Liberty's Hope (Perseverance Book 2)

by Amanda Washington

  Jeff stepped out of the shadows, sidled up next to me, and put a calming hand on my arm. “You need help?” he asked.

  Staten snorted and walked away.

  I shook my head. “Nope. I got this, thanks.”

  I yanked a side of the tent down and dropped the stake I was holding between my knees.

  Jeff reached for it, but I stopped him. “I got it. Thanks, Jeff.”

  “All right, but if you need help, you know where to find me.” Without waiting for my reply, he stepped back into the shadows.

  Redirecting my anger toward the tent, I pulled straps, stomped on stakes, and had the small, camouflaged dome up in no time.

  “Hey,” Ashley called out as she approached. “I got Cinnamon unsaddled and Pearson let me brush her down.”

  “That was nice of him.” I unzipped the tent flap.

  “You okay?” Ashley asked.

  Feeling too stupid to tell her about the flashlight fiasco, I nodded and lied. “Just tired.”

  “You’re worried about my dad, aren’t you?” she asked.

  I nodded again and squeezed her shoulders. “Yes, but I know he’ll be fine. He was trained for Special Forces, do you know what that means?”

  Ashley shook her head.

  “It means he has a PhD in butt-kicking. Special Forces are teams of the Army’s best, who go into very bad situations and fix them. He has skills that I can’t even comprehend. He’s like our own personal Rambo.”

  Ashley stared up at me, her dark eyes round and somber. “Who’s Rambo?”

  “What?! Are you kidding me right now?” I held up my hands in disbelief. “How can you not know who Rambo is?”

  She giggled.

  I shook my head. “Kids these days! Let’s get in the tent and I’ll school you about the not-so-realistic Special Forces poster child.”

  “Not-so-realistic?” Ashley asked, climbing into the tent.

  I followed her. “Well, since he was an actor, he took stupid chances for movie bravado. Have you ever seen Connor take a stupid chance?”

  Ashley seemed to consider the question for a moment before shaking her head.

  “Exactly. Connor is very calculating. He’s always paying attention and he has really great instincts.”

  Kylee poked her head in the tent. “There you are. Did you find out anything?”

  “No. Libby doesn’t know when Connor will be back, either.”

  “Why don’t you ever call him dad?” Kylee asked.

  “It’s complicated.” Ashley turned back to me. “Right, Libby?”

  Complicated didn’t even begin to describe it, but I wondered why Kylee was so curious about the issue. I eyed the girl as Connor’s warning about her ran through my mind. It was too dark to see her expression but the girl sounded irritated, and I couldn’t tell if her irritation was due to Connor’s absence or Ashley’s reluctance to expand on their family history.

  “Do you and Braden need help putting up your tent?” I asked.

  She shook her head. “Nope. Jeff and Brae are already working on it.”

  I set my wet boots outside of the tent. “Cool. Come on, Ash, I’m starving and there’s a tasty MRE in this bag with my name on it.” I patted my pack.

  Ashley groaned, voicing the level of enthusiasm she held toward the Army rations known as meals, ready-to-eat. I, on the other hand, was so ravenous I didn’t even care what the food tasted like. I needed calories.

  “Ash, do you want to come play cards with us for a while?” Kylee asked.

  “No,” I replied for the girl. “We need to get some sleep. Staten said we’ll be heading out early tomorrow.”

  Kylee continued to stand in the entrance waiting.

  “I’m actually tired, Kye,” Ashley said. “Besides, when Connor gets back, I want him to be able to find me.”

  “Goodnight, Kylee,” I said.

  She finally left and I zipped up the flap, unrolled my sleeping bag, yanked off my wet clothes, put on dry sweats, and bedded down. Then I tried to rub feeling back into my numb toes between bites of the most disgusting meal I had ever put in my mouth. The MRE was labeled as chicken noodle stew with vegetables, but everything in the world tasted more like chicken than this. Starving, not only did I gag it down, but I also licked the packet clean. Ashley barely even finished hers.

  Done with dinner, I collapsed into my sleeping bag and stared at the dark tent ceiling, wondering what the heck was taking Connor so long. I heard Ashley sniffling, and knew she had to be wondering the same thing.

  “Come here, Ash,” I said, opening my arms to her.

  She scooted her sleeping bag next to mine and hid her face in my shoulder. “Where is he? Why isn’t he here yet?”

  I brushed the hair away from her face with my fingers. “I don’t know, kiddo, but he’ll be here. I promise.”

  When the sun came up the next morning, Connor was still missing.

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  Connor

  WHEN THE SECOND round of gunfire started, Connor jumped from his horse and landed softly on the muddied river bank. He handed the reins to the nearest soldier on foot, and directed him to keep Paint with the platoon. The soldier scurried off with the horse, and Connor turned to assess the threat.

  The last of the soldiers trudged through the middle of the river, followed by Boom atop his horse. Boom turned in his saddle and fired. His horse spooked and started bucking and rearing. Determined to give Boom the cover he needed, Connor leveled his weapon and fired into the tree line.

  The enemy fire immediately let up, and Boom and the soldiers hurried across the river. Boom joined Connor and the two kept firing on the enemy.

  “Think they’re going for the bridge?” Boom asked between shots.

  “Possibly. Or they’re crossing just past the bend. Either way, they’ll be upon us soon if we don’t move.”

  “We need to give the platoon more time.”

  Boom nodded. “We can’t leave, but we can’t let them get around us either.”

  There was rustling in the trees behind them. Connor turned to find an olive-skinned soldier with dark hair: Corporal Ron Gregoretti. He saluted. “We thought you guys might need some help.” He moved to the side and revealed Stein standing behind him. Both soldiers had their packs on and their weapons in their hands.

  “What do you need us to do?” Stein asked.

  Boom grinned at Connor. “Ask and you shall receive.”

  Connor shook his head at his friend. “Coincidence.”

  “No such thing.” Boom turned toward the newcomers. “Connor and I are about to check for stray Progression river crossers. We need you two to keep this crossing secure.”

  “Yes, Captain,” the two said in unison.

  Boom elbowed Connor. “You ready?”

  “I got your back, old man, just don’t expect me to pick you up when you keel over,” Connor replied.

  Boom chuckled and adjusted his gun. With Connor following him, he slipped back behind the tree line and angled south. They got about ten yards away from Gregoretti and Stein before the heavy clouds above them burst, resulting in a torrential downpour.

  “Just perfect,” Connor whispered.

  “What, you can’t handle a little rain now? You’re getting soft, my friend.”

  “Soft? I’ll show you soft.” Connor lowered his head and pushed himself into a jog.

  Boom caught up quickly and the two raced downriver, with only a few rows of trees separating them from the Skagit. The heavy rain masked the sound of their boots pounding against the dampening ground.

  Connor caught a glimpse of movement in the trees ahead and stopped short, hiding behind the nearest evergreen. Boom knelt and aimed his weapon. A pale flicker of light preceded hushed voices. Probably Progression soldiers, but they had to be sure. Connor signaled to Boom and Boom nodded, standing and pushing away from the tree that shielded him.

  With guns aimed and ready, Connor and Boom crept forward. Connor watched through his scope, countin
g the intruders and searching for any clue that would distinguish their loyalty. When he lowered the scope, Boom held up four fingers. Connor nodded, confirming that he counted four as well. A branch cracked loudly under Connor’s foot. He jumped back and ducked behind a tree. Gunfire from four assault rifles answered the noise.

  That was all the reassurance they needed. Connor looked to Boom, awaiting orders. He saw the glint of metal right before Boom stood and threw a small, oval object into the enemy soldiers. Knowing what to expect, Connor curled himself into a ball, covering his head. The earth shook. Then Connor and Boom followed up the blast with gunfire before they skulked forward.

  There were no survivors, so they continued on their way. Connor and Boom dispatched two more enemy teams before turning back. The occasional discharge of a weapon could be heard along the river, telling Boom and Connor that Gregoretti and Stein were still engaged in battle. Boom whistled their approach right as lightning cracked the sky and thunder shook the mountains. He waited for it to die down and whistled again, waiting for Gregoretti’s reply before stepping out of the trees.

  “We’ve given the platoon all the time we can. Time to pack up and get out of here,” Boom said.

  Connor eyed the team’s dwindling supply of ammunition and nodded. If they didn’t get out of there soon, they wouldn’t be able to leave at all. He opened the pack he’d previously dropped and pulled out his rain clothes. After slipping them on, he shouldered his pack and provided cover while the others prepared to run.

  Boom gave the order, and the team took off at a fast jog. Stein led them along the tracks of their fellow soldiers until they came across a single lane gravel road. He pointed down the road.

  “Wait,” Boom whispered. He pointed up the road and raised his eyebrows at Connor in question. “What do you think?”

  Connor followed Boom’s gaze. The road they stood on stretched up the mountain for about a hundred meters before veering to the left when the mountain sloped steeply upward. To the right—across from the road—a thick patch of brush that would make for a perfect ambush point.

  Catching on, Stein added, “I’ll cover our tracks.”

  “Do we have enough ammo?” Connor asked.

  Boom nodded. “We’ll make do. Let’s get set up and see what we’re working with.”

  Connor followed Boom up the hill. They drifted away from the road and toward the thick brush. The dampened soil made it easy to dig out shallow fighting positions. Boom directed Gregoretti and Stein to guard the area while he and Connor hid their heads under a shared poncho and pulled out a red lens flashlight. They stayed under there just long enough to distribute the ammunition and study a map. Once the plan had been established, Connor killed the light and they emerged.

  The four soldiers climbed into their prone fighting positions and waited.

  Connor watched the path below, wondering what Ashley and Liberty were up to and how far away the platoon was. The forest was quiet and his eyes started drifting shut. To wake himself up, he put in a chew of tobacco and rubbed some of the juice in his eye. It stung like hell, but it sure woke him up.

  After about an hour of waiting, a rock rolled Connor’s direction. He looked around to see Stein gesturing at his ear. He heard something. Connor strained his ears, listening. A branch snapped in the distance, followed by footfalls. The Progression was coming. Sounded like at least a dozen of them.

  The team held their position, lying in the mud, as Progression soldiers filed into their line of sight. Connor counted heads—thirteen, fourteen, fifteen, sixteen—as the enemy studied the road. Then the enemy soldiers headed in the direction the platoon had gone.

  Boom gave the signal.

  Bullets rained down on the Progression soldiers from above. Some dove to the ground, and some turned and started firing wildly up the mountain. The Army used the advantage of the high ground, wiping out the sixteen enemies with ease. When the last body hit the ground, the guns went silent. The four soldiers froze and watched for movement.

  Boom lowered his head for a moment. Then he crossed himself and gave the order for the team to move. They descended on the corpses, checking for vitals as they went. No one survived, so they searched the bodies for ammunition and other supplies. Boom gave out op orders, and the team moved on.

  * * *

  The night darkened, and the team ran on. An old, familiar burn crept up Connor’s legs and spread through his body. He relaxed his mind and opened himself up to it. M4 clutched in his grip, he trudged over hills and splashed through streams as Boom pressed them forward.

  Boom called the team to a stop by a small stream, somewhere around midnight. They took turns guarding and refilling their water supply. When Connor’s turn came, he splashed water on his face and rinsed out his canteen before refilling it and adding an iodine tablet. Once canteens were refilled, Gregoretti and Stein stood guard as Boom and Connor pulled out the map and the red lens flashlight and bent their heads together under a poncho.

  “We cut across highway 530, and traveled down this national forest route 2010,” Boom said, following the route with his fingertip.

  Connor agreed. “They can’t be too far ahead of us. Probably somewhere west of Boulder Creek. Are we going to continue on?”

  Boom shook his head. “No. We’re going to find a good spot to stop for the night, and then tomorrow we’ll use the daylight to teach Gregoretti and Stein how to build traps.”

  “Smart. Keep them off our tail.”

  “Exactly. Tonight, we’ll eat in shifts, then twenty-five percent security.”

  “I’ll pull security first,” Connor replied.

  Boom and Connor climbed out from under the poncho and took up their guard positions, instructing Gregoretti and Stein to eat their MREs. The two gobbled down their meals, and then stood guard to give Boom and Connor the chance to do the same. Refreshed, the team crossed the stream. They continued on to the west until they found a patch of blackberry bushes.

  “Lesson number one,” Boom said to Gregoretti and Stein. “You find the worst, most uncomfortable, most dangerous place you can find and sleep there.” He pointed at the prickly bushes.

  The recruits looked they were trying to figure out whether or not Boom was messing with them.

  “He’s serious,” Connor said. He walked past the two and stepped into the bushes, looking for the best place to post a lookout. “Come on, girls, it’s cozy.”

  Boom followed Connor in and unrolled his sleeping bag between two bushes.

  It took Gregoretti and Stein a moment, but they bedded down in the thick of the bushes, while Connor propped himself against a tree where he could see the majority of the surrounding area.

  The storm clouds had passed, leaving stars twinkling in the night sky. Connor glanced up and wondered—not for the first time—if his brother Jacob could see him.

  You watching over the girls? Are they safe? Connor wondered.

  The stars didn’t answer.

  Connor’s mind drifted in and out of memories of his brother, landing on a scene of them sitting in the Army recruiter’s office.

  “You don’t have to do this, you know?” Jacob told Connor.

  Connor nodded. Internally, though, he knew he had no choice. Jacob had been the anchor of Connor’s teen years, but Connor was a man now. The time had come for him to venture out of his brother’s shadow and start his own life. Desperate for more freedom than sleeping on Jacob’s couch offered, he longed to make his own mark on the world. Army recruiters with big promises said they needed him, and Connor was enjoying the feeling.

  “I want to,” Connor reassured his brother.

  Jacob watched him for a moment and then nodded. “I know. I’m gonna miss you.”

  “Which part are you going to miss? Cleaning up after me or cooking for me? I have to move before you turn into a woman.”

  Jacob lunged at Connor, wrapped one arm around his neck, and gave him a noogie. “This woman can still take you down. Remember that, little boy!” />
  The recruiter glanced up from his desk and gave them a questioning look.

  Jacob released his brother and leaned back in his chair. “You’re not gonna miss me? Not even a little?”

  “Maybe a little.” Connor shrugged. A smirk tugged at his lips as he looked at his big brother. “You do make some bomb pancakes.”

  Jacob slugged Connor in the shoulder.

  Boom sat up, returning Connor’s thoughts to the present. The captain slid out of his sleeping bag and stood. Then he crept over to Connor and leaned against the tree beside him, looking at his watch.

  “I’m a half hour over. Why didn’t you wake me?” Boom asked.

  Connor shrugged. “I can’t sleep anyway. Might as well be useful.”

  Boom rested a hand on Connor’s shoulder. “You’d be more useful if you got some rest.”

  “We’ve both gone without sleep for longer than this and still managed to keep up,” Connor replied.

  “Yeah, but we were younger than. We’re getting old.”

  Connor chuckled. “Speak for yourself.”

  “All right, I’m old. Older, at least. To tell you the truth, I never thought I’d live to see thirty-five.”

  “I’ve seen some of your explosions, Boom. I’m surprised you lived past thirty.”

  Boom grinned. They stood in silence for a while before the captain asked, “What’s on your mind?”

  Connor rubbed the back of his neck. “Remembering the day Jacob took me to enlist. Man, I miss him. I keep thinking it’ll get easier, but it’s been months since he died, and it’s not easier.”

  Boom scratched at his beard. “Your brother was a good man. I remember the first time I met him. It was at that meet and greet that Captain Lorouse threw.”

  Despite his dark mood, Connor couldn’t help but smile. “I remember that night.”

  “I don’t know how. You were… what did you call it? Three sheets to the wind? And you left with that brunette server—the one with an extra button undone on her shirt—against the advice of your brother. I thought he was going to chase you down and drag you back to the Captain’s party by your ear.”

  Connor chortled. “I’d forgotten all about that. Jacob didn’t drag me by it, but he sure bent it for days. I didn’t think he’d ever let up about my ‘unprofessional behavior.’ I just kept asking him if he’d actually looked at her. She was built like Jessica Rabbit! And she invited me over for a nightcap. I would have had to be blind and stupid to refuse her, but Jake didn’t fully grasp the situation.”