take, he was also listening for Jackie. He then heard the sounds of movement close to him. Zack aimed his weapon at the side of the entrance near him. Carter suddenly appeared before him and knocked the gun from his hand. The man seemed a little too arrogant with his stealthy move while simultaneously aiming his weapon at Zack. Zack swiftly struck Carter’s wrist, dislodging the gun from his hand, surprising the man.

  Chapter 50

  Jackie hurried along the shelter, which was more of a large corridor in a semi-circle and able to accommodate several hippos. She heard what sounded like running water and glanced at the cement floor designed to look like ground. There was a sizeable grate against the back wall. Jackie peered through the rusted grate and heard the water a little more clearly. It must have been some sort of sewer drainage system, allowing employees to hose down the shelter when necessary. She continued along the wide, fake tunnel and saw another entrance up ahead. Jackie slowed her approach and aimed her semiautomatic at the opening. She hesitated a moment, then moved alongside the entrance with the gun raised and moved closer to check the corner. Bart suddenly appeared, plowed into her, and slammed her into the opposing wall. Her gun flew from her hand and slid across the floor, stopping alongside the rusted grate. Jackie felt the pain surging through her back while gasping to catch her breath.

  Bart took a step back and raised his assault rifle at the moderately stunned woman. Jackie suddenly lunged forward, grabbed the barrel in her left hand, and pointed it up in the air. As the rifle fired, she released the barrel and punched Bart in the face. He took the hit but was barely fazed. Jackie withheld her surprised gasp and immediately spun into a kick, striking his hand with the weapon. The rifle flew from his hand and slid across the fake ground. Bart sneered at Jackie and threw a punch for her face. She ducked his large fist, successfully allowing it to strike the fiberglass wall. His fist went partway through the wall from the hard hit. In the brief moment he was trapped, Jackie nailed him twice in the side with her knee, accidentally helping him dislodge his fist from the fiberglass. He was quick to swing at her. She again ducked and delivered another kick to his side.

  §

  Zack threw three quick, sharp blows to Carter’s face, successfully knocking him back a step. Zack heard the echoing clatter of a weapon hitting the concrete floor deeper within the fake cave. Carter immediately retaliated and punched Zack in the face. Zack was slightly surprised that he was distracted enough to let Carter land a shot. When Carter smirked and threw another fast fist, Zack deflected the blow, held onto his arm, and kicked Carter in the leg. Carter just about went down to the ground. Zack maintained control over Carter’s arm and gave it a healthy twist, driving Carter the rest of the way to his knee. There was a loud thud echoing from deeper within the shelter. Zack’s attention seemed to stray only a split second, but that was all Carter needed to break free from the hold. Carter thrust his fist upward and nailed Zack in the hip rather than the intended groin shot. Zack was forced to release the man.

  Carter swiftly sprang to his feet with a little more arrogance and threw a punch for Zack’s face. Zack ducked the flying fist and sprang back up with a high kick that Carter hadn’t been expecting. His booted foot connected with Carter’s shoulder and knocked him back a step. Zack immediately spun into a roundhouse kick and struck Carter in the chest, throwing him against the wall with some force. Carter appeared slightly dazed and mildly concerned. Zack went for another high kick. Carter managed to duck the kick with only an inch to spare, then leaped to the ground and grabbed his discarded weapon. Zack lunged for his own weapon. As Zack sat up, Carter was already shooting while fleeing. Zack fired a shot at him, but Carter had already ducked behind a nearby tree just outside the shelter. Zack threw himself against the side of the fake cave just in time to avoid the bullet striking the wall.

  §

  Jackie knew she had to take the big man down while she had the advantage. She went for another kick since her fist seemed to do little more than tickle the big man. Bart managed to block her kick to his chest. She went for the return kick, connected with his abdomen, and doubled him over while again planting him against the wall. She always thought Kirk would be a bear to take down, and she realized this was a similar matchup. She seemed to be winning at the moment, but she was wearing herself down as well. She needed to disable him fast before she had nothing left. Why couldn’t he be cooperative and just let her kill him? Jackie moved in for a knee kick to his side, botched the kick, and gave him the opportunity to grab her leg under her knee. He clutched her leg close to his body and attempted to throw her off balance. She was too close to him to use her leg beneath her. Jackie went for a throat punch, knowing it would be one of the few blows that would possibly disable him.

  Bart caught her by the wrist, stopping her punch midair. When the big, intimidating man grinned, Jackie was somewhat panicked. A left-handed blow wasn’t going to do anything to the man. Bart whipped her around, now holding her against his chest from behind, and put her in a stranglehold. Jackie clutched his thick arm while gasping for air. She wasn’t moving that arm, and she could feel herself unable to catch her breath. He could just as easily break her neck, but it was possible he wanted a slower, more satisfying kill. Jackie summoned all her strength, clutched his arm, and threw herself to her knee. Somehow, she managed to heave the large man over her shoulder and bowled him across the shelter. Bart struck the wall, landing on the rusted grate. He was only mildly disoriented and immediately saw the nearby, discarded weapon and scrambled to his knees on top of the grate.

  Jackie panicked at his accessibility to the weapon and her lack of shelter. She saw his discarded rifle a few feet from her. It was her only option. Jackie threw herself into a roll across the concrete floor, snatched the rifle, and popped up into a sitting position while aiming the weapon. To her surprise, Bart was no longer there. Jackie slowly moved to her feet while keeping her weapon aimed and took a step closer to the opening in the habitat shelter. She quickly scanned the area, just in case Bart had managed to get up and take
off, but she didn’t see him. Jackie then saw the opening in the floor that had once contained the rusted grate. She took a step closer to the opening, switched on the scope’s night vision, and aimed the rifle into the drainage sewer.

  The pit was almost eight feet down, with murky brown water in the bottom. Bart pulled himself to his hands and knees within the foul-smelling, sludgy water inside the underground sewage system. Bart looked up and saw her. He moved to his feet, covered from head-to-toe in brown goo, and sneered at her.

  “You bitch,” he cried out in anger. “I’m going to kill you!”

  Jackie smirked and lowered the rifle. “You can try,” she replied, “but you might want to shower first.”

  She turned and headed for the opening that would take her out of the large, faux cave shelter on her quest to find Zack. She kept the rifle aimed and ready for whatever she might find. Jackie paused just before the opening, prepared herself, and spun around the corner with the rifle aimed. A man’s hand grabbed the rifle barrel and slammed it against the side of the faux cave wall. Detrick aimed his semiautomatic at her face. Jackie stared down the barrel of the handgun and didn’t move. He was too close and wouldn’t miss if he pulled the trigger. Jackie released the rifle and kept her hands where he could see them. Detrick stared at her with some surprise and perhaps a bit of confusion. He tossed the rifle aside while keeping the gun trained on her.

  “Who are you?” Detrick asked while maintaining his strange look.

  Jackie’s mind was racing at the question and the way he stared at her. Was it possible he’d seen her before? She didn’t recognize him, but she’d crossed paths with many men, particularly former military, mercenary types, which wasn’t necessarily a good thing.

  “Jackie,” she replied, not wanting to give up too much information.

  Detrick seemed to be struggling to place the name. A strange realization suddenly crossed his face. “Remus?” he just about gasped while staring at her. “Commander Jackson Remus’s daughter?”

  She wasn’t sure she liked her odds enough to answer the question. The wrong answer could mean a fate worse than death. Her father was a respected man, but his position in the military and with the team also brought its share of enemies who’d love to get their hands on his daughter. Silence seemed the best answer, under the circumstances. Detrick seemed conflicted and relaxed his finger on the trigger. He shook his head while seemingly cursing under his breath.

  “You shouldn’t be here,” Detrick informed her. “If Carter finds out who you are--” His eyes suddenly widened. “The men protecting Marco--?” Detrick then tensed as if figuring it all out. “It’s your father’s team.” He kept the gun aimed at her but with less conviction. “Jackson Remus and his team saved my life.”

  “You don’t have to do this,” Jackie informed him, hoping to return a soul to a man without one. “You don’t have to do Vincent’s dirty work. You can walk away.”

  Detrick frowned and shook his head. “It’s too late for that,” he replied, then relaxed and lowered his weapon. He gave a firm nod. “Consider this a free-pass.”

  Jackie knew he could easily kill her and took him up on the ‘free-pass’. She walked past him and the murky pond, confident he wouldn’t shoot her in the back. In the spirit of fair play, Jackie wouldn’t take any cheap shots either, but she knew this man’s fate was sealed the moment he resumed his quest for Marco.

  “Hey,” Detrick announced while turning his back to the pond as she passed him.

  Jackie tensed and looked back at the big man, concerned he’d changed his mind about shooting her. Detrick placed his booted foot on the discarded rifle and slid it across the ground toward her.

  “You’re going to need that,” he insisted and offered a tiny smirk. “You won’t get far without it.”

  Jackie cautiously reached down to pick up the weapon while keeping an eye on the man before her. Just because it seemed as if he was letting her go, that didn’t mean she trusted him. The brownish green-tinged water suddenly erupted behind Detrick. Jackie saw the alligator leap from the water’s edge, grab Detrick’s booted foot, and pull his leg out from under him. He was partially dragged into the murky water. Detrick cried out in horror while frantically grasping at nearby vegetation to keep the creature from pulling him into the water. Jackie instinctively leaped forward and grabbed his wrist. Detrick grabbed onto her while attempting to kick the alligator in the face with his free right foot. The alligator was reluctant to release his left, booted foot, and attempted to drag him into the water.

  “Don’t let go,” Detrick cried out.

  Jackie was practically on her backside while digging her heels into the soft ground just outside the pond. She was losing her footing and was slipping in the wet vegetation. A drenched and dirty Bart stumbled upon the scene, saw what was happening, and grabbed Jackie’s discarded rifle. Detrick saw his comrade and indicated the alligator that he continued to kick with his free foot.

  “Shoot the damned thing, Bart,” Detrick cried out to his man.

  Bart sneered, offering a devious smile, and aimed the rifle at Jackie instead.

  Horror crossed Detrick’s face. “Bart, what are you doing?” Jackie was the only thing keeping the alligator from pulling him into the water with it. “Shoot the alligator!”

  Jackie looked at the man not far from them and saw he had the rifle aimed at her. She barely had time to gasp, let alone rationalize whether or not she should let go of the man. If she let go, she had no hope of escaping the shot out in the open and in her vulnerable position. A shot suddenly rang out. Bart clutched his thigh and stumbled backward partially into the water. Detrick again kicked the alligator with his free foot. The alligator released Detrick and lunged for Bart instead, grabbing onto his injured thigh. Bart cried out in pain and surprise as the alligator attempted to pull him into the water. Jackie flew onto her backside while still clutching Detrick’s wrist and kept him on the embankment. Jackie looked behind her and saw Zack standing nearby with his rifle aimed at the alligator.

  “Shoot it,” Bart cried out in agony and panic while clutching and grasping at vegetation to keep from being pulled into the water.

  Jackie pulled Detrick the rest of the way from the water and safely onto shore. The large man panted and flipped onto his back to watch the unfolding scene. Rather than shoot, Zack lowered the rifle and stared at Bart with no emotion. Bart yelled profanities at Zack as the alligator yanked him into the water.

  Detrick stared at the churning water and sneered. “Dick,” he scoffed in anger. He gasped several times, flexed his foot inside his moderately sliced boot, and then looked back at Jackie. “Thanks. I owe you.”

  “Actually, that kind of makes us even,” Jackie announced with a tiny smile.

  “The other one got away,” Zack informed Jackie, then indicated Detrick with an untrusting nod. “Making new friends?”

  “Well, you know me,” Jackie replied while panting to catch her breath.

  “Are you okay here?” Zack asked her while indicating Detrick.

  “Yeah,” she replied. “Find the other one. I’ll be right behind you.”

  Zack nodded and headed for the habitat entrance not far from the pond. Jackie helped Detrick to his feet, letting him lean on her as they put some distance between them and the murky water. Detrick was limping badly, but his injuries weren’t life-threatening. Jackie needed to get both of them away from the pond in case they had been mistaken about there only being two alligators.

  §

  Zack hurried across the sanctuary in the direction of the visitor’s center and paused by some nearby trees. He scoped-out the cleared area in front of the main building but didn’t see anyone. Once the area seemed secure, he hurried across the clearing for the visitor’s center and paused before the door. As Zack opened the door, Carter suddenly lunged from the entrance with a knife in his hand and tackled him to the ground just outside the building. Carter landed on top of Zack and attempted to plunge the knife into his thr
oat. Zack punched Carter twice in the face, knocking him off him and onto his back. Zack moved to one knee, spun from his crouched position on the ground, and nailed Carter in the chest with the heel of his boot. Carter gasped and wheezed several times while clutching his chest, severely winded from the impact. As Zack sprang to his feet, Carter flailed his arm in an attempt to reach the discarded knife. Zack kicked the knife away from his hand and stared down at the man.

  “For the man giving the orders, I thought you’d be tougher,” Zack remarked.

  Zack heard the sound of a gun cocking and spun around just in time to see another intruder with a semiautomatic aimed at him. The man smirked as his finger tightened on the trigger. A rifle blast suddenly echoed loudly. The man’s head snapped back, taking the shot directly between his eyes, and he fell to the ground. Carter scrambled to his feet, not waiting to see who came to Zack’s aid, and darted inside the visitor’s center. A bullet struck the doorframe where Carter’s head had just been, nearly clipping him as well. Zack spun and saw Sam sitting on her horse less than fifty yards away. She lowered the automatic rifle she’d taken off Marco, smiled at Zack, and then sent her horse into a gallop away from the visitor’s center. Zack snorted a tiny laugh, then turned and approached the visitor’s center. He cautiously entered and looked around, but Carter was gone.

  §

  Vinnie, the knife, Scartelli sat reclined in the chair alongside the fireplace within the lounge with a cigar in one hand and a glass of scotch in the other. He puffed on the cigar, blowing smoke up toward the ceiling. The sound of gunfire seemed to echo throughout Vinnie’s once-quiet lounge, bullets ricocheting off the marble fireplace, and men shouting profanities at one another. Vinnie seemed almost too casual, a tiny smirk on his face as if he’d been listening to a symphony of sorts. Vinnie’s older henchmen, taking cover behind an antique sofa, fired at Vincent’s men, who were just outside the lounge entrance. Sal and Giovanni took cover behind the large, portable bar, resting their backs against it while Giovanni’s goons joined Vinnie’s goons, shooting multiple rounds at Vincent’s men.