Bug Out! Part 10: RV Race to Battle (3 page)

“You know who she hangs out with, right?” Johnny asked. “Bikers. You’ll have to tangle with them.”

“Why’d you tell him that, Johnny? I wanted it to be a surprise.” She cackled again.

Scott and Howard looked at each other, grinning.

“Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” Howard asked.

“Yeah. Love bikers. Biggest blowhards in the world. Love the way they cry for mommy when they realize they’re done. Hey, Emma, any nice looking babes with them, or are they all like you?”

Howard cracked up, but Johnny looked scared. “If you’re going to tangle with those guys, I’m getting out of the area.”

“I’m not gonna tangle them, I’m gonna kill them,” Scott said. “And I’m going to make it look like they killed the bitch here.”

“In your dreams,” Emma said. She looked a little less confident. “Why would you want to do that, anyway?”

“My brothers are your next of kin,” Scott said, grinning.

“This is going to delay our plans,” Howard said. “Sure you want to do that?”

“Yeah, I’ll take a slight detour to make this happen.”

“Oh, brother,” Emma said, oozing hatred. “Like father, like son. Going to rape me now, too?”

“Shut her up,” Scott said.

“Pleasure,” Howard said. He walked over to her and punched her hard in the face, sending her to the floor, unconscious.

“You friend or foe, Johnny?” Scott asked.

“I don’t know,” Johnny said. “Can’t you leave me out of this? I don’t want to go back to the way it was when Jason and Earl were around.”

“You don’t have to participate,” Scott said. “You just have to be quiet.”

“How are you gonna take on those bikers?” he asked.

“Well, tell me about them. Are they
organized crime
bikers, or
lifestyle
bikers?” Scott asked.

“Not sure what you mean, Scotty.”

“Are they handling the drug trade? Are they friendly with the local PD? Do they get thrown in jail around here?”

“Yeah, they’re always in and out of jail,” Johnny said.

“What for?” Howard asked.

“Fights. Breaking up bars. Pushing people around,”

Howard and Scott looked at each other and grinned again.

“What?” Johnny asked.

“
Lifestyle
bikers. Posers,” Scott said. “I’ll bet all these dweebs have nine to five jobs. They throw their weight around after work and on weekends.”

“I was almost hoping they were the real thing,” Howard said. “The real thing always has a lot of cash around. The gang we took out with Jason and Earl that time had lots of cash. Hell, that’s what got me started with the truck stop.”

“Yeah, my dad was pissed, though,” Scott said, laughing.

“Why was Chet pissed?” Johnny asked.

“Because those guys had the local cops on their payroll, and they liked being on the payroll,” Howard said. “Chet thought we’d get caught, and the cops would find out about the clan.”

“Jason was too smart for that,” Scott said. “Helped that he was ‘dead’ at the time.”

“Dead?” Johnny asked.

“You remember. It was after the Bozeman incident. He laid low after that one, for a long time, thanks to the bitch. Had to change his markers when he played.”

“Ah yes, Sadie,” Howard said. “Always wanted a piece of that one. She was hot.”

“Poison,” Scott said. “But good looking poison. Oh, well, let’s reminisce later. We’ve got some planning to do. Why don’t you tie the bitch up to the wall over there and wake her.”

Howard went over, lifted her, and carried her to a section of the wall that had handcuffs hanging. He put her wrists into them and locked them up. “Maybe I should strip her. She looks strange hanging there with clothes on.”

“Nah, I’d rather not see that,” Scott said, laughing. He poured water into his glass. “Here, you can wake her up with this.”

Howard grabbed it and sent the water splashing into her face. She woke up with a start.

“Dammit, let me go,” she said, trying to blow the water out of her nose and mouth.

“Can I go now?” Johnny asked.

“You never answered my question,” Scott said. “You friend or foe?”

“Friend,” he said.

“Alright, go ahead. We’ll see you later,” Scott said. Johnny picked up his plastic medical case and started towards the stairs. “Wait.”

“What, Scotty?”

“Call my phone, so I’ll have your number,” he said.

“Oh,” he said, relieved. “What’s your number?”

Scotty read it off to him, and he dialed. Scott’s phone rang, and he answered it. “Thanks, cousin.”

“Don’t mention it,” he said. Then he hurried up the stairs.

“You trust him?” Howard asked.

“Maybe,” Scott said. “I won’t kill Jason’s nephew, if that’s what you’re getting at. He knows better than to go to the cops.”

“Yeah, that’s what you think,” Emma said, laughing.

Scott sat up, wincing.

“You sure it’s time to sit up already?” Howard asked.

“Yeah, I’m just a little sore,” he said. “We’ve got to get this show on the road. Let’s go upstairs and chat. We don’t want the bitch hearing what we’re gonna do to her boyfriends.”

“What about the twins?”

“Don’t worry about them, Howie.”

***

Hilda and Mary walked through the park.

“You okay?” Mary asked.

“It’s coming up,” she said. “The big battle. I’ve been dreading this.”

“I know, me too,” Mary said. “How many of our men are going, I wonder?”

“They’re working that out in there, I suspect,” Hilda said. “They won’t send all of them.”

“They’ll send Kurt,” Mary said. “Wish he wasn’t so good with a bow and arrow. He’ll be right in the damn front.”

“Yeah, it’s the same for Jeb. I wonder how Rosie is dealing with that.”

“Probably about like I am,” Mary said. “I won’t make a fuss. This needs to happen.”

“We’ve done well so far,” Hilda said. “I hope our luck holds out.”

“Maybe we should go talk to Rosie. She’s probably stuck in Jeb’s coach.”

“No, she’s down in the lounge,” Hilda said. “I saw Jeb help her down there before the meeting started.”

“Oh,” Mary said. “Maybe we should go join her.”

“Okay, let’s go.” They walked to the barn and down the steps to the bunker.

“This place still gives me the creeps,” Mary said, as they walked towards the lounge door.

“With all the mayhem going on, I’m not bothered by it much anymore,” Hilda said. They entered the room. Rosie wasn’t alone. Gabe and Jake were there too, all of them sitting at the bar quietly. They looked over and smiled.

“Hi, ladies,” Rosie said. “Come to have drink?”

“No, we wanted to see how you’re holding up.”

“I fine,” she said. “I worry, but time come to be strong.”

“You guys don’t want to be in the planning meeting?” Mary asked.

“Nah,” Gabe said. “We won’t be on the away team. Neither of us have the skills. I suspect we’ll be here to protect the park.”

“You sure?” Hilda asked. “I remember some demolition you were in on.”

“Yeah, that’s true, I guess, but Jerry knows that better than I do. Too bad we can’t use explosives where they’re going. I still have lots of dynamite.”

“We should get the video cameras and Wi-Fi up and running, and sooner, rather than later,” Jake said. “I don’t care if we have to take it all down in a few days.”

“Well, then let’s quit drinking and get to it,” Gabe said. “We’ve still got daylight left.”

“Why do you think we need the video cameras?” Mary asked. “The enemy can’t get past the border.”

Gabe pointed at the trap door to the dungeon.

“Oh,” Mary said with a slight shudder.

Jake chugged the rest of his drink and put the glass down on the bar firmly. “Okay, ladies, we’ll see you later.”

“Let us know if you need any help,” Hilda said.

They nodded and smiled as they climbed the steps.

“Belly up, girls,” Rosie said.

They climbed up on the stools, facing Rosie, who was sitting behind the bar.

“What do you think, Rosie?” Mary asked.

“I think our men brave. Do best can. Maybe win. Maybe live. Maybe die. I believe live.” She put two more glasses on the bar and poured whiskey into them.

“I’m scared to death,” Mary said. “But I’m also proud of our men.”

“I proud of men, but also proud of us,” Rosie said. “We good team.”

“Yes, we are,” Hilda said. “A damn good team.” She took a sip and shook her head. “How can you drink this stuff?”

“It like mother milk to me,” Rosie said, laughing. She got a serious look on her face. “I need. Calms. Been here before.”

“In the islands?” Mary asked, taking a smaller sip of hers.

“Yes, Philippines,” she said. “Grandpa and dad fought, and brothers, and fiancé.”

“Did you lose anybody?” asked Hilda.

“All but dad and one brother,” Rosie said, her eyes glassing over. “Still hurt.”

“When did you leave there?” Mary asked.

“You never leave Philippines,” she said, “but I move here part time after war, with GI husband.”

“You went back and forth?” Mary asked.

“For many years yes,” she said. “No more. It bad there. People don’t learn from mistakes.”

“It’s better now, though, isn’t it?” Hilda asked.

“Some, but here better,” Rosie said.

“What happened to your GI husband?” Mary asked.

“He pig, I know before we marry, but I know he get me here,” she said. “He beat me. I got citizen papers and leave. He get drunk and die in car.”

“You didn’t love him?” Hilda asked.

“No, only love three men in life,” she said. “Fiancé who die, and Jasmine’s father, and Jeb.”

“What happened to Jasmine’s father?” Mary asked.

“His name Anthony. Heart attack,” she said. “He older man. Loved very much. Kind and gentle. Good father too.” She paused, and started to cry.

“I’m so sorry,” Hilda said. She started to tear up herself.

“It still hurts after all those years,” Mary said. “Life is hard.”

“I cry for Jeb,” Rosie said. “I fall for him because he like Anthony in so many way.”

“You’ll have me bawling, you two,” Mary said.

“It okay,” Rosie said. “Won’t lose Jeb. I can feel.”

“I hope you’re right,” Hilda said.

“You don’t know if Charlie’s going yet, do you?” Mary asked.

“No, I don’t,” Hilda said. “He’s a good sharpshooter. I wouldn’t be surprised.”

“How come you didn’t stick around for the meeting?” Mary asked.

“I don’t want him to hold back in the meeting because I’m there,” she said, pausing for a moment. “That’s not all of it. When I know a lot of details, I fret about each one of them. It’s selfish, I know, but it’s easier for me if I don’t know everything.”

“That’s why I’m not there,” Mary said. “I already know the archers are going in first. That alone scares me enough.”

“Kurt make it too,” Rosie said. “Had feeling about grandpa and brothers and fiancé, but not about dad. I don’t have feeling about our men.”

“I’ll drink to that,” Hilda said. “Even this nasty stuff.”

They clinked their glasses together and sat silently for a while.

The meeting was still going on in the clubhouse.

“Okay, who’s going to be on the away team?” Jerry asked.

The General stood up. “I’m going to make a few suggestions.”

“Go ahead, General,” Charlie said.

“First, our technical support team should stay here, where they have good reliable internet. If they end up going dark in the field, it will be a much worse problem than lack of proximity.”

“I agree,” George said. “Like I said before, having Jane and Jasmine as our
eyes in the sky
was invaluable during the last two actions.”

“Frank, we need a way to connect you to the force,” General Hogan said. “Any idea how to do that? You’re the IT expert.”

Frank sat silently for a moment. “Everybody has a smart phone, right? Even the privates?”

There was a murmur in the room, people nodding yes.

“Looks like it, Frank,” the General said.

“How many of you have blue tooth headsets in good working order?” Frank asked.

“I’ve got one for driving,” Jeb said.

A couple other people agreed.

“How many of you don’t have them?” Jerry asked.

Earl raised his hand.

“Really, only one?” Frank asked. “That’s pretty good. I’ll bet we have some people here with extras who’ll cover that.”

“Hell, Jake probably has some in his warehouse,” Jeb said, chuckling.

“Okay, good. How about the privates?”

“Their helmets have that capability built in,” the General said.

“Good,” Frank said. “General, can your phone access a protected line?”

“Yes,” he said.

“What number?”

The General read it off to him, and he put it into his contact list. “What are you thinking?”

“I need to chat with the person who took my job over,” Frank said. “I’m going to call him on my cell and have him call your phone on the secure line.”

“Oh, okay,” the General said.

Frank pulled out his phone and pushed a contact, then put it to his ear.

“Rami?”

“Frank?”

“Yeah. How are you?”

“I’m great, Frank. How are you?”

“Good. I need some help. Can you call me on a secure line? I’ll give you a secure number to call.”

“You have a secure number? How secure?”

“It’s General Hogan’s number.”

“Oh, I know who he is. Shoot.”

Frank read the number off to him.

“Okay, call you back in a minute.”

Frank put his phone back in his pocket. “He’ll be calling any second.”

The General’s phone rang, and he answered it.

“General Hogan?”

“Yes, here’s Frank.”

He handed the phone over.

“Thanks, Rami. Did you guys get the classified web meeting tool working with mobile devices?”

“Yeah. Works well. You want to use it?”

“Yes. We’re getting ready for a major action.”

“What?”

“Well, we’re on a secure line, so I can tell you. We’re going to hit Saladin in his hiding place.”

“Really? Good. Got a pencil and paper? I’ll read off the connect info.”

“Yeah, just a sec.”