“And now?” Holly asked.
Alex shrugged his shoulders. “He’s doing the right thing now. And you may be right, if he can’t get Stacy back, maybe no one can.”
Niki and Jason pulled into the ranch and crossed the first cattle guard six minutes before the expiration of their deadline.
“Here we go,” Niki said.
They rolled their windows down and Jason pulled out a gun and laid it on the console. Niki drove the Viper slowly down the caliche road, leaving a trail of dust behind them. Neither Alex nor Holly’s car had pulled in behind them.
Niki and Jason had discussed possible scenarios they would encounter when they got to the ranch, and they fully expected some type of ambush. They watched the brush for movement as they drove along the road, but it was dense and someone could easily hide without being seen.
They had just come around a curve, when a deer jumped out in front of them. “Crap!” Niki exclaimed, slamming on the brakes to avoid hitting it. Niki looked at the dashboard clock. They had been on the ranch for seven minutes but it seemed much longer.
“Is that something?” Jason said, looking further down the road.
As the Viper got closer, it became evident that it was some type of garment, and Niki’s stomach clenched up. He swallowed hard and drove the Viper up beside the scarf and turned off the engine. Niki got out of the car and walked around to Jason’s side. Jason was already squatting down looking at the scarf. Niki took one look at the bloody scarf and the trail of blood leading away from it and he heaved.
Jason had his pistol in his hand, and he motioned towards the cabin. “Come on,” Jason said, taking the lead.
Niki took out his gun and followed Jason and the trail of blood to the cabin door.
“You ready?” Jason asked, and Niki nodded.
Jason led with the 9mm and slowly opened the door. He made a quick scan of the room and stepped in with Niki right behind him. The house was completely silent, but it reeked of death. They looked around the room. The windows had been boarded up with slats of wood and the sun cast eerie streaks through the room where it peeked through between the slats.
There was a set of bunk beds with sleeping bags rolled up at the foot of each bed, a small round woven rug on the floor beside the bed, and an old chair in the corner. The trail of blood continued into the room that was directly ahead of them so Jason motioned for Niki to take the room to the right and Jason followed the blood trail.
Each found the next room to be almost exactly as the first, with a set of bunk beds and a chair in the corner. There was no place for someone to hide in any of the three rooms and they came to the last room at the same time. The trail of blood ended at the bottom bunk, and Niki’s stomach heaved again when he saw the lump under the covers.
Jason was about to suggest that Niki leave the room when Niki ripped the sleeping bag off the bed and exposed the dead deer.
“It’s not her,” Niki said in relief. He slumped down in the chair so he wouldn’t fall down, and just as he did, a shot rang out and the cabin went up in flames.
Trent fired again, hitting the second bottle of gasoline and flames engulfed the roof of the cabin. He yelled out in glee and danced around the blind, and Stacy screamed in horror as she watched the cabin being consumed by fire.
“You bastard!” Stacy yelled. She was beating on her father’s chest and hitting him in the face while he belly laughed. Stacy was screaming and crying hysterically, when all of a sudden he stopped laughing and grabbed her and pulled her face up right next to his. His eyes were bulging and his breath smelled terrible, and Stacy was terrified that he was about to kiss her. Instead he turned her face and licked her cheek with the tip of his tongue.
Stacy was so repulsed that she shivered. “Get away from me, you sicko,” Stacy said, backing away from him, and in an instant he was laughing and dancing again, seemingly unaware of Stacy’s presence.
“Fuck!” Niki said, jumping up after the first shot. He and Jason ran to the door of the cabin, but it had locked behind them from the outside.
“It’s locked,” Niki told Jason.
Jason went from room to room. “The fire’s on every side.”
There were flames shooting inside between the boards and black smoke was pouring into the cabin from cracks in the walls, from under the door and from around the windows. The cabin had instantly become a furnace, with the dry old boards crackling and popping as they burned.
“Let’s get out of here!” Niki exclaimed.
He picked up a chair and slammed it against the window and glass went everywhere. Flames curled inside along the walls, igniting the bedding. Jason tried to smother the flames with a sleeping bag, but the blaze was already out of control.
Niki brought the chair up again, and slammed it against the wooden boards. The chair fell to pieces, but the slats remained intact. He tossed down what was left of the chair and Jason ran into the next room and grabbed another chair. Jason slammed it against the wooden slats and they started breaking away from the window. Both men were coughing from the smoke and their eyes were stinging and watering. Jason hit the boards again and this time the slats broke loose.
“Come on,” Jason yelled, and he dove through the window. Niki followed right behind him, and they rolled on the ground extinguishing their clothes.
Jason got up and was frantically swatting at Niki’s head. “Your hair’s on fire!” Jason exclaimed. They squelched the fire in Niki’s hair and when the drama was over, both of them burst out laughing.
“Holy shit!” Niki said, standing up and brushing himself off. “He’s creative. I’ll give him that.”
“What a sick son of a bitch.” Jason said. “Damn your hair stinks,” he said, fanning the smoky air.
Trent watched in fury from the blind as the two men came diving out the window. Not only had they made it out alive, but they were actually walking around and laughing about it. Trent was livid. He looked over at Stacy and she had a huge smile on her face as she watched Niki and Jason walk away from her father’s trap.
“This is all your fault,” Trent said, snatching Stacy up by her hair.
“Ouch! Let go of me!” she yelled.
He dragged Stacy out of the deer blind, holding her by the hair with his bad hand and pointing his gun in her ear with the other. He fired a shot in the air, to get Niki’s attention then replaced the gun at Stacy’s ear. Niki and Jason looked in the direction of the gunfire and Niki’s heart stopped. Trent brought Stacy within 10 feet of Niki and Jason and stopped.
“Are you okay?” Niki asked Stacy.
Trent’s face contorted, “Don’t talk to the bitch!” he shouted.
Stacy gave Niki a feeble smile, “I’m okay,” she mouthed. It was so good to see him that she wanted to cry.
“Toss your weapons over there,” Trent ordered, and Niki and Jason both threw their pistols to the side.
Niki looked Stacy over. She had dirt marks on her face and clothes, her knees were scraped, and there was dried blood in her hair, but he’d seen her look a lot worse. Her father, on the other hand, looked completely crazed with the blood smeared all over his face and with the grimaces he was making.
“Let Stacy go,” Niki told Trent. “She’s never done anything to hurt you. It’s the two of us you want, not her.”
Trent laughed. “Oh, that’s a nice try loverboy, but I’m afraid not. I have big plans in store for Stacy. But first I have to deal with you.” Trent scratched his head. “Pity my fire trap didn’t work. I was so excited about that too.”
The cabin was completely engulfed in flames and it had ignited the tree that Trent had climbed earlier to douse the roof. As dry as the land was, they were about to have a huge fire on their hands, but Trent was completely oblivious.
“Maybe you should call the fire department,” Niki said.
“We’re going to take a little walk,” Trent said, ignoring him. “You try anything and she gets a bullet in her ear.” He directed Niki and Jason to lead
the way and they set off through the brush towards the cabin where he had held Stacy.
The black smoke could be seen from miles away, and Alex got on his radio and identified himself to the Victoria fire department. “We’re going to need a pumper truck at the Trent ranch, but you are not to use your sirens and you are not to enter the property under any circumstance until I give you the go-ahead. And bring an ambulance,” Alex added.
Eli and Carlos and Alex’s men had entered the Trent ranch from the neighboring property, then they had split up to cover different areas of the ranch. Eli and Carlos took the ranch house, and Alex and his men took the three cabins and smokehouse. Holly stayed at the car and Alex made her swear up and down, under threat of federal charges, that she would not step foot onto the Trent ranch until everything was over. She had begrudgingly done so, but Alex still wasn’t sure whether she’d stay put.
Alex took off in the direction of the cabin where Stacy had been held and it was a 15-minute jog before he came to it. He went from window to window and looked in and determined that the cabin was empty. He drew his gun and went inside. The cabin was deserted, but Stacy had definitely been there. Alex picked up the handcuffs that were hanging from the bedpost and tossed them down on the bed, then he went outside and headed in the direction of the smoke.
“Stop,” Trent said.
Niki and Jason stopped and turned around.
“This way,” Trent said.
Niki was looking over Trent’s camouflage get up and something caught his eye that sent his heart racing. Trent was wearing short boots and Niki could make out the outline of a pistol tucked inside his left pant leg.
“Dad, please don’t do this,” she begged.
Trent moved the pistol from Stacy’s ear to her forehead and he looked her directly in the eye. “Didn’t I tell you to shut up?” he said, so softly it was barely audible. He pushed the pistol hard into her forehead.
Stacy started crying. “I don’t think so.”
“Oh . . . well in that case,” Trent said softly, then he yelled in her face, “SHUT UP!”
While Trent’s eyes were fixed on Stacy, Niki managed to catch her eye. He motioned to his own leg, then pointed at Trent’s and made his finger and thumb into the shape of a gun. Stacy looked away from Niki with no response, but he watched as she cast her eyes down towards her father’s feet and then back to her father’s face. She looked back over at Niki and made the slightest nod with her head and Niki couldn’t help but smile.
Stacy’s adrenaline started flowing and she could feel the rush running through her body. She needed a distraction so she could get to the gun without getting her head blown off.
They set off walking again in the direction where Trent had indicated, and Stacy realized he was walking the men to the grave she had stumbled into. She didn’t have much time. A few more minutes and they would be there. She was afraid to speak to her father again, but she had to try something.
“I love you, Daddy,” Stacy said softly.
“Shut up, Stacy,” her father said, irritated. “You already tried that, and it didn’t work the first time.”
“Please don’t kill them,” Stacy said.
“How stupid are you? You just don’t get it,” Trent laughed. “They’re already dead. You’re looking at two dead men.”
Stacy continued to plead with her father as they walked, but nothing she said was getting through. They had come to the giant pit and Trent ordered Niki and Jason to turn around. Trent saw something move in the trees and he pulled Stacy closer and jammed the gun up against her temple.
“Who’s out there?” Trent yelled, looking out into the brush. Without warning he turned the gun on Niki and fired.
“Shit!” Niki said, in disbelief.
A red spot appeared on his chest and Stacy watched in horror as it spread into a large circle covering the top right quarter of his shirt.
“Niki!” Stacy screamed. She tried to run to him but Trent grabbed her by the hair and pulled her back. “Let go of me, you bastard!” Stacy was screaming, trying to get away from her father.
The color drained out of Niki’s face and he clutched his chest then looked down at his bloody hand. He reached out to Jason for support, but Niki’s legs buckled underneath him and he fell backwards into the pit.
Trent laughed and fired again and Jason dived into the pit after Niki. Stacy’s father laughed wildly and headed toward the pit to finish the job.
Stacy screamed bloody murder, and dropped down to the ground and wrapped herself around Trent’s leg. She pulled up his pant leg trying to get to the gun as Trent kicked his leg trying to get her off. When Trent realized Stacy was going for the gun, he pointed his pistol at her head.
“Goodbye bitch,” he laughed.
“Stop! FBI,” Alex shouted, and Trent moved the gun from Stacy to Alex.
Stacy pulled the gun out of Trent’s boot and in a split second, she rolled onto her back, aimed and fired. The boom was deafening. Stacy’s ears were ringing when she watched her father’s head jolt back as the bullet struck him squarely between the eyes. Alex’s bullet hit him a fraction of a second later right in the heart. Trent’s gun discharged, and Stacy could hear the bullet whistling through the trees. Her father’s eyes rolled back in his head and his body collapsed on top of her.
Stacy was screaming, trying to get out from underneath her father, but he was literally dead weight and she couldn’t budge him. His glazed eyes were staring at her wide open, and she tried to push his head away from her face. Alex ran over and pulled Trent’s body off of her.
“Are you okay?” Alex asked.
Stacy shivered and nodded her head yes, but she wasn’t concerned about herself. She got up and stumbled over to the pit and Jason helped her down into it.
“Niki,” Stacy cried. Stacy crawled over next to him and bent over him sobbing. “Please don’t die!” she cried.
Niki opened his eyes and reached out for Stacy. “I’m okay,” Niki said, taking her hand.
Stacy was crying hysterically while Jason unbuttoned Niki’s shirt and checked out his wound. The bullet had hit him on the right side of his chest below his shoulder.
“How bad is it?” Stacy asked Jason.
“We need to stop the bleeding.” Jason yelled to Alex, “Help me get him out of here!”
Jason untied Stacy and he and Alex lifted Niki out of the grave. Stacy climbed out and knelt down on the ground beside him, sobbing. Jason took off his shirt and wadded it up and held it on the wound, putting pressure on it, trying to slow the bleeding. He put his other arm around Stacy and hugged her.
“I’m glad you’re okay,” Jason told her.
They heard sirens in the background and Carlos and Eli came running over. Eli dropped down on the ground next to his brother.
“Niki!” Eli said, slapping his cheeks, trying to wake him.
“Stop hitting me,” Niki said groggily.
Stacy was crying uncontrollably and Eli put his arm around her. “I’m glad you’re okay,” he told her.
Niki opened his eyes again. “Help me up,” he told Eli. “I can’t breathe,” he said.
“There’s an ambulance on the way. Just stay there,” Eli said, looking over at Jason with worry all over his face.
Niki’s breathing was becoming more and more labored, and by the time the ambulance arrived he was gasping for breath. Stacy, Jason and Eli moved over and made way for the paramedics.
Holly had followed the ambulance in and she ran over to Stacy.
“Are you okay?” Holly asked, looking Stacy over.
Stacy nodded her head yes, but burst into another round of tears. She fell against Holly and cried hysterically while Holly hugged her.
“He shot Niki,” Stacy sobbed.
“I know. But he’s going to be okay. I just know it,” Holly said emphatically. “What about you? Did he hurt you?”
“No. What if he dies, Holly?” Stacy said, choking on her tears.
“He’s not goin
g to die, Stacy! Don’t even think that!”
The two stood by and watched as the paramedics worked frantically trying to save Niki. One of the paramedics was on the phone relaying information to the ER doctor.
“There’s no sound whatsoever on the right side,” the paramedic said. “His neck veins are distended, and his trachea has shifted to the left.”
“It sounds like tension pneumothorax. He’s going to need to be airlifted to San Antonio,” the doctor said, then he instructed the paramedic how to proceed. The paramedic ran to the ambulance and returned with a 16-gauge needle and knelt over Niki as he gasped for air.
“What’s he doing?” Stacy asked Jason.
“I have no idea,” Jason said.
Everyone watched in horror as one paramedic held Niki down and the other brought his arm up then shoved the enormous needle down into Niki’s chest. Niki’s body lurched and he yelled out in pain as the needle penetrated under the second rib. There was a “whoosh” sound as air spurted out through the needle. Stacy screamed and buried her face and Holly put her arm around her again and hugged her.
Niki’s breathing improved instantly, but his blood pressure had dropped drastically. The helicopter was buzzing overhead and the paramedics were putting Niki on a gurney.
“You need to call your parents,” Jason told Eli.
“Will you do it? I need to stay with him,” Eli said, running over to the paramedics.
As soon as it landed, the paramedics loaded Niki onto the helicopter.
“He needs a family member with him,” Eli said, trying to get into the helicopter.
“We can’t do it,” the helicopter medic yelled.
One of the paramedics from the ambulance pulled Eli back and the helicopter took off. Eli turned frantically to the paramedic. “I need to charter a plane!”
“There’s a guy in town who will take you.”
The paramedic got on his radio and relayed information to the dispatcher. The smell of smoke was heavy in the air and when the wind blew, smoke wafted through the area.
Stacy ran over to the paramedics. “Where are they taking him?” she cried.
“Methodist in San Antonio,” the paramedic told her. He turned to Eli, “We’ll drop you at the airport. The pilot will be waiting.”
Back on Solid Ground Page 30
