by Warren Ray
Winters pulled him over to the passenger side before getting out and walking around the front of the truck.
“You did good.”
“Wasn’t sure what to do at first, but then remembered I’ve got what he wants.”
“Never forget that, kid,” said Winters, getting into the driver’s seat. He put the truck in gear and looked across the street. “Do you know if anyone lives there?”
She looked over. “I don’t think so.”
Winters drove it into the driveway to the very back of the house before turning the truck into the yard. He got out and jogged back to Laney who was waiting for him at the end of the driveway.
“If someone does live here, they’ll be in for a heck of a surprise in the morning.”
They got back inside the Impala and Finley began asking them questions.
“That was Brian Beckett,” stated Laney.
“Really?” asked Finley in an excited tone.
“Yep.”
“Who is he?”
“He’s one of the dirt bags in charge,” said Finley. “As a matter of fact, he’s Billy Gamble’s, right-hand man.”
Winters nodded in pleasure knowing he just knocked off one of their head guys. The night was turning out very well.
“What did you say to him?” asked Finley.
“Told him I was with Derek and he had his lights off cause he’s stoned. This is Derek’s car by the way,” said Laney.
“Good to know,” said Winters.
“What happened next?” asked Finley.
“Oh, he got all distracted cuz he was feeling up my titties.”
“Good thing you went and not me,” laughed Finley patting her flat chest.
Laney busted out laughing, “Mine are squeezable soft.”
“And quite a handful,” added Finley.
Winters put the car in gear and shook his head listening to Finley and Laney continued with their girl talk. The two chatterboxes never seemed to settle down when they were together.
The next stop was at a big house where Eric Pendleton lived. Before the country collapsed, he worked at a convenience store and could never have afforded such a house. However, he appropriated it months ago when the owners had left town. When Winters pulled up, he recognized the house since he’d been in there many times. The Williams were old friends and had left for Florida.
Winters parked the car on the side of the road. With no streetlights, it was easy to disappear into the darkness. He looked around the quiet neighborhood through the night-vision goggles and didn’t see anyone moving about.
“Is there anyone else in there?” asked Winters.
Laney leaned forward from the back. “No.”
“You know this for sure?”
“Yep. He’s on my list and so are those others,” Laney said, pointing to three other houses.
Winters took out the list of names and handed it to Finley. “Do me a favor and check off the ones we’ve already eliminated.”
“What are you gonna do?”
“Add to the list.”
“Oh, yeah, of course,” said Finley.
“Do you need help?” asked Laney.
“Either of you guys know how to drive?”
“I do,” said Finley.
“You do? You're only fifteen.”
“Yep. My daddy taught me before he left.”
“Get in the driver's seat and be ready to go. Laney, keep that pistol close by, okay? Remember, red is dead.”
Laney nodded.
“I shouldn’t be too long, but if trouble comes your way, honk the horn one short beep, okay?”
Winters scrambled across the road and entered a home he knew quite well. Dave Williams was a co-worker and often hosted poker parties here. He had retired before the country fell and had planned to move to Florida for some time. His two sons had joined the service before the war broke out and were now in the fight. He and his wife had left before winter set in and didn’t appear to be coming back.
Winters checked the door to find it unlocked, which did not surprise him. A lot of people in the area never locked their doors and with so few people left in town, why bother?”
He stepped inside and listened for a few moments before climbing the staircase to the master bedroom. He entered the room and found his next victim sound asleep. He approached the sleeping man and without hesitation, sliced his throat. Confused eyes looked up before they went blank.
Without ceremony, Winters climbed back down the stairs and shut the door behind him. He looked across the street where the two girls waited for him in the car. He was glad they had come along and had already been a big help. Their knowledge of who everybody was and where they lived was saving him a lot of time. So much so, that he might be able to take everyone out in one night. He entered the next house, which belonged to another couple he knew, but he didn’t know where they ended up after the collapse. The back door was open, and Winters again made quick work of the sleeping occupant.
The third house was more of a challenge because he had to force the back door. His heart started beating faster when the door creaked open. He stepped into the kitchen and took a moment to scan the room. Dirty dishes littered the counter-top with discarded freeze-dried food packages mixed in.
Winters found two bedrooms empty before locating his next victim who was also sleeping, but with headphones on. The music was still playing when Winters approached the man who looked to be in his early forties. He shook his head at him before putting his knife to work. Like all the others, he assumed a surprised look and then nothing.
Winters exited the house and ran across the lawn to the next one. He looked at his watch before entering the unlocked back door. It was just approaching one in the morning, which wasn’t too bad, all things considered. After all, he had already taken out half of the group, and still had four or five hours left.
Entering through another kitchen, he noticed this one was cleaner than the last one. He cleared a couple of rooms downstairs before hearing voices coming from the upper level. He took his time climbing the steps. Winters didn’t know how many would be there but assumed at least two, a male and a female. He reached the door at the top of the stairs where candlelight spilled out into the hallway and then a female began to whimper.
Chapter 22
Manassas Virginia
The evening air was cool enough for Green to have the windows down as he drove out to Manassas, Virginia. He and his mother were on their way to meet with their secret group. The wind carried the scent of pine trees into the car as they traveled along the quiet road that traversed through the thick woods.
Captain Vatter, the station commander in Detroit, had briefed Major Green earlier in the day. It had taken him until the afternoon to report on the disaster that befell Grosse Point. Instead of giving up, Winters had stormed the mansion and rescued his daughter. While on the phone with Vatter, Green had to fight to control his joy on hearing the news. Either Captain Winters was the luckiest man alive or had become a most skilled operator to execute such an audacious plan. But then again, Mordulfah wasn’t the most skilled tactician. After all, he had allowed his mansion to be successfully attacked twice and had lost over half his men in a week’s time. These are the consequences of having rabble instead of trained soldiers. Still, how do you not keep the upper hand to retain such a valuable hostage, especially one that was willing to help you?
Winters must know by now his daughter had been conspiring against him. This begged the question; had he known beforehand, would he still have risked his life to save her? Not having any kids himself, Green could only speculate on that.
Regardless, Mordulfah had miscalculated and suffered severe humiliation, which, for a man like him, was always personal. Green had no doubt he would seek retribution in the harshest way he could conjure up.
Green pulled into the long driveway of Senator Abby Seeley’s house. It was situated in a secluded area with woods surrounding the property and didn’t have any nearby
neighbors to bother, or spy on, them.
“Is this Stormy girl going to be here, John?” asked Sarah Green.
“I believe so.”
“She sounds like an interesting girl, I can’t wait to meet her.”
Green’s mother wanted to find out if she was her son’s type. After all, he was thirty-five years old and she wanted grandchildren. He didn’t blame her as she was a widow and could use someone new in her life to spoil.
He rounded the curve in the driveway and came upon three parked cars. There was one he didn’t recognize but figured it belonged to Kyle Gibbs. Sam’s car wasn’t there as he had another commitment, which couldn’t be rescheduled.
They reached the door just as Abby Seeley came out to greet them.
“Sarah, you’re looking as pretty as ever,” said Abby, the retired senator whose outgoing personality had always been her biggest asset, especially on the campaign trail. The heavyset sixty-year old had been divorced for the last ten years and had dated sporadically since then, but nothing serious. She liked her freedom and didn’t want to further complicate her busy life.
“As do you,” replied Sarah.
“John, you’re looking especially handsome tonight, any particular reason?”
Green rolled his eyes as she and his mother laughed conspiratorially.
“Is she here?” asked Sarah.
“Yes, she is,” said Abby in almost a singing tone.
“Oh goody,” smiled Sarah.
Abby ushered them inside her five thousand square foot home and down the hallway to the living room at the back of the house. The place was decorated with an obvious women’s touch. Frilly curtains hung against dark yellow walls where paintings of flowers finished the look. They reached the oversized living room, and everyone stood up as they entered. Abby walked over to Stormy and introduced her to Sarah Green.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” said Stormy as she extended her hand.
Sarah took hold of her hand. “The pleasure is all mine, Stormy. My, but you are a beautiful girl.”
“Well, thank you, and you must be so proud of your son.”
“Yes, he’s been very brave and we’re fortunate to have his leadership,” said Sarah finally letting go of her hand.
Green let out a sigh knowing what his mother was up to. She was trying to impress Stormy and be coy about it. Green stepped forward and greeted her before it got awkward. He then greeted everyone else, which included Kyle Gibbs and his father Jacob, the former FBI man. The state department diplomat, John Osborne, stood next to Alison O’Connor. Green approached and gave her a big hug, as did his mother. He noticed Alison’s complexion was much improved and she no longer looked like the depressed alcoholic he’d first met when she had opened the door with a cigarette in her hand. Ever since they had rescued her from Reed’s men and brought her out to Manassas, she had been steadily improving.
Before Green could start in on the update, Stormy got everyone’s attention by telling them what happened to her a few hours ago.
Green was slack jawed listening to the details. “It was Wagner who came for you?
Stormy nodded.
Green shook his head realizing this event would help to poison Perozzi’s mind and further deteriorate his relationship with Reed. A flash of adrenaline rushed through his body as he realized the significance. “I think congrats are in order for, Stormy.”
She blushed as everyone gave her a round of applause.
After it settled down, Green continued the meeting by giving them an update on what he thought had happened last night at Grosse Pointe. In reality, though, his briefing was lacking, as he was unaware of the death of Cara Winters. He then told them he wanted to move as fast as possible against Reed. He turned to Kyle and asked if he’d had a chance to look over the notes he’d been taking on Perozzi.
“Yeah, dad and I went over them together. We didn’t find much of anything that would indicate what Perozzi might do to make an attempt on Reed’s life.”
“With that in mind,” said the elder Gibbs, “we know that Reed is a drinker and I was thinking we could poison him.”
“Wouldn’t really tie Perozzi to the attempt though,” said Green.
“We could blow up his car,” finished Gibbs. “Can’t be too many people that know about the bombs.”
Green’s eyes lit up. It would be pure irony and one that not many people could pull off. “I like that idea, but do we know anyone who has EOD experience?” Green’s use of EOD was referring to a military term for Explosive Ordnance Disposal.
Gibbs tilted his head side-to-side. “Yes, but it would mean bringing someone else into our group, which brings its own risk.”
“Is there anyone that you trust completely?” asked Green.
“Let me think about it.”
“But won’t Reed think it was someone connected to me?” asked Alison.
Green hunched forward in his chair and looked at her.
“I mean it was my husband who did the bombings, so won’t he think that?”
She was right. The last thing Green wanted was for Reed to think it was anyone else but Perozzi. He turned back to Gibbs.
“Why don’t you do a hit and run on him?” suggested Kyle.
“That’s how Alison’s husband was killed,” said Green.
“Oh,” said Kyle as he looked at Alison, “I’m sorry.”
“It’s alright,” said Alison waving him off.
“What if you had one of Perozzi’s men in the car,” said Stormy.
Green considered this. “Be no question as to who it was then, but how would we orchestrate it?”
“A shoot out would be easier to stage than an accident,” said Gibbs. “We could kill one or two of Perozzi’s guys and throw them in the car.”
Green’s spirit started to lift hearing the seeds of a good plan. Something like this could work and be quite convincing. He just needed to figure out which of Perozzi’s men would be ideal. “These guys would have to be people Reed knows.”
“Actually, I know just the guys,” said Kyle. “I’ve noticed Perozzi has a few that Reed would know right off the bat.”
“Are they shooters?” asked Green.
“Absolutely.”
“Okay, now all we have to do is kidnap them,” said Green.
“I can help with that,” said Stormy.
Everyone turned their heads toward her.
“I’ll make them an offer they can’t refuse,” smiled Stormy.
“It could be dangerous,” said Green.
“I can handle myself,” she responded.
Green had no doubt she could. Gibbs had informed him of her martial arts background, but he didn’t think she’d need it. She only needed to bat an eyelash at a guy before he fell at her feet. He gave it some more consideration and decided she would be quite useful in leading a couple Perozzi’s men to them. Everyone in the room was onboard with the plan.
“Question is, where do we do it?” asked Osborne, who had not said anything yet. “If you want it done quickly, you don’t have a lot of time to research Reed’s schedule.”
Green looked over at the older man. He’d been in the State Department for many years traveling the world to represent the United States and with his foreign contacts would be instrumental in ending the war. He brought up a good point because they didn’t know Reed’s schedule. Green rubbed his forehead for a second and then stopped when he came up with an idea. It was perfect.
Chapter 23
Sabine Iowa
After killing three sleeping bad guys in the same neighborhood, Winters had entered the fourth house while Finley and Laney waited in the car. He could hear voices as he reached the top of the stairs. They grew louder as he crept to the bedroom door and peeked inside. A girl was on top of his next target and there were several candles lit, which would make it more difficult to come in unnoticed. Winters scrunched his face knowing this task would be difficult to accomplish without risking her safety because the target would
probably have a weapon nearby, and she might get in the way. He was in too big a hurry to wait for them to finish.
Winters shook his head knowing he didn’t have many options so he began to enter the bedroom. He had taken only a couple of strides before a car horn broke the silence. Winters stopped dead in his tracks. Sweat formed on his forehead knowing Finley and Laney were in trouble.
“Who the hell are you?”
A glint of nickel plating alerted Winters of a weapon and he dropped to his knees. A shot rang out. The flash lit up the room and Winters rolled to his left as he pulled up his pistol. He had been correct in assuming a weapon was probably nearby. He crawled to the other side of the bed and heard movement.
“Whoever you are, put your gun down,” yelled the man.
Winters peeked up. The man had gotten out of the bed and dragged the girl along to shield him as they stood against a closet door. She let out a sob and began to cry. Winters cursed to himself. This was a worst-case scenario. He wouldn’t let this scumbag leave the room alive. The only question was—would this girl have to die?
The man held a gun to her temple. Tears were streaming down the frightened girl’s face. Winters reached for the Ruger .22 Sadie gave him and palmed it in his big right hand. He then grabbed the Colt .45 with his left and rose up pointing it at him.
“I’ll friggin kill her if you don’t put that weapon down.”
“Okay, okay. Just don’t hurt her, okay?” said Winters, lowering the Colt.
“Are you her dad or something?”
“No, I’m not,” said Winters, wanting him to point his weapon at him.
“Then who are you?”
Winters laid the weapon on the bed and said. “Does the name Cole Winters mean anything to you?”
The man’s eyes grew as he realized who was standing in front of him. He then moved his pistol away from the girl’s temple and aimed it at Winters who had anticipated the move. The man was no more than four yards away and was a much bigger target than the girl he held onto. Not a tough shot, but he still needed to be careful. He swung the Ruger up and squeezed the trigger in one swift motion. The round hit his target in the forehead and Winters fired another one for good measure. The man fell backwards against a closet door as the girl jerked away from the dead body.