by Akart, Bobby
Hannah hugged her mom and then looked up to her. “It doesn’t work like that, Mom. At some point you have to kick the little bird out of the nest.”
Meredith laughed through the tears and hugged her daughter again. Then she reached behind her neck and unclasped her silver, double-cross pendant necklace. She pulled Hannah’s hair to the side and lovingly hooked it around her neck. Hannah reached up and touched the larger cross that was accompanied by a smaller one connected to the chain.
“This was your grandmother’s. She told me that the larger cross was to protect her as my mom, and the smaller one was to protect me, as her daughter. My mom told me that one day, I’d pass this on to my daughter. I think today is that day.”
Hannah smiled and hugged her mom for a third time. The two Cortland women shared a rite of passage in which Meredith acknowledged it was time for her daughter to grow up. She’d symbolically kicked her little bird out of the nest.
Chapter Forty
Outside the Haven
The surveillance intelligence received by Chepe was excellent. Ollie and Earl had carefully recorded their observations of activity at the Haven and kept meticulous notes. Frankie had supplemented their findings, confirming some things while adding additional information about their hierarchy and security procedures at the front gate.
Chepe surmised that the residents of the compound had experienced prior difficulties when outsiders approached their main entrance. Both his operatives and Frankie were of the opinion that the head security personnel and the couple running the community were likely to be called to the entrance in the event someone threatened to breach their entry gate.
This was just one of the distractions Chepe planned to deploy to pull people away from the massive wall that surrounded the Haven. The other, based upon the increased drone activity from the day before, was to play on their existing fears and concerns.
With constant drone flyovers along the Henry River’s banks, Chepe suspected that the security team at the Haven would be overly preoccupied with further intrusions coming from the river side of the compound. He planned on giving them what they feared most, although it would turn out to be a false alarm.
His group had arrived outside the Haven in the early morning hours before dawn. He didn’t like it, but they necessarily had to split into two groups. One was on the river side of the compound, and the other, the larger attack squad, was on the walled side of the Haven.
Using two-way radios they stole from a sporting goods store in Charlotte, he was able to communicate with each team to coordinate their efforts. Ollie and Earl identified a window of opportunity of approximately fifteen minutes in the morning when the security teams traded shifts and the drones temporarily stopped flying along the perimeter of the compound. This was the point when they’d make their move.
Counting on the cover created by the distraction, perfect timing, and the deployment of his most athletic people to scale the walls in order to man the ladders, his handpicked team of ten ruthless anarchists, plus Frankie and himself, would storm the compound in search of Michael Cortland and his family. Once inside, circumstances would dictate who lived and died.
He looked at his watch. It had been ten minutes since the drones stopped flying. He checked in with his team on the east side of the Henry River. They confirmed they were in place and also had eyes on the clearing around the front gate.
He touched base with two female members of his group who were prepared to approach the guards at the bridge, and another two who’d walk up to the front gate seeking shelter. They would provide a distraction for both sets of guards and lock them in place while his people scaled the wall at various points around the compound.
He’d circulated a single sheet of paper with images obtained of the Cortland family off the internet. Although the web was down in the U.S., Jonathan had instructed Chepe on how to access the Russian internet using his satellite phone and the Bluetooth link to a printer. It was a tedious process and involved several conversations with Russian hackers, but they got the information they needed.
Everyone committed the names and faces to memory and prepared their gear. If everything went according to plan, they’d be able to slip into the compound quietly, infiltrate the housing and other buildings in search of their targets, and eliminate them without being detected.
They had the element of surprise and a viable plan. Everyone knew their jobs, and all were willing to both kill and die for the cause. When Chepe told his group who the target was and why, he had to tamp down their enthusiasm. Nobody knew the Cortlands, but they all were familiar with George Trowbridge.
After Chepe told them what Trowbridge had done to Schwartz, and that Jonathan had been forced into hiding, their angry voices built to a crescendo.
He checked his watch again. It was time.
Chapter Forty-One
Haven House
The Haven
Ryan and Blair stood on the front porch, enjoying a coffee drink and the warm morning sun. “Are you not going to the morning meeting today?” Blair asked as she took a sip of her Couples Coffee mixed with a few squirts of caramel for flavor. Ryan gurgled the last of his iced coffee through his straw and studied the bottom of the cup, hoping that a refill would magically appear.
“Nah, I wanted to stay out of Alpha’s way today. He’s teaching the kids about the drone program, and Tyler’s got some medical kits to include with the security patrol’s gear. I thought it would be nice to hang out with you this morning.”
“Oh.”
“Whadya mean, oh?”
“I mean—”
“Does your boyfriend come over and play while the big cat’s away?” asked Ryan teasingly.
“Lol. The big cat has a tendency to leave a messy litter box,” replied Blair as she playfully shoved Ryan toward the steps. “I haven’t straightened the house since all of this started. We’ve had people traipsing in and out all day long. Lord knows how many germs are inside.”
“Yeah, but they’re our germs,” countered Ryan.
“Not necessarily. You know I’ve never been the same since I read those pandemic books. It just takes one cough or sneeze, you know.”
Ryan pouted. He genuinely wanted a day of peace and quiet with Blair and the girls. In the end, he’d take any amount of time together with them, regardless of what they were doing.
“I can help,” he offered.
“Okay. The girls need bubble baths. We’ll start there and then …” Blair stopped as she saw X-Ray walking toward them. She was still skeptical of the newcomer and tried not to share more than she had to when he was nearby.
“Good morning,” he greeted as he arrived at the foot of Haven House’s front steps. “I hope I’m not interrupting.”
“Not at all,” said Ryan. “We’ve got a pot of coffee that’s still warm. Can I get you some?”
X-Ray smiled shyly and declined. “No, thanks. Have you got a minute?”
Blair patted Ryan on the shoulder and turned toward the door. “I’ll get started inside. Join me if you can.”
“Actually, Blair,” X-Ray began, causing her to stop. He pulled his flip phone out of his pocket and twirled it in his hand nervously. “I really need to speak to you both.”
Blair glanced at Ryan and then motioned for the guys to follow her inside. The two guys settled at the dining table and she poured herself another cup of coffee.
“I need to get right to the point, and when I’m done, I’m prepared for whatever consequences you consider to be appropriate,” continued X-Ray.
“Well, that sounds ominous,” Blair said in a serious tone as she sat next to her husband. “What’s going on?”
X-Ray set the phone on the dining table and rubbed his face with the palms of both hands. He’d begun to sweat despite the fact that the temperature in Haven House had dropped to the low sixties without a fire burning. The mild temperatures had prompted Ryan to save firewood that day.
“There is some backstory, and I’ll g
o into it if you want me to, but I need to just tell you both something because I’m not sure what it means.”
“We’re listening,” said Ryan as he leaned forward and placed both elbows on the table.
“I have a side job, sort of, working for a group of people I consider to be real patriots. I help them with cyber intrusions during major election cycles, do opposition research, and even manipulate election results when necessary.”
“Patriots?” asked Blair.
“I believed them to be the good guys,” he explained. “Face it, both the left and the right employ dirty tactics and underhanded means of influencing elections. My job was to make sure the right side of the aisle could keep up with the left side. There are dozens of us around the country, if not more.”
“Okay, fine,” said Blair. “I’m aware of your political leanings, and I assumed that you didn’t just use your talent to play casino games online or surf teen porn sites.”
X-Ray became more nervous. “What?”
“Walter O’Reilly, aka X-Ray, aka …” Blair paused for effect. “X-Ray, need I continue? I know more than you think.”
“Blair, what are you—?” Ryan tried to get Blair to explain, but she cut him off.
“Ryan, I suspect that will be a conversation for another time. I’m not concerned with this man’s sexual preferences. I wanna know why he’s here to see us.”
X-Ray fidgeted in his seat and then got to the point. “My contacts with this patriot group sent out a text on the morning of New Year’s Eve. I assume everyone on the distribution list got it and not just me. Anyway, the text identified Michael Cortland and instructed us to notify him, or her, or whoever it is, if he’s spotted. We were to refer to him as the eagle.”
Ryan emitted a heavy sigh. “Why are you just now telling us this?”
“Well, at first, I didn’t think it was a big deal, especially since it was coming from the people who had paid for all of my equipment, and then some. Also, they’re like us, you know. I didn’t think it would put him in any danger.”
“Danger? What would put him in danger?” Blair was becoming angry.
“After Ryan and Cort came by my place that night, I replied to the text to let them know Cort was here. I didn’t know what else to do, so I followed instructions.”
“You should’ve come to us immediately, that’s what you should have done!” shouted Blair. Ryan tried to calm her down, but she had fire coming out of her ears now.
“There’s more.”
Ryan and Blair stared at the young man in disbelief.
“Talk. Now!” Blair demanded.
“I received a text last night, but I didn’t see it until this morning. It instructed me to advise them if the eagle, that’s Cort, left the Haven.”
“They used the word Haven?” asked Ryan.
“No, sorry,” replied X-Ray. He opened the flip phone and navigated to the text message he’d received.
He read it aloud. “Keep your eyes on the eagle and advise if he takes flight. Godspeed, Patriot! MM.”
Blair reached for the phone and scrolled through the other messages. “They use the same sign-off as the others—Godspeed, Patriot, followed by the letters MM.”
“You guys received the messages, too?” asked X-Ray.
“Some of us.” Blair’s response was curt. She thought for a moment and then looked to Ryan. “What about this message that came in thirty minutes ago? How is your phone working?”
“Text messages only. Blair, I just saw it and that’s why I’m here. I’m afraid something is about to happen and it’s all my fault.”
“Let me see,” said Ryan, who took the phone from Blair. He read the text.
It’s always safer to keep your head down, but your eyes wide open.
Fare thee well,
Godspeed, Patriot.
MM
“I think that message was intended only for me, and not the group of hackers I’m affiliated with,” said X-Ray.
Ryan stood and began to pace the room. He threw the phone on the dining table, and it slid to a stop in front of X-Ray. Nobody said a word as he angrily paced back and forth, stopping once to pick up a pillow off the couch only to toss it into a chair on the other side of the living area.
Blair stood and joined her husband. She was about to speak when X-Ray offered to leave.
Ryan shouted his response. “No! Stay where you are. Let me think.”
“Cort’s in danger,” whispered Blair.
“Darling, we all are now. I’ve got to alert Alpha, and we need to be prepared.”
“For what?” asked Blair.
“I don’t know, but we can’t take anything for granted, nor can we assume this guy’s admissions can be trusted. Who knows whether he’s trying to manipulate us or warn us?”
Blair reached for Ryan’s hand and gave it a squeeze. “Either way, we need to lock him away until we figure it out. Right?”
Before Ryan could respond, his radio sprang to life.
“Bridge to Haven House, do you copy?”
Ryan pulled his two-way off his belt and replied, “Go ahead, Bridge.”
“Front Gate to Ryan. Over.”
Ryan pulled the radio away from his mouth and stared at it, looking for answers.
“Ryan, this is Alpha. We’ve got reports of two loud splashes hitting the river across from the cabins. I’m en route.”
X-Ray slid his chair away from the table and spoke. “I think they’re coming.”
Chapter Forty-Two
The Haven
Chepe and his people had made their way to the Haven’s wall during the shift change. Each team consisted of three people, one to handle the ladders and the other two to search for the Cortland family. The diversionary tactics were deployed, which included rolling two large boulders into the Henry River to create the illusion that two people had either fallen in or were attempting to breach the Haven’s perimeter. Coupled with the approaches on the bridge and at the gate, the diversions were designed to draw the Haven’s security resources away from the wall.
“Hit it,” Chepe ordered into the radio. Along the wall, extension ladders were hoisted up, and the teams began their ascent to the top. Once there, a second ladder was handed up to them to provide a quick and safe landing inside the compound.
This was where speed and luck came into play. Although every member of his team was armed, he preferred not to raise alarms by firing their weapons. He’d hand-selected the people to enter the compound based upon their ability to kill with knives or their bare hands if necessary. These select few were known for their commitment to the cause.
He expected one-on-one fighting as they moved through the Haven, and that women and children would fall victim to their assault. He couldn’t have any members of his teams become squeamish or uncertain, as that would jeopardize their entire mission.
Chepe was teamed with Frankie, who knew the most about the inner layout of the Haven from his conversations with Ethan. He was aware that the main house, where the Smarts resided, was centered within the Haven and not that far from the front gate. The day Frankie had tried to gain entry, he’d observed Ryan calling for Blair on the radio, and he’d heard her four-wheeler start up and head down the gravel road toward the gate. This seemed to confirm what Ethan had told him.
Further, Frankie knew that the large barn located toward the northern end of the Haven was a center of activity. It was the site of daily meetings and housed the quadcopters that Ethan had used the day he ran away. Through casual conversation, and due to the fact that Ethan was unaware that the cop was using his police interrogation skills to learn more about the new place where he hoped to live, Frankie had a pretty good idea of where to start looking for Cort and his family.
He and Chepe dropped to the ground and got their bearings. Using a compass taken from the sporting goods store, they headed due east through the woods until they approached a clearing where the Haven’s gravel road split the property in half.
Fr
ankie, who’d been trained through Philly SWAT on techniques to avoid detection during a raid, led the way, and Chepe dutifully followed his directions.
Chepe had turned down the volume of his radio and instructed all of his fellow anarchists to do the same. When the time came to extract, Chepe had an air horn that he’d sound, at which time everyone would make their way back to the wall where they came in. The members of the ladder team were responsible for keeping them hidden from view, taking out any patrols who threatened their position, and to be ready when the extraction alarm was raised.
“Drones,” said Frankie under his breath. “Listen to the pitch. Can you hear them take off?”
“Yeah, to our left,” replied Chepe. The two men held their breath as they focused on the sounds. Chepe then counted aloud. “One, two, three, four.”
“Makes sense,” whispered Frankie. “Ethan said there were eight. Four on. Four off.”
They ducked into the underbrush and hid as a four-wheeler raced down the road past them toward the barn. They could hear shouting coming from their right.
“Already?” questioned Frankie. He couldn’t imagine that their operation could’ve been blown so quickly.
Chepe shrugged. “Maybe they’re responding to the diversions at the river.”
“You’ve got your best shooters up there?” asked Frankie.
“Yeah. Both were hunters. If Cortland shows his face along that riverbank, he’ll be dead.”
“What about his family? We’ll lose the element of surprise.”
Chepe ducked as a drone sped over their head. “We’ll take the big prize and go. I’m sure my people will be satisfied with his head on a pike.”
The drones were now buzzing all over the property, and the sounds of four-wheelers filled the air. Then the first crack of staccato gunfire could be heard.
“Dammit!” said Frankie in frustration.
