by Warren Ray
“I’ll tell ya, it was touch and go for a few seconds. His bodyguards were better than I thought they would be,” said Kyle.
“Oh?”
“Yeah, I mean, as soon as we started shooting, they yanked Reed back behind that car. We hit them both, too, didn’t we, Dad.”
“They were both wounded but kept fighting,” said Gibbs. “But as soon as they tried to return fire, you could tell they were way off their game.”
“Good,” said Green, “probably sold Reed on it even more.”
“So what’s next?” asked Stormy.
Green turned to her and said, “Before we discuss that, I need to tell you about a phone call I received from Cole Winters.”
“He called?” asked Gibbs. “He’s not in Jackson?”
“No, he’s not, and he has a good reason for it.”
All eyes were on Green as he told them about the death of Cara Winters. He didn’t find it easy telling them even though she had tried to expose him to Reed. It was still a horrible thing regardless of her actions.
“My goodness! Such a terrible thing,” said Senator Seeley. “I can’t even begin to imagine losing my own daughter that way.”
“I was listening to the conversation,” added Sarah Green. “You can tell the man is in pain.”
“But then he goes and saves his hometown from a bunch of rapists?” asked Stormy.
Green nodded.
“This guy sounds like the real badass,” said Stormy turning to Sam.
“Well, you’d never know it by looking at him,” said Green.
“Oh?”
“Yeah, he’s very unassuming and doesn’t look like much of a warrior. Which probably works in his favor because you underestimate him, at least I did.”
“How so?”
“Before we were on the same side, I was tasked to capture him and let’s just say he put one over on me.”
Stormy gave him a surprised expression. “Really?”
“Yes. I’m not embarrassed to admit it, but he was able to capture us after we stormed their camp and took his men prisoners. And he did it with just seven men. It was actually a brilliant plan and well executed.”
“How many of you were there?” asked Stormy.
“I guess there was about thirty of us,” said Green hoping he wasn’t disappointing the girl he liked.
“Did he kill any of your guys?”
“No. He did it without firing a shot. It turns out he’s a skilled strategist. It’s how he’s been able to do so much with so few men.”
“I get that,” said Kyle. “Kinda like us, right now.”
“He also saved us from an ambush my former commander set up for me in Detroit Lakes, Minnesota.”
“What?” asked Stormy.
“Colonel Nunn, my former CO was working for Reed and didn’t like that I was questioning him on what we were doing, so he set my men up to be…” Green paused for a moment looking for the right words. “No other way to put it but, executed.”
Stormy’s eyes grew wide.
“Had the Shadow Patriots not happened upon us, then I would not even be here.”
“What happened to this Colonel Nunn?”
Green paused again as he searched for an answer. He hadn’t told anyone this but his mother. His men never ask him about it even though they knew he had done it. They were just happy they were no longer part of it. He looked around the room as everyone waited for an answer. A month ago, he wouldn’t have brought the subject up but seeing how they just murdered two of Perozzi’s men, the people in this room deserved the truth.
He turned to Stormy. “I tried to arrest him but he resisted, and we came to fisticuffs, which resulted in me killing him in his office.
Stormy placed a hand on Green’s arm.
“Our family friend, David Crick,” interrupted Sarah Green, “was killed in that ambush. He was John’s Lieutenant and grew up with him. Nunn got what he deserved.”
Green turned to his mother and gave her a firm nod. She had been just as devastated at the news of Crick’s death. She was practically his second mom.
There was a palatable silence in the room, and Sam spoke up. “John, why don’t you tell them about the idea you had today.”
Green glanced over at Sam thankful he had changed the subject. “So I had this idea that I think will help drive Perozzi nuts or at the very least show him, he can’t control everything. It’s just something we can do until we can make another big move.”
“What?” asked Stormy as she, once again, placed her hand on his arm.
“Street art. Graffiti or whatever you want to call it. You know, political cartoons pasted on buildings targeting Perozzi and Reed.”
“Oh, that is good,” said Gibbs. “That’s a big no-no in the district, and it would get people talking.”
“Yeah, kinda what I was thinking.”
“I love it,” said Stormy. “Street art in New York is fantastic, and some of it really makes a statement.”
“Only problem is finding someone to do it?” asked Kyle.
“I know someone,” said Stormy.
“In New York?” asked Kyle.
“No, at work. One of the busboys is an artist and quite good. He was showing me some of his work, and he could easily do this.”
“Will he do it though?” asked Sam.
“I’m sure he will if I asked him. Maybe give him some money.”
“Can we trust him?” asked Green.
Stormy let out a scoff. “Oh yeah. He hates the government and everything about it.”
“That works in our favor,” said Green. “But we’ll have to tell him that if he does this, he can tell no one, and I mean no one, because I can assure you Reed will have the cops all over this. They’ll interrogate every artist in town for any morsel of information.”
“Or maybe just make it about Perozzi,” said Sam. “If you just make it about him, Reed won’t be so motivated to find out who it is.”
“I like your thinking,” said Gibbs. “he’ll secretly enjoy it.”
“Exactly.”
“Yeah, I like it too, Sam. Perfect,” said Green.
“I’ll call him when I get home,” said Stormy.
“You have his number?” asked Green.
Stormy shrugged her shoulders. “Yeah, a lot of guys give me their number.”
Green let out a silent sigh. Of course, tons of guys give her their number. It’s almost comical to think these guys actually think she’ll call them like she is desperate for a date. She almost seemed embarrassed by it, but she couldn’t help how others act around her, and it doesn’t seem like she encouraged it by any means.
“Well, in this case, it works in our favor,” said Green.
“Okay, then it’s settled. I’ll call ya and let you know.”
“If he’s up for it, let’s see about meeting him tomorrow night,” said Green as he gave Stormy his business card with his home phone on the back. He laughed to himself thinking here he was, another guy, giving her his number.
Chapter 24
Chelsea Michigan
After skulking through the Proving Grounds to extract Bassett and Meeks, Amber had run across the last road to where they waited. She was the fastest and stood the best chance of crossing it without being seen by the numerous Jijis that were patrolling the area.
She tore across the road in a full sprint and wasn’t able to stop before crashing right into a Jiji. She tumbled over him and landed on her back. The impact ripped the goggles off her head, and she lay there unable to think. Her head pounded like a gavel, and she tried to rub the stars out of her vision. A warm liquid adhered to her fingers. It was blood oozing from her forehead. She tried to get up, but before she knew it, the Jiji was on top of her pressing a blade against her throat.
He leaned down to her ear and whispered, “Scream, and you’re dead.”
Amber was disoriented but felt the blade biting into her skin and nodded instinctively.
The bearded man had on
e thing on his mind, and that was to have Amber all to himself. His free hand moved to her breasts, and he started to fondle them while keeping the knife to her throat.
The man’s touch repulsed Amber, causing adrenaline to explode through her, which brought back her senses. She had to do something, if she didn’t, it would be all over.
She moved her arms around the ground to feel for her weapon but found nothing.
“C’mon Amber, remain calm and keep your wits.” She inhaled a deep breath to calm down. She didn’t dare yell out, not because he told her not to, but if she did, then there would be a lot more Jijis to deal with.
She still had options, and her next move was to get the knife out of her right boot. Thankfully, she took up the habit of carrying one after hearing how it had saved Reese on several different occasions. She just had to remain calm and give this guy false hope.
She couldn’t bend her knees or even move her legs with him on top of her. She stretched her hand as far down as she could but wasn’t even close to the boot. She needed a better position.
His hand moved down to the button on her jeans to undo them. His breathing increased with excitement as he pulled down the zipper but then became aggravated when he couldn’t pull her pants down.
Amber smirked slightly because her jeans were so tight fitting that she struggled to get them off.
“Take your pants off,” he ordered.
She pretended to push them down a little bit. “I can’t if you’re on top of me. Scoot down some.”
The bearded man let out a frustrated scoff as he shuffled backward, now keeping the knife pressed against her exposed belly button.
Amber still couldn’t bend her knees. She just needed to get him a little further back so she could reach the knife.
She could sense his growing irritation and didn’t want him to change strategies. The excitement and nervousness were clouding his judgment. If he were smart, he would smack her around and use that knife to cut the pants off.
She needed to give in a little and give him false hope. She slid the jeans off her waist and was thankful she wore white panties. The contrasting color in the dark blazed like a beacon in the night. The bearded man’s face lit up in anticipation of a pleasurable conquest.
“Lift up some so I can bend my knees.”
Staring at her white panties seemed to put the man in a trance, and he did as she asked without thinking. The bearded man lifted up from her legs giving her the room she needed.
She lifted her butt off the ground and pushed her pants down past her thighs. His breathing now came in short rapid breaths as she sat up, putting her face just inches from his. The stench of his breath was overwhelming and elicited a gag reflex. It was all she could do not to turn away, but she needed to keep him distracted while she reached down into her boot.
Gripping the knife handle brought much-needed comfort. The coolness of the metal hilt never felt so good as she pulled the blackened steel blade out.
The bearded man leaned in and tried to kiss her. His bristled beard scratched her cheeks as she turned away. She then shoved the blade into the back of his neck with all her strength.
The razor-sharp tip of the blade burrowed deep through muscle tissue and bone with a crunching sound. Blood splattered out and ran down the knife.
He let out a short gasp and coughed blood on her purple cami top. The whites of his eyes glowed in the dark, as they turned glassy while staring, dumbfounded, at her. He then fell forward resting his head on her shoulder.
Disgusted, Amber pushed the corpse to the side.
She lay down to pull her jeans back on and to recompose herself. She took a couple of deep breaths before holding a third one for a moment. Killing this guy reminded her when she wrestled with her first kill. A cop had come out of the bathroom surprising both of them. It was up close and personal like this one and had triggered the same desperate feeling. Kill or be killed.
A car burning rubber interrupted her thoughts, and she sprang back up. She struggled to see in the dark and had to get on her hands and knees to feel around for the goggles. It took what seemed like an eternity, but she finally brushed up against them. She threw them back on and found the bag and her weapon. She then continued through the woods to Bassett and Meeks.
“Hey,” whispered Meeks.
Amber didn’t say anything and wrapped her arms around him.
“You alright? You’re shaking. What took so long?”
“Yeah, sorry. I’m alright. Had to take care of something first,” said Amber not really wanting his pity. She just needed a comforting hug to help her calm down. She was still high from the adrenaline rush but began breathing in short gasps.
Bassett reached into her bag and found the night vision goggles. He put them on and looked at Amber. “You’re bleeding!”
“Am I?”
Bassett pulled out a bandage from his pack. He blotted the blood from her forehead before putting the bandage on. “Let’s give her a minute.”
“No. Really, I’m alright.”
“Drink this,” ordered Meeks as he handed her a canteen.
Amber gulped down the rest of the canteen. The cool water helped clear her mind, which made her realize she was not operating at full capacity.
They gave her a few minutes before heading back toward Scar. Bassett led the way, and they soon came upon the dead Jiji lying face down. Bassett bent down and pulled the knife out of his neck. He cleaned the blade off and handed it to Amber.
“Lose this?” asked Bassett.
Amber took the knife and put it back in her boot.
“He gave you that?” asked Meeks pointing to her forehead.
“Yeah, I kinda ran into him and then he tried to rape me.”
Meeks shook his head. “Dumbass.”
Bassett gave her a firm nod and said, “good job.”
Amber returned the nod and was glad they didn’t coddle her but simply treated her like one of the guys. Granted they still looked after her and Reese, but both had proven themselves enough to earn their respect. Just being out there with them had given the girls a degree of credence, but their performance was what made them one of the guys.
Chapter 25
Nordell and Burns were to stay until they heard that Scar had gotten Bassett and Meeks back to safety. Push come to shove; they could drive up to where he was and assist them if need be. They were still sitting in the car they had hijacked earlier in the day. Since Nordell was familiar with the track, having test-driven cars on it over the years, he knew of a good place to hide until it got dark.
They had been going stir-crazy waiting for the sun to set and Nordell cursed himself for not bringing night-vision goggles. Never again would he go anywhere without them. Of course, this was supposed to be a quick mission. However, like any operation, something can, and quite often does, go wrong. Running into an area, the bad guys used as a latrine was a new one though.
Had Reese and Nate not stumbled onto them and brought help, Nordell had thought about driving their new ride during the daylight. It had tinted windows and would have given them decent cover, but nighttime was the better move. He fantasized about cruising over to some of the Jijis and shooting them in a drive-by fashion. They would have no idea the approaching car had been commandeered by their enemy. He let out a chuckle thinking about it.
Burns turned to him. “Care to share?”
“Oh, just thinking about killing some of these guys is all. You know, do a little “Gangsta” drive-by. Maybe run over a couple of them.”
Burns let out his laugh. “I’d be up for that.”
“Would you, now?”
“Gunny, we’ve been sitting in this hot car all damn day. I could use a little reward.”
Nordell slapped the steering wheel. “That’s what I wanted to hear.”
Both needed to vent and shooting the enemy would release that valve.
Back in Vietnam, Nordell liked to go out on patrol and engage with the Vietcong. He liked it so much
he volunteered for a second tour. He’d learn a lot about himself and was surprised at how good of a fighter he was at it. He’d even earned a bronze star on his second tour.
He continued musing about his career in the Corps and how difficult it was to transition back to civilian life. He’d taken up woodworking to give him something to help pass the time. His wife insisted he start doing something physical, if for no other reason, to keep him out of her hair. He never thought he’d have another chance to fight for his country. But, here he was fighting for his fellow countryman, which still seemed surreal. It was almost unbelievable to be fighting devious Americans in order to defend innocent Americans. They were in a bloody civil war that very few people even knew was being waged.
Thinking about it always made his blood boil. Damned bastards were setting this whole thing up so they could take over the country. What kind of maniacal person would do something like that? And what kind of people were these National Police or the Jijis that would turn on their fellow Americans? Nordell let out a sigh because he knew the answer.
They had been fed a bunch of anti-American propaganda from the time they entered grade school until they graduated college, so it was easy to turn them. Add in a little greed here and there, and you got your answer. Little did they know how much worse it was going to be for them once their task-masters were in charge. They would have to do what they were told to do or suffer the consequence of death.
Nordell almost felt sorry for them to be under such disillusionment. Almost was the keyword. Better to just kill the whole lot of them. They would be a lost generation, but in the bigger picture, it would be worth the price to save their country.
The radio came to life interrupting Nordell’s thoughts.
“We are out. I say again, we are out,” said Scar. “Gunny, you and Burns head out and we’ll cover you.”
Nordell started the car and put it in drive while Burns racked the slide back on his M4. He took a right knowing the exit was just under a mile. They passed a couple of cars and Nordell tapped the horn at them.
“Look at ‘em, just standing around,” said Nordell.