The McClane Apocalypse Book Nine

by Kate Morris

  There are also three women in the accident. He’s not sure if one of these women is the wife of the senator, but Simon doesn’t really care, either. She was just as evil.

  Behind them, a loud explosion rocks the night sky, and Simon turns to see the mansion fully engulfed in the distance, standing so majestically on that gentle knoll. He’s not sure if there was gas residue in the natural gas lines that probably fed the old house or if someone has ignited this on purpose, but the mansion will likely burn nearly to the ground. All that will be left in a few days will be the exterior limestone walls and maybe some crumbling chimneys.

  “Dr. Death, sit rep, over,” Derek says over the radio.

  “Yeah, I’m gonna need a medical evac,” John says. “I’ve got a few wounded on my team, over.”

  “So do we, over,” another man answers. Simon believes it was one of the Pleasant View volunteers.

  Dave comes over next, “On the way with the team, over.”

  The battle ends soon after, and they begin loading their wounded into vehicles and trucks to be transported to town for medical attention. His night is long from over because the doctors will need his help. The used car dealer and most of the women and children are all that remain of the highwaymen. As of yet, nobody has revealed the identity of the president, but Simon wonders if it isn’t the same man who is coming to Tennessee looking for Robert McClane. Perhaps, he is already here.

  K-Dog’s voice comes over the radio and states, “Romano is gone. My man who was guarding him is dead, over.”

  “Son-of-a-bitch,” Cory swears next to him.

  A chill washes over Simon as he realizes that their leader is now a free man once again. How’d he get loose? Where is he?

  “Cory, take a patrol and look for that asshole,” Derek demands. “He can’t have gotten far, over.”

  “Roger,” Cory answers, looks at Simon, and offers a shrug full of doubt as if he does not know if he will find this snake.

  They thought the senator was their most important HVT to find tonight, but they had underestimated the wily cunning of the car dealer. It feels to Simon like this will never end.

  Cory bumps his fist against his own and acknowledges him with a lift of his chin before taking off to find some men to hunt the used car dealer with him. Simon hopes his friend uses great caution tonight in that pursuit. He fears they have underestimated more than just the man’s cunning nature.

  Chapter Twenty-three

  Reagan

  “Sponge here, Sam,” Reagan instructs her young friend, who would probably much rather be drawing a portrait of Lucas than patching him up. Her half-brother was shot straight through the calf tonight, and she is in charge of repairing him. If this doesn’t go well, if he ends up with a limp or worse, she does not know if she could live with herself. Also, she’s a little terrified of G, so this needs to go off without a hitch. That girl is a spitfire.

  “Yes, ma’am,” Sam answers and presses the sponge-tipped tweezers against a bleeding artery.

  “You doing ok, Luke?” she asks him.

  “Sure. Awesome,” he says with sarcasm.

  He is a lot tougher than she would’ve thought because he hasn’t cried out once and had not wanted any of the anesthesia she offered. Reagan had injected him anyway with a touch of xylocaine, care of her father’s shipment of medical supplies.

  She knows her husband and the rest of them are back because he made sure to take a second to come and let her know he was alive. Reagan hadn’t taken a full breath since he left the house last night.

  “How many were injured?” Luke asks her from his face down position on the exam table.

  “Eleven,” she replies. “But there are many women and children who need to be looked at. Some suffered smoke inhalation. Others are sick.”

  “That’s too bad,” he says.

  “No, what’s too bad is you getting shot like an asshole. I could’ve used the help tonight. You’re pretty handy in the clinic but not much good to me like this.”

  He chuckles and scratches at his cheek with dirty, grimy and gunpowder covered fingers. It also smears around more of the black, greasy paint they all used to camouflage their faces.

  “My sister doesn’t know I was shot yet, does she?” he asks nervously.

  Reagan smiles and replies, “Nah, you’re safe for now.”

  Lucky for Lucas, the bullet ripped through the fleshy part of his calf and completely missed bone or else they could have another Derek situation on their hands. Although her brother-in-law has significantly improved in mobility since the fabrication of the new brace by Cory and her grandfather, he will never be completely whole again.

  When she is done stitching her new brother back together, she calls for the men to help him from the building. They will take him down the street to the McClane house as everyone in town now refers to it where they stay when they crash after clinic days or on days like this one. There is still much to be done, many long hours before she, too, kicks up her feet for a few hours down the street on break.

  She works alongside Grandpa and Simon, who both help with the injured soldiers who fought against the highwaymen. John and Kelly left again to go back to the battle site and search for survivors, stragglers, and this man they call the president. Her husband has already been gone for over two hours, which is doing nothing to alleviate her fretting.

  Simon comes into her exam room as she is finishing with one of the women who was injured by stone shrapnel from a mortar round hitting the side of one of the buildings she was running past. Mostly the work was irrigation and removing flecks and bits of debris from the wounds. She may end up with a few scars on her face and arm, but it’s better than the alternative which would’ve in this case been death by a mortar round.

  “Any word?” he asks anxiously and hands Reagan a piece of cloth bandage for the woman’s arm and then the tape.

  “Not yet,” she answers, knowing he is asking after Cory. It is nearly dawn, but he has not returned yet. The hunt for the missing car dealer is still on. “When was the last time he called in?”

  “I just asked, and it’s been over an hour,” he tells her and helps the woman down from the exam table. “Excuse me, ma’am,” he says to the patient. “Would you know where Mr. Romano could’ve escaped to? Anywhere?”

  She shakes her head weakly and replies, “No, but I only ever worked with the children. I wasn’t allowed near any of the leaders.”

  He nods and opens the door for her. They have questioned all of their patients the same way. Nobody knows where he could’ve gone.

  “Don’t worry,” Reagan says as she tosses her bloody gloves into the trashcan. “If anyone can find him, it’ll be Cory.”

  “Yes, I know. I’m just worried. This man has led us on a long hunt. There have been a lot of hiccups in our plans. I still feel like someone is helping him along the way.”

  “Maybe,” Reagan acknowledges. “Who do you think it could be?”

  “Not sure, but I’m sick of it,” Simon answers her and balls up his fist. “It’s making me distrustful of people, and I don’t like that feeling.”

  “I know,” she says. “How many more patients are out there?”

  He sighs. “Quite a few. Lot of women who are injured like the one you just treated. Some with smoke inhalation. The women we found upstairs in the mansion- there were six of them, I think- are all suffering from it. Another one didn’t even make it out. Her friends said they lost her somehow in the house on the way out.”

  “Lost her or did she ditch them?”

  “What do you mean?” Simon asks as they wipe down the exam table and prepare for the next patient.

  “Maybe she’s your mole. She might not know us enough to rat us out to the car dealer, but she could’ve gone back to him and shot the guard to get him freed.”

  Simon thinks about this for a moment before nodding. “I hadn’t thought of that. You could be right. I’m going to go and question those women we found…”


  “No, first we need to treat our patients. If you want to tell K-Dog or Dave about this theory and have them do it, that’s fine. But we need your help more than this matter does.”

  “Yes, ma’am. Sorry.”

  “That’s fine, Simon. Once you’ve done that, go and check on Sam and her uncle, make sure they don’t need anything. Then grab another patient.”

  “Yes, ma’am,” he answers and hastily leaves the room.

  Reagan smiles before inviting another woman into the exam room with her. Their nurse in town assists as she treats the woman for smoke inhalation and stitches a gash on her leg. By the time the night is over, the patients have been seen to, the sun has started its morning ascent, and Reagan is dead on her feet and collapses onto the sofa in the front room. Her grandfather emerges from an exam room in the back a few minutes later, as well as Sam and her uncle. Simon joins them next after seeing the last patient out. They begin reviewing cases and ordering up the files in a way that makes sense. Some of them will need to be seen again for follow-up appointments to remove stitches. Three men were moved across the street to the old Victorian for additional, round the clock care. They were both shot but luckily had on bullet-proof vests.

  John comes in with Kelly a short time later from their search and hugs Reagan to him. “How many did we lose total?”

  Reagan sighs and answers, “Two here. What about out there?”

  “We lost six men; four of them were your father’s,” John explains. “One from Dave’s town and one from ours.”

  Grandpa nods knowingly and says, “For what you were up against last night, I’d say the loss of eight men, no matter how difficult it is, was a success.”

  “Agreed,” John says.

  “Any word from Cory?” Simon asks next, still clearly worried about his friend.

  John shakes his head.

  “Permission to volunteer to go after him and join the search party,” Simon requests.

  John looks to Reagan first. She nods and says, “We’re done here. It’s up to you.”

  “Permission granted. Get him on the radio and figure out a place to meet up.”

  Simon rushes from the room with his rifle slung over his white lab coat. If ever there was a juxtaposition of reality, it’s right in this moment. Doctors running around in their scrubs and lab coats carrying rifles almost makes her laugh. However, her concern for Cory and Simon is too great.

  “You need anything before I head out, boss?” John asks.

  She looks up into his grimy face and smiles gently. “About twelve hours of sleep?”

  “With me?” he asks with ornery intent and a grin.

  “Sure. That sounds good,” Reagan agrees. “Are you leaving again?”

  “Yeah, headed out to talk to some more of the women we’ve taken in tonight,” he explains as she escorts him onto the front porch with her grandfather. “Someone’s gotta know something about this president dude and where the car dealer could’ve gone.”

  “Good luck,” she says and leans up for a quick kiss.

  Simon rushes back to them and announces, “One of the women just told K-Dog that she thinks she saw Romano leaving in one of the pick-up trucks out by the road. Guess K-Dog figured those were abandoned vehicles, but apparently not all of them were.”

  “Ok, so we need to get Cory back in here. If he’s gone in a truck, he’s moving faster than on foot,” John says as Kelly walks up to them. “You can take the two ATV’s and go after them when he gets here.”

  “Yes, sir,” Simon replies and takes off.

  “How’s it going back home?” Kelly asks her next.

  “Fine,” she answers. “Everyone was just worried about you guys.”

  He nods, but Reagan can tell that he is uncomfortable being away from home.

  “Kel, just go home,” she says. “You’ve done all you need to do. Just go and get some sleep. Check on Hannah.”

  “Is she alright?” he quickly questions with narrowed eyes.

  Reagan smiles. “Still knocked up? Yep. Other than that, she’s worried out of her mind about you.”

  “She’s right,” John adds. “We’re done. I’ll probably go with Cory and Simon when they get ready. I’d feel better if you went home to keep an eye on the farm anyway, what with Luke down now, too. And take Herb with ya’. Lord knows he could use the rest.”

  Her big brother-in-law nods with a frown and heads out.

  “Don’t we only have two ATV’s in town?” she asks.

  “Yeah, I’m gonna go in a different direction, probably take the truck. There’s still CNG in the tank.”

  A commotion draws their attention. Simon and one of Dave’s men, the sniper Lucky, are arguing with Parker and a few of his own.

  “What’s going on, guys?” John asks as he steps down from the porch. Reagan follows closely behind.

  Simon is angry. “I asked Parker where he’s been all night, and he got mad.”

  Parker is, indeed, angry. “Of course, I’m mad. I don’t have to answer to a punk like you. I should be asking where you guys were! We were left behind. If…”

  “Hey!” John barks loudly, causing Reagan to flinch. “Don’t talk to him like that. Simon’s our best sniper. He deserves a little respect.”

  “So do I!” Parker says, spittle flying. “I’ve led men. I have experience…”

  “And where were you if you have so much experience?” Simon demands in an accusatory manner.

  “I was in the battle. Same as you. Then you all left us.”

  “I don’t recall seeing you out there in the trenches with us.”

  “That’s not my fault, you little shit,” Parker says with venom as Kelly steps out of the shadows and calmly stamps out a cigarette. It quiets the man instantly. Reagan will have to try and remember to lecture him later about smoking again. For now, she’s just glad he’s still here to help John diffuse the situation. Sometimes just his presence is enough.

  John puts a hand against Simon’s chest, and he immediately calms down and steps back. Then her husband asks Parker, “Which building? You were supposed to be working with K-Dog, and he said you took off on your own with some of your men.”

  “Yes, I did. The plan was flawed. I saw a hole in it and sealed it. That’s what we do. It’s also why your father sent me,” Parker says, pointing at Reagan.

  “Where?” John asks.

  “Where what?”

  John asks with less patience this time, “Where was this hole in the plan? We went over and over it. There weren’t uncovered exits or roads.”

  “Yes, there were. Beyond the mansion on the north side was an area that was not sufficiently covered. We saw men escaping.”

  John’s brow furrows, but Reagan isn’t sure if it is because she doesn’t believe him or if it’s because he is considering this man’s story.

  “Fine,” he says calmly and sends a quick look in Simon’s direction not to argue. “How’d you get left behind?”

  “I don’t know. One minute we were tracking some stragglers through the woods and the next thing I knew you guys were gone.”

  “Why didn’t you call us on the radio?” John asks.

  “We did!” he says vehemently. “None of you answered.”

  Simon and John regard each other. Kelly asks to see the radio and tests it.

  “Seems fine. I think whoever was running your radio had it tuned to the wrong channel, though,” Kelly says and hands it back.

  “We tried just about every channel,” Parker argues. “I don’t appreciate having to highjack and hotwire a car just to get back to town.”

  “Hm,” John says with zero commitment and no apology. Parker is miffed, but her husband doesn’t really seem to care.

  “We heard you’re tracking Romano. We want to help with that, too,” Parker says finally on an exhausted sigh.

  “How could you?” Simon asks. “You aren’t as familiar with the area as we are.”

  “I have maps. I can divide up my men, what’s left of the
m, and cover whatever area you can’t.”

  “What do you mean? Did you lose some of your team, or do you mean out of all the men Robert sent?”

  “I lost two men,” he explains. “Cam. He’s missing. And we lost Aaron. They were good men. They were killed tonight in the firefight. Both got separated from us at different points in the battle.”

  “Sorry to hear that,” Kelly says and crosses his arms over his chest. “You haven’t found Cam or he’s dead?”

  “Lost. Not sure. We’re going back out to look. That’s why we can also look for Romano.”

  “We don’t need your help,” John states. “We’ve got this covered. Dave’s got men out there. Cory’s a bloodhound. I’ll be joining him soon, too.”

  His light eyes narrow as if he is annoyed but doesn’t further argue. “Fine, we’re heading back to look then.”

  “Sounds like a good plan. Thanks for the help last night,” John says with a nod, which the other man returns before glaring at Simon and leaving with the two, surviving men on his team.

  “I don’t trust him,” Simon states quietly so that only they can hear him as he watches Parker retreat with his men.

  “He’ll be leaving soon,” John says. “Be patient a few more days. Derek’s sending him back to Fort Knox tomorrow or the day after.”

  Simon nods and leaves them again.

  “Can I come with you?” Reagan asks her husband.

  John scowls, “Why don’t you go home with Kel, babe?”

  “Not tired yet,” she lies. “I’d feel better if you weren’t alone.”

  “I could take one of the town volunteers,” he says.

  Reagan shrugs. “Yes, I know. But I’d rather go.”

  It takes a few more minutes of convincing, but she finally does. Reagan rushes to the back of the clinic into Grandpa’s office and changes out of her scrubs, washes up again, and pulls on sturdy hiking boots, a black turtleneck, black jeans, and a warm coat in case they have to ditch the truck and go on foot for a while. When she walks into the waiting room again, Cory is there with Simon.