“We don’t allow strangers—”
“Bull shit! If I was a pretty girl, I’d be in there already. Now get your handler and get someone to open these doors. I got business with your leader.”
He didn’t have to wait long before the enormous metal doors slowly creaked open.
He recognized Nelson Bales standing before him, smiling, with his arms outstretched. “Welcome, traveler. What can I do for you this beautiful morning?” The man looked genuinely happy to see him.
With his flowing robes, long locks, and good looks, he reminded Garrett of Moses from that motion picture his grandmother had taken him to see when he was a boy. He’d been watching Bales’ face until he saw something moving lower down. Around the pastor’s neck and shoulders twisted and wrapped a very large, slow-moving python.
Okay, not Moses, then. You’re the fuckin’ devil. It was too late to change course. He’d committed. Time to stick to the plan everyone was counting on him for. He prepared, took a deep breath, and shouted to the whole world, wanting to make it loud enough to wake up everyone in the valley.
“I came to get my girlfriend,” Garrett boomed. “I’m taking her home. She belongs with me.”
Heads turned. People stood frozen in place. Morning smoke from a cooking fire fingered its way through the clearing, reminding him of some death scenes overseas. From the stillness came the pastor’s voice.
“And who might that be?” Bales asked.
“We call her Red.” His eyes traveled over the surprised faces of the crowd that had gathered. He didn’t see Joshua, of course. But he got a glimpse of Georgette poking her head out from the doorway of a long dorm-looking building. Standing near her was the woman who made his heart leap and his soul burn.
Mimi!
His Invisio squawked.
“Hey, Garrett! Hope you can hear this,” came the panicked voice of Tanner. “Just got messaged by my contact at DHS. They’ve just arrested Mike Bintner, charged him with attempted kidnapping and assault on the president’s life. They know you’re coming.”
Chapter 16
Mimi wasn’t prepared for Garrett’s insertion to go this way. She’d just located and spoken with Georgette, who now looked like a deer in the headlights. The added attention Garrett was bringing was going to make it impossible for her speak to the teen. She put her finger to her lips, hoping Georgette would get the warning, and slipped around the side of the building, out of sight of Pastor Bales.
Georgette’s relief was now going to be wiped out.
Think! What am I supposed to do?
Garrett told her last night her mic was still working, so she gave Tanner and whomever else was listening what she could, lowering her voice to a whisper. “Contacted Georgette. She’s unharmed, willing and able to help. Now she’s scared to death. Stays in the long girls’ dorm by the entrance to the garden area, and she desperately wants to leave, and she has a friend who wants to go with her,” she whispered, searching for anyone who could see or hear her. Then she added, “Garrett just hit the bee hive.”
Mimi figured someone might have appreciation for what he’d just done and how she’d have to adjust to the situation.
She ran down the rear of the large dorm building and emerged at the other end, strolling to the clearing and into the line of sight of everyone. While she did so, the heavy metal entrance doors closed behind Garrett with a boom that shook the ground, taking away his escape option.
She reached down deep to find the strength to walk toward Garrett. A lot could happen in that space between where she was and where he stood. She was fully exposed to any ill intent someone in this crazy group might desire. But she vowed it wouldn’t impede her forward progress as she continued to walk.
Garrett didn’t move, didn’t show any emotion, unlike the evening before. His powerful arms scared and tatted and corded by years of focused workouts, hung at his sides. Those arms had held her last night until she could unwind, made her believe again in the magic of the stars and all the things she’d told herself she wanted some day. To have someone so strong move her body so intensely was a gift she’d always cherish.
But none of that mattered now. She was her father’s daughter, and all she could do was continue moving forward. A young girl’s foolish mistake had put them all in jeopardy. She couldn’t change that. But she might be able to change the outcome, if she was smart, brave and lucky. If she trusted that Garrett knew what he was doing.
Mimi hoped Georgette could now see what was being sacrificed for her and what could be lost because of her actions.
Even Bales remained motionless, following her trajectory. His eyes flickered to the side briefly. Amy didn’t pay attention to it, instead focused on Garrett’s face. His steady eyes brought her courage.
A few yards to her right, several men rushed at her, grabbing her by the arms and attempting to pull her away. Bales remained still.
But Garrett darted straight for the group of four Mimi struggled with. She kicked behind her and lunged with her knee, aiming for one man’s balls. Garrett yanked one man’s arm from his shoulder socket as a deafening crack echoed throughout the clearing. Some of the audience who had gathered reacted to the sound.
With one opponent screaming at his feet, Garrett kicked another attacker in the throat, causing him to pitch forward, spewing blood and teeth before his body collapsed, motionless.
A gun appeared, and Garrett kicked it free. He broke the man’s forearm over his knee with another satisfying crunch. The fourth man released Mimi and jumped on Garrett’s back, trying to punch the sides of his head. Unfortunately for him he was short. Garrett grabbed his shirt at the shoulders and swung him over his head, landing him hard in the dirt on his back. The man didn’t move. Next, Garrett retrieved the attacker’s gun and quickly tucked it into the waistband of his jeans.
And then he looked at her. She knew he could only spare a second. “You okay?”
Mimi was shaking but nodded her head. She felt scratches on her upper arm that started to bleed.
Garrett swung around, surveying their audience, his back to her, arms out to the sides, ready and watching for anyone else who might take a run at them.
Of course, there were no takers.
Bales began to clap. “Well done. These were some of my finest.” He tried to look entertained, but Mimi saw the bitterness and deep-seated dislike for how his henchmen had been so easily disabled. She took her cue from Garrett and waited for his decision, while the man at their feet groaned in agony. She suspected he was waiting for help to arrive.
Two young men came to the screaming man’s aid, carrying him away from the clearing. Bales held out his palms as if to stop anyone else from coming forward and then approached her.
“Well, Red?” The man’s eyes were hard, mismatching his brittle smile. “Your boyfriend, or is it ex-boyfriend, has come to claim you. If I were you, I’d certainly not disappoint him.”
Mimi found courage enough to shout, “He’s not my boyfriend,” which got Garrett’s shocked attention.
“Not exactly the way to thank someone who has come to defend your honor, is it? But never mind,” Bales shouted.
Mimi noticed the python wrapped around Bales’ upper body was moving, slowly unwinding and considering a safer location. Garrett was focused on the reptile as well. Bales gave her an evil grin, stroking his pet. Then he scanned the surrounding area, including the treetops at the perimeter.
“We have some business to discuss. Why don’t you bring your team in, Commander? No need for the charade any longer.”
Mimi’s stomach lurched.
How did they know about the team? Just then, Georgette was brought to the clearing with a pistol pointed at her head.
Mimi heard Garrett swear. Her body began to shake again, and her mouth became parched.
“So this is how we settle things here. We might lose round one, but round two is definitely in our favor.” The pastor added, “So bring them in, Commander or this little lady will be
sacrificed.”
Garrett mumbled under his breath then called off names, “Fuzzy, Luke and Cornell, stand down. Come on in.”
It took several minutes, but Mimi saw all three of the team members slowly file in, one by one, from different hiding places within the encampment.
Cornell was the last to arrive. His duty bag was torn from him as he approached with his hands above his head. Fuzzy and Luke were also disarmed and pushed farther into the center.
“I was told there were four,” the pastor sneered.
“You have one of my men,” said Garrett defiantly. He chanced a quick glance in Mimi’s direction and gave a slight nod. She caught the signal to be ready for something unexpected.
“Take the women to the house,” Bales barked to his men.
Mimi felt another grip on her arm as she and Georgette were forced to leave the circle, heading for the garden area.
Suddenly, a drone appeared overhead, and dropped a metal object that flashed and then filled the clearing with bright orange smoke. The drone changed direction and swooped down, nearly knocking Bales in the head. Garrett barked an instruction to his team she couldn’t make out. The pastor stumbled but regained his footing, adjusting the heavy snake as he did so.
As smoke continued to fill the area, Mimi felt her captor’s grip loosen and then saw him hit the ground. People in the crowd started to scream and disperse. Garrett’s outstretched hand appeared out of the orange cloud, pulling her arm toward him. She ran beside him as fast as she could as they darted through the chaos and found shelter behind a large gravel truck where the others, including Georgette, waited.
Mimi embraced her young student, who had begun to shake, her teeth chattering.
Cornell had picked up his bag, unzipped it, and distributed a pistol to Fuzzy. Luke and Garrett showed they had retrieved theirs.
Georgette began to lose control and was becoming too difficult to handle. Mimi was afraid she’d bolt away at any moment.
Luke spoke to her calmly. “Just breathe, Georgette, and drink.” He gave her water and brushed her face with a wet cloth. Garrett studied her condition carefully.
“We gotta go. Luke, can she make it?” Mimi knew they were losing precious time.
“Yup.” He grabbed her shoulders. “Gotta run, sweetheart. Can you help me out?”
Georgette looked confused, and Luke shrugged.
“Tanner, we’re clear. There are about fifty innocents, including kids. We can’t protect them all. Things are going to shit here. Get that backup rescue team up here ASAP.”
Then he turned to Cornell. “You got more smoke?”
Cornell responded by rolling a cannister toward the center. It began spewing dark smoke.
“Nice drone work, Tanner,” Garrett whispered into his earpiece then listened to instructions. “Thanks, man. I’m going to pay you back proper when we get the hell out of here. You got a dozen beers coming. See you at the bottom, brother.”
He turned to the group, addressing her first. His eyes were all business. “You three,” he motioned to Fuzzy, Georgette, and Mimi, “get to the first greenhouse and stay down on your hands and knees. Luke and I are going for Josh. Cornell, get to the long warehouse beyond and light that thing up. Tanner’s sending a SWAT and fire crew to nab the bad guys at the main entrance. We grab a truck and get our asses out the back way. He’ll meet us back in town.”
He made eye contact with each of the men. “Any questions?”
When no one answered, he asked Mimi. “Ladies? You gotta help us out and run like hell. Take care of old Fuzzy here.”
Georgette interrupted him, finally becoming more present. “What about my friend, Mallory?”
He winced. “Honey, I’m not sure—”
“But I promised I’d take her with us.”
“Give me a gun. I’ll go with her,” Mimi jumped in. She could see resources were running thin and time was dwindling away.
“Fuckin’ no way. Can’t take the chance.” He swore.
“Hey, boss, we’re getting some attention,” Cornell whispered.
“Change of plans,” barked Garrett. “Fuzzy and Luke get Josh.” He addressed Cornell. “Cover us. We’ll meet you at the warehouse.”
Garrett put his arm around Georgette and nearly carried her along with him. Mimi stayed close behind. They heard exchange of gun fire but kept going. Each loud noise or scream made Georgette jump. Garrett kept a steady arm around her waist, pulling her forward.
They crossed paths with people running like wild horses, bumping into each other and tripping over steps and tools in their way. The place was in total chaos. Mimi heard the drone still buzzing overhead.
They arrived at the entrance to the dorm. Once inside, the building appeared to be abandoned.
“Mallory?” Georgette called out softly.
“Oh. My. God. Get me out of here,” said a frail voice as they watched Mallory scramble from under one of the beds. She was still wearing her nightgown and had bare feet.
“No time for shoes, honey. We gotta go.”
He pushed all three of them through the doorway. Mimi was confused where they were, but Mallory helped with Georgette and led them all down the path to the gardens and the greenhouses beyond.
As they rounded a curve, the wall on a cinderblock structure blew up, sending small chunks of concrete raining down on all of them. Mimi saw Fuzzy and Luke drag Joshua through the smoke. It took both of them to carry former undercover agent. His face was swollen. Dark brown stains covered the front of his tee shirt. His feet were bloody.
Garrett directed them to bypass the greenhouses and head for a row of delivery trucks parked at the side of the large warehouse. Cornell ran toward them just as the building exploded behind him. The force of the blast sent him flying, but he was able to get up, limping.
“What the hell was that?” she asked.
“There’s going to be a lot of potheads in Oregon mighty disappointed,” Cornell coughed, catching his breath.
Garrett jumped into the first truck and got it started while Luke and Fuzzy unlatched the roll-up door in the rear and started helping everyone get inside. Cornell hopped up in the passenger seat as Mimi climbed into the back just before Luke pulled down the metal door. She fell against Georgette and Mallory when the truck spun its wheels and suddenly lurched forward.
Mallory and Georgette huddled together, consoling one another. Luke turned on a headlamp, which gave them some light. He handed out what water he had left and then unzipped his medic kit and began working on Joshua. Mimi scooted over to give him a hand wiping blood and dirt from Joshua’s face with a damp cloth while Luke sterilized the wounds, applied pads and strips to some of the deeper cuts and then gave him an injection.
At a distance, the faint sound of sirens was reassuring and growing louder. That meant the women and children they’d had to leave behind would be tended and cared for.
As the truck started to descend off the mountain, Mimi felt her phone ping with a call from Tanner. She’d forgotten that she’d stuck the device in the front pocket of her overalls.
She hit the return button that didn’t pick up.
But at least they had phone reception. For now, their team was safe.
Chapter 17
Garrett arranged for the team to use portable showers stored in Klamath Falls for wildfire first responders and to get clean clothes. But he wouldn’t allow himself the luxury of a nice, hot shower until he saw that Tanner was back safely with the motorhome. He’d tried to call him but failed to make contact. They were also too far away for the Invisio bandwidth.
He expected Tanner to beat them to the bottom. Ten minutes later, he wondered if the old motorhome had experienced mechanical problems. He checked with the battalion commander on the fire brigade, who stated they hadn’t seen the beast.
But when a half hour passed and there was still no communication, Garrett started to worry. He kicked himself all over the block for not running back up there immediately.
Cornell approached from behind. “You hear from him at all?” he asked.
“No, and that’s not like Tanner. He’s got all that shit up there, all our recordings and the satellite equipment, the printers and a record of everything we did.” With his hands on his hips, facing the eastern foothills from where they’d come, Garrett knew he had to go back. “Something’s wrong,” he whispered.
Fuzzy approached. “You check with the Commander in charge of the cleanup?”
“They didn’t know to look for him. Never saw the motor home. I’m worried some of Bales group started down the mountain and caught Tanner before he could leave.”
Cornell had an idea. “These guys use drones to check on wildfires all the time. Let me see if I can arrange one.”
“Good idea. But I don’t want to wait anymore for some kind of BS clearance. Besides, Tanner was our drone guy.”
Garrett called Luke over. “Can you arrange an EMT to travel with them?”
“Piece of cake. That mean we’re all going up the hill?”
“It does.”
“Consider it done.” Luke ran into the fire station.
Mimi and the two girls emerged from the women’s showers. In spite of his worries, he smiled down on her. “Feel better?”
“Much,” she beamed and gave him a hug. “Thanks for getting us out of there. I never doubted you.”
Garrett knew she wouldn’t like what he had to say next. She reacted when he stiffened at her touch.
“Mimi, Tanner’s not back yet.”
“Oh my God, Garrett. He tried to call me. I forgot—”
“When?”
“When we left the camp. I was in the back. The phone pinged. I tried to redail him, and didn’t reach him. I completely forgot. I’m so sorry.”
“Well, we’re done waiting. We were supposed to have a quick facetime DHS debriefing before the flight home, but now I’ve got a man we’ve left behind, and that’s my job to make sure he gets home.”
“What does that mean?” she asked.
“Means you return on the plane to D.C. with Joshua and the two girls.”
SEAL Love's Legacy (Silver SEALs Book 1) Page 14