Broken Tide | Book 5 | Storm Surge

by Richardson, Marcus

"Cami?" Gary cried and charged forward the last dozen feet. He enveloped her in a bear hug, and she buried her face in his chest, immediately overcome with relief and joy. She turned as the second man came up and hugged her, too. "John! How did you guys find me!"

  Douglass released her and wiped the water from his face as he hunched into the wind. "You’re not the only tracker in the neighborhood!" he yelled over the roaring wind.

  "Look, there were a bunch of guys headed toward—“ she began.

  “We know, we saw them,” Douglass said. "They're headed for Bee’s Landing—we were hoping they didn't see you."

  “But—if you came from Bee’s Landing, how did—”

  Gary smiled. “We—I got us turned around in the storm and we ended up going north for a while…”

  “I kept trying to get his attention but didn’t want to yell,” Douglass said with an equally big smile. “I finally caught him and turned us the right way, and we almost walked right into them.” He looked at Gary. “If we’d been going the right way the whole time, we would’ve had to shoot it out with all four of ‘em.”

  "Thank God they missed us, and you got away!" Gary said with a wide smile on his face. He leaned in and hugged Cami once more. "That's from Elizabeth!"

  Something smacked into the tree next to Cami and bark peppered her face. A split second later, she heard the muffled crack of a rifle.

  All three of them dropped to the ground in a tangle of arms, legs, and weapons. Several more shots fired, and branches and leaves twitched all around them.

  "I thought you said they didn't see us,” Gary snapped.

  "I guess they spotted us after all," Douglass admitted as he brought his rifle up.

  "It doesn't matter!” Cami said. “We've got to get past them—I think this is part of a bigger attack!"

  Gary brought his rifle up and fired a shot. Cami shook her head—she could tell by the angle of his barrel that the only thing he might’ve hit was a tree.

  She brought her own rifle up and froze, waiting for a muzzle flash. She didn't have to wait long. A bright spot of light emerged from the bushes some forty or fifty feet away. A split second later, a tree branch only a few feet above her head snapped and fell down on top of her. She ignored it, sighted in on where the muzzle flash had come from, and squeezed her trigger twice. Her rifle bucked, and two brass casings flew through her peripheral vision. Next to her, Douglass fired a pair of shots from his rifle and between the three of them, they forced the attackers to take cover.

  After a long moment, with nothing but the wind howling in their ears, Cami turned to Gary. "You think we got ‘em?”

  "I think they're waiting for us to make a move," Douglass said quietly.

  "At some point we’ll have to get moving—if there's more of them out here…”

  Gary made to rise. “Come on, the kids are waiting for us at your place. We can't stay out here all day, the storm’s only going to get worse."

  Cami put an arm out to stop him. "Just…just wait a minute."

  The three of them scanned the bushes opposite a small clearing for any sign of movement. Cami counted to ten, twenty times, and still they saw no movement. No more incoming rounds either.

  "What do you think?" Douglass asked.

  Cami’s stomach twisted. "I don't know, and that's what scares me. We don't even know how many people are over there."

  "Maybe it was just the one?" Gary asked hopefully.

  "Maybe all four of them are over there," Cami countered.

  "Let's do it," Douglass said. He got to his knees, and Gary stood on her other side. Cami had just started to rise, when a pair of muzzle flashes lit up the bushes in front of them. Gary cried out in pain and collapsed to the ground next to her, writhing as he clutched at his arm. She turned to him and heard a muffled crash as Douglass hit the deck behind her.

  "It's not bad,” she told Gary over the wind. “It’s more than a scratch, but you're not gonna die.”

  “That's not what it feels like!" Gary yelled back.

  "Did you guys bring any medical supplies?" Cami asked, not only thinking of Gary's arm, but her leg.

  "Yeah, John's got some with the radio…”

  Cami turned. "John, I need the first aid kit!” he didn't answer, but lay face down next to her. "John?" She reached out and turned him over, which was not easy as his body had gone limp. Before she even saw his face, she knew he was gone.

  The hat he’d worn had fallen back to cover the exit wound, but a hole the size of a nickel had been carved out just under his right eye, shattering the cheekbone and distorting his face. His sightless eyes stared up as she rolled him on his back, and rain began to fill his open mouth.

  Cami sat back on her heels in shock and couldn't tell whether she was crying or the rain covered her own face.

  A muffled shout to her left, where the attackers had fired, drew her attention. With a snarl of rage, she snatched up her rifle and fired.

  Chapter 29

  Lavelle Homestead

  Bee’s Landing Subdivision

  Northwest of Charleston, South Carolina

  Darien turned and looked at Mia, who'd reappeared in the kitchen and taken her station by the table with the first aid kit at the ready. "Did you hear that?”

  She nodded, her eyes wide and her mouth compressed into a tight line. "It sounded like gunfire…”

  “Could be Cisco…but nobody’s shooting at us. What are they shooting at out there?" he asked as he turned back to the window.

  "Gary and John?" Mia suggested in a voice barely above a whisper.

  "No, no, no…” Darien muttered as he clenched his fist and pressed it against the door. "It's either them or Cami…” He stepped back from the door as it shuddered in the frame.

  "That wasn’t a gust of wind—somebody's trying to break in!” Mia warned.

  Darien raised the shotgun and waited. Another crash against the door, and the frame shattered at the lock. The door swung in with a gust of wind and rain, and a stranger, holding a rifle, tried to force his way in through the opening.

  Darien didn't give him the opportunity. He squeezed the trigger on the marine shotgun and thunder crashed in the kitchen. Mia screamed, and the stranger cried out, staggered back and fell onto the deck, writhing in pain.

  Darien would remember much later that the moment everything fell apart was when he pulled the trigger.

  Chapter 30

  Bee’s Landing Subdivision

  Northwest of Charleston, South Carolina

  Cisco swore he’d heard a gunshot, but he couldn't tell if it was coming from the woods or the back of Lavelle’s house. Then he saw one of his men on the front porch attempt to kick in the plywood reinforced door. The second man on the porch used the stock of his rifle to hammer at the big bay window—likewise covered in plywood. "You idiots, what are you doing?"

  While he couldn't do anything to help the two men on the front porch, he could still see the man on the south wall of the house, making his way toward the rear. As he shifted his aim, Cisco clearly saw a wooden wall at the rear corner of the house. Two heads popped up, and he squeezed the trigger.

  His rifle barked, and the two heads dropped back down again, though his own man seemed not to notice the obstruction in his path. "Look up, look up…” he muttered, willing the attacker to pay attention as he waited for the defenders to reappear.

  A second later, one of the defenders popped up and fired. Cisco fired a split[MP18] second later. A chunk of wood exploded from the top of the log wall next to the defender, and the man jumped back as if slapped, then disappeared. Cisco cursed. The wind threw his shot way off, even after he’d compensated.

  The gunfire drew his fighter’s attention, though, and the moron looked up, noticed the wooden wall and brought his own rifle up. He looked back across the street toward Cisco and waved, then returned his attention to the wooden wall.

  Thankfully the idiot didn't decide to sneak his way toward the wall, but sprinted, and closed the distanc
e fast as possible. By the time another head popped up behind the wall, Cisco's man was below his line of sight, leaning against the outer face of the wall. The defender looked left and right, and evidently satisfied the threat was gone, disappeared again. Cisco grinned. One down…how many more to go?

  He shifted his aim back to the front door and saw one of his attackers worrying the bay window plywood, pulling at it with his bare hands. One corner had already come loose, yet the second man didn't help, but continued to kick at the front door. As he watched, a muzzle flash erupted from the middle of the plywood sheeting where his subordinate was attempting to dismantle the covering. He jumped back, but Cisco wasn't sure if he was hit or not. He dropped to one knee and gathered his rifle, then put his back against the wall. The one at the front door scrambled sideways and dropped to the floor.

  Cisco lined up with the middle of the board and fired four shots in quick succession. Whoever was on the other side of the wall had evidently taken cover or been hit, because no other shots came from inside the house.

  "It's on…” he muttered.

  Chapter 31

  Lavelle Homestead

  Bee’s Landing Subdivision

  Northwest of Charleston, South Carolina

  Darien slammed the door, then pulled the kitchen table over to keep it shut against the gusting winds. Thankfully, the door was on the west side of the house, so the winds merely wrapped around the house instead of pushing directly on the door. "Everybody heads up! We’re under attack! Shoot anything that moves!"

  "Easier said than done!" Rufus hollered from down the hall.

  Before Darien could reply, several rifles barked at once as the men in the front room returned fire. Muffled shots from outside the southern wall of the kitchen told him that the men in the redoubt had engaged the enemy. Darien’s hope of survival began to raise just a smidge. They'd repulsed the opening salvo of the attack, and so far, the only breach point had been the rear door which was now barricaded.

  “Hold on!” Darien yelled. “This is just starting!”

  Chapter 32

  Braaten Forest Preserve

  Northwest of Charleston, South Carolina

  "What do we do?" Gary asked, as he clenched his jaw in pain and sighted down the rifle aimed at the clump of bushes from which they’d taken incoming fire.

  Cami lurched forward. "We can't stay here! Did you hear the gunfire? Cisco might be attacking Bee’s Landing!”

  "But those guys…” Gary said as he pointed with his good arm. “Douglass…” he said, looking down at the body of their friend.

  "There’s nothing we can do for him now. Follow me!" Cami said. She roared and charged forward, her rifle at her shoulder. As she approached the spot where the two men had fired upon them, she shot another three rounds into the bushes. Next to her, Gary surged to life, screamed a throaty battle cry of his own, and fired as well.

  Every step she took as she raced forward, Cami expected to feel the burning sting of a bullet as it tore through her flesh. And with every step closer to the attackers’ hide, Cami was more and more surprised that she hadn't been shot.

  And then they crashed into the bushes and emerged out the other side to find two bodies crumpled on the ground, and a trail of blood and disturbed leaves that led north. Cami stopped, swung her rifle north, and slowly worked her way into the bushes.

  Gary came up next to her, sounding like a bear crashing through undergrowth, and put a hand on her shoulder. "Let me. I owe you that much," he said grimly.

  Cami hesitated, but Gary took that as assent, and plowed into the bushes. A long moment later, Cami heard a pair of quick gunshots crack through the forest, and dropped to one knee with her rifle up. Soon enough, Gary emerged from the undergrowth, his face pale but set in a determined look. He narrowed his eyes and lowered his rifle.

  “Did you find them?”

  “One guy was already dead and the other one I…” Gary shook his head.

  Cami sighed and lowered her weapon. “That’s all of them, then. The four that you and John spotted.

  “Yeah,” Gary said. He turned and threw up in the bushes.

  Cami waited for him to finish, then got to her feet without a word and led the way to Bee’s Landing. The attacking party had left a trail a mile wide, and she had no trouble following in their footsteps even though the storm tried its best to destroy any sign of their passing. When they reached the edge of the forest, Cami looked around. She was home.

  "Looking for something?" Gary whispered. In the distance, gunshots crackled and rattled, muffled through the howling wind. He peered through the branches, searching for targets.

  "One of the men who held me captive led this group...the group is gone, but where’s their leader?" Cami asked as she looked around.

  "Maybe joined in on the attack. Look, we don't have time—I think they're shooting at your house!"

  A thunderous boom echoed in the distance. "That was a shotgun!" Cami said.

  "Flynt had the shotgun when I left," Gary mused.

  "Come on!” Cami said. They pushed through the tree line and emerged into the backyard of the house just north of Cami. Fighting their way straight into the wind, they finally came within sight of Cami's besieged house.

  “Got somebody sneaking around the side of the house!" Gary said, hunched next to Cami as they leaned forward into the driving wind.

  Cami shook her head and held her hand up in front of her face. "I can't see them! We can't take a chance that we’ll hit one of our own—we’ve got to get closer!"

  Chapter 33

  Bee’s Landing Subdivision

  Northwest of Charleston, South Carolina

  Cisco watched as first one, then two of his men dropped under a hail of fire coming from the Lavelle house. He swore in Spanish and slammed his fist into the windowsill. He pulled the rifle to his shoulder, and fired several shots at the house, but because of the wind and rain, he had no idea if he was anywhere near where he'd aimed. Regardless, his shots didn't seem to have any effect whatsoever on the defenders.

  As far as he could tell, he was down to two effective fighters. One man had gone around the north side of the house, and the other was still pinned against the log wall that jutted out from the south side of the house. Cisco was fairly confident he’d taken out one of the defenders on the other side of the wall, but because the second man hadn't shown his face, he was unsure what to do next. All he could do was wait.

  Cisco hated waiting.

  "I can see I should’ve done this myself." He pulled the rifle back in through the shattered window, then turned and sprinted for the bedroom door. As he skipped down the steps two at a time toward the main floor, someone opened the back door to the house, and wind and rain howled in. He spun, raised the rifle, and almost shot Jenkins in the face.

  "What are you doing here?" he demanded, on the verge of panic. If it was a mutiny, he was ready to go down fighting.

  Jenkins raised both his hands, his own rifle slung across his back as he stood in the doorway, dripping water. "My team was ambushed. I'm the only one that got away."

  That simple statement had taken all the wind out of Cisco's sails. He staggered back as if punched and sat heavily on an end table. The delicate mahogany groaned under his weight. "Ambushed?"

  Jenkins leaned against the door, removed his hat, and wiped his face, slinging water everywhere. "I don't know who was out there, but one minute we’re all walking along single file and everything's going great…” Cisco’s lieutenant looked up and stared straight into his eyes. The man had a haunted look, his eyes were wide, his lips pulled back in a grimace. Cisco had honestly never seen him look so…scared.

  “Then what?” Cisco asked.

  "Then I turned around, and instead of five guys behind me, there's only four."

  Cisco shook his head. “How do you know it was an ambush? Maybe he ran away? One of the idiots in my group tripped on a stupid branch and busted his ankle…”

  “Because a couple minutes
later, I looked back and I only had three men behind me. I sent two to go check on the others. When I heard gunfire, the last one with me took off running." Jenkins crossed his arms. "I shot him in the back myself."

  "You find what happened to the others?"

  Jenkins nodded. "I backtracked and found the bodies." He ran a hand through his hair and looked away. "Boss, two of ‘em had their throats cut. Someone almost took their heads off."

  Cisco frowned. "Well, it couldn't have been the Lavelle woman."

  "Somebody out there is awful mad…”

  "Yeah, well now I'm awful mad," Cisco said as he stood up. "This whole mission’s a complete cluster,” he said as he wiped his hand through the air disgustedly. "My squad’s down to two guys. One’s trapped around the other side of some wall they built, and the other one disappeared, trying to find another way in.” He looked at Jenkins. “Come on, you're with me now. We gotta go help them breach that house."

  Jenkins put a hand on Cisco's arm as he tried to pass. "Hold up, boss. I think this is a losing battle. Between the storm and how well they've got that place wrapped up—and whoever’s out there in the woods—it’s just the two of us now. We need to get out of here."

  Cisco tilted his head and regarded Jenkins curiously. "You want me to leave those two men out there? Just turn around and walk away?"

  "No, I don't want to just walk away. But I do want to leave those men out there. There's nothing we can do for them—and there’s probably more than just those two out there. I lost track of where everyone went when the shooting started. Between that explosion and the hurricane, it’s impossible to tell where we all are and who’s still alive.” Jenkins waved away Cisco’s concern. “Besides, it's only a matter of time before the locals get to them and put a bullet in their heads. They're outnumbered and outgunned, and the people in that house know every inch of ground over there like the backs of their hands.” He shook his head sadly. “Those boys don't stand a chance, now. But we do," Jenkins said as he pointed at Cisco's chest. "And without you, this whole operation falls apart. It's my job to make sure you get out of here alive, live to fight another day…all that stuff."