Dark Toll

by Warren Ray

  “Yes, sir. Nothing too serious,” he responded trying to sound tough.

  “Did this happen last night?”

  “This morning actually. I had an incident that needed to be taken care of.”

  Mordulfah looked at the twins. “And who do we have here?”

  “A gift for you. This is Violet and Vanessa. Say hello, girls.”

  They both meekly responded.

  Vatter could see another slight smile break across Mordulfah’s face. He was not one to show emotions to anyone, especially an underling. Vatter hoped he didn’t have to explain how he was wounded or how these girls came to be here. He wasn’t sure if Mordulfah would approve or even care.

  Mordulfah snapped his fingers. An older woman, who Sadie had nicknamed Crappy, scrambled out the door and approached him. She was Mordulfah’s long-time slave and was dedicated to him. She was in charge of all the females in Mordulfah’s harem. As of late, she had little to do because Mordulfah had not restocked the harem since the attack of the Shadow Patriots.

  “Take these girls inside,” ordered Mordulfah. “The key, Captain?”

  Vatter reached down and unlocked the handcuffs. “You go with this nice woman, she’ll take care of you.”

  The girls turned to look at him as Crappy led them to the door. Vatter motioned with his hands to go. He knew he’d never see those girls again.

  Mordulfah waited for them to leave before continuing. He didn’t say a word while looking at Vatter as if deciding his fate.

  Vatter sensed a bead of sweat running down his right sideburn and hoped he didn’t appear nervous.

  Mordulfah turned around and snapped his fingers again motioning the tenth executioner forward.

  Vatter’s heart sunk as the man came toward them.

  “Your Excellency,” said the executioner.

  “It is Hakim’s destiny,” said Mordulfah.

  Vatter’s spirits lifted knowing Mordulfah just spared his life. He felt bad for Hakim, who worked with him for the past week. Hakim was his contact with the M and M’s and was the one who received the info about Winters’ whereabouts. “Oh well,” thought Vatter. “ Better him than me.”

  Hakim didn’t flinch when they led him to a kneeling position. Vatter thought it was foolish bravado, but then maybe he was a truly dedicated servant. Either way, he was going to suffer for the next few minutes as he lost his head. Vatter wondered if Hakim thought he was going to get his seventy virgins, or whatever number it was. Vatter laughed to himself wondering if they were female.

  “Captain, your wounds need attention. Go with Wali and he’ll see to them.”

  Vatter was surprised at the generosity and grateful he didn’t have to witness a beheading. In his condition, he might have gotten sick and lost it in front of everyone.

  Wali took him inside and led him to a man in a white coat, which Vatter assumed to be a doctor. As the doctor started to dress his wounds, Vatter could hear blood-curdling screams coming from the backyard. He immediately thought how killing his cousin and using her daughters as a bargaining chip had been worth it. In the end, his desperation justified his treachery.

  Chapter 8

  Jackson Michigan

  Winters stood outside the hospital to get some fresh air after making the rounds again visiting with the wounded again. It was satisfying to know how much it boosted the men’s morale. To have someone dote on you while in a hospital was always good for one’s spirits. It reassured the patient they mattered and they were not alone, which made their stay more bearable and helped in healing.

  Lifting one’s spirits was also a reward for Winters. He liked how they responded to him when he sat on their bedsides and chatted with them. It helped him knowing he could do so much by just recognizing them.

  It took over an hour to visit with all the men as they had a lot to get off their chests regarding last night’s battle. The one thing in common was the pride they took in taking out so many Jijis and surviving. While all the Shadow Patriots would share in the brotherhood of battle, the members who were with him last night would share a special bond for the rest of their lives. During the height of the struggle, it didn’t seem like any of them would survive and everyone knew it during the fight. Outnumbered and surrounded, they all felt like trapped rats, so the ordeal became a test of courage and mental toughness. Fortunately, they came out on top, but not without losing some of their friends, which made the victory bittersweet.

  Winters thought about the severely wounded and how they needed to be in Canada for better care. Some would balk at the thought of being taken away from the action. Nate’s wound wasn’t too bad and figured he’d jack himself up on pain meds to stay in the fight. He wasn’t sure about Reese though. Her leg wound was worse than the one in her arm, but neither was bad enough to keep her away. Both would hurt like hell for a while, but pain meds would take of that. What he didn’t know was whether she’d want to stay. Was last night’s battle enough for her? Did she have her fill with revenge? He gave it more thought and then laughed; knowing how much they were alike. She was nowhere near done.

  Winters gazed up and admired the clear blue sky. He unzipped his black jacket, closed his eyes and let the slight breeze wash over him. Enjoying the silence, his body began to relax making him realize how he desperately needed sleep. He turned back toward the hospital to go find a bed when a pickup truck entered the parking lot. Scar got out of the truck, which piqued his interest because Scar had stayed behind to help interrogate the prisoners.

  “Captain, you’re not going to believe what I’ve got to tell ya.”

  Winters waited for him to go on.

  “You remember that one prisoner who was sobbing like a little girl?”

  “I do.”

  “Well, he’s willing to help us.”

  Winters gave him a quizzical look. “Help us how?”

  “Be a spy.”

  “A spy?”

  “Yep.”

  “How can he do that?”

  “He’s not with the rest of those guys who are all together. This guy says he has access to Mordulfah.”

  Winters let out a scoff. “I don’t believe it.”

  “I know, too good to be true, but I think you should at least hear him out and then decide.”

  Winters gave it some thought but struggled because of a lack of sleep. “I got to get some sleep.”

  His response agitated Scar. “Hear him out first and then sleep on it. You’ll kill two birds with one stone.”

  Winters recognized the anxiety in Scar’s demeanor and knew he hadn’t gotten any sleep either but kept working. “Yeah, okay. You’re right.”

  Scar drove them across town to their makeshift prison. It was out of the way and far from prying eyes. He didn’t want Mordulfah’s spy to find out about their prisoners in case they got valuable info from them.

  Taylor met them inside and handed Winters the prisoner’s driver’s license, which Winters thought odd. He looked at the name Thomas Kamal, twenty-eight years old.

  “So, what’s the deal with him?”

  “Say’s he works in the mansion and has access to Mordulfah.”

  Winters looked through the window. Thomas sat tied in the chair, his eyes were still red from the sobbing earlier, but he appeared to have calmed down. His thick black hair was messy and his baby face barely allowed for stubble let alone the prerequisite beard the Jijis loved to wear.

  Winters walked in, grabbed a chair, and sat down in front of him. Thomas nodded as if to say, I’ll cooperate. He then broke out into a smile, which highlighted his white teeth that shined against his dark skin.

  “Captain Winters, thank you for coming.”

  Winters gave him a surprised look. “Have we met before?”

  “No, but I was working at the mansion when Captain Cox brought you in with the two girls.”

  Winters glared at him with skeptical eyes thinking that would be common knowledge, so he asked for the girl’s names.

  “Sadie was the
little one Mordulfah was to marry and Reese was the older blonde.

  Knowing their names lessened his skepticism.

  “I was the one who made sure no one touched her.

  “You did what?”

  “Reese. I made sure no one touched her. Mordulfah wanted to, but I told him she was sick and vomiting. He’s a germaphobe so he didn’t get near her.”

  “Why did you do this?”

  “I felt sorry for all the girls Mordulfah had there, but there was nothing I could do for them. However, when you three came in, I could see she was as scared as the little one.

  “Sadie,” said Winters.

  “Yes, Sadie. She was his prize to be sure. So, I figured I could put off Mordulfah’s vileness for Reese, at least for a while.”

  Winters stared at him trying to discern his truthfulness. He seemed sincere but could be lying to save himself. Fatigue clouded his mind, and he didn’t trust himself to choose one way or the other and decided to bring Reese here to verify his story.

  “May I ask, how are Sadie and Reese?”

  Winters didn’t particularly want to tell him anything about them. “They’re both fine and in good hands.”

  Winters could see Thomas seemed genuinely happy at the news. He then was curious as to why he wanted to help.

  “My parents may be from Pakistan, but I’m an American. They named me Thomas after Jefferson because they wanted me to be an American. I was born and raised in Tennessee but moved to Michigan two years ago for a job in finance. Little did I know Mordulfah owned the company. By the time everything collapsed, it was too late for me to leave, so I stayed on because I had no way to get home or to support myself and I was hungry. I love my country, and I hate him for what he’s doing.”

  Winters stared at Thomas for a few moments trying to size him up. He wouldn’t make any promises until after Reese vouched for him. If his story checked out, he’d then decide what to do. If this man were able to help them, then they’d have a chance to turn the tables on Mordulfah. It was a big gamble and there would have to be complete trust. He’d seen enough movies to know it could easily go south on them. Still, it would be worth a shot. They’d have to test his loyalty first before trusting him with something big. Winters tried not to get too excited before checking out his story, though he couldn’t help but think, he finally had an ace up his sleeve.

  Chapter 9

  Winters opened his eyes to the sunlight penetrating the window blinds. He rose out of bed and opened them, which then flooded the room with light. He stretched his arms feeling a lot better than when he had fallen into bed. It was the first time he’d gotten any sleep since before the battle, something he had desperately needed. He decided to take a quick shower and wash the layer of battle grime off. The cascading water was cold and felt like a thousand needles giving him acupuncture. He watched the dirty water going down the drain.

  After drying off, he headed to the cafeteria. It was empty, so he poured himself a cup of coffee and made a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. He woofed it down in a few bites and washed it down with the coffee before leaving to go to Reese’s room.

  Amber sat with Reese, who was not only awake but also quite talkative, and broke out into a big smile as Winters walked in.

  “There he is. I was wondering when you were gonna come see me.”

  “Excuse me, but I’ve already been here,” said Winters, giving Amber a hug and then bending down to hug Reese.

  “It doesn’t count if I’m sleeping.”

  Winters sat beside her on the bed. “You weren’t sleeping.”

  “I wasn’t?”

  “Nope. Of course, you were all jacked up on drugs.”

  Reese gave it some thought. “Oh…yeah…I kind of remember. Was I crying or something?”

  Amber jumped in. “You could say that, kept apologizing for getting shot.”

  Reese chuckled. “Okay, yeah, it’s coming back to me now.”

  “You even told me that you loved me,” said Winters with a sly grin on his face.

  “Wow, I really was high,” said Reese deadpan.

  “Oh sure, blame the drugs.”

  “I will, thank you,” said Reese playfully.

  “So, how are we feeling?”

  “Well, considering I’m going to have a couple of bad ass scars, I’m feeling pretty good. Doctor thinks I can move around here tomorrow as long as I take it easy.”

  “That’s great. I see you’re in good spirits.”

  “Hell yeah, I am. Those bastards gave me their best and I’m still here.”

  Reese was no longer in hysterics like this morning. This was more like the girl Winters knew, strong-willed with a touch of Jekyll and Hyde coursing through her veins.

  He looked over at Amber. “What about you, Amber. You good?”

  “Still a little tired, but I’m good.”

  Winters studied her trying to see if she wasn’t just pretending to be okay. She had been through a lot over the last couple of days, from killing the cop she wrestled with to being in a hell of a firefight.

  “It’s okay if you’re still freaked out over last night.”

  “We’ve been hashing it out, Cole,” said Reese. “You’ve got nothing to worry about with us girls.”

  Winters smiled. “Alright, just want to make sure my two favorite girls are okay.”

  Reese looked at Amber. “Isn’t he just the sweetest?” She then grabbed Winters’ hand. “You know what, Cole? I do love you.”

  Winters rolled his eyes. “Okay.”

  “I do, Cole, honest to God,” she said while batting her eyes.

  “Okay, can we get serious for a minute?”

  “I’ve never been more serious.”

  Winters started to pull his hand away. “Now, it’s getting awkward.”

  “Am I making you nervous?” she asked tightening her grip.

  “No.” said Winters quickly.

  “I am,” she said as if a light went on in her head. “I think you’re shy. Amber, I think our Cole is bashful around girls.”

  Amber put her hand to her mouth to hide her laughter.

  “Okay, what the hell kind of drugs are you on?”

  “I don’t know, but they’re pretty awesome,” said Reese laughing.

  Winters broke her grip and stood up. He looked over at Amber who still tried to hide her laughter. He shook his head. While secretly enjoying their bantering, he wanted to get serious now and ask her about Thomas. He could see it would have to wait until Reese got the giggles out of her system. At least she was alive and they were both in good spirits instead of depressed and sullen. After a few more good jibes, Reese finally calmed down enough for Winters to ask her about Thomas.

  “I remember him. Young guy, I think he was from Nashville or somewhere like that. How do you know him?”

  “He’s our prisoner.”

  “Wow. Yeah, he told me to pretend to be sick. Told me to go to the bathroom and stick my finger down my throat.”

  “So, he really did save you from Mordulfah then?” asked Winters as he sat back down next to her.

  “Oh yeah, after that, they put me in my own room.”

  “I need to make sure he’s the guy.”

  “Maybe tomorrow you can just take me to him. I never got a chance to thank him.”

  “Perfect,” said Winters, as he got up to leave.

  “You’re leaving me?” asked Reese with a pouty expression.

  “I’ve got lots to do.”

  He leaned over to give her a hug. She wrapped her good arm around his neck and wouldn’t let go.

  “Don’t leave me, Cole.”

  A sense of guilt began to wash over Winters before realizing she was pulling his leg again. He tried to pull away, but she held on tightly surprising him with her strength.

  “Okay, honey, let go.”

  “Kiss me first.”

  “Oh, for Jiminy Crickets,” he said, and then kissed her on the forehead.

  “No, on the lips.”
<
br />   Winters knew she’d never let go so he gave her a quick peck on the lips.

  “You call that a kiss. That’s something my Gma would give me.”

  “Exactly.”

  “You’re not my Gma. Now get in here.”

  Winters let out a sigh and leaned in. She met him halfway and gave him a big wet kiss.

  “Now that’s more like it. Our very first kiss.”

  “Can you let go now?”

  “Yes, but now you have to kiss Amber.”

  “Excuse me.”

  “C’mon, Cole, prove to us you’re not shy around girls.”

  Winters started to regret coming in here. How did she know about his shyness around girls? If it weren’t for his wife making the first move, he probably would never have even had a girlfriend, let alone a wife. He looked at Amber whose good looks always made him nervous, to begin with, and he started to panic a little bit. Knowing Reese would never let him hear the end of it, he stood up and clumsily leaned in to give Amber a kiss. She smiled at him as he pulled back. He then turned to Reese who wore a big grin on her face.

  “Cole Winters, you is blushing,” said Reese drawing out the last part.

  Winters rolled his eyes. “Okay, I think I’m done here.”

  “Oh, you ain’t a kidding,” laughed Reese.

  Winters walked out of the room as they started laughing uncontrollably again. He wondered what kind of drugs Reese was on; at least he hoped she was on drugs. Otherwise, there was going to be no living with those two again.

  Chapter 10

  Washington D.C.

  Green turned down the street to go meet with his friend, Sam, at their favorite bar, Pub II. He talked him into leaving work early and grabbing a beer. He wanted to tell him about his meeting with Larry Reed and see his reaction upon hearing about Cara Winters.

  After his brief meeting with her and CC, Green had left the restaurant and immediately went to go see his boss. Thankfully, Cara had been stupid enough to bring her friend, CC. Otherwise, he’d be a dead man walking right now.

  Pleasure had flooded his mind watching the disappointment grow on Reed’s face. Green had watched him intently and learned about the old man’s poker tells as he tried to act surprised that Cara was in town asking for help, which gave him the idea to suggest that they should bring her in for questioning. With one excuse after another, Green had learned that Reed lied with the best of them, but his voice rose higher and he cocked his head slightly. Green had made a mental note to remember those poker tells, thinking they’d come in handy down the road.