When the Storm Ends

by Jillian Anselmi

  “Understood,” I mutter.

  Looking back toward Travis, he says, “You and the local cops stay here, in case of any surprises.” Motioning to the other men, he calls out, “Take the cars off road, out of sight. We’re hoofing it from here.” I take my arm out of the sling, flinching. I’ll need to be completely mobile and my arm being strapped to my chest isn’t going to work.

  Dallas walks over to his men, so I turn to Travis. “I have to go.”

  “I know. Just don’t go and get yourself killed.” Reaching into the squad car, he pulls out an ear piece. “Put this on, just in case I need to reach you.” Taking it from him, I insert it in my ear. Walking a few steps back, he whispers, “Check, check.” Nodding my head, I acknowledge him. “Be safe,” he says as I turn to walk away.

  “You too.”

  I jog to catch up to the other agents, holding my bad arm closer to my body with my hand. As I approach, their faces are full of confusion. “How y’all doin’?” I ask as I join the group.

  “Men, this is Brody. He’ll be joining us, but staying out of the way. Brody, these are my men, Neimeth, Burgess, McAvoy, Riley, and Max.”

  “A fucking civilian!” Burgess snaps.

  “Well, no. I’m a cop.”

  “Same fucking thing,” Riley murmurs.

  “Hey! It’s my fuckin’ girl in there and I want this sick fuck as bad as you,” I say, my temper flaring. “I’m stayin’.”

  “Just do as I say and you’ll be fine,” Dallas says, glaring at his men.

  “How we gonna approach this, boss?” Max asks.

  “McAvoy and I will do surveillance, the rest follow in five. Single file, eyes wide open, helmets and night vision on. When you get in view of the house, crouch low. We’ll meet you on the southwest corner.”

  Dallas and McAvoy head out, leaving me behind with the other four. “We’ll get her back,” Neimeth whispers to me. “We always do.”

  “I just hope it’s not too late,” I mutter to myself.

  Waiting five minutes, just like instructed, we follow each other into the woods. Riley and Max take the lead and Burgess takes flank. Since I’m the “civilian”, they stick me in between them. The house is about a half mile from the road, but we need to be evasive and keep hidden. The entire trip takes less than a half hour.

  As we near the house, Riley crouches low, and we all follow suit. Crawling, we find the southwest corner and wait. Within a few minutes, Dallas and McAvoy appear.

  “No one’s outside the house, that’s good. Riley and Burgess, take the northwest corner and wait. Max and Neimeth, circle around toward the front. McAvoy, see if you can’t get up close. I need to know who’s in that house. Brody and I will stay here.”

  “Cover me,” McAvoy says as he dashes across the yard. Reaching the house, he places his back flush against the siding. Inching his way across, he reaches the window. McAvoy peers inside the house for a good ten seconds, then ducks back down. He holds up one finger and cups his chin, then two fingers and taps his wrist, forming his hand into a gun, then two fingers and taps his wrist, but extends his arm, forming a gun again. Glancing over at Dallas, who’s on my flank, I whisper, “What the fuck does that all mean?”

  “You’re a cop. You don’t know the lingo?” he asks, crawling toward me.

  “I’m in the fuckin’ sticks, man! I’m one step up from a rent a cop at the mall. I have no idea what the fuck he just said.”

  “Fine,” he says. Repeating the signs, he explains, “First means one hostage, next is two enemies with pistols, then two enemies with shotguns.”

  “Okay, so there are four perps?”

  “Affirmative.” I peek out from behind the tree, staring into the darkness. “Stay here. I’m going to check the back side of the house. Don’t move,” he warns.

  “Yeah, yeah,” I mutter as he slinks through the brush.

  “Brody, you read me?” Travis squawks through my earbuds.

  Tapping the send button, I answer. “Go.”

  “There’s a car coming up the road heading straight for you.”

  “Fuck,” I mutter to myself. “How many?”

  “Two, maybe three. They were going by fast.”

  “How long?”

  “Two minutes, max.” Fuck, fuck. Without thinking, I make a mad dash for the back of the house, hoping the other agents are there. Keeping to the brush and trees, I try to remain unseen. As I round the corner, I hear crunching of rocks against tires from the front of the house. Dallas spots me in the trees. I hold up three fingers and tap my wrist, then point toward the driveway.

  Nodding his head, he motions to duck down. As I dive toward the ground, I hear loud conversation in Spanish. Then, Armond’s name. He’s fucking here. My blood is boiling. It takes everything in my power not to jump up and run into that house. My heart says go get Lani, but my head knows I need to be careful. I need to stay alive, so I can find him and put a bullet in his head.

  Staying perfectly still, I hold my breath as two sets of feet walk past my head and stop. They’re still talking, so there’s hope they don’t know I’m here. After a few minutes, they split up, one heading toward the front of the house and the other staying back. It appears as if they’re setting up guard duty.

  The perp who stayed behind leans against a tree, right next to one of the FBI agents. Seeing his opportunity, he lunges at the perp. All I see is a blur and the perp’s down. Dallas motions for me to join them. In stealth mode, I move toward him, trying not to make any sudden movements that may give my position away.

  “Thanks for the heads up,” he whispers as I join him.

  “Armond is here,” I growl.

  “Are you sure?”

  “I don’t understand much Spanish, but I definitely understood Armond and here.”

  “Shit,” he murmurs. Motioning to the other five agents, they join us. “Okay, change of plans. We can’t go in guns blazing. Armond is here and we need to take him alive.” Turning to me, he asks, “You have a vest on?” I tap on my chest and he nods. “Can you shoot with that bum shoulder?”

  “You bet your ass I can.” Taking my gun out of its holster, I check the clip. Securing it back in place, I take the palm of my hand and pull the slide, then release it to chamber a round.

  “Okay, good.” Dallas turns his attention back to the other agents. “Riley and McAvoy will go around the side of the house and cover the door, checking for any other outside details. Brody, you go with Max around the other side. I’ll go wide around the perimeter, checking for any surprises. Burgess and Neimeth, you two stay back here in case anyone tries to jump out the window.”

  “Aren’t you going to need backup, sir?” Burgess asks Dallas.

  “No, I’ll be on the outside. It’ll be fine,” he says, but I’m not so sure that’s a good idea. “So, once we’ve cleared the outside, we’ll make our move inside. Keep your headsets on in case of problems.” Everyone nods their heads except me. I don’t have a headset. Dallas reaches inside his vest and pulls out an earpiece. “You won’t be able to talk back, but you’ll be able to hear everything that’s going on.” He tosses it to me and I place it in my unoccupied ear. “Brody, you stick to Max like glue. You’ll be fine.” I nod, knowing if anything goes sideways, it won’t matter if I can talk back anyway.

  A scream comes from inside the house and it takes everything in me to keep from running in and killing everyone. Dallas grips my free wrist, but I don’t flinch. “He’s mine,” I growl.

  “Let’s do this, on my count.” Starting with five fingers out, he slowly pulls them in until he makes a fist. Then, we move. Dallas heads into the woods and I follow Max around the left side of the house. He motions for me to stop before reaching the front. With his gun drawn, he peeks around the corner.

  Gunshots are fired back where Travis is holding down the road. Max grabs my arm and pulls me toward the tree line. As we dive for cover, the front door of the house opens and two men with semi-automatics come flying out. Running down t
he steps, they sprint down the driveway toward the gunfire. Another shooter exits the house, but instead of running with the other two, he scans the woods. Before I can line up my gun with his body, I see a flash directly across from me and he falls with a thud.

  The house is filled with yelling and screaming in Spanish. A window breaks and the nose of a gun peeks out and starts firing into the dark. Another window breaks and more gunfire.

  Not wanting them to know our location, we keep our guns silent and circle to the back of the house, making sure to stay under the window line. Creeping along the wall, we turn the corner so we’re back to where we started. Max and I both have our backs flush against the house when he makes his move. Twirling around the corner, he reaches up and grabs the pistol protruding from the window. As he spins, he takes aim and shoots the perp in the forehead. One down.

  An identical move is done on the opposite side of the house. Two down. Max and I slide under the front window, inching toward the front door, gunfire still ricocheting through the air. Dallas, McAvoy, and Neimeth are on the other side, mimicking our movements. Dallas puts his arm up in an L shape, his fist closed. Everyone stops.

  “They’ll be waiting for us. Hold your positions,” he murmurs into his radio. “Night vision on.” Everyone pulls down their night vision goggles, except me. Dallas reaches in his vest, pulling out a canister. Pulling the pin, he tosses it through the broken window. Within seconds, smoke fills the residence. “Go!” he yells. McAvoy kicks down the door and everyone runs in, guns blazing. I stay behind a few seconds, waiting for the smoke to clear.

  There’s a scuffle inside and gunfire. Just before I run in, two men flee from the smoke. Missing the first, I tackle the second. Adrenaline soaring through my veins, I fight past the screaming pain from my shoulder and maneuver so I’m on top of the perp. Grabbing a handful of hair to get a better look at his ugly mug, I turn his head sideways. Fuck. Not Armond. Throwing his head back down, I reach around, grab my cuffs, twist his arms behind his back, and slap the cuffs on his wrists, then pull out my zip ties to fasten his feet.

  The smoke clearing and gunfire ceasing, I sprint into the house. I need to see her. I need to make sure she’s still alive. I search room after room, and I’m about to go batshit crazy when I open the door to the last room. That’s when I see her. My heart stops, my body frozen with fear.

  I find Lani lying on the floor. Her clothes are tattered and torn, her beautiful skin battered and bruised. Running over, I pull her onto my lap, crushing her to my chest. Her breathing is shallow, but she’s breathing. She’s still alive. I shift and she stirs, but makes no effort to stop me.

  “Please, just kill me. I can’t take any more,” she whispers, her eyes closed and voice hoarse. My heart breaks into tiny pieces. I bite my lip, refusing to let her see me fall apart.

  “Baby, I’m here. I’m so sorry, but I’m here now,” I murmur, my voice cracking. I brush my lips against her cheek, just enough so she can feel it. Her face is torn; there isn’t one spot that’s not damaged. I don’t want to add to her pain. Opening her eyes, she looks directly into mine. Her sparkling emerald irises are now pale and lifeless. She blinks, but shows no recognition of who I am. As I lift her frail body, her eyelids shut and she lays her head softly against my chest. My shoulder twinges, but the pain is forgotten as rage courses through my veins. Pure rage.

  I carry her into the living room, where all the agents have gathered. Turning my head, I look to see what the other agents are looking at. A dead body on the floor. McAvoy speaks first. “Backup is on the way, as well as an ambulance. How is she?”

  Looking down at her angelic face, it breaks me to see her this way. “Not good,” I growl, trying to reign in my temper.

  “They’ll be here in two, but we have other problems,” Dallas mutters. Walking her outside, I hear the wailing of sirens in the distance. The ambulance needs to hurry. She needs medical attention. At my feet is that asshole I cuffed just a few minutes ago. “Que sea demasiado tarde, pedazo de mierda!” he screams, trying to free himself.

  “Fuck you, asshole,” I yell back, giving him a swift kick in his side. Lani groans lightly, so I hold her tighter. “I got you, darlin’,” I whisper in her ear.

  The ambulance roars up the road, stopping a few feet in front of me. As much as I need to be with Lani, I need to catch Armond more. Handing her over to the medics tears my heart out, but I swore I’d make this up to her, and that’s what I’m going to do. As they lay her on a gurney, I stroke her sweet face. “Baby, I’ll be with you as soon as I can. Stay strong for me. I’m gonna make this right.” She stirs, but her eyes remain closed. Fuck, I’m gonna cut Armond’s dick off and feed it to him.

  As the ambulance pulls away, I hear noises from the asshole at my feet. “Armond se ha ido, y nunca lo encontrará,” the perp groans.

  “What’d you say, fuck face?” I ask, lining up to kick him again.

  “He said Armond’s gone.” Dallas exits the house, putting his sidearm back in its holster. The rest of the agents trickle out behind him.

  “You know what this piece of shit is saying?”

  “Yeah.” Using his foot, he flips the perp on his back. “A dónde fue él?” he asks. Glaring up, he spits toward Dallas. Dallas leans down, grabs his face, and squeezes it in between his fingers. “I’ll ask you again. Where did he go?”

  “You will never find him, escoria.” Dallas slaps him across the face, then stands. Facing me, he asks, “You with us again?”

  “Absolutely.”

  “I have bad news. After that car came roaring up the road, two more were behind it. That was the gunfire we heard earlier. Travis and the rest of the police force managed to stop them from getting to us.”

  “Any survivors?” I ask, praying Travis is okay. Dallas drops his head and shakes it slowly. “Fuck!” I scream, gripping my head with my hands.

  The fire fueling the blood through my veins is raging. Tears cloud my vision, but I can’t deal with this now. I have more important issues to deal with. Like killing Armond. Regaining my composure, I ask, “Armond’s in the wind?”

  “I don’t think so. How many bodies did you say were in that car?”

  “Travis wasn’t sure. Two, possibly three.”

  “We have six dead bodies, one detained. That’s seven,” Dallas says, doing the math in his head. “Did anyone actually see Armond here?” The agents look at each other, shaking their heads in unison.

  “No, but during the melee someone ran by me.”

  “Did you get a good look at him?”

  “Fuck no! I was too busy tacklin’ this asshole.” I motion to the dick lying by my feet. My shoulder throbs and I grit my teeth while rolling my neck. Just above the tree line, the morning light starts to glisten. Another half hour and it will be light.

  “Men, pair up and fan out! It’s possible Armond is still lingering around in the woods. There’s no other way out but to walk.”

  “If he’s here, I’ll find him,” I snarl, my hands balling into fists.

  “You’re with me,” Dallas says. Turning back to the squad, he says, “He’s most likely armed and extremely dangerous. Unless you can capture him without threatening your own life, take him out.”

  “Yes, sir,” they chant in unison.

  “Fan out and head toward the road.” Dallas draws his revolver. “Sun’s coming up, stay low and out of sight.”

  Moving in unison, Dallas and I take off to the far right through the woods toward the main road while the rest fan out to the left. The farther we walk, the brighter the sky becomes. As we approach the edge of the woods, I catch a glimpse of something moving. I freeze, hoping if it was Armond he didn’t see me. Dallas is still moving through the woods and didn’t see me stop. Raising my sidearm slowly, I maneuver so I’m leaning against a tree. Peering out from behind it, I scan the wooded area, catching a flash of the sun’s reflection off the steel barrel of a gun.

  “Dallas,” I whisper, but he’s too far in front of me. F
uck. Turning, I run toward the flash, zigzagging in between trees as I use them for cover. A figure lies underneath branches and leaves a few yards ahead of me. His gun is aiming where the rest of the agents are walking. From the photos we were shown before the mission, this man appears to be Armond. The leaves around him are crimson. He must have been injured during the raid.

  Making sure he hasn’t seen me, I move slow and controlled, my heart pounding erratically and my trigger finger twitching to shoot him. A twig cracks under my boot and the man’s head spins as he jumps out of the brush.

  Pointing my gun at him, I yell, “Freeze!” but he’s already in motion. Before I can take aim, he grabs my arm and jars my pistol loose, tossing it out of reach. His left fist smashes against my right cheek, sending me a few steps back.

  He comes at me with a right hook. I’m dizzy from the pain in my shoulder, but manage to lift both arms in defense. I block, then scythe my right elbow horizontally into the bridge of his nose. Blood splatters through the air as his head whips around. Regaining his composure, he attempts to throw another hook, but I block that one too and thrust the heel of my left hand upward, landing square on his chin and knocking him backwards. Twisting, he reaches for a gun lying five feet away, but I lunge and we both scuffle through the leaves.

  Getting loose, the man stands, retreating backwards. As he spins to run, the sun cascades through the trees reflecting off my pistol just a few feet away. Turning, I reach out for it. “Don’t move, Armond,” I shout, my gun now pointed at the back of his head.

  He stops mid-step and whirls around, his eyes flashing the anger hiding behind them. “You won’t shoot me,” he snarls, his accent getting in the way of his words. Keeping my sight on Armond, I slowly stand.

  “Don’t be so sure. I should shoot you, right in the balls, for what you did to Lani.” I bring my gun level with his dick, holding it steady.

  “Ah, Delani. Yes,” he says with a smirk. “The finest piece of ass I’ve ever had.”

  My trigger finger starts to shake, the desire to just kill him right here and end this too strong to deny. I try holding the gun with two hands, but it doesn’t help. The adrenaline is starting to wear off and shooting pains in my stiff shoulder threaten to debilitate me. “Keep talking, give me an excuse to put a bullet in your head,” I growl through gritted teeth, moving the pistol level with his skull.