“Did you use your gift?”
“Hell yes, of course I did. And let me tell you something: the thirteen years I worked as a cop were the most miserable years of my life. I knew I couldn’t tell anyone about my gift, but I was still able to use it to catch a few of the bad guys. Sometimes they went to prison, sometimes they walked away. That was maddening. You see, I could only do so much. The worst thing about the job, the reason I packed it in and moved to Minnesota, was seeing what motivated people to do the things they do. I don’t think you can imagine what that’s like. I began to go soft on the guys who were only trying to survive. I watched hundreds of white-collar criminals skate away from serious crimes, while average Joe’s were stuck doing hard time for selling weed. How fair is that? I couldn’t do it anymore.”
“Why did you choose to come up here?”
“You met my Aunt Janie. I told her what was going on, as much as I could. She made the offer and I was here a week later. I got a job at gas station and that’s where I met Rachel. The rest is history. We started dating and I caught on with the railroad. She got pregnant and we were married a month later.”
I thought about that. My own life story sounded pathetic compared to his. I had nothing in my life experiences that even remotely compared to what Ace had dealt with. “What about your aunt and Rachel, do they know about your gift?”
Ace chuckled. “Yes, they know about my gift,” he said, as if it had been the stupidest question he’d ever been asked. “Mom and Janie were sisters and they talked on the phone every Sunday afternoon. Of course she told her about my special powers. Aunt Janie came down for a visit, it was after Dad died. She asked for a demonstration and I scared the livin’ shit out of her. As a condition for me moving into her place, Aunt Janie made me promise never to read her mind.”
“You can do that? You can turn it on and off?”
Ace howled with laughter. “Hell no. Are you kidding me? I wish. No, all I can do is keep myself at a safe distance. I need to be close to someone for it to work, like you and me are, right now. I start to lose it at about five feet.”
I nodded and made a mental note of it.
“Yeah,” Ace chuckled, “you’ll want to remember that. And don’t forget, I can’t read a lot of people. I can only read about half of them.”
“Tell me about your wife. How did you tell her?”
“Good question. Thanks for asking. Rachel is as stone cold honest as the day is long. Remember me telling you that she tells it like it is? Well, she does. Do you want to know how goddamn rare that is? Shit, I’ll bet it’s rarer than being a mind-reader. I fell in love with her the first time we met. She was dating some guy named Al and he was nice enough, but he was a thirty year-old man who acted like he was sixty. Rachel wanted more out of life and she saw me as someone who could provide it for her. Believe it or not, slick, but she was my first girlfriend since high school. When I knew she loved me, I had to spill the beans. Of course, Rachel didn’t believe me and I had to prove it to her. Anyhow, I knew that I’d never meet another woman like her and I do everything I can to keep her.”
“What about your daughter?” I asked. “Penny, isn’t it? Does she have the gift?”
Ace’s face shut down like a bartender’s after last call. He stood up and brushed past me. “Don’t ask about her,” he said, tersely. “This conversation is over. Come on, I’m goin’ downstairs.”
“You don’t have to be so touchy about it.”
Ace spun around. “For your information, she does have it. She’s ten times more sensitive than I am, so you can imagine what she must be thinking. She can probably read the thoughts of every one of her guards. What if they’re shipping them down to Wyoming to be slaughtered like sheep? Think about it, Gary. How would you feel if that was your daughter?”
“I’m sorry, I wasn’t thinking,” I said, and luckily, thinking the same thing.
“I know you are,” he said. “I’m just a little freaked out, that’s all. Listen to me, I just told you my whole life story and I ended it by biting your head off. That isn’t me, man. I just wish it was time to go. I hate waiting for anything.”
“Why do you suppose we’re waiting?”
“I’m sure this Colonel Hawkins character wants to wait until after dark to attack. That’s what I’d do. If we can catch some of them sleeping, we’ll have a better advantage. This is going to be a long day. Speaking of sleep, you should go and try to get some. I think I’ll keep a watch from the window at the end of the hall.”
I wasn’t tired, but I decided to try catching a few winks. “All right,” I said. “If I do fall asleep, wake me up in a couple of hours and I’ll take over. You’re going to need to get some rest, too.”
Ace nodded and walked out of the room. I followed him down the hallway to the top of the stairs and he stuck his eye over a stream of daylight and peered outside. “Sure doesn’t look like World War Three out there,” he said. “Not from here, it doesn’t.”
“Thank God for small favors,” I said. “Seriously, wake me up in a couple hours, okay?”
Ace nodded. “Sure thing, boss.”
I walked down the first flight of stairs and paused. I could hear Jack. He had fallen asleep and was snoring, softly. I was happy for it. If any of us needed sleep, it was him. Tonight, we would force him to leave his bottle behind. I thought they probably shot boozers out on the battlefield, and felt if they didn’t, they probably should. I walked quietly by as he slept, stretched out on his back. At that moment, Jack looked like an old man. I wondered if he would still be alive at this time tomorrow. I walked through the living room and found Cathy and Lisa visiting quietly, sitting up on the flattened sleeping bags. Cathy looked up and smiled brightly.
Chapter 17
How I was able to sleep, I don’t know. Jack was suddenly ordering us to wake up and I looked up to see Leroy towering over me. I rubbed my eyes and stood up. “What time is it?” I asked.
“About six o’clock,” replied Leroy. “There’s someone here who wants to meet you. Grab your weapons and take as much ammo as you can carry. Leave everything else here.”
I nodded and helped Cathy to her feet. Lisa popped up next to us and Jack appeared to be looking for something. He walked from the kitchen door to the living room. “Ace?” he called. “Ace, we’ve got company.”
The house was silent.
“He probably took a nature walk,” I said. “He’ll be back.”
“You’ll have to fill him in when he gets back,” said Leroy. “The Colonel doesn’t wait for anyone.”
We all nodded and followed Leroy out of the house. Three men stood outside the backdoor. Two held assault rifles and it was obvious they were there to protect the third, who I assumed to be Colonel Hawkins. He was older than I had imagined him to be, perhaps in his middle sixties, but looked to be in excellent shape. He had short white hair the color of snow, a square, dimpled jaw, and a pair caterpillar eyebrows that hung over hooded eyes. He stood tall in his olive green uniform and waited patiently for Leroy to assemble us in front of him. “At ease,” he said. “We don’t have a lot of time, so I’m going to get right to the point. Do any of you have any combat experience?”
“Yes sir,” said Jack, and he gave Hawkins a smart salute.
Hawkins returned the salute. “Were you over in ’Nam?”
“Yes sir. I served two tours, sir.”
“Good. Did you see any action?”
“I saw plenty of action, sir.”
“Are you the Oath Keeper?”
Cathy saluted the Colonel. “I’m the Oath Keeper, sir.”
The old man returned the salute and looked her up and down. “Can you fight?” he asked.
“Yes sir.”
“Good,” he said, nodding his head once. “We’re going to hit the camp in two waves. The first wave will consist of anyone with military experience. We’ve got to hit these bastards hard and fast. And let me be very clear about one thing. We’re not taking any prisoners. We’
ll be going head to head with about two hundred soldiers from the Saskatchewan Dragoons. Have any of you heard of them?”
We all shook our heads.
“First in, last out, that’s their motto. They’re from a unit out of Moose Jaw and they’re some tough son-of-a bucks. They’re not going to go down without a fight. Canadians are damn good soldiers. Problem is, they’re on the wrong side of the border. We’ve got to wipe them out, every last man. I’m telling anyone who doesn’t have the heart for what we have to do to stay at the back of the lines. Those people will be expected to tend to our wounded. This isn’t going to be pretty. Does anyone have any questions?”
When no one did, the Colonel shot Leroy a confused look. “Didn’t you tell me there were four civilians shacked up here?”
“Yes sir,” said Leroy. “I don’t know what happened to the other guy.”
“He should be back any second,” I said. “I’m surprised he isn’t here.”
The Colonel eyed me suspiciously and his guards readied their rifles. Obviously, this wasn’t welcome news. “We’ve got to move,” said the Colonel. “You two,” he said, pointing to Cathy and Jack, “follow us. You’ll be fighting in the first wave. Leroy, you can wait here with the other two. Give that other man ten minutes, but no more than that. I’ll meet you at the arena in half an hour. That’s an order.”
“Yes sir,” said Leroy, and he sheepishly saluted the Colonel.
“What about our gear?” Cathy asked.
“Just bring your weapons,” answered the Colonel. “You can come back for your gear after we’ve stormed the camp.”
“Yes sir,” she replied.
The Colonel turned and followed his guards around the side of the house. Jack followed them and Cathy turned to give me a quick kiss. “Good luck,” she said. “I guess I’ll see you after the fight?”
I nodded and gave her a hug. “Good luck,” I whispered. “Just be careful and keep your head down.”
She smiled and nodded and raced after the others. I looked from Lisa to Leroy and then off into the woods. “I can’t imagine where he would’ve gone,” I said. “He didn’t say anything to you, did he, Lisa?”
Lisa shook her head. “No. You think he chickened out?”
“Ace? No way, he’ll turn up. He’d attack that camp all by himself if he had to.”
“You heard the Colonel,” he’s only got about nine minutes to make it. We can’t be late.”
I nodded. “Why did he split us up? Where was he taking the others?”
“The Colonel has battle plans he wants to go over. I heard him talking about assigning objectives, like taking out the guard towers and the fence. Best I can tell, the rest of us are going to follow in the second wave and shoot anything that moves.”
“That makes sense,” I said. “I just wish Ace were here.”
We waited in an uncomfortable silence. Every thirty seconds, Leroy would check his watch and Lisa and I would exchange a glance. I became more confused with each passing minute. The evening was sunny and warm; a slight breeze blew from out of the west, stirring the leaves on the oaks. I stared up at the house and something told me he was still in there, somewhere. “I’m going back inside,” I said, picking up the shotgun from where I had leaned it against the back steps. “Something’s wrong, he has to be in there.”
Lisa turned around and followed my gaze. “Maybe the bats got him, too?” she asked.
“I don’t know, but if he took a nature walk, he would’ve been back by now.”
“You have two minutes,” said Leroy. “That’s it.”
I nodded my head. “I’ll be right out,” I said. I then bounded up the concrete steps and in through the open backdoor. The air inside the kitchen felt heavy and forbidding, but I continued into the dining room and didn’t stop until I reached the foot of the staircase. “Ace,” I shouted. “Ace, are you up there?”
The dark house was eerily silent and I began climbing the stairs. “Ace,” I called, pausing at the first landing. “Ace, goddamn it, we’ve got to go!”
I heard a muffled thud and the sound of running footsteps on the attic stairs. Relief washed over me as I heard a door slam, followed by the creaking of the wooden floor of the long hallway. A second later Ace, looking disheveled and bewildered, stood at the top of the stairs. He carried his rifle by the stock, the barrel pointed up at the ceiling. “What the hell is going on?” he asked.
“Come on, man. Leroy is here and we’ve got to get moving. You missed the Colonel. He took Jack and Cathy to join the first wave of the attack. We’re leaving now to meet up with the second wave.”
Ace processed that for a second and nodded. He then thundered down the stairs and followed me into the living room. “I don’t know what happened,” he said. “I was going through those trunks and I must have fallen asleep.”
“What, did you take a flashlight up there?”
He shook his head. “I didn’t need one. That’s why I went back up there.”
“What are you talking about? The last time we checked, it was as black as night up there.”
“Yeah, well it’s not dark up there now.”
Lisa’s face lit up as we walked out the door and joined them out in the knee-high weeds behind the house. “Where have you been?” she asked. “We were worried about you.”
“I must have drifted off,” said Ace. “I’m sorry. I hope I didn’t keep you waiting.”
“You wouldn’t catch me sleeping in there,” said Leroy. “Okay, we’ve got to move out. Follow me and try to be as quiet as possible. No talking, all right?”
Ace mimed zipping his mouth shut and Lisa giggled. We then followed Leroy deeper into the woods behind the house. Leroy led us along a whisper of a trail that skirted a swamp and crossed a cornfield. A short while later we entered a clearing, beyond that was a Quonset hut style pole building. On the far end of the field, I could see Colonel Hawkins addressing what I assumed was the first wave of attackers. I tried to spot Cathy and Jack, but the group was huddled together and I couldn’t make them out in the crowd. Part of me longed to join them.
Behind the outbuildings inside a fenced area sat a fleet of aging earth-mover machinery. We passed by some men with rifles and they nodded their heads at Leroy, in approval. Leroy led us inside an open side door. I hadn’t known what to expect, but the mammoth building had been renovated into a horse arena and each side of it was lined with bleachers. The bleachers were nearly full. Overhead, dusty skylights allowed the evening sun to provide a murky light. The arena was warm and the air was sticky, as both of the big doors on each end were closed.
Leroy turned to Lisa. “Are you planning to fight?”
“I would like to,” she said. “But I have some nurse’s training.”
“Why didn’t you say so? We’ve only got two doctors and half a dozen nurses. Come on, I’ll go introduce you to them. Guys, go ahead and find a seat. The Colonel will be up here in a few minutes. Good luck out there.”
“Don’t you guys run off and get killed,” said Lisa. She then turned and gave both Ace and me a quick hug.
“Don’t worry about us,” said Ace. “We’ll be fine.”
“We’ll be back before you know it,” I said. “I’ll come and find you.”
“You had better,” she said. Then she kissed me on the cheek and disappeared off into the crowd.
I could feel the excitement building inside the arena. The smell of gun oil and horse manure hung thick in the air. Out of habit, I looked around to see if I recognized anyone. There were men and women of all ages in the crowd; plain, everyday people, some dressed in camouflage and others dressed in street clothes, all anxious to get out and bring the fight to our enemy and rescue their loved ones. We stood just inside the service door we had walked through. “Should we go find a seat?” I asked.
Ace stood against the wall, staring up into the crowd. “I don’t know,” he said. “I think we should be good right here,” he said. “I get claustrophobic in places like this.
”
I nodded my head. We were out of the way and would be the first ones out the door when it was time to depart. My stomach was full of butterflies and I couldn’t help but smile. Finally, I was going to get the chance to fight. Until that moment, I had simply been reacting to situations as they arose. That was about to change. I thought back on the many times I had played paintball with my friends. I then tried to remember if I had learned anything during those play wars. I did remember that those who survived the longest were those who took advantage of the cover.
I felt someone standing in the doorway and turned to face Colonel Hawkins. He smiled at me. “I’m glad to see you made it,” he said, offering me a salute. “Were you able to find your friend?”
I pointed to Ace. “Ace, this is Colonel Hawkins,” I said.
“Pleased to meet you,” said Ace.
“Thanks,” said Hawkins, he then stepped out into the arena. “Sit tight! He shouted to the group and made a show of checking his watch. “This is going to be a coordinated attack. No one leaves this building until ten o’clock. The first wave should have softened them up by then. Do you understand me? Ten o’clock!”
I turned back to look at Ace and was shocked to see that his face had grown pale. He stared at the Colonel as he walked away and then he turned to me. “What the hell is wrong with you?” I asked. “You look like you just saw a ghost.”
“He’s lying to us,” whispered Ace. “Oh shit, this is a setup.”
“What the hell are you talking about?”
“He’s going to walk out of here in a minute and when he does, the other group is going to be ambushed. I could read that old bastard like a billboard. We’ve got to get the hell out of here. After they’re wiped out, those bastards are coming after us.”
I remembered the church and my mouth suddenly went dry. “We can’t leave these people here,” I said. “What about Lisa? I can’t go, I couldn’t live with myself.”
Stealing Second (The Amendments Book One 1) Page 20