The Alex Troutt Thrillers: Books 4-6 (Redemption Thriller Series Box Set Book 2)

by John W. Mefford

  “Glad you kept it under control.”

  Over a ridge and then down another hundred feet, we could see a few lights blinking between trees in the distance. I motioned for Nick to cut off the flashlight. I pocketed mine in one of the side pockets of my cargo pants.

  We started being more precise about our movements, finding cover after every few steps.

  “Might have cameras out this far. Or might even have patrols out searching the grounds,” I whispered as we both lay flat on the ground behind a fallen, half-rotted tree.

  Just then, I saw the outline of a tall man walking around the corner of a long, rectangular building. “Is he holding a gun?”

  “I can’t tell. I’m not even sure it’s a man. Looks like Sasquatch,” Nick said.

  “I wonder how many others are out here that we can’t see.”

  “Dammit, we really could use some night-vision goggles,” Nick said.

  I motioned for him to follow me, and we zigged and then zagged, edging ahead until we could see the back part of the compound down the hill from us. I checked the GPS app on my phone. It took about thirty seconds, but the blue dot finally started flashing.

  “Building on the right, about a quarter of the way down. But we can’t determine if he’s on the first or second floor.”

  Nick didn’t waste time, moving down the hill at a good pace. We each found a tree and waited. I hadn’t noticed it before, but a small building was about twenty feet in front of the large building where we thought Archie was. It was surrounded by large evergreen trees. We stepped to the back of what looked like a one-room structure. No windows.

  I motioned for Nick to go around the other way; we’d meet at the front entrance, which faced the larger building. With my back against the wall, I scooted down the side wall, my Glock held tightly against my chest. As I reached the front, I quickly poked my head around. I saw Nick on the other side. He pointed at the light emanating from the small window. The door opened, and we both pulled back.

  I heard boots crunching through leaves, walking away from us. I edged forward and saw a pear-shaped man, older, his hair thin. He carried a backpack over his shoulder on the path to the large building thirty feet from us. As the door shut behind him, Nick and I quickly stepped toward each other and looked inside the smaller structure. It was void of people, but not of machinery. Scattered all over the floor were broken remnants of what looked like computer screens, phones, keyboards, and at least one laptop. “Messy operation,” Nick whispered. Then he flipped around and kept an eye out for any unwanted party.

  I didn’t want to waste our time inspecting the inside of the building, but it seemed like the room of junk wasn’t just an accident. Someone had taken a baseball bat to the computer equipment. I wondered if this was where Archie had inserted the flash drive—and if this was where he’d been caught.

  We made it to the metal door of the large building directly across from the small structure, where I’d seen the flashing blue dot. Hopefully Archie.

  “We’ve got no idea what’s on the other side,” Nick said, huffing out rapid breaths. “Sasquatch could be on the other side holding a sawed-off shotgun.”

  “Stay positive, Nick. We know Archie is about fifty feet south of here. First floor, second floor, no idea.”

  We both grabbed the door handle at the same time. “I’m going in first, low. You follow,” I said. I motioned for him to open the door, and I stepped cautiously. A long, dark hallway. Doors down both sides, a light on in the distance straight ahead. Stairs through a door to my left. I hustled through that door, and Nick soon joined me by the metal staircase.

  “I still think it makes sense to stay on the ground level and search it first,” I said.

  “Get Archie, hope that he has information about your mother, and then try to extract her without creating a firestorm,” Nick repeated.

  On our four-wheeler ride up the mountain to the back of the camp property, we’d already discussed the possibility that Archie could be injured, or worse. The GPS blip on my screen hadn’t moved since I turned it on. We hoped that he was simply being restrained, preferably alone. But we couldn’t be certain, not until we had eyes on him. For now, Nick kept the outlook positive, for Archie’s sake and ours.

  Nick peeked through the staircase door down the main hallway.

  “Cover me,” he said without giving me an option.

  He raced out of his stance, shuffling low to the ground until he reached the first door on the right. It was open and dark inside. I ran up next to him and spun across the threshold with my gun drawn. Shelves of books lined one wall, a desk in the middle of the room.

  “Probably just an office,” Nick said.

  We moved another ten feet down the hall until we reached the next door, this one on the left. It was also dark.

  “Kids’ toys and books. Might be where they hold class for young kids,” Nick said.

  Claudia had told me about the incest rumors. The most innocent of souls, and they had no control over how they were brought into this world. Most likely the kids had developmental disabilities, all because of their DNA. It sickened and saddened me at the same time.

  I peeked at my phone and noticed the blue dot a little closer to our position. “We’re getting warmer.”

  A quick glance into the hall, and I could make out an open area at the end where a dim light was shining. Couldn’t see much, just the same industrial carpet we were standing on. With standard electricity still out, it wasn’t surprising to see so much darkness. But I wished like hell everyone was asleep in their bedrooms, preferably with plugs in their ears.

  Nick and I approached two more doors, both open, dark, and vacant. They had posters of biblical figures, and one room had paint and easels. More kids’ classes, but maybe a little older than the other classroom.

  “We’re practically on top of him right now.” I lifted my eyes to look at Nick, whose lips turned up at the edges.

  “Archie would be in hog heaven if he heard you say that.”

  “Takes a pig to know what a pig thinks,” I quipped.

  “Good one.”

  “We’ll check the next three rooms. If we don’t see him, we head upstairs.”

  On our way out, the back door to the structure opened behind us. Nick and I jumped into the classroom. He started to close the door.

  “No! They might expect it to be open. Hide.” We frantically looked around for a place to conceal ourselves. I found a spot behind a small desk. Just before I crouched into a small ball, my gun at the ready, I noticed Nick tucked away under some sleeping mats. I was glad we both wore all black, but if someone shined a light in the room, we’d be caught. And that might initiate the confrontation Vandiver had begged us not to get into.

  Two male voices walked up the hallway. But there was another noise, subtle but there. It sounded like the clinking of metal against metal, possibly something hollow.

  “I’ve got to rest, Ezra. One moment while I wipe my brow.”

  They had stopped just outside our door. Crap! Under the bottom of the desk, I could see two pairs of shoes in the space outside the door. The one with duck feet looked familiar. It was the same older man walking away from the small structure with the destroyed computers.

  “I told you I don’t mind carrying it for you, Jamin. We’re in this together, right?”

  “Of course, son. But when you get to be my age…”

  “You act like you’re old.”

  I pressed my head against the floor, attempting to get a better look at the other person, Ezra. The electrical crew had noted his size. And that he was hairy. In fact, Ezra’s voice sounded like it came from one of the black bears in the mountains.

  The one named Jamin said, “I’m not as young and fit as you are.”

  “As you and Malachi have told us, we all have different skills and talents that can be used to help the cause. I’m just lucky one was given to me. I want to feel like I belong.”

  “You’re a good man, Ezra. U
nfortunately, I can’t say the same about some of the others.”

  “I know, I know,” Ezra said, his tone subdued.

  “We can’t question Malachi’s wisdom or his path to enlightenment. He is only a mouthpiece for the Man above, and we are lucky to have him as our leader.”

  “I know, but—”

  “It won’t be easy, Ezra. The true path to enlightenment never is.”

  I could see both of them lean over, and then a ding and a grunt from Jamin. What had they picked up that was so heavy?

  Footsteps moved away from the door. I waited a couple of seconds, then flipped around on my knees. “Nick, it’s clear.”

  He scooted out from under the mats and crawled in my direction.

  “What is that?” he asked.

  My knee had landed on something hard and round. “It’s a watch.” I shined my phone on the timepiece. The glass was cracked.

  “A platinum Tissot. Just the kind that Vandiver said Archie was wearing,” Nick said.

  My lips drew a straight line. “That could explain why the GPS signal never moved. His watch was in here the entire time.”

  A second of silence. “So…where is he then?” Nick asked.

  I couldn’t provide an immediate answer.

  “Alex, he could be anywhere.”

  “I know.”

  “I hate to say it, but they might have killed him already.”

  My chest felt like a ten-pound weight had just dropped on it. “I know.” I moved to my feet and then walked to the door and peeked into the hallway. It was vacant again.

  “Without Archie, I’m wondering how the hell we’ll find your mother,” Nick said from just behind me.

  I turned around to face my partner. “Doesn’t make sense to move to the second floor. Not yet anyway. We’ve got to be very efficient in how we move. No wasted steps. The more time we’re exposed, the bigger the risk of being caught, or at least seen, which then might create a panic.”

  Nick nodded. “You heard Ezra and Jamin, right?”

  “Jamin is the old guy we saw outside by the computer building.”

  “One of the leaders probably. But he talked about Malachi like he was…I don’t know.”

  “A prophet. Or maybe a higher rank than that if there is one,” I said. “But it was their tone that concerned me the most. It sounded fatalistic.”

  Even in the darkness, I could see Nick’s unblinking eyes. “I couldn’t figure out what they were carrying, could you?”

  “No, only saw their shoes. The Ezra fella wore boots the size of skis.”

  “He might be that Sasquatch-looking person I spotted outside. Then again, they might all be the size of Rob Gronkowski here, at least the younger generation. So where to now?”

  I put a hand on his arm. “Nick, this mission…I think I may have underestimated the risk. And now with Archie either missing or…I don’t know. I think you need to circle back and have Brad pick you up. You can provide support from the van.”

  “Fuck you, Alex.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “If you think I’m just going to put my tail between my legs and run away, then you don’t know me. So, fuck you!”

  Nick bowed up to me, as if he wanted to punch me in the face. I’d never witnessed this type of aggression from my partner. But I still couldn’t help but smile.

  “Really? I try to act tough and all you can do is smile?” he said, showing his teeth. “Anyway, you’ve got me right here by your side until the end.”

  “Now who has the defeatist attitude?” I punched his upper arm.

  We turned back to the doorway, prepared to follow in the same direction as the two men, knowing the closer we got, the more the light would show off our presence. With a quick nod, we both made a beeline for the next room, taking a brief stop to ensure no one saw us. We let a few seconds tick, and then we angled down the hallway for the next opening. We repeated the same exercise four more times, each time moving closer to the open area at the end of the hall.

  Finally, we reached the last stop. “Which way do you think they went?” Nick was asking if Jamin and Ezra took a right or left up ahead.

  “No clue. Don’t know what to expect.”

  “Rock, paper, scissors? I’m left, you’re right.”

  “I assume you’re joking.”

  He opened his lips.

  “We’re going right, unless we get there and see that it makes sense to go in the opposite direction.”

  I took off, but Nick raced around me. Then a far door opened. I dove back where I came from and pressed against the wall, my heart chugging like I’d just sprinted a hundred yards while carrying a fifty-pound backpack.

  I heard voices—men, women, even children—then realized I was missing Nick. He couldn’t just be standing in the middle of the floor, could he? I quickly pulled out my phone and used the mirror on the back to look down the hall. I saw the point of his gun sticking out from the threshold of the maintenance room door. He was pressing against the locked door.

  I quickly flipped my mirror to look in the opposite direction, the voices growing louder. Ezra and Jamin stood on either side of a long line of people walking into a room. Some of the people wore pajamas, others were in T-shirts and pants. Many were yawning. Most importantly, they hadn’t seen me.

  “Nick, stay there for now,” I whispered through the earpiece.

  “I’m not moving. I’m hardly breathing.”

  My eyes were back on the line of people walking into the far door. I looked at each woman, wondering if any were my mother. No one looked familiar, but it had been thirty years. I could hear Jamin chuckling. It was pleasant, as if he’d just seen an old friend. I wasn’t buying it. I turned my mirror slightly and found a set of double doors. Chains were intertwined around the metal door handles. Angling the mirror down, I found large towels tucked at the bottom of the door.

  I pulled back my phone and tried to keep my breathing under control.

  “Think, Alex.” It was five o’clock in the morning, and the camp residents were being ushered into a room. Had to be a large room. Was it the sanctuary? I took another quick glance using my mirror. The woodwork around the double doors was more ornate. I could see what looked like angels etched into the facade.

  Suddenly, a kid took off in our direction. He was young, maybe five, and he was yelling, “I don’t want to go to church. I’m tired of church.” A man, who I assumed was his dad, raced after him. I pulled my gun up to my chest, hoping the dad would catch the kid before he made it to my position.

  “Come back here,” the man called out.

  I shook my head as the kid drew closer. I took in a breath, ready to flip around the corner and take aim at the man, but I knew that would probably incite a violent response—all hell would break loose.

  Inside my mind, I counted down. Three, two, one.

  “Now I’ve got you,” the dad growled.

  “Let me go. I don’t want to go to church.”

  I heard a smack. Did he just hit the kid upside the head?

  The kid began to cry quietly, but the noise dissipated. I put my mirror phone back out there and saw them walking back to the far set of doors, Jamin extending an arm.

  I released a breath, thankful I didn’t have to use my gun. Not yet. The final person walked into the sanctuary. Ezra and Jamin were about to follow everyone else, and then one more person appeared. He was tall, well built, with a stout chin. His face had lines, but he carried an aura about him. He was dressed in a ribbed, V-neck T-shirt and cargo pants. He seemed to smile at Jamin, but it was quick, as if he didn’t want anyone to see him. They disappeared into the sanctuary, and the doors clanked shut.

  “Nick, get back over here.”

  He scooted down the wall and jumped next to me. I shared with him what I’d seen.

  “What could they be planning?”

  “I don’t know. They could be doing some type of public beating, and they don’t want people leaving,” I said. “We’ve got to go in.
We finally have everyone in one place. They probably won’t have their weapons drawn in the sanctuary.”

  “We hope,” Nick said.

  “It’s our best chance.”

  Nick nodded his agreement. “It might be our only chance.”

  I remembered my phone had buzzed earlier, and I unlocked it. A text from Gretchen with two mug shots: one was Jamin and one was Malachi. I held the phone up so Nick could see. “That’s them, the two leaders,” I said. “Gretchen says the pictures are seven years old. But that’s definitely them.”

  “They might act like they’re above the human race to everyone here, but I’m guessing they’ll fall if my Glock has to step in and do its job.” Nick peeked around the corner and then turned back to me. “You ready?”

  I found myself lost in the eyes of Malachi, and I could feel a tug in the back of my mind.

  “Alex?”

  I pocketed my phone. “I wish we could get a visual on the scene inside before we just plow into the room.”

  The loud sound of chains banging against metal and wood almost sent my heart through my chest. I quickly set my phone mirror to where I could look around the corner again. “Crap. Ezra is chaining up the doors everyone just entered through.” Without wasting another second, I jumped into the open space, my gun aimed right at Ezra twenty-five yards away.

  “Stop where you are. Don’t move!” Blood raced through my veins so fast it took everything I had to keep my gun from shaking.

  The behemoth of a man ceased movement, his head still down.

  “Turn around and keep your hands—”

  “Gun!” Nick yelled at the exact moment an automatic weapon crackled the air. Orange flashes sputtered from behind Ezra just before Nick tackled me to the ground. Wood splinters sprayed all around us as we rolled away from the shooter as fast as we could move. I hit a wall, and Nick rolled right up next to me. A moment passed, and then I took a breath. The shots had stopped.

  I felt the grip of the gun still in my hand. I rolled over Nick, my arms in front of me ready to squeeze the trigger. “They’re gone.” I looked over at Nick, who had said nothing in response. “Did you hear me?”