“You’re next, kid,” Carson said.
Fenix dragged him out of the chair. Since he couldn’t kick, Ty couldn’t do much but squirm his upper body. He hit Fenix around the head and shoulders, anyplace he could reach, but the man didn’t even flinch.
“You’re going to make this worse,” Fenix said with a grunt. “Grab his legs, Carson.”
Carson set the camera on the ledge so it faced them. Fenix and Carson swung Ty over the side, and the world turned topsy-turvy. He was now dangling over the edge of the tower, staring straight down at Tommy’s ruined body in the shape of a pretzel on the rocks below.
“No!” Ty screamed. “Please, put me down!”
A light shone on the side of his face. He craned his neck to see Carson directing a flashlight and the video camera. Fenix held Ty by his feet and ankles, smiling down at him. The men were recording this entire thing. Once again Ty was a spectacle, and the only man who could help him was dead below.
Ty clamped his jaws shut. He didn’t want his mom to hear him screaming.
“Charlize Montgomery, this is General Fenix again. I don’t think you took my last message very seriously.”
Fenix let him drop a few inches. Ty couldn’t help screaming this time. He flailed, fingernails scraping the smooth stone surface of the tower. There wasn’t anything to grab onto.
Carson moved the camera over the ledge to look at Ty’s face and then directed it at Tommy.
“If you don’t meet my demands, your son will end up like his friend down there. That’s what happens to people who defy me.”
Ty looked away from Tommy’s broken body to the waterfall to the right of the tower. Motion flickered across the ledge. A mountain goat strode out onto the rocks, hooves clicking on the rocks. It watched Ty in the moonlight.
“You have forty-eight hours or your son dies,” Fenix said.
An instant later, the ground fell away as Fenix and Carson pulled Ty to safety. He kept his gaze on the goat, which remained frozen as if it thought they couldn’t see it as long as it didn’t move.
“Sorry, kid,” Fenix said with a wide, toothy grin as they set him back in the wheelchair. “This is just business.”
He looked over at Carson. “Get that video uploaded and fired off via satellite, asap. Hopefully Ty’s mother takes the Sons of Liberty a bit more seriously now.”
“Will do, sir,” Carson replied. “You sure were smart to build a faraday cage and stockpile all this old technology.”
“I told you it would come in handy.” Fenix took in another long breath of air and looked over the ledge, shaking his head. “Man, I really liked Tommy. Shame he was such an idiot.”
“He wasn’t much good to us with his injured arm anyway,” Carson said. He grabbed onto the back of Ty’s chair and pushed him back to the elevator shaft. The radio on his hip crackled as he pushed him to the gate, a message relaying from the speakers.
“Snake Nest, this is Liberty 1, we’re on our way back with some goods. I think you’re really going to like what we found on the highway.”
— 17 —
Nathan tucked the radio back on his hip. “They bought it. Time to move to the next stage.”
“You’re sure about this?” Raven asked.
“I hope that’s a rhetorical question. We have to do this. There’s no one else to help.”
“Yeah, but there’s only two of us.” Raven swiped a strand of hair that had stuck to the camouflage paint on his face. “I faced worse odds in North Korea, but there were more of us to face them together.”
“I thought that’s why you decided to pull our plan from the textbook on guerilla warfare. Make it look like there are more of us than there are, right?”
“Yeah,” Raven said again. His tone lacked confidence.
Nathan looked down at the map of the camp they had drawn with a stick in the dirt after their recon. He shone his flashlight on each crudely sketched structure as he recapped the plan. “We’ve got two hostiles in the tower, two more guarding the building here, and two more here. A patrol of three more men are covering this area.”
He pointed at one of the buildings. “I believe this is where they are holding the kids.” He traced a finger over the dirt. “This path heads into the mountains to the north. You said you didn’t see anything back there, right?”
“You saw the map Joe had on him. The only thing back there are some abandoned mines that are probably all caved in. I scoped the area before dark and didn’t see anyone coming or going, which leads me to believe these guys are it.”
Nathan unwrapped his last granola bar and bit off a chunk. He swallowed and then pointed at the entrance to the camp.
“I’ll drive the Humvee here and wait for you to open fire. As soon as you start shooting, I’ll bail and find the kids. Your job is to draw these guys away from the buildings…and to avoid hitting me.”
Raven wrapped his ponytail and tucked the end into the collar of his camouflaged fatigues. They’d been lucky to get clothes, weapons, and nutrition, courtesy of the dead skinheads. Both men had dressed for war tonight.
Raven wiped another streak of paint across his forehead and let out a long sigh. “What if things go south?”
“Then you hightail it out of here. I don’t want you trying to rescue me, okay? Go back to Estes Park and get help. One of us has to make it back.”
After a moment of hesitation, Raven nodded again. “Don’t worry, I got your back, Major.”
“I know,” Nathan said. He knew how crazy the plan sounded. He had a broken arm, a sprained ankle, and his entire body hurt. Raven was in better shape, but not by much.
But they had the element of surprise, automatic weapons, a Humvee, and something the skinheads didn’t have—heart.
Nathan reached out with his bandaged fist, and Raven bumped it back.
“Shit, that kind of hurt,” Raven said when he pulled his hand back, chuckling. “I guess that’s not a good sign.”
“You’re a tough son of a bitch, brother. You’ll be fine.”
Raven shrugged a shoulder. He turned away, but Nathan tapped his sleeve.
“Thank you, Raven,” Nathan said. “I’m grateful to have you with me.”
“You saved my sister and niece. Least I can do is get myself shot up for your nephew.”
Raven flipped the night vision goggles over his camouflaged features.
“Happy hunting,” Nathan said.
They parted ways, both of them knowing that the odds were good that they wouldn’t make it out of the Castle alive. Raven slipped out of the forest and down the slope of the hill to the outcroppings of rocks. He carried his MK11, but he had access to plenty of extra firepower. They had placed five M4s in strategic nooks along the bluff under the cover of darkness. As soon as Nathan drove into position, Raven would run from nest to nest and open fire to make it look like there was a small army up here. Then he would pick off each target with the MK11. Or maybe he would start with the MK11. Either way, Nathan trusted Raven to get it done.
On the way back to the Humvee, Nathan managed his thoughts just like he always did before climbing into the cockpit of his F-16. He couldn’t let the desire for revenge get the best of him now. They had come too far for that. He had to be smart about this.
Nathan checked on Joe when he returned to the truck. The plan was to keep him tied up, but that plan changed when he saw Joe wasn’t breathing. Nathan placed two fingers to his neck, checking for a pulse that wasn’t there.
It was hard as hell to feel anything for these men. They had made their decision to join with the wrong side, and they would pay with their lives.
Working quickly, he untied Joe and pulled him from the truck. Then he moved the body to the passenger seat, propping him up in what he hoped looked like a natural pose. He turned on the truck, headlights splashing across the road. The high beams cut through a light curtain of fog drifting across the road below. He rolled the window down to let in fresh air. This was it.
Unlike th
e forest they had passed through to get here, the night was alive with sounds. Bugs chirped, and a bird cawed in the distance, the calming music of nature filling the truck. In a way, it felt almost like this was just a leisurely drive through a park. But then the headlights captured the tower and the two soldiers outside—including their shaved heads and high-powered rifles.
Nathan gritted his teeth and continued down the road at thirty miles an hour. He could see the roofs of the cabins now, and the three men patrolling outside. Another soldier stood warming his hands next to the fire pit in the courtyard.
Taking one hand off the steering wheel, Nathan grabbed his M9 and kept it near the door. The two men stepped away from the guard tower and strode to the road in a relaxed manner. One of them held up a gloved hand.
Nathan hadn’t planned for that and eased off the gas. He’d thought he would be able to drive right into the camp. Instead, he came to a stop about two hundred yards from the entrance, hoping these men couldn’t see his face in the moonlight—or the fact that Joe was dead.
The guard on the left walked toward the Humvee, while the one on the right remained in the road. Nathan aimed his M9 at the driver’s door as the man approached.
“Come on, Raven,” Nathan whispered. The only reply was the pounding of his heart. He could hear it beating like a riveter in his chest. He raised his foot, prepared to stomp the gas, when a streak of red whizzed by the truck like a meteorite.
Nathan didn’t hear the gunshot, but he saw the bullet hit the dirt. Raven’s first shot had missed. The skinhead stumbled backward and Nathan pointed his M9 out the open window.
Pop, pop!
Nathan dropped the guy with shots to the eye and nose. The second guard took a 7.62 mm round to the chest, blood gushing from the wound and coating the ground. Raven had come through. From over a thousand yards out, it was a hell of a shot.
There was a fleeting moment of silence in the valley as the other guards realized what was happening. Then the real gunfire started. Muzzle fire from one of Raven’s nooks illuminated the rocky bluff behind the Humvee. Return fire flashed across the camp from every direction.
Nathan punched the pedal and sped toward the entrance. The skinheads outside the buildings ran for cover, leaving their posts just like Nathan had hoped. A heavyset man lumbered into the road with a rifle aimed at Raven’s position. Nathan pointed his M9 out the window and got off two shots that sent the man diving for cover.
The radio Nathan had forgotten about suddenly barked to life.
“Snake Nest, this is Tower 1. We’re under attack, I repeat—” The voice was silenced, and a body plummeted from the top of the tower in the rearview mirror as Nathan raced toward the camp.
Four down. Not bad, Raven.
Nathan swerved off the road and saw the fat skinhead running away from the gunfire. The headlights captured his thick, tattooed arms and the back of his shaved skull. He glanced over his shoulder, his face a mask of terror as Nathan plowed into him.
The crack of metal on bone drowned out the gunfire as the man was knocked down and crushed under the weight of the Humvee. He put the vehicle into reverse and ran the guy over again for good measure. There was a muffled screech and then silence as Nathan steered back toward the camp. As soon as he turned back onto the road, gunfire lanced into the windshield. He ducked down as rounds bit into the seats. Two of the bullets tore through Joe’s corpse.
“Shit,” Nathan muttered. He slammed on the brakes, put the vehicle in park, and grabbed his M4. Another flurry of shots hit the front of the vehicle, punching through metal. He bailed out, losing the radio in the process. Keeping low, he bolted for the cover of the nearest tree. His ankle screamed at him, but adrenaline kept him moving.
Rounds speared the Humvee, shattering windows and pinging off the armored turret. Safely behind the tree, he counted the sound of the rifles. There were at least three or four, maybe more.
Nathan risked a glance around the right side of the tree. A skinhead half-hidden behind a barrel outside the first cabin saw him and squeezed off a burst. The bullets hit the tree, peppering Nathan with bark.
Holding in a breath, Nathan moved around the left side of the tree and fired a three-round burst that hit the barrel. Return fire cut into the tree before he could raise the red dot sight.
He placed his back against the trunk and waited.
There was a brief lull in the gunfire. Exhaling, Nathan bolted from around the tree and took up position behind a boulder. He popped up and fired a shot that hit the guy behind the barrel in the neck.
Nathan was up and moving before the body hit the dirt.
Two more muzzle flashes came from the camp, but neither of them were focused on him. He centered his rifle on the last flash and then pulled the trigger. A shout, then silence.
Nathan stopped behind another tree to catch his breath and change his magazine. A stick crunched somewhere to his right, and he glanced over to see a tall man with an athletic build looking down the iron sights of his rifle.
“Got you, you piece of shit,” the man snarled.
The top of his shaved skull suddenly flew up like a white toupee caught in a fierce wind. Nathan didn’t stick around to check if he was dead. He moved fast with his rifle roving for targets, his broken arm throbbing with pain. He raked the muzzle back and forth.
Nothing moved across his field of vision.
Had they done it? Were all the skinheads down?
“I’m coming, Ty,” Nathan whispered. He ran to the nearest building and grabbed the handle, but it clicked, locked. He took a step back and kicked the door open with his good foot to reveal a room filled with crates.
Nathan cursed and ran for the second cabin. He opened the unlocked door, but found only more supplies.
Where the hell were the kids?
A bullet hit the dirt when he moved back outside. He looked up at the cliff. Was that a warning?
Hold the fuck on, Raven.
Nathan got to the third cabin when he heard the rattle and cough of engines.
He froze.
Not just a few engines. Dozens of them. Some of them sounded like the whine and splutter of old motorcycles and dirt bikes. Others were the deep roar of diesel engines, possibly military vehicles. The enemy’s cavalry was en route. He had to get moving.
Nathan ran for the third and final cabin.
“Come on Ty, please be here,” he said.
He opened the door. A man hiding inside raised a pistol and fired. The shot hit the frame of the door just above Nathan’s head. He answered with a three-round burst into the man’s chest and then stumbled back outside.
The kids weren’t here.
Ty wasn’t here.
This wasn’t the Castle. It was just the forward operating base.
Nathan’s mind raced. Either Joe had lied, or maybe he hadn’t known as much as he pretended. Either way, Nathan was fucked if he didn’t get moving.
He ran for the Humvee, his ankle hurting so badly it felt like he was ripping the muscle. If he could reach the truck, maybe he could get back to Raven and find a way out of here. They’d have to regroup, scout the area again. Joe had mentioned tunnels in the mountains, but searching those would require more time.
Headlights swept over him. Nathan jumped into the Humvee just as the bikes came into view. Behind them, pickup trucks full of soldiers and two Humvees drove down the road feeding into the back of the camp.
Heart kicking, Nathan slammed the door. The engine was still on, but it was making a rattling sound. When he shifted into reverse, the truck jolted and then stalled. He tried it again, but got only another grinding noise.
“Come on! Come on!” he shouted, trying again.
Nathan decided to abandon the truck. He grabbed his rifle and moved back outside just as one of the motorcycles zipped down the road. Several more circled around him, cutting off his escape.
“Drop your rifle!” someone shouted.
“Hands on your head, asshole!” yelled ano
ther voice.
Nathan hesitated, calculating the odds. He finally lowered the gun and dropped it to the dirt. He raised his hands above his head and slowly got to his knees.
Nathan looked up at the hill, silently sending a message over and over again.
Run, Raven.
Nathan had failed, but Raven was still out there. He knew in his heart that Raven would come through on his promise to save Ty, just as he would have watched over Sandra and Allie if their positions were reversed.
Over the angry shouts and curses came a surprisingly polite voice. “Well hello,” the voice said. “We weren’t expecting company.”
Nathan looked up at a man with thick hair and a well-groomed beard shot through with gray. He raised a fist with brass knuckles, arched both brows, and said, “Welcome to the Castle. I really don’t think you’re going to enjoy your stay.”
***
Sandra opened the front door for Allie. Colton had given them a lift to Raven’s house, and now he was lingering on the porch, looking like a man with something on his mind.
He let out a sigh. “I really wish you would stay in town, Sandra. I told Raven I would look after you while he’s gone. The man who took our supplies and broke Theo out of jail is the same man your brother owes a lot of money to. Name of Nile Redford.”
“Mr. Redford… That snake.” Sandra remembered that name all too well. She looked at the shotgun propped next to the front door and then sat on the porch swing.
“You sure you won’t come stay with us?” Colton asked.
“Yes, I’m sure. I’ve got this gun and Creek to look after us. I feel safer up here, anyways.”
“You know you’re welcome at my house. Kelly loves company, and I bet the girls would like a sleepover.”
“Don’t worry about me, Chief. I can look after myself.”
Colton sighed a second time. “I’m not the chief anymore, Sandra.”
“What?” Sandra planted her feet on the porch, stopping the porch swing. “Why the hell not?”
“Long story. I still haven’t told my wife yet.”
Trackers Omnibus [Books 1-4] Page 48