by Robert Boren
“Why?” Eric asked.
“I know why,” Junior said. “When they get wind of this they’re liable to high-tail it back into New Mexico.”
“Yeah, we need to get this started, and then go start the attack,” Curt said. “Start hammering away at their edges with our new toys.”
“And the M-1s,” Jason said.
“Don’t we need those here to protect the park?” Kelly asked.
“If we don’t win this, we’re done,” Curt said. “We need to throw everything we have against them. We’ll get air power, right?”
“Yes,” Wallis said. “They’ll have to be involved.”
“Make sure they don’t hit the good guys,” Junior said. “Maybe we ought to use them to wipe out the folks south of us, and leave the main group alone until things get rolling.”
“We’ll work that out,” Wallis said. “Start your Twitter storm. Keep working the weapons. You’ll get an hourly update on the position of the enemy.”
“Godspeed,” Nelson said. “Texas is in good hands with you guys.”
“Thanks,” Jason said. The call ended.
“Junior, you’re always full of surprises,” Kelly said.
“Ah shucks,” he said. “Let’s get going with this.”
“I’ll go talk to Moe,” Eric said. “We’ll get everybody on board in less than an hour.”
The men hurried out of the toy hauler.
“What was that all about?” Amanda asked.
“Yeah,” Kate said. “Don’t like being kept in the dark.”
“Me neither,” Carrie said.
Jason and Kyle told them all about it. Curt got back to work with Kelly and Junior, Amanda joining Curt after she got the word.
“You think this is gonna work?” she asked, face flushed.
“If it doesn’t, we’re dead,” Curt said, “but don’t worry, I think it’ll work.”
Chapter 32 – Riverwalk
Richardson and Lita watched up ahead as the sprawl of the San Antonio suburbs came into view. Madison was asleep, snoring softly, as Brendan and Juan Carlos kept an eye to the rear.
“Glad she’s sleeping,” Hannah whispered.
“She needed it,” Juan Carlos said. “I hope her foot doesn’t get messed up being stuck in the car all these hours.”
“We really gonna spend a day or two in San Antonio?” Brendan asked.
“Unless we can raise Jefferson, I think we should,” Richardson said.
“Maybe we should get our driver’s licenses in San Antonio,” Lita said.
“Yeah, and maybe do something else,” Hannah said.
“I’m up for it,” Brendan said.
“Me too, dude,” Juan Carlos said.
“Well, figure out where a DMV office is and we’ll go,” Richardson said.
Lita looked over at him and grinned. “I already figured it out.”
Richardson chuckled. “I should’ve known.”
“What’s that?” Madison asked, waking up.
“We’re going to a DMV in San Antonio,” Juan Carlos said, leaning up to the back of her seat, his hand touching her cheek.
“Good, then maybe we can go to the courthouse after that,” she said, looking back at him.
“It’s getting late, and we need to try Jefferson too,” Richardson said.
“We’ll see what happens,” Lita said. “No pressure.”
Richardson snickered. “Oh, yeah, no pressure.”
His phone rang.
“Drat,” Lita said.
Richardson shot her a sidelong glance as he put his phone to his ear.
“Richardson?” asked Jefferson.
“Thank God,” Richardson said. “Where are you?”
“I’m already in Galveston with the boats,” he said. “We got them out just in the nick of time.”
“We lose anybody?”
“Everybody except for the people on ferry duty with the boats,” Jefferson said.
“Dammit,” Richardson said. “What do you want us to do?”
“Where are you?”
“We’re just entering the San Antonio area,” Richardson said.
“Good,” he said. “You should be safe there for a day or two. Stay there. We’ll call you when we need you to leave for the Houston area.”
“You don’t need us down there right away?”
“We aren’t ready for you yet, and we don’t want you down here until we are. We can’t lose you guys.”
“The enemy isn’t going to hit us in Galveston after that attack in Riviera Beach?”
Jefferson chuckled. “We really nailed those guys. They had no idea we had so much air power, and they had no idea the citizens would rally. We killed over two hundred enemy fighters, scuttled all of their boats in the region, and took out an old aircraft carrier they were using in the middle of the gulf.”
“They had an aircraft carrier?” Richardson asked.
“Yeah, it was a real pile of crap, but they were able to operate choppers from that platform.”
“Where’d they get that?”
“Rogue elements of the Russian Navy,” Jefferson said. “The Russians gave us instructions on how to sink it in a hurry.”
Richardson laughed. “Good.”
“Those rogue Navy officers are all dead now, too,” Jefferson said. “The Russians skinned them alive. Literally.”
“Good Lord,” Richardson said.
“They have any other flat-tops?”
“Yeah, they had two more ready to go. We caught them steaming from Venezuela to the Gulf. Captured both of them. They’re being held off Belize. We’ll retrofit them and use them to help guard our coast.”
“That’s good news,” Richardson said.
“Yeah, it’s a game changer. The Gulf coast will cease to be a problem from the water fairly quickly. We’ll have to find you guys something new to do.”
Richardson laughed. “That’ll be the day.”
Jefferson chuckled. “I’m so glad you guys got away. We feared the worst.”
“I feared the worst too,” Richardson said. “We’ll await your call.”
“You got enough cash?”
“We hit our personal accounts on the way here,” Richardson said. “We’re good.”
“Keep track and the DPS will reimburse you,” Jefferson said. “Talk to you soon.”
“Take care,” Richardson said. He ended the call.
“Well, that sounded positive,” Lita said.
“He’s fine. Got our boats to Galveston safely.” Richardson told them the details.
“Wow,” Brendan said. “Glad we have a little time here.”
“Me too,” Lita said. “The DMV office is in New Braunfels. We’re almost there. Take the Pecan Valley Drive off-ramp.”
“I see it on the sign,” Richardson said. “Two miles.”
“Yep,” Lita said. “I’m so excited.”
Richardson took the off-ramp, and drove down the street, turning into the DMV parking lot.
“We’d better hurry,” Lita said. “They’re closing in about fifteen minutes.”
“They’ll take care of us if we get into line,” Madison said.
The three couples left the car and walked to the front doors, Juan Carlos helping Madison as she hobbled along.
“Not many people in here,” Lita said. “There’s the counter for Driver’s Licenses. Nobody in line.”
They rushed over to the window.
“Can I help you?” the middle aged woman behind the counter asked.
“Yeah, we need replacement driver’s licenses,” Lita said.
“All of you?” the woman asked, checking out the six people standing before her.”
“Just us women,” Lita said. “We were in Riviera Beach when the attacks happened. Our homes got blown up. We didn’t have time to grab our purses.”
“Wow, really?” the woman asked. “Saw video last night on the news. You guys are lucky to be alive.”
“Yes, we are,” Lita said.<
br />
“Okay, we can crank these out in a hurry. Jot your full names and your birthdays down on this piece of paper and I’ll get them started. I’ll have to compare the pictures on the screen to you first, of course.”
“Of course,” Lita said, taking the slip of paper from the woman. She put her name and birthdate down, then passed the slip of paper to the other two women, who jotted down their info. Lita passed it back to the woman. She took it and made some inputs on her keyboard.
“Lita checks out,” she said. She typed some more. “Madison checks out.” She typed once more. “And Hannah. No problem. These will be done in about fifteen minutes.”
“Thanks so much!” Lita said.
“Happy?” Richardson asked.
“I’d be happier if the courthouse was gonna be open when we’re done here,” Lita said.
“First thing in the morning,” Richardson said. “Don’t worry.”
They waited as the woman ran her program to create the new licenses.
“I’m gonna go sit,” Madison said, nodding to a row of chairs about ten yards away from the counter.
“Yeah, you two go sit down,” Richardson said.
Brendan and Hannah joined them.
“You don’t have to stand here,” the woman behind the counter said. “You can sit. I’ll call you when they’re done.”
“I’m too antsy to sit,” Lita said.
The woman shot Lita a strange look, then went back to her work.
“We need these to get married,” Richardson told her.
The woman looked up. “Oh, okay, I get it.” She smiled at them. “Congratulations.”
“Thanks,” Richardson said. Lita nodded in agreement.
“Where are we going after this?” Lita asked.
“Let’s get hotel rooms near the Riverwalk and have a nice dinner,” Richardson said. “There’s a courthouse right by there. We can get married in the morning.”
“Sounds heavenly,” she said, moving closer to him. “I love you so.”
“I love you too, sweetheart,” Richardson said.
“Look at those two,” Hannah whispered to Madison.
“That’s how I feel,” she said, leaning against Juan Carlos.
“Me too,” Hannah said.
The minutes clicked by, taking way too long for all of them. The woman finally called them up.
“Okay, they’re ready to go. That’ll be ten dollars for each, please.”
Richardson pulled out two twenties and handed them to the woman. She made change and passed the licenses over. “There you go.”
“Thanks so much,” Lita said.
“Good luck. Enjoy your wedding, or weddings.” She smiled.
“Thanks,” Richardson said. “Ready to go?”
Hannah and Brendan got up, then Juan Carlos and Madison.
“We’re ready,” Brendan said. “Where we going?”
“In the car,” Richardson said.
They walked out together and got back into the SUV.
“Didn’t want to say in there?” Lita asked.
“Not loud enough for the kids to hear us,” Richardson said. “There’s a lot of infiltrators around. No reason to advertise our movements.”
“Where are we going?” Madison asked.
“I thought we could spend the night in one of the hotels by the Riverwalk, have a nice dinner down there, and hit a courthouse in the morning.”
“I’d love it,” Madison said.
“Me too,” Hannah said.
“Get back on route 37,” Lita said. “Get off on East Commerce Street, heading west. That’ll put us right in the thick of things.”
“We’ll need to cover the weapons up,” Brendan said.
“We should take the side arms,” Richardson said. “Just in case.”
“Yeah,” Juan Carlos said. “No valet parking. We’d better find a place that will allow us to self-park.”
“Looking now,” Lita said, working her finger on her phone screen.
They got back on the highway, making good time until they were close to their destination, then getting bogged down in rush hour traffic.
“Looks like life is pretty normal here,” Madison said. “Haven’t been in rush hour traffic for a while.”
“Seriously,” Juan Carlos said.
“The Omni will fit the bill,” Lita said. “Make a right off of Commerce onto Navarro Street, then hang a left on College Street.”
“Remind me when we get close,” Richardson said. “Man, this traffic is bad.”
“Yeah, we’re just inching along,” Brendan said.
“Don’t worry, we’ll get there,” Hannah said.
“I thought about moving here at one point,” Richardson said.
“Why?” Lita asked. “Didn’t think you liked big towns.”
“I don’t,” he said, “but there was a job offer at the old air force base, working for one of the major contractors.”
“Fell through, I take it,” Lita said.
“Yeah,” he said. “Just as well. I like how things turned out for me.”
She smiled, reaching over to touch his arm. “Me too.”
“Wonder if the Riverwalk is gonna be packed?” Madison asked. “Last time I was down there it was a zoo, but that was during the festival.”
“I’d like to be at a place where people aren’t afraid to mingle,” Hannah said. “It’ll seem normal for once.”
“Here comes our off-ramp already,” Richardson said, moving over to the right-hand lane. He took the ramp, landing them on Commerce Street.
“Wow, lots of traffic here too,” Lita said. They drove down the crowded street, making the right on Navarro, then the left on College.
“That it?” Richardson asked, nodding at the huge hotel to the left.
“That’s it,” Lita said. “There’s the parking structure entrance.”
“Perfect,” Richardson said, slipping into the underground parking lot, stopping at the arm. He pushed the button and got his ticket, then drove in.
“I’m thinking secluded,” Richardson said.
“It’s almost full,” Lita said. “I’d grab whatever you see.”
“There’s one,” Madison said, pointing.
“It’s kinda tight,” Richardson said. “I’m gonna stop and let everybody out before I pull in.”
“Good idea,” Juan Carlos said.
“You got the long guns covered up?” Richardson asked.
“Yeah, and the SMAW too,” Juan Carlos said.
“Okay, everybody out,” Richardson said as he stopped in front of the space.
They got out and watched as Richardson shoe-horned the big SUV into the space. He squeezed his way out of the door. “Let’s grab our clothes.”
They went to the tailgate of the SUV and got their stuff, then headed for the elevators.
The front desk was crowded, people scurrying to and fro.
“Hello, Sir, can I help you?” asked the young man behind the counter.
“We’d like three rooms. Adjoining if you have them.”
The young man looked at his computer screen, moving the mouse around and clicking.
“Seventh floor, three adjoining rooms,” he said. “They’ve got a view so they aren’t cheap. The best deal is our bed-and-breakfast package. It’s $209 per room.”
“We’ll take two nights,” Richardson said, peeling bills off his wad of cash.
“Very good,” the man said, taking the money. They finished their business quickly, a line building up behind them.
“Wow, you guys are busy,” Lita said.
“Yeah, it’s picking up again, finally,” the man said. “Enjoy.”
Richardson nodded, taking the card key envelopes and handing them out. “Let’s get to the elevator.”
They rode up to the seventh floor and got out.
“We’re about half way down the hall,” Richardson said. They walked down, not too fast so Madison could keep up.
“When do you want to eat
?” Madison asked.
“How about in half an hour?” Lita asked.
“Sounds good,” Madison said. “I need to lay down with my foot up for a little while. The car was pretty cramped.”
“Yeah,” Juan Carlos said.
“Okay, let’s meet in the hallway in half an hour,” Lita said.
Juan Carlos helped Madison through the door of their room.
“Oh, my God, look at that view,” Madison said as she hobbled towards the windows. “You can see the Riverwalk down there. It’s pretty crowded.”
“Better sit and get that foot up,” Juan Carlos said. “We don’t have that much time.”
“Okay,” Madison said.
The half hour was up quickly. The couples met in the hall.
“Where are we going?” Hannah asked.
“There’s a good Mexican place right next door, with a balcony overlooking the Riverwalk,” Lita said. “Sound okay?”
“Sounds great,” Brendan said.
“Yeah,” Juan Carlos said.
“This hotel has a back gate that goes right out onto the Riverwalk,” Richardson said. “Let’s go.”
They rode the elevator down to the lobby and headed for the back of the property, walking past the pool to the back gate.
“It’s to our right,” Lita said as Richardson held the door. They walked down the cement walkway, the river rolling by slowly. A tour boat floated by, the driver describing the area to his passengers.
“That’s it,” Lita said, pointing. They entered and waited for the hostess. She saw them and came over.
“How many?” she asked.
“Six,” Richardson said. “Got anything on the balcony?”
“I’m not sure,” she said. “I know we have some inside. Just a sec.”
She looked at her computer screen. “There’s one table left up there,” she said. Another hostess came over and led them to the elevator.
The balcony was quiet and peaceful, trees growing up from the ground below, making a green canopy over most of the balcony. People strolled below, chatting softly, watching boats drift by on the river. The sound of various musical groups floated up and down the river softly, with the occasional laughter and loud talking from tipsy patrons in the restaurants dotted along both sides.
“I could get used to this, dude,” Juan Carlos said, leaning back in his chair, arm over Madison’s shoulder.
“It’s so peaceful here,” Lita said.