Stealing Second (The Amendments Book One 1) (18 page)

“What was inside the backpack?”

“I didn’t know. I asked her, but she told me to trust her. She was pretty hot and I wasn’t thinking clearly, so I just followed her like a dumb puppy. That pack got heavy fast. It didn’t take long before the others found out we were gone and I’m sure they figured out what had happened. A bunch of them hopped on ATVs and started combing the woods, looking for us. I was pretty scared.”

Ace smiled and shook his head. “You thought she had a thing for you, didn’t ya, Gary?”

“Of course I did. What was I supposed to think? I’ll bet you would have done the same thing if you were in my shoes.”

“No, I wouldn’t have,” Ace said, clapping me on the shoulder. “I’m a married man. I don’t think my wife would approve of me hooking up with another woman.”

“It wasn’t like we were hooking up. She wanted to get away from there and asked if she could tag along. Really, it didn’t seem all that different from what we’re doing right now. I’m sure your wife would understand.”

“You’ve never met my wife. No, I’m sure she wouldn’t understand.”

“Really, and what are you going to tell her after we get them out of there tomorrow?”

“I’ll tell her the truth. And I’ll have you there to verify my story.
What’s the name of the little girl up at the house?”

“
Violet?”

“Right,
Violet. Imagine Violet after she’s all grown up. That’s my Rachel. I could see her doing exactly what Violet did back there at the farm. She’s as hard as nails and tough as old leather. I’ll bet she could lick most of those soldiers in a fair fight. That’s why I’m in such a hurry to find her. I just pray to God that she keeps her big mouth shut long enough for us to get her out. Anyhow, there I go interrupting again. Go ahead. You and this Madison are on the run and the preppers are chasing you on their ATVs? I don’t blame you for being scared.”

“How many kids you got?”

“We’ve got three, two boys and my baby girl. Penny is only four years old, but she can damn near saddle her own horse. The boys were hers from another marriage. She was a widow when we met, but I’ve been raising those boys like they were my own for six years. Pete is seven and Paulie is nine. They’re good kids, the best a guy could hope for.”

That was when I decided to tell Ace everything. I had already decided not to tell him or anyone else about the gold. I had been about to lie to him about what was inside the pack. I was going to tell him it was full of cartridge boxes.
Once he opened up to me about his family, I felt certain I could trust him. I told Ace about how Madison and I had evaded capture. I went on to explain how Madison had lured me up to Clay’s house and how they planned to leave me for the preppers. I told him everything, about the gunfight, about how Clay and the preppers had been killed and how Madison had been wounded. I relived my long ride out of there on Clay’s ATV and eventually got to the point where I found myself at the campground.

“Are you going to tell me what was in the backpack, or what?” Ace asked, rolling his eyes.

“Not yet,” I said, giving Ace a wink. “First, I took Madison’s knapsack in front of the ATV, opened it up and dumped it out. There were twenty-nine rolls of cash inside it, just like the one in my pocket. That one is two thousand dollars. I have another one in my pack.”

“Holy shit, really?”

“I’m not kidding. But that’s nothing. I hauled the backpack over and opened it up. What do you suppose was inside of it?”

“How the h
ell would I know?”

“Three big gold bars. I’ll bet each of them weighed a good thirty pounds.”

“Sweet mother of Jesus! Are you kidding me?”

“I swear to God I
’m not. I just want you to know that I already promised Violet a share. I could give a couple bundles of cash and the rest we can use to barter. None of it will mean a thing to me if I lose my family.”

Ace nodded. He began pacing inside the musty garage, but I could see he was growing excited. “This just might work, Gary,” he said, pumping his fist into the air. “Do you have any idea how much money those bars are worth?”

“No,” I said, “but I’m guessing millions.”

“Hell yes
… maybe even tens of millions. I knew I liked you the minute our eyes met. I said to myself, ‘Ace, there’s a good man.’ I’m not like that, Gary. You can ask my wife when you meet her; she’ll tell you. I’m slow to trust people and I’ve always been like that. I want to thank you for sharing your secret with me and I promise to keep it to myself. Who else knows about this?”

“Just
Violet … I didn’t tell her mother.”

“That’s probably a good thing. I don’t trust her. She’s been giving poo
r Lisa the stink-eye all afternoon. She’s got a thing for you and it isn’t just in your head like it was with that Madison. You just be careful around that one, you hear? She looks sort of crazy, if you ask me. Okay, let’s get back up to the house and I’ll get thinking on how we can make the trade with the guards. I’ve got to be honest with you. I don’t much care for trading in stolen booty. That’s probably a sin, but I figure under the circumstances that the good Lord will forgive the both of us.

I thought about what Ace had done out on the farm and I must have shuddered. Ace turned on me and raised a finger in my direction.

“
I just want you to know that thing I did back there with the heads? I wasn’t just some crazy guy with a meat cleaver. I did that to scare the soldiers who might have decided to come after us. I wanted them to think twice about it.”

“I’m p
retty sure they got the message,” I said, but I was really thinking how strange it was that he had picked up on that. It was as if Ace had read my mind.

Ace laug
hed. “Come on, buddy, let’s go get us some chow.”

“Buddy is dead,” I said, “but I’ll go eat with you.”

We walked out of the garage and found the grate was empty and the fire still burning. Ace knocked the grate off the barrel and covered it with the dented lid of a trash can. “We best not take any chances,” he said, pointing up to the sky. “You never know when one of those things is going to fly over.”

We hadn’t seen or heard a drone all day and I wondered about that. “I didn’t see any today, did you?”

“Not a one, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t up there. We have to assume they are and try to do whatever we can to stay under cover.”

“I didn’t hear much shooting today either. Do you suppose there’s a chance that the government is backing down?”

Ace shrugged. “I noticed that too, but I wouldn’t get your hopes up. My guess is that they’re regrouping. These camps they’ve built, they can only hold so many people. Once they fill up, they have to either build new ones or move the prisoners to other locations. That’s what I’m most worried about.”

I followed Ace up to the house and we stepped inside. Whatever sense of optimism I had felt was gone. His words hung heavy in my mind. If what he said was true and they did move the prisoners, finding our people would be almost impossible. They had cooked our dinner in a big kettle they had salvaged from one of the cupboards. The kettle had turned black under the flames and dinner had a familiar, but un
usual smell. Cathy stood above the kettle and smiled at us as we walked into the kitchen.

“Something sure smells good,” said Gary. “What’s for dinner?”

“Soup,” said Cathy. “I hope you like it.”

“I love soup. What kind is it?” Ace asked, peeking into the kettle.

“Special recipe. Actually, you might call it iced tea soup.”

“Iced tea soup?”

Cathy’s smile faded. “The cans of soup we had were condensed and we didn’t have enough water, so we had to use iced tea. I’m sorry, but there was no other way. There’s chicken noodle, beef vegetable, bean and bacon, and wild rice soup in there. Actually, it isn’t too bad once you get used to it.”

I stood in the archway that led to the living room and
turned to see the others. Neil and Violet were sitting together on the sofa staring blankly into their plastic bowls. However, Jack and Lisa were sitting at the table eating their soup with relish. Jack looked up at me between bites. “Hey, it ain’t too bad,” he said. “These gals might be onto something.”

Cathy dished Ace up a bowl. “There’s bread on the counter and plenty of iced tea,” she said, handing him the bowl.

Ace took the bowl and gave Cathy a smile. “Thank you,” he said. He then shot me a goofy, frightened look and it was all I could do not to laugh.

“Say when,” Cathy said to me.

My empty stomach rumbled and I knew I would have eaten that soup if it had been prepared with orange juice. I waited until she had filled the bowl and thanked her. She stuck two slices of bread and a plastic spoon into the bowl and carried it over to me. And then she did something strange. As if we were a married couple, she stepped close and tilted her head up to me. She then closed her eyes and puckered her lips. Without thinking, I bent over and gave her a quick peck, nothing more.

Cathy opened her eyes and gave me a warm smile. I nearly spilled my soup as I tur
ned away. The expression on Lisa’s face was obvious and she quickly dropped her eyes as I walked into the living room. Cathy had just claimed me and everyone, except Violet and Neil, had witnessed it. I walked to the table and sat next to Ace.

“You’re right,” said Ace to Jack. “This is pretty
good.”

Cathy appeared from the kitchen carrying a bowl in one hand and a plastic cup in the other. She placed it next to my bo
wl and sat down. Lisa dropped her spoon and picked up her bowl and joined Neil and Violet. Jack gave me a sharp look across the table.

“I knew this was coming,” said Ace. “I tried warning people, but nobody listened. That’s why we moved up to Pine City. I said they’re going to come after our guns, but people wrote me off as a conspiracy theorist and I gave up trying. I hate to say I told you so.”

“I’ve been warning people about this for years,” said Jack. “But you’re right, Ace, people didn’t give a flying fart about the truth. I could see it in their faces. They actually felt sorry for me. Poor Jack, he’s one of them now. That used to drive me bonkers. The writing was on the wall for years and just about everyone denied seeing it.”

“I saw it,” said Ace. “They wanted our guns. The damn Chinese wanted our guns. This thing isn’t going to end until we
’re all helpless to defend ourselves and we have a one-world government.”

Jack nodded his head. “You’re half right. They’ve got a plan, but we’re not part of it. Why do you think they’re fluoridating the water? What about the mercury in our immunizations? What about the
chem-trails? Ace, they’ve been slowly exterminating us for decades. People have got to realize that. There is no place in the brave new world for free-thinking folks like us. Once they’ve taken over, we’re all doomed.”

Cathy kicked my under the table and rolled her eyes. Thankfully, I was the only one who caught it. I had heard the rumors about what Ace and Jack were talking about
, but I had never given them much thought. Many of those ideas had sounded outlandish to me, but they now sounded quite plausible. I gave Cathy a stern look and took my first spoonful of soup. I can’t say I’ve ever tasted anything quite like it. I’ll spare you the details.

“What kills me,” said Ace, “is the people who say it could never happen. You’d think they never cracked open a history book. Look at Nazi Germany. What about the Russian purges?”

“Or the American Indian?” asked Jack.

“Exactly.
How can people think it could never happen again? I’m guessing there are still Americans out there who actually believe this was about guns. They’re probably sitting in their homes right now and thinking they’re safe. I know people like that.”

“First they came for the Jews,” whispered Jack.

“All right,” said Cathy, holding up her hands. “We’ve got young people here and I think they’re plenty scared enough the way it is. Would you guys mind if we changed the subject?”

“Not at all,” said Ace. “I’m sorry about that. Sometimes I just get so mad, that’s all.
”

“Me too,” said Jack. “Sorry Cathy, we should change the subject. What’s the plan for tomorrow?”

Ace raised an eyebrow at me and I knew he was handing me the floor. “I have four thousand dollars,” I said, standing up and pulling one of the rolls out of my pocket and placing it on the table. “I have another roll in my backpack. I know it isn’t a lot of money, but it might be enough to buy the freedom of our people. We won’t know until we make the guards an offer.”

“Soldiers aren’t going to take your money,” said Cathy. “I ought to know.”

“But what if the camp isn’t being guarded by soldiers?” asked Ace. “With everything that’s going on, my guess is that the camps are being guarded by civilians. If we flash them some cash, they might just take it.”

“I have six member
s of my family locked in there,” said Lisa. “What makes you so sure they’ll take the money?”

“I’ve got eight hundred bucks,” said Jack. He stood up and
reached in his back pocket for his wallet. He then flipped it open and fished out eight hundred-dollar bills. “I think it’s as good a plan as any. What other options do we have?”

“I was going to drive a truck through the compound,” said Ace. “From what I’ve heard, it isn’t much more
than a warehouse with a twelve-foot fence around it. Sure, they have a few guard towers, but I could take those out in a minute.”

“And how many people would be shot?” I asked. “You’d probably be dead before you were within
a half mile of the fence. I’m sure they’re watching for just that sort of attack.”

“I wish we had a few of those drones,” said Jack. “I’d give those bastards a taste of their own medicine.”

“I’ll bet I could fly one,” said Neil awkwardly. “Really, I’ve studied them. They’re really not all that hard to operate.”

“That’s great,” said Cathy. “I’ll just run on down to Walmart and pick up a couple. Get serious, Neil.”

“Hang onto that thought,” said Ace. “What if we found out where they’re launching those things from? I’m sure there will be security, but how much? Maybe we could attack them and gain control of the base?”

“
And what do we do then?” asked Lisa. “Do you think you could just fly them into tanks? I don’t think so. I think that sounds like a crazy plan. Better to show them the money. It always works in the movies.”

“I agree,” said Ace. “Gary and I were just talking about that. The only problem we can see is that if they take the money, how can we trust them to make the trade?”

“I’ll bet hundreds of people have already tried the same thing,” said Jack. “If they’ve had any success, maybe they’ve already got some kind of system in place?”

Ace rubbed his chin. “I’m sure others have tried it and you might be onto something. Maybe we should start asking around? They can’t have the entire town locked up, not yet. Somebody is bound to know something.”

“They won’t trust you,” said Lisa. She got up from the sofa and returned to the table and stood behind Jack. “Think about it. What if someone you didn’t know came around and asked that type question? You wouldn’t trust them. I know I wouldn’t.”

I stood up and nodded. “She’s right. We’re going to have to be careful who we talk to. You see, this is why we need to figure these things out. I’m glad we stopped here. We need to come up with a plan.”

“We need to come up with several plans,” said Ace. “Contingency plans. I can tell you all this much--I’m not being taken alive. I’ll take down as many of those bastards as I can. You can take that to the bank.”

“Ace,” said Cathy, “would you mind if I asked you a question?”

“What’s on your mind?”

“Why did they take your wife and kids? I mean, why would they seek them out and take them away in the first days of the occupation? And where were you when they were taken?”

Ace frowned. “You like to go for the throat, don’t you?”

“
You don’t have to answer me. I was just curious.”

I stared at Cathy through hooded eyes. The subject was obviously a painful one and if she wished to ask about it, I thought she should have done it in private. She looked back at me with feigned innocence.

“I was at work when they took my family. I’m a foreman on a crew that does track maintenance for the railroad. A neighbor stopped over to tell me what had happened and there was a note on my kitchen table telling me to turn myself in. I know why they were there. I belong to several online organizations that were suspicious of our government. That put me at the top of their list when the shit hit the fan. Do you think I’m proud of that? Let me ask you something, Cathy. Would it have been better to pretend I didn’t see it? Should I have buried my head in the sand like everyone else? I feel like shit that I wasn’t around to defend my home, but a man has to work in this world. I never thought it would happen so fast.”

“That’s exactly what happened to me,” said Jac
k. “I was at my job at the co-op when they came and carted Helen off. I know it’s because of what I was doing on the internet. And I’m with you, Ace. I’m proud of what I did to educate people on the net. Without people like us, I’ll bet there wouldn’t even be a resistance.”

Lisa
set her empty bowl on the table. “Most people are too afraid to stand up. They’d rather hide until this is all over. This is just history repeating itself.”

“T
his ain’t China, Lisa,” said Jack.

“Do you think I’m
Chinese?”

“Chinese, Japanese, what’s the difference? America hasn’t forgotten about Pearl Harbor.
”

Lisa stared at Jack and let out an exacerbated sigh. “For your information, mister racist, I’m Polynesian. My family is from Hawaii. Now, what were you saying about Pearl Harbor?”

“Yeah, well you don’t look Hawaiian to me.”

“Stop it, you two
,” said Ace. “Just let it go. We have the First Amendment here that gives us the right to say and think whatever we damn well please. And we got the Second Amendment to back up the First. This is bullshit and nobody is coming to my town and taking those rights away from me. Not anybody!”

I didn’t like what Jack had said and I hoped he had been joking. Still, what he and Ace were saying made perfect sense to me
. Something inside of me had hardened and I knew there was no turning back.

“People called my dad a conspiracy theorist,” said Neil. “And he was on the internet all the time. He thought the United States government was behind the attacks on the Twin Towers. He also thought that the CIA used MK ULTRA to create the crazy people who went on those shooting rampages.”