Innocent Shadows

by Warren Ray

  Washington D.C.

  Green flashed his headlights across the street to get Kyle’s attention. He nodded to acknowledge him before looking both ways and then running over to the vehicle. He pulled on the handle and slid the side door open; then hopped into the cargo van which had no seats in the back.

  “He’s in there,” said Kyle as he sat down on a milk crate Green had thought to bring. Green looked at the convenience store across the street and didn’t like it. “Too many people here.”

  “I’ve got a better place to grab him anyway.”

  “Oh?”

  “Our guy is dressed for the gym, oh, there he is.”

  A man with a medium build was wearing shorts and a white t-shirt. He carried two cups of coffee to his red Mustang.

  “You see that?” asked Green.

  “Looks like he’s meeting someone. With any luck he’ll meet up with target number two,” said Kyle.

  “You sure this guy is known to Reed?”

  “Absolutely, and he’s for sure a hired gun. I know the type.”

  Green put the van in drive and started to follow target number one. His mind started thinking about all the different scenarios they might encounter and not all of them ended well. This was an “on the fly” operation and each of them needed to think quickly and not hesitate. He only knew about Kyle’s talents and experience from talking to his father, Jacob, who couldn’t stress his son’s qualifications enough. He trusted the former FBI man and took his word for it. What he didn’t know was how well Stormy could handle herself. Granted she had martial arts experience, but you can’t quantify something like that when you’ve never been out in the field. Did she understand they were going to have to kill these two people? It wasn’t even an easy thing for him to swallow since it wouldn’t be on a battlefield. He had to keep reminding himself that he was fighting on a different type of battlefield now and there were different rules. There was no honor in what they were doing and some might call it murder. Green took in a deep breath thinking about that. He was up against people who were responsible for killing hundreds of thousands of innocent Americans. In this battle, the ends actually did justify the means.

  After a few miles, the red Mustang pulled into a plaza where a gym sat in the middle with an empty store beside it. Green slowed down and took the next entrance to the complex. He watched as the Mustang parked in the back where there were no other cars.

  “Doesn’t want any scratches on that baby,” said Kyle.

  “Can’t say I blame him,” said Stormy, “it is a pretty one.”

  Green parked four rows over from the red Mustang and they sat there watching their target. A few minutes later, another car pulled in behind him.

  “That’s target number two,” said Kyle. “I was hoping it was gonna be him. They always work out together.”

  The two chatted together while drinking their coffee, before grabbing their gear and heading to the gym.

  Green turned around in his seat. “This is an ideal situation. We can park with the side-door right at his driver’s side.”

  “What do you want me to do?” asked Stormy.

  Green looked at Kyle. “Dead battery?”

  “You got cables in here?”

  “In the back.”

  Kyle looked at Stormy. “My dear, you just need to look pretty and ask for a jump.”

  “I can handle that.”

  “You bring the stun gun?” asked Green.

  Kyle reached into his bag and pulled out a handheld stun gun. It was a close quarters weapon and not one that fired pronged probes. You had to physically make contact to disable the attacker, or in this case, the victim.

  Kyle pressed the button and the stun gun crackled in the van. The loud arcing sound got your attention.

  Stormy jerked back as the sound echoed in the empty van.

  “Twenty million volts,” boasted Kyle.

  Green nodded in approval and thought he should get one for his mother, but then remembered she was now packing a pistol. He placed his hand in his jacket to give his M9 a reassuring pat.

  “Also brought a baton,” said Kyle pulling out a collapsible black baton. He flicked his wrist and ejected the baton with a snap. He then handed it to Green.

  “Don’t I get a toy?” asked Stormy.

  Kyle laughed. “You’ve got your feet.”

  “In this dress?”

  “Well, it certainly won’t restrict your movements.”

  “I’m more modest than that.”

  Kyle leaned forward. “Ah, excuse me Miss Lingerie model.”

  “Yeah, okay, touché.”

  Green laughed to himself at their jovial mood. It was always better to joke around rather than start worrying over an impending mission. Of course, that would change as soon as their targets came out of the building.

  Green put the van in drive and drove it over to the Mustang, parking it right alongside it. The van now blocked the view from the building and high hedges bordered the parking lot, blocking any view from the road. He looked at his watch and figured they had at least another thirty minutes before they would come back out.

  “Grab those jumper cables in the back, would cha?” asked Green.

  Green pulled on the hood latch and then gave Stormy instructions on what to do. She gave him a terse nod and Green exited the van. Kyle would remain hidden in the back, while he would wait somewhere in the lot. It would be better if he approached them offering his assistance. They had two targets to deal with and both would want to help a damsel in distress, especially one that looked like Stormy.

  Chapter 44

  Sarnia Ontario

  Knowing something was not right, Scar paced the floor of the small room the cops had put them in. Hours had passed and it had begun to dawn on him that they were not going to go before a judge or get an attorney. He hadn’t seen Sergeant Wilson yet and had no idea if the sergeant had called General Standish. He was growing impatient and wanted answers.

  “Guys, something is off,” Scar said, “if they were going to let us go, they’d have done so by now.”

  Bassett rose from his chair. “It’s strange they didn’t even take our mug shots or fingerprint us.”

  “They kept us out of the system on purpose,” said Burns.

  Scar scoffed, “So, no record of us.”

  “Good thing or bad?” asked Bassett.

  “It’s a crap sandwich, that’s what it is,” Nordell quickly added. “Don’t forget, there’s a reward on your heads.”

  “But not yours,” chided Bassett.

  “I’m as clean as the driven snow, Corporal,” said Nordell.

  “You’re just lacking a good headline,” Burns shot back.

  “A good headline would make me famous.”

  Burns waved his hand in the air. “Retired Marine goes postal on cops.”

  “I like it,” said Nordell, nodding approvingly.

  Scar crossed his arms over his chest. “Guys, can we focus?”

  “Yes, of course,” said Bassett, in a contrite tone. “I think we should assume we’re being sold off.”

  “Like cattle,” said Nordell sarcastically.

  “Then we need to think about escaping,” said Scar. “Any ideas?”

  They shot each other questioning glances before Nordell spoke up. “Before we try anything, we need to set these guards at ease. Give them no reason to suspect we’re worried about anything. That we’re cooperating and just waiting to be released.”

  “Get friendly with them,” agreed Burns.

  “When we strike, we’ll strike fast,” said Nordell, pounding his fist into his hand. “Look where they’ve got us, we’re in a friggin warehouse. A half-ass, make-do solution they came up with on the fly. We’re not in a jail cell guys, so we’ve got a damn good chance of getting out of here.”

  Burns nodded. “We only need to overpower one cop and get his gun.”

  “Chances are we’re right by the river so we might need to swim across, everyone a good s
wimmer?”

  Everyone nodded.

  “What about Hadley?” asked Nordell.

  “He’ll stay until he’s sure something is wrong,” said Bassett.

  Scar pondered all of this for a bit. They still didn’t have a plan, but everyone was on board to try an escape, which was always an important first step. He was glad they agreed that they were being held for the reward and they couldn’t allow themselves to be surrendered to the National Police.

  Nordell had brought up a good point about getting the guards to relax a little bit. This couldn’t be a normal situation for them, so they wouldn’t have procedures to rely on. He thought about the layout of the warehouse and how the room they were in was at the end of the building. Bathrooms were off to the side in the only other room in the big wide-open building. He needed to know how many guards they had posted and just how alert they were. He decided to send Bassett out to recon the situation.

  “Bassett, can you ask to go to the bathroom?”

  “You got it.”

  “See if you can get friendly with him.”

  “No problem.”

  Scar sent Bassett because he was about the same age as the cop outside the door. Bassett had an easy manner about him and was able to get along with anyone. His youth and good looks also helped put people at ease. He looked less grumpy than the rest of them. Scar knew the stressful life he was now living had been aging him. He had noticed new lines forming on his face and spotted it on some of the others as well. He hoped his wife, Tera, wouldn’t be too surprised whenever they reunited again.

  Scar had everyone sit down at the table and look bored as Bassett went to the door and gave it a few knocks asking to use the restroom. It took a few seconds before the door opened up.

  Bassett back away from the door as the cop pulled it opened.

  “Hey, Officer, I need to use the bathroom, would you mind?”

  The cop looked inside the room for a moment and then motioned Bassett out the door. He was about the same build as Bassett and had short blond hair, which was combed over neatly. His flack vest had “POLICE” across it in big yellow letters. It was the only color on his dark blue uniform. His deep-set eyes gave him a serious appearance, and Bassett noticed he was hesitant.

  “Thanks, man, I’ve been holding on since breakfast.”

  The cop walked several paces behind him with his hand on his holster ready to pull his pistol out. Bassett chuckled to himself because they made a big mistake in not handcuffing him. If they only knew how quick he could take him down, they would cuff him.

  He walked across the empty warehouse floor in a casual way and nodded to another cop sitting at a card table that they must have been brought in since their arrival. This cop didn’t look like he pulled guard duty very often and only looked up from the newspaper to see if his colleague needed any assistance.

  This second cop would be the biggest obstacle to their escape attempt. Everything would depend on how alert they were and how fast he was. So far, from what he could discern, the guard didn’t look too worried. Not paying attention was their second big mistake. If the cop was a good shot, he might be able to get one shot off, maybe two before Bassett had a gun. Even then, bulletproof vest or not, the second cop wouldn't take the chance hitting his friend. This would slow him down giving Bassett the advantage.

  The cop was smart to not allow him to shut the door to the bathroom, which, so far, was their only smart move. He flushed the toilet and walked out of the bathroom.

  “Hey, thanks again, man.”

  “No problem,” said the first cop.

  Bassett noticed neither cop had stripes, which meant they hadn’t been on the force too long. “So, how the hell did you guys draw this assignment? You guys have got to be as bored as we are?”

  “Tell me about it.”

  “Any idea how long we’re gonna be here?”

  The cop shrugged his shoulders.

  “It’s just that we’re all bored, but at least you got something to read. You think maybe we could get some reading material, maybe even a deck of cards?”

  The first cop looked over at the second cop. “Listen, ahh…”

  “I’m Bassett, Corporal Bassett.”

  “Army?”

  Bassett nodded.

  “Were you over there?”

  “Got back about six months ago.”

  “You?”

  “Calgary Highlanders.”

  Bassett knew they were a reserve regiment that had been in Afghanistan in years past, but nothing as of late. He figured the Canadians were using them on the border in case the Chinese decided to keep heading north.

  Bassett looked at his name badge. “You’re from Calgary. What are you doing way over this way, Officer Johnson?”

  “It’s Quinn and my girlfriend’s family lives here.”

  “Yep, that’ll do it every time, Quinn,” laughed Bassett.

  “Hey, I’ll see about getting you guys something. We’ll be bringing in some chow pretty soon anyway, so hang tight.”

  “Thanks, Quinn, really appreciate it,” said Bassett, as he walked back inside the room. He hated the fact that in all likelihood, he was going to have to kill this man, but Quinn was in the wrong place watching the wrong people.

  Chapter 45

  Washington D.C.

  Green looked at his watch again wishing time would speed up. Running out of things to do in the parking lot, he decided to walk into the gym. The place wasn’t too busy and it was easy to spot his targets on their treadmills. They were doing a slow walk and cooling down, which meant they were finishing up. Their energy wasn’t going to be the same as it would have been if they had taken them at another place. After waving off a girl at the counter, he walked back outside and killed time by looking through the window of the empty store space next door. He started pacing again wondering what was taking so long when they finally emerged wearing suits.

  Green’s heart sunk when he realized they were more than likely armed. He had hoped they’d come back out wearing their gym clothes. He waited a few seconds before heading toward the van. He picked up his pace when he saw Stormy was already talking to them. Target number 1 disappeared around the corner of the van to open the hood of his car.

  Goosebumps exploded on Green’s skin when he heard the stun gun crackle to life. Kyle was too early. He started to run toward them while pulling out the baton. Target number 2 had reached inside his jacket to pull out a gun. As he pulled the weapon out, Stormy grabbed the hand and punched him in the face. The blow didn’t deter him and he swung his left hand at her. Stormy ducked down and punched him in the groin while still holding onto his wrist. He hunched over and tried to pull his gun hand away, but Stormy twisted around and jumped up on his back. She put him in a chokehold while leaning back to bring him down to the pavement.

  Green finally reached them and swung the baton across Target number 2’s face. He then buried it in his gut a couple of times before grabbing his gun. He looked up at Stormy and noticed the excitement on her face as she seemed to be enjoying herself.

  “I had him all the way,” she said while catching her breath.

  “I saw that,” said Green, as he turned around to Kyle who was manhandling Target number 1 into the van.

  Green looked around the parking lot for any unwanted attention. Relief swept over him when no one had taken notice.

  Green looked at Stormy. “C’mon, grab his legs.”

  They picked up Target 2 and carried him inside.

  Kyle handcuffed them both and bound them together with duct tape.

  “You were early,” said Green.

  “Couldn’t be helped. Son-of-a-bitch saw the door cracked open so he pulled on it. I mean what the hell. I had to jump him, but he fell back on his car.”

  “Well, it worked out,” said Green, as he shut the hood of the van. He then hopped into the driver’s seat. After starting the vehicle, he took a couple of deep breaths before driving out of the parking lot.

 
“Damn, that was a friggin rush,” said Stormy in an excited tone. “Did you see me take him down?”

  Kyle finished tying them up and moved in between the two seats. “Hell, I was too busy getting my boy in the van. Damn if it didn’t take a couple of jolts before he went limp. Nice job bringing the storm on yours.”

  “That was so much better than being in the ring. Man, the adrenaline, I mean, I am as high as a kite.”

  Kyle let out a laugh. “Don’t worry, it’ll last awhile.”

  “Dude didn’t stand a chance after I punched him in the sack. He didn’t give up though, so I jump on him and put him in the death hold.”

  “And, you did it all in a dress,” laughed Kyle.

  “Right,” said Stormy, as she looked at Green. “Was my dress just flying all about?”

  Green couldn’t believe how cavalier and excited she was. She thoroughly enjoyed the mission and impressed the hell out of him. The way she practically flew up around him and took him down was something he’d never seen anybody but Corporal Bassett do.

  “It was like you were wearing a superhero cape,” said Green grateful he had something witty to say.

  “Ah, did you hear that?”

  “Captain Storm,” yelled Kyle.

  She beamed at the name, but Green thought of a better one. “Lady Storm.”

  “Oh I like that. Lady Storm,” she said with flair twirling her finger in the air.

  Green drove the speed limit not wanting to be pulled over for speeding with a couple of hostages. He looked at his watch and grew anxious wanting to get back to the office. They still needed to set up the next part of their plan, but he would have to rely on Kyle and Stormy to help get things ready and in place. It was important that he be seen at the office today.

  He pulled up to a garage door and honked his horn. The door began to raise and Green drove into the darkened building. He shut off the engine and opened the door as Jacob Gibbs approached him.

  “Everything go alright?” asked Gibbs.

  “It did, we actually got two.”

  “Perfect.”

  “Hey Dad, went off without a hitch. And Stormy was brilliant.”