by Warren Ray
Winters turned on the interior lights, reached back, and grabbed some water bottles and power bars.
“Oh, just what I needed, I’m starving,” said Laney, flipping the goggles up.
“Me too,” said Collette, tearing open the wrapper.
Winters took a few moments to gulp down some water and start munching on a power bar. He had spent a lot of energy tonight and needed to recharge. Sleep was what he needed, but that wasn’t an option. He turned the girls who were devouring the energy bars as if they had never eaten one before, or at the very least, not in a long time.
Winters tossed the bottle of water in the back. He put the van in gear and pulled out onto the road. He figured the last four targets would all be at Billy Gamble's place, so he turned on the headlights. It would be light soon enough anyway and they would be exposed.
His heartbeat slowed down in relief as he turned onto Pine Street. He stopped past the last street that intersected Pine. He parked the van right in the middle of the street and leaned back in his seat. He figured it had been forty-five minutes since they took Finley. They wouldn't know exactly what happened and she would lie as best she could. She would feign ignorance and they wouldn't be sure if she was lying or not. All of that would take a minimum of thirty minutes. If they got anything out of her, they would argue amongst themselves, which would take up more time. They would then need to go check it out. Who would go? It wouldn't be Billy Gamble. No, he would send someone else, but that person wouldn't want to go alone. Winters straightened his back certain that two people would be leaving the house.
“What are we doing, Cole?” asked Laney.
He turned to her. “Something stupid.”
“Oh, right up my alley then.”
“Yep,” said Winters, noticing the darkness was beginning to disappear.
“Are you going to think about it?” asked Laney as she took off the goggles.
“Would you?”
“C’mon now, you know I wouldn’t.”
“So, what are we gonna do?” asked Collette.
Winters told them what he suspected was going to happen.
“You sure?” asked Collette.
“Nothing’s for sure, but I’ve got a gut feeling and sometimes that’s all you can go on.”
“So, what do you want us to do?” asked Laney.
“Well, why don’t you get in the back and pick out a bigger weapon than that Sig,” said Winters, as he turned on the interior lights.
Laney slid off Collette’s lap and looked in the back. “Oh my God, look at ‘em all. Is that an AR?”
“It is?”
“I want that one, I love that gun.”
Winters looked at Collette. “Ever fire a gun before?”
“A few times with my Dad.”
“Take a look.”
Collette climbed in the back, and the two girls started talking in excited tones. Laney was the more experienced one and suggested Collette grab the Glock 17 that Winters absconded earlier tonight. The 9mm was a good size for her, and she had some practice with a similar gun.
Winters hopped out of the van and scanned the neighborhood. He wasn’t sure how many people still lived here, and didn’t really care. They’d see the police van and stay inside. He spotted a couple of old oak trees standing tall next to each other on the left and decided that was where he would place the girls. It was a good place to hide and big enough for protection should someone try to run them over.
The girls stepped out of the van, each holding their weapon of choice. Winters gave them both instructions with the weapons until he was satisfied they wouldn’t shoot anyone by accident. He then told them what he wanted them to do and that it was a waiting game. They walked over to the oak trees but decided to sit down on the street not wanting to sit in the wet grass.
Winters’s eyelids began to close and he had to stand back up. He walked toward the van and leaned back against it. The sun was peeking over the horizon and the neighborhood was starting to come alive. Squirrels began jumping through the branches and birds were chirping away. The chirping became mesmerizing, and he started to fall into a trance when Laney yelled out. “Here they come.”
Chapter 34
Sarnia Ontario
The back of the paddy wagon was not a comfortable ride, and worse yet when you were wearing handcuffs. The steel bench seat was not cushioned and the men bounced up in the air whenever they hit a pothole. Thankfully, the ride was a short one, but long enough for Scar to tell the guys it was best to just come clean. He had no doubt they would separate them once they got to the station. They had no time to come up with some BS story so he decided to throw the dice and cast their fate.
The wagon pulled into a garage and the back door opened. The station was like any other police station with fluorescent lights, steel doors and cameras watching your every move.
They led Scar to a small room that had a narrow table and two chairs on either side. Scar sat down and waited alone a few minutes before Sergeant Major Wilson came in.
“Scott Scarborough, this is your real name?” asked Wilson.
“It is indeed.”
“Why are you here?”
“I beg your pardon?”
“I’ve dealt with a lot of American refugees over the past year, hundreds in fact. They come here desperate for shelter and food. Some are trying to escape criminals that seem to be running the show over there. The one common thing they all have is a certain look of desperation on their faces and the way they act. My problem with you and your friends is that you don’t have that look. In fact, you have the exact opposite look. Besides not coming through our official border crossing, you’re bold, confident, and you were armed, which tells me you are a criminal and you guys came here to cause us trouble.”
Scar fought to control the outburst boiling inside him. He needed to hear the man out before he responded. He took a deep breath and pretended the man was a past customer of his who had a problem with the work his company had completed for him.
“Add to the fact that we found you with a pocket full of money, both Canadian and American, and a couple of gold Maple Leaf coins, which leads me to believe you didn’t just cross the river. In fact, I believe you’ve been busy at work robbing the good citizens of Sarnia.”
Scar tightened his fists listening to this cop who seemed to have already made up his mind as to what it was they were doing. He was going to have to remain calm and try to explain to him who they were and hoped they didn’t believe the American media who had painted them as raping, murdering, anarchists.
“So tell me, am I wrong? And before you try to lie your way out of this, I know when someone is lying to me.”
Scar cleared his throat. “Sergeant Major, you couldn’t be more off base. You’re correct in assuming we’re not refugees. We came here not to steal, but to buy supplies and bring them back to a town that is starving.”
Wilson’s left eyebrow hiked at this information. “Then why didn’t you come through the border entrance up the road?”
“If we had we would have been arrested by the National Police, who are trying to kill us.”
“Oh?”
“They’re corrupt as they come and would like nothing more than to take us in.”
Wilson looked doubtful. “Why do they want to take you in?”
Scar paused before answering knowing he was about to roll those dice. “Have you heard of the Shadow Patriots?”
Wilson nodded his head.
“I’m one of them.”
“You’re sure about this?”
Scar cocked his head in confusion. “Why would I lie about that?”
“Not sure that you would, but I wanted to make sure.”
“Why? Are you gonna let us go?”
Wilson choked back a laugh. “I’m afraid not.”
“Listen, it’s extremely important that we get back to Michigan. We’ve got a town that is surrounded by bad guys and they’ve already killed over a thousand innocent people.
For the last week, we’ve been defending that town while sneaking the citizens out of there. They’re down to their last few days of food and we still have over a thousand people to remove. We need to get back.”
Wilson looked apologetic. “That’s not going to happen.”
“Don’t we get a phone call or something?”
“Things are run a little differently over here and especially with so many Americans. I’m sorry, but you’ll need to see the judge first.”
Scar wasn’t giving up. “Then can you do me a big favor?”
“Depends on the favor.”
“Can you make a phone call for me?”
“I don’t know about that,” said Wilson in a hesitant tone.
“Please, it’s important.”
“Who is it you want me to call?”
“General Standish at his base in Winnipeg.”
“Winnipeg? A general? What does he have to do with you?”
Scar wasn’t sure if he should tell this man. He wasn’t sure if Standish’s help was something he’d get in trouble for. “He’s a friend of mine is all.”
“I’ll see what I can do,” said Wilson.
Scar wasn’t convinced the man would keep his word, but could only hope for the best. They made a tactical error going into the restaurant. However, the more thought he put into it, the more convinced he became they would have been eventually arrested. With all the trouble the Canadians had been going through with refugees, it would have only been a matter of time before some cop stopped them for questioning.
Chapter 35
Sabine Iowa
Winters had been waiting on Pine Street for the thugs who were holding Finley and her family. After giving instructions to the girls, he was standing in the middle of the street to block any escape. It didn’t take too long before Laney yelled that they were coming. He pulled the slide back on his Colt M4 and flipped the switch to full auto. He had four magazines ready to go. He looked down the road and watched the car as it moved toward them.
“Girls, get into position, and fire when they pass that house I pointed out.”
Winters stepped away from the van but stayed in the middle of the road. His heart began to quicken as the car got closer. He took in several controlled breaths and rolled his shoulder before pressing the rifle in place. The car began to slow down as it came within three hundred feet and the driver didn’t seem to know what to do.
“C’mon, just a tad bit closer,” said Winters, knowing he was well within the effective range of the gun. He just wanted maximum exposure before he opened fire.
The car came to a stop, and Winters wasn’t sure if they would begin to back up, so he pulled the trigger. The quiet neighborhood exploded in thundering echoes as rounds ripped through the still air and into the car. He emptied the magazine in seconds and slammed in a fresh one. The car’s engine roared as it shot forward. It closed in fast as he squeezed the trigger again. The car began to swerve left as it passed by the designated house. Laney stepped away from the tree and unloaded her rifle into the side of the car. Collette flipped around and began taking pot shots as the car zipped past her.
Winters slammed in a third magazine as the car drew within a hundred feet. Both occupants were bleeding, and Winters shot at the windshield peppering the glass with holes. The car careened off to the left and headed toward a house. It crashed into the foundation, and the engine began to rev high as the dead man’s foot pressed on the pedal.
Winters charged in keeping his weapon pointed at the car. He pulled open the driver’s door and found the man slumped over the wheel with the air bag draped over his head. He peered over him and found the passenger to be bleeding out of multiple wounds. Winters grabbed the driver’s left arm and pulled on it. He fell over and the engine settled down. He reached in and turned the key off just as Laney and Collette raced over.
“Oh man,” said Laney. “Look at this.”
“You know these guys?” asked Winters.
Collette and Laney looked at the bloodied bodies and nodded. Laney pulled out the list and checked off two more.
“That was Brian Holiday and his buddy Smitty.”
“Wow, you called that one right,” said Collette.
“That leaves two,” said Laney.
“Yes, and these will be the toughest to get at.”
“Do you think they heard the gunfire?” asked Laney.
“More than likely. It’s only a couple of blocks and that gunfire would have echoed off these houses, so yes, they heard.”
“What are we gonna do?” asked Laney.
“I’m hoping to flush ‘em out. Let’s grab some more ammo and get down there.”
Winters helped the girls reload and gather some extra magazines before running through backyards toward Billy Gamble’s house. Winters wasn’t sure what he wanted to do and wouldn’t be able to make a decision until he set eyes on the place. He had only two more people to go, but now there were hostages involved.
“There it is,” said Laney as they came around a house.
The house was a single-story and sat at the very end of the cul-de-sac. A quad cab pickup was parked in the driveway. White curtains, which were shut tight like all the other windows, covered the picture window. The houses on either side appeared to be empty and one even had a few broken windows.
Winters kept staring while trying to come up with a plan. He could try to enter through a back window, but he had no idea where anybody was. He couldn’t storm the place without risking getting someone killed. He shook his head remembering all the hostage movies and shows where they had high-tech gadgets to help.
“Any ideas?” asked Laney.
“Well, we can’t see inside, which limits our options.”
“We could ring the door bell,” smirked Laney.
“Or, I could do my naked act again,” suggested Collette.
“I’d like to see that, again,” quipped Laney.
“Girls, can we get serious?”
“I am being serious,” said Collette. “I don’t mean get naked, but I could, like, yell out from the driveway and distract them.”
Winters looked at her as he gave it some thought, but knew it was too dangerous. While he needed for them to come outside, he wasn’t sure of just how agitated they might be. Perhaps she was onto something when she offered to distract them. He wouldn’t let her be the distraction, so they needed something else. Then an idea struck him.
“Either one of you ever been inside?”
“Well, yeah, we both have,” said Laney.
“Is there a room where you know for certain he wouldn’t have them in?”
Laney looked at Collette. “What about the laundry room?”
“Or his office,” suggested Collette.
“Where are those located?” asked Winters.
“Office is in the back corner,” said Collette. “Give me that list of names and a pen.”
Laney pulled out the paper and handed it to Collette, who then drew a layout of the house. Winters stared at it and came up with an idea. He told them it and they both nodded their heads.
Winters ran back to the van and grabbed a couple of empty water bottles out of the back. He then hustled over to the car that had crashed into the house, got down on his knees and drew out his knife. He punctured the gas tank and waited patiently for the bottles to fill with gasoline. It reminded him of when he was on the run with Elliott and Reese out on Robinson Road. They had set an SUV filled with weapons on fire so they wouldn’t fall into the hands of their enemies.
The last bottle overflowed with gas, and Winters put the cap on before racing back to the girls. The three of them snuck over to the corner of the house where Collette had indicated there was a small office. Staying behind overgrown bushes, he studied the vinyl-covered house, which would melt and create a deadly smoke. The occupants would have no choice but to exit from the front door or the sliding glass door in the back. Winters kept the girls next to him where they could keep an eye on both
exits and would be able to draw down on either of them.
He left the safety of the overgrown bushes and rushed to the house to splash the corner of the house spreading gasoline up and down the house. He stepped back and flicked a lit match into the flammable liquid. The fire huffed as it instantly lit, and within seconds, the back corner was in flames.
Chapter 36
Detroit Michigan
Coffee spilled on his desk as Vatter sat down in his office. The thirty-year old station commander cursed at himself because he had filled the cup to the brim and hadn’t taken a couple of sips before moving it. He leaned over to grab a couple of napkins out of the trashcan to blot the liquid up before it damaged his papers.
As he lifted the cup to take a sip, the steam from the hot liquid floated up into the bandage on the side of his face, which was still sensitive from the knife wound he’d received from his cousin. This reminded him of the decision he’d made to kill her and sell the twin girls to Mordulfah. At first, he was ecstatic to have come up with such a brilliant plan to save his own head. There was no way he’d be here today had he not done so, which was an easy way to rationalize the decision. However, he then had to deal with his mother, who unfortunately was the one who had found her bloody corpse. He didn’t want to put her through that but figured it was the only way to divert the attention from himself. He tried to act shocked about the whole thing, but his mother knew right away that he had killed her. The wounds he had received were a giveaway and besides, he never could lie to her.
He had hoped it wouldn’t take her too long to forgive him for not cleaning up his mess. Surprisingly, having to see the mess, rather than the actual killing, was what she angriest about. She grieved for the twins but shrugged her shoulders because their lives were not as important as her son’s was.
He took another sip of coffee and thought about the disaster that took place the other night in Grosse Pointe. Once again, the Shadow Patriots got away, but this time, Mordulfah couldn’t blame him. He and his men had stayed right where he had ordered them to be. Somehow, Winters knew what was really going on and staged quite a rescue of his daughter and the twin girls. Satisfaction spread across Vatter’s face because the twins were no longer with Mordulfah. He was surprised at how happy this information made him. Even though sacrificing the twins had saved his life, it hadn’t been an easy thing to live with and he actually lost sleep over it. When he heard what had happened, he found himself silently thanking the Shadow Patriots for easing his conscience.