by Payne, T. L.
Maddie heard the Humvee’s engine approaching. Rank slid his arms under her and carried her to the vehicle. As he slowly lowered her into the seat, tears began to roll down her cheeks.
As he leaned over to buckle her seatbelt, she kissed his cheek. “I love you, you know. Thank you for everything you’ve done for my family and me—for your family.”
He wiped a single tear from his cheek. “I love you too, Little Bit.” He smiled and backed away. Was this good-bye? It couldn’t be. It just couldn’t be. She couldn’t bear it if it was. Stephens stepped up beside Rank. She wore a self-satisfied smile. Maddie gritted her teeth and wiped her tears. She couldn’t believe she was losing him to her. As Rank shut the door, Maddie knew he wasn’t leaving for a woman. He was answering a call. The call to duty—to the nation he loved and to the way of life they’d once had. He was honoring his oath to protect the constitution from enemies, both foreign and domestic.
Zach climbed into the seat next to her. As the vehicle pulled away, Maddie placed her hand on the glass. Rank lifted his right hand in the air and let it drop. Maddie forced a smile, and Rank smiled back. As devastated as she was to see him go, she was so proud of him. She knew it wasn’t an easy decision for him, and someday, she’d forgive him for it. Just not today.
Chapter 29
Sunnydale Acres Subdivision
Dent County, Missouri
July 15th
“How much is missing?” Rank asked as he stared into the root cellar filled with crates of gold coins.
“Two crates are missing, it looks like,” Stephens responded.
“Is this going to be enough, or do we…”
“No. This is enough. We just need to get this to Fort Leonard Wood and on that plane,” she said abruptly.
Rank ran his hands over the top of one of the open crates. He flipped the coins between his fingers.
“Alpha Two, move the truck over here to the barn,” Sharp called into his radio.
“We need to get these crates loaded up quickly and get in the air if we're going to meet our deadline,” Stephens said.
“What’s the quickest route back to the base from here?” Sharp asked.
“Normally, I’d say the interstate, but that’s still too clogged with cars. The lanes are clear, but the cars on the shoulders make it perfect for an ambush.”
“We could take Route 66 past Devils Elbow. We pretty much cleared that area, except for a few dead bodies,” Lugnut said. “We had trouble with General Dempsey’s men, but we resolved that. I doubt we’ll have any contact from them any time soon.”
“We’d want to scout ahead and make sure, though. And there might still be squatters at the Elbow Inn,” Rank said. They hadn’t had time to clear that building.
Rank recalled getting into a fight outside the establishment some years back. After a long day floating the Big Piney River, he and Lugnut had stopped in for a few beers. The bar was full of bikers. He and Lugnut both rode motorcycles and hadn’t anticipated any problems with them, and there wouldn’t have been if Lugnut hadn’t decided to step in when a guy was getting too handsy with one of the waitresses. Rank raised his hand to his lips. He’d lost a tooth in that fight. He had a lot of memories from this area. Lots of good times with good friends. Especially Greg and Beth back in the day. He felt a pang of guilt. Would Beth understand? She had been a Marine’s wife. She may not forgive him, but she’d understand.
Aims and Harding lined up to move the crates from the wagon into the Humvee. Aims looked over at the others clad in gray as he pulled the drawstring on his gray sweatpants. Nelson must have robbed an Army surplus store to outfit all his prisoners.
With the gold loaded, Aims and Harding hopped in the back of the truck with one of the soldiers. They too wanted to make sure the gold made it onto that plane. Rank hadn’t spoken to them about what they’d learned from Quincy, the ham radio guy. He was anxious to know.
“I’m going to ride back here with Aims and Harding,” Rank said.
Gene tapped him on the shoulder and turned to face Rank. “If I don’t see you again, I just want to say it's been a pleasure,” he said with an outstretched hand.
He hadn’t said a word, but everyone seemed to know. That was how close they’d all become.
Rank didn’t respond. He didn’t want to confirm or deny. “How are you getting back to the farm?” he asked, changing the subject.
“I’m not going just yet. I thought I’d head back over to Nelson’s and secure all that loot.”
Rank hadn’t thought of that. There must be warehouses of food, weapons, and ammunition that he and his crew had stolen over the months. The solar panels and batteries would be a game-changer back at the Henson farm. “Good thinking.”
“Mount up. Let’s roll out,” Sharp barked.
“Well, you take care,” Gene said, slapping Rank on the shoulder.
“You too, man,” he replied as he climbed into the back of the truck.
All those supplies would make a world of difference to the community—in the right hands. Proper law and order would make a difference too. That was what he hoped the new government could bring back. It would be the bedrock of the recovery, in his opinion.
As the truck pulled onto the blacktop, Rank settled back against one of the crates. Staring out the back of the truck, watching the road go by, he asked, “What’d you learn from that comms guy, Aims?”
“As you know already, Stephens checks out. Nelson never knew anything about Stephens and her mission to regain the gold. Quincy, the comms guy, said he heard chatter from someone in Louisiana about the new president and them recruiting for the military—but he never told Nelson. They are calling on all retired and former military to join up to start rebuilding the infrastructure—especially those from the Corps of Engineers.
“That would be helpful. If they could get those guys back to work, they could get the grid back up. They’d need the grid to get the refineries running again, I’d imagine.”
“I think that’s the plan,” Aims said. “Also…” Aims's smile faded. “There’s some recent trouble out west. It seems to be a mix of Russian and Chinese. Remnants of their militaries that were out of the blast zones when we took out their countries’ grids and dropped nukes on their capitols.”
“We figured they’d have boots on the ground long before now. I wonder what took them so long,” Rank said.
“Seems our Navy had them busy for a while,” Aims said.
“And now? Where is the Navy now?” Rank asked.
He’d often wondered what had happened to their armed forces stationed overseas. Without knowing the condition of the rest of the world, he’d begun to assume they were all in the same boat as the United States.
“Docked. They need fuel and munitions. That’s what the gold is for,” Aims replied.
Rank patted the crate he was sitting on. “Well, let’s hope this gets to the coast and on that Brazilian ship in time.”
It had been a decade or more since he’d been down to Houston. He’d been visiting a friend—a girl. He hadn’t seen much of the city. They’d stay in a condo on the beach in Galveston. He tried to imagine it today. Stephens had indicated they had power where she’d been. Was that everywhere or just for the new president and his military? He’d soon find out if they got the gold on that plane.
Rank stared out at the Humvee behind them. He was sure Lugnut missed military life too, but Lugnut wouldn’t go with them. Rank knew that. He was dedicated to the survival of their group. He’d never leave Beth, Maddie, and Zach. He felt an obligation to Greg to make sure his family survived this mess.
Forty-five minutes later, they were pulling through the front gate of Fort Leonard Wood. It had been months since a military convoy had rolled through that gate. Rank wondered how quickly the nation would recover once order had been restored and the grid came back up. Months? Years, maybe. Would it be one city at a time? That could take a long, long time and a lot of manpower. They needed law and order and skille
d workers—and the military to protect them.
As the convoy passed the National Guard hangars and the airport parking lots came into view, they could see dozens of people milling around dressed in mismatched military uniforms. When the crowd noticed the Humvees approaching, they started cheering and raising their rifles in the air. The cheering became a roar and hands slapped their vehicles as the gate guards rolled the fence open for them to drive onto the tarmac.
Rank looked back as the soldiers blocked the crowd from entering the gate behind them.
“They must have heard the plane come in and land,” Rank said. The people in its flight path must have been as surprised as he had been to see a plane in the air after all this time.
The soldiers wasted no time getting the gold loaded onto the C-17. The pilots began their pre-flight checks. Within an hour, they’d be leaving. It wasn’t too late to back out—Rank hadn’t even told Stephens that he had changed his mind and would be coming with them yet.
“Don’t leave me.” Maddie’s words echoed in his mind over the roar of the growing crowd outside the gate. Was he abandoning her? Was he abandoning Beth and Zach and all the others? Maria?
Aims, Harding, and Stephens were huddled in the door of the hangar. Aims lowered a set of binoculars and pointed. Stephens looked concerned. Rank pivoted to see what he’d been pointing at. All he saw was a group of soldiers loading gear onto the plane. Was there an issue with the plane? He needed to find out.
“You’re sure?” Stephens asked. “You know for sure she’s one of Dempsey’s spies?”
Aims handed her the binoculars. “Absolutely.”
“How can you be so sure? Maybe she just looks like someone…”
Aims cut her off. “We were lovers. I know every inch of her.”
Stephens tilted her head then gave a curt nod. “McCoy!” she yelled.
One of the soldiers loading the gear back onto pallets turned to face her. “Ma’am?”
“Run out there and bring me Colonel Sharp,” she said.
The soldier took off in a jog toward the plane.
“McCoy. Double-time it,” Stephens called after him.
A moment later, Sharp rode up on a golf cart. He and Stephens spoke in hushed tones. Every few seconds, he glanced back over his shoulder toward Aims. After they finished speaking, the colonel approached him. “Deputy Director Gerald Aims?”
“Former deputy director. I was relieved of duty,” Aims replied.
“By whom?” the colonel asked.
“General Dempsey.”
“By what authority?”
“By his order to have me murdered,” Aims said.
“You know this for a fact?”
“FEMA Regional Director Reginald Harding, sir,” Harding said, stretching out his hand. “Yes, Aims and I were both on Dempsey’s kill list. We were forced to leave our post and run for our lives.”
“You were the FEMA Regional Director?” Sharp asked, shaking his hand. “And you believe Dempsey has planted a spy within my unit?”
“I know that he has, Colonel. Simone Perez is one of his top deputies. She’s been working with him for over a decade. She is no soldier,” Harding said.
The colonel reached for a radio attached to his belt. “I hope you’re wrong, Harding. If you’re right, our mission may be completely compromised.” He turned toward the plane and pressed the mic. “Harris, you and Reynolds bring Martinez to me here in the hangar.”
The way Perez stared at Aims made it clear she knew she was caught, but she didn’t seem to care. Maybe she felt she still had some sort of power over Aims. Maybe she could convince him she wasn’t a spy. But the look on Aims’s face said there would be no way in hell of that happening. He looked as if he wanted to choke the life out of her with his bare hands.
“Aims,” she said. Her voice was like velvet—soft and low.
“Perez.” Aims said it like a curse word. If she thought she could still get her way with him, she was a fool. Rank knew that tone. He’d been scorned too. Once.
“How long have you been with this outfit?” Aims asked her.
“A while. A few months,” she replied, placing a hand on her hip and cocking her head to one side. She looked him up and down. “I’m glad to see you’re alive and well. You look good.”
“I can’t say the same about you. Nice flight suit. What's Dempsey up to these days?”
Perez threw her head back. “I wouldn’t know. I told you. I’ve been down south with this unit.”
Aims shoved his hands into his pockets. “You’ve been feeding him information about their missions.” It wasn’t a question.
Perez laughed. This woman exuded sex appeal. Rank could see how Aims would have fallen for her. She was likely the sexiest woman he’d ever met, even in a baggy flight suit. No doubt, she’d used those charms to worm her way onto the colonel’s team to get vital information. Was she sleeping with him too? Rank studied him. His body language said personal betrayal. She’d deceived him, too. Had he told her things? Government secrets? The mix of guilt and anger on his face told Rank he had.
“I’ve heard enough. Harris, take Martinez—I mean Perez—into custody. Make sure she gets nowhere near a radio,” Sharp said.
“See you around, Aims,” Perez said as Harris slid his hand around her arm. She looked back over her shoulder as she was led away. Her cavalier attitude about being caught had Rank concerned. She’d committed treason. Treason was punishable by death. She had to know that, yet she wasn’t the slightest bit concerned. Why?
With his mind made up, he approached Lugnut at the back of the plane.
“You’re going?” Lugnut asked.
Rank flipped his pack over his shoulder and nodded. “Yeah.” The word stuck in his throat. This man had been his best friend for over a decade. Even when they’d been stationed half a world away from one another, they’d spoken almost daily. They’d sort of drifted apart lately, but Rank still considered him a friend—more like a brother than a friend.
“You sure? You know what you’re getting yourself into?” Lugnut asked.
“I’m sure. I have to do this. I have to do what I can to get this nation back—or at least move it forward some. If not, how long will it be before all that’s left are people like Nelson?”
Lugnut stuck out his hand. Rank took it, and Lugnut pulled him into an embrace. “I understand. I do. I’d go too, but…”
“I know. You watch out for Beth and the kids. The group needs you. You’re one hell of a leader, Lug.” Rank gave him a quick man-hug then slapped him on the back. “Besides, with all that loot at Nelson’s farm, they’ll need someone to help keep a new dictator from rushing in there and filling the void.”
“True. Gene is going there to secure it until Jacob and that new sheriff in Licking can get out there.”
“Sounds like a good plan,” Rank said.
Rank felt a mix of sadness and excitement. A chance to begin rebuilding a nation was a rare thing. Aims and Harding looked deep in thought, too, as they prepared to leave. Their knowledge would be invaluable to the new government. Rank felt true hope for the first time since the lights went out. They were about to change the world. He could feel it.
Chapter 30
The Henson Farm
Texas County, Missouri
July 15th
Maddie stuck her right arm out the passenger front window. “I’m all right, Emma. Mom’s making me take a ride over to Fort Leonard Wood to let their doctor take a quick look at my shoulder. I’ll be back soon.”
Beth slid into Zach’s vacated rear seat and tapped the Humvee’s driver on the shoulder.
“We have to go, Em. We’ll be back by breakfast.”
Emma poked her head through the open window and pecked Maddie on the cheek. “Can you see if the Army men have any chocolate in their MREs?” she whispered in Maddie’s ear.
Maddie nodded. “Good thinking—and peanut butter, too.”
A huge grin spread across Emma’s face. She
turned and ran off toward Larry’s grandchildren playing in the dirt by the barn. “Maddie’s going to bring chocolate and peanut butter back for us.” Squeals of delight erupted as the Humvee driver put the vehicle in gear and rolled down the drive.
Maddie waved good-bye to an anxious Jacob. The concern on his face pained her. She’d burst into tears as Zach informed the group that Rank left on the plane, even though he had not officially said he would be joining Stephens and the new government. He couldn’t know the real reason she’d agreed to go to Fort Leonard Wood wasn’t to seek medical attention but to talk Rank out of going. Would he be upset if he knew? After thinking about it, she didn’t think he would be. He wasn’t the jealous type. Her motive for wanting Rank to stay was selfish, but in searching her heart, it wasn’t due to her feeling for him as a potential mate, but for all he had been to her and the group.
Beth pushed Maddie for more details regarding her capture by Nelson’s men and all the events following it, but Maddie barely heard her. She was rehearsing what she would say to Rank. She understood her mother’s need to know, but she wasn’t ready to talk about it. What could her mother say or do about it now? And exploring her feelings about being trapped in a dark wooden box for hours wasn’t high on her priority list at the moment.
Maddie’s mouth dropped open as the driver pulled through the crowd of cheering volunteers at the airport. The sight of the crowd and the huge plane sitting on the runway made it all too real. On one hand, it was thrilling to see the technology, which she’d thought might be lost for a very long time, still in existence and right there in front of her. But on the other hand, she understood Rank’s pull to rejoin the military and fight to get it all back.
