Gateway To Chaos (Book 3): Seeking Justice

by Payne, T. L.

  Raine scanned the field to their right. “Should we follow after them?”

  “I don’t know. What if it wasn’t them?”

  “It has to be. Where else could they have gone?” Raine asked.

  Raine felt so exposed as she and Sheena crossed the open field in search of Jim and Aiden. She could hear voices ahead.

  “Raine. Someone’s coming,” Sheena said, grabbing her arm and pointing to their right.

  Raine cursed under her breath and picked up her pace. When they reached the barbed-wire fence where she thought she’d seen the others cross, she pushed the middle wire down while she held the top wire up to allow Sheena to crawl through. Raine pointed her rifle in the direction of the men running toward them.

  “Hurry!”

  Sheena climbed through and held the wires open for Raine. The rifle’s barrel got hung up as she slid her leg through the opening. She was thrown off balance and landed hard on the other side. Sheena reached down and grabbed the weapon off the ground. Raine scrambled to her feet and took it from her. She pivoted and pointed the barrel in the direction of the approaching men.

  “Run, Sheena. I’ll cover you,” Raine said.

  “No. We both go.”

  Raine looked from Sheena to the men. There wasn’t time to argue. “Okay. Run.”

  Sheena and Raine ran down a slope and followed a creek south. Raine scanned the area of a bank for signs of where Jim and Aiden had crossed. In just a few minutes, she spotted several sets of footprints going up a hill to their right.

  “There. They crossed and went up there.”

  Raine turned and watched for anyone following them as Sheena climbed the hill.

  “Can you see anything?” Raine asked.

  “I see tracks. There are several tracks up here. It looks like Jim and Aiden are following someone.”

  Raine let the rifle hang by its sling as she climbed the hill. Just before reaching the top, she glanced over her shoulder. There was still no sign of the men that had crossed the field after them.

  Maybe they turned back.

  When she reached the top, Raine scanned the creek one last time before setting off to follow Jim and Aiden’s tracks. If they were being pursued, the men should have caught up with them by now.

  They followed the tracks through the wooded area to a clearing. A small white-clad house sat in the middle of a field. Just beyond the house stood a group of men, rifles raised at someone on the ground. Sheena took off, running across the field. Raine felt panic rise in her gut.

  What the hell are we doing? We’re not soldiers or law enforcement. This is crazy.

  Raine caught up to Sheena and grabbed her by the arm.

  “Sheena. We don’t know if it's Jim and Aiden. They could be the ones on the ground. We need to be sure before we run up in the middle of that.”

  Sheena looked from the men to Raine and nodded. “We can go around the side of the house.”

  “Okay. Let’s go. Just be careful.”

  Raine led the way around the south side of the home, around the back to the north, where a long driveway led to a detached garage. She stopped at the corner of the garage and looked toward the front. There were two men on the ground. Four men surrounded Jim and Aiden. They looked furious. One man paced back and forth, stabbing his rifle towards Jim and Aiden.

  “They killed my dad. They deserve to die for that. I aim to see they do.”

  “And they will, Stephen. I promise you they’ll pay for killing your daddy, but first, we need to find out if Marco and Juan will make a trade for them. If these boys here are related to the woman they’re looking for, this might be our chance to get your mom and sister back,” a tall, heavyset man said.

  “What the hell?” Sheena asked.

  “This just keeps getting weirder by the moment,” Raine said.

  “We have to do something. It sounds like they are going to trade Jim and Aiden to the cartel,” Sheena said, stepping in front of Raine.

  Raine stuck her arm out and stopped Sheena. “Wait, Sheena. We can’t take on four men.”

  Sheena shrugged her off and stepped away from the building. She raised the rifle, and without aiming, fired two shots. Raine braced herself for return fire. She pulled the rifle to her shoulder and aimed for Jeb’s son. The round struck him in the lower leg, and he bent over. The heavyset man turned and started to return fire, but Jim landed a boot to the man’s right shin and he collapsed.

  As Jim wrestled for the man’s weapon, Aiden lunged from the ground and landed a fist to a third man’s face. Sheena fired, and the fourth man dove for cover behind a small shrub. Sheena continued firing, shredding the bush, causing the man to stand and run. Sheena’s rounds missed, and the man disappeared around the front of the home.

  Raine ran over to Jim and Aiden. She pressed the barrel of the rifle against the skull of Jeb’s son. “Don’t move. Just don’t.”

  Sheena stood over a man writhing on the ground.

  “You shot me, you—” the man cursed.

  Sheena clenched her teeth. “Don’t say it. I have an itchy trigger finger.”

  Jim managed to wrench the shotgun from the hefty man and stood. “Where’s Scott? Where did they take him?” he asked.

  The man just glared at Jim.

  “I asked you…”

  An engine fired up and Raine heard it roar toward them. She turned around and the man who’d escaped was behind the wheel of an old cargo van. Jim turned and pointed the shotgun at the windshield. A shot rang out beside Raine and she jumped. The driver slumped over, and the van sped up before crashing into the house. Raine looked to her right. Sheena still clutched the rifle to her cheek.

  “Is he dead?” she asked.

  Raine stepped toward her and placed a hand on her shoulder. “I think so. You okay?”

  Sheena nodded but never took her eyes off the man. “He was going to run us over.”

  Raine squeezed Sheena’s shoulder. “You stopped him.”

  Jim ran to the pickup truck and pulled open the driver’s door. He yanked the man out and threw him to the ground. The man didn’t move.

  Jim rolled back the door to the van. “Are you Scott?”

  Raine ran toward the van. “Scott’s in there?”

  Jim extended his left hand and helped a bound and gagged Scott from the van.

  “Scott!” Raine said as she approached him.

  Jim removed the gag and pulled a knife from his pocket.

  “How?” Scott asked as he licked his dry, cracked lips.

  “A kid came and told us you’d been taken,” Raine said.

  “Where’s Justice?” Jim asked as he slid the knife under the ropes binding Scott’s hands behind his back.

  “What?" Scott asked.

  "My daughter, Justice. Where is she?"

  “Justice?”

  “JJ. Where is JJ? Raine asked.

  Scott looked up at Jim with a questioning expression.

  “They took her, Raine. Her husband and…”

  “Ex. Ex-husband. That pond scum has my daughter?”

  Scott looked from Raine to Jim as if trying to make sense of his presence there.

  “They ran us off the road and took her. I followed, but…”

  “Where is she now?” Jim asked, holding Scott by the collar of his jacket.

  “I don’t know. I came to get help and…”

  “Take me to where you last saw her,” Jim said, yanking him toward the driver’s door of the van.

  Scott looked back over his shoulder to Raine.

  “Aiden. Let’s go. He knows where Justice is.”

  “What are we going to do with them?” Aiden asked, placing his boot on the hefty man’s back.

  “Leave them. This guy is going to lead us to your sister.”

  Raine heard a thud and turned. Jeb’s son was now unconscious on the driveway.

  “I don’t…” Scott stammered.

  Jim shoved Scott into the driver’s seat and ran around to the passenger side
. The right front side of the van protruded into the house. Steam was beginning to rise from the engine. “Put it in neutral. I’m going to push it out,” Jim yelled. Jim pushed the van back from the house and motioned for Scott to crank the ignition.

  Scott turned the key, but nothing happened. Jim ran over and raised the hood on the van. Steam bellowed from the engine. Jim stepped back and paced, flying into a profanity-laced tirade.

  Sheena stepped in front of Jim and held up a hand. “Maybe that minister’s group will loan us their truck.”

  “Why would he do that?” Jim asked.

  “They came to help. They didn’t have to do that. They risked their lives. They sound like good people. If you tell them about your daughter, I bet they’d want to help.”

  Jim shook his head.

  “It won’t hurt to ask.”

  “We’re wasting time,” Scott said, stepping down from the van. “We need to go now.”

  “How far?” Raine asked.

  “They were in a vehicle. They could be fifty miles away by now.”

  Raine’s heart sank. The odds of them finding JJ were slim. And going against a well-armed cartel sounded more like a suicide mission. Raine thought of Brandon with his leg wound. It could have been so much worse. She and Sheena could have been shot on this trip. They were taking risks they weren’t trained for. They were all in over their heads. Raine glanced over the Sheena. Their eyes met. Raine could see that she too was concerned.

  “Sheena?”

  “I know,” Sheena said.

  “DeAndre needs you.”

  She nodded. “I’d go help save JJ, but you’re right. I have Dee to think about.”

  “You’ll see that Brandon makes it back to the farm?” Raine asked.

  “You’re going? But you don’t…”

  “I need to go, Sheena. The three of them can’t take them all on by themselves,” Raine said , trying to convince herself as well as Sheena. She knew that JJ would do this for her.

  “Let’s go find those church folks,” Jim said.

  Chapter 11

  Knob Lick Church

  Knob Lick, Missouri

  February 23rd, Approximately 12:15 pm

  The agitation of the crowd in the parking lot of the church made Raine reluctant to approach. A man in a uniform stood by an old Ford Explorer surrounded by an angry pack. Three men restrained a heavyset man, who was jabbing a finger at the uniformed man.

  “Sheriff, I want to know when you’re going to go get my kids and lock that—” the hefty man yelled.

  “Denny, just stop. This isn’t going to help,” one of the men holding him said.

  The sheriff took two steps back, removed his baseball cap, and ran a hand through his white hair.

  “Denny, I told you. Your wife said the kids were down at her parents' house. She doesn’t have a way to go after them. I can’t spare the manpower or a vehicle to run down there to confirm it.”

  “You know that’s a lie. The neighbors saw them three days ago at Gary’s place. If I go down there, Harry, I’m going to kill his KKK ass,” the hefty man yelled.

  Raine rushed forward and grabbed Jim’s arm. “This doesn’t look good. I don’t know if we should go up there.”

  “I need that truck,” Jim said, stopping and turning to face her.

  “I don’t think they’re going to loan it to you with that crowd around. We need to find out where they took Brandon. Maybe one of the parishioners has a vehicle they would loan us,” Raine said.

  Jim glanced over to the crowd gathered around the sheriff and nodded. Raine approached a middle-aged man and woman standing back from the group. “Excuse me. Would you happen to know where they took my friend? He was shot in the leg a little bit ago and the group with the pastor took him to get treatment.”

  “Oh. Are you that group staying at the Wards’?”

  “Yeah.”

  “They took him to Reverend Cartwright’s house,” the man said.

  Another Cartwright?

  Raine glanced over to Sheena. Sheena gave her a half-shrug.

  “Could you tell us where that is?” Sheena asked.

  The woman took a step back and then pointed to a house to the left of the church.

  “Thanks,” Raine called as she and the others took off around the crowd to find the pastor’s house.

  The pastor is related to Dean Cartwright? How many more relatives does Dean have around here? It concerned Raine that Dean might join with the rest of the community to force them off the farm. Was it just concern for Mrs. Ward or was there some other reason they didn’t want her group around? Now wasn’t the time, but Raine intended to confront Dean Cartwright. If she could make him see them as an asset to the community, they stood a better chance of making it there. What choice did they have? Where else could they go?

  Jim impatiently banged on the door to the white ranch-style home. He didn’t have to wait long. A heavyset woman in a long print dress opened the door. She pushed stray strands of white hair from her face as she opened the screen door. “Can I help you?”

  “I need to speak to the pastor,” Jim said, attempting to step past the woman.

  She stuck out an arm and blocked him. “The pastor isn’t available right now. He was shot and he’s not having visitors just yet.”

  “Our friend was shot as well. We were told he was brought here. His name is Brandon,” Raine said, stepping up onto the porch.

  “Brandon. Yes. He’s here. He’s in with the doc right now. You’re welcome to wait in the family room, if you like,” the woman said, stepping back.

  Jim didn’t hesitate. He stepped past the woman and went inside. Raine, Scott, Aiden, and Sheena followed.

  “If you’ll excuse me, I need to check on my husband,” the woman said, disappearing down a hallway.

  Jim followed her. “Ma’am, my daughter has been taken by some very bad men. I wanted to ask about borrowing your husband’s truck to go after her.”

  The woman stopped and spun around. Her face contorted into a mask of disdain. “I told you. My husband was shot. He is in critical condition right now. I think he’s done enough for you people today. Now, I want you to get your friend and get out of my house.”

  Jim took a step back. Raine stepped in front of him.

  “We really appreciate what your husband did. If you show me where my friend is, I’ll get him, and we’ll go as you wish.” Raine turned to Jim. “Just wait out front. Okay?”

  “I need…”

  Raine put a hand on Jim’s arm, leaned in, and lowered her head. “Jim. Trust me. Just wait out front.”

  Without a word, Jim turned and stomped out. Sheena, Aiden, and Scott were right on his heels.

  Raine followed the pastor’s wife down the short hall to a small room at the back of the house. She found Lucy leaning against the wall outside the room. “How’s he doing?”

  “The doctor said it just grazed his shin, but from all the moaning coming from in there, you’d think he was having it amputated.” Lucy chuckled.

  Raine knocked on the door but didn’t wait for a reply before entering. Brandon was seated in an armchair. When Raine stepped inside, he reached over and snatched his pants off the bed and placed them in his lap. A man knelt at his feet. He wore surgical gloves and held a roll of gauze in his hands. He looked back over his shoulder.

  “I’m almost finished. You can wait outside.”

  “You okay, Brandon?” Raine asked from the doorway.

  “Yeah. It’s not much more than a scratch.”

  Raine stuck her thumb out and gestured over her shoulder.

  “We need to get going to find JJ.”

  The doctor’s head whipped around. His eyes were wild, and his brow furrowed. His white hair stuck up this way and that.

  “What? Do you know anything about JJ?” Raine said, stepping back into the room.

  He turned his attention back to Brandon’s leg wound without responding.

  Raine rushed toward him and grabbed him
by his shoulder.

  “Hey. I asked you if you knew something about JJ. Do you know where she was taken?”

  The elderly doctor struggled to get up. Once on his feet, he backed away from her. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He turned his back to her and gathered his medical kit from the bed. He shook as he stuffed medical instruments into a black bag. He turned and sidestepped Raine, heading for the door.

  Raine grabbed his arm. “You know something. I could see it all over your face.”

  The doctor looked down at Raine’s hand on his forearm. “No. I don’t. Now let go of me. I have other patients to see.”

  “But you haven’t finished bandaging my leg,” Brandon said, pointing to the gauze half-wrapped around his injured leg.

  The doctor grew flustered.

  “I…” he stammered. “I have to go.”

  “Wait,” Raine called to his back. She followed him down the hall and out the front door. He was fast for someone his age. She’d give him that. He was frightened, that was obvious, but why?

  “Jim. Stop him. He knows something about JJ.”

  Jim took off after the doctor.

  Raine was right behind him. “When I mentioned her name, he freaked.”

  “Wait. What’s going on?” Sheena called after them.

  “Stay there,” Raine yelled.

  Just as Raine and Jim reached the doctor, a tall, barrel-chested man stepped in front of them. He put out a hand to stop them.

  “Out of my way, big guy. I need to talk to that doctor,” Jim said, slipping under the man’s arm.

  The man caught Jim’s jacket and spun him around. Raine kept going, never taking her eyes off the retreating doctor. She felt a hand on her shoulder and twisted her head around. Aiden had caught up to her. “I got him,” he said, sprinting toward the older man.

  Raine ran as fast as she could to catch him.

  “Let go of me,” the doctor said, twisting in an attempt to break Aiden’s grip on his arm.

  Raine looked around. The crowd in the parking lot seemed too focused on the sheriff to notice their struggle with the doctor, but Raine was concerned about starting a brawl with these people.

  “Doctor. Please. We just need to know where you saw JJ. Can’t you just tell us that?” Raine asked, placing a hand on Aiden’s. Aiden glared at her. She nodded, and he released his grip on the doctor's arm. Raine took the doctor’s hand.