Broken Tide | Book 3 | Maelstrom

by Richardson, Marcus

"Yeah, but she don't have teeth enough to fight back against M-4s. Look…” he said as nodded toward the window. "They’re backing up.”

  “They’re getting ready to do something…” Spanner agreed.

  Darien growled. “Come on, we gotta put a stop to this."

  "What about the truck and the rest of them?" asked Spanner. He followed Darien just the same.

  "They already moved down the road—I know this drill. Franks, get your boys."

  "What's up?" Franks asked as he emerged from the front room downstairs. Darien met him at the bottom of the stairs. "You want a little payback on those National Guard wannabes?”

  "Does the sun rise in the east?"

  "Whoever they are, we’re about to give them a bloody nose. Come on," Darien ordered.

  "Saddle up, boys!" Franks hollered. "Let's get some!” The others cheered in response and rushed to grab weapons.

  Chapter 24

  Lavelle Homestead

  Bee’s Landing Subdivision

  Northwest of Charleston, South Carolina

  Cami tried to focus on the first soldiers face as her heart threatened to burst from her rib cage. She kept the barrel of her shotgun between the two soldiers so neither one could relax. As soon as she moved the barrel from one to the other, however his partner took a step forward. Another few seconds, and they’d be close enough to grab the gun from her hands.

  She took a half step back into the doorway. "Freeze, or I'll cut you in half."

  "That's cute," the short one said. "But we’re wearing armor plates, lady. That thing’ll hurt, but it ain't gonna cut us in half."

  “Just gonna make us mad…and that won’t end well for you,” added the tall one with a sneer. He took a step forward.

  Cami shifted her aim up and the man froze. "Well, I'll just have to take your heads off instead." When the other man took a half step, Cami shifted her aim in between both of them and took a full step back. "Or, I can just fire here and take out both your faces."

  That got their attention. Unfortunately, something else got Cami's attention. Movement over their shoulders across the street. A half dozen rough-looking men emerged from Harriet's garage and sprinted down the driveway toward the street.

  "Now what?" Cami growled to herself.

  "Well,” said the tall one, “if you know what's best for you, you'll drop that stupid gun and let us inside."

  "Yeah," said the short one. "You show us some good ol’ fashioned southern hospitality and maybe we'll forget about this little…misunderstanding."

  "Mom! Who are those guys?" Amber called from inside the house.

  Cami winced. Of all the times for her daughter to have disobeyed…

  "Well, well, well!” said the tall man. He lowered his arms. "Looks like we got us a real party. Aren't you going to invite us in? We'd love to meet your daughter."

  Cami narrowed her eyes. “You take one more step and I'll send you straight to hell," Cami said, the ferociousness in her voice a surprise even to her.

  Both soldiers got their arms back up and took a step back.

  Cami's attention was split dangerously between the two men in front of her and the six men who’d crossed the street and charged toward the soldiers from behind. She might be fast enough to take out both soldiers—and maybe rack the next round—but there was no way she’d be able to hold off six more attackers—and worry about Amber in the house behind her.

  Then she saw the man who led the pack of filthy savages across the street. It was none other than the short, bald guy with thick shoulders who’d been in charge of the raiding party that had attacked her home the other day.

  "You," Cami said as the barrel dropped an inch.

  "Can we come in?" prompted one of the soldiers with a lecherous smile.

  "Shut up," Cami snarled and raised the shotgun barrel again.

  "I've had just about enough of this," said the tall man, his face a mask of stone.

  "Yeah—this ain't no way to treat a guest,” added the short one.

  And then the newcomers were on the soldiers. In a flurry of punches and kicks, the six men from Harriet's house tackled the two soldiers. Cami stepped back and slammed the door and threw the deadbolt. She pressed her back against the door, breathing hard.

  Amber sprinted from the kitchen and embraced Cami. "What the heck is going on out there?" she asked over the sounds of the melee.

  Cami pushed Amber away roughly. "Get out of here," she hissed in a whisper. "Get back to the woods like I told you! I don’t know what's going on, but the guys who attacked us a couple days ago are back—and they’re out there fighting the soldiers. Go!"

  "I'm not leaving without you,” Amber hissed with just as much intensity.

  Someone crashed into the door, and Cami squeaked in surprise as the impact drove her away. She spun and leveled the shotgun, half-expecting the door to break open and reveal the snarling face of the short bald man.

  Amber shifted over to the living room and peered through the slit in the plywood. "Holy cow…those guys are beating the snot out of the soldiers! Why aren’t we helping them?"

  "Because they ain’t soldiers," a rough voice said through the door. “It's okay, you can open the door. I don't want to fight you."

  Cami pushed her face up to the peep hole and saw five rough men congratulating themselves over the trouncing they’d just given the two impersonators. One, a man with dreadlocks that looked remarkably like the man she and Mitch had seen the day before, dropped to a knee and rifled through the pockets of one of the unconscious would-be soldiers.

  The others picked up their weapons and examined them as Shorty stepped forward and presented himself before the peep hole. "I suppose you have no reason to trust me after what happened a couple days ago. That was an unfortunate mistake. I've taken steps to ensure that that…kind of thing won't happen again. My name is Darien Flynt, and yes, before you ask, I came out of Harriet Spalding's house."

  "Did you kill her?" Cami yelled through the door.

  Flynt smiled and shook his head. "Quite the contrary. My men and I rescued her from an attack when we first came to the neighborhood last week.”

  “What?” Cami muttered to herself. She glanced to her right, and Amber mouthed the words last week in silence from the window. Cami shrugged. "Harriet's okay?" she called through the door.

  “She's got me wrapped around her little finger, but yeah, she's okay,” Flynt said with a shrug. “Can you open the door so we can talk face-to-face? This is kind of awkward…and I'd like to get this over with before that the rest of those goombas come back around. They're gonna come looking for these two, you know."

  "We have snipers," Cami warned.

  Flynt looked down, then raised his hands in front of the peep hole. "Like I said, I’m not here to fight.” He glanced over his shoulder. “Franks, you guys back up and keep an eye on our friends." The six men as a group moved back and left Flynt alone on the porch.

  He turned back to the peep hole. “Better?" he asked.

  Cami looked at Amber. She shrugged. Cami motioned for her to get back down the hallway and Amber shook her head and raised her pistol.

  “I’ll stay here and back you up.”

  Cami pinched the bridge of her nose and closed her eyes, then took a deep breath. "All right, I’ll open the door, but I swear, you do anything that makes me nervous, and you get the first shot."

  Flynt nodded. "Fair enough." He kept his hands up and spread wide from his thick chest.

  Cami took another deep breath, then threw back the deadbolt and opened the door. As soon as it door cleared her line of sight, she leveled the shotgun and raised it to her shoulder. She aimed square at Flynt’s unprotected chest.

  Unlike the National Guard imposters, Flynt wore no armor, and the double-ought buckshot loaded in Reese’s shotgun would rip his torso to shreds at such close range. She could tell by the look in his eyes as he blinked at the open maw of the shotgun that Flynt knew he was a dead man if her finger so much as twitch
ed. "All right, talk," Cami ordered.

  "You don't beat around the bush. I like that," he said with a nod of appreciation. "Look, my boys aren't upstanding citizens. I'm a car thief. Been on the wrong side of the law for a lot of years. But that doesn't make me a bad person. I got standards…I’m not a fan of violence."

  Cami scoffed. "Could've fooled me. You attacked us first, remember?"

  Flynt lowered his hands. "Look, it wasn’t one of my proudest moments, okay? It seemed like a good idea at the time…”

  “Said every general whoever failed," Cami muttered.

  "Come on, lady, cut me some slack here—I just rescued you, okay?"

  Cami clenched her jaw, but nodded abruptly. "Fine. Thank you for that. I appreciate the assist."

  "Look," Flynt said as he exhaled. "I don't much like you—I’m sure you don't like me or my boys overly much either. But we’re all on the same side here.”

  “Oh really?” Cami scoffed.

  “Yes, really. We’re all trying to survive, and these clowns," Flynt said with a jerk of his thumb over his shoulder at the unconscious would-be soldiers. “Have a track record of killing everybody that opposes them. I don't know about you, but I don't want to end up dead. As crappy as this world is turning out to be, I'd still like to live to see the next tomorrow."

  Cami let the shotgun barrel drop a few inches. "Go on."

  The corner of Flynt’s mouth twitched as if he wanted to smile but didn't. He swallowed and plowed ahead. “Look, neither one of us can stand alone against these guys. Especially when they come rolling back looking for their two missing men. The only way we can get through this is if we stand together." He pushed his hands out in front of his chest and showed his palms to forestall her argument. "I'm not saying that we should get married or anything, all I'm saying is that we need to put aside our differences for the time being. Once this is all sorted out…” He sighed. "Then we can sort things out."

  Gary appeared in the doorway behind her. "Cami, a word?"

  Darien caught her eye and shrugged. "No problem, but you might want to make it quick—there's no telling how fast those guys in the trucks are gonna loop around the neighborhood. And they're bound to notice these two are missing pretty soon. I’ll interrogate them, but we need to make up our minds and do something. Quick."

  "Just…” Cami looked between Gary and Flynt. "Just give me a second," she said. She lowered the shotgun and turned her back, then called over her shoulder. “You’re still being covered by our sniper."

  "Fair enough," Flynt said, unconcerned.

  Cami stepped through the front door and looked at Gary, who stayed in the shadows. "What is it?" she asked tensely.

  "I don't trust this guy, and neither should you."

  "Easy—done." Cami grinned. "Anything else?"

  "But I think we should agree to his plan."

  Cami stared at him, her eyes wide. "Are you serious? Just like that?"

  "Cami—listen to me. The guys out there—these National Guard guys, they're the ones who wiped out our neighborhood. From what Marty said, these wannabe soldiers are destroying everything and killing everybody. Somebody's gotta make a stand. And if not us, then who?"

  "It's gonna be risky," Cami said. "You saw the hardware they were packing on that big armored truck."

  Gary grinned. "You saw the hardware Marty's packing—he’s got that .50 cal, remember?"

  Cami frowned. “Yeah, but he also said he's only got a couple rounds left. He won't be much good to us in a fight."

  "As long as the other side knows we got him, it might be enough," Gary said with a shrug. "Either way, they're going to force our hands when they come back. We gotta be able to do something."

  Cami sighed. "You're right—we can't fight them off on our own." She cradled the shotgun in her arms and looked out the door. Flynt had his back to the door and was deep in the business of removing the two unconscious soldiers from Cami's sidewalk. A pair of his men took each soldier and dragged them across the street toward Harriet's house. The last two stayed by his side and watched Cami watch them.

  "Okay, as long as you're on board, just watch my back,” she whispered to Gary.

  He nodded. "You got it."

  Cami cleared her throat to get Flint's attention and stepped back out onto the porch. "Okay, we’ll agree to a truce. A temporary truce," she emphasized.

  Flynt nodded, and stuck out one thickly muscled arm. “Shake on it?"

  Cami shifted her shotgun to the other hand and spat in her open right palm. She slapped it against Flint's hand, and he grinned broadly at the gesture. "My word is my bond," Cami said.

  "I like the way you think."

  "You break your word, and I'll shoot you myself," Cami said.

  Flynt’s grin expanded into a full-on smile. "You're just full of surprises." He nodded. “I would expect nothing less.”

  "What now?" asked Cami as she wiped her hand on her pants.

  Flynt put his hands in his pockets and looked back toward his men as they hauled the soldiers up Harriet's driveway. "Well, for now we need to come up with a plan. I figure those guys’ll be back around here looking for their buddies any minute. Best way we can run them off is probably with an ambush. What do you think?"

  Cami looked up and down the street. There was no sign of the armored truck or the massive troop carrier. But she could hear the engines on the far side of the neighborhood. They’d made a complete circle and would be at the main road in minutes. "I think you're right. Sounds like they’re over that way," she said as she pointed over Flynt’s shoulder. "That puts them at the north entrance to the neighborhood.”

  Flynt took a deep breath. "We can have my guys down in the ditch on the far side of the road next to Harriet's driveway. How many people do you have?"

  Cami frowned. "Enough. Although they’re mostly snipers."

  Flynt grinned. "Is that right? Well, I can have ten shooters on the far side, we've got mostly AKs and ARs." He shrugged. “Don't have a ton of ammo for either but should be enough for a show of force—maybe get them to turn back. If we combine that with a couple well placed shots from your snipers," he said with a grin, "we might have a chance."

  Cami looked down the street. "Depending on how many men they have."

  Flynt inclined his head. "True. So, do we have an accord?”

  Cami sighed and slung the shotgun over her shoulder. “I’m probably going to regret this…but…” She extended her hand. "I suppose it's as good as we’re going to get. Agreed." They shook, then Flynt left to cross the road and rejoin his troops. Cami watched him run, then turned back to Gary, who stood in the doorway. "Well, that turned out a lot different than I was expecting," Cami said.

  Amber appeared behind Gary. "Was that the guy that attacked us the other day?”

  "Does anybody remember me saying get to the woods?" Cami said, exasperated.

  "Oh, Mia’s right behind me, too," Amber said with a grin as she jerked a thumb over her shoulder.

  Cami shook her head. “Whatever.” She pulled the radio off her belt and put it next to her mouth. "Marty, I think I got the workings of a plan. Can you bring out your big toy and cover the street in front of my house?"

  "Missy, from that distance, I can shoot the hair off a gnat’s behind."

  Cami snorted. "That'll do—I’m hoping we don't have to shoot anything. We’re aiming for a show of force, but you might have to spend one of those big bullets to prove you got something they need to respect."

  "I can handle that, just keep the radio on so I know what to do."

  "Copy that," Cami said. "I'll hit the VOX button and just let it run. I have a feeling whatever's going to happen will happen in the next couple minutes."

  "Roger that. Reaper standing by."

  Cami turned to the others. "Okay, here's the plan. The soldiers—“

  “Who aren’t soldiers…” Mitch said.

  Cami shot him a dirty look. “—are gonna come back looking for those two guys they dropped off.
Might be pretty soon. When they do, they’ll probably stop right in front of our house. Mr. Flynt is going to have his guys on the other side of the street—”

  “Oh, it’s Mr. Flynt, now, is it?” demanded Marty from the radio.

  “What, down in the ditch?" asked Amber. "No one will even know they're there…”

  "That's the idea," Cami agreed. "Our job is to keep them occupied on this side so they don't bother to look at the ditch. But that's gonna put us in a little more danger until the trap is sprung. You guys ready for this?"

  "We all heard what these people did to Rolling Hills. No one wants to see that happen here." Mia stood straighter and squared her shoulders. "I'm with you, Cami—as much as that helps."

  Cami put a hand on Mia's shoulder. "It helps a lot, Mia." She turned to the others. "Amber, get up in the FROG, I want you keeping an eye on the street from above. You can help Marty deter these guys from a long distance."

  "Got it," Amber said. She turned and disappeared up the stairs.

  "Mitch, Gary—I know you guys want in on this too, so take the corners of the house. Stay on the outside but stay hidden. They’re expecting everybody to be inside, I think." She turned Mia. “I’m going to give you one of Reese's long guns—I don't expect you to have to shoot, just poke it through that slot there in the front room window and it'll let them know we have another shooter.”

  Mia nodded, a shaky movement, and tried to smile. "Okay, Cami, I can do that."

  Cami nodded. “Good. And make sure the boys stay in the woods." She put her hands on her hips and cocked her head. "You guys hear that?”

  “The engines are coming around the front of the neighborhood,” Gary said. “They’ll be here any minute.”

  “Let's go," Cami ordered.

  When the massive trucks returned, Cami was ready for them. She stood on her porch and cradled the shotgun in her arms, as sweat trickled down her spine and made her shirt damp. The big armored truck rumbled to a stop in front of her house, and Cami had to lean against the railing to keep from falling over in fear. Her mouth went dry, her breathing quickened, and all her senses sharpened as she watched the turret gunner swivel the monstrous machine gun around to point at her house.