Shrugging, “I don’t care, I’ve had tougher cases of jock itch,” Lance declared and walked off. Ian just chuckled and followed Lance.
Helping Ethan up, Heath grabbed Dennis by the arm and pulled him over like he was a small child. “You two listen up right now or I’m cutting loose on your asses,” Heath grumbled through clenched teeth.
Walking over to the small building beside the shop, Lance stopped and studied it. It was made of cinder blocks and Heath had told him these were the old offices. “They had a cinder block building here and stayed in a fucking trailer?” Lance scoffed.
“Dude, think about it. They stayed in that trailer because they’re scared of this Victor guy,” Ian maintained.
Turning to see the girls walking over, “I want to meet this fucker, just to make him toss my salad,” Lance declared.
“You didn’t hurt your hand, did you?” Lilly asked, stepping up to Lance.
“Baby doll, that’s not the first time I’ve decked someone but no, I didn’t,” Lance replied, digging for his lock picks.
“What in the hell do they have that many golf carts for?” Jennifer asked from the side of the building. The others walked over and saw a long gooseneck trailer with ten very new-looking golf carts.
“I hate golf,” Lance mumbled, following Ian over to the trailer. Climbing up, Ian started unlocking brackets to expose the battery compartment of the first cart.
Opening the compartment, Ian let out a small cry and then gasped. “Holy shit, these are lithium batteries! Forty-eight volt, deep cycle lithium matrix batteries!”
“No way!” Lance cried out, scrambling up on the trailer. “Who in the hell could afford to buy this? Each one of those batteries costs over a grand.”
Climbing up beside Lance, Lilly looked down at the batteries, counting sixteen. “So, you’re saying someone paid sixteen grand just in batteries?”
“They might have got a discount, but Ian and I tried to buy some last year,” Lance explained, reaching down and touching them to convince himself they were real.
“What the hell would you need a lithium battery that big for?” Lilly asked.
Neither looked away from the batteries, “Nothing,” Lance and Ian said together quickly.
Turning around, Ian opened the golf cart parked next to the first. “This one has them too!” Ian cheered.
“Let’s get some tools,” Lance said as he jumped off the trailer.
“Hold up,” Lilly said, jumping off and grabbing his arm. “Lance, those trailers are already packed. Hell, I’m not sure they will make it back.”
Looking over at the loaded trailers, Lance saw all were squatting low, as were the three UTVs pulling them. “Those things don’t weigh half of what a regular battery weighs,” Lance declared, trying to persuade not only Lilly but also himself that the trailers could handle more weight.
“Lance, we are coming back, so we can get them on the next load,” Lilly said, patting his arm. They heard the muffled report and turned back to see Rhonda lowering her rifle. Following her aim, they saw a dead stinker on the road. “For a second, I thought Rhonda popped one of that group.”
Turning back to the golf carts, Lance gave a sigh. “Okay, we’ll get the batteries the next trip.”
Jennifer grabbed Ian’s arm and pulled him off the trailer to follow Lilly and Lance to the office before Ian tried to hook the gooseneck trailer up to his buggy. After Lance unlocked the door, they let Dino in first and then followed. Lance stopped in a reception area and saw a large painting of a man on the wall. “White light,” Lance called out, flipping his goggles up and pulling out a flashlight.
Everyone flipped their goggles up, putting them in standby, as Lance turned on the flashlight and pointed at the picture. “That is Victor?” Lance chuckled. The others moved over, looking at the picture of an older man with salt and pepper hair. “Looks like a fat Mr. Rogers.”
“Mr. Rogers was a Navy SEAL,” Lilly added.
“No he wasn’t,” Ian scoffed. “That’s an urban legend.”
Waving at the painting, “If that guy was a Navy SEAL, I’ll toss my own salad,” Lance challenged and Jennifer coughed, stifling a laugh but shooting snot out of her nose.
“Gross,” Jennifer moaned and chuckled as she unbuckled her face mask to wipe the snot out. As her mind provided pictures, Lilly had to turn away while trying not to laugh and saw Robin walk in. Robin threw up her hand, blocking her monocular.
“It cut off,” Robin gasped.
“It’s just a safety function,” Lilly assured her as Ian and Lance moved through the building with Lance turning the flashlight off.
Giving a sigh of relief as the monocular turned back on, Robin saw Lilly and Jennifer lowering theirs back down. “Heath done?” Lilly asked.
“Yes,” Robin answered, then looked down the hallway Lance and Ian had taken. Robin stepped closer to Lilly and whispered, “What kind of salad was Lance talking about?”
Patting Robin’s shoulder, “It’s a derogatory remark for eating someone’s asshole,” Lilly chuckled.
Stumbling back, “Then how could he-,” Robin stopped, and a grin filled her face. “Oh,” she smirked.
Walking in behind Robin, Heath looked around. “They want to load more stuff?” Heath gasped.
“No, they are just seeing what else they want,” Lilly told him as Lance and Ian walked back up the hallway.
When Lance and Ian stopped in the reception area, Heath moved over to them. “If you don’t mind, I would like to let Dennis and Ethan move in with us.”
“That’s your call not ours, but that bitch pops off again, I’m breaking his legs,” Lance warned.
The confidence in Lance’s voice wasn’t doubted by Heath. “No, because I’ll kill him, if Rhonda doesn’t first,” Heath assured him.
Robin looked over at Lance. “You seem awful relaxed, considering the way they acted,” she noted.
“Not really,” Lance shrugged. “All of you know them, and the way Dwain and Rhonda act, they were friends in school.”
Ian grinned. “Besides, anyone can see they are just terrified. Stupid, but terrified.”
“They don’t pull their weight, then it’s up to you to handle it,” Lance told Heath as he walked out.
Turning and following Lance, “Heath won’t have to,” Robin stated. “I’ll handle it.”
Lance stopped outside to find Dennis, Ethan, and their families standing together. Ethan stepped up, holding out his hand. “Lance, I’m sorry I acted so rude,” Ethan said, and relaxed when Lance let go of the AR pistol grip and shook his hand. “I earned that punch.”
“Dude, if you would’ve kept your voice down, you wouldn’t have gotten the punch,” Lance informed Ethan, letting his hand go. “Since Heath is willing to let you join his group I’m warning you now: endanger us like that again, and I’ll kill you quietly and leave your body. You don’t endanger your team for any reason.”
“Understood,” Ethan replied, and Dennis held out his hand.
“I saw you looking at Victor’s newest shipments,” Dennis said, tilting his head toward the trailer of golf carts.
“Oh, yeah. We are ransacking those batteries, but you need to pull two carts off so you can follow us,” Lance instructed, then asked hopefully, “Does he have more here?”
Letting Lance’s hand go and shaking Ian’s, “Not carts, but there are more lithium batteries in the shop to change over his other carts. Victor is a member or part owner of almost every country club in a hundred miles. Those carts were heading to the country club in Barbourville,” Dennis answered.
“So, you worked for him?” Ian asked as the wives stepped over to shake hands.
“We both did,” Dennis answered. “I was one of Victor’s accountants, and Ethan was over IT.”
“Really?” Lance chuckled. “That just might come in handy.”
Chapter Four
Obion River, Tennessee
Camped on an oxbow northeast of Kenton, Tennessee, Sandy l
ooked over at the pile of gear they were leaving. Mainly she was looking at the tool belts the husbands had worn to carry their gear. From the stuff they’d taken last night, she and Mary agreed they didn’t need them anymore since they had actual tactical vests now.
When Sandy took over guard at noon, she had put the shoulder holster for the Ruger pistol on her vest, mounting it under her left arm. The vest was heavy but after being shot at and having her husband killed, Sandy would put up with the weight. Each vest had a drop platform that held Berettas 92FS. She knew that gun because Johnathan had two.
In the end, Sandy packed her Glock in a saddle bag and decided to carry the Beretta because she couldn’t swap out the holster. “If Johnathan and Bill could’ve made it here, we wouldn’t have any trouble getting home with this stuff,” Sandy offered and looked over at Mary’s vest.
Like Sandy, Mary had mounted the Ruger to her vest.
With the night vision monocular they’d made excellent time. Each one had carried one of the M4s with the thermal scope across their backs last night. Tonight, they would carry the rifles strapped to the back of their saddles. Neither had wanted to take the muzzle brakes off their rifles and mount them to the new weapons. The case Sandy had grabbed, and only opened once they’d made camp, carried thermal binoculars.
At first, neither had known what it was when Sandy pulled it out. In truth, they thought it was a laser range finder, until Sandy had pulled out a booklet inside the case. Now, whoever was in front could spot threats much farther away. “It’s a miracle those guys never turned around because they would’ve spotted me,” Sandy shivered as Dan rested his head in her lap.
“They were drunk off their asses,” Mary said in a groggy voice as she sat up.
Giving a startle, Sandy turned. “Sorry if I woke you.”
Waving a hand and brushing the apology aside, “Please, it’s hotter than hell,” Mary grumbled.
Sandy looked down at her watch and pressed buttons. “Yeah, it’s ninety-six,” she reported. “I’ll take first watch tomorrow, so you can go to sleep in the morning while it’s cooler.”
“Thanks,” Mary yawned as she stretched. “Any stinkers?”
“No,” Sandy answered. “I listened to the scanner and the radio we took, but I haven’t heard anything from that group.”
Getting to her feet, Mary chuckled. “I’m glad we were ten miles away when they found those two.”
“I wanted to turn around and kill more,” Sandy confessed. “But we have to get home to the kids.”
Picking up her collapsible chair, Mary moved over and opened it up before sitting down beside Sandy. “That’s right, we do,” Mary told her. “When the kids get older, we can take a trip to the Mississippi River, then to Kansas and Oklahoma.”
Staring ahead with dead eyes, Sandy nodded. “I’ll be there.”
Looking over at the stove, Mary sighed seeing the coffee pot. “Did you get a chance to inventory the batteries?”
“Yeah,” Sandy snorted. “I have no idea why Johnathan grabbed hundreds of AA batteries and those 123 batteries.”
“I think he knew eventually we would come across some night vision goggles,” Mary replied as she poured a cup of coffee.
Turning back to the tool belts in the gear they were leaving, “He said as much a few times,” Sandy admitted. “He thought we would get some off a stinker soldier.”
Sitting back down, Mary tapped Sandy’s vest that was on the ground with her foot. “Those didn’t come off a stinker.”
“Yeah, and neither did this equipment or those backpacks,” Sandy said, moving her eyes from the tool belts to the two backpacks they’d taken. “We almost have as much 5.56 as we do .22 now.”
Lowering her coffee mug, “Sandy, we took three cases of .22. That’s fifteen thousand rounds,” Mary pointed out.
“I counted what we took,” Sandy said, taking her eyes off the tool belts. “We have eleven thousand rounds of 5.56 now. That’s over three hundred pounds. I know because I got the invoices when Johnathan ordered ammo. I spread it out among all the horses with the food so if we lose one, we aren’t hurt.”
“Should’ve woken me up to help,” Mary told her, then took a sip. “You didn’t sleep but a few hours.”
“Nah,” Sandy grunted and then grinned, fighting the urge to pack the tool belts in a saddle bag. “Seeing you sweating to death while you tried to sleep made me want to find a fan for you.”
Rolling her eyes, “I can’t wait for air conditioning,” Mary moaned. “Air conditioning, a hot shower, and a sharp razor to cut this damn fur off my body.”
“And panties,” Sandy chuckled.
“I’m glad they had boys underwear that we could wear at the scout camp,” Mary nodded. “But I don’t like the way they fit.”
Reaching over, Sandy handed a small pot off the stove to Mary. “That’s your half.”
Taking the pot, Mary froze upon hearing a gunshot to the north. “I’m surprised anyone is stupid enough to shoot a gun without a suppressor.”
“Johnathan said not many people knew how to make one,” Sandy sighed and turned back to the tool belts.
Pausing between bites, Mary nodded. “I was one who didn’t know until they showed me.”
“Me too,” Sandy grinned. “You do know, Lance and Ian showed them how to make suppressors with PVC.”
Wiping her mouth off, “Yeah,” Mary grunted. “Bill told me in Nevada. I finally got him to narrow down the time, and it just so happens that’s when the swans in the park died of .22 caliber gunshots to the head.”
Raising her eyebrows, “Didn’t think about that,” Sandy grunted, pushing Johnathan from her mind. “Well, if the boys did it, I’m not mad. Those swans attacked Allie and Carrie more than once. Hell, they attacked them in my front yard.”
“If they did it?” Mary huffed and then grinned. “I do love the fact that all the dead swans were laid on Oliver’s front yard in neat rows. Seemed fitting since he’s the one who paid for them.”
“It’s taken me some time but after talking to Johnathan, I’m not that worried about the boys,” Sandy admitted.
Scraping the pot clean with her spoon, “I just don’t want their egos to overload their asses,” Mary commented, then ate the last spoonful.
“That’s why we have to get home and make sure that doesn’t happen,” Sandy said, holding her chin high.
“Sandy, we can’t come home and make them stay inside,” Mary chuckled.
“Please,” Sandy scoffed. “I know that, but they will have to let us know beforehand, and we can decide if the action is worth it.”
“Yeah, like they consulted us before,” Mary droned dryly.
Getting up, “I just never wanted them to get in trouble with the law,” Sandy confessed and then added, “Or hurt anyone who didn’t have it coming.”
Filling the pot with water, Mary started washing it out. “Remember when they put Icy-Hot in Jason’s jockstrap?”
Giving a hiccup, Sandy fought not to burst out laughing. “Jason did put both inside a sleeping bag and held them down with his butt at the opening, farting in the sleeping bag for half an hour.”
“The only reason he stopped was Bill heard the boys gagging and made Jason let them out,” Mary snickered, then she stopped. “Holy shit, I can still remember the scream Jason let out.”
“Scream is right. I thought it was Allie or Carrie,” Sandy replied. “Johnathan and I heard it at our house and took off to find out what’d happened to one of the girls.”
“Thank you for letting Ian spend the week down there,” Mary sighed. “I thought Jason was going to kill them.”
Waving her hand, “He always stayed there or Lance with him. To be honest, I can’t remember the last time Lance stayed at home without Ian,” Sandy said, furrowing her brows still trying to remember.
“I do,” Mary nodded, drying the pot out. “The day after Christmas. Last year, when we went to my mother’s. You wanted Lance to go to Johnathan’s office party
and I wanted Ian to see his grandmother.”
Giving a groan, Sandy rolled her eyes. “How could I forget that?”
“I didn’t because that’s why we left my mother’s early. I was tired of listening to Ian. We were going to spend three days there, but I was ready to come home the next day. Ian can whine ten times worse than Allie, but she was whining right along with Ian.”
“Lance just moped like someone shot his dog,” Sandy said. “Mary, I’m really wondering if Allie is going to outgrow her crush on Lance.”
“If she doesn’t I’ll walk her down the aisle, if she ever got Lance to see her as something other than a little sister,” Mary stated confidently.
Shaking her head, “I don’t see that happening,” Sandy answered. “Lance loves Allie and Carrie so much. That’s the reason Johnathan and I thought about adopting, but changed our minds. Lance has brothers and sisters.”
They packed up the stove and filled the thermos, then moved over to lift the pack saddles on. “How much does each one weigh you think?” Mary asked. “I swear, this one was heavier yesterday.”
“They all weigh about two hundred pounds,” Sandy said as they moved to the next one. “That’s the most I can lift, and you can lift a little more than me. I wanted us to be able to load the horses alone, in case the other is holding off stinkers.”
When they were done, Mary looked at the six horses loaded down. “You mean we have over a thousand pounds of supplies?”
“Easy,” Sandy answered, grunting as she picked up her saddle. When her saddle was on her horse, Sandy straightened the blanket out under the saddle. “Each of us has over a hundred pounds of gear on our horse, not including us.”
Mary looked down at her belly. With the compression shirt she had on it really touted her now very slim waist, and she could actually see her abs. “These horses better be glad I dropped those twenty pounds.”
“The new world diet and workout plan,” Sandy grunted, buckling her saddle on. “Get fit or die.”
Throwing the horse blanket on, “If I could shave I swear, I would be another ten pounds lighter,” Mary groaned. “How can men deal with hairy legs? I hate the way pants feel rubbing against my hairy legs.”
Forsaken World (Book 5): Homecoming Page 5