by Nate Hawk
Distracted from the bugs, he took his eyes off of the main gate for a moment. He refocused on the gate and then made a cursory scan back towards Megan. Damn it! He saw one of the men from the day before and he was already halfway to Megan. Then he realized that he’d almost blown it when he was distracted. Two anonymous looking men in Union jackets were walking in front of the other man but something on them stood out. They were wearing khaki operator pants that Kelly knew well; the same type that had been popular with the private contractors in Iraq; the same type that all three men had been wearing the day before. Kelly had mere moments now before they would intercept Megan. He pressed the firearm deeply into his shoulder as if it was an extension of his own skeletal system. He adjusted his legs into a stout framework that helped brace his large body in a satisfactory manner. He tightened his grip, holding the weapon firmly in his hands as he looked through the Aimpoint. He immediately located his targets. They were amplified four times through the optic which made the task at hand much easier. Maybe it would even up the odds, even after the relentless carnivorous bugs were factored into the shooting equation.
Kelly carefully watched a brief conversation between Keifer and Megan while he awaited the bugle call. If he could mask the loud reports of his .308 rifle behind the roar of a Civil War reenactment, he hoped that he wouldn’t draw any unwanted attention his way. But then he heard it. Right before the bugle call was a slightly muffled shot from Megan’s 9mm coming from the alcove where she had been hidden. Kelly knew it was her gun because the man she shot immediately fell over backwards like a fallen tree. He was obviously dead but the other two were quite healthy and they were raising their rifles. They had both taken a step sideways and had hidden their bodies behind the pylons that marked the entrance to the alcove. As the battle raged on in center of the fort, Kelly shot the man on the left. He looked to be right handed and Kelly had instantly known that he would be able to hide behind the brick support beam and easily fire around it at Megan. Kelly’s 146 grain bullet flew through the air at 2700 feet per second and hit its target center of mass. The man responded as if he’d been hit with a cannon of grapeshot at a distance of five yards. His body smashed into the pylon as the full velocity of the bullet opened a golf-ball sized channel through his spine and heart. He too fell but less like a tree and more like a limp body at the gallows.
Cutter, the last remaining man of the kill team, knew he had a bad angle on the woman, him being right handed and all. Maybe those guys that train with their off hand are onto something after all, he thought to himself as he saw Ice fall in a heap next to him. Cutter had been in enough combat to immediately recognize that there was a second shooter. He began moving to his right, away from Megan’s line of fire, in search of his own cover. Seeing the rest of his team fall so quickly he realized his odds weren’t good. Kelly trailed right from the man that he had shot but Cutter’s instincts were good. Already on the move, Kelly realized. Kelly led him with his sights to compensate for his speed just as a horse fly bit down on his neck. Kelly had already committed to the shot but he pulled just enough that he missed. The bullet crashed into the brick directly above the running man. Kelly completely disregarded the biting fly and attempted to realign his sights. By the time Kelly was on Cutter, the man had holed up in his own alcove, now on the inside of the right side pillar.
Kelly realized that the tide of the gunfight had shifted. Now his enemy had cover to shoot from but Kelly only had the concealment of the tent. Kelly knew the soft fabric wasn’t going to prevent one of the man’s bullets from claiming its mark: him. The man was fighting the distraction of the ongoing reenactment that he summed up as horseplay and had begun peeking his head around the pylon in an effort to locate Kelly’s position. Kelly knew that he couldn’t hide in the tent all afternoon. The Confederates were bound to realize sooner rather than later that it was a lost cause. He took a chance and popped off a shot at the small amount of the man’s face that was showing. Kelly’s bullet bounced off the pylon inches from the man’s face but did not make contact with him. Cutter had refocused his eyes in the direction of the muzzle flash and figured out that Kelly was behind the flap. Kelly saw the added interest in the man’s facial expression and immediately realized that he’d been located. He pulled himself backwards out of the tent and sprinted to his right as a swarm of determined insects followed in tow.
As Kelly ran to the right, Cutter was forced more and more around the pylon where he had taken cover. Since Kelly was moving too, Cutter’s movement wasn’t helping him to gain a better angle. In fact, Kelly was so focused on running that he didn’t bother shooting in worry of hitting an innocent bystander. By now, some of the crowd had noticed Kelly running along the backside of the row of tents with a modern rifle in his hands. Most assumed he was part of the show but they couldn’t quite place it. However, they had come to watch a gunfight and that was what they were getting.
As Kelly ran he knew that the tables had turned. Cutter’s shots were becoming closer and closer and Kelly was in a worse position with every step that he took. Although Kelly’s angle on Cutter wasn’t improving any, someone else’s angle on Cutter was. Megan had slithered past Keifer’s dead body and had peered around her own pylon. She saw Cutter’s rifle barrel and then she watched as he pivoted around the corner, exposing himself as a target. She could see that the man was solely focused on Kelly as he was running for his life. Megan, emotional with the thoughts of the killer that she had become, put her sights center mass and pulled the trigger. She kept pulling the trigger until the gun’s slide locked back. The first few shots didn’t seem to register with the man but eventually he dropped his weapon and went down. He didn’t fall with the lifeless look as his friends had. Instead, he crawled back into his alcove like a wounded lion.
Kelly had seen what was happening and he aborted his original plan to take cover. Instead, he ran towards Megan. She seemed to be in shock as she just stared at the man before her, wondering how he could have survived so many shots. He was bloodied and he was in pain but he was still functioning in some limited capacity. About the time that Kelly reached her she realized that Cutter had been wearing body armor. He was pulling at his vest and checking himself, more out of instinct to inspect his injuries than anything. In the rush, Kelly took for granted that Megan had gotten the man and continued on. Kelly had developed tunnel vision and hadn’t considered the possible use of body armor. With Megan in a trance and Kelly not willing to stop to inspect the man’s vital signs, they hurried towards the fort entrance.
Sure, the man was injured but he was pumped up on adrenaline. The adrenaline mixed with the hate he had towards the woman that had just killed his two friends was enough to get him back on his feet. He knew that he was bleeding out. Several of the bullets had entered around the protection of the vest. He had too many holes in him at once and he was leaking blood like a slit hog. But his life wouldn’t end groaning in agony at some backwater fort while actors portrayed ridiculous acts of valor before his eyes. No, he’d stand and fight. At the very least he was determined to take Megan with him.
Most of the crowd that had assembled that day had taken up positions on top of the rampart walls. There was so much action on the field with the reenactment that no one really paid Megan or Kelly any attention. They slowed as they exited the fort. Kelly had forgotten the suit coat in the scuffle and had stuffed the short-barreled rifle under his arm and up his shirt. Although it wasn’t exactly hidden, it was small enough that someone would have to be paying attention to notice it. Owen was stationed up front with a view straight through the fort’s door. He had seen Megan and Kelly making a dash for it but he had also seen Cutter in his determined trot, following after them with focus. He stayed hidden in his position behind a tree in the woods near the fort’s door. Megan and Kelly walked past with attitude trying to locate him. He rotated himself around the tree so that they didn’t notice him as they walked by.
Owen couldn’t allow Cutter to get any further; he k
new it had to end there. Cutter continued walking like a half-alive Franken-commando. He was drenched in blood and welts and he was attracting attention as he walked. It wasn’t as much of a walk as it was a limp but it was a determined limp that showed no signs of relenting. He continued his forward progress as he stumbled down the path that lead to the parking lot. Megan and Kelly had slowed down looking for Owen. They wouldn’t consider leaving without him. Cutter took advantage of their pause as he tried to line up his sights on Megan. Owen saw the hideously telegraphed movement and raised the .41 magnum. He put one shot through the man’s face, instantly relegating Cutter to the same path that the man’s fallen comrades had gone.
The gathering crowd shrieked and scurried looking for cover themselves lest the enormous man shoot one of them. Kelly spotted Basciano’s car exactly where the man had said it would be. Kelly gave a twirling gesture with his finger that meant: meet at the rally point. Owen caught up with Megan as the two of them dashed to Megan’s VW for a quick escape. Kelly jumped in his car and tore out of the State Park. The scene that unfolded around them was one of pandemonium. Once the crowd of onlookers had understood that actual dead men were lying around, a stampede of sorts had begun.
***
Chapter 23
Kelly ditched his car back at the B&B with Megan driving right behind him. As quickly as they arrived, Kelly jumped in the VW and they sped off. The three had deep concerns about what would come next. Would it be a bullet to the head or some other deadly equivalent? Would they end up at the bottom of the ocean being consumed by crustaceans? The three had gone up against two groups of heavy hitting opponents and survived but they knew going up against the Miami mob was entirely different. They hoped they were still on the same page. They found a small amount of assurance in the fact that the trio had followed through with their end of the deal. Basciano had, after all, given his word that such circumstances would be agreeable to him.
They had snuck through town and didn’t dare drive too close to the marina where Kelly’s boat was likely still smoldering. The area would certainly be taped off as investigators tried to reconstruct the crime scene. He couldn’t be seen there. Megan’s VW pulled in ten or twelve spaces down from Basciano’s Cadillac sedan at the predetermined location. Upon arriving at the Mickey D’s, the occupants of Megan’s SUV casually exited the vehicle in anticipation of Basciano doing the same. No movement could be seen through the dark windows of his Cadillac as the three looked at each other, exhausted and ready to get the next step over with. The worry and exhaustion had to be worse than what was going to take place between the two groups.
Megan remained in the driver’s seat of the VW, slightly nervous. Owen climbed out the rear door of the VW with the large case containing the money. As Kelly and Owen neared, the Cadillac’s doors opened up and the three men climbed out, eyeballing Kelly and Owen.
“Alright boys, let’s see what’s in the box,” Basciano said calmly. He was pleased with how things had turned out and it looked like he was even going to get an extra one point two million out of the deal. “Ace, take this in the fug’n car and count it,” Basciano said. “If it’s all there then we’re gonna go our separate ways.”
“It’s all there,” Kelly said. “Will this be the end of it?”
“The fug’n end of it, huh?” Basciano said with a sadistic laugh. “There’s only one way to end a relationship with the family. It’d be peaceful for me but I really fug’n doubt you’d like the outcome.”
Kelly figured that the dialogue would go into this new territory. “Where’s our place in the big picture?” he asked solemnly, knowing he’d surely struck a deal with the Devil himself.
“I like you boys. You’re resourceful so I’m sure something ‘ll eventually come up. I want you two to stay right here.”
“In Florida?” Owen asked with surprise. “We hadn’t talked about it much but I think the three of us were planning on trailing you to Miami and then splitting.”
“No, no. That won’t do.”
Just then the white van pulled up with Fast and Furriest stenciled on the side. Russo jumped out with a small brown bag and walked around the front of the vehicle. He looked a bit frazzled like he’d spent the last couple of hours working meticulously in the back of his van, which he had. He had a full mobile lab for his high-grade fake IDs.
“Sir, I’ve got the documents that you requested,” Russo said with satisfaction. “I think you’ll be pleased with how they turned out.”
He handed the paper bag to Basciano. The underboss tilted the bag and allowed the passport and ID to slide out into his left hand. He opened the passport up and looked towards Owen. Then he did the same comparison with the driver’s license. Basciano was a thorough man so he made sure that Russo hadn’t made a typo during his rush to get the documents finished quickly.
“That’ll do,” Basciano said as he walked towards his car. He retrieved two stacks of cash from his car and somewhat discreetly handed them to Russo. “A little something to take a vacation with. My friends…” he said with a smirk, eying the men, “My friends and I appreciate you getting it done so fug’n quick.” Then he gave Russo a slight nod and a wink.
“Well, thank you sir! You always have taken care of me. Now it’ll take me a few more hours to get into the state and federal systems to update the information. Make sure you don’t get stopped by the police in the meantime,” Russo said as he looked towards Owen.
I sure hope we’re done with the police for awhile, Owen thought to himself. He just nodded his head in understanding. Then Russo turned to Basciano and gave a slight bow with his head in a display of respect. The underboss reached out and shook his hand and gave him a dismissing nod as if to say, beat it. Russo wasted no time climbing back in his vehicle. He turned east onto North Roosevelt Boulevard and disappeared as the three remaining men continued their conversation.
“So like I was fug’n say’n boys… Leaving Florida won’t do. In fact, leaving Key West won’t fug’n do either. Part the Family’s operation moves through here. Those two dipshits Lou and Franco had been loyal for several years. Turns out that I knew Russo long before Lou and Franco contacted him. Call it checks and balances if ya will. They sure didn’t know that I knew him. But when Russo told me they were get’n new IDs, I knew that they were gonna split and leave me without a fug’n supplier. That’s why they got whacked. Lack of loyalty and disrespect…,” Basciano said as he trailed off.
“What the hell are we supposed to do down here on the island?” Owen asked. “I mean Kelly might have been fine cruise’n around like a simpleton in the Gulf but I gotta have something bigger. What am I supposed to do down here?” he asked again.
“Like I said, you boys are resourceful. I’m sure you already got something up your sleeve. If not, you figure it out.”
Ace called out from the car, “Boss, the money counts right. It’s all here.”
“Oh, there was no need to count it, Ace. I was just mess’n with these fug’n boys. We’re gonna have a real good relationship,” Basciano promised as he smacked Kelly lightly on the face. Then he offered his hand to Owen and then Kelly. “Aren’t we boys?” he asked rhetorically.
Kelly and Owen shook hands in agreement before Basciano offered them each a ten thousand dollar stack of the cash as a bonus. They weren’t sure what had happened. The last two days had made them feel like they’d had everything they owned stolen from them and then they had been doused with a water hose for six straight hours. The last thing they wanted was to be under the thumb of a Miami gangster, much less accepting money from him.
“We can’t take that,” Kelly and Owen said at the same time.
“Look boys, you need to get back on your feet here. It’s just a pittance anyways. Put it towards a place to stay until you figure out what the fug you’re gonna do down here. Buy another boat or something! Just make sure you don’t disappoint me,” he reminded them as he tossed the banded stacks of cash through the air towards the men and then
loaded into his car. Kelly and Owen looked at each other and shrugged as Basciano and his men sped off.
“What the hell just happened?” Owen said, his statement a mix of concern and humor.
“Better yet, what the hell are we gonna do with twenty thousand dollars? I mean it’s a great start but seriously… what are we gonna do? Buy us a couple of ice cream trucks?” Kelly asked as he laughed out loud at the new predicament that they found themselves in.
“You won’t be laughing when Megan understands that we just made a deal with the Devil and agreed to give Basciano an unsigned check for future remittance.”
“Or that we’re on house arrest and she’ll have to come down here if she wants to see me.”
“That’s sounding more and more like a pretty big ‘if’ to me!”
“Maybe so,” Kelly said. “Sure sounds like you and I just became business partners!”
“Well, we’re a lot better off than you know. Let’s fill Megan in on the last few minutes and then I’ll show you something that’ll blow your mind.”