by KJ Dahlen
He nodded his head.
The men parted, so Calico could step closer to the couple. Jolene made her way over to stand next to Calico.
Bastian had known that this woman would stand by Calico when it came down to it.
Calico spoke, “Lydia, I never meant to cause you any harm. When we first met, I was in a bad place in my life. You offered me a solace that I never had before. I did care for you but Jolene has been the only woman I ever loved. You gave me a son and I’ll forever, be grateful for him. I just hope one day, that you’ll forgive me.”
“Oh, Calico.” Lydia shook her head. “There is nothing to forgive. All those years ago, I latched on to you as a way to get out of a bad situation. Until I met Slammer, I never knew what real love was. Caiden was my salvation but Slammer has been my world since day one. I just hope we can work it all out, so we can all become friends.”
Calico held out his hand to Slammer. When Slammer took it, they both vowed silently to try.
Bastian and Sawyer watched then they turned and disappeared down the hall. Making their way to their bedroom, he locked the door behind them. Taking her in his arms, he pressed his lips on hers. “This is only the beginning of our life together.”
Sawyer grinned. “I hope so honey, I hope so.”
Chapter Three
Early on Day Two- May 24th…
The sun wasn’t even awake, yet when Bastian made his way silently down the hall and into the main room. He didn’t expect to see anyone else and was surprised to find more than one person in there.
Trudy was working her laptop along with Jim while on another table, three men from Slammer’s crew sat reading everything over carefully.
Bastian walked over, poured himself a cup of coffee, and joined Jim at his table. “You never did tell me what you guys found out yesterday on your trip.”
Jim smiled as he glanced over at his friend. “Oh yes, our little side trip. Well, it was very enlightening. Following the Ohio River, we found two possible sites where this creep could be hiding.” He turned his laptop toward Bastian
Bastian searched the pictures Jim had taken on the trip carefully. Only a trained eye would catch the signs of what should be there and what shouldn’t. Bastian reached for his own laptop and brought up a map of all the rivers in the U.S. Cross referencing the pictures Jim took yesterday with the map he had up, Bastian growled with frustration. Looking over at Jim he said, “We don’t have enough information. We’re going to need more recon before we set out after this fucker.”
“What kind of recon?” Swede asked from where he and the others were sitting. He and the others had been trying to come up with different scenarios for what Leroy Nash had in mind. This was something they had learned to do while fighting the Taliban in their military days.
“We know his first act will be to try and take down our communication in a cascade failure type of event. He wants to bring real chaos to everyone. He knows death and destruction will follow and he doesn’t give a fuck about how many thousands of lives will be lost. People will die in the initial attack and in the days that follow will bring more lives lost as people fight to survive in the aftermath.
Jim added, “He wants to take out our communications but I’m betting he has his own ways set up already. By this time, he has his own people in place and he’s waiting for the countdown to begin.”
“Does this guy trust anyone enough to actually assist him?” Thor asked. “From what I’ve read in his manifest, I don’t think he trusts people.”
“You’re right.” Bastian nodded. “This guy doesn’t trust anyone. What we know of him came from a woman who knew him as a kid. She told us he was crazy smart and just plain nuts. After hearing her story, I have to agree with her.” Shrugging he added, “The only thing he has going for himself is the fact he’s had at least a decade to work out the kinks in his plan and he knows his way around cyber space. We’ve connected huge money transfers as well as wind tunnels and solar energy panels to him. He did have at least one connection to the Mexican cartel. I’m not sure if that was his only connection or not but the cartel is well known for drugs and guns. He talks about fire and explosions. We don’t know what that means but the more we can learn about the man, the more we can dig into his past.”
“So what kind of recon are you looking for?” Swede asked again.
Bastian turned back to his laptop. “I think we need to follow the rivers and see what else we can find. From what Tomas and Enrique told me, he uses boats to transfer equipment from one place to another. They took shipment from New Orleans to a place up river where they transferred it to another boat for the second leg of the trip.”
“How many boats does he have?” Thor asked.
“We’ve found six so far,” Jim answered. “There could be more. We also think we’ve found his home base but we don’t know that for sure.”
Swede took a deep breath then exhaled heavily. “Do we have any ideas as to what his targets are?”
“We think and mind you, we only think his first targets will be to take out our military strongholds after he wreaks our communications,” Bastian explained. “We’ll need to search out the only closest to any major rivers system. We also know he plans to do something really bad where it will take out a huge portion of people and cause the most damage. First guess would be the super volcano in Yellowstone.”
“How the hell would he do that?” Swede demanded.
Bastian shrugged his shoulders. “I’m sure he’s thought long and hard and come up with at least one way if not more. The volcano is ready to go at any time from what I understand. It probably wouldn’t be hard for a madman to come up with a way to do it, if he really wanted too.”
“Is this guy working with any other group? Like ISIS or the Taliban?” Mutzy asked.
“Not as far as we know, but we’re only just finding out about him,” Trudy replied to this question. “We only heard of him yesterday. As he plans to step in and save everyone that’s left I wouldn’t think so.”
“You could be right about that assumption,” Falcon agreed. “With the god complex he has, he wouldn’t take orders from anyone else very well at all.”
Swede turned back to Bastian. “So okay, how would this recon commence?”
“First, we need to identify the major places where he could do the most damage, then we need to track how he would get there, which river system would he use,” Jim answered.
“Then we would need several teams. At least four men per team,” Bastian added. He printed out a map of the major river systems and made enough copies for everyone. “Think places like Norad, or the Navy yard in DC. We have an in with the military, so we’ll use that. We also have a network of people all over the United States that will look out for anything unusual that happens. We really don’t know what we’re looking for right now. We think he’ll do anything he can to destroy what would cause people to panic. He talks about how only the strong will survive. Without any way to communicate, he thinks we’ll rely on our military to hold the peace. He wants to leave us with no hope for a survival future.”
“Jesus H Christ,” Swede swore. “This guy is really nuts isn’t he?”
Trudy snorted. “He branded a nine year old girl and told her she would be his one day. He gave her until the age of fourteen before he would demand her body as his wife. She wouldn’t even be full grown by that age.”
“Do we know anything about his childhood?” Thor asked. “Or is that as screwed up as he is?”
Trudy nodded. “He’s the product of a married man’s affair. When mom told dad they had a baby on the way, he kicked both of them to the curb. Mom had the baby with little or no help then abandoned him to the foster system at the age of five. He went from one foster home to another just as bad. Finally, when he was fourteen, he ran away and no one heard from him until now,” Trudy shortened the story. “He’s also been trying to find his about to be wife but she changed her name and moved on, so she never found out he was looking
for her until now. Now Leroy is pissed as hell. We are also on a timeline here guys. His plans will begin on July Fourth. That now leaves us less than forty one days to stop him. And to do that… we have to find him first.”
“Do we know what he looks like?” Swede asked.
“We do not.” Trudy shrugged.
“Well, that’s like looking for a ghost then isn’t it?” Thor asked.
“Just because we don’t know what he looks like yet, doesn’t mean we won’t always know that.” Pappy’s voice came out of the shadows. When he stepped into view, he shook his head. “Did any of you guys get any sleep yet? It looks like you pulled an all nighter.”
“I just got here,” Bastian acknowledged.
“We’re just trying to get caught up.” Swede motioned to the men at his table. “I know Slammer asked if we could help you guys last night and me and the boys just wanted to get caught up. We were reading a little about this last night.”
When everyone turned to Trudy, she grinned. “I’ve been here since around two.”
“Yeah but you and Dewey didn’t leave until around eleven last night.” Pappy shook his head. “Dewey’s gonna be mad about that.”
Trudy snorted. “Yeah well, he’ll get over it. He always does. He knows how I get when there’s something I need to do.”
Pappy shook his head. “You don’t have to do this alone anymore. You may be the best we have but even you need help once in a while.”
Trudy snorted. “Between Jim and Bastian I have all the help I need.”
Pappy cocked his head to one side. “Are they really up to your standard?”
Trudy looked him in the eye. “Yes, they are. Maybe even better than I am. He did find me and kick me out of my own system in less time than usual. He even knew I was there before I was ready. That’s never happened before. Usually, I can get in and out before they know I’m in their systems. ”
Pappy raised his eyebrow then turned to stare at Bastian. “Interesting.”
Bastian stared back at the other man. He knew his computer skills were better than most. Jim’s skills were even better. To meet someone like Trudy with skills equal to their own was surprising.
“Bastian here was just suggesting some recon missions,” Swede told Pappy.
“I heard that.” Pappy nodded. “And I agree with his assessment. We could maybe get a hold of some boats but where the hell do we start and what do we look for? That’s the real question here. We don’t have the first clue what we’re even looking for.”
“Then we reach out to people who know the areas to clue us in,” Bastian said quietly. “You said you had a network to call on didn’t you?”
Pappy nodded.
“Then let them look for anything out of the ordinary. Let them be our eyes and ears in places we can’t possibly be,” Bastian reasoned.
Pappy sighed. “I get what you’re saying but that kind of networking needs money to get them what they need in order to do what we’re asking them to do.”
Bastian shrugged. “I’ve got the money and now, I’m part of this. I told Sawyer and her father everything I have you can use. Sawyer wants to be close to her family and I agreed to move down here. I want the Priest to die and this is a good way to let him slip away into the shadows.”
Thor started at the name The Priest. He stared at Bastian hard.
When Bastian became aware of his staring, he turned his head and asked, “What?”
“You are the man known as the Priest?”
“Not anymore,” he admitted.
Falcon growled. “From what I hear of the Priest, he’s nothing more than a killer for hire.”
Bastian nodded. “Yeah, I’ve heard that too. Only one thing wrong with that rumor, it isn’t true. Yes, I’ve killed before, when I’ve had no other choice, but I don’t take another man’s life just because someone else wants him dead. Until the other night, I’d only taken three lives in my life.”
“I heard it was over a hundred lives, not three.” Falcon growled.
Bastian stood up. “Then you would be wrong. I cannot and will not explain myself to you or anyone. Nor can I make you believe something you don’t want to believe. I live by my own rules, but I do not lie.” With that, he turned and walked back to the bedroom where his Sawyer was still sleeping.
Everyone in the main room heard the door close softly behind him.
Pappy stared at the four men at the table and shook his head. “Don’t ever judge another man unless you’ve walked in his shoes. Or you know him personally. We all have things in our past we wish weren’t there. I’ve heard the rumors about that man as well and until he does something, I don’t agree with, I’m saving my judgement. Same as I’m doing for the four of you. If you step out of line or put us in danger, then I’ll act but not before. I suggest you do the same.”
Pappy turned and walked away. Swede looked at the others in his group. Shrugged he told them, “I have to agree with the old man. I may not like Bastian but I don’t really know him either.”
“But we’ve all heard the rumors about the Priest,” Thor argued.
“Yeah, I agree with that,” Swede said. “But is that all they are, just rumors? Some men allow rumors to spread because it enhances their reps. We could be misjudging the man greatly.” He shrugged his massive shoulders. “I say we just wait and see what he does.”
Falcon growled. “I’ve heard the man is nothing but a hired killer. Not someone I care to hang out with.”
As the men sat there debating what they would do they didn’t notice Trudy slipping away. Making her way back to the cabin she shared with Dewey. She let herself in and sat down in a chair in the living area.
It was well over an hour later when Dewey joined her. He was dressed in nothing more than his boxers and when he squatted down beside her he asked, “What’s wrong baby?”
She turned to look at him and Dewey could see the tears running down her cheeks. “Slammer’s men are gonna cause trouble. They called Bastian nothing more than a hired killer and I don’t think he appreciated it. One of them even called him a liar to his face. Oh and I’m pregnant in case, you wanted to know.”
Dewey hung his head. “I was afraid of this. Bastian never should have told anyone he was the Pr—what the hell?” His eyes got big as he searched her face. “You’re pregnant?”
Trudy nodded. “I didn’t know how to tell you. Are you mad? I know we haven’t talked about having a family. I mean I don’t even know if I want a family but now that it’s happened, I think I’m happy about it. ”
Dewey leaned forward and kissed her to shut her up. The news stunned him but suddenly he was laughing too. He rested his forehead against hers and he gazed into her eyes. “I love you so much. I just hope you want this baby because I sure do.”
Trudy smiled. “I’m glad because me and the baby are one and the same. We both love you very much.”
Dewey shook his head and laughed. “I teased Pappy about having a kid at his age. That was a stupid thing to do.”
“Yeah well, you both are almost old enough to be grandpas you know,” she teased him.
Dewey stared at her for a moment then his eyes softened and he reached for her hand. “Come on little mama. You need some more rest.” He helped her to her feet and led her gently to the bedroom they shared. He helped her undress and tucked her into bed. Kissing her forehead, he whispered something in her ear then watched as she closed her eyes and fell asleep.
Dewey didn’t feel the air cool around him as he watched her sleep. The clock in the living room chimed four a.m. He grabbed his clothes from the floor and walked out getting dressed as he went. Minutes later, he left the cabin and made his way to the clubhouse. He needed to have a word with Pappy.
When the sun came up, people began gathering in the main room. Dewey, Pappy, Gage and Michael sat at a table and waited for Bastian to show up. When he and Sawyer joined the others for breakfast, Pappy caught his eye and motioned him over to their table.
W
hen Bastian joined them, Pappy didn’t waste any time, “I think you should know the Slammer’s men don’t like you.”
“I could care less what they think of me.” Bastian tightened his jaw.
“I know and normally, I wouldn’t care either,” Pappy told him.
“Are you asking me to leave?” Bastian growled.
“No I’m not.” Pappy shook his head. “What I am asking you to think about doing is not mentioning your former profession. You wanted to let the Priest die out, then I’m asking you to let him die.”
Bastian thought about his request for a moment then nodded. Turning away, he made his way to where Sawyer was waiting for him.
Sawyer looked concerned for a moment then asked, “Is everything all right?”
Bastian nodded. “Yeah, everything is fine.”
“You sure about that?” she asked as she spotted a few of Slammer’s men glaring at them from a table down the line.
Bastian followed her gaze and nodded at the men. “They seem to have a problem with who I used to be.”
“Hey…” She wrapped her hand around his jaw and brought his face around to hers. “We all do bad things in our life, things we regret later on. The Priest was someone I hoped I’d never have to meet but once I did, I knew he wasn’t the boogey man people said he was. You treated me with kindness when you didn’t have to. You never hurt me when you could have. You loved me even when you didn’t want to. You made me feel safe when everything told me to fear you. Do you know what that tells me about you?”
“That I’m a dummy?” Bastian growled.
Sawyer shook her head. “No it tells me that you are not the man you pretend to be. That you may be the Priest when you need to be but what man isn’t? You protected me, you came for me when I was taken. After living in fear, most of my life you made me feel safe again. In your arms, I can breathe again. You have honor buried deep within you. You Bastian… are a good man.”
Bastian felt something inside him loosen and the band around his heart let go. He didn’t feel the burning hatred in his heart anymore. He smiled and kissed her lightly. “I do love you. You are my lady.”