by Sean Liscom
After watching the small plane take to the sky, I left the deck of the security shack and headed back to the house. When I took the first step up the stairs, I heard the shouting coming from inside the house. I opened the front door just in time to hear the door to the hallway bedroom door slam shut.
“Ughhhh! That girl!” Megan’s voice came from the living room.
“Everything okay?” I asked as I entered the room. Megan’s face was red, and it looked like she was on the verge of tears.
“Yeah, it’s fine!”
“Forgive me for sticking my nose where it doesn't belong, but it doesn’t sound fine.”
“It’s Kalin. She doesn’t want to leave here,” she grumbled.
“She wants to stay?”
“Yeah! She’s being as bullheaded as her father can sometimes be.”
“At least she comes by it honestly,” I quipped and sat on the couch next to her. That earned me a half-laugh, half snort from my sister-in-law.
“Yes, she does!”
“Can I offer a solution?”
“Tie her up and gag her?” I was the one to laugh this time.
“No. She can stay, if it’s okay with you of course,” I offered.
“I don’t know.... Braden said he would call once he’s on the ground up there. Let me see what he wants to do with her.”
“Fair enough. Just wanted to give you another option.”
“Binding and gagging her isn’t off the table, just yet,” she chuckled and stood. “If he says yes, you sure you can handle having a teenage girl around?”
“We’d be happy to have her.”
“I’ll remember you said that!” she started to turn away but stopped. “I wanted to thank you too.”
“For?”
“For giving Braden his shot. Ya know, after we came to visit that time, we had a very long talk about you.”
“Hopefully it wasn’t all bad,” I grinned.
“It wasn’t. You told him why you left home and I think he had the hardest time understanding your reasons. Once we got here, I think it gave him a whole new perspective. He wasn’t the top dog anymore.”
“I never tried to make him feel unwelcome or undeserving of being here.”
“I know, he knows too. For that, both of us are very grateful. We lost our home in Kansas and found a home here. Now it’s time for us to build something to call our own and you’ve given us a great set of plans to work from.”
“I’m sure you guys....”
“Jason, I need you downstairs,” Bill’s voice came through the intercom, again.
“It never ends these days,” I said with a shake of my head. “Megan, I’m sure you guys will do just fine and I’m positive Braden’s the right guy for the job. You can tell him I said that too,” I shoved myself off the couch. “I was going to ask him if he wanted the job, but he came to me with it first,” all she did was smile. I winked at her and headed downstairs.
“Now what?” I asked Bill as I stepped into the room.
“The satellite link with Melissa has been severed. It happened about an hour ago.”
“I’m just finding out now?”
“I wanted to run all the diagnostics to make sure it wasn’t some other problem. The link has definitely been severed on her end.”
“Shit. That can only mean Jack’s onto her. Damn!” I cursed.
“The download was at 90% when it was cut-off. We got a lot of information we need to sort through. Am I to assume I need to pass this on to the NSA guys in Austin?”
“Yeah.”
“Melissa’s a smart kid. She can think on her feet and make good, solid decisions. I’m sure she’s already coming up with another plan,” he tried to reassure me.
“I know. It’s not really her I’m worried about. Jack’s the wildcard in the deck and from what she said, he’s getting unstable again.”
“Not much you can do about it at this point. He’s the one calling the shots at the ARK, all the other leaders are dead.”
“That, right there, is precisely why I’m worried, Bill. All of the checks and balances are gone now and she’s the only boots on the ground we have,” he and I just stared at each other trying to figure out what to say next.
“Things are looking kinda bleak right now, aren’t they?” he finally asked. He put words to what I was thinking at that very moment.
“Sterling ranch, do you copy?” a soft, female voice came from the speaker of the radio. Bill picked up the mic and answered.
“Sterling ranch, please identify yourself.”
“May I speak to Jason Sterling, please?”
“You may but I need you to identify yourself.”
“No, you don’t. Put him on, now,” the woman persisted. Bill looked at me and handed over the mic.
“This is Jason, who am I talking to?”
“You don’t recognize my voice?”
“No, I don’t. Who is this?”
“Wow. You’d think you would remember the woman that held you and Melissa Lange at gunpoint in the Amargosa valley just a couple weeks ago. Wasn’t long after that, my husband died while trying to kill Ray Judge. Ringing any bells yet?”
“Dana?” I asked.
“Very good.”
“Where are you? Is everything okay?”
“Oh, you know. It’s been kinda rough filling Paul’s shoes.”
“What’s going on? Why are you calling me?”
“It’s like this; it seems I’m now in possession of something you want. It seems that I’m also in possession of your bloodhounds, Anthony and Thomas. I think we need to have a little reunion and a long discussion about what I’m going to do with my newfound spoils.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Jason, I’ve got three trucks that we captured as they were headed to Vegas. Thomas here tells me that you are looking for them and they have a vaccine on-board. You and I need to have a little get together and figure out what to do next.”
“Can you bring the vaccine to Elko?”
“It’s not going to be that simple. You see, I think me and my people are entitled to a little compensation for our efforts. You know, a finder’s fee so to speak.”
“What are you up to Dana? What’s this all about?”
“If this stuff is important to you, if the lives of these two men mean anything to you, you’ll meet me where state route 892 and highway 50 intersect. It’s 11 O’clock now, be there by noon or all you’ll find is two dead men in the intersection and your one shot at getting the vaccine will be gone, forever.”
“I don’t know what the hell you’re up to Dana, but you need to bring the vaccine here, now. We’ll make sure your people are vaccinated.”
“Be here at noon and don’t even think about rolling any heavy firepower this way. We’re watching and we’ll know if you’re up to no good. Out!” she signed off and the airwaves were silent again.
“What are you gonna do?” Bill asked.
“Looks like I’m going south, again,” I turned and left the room.
CHAPTER 27
Tuesday, September 6th, 2017
State Route 892 and Highway 50 junction.
T-Minus 1 hour, 45 minutes until launch.
“They’re late,” Jill said impatiently from the passenger seat of my truck. “It’s 12:15.”
“They’re around. Probably watching us. She said no heavy firepower and she’s trying to figure out what we’ve got packed in here and the Jeep behind us. That’s what I’d be doing anyway.”
“Well, they’re still late. This whole deal is giving me the willies.”
“Why?”
“Not sure. The last time I talked to Dana was down in Vegas. She said she would consider moving her people up to Elko. Then you tell me about the radio call, and something seems really off about it.”
“To me, it sounded like she was being coerced or somebody else was listening in.”
“That’s what my gut’s telling me,” she admitted.
“Single vehicle from the east,” Dan reported from the Jeep behind us. I adjusted my earbud so I could hear him a little better. “Looks like four occupants.”
“Copy, defensive positions only. We don’t want to spook ‘em,” I opened my door and slid off the seat, Jill did the same from her side.
“Rifles?” she asked.
“Leave ‘em. Dan and Mark got our backs,” I left the door open and walked to the front of the truck as the old, four door sedan approached the intersection. When it came to a stop some 50 yards away, Dana Wesson got out of the passenger side. She leaned back in, said something to the driver and then began to walk toward us.
“Well, well, well. Looks like we have the king and his queen from up north!” she stopped about 10 feet short of us and proclaimed loudly.
“What’s this all about?” I asked.
“Just keep nodding like we are having a conversation,” she said in a much lower voice and took a few more steps towards us. She glanced back to the east furtively. “We’re being watched.”
“Coalition forces?” Jill asked, rubbing her nose to hide the movement of her mouth.
“Yeah, and they have some demands,” she held out a folded piece of paper with her right hand. Her palm was facing up and I could see the fresh scar on her palm when I took the note from her. I unfolded the paper and glanced at what was written on it.
“Not gonna happen,” I replied bluntly and handed the note back.
“It’s this or they destroy the vaccine and kill the six hostages they’re holding!”
“How many of them are there?”
“There’s a dozen of ‘em in all together. Eight in a wash about a mile back up the road, three here and one more watching us with binoculars from the ridge over there,” she motioned with her head. “He’s got a radio and if things go wrong here, the vaccine and the hostages will be gone.”
“What’s with the scar on your palm?”
“You know what it is.”
“It’s the mark of coalition loyalists. Are you one of them now?” I asked.
“Not willingly. It was the only way, the only option we had.”
“Is it the same for all of your people?”
“Who do you think they’re holding hostage besides Thomas and Anthony?”
“I see.”
“I don’t think you do. If you don’t agree to those demands, they’ll kill all of us.”
“And if we do agree, what is it you think’s going to happen? Do you honestly think they won’t seek a little payback for Vegas? You really think they’ll just leave us in peace?” I said. She looked at the ground.
“One of the hostages is my boy. They’ll kill him if we don’t come to some sort of agreement right now.”
“I’m sure you’re in radio contact with them, right?”
“The driver, he’s got the radio,” she looked back up at me with a questioning look on her face.
“Go back to the car, tell the driver I want to talk with whoever is in charge. No deal until I get some assurances,” she continued to stare at me. “GO!” I said loud enough for the men at the car to hear me and I pointed in that direction. It took her a second, but she walked back to the car and did as I had told her to do.
“What’s the plan?” Dan asked through my earbud.
“I don’t know, just be ready for anything.”
“Copy,” he replied. The driver of the car opened his door and got out. In his left hand he had a portable radio. He was walking a few steps behind Dana, using her to partially shield himself.
“What?” he asked as they stopped a few feet from us. He was still using her as a shield.
“I want to talk to the man in charge,” I leaned against the fender of the truck.
“You got two choices, Sterling. That ain’t one of ‘em. You can either accept the terms of surrender or die here, today. Your call.”
“See, there’s the problem. You people never want to work something out. You say you do but when the cards are on the table you seem to think it’s your way or the highway. In case you haven’t figured it out yet, that ain’t worked out really well for ya in the past. Now, either I get to talk to the big kahuna, or this conversation is over, and we’ll be on our way. That’s your call.”
“You leave, they die!” he growled.
“Fine,” I turned, motioned Jill toward her door, and began to walk away.
“HEY!” the man shouted.
“What?” I stopped and turned back again.
“You can’t just walk away!”
“I can and I will. I’ve got things to do and you’re wasting my time. Unless you want to get your boss on the horn so we can work something out, we’re leaving. Take it or leave it.”
“You.... We…… Hold on,” he stammered and finally lifted the radio to his mouth. After a brief conversation, he tossed the radio to me.
“Jason Sterling here, who am I talking to?”
“You can call me Cowboy. I hear you’re giving my people a little trouble out there. Playin a little hardball, maybe. That ain’t too bright, Sterling. I got me some hostages here and I’ll start killin em if you don’t start doin what you’re told.”
“You say you have hostages and you say you have three trucks full of vaccine. All I see is the four people that showed up in that rust bucket of a car and the asshole with the binoculars on the hill top. I’ll tell you right now; ain’t no deal until I see what you got to bargain with.”
“You ain’t the one callin the shots here, boy! I am!”
“You may think you are but your hand ain’t nearly as strong as you think it is. I could give two shits about the vaccine and even less about your alleged hostages. In fact, I’d be willing to bet you ain’t got nothin to bargain with, that’s why you’re hiding behind the radio. So, if it’s all the same to you, we’ll be on our way,” I tossed the radio back and Dana caught it. I could hear Cowboy calling on the little speaker again. Dana passed the radio to the man behind her as Jill and I climbed into the front seats of the truck. The man spoke into the radio and then rushed to my open window.
“He wants to talk to you again,” he passed the radio to me.
“What?” I asked, heavy on the irritation.
“We’re coming out there, Sterling. Any funny business and I start cappin hostages! Got it?”
“You better hurry your ass along then. I’m growing tired of this little game of yours,” I handed the radio back without waiting for a reply.
It was another 20 minutes before the convoy pulled in behind the sedan. Three five tons were being escorted by two sedans in the front and two more in the rear. As the people began to get out of the vehicles, it was easy to tell who the hostages were. All of the men had been stripped down to their shorts, even the young boy who I assumed was Dana’s son. The single woman was in her bra and underwear. All six of them looked like they had been roughed up a bit. Thomas and Anthony had probably gotten the worst of it.
It wasn’t hard to figure out who the Cowboy character was either. If the dude had been any more of a cliché, I might have started laughing. The cowboy boots with spurs, the faded blue jeans, and the six shooter in a leather holster strapped to his right thigh. The bullets all in their place on his belt, even a big bowie knife hitched on the left side of his enormous belt buckle. It was the fringe dangling from the arms of his denim shirt that almost did it, almost made me crack a smile. Of course, his look wouldn’t have been complete without the giant handlebar moustache and black 10-gallon hat on his head.
As he covered the 50 yards between us, I could distinctly hear the clinking of his spurs with each step. I gotta give it to him though, he even had the cowboy walk down to a fine art. Even though this guy looked like some second-rate actor in a “B” western movie, I immediately figured it wasn’t a good thing to underestimate him. The position of his right hand and its proximity to his wheel-g
un told me that he probably knew how to use it. I slowly opened the door and slid off the seat. I didn’t want him to think I was in any sort of hurry. I pushed the door closed but didn’t go as far as to let it close all the way.
“Cowboy,” I stuck my hand out as he got closer. He wearily shook my hand. It was as if he were waiting for an ambush attack from me.
“Sterling. As you can see, I got what you want. The question is; you gonna give me what I want?”
“I’m gonna send two of my people over and make sure the cargo is what you say it is,” before he could object, I put a finger and thumb on my throat mic, “Mark, Dan, go make sure the trucks are loaded with vaccine,” an instant later, they replied and were moving. Both men slung their rifles and moved quickly.
“Don’t trust me?” Cowboy grinned.
“About as far as I can throw ya and with my bum leg, that ain’t very far.”
“You drive hard, Sterling. Now I know why you’ve managed to live so long.”
“Cut the crap. If the cargo is what you say it is, what then?”
“Then we go back to your place. You set us up real nice and we can all be one big happy family. I’m sure it’ll take some getting used to on your part, but you're smart enough to know how to make it work.”
“You’re old boss thought that too.”
“Judge? He was an arrogant prick who thought he could just waltz in and take what he wanted. Me? I don’t work like that. That’s why we’re here makin a deal. You get something and we get something. All fair and square like.”
“What happens if I don’t like your terms?”
“Then it’s O.K. Corral time,” he sneered.
“That hardly seems fair.”
“We got ya three to one, it ain’t meant to be fair!”
“No, I mean, it hardly seems fair to you. Look at your men. They are all bunched around, none of ‘em have their weapons pointed even close to the right direction. Hell, half of ‘em are slung. You come swaggering up here like all of this is a done deal and all ya got is that revolver on your hip. You stepped right into an effective crossfire between Jill and I, you got zero cover,” I could see the nervousness replace the grin that had been on his face.