by Robert Boren
“Maybe we should take Duchess,” Terry said.
“That’s a great idea,” Gabe said. “Bring her along.”
“We should take both vans,” George said. “They lost two, it would make more sense if they saw two coming.”
“Yeah,” Ned said. “We’ll stuff some men in the back of the second one. Let’s clear out.”
“I’m going,” George said.
“Us too,” Wedgie said, walking up with Spence.
Malcolm nodded at George. “I’ll ride shotgun.”
“We’re going too,” Agent Williams said, standing next to Ted.
“Okay, that’s enough,” General Hogan said.
“I’m not okay with this,” Heidi said.
“Trust me,” George said. “It’s gonna be fine. Hand over the OICW. That might come in handy if the plans go haywire.”
“Okay,” Heidi said. She handed the odd looking gun to him. “I won’t argue.”
“Thanks,” George said. “Let’s move out!”
Everybody hurried to the vans. They took off, throwing dirt and rocks as they raced to Highway 62.
Chapter 28 – Finale
Vicki left the chopper, crouching as she ran to the front of the hospital, the wind blowing her short blonde hair. She turned and waved to the chopper pilot. He waved back and took off.
“Dobie?” she asked at the front desk.
“Oh, yes,” the old woman said, standing up behind the counter. “I’ll take you to him.”
Vicki followed her to the elevator, which took them up to the third floor.
“He’s down this hall, in room 319,” the woman said. “Sounds like he’s going to be fine.”
“Thanks so much,” Vicki said, as she turned and hurried down the hall, going into the door. She froze when she saw him, tubes running out of his nose, machines beeping beside him. “Oh my God,” she whispered as she approached, looking at his peaceful face. Is he dead?
“Vicki,” he croaked, eyes barely open. “How?”
“Don’t talk, sweetie,” she said, moving close, putting her soft hand on his forehead.
“How did you get here?”
“General Hogan sent a chopper for me,” she said, getting closer. She kissed his forehead. “I was so worried. They say you’re going to be okay.”
“That’s what they’re telling me,” he said, his eyelids heavy. “They got me pumped full of painkillers. I’m pretty loaded.” He tried to smile.
“I’m here for you,” she said, pulling the chair right next to the bed and sitting down.
“Do you know what’s happening in the battle?”
“They burned up the bad guys,” Vicki said. “Don’t worry about it. You need to focus on getting better.”
“None of our guys got killed?”
“Not our immediate group, at least,” she said. “A few militia people got hit during the first assault.”
The doctor came in, checking the machines. “Are you Vicki?” he asked.
“Yes,” she said. “How’s he doing?”
“He’s had a busy day,” the doctor said, smiling. “He was extremely lucky. The bullet didn’t hit any organs. He lost a lot of blood, but we’ve got that situation under control. He’ll be laid up for a while.”
“How long?” Dobie asked softly.
“At least a few weeks,” he said. “Don’t worry about it now, all right?”
“Okay,” Dobie said.
“Vicki, you can stay, but let him sleep as much as possible, okay?” the Doctor asked.
“Understand,” she said. “Thank you.”
“You don’t have to stay here all the time,” Dobie said. “What about your kids?”
“Clara and Frankie are watching them,” she said. “I’m right where I should be. You try to sleep. I’ll be here.”
He started at her face with a reverence that made warmth flow over her. “I’m in love with you, Vicki.”
“You don’t have to say it,” she said.
“I want to make sure you know, just in case something happens,” he said, eyes welling with tears.
“Nothing’s going to happen, silly,” she said, getting closer to his face, petting his forehead. “I love you too, you know.”
He fell asleep while looking at her.
***
“Getting close,” Gabe said over the web meeting, both hands on the wheel of the van. The dawn was breaking.
“Thank God,” Terry said. “Riding next to this old dynamite makes me nervous as hell. I don’t think Duchess likes it either. She’s sitting on my lap.”
“She probably doesn’t like the smell. You should take those chips out of the box,” Gabe said.
“I will in a minute,” he said.
“Gentlemen, those two choppers are on the ground,” General Hogan said over the web meeting.
“I see men standing together,” Frank said. “Between the two semis.”
“Me too,” Jerry said. “They haven’t shut down those choppers. I think they’re gonna take off in a hurry. Don’t slow down for anything.”
“They’re just about to the dirt road,” Frank said. “Better be careful with that dynamite back there. Might be bumpy. Don’t want it going off on you guys.”
“Don’t worry about it,” Gabe said. “I see the dirt road ahead.”
“Yeah, I see it coming up too,” George said, driving the second van. “Daan’s liable to bolt when he sees these vans.”
“Their drone is in the air, so you guys need to head for cover fast after you bail out,” Jerry said.
“No problem, there’s lots of cover on both sides of this road,” Gabe said. “I can see the choppers now.”
“You think that van will keep going straight enough to get between those semis?” George asked.
“Yeah, don’t worry about it,” Gabe said. “I got a good rock for the accelerator and my belt for the steering wheel. I’ve already got it hooked up. We’ll be good.”
“Be careful,” General Hogan said. “They’ll see you bail out of the front seat.”
“I know, I can handle it,” Gabe said.
General Hogan looked over at Jeb, Kurt, and the Sheriff, who were standing next to him. The Sheriff shook his head and took off his headset. “He ain’t planning on coming back.”
General Hogan took off his headset. “I knew that when he came up with the idea.”
The others stared at him in shock. They put their headsets back on.
“Terry,” Gabe said. “Those chips exposed? We’ve been seen. They’re raising their rifles.”
“Yeah,” he said.
“Good, jump out now!” he said.
“Alright,” Terry said. “You too.”
Terry opened the door and rolled out, followed by Duchess.
Gabe watched as several of the Islamists looked down at their phones. “That’s right, just old friends showing up, cretins.” The men lowered their weapons. He chuckled and sped up, heading right for the semis and the choppers.
“No!!!!” Terry shouted as he saw the van racing towards the target. The enemy fighters tried to run when they realized the van wasn’t stopping. Then there was a huge explosion, sending the semi-trucks flying into the air, one of them hitting the ground and rolling into the choppers. They both exploded, their ordnance going up in several blasts.
“Oh, my God,” Malcolm shouted.
“Gabe!” George said.
“Look, two men running up the side of the hill over there,” Malcolm said, pointing.
“That would be Daan Mertins and one of his lackeys,” George shouted, looking at Malcolm. “Saw him start running as soon as he saw the vans.”
“We better get up there fast,” Malcolm said.
George drove up to the hill. He stopped the van and all of the men piled out. Terry met them there with Duchess, tears streaming down his face.
“Get the dog on those guys,” George shouted as he ran, OICW in his hands.
Terry stopped, pointed at the two men and sh
outed to Duchess. “Get them!”
Duchess growled and took off running, passing the men within seconds, sprinting up the hill. She grabbed Daan’s companion, biting him on the neck as he screamed. Daan got behind a boulder and fired at the group.
“Watch it!” Malcolm shouted, diving for cover.
“Keep him busy while I get this OICW ready,” George shouted.
Duchess continued to chew her victim, blood spurting out of his neck. Then there was silence. She backed off, looking at the boulder and growling.
“Call her back,” George shouted.
“Duchess, come!” Terry yelled.
The dog ran back to Terry’s side. A few rounds came from behind the boulder, just barely missing Terry. He dived behind a rock and pulled the dog to his side. Malcolm returned fire from the other side.
“Hey!” shouted the man behind the boulder.
“What do you want, Daan?” George shouted.
“We’ve got a standoff. I’m worth more to you guys alive than dead. Let’s make a deal.”
“Screw you,” George shouted. “You’re outnumbered.”
“I’ve got the high position,” he shouted back. “You, of all people, know how valuable that is, George. I know of your exploits.”
“Yeah, almost got you last time we met. I won’t let you live this time.”
“Big talk,” he said.
George looked over at Malcolm and nodded.
“Alright, men, let’s lay down some fire,” Malcolm said. He started shooting around the boulder. Agent Williams and Ted joined in, bullets peppering the boulder. Daan laughed from behind it.
“Go ahead, use up all your ammo,” he shouted.
As the men kept firing, George stood up and aimed the OICW. He pulled the trigger, and the projectile sizzled towards the boulder, blowing up behind it. Daan screamed and rolled out, his right side blown open. He tried to raise his gun, but George took aim with his pistol and hit his arm. Daan was trying to reach the pistol when George got to him.
“End of the line, you piece of shit,” George said.
“My offer still stands,” he said, looking up.
“So does mine,” George said. He pointed the pistol at Daan’s head and pulled the trigger.
The others joined George on the hill, looking down at the body.
“Let’s check him for the crown jewels,” George said. The men searched his body.
“This what we’re looking for?” Terry asked, holding up several flash drives.
“Probably,” Malcolm said. “Let’s carry these bodies down to the van and take them with us.”
“General Hogan, we got him,” George said over the web meeting as they were walking down with the bodies.
“I heard most of that,” General Hogan said. “So sorry about Gabe.”
“He’s a hero,” Terry said, tears streaming down his face. “But damn him, there had to be a better way.”
“There wasn’t,” General Hogan said. “He did exactly what he planned to do. He was the best of us.”
“This will tear Dobie apart,” Terry said.
“We don’t want to tell Dobie until he’s strong enough,” Charlie said. “Everybody understand?”
“Yeah,” Frank said. “Everybody needs to keep quiet around him for a week or two.”
“What about those other choppers in Juarez?” Ted asked.
“The Mexican Army arrived a few minutes after Gabe blew the van,” General Hogan said.
“We better send a forensics team to this site,” Agent Williams said.
“Feel free to call the Bureau,” General Hogan said. “It’s back under control again.”
“I’ll do that,” Agent Williams said.
The men loaded the bodies into the van.
“Ready to go?” Malcolm asked.
“Yeah, let’s get the hell out of here,” George said.
***
Frank and Jane sat on a bench in the clubhouse with Rosie and Cheryl, sipping coffee. Sarah and Hank joined them, then Vicki’s kids, with Frankie and Clara following close behind.
“How long until they get here?” Jamie asked as she skipped over to Frank.
“Only a few minutes,” Frank said, smiling down at her.
People continued to walk into the clubhouse, and then there was the low rumble of vehicles approaching. Jeeps, Humvees, and trucks drove up the driveway, parking in rows near the clubhouse.
Ned trotted up, making eye contact with Clara. She rushed to his arms and they embraced, Clara sobbing, her head against his chest.
The bobtail drove through the gate. Frankie saw it and grinned. She rushed outside, meeting Jake before he could get out of the cab.
“Told you I’d be back,” he said, grinning at her as they embraced.
Rosie saw Jeb walk in, looking for her in the crowd.
“I over here, old coot,” Rosie shouted, smiling, tears streaming from her eyes. “Get over here.” He rushed to her arms.
Jerry and Jasmine got to Rosie shortly after Jeb did, and she embraced both of them. Charlie and Kurt came in together, rushing to Hilda and Mary, embracing and crying and laughing.
Clint came in with his men, all smiles.
“Happy hour?” Rosie asked, chuckling.
“I’m afraid I don’t have a nice bar like you guys do,” Cheryl said. “But we could break out a few bottles of this and that.”
General Hogan walked in and headed for the stage. Field Marshal Hopper followed, with Jacob Orr, Shirley, Charles Goodnight, Wedgie, and Spence.
“You want to say a few words, General Hogan?” Charlie asked.
“Yes,” he said, getting behind the podium. Cheryl got up and switched the PA system on. General Hogan looked out at the crowd, and then tapped the microphone. A hush fell over the room.
“We’ve just had a great victory. Everybody deserves to be proud, including those who weren’t on the front lines. Our victory took the dedication of everybody in this room.”
“Here here,” Jeb said, smiling.
“We’ve lost people. Our militia friends lost several good men. We lost one of our best, Gabe. Dobie is wounded, in the hospital in Carlsbad, New Mexico. He’s expected to recover.”
“So what’s next, general?” Earl asked.
“What’s next is whatever we want to be next,” General Hogan said. “We’ve won our country back.”
“What about the UN?” Jeb asked.
“The army took care of them, and the traitors have been rooted out of our government,” General Hogan said. “At least for now.”
“For now?” Jane asked.
“You know how it goes with the affairs of government,” General Hogan said. “We’ve got to watch them every second. Our liberty is in peril if we don’t.”
“Damn straight,” Jeb said. There was a murmur of agreement around the room.
“How soon can we go home?” Trish asked. “Home to Kansas, that is?”
“Just as soon as we feel like it,” Charlie said. “I suggest we sleep for a little while before making the drive. Especially us older folks.”
“How many hours away is it, again?” Terry asked.
“Just under eight hours,” Jane said, looking at her laptop.
“Let’s party some tonight, go to bed early, and hit the road at sunup,” Jeb said.
People nodded in agreement.
“Are you guys going back with us?” Charlie asked Clint.
“I’d kinda like to get back to my park,” he said. “I know a few of our group are going with you guys, of course.”
“Your group is our group,” Kurt said. “We’ll be friends forever. You know that, right?”
“Yes,” Clint said, eyes misting. “I feel the same way.”
“Okay, everybody, let’s relax and enjoy tonight, and we’ll take off in the morning,” General Hogan said.
“Wait a minute,” Charlie said, walking to the podium. “I’ve got a few words to say before we shut this thing off.”
“Of co
urse you do,” Jeb said, snickering.
“You be nice,” Rosie said.
“I’m just kidding,” Jeb said. “You know I love that man. Fire away, Charlie.”
“I just wanted to say thanks to a few people,” Charlie said. His eyes were glassy as he looked out over the crowd. “General Hogan. What a patriot you are. Your country owes you a great debt.”
“I just did what any American would do,” he said. “What all of you did.”
“You went above and beyond in so many ways,” Charlie said. “Thank you.”
He nodded.
“To our friends who came to us due to their interest in the Nighthawk Road Killer, but who recognized how important this fight was, you have our gratitude as well. We couldn’t have finished this without you. George and Heidi, Malcolm, Ted, Agent Williams.”
“I’m glad we were part of this,” George said. “It was the most important thing I’ve ever been involved with.” The others nodded.
“Frank,” Charlie said, pausing to keep from breaking down. “We would have been lost without you. And Jane too. You saved all of us, the whole nation. I hope the nation never forgets.”
Frank nodded, looking self-conscious. Jane put her arm around his shoulders.
“And finally, to our new friends in the militia,” Charlie said. “We started off as enemies, but with goals closer together than we realized. Thank you for seeing the situation clearly, and opening your minds and hearts.”
“Thank you for doing the same,” Field Marshal Hopper said. “You guys were our salvation, and that’s the truth.”
“Here here,” Shirley said.
“Okay everybody, that’s what I had to say,” Charlie said. “Now I’ll go blubber someplace else.”
“You forgot somebody,” Jeb said.
“I did?” Charlie asked.
“Yeah, you old coot. You forgot yourself. You pulled us together so many times when we had no idea what to do next.”
“Oh, stop it,” he said. “I’m just one of the group.”
“We’re all important,” Frank said. “And never forget it. How many lives did Mary save? How much food did Jeb put on our table? How much did Rosie lift our spirits? How many times did Gabe’s crazy Rube Goldberg ideas save us? I could go on all night.”
“Well, don’t,” Jeb said, laughing. Everybody else laughed. “Let’s enjoy the evening. We have a long day ahead tomorrow.”