Andrew stepped forward and gently brought his hand up to place it on the other man’s shoulder. “I can’t imagine how you feel, having gone through that, but I can promise you that we’ll put everything we have into making sure their sacrifices weren’t in vain.”
Doctor Reed nodded slowly, tears forming in his eyes before sliding down his face. “There’s something here. I know it. I tried to look at it on the plane, but I just couldn’t concentrate. I kept seeing them.” Next to him, the dog whined softly, seeing the man’s sorrow, then laid down on the tarmac, resting its body against his leg.
Andrew reached down and put his hands on the bag, gently pulling it away from him. Out of pure reflex, Jonathan held it tightly at first, then relaxed and let Doctor Chang take it from him.
Glancing briefly at Doctor Bowman, Andrew said, “Why don’t you and Lisa go get some dinner? I’ll take this back to the lab and get started.”
Jonathan looked up at the blonde doctor, his eyes showing something she hadn’t seen in the short time she’d known him: uncertainty. “Do you want to?”
Lisa smiled and nodded. “Of course.” She went to his side and slid her arm inside his, looking up at him. “Let’s get some food, maybe a glass of tea, and you can tell me about your dog.”
“Okay.” The two of them began moving toward the set of double doors that opened into the terminal, Jonathan’s feet lifting and falling slowly as he walked. The two Corporals walked quickly, moving in front of them and opening the doors before they got there. When they walked through, the two service members held the doors for Andrew before falling in behind Reed and Bowman, following them out into the parking lot.
Sergeant Mason re-appeared, looking embarrassed. “Sorry Doc, I mean, Andrew. It just really hurts when fellow servicemen die.”
“I’m sure it does. It hurts me, too.” He looked at the backpack before adding, “It puts pressure on us, too.”
“Did Doctor Reed get what you need?”
“I hope so.”
CHAPTER SIXTY FIVE
Grayson Halwell’s hands gripped the steering wheel tightly as he turned into the parking lot of the lodge. He was going to find out exactly who had hurt his friend, and when he did, he was going to make them pay.
‘Correction,’ he said to himself, ‘I’m going to make them and everyone around them pay.’ Kyle was the closest thing to family he had left. Ricky was a distant second, something akin to a second cousin.
He and Kyle had been through damn near everything together, from high school, to their short stint in community college, to their now defunct car detailing business (too much work, they’d concluded). Heck, Kyle had even lied to the authorities when Maggie Schweitzer had claimed Grayson had raped her. (The fact that he had was irrelevant. She wanted it, even if she’d been too drunk to say ‘no,’ thanks to the little something ‘extra’ Grayson had put in her drink.) Kyle hadn’t even hesitated. “I got you, bro,” He’d said, following it up by adding, “No ho is gonna put my best friend in jail.”
That kind of loyalty was hard to find, even in blood relatives, Grayson thought, remembering the way his mother had always looked at him when she thought he wasn’t paying attention. Deep down inside, she knew he did it, and it sickened her, no matter how much she wanted to believe his story.
Of course, she’d also been struggling to deal with his father’s infidelity during that time, something that had always been suspected but never confirmed. Not until his secretary showed up at their 5,000 square foot home with a positive pregnancy test in her hand. Grayson’s mother had refused to believe it, retreating almost inside of herself in her denials, leaving the situation for his father to deal with.
And deal with it, he did. The woman was never seen from again, her surprise appearance never once mentioned in their home. The official story was that she’d moved to L.A. to live with her parents, but Grayson always had his doubts. Which wasn’t to say that he cared one way or the other. The last thing he wanted was someone to compete with him for the inheritance that was coming his way in the future.
That was the Halwell way: take what you could and find a way to get away with it. It worked for his father in his position on the city council, where he funneled contracts to companies that greased his palm with money, along with two of his own companies which he owned through a complex series of shell corporations. No one in the town was going to spend time investigating the origins of those companies, and he knew it.
Now it was Grayson’s turn to take what he could.
‘And you better fucking believe I’ll get away with it,’ he thought, as he opened the door to the lodge and walked in, not bothering to hold it for Ricky, who followed closely behind him.
Things were going so well up until the moment when they’d discovered Kyle, lying in a pool of blood on the floor of the drugstore. Their ranks had been growing in number daily, as had the number of ‘workers’ who were keeping the lodge clean and comfortable. The kitchen was almost constantly abuzz with activity as the workers prepared meals for he and his men, ensuring they had something available whenever they wanted.
With the electricity on the refrigerators were stocked with cold beer and hard liquor. They’d even managed to find a stash of frozen foods that had remained chilled, thanks to the grocery store’s emergency generators. Last night’s feast of frozen pizzas and cold beer had greatly pleased the men, soothing their nerves while getting them excited about today’s hunt.
Until someone attacked Kyle.
That changed everything.
Walking down the carpeted hall, which had been vacuumed that morning, he saw the black woman standing by the door to Kyle’s room, waiting for him.
“How is he?” Halwell asked, looking past her into the room, where he saw Kyle’s feet protruding from under the blanket that covered the rest of his body. His socks were a dingy grey color and looked thin on the balls of his feet. Halwell made a mental note to talk to the woman in charge of laundry.
“He’s groggy but feeling better. I gave him Tylenol for his headache, but it’s not helping much. He wants whiskey…” Her voice trailed off as she looked away.
“So did you give it to him?”
“What? No, I can’t…”
“What the fuck? What’s wrong with you, bitch?”
Ricky tapped him on the shoulder. “Boss, it’s not that.”
Turning slightly to look over his shoulder at the man, Grayson growled, “The fuck do you mean?”
“Well, no one’s going to give her alcohol. She’s a worker.”
Halwell put his anger in check, realizing the man was right. He looked at the woman again. “Alright. Sorry about that. It’s just … he’s like a brother to me.”
“I understand.”
“Ricky, take her to get some whiskey for Kyle.”
“Will do. Come on, Wanda.” The two walked away, Ricky making small talk with the woman as they headed for the kitchen.
If he wasn’t mistaken, Ricky seemed to be interested in the black nurse. Shaking his head, Halwell walked into the room.
Kyle’s torso was propped up by pillows, allowing him to look around the room and out of the window to his right, where his attention was currently focused. The man’s head was wrapped from the ears up in a wide swath of bandages, matting his hair down close around his head. The nurse, who apparently was named Wanda, had asked permission to shave Kyle’s head around the wound, but Grayson had turned her down, knowing his friend wouldn’t be happy to wake up to a big patch of missing hair. His teeth were bad enough…
Walking to the bedside, Grayson looked down at his friend. “How you feeling?”
Kyle continued staring out the window for a few seconds before turning his head and looking down at his chest. He brought his arms out from under the blanket and clasped his hands together, resting them on his stomach. When he spoke, his words were slurred, due to his missing teeth and fat upper lip. “Okay. Feel stupid more than anything.”
Halwell put his ha
nd on the man’s shoulder, causing him to look up. “Hey, it’s not your fault. You were ambushed.”
“Yeah… I know.”
“Why don’t you tell me what happened? I really wanna find these fuckers.”
Kyle turned and looked out the window again. “Goddamn bitches…” He took a deep breath and told Halwell about how he’d entered the store and found the skinny Mexican girl they’d seen standing there talking to a teenage girl and an attractive Asian woman.
“She was hot, man. I was gonna bring her back with me and see if you would let me have her to myself.”
“We’ll find her, buddy, and when we do, she’s all yours.”
Kyle went on to explain how she’d used her sexiness in an effort to get him to let the other girls go. “Thought she was gonna go down on me right there...not that I’d let them go anyway.”
“So you were just gonna have them stand there and watch?”
“Oh. Uh, no. I guess I would have had them turn around and look at the wall. Anyway, she was touching my face and licking her lips when something hit me from behind. That’s all I remember.”
Halwell shook his head. Not much to go on. “So you didn’t see if they had a car?”
“No. The one out front was covered in spider webs like it had been there for a while.”
“I saw it.”
“I didn’t see any other vehicles aside from that and the wrecked truck.”
“Okay. What can you tell me about what they were wearing?”
“Not much. The Mexican girl was wearing a t-shirt for that one faggot band, what’s it called, Maroon 5?”
“Yeah, we found that on the floor there, she must have changed.”
“Makes sense, it was all ripped.”
“What about the others?”
“The woman was wearing a black turtleneck and jeans. Nothing there that would help. The teenage girl...” Kyle tilted his head back and closed his eyes as he thought. His eyes opened suddenly as he sat forward, wincing as the pain in his head intensified before slowly lowering himself back to pillows. “Wait, she was wearing a shirt that had the name of a school on it. University … something. It was a middle school. Dammit! I couldn’t see it because the other girl had crowded up against her.”
Halwell shook his head. “Shoot. That would help.’
“I know. Sorry.”
Ricky and the nurse returned, bringing a bottle of Jack Daniels with them and three glasses.
“How you doing, Kyle?” Ricky asked cheerfully.
“How does it look like I’m doing?”
“Alright, alright, sorry.” Ricky held the bottle of whiskey up. “How about a shot of J.D. to make you feel a little better?”
Kyle nodded. “Sounds great.”
“Cool. I brought three glasses. Sheriff, you’re in right?”
Halwell walked to the window, where he stared out at the lake, watching the white caps form on its surface. “Nah, I’m thinking. Let the nurse have a shot. She earned it.”
“Thank you, Sheriff,” the woman said.
“It’s fine. Good job.” As the three of them had a drink of whiskey, Halwell thought about what he could do with the limited information he had. ‘University something middle school,’ He pondered, wondering what came after University. City? Center? In a flash, he knew what he had to do. Glancing at his watch, he realized there wasn’t enough daylight to do it before darkness enveloped the valley. Turning on his heel, he walked back to Kyle’s bedside. He looked over at the nurse.
“Why don’t you go grab me a glass?”
The woman’s eyes widened as she looked back at him, seeing the devious look in his eye. “Okay.” She turned slightly, then paused. “Anything else, Sheriff? A snack, like some crackers or chips?”
“No, but thanks. Just the glass.”
The lean black woman left, her hips swaying smoothly back and forth as she walked away. When she was gone, Halwell looked at Kyle and Ricky.
“I’ve got a plan.”
It would be a pain in the ass, but he’d find those fuckers.
And when he did, they’d pay.
CHAPTER SIXTY SIX
Sitting by the window, Daniel looked out into the darkness, watching the yard in front of the house. His eyes moved constantly as he looked for signs of movement. Nearby, Cole slept on the end table, his dark, furry body rising and falling as he snored softly. The night had been quiet, giving him plenty of time to think as he sat there. He realized that if he thought relocating from their home in San Diego to the cabin would afford him the opportunity to relax and let his guard down, he’d been sorely mistaken.
The girls and Paul had been disappointed to hear that they would be standing watches again, hoping that the safety of the cabin was enough to allow them to go without having to spend hours awake while the others slept, but after the encounter at the drugstore, everyone understood the need for the watch rotation.
Daniel had been up since one-thirty, taking over the watch from Paul, who had proven to be reliable in his watchstanding. He was always on time, and consistently vigilant throughout his assigned time. The kid looked different from when Daniel had rescued him in the grocery store parking lot a week and a half prior. He’d gained a bit of muscle, thanks to the hard work he’d been putting in over the last week. His hair was considerably shorter, courtesy of Serafina, who’d given him a trim at his request the morning after they arrived at the cabin. The changed diet and fresh air had cleared up his skin as well, which seemed to give him a bit more confidence.
Deciding to pass on coffee, Daniel instead chose to keep busy, working with his hands to carve, whittle, and sand a long piece of wood into a six-foot tall staff, one that could be used to keep enemies at bay or strike and kill silently, should the need arise. Working on the wood reminded him of the old Native American man he’d met at the bay the day before they’d fled from their home. In his mind, he could still see the way the man had smoothly brought the staff up, spinning it in his hands, the wood a blur that suddenly struck forward, it’s tip piercing the thing’s brain through the roof of its mouth. He had no misconceptions about his ability to wield a staff, though. He’d likely be slow and stiff with it until he’d devoted enough time and energy into improving his skills, something he didn’t see as a possibility in the near future. Even so, it would be a good thing to have, and the work was keeping his mind occupied and his blood flowing.
He wondered how long it would be before the self-appointed Sheriff and his men came to their home, looking for revenge. Serafina had been confident she hadn’t been seen driving away, but wasn’t sure which direction the man had come from, so she wasn’t 100% positive that the man hadn’t seen the Jeep prior to entering the store.
Did it matter if he’d seen the Jeep? Even if the Internet was still functional, the man would have to have memorized the license plate, then they’d have to look it up in the state’s car registration database, and then what? Discover their home address in San Diego?
Nevertheless, Daniel felt certain that the men would be unlikely to let the attack on their man go. From what Serafina had told him of the man’s attitude and behavior, he felt it safe to assume that the men around him shared the same traits.
Men like that were rotten at their core. They took what they wanted without the slightest hesitation or consideration for how it impacted others. For things NOT to go their way was unacceptable. It shattered their belief that the world was theirs for the taking. It meant that they couldn’t do what they wanted, when they wanted to.
Faced with that possible reality, the men would do anything to reaffirm their belief that they’d been right all along.
Which meant he and his family had to be ready for them. The fence they’d built was a decent first step, especially the trench with the spikes, but he wanted to add an additional layer of defense, either further out, keeping unwanted visitors from even approaching the fence, and closer in, as a last deterrent before they reached the house. Ideally, they’d be able t
o add both, but his gut told him time was short.
He also needed to determine how they would position themselves for the inevitable fight. Ashley and himself were good with the high-powered rifles, which would provide some standoff range. Brenna and Paul were quickly becoming proficient with the bow and arrow, which provided less range but would be excellent for the element of surprise.
Unfortunately, Serafina’s nagging shoulder injury, one that she’d suffered during a fall while ice skating, made it difficult for her to use any weapons that would recoil against her shoulder. Anticipating the impact against her injured shoulder, she’d struggle to fire smoothly, decreasing her accuracy. While she was very accurate with her handgun, the effective range of it was limited to about a hundred meters, which meant she’d be relegated to close engagements. Daniel figured it would be best if she stayed inside the safety of the home, with Isabella, who they couldn’t expect to use a weapon. At nine years old and seventy-five pounds, any gun would be too much for the young girl to use effectively.
The question that still needed to be answered was whether or not Douglas and Janice would help them defend their home. Daniel felt confident they would. Though they’d only known each other for a couple of days, the two seemed like the type of people who would be ready and willing to fight in the face of evil. He decided he’d go talk to them around mid-morning, not wanting to wake them, since he had no idea if they were early risers or not.
When the sun finally began to peak over the tops of the mountains to the east, Daniel decided to step outside for some fresh air. Almost as an afterthought, he grabbed the old a.m./f.m. radio that had been sitting on the end table by the window since they’d bought the place. He’d swapped out the batteries earlier during his watch, but hadn’t wanted to turn it on out of concern for waking the others.
The air outside the cabin was cool and refreshing, and even though it was June, he was able to see his breath ever so slightly, silky white clouds quickly dissipating in the rapidly warming air. He walked away from the cabin, moving towards the edge of the property closest to the road. Sitting on an old tree stump, he turned the radio over in his hand, locating the power switch on the side of the device. Turning it on, he switched the selector to a.m. band and began moving the dial slowly from the lower frequencies on the left towards the higher frequencies on the right.
Surviving Rage | Book 1 Page 64