by Redrae Gunn
“I’m going to be leaking the two of you all day.” Jenna huffed from the bathroom. “I’m going to have to wear a pad or something.”
“You’ll also be thinking of us all day,” Jace called to her.
“I think of both of you all day the way that it is,” Jenna replied.
“Fifteen minutes,” Tony whispered.
“What?” Jace asked and shook his head as he got dressed.
“That’s all that we lasted,” Tony whispered again.
“That’s horrible,” Jace said.
“Dismal performance,” Tony admitted.
“Good thing she already married us.” Jace smirked.
“No kidding,” Tony replied.
“You guys will just have to do better next time.” Jenna poked her head into the bedroom and pointed at both of them with her toothbrush.
Jace looked at Tony and laughed. Life with Jenna would never be dull.
Chapter 18
“I told you to wear gloves, Jenna,” Tony scolded.
“I did,” Jenna said. She pulled the gloves from her pocket and waved them at Tony as she stomped the snow off of her feet. April in North Dakota could still suck. “I just forgot to put them back on.”
Jenna walked into the kitchen and grabbed a cup of coffee. Jace came in and kissed her on the top of the head. He asked if she had warmed up his truck and Jenna laughed. She started making the pancakes as the men had their morning meeting on the now-decorated porch. Jenna sighed as she looked around the place. Every window had new blinds and curtains, there was fresh carpet in the living room, the kitchen had wood flooring, and the bathroom had been expanded to include a large walk-in shower with three separate shower heads.
The last thing to come was going to be the enormous eight-person Jacuzzi. They all had decided on that together. Jace and Tony had cussed up a storm while they had dug through frozen ground to get the post holes ready for the porch. Then they had suffered in sub-zero weather to build the porch of their dreams. The Jacuzzi was set to be delivered tomorrow and they had already planned on testing it during the next snowstorm, which was set to hit in three days.
Jenna loaded Jace’s pancakes with chocolate chips, whipped cream, and then set a Hershey bar on top of it. That man loved his chocolate more than any woman she’d ever met. She dished up Tony’s plate and added the caramels, apples, and bananas.
Jenna listened to the TV in the living room as the weatherman said that they were expecting at least six more inches of snow. Jenna rolled her eyes. It was the middle of April. Didn’t Mother Nature know that spring was supposed to be coming?
At mid-day Jenna had gone out to get the mail. She paused as a white van drove by and she saw its brake lights flash as it went over the hill. She stood at the mail box pretending to check her mail as the van pulled to the side of the road and stopped. Something felt wrong. Jenna pushed on her earpiece.
“Call Kira,” Jenna said softly.
She walked back to where she could still make out a little of the van and when it turned around and sped back down the road Jenna ran for the house.
* * * *
Tony held up his phone to Jace and then answered it.
“Operation War Games is live.” Gunner’s robotic voice sounded through the phone.
“Which one is it?” Tony asked as Jace did a U-turn in the middle of the highway.
“You guys remember how this works, right?” Rock’s voice came through the phone. “Gunner is busy right now collecting data and notifying authorities. We will be able to hear the girls and communicate with each other, but they can’t hear us. All their communication goes through Gunner and he is recording it.”
“Do we know who?” Tony asked again.
“No,” Rock said. “Gunner will let us know but the girls swore that they would go to the other’s house to help, so right now it doesn’t matter who it is. They are both in danger and I’m two hours away.”
“We are an hour away,” Jace said.
Tony kept looking at his silent phone as Jace pushed the truck as fast as he could safely go on the slick and frosted roads.
“Jenna and Kira will be broadcasted on am station 910 to keep cell phone communication open between affected parties,” Gunner’s voice sounded.
Tony turned the radio station. He heard Jenna’s soft, quick breaths coming through the speakers and his heart nearly seized in his chest as she spoke to Kira. “The subjects are in the main house. I left my muddy shoes and the mail on the kitchen table so hopefully they will spend some time trying to find me inside.”
“How many?” Kira’s asked. The sound of her engine whining as she drove probably ninety down the dirt road also came through the sound system.
Jace looked at Tony as he heard Rock cough. Sure, Jenna was in danger, but Rock’s woman would’ve been safe. Instead she was heading straight for the danger. Rock surely had to be having a hard time with the War Games Operation.
“Four,” Jenna whispered. “I take that back. Three are in the house, one is walking the property and there is movement from the van. Five. Gunner said that lowers our odds considerably, Kira. You can back out.”
“I already ditched the truck.” Kira sounded like she was running. “Rendezvous point?”
“North side of the bee hive,” Jenna replied. It sounded like she was running again as well.
“Copy.”
* * * *
Jenna waited behind the tree line off of her shop. She could see the house and so far the five men were basically setting up equipment. Hopefully Gunner would be able to lock into the sophisticated-looking equipment that they were using and find intent. Intent would convict the assholes without a shadow of a doubt, especially if Gunner recorded their entire computer activity, since it was well known that they broadcast the rapes live.
“Abe Long Feather has an ETA of twenty minutes,” Gunner reported. “Sheriff Morgan has an ETA of thirty minutes. Backup coming. Abe’s backup has an ETA of thirty-five minutes and Sheriff Morgan has two officers that have an ETA of forty minutes. Please advise.”
Jenna spotted Kira and both quickly made their way into the shop. Kira dumped out a large duffel bag. Both of the women started checking the weapons and clips.
“All these are nonlethal,” Kira said, handing Jenna one pistol and a rifle.
Jenna nodded her head and strapped the pistol into the holster on her leg and slung the rifle over her shoulder.
“This is loaded,” Kira said and handed Jenna another pistol. “It may come down to you or them.”
Jenna nodded her head.
“A knife for if you get captured and are bound,” Kira said as she fitted the strap around Jenna’s leg and then pulled her pant leg down. “If I can go one-on-one and make it silent I will. I swear if you try that I will kill you myself.”
Jenna nodded her head. She knew that there was no way she would be able to beat anyone in a knife fight. She probably wouldn’t be able to kill anyone either.
“I’m scared,” Jenna whispered.
“So am I,” Kira replied. “We are supposed to be scared. It will help our bodies react quickly and make split-second decisions. We just can’t let our fear hit freeze or freak mode, okay?”
Jenna managed a little laugh. “No freezing or freaking. Got it.”
“Gunner, we will advise when we reach the extraction point,” Kira said and then the two women took off back through the tree row.
“Copy,” Gunner replied.
Five minutes later Jenna collapsed into the ditch beside Kira. She had seen the white van on the ridge where the road forked. She had heard Kira swearing so she knew her friend saw it, too.
“Extraction point is blocked,” Kira whispered into her ear piece.
“Be advised that the alternate route is also blocked,” Gunner replied. “Abe is going around to meet Sheriff Morgan. They request intel.”
“Two men armed,” Jenna said as she looked through the scope on her rifle. “They are wearing some sort of uniforms.”
“Guard activity in this area is negative,” Gunner replied.
“Stolen uniforms most likely,” Kira advised. “How long do these darts last?”
“At least thirty minutes on a mad mother cow,” Jenna replied with a smile.
“Gunner, we are going to try to clear the north entrance,” Kira said.
“Affirmative,” Gunner replied.
“We have to hit them at the same time,” Kira said.
Jenna nodded her head and took a deep breath. She forced her hands to stop shaking as she pointed her rifle at the man’s chest. It would just be for thirty minutes. Plenty of time for her and Kira to get the hell out of danger and let the authorities deal with this madness. Jenna squeezed the trigger and watched as both of the men staggered around for a few seconds and then dropped to the ground.
Once at Kira’s truck Jenna waited as Kira tried to start it. Kira had popped the hood and then had motioned for Jenna to get out of the truck.
“Be advised that the getaway vehicle has been disabled,” Kira said.
Jenna took off running back for the safety of the tree line and Kira was following her so obviously they were of the same mind. They needed to hide until help arrived. They were stuck and didn’t know how many other people were involved with the kidnap and torture of women.
* * * *
Tony and Jace were hanging on every exchange that they were hearing. The women had been smart to try to get away from the farm. They were smarter still for trying to clear a path for law enforcement and leave in Kira’s truck. Every time that there was a little hope it was instantly squelched.
“Gunner, I am getting some interference in my earpiece.” Jenna’s voice sounded panicked and she was breathing hard.
“Advising to halt communication while a back trace is performed,” Gunner replied in his ever-calm, ever-robotic voice.
Tony glanced at Jace. Nothing he could say or do right now would make Jace slow down. All he could do was hang on and pray that Jace would know his limits. Tony waited, nearly holding his breath to hear something from the radio.
“The source of the interference has the potential to be hostile. Also be advised that a broadcast is being sent out via Internet from that location.” Gunner’s voice filled the air in the truck. “Continue War Games or move to the Bait Box contingency plan? Please advise.”
Tony listened as Jenna took a deep breath. “Bait Box is in effect. We are going rogue.”
“Copy,” Gunner said.
“Peace,” Kira said.
“Red, white, and blue,” Jenna replied.
The radio went silent.
Tony looked down at his phone as he heard Rock cough.
“I’m guessing the ‘red, white, and blue’ meant something to you guys,” Rock said. “Just like the ‘peace’ meant something to me.”
“It did,” Tony said as the tears came to his eyes.
* * * *
Jenna looked at Kira. Kira appeared calm and Jenna tried to pull strength from the fact that Kira had been in combat. Everything would somehow be okay. It had to be okay. Jenna felt some of the focused calm descend upon her as she thought of her future, her two men, and the life that they were going to have together. She’d be damned, if she wasn’t already, if anyone was going to take that away from her.
“They are tracking our foot prints in the snow,” Kira whispered.
Jenna snuck to the gate of the corral and opened it. All the horses were on the far side of the corral and they loved the opportunity to dine on the grass in the yard. Jenna didn’t like the fact that she was possibly making the horses potential targets but hopefully, sooner than later, their hoof prints would cover up some of the tracks that she and Kira had made, in the lawn and in the corral.
“We can divide and conquer,” Kira said. “Not recommended in this situation. Or we can go on the offensive.”
“Basically the same risk,” Jenna whispered as she banged the back of her head on the large bales they rested against.
“But we are in control,” Kira whispered back.
“Yeah, because we are so used to being in control.” Jenna giggled and rolled her eyes.
Kira smiled. “Well at least you aren’t freaking or freezing.”
“I don’t think I can kill anyone,” Jenna admitted.
“You’ll know when the time comes if you can or not,” Kira said. “If not, blind the fucker for life with pepper spray.”
Jenna nodded her head as Kira used a mirror to look around the bales and toward the house.
“They are moving more stuff into the house,” Kira said. “Looks like lights and a tripod. Guess your instincts were right and now I know that we were right to take out those two guys.”
“The horses,” Jenna said. “We should have rode Strydor to your house.”
“We wouldn’t have made it,” Kira said. “Good idea in theory but probably unsuccessful if put into motion, unless we went somewhere into the buttes. I don’t ride and would have slowed us down.”
Jenna watched Kira scramble to her feet so Jenna did the same. Just then a man came around the bale and Jenna couldn’t help the strangling feeling in her throat. In slow motion she watched her friend pull one of the tranquillizer darts from her hip and jab it into the man’s thigh as she pulled him behind the bales. He struggled with her but Kira pressed a thumb behind the man’s ear with her fingers wrapping behind his neck and the man went limp.
“Rock’s been teaching me Hapkido,” Kira whispered.
“Tell him the lesson was learned,” Jenna whispered as she looked at the incapacitated man. She heard shouts coming from the farmhouse. “Leave him here. We need to move.”
Jenna ran to Jace’s shop with Kira right behind her. She was looking for the spare set of keys to Tony’s truck. Maybe they could get it started and get the hell out of dodge before they would be noticed. Shouts and feet getting closer to the shop had Kira pulling Jenna to the side door as two men came inside the shop.
Jenna paused outside of the shop and waited for the first man to rush the door before she slammed the door into his face. She heard the glass shatter and his furious yelling as she followed Kira through the tree line.
“Nail that next fucker with a dart when he comes around the shop,” Kira said. “Then pull back and meet me at the bee hive. I’m going to check out the house and see how many are onto us.”
Jenna nodded her head and pointed her rifle at the shop. She listened to Kira’s retreating footsteps. She waited and when the man came around the front of the shop she steadied herself and fired. The man went down after staggering and Jenna leaned her cheek against the cool butt of the rifle. She heard Kira approaching her from behind.
“Gotcha,” a man’s gruff voice said.
Jenna spun around and all she saw was a gun pointed in her face. The man turned toward something else and a blur of black knocked the man from Jenna’s view. She waited for the pain as she heard a shot fire from the gun.
Jenna sat up when she realized that she wasn’t shot. Strydor was rearing up and stomping down so hard the ground shook. She had seen him do the same thing to a snake once. Jenna stumbled to where Strydor was now pounding his hooves into the dead body of the would-be shooter. Strydor calmed when Jenna approached. She led him away from the mess in the snow and hugged his neck.
Jenna grabbed a handful of his mane and he lowered his front leg so she could pull herself up onto his back. She rode through the tree line to the back of her shop where Kira was waiting.
“I don’t care what you say,” Jenna said as she reached out a hand to Kira. “We are getting out of here.”
“I agree completely.”
Jenna pulled Kira up onto Strydor when he lowered his leg. She didn’t have his bridle and instead she used her knee commands to get him turned around and headed to the main road.
Kira had been right. It was much slower with her on the back. Kira was bouncing all
over the horse despite having a death grip on Jenna. They were almost to the cover of the tree line on the other side of the property when a shot rang out just as Strydor stumbled and whinnied.
Jenna landed in the snow with Kira right behind her. Jenna would’ve laughed at Strydor’s expression of apology when he turned his eyes at her but his eyes were wider than normal and his ears were back listening to something other than her.
“He’s shot,” Kira said.
Jenna followed Kira’s finger to where she pointed to the blood trickling down Strydor’s leg and onto the snow. She turned toward the house where two men were approaching with their weapons raised.
“Don’t move!” one of the men shouted.
Jenna looked at where Kira had just slid a large knife up her sleeve as she stood up with her hands raised. Jenna put her hands in the air. Strydor nickered and pushed against her.
Jenna turned to calm the horse and when she turned back around she was met with a fist to the face. Everything went black for a second and then she was being dragged through the snow back toward the house.
Strydor followed her rearing up and snorting. He pawed the ground and then pranced around, tossing his head.
The man raised his gun at the horse, giving Jenna just enough time to get her feet underneath her. She grabbed the man’s wrist and the shot fired into the air. Another blinding punch landed to the side of her face but she fought the nausea and pulled the pepper spray from her back pocket and unloaded in his eyes.
Jenna saw Kira struggling with the man who had her in a headlock. A flash of silver went through the air and Jenna heard the man scream as his sleeve opened and so did the forearm beneath it. When the man released Kira she spun around. Jenna barely saw Kira’s arm move but the man grabbed his throat, his scream never making it to his lips as he collapsed to the ground.
Jenna turned back to the man who had shot Strydor. The man who had just attempted to shoot him again. She kicked him in the head and then unloaded the entire bottle of pepper spray into his face. When he rolled to his back she gave him one last kick, right to his man parts. His scream was music to her ears. She was drawing back to kick him again but Kira pulled her back.
