“The area looks the same as I remember. It’s all still very rural,” Dr. White said.
“It is for now,” his son-in-law said. “But Caliber says in their latest report that the land was recently taken by the state for municipal purposes. There will be a regional airport here someday.”
The smile left Amanda’s face.
“That means he’ll be homeless soon. Why don’t we ask him to come live with us?”
“Amanda, I know that he’s my brother and your son, but please, let’s take things slow. We still don’t know what Michael is like.”
Amanda frowned.
“I know, and I’m sorry, I just want my boy back.”
Jessica turned in her seat and smiled at her.
“Things will work out, and the hard part is over; we’ve finally found him.”
Amanda brightened.
“Yes, we’ve found my boy, and I can’t wait to lay eyes on him.”
***
“Stop the car!” Summer shouted.
Weaver was startled by her words, and he brought the car to a hard stop halfway down the long graveled driveway that led to Michael Storm’s farm.
“What’s wrong?”
“I’m scared.”
“Of what?”
“Of change, things will change between Michael and me, and I’ll never remember him as the boy I knew, but only the man he is now.”
“Summer, it’s too late to turn back.”
“I know,” Summer said, and Weaver continued on towards the farm house.
As they approached the home, they saw a figure emerge from the barn, where a flatbed truck was backed halfway in, between the two tall doors.
The house was white and appeared well cared for, but the barn was painted a bright red with white trim. Weaver drove towards the man who’d left the barn.
Summer was breathing faster than usual and beads of sweat were on her forehead.
Weaver parked along a wooden fence and just past the front of the truck, and he and Summer got out to meet Michael.
The man from the barn was tall and well built, with dark hair. Summer searched his face for a trace of the boy she once knew but saw only a stranger, and the stranger was looking at her as if he was imagining her naked.
She had bought a modest white dress for the occasion, and its hemline hung below her knees, while its collar reached her neck, but despite the lack of skin showing, the man stared. When he finally raised his eyes from her body to look at her face, he smiled.
“Summer Gray?”
Summer sighed, as a sickness entered her soul.
“Hello, Michael.”
The man laughed.
“I’m not Mikey, but for once I wish I was.” The man turned and hollered into the gloom of the barn. “Hey Mikey, come out and meet your guests.”
Michael Storm emerged from the barn.
He was wearing a pair of work gloves and held a shovel in one hand, with the spade facing downward.
He was a tall man with a trim build and a mop of dark unruly hair. His jeans looked well worn and he wore a purple T-shirt. On his face was a smile seldom seen on anyone over the age of ten. It was the guileless grin of a child, of an innocent, and his eyes fairly twinkled as if from the sheer joy of being alive.
He looked first at the man who had summoned him from the barn, but then he caught sight of Summer and the smile on his face grew wider as he took her in.
“Summer? Buggy, is that really you?”
As children, Michael had given Summer the nickname of “Buggy”, because he had always told her that she was as cute as a bug’s ear.
Summer had all but forgotten the term of endearment, but the sound of it brought back all the love, joy, and fellowship that she and Michael Storm had felt for each other.
“It’s me, Michael.”
Michael Storm dropped the shovel and shed his gloves as he moved towards Summer. When he reached her, smiling and opening his arms, Summer fell into them and held on to Michael as if he were her last hope of salvation.
CHAPTER 18
The man whom Summer had first mistaken for Michael was a farmer from the area who Michael was selling his farm equipment and livestock to.
The man was named Herb Riley, and Riley’s farm was unaffected by the state’s plans for the new airport, since it was on the other end of town.
Michael told Summer that he had to finish up with Riley before they could sit and talk.
As he was about to get back in his truck, Riley pointed at a large mound of wood chips that was piled twelve feet high in a corner of the barn.
“I can use those cedar chips too, to keep the weeds down. I’ll have to pick them up another day. How much you want for them, Mikey?”
“Just take them, Herb.”
Herb smiled at Michael.
“I’m gonna miss you when you have to leave, and the damn town won’t be the same.”
Herb had crates of chickens in the rear of the truck, and Michael’s usually smiling face saddened as he watched the truck pull away.
Summer walked over to him, and without thinking about it, she took his hand.
“Robert told me that you were losing your farm, I’m sorry, Michael.”
Michael’s smile returned as he looked at Summer.
“Do you remember my grandma?”
“Yes, but only in a vague way. I mostly remember all the oatmeal cookies she used to give me.”
“Well, Grandma had a saying, ‘If you lose something, you’ll get something better.’ So, I’m losing the farm, but now you’re here again, and that’s better than a farm any day.”
As he talked, Summer studied Michael.
There was a childlike quality about him, but at the same time, he didn’t quite come across as seeming limited mentally. Summer noticed something else about Michael. He never looked at her with a hint of desire showing on his face. She was his friend, his “Buggy”, and he was in heaven having her back in his life.
***
Ron Ponte watched as Herb Riley’s flatbed truck drove away from Michael’s farm.
Ron had left the rental car driven by Dominic and gone on foot to check out the property. When he saw Summer and Weaver talking to Michael Storm on the secluded land, he figured that it was as good a place as any to kill Weaver, and that Michael was likely the man who had sold them guns years ago.
When he returned to the car, which was parked several yards south of the entrance to the driveway, Dominic had questions.
“This other guy, did he look like the guy that sold us the machine guns?”
“Dom, that was thirteen years ago. All I remember about the guy is that he was tall and had dark hair, like this guy, and he’s about the right age too.”
Dominic removed his Yankees cap to wipe sweat off his forehead and then placed it back on his head.
“How many people did you see?”
“It looks like it’s just the three of them now that the guy with the truck left.”
Jerry took out one of the guns they’d bought from a contact. It was an old, but well cared for Beretta. Ron had a Beretta as well, while Dominic had a sawed-off shotgun.
Dominic had always been a lousy shot, but he liked shotguns better anyway, because he had known guys who’d been burned by ballistics and gone to prison. Ballistic tests can’t distinguish one 12-gauge shotgun from another.
“If we’re gonna do this, let’s do it,” Jerry said.
Dominic thought things over for a moment, and as he did so, a car drove past him on the lonely two-lane road. Once the car had passed, he drove onto Michael’s farm.
***
Robert Weaver looked over at Michael and Summer and wondered if coming to California was a smart move.
Michael Storm was a good looking guy, if perhaps a little odd, but Weaver wondered if Summer would soon dump him to be with her old friend.
“I’ve got more good news,” Michael said. “I have a brother.”
Summer scrunched up her face in co
nfusion.
“What? You never had a brother.”
“I was adopted, remember?”
“That’s right, I’d forgotten.”
“He’s coming here too, and he’s bringing my real mom. Isn’t that something? I not only get you back, but also find a new family... and I was so scared that I’d be alone forever after my grandma passed away.”
Those last words were uttered with pain, and Summer suddenly realized that she was holding Michael’s hand. She gave it a squeeze of comfort.
“When is this brother of yours getting here?”
“It should be sometime today.”
The sound of a car reached their ears and they saw a vehicle coming down the graveled drive at high speed.
Michael grinned.
“I think they’re here. Oh, I hope they like me.”
Summer laid her head on Michael’s shoulder, even as it amazed her how right it felt to be around him. She had always thought of him as the big brother she never had, and being near him made her happier than she’d been in years.
As the car drew closer, it slowed drastically to make a turn and head towards the barn.
Weaver was standing a few feet away from Summer, and she heard him gasp while staring at the car.
“Robert, what’s wrong?”
Weaver’s mouth was moving without making a sound at first, as he took in the faces of Dominic and the Ponte brothers. When he did finally manage to utter a sound, it was only one word.
“Run!”
That’s when the shotgun boomed and blood flowed.
CHAPTER 19
Jessica put a hand on her husband’s arm.
“I think we just passed the entrance.”
He slowed the car, and then placed it in reverse.
“That’s funny,” Jessica said. “There was a car parked there when we drove by. I guess they’re visiting Michael Storm too.”
After backing up, he turned into the driveway and saw Dominic’s car rocketing along the narrow gravel lane. It was bordered on both sides by tall hedges that had been planted close together.
“That car is moving fast, too fast. I think something is wrong.”
They all watched the car as it slowed to make the turn onto the farm, and it left a spray of gravel in its wake.
When the sound of the shotgun blast came and was followed by a scream. He brought the car to a hard stop and then stepped out of it.
“Jessica, get your father and Amanda out of here and call the police.”
He didn’t wait for her to respond but just ran towards the farm.
“Please be careful!” Jessica shouted, and she moved behind the wheel and placed the car in reverse.
Dr. White was speechless for a moment, but then he leaned across the seat and spoke to his daughter.
“What can he do? He’s unarmed.”
“He’ll be all right, Daddy,” Jessica said, but there was fear gripping her heart.
***
As he reached the end of the graveled path, he saw that there were three men getting out of the car.
They had stopped the vehicle a short distance away from the barn, where there were three other people, two men and a woman, and one of the men had been wounded in the leg.
He moved closer and reached a corner of the house without being seen. The three men from the car were being cautious, as if they expected return fire, but the trio at the barn appeared to be unarmed.
The men at the car must have come to the same conclusion, because they rose up from the cover of their vehicle and began moving towards the others.
One of the men placed a finger in his ear and shook it, as he spoke to the man holding the shotgun and wearing a baseball cap.
“Christ, Dom, why’d you fire that thing in the car? Now I’ve got a ringing in my ears.”
“Stop being a baby,” the man said.
He turned his attention back to three people at the barn. The woman looked familiar, and he realized that it was Summer Gray. The wounded man was a mystery, but the other man was Michael Storm, his brother.
As Dominic and the Ponte brothers moved in for the kill, he headed towards them as quiet as a shadow, unarmed, and yet deadly.
***
Summer heard Weaver yell at them to run, and then came the blast of the shotgun.
The driver of the car had stuck the gun out the window and fired a random shot at them. Two pellets found Weaver’s left calf and caused him to stumble and fall to the ground.
Summer had let out a loud scream and turned to run into the shelter of the barn, but when she saw Michael bend down to help Weaver, she knew she couldn’t leave him, and Summer assisted Michael in getting Weaver back on his feet.
When she looked over at the men, she saw that they were heading towards them. They were almost languid in their movements, as if they had all the time in the world, and she supposed that they did, since they had the only weapons.
Then, the men spun around as the car they had arrived in revved up and headed for them. The three men scattered, one to the left, one to the right, and the third kept running towards them.
He couldn’t outrun the car. When it smashed into him, it caught him on the right leg and caused him to slam against the barn. Summer heard the sickening thud and knew that the man must have broken some bones.
When the driver of the car stepped out, Summer realized that she knew him. He was Jessica White’s husband.
***
White positioned the car sideways and stepped out of it, where he grabbed the Beretta dropped by Jerry Ponte.
Ponte had hit the side of the barn with enough force to render him unconscious, and the impact of the car had obviously broken the man’s leg.
Dominic sent a blast from the shotgun that shattered the front passenger windows, but the pellets caused no other damage. Ron also fired a shot, and it flattened one of the car’s rear tires.
He fired a volley of shots from the Beretta that caused Dominic and Ron to seek cover behind a nearby tree, and then he rushed over to Michael.
Michael looked down at the gun in his hand and then up into his eyes. His eyes had often been described as unique and his gaze as intense, but Michael showed no signs of being intimidated or wary, he only displayed interest.
“Who are you?”
“I’m your brother.”
Michael smiled at him, then, he helped Summer to support Weaver’s weight as the writer hobble into the barn on his wounded leg. Weaver’s wounds weren’t life threatening, but they were leaving a trail of blood.
Once inside the barn, he closed the door, barred it, and told Michael and Summer to help Weaver get into a corner and to keep low.
“Over there, by the mound of wood chips.”
After they eased Weaver down with his back against the cedar chips, the pile shifted and a cascade of chips covered Weaver’s shoulders. Summer leaned into Michael, who opened his arms and held her close.
He observed how protective his brother was of Summer and wanted to ask about their relationship, but there was no time.
“Who are those men and what do they want?”
“They’re mob guys from Chicago and I think they’re here to kill me,” Weaver said.
“Why?”
“I don’t know. I’ve had nothing to do with them for years. My name is Robert Weaver and I investigated them when I was a reporter. I guess that they’re out for revenge.”
He pointed at the rear wall of the barn.
“Michael, what’s behind the barn?”
“There are a few acres of woods and two miles away is the Pearson farm, but I don’t think anyone is there anymore, the Kyle and Jane Pearson left the area last week.”
“All right, you’ll have to hide in the woods until these men are handled.”
Michael shook his head.
“There’s no back door, but wait a minute, there is a loose board.”
They left Weaver where he was and headed for the rear. Michael pulled hard on one of the wide
planks that comprised the wall and it popped loose and fell to the ground.
After sticking his head out with the gun leading the way, White waved Michael and Summer through the hole.
“Hide in the woods, Michael, and here, take the gun. Do you know how to use one?”
“Yeah, but I never shot anything.”
“Take it just in case, and brother?”
Michael grinned. “Yes?”
“Stay safe.”
“What about you?”
“I’ll stay with Weaver, but now go.”
After watching Michael disappear into the trees with Summer, he walked back over to Weaver.
“How long can you hold your breath?”
“What?”
“Can you hold your breath for over a minute?”
“I think so, but why?”
Instead of answering Weaver, he moved over to the left and grabbed an axe that was leaning against the wall.
“You should have kept that gun,” Weaver said. “Now we have no way to protect ourselves.”
He held the ax up, and watched as the light glistened off the sharp edge of its blade.
“This will be weapon enough.”
CHAPTER 20
Summer felt as if her heart would burst from fear as she ran along with Michael through the trees.
When the sound of a terrific crash came from the barn, they halted and looked back.
Summer could see that Michael was considering a return to the barn to help his brother, and she pulled on his hand.
“We have to hide.”
Michael sighed and began moving again, but when an idea occurred to him, he headed towards the right.
“Where are you going?” Summer asked.
“Do you remember our special place?”
Summer looked blank for a moment, but then smiled.
“It’s still here?”
“Yes.”
“All right, but we have to hurry.”
***
Back at the barn, Dominic and Ron got out of the car after Dominic had used it to ram through the doors.
Bits of broken glass fell from the seats as they stood, while the vehicle’s radiator hissed steam and leaked fluid.
They looked around and saw no one, but then Dominic spotted the blood trail that Weaver left behind, while Ron noticed the gap in the rear wall.
The TAKEN! Series - Books 13-16 (Taken! Box Set Book 4) Page 54
