Byron looked at him and then looked out over the railing at the dark mass that was Long Island in the distance. “I don’t know that I would have, Reese.” He turned to face him again. “But I know I would now.” He looked at Reese in the eye, deep shadows across his face in the darkness. “I won’t forget this, Reese.”
Reese nodded. He didn’t know what to say. He’d never heard Byron’s voice get so thick with emotion before.
“Thank you,” Libby said as she bowled into Reese and enveloped him in a big hug. “Oh, thank you, thank you so much…” she sobbed into his chest.
Reese looked over Libby’s gray head and smiled at Byron, who moved over to Tony.
She pulled back and wiped at the tears on her face. “I’m sorry…”
“Don’t be.” Reese took her hands in his. “We’re all okay and we’re safe. That’s all that matters.”
“Well, I for one want to get out of here. I never want to see Long Island again,” Tony said as Byron helped him sit up. “Can we go now?”
“Which way is it, commodore?” asked Reese. “Northeast around the tip or down the Sound to New York City?”
Byron stood and held onto the starboard railing as he looked toward Long Island. “They’re going to expect us to go away from here as fast as possible.” He looked at Reese.
“I was afraid you’d say that,” Jo quipped.
Reese nodded. “If we raise the jibs, we might be able to slip through New York by sunup.”
Byron helped Tony to his feet. “Then let’s do it.”
Jo wrapped the blanket around Tony and helped Libby to the railing shared between the two boats. “Fast sailing…at night…heading right toward who knows what. Sign me up,” Tony said.
“Hey,” Reese said as he readied to untie the boats. “Look at it this way…if you throw up, no one will see.”
Chapter 26
Lavelle Homestead
Bee’s Landing Subdivision
Northwest of Charleston, South Carolina
Cami stood behind her impromptu roadblock and smiled at the exhausted faces that peered back at her. "Guys, I think we did pretty good."
She wasn't sure if ‘pretty good’ would be enough to keep them all alive to see the next dawn, but it would have to be. They’d spent all morning driving and pushing half a dozen cars from her side of Bee’s Landing down the road to the main entrance. It took several minutes of cussing and finagling to get the vehicles into the positions that Marty had designed.
Cami had at first suggested they just park cars nose to nose and block the road, perhaps two or three rows deep., Marty thought it was a good idea at first, then had them angle the cars in at reverse angles, nose to tail in a herringbone pattern. He reasoned that if the armored vehicle smashed into the cars instead of just pushing them out of the way, the cars would interlock with each other and create an almost impenetrable mass. Unless the armored vehicle was a monster truck and able to just climb up and over the cars, they'd be forced to go through the ditches on either side of the road, which might cause a rollover. If nothing else, it would slow everything down and give the defenders a chance to cause as much damage as possible.
For his part, Flynt had agreed to the plan and done the same thing at the northern entrance. Cami had given him one of Sheriff McIntyre’s radios, so that as the two commanders of their forces, they could stay in constant communication. It'd been Flynt's idea to post snipers—selected from his own men—in the houses that flanked each entrance to the neighborhood.
Cami hadn’t been thrilled with the idea of taking four of their fighting men right out of the equation, but surprisingly Marty had agreed with Flynt. Not only would the attackers have to deal with the roadblock, but they'd be constantly sniped at from concealed positions in abandoned houses.
It would take more men—hopefully—than they’d wish to spare to clear the houses and thus force the attackers to accept greater losses as a result.
It wasn't the best plan, but it was the only plan they'd had time to come up with. And before they knew it, the sun had climbed high overhead. Flynt took the remainder of his men and split them between the entrances and the woods on the north side of the neighborhood. Cami took her squad—Mitch, Gary, Amber, and Marty—and moved them into the woods to the south of the neighborhood as a flanking unit. Volunteers from across Bee’s Landing arrived as Mia spread word of the impending return of the Raiders. A sizable group of volunteers with their own weapons had filtered between the houses at both entrances.
"It's not exactly an army, but I'd say it's pretty darn good for what we've got to work with," Gary said with a tired but proud grin.
"Agreed," Cami said. Let's just hope—“
Her radio chirped. “Heads up, I think we got incoming," Flynt's gravelly voice crackled over the radio on Cami's hip. Everyone at the southern roadblock froze. Cami pulled the radio from her belt and brought it to her mouth. "You see them? How many are we looking at?"
"I see that big armored truck, and two troop carriers…wait, there's more. I got four civilian cars following...and a pickup truck with a machine gun mounted in the back." The transmission paused, and Cami looked at Gary who looked away.
"That doesn't sound very good," Cami muttered.
“They just tried to get through our roadblock and gave up. They're headed your way. Hope that sounds better."
Cami turned and signaled everyone at the roadblock. “Get to your positions and take cover! Here they come!"
As she scrambled to get behind the corner of the Westin house, along with a couple others, she heard shouts of alarm from across the street. Susan Curtis had agreed to vacate their house until the threat had passed, and reluctantly approved the use of their upper floor as a shooting gallery. One of Flynt’s men waved from the second floor and yelled that he had visual confirmation of the incoming convoy.
Seconds later they all heard the deep throaty rumble of the huge armored truck as it emerged into view. Cami imagined that the scene played out pretty much like it had at the northern entrance. The driver of the armored truck rolled to a stop at the entrance, then turned as if to probe the barricade before him. The armored truck didn't have enough space to get up to ramming speed—Marty had been right about that.
The main road ran perpendicular to the entrance, so the armored truck had to make a sharp right turn to into Bee’s Landing, and it could either have enough speed to do so by running down the straightaway of the main road, but it would also roll as it took the corner.
Or, the truck could take the corner safely, but have only enough momentum to nudge the cars in the roadblock. The driver took the second option, and the front of the vehicle crunched two cars, but as the cars behind them stacked up like herringbones, the entire barricade collapsed in on itself like an accordion and the massive armored truck stopped in its tracks.
The top hatch opened up and the soldier with the megaphone reappeared. "People of Bee’s Landing, you are illegally obstructing a lawful confiscation mission. By order of the governor of South Carolina, this neighborhood is now placed under interdiction. Lethal force has been authorized, and we will punish you for this stupidity."
"Yeah, but you won't be driving that thing when you try!" someone behind the car barrier yelled back. A defiant, rough laughter erupted from the defenders, scattered between the barricade and behind the two houses at the entrance to the neighborhood.
Cami gripped the captured M-4 Flynt had given her and steeled herself for the coming fight.
The man with the bullhorn disappeared back inside the armored truck and was quickly replaced by the gunner. He racked back the charging bolt on the massive machine gun, then let lead fly. The cars immediately in front of the armored truck were ripped to shreds in seconds as the .50 caliber machine gun did its lethal business.
Cami cringed around the corner of the Westin house. The noise was deafening. Glass, metal, and plastic flew as the massive bullets punched holes through the cars.
As terrifying as the
demonstration of power was, Cami quickly recognized it as futile. None of the defenders were behind those first cars, and despite the fact that the cars had been ripped to pieces, the massive truck could still not gain entry to the neighborhood.
The machine gun fell silent when another weapon cracked from the upper story of the Westin house. The gunner jerked sideways and fell behind the metal shield that Marty had perforated earlier in the day.
The defenders sent up a ragged cheer, and several wild shots rang out from across the street. Temporarily stymied, the fake soldiers poured out the back of the troop carrier, still parked on the main road, and rushed for cover along the ditch just outside the neighborhood. They set up a perimeter, and Cami watched in fascination as they attempted to put return fire into the ranks of her own people.
"You see that?" asked Flynt over the radio. "Yeah, I see it," she shouted over the noise of the battle. "What do they think they're doing? None of their guys can hit any of ours!"
"Because they're not soldiers—I knew it! These guys stole all this stuff."
The civilian vehicles made U-turns one after another out in the street. "Heads up Flynt! The convoy’s breaking up and they’re going back toward you. So is the pickup with the machine gun in the back."
"Got it! Good luck!" he called out.
Cami raised the radio to her mouth again over the din of the battle. "You too!"
"What do we do now?" asked a breathless Gary as Cami clipped the radio back to her belt.
"Have someone up in the house keep an eye on those guys that just deployed from the back of that big truck. We can't let them get a foothold over there."
"We can't fight back—that machine gun will chew us up if anybody tries to move!"
As Gary spoke, Cami watched another fake soldier emerge from the turret and adjust his helmet. He set up behind the machine gun and swiveled it to face the house she cowered behind.
“Take cover!” Cami shouted as she dove for the ground.
Without taking aim, the man in the turret opened fire and raked the side of the house. The incoming rounds shattered windows and ripped apart expensive siding and created a cascade of glass and splinters that fell on the defenders huddled on the ground.
One of Flynt’s sharpshooters fired back—Cami saw the muzzle flash from across the street in Susan Curtis’ house. The round ricocheted off the armor plating near the gunner, but it was enough to get his attention. As she lifted her head from the ground, he spun the turret around and began to pick apart the front of Susan Curtis’ beautiful house.
Cami peeked around the corner then jumped back as a chunk of the corner exploded in her face. Gary grabbed her and pulled her even further back.
"It's no use,” he pleaded. “We can't get around that thing, and they can't get through! It's a stalemate!"
"We can't just sit here and hope Flynt and his people are able to hold them off at the other entrance," Cami yelled back. "We gotta do something to shut that machine gun down!"
Another rifle shot cracked from one of the upstairs windows and the machine gun fell silent once more. Cami risked a glance and saw the second gunner writhing on the roof of the armored truck.
"We have to find a way to immobilize that thing," she said through clenched teeth.
"Unless you got a grenade handy, I don't know what we can do," Gary quipped.
"Go inside—see you can find anything in this house...anything! Even firecrackers!"
Gary nodded, and slipped around the back of the house. Cami brought her rifle up and took aim at a soldier that crept around the decorative bush near the imposing stone sign that marked the entrance to Bee’s Landing.
He raised his own rifle and fired a three-round burst at the window where Flynt’s man had shot from Susan’s house. Cami fired her own three-round burst and smiled as bits of rock exploded in the attacker’s face.
He dropped to the ground and screamed, though she doubted she actually hit him. She pulled back around the corner as several shots aimed in her direction found purchase in the side of the Westin house.
"That was too close..." she whispered to herself as her knees shook.
One of Flynt’s men, a large guy with a neck like a bull, ran around the corner and got her attention. "They’re splittin’ up! Some are goin’ into the woods over yonder," he said as he pointed toward the tree line behind the Westin house.
Cami ducked as bullets peppered the wall next to her. "We gotta take out that turret!" she cried out in frustration.
Behind her, another of the guys from the neighborhood yelled that he’d spotted soldiers through the trees on the other side of the house.
"I think I got an idea," Gary said as he reemerged around the corner of the house. He was covered in dust and sweat, but a wide grin split his face as he held up a cylindrical can in his hand.
"A bug bomb?" Cami asked, incredulous. "Gary, we need a real bomb!"
"Yeah well, this is the best I could do—and I doubt those jokers will be able to tell the difference. All they'll see is a bunch of smoke and it's gonna burn their eyes and lungs. It might give us the break we need to make a move!"
Cami flinched as a bullet took a chunk of siding out next to her head. "I guess it's as good as we’re going to get," she yelled. "Do it!"
Gary nodded. "I'm gonna need some covering fire—those guys slipping through the woods will be a problem."
"We'll take care of that. You get that in the tank." Cami grabbed him as he turned. "And be careful," she added.
Cami followed Gary around the house, then gathered three other volunteers to watch the forest. "There," one of the men said as he pointed toward a particular clump of trees. They all raised their rifles and fired, and Cami watched with satisfaction as several camouflage clad men scrambled from cover, returned some ineffectual fire, and moved deeper into the trees.
Cami saw their chance. "Keep pouring on the fire! Keep pushing them back!"
The volunteers complied and poured fire into the trees. One had an AR, another had an old lever action rifle, and the third used a shotgun. The three of them, in the span of a few seconds, turned the sculpted backyard into a landscaper's nightmare. Leaves flew through the air, branches snapped, and bushes shivered under the impact of all the lead they threw downrange.
Cami slapped Gary on the back. "Now's your chance! Go, go!" She stacked up behind him and followed him as he sprinted to the far end, far corner of the house and checked the street for soldiers. As she reached the corner, he dashed across the road and dove into the ditch on the far side. Cami turned left and covered the road in case a soldier happened to pop out from behind one of the trucks. Gary lifted his head and glanced in her direction, and she nodded.
As Gary belly-crawled along the ditch on the far side of the road, the gunfire continued behind her. Cami grinned. Flynt had been right—they were no soldiers. Someone poked a helmeted head out from around the back end of the troop transport, and Cami fired a shot that sparked off the rear bumper. The man yelped in surprise and ducked back around the corner which gave Gary enough time to pull himself parallel to the neighborhood entrance and the big armored truck that blocked it.
He glanced at her one more time, his face pale and his eyes wide. Cami held up three fingers, then retracted them one at a time until she had until only her fist was raised in the air. When she hit zero, she pulled the trigger and fired several rounds toward the troop transport to keep any curious heads down.
When Gary climbed up out of the ditch, she stopped firing and let him race across the road. He clambered up the side of the big armored truck, and one of the snipers in the house behind her joined in the fun. He fired three quick shots at the man in the turret who yelled something and dropped down inside the vehicle. The hatch remained open, which was all Gary needed.
He pulled himself halfway up the side of the lumbering beast fiddled with the bug bomb in his hands, then tossed it in the opening, dropped to the ground, and sprinted to the far side of the road. Cami heard a faint
pop, and then white smoke billowed from the open hatch.
Several of the cars in the barricade were on fire and the smoke swirled around the house which partially obscured Cami's view of where Gary dove into the ditch. The smoke parted for a moment, and she saw the driver’s door on the massive armored truck swing open. A plume of white smoke escaped, and the driver tumbled out coughing and sputtering to the ground. He fell on his hands and knees and threw up on the pavement. Three other men opened up the rear hatch and fell out, likewise affected by the bug bomb.
Something tugged at Cami's backpack, and she lost her balance. Wood splintered up next to her head and Cami realized someone had shot her pack, so she dropped to the ground.
"Mom!" Amber screamed from behind a tree just a few yards away from the house.
Cami rolled in time to see several camouflaged men emerge from the forest and charge straight at the house—straight at her. Cami looked left and right and found herself alone on the backside of the house. Her only option was to dive under the deck and hope she could hide in the shadows long enough for others to come to her aid.
As the men charged, they raised their rifles and Cami got to her knees and lunged for the deck as the first shots cracked through the air. Bits of wood jumped up from the deck and stung her face as she hit the ground again with a grunt and rolled under the deck.
She heard Amber scream in the distance and the heavy boom of the .308 rifle she carried answered the sharp staccato of the pretend soldiers’ rifles. Over the din of the battle, over the screams of the wounded, the gunfire both behind and in front of the Westin house, and the deep rumble of the armored truck, the thunderous roar of Marty's .50 caliber rifle cut through it all. Cami heard a disgusting smack and looked up in time to see a red mist in the air where one of her attackers had been moments earlier.
The others skidded to a stop and scrambled away from the headless body that lay bleeding in the backyard. Amber raised her rifle and fired again, and one and one of the remaining soldiers joined the headless body on the ground.
Broken Tide | Book 3 | Maelstrom Page 22
