by Warren Ray
The news surprised Taylor and he walked over to Meeks, who still sat in the back of the car. “How bad is it, Meeks?”
“Just winged me, but man, it hurts like hell.”
Taylor turned to Scar. “Yeah, I know someone, in fact, we’ll just go there right now. No sense in following this convoy, we know where it’s going.”
With that decided, Scar and Bassett helped Meeks out of the car. They moved him to Taylor’s and put him in the backseat. One of the guys got him some water, which Meeks eagerly drank.
Scar turned to Amber. “You should go with them.”
She agreed and crawled in the back with Meeks where she could help him get comfortable.
Bassett, Scar and Hadley watched as the two vehicles pulled away. They got back in Hadley’s car and drove across the other lanes and up on an overpass, which would give them a bird’s eye view. They all got out of the car, walked to the side of the bridge, and waited.
While they waited, Bassett gave Scar a heads up on Major Green and what he was in charge of in Washington. Scar had let out a laugh after hearing but then thought that perhaps Green could be in trouble if word got out Bassett was here with them. Basset had the same concerns but figured Green would more than likely have a ready excuse. They also realized that now Hadley was with them, they would need to be careful who saw them together. It still wasn’t too late for Hadley to feign ignorance and insert himself back in with the cops.
An hour later, they heard the trucks in the distance and watched as all the vehicles headed back to the interstate. They gave them a few minutes before they got back into the car and drove to the Gary Airport. They drove to the building Stiver’s trucks had just vacated.
“Don’t see anyone around,” said Scar.
“Must be a secret storage place for them,” said Bassett.
Bassett pulled up to the oversized garage door and parked the car. Hadley stayed in the car while the other two got out and walked up to the door. Scar twisted the doorknob and found it unlocked, which surprised him. He thought perhaps that they forgot to lock up. Scar peeked into the darkness but didn’t see or hear anyone. He turned back, shook his shoulders, and walked in. He found the garage door and gave it a push. It started to slide open spilling sunlight into the building. Bassett came up and helped give it a final shove.
Inside the building sat four gas tanker trailers. Scar looked at Bassett with a big smile on his face. The Shadow Patriots were always in need of fuel, and this would be a great place for them to fill up at will. His smile disappeared when he heard the bolt slide back on a rifle. The sound was familiar to both of them. Scar now knew why the door was unlocked. Knowing someone had the drop on them, they both stopped dead in their tracks and raised their arms in surrender.
A voice spoke out and told them to drop their guns, which they both slowly did. The light from outside blinded them and they couldn’t see how many they had to contend with. Scar put his hand up to his face to block the sun and saw just one man. He wondered if Hadley knew what was happening.
“Who are you?” asked the man.
“Who are we, who the hell are you?” answered Scar.
“I’m the one with the rifle, so again, I ask, who are you?”
“We’re just a couple of guys wanting some fuel is all, saw some of your buddies getting some over here and didn’t think you’d mind if we filled our car up.”
“Just a couple of guys, huh?”
“You got it, man.”
“You’re not part of the Shadow Patriots? You know, like the ones in the back of those three transports you just happened to follow in here.”
“Shadow who?”
“You think I’m stupid or something?”
Scar was about to reply when he saw Hadley sneaking up on the man and decided to wait another second before he answered. Hadley approached carrying his bad ass Colt M4 Carbine. He shuffled in a little closer and his foot scraped a small rock that lay on the ground. The man turned to Hadley and squeezed the trigger before he had it pointed. The loud crackle of the gun threw Hadley off for a second before he fired a three shot burst. The deadly projectiles ripped through the man’s chest, splattering blood into the air.
Bassett and Scar had both fallen to the floor as soon as the man had started to turn toward Hadley. They jumped up, grabbed their weapons and pointed them at the downed man. Scar could see it wasn’t necessary. He was dead. A pool of blood seeped out in an ever-widening pattern. Scar looked over at Hadley who couldn’t take his eyes off the dead man.
Scar walked over to him. “Don, it’s okay. He’s dead.”
Hadley didn’t respond.
“Is this your first time, Don?”
Hadley jerked his head up and down.
Scar took the M4 from Hadley and escorted him to the entrance, where he proceeded to throw up. Scar stayed with him while Bassett checked out the rest of the building for any more guards. A few minutes later, he came back and gave Scar a nod. He then drove the car inside and filled it up.
Scar left Hadley and came inside. “First time’s always the toughest.”
“Especially when it’s up close, wouldn’t have liked mine that close.”
“Me either.”
Bassett looked down at the dead man. “What about him?”
Scar gave it some thought and decided to go follow the old way of cleaning up the mess. Scar wanted to be able to come back for more fuel in the future and didn’t want to give the bad guys a heads up that their place had been compromised.
Bassett agreed and told Scar how it had fooled Major Green for the longest time. Scar chuckled, remembering how much work it had been, but took satisfaction in knowing how well it had worked.
Chapter 46
Detroit Michigan
Cox’s nose was throbbing in pain by the time they made it back to Detroit late in the afternoon. He ordered the prisoners taken downstairs to the cells then went to the doctor to get his nose fixed.
After the doc treated him, he looked into a mirror and thought the bandage made him look like an idiot. Mordulfah had better pay a pretty penny for the pain he was enduring. He would wait until morning to call him after he had rested up.
When he got back to the station, his men informed him that Bassett was gone. Cox told them to find out who released him. He wondered if Bassett had flown back to Washington. He’d have to make an inquiry in the morning and find out if there had been any flights to D.C. yesterday. If not, perhaps he was still snooping around here. Then a thought occurred to him, something that Stiver said about a leak. Could Bassett actually be helping the rebels? Why else would he not insist on coming with them? Bassett only asked once and then dropped the subject. Getting more fuel was the issue he kept pushing. If Bassett was involved then perhaps his boss, Major Green, was a traitor as well. Cox’s thoughts turned to yet another reward for such a discovery. He smiled to himself satisfied with how things were working. He decided to pay his prisoners a visit.
Winters was, at least, glad to be in a cell next to Reese and Sadie, where he’d be able to keep an eye on them. Their journey was rough with the transport bouncing along the non-maintained road. Winters kept wondering about Scar and Meeks, and if they were still alive. He knew many of his men were now prisoners and some dead. What he didn’t know, was if any of them would attempt a rescue. Winters wasn’t sure if anyone even knew where they were.
Everything had happened so fast that his men hadn’t had much time to do anything but save themselves. He was grateful Bassett had come to warn them. Had he not done so, then they’d all be either dead or taken prisoner. He wondered how Cox had found out where they were staying. Then it dawned on him. It must have been the last cop car from the sandpits. They must have followed them back to South Bend. Winters began to get angry for letting himself be followed, but he stopped second-guessing when he remembered the crisis at the time. They had people with serious wounds in need of immediate medical attention.
He looked over at Reese and Sadie wi
th sadness. He knew what was going to happen to him. They would kill him. He wouldn’t have to experience what these two girls, would be going through. It was bad enough that Reese had already suffered such a terrible thing, but Sadie, she was just a child. He shivered at the thought.
At the top of the stairs, he heard the door open and heard footsteps coming down the steps. He hoped they would be bringing food. None of them had eaten all day.
He stood up as Captain Cox approached. He noticed the bandage on his nose. Winters held back a laugh because he wanted food from the man and didn’t want to give him any more excuses to say no.
“Well, Mr. Winters, glad to see you locked up.”
Winters didn’t respond.
He turned to the girls. “And my two bonuses, how are you?”
Sadie looked up at him. “We’re hungry.”
“Yes, I’ll bet you are. We might be able to rustle you up something in the morning,” he said with a wicked smile on his face.
“I can’t wait till morning, I’ve not eaten all day.”
“Yes, well, we all have our problems now don’t we.”
Sadie got up and stared at Cox for a moment. “You can’t get us something now?”
“I’m afraid the kitchen is closed.”
Winters moved over closer to the door. “You know, just because you’re pissed off at me, doesn’t mean you should take it out on them.”
“Don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Sadie interrupted him. “I wonder how Mr. Mordulfah is going to feel when he finds out we were not given anything to eat.”
The comment made Cox’s smile disappear. He looked down at her. It seemed he didn’t know how to respond.
Winters couldn’t help but crack a smirk. She really did have a smart mouth on her, but more importantly, she knew how to use it. Cox was obviously afraid of Mordulfah and didn’t want to take any chance on upsetting him. If Sadie were indeed a bonus, then she would be something Mordulfah would cherish and treat well, if only for his own deviant purposes.
Cox stormed back up the stairs and slammed the door. Winters didn’t think it would be too long before they had their dinner. He moved over to Sadie’s cell and put his hand in to give her a high five.
“Nice one, kiddo.”
“Thanks, I just hope it works, cause I’m starving.”
“Oh, I’ve no doubt that we’ll get something, might not be much, but it’ll be something.”
Reese, who had been quiet, looked up at Winters. “Will they come rescue us?”
Winters didn’t want to lie but he didn’t want to give up hope either. “They’ll come for us, don’t worry. Believe me I’ve been in tighter spots than this.”
“You have?” asked Reese.
“Tell her how you escaped into Canada,” said Sadie excitedly.
For the next thirty minutes, Winters regaled Reese and Sadie with stories about what he and the Shadow Patriots had gone through. The more he told them, the better their morale became, which seemed to lift Winters’ spirits as well. “Perhaps not all was lost,” Winters thought. He finished up just as a cop came down stairs with a bag full of sandwiches.
Chapter 47
Paw Paw Michigan
Bassett, Scar and Hadley arrived in Paw Paw, Michigan, and found nineteen men waiting. Scar was happy to see them but had hoped more would have made it out. With his group, these nineteen, Taylor’s six, and counting himself, Meeks, and Amber, it was only thirty. Scar figured there were roughly ten in each of the transports. Unless they weren’t able to make it here, it would mean the cops killed thirty of their men. That was a devastating death toll.
Scar was considering what to do. He knew he needed to get word to Winters to let him know they were coming for him. He looked at Hadley. “Don, I wonder if you’d do us a big favor. We need to get word to Winters and you’re the only one who can do that. Do you think you’d be able to go right now and do that?”
Hadley was still a little shaken up over his first kill, but he thought for a moment, and then nodded.
Scar went over to him and put his hand on his shoulder. “If you think it’s too dangerous then don’t do it. Don’t be putting yourself at risk.”
“No, it’ll be alright. I can say I was sick today and couldn’t make it in. Not that it’ll matter much, they don’t pay much attention to me anyway.”
“What about Bassett missing?”
“I’ll just act surprised and play stupid. They think I’m stupid anyway so it’ll be okay.”
“Whatever you do,” said Bassett. “Don’t offer any more info than you have to, otherwise, you’ll look guilty.”
Hadley nodded.
Scar and Bassett escorted Hadley to his car.
Bassett leaned on the door. “You did good here Don, you did real good.”
Hadley smiled.
Scar crouched down. “If you see Winters, tell him we’re coming for him. See what else you can find out.”
Hadley gave them his home address so they’d know where to find him, and took off for Detroit.
“Think he’ll be okay?” asked Scar.
“Kid’s got courage, besides, he’s a Texan.”
“Okay then, let’s get to St. Paul.”
They all got in their vehicles and returned to Gary, Indiana to refuel before making the four-hundred-mile trip. They would be running on fumes by the time they got to their destination.
As the hours passed, Scar started to understand the stress Winters was under, constantly having to worry about the men. It was a burden, but one he could carry. Serving in the Marine Corps, he was taught how to think under pressure and how to survive. He was grateful for the skills that, albeit a bit rusty, never left you. He began formulating a game plan and was confident it was the right course.
First on his agenda was to get more men. He figured he would need at least twenty more shooters, depending on the intel Taylor would put together. He was sure Taylor would have the location where the cops were holding their men and would be able to recruit some additional men.
St. Paul had one of the largest police forces in the Midwest and his thirty guys weren’t going to be enough. So, he decided they would have to make a trip into Canada. He needed Nate and Burns back, hopefully, Elliott too. He didn’t hold out much hope for Murphy. Mr. Peterson should also have more men ready to return with them, plus the Canadians needed to know what was going on.
Scar had an idea what this Mordulfah character was going to do with Winters. He didn’t think he’d kill him right away. However, he’d torture him and take his time doing it. So, time was still of the essence. He figured he had at least a day or two, maybe three. What bothered him the most were Sadie and Reese. How long would Mordulfah wait with them? Reese had already experienced a sex house once before and would have to go through that hell all over again. Sadie, on the other hand, had no idea of what could be in store. The question was how long she had before this monster would consume her soul with his perversions.
The more he thought about it, the more anxious he became. As soon as they hit St. Paul, he’d find Taylor, drop these guys off, and head for Canada. He’d find out if Meeks had gotten proper care and if not, he’d take him across the border too. He needed his right-hand man in tip top shape when they paid a visit to Mordulfah.
As dusk came, they rolled into St. Paul and found Taylor who informed him they had made it back ahead of the police.
Scar stood with Taylor and Bassett. “So those transports made it here then, right?”
“Oh yeah, pulled in a couple of hours ago,” said Taylor.
“Where at?”
“Downtown at the county jail.”
“Can you round up some more guys?”
“Shouldn’t be a problem.”
“Corporal, you up to going to Canada tonight?”
Bassett’s left eyebrow lifted at the question. “What’s on your mind?”
“Some of our guys are up there and we need them back.”
&nbs
p; “Yeah, why not.”
“Taylor, you got a car fueled up for us?”
“Come on Scar, this is my town, of course, I got what you need.”
“If it’s your town, then I’ll rely on you for a rescue plan.”
“They’ve got them locked up pretty tight, but I’ll figure something out by the time you get back here.”
Scar nodded his approval.
“You can take that beast over there, looks like hell but it’ll get you there and it’s good on gas.”
“Where’s Meeks at?”
“Inside doped up on painkillers. Why?”
“Think he needs to see a doctor?”
“No, not at all, my man did a bang up job on him.”
Scar thanked Taylor. They walked over to the smaller car and Scar jumped in the passenger seat. “You don’t mind do ya?”
“Gonna take a nap?” joked Bassett.
Scar let out a big laugh. “Oh, heck yeah, I am.”
Chapter 48
Winnipeg Canada
Bassett drove the whole way to Canada while the older man took a much-needed nap. The day had taken a heavy toll on his body. From being woken up early in the morning to escaping for their lives, chasing down the National Police and all the mileage he’d put on. He was more than happy to let the younger man drive. He had gotten to know Bassett, having made his acquaintance over the past two months through messages going back and forth between Winters and Major Green. The corporal was smart and confident and Scar felt safe having him at the wheel.
Their primary route was up Highway 59 but they would take a detour before reaching the border. This detour would take them through barren fields and right into Canada without anyone being able to spot them. After crossing, it was simply a matter of getting back onto 59, which would take them right into Winnipeg. Their destination was the James Armstrong Richardson International Airport. It was an expanded base, housing both British and Canadian air and ground forces.
Bassett reached the front gate. “We’re here to see Colonel Brocket. He’s not expecting us but it’s urgent that we see him. I’m Bassett and this here is Scarborough. We’re with the Shadow Patriots.