by Robert Boren
“Oh, sorry,” Kelly said.
“How are we going to handle this?” Kate asked.
“I say we wait for the militia to get here and kill them all,” Curt said.
“You can’t do that,” Jasper said. “They’re tough. Tougher than you.”
“We’ll take that under advisement,” Kelly said. “We need to scatter around here with our weapons. Lay a good trap.”
“We’ll have enough people here to beat them in a stand-up fight,” Eric said.
“True, but we don’t want to have an exchange where some of us get killed and our vehicles get damaged,” Jason said.
“Maybe we meet them before they get all the way here,” Junior said. “We have the advantage of seeing them.”
“How?” Jasper asked.
“Never mind,” Jason said. “I agree, we need to go west of here and nail them before they get to our vehicles.”
“These folks are gonna be smarter than our captors,” Kyle said. “We need to watch ourselves. They almost killed General Hogan, and they did kill General Walker. Let’s keep that in mind.”
“He’s right,” Junior said. “We need to be prepared and leave as little to chance as possible.”
The driver of the first flatbed crawled out from under it. “I can patch this up good enough to get us to Pie Town, but I need some things. Can I borrow a vehicle?”
“Yeah,” Kelly said. “Take my truck. We can hitch a ride with somebody else.”
“Great, thanks,” the driver said. He took the keys from Kelly and left.
“Worse comes to worse, we could drive the tank to base,” Kelly said. “It’s not that far.”
“Agreed, but we need the flatbed for the I-40 job,” Junior said.
“What do we do with this idiot while were in the battle?” White Eagle asked.
“First off, take his phone, and check the bodies for phones too,” Junior said. “We don’t want a warning going out.”
“Here’s mine, mister,” Jasper said, pulling it out of his pocket and tossing it. “The other two didn’t have no phones.”
“Check them anyway,” Jason said, as he picked up Jasper’s phone from the pavement. “Kyle, want to frisk this guy? He might have a handgun or a knife on him.”
“I don’t,” Jasper said.
“Check him anyway,” Jason said.
“Yeah,” Kyle said, walking over to Jasper. He did a complete frisk, then turned to Jason. “He’s clean.”
“No phones on these two,” Junior said, walking away from the bodies.
“Okay, let’s tie this guy up,” Jason said. “I’ve still got my cuffs. We’ll lock him to the frame, under the flatbed.”
“Sounds like a plan,” Kyle said. “Better tie his ankles, too, unless we want somebody watching him.”
“We can duct tape his ankles,” Kelly said.
They got to work, getting Jasper immobilized within a few minutes. The first of the people from the RV Park began to arrive, while Jason, Junior, Kelly, and Eric looked at their map applications for a good ambush spot.
“Wish we could hit them on the east side of Pie Town,” Junior said.
“Too late for that, I think,” Jason said.
“I don’t think they’ll mess with our people,” Stanton said. “They want these tanks. Otherwise they wouldn’t be coming all this way.”
“Yeah, I agree,” Jason said. “I heard one side of the conversation Phil had with Jasper. They weren’t happy when they realized these were so far into New Mexico, but agreed to come anyway.”
More vehicles showed up from the RV Park, swelling their numbers to almost fifty fighters with nearly twenty vehicles, most with mounted machine guns or grenade launchers.
“I’m gonna go unhitch my Jeep,” Jason said.
“Yeah, maybe I should pull the trailer off the road and get the truck unhitched too,” Kyle said. “We could use that fifty cal.”
“I’ll help,” Kate said, rushing to his side. They followed Jason back to the end of the caravan.
“Were you scared?” Carrie asked, looking at Kate.
Kate shrugged. “I was pretty sure we were gonna get free, and these folks were beyond stupid.”
“I was worried,” Kyle said. “They were just stupid enough to kill us by accident.”
“They were,” Jason said. “Jasper blundered into getting his brother and daughter killed. Had everybody right out in the open the whole time.”
“Nice touch with the German Shepherd story,” Kyle said. “Reminded me of that old movie. The Hills Have Eyes. Remember the dog in that?”
“That’s what gave me the idea,” Jason said. Carrie and Kate looked at each other, shaking their heads.
“Maybe I shouldn’t bust your chops for watching those kinds of movies over and over,” Carrie said.
“Jason does that too?” Kate asked. Carrie snickered, making Kate laugh.
“Look, we can get off the road over there with both of the rigs,” Jason said, pointing to a dirt road which joined the highway. “And there’s a flat spot there. It’s probably not visible from the road until you get pretty close.”
“We’re going to engage them further to the west, though, remember?” Kate said.
“Nothing wrong with a little buffer,” Kyle said. “Carrie, are you gonna stay here with Chelsea while the battle goes on?”
“She is,” Jason said. Carrie looked at him, then back at Kyle. “Yeah.”
“Kate should stay, and both of you should be armed and watching, just in case the inbreeds have more people around here than Jasper is letting on.”
“I’d rather go fight with Kyle,” Kate said, “but in this case, I’ll hang with Carrie.”
“Thanks, honey.” Kyle got into his truck with Kate and pulled the trailer off the road and onto the far side of the clearing. He was just getting the truck unhitched when Jason drove his motorhome over.
“I wish this thing wasn’t so tall,” Jason said as he got out. Carrie and Chelsea followed him down the steps. “You two need to stick together and watch.”
“Maybe we should get on the roof,” Carrie said.
“No, somebody might see you and shoot,” Jason said. “Stay inside the coach, but keep the rear camera going, and watch out the front and side windows.”
“I’ll bring my guns over,” Kate said, rushing back into the trailer. She came out with an M-16 and a BAR.
“I think we’d better get going,” Kyle said. “I’ll take you to your Jeep.”
Jason nodded, and they got in and drove from the dirt road to the highway, Jason getting out and jumping into his Jeep. They met the others by the front of the convoy.
“See a good place?” Kyle asked as they walked up.
Junior nodded, holding up his phone. “Two miles east. There’s a good place for us to keep out of sight until the very last minute.”
Jason looked at the screen. “That looks good. Let’s move.”
“We’ll stay and watch the prisoner, if you want,” one of the drivers said, the other nodding in agreement. “We’ve got handguns.”
“Good idea,” Jason said. “Thanks.”
“Let’s go,” Curt said. He got into Moe’s truck with Amanda.
Junior got into Kelly’s truck, watching the map program as Kelly drove. They got to the front of the line to guide the others, getting to the spot in less than five minutes. The cars got off the highway, driving towards a spot where the road was more elevated off of the desert floor.
“How close are the rest of the folks from the RV Park?” Junior asked as the group met around the vehicles.
“Just got a text from Dirk. They’ll be here in less than ten minutes.”
“The militia is making good time, but they’re still over an hour away,” Kelly said, looking at his phone. The group waited.
“I was scared to death about you,” Eric said.
“Seriously,” Kim said.
“I was worried about us too,” Jason said. “I knew you’d be here, b
ut I was afraid they’d kill some of us before you could take them out.”
“Listen, motorcycles,” Kyle said, “Bikers. That’s probably the rest of our guys.”
They rushed up close to the road, seeing that it was their people, and flagging them to the exit point. Soon they were all together, checking their weapons as they waited.
Chapter 29 – Lounge Act
Lita and Richardson were soaking in the tub, enjoying the afterglow of frantic lovemaking.
“We should order food pretty soon,” Lita said. “Then we should sleep. Then we should do more of what we did a little while ago.”
“There’s not a piece of that plan that I have a problem with,” Richardson said, smiling at her. “I can’t stay in the tub much longer. I’m turning into a prune.”
“Me too,” Lita said. She stood, the water flowing off her body, Richardson taking her in.
“You’re so gorgeous,” he said, getting up next to her. He pulled her against himself and kissed her hard.
“Whoa,” Lita said. “I’m not recovered enough yet, big boy. Give me some food and a little time.”
“Aw shucks,” Richardson quipped, following her to the towel rack. They dried off and went into the bedroom, Richardson looking at his phone. “Uh oh.”
“Something wrong?” Lita asked, putting on a robe.
“Missed text from Brendan,” he said. “It says look at the entertainment section in the binder. What the hell? He wants to take in a show?”
Lita picked up the binder and looked at it, eyes getting wide. “Look.”
“The girls we rescued,” Richardson said. “Crap, they told us they had a gig at the main hotel in town. Should have figured it was this one. This isn’t exactly the Big Apple.”
“What do we do?” Lita asked. “Warn them?”
“They already know what happened,” Richardson said. “We need to watch the apps closely. If we see any hits approaching this place, we’ll need to get involved.”
Richardson sent a text to Brendan, letting him know he got the message.
“Seems like we just can’t escape,” Lita said.
“It’s better now,” Richardson said. “We can see them coming.”
“True,” Lita said. “I’m going to order food. Come here. Look at the menu with me.”
“Sure,” he said, getting next to her on the bed. They found what they wanted, and Lita placed the order on the room phone.
Brendan sent another text message, this time with Juan Carlos included. Richardson read it.
“What now?” Lita asked.
“They’re wondering if we should go talk to the girls in the band, just in case.”
“I think that’s a good idea,” Lita said. “I was just about to suggest it. Maybe we shouldn’t have ordered food already.”
“We can cancel the order and go eat in the lounge where the band is playing.”
“That’s okay with me,” Lita said, picking up the room phone receiver to call them. “I was wanting to eat a little and sleep, but if this is hanging over our heads that’s not gonna happen. Let’s get dressed.”
Richardson sent a text with their plan, and got dressed. The couple left their room. Madison and Juan Carlos met them on the walkway. Brendan and Hannah were with them before the elevator got up to the fourth floor.
“What about our guns?” Juan Carlos said softly as they climbed into the elevator. “They’re still in the car, right?”
“I’ve got my handgun,” Brendan said.
“Me too,” Richardson said.
“And me,” Lita said.
“I’ve got that, too, but if it’s more than a couple of bad guys, we’ll want the machine guns,” Juan Carlos said.
They rode the elevator down. Richardson broke the silence.
“We’ll get buzzed by the short-range app half a mile out,” he said, “That’s more than enough time to get the long guns.”
“Everybody have their car keys on them?” Lita asked.
“I do,” Juan Carlos said.
“Me too,” Brendan said.
“I think we’re good,” Richardson said. “We might as well enjoy this.”
“No drinking,” Madison said, glancing at Juan Carlos.
“Yeah, no drinking,” Richardson said. “Good advice.”
They made their way through the lobby to the lounge, nodding at Skip as they walked by. He returned a nervous smile.
“That guy is afraid we’ll be a magnet for trouble,” Lita whispered.
Madison shot her a smirk. “We don’t have the best track record in that regard, you know.”
“Not like it’s been our fault,” Hannah said.
They entered the dark lounge and found a booth near the door. The band was just setting up. The blonde woman who was driving the car recognized them right away. She whispered something to the other two women, then rushed over.
“I didn’t know you were staying here,” she said.
“We didn’t know you were playing here,” Richardson said softly. “Thought we’d come down here and watch for a while. Needed dinner anyway.”
The woman eyed Richardson, worry on her face. “You think they might show up to get revenge.”
“Probably not,” Richardson said. “If they do show up, they’ll wish they hadn’t.”
“Should we leave?” she asked, glancing back at the band, still setting up.
“You’re better off being here than on the road,” Lita said. “Do your gig, and let us worry about the bad guys.”
“I agree,” Richardson said.
The blonde smiled, then turned and rushed back to the stage, chatting with the other band members for a moment before getting back to work.
“She’s scared,” Madison said.
“Can’t say I blame her,” Lita said. “Anything interesting on the menu?”
Juan Carlos looked up from his. “Resort food. Sounds good.”
“It’s a little expensive,” Hannah said.
“Don’t worry, the DPS is picking up the tab,” Richardson said.
“Heard anything from Wallis lately?” Brendan asked.
“Not since we got here,” Richardson said, looking at the menu.
“Howdy,” said the waitress, who appeared in a sarong which matched the decor of the lounge. “Something to drink?”
They ordered non-alcoholic drinks.
“Fine, be right back with them. You having food?”
“Yep,” Richardson said.
“Good,” she said. “Be right back.”
“I think they’d prefer that we drank,” Brendan said.
Lita chuckled. “That’s how we made most of our money.”
“No surprise there,” Richardson said. “Having a liquor license will get you set.”
“Oh, it’s still a cut-throat business, believe me,” Lita said. “My parents almost lost the whole thing twice. You need reserves for the slow periods. They always come eventually.”
“Wonder how this place stays afloat?” Brendan asked.
“Skip said it was half full, remember?” Richardson asked.
“Yeah, but half full is not full,” Lita said. “You couldn’t keep the doors open long term with just half of your rooms occupied, unless you had something else going on that brought in a lot of cash.”
“Like what?” Brendan asked.
“Employee conferences and shows,” Lita said. “Or really good entertainment that cranks up the booze and meal sales.”
“They’re getting ready to play,” Hannah said, nodding towards the stage. The girls were tuning their instruments. The waitress brought the drinks, setting them on the table.
“Ready to order?” she asked.
“Shoot, I haven’t been paying attention to the menu,” Lita said. “Can you give us a few more minutes?”
“Sure,” she said, eyeing the group. “Haven’t seen you around before.”
“We’re just passing through,” Richardson said.
“Not many folks doing that
these days,” the waitress said, running her hands through her bleach-blonde hair. “Take all the time you need. Not like we’re gonna have a packed house.”
She walked away.
“Damn, she likes to swing her butt in that sarong,” Juan Carlos said.
“Hey,” Madison said.
“Don’t worry, I’m not interested,” he said, kissing her on the cheek.
“We’ll see, buster,” she said in mock anger.
“Oh, please,” Lita said.
The band started their first number.
“Walk Like an Egyptian,” Hannah said. “The Bangles. Of course, since their name is The Spangles.”
“That song is getting really old,” Richardson said. “Some of these girls weren’t born yet when that came out.”
“That was mid-80s,” Lita said. “Madison and Hannah weren’t around yet.”
Madison snickered. “Yep, this is old people music. Bet you two danced to it when it came out.”
“I was born in 1985,” Lita said. “I was alive, but barely.”
“They’re pretty good, dude,” Juan Carlos said.
Richardson checked the apps, then put his phone down on the table.
“Nada?” Juan Carlos asked.
“Nada,” Richardson said. “A little more movement around northeast San Antonio, though. Don’t remember that when we drove through.”
“Where?” Lita asked.
“I-35,” Richardson said. “Don’t worry, they’re not on the road here.”
“If they make a left at New Braunfels, we need to take notice,” Brendan said.
“Stop, you’re making me nervous,” Hannah said.
“You’re right, Brendan,” Richardson said, “but don’t get too worked up. Even if they go into that town, that’s not a good indication that they’re coming out to the lake.”
“Unless they found out where the band is,” Madison said.
“Madison,” Hannah said, shooting her a worried glance.
“Hey, let’s order food,” Richardson said. “The waitress is giving me the fish eye.”
“Sounds good,” Lita said.
Richardson motioned her over. She came quickly and took their orders.
Richardson settled back to listen to the music for a few minutes, sipping his ice water. Lita glanced at him every so often, then looked around the room. It was almost empty.
