“Dammit, dude, we lost an outboard.”
“Don’t worry about it. Get the spotlight turned and I’ll nail these assholes.”
Brendan fired the big .50 cal after Juan Carlos turned the light. Then Juan Carlos rummaged around under his seat, pulling out two sets of night vision goggles, sneaking up to Brendan and handing him one.
“Good idea,” Brendan said as he put them on. “Kill the light.”
Juan Carlos turned off the floodlight went to his gun. “I see them, dude. Back there behind those bushes.”
“Me too,” Brendan said as he pulled the trigger, watching several of the green figures in his goggles fall and others run.
“Keep on them,” Juan Carlos said as he fired away.
“We’re drifting to shore,” Brendan said. “Maybe we ought to fire up the other two engines.”
“No way. If they hit a gas line, we’ll have a fire. Just be ready if we beach. Keep an eye out for the bad guys. The ground units will be here any minute.”
Just as he said that, headlights approached.
“There’s three vehicles,” Juan Carlos said. “Damn, dude, there’s five more coming behind them. Look!”
“Yeah, I see it. That a chopper I hear coming?”
“Yeah, man.” Gunfire came at them from the middle of the lake. “Crap, small boat coming. They got some decent guns on that one.”
“That’s a fiberglass boat,” Brendan shouted. “Let’s see how it takes a few rounds from this baby.” He wheeled the big gun around and blasted the boat, splintering its hull. It stopped, and then exploded in flames.
“Bullseye!” Juan Carlos yelled. “Watch that side. I’ll watch this side.”
The chopper flew over their head, towards the Mexican side of the lake.
“Hell, that’s an Apache,” Brendan said. “That’s Federal. What are they doing here?”
“Something strange going on, dude. About half those vehicles are Texas State, the rest are ICE.”
The sky lit up with a big explosion on the Mexican side of the lake.
“Whoa, look at that!” Brendan shouted. “They blew something. Ammo dump, maybe?”
“Dude, why would there be an ammo dump over there?”
The sound of mini-guns filled the air. “They’re still attacking,” Brendan said. “Too far to see what’s going on with these goggles.” He took them off and looked. “Damn, that’s crazy. What’s up on your side?”
“Mopping up, taking prisoners on the beach,” Juan Carlos said.
The radio cracked to life. “Gonzales, you there? Over.”
Juan Carlos slipped back down into the driver’s seat and picked up the mic. “Yeah, lieutenant, the cavalry arrived. It’s not just us. ICE and a regular army attack chopper. What the hell is going on here? Over.”
“Can’t tell you over this line. Is your boat damaged? Over.”
“Yeah, we took a few rounds in one outboard. Over.”
“Which way you drifting? Over.”
“US side. Over.”
“Beach it and hitch a ride back with one of the Texas DPS vehicles. I’ve sent two more patrol boats to the area, but they won’t be there for another twenty minutes. Over.”
“Send us another engine and we’ll get this thing going in an hour. Over.”
“We’ll fix your boat, but the brass wants to debrief you right now. You’ll get your rig back tomorrow. Over.”
“Roger that. Better go. We’re almost on the beach. Over.”
“Be careful. Over and out.”
“You hear all of that?” Juan Carlos asked.
“Yeah. We’d better get our weapons. I’m not going on that beach without my rifle.”
“Way ahead of you, dude,” Juan Carlos said as their boat hit the sand. They jumped out with ropes and pulled it up with all their might.
Chapter 20 – Bug Out! Texas - Closed Door Meeting
Jason and Kyle walked down the long hallway to the conference room, wearing their uniforms. It was a busy Friday morning, the Austin police station bustling with activity.
“Why does the brass want to talk to us?” Kyle asked. “I figured we’d have to talk to a lieutenant. Maybe even a captain. But the assistant chief?”
A group of men came out a doorway off the hall, entering the conference room suite ahead of them.
“Shit, the chief was with them,” Jason said. “Think he’s going to our meeting?”
“Might be,” Kyle said, sweat breaking out on his forehead. “Think we’re in trouble?”
“We did nothing wrong,” Jason said.
They entered the suite, going through the first door on the left. Chief Ramsey sat at the head of the table, flanked by Police Commissioner Holly and the Assistant Chief Peterson. Sergeant Hank Jeffers was next to Peterson.
“Good morning, men,” Chief Ramsey said. “Sit down, and don’t be nervous. You aren’t in trouble.”
“Thank you, sir,” Jason said, sitting. Kyle nodded silently and sat next to Jason.
“First of all, fine work yesterday afternoon,” Chief Ramsey said. He was an overweight, burly man in his late 50s who looked two steps away from redneck, with a warm, broad smile.
“We didn’t do that much,” Jason said. “The citizens really won that battle.”
“Yeah, I was skeptical when open carry passed,” Chief Ramsey said. “It’s turned out much better than I expected. I’m surprised these creeps had the guts to attack. There aren’t many soft targets in Texas these days.”
“There are still gun-free zones,” Commissioner Holly said. He was a tall skinny man with a goatee and styled hair, stirring his coffee as he eyed the others in the room.
“True, Holly,” Chief Ramsey said. “There are still a few gun-free zones, mostly in Austin and Houston, but the locals are fighting them now, and this will add fuel to that fire; and that brings us to the reason for this meeting.”
“Uh oh,” Assistant Chief Peterson said, shifting in his seat. He was a short man with thick dark hair and bushy eyebrows, clean shaven and scrappy looking.
Chief Ramsey glanced at him, then at Kyle and Jason.
“I had an interesting conference call this morning,” he said. “Very interesting.”
“Here it comes,” Holly said. “Heard about it. I was supposed to be invited.”
“I decided to take it alone,” Chief Ramsey said. “Hope you don’t mind.”
“I do mind, but you don’t care, so cut the crap,” Holly said. “Get on with it. I don’t have all day.”
The chief glanced at Kyle and Jason with a twinkle in his eyes, and then smiled. “The conference call was with Kip Hendrix and Assistant US Attorney General Casey.” Everybody except Commissioner Holly fidgeted in their seats.
“Those creeps are gonna apply pressure on us to help them spin the terror attack yesterday,” Peterson said.
“Of course,” Chief Ramsey said.
Holly shot an angry glance at Peterson and Ramsey. “And I take it you resisted?”
“How’d you guess?” the chief asked, twinkle back in his eyes.
“Excuse me, sir, but why did you ask my officers to join the meeting?” Hank Jeffers asked, looking like he wanted to take the question back as soon as it left his lips. He was not much older than Kyle and Jason, with blonde hair in an Air Force crew cut.
“I’m getting to that, Hank,” the chief said. “I needed them here for two reasons. First, I wanted to get a reading on the Dripping Springs Sheriff. You two know him pretty well, don’t you?”
“Yes sir,” Jason said. “Good man.”
“How does he do under pressure?” the chief asked.
“He’s pretty steady and really stubborn,” Kyle said. “Why?”
“He has something that AG’s office wants. Video footage of what happened during the attack yesterday, from the parking lot and inside the store.”
“Oh,” Kyle said. “They want to suppress it?”
“Yes, because it doesn’t fit their narrative. This c
an’t be a terror attack. It especially can’t be an Islamist terror attack. They want it to be an event that bolsters support for stricter gun control, instead of adding fuel to the open and concealed carry movement.”
“Now wait just a minute,” Commissioner Holly said. “That’s a totally one-sided political view of the situation. There’s a lot at stake here. We have real problems in the Muslim community over the rhetoric that’s being aired these days. Not to mention the carnage caused by your second amendment.”
“I’ll take your concerns under advisement. Want to give me a memo? I have a nice round file to put it in, right next to my desk.”
Kyle snickered, and Holly glared at him. “Better watch it, officer, or you’ll find yourself out of a job.”
“Not as long as I’m chief, Holly. Now shut up or leave the room.”
“I can have you fired.”
“Yeah, if you can get the rest of the commissioners to agree,” Ramsey said. “Otherwise, stuff it.”
“Why don’t you just bring the video here and put it in the evidence locker?” Hank asked.
“Simple,” Assistant Chief Peterson said. “Chief Ramsey is an employee of Austin, and can be ordered to follow instructions from the nutcases running this city. The Sheriff of Dripping Springs is elected. He doesn’t have to do jack for these idiots.”
“Yes, that’s right,” Chief Ramsey said.
“The lack of respect in this room is appalling,” Commissioner Holly said. “If this is being requested by the Assistant to the Attorney General, it’s coming from the White House.”
Chief Ramsey laughed. “You don’t think I know that?”
“You don’t respect the President?”
“I respect the office. I don’t respect the man, and by the way, he serves the citizens, not the other way around. Coddling terrorists in the name of diversity is not in the interest of the citizens of Texas.”
“Here here,” Peterson said. Hank Jeffers nodded in agreement.
“So, that brings us to the other reason these two officers are here. I got a request from Kip Hendrix. He wants to make a deal. You two don’t talk publicly about what happened at the Superstore, and you’ll be promoted. I refused to allow that. I want to be totally up front with you both on that, so you’ll understand when Hendrix sends one of his operatives to tell you about how I’m holding you back.”
“Oh, please,” Holly said, rolling his eyes.
“Let me add that you both have been identified as high-potential employees,” Chief Ramsey said, “and you are on a faster track towards promotion than most officers of your rank. Please don’t tell your fellow officers this.”
Kyle and Jason nodded at each other, then looked back at the chief.
“We agree sir,” Kyle said.
“Good. I’ve also talked to the Police Union about Hendrix’s attempt to bully the department. If he can’t draw you guys with honey, he might try something a little less sweet. If he does that, the Union will back you and go public with the whole thing. I’ll do the same.”
“There were a lot of other witnesses there,” Jason said.
“Yes, but they were a mixture of rednecks, Superstore workers, and just plain folks, many of them senior citizens. Idiots like Kip Hendrix always think they can just ignore people like that.”
“Now just a minute, Chief…” Holly said. Ramsey held up his hand.
“Save it,” he said.
“Thanks for looking out for us, sir,” Jason said.
“Yeah, thanks,” Kyle said.
“Okay, you men are free to go. If you are approached by anybody in the Austin City government outside of this department, let me know right away. Understand?”
“Yes, sir,” Jason said.
“Yes sir, and thanks, Chief,” Kyle said. They got up to leave the room.
“I think we need a follow-up meeting, with all of us,” Commissioner Holly said. “Except the officers, of course.”
“Sure, I’ll schedule it at my convenience,” Chief Ramsey said, “and I’m inviting all the members of the police commission.”
“I’m the rep for this quarter,” Holly said.
“So you are,” Chief Ramsey said. He got up and walked out of the room without speaking another word.
Bug Out! Texas is available in the Kindle Store now, with new episodes added every 30-45 days.
Bug Out! California
Preview
Chapters 1-4
Robert Boren
Chapter 21 – Bug Out! California - Dulzura Full-Timers
“You coming, Sarah?” John asked, standing by the doorway of the motor home.
“I don’t want to go,” said Sarah, a woman in her early 60s. She walked out of the bedroom. “Can’t you go by yourself, John?”
“I hate going alone,” he said, watching her, disappointment in his eyes. He was nearly seventy, still a tall, strong man, but the deep lines in his face showed the pain of a long hard life.
“Why? What’s the problem?” She sat in the dinette with a glass of water. John studied her, still attractive for her age with her rusty hair and trim figure.
“Half the time my friends don’t show up, and then I sit there like a bump on a log.”
“You should make new friends anyway,” Sarah said. “You don’t need me there for protection.”
“Why don’t you want to go?”
“You’ll get drunk if your friends show up, and then I’ll have to listen to you get sloppy,” she said. “You know how I hate that.”
“I don’t get drunk that often,” he said sharply.
“No, you don’t, but you almost always do at these damn park barbecues,” she said.
“What if I promise not to?”
She sighed and got up. “I’ll tell you what. I’ll go with you, and if your friends don’t show up I’ll stick around. We’ll try to meet some new people there.”
“There’s a but coming,” John said.
“If your friends are there, I’ll come up with an excuse to leave early,” she said. “Deal?”
John shook his head. “I guess that’s the best I’ll get. Deal.”
“Good, then I’ll go get dressed.” She walked into the bedroom again. John looked out the front windshield. The Dulzura RV Park was nearly full. Unusual. Most of the people at the RV Park were retirees who lived there full time. There were always a few coaches passing through, but it was rare that all twenty of the non-residential sites were full. Maybe there’s a festival going on nearby. He pulled down the shades in front of the windshield and plopped into the recliner by the door.
Sarah came out, dressed in an attractive blouse and pants. “Ready?”
John got up. “You look lovely.”
“Thanks.” She smiled. “You don’t look so bad yourself.”
“Yeah, for an old guy,” he said as he opened the door. He waited for Sarah to walk down the steps and closed the door behind him. They walked through the tight rows of coaches towards the clubhouse, the smell of barbecue drifting towards them.
“My, there are so many people here,” Sarah said, looking around.
“I know,” John said. “Noticed that when I was looking out the windshield earlier. Is there a festival this weekend?”
“Not that I’ve heard,” she said. They entered the clubhouse. Several of John’s friends were sitting in the back, having an intense discussion as they watched the TV screen next to the stage.
“Looks like Clem, Harry, and Sid are here,” John said, almost sounding disappointed. “Can I make a new deal?”
She shrugged. “Let’s have it.”
“Will you stick around if I don’t drink?”
“You won’t drink at all? No beers? No shots?”
“I promise. I’ll drink coke instead.”
She looked him in the eye for a long moment, then sighed. “Okay, deal.”
They walked to the cooler. John reached in for a can of coke. “Want one?”
“Sure,” Sarah said. They took their w
et icy cans and sat at the table.
“John and Sarah,” said the grinning old man sitting in the center of the bench. “Glad you could make it.”
“Thanks, Clem,” John said.
“Not drinking, eh?” he asked, grinning wider, a few teeth missing. His scraggly white hair made him look even older than his 75 years.
“Thought I’d lay off tonight,” John said.
“Sarah, you’re looking lovely, as usual,” Sid said, his longish jet-black hair partially covering a wrinkled face.
“He’s had too much fire water,” Harry cracked. He was a heavy-set bald man in his late sixties with a mischievous smile.
“That’s racist,” Sid said with half a frown. Everybody at the table laughed.
“Where are your wives?” Sarah asked.
“Oh, they’ll be back,” Harry said. “Our conversation was scaring them a little, I think.”
“What conversation?” Sarah asked.
“We were talking to a couple from San Diego this morning,” Sid said. “Hank and Linda. They were spewing all kinds of BS.”
“What kind of BS?” John asked.
“They told us we should pull up stakes and vamoose,” Sid said. “Said things were gonna get crazy in California, and we’d be nuts to stay.”
“Where are they?” Sarah asked. “They gonna be here?”
“No, they were just overnighting. Left already, headed for Quartzsite, Arizona.”
“So what did they say?” John asked.
“They were living in one of those high-rise condos on Mission Bay,” Harry said. “Things were happening there all of a sudden.”
“What kinds of things?” Sarah asked. “Do I have to pull every sentence out of you guys? I won’t get scared.”
Harry and Clem looked at each other. Sid shook his head, looking tired of the conversation.
“Lots of people coming over the border,” Harry said. “Hank said they looked different. He said they looked like soldiers, not the usual peasants.”
“He said the usual wetbacks,” Sid said. “I thought that guy was a jerk.”
“I was trying not to repeat that,” Harry said. “Anyway, he also said he heard some of them speaking Arabic.”
John laughed. “Oh, please. One of those, eh?”
The Plan: How the Bug Out! War Began Page 12
