by Warren Ray
“You guys came with Cole then? What happened?”
“Cole, here, saved our lives,” said Collette proudly.
Sadie beamed at Winters and then put her arms around his waist.
Winters looked around the room. Many of the service personnel stared at them with grins on their faces. Sadie had become quite a fixture on the base and because of what she went through with the Shadow Patriots, was the only kid allowed to eat in the big cafeteria. Her outgoing personality made it easy for her to make friends with most everyone.
They sat back down at the table.
“So, what have you been doing since I’ve been gone? They been keeping you busy?”
Sadie let out a big sigh. “I’ll say.”
“So, what have you been learning?”
With her hands animating she said, “Well, I’ve learned how to field strip and clean a Colt C7A2 rifle.”
Winters leaned back in surprise. “Oh?”
Sadie giggled. “Don’t worry, I’m doing school stuff, but if I get my lessons done early then I get to learn the fun stuff.”
Laney grabbed Collette’s arm. “I so like this girl.”
“No kidding, she’s, like, totally cool,” agreed Collette.
Winters caught the eye of one of the weapons instructors, who shied away when he looked at him. “Glad to see everyone’s been taking a liking to ya.”
“I even got to shoot it… on full auto,” she said slowly pronouncing the last words.
A proud grin spread across Winters’ lips.
“I even hit the target with a nice tight grouping.”
“Meeks will be happy to hear you’re continuing the shooting lessons,” said Winters referring to the first lessons Meeks gave her and Reese on the campus back in South Bend, Indiana. That was where Meeks gave her the Ruger SR-22 that Winters had now used on several occasions.
“How is Meeks? How’s everybody?” Sadie grabbed his hand, “has anyone been…killed?”
Normally, this would be an odd question for an eleven-year-old to ask. However, she’d witnessed the destruction of her hometown while watching her mom being taken away, had a gun held to her head, sat in a jail cell, escaped Mordulfah’s compound while bullets flew around her, and saw many people shot to death. Sadie was no ordinary kid and there was no sense in hiding the truth to someone who had been through hell.
“Everyone’s good,” said Winters, not sure where to start.
Sadie tilted her head waiting for him to continue.
Winters gave her a quick overview of what had happened leaving out certain parts, including the death of Cara. Her smile disappeared making Winters regret telling her all the things he had, but then she’d find out eventually.
“My big sisters are okay though?” she asked referring to Amber and Reese.
“Yes, and you’d be proud of them, they’ve been nothing but amazing.”
“But Nate and Elliott?” she asked as tears began.
“Don’t worry, they’re going be alright.”
She wiped her eyes and nodded. “I’m gonna make them get well cards.”
“Honey, they would love that.”
Winters wanted to get some rest before his meeting and asked Sadie to show the girls around the base.
“Sadie, my little brother, Seth, came with us,” said Collette, “and also our friend’s little sister, Kayley. She’s your age. Would you like to meet them?”
Sadie’s mouth fell open. “Kids my own age, alright!”
“They’re at the hospital waiting room.”
“I know the way,” she said proudly.
Everyone stood up and Sadie gave Winters a hug before grabbing Collette’s hand and leading the way.
Winters held Laney back and whispered to her. “Do me a favor and don’t tell her about Cara. I want to tell her in private, okay.”
Laney nodded
Winters watched Sadie lead the girls out of the cafeteria. He was proud of her and was happy she was taking full advantage of her surroundings. With her mom dead and her dad most likely dead, it was good she was being kept busy. It couldn’t be easy for an eleven-year-old. He only wished he could be here for her and was tempted to stay a few days, but that would be impossible because he needed to get back to his men.
Chapter 69
Winters opened his eyes and blinked a few times. He didn’t want to get up because his body was so relaxed he thought it was part of the mattress. He rolled his shoulders and moved around the soft cotton sheets massaging the backs of his legs. Despite everything he’d been through the last few days, he had slept well. The excitement of all the fighting, driving the injured Finley to Canada and then seeing Sadie had overwhelmed him. He had fallen asleep as soon as he hit the sheets.
He took a couple of deep breaths then got up to arch his back before standing straight to grab a quick shower. As always, the hot water felt too good and he had to force himself to get out. He found a clean olive drab t-shirt in the closet and threw it on before heading down to the cafeteria. He entered the big room and found it almost empty, allowing him to grab a quick bite to eat. He had to laugh at himself for putting too much food on his plate like the girls had done. Truth be known, he hadn’t seen this much food since the last time he had been here.
He looked at his watch noting it was time for his meeting, so he finished up and headed down the hallway to Standish’s office. He had hoped to go by and see how Finley was doing before the meeting but ran out of time. He was ushered into the same conference room they’d used before with the blue swivel chairs. Both General Standish and Colonel Brocket stood up as he entered.
“Captain Winters,” greeted Standish, in his deep baritone voice.
“Sir, it’s good to see you,” said Winters, shaking his hand.
“I trust you slept well,” said Brocket.
“Like I haven’t slept in years.”
“Battles wear the body down,” said Brocket.
Tea was brought in and served as Winters began giving them an account of the last couple of weeks. Winters took a break from the story and took a few sips of the tea. He needed to gather up the courage to continue. He was just getting to the attempted rescue of Cara. His hands began to tremble and Standish noticed it.
“Are you all right, Captain?” he asked.
Winters took a hurried breath. “Yes, it’s just that this next part is a little tough for me, but it needs to be told.”
Standish put his hand on the table. “Take your time, sir.”
Winters coughed and took another sip of tea trying to clear the lump in his throat. He took another hurried breath and continued with the story.
Neither Standish nor Brocket moved a muscle as Winters told them about storming Mordulfah’s compound during the failed rescue attempt of his daughter.
“So, anyway, she huh, died in my arms,” said Winters, trying to hold back the tears.
Standish glanced at Brocket before turning back to Winters and said in a gentle tone, “Captain, I’m so sorry.”
Brocket repeated the sentiment.
He glanced at both of them and realized how uncomfortable the room had become. “It’s okay, really, I’m still working through it, but I’ve actually pretty much come to terms with it. It’s just that this is only the second time I’ve told it, so it’s, ah, it’s a little tough to get the words out.”
“I certainly understand,” said Standish giving him a reassuring nod.
“You see, it’s the next part of the story that makes it easier for me to deal with losing her.”
His host exchanged puzzled looks.
Winters told them the second half of the story explaining how Cara’s death was responsible for him rescuing his hometown of Sabine from a bunch of thugs. When he finished, Standish and Brocket both leaned back in their chairs shaking their heads.
“That’s almost unbelievable,” said Brocket, “without a doubt, something was guiding you.”
“It's truly astonishing, Captain,” said Standish.
Winters nodded and soaked up all the sentiment they offered. He found he still needed the affirmation and took great comfort in it. It would become easier over the coming days and more so as he got busy again.
“Anyway, those girls that came with me are true heroes. They were incredibly brave and unflinching in the thick of things. I could not have done it without them and certainly not in one night.”
Standish took another sip of tea and agreed.
“I got a report a little bit ago from the doctor,” said Brocket, “young Finley is doing well. They stitched her wound properly and have her on antibiotics.”
Winters finished his tea and let out a deep sigh. That good news was another small accomplishment, which would help the healing of his heart.
“Now onto other matters,” said Standish changing his tone.
Winters furrowed his eyebrows in anticipation.
“I received some news in regards to your men.”
Winters didn’t respond but found his chest tighten.
“Seems they killed a Sarnia cop last night.”
Winters didn’t know where Sarnia was and asked.
“It's across the river from Port Huron. They came across the river looking for supplies.”
“Who did?”
Standish looked at the report. “Scarborough, Bassett, Burns, and someone named Nick Nordell.”
“He’s a retired Gunnery Sergeant, he lives in Jackson.”
Standish nodded.
“So, what happened?” asked Winters
“Still gathering the details but it appears that one of the Sarnia cops decided to try and cash in on the reward that’s on your heads. However, he must not have realized just who he had in custody because they managed to escape and get back across the river.”
Winters rubbed his temples trying to comprehend all of this.
“Unfortunately, one of the cops was killed and several others are in the hospital, all with injuries to the head.”
Winters tried to appear stoic, although inside he took joy in the fact that his guys managed to escape. “So, where do we stand? Where do my guys stand?”
Standish shifted in his seat. “I’ve been on the phone for the last hour sorting all of this out. What we know is your guys came over in good faith with money to buy supplies when the local cops asked for their papers. When they couldn’t produce them, the cops arrested them and then found they had side arms, which is a big no-no. Your guys were up front with who they were and this is where greed came in and got in the way.”
Winters grimaced, still not knowing what was going to happen to them.
“We’re gonna sweep this under the rug. Blame it on some random criminals. This Sarnia cop is in a whole lot of trouble. Not only did he jeopardize the safety of his men, but he bribed border guards to allow your National Police into the country.”
Relief swept over Winters. The last thing he needed was to be in trouble with a country that has been helping them. They needed Canada’s help and couldn’t have gotten as far they had without it. He then realized he would need to leave as soon as he could and get back to Jackson. If Scar risked going into Canada for supplies, then the situation must be more desperate than he remembered. With everything that had been going on over the last week or so, he hadn’t had the time or the wherewithal to even think about the town’s supplies.
He looked at General Standish and asked him for his assistance once again. He responded with his continued support to supply the Shadow Patriots with food, medicine, fuel, and most importantly, more weapons.
Lost Shadows - 6
The Shadow Patriots Book Six
Warren Ray
Chapter 1
Jackson Michigan
Scar struggled to get up from his bed and had to push with his left arm to sit up. He began stretching his body, which ached from the failed mission to Canada. Not only did they not get any supplies but lost the funds to purchase them. After twisting his shoulders around and arching his back, he massaged his temples trying to relieve a headache that was pounding like a jackhammer.
Besides the stress he was under, the loud gunfire from last night’s shootout didn’t help any. He was also upset that he had lost his prized Kimber Model 1911 .45ACP to the cops in Canada. It had been a gift from his wife five years ago, and he had been carrying it with him since the beginning of the Shadow Patriots.
He stood up and arched his back again before jumping into the shower to wash off yesterday’s failure. Cold water had a way of forcing you to focus on the here and now, which is what he needed. Dwelling on the past tended to confuse your thinking on what needed to be done, and he had lots to do.
As he stepped out the shower and toweled off before putting on his clothes, he tried not to think about Sergeant Wilson’s greed. Scar shook his head to get the man out of his thoughts. He wasn’t worth the effort but hoped he would pay for his sins.
Thankfully, Hadley had spotted the cops sinking their canoe and decided to get back to Jackson for help. How different the night would have gone had the young Texan not done so. More than likely, the cops would have caught and tortured him for information before killing him as a traitor. They would have seen the Patriots coming back across the river, and that would have been the end of that.
Scar swallowed some Motrin for his headache before heading down to the cafeteria. Since the food was still running low, he realized supplies continued to be his main priority, and they would have to get creative to either find more to eat or move the rest of these people out of Jackson.
He pushed the door open and was surprised to see Amber sitting there. She had on a clean pair of jeans and a dark purple cami top with a dark blue windbreaker. He was glad she was there because he had arrived in a different vehicle last night and hadn’t had the chance to talk to her or Reese.
“Well, hey there.”
Amber looked up. “Morning Scar.”
“Didn’t expect to see you here,” said Scar picking up the decanter.
“It’s a bit on the light side,” said Amber commenting on the quality of the coffee.
“I see that, but it’s better than nothing,” said Scar as he poured a cup. He sat down across from her. “Sleep good?”
“Like a baby, but something out in the hall woke me up a bit ago.”
“Well, that sucks.”
Amber gave him a half shrug.
Scar took a sip of coffee. “So, was it miserable taking a cold shower last night.”
“Believe it or not the shower actually felt pretty good. I guess I was still numb and besides, there was a lot of grime to wash off.”
“Yeah, I’ll bet,” said Scar taking another sip of coffee. He set the cup down and looked at Amber. “You know, you and Reese, were amazing last night. I’m really proud of you guys.”
Amber moved a hand to her heart. “Well, thank you, Scar. That’s sweet of you to say so. We certainly weren’t expecting to be in a firefight that’s for sure. We thought we’d just be babysitting the garage. Reese even commented she shouldn’t have been there, to begin with.”
“I don’t know about that. She definitely held her own.”
Amber nodded approvingly. “So, what was it like over there? We were looking through the binoculars fantasizing about getting a beer, well I was, Reese just wanted pizza.”
Scar couldn’t contain his smile.
“What?”
“We had both.”
Amber crossed her arms over her chest. “Ah, that’s just not fair.”
“I know, right, but then we were also in jail, so there’s that.”
“So, how did that beer taste?”
“The first one was pure ecstasy,” boasted Scar.
“You had two?”
“Had to wash down the cheeseburger.”
Amber feigned anger by giving him the evil eye.
Scar laughed. “Hey, we had just barely finished the second one before getting arrested.”
“Ah, yes, always a price to pay now
isn’t there?”
Scar shook his head. “Always.”
“Well, serves you right,” said Amber sarcastically.
“I’ll say this Amber. It was just nice having a normal night out with friends.”
Amber gave him a thoughtful expression and nodded.
“Those Canadians have it pretty good despite everything that’s going on here. The prices were higher than normal, but that’s to be expected.”
“Probably where the Jijis and cops are getting their supplies.”
Scar put his cup down and stared at her.
“What?”
“Amber I think I could kiss ya.”
“What?”
“Supplies. Mordulfah’s got a lot of mouths to feed. He must have stockpiles of it somewhere close to feed his little army.”
Amber started nodding recognizing what Scar was saying. “Sounds like we got a recon mission.”
“Oh, hell yeah, we do.”
Scar leaned back in his chair grateful he bumped into Amber. This could potentially solve their problem or at the very least put it off until they had a better solution. He liked the idea and was about to get up to go look for Bassett when he and Meeks walked into the cafeteria. He told them the idea, and both readily agreed to go out on a recon mission.
Chapter 2
Grosse Pointe Michigan
Surveying the damage to the mansion, Mordulfah dug deep within himself to control his emotions in front of the men. His father taught him at an early age to always maintain a blank facade. It was a source of power, and he would need it in spades because the rebels had embarrassed him again by attacking his home and taking his women.
Even after three days, the smell of burnt carpet and wood still permeated the air as he stepped around a charred window frame that had fallen out of the galley room. Broken glass crunched under his feet as he walked on the grass. He had just finished fixing this room from the last attack, and now it, along with the entire south side, was completely ruined from the rebel’s RPG. Thankfully, they were able to contain the fire and prevent the whole mansion from being burned down.