by Payne, T. L.
He’d no more than spoken those words when the crack of a high-powered rifle came from the gate followed by M4s.
“What are they shooting at?” Maria said, craning to get a look.
A huge grin spread across Rank’s face. “The cavalry.”
She looked at him quizzically and then to Lugnut. Lugnut nodded, his mouth curling into a grin too. A smile spread across Maria’s face. “For real? The United States Cavalry? No shit?” Maria shook her head. “The Army? The United States Army?” Maria asked. “From Fort Leonard Wood? I thought they were working with Dempsey?”
Rank shook his head. “Not from Fort Leonard Wood.”
“We should go,” Lugnut said, his grin turning into a scowl.
“The last I saw, Harmony was being led into that building with the pavilion and picnic tables. I’m going to start there. You guys go find your gold.” Maria took off before they could say anything.
“We should go with her,” Rank said.
“Yeah. We’ll secure Harmony, and then Maria can lead her back out the way we came in. You and I will continue our hunt for the gold. I imagine Stephens and Sharp’s men will be here to collect it in a few minutes,” Lugnut replied.
“And Zach?”
“We’ll find him next. He’ll be at one of the ranches nearby. That’s where they’ve been moving them to lately.” Lugnut moved around to the back of the building and stopped at the door, followed closely by Rank.
“How is it that you know so much about this place? The last I knew, we decided taking out Nelson was too big of a risk.”
Lugnut reached out and placed his hand on the knob. “We’ve been talking more about it lately. Let’s quit jawing and go find Harmony,” Lugnut whispered. “I’ll go high. You go low.” Lugnut yanked the door open.
An elderly man dressed in dirty overalls and a Boonie hat slowly stood and raised his hands in the air. “You fella’s friends of Aims and Harding?”
Lugnut glanced over to Rank.
“I’m Quincy, the ham radio guy—I’m Gene’s buddy.”
“Yes, Aims and Harding—you know them?” Lugnut asked.
“Yeah. We’ve met. They left to go get help.”
“They were here?” Rank asked.
“They said some of their people got rounded up by Nelson’s goons.”
“I thought they came here to find you,” Rank said.
“They did. I told them what they needed to know, and they left. Then they came back and said some of their folks were here. I told them what I knew about Nelson’s operation and drew them a map of the various farms Nelson uses to house people.”
“Did they have a girl with them?” Lugnut asked.
“The cute little blonde. Nope. She got taken, too.”
Rank’s heart sank.
“We’re going to have to disable your comms,” Lugnut said, moving toward the bank of radio equipment.
“No need. I already did that,” the man said, smiling and holding wires out in front of him.
Rank pivoted toward the door. “Let’s go, Lugnut.”
“We need to find out who else from our group is here—before the bullets start flying,” Lugnut said as he rushed out the door.
It seemed nearly all the guards had been dispatched to the gate, so Lugnut and Rank were able to travel easily from building to building. The gunfire to the south was sporadic and still sounded like it was concentrated around the gate.
When they reached the building with the pavilion, Maria was stationed just outside the door. “There are people inside. I heard a woman yelling orders and others crying.”
“The guy in the comms room said Maddie and maybe others were here too. Aims and Harding left to get help.”
“What the hell’s been going on since we headed out to Eminence?”
“A lot,” Lugnut said. “We need to find out if there are any other exits.” Lugnut pointed his rifle up toward the guard tower and peered through its scope.
“Looks like they sent everyone to handle the issue at the gate,” Maria asked.
“Well, I imagined when Nelson learned that the Army had come for their gold, he got scared.”
“Rank, I’ll watch this door. You and Maria check for other entrances,” Lugnut said.
Rank ran the length of the building and stopped at the corner, scanning for any sign of Nelson’s guards.
“What’s going on, Rank? Why are you guys working the Army?”
He turned his head to face her. “You’re not going to believe me, but we have a new president. He’s been down in Texas planning how to rebuild the country. That gold Nelson stole is headed to Brazil to purchase military equipment and ammunition.”
Maria shook her head. “You’re shitting me. What’s really going on?”
The side door banged open, and a husky lady rushed through. Rank raised his rifle. “Stop right there!” She spun around and her eyes widened when she saw Rank.
Maria rushed forward. “Get down on your knees. On the ground—now!”
Chapter 24
The Nelson Ranch
Dent County, Missouri
July 15th
Maddie was hauling five-gallon buckets of hot water from the fire to the wash buckets when the shooting started. Her first thought was that the guards had spotted Maria. But there was too much gunfire. It sounded like they were up against an army. The guards rushed the prisoners into the building and locked the door. Miranda ordered them to all get on the floor. The women were scared and crying.
Maddie glanced around the room as she lowered herself to her knees. Harmony no longer wore her bright yellow headscarf, which made it more difficult to find her in the crowd. She scanned the room and spotted her in the far corner. Their eyes met for a moment before Miranda shoved Harmony to the floor.
“Quiet! On your faces. No one move,” Miranda yelled.
Maddie looked for a weapon. She spotted a pistol in the woman’s left hand and she looked like she knew how to handle it. But if Maddie got the chance, she was sure she could take it from her. She wouldn’t be able to shoot all the guards before they could return fire, though.
Miranda rushed around the room, pressing the gun to the backs of the women’s heads to intimidate them into compliance.
“Get your heads down. Press your foreheads against the floor. If I see your eyeballs, I’m going to put a bullet in your head.”
Maddie felt a rifle barrel press against her spine. She tensed and bit her lower lip to keep from crying out. She placed her forehead on her crossed arms and peeked under her armpit as the guard removed the rifle and continued down the line.
Every cell in her body was on edge as she waited for Miranda to approach her. Her plan was risky. She could get shot—others could get shot—but Maddie felt she had to take the risk. She may never get a better opportunity.
As the man moved down the row of women, Maddie listened for the other guards. At least two were in the back of the room.
Maddie strained to hear. Where is Red Beard?
Miranda was working her way back toward Maddie’s position. Maddie had to act now, or it might be too late. When Miranda reached the woman lying next to her, Maddie balled her right hand into a fist and prepared to push herself up.
As Miranda stepped around the woman, Maddie jumped to her feet and landed a punch to the woman’s temple. The stocky woman fell backward, tripped over one of the prisoners, and hit the floor hard. The gun flew from her hand, skidded across the floor, and landed under a table. Maddie spun around, looking for the guards.
“Get down! Get on the ground!” one of the guards yelled.
A woman in her mid to late thirties jumped to her feet and jammed her elbow in the middle of the taller guard’s back. He lunged forward. A younger girl stuck out her leg and tripped him. The second guard brought his rifle up, but Harmony and two other women rushed forward and pounced on him, knocking him to the floor. The women all piled on. Most wore a look of pure hatred as they kicked and beat him with their fists.
They were screaming and crying.
A dark-haired girl in her late teens scrambled to her knees and crawled over to the gun. She grabbed it and twisted around as Miranda was getting to her feet. The girl squeezed the trigger, but the gun misfired. Miranda looked terrified when the reality of the moment struck her.
As she bolted toward the door, Maddie ran toward the gun. The third guard rushed toward her from the opposite side of the room. Maddie grabbed the gun and pivoted toward the guard, who skidded to a stop, froze, and slowly lowered his rifle. A look of defeat washed over his face. A tall young woman slammed a cast iron pan into the back of the guard’s head, and he dropped to his knees. The women around him lit into him. Maddie watched as the rifle was knocked from his hand and disappeared under a sea of feet.
As the women rushed from the building, seizing the opportunity to get away from the hellish nightmare, Harmony struggled to make her way to Maddie. Light flooded the room as the door banged opened. Maddie heard yelling and recognized the voices. Her heart leapt.
“Rank!”
Harmony stopped in her tracks and spun around.
Maddie lowered the pistol and turned to the teenaged girl who’d grabbed the gun. “You need to go before more guards come.”
“Go where? They still have my father and brother.”
Maddie didn’t know what to tell her. “They have my brother, too. I’m going to go find him. Do you know where they took them?”
“They're all over the county at different farms. A girl who came in last week said she saw my daddy at the company store.”
“Company store? Where’s that?”
“In what used to be in the Sunnydale Subdivision,” the girl said.
“I can’t promise, but we’ll do our best to free him, too,” Maddie said. “Now, you have to go. Go home.”
Maddie didn’t wait for the girl to respond. It was likely she no longer had a home to go home to. Nelson had taken over all the tillable land in the area. Maddie ran to Harmony and grabbed her hand. They pushed through the throng of women rushing for the exit. Maddie glanced over her shoulder as they approached the door. Most of the women were likely homeless, but at least they were alive—and hopefully, now, free.
Maddie and Harmony pushed their way through the door and stopped. The scene outside was total mayhem. People were running in every direction. Bloody guards were being chased down and beaten by mobs of angry captives. Miranda was face down, motionless in the dirt. Several of the women stopped to kick her as they ran by. Red Beard was waving a knife around, attempting to ward off his attackers, but a short woman picked up a rock and threw it at the man, hitting him in the side of his head. The other women followed suit, and Red Beard was finally knocked to the ground. The angry women pounced on him, punching and kicking.
Maddie pulled on Harmony’s hand and they turned her away from the scene. She scanned the area between the chow hall and the road, spotting Maria.
“Maria!” Maddie rushed toward her, relieved to see that she’d been correct about Maria escaping capture.
To her surprise, Maria, uncharacteristically, flung her arms around Maddie and Harmony. “I’m so glad to see you!”
“Likewise,” Maddie said.
Maddie stepped back as Rank ran up to them. He held Maddie like he’d never let her go. He was squeezing so tightly that she could barely breathe.
Lugnut patted Maddie on the shoulder. “You okay, Little Bit?”
“I’m good. Let’s go get my brother,” she said.
Harmony released her grip on Maria’s neck and wiped tears with her sleeve. “We have to find Zach and the others. They took him to Sunnydale. That’s what the guards who brought us in said.”
“We need to check out that building over there first.” Lugnut pointed to the building closest to the house. “And then we’ll go get Zach.”
Although Maddie trusted Lugnut, she was afraid that if the guards holding the men heard what was happening, they’d move the prisoners—or worse, kill them.
“Let’s hurry then,” she said, taking off in that direction.
She ran no more than fifteen feet when she heard the sound of an engine roar to life. A box truck plowed through the open door. Lugnut, Rank, and Maria began firing at it.
“Wait! There could be prisoners in there,” Maddie screamed. She waved her hands over her head, trying desperately to get their attention as the vehicle sped down the driveway.
“Hurry! We need to catch them,” Lugnut yelled, sprinting after it. “Maria, get Maddie and Harmony out of here,” he called over his shoulder.
“I’m going,” Maddie yelled back as she ran to catch up with them.
Rank stabbed at the air. “Stay with Maria, Maddie.”
“I need to find Zach. I’m going.” She felt the weight of the pistol in her hand. She was going to find her brother—and then she was going to make them pay.
Chapter 25
The Nelson Ranch
Dent County, Missouri
July 15th
As the box truck sped off, Rank stopped and glanced inside the building. “The gold’s not in there. It has to be in that truck.”
“Gold?” Maddie asked as she caught up to him.
“Long story,” Rank said, sprinting off to catch up with Lugnut.
“They might have Gene, Aims, and Harding too,” Maddie said.
If Dillon and Chloe had been found, they were likely still on the ranch. Maddie stopped and turned. Harmony and Maria were running back toward the creek. What about all the other prisoners? People spilled out of the buildings. Two men dressed in prison garb were chasing one of the guards. They'd turned the tables on their captors.
I have to find Zach.
Maddie heard another engine and turned to see a Humvee barreling toward them.
“It’s Stephens and Sharp,” Rank yelled. The Humvee stopped beside Lugnut, and the door opened. A woman waved for them to get in.
“Hurry. We need to catch that truck,” Stephens yelled.
Rank tried to close the door before she got in, but Maddie was too quick. “Scoot over,” she growled. Rank huffed and pulled Maddie into his lap. A soldier in battle uniform stood manning the turret. Lugnut was in the seat on the other side. Maddie glanced toward the driver. He stomped on the gas as they chased after the truck.
“Who are these people?” Maddie asked.
Rank smiled. “The Army.”
Maddie's eyebrows raised. “The Army? The actual Army?”
“The one and only U.S. Army.”
“What’s going on. Why are they looking for gold?”
“Long story, but they're with the new government. Nelson stole a gold shipment meant to buy arms from Brazil.”
“Oh,” was all Maddie could say.
Maddie glanced behind them. Two more Humvees had joined the chase. If they were there for the gold, would they care if her brother and the others got caught in the crossfire with Nelson’s men? She had no doubt Nelson would use the prisoners as human shields. The man was a coward. “We have to get to Zach before the shooting starts, Rank.”
“I know,” Rank said.
“Nelson will use them.”
“We’ll get them out.”
So many things could go wrong. The thought of losing her brother was overwhelming. She’d lost too much. She couldn’t lose him, too. Fear turned to anger. She didn’t care how noble these soldiers’ cause was. Her brother and her friends weren’t dispensable. To her, all the gold left in the world wasn’t worth their lives.
The Humvee bounced along the uneven road. The gunner spun his turret in a fanning motion back and forth, searching for potential targets in the woods that lined both sides of the road. When the Humvee popped up over the hill, Maddie spotted the white box van making a turn a quarter-mile ahead.
“There. Do you see it?” Maddie yelled, leaning forward in her seat and pointing.
“Yeah,” the driver said. “Stephens, radio Alpha Two and Alpha Three that the target turned right into
a subdivision ahead. Alpha Four is to follow us.”
The box truck disappeared from view, blocked by houses. What was Nelson thinking?
“There must be another way in. He’s not dumb enough to allow himself to get trapped like that,” Lugnut yelled over the sound of the engine as it accelerated to catch up with the truck.
“Alpha Two, hang back and see if you can find an alternate road into that subdivision,” Stephens said into the radio.
Maddie leaned around the gunner’s leg and tapped Lugnut on the shoulder. “Do you think that's where Zach and the others are being held?”
“I don’t know. I know some of the guards live there. They supposedly keep prisoners there before transporting them to St. Louis.”
There was going to be a gun battle. There was no way Nelson was going to give up without a fight, and these guys weren’t leaving without their gold. As they approached the turn into the neighborhood, Maddie began devising a plan to search for her brother. The Humvee stopped just before the entrance.
“Alpha Four, dismount and take the right side of the street. We’ll go left,” Colonel Sharp radioed.
The doors to the Humvee opened, and Stephens and Sharp climbed out and moved toward the tall rock sign that read, “Sunnydale Acres Subdivision.” Overgrown plants blocked most of the lettering.
Rank pushed the door open and exited the vehicle holding Maddie against him in his arms. “Maddie, stay here. Lugnut and I will bring Zach and the others out if they’re in there,” Rank said as he lowered her to the ground.
“Rank,” Maddie called to his back.
“Gilbert, dismount the .50 cal,” Sharp said. “Bronson, get over here. You’re the gunner’s assistant. You two set up behind the rock sign.”
As Lugnut ran past, Maddie fell in behind him. She looked down at her pistol as they took cover behind the sign alongside Stephens and Sharp. The pistol wouldn't be very effective in a gun battle. She missed her rifle. She looked back to the Humvee. They likely had extras in there, but by the time she retrieved one and gathered ammunition for it, Rank and the others would disappear down the block. She couldn’t risk getting caught out there alone. They’d use her as a bartering chip if they caught her. She’d have to hang back and be careful with her shots if she needed to use the pistol.
