The Shadow Patriots Box Set 2

by Warren Ray

  “A way to insult Perozzi in front of the whole district.”

  Sam started to understand and nodded his head.

  “Just got to find ourselves an artist,” said Green.

  “Someone who shares our views and we can trust.”

  “That shouldn’t be too hard. I’m sure there’s plenty of artists who hate what’s going on.”

  “Some cash should help inspire them,” said Sam.

  “Let’s bring it up at our meeting tonight.”

  Street art had a way of making a point and if done right can cause quite a sensation. With the right message, it has a unique way of getting attention. Graffiti is illegal, which would make it have an even bigger impact. Some people view it as art while others as vandalism. What he had in mind would no doubt be considered vandalism. Perozzi was his target, and he just found a way to embarrass him.

  Chapter 9

  The limo pulled out of the Saudi embassy and took a right on New Hampshire Avenue. Mordulfah had just made a deal with his uncle for experienced soldiers and had done so with superb negotiating skills. Thomas wasn’t sure if he should comment on the way Mordulfah dealt with his uncle. Thomas had a newfound respect for the way he handled the old man and wondered if he did all his negotiations like that. Thomas must have been staring at him too long because the prince took notice.

  “What is it, Thomas?”

  He turned red but took a breath and decided to ask him. “Your Highness, the way you handled that negotiation was quite brilliant and I'm impressed.”

  Mordulfah looked pleased with the compliment.

  “What I was wondering, is that the way you handle all negotiations?”

  Mordulfah stared at him in silence the same way he stared at his uncle. The intensity of his stare was both impressive and eerie. Thomas found himself starting to fidget.

  “Uncomfortable isn’t it?”

  Thomas nodded at the revelation.

  “People don’t like silence, and if you can control yourself while staring someone down, you’ll achieve the upper hand.”

  “Wow! I don’t remember learning something so valuable in all of my four years of college.”

  “Nor do I and I went to Oxford. It is something you learn in life. I learned some of it from the man, we’re going to go see next.”

  “May I ask who?”

  “Gerald Perozzi. He’s America’s puppet-master and controls all the strings of power. He’s the one I deal with, and while we’re in town, I need to pay my respects. He’ll want an update, even though I know he’s well aware of our current situation. He has ears everywhere.”

  Thomas looked out the window to admire as much of Washington as he could. He knew there would be no sightseeing, but he no longer cared because he had learned about Mordulfah’s plans and couldn’t wait to tell Captain Winters. They needed to know he was sending experienced men to fight them. He hoped they were going to meet this colonel before they left so he could learn even more.

  The limo pulled into what looked like a mansion but was a converted office building. The chauffeur parked and opened the door. Mordulfah didn’t say anything to him as he exited the car and figured he had the same instructions as before. Be available and don’t say anything. Thomas laughed to himself thinking it was like being a fly on the wall.

  The receptionist greeted Mordulfah in friendly terms as if they knew each other, so Thomas figured she’d worked here for some time. She escorted them to a side room with a large open entrance where you could still see the reception area. The room had hardwood floors with an area rug in the middle. The papered walls had heavy wooden oak trim, which gave the place a sturdy appearance. She offered Mordulfah a drink, which he declined. Thomas stood off to the side and figured he was not to sit down. He never saw Wali ever sit down, ever, when he was around him.

  After a few minutes, Thomas heard some laughter and turned his head to see an older man walking with Albert Sauer, the man who had met with Mordulfah on the tarmac. Why was he here? Thomas looked out of his peripheral vision to witness Mordulfah pretend not to know the man. He figured the old man must be Perozzi and watched as he acknowledged Mordulfah’s presence. Albert Sauer didn’t, and it finally dawned on Thomas why. He was Mordulfah’s inside man, which is why he met him in secret out on the tarmac. Thomas again had to control his emotions as he realized just how cunning Mordulfah was. He didn’t take any chances on not knowing what was going on and wanted to have the upper hand.

  Perozzi said goodbye to Sauer and then came inside where Mordulfah patiently waited. He looked at Thomas and then Mordulfah expecting to be told who the stranger was with him.

  “This is Thomas, he is filling in for Wali whom I have doing other things.”

  Thomas wasn’t sure if he should extend his hand out but decided to wait to see if Perozzi was forthcoming. He tried to act like Wali and gave him a slight bow. The old man then turned and invited them into his office.

  Thomas began to follow them, but Mordulfah turned and told him to wait here. His heart sunk as he hoped to learn more about his business. Thomas turned around to go back to the side room. He was about to sit down when the receptionist asked if he like something to drink.

  “Don’t worry you’ll have time, I’ve seen their meetings take over an hour and never less than thirty minutes.”

  “Well, thank you. I’m Thomas, by the way.”

  “Hello, Thomas, I’m Alicia. This your first time?”

  “It is. It’s actually my first time in Washington.”

  “Oh, how exciting for you. Where are you from?”

  “Nashville.”

  She gave him a curious look. “You don’t speak with much of a southern accent.”

  Thomas laughed. “My parents are from Pakistan and heavily influenced my diction. They didn’t mean too, but they did.”

  “Well, there you go. Now, what will it be?”

  “Excuse me?”

  “Drink?”

  “Oh, yes, do you have Coke?”

  “Coming right up.”

  Thomas watched the receptionist scoot down the hall. He liked her bubbly personality and thought it matched her small size, which he figured was about five-foot-two without the heels she wore. The pixie hairstyle went well with her round face and kept her looking young, even though she was probably in her mid thirties.

  She came back and handed him a glass full of ice and cola.

  “If you don’t mind me asking,” queried Alicia, “but how did you get to Michigan from Nashville?”

  “I graduated college with a degree in finance and was offered a job. There weren’t many other prospects at the time, so I took a chance.”

  “How bad are things there?”

  Thomas thought her line of questioning was strange. Didn’t she know what her boss was doing to the country? He looked at her and realized she was just a receptionist and wasn’t on the inside of things so to speak. “Most people have left the state, but there are still many in the area.”

  “I’m always so inquisitive because we’re so insulated here in the district. Heck, if you didn’t know any better, you’d never even know we’re in a war.”

  “I’ve noticed that. I was surprised to see so many cars on the road with actual traffic jams. Do you have any food shortages here?”

  Alicia slowly shook her head. “No, not really. I mean sometimes, yeah, but for the most part, you can get what you want. It’s way more expensive, that’s for sure.”

  Thomas took a sip of his drink. “I’m fortunate I work for who I do because I don’t know how everyone else is doing it.”

  “Gardens I suppose,” said Alicia not really giving it much thought.

  Thomas could see she didn’t lack for anything. Her hair was perfect and looked like she just had her nails manicured. He figured Perozzi paid her well but wondered if the rest of Washington was like this. He turned his thoughts to his parents and was glad they lived in the south. He hadn’t talked to them in about six months, but during his la
st call, they told him they had stocked up on plenty of food. They lived in an upscale-gated neighborhood, which kept them safer than most. Now that he’d seen Washington, he knew this was the ultimate place to be. All the influential people worked and lived here, which almost guaranteed you could get anything you needed, even during times of war.

  Chapter 10

  Jackson Michigan

  Reese slid out of bed by mid-morning still tired from last night’s operation in Port Huron. She had put too much pressure on her leg and was feeling the pains today. She managed to swing her feet onto the linoleum floor and decided to take another shower to wash off any remaining filth from the river. The cold water would also help numb the aches and pains that were coursing through her body.

  She gritted her teeth and hopped into the cold water, which caused goose bumps to explode across her skin. At least the water is clean, she said to herself. After a couple of minutes, she got used to it and washed around her wounds before rewashing her hair.

  She got out of the shower and stood in front of the mirror looking at her wounds. The leg had an entry and exit wound and didn’t look nearly as bad as her arm, which was missing a chunk of flesh. A yellowish blue bruise surrounded the stitches and even though she had full mobility, the whole area was still delicate to the touch, even more so after having rolled around on it last night.

  She remembered the slow-motion realization that she’d been shot. The first thought that goes through your head is at any moment you could actually die. An odd thought when you are in the middle of a gunfight but being struck with a bullet gives it more credence. Then the pain hits you, and you know you’ve never felt such pain. Never even imagined it could be so bad, which is quite a statement for someone who had been brutalized over the course of ten days. Besides the sexual abuse, she had to endure, some of the cops were downright cruel to her. A few would beat her with a variety of instruments from wooden paddles to leather belts sometimes to the point of drawing blood.

  She shook her head at the memory and turned to the side to look at the bruising from the blow she’d received from the cop she had killed during the hospital attack. He had punched her ribcage after slamming her down on the conference table. The size of the blue and red bruise had shrunk considerably, and it didn’t bother her as much as it had. She tilted her head from side-to-side realizing she had been lucky none of her injuries had been life-threatening. She debated on whether she should have Doctor Lunsford examine them. She didn’t want her wounds to get infected from who knows what was in the river and was glad she’d been taking her antibiotics.

  Deciding to speak with him, she dressed in a yellow cami and a pair of jean shorts, grabbed her red crutch and headed downstairs. Thankfully, she had only one flight of stairs to hobble down, because even though the shower had helped considerable, she was still sore.

  The cold river had been helpful in keeping the pain at bay, but it had caught up to her on the way home. She and Amber drove back to Jackson by themselves with the heater blowing at full blast.

  She laughed at how no one wanted to drive back with them with the heater going. The air did get stuffy enough that they had to crack open the windows for fresh air. It took nearly an hour before the heater had any real effect on their wet clothes. It was then the pain started coming back. The leg hurt the most as she had been walking on it without using her crutch. Between the adrenaline, the numbness and her resolve, she managed to ignore the pain while fighting.

  “Reese,” greeted Sandy, the nurse, who had been looking after her. She was the one who had an emotional break down after the hospital attack while trying to care for Reese.

  Reese closed in for a hug. “Hey, Sandy.”

  “You okay? I heard what happened last night.”

  “In some pain and my dressings are off,” said Reese twisting around to show her bare legs.

  “Ah yes, well let’s take a look. You’ve been taking your antibiotics?”

  Reese nodded just as Doctor Lunsford walked in. He’d served as an Army surgeon in the Middle East and had seen his share of gunshot wounds.

  “Good morning Reese, how’s it going?

  “I’m good.”

  “Heard what you did last night and was hoping you’d come by.”

  “You were?”

  Lunsford smiled at her. “You went for a swim, yes?”

  “Yeah, you could say that.”

  “Well, who knows how polluted that river is,” said Lunsford examining her arm and leg. He had Sandy weigh her and check her blood pressure before examining her eyes and ears and listening to her heart. “You in any pain?”

  Reese nodded. “I was walking without my crutch.”

  “How did that go?”

  “Between the adrenaline and the cold river, great at first.”

  Lunsford laughed. “Afterwards, not so much eh?”

  “You could say that.”

  “Sandy, go ahead and re-bandage those wounds,” said Lunsford. He then turned back to Reese and said, “The wounds are healing nicely. I don’t see any infection from last night. Just a few more days for the bandages should do it. Keep taking the antibiotics until you finish the bottle. Do you still have those painkillers?”

  Reese let out a scoff. “Oh, yeah.”

  “Have you taken any of them?”

  “A couple, but they make me loopy, and I don’t want to get hooked on them.”

  He gave her a knowing nod. “I understand. Why don’t you bring those back here, and we’ll put you on some 800 mg Ibuprofen. I don’t see any reason why you shouldn’t be able to get rid of your crutch over the next few days.

  Reese nodded; glad she came to see him. She wanted to be reassured she wouldn’t get sick from last night. It was bad enough she had stomped her feet to go on the mission, but it would have been worse if she had become a greater liability to the team. She should never have put Meeks in the position to give in to her. She couldn’t help, but blurt out that she wanted to go, and knew she had an issue with self-control.

  Since Cole left, she’d been battling bouts of depression. It helped to keep busy, but she was afraid if she stopped, they would come back and swallow her as it had Cole.

  Reese walked out into the hallway and saw Scar and Amber walking in from outside. They were headed to the cafeteria, so she decided to join them.

  Chapter 11

  Nate pushed the door open and entered the cafeteria. He hadn’t been down here since the attack on the hospital last week. His nurse, Sandy, had been waiting on him hand and foot since then. He was in the mood for a fresh cup of coffee but didn’t want to bother anyone. He picked up the decanter and saw what was left of the weak coffee. He looked around for more but didn’t find any, so he walked into the storage room. He checked all the cabinets before finding a box hidden way in the back. He tore it open and found it full of coffee packets. He drummed his fingers on the cabinet and yelled out in excitement.

  He opened a fresh packet and brought it up to his nose inhaling the rich aroma deeply into his lungs. He eagerly poured it into a filter before sitting down to wait for it to finishing brewing.

  He was in a much better mood now that Elliott was doing better. Despite what he had been saying the last few days, he didn’t look so good. However, Doctor Lunsford had given everyone an update this morning assuring them Elliott was going to make a full recovery.

  The water finished pouring into the glass decanter, and Nate got up and filled his cup to the top. He breathed in the aroma before taking a sip. He sat down with his hands wrapped around the warm mug. It was one of the few things around here that was warm.

  Between the generator and the solar panels, the hospital used the power they produced in a limited way. The kitchen, cafeteria, operating and examination rooms were the only areas with full power. Not all the hallways had working lights or any of the hot water heaters, which explained why most people showered every three or four days. It took a lot of motivation to jump into the cold water. Nate let out a scoff thi
nking how motivated Amber and Reese must have been to get into that cold river.

  Nate took another sip of coffee and looked up when he heard the door open. Scar and the girls walked in.

  “I was just thinking of you guys,” said Nate toasting them with his cup.

  “Is that fresh coffee I smell?” asked Amber.

  “Damn right it is.”

  “Where’d you get it?” asked Amber. “I looked everywhere.”

  “Apparently, you didn’t look in the very back of the storeroom. Got a whole box of it here.”

  “Oh, Nate, you’re my new hero,” Amber said with a big smile on her face.

  “Haven’t I always been?” asked Nate with a smirk.

  She leaned down behind him and wrapped her arms around his chest. “But of course.”

  “How’s my favorite cripple?” Nate asked Reese with a wink.

  “She’s feeling it today,” said Reese plopping down next to him and leaning her head on his shoulder. “Pain is my companion today.”

  “I heard what you guys did. My hats off to ya.”

  “They were something alright,” said Scar as he poured a cup of coffee. He then poured two more for the girls. “Helluva night, that’s for sure.” Scar handed the girls their coffee and sat down next to Amber.

  “I suppose Canada’s no longer a friendly place,” said Nate.

  “We still have Winnipeg,” countered Amber.

  Scar took a sip of coffee and agreed.

  Nate shrugged. “Bit far from here.”

  “Hopefully, Bassett will come back with good news.”

  “Where is he?” asked Reese.

  Scar briefed her on the reconnaissance mission. “Amber’s idea.”

  Reese held out her hand for a fist-bump across the table with Amber.

  “Speaking of supplies, I need to go see Mayor Simpson and give him an update.”

  Reese’s eyes lit up. “I just love that man. He’s always so sweet to me.”

  “Come with me then,” suggested Scar.

  “I couldn’t possibly climb those stairs today,” she said in a disappointing tone.