The Shadow Patriots Box Set

by Warren Ray

  Winters walked over to the SUV, grabbed the radio and told Nate and Bassett to head back to the interstate. He also decided to have Taylor move all the vehicles back west of Jackson.

  “Captain, why are you doing that?” asked Meeks. “We can take these bastards on, right now.”

  “I know we can, but we’re going to wait.”

  “But why?”

  “How many churches you figure are in this town?” Winters asked everyone.

  “Got to be at least thirty, maybe forty,” said Elliott.

  “Sounds about right,” said Scar.

  “And how many people you think still live in this town?”

  “There’s got to be at least three or four thousand,” said Elliott.

  “Even more in the surrounding metro area,” said Scar.

  “That’s a lot of people to kill even if you do have an army of three thousand,” said Winters. “It’d take a long time. So, if you came in on a Sunday and attacked forty or so churches, with each having twenty people attending, that’s what, eight-hundred people. What does that do?”

  “It sends a message,” said Scar. “To get out of town.”

  “All those killed today will affect every single citizen in this town. You’re going to see people leave in droves. Especially, since cops did the killing. So, it’ll be easier for the cops to kill the ones that stay instead of taking the time to kill thousands.”

  Scar nodded in agreement. “It’ll give us a chance to catch them before they even enter the city.”

  “Exactly. Instead of having to fight house to house, we can catch them out in the open by setting up an ambush right on the interstate. Mordulfah’s men will be back here and when they do, we’ll be waiting for them.”

  Chapter 17

  Nate put the radio down and was just about to turn off East Michigan Street when he noticed a cop car a few blocks up. He looked at Burns and smiled. Burns shook his head knowing what Nate was planning to do. He also knew he wouldn’t be able to talk him out of it. He grabbed the radio and told Bassett their intentions to intercept the cop.

  The cop took a turn on South Elm Avenue and Nate, hoping to cut him off, took a sharp turn on South Pleasant, while Bassett continued to follow the cop. Nate slammed the pedal to the floor and flew down the street. Three blocks down, he yanked a hard right, slammed on the brakes and blocked Elm Street. Burns looked up and saw they had the cop beat. He and Nate jumped out of the truck and raised their rifles. Right behind him was Bassett.

  The cop car came to an abrupt halt.

  Bassett got right on his bumper. He and Hadley jumped out pointing their weapons at the two sitting inside. Bassett approached the driver’s side and looked in to see two older gentlemen with their hands raised up.

  “Get out of the car,” yelled Nate. “Now!”

  The two men exited the car with their hands raised.

  “Don’t you dare shoot at me,” said Nick Nordell, the retired Marine.

  “Who are you? Why are you driving this cop car?” screamed Nate.

  “We stole it from a couple of cops we just killed,” said Nordell.

  Bassett looked at Nate and lowered his weapon. “At a church?”

  “Yeah, that’s right. The bastards killed everyone, so we killed their asses. So, who the hell are you?”

  “I’m Corporal Josh Bassett, United States Army.”

  Nordell looked at him. “Well, Corporal, I’m one pissed off Marine and if you don’t mind, I’d like to get back to what I was doing. So, if you’re not here to help then get the hell out of our way.”

  “They’re all gone now, sir,” said Bassett.

  Nordell looked at him. “What do mean, they’re all gone?”

  “I mean that this was a coordinated strike and they’re gone now.”

  “How the hell would you know that?”

  Nate was getting a little impatient. “Because we do, so you can chase them all you want, but you’d be wasting your time.”

  Nordell looked at Nate. “Who the hell are you?”

  “I’m Nate Foster, with the damned Shadow Patriots.”

  Nordell raised an eyebrow. “Yeah, I’ve heard all about you murdering bastards.”

  “Don’t believe everything you hear,” said Nate.

  “Thanks for the advice, but I don’t,” sneered Nordell.

  Nate was starting to not like this guy. “So, who are you?”

  “I’m Gunnery Sergeant Nick Nordell, United States Marines, retired.”

  He introduced them to his friend, John Hollis, and gave them a recap on what they had seen and how they’d taken the cops out.

  Bassett invited them to come and meet the Shadow Patriots. He knew Winters would want to meet these two. Basset also had the forethought of grabbing both police cars, thinking they might come in handy.

  Chapter 18

  Washington D.C.

  Green’s meeting with Gibbs was short and left him with more questions than before. He also wondered if Gibbs was having second thoughts as to what they were doing. He hadn’t known him but just over a week and during that time he had thought the man was not only competent but also extremely confident. What he just witnessed was someone nervous and discombobulated.

  Green sat in his car trying to put everything together. He thought back to what Gibbs had told him about the takedown of the Vice President. He thought back to that time and tried to remember the events that led up to it. The charges against the VP happened right before the economy collapsed. Green remembered once the charges were made, it seemed to go on and on for a long time while the Justice Department put their case together. The House had debated on impeachment hearings but then the economy collapsed and the hearings got lost in the shuffle and off the news cycle.

  The nationwide bombings had then occurred, which put the country in even more of a crisis than before. After burying the dead, American citizens began protesting and the government enforced a curfew, which only made things worse. All the while, the loss of confidence in the President began to accelerate. It was at that time the impeachment hearings took on a new life.

  Looking back on it, Green realized it should have been the last thing on anybody’s mind. We were still nursing our wounds from the bombings and trying to figure out who did it. We hadn’t finished mourning the losses of the thousands of Americans and the media began harping on the VP just as the President was losing his grip on power.

  Green began to wonder if Reed had orchestrated the protest movement as a way for people to vent and distract them from what was really going on. The protests certainly contributed to the President’s loss of control and the timing was too perfect.

  Green now understood what he was up against and what he had to do. He had to find the people involved and gather evidence. He didn’t think he’d be able to bring them to justice, but he had to be sure his speculations were accurate. There might not be a court of law to try them in, so he would have to garner the court of public opinion throughout the country.

  Chapter 19

  Grosse Pointe Michigan

  Captain Vatter had a half-mile to go before he entered Mordulfah’s compound. He looked into the rearview mirror of his squad car to check for any food caught in his teeth. He had just finished eating a tuna fish sandwich and didn’t want to embarrass himself while giving his report to Mordulfah. He had directed the attack in Jackson on Mordulfah’s orders and had personally overseen the operation. Everything had gone smoothly with the exception of the loss of four men. Two of them were his cops and two were Mordulfah’s men. He didn’t know exactly what had happened to them but considering how large the operation was, losing just four men was pretty good in his book.

  Vatter had never been a cop before and only got the job because of family connections. His mother had worked in the Mayor’s office and still had considerable pull with some of the city officials who were still in the area. With so many people leaving the city, Vatter’s mother saw an opportunity to make some money off the governmen
t. There was always a way to make money if you knew where to look and who to bribe. Detroit was still full of people like that and there was still some money floating around if you knew the right people. Having her son as the Commander of the cops in Detroit seemed like a good way to have eyes on the situation.

  Vatter was only thirty years old and his skinny body didn’t lend to the impression of an officer his position needed. However, he didn’t let that bother him because most of the cops still around were not of such caliber that demanded any respect from their leaders. All the good men were out west fighting the Chinese. The ones who stayed behind didn’t necessarily care about their country. They just wanted money and to be able to do whatever they wanted, which included re-establishing a party house as soon as possible.

  Vatter made that promise to the men on his first day but let them know the party houses would have to come second to refilling Mordulfah’s harem. Then he would see to the men’s needs. He didn’t particularly like having to deal with Mordulfah. In fact, no one on the force did, which is one of the reasons the position had been easy to obtain.

  Vatter entered the driveway where armed guards stopped him to check his ID. Ever since the Shadow Patriots stormed the compound, Mordulfah had instituted some new, and stringent, security measures. This even included checking the trunk of his car for anyone trying to sneak in.

  Mordulfah had just come back from New York and Vatter hoped he was in a better mood than he had been when he left. The compound was still in the middle of repairs from the raid. Mordulfah was impatient with the speed of the repairs and seemed to think materials should be readily available, but they weren’t and it was driving him to fits of rage. He was having materials flown into Detroit to speed up the process, because looking at the damage was a constant reminder of the loss of his harem and Cole Winters’ escape.

  Vatter entered the Ford mansion. He saw the bullet holes in the walls of the hallway as he walked to the kitchen to wait for the prince.

  A few minutes later, Mordulfah walked in. He was dressed in a dark blue business suit with a blue striped tie against a white collared shirt.

  “Captain Vatter,” he said without extending his hand. “I’m on my way to Washington and I haven’t much time, so be brief with your report.”

  “Yes, sir. Everything went just about as expected. We shot up forty-five churches.”

  “How many dead?”

  “Each had roughly twenty to thirty people attending, so we’re figuring around a thousand people.”

  “Excellent.”

  “We did have a couple of casualties of our own,” said Vatter in a nervous tone. “At least we think we did. Two cars never came back. So that’s four men, which would include two of yours.”

  Mordulfah brushed the info aside. “And do the people know it was the National Police that did this?”

  “Oh yes. We had plenty of neighbors hear the shots and come out to see what was going on.”

  “Excellent. This will shake their beliefs in the police and they will scatter to the winds.”

  “We’ll keep an eye on the roads and watch them leave.”

  “Make sure you keep your distance. Let them think they’re getting away before you spring your trap.”

  “We will.”

  “Remember, I want the prettiest ones and the younger the better.”

  “I won’t forget. What about your men, when will they be out there?”

  “Monday afternoon. I’ll have just enough to draw them in, I can assure you.”

  Vatter didn’t respond.

  “I’ll be back in a few days.” He turned to his trusted aid, Wali, who handed Mordulfah a thick envelope. Mordulfah then gave the envelope to Vatter. “For your services. You do what is expected of you and there will be much more of this.”

  “You can count on me, sir.”

  Vatter got in his car, pulled out the cash and smiled. “Easiest ten grand I’ve ever made,” he said to himself.

  Chapter 20

  Jackson Michigan

  The Shadow Patriots parked on Interstate 94 west of Jackson and waited for Nate and Bassett to join them. It had been a fortuitous morning accidentally discovering what Mordulfah’s next move was going to be and where it was to take place. Winters thought about what to do next. He wondered if he should warn the people of Jackson or let events take their natural course. He had no doubt people would leave in droves. It was something Winters thought Mordulfah counted on. If Winters approached the citizens, they might try to place the blame on him and his men. The media had done its job by portraying them as murdering killers. Because of that, he felt it prudent to get out of Jackson. He knew how people reacted in a time of crisis. Cooler heads usually did not prevail.

  He saw Nate and the others approaching and noticed a couple of cop cars following them. This perked his interest. Nate had radioed in saying he had a surprise. Nate had a knack for always giving out information in a teasing kind of way.

  Nate pulled up and go out of the SUV. “Captain, got ourselves a couple firebrands who took out some cops.”

  Winters watched Nordell and Hollis get out of the two cop cars.

  Nate pointed to Nordell. “That one’s a retired Marine, Gunnery Sergeant Nordell, and the other is a buddy of his, John Hollis. They heard the shooting and both grabbed their guns and went after them. They took out four at two different churches.”

  Winters waited for the two men to approach. He saw the retired Marine take note of all the men lined up in different groups along the interstate.

  “You’re Winters?” asked Nordell.

  Winters nodded and extended his hand.

  The Marine ignored the gesture and again looked at all the men who were now staring at him.

  Winters dropped his hand.

  “You’re in charge of these men?” asked Nordell.

  Winters only nodded.

  “Let me ask you something, Captain, is it?”

  Winters didn’t like the condescending tone the Marine was using.

  “Why the hell are you standing here with your thumb up your ass?”

  Winters was surprised at the man’s attitude.

  “You’ve got a bunch of friggin murderers on a killing spree.” Nordell moved a couple of inches closer to Winters. “Innocent women, children and old people are dead down there.” Nordell pointed his left hand toward Jackson. “So, I ask you again, Captain, why do you got your thumb up your ass?”

  The man was big and his intimidation was having an effect on Winters. He wondered if Nordell had just lost someone close to him. He didn’t want to say anything to set him off but merely wanted to defuse the situation. “We only just arrived, there wasn’t much we could have done to stop it.”

  Nordell looked at Nate and Bassett. “Only just arrived. That’s bullshit and you know it. Your men were on the south end of town and had plenty of time to draw down on me, which tells me you were in town as well. Why didn’t you go after them? You could have stopped them.”

  “With all due respect, I have my reasons.”

  “Besides the fact that you and your men are a bunch of pansies.”

  Scar had heard enough and moved in between them. He stood a few inches taller than Nordell and wasn’t intimidated by him. He wasn’t going to let Nordell take a swing at his captain. “Hey, Gunny, there’s no need for this. From one Marine to another, I can assure you, our reasons are legit.”

  Nordell stared at Scar. “You’re a Marine, huh?”

  “That’s right.”

  “I’m a little disappointed to hear that.”

  “Don’t be. If you knew what we’ve been through, you’d be thinking differently.”

  Nordell grunted at Scar but didn’t back up.

  “Now, Captain Winters, and yes, he’s my captain, has valid reasons for our actions here. So, if you don’t mind, back up.”

  Nordell reluctantly took a couple of steps back.

  Scar extended his hand. “I’m Scott Scarborough.”

  N
ordell wavered for a moment and then grabbed his hand.

  Winters wasn’t sure what to do at that point. He wanted to include these two men, but he could see Nordell was still pissed off. He didn’t like having him there and had a bad feeling about him.

  Chapter 21

  Washington D.C.

  Cara stepped off the last step of the jet and climbed into a black limousine. She had never been in one before and goose bumps exploded across her arms in excitement. The coolness of the black leather on her bare legs along with the air conditioner gave her the chills. She rubbed her arms trying to warm up.

  The driver noticed. “Too cold for you back there?”

  Cara nodded.

  “Give it a moment.”

  “Where am I?”

  “Maryland?”

  “Where am I going?”

  “D.C., it won’t take too long.”

  The driver took off and was on Interstate 495 within a few minutes. He had instructions to bring her to the J. Edgar Hoover building, where the National Police now had their headquarters. The building had previously been the home of the FBI. Since the forming of the new national government, the FBI had been shut down and replaced with the National Police.

  Cara had never been to Washington D.C. and hoped to do some sightseeing. Surely, with the interest they’d been showing in her, they would give her a guided tour of some of the sites. Maybe even get to see some areas that were not accessible to normal people. Besides the reward money, it was the least they could do.

  She pulled out the folded picture and looked at her mom hugging her. She remembered the day it was taken. The three of them had gone out to dinner to celebrate her mom’s birthday. The waitress had taken the picture. She flipped the picture over to see her dad trying to put his arm around her. She snickered to herself remembering how she twisted her body just enough to make it awkward for him.