“And you believe him?” she asked. “You should know better by now, Lee.”
“He’ll kill you for sure if you don’t talk. And I don’t want to see you tortured, either.”
“Then don’t watch.”
He let out a long breath. “Lindsey, I just got a call, and he wants me to take him somewhere. When we return, he plans to turn you over to Loto.”
“If you ever truly cared about me, you’d let me go,” she said.
“You know I can’t do that,” he said. “He’d kill us both.”
“Then I guess this is goodbye.”
The door opened, and Loto stuck his head in. He looked at Lindsey for a long moment before telling Lee that Henry was ready to leave.
“I’ll be right there,” Reynolds said quietly, his eyes still on Lindsey’s.
“Chain her up,” Loto said.
Reynolds reached over to pick up the manacles and chain. When he realized the bodyguard wasn’t leaving, he said, “I’ve got it.”
Loto crossed his arms. “Quit wasting my time and do it. Henry wants to leave now.”
Lee fastened both ankle restraints then he attached the others to her wrists.
“Last chance, Lindsey,” Lee said. “Please give me the name.”
“Sorry,” she told him. “I’m not talking.”
“Oh, you’ll talk for me,” Loto assured her.
With his back to the big guard, Lee took her hand again but wouldn’t let her pull it away.
“I wish it didn’t have to be this way,” he said. “I’ll try to talk to him, but don’t get your hopes up.”
As he spoke, he slipped the key to the manacles into her hand, quickly closing her fist around it.
Surprised, she leaned forward and kissed his cheek, whispering, “Thank you.”
“Goodbye, Lindsey,” he said, standing. He followed the guard out of the room, looking back one last time.
~*^*~
~55~
Lansing Compound
For a moment, Lindsey was certain that Loto had seen Lee give her the key. The guard seemed to be looking right at her closed hand. His eyes met hers briefly, and she held her breath, sure that he was going to tell her to hand the key over. Instead, he turned to follow Lee out of the room. Lindsey let her breath out in a rush once she heard their footsteps moving down the hall. She hoped that Brett was on duty outside the room, or her plan would probably fail. She would have to try, regardless.
Stepping to the window, she watched as the Escalade pulled away. She could see Lee looking up at her from the back seat before the vehicle disappeared through the gate.
Lindsey didn’t waste time searching for a weapon. She’d already been over every inch of the room and knew that there was nothing that could be of help. Approaching the door, she knocked, praying that Wayne wasn’t outside. When the door opened a crack, she was relieved to see that it was Brett.
“I’m sorry to bother you,” she said, “but I need to use the restroom.”
“You’ll have to wait until Loto gets back. Henry said they shouldn’t be gone long.”
“That’s going to be a problem,” she replied. “Henry’s planned his little torture session for me when he gets back, so I should probably go now.”
Brett sighed and looked away.
“Please?” she asked.
“Okay. I’ll take you, but don’t try anything, or I’ll call Wayne,” he said, opening the door. He checked her restraints then led her down the hall. “Make it fast.”
“Thank you,” she said, stepping inside. She didn’t bother trying to lock herself inside the room. As she’d learned the first day, the guards had no problem getting past the lock. She couldn’t imagine what price she’d end up paying if her plan failed, but it probably wouldn’t be any worse than what Henry already had in mind for her. Using the key that Lee had given her, she quickly loosened the cuffs around her wrists and ankles, hoping it wouldn’t be obvious at a glance. She flushed the toilet and ran some water in the sink then stepped out into the hall.
Walking alongside the guard, she took a few steps then stopped, closing her eyes for a moment.
“Just a second,” she said, clutching his shirt sleeve. “I feel dizzy.”
“Good try,” Brett said, rolling his eyes.
“No, seriously,” Lindsey said. “Ever since Wayne hit me, my balance has been off.”
The guard frowned but said, “Okay, you can lean on me until we get to your room, but I’m not taking you to see the doctor or anything.”
“I don’t need to see the doctor,” she said. “I just need to lie down for a while. You know, keep my strength up for the torture and all.”
“It’s not going to work,” he said as she slipped an arm around his back to hold on to him.
“What’s not going to work?” she asked, wondering if he had figured out her plan already.
“You’re not going to guilt me into letting you go,” he said, stopping at her door.
“I know that,” she said, stretching her arm a little farther to reach the gun that was on his hip.
He spun around, ready to grab her, but the pistol was already pointed at his face.
“I had no intention of using guilt,” she assured him.
Keeping her eyes locked on his, Lindsey found the safety and only glanced down long enough to make sure it was off.
“Go ahead and try to leave,” the guard said. “You won’t get out the front door.”
“We’ll see. I don’t want to hurt you, but I don’t plan to let anybody torture me tonight. I hope you understand.” She nodded toward her room. “Get in there.”
She could see him weighing his odds. Henry would not treat the slip lightly, and they both knew it. “Look, I’m sorry,” she said, “but keep in mind that I’m just as desperate as you are right now. I won’t hesitate to pull the trigger.”
“I know that,” he said, “but if I go into that room, I won’t be coming out alive. Henry doesn’t tolerate mistakes.”
“If you don’t go into the room, you’ll alert everybody, and I won’t get out.”
“So one of us has to die?” he asked.
“Now who’s using guilt?” Lindsey said, frowning.
“Listen. Let me go with you,” Brett said, lowering his voice. “Use me as a hostage. I’ll leave this compound, and I won’t come back.”
She looked at him skeptically. “Why should I believe you?”
“I’ve been planning on it anyway. I’ve got a wife and kid out there, and I need to get to them. I’ve got a friend here who has a truck outside the walls, and we’ve been waiting for the right time. Looks like this is it.”
Voices could suddenly be heard down the hall, and Lindsey knew she had to make a fast decision.
“Take my right arm,” she said. “Make it look like you’re escorting me somewhere. But if you try anything, I’ll kill you. I can shoot well with either hand, in case you’re wondering.”
She slipped the gun under the baggy T-shirt she was wearing.
“Let’s go,” she whispered.
~*~
The Escalade pulled into the parking lot, and Loto got out, brandishing an Uzi. He opened the door for Henry as Reynolds hurried over to get the helicopter ready. Loto escorted the old man to the chopper and slid the door open to reveal a blonde woman sitting comfortably inside.
“This is Brandi,” Loto said.
“I must say,” Henry smiled, “your description didn’t do you justice. It’s quite the pleasure to meet you.”
Henry took her outstretched hand and met it with a kiss.
Brandi returned his smile and crossed her legs flirtatiously. “Pleased to finally meet you,” she said, batting her lashes. “I’ve heard so much about you.”
Loto took the co-pilot seat as Henry sat down beside Brandi.
“I can see why men would be inclined to talk to you,” Henry said. “Just what is all this nonsense about an attack?”
“Well,” Brandi started, “I was o
nly able to get bits and pieces, but . . .” the thump of the rotors forced her to raise her voice as Lee brought the engine to life. “I guess they’re going to try to break the wall down with some dynamite or something. There’s this big, dumb guy called Moose, who’s going to try to create some kind of a diversion on Woodcrest Street, but the real attack is going to happen on the opposite side of the community.”
“This Moose, is he blond?” Henry asked, recalling the large man at the hospital who had tried to go after him, earlier that day.
“Yes.”
“I have a score to settle with him. How is he planning on creating this diversion?” Henry asked.
“He wouldn’t tell me,” she said. “He’s got the hots for one of the nurses, so I wasn’t able to use my full assets to get all the information, if you know what I mean.”
Henry smiled.
“He did let it slip that explosives were involved, but since he’s just the diversion, I’m thinking those will be used for the main attack. He said that he wanted to blow the walls up, but the rest of the guys wouldn’t let him.”
“It appears that they may have changed their mind about the time of the attack. A car just left the hospital,” Henry told her. He addressed Loto, raising his voice above the pounding of the rotors. “I’m assuming we’ve adequately prepared for such an attack.”
“Yes, sir,” Loto shouted. “I understand that we’ve got a few snipers on Woodcrest where we expect the diversion to be, and we have ten on the north side where we expect the main attack to happen.”
“What if they try to take out the walls?” Henry asked.
“Even if they do have enough explosives, the snipers won’t let them get that close.”
Henry nodded, satisfied with the guard’s answer.
“Lt. Reynolds, let’s head toward the hospital,” Henry said.
“Yes, sir.”
“Let’s see if we can figure out what those fools are up to.”
Lee lifted the chopper into the air, heading toward St. Mary’s.
~*~
Lindsey walked with Brett down the stairs to the first floor, her heart pounding the whole time. She had no idea whether the guard was serious about leaving or if he’d turn on her at the first opportunity. The moment of truth came when they reached the front door.
“What’s up?” the door guard asked, his eyes darting back and forth between Brett and Lindsey.
“I just got a call from Henry,” Brett said. “He wants to take her with him to the hospital. I guess he thinks people will be more likely to talk if they see this one being questioned first.”
“Let me call and verify . . .”
“You go right ahead and do that,” Brett said, opening the door, “but I’m not making the man wait. He told me to hurry.”
They walked out as the other guard lifted his radio to his mouth. Brett pulled the door shut behind him and hissed, “Run!”
Lindsey quickly slipped the shackles off and tossed them into the shrubbery before running for Henry’s front wall at a sprint, Brett close behind her. While the wall was much shorter than the one around the community, it was still a good six feet tall, and they needed to get over it without being seen by the guard at the gate. Lindsey and Brett crouched down, waiting for the guard in the booth to turn the other away.
“How’d you do that?” Brett asked Lindsey.
“Do what?”
“Get out of the restraints.”
“Oh . . . just a little trick I learned,” she lied.
When the guard manning the gate picked up a radio and turned away, Brett said, “I’ll give you a boost.”
Lindsey stepped into his hands, but she needed both arms free to get over. She tried to tuck the gun into her jeans, but Brett said, “You don’t want it going off while you climb over. Just give it to me. I’ll hand it to you once you’re on the other side, then I’ll join you.”
She wondered if she could trust him, but when the front door of the house burst open and bright lights came on, she knew she had no choice. She dropped the gun to the ground near Brett’s feet and reached for the top of the wall.
“Shit,” Brett said when he saw the others come out.
Lindsey could tell that he wasn’t sure what to do. Knowing that the guard was probably having second thoughts about helping her, she quickly threw her leg over the wall. She didn’t make it over before he reached up and grabbed her hair, holding her in place as she straddled the wall.
“Sorry,” he told her, hanging on tightly. Raising his voice, he said, “I’ve got her!”
Lindsey attempted to pull her hair free as Brett tightened his grip and tried to pull her back into the yard. His eyes darted to the gun by his feet, which he obviously wanted to pick up. Seeing several men running from the house, Lindsey twisted her head as far as she could and bit Brett’s forearm. He instinctively let go of her hair.
A bullet whizzed past her shoulder as she dropped over the wall, landing in a heap on the ground. Ignoring the pain from the awkward landing, she got to her feet and ran. Behind her, someone yelled a command to open the gate.
Lindsey pushed herself, racing down the street as fast as she dared. She’d probably be no match for the men with their longer strides, but she intended to make good use of the head start she’d been given. She glanced back once to see someone climbing over the wall as the gate slowly began to open. She rounded a bend and didn’t look back.
The neighborhood had streets that curved and houses with large lawns. Most of the properties either had a wall or a fence, but nothing like the one around Henry’s house. She quickly opened a gate to go into a yard, heading immediately for the wall behind it. This one was easy to get over, and she continued on to the next yard. She was surprised by a dog, but she was over the next wall before the animal had time to do much more than lift his head and look at her. She knew she’d have to be careful because she might not be so lucky the next time.
~*^*~
~56~
Lansing, Michigan
“Sir, there’s vehicle movement on the ground,” Reynolds said, indicating a point below them.
Henry looked out the window at a car that was edging its way slowly through the obstacles in the road.
“That must be your Moose man,” Henry said with a smirk. “Follow him.”
~*~
A few blocks into the ride, Moose heard a thumping sound. He looked out the window to see a chopper high in the sky. Grabbing his radio, he made a call.
“Boss, you there?”
“I’m here,” Snake’s voice could be heard on the radio.
“There’s a whirlybird above me,” Moose said, earning a giggle from Marla. “I think I’m being followed.”
“Better find a place to hide out and sit tight for a bit,” Snake said. “We’ll wait a while, and if you don’t see them again, we’ll head out.”
“10-4 boss,” Moose said. “Over and out.” He found a spot under a carport and parked the car. A couple of minutes later, the chopper disappeared.
“So I guess we just wait now,” Moose said, tapping on the steering wheel.
“Well, I think I know how we can kill some time,” Marla said as she pressed her lips against his.
~*~
Henry watched as the vehicle pulled under a carport and parked.
“Looks like we’ve been spotted,” he said. “Obviously they don’t teach stealth in the military.”
Lee frowned at the comment but remained silent.
“Might as well continue on to the hospital to see if the biker brigade has taken off yet,” Henry said, winking at Brandi.
The blonde responded with a smile.
“You know, Reynolds, one would think that killing that idiot’s fiancée would have sent them a very clear message, but I see they’re not quite getting it. It’s probably time to send them another one. I hope you aren’t too attached to Lindsey. I’m afraid we may have to make an example of her.”
A muscle twitched in Lee’s cheek, an
d his hands tightened on the controls, but he didn’t respond.
“On the bright side,” Henry continued, nodding toward Brandi, “I’ve already found you a replacement.”
Henry turned to Brandi. “There’s quite a bit of prestige in being married to a pilot, especially in our little community. Isn’t that right, Lieutenant?”
Lee nodded silently.
Henry thought he saw a look of disappointment cross Brandi’s face. She seemed to be choosing her words carefully before she finally answered.
“He’s very handsome,” she said, leaning forward to expose a bit more cleavage, “but then, so are you.”
Henry smiled, knowing that Brandi sought the power that she could have by being with the man in charge. He’d already noticed the marks on her arms and the glassy look in her eyes. She obviously had a habit that he’d never tolerate from one of his wives, but she was beautiful enough to be suitable for Reynolds and would undoubtedly fit into their society better than Lindsey ever would. He was certain that the pilot would be satisfied with her as a replacement.
“Although I appreciate the compliment,” Henry said, “my position allows me to set the bar to a height that you could never possibly attain.”
The plastic smile on Brandi’s face only faltered for a moment at Henry’s words.
“Regardless, I think you will enjoy the perks of being a pilot’s wife,” Henry told Brandi. “You’ll have maids, cooks, and even a chauffeur.”
She looked out the window at the disintegrating world below her.
“It sure beats being out there,” she said. “What will I have to do? I mean, they tried to make me work at the hospital. Will it be the same in your fortress back there?”
“Your job,” Henry said with a chuckle, “will be to help rebuild civilization by simply contributing your DNA. I think you and the lieutenant should produce some superior offspring.”
Dead, But Not For Long (Book 2): Pestilence and Promise Page 49