Buck was originally from New Jersey but when he’d been kicked out of the Army ten years earlier, down at Fort Hood in Texas, he didn’t have any money and had stayed right there in that area for a few years. By the time he’d managed to work his way back to the East Coast, he’d changed his name and had adopted all the Texan mannerisms and speech patterns he could possibly manage. It hadn’t really mattered that most people didn’t really believe he was from Texas. He’d proven he could use a gun and could be trusted to carry out whatever orders he was given. And, he didn’t do drugs. He’d been with Vinnie for the past four years and had been more than satisfied with his role as one of Vinnie’s soldiers.
Sandy wanted to scream but knew there would not be anyone coming to help. And, it was obvious there was no threat she could use. They had decided to kill her and she needed to find some way to escape, all on her own, before that happened. She was growing more and more terrified but was trying not to panic. She wondered if maybe by talking to him and keeping him talking, somehow she could find a way out of this. She was desperate and asked, “How, exactly, did you want me to be nice to you, Buck? Are you thinking we might go away somewhere? You know … someplace where I can be nice?”
Buck laughed and said, “Oh, we’ll be leaving in a little while, sweetheart. Don’t y’all worry ‘bout that. First things first, though. I’ve decided y’all can be real nice and everythin’ right here. Right now. Why don’t y’all take off that sweatshirt so’s I can get a good look-see at the goods?” He took several steps towards her and she tried to scamper across the bed, hoping to avoid him and maybe get to the bedroom door, just in case it wasn’t locked from when he’d entered. He had no trouble stopping her, quickly leaping onto the bed and grabbing one of her legs which he pulled back, sliding her underneath his body and pinning her down completely.
Sandy did scream then, desperate to escape and she began flailing her arms wildly, but to no avail.
“Y’all are making this really fun, now, princess! I’m bettin’ y’all are still a virgin. Am I right? I’m gonna take care of that right now. We can’t have you dying while still a virgin, now, can we? Y’all needs to experience what all a man can do for you, before that happens, right?” He began fumbling with the zipper to his trousers, so he could let her see just what he had for her. Yep, this was gonna be some fun all right!
But then, something strange happened. Sandy was screaming, which was really getting him more and more excited, but all of a sudden … he found himself being thrown completely off the bed, almost as though she had somehow found super strength. He knew that was impossible but yet, here he was, being flung across the room and hitting hard up against the wall, which hurt. Before he managed to figure out what might have happened, he felt an incredible pressure on his chest, crushing him. He was unable to move and the pain was incredible. And then, it all slowly went away and everything went dark.
-----
Billy and Donny arrived on the scene with a crew of nine others. They were all reliable soldiers in the D’Amato organization, working directly for Sal rather than any of his capos. And, they were heavily armed. After casing the place for a few minutes, during which a couple of the men went around back and advised they were in position … they were all using the latest commo gear … Billy gave the signal. It was shock and awe time, since there were surely some sensors outside which they didn’t want to bother with. So, they donned their gasmasks and quickly followed right after the guys carrying the battering ram.
Simultaneous with the ram smashing into the front door, windows were shot out and several tear gas grenades were tossed inside. They were not using silencers on their weapons but weren’t all that concerned. This property was far enough out in the suburbs that whatever noise might be heard wouldn’t matter. It would all be over quick enough and then they’d clear out before any cops might arrive. With all the publicity this mob war had been receiving, who cared if some more bodies turned up?
Although there indeed were some warning signals which were heard inside, thanks to various sensors all going off, along with flood lights which went on outside, that didn’t matter. The attackers knew how many guys they’d be finding and about where they’d find them, thanks to the text messages Sal had received from Missy. They went in with their guns firing and it was all over in a matter of a few minutes. Their attack was very successful and only a few of the men inside even managed drawing their weapons. Only one managed firing off a shot, which went wild and missed. Then, they were dead.
Billy had his guys make certain everyone was dead by going around and double tapping each one of them, two rounds in the head. Their orders had been to kick ass and not bother taking any names. These were the bastards responsible for not only kidnapping Sal’s little girl but for causing the war they’d had to wage for more than a week now. There had been casualties, like Tommy Muccio, and whoever was behind all of this was going to pay. These men were completely expendable.
Donny recognized several of the dead men, saying “Hey, these guys work for Vinnie Cappiello! Un-fucking-believable! Are you sure we have the right house?” He wasn’t going to mention anything about Missy, of course, since he and Billy were the only ones who knew where Sal’s info had come from.
Billy said, “Let’s go upstairs and find Sandy. If she’s there, we’ll have our answer quick enough.” Signaling for the others to stand by, as had been rehearsed ahead of time, he and Donny went up the stairs, guns drawn and ready.
They found a room where monitors were set up with a man sitting in a chair; he was slumped over and either dead or unconscious. Donny double tapped him, just to make sure. They could see on the monitors where a young girl was lying on the bed in a bedroom, but as she appeared to have pulled herself into a fetal position it wasn’t obvious yet whether that was Sandy.
They raced down to where they found the bedroom with the closed door. It was locked but they smashed their way inside. As soon as they did, Sandy sat up and stared at them. She’d heard all the gunfire down below and had known something had been happening down there. But, until she saw Billy and Donny, she’d been too afraid to even hope it might actually be her rescue.
And, she was still in shock from what had happened to Buck. He’d not moved after, by some miracle, he’d been lifted off her and sent flying. One moment, she’d been about to be raped, with no hope at all. And the next? Buck was gone. She’d waited for a full five minutes before daring to go over and check. When she did, she’d found him not merely unconscious. No, he’d been dead.
She knew the guard outside must have seen everything on those cameras and had expected he’d come charging in any second. Only, nothing had happened. She’d gone and checked the door but had found that locked. She hadn’t dared yell out and had gone back instead to lie on the bed. Not long after that, all hell had broken loose downstairs.
Billy rushed over and asked, “Sandy, are you okay? We’re here now. We’re going to take you home.” She climbed off the bed and rushed into his arms.
Donny walked over and looked down at Buck. He glanced back at Billy who was holding Sandy tight against him. “Sandy, ahh …? Do you know what happened here? Did you manage to somehow …?” He realized, of course, that even if Sandy had managed taking care of Buck, that still wouldn’t explain the guard who’d been watching the monitors. No way had Sandy done that. Not with the bedroom door still locked. Well, Sal had assured him Missy was protecting Sandy.
Sandy pulled away from Billy and said, “No … he was on top of me, over here on the bed … he was getting ready to … he was going to …” She began crying, unable to continue. Finally, she looked over at Buck’s body and said, “I’m glad he’s dead! I don’t know how he got over there or why he’s dead, but I’m not sorry! He … he …” Again, she began crying and looked away.
Billy guided her gently out of the room, soothing her and assuring her everything was okay. He gave her the gas mask he’d taken off when he’d gone upstairs, helped her put it on, and
then called down to the men below, “Hey, I’ve got Sandy! Is it all clear down there?”
“Yeah, come on down!”
He managed bringing her down and outside without her seeing any of the carnage down below. When they heard Donny’s two shots, double tapping Buck the same as all the others, he again reassured her. “You’re safe, Sandy. Relax. It’s really over. Let’s get you home.”
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Missy gave Mike a brief run down on everything that had happened inside the house and how Sandy was now headed for home. She then asked him to tell Troy how much they appreciated his help and to remind Troy about that ticket to next week’s football game which she’d have waiting for him. She also told Mike what he should send back to Sal as a final message: Sal was to make peace with all the other mob bosses and end the war as soon as possible.
She explained she was now heading out to the State Forest in Connecticut so she could finish Changing into her cat and then search for some food. She knew she’d be starving once she materialized again, after all the energy she’d just used. Then, she’d finally return to her room at the academy in time for classes the next day.
When Mike shared all this with the others, John laughed about the football ticket. He said, “My sister will probably have Sally Navarro holding that ticket for you, Troy! After all … isn’t that why you’re really coming to the game?” Missy had explained to him and Tracy during their ride back to the academy how excited Troy had become on learning Sally was a former roommate of hers and how she’d promised to set them up if Troy would join Robert’s team.
Troy laughed and said, “Yeah, it is. But, that was before I’d known how wild and crazy helping your sister would be. How am I gonna sit there trying to impress Sally and keep all of this a big secret?”
“Oh, I’m sure you’ll find plenty of things you’ll think of … after all, you’re a psychic, right?” The three of them all laughed at that.
-----
When Alessandra arrived home, it was overwhelming. Her father and mother and brother were all there, along with Ben Marchitto and a few other friends and associates of her father who had known about her kidnapping. The joy and happiness over her return was special and, after all the emotional turmoil she’d been through earlier that night, it didn’t take long before she begged permission to go up to her room and just crash. She was exhausted and her bed had never looked so good. She was asleep before her head even hit the pillow.
As she’d soon learn, her kidnapping had actually been kept a big secret. Her school had been informed her sudden disappearance was because of the mob war going on. Even her friend Maria had been told Sandy was in hiding for protection, so her family could keep her safe.
Sal asked her not to reveal any details to anyone concerning her rescue. Only Ben, Billy and Donny could know, in addition to himself of course. She mustn’t let anyone else know, not even her mother. He stressed that was really important. He also explained she needed to stay home for a few days more, until he’d had a chance to meet with the other families and negotiate terms and conditions for peace.
He also needed to deal with Vinnie Cappiello, of course. Before she’d even arrived back home, he had sent some of his guys out to pick up Vinnie, Stan Prudente, and anyone else who might be loyal to Vinnie. Thanks to how quickly the raid on the house in Yonkers where she’d been held had gone down, Sal’s men managed to successfully corral almost everyone before they’d had a chance to find out about her rescue.
Unfortunately, upon arrival of Sal’s guys, Vinnie had recognized he was in trouble and had committed suicide at the last minute. Pulling a gun from a drawer in his desk, he’d managed to point that under his chin and, pulling the trigger, had blown his brains out before anyone could stop him.
Chapter Seventeen
Oct 28, 2019
Tracy allowed Missy to sleep in for as long as possible and then roused her with enough time so, using her super speed, she could just make their morning formation. Since Missy had woken Tracy up upon her late return, letting her know Sandy was home safe, they didn’t really need to do any talking. Then, it was on to what each had on their schedule for that day. They’d see each other again at Khan Klass that evening and catch up then.
Once awake, of course, Missy’s stream of consciousness flow of messages to Mike continued, as always. Being able to experience him and his feedback had become as important a part of her daily routine as breathing. Yes, she could exist without him, and had done so on a couple of occasions when it had been necessary, but her state of happiness would not be the same and she would no longer feel complete. She was an earth witch and he grounded her.
He was also her mate and the mating bond reinforced everything all the more. She felt truly blessed and being so satisfied and fulfilled was a big part of why she was so driven to give back and help others. Serving her country, with the amazing gifts and abilities which she’d received, was a calling she felt deep inside and was totally committed to. Hence, West Point and the Army.
Since the Fabulous Fates had blessed her genetically with being a witch-werecat and had also given her Mike as her soulmate, she willingly accepted whatever challenges came her way and looked forward to each day as yet another opportunity for contributing further.
With Halloween now only three days away, she had that to look forward to as well. Like during the equinoxes and solstices, Missy had learned her powers would increase at Halloween, also known as Samhain. It was about halfway in between the autumn equinox and the winter solstice and, as she had become more and more aware of her own inner energy, she’d realized all of these were periods during which her energy would rise and peak, much greater than during its normal ebb and flow at other times. Now that she had tuned into so much of what she was, aware of how her energy allowed her to exist in different forms, she was very sensitive to these nuances and variations.
Her classes went by quickly and then she had soccer practice. Their last regularly scheduled game was coming up and then they’d be going on into the playoffs. Since she would also be playing on the varsity basketball team which would soon be starting up, not to mention all her Combat Weapons Team and Rifle Team matches, Missy would be a busy cadet. Of course, she thrived on all these activities and loved being able to participate.
When she arrived at Kelsey’s Korner for her language class with Major Khan, she was feeling especially good about things. Most of her friends had already arrived and the guys were practicing their Farsi and Pashto dialects by telling raunchy jokes, the more outrageous the better. Somehow, being able to tell these in a foreign language meant being politically correct was off the table. Oh, well!
What was really cracking everyone up was the way Kelsey kept correcting their pronunciation, insisting they repeat things over and over until they each got them exactly right. She pretended she was oblivious to the actual meaning of these jokes and that only made them all the more hilarious. Of course, with big Mitch always right there at her side, nobody was going to take any liberties … he made sure it all remained purely an academic exercise.
Tracy was telling Sharon how wonderful a time she and John had had on Sunday, explaining how he’d played tricks on her constantly, claiming she was his “treat” and since they’d be missing Halloween, they needed to celebrate while they could. John had some big exams coming up and he wouldn’t be coming down for next week’s football game and the dance after that.
Hearing mention of the game, Missy went up to Sally and asked, “Hey, do you know this guy on the swim team over at Colgate named Troy Dangelmeyer? He says he watched you set that record in the two hundred meter breast stroke last year.”
Sally giggled and said, “Oh, yes! Troy is very well known and not just for his swimming. Where did you see him?” All the girls on her swim team had voiced their opinion about Troy, as they did for all the other guys they knew about.
“Tracy and I were at this thing and he was there. With his mother. He and Mike were talking and, well … your nam
e came up.”
Sally blushed and said, “Really? I’ve only seen him from a distance. You know … at a couple of meets. I heard some of the other girls there talking about him. They say he’s actually a nice guy, in spite of being such a hunk. Only, I heard he was off limits. He won’t get serious with anyone and only plays the field, so he’s not worth wasting time on.”
Missy picked up on the fact Sally had apparently been asking about Troy. How else would she have heard not to waste time on him? And, why was she blushing? “Well, I hope you don’t mind. But, Mike’s going to be here for our football game and I thought it would be nice if Troy came along. I’ve promised him I’d get him a ticket.”
Now Sally really blushed. “Why would I mind?”
Missy laughed and said, “Well, since he mentioned he’d watched you set that record, I promised him I’d get you to be at the game as well. You always go to those games anyway, so no big deal, right?” Missy was going slow and easy since she knew Sally had been dumped by her last boyfriend, after spending much of her summer vacation getting really involved with him. Once she had returned to the academy, he’d decided to move on. She’d been crushed.
Sally wasn’t at all fooled, though, having lived with Missy the previous semester and gone through that whole Caesar’s Club thing with her. That had been the name of the sex club they had exposed. “Are you trying to set me up with Troy? You are, aren’t you! Wow! Missy McCrea, you should be ashamed of yourself!”
Not only Tracy but several of the other girls had gathered around by this time. They all knew the history, including how Sally had been dumped not that long ago. They’d been trying to help her pick up all the broken pieces after her heart had been shattered. When Tracy described what a handsome “catch” this guy was, explaining he was already mesmerized by having seen Sally swim, everyone then really got into it. By the time Major Khan called them all to order so he could start his class, poor Sally had no choice. She’d be sitting next to Troy at the football game and all her “friends” would be right there, making sure she was having a really “great” time.
Missy Makes Mayhem (Missy the Werecat Book 5) Page 14