by Connor Mccoy
Jack quaked with rage. He wanted to blow Marco’s brains out. Marco deserved it for violating his sanctum. The women were his, dammit!
Damn, Jack, you’re almost starting to sound tough…
But he wouldn’t draw his weapon. Not yet. He swore there would be a reckoning, and Marco Valentino’s days would be very much numbered indeed.
Chapter Twenty
Liam stirred. A familiar hand brushed against his chest, then grabbed his side to pull the rest of the body against his. He turned and found the top of Carla’s head sliding into view.
He yawned. The darkness of the sky above them was starting to light up into a navy blue. They were surrounded by tall trees with a fair to modest canopy of leaves, leaving enough of a gap to see the stars above. It was a great place to stop for some sleep. The pair had pedaled for so far and so long that they simply had no more drive left in them. They had stumbled into this part of the woods off the road, without the energy to set up a tent. It was just barely enough that they could roll out these thin sleeping bags.
“This was one hell of a family reunion,” Carla said sleepily.
Liam smiled. “No kidding.”
Carla yawned before speaking again. “Hey,” she said, a little more softly, “Can I ask you something?”
“You can ask me anything,” Liam replied, “Except what I think of your cooking, because the answer is always ‘It’s great.’”
Carla playfully slapped Liam in the chest. “Yeah, you better.” Then she let out a long drawn sigh. “When I told you about what I did as a child, about my ‘hobby,’ did that...” She stumbled over the last two words. “You weren’t disappointed in me, right?”
“Sounds as though you’re trying to ask if I was upset,” Liam replied.
“Yeah, I guess, in so many words.”
Liam gave it a little thought. “I don’t think I was really surprised. You told me that things weren’t all that great when you were a child. And with the lock picking and all, there’s not much to explain that, right? Unless you’re a secret agent.”
Carla laughed a little. “Yeah, Carla, the secret agent. I can pick locks, I can jump from airplanes without a parachute, and my boots become skis and I zoom down a mountain!”
Liam chuckled. “Naah, I’d picture you as one of those sexy foreign agents. Those agents with those thick Russian accents.” He then rolled over so he could look directly into Carla’s eyes. “And wearing those black skintight leather suits.”
Carla grinned. “Oh, really?” she asked, doing her best to fake a Russian accent. Liam gave her a quick kiss.
The two cuddled for a moment, and then Carla spoke again. “Liam, you sure you’re pushing on to your dad’s place? You’re not going to pull one of those ‘Okay sweetie, now you’re safe, so I’m going after Dad and Mom myself’ kind of things?”
Liam nodded. “Well, now that you came up with the idea…”
Carla laughed. “No!” She sat up so that she looked up into Liam’s eyes. “I’m serious. You’re really going to sit it out?”
That was a harder question than Liam realized. He had been so intent on returning to the homestead with Carla that he hadn’t considered disobeying Dad and going back for him and Mom. And why was Carla asking? Was she disappointed that he wouldn’t try helping his parents? Or was she relieved that her man was going to protect her and her child?
“I guess I can’t say no to him,” he finally said, which was probably the truth.
“I’ve been cut off from him for so long. I couldn’t just ruin what we got back.” He watched the sky continue to brighten. “I was more worried that I’d disappoint him. The son who comes back after thirty years. What did he think I would be? I don’t know a tenth of what he does about the outdoors and survival.”
Carla stared at him for a moment. “I don’t think you disappoint him at all.”
“You don’t, huh?” Liam asked.
“I know when people are disappointed in you. I’ve seen faces like that. He’s proud of you. He probably hasn’t told you the half of it.”
Liam’s face burned. “You know, I was actually afraid he would be disappointed for another reason, but it’s not what you think.”
“Really? Why?”
Liam turned away. “It’s nothing.”
“C’mon, spill it.”
Liam chuckled. “I figured he’d be mad that I got you pregnant without marrying you. He’d show up with a straw hat and a shotgun and threaten to blow my ass away unless I married you on the spot.”
Carla giggled. “Well, why should he blame you?” Then she crawled up to his face and looked into his eyes. “I was the aggressive party, if you remember.”
“You liar!” Liam playfully poked Carla in the forehead. “I started kissing you first.”
“I encouraged you. I helped you come out of your shell.”
“You didn’t do anything!”
Carla sat up. “Well, Mister, I have an idea. Get dressed and get your bike ready. We’ll race to your Dad’s, and the winner gets to be the aggressive party.” Then she quickly kissed him on the forehead before jumping to her feet.
Liam flung off the covers. “Oh, it is definitely on,” he said.
Carla let out a loud holler as her bike took the lead again. Liam was in the opposite lane, still close enough to pass her up easily. This trip had been a back and forth between the two for the past hour.
“I think someone’s getting tired!” Carla called out in a sing-songy voice.
Liam pulled even with Carla again. “Like Hell!”
“You know you’re screwed! You weigh more than I do! You can’t keep up!” Carla called.
“You’re the one who’s now eating for two!” Liam retorted. Carla responded with a raspberry from her tongue.
They approached a road that turned off from the state road. At last! This was the road that would carry them to the homestead. The two made the turn and continued their race.
As they pedaled past open fields, Liam realized he hadn’t had this much fun since the solar event struck. Despite the calamity that had stripped the world of its advanced technology, it seemed Liam would be able to enjoy a good life with his family.
They continued to exchange leads, with Liam out front first, then Carla, then Liam. The homestead was a little farther away than he thought. This race would drag out for a while longer. In fact, Liam’s legs began to burn as the homestead finally appeared over the horizon.
“Ha! Ha! It’s all over, Carla!” Liam poured on an extra burst of speed. He might have nothing else left in him.
“Forget it!” Carla then pulled up very close. It was now hard to tell who was ahead.
The homestead grew closer. “See that mailbox!” Liam pointed to the small dirt driveway off the side of the road. A mailbox lay just a few yards into the property. “First one that touches it makes it! Then we’ll know who wins!”
“You’re on!” Carla gripped the handlebars tighter.
The pair nearly had reached the driveway. The next few seconds were crucial. First, they had to make the turn into the driveway. How each of them made their turns would determine who would get close enough to the mailbox to touch it.
Liam and Carla made their turns. Carla’s was too wide. Liam’s was quick and sharp. That was all he needed to give the box a good slap with his palm a few seconds ahead of Carla.
He then turned his bike suddenly to stop it just short of the house. He let out a loud scream. “I got it!”
Carla skidded to a stop so quickly she nearly fell off her bike. Once on the ground, the two flung off their packs and rushed toward each other. Liam scooped his lady in his arms and kissed her.
“What a rush!” he said through heavy breathing.
Carla laughed. “I know. Oh darn, I lost.” She didn’t sound all that disappointed.
The pair was so exhausted from their race that they collapsed on their backs onto the dirt. Liam just had enough strength to get up and crawl over to Carla. Sweat dri
pped from his face.
“So, you want to go inside?” Liam asked.
“Actually, I may want to sleep out here.” Carla laughed. “I’m a little too exhausted to move.”
“No sweat. I’ll just carry you inside.” Liam then coughed. “But maybe not just yet. You know—”
Suddenly, Liam stopped talking. He froze his stance, his eyes glued to the homestead’s front window. Carla sat up. “Liam? What’s wrong?”
“Dad’s house has a visitor,” Liam replied with a hint of terror.
“What?” Carla turned around to look at the window. A human-sized shadow passed by the window frame. No question about it. Their home had an uninvited guest.
Liam scrambled to get on his feet. “The bike. Get back on the bike, now.” He seized Carla by the arm and hoisted her up. Liam then lifted his bike up and mounted it.
Carla ran to her ride and mounted it. “Pedal!” Liam shouted. He wasn’t going to go first. He’d make sure Carla was off the property before he made his escape. And if the intruder had a weapon…well…Liam would make sure he was the closest and easiest target.
As the pair made it to the end of the dirt driveway, the front door suddenly burst open. Liam and Carla poured on the speed when a loud bang rang through their ears. It rattled them so much that Carla suddenly stopped and jumped off her bike, flinging it down on its side. Liam, for his part, feared Carla had been hit and stopped riding to run toward her.
“Liam! Are you alright?” Carla ran to him.
“Carla, get out of here!” Liam fished for his pistol. “I’ll hold them off!”
But the sound of rapidly approaching footsteps, followed by the cocking of a shotgun, stopped them cold. They turned and saw a woman approaching them from Conrad’s property, holding a shotgun aimed at their heads.
“Now you two hold it right there!” she cried out. “I don’t want to see you two move an inch, not even the hairs on your heads.”
Liam’s hand was close to his gun, but not close enough. He had no chance to draw it out before this mystery woman would decide to act, and her presence was somewhat unnerving to say the least. She had brown eyes so big they seemed almost cartoonish. There was no telling what she would do. He had to assume this woman wouldn’t think twice about gunning down a woman such as Carla, even if she knew Carla was pregnant.
So, he and Carla did as they were told. The woman slowed her approach. She wore a tank top with the American flag printed on it and worn blue jeans with brown leather boots. She was older than Carla, but not middle-aged. Liam pegged her at probably late thirties or early forties.
Their mystery assailant studied them. “So, you must be the ones takin’ Conrad's tomatoes. You sure look as though you’ve been eating well. Can’t say that about everyone nowadays.”
At the mention of his dad’s name, Liam raised an eyebrow. So, this woman knew Dad? He didn’t mention a female friend would be coming around the homestead.
“Ma’am,” Liam said, very carefully, “we didn’t come here to steal anything and we’re not here to harm anyone.”
The woman took one big step toward him, making Liam flinch. “Dearie, I’ll be the judge of that.” Then she looked slyly at Carla. “Now, you two start marching to that front door. And you better hope I like what I hear out of you.”
Liam glanced at Carla and gave her a nod. They were in a tough spot and would have to rely on their wits to get themselves out of it. Carla’s face tightened up a little and she nodded to her lover in return. She was ready for whatever Liam decided to do.
Find out what happens in part two! Available Now!
Copyright © 2017 by Connor McCoy
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Chapter One
The light of the new morning shone down on the warehouse district of the city of Redmond. Ordinarily, the district was a hub of mechanized activity. Semi-trucks would rattle down the roads, carting large loads to their destinations. Upon arrival, forklifts would pull the cargo out and haul it inside the warehouses, for either long-term storage, or perhaps a short stay until they were transported to retail chains, or to fill online orders. In the modern age, consumers increasingly were ordering directly from the warehouses. So it was more common than ever to see parcel delivery trucks show up to transport the goods across the city.
Of course, such a scene would befit an ordinary world. But the world had stopped being ordinary just a few weeks ago.
One night, the sun that shone above had decided the world needed to be a little less ordinary. A massive solar storm lashed out and penetrated the Earth’s atmosphere, sending out an EMP wave that shorted out all electronics. Power grids were taken out all across the world. Modern civilization effectively ceased to exist in the blink of an eye.
So today, things were very different. No cars, no trucks, no vehicles of any kind traversed the roads in Redmond’s warehouse district. It was almost totally serene. The only activity today was purely human. At the moment, the largest warehouse in the district was being scouted by two men who couldn’t be more different in lifestyle and temperament. The older man was driven by a determination to reunite his family. The younger man had been dragged into this situation by the first man, and although he was terrified of the danger to come, he was obligated to do this to right a great wrong.
Conrad Drake was the man motivated by family.
He wiped a bead of sweat from his face as he hurried down the sidewalk. Thanks to decades of physical labor, he was in great shape for a man six decades old. That wasn’t to say he was free of ailments. His right hand was afflicted with working man’s hand, and he had his moments of exhaustion. He had to admit he wasn’t as swift on his feet as he had been in his thirties or forties. Still, it had been enough to carry him through a city that had degraded into utter lawlessness. He had fled from arsonists, psychopathic killers, and even the rain itself. It amazed him that he had come this far. He almost indulged in a certain amount of pride in his survival skills thus far.
But the truth was Conrad Drake still was scared down to his bones about this. Now that he was alone with his thoughts, separated from his partner in this mission, the old anxieties about what he was doing still shook him. Every now and then he looked above his head, still expecting to see somebody perhaps looking down on him from a great height. But in reality, he was too far from the other warehouses to be spied upon, and possibly shot at. Instead, he was hiking down a road that ran along a vast parking lot containing several parked vehicles, all immobilized by the solar event. With their microchips and electronics fried, they never would move again. The good news was that the stalled vehicles provided great cover for Conrad and his companion not far away. It was a bit of relief for him, allowing Conrad to calm his fears and do the job he swore he would carry out.
Even though the warehouse loomed large, it still was just fifty yards away. Thanks to its immense size, Conrad could gather valuable intelligence while not having to walk right up to it. The peculiarities of the post-EMP world also helped. Upon entering Redmond, Conrad found the daytime was mostly quiet, with the only glaring exception thus far being a run-in with arsonists in the city’s business district. But the warehouse district had turned out to be a different story. So far, Conrad had not spotted a soul walking the streets, or even the parking lot that buttressed the warehouse.
Just then, the small two-way radio on Conrad’s belt buzzed. That must be Conrad’s companion. He pulled the radio off and turned on the transmitter. “Tom. What’s up?”
“Found a couple of men taking a walk outside near the east end. You see them?”
Conrad stopped and took cover behind a green four door car. “No, not yet. Give me a minute.” He took out his binoculars and checked. “No, wait I see them. Looks like a coupl
e of little dots on the horizon. Good for you for spotting them.”
“Thanks,” Tom replied, sounding a bit grateful for the compliment.
Conrad could understand why. During this trip, the pair hardly had shown great admiration for one another. This journey had been strained to say the least, but the stakes were too high. As Conrad had put it, Conrad was the man Sarah had loved and Tom was the man Sarah did love. The two of them had to free Sarah from her captivity.
Sarah. Conrad’s face tightened. She was somewhere inside that structure. Thus far, they hadn’t found a clue exactly as to where she might be. And worse yet, she wasn’t the only captive. If Tom was right, multiple women had been abducted and brought here for insidious purposes. The warehouse was run by Marcellus Maggiano, a restaurateur-turned-warlord who extended an iron grip on this small city, luring in able-bodied men with promises of food, drink, and power in exchange for doing his bidding. The solar event had done more than destroy modern technology. It had loosed evil men to do as they wished.
But Conrad was determined to get Sarah out of there, so he brought Tom, Sarah’s boyfriend, along to assist. The pair recently had camped out in a warehouse loft some distance away, but now were scouting Maggiano’s warehouse. Tom and Conrad couldn’t just break in there and fight their way to her. Their rescue would take careful planning and some definite cunning on their part.
So, their mission was clear. They had to find a place on the warehouse property to stage a diversion. It would draw out as many men as possible while Conrad and Tom moved in to find Sarah. It was simple and could be effective, provided they could find the perfect place to stage a ruckus. So far, the two of them were relaying information about the warehouse and its guards. Still, Conrad hadn’t hit upon that vital piece of info that could lock this plan into place.
