“I don’t believe you.”
“I don’t—” Harvey said. Or, again, started to say.
Keo swung again.
Harvey raised his right hand to ward off the second attack but Keo got around it and, this time, hit his target.
Bone cracked underneath Harvey’s left cheek.
The big man screamed again and rolled over onto his stomach. He spat out blood and coughed, and sounded very much like he was choking on his own pain.
Keo sucked in a deep breath. “It’s a hammer. You’re going to break before it does.”
He tightened his grip around the rubber handle. Again, so hard that it made a squeaking sound.
“And I got all day,” Keo said.
Seventeen
It turned out he didn’t need all day.
He didn’t even need all hour.
Harvey broke faster than Keo had expected.
Big man. Small tolerance for pain.
Who would have thunk it?
“Jesus Christ,” Lindsey said when Keo was done.
“What’s wrong?” Keo asked her.
“You fucked that guy up.”
“The hammer did most of the work.”
“Jesus Christ, Keo.”
He looked over at Norris, who grinned back. “Well, she’s not wrong,” the older man said.
“I did what I had to,” Keo said.
“So what did he tell you?”
Keo looked after the two men carrying Harvey out of the holding area. Blood dripped from the makeshift stretcher as they went. The Shaker was unconscious, which was probably for the best since he’d been screaming his head off during the entire thing.
“Everything he knows,” Keo said. “Which, unfortunately, isn’t everything I needed. But it’s enough to go on.”
Of the two Arrowheads, Norris was the one who didn’t appear all that bothered by the state of Harvey’s holding cell when he returned with Lindsey. There was blood on the floor. A lot of it. Lindsey hadn’t been able to say a word when she arrived and got a glimpse of Keo’s handiwork. That is, until the whole Jesus Christ outbursts.
“Tell me why he was here first,” Norris said.
“The Deacon sent him to ‘retaliate,’” Keo said, making air quotes. “You would then retaliate in kind, which would give Shaker Town even more excuses to launch a full-frontal attack.”
“‘Even more?’”
Keo took out the rag that Norris had offered him and wiped his hands. It was a good thing the fabric was dark blue, because Keo was sure if it’d been white, the blood on his fingers would have turned it into a gory canvas. He hadn’t expected Harvey to bleed so much, but apparently the big man was a real bleeder.
“They’re blaming you for the bombing yesterday morning,” Keo said.
“What bombing?” Lindsey said.
“Someone bombed Shaker Town,” Norris said to her.
“When did this happen?”
“Yesterday morning,” Keo said.
“Casualties?”
He nodded but didn’t elaborate.
“And they’re blaming us for it?” Lindsey said.
“That’s the idea,” Keo said.
“It’s the excuse they’ve been looking for to poke the bear,” Norris said. “Attack us without cause, and Black Tide would be all over their asses.”
“But we didn’t bomb them,” Lindsey said. She looked over at Norris, the unspoken question all over her face.
Norris sighed. “Kid, you really think I’d tell people to send a suicide bomber into their place? For what?”
“No. But I just wanted to make sure.”
“You sure now?”
“Yes, sir.”
Norris turned back to Keo. “So these last few days was just to break the truce? Pretend we attacked them first so Black Tide doesn’t have any excuses to come down on them like a ton of bricks when they try to burn us down?”
Keo nodded. “That sounds about right. The order came from high up.”
“The Deacon. He’s behind this.”
“Stands to reason.”
“What else did Harvey say?”
“Whether they bombed their own town?” Keo shook his head. “He doesn’t know.” He shrugged. “I believe him.”
“Why?”
“I saw him the morning it happened. If he were playing a role then, he’d be in for an Emmy.”
“You mean Oscar,” Lindsey said.
“Who’s Oscar?”
“The Oscars. That’s the award you give to actors.”
“Technically, they give Emmys to actors, too,” Norris said.
“That’s true.”
Keo barely managed not to roll his eyes. “Whatever. Point is, Harvey was just following orders. The Deacon is behind this.”
“Fucking Shakers,” Lindsey said. She glanced down the hallway in the direction that Harvey had been carried out. Then, looking back at Norris, “So what now, sir? How do we respond to this?”
“We’re not,” Norris said.
“Sir?”
“We’re not going to answer them.”
“Why not? They started it.”
“That doesn’t matter.”
“Sir?” Lindsey said, eyes widening in disbelief.
Norris turned to Keo, and said to him as much as he was to Lindsey, “There’s a reason it’s been almost two years since the last time we clashed with Shaker Town. A full-blown war isn’t going to help anyone, least of all us. Do you remember how many people we buried the last time?”
Lindsey opened her mouth to answer. She seemed ready to fight to the bitter end. But then nothing came out. Not right away, anyway.
She finally said, “I remember.” Then she looked over at Keo as if to ask for his help.
He didn’t know what to tell her, so he didn’t say anything.
“Besides, there are bigger issues at stake,” Norris said. “Right now, I need you to make sure the Shakers stay alive. I don’t want anyone getting payback for what happened to Mick and Pick or Cody or anyone else we lost yesterday and today.”
“Sir…” Lindsey said.
“I need you to trust me on this.” Then, gazing at her with those intense brown eyes of his, “Do you trust me?”
Lindsey didn’t hesitate. She nodded. “Of course. I’ve always trusted. I always will.”
“So please go do as I say.”
“Yes, sir,” Lindsey said, and walked down the hallway.
Keo waited for her to look back, but she never did. Lindsey stepped outside and closed the door after her, leaving him with Norris in the holding area by themselves.
“What did he have to say about this new weapon The Deacon is supposedly building?” Norris asked Keo when the door was closed. “Does it exist or not?”
“He doesn’t know everything, but he gave me a location. As to specifics… The Deacon is keeping it close to the vest. Only a few people know the details. Harvey isn’t one of them.”
“So what does he know?”
“That whatever it is, whatever The Deacon is doing, it’s on the fifth floor of that hotel. And that’s where I have to go next.”
Norris stared at him in silence for a moment.
“What?” Keo said. “Spit it out, old timer.”
“Can you trust him?” Norris asked.
“Harvey?”
“No. Your dad. Yeah, Harvey.”
Keo shrugged.
“What’s that mean?” Norris said.
“This type of thing doesn’t always produce actionable intelligence.”
“Say what now?”
Keo smiled. “He could be lying just to make it all stop.”
“Was he?”
“I don’t know. He could be, or he might not be. For all I know, he might have told me everything he knew.”
“And you’re willing to put your life on the line on the basis of that?”
Keo sighed.
“Kid?” Norris said.
“It’s not like I got anything else better to d
o with my time,” Keo said.
“I saved this for you,” Norris said.
Keo grinned. “Bullshit.”
“Okay, so not specifically for you, but when I found it, I thought of you.”
“Gee, thanks, old-timer. You gonna give me a promise ring next?”
The older man laughed. “Don’t be a pussy, Keo. Just say thank you.”
Keo grabbed the MP5SD off the rack and smiled. “Thanks.”
“You’re welcome.”
They were inside Arrowhead’s version of an armory—really just a big steel building where they kept their weapons and ammo. It was, Keo discovered, the only structure in the entire place that had any large amount of steel as part of its construction. He guessed it made sense, considering what was inside.
Between the holding area and armory, they’d had a long talk about what they were going to do next. More specifically, what Keo was going to do next. Ultimately, it was about returning to Shaker Town, and Keo had no plans to go back without the proper “tools” for the job.
“I still don’t know why you don’t just have Black Tide level the place,” Norris said as he watched Keo grab some magazine for the H&K submachine gun and boxes of ammo, stuffing them all into a tactical bag.
“I can’t do that,” Keo said.
“Why not? If this new fandangle weapon is as dangerous as you keep telling me it is, it’d be the best way to handle it. Boom. Take it out in one shot. That way, The Deacon never gets the chance to use it on us or anyone else.”
“There are civilians in Shaker Town, Norris.”
“So?”
“So?”
Keo looked over at the old man.
Norris sighed. “Right. Civilians.” He shrugged. “It was just a thought.”
“It was a dumb one.”
He picked up some more supplies from a shelf. The armory was chock-full of pretty much everything he needed, from first aid to bullets. Keo moved from shelf to shelf, snatching up what he thought he’d need.
Keo had chastised Norris, but the truth was, the man’s idea was the smartest course of action. Anything else meant Keo had to work harder. But he had to remind himself that if it were easy, then anyone could do it. And frankly, not anyone could do what he was doing.
Thinking way too highly of yourself, aren’t you, pal?
Maybe. Just maybe.
He slung the pack and went looking for a pistol. Norris followed.
There wasn’t anyone else inside the building, which had enough weapons to arm a small country. Keo guessed it came in handy if Arrowhead ever came under a full-frontal attack. Which, according to his intelligence, it had been on multiple occasions over the years, and not always by the not-so-friendly people of Shaker Town.
“So you’re going back there alone?” Norris asked.
“I don’t have any choice. Unless you wanna tag along.”
“Uh…”
“That’s what I thought.”
Norris chuckled. “Sorry, kid, but I have responsibilities now.”
“I gotta admit, I didn’t see this coming.”
“You and me both.”
“How’d it happen, anyway? I thought you might be headed back to Orlando.”
“I was, but got waylaid along the way. Things happened. People got shot. You know the drill.”
Keo nodded. “Yeah. I do.”
“I’ve been meaning to ask…”
“What’s that?”
“Did you ever find her?”
“Who?”
“You know who.”
Keo shook his head. He thought Norris might have been referring to Lara, but it couldn’t be. Norris had no knowledge of Keo’s relationship with her, so who…
Gillian.
He was talking about Gillian.
Damn. He hadn’t thought about her in years.
“Gillian,” Norris said. “Did you ever find her?”
“I did.”
Norris waited for him to continue, and when he didn’t, the Arrowhead leader sighed. “You gonna make me pull it outta you?”
“Let’s just say it didn’t work out.”
“No?”
“No.”
“That’s too bad. I know you were high on her.”
“That’s life.”
“But she’s…?”
“Alive and well, and last time I saw her, pregnant.”
Norris lifted both eyebrows.
Before the other man could ask, Keo said, “It wasn’t mine.”
“Well, shit.”
“Yeah.”
“Sorry, kid.”
“It is what it is.”
He considered telling Norris about Lara and how he’d found love with her instead. But not many people knew that—and not many people needed to know that—so he kept quiet.
He said instead, “I need a horse.”
“We can spare one,” Norris said.
“Thanks.”
“You don’t have to thank me. The way I see it, what you’re doing will benefit us both. Hell, it’ll benefit all of Georgia if you can put an end to Shaker Town.”
“That’s not the plan, Norris. If Black Tide starts going around starting wars with settlements, no one would trust us again.”
“So you guys are the country’s policemen now, huh?”
“No. Just what’s left of it.”
“Hell of a job.”
“Someone’s gotta do it.”
“Never thought it’d be you, though.”
Keo chuckled. He never thought it’d be him, either, but here he was. If he’d told himself just ten years ago that he’d end up here, doing this, Keo would have thought it was the dumbest thing he’d ever heard. This was not something he was trained for.
“Have you met him yet?” Norris was asking him. “The Deacon?”
Keo shook his head. “No. I was supposed to yesterday morning, before the bombing. I’ve seen him around the place, though. But you’ve met him.”
Norris nodded. “We had a couple of parlays, back before Black Tide got involved and made everyone put down their guns and get chummy. It was always just me and him in a small room talking about how we were going to bury one another. Good times.”
“I can imagine. What can you tell me about the man that intel wouldn’t know?”
“He’s interesting.”
“Interesting how?”
“I’m not sure how to put it.”
“Try.”
Norris didn’t. At least, not right away. He seemed to think about it seriously for a few seconds.
Then, finally, “Unpredictable. The Deacon is very unpredictable.”
Eighteen
He didn’t actually need all day to return to Shaker Town, but that was how long it took anyway. Mostly because Keo had to avoid detection on his way back, which meant taking it slowly and the very long way around. He wasn’t too worried when he was still in Arrowhead territory, but once he was beyond that, the road was more treacherous. Not because of the things he could see, but the things he couldn’t.
Or, more precisely, the people he couldn’t.
According to Norris, there were more than a few parties of Shakers in the surrounding areas, either scouting or waiting to ambush his men. There were skirmishes and two injuries, both Arrowheads, but no word on how Harvey’s old chums had fared. Right now, the two sides seemed to be in a stalemate of sorts, waiting for the other to make the first commitment to engaging in an all-out war.
Norris wasn’t about to give Shaker Town what they wanted, but he hadn’t been shy about calling a meeting with his people and, as Keo left on his black mare, began arming them. School was called off for the day, and teams in the wilds recalled.
Keo had spent about twenty minutes in the comm room talking things over with Black Tide about his next move. He didn’t like the conclusion to their talk.
Neither did Danny nor Lara.
None of them liked it, but it was what it was.
And again, Keo had to remi
nd himself that if anyone could do what he was doing, then he wouldn’t be here in the first place.
Getting back into Shaker Town was easy. Way too easy.
Or, at least, that was what Keo’s paranoid mind wanted him to think. Except it was easy for a reason, because no one in their right mind would sneak into Shaker Town. The place had a reputation, and the ashes of the settlements it’d crushed and burned down to the ground was proof.
So there wasn’t a whole lot of resistance when Keo finally arrived at the perimeter and waited until midnight to make his move. He could see the lights from where he camped on a slight hill, but of course not make out anyone below. There was a lot of grass left between him and the town, but it wouldn’t take long to reach it.
The black mare stood nearby, chewing on grass as Keo bided his time. The horse didn’t seem particularly interested in anything Keo was doing. According to Lindsey, who had given him the animal, it was old, and maybe that explained everything. Keo had opted for the mare because he didn’t need speed on his side. If anything, the horse’s slowness, coupled with its general lack of interest in just about anything, was exactly what he’d needed.
The trip back had been uneventful. He’d encountered a few clues to Shaker presence, but had managed to avoid the men themself. At one point, he’d even heard voices nearby and smelled their stink. Which reminded him of what Lon and Don had talked about earlier, about the Shakers smelling.
Keo sniffed himself now and wondered if a full day away from the place had freshened him up any. He couldn’t smell much of anything. Maybe that was good. Or bad. Possibly somewhere in-between.
The night was quiet, but Keo kept one hand on the butt of the sheathed knife at his left hip anyway. The blade was coated with silver—something Keo had made sure of before he left Arrowhead—and would come in handy if he encountered ghouls. Permanent homesteads like Shaker Town or Arrowhead drew the creatures, which was why all of them were more than ready to deal with a stray undead at all times.
The air around him was crisp and clean, and there were no telltale signs of ghoul presence. That was good, because Keo didn’t feel like fighting tonight. Or the nights after this, for that matter. If he could get into Shaker Town, finish the job, and return to Lara without having to make use of the MP5SD slung over his back, that was even better.
Road To Babylon | Book 10 | 100 Deep Page 14
