Dark justice, p.21
Dark Justice, page 21
part #7 of The Shadow Patriots Series
Winters realized she wanted to show this girl help was on the way. Everyone in Jackson knew who he was and seeing him would go a long way in giving her hope. Winters gave the girl a firm nod and put a finger to his mouth. She managed to return a slight smile.
The next door was across the hall, and it was open. Collette didn't need another deep breath. Her nostrils flared, and she gritted her teeth. Seeing the girl tied to the bed gave her the resolve to push forward with more intensity. She hoped to hell there was a cop in there.
She got her wish.
She stood in the doorway and stared at him. The cop sported sideburns and was overweight and young. He didn't have any clothes on and appeared to have just finished with the girl tied to the bed. Collette looked him up and down. She wasn't impressed but knew not to get cocky. She held back a slight chuckle at the pun.
“Excuse me,” she said.
It startled him, and he spun around to look at her.
“I'm lost.”
“How the hell did you get loose,” said the cop as he approached her.
She waited until the right moment and fell to her knees before scooting to the side. The man kept coming as Winters swung around with an eight-inch, single-edged steel blade. He rammed it right into the man's throat cutting off his voice box.
Winters pushed the overweight cop into the room as his eyes began bulging out of his head. Blood poured down his bare chest when Winters pulled the blade out. He then stuck him in the side of the neck with such force that the cop tumbled over.
The girl recognized Winters. “I knew you'd come, Mister Winters.”
She was older and no longer looked afraid.
“How many cops are usually here?”
“They come and go all day, but about now, maybe ten or so. I think some sleep here.”
“Okay. We'll come back for you.”
She nodded.
Collette walked more upright with a purpose in her stride. So far, so good. She came to the next door and peeked inside to find an empty unmade bed. She must be in the van. She moved across the aisle to the next door and found that one empty as well. She moved to the next one and got to the door. Again, the bed was empty, and she turned her head to Winters but then noticed out of the corner of her eye, a tall naked man come around from behind the door.
The naked cop grabbed Collette's black hair with his big ball glove sized hand and yanked her into the room. With the suppressed Glock in his hand, Winters burst through the room ready to fire, but the cop saw him first and grabbed his weapon off the table. He pointed it at her head while throwing an arm around her chest.
It was déjà vu as this was how he had first saved Collette back in Sabine. Only this time, he was at a disadvantage, or so he thought.
Collette was no longer a shrinking violet and had grown since then. While he may have her as a shield, her hands were free, and they were searching for something, an advantage. A slight smile formed on her face and she flicked an eyebrow a few times when she found it.
Winters realized her petite stature was going to come in handy on the much taller man. She needed him to relax just a little before she could strike.
“Drop your gun,” demanded the tall cop.
Collette stared deep into Winters' eyes as if to give him a message to trust her.
“Alright, just don't shoot her,” said Winters bending at the knees.
“Shoot her? I wouldn't shoot a cute little thing like this. No, no, I've got better plans for her.”
The tall man started to move the gun away from her head as Winters lowered toward the floor.
Winters was putting complete trust in Collette. Just as his Glock hit the floor, she made her move.
Collette grabbed his manhood and squeezed with such force that the man could only gasp in pain. Winters leaped at him seizing his wrist and pushing the gun towards the ceiling. He swung his knife over Collette's head as she kept an iron grip on his goods. Winters stabbed him in the chest, and the cop stumbled backward taking all three of them to the carpet.
Winters was on top of Collette as he stabbed the man sinking the blade into his throat. He let go of the man's wrist and put all his weight behind the knife. The man's eyes were like glassy saucers convincing Winters he was dead.
Struggling to control his rapid breathing, Winters lifted off Collette who's own breathing pace matched his.
“Are you hurt?”
“No. I'm good,” she panted. “Are you? You got blood on you.”
“It's his,” he said as he rolled off her. He then got into a seating position before getting on his feet.
He put a hand out to her. She pulled herself up and then threw her arms around him.
“Nice move,” said Winters as he tried to calm down.
“Thanks, but damn, that was intense,” she said still trying to catch her breath.
“Yeah, it was, and you were brilliant.”
“I've...actually done it before.”
“Have you now?” he asked leaning back.
“Oh yeah. One of them Sherman boys, like, thought he could,” she paused to take a breath, “he could, like, have me whenever he wanted, so, yeah, I, ah, did it to him too.”
“Nice.”
Winters stepped back into the hall and gave Burns, who had no idea what had just happened, a thumbs up.
Killing this one made it six kills. They had a few more open doors to go through, and then they'd start on the closed ones.
Chapter 51
Meeks was driving a Ford Explorer on Interstate 75 headed south towards Toledo, Ohio. He knew there was a fledgling sex trade happening in Toledo and if this was where they were headed, then they needed to take them out sooner than later. He also began to worry that van wasn't going to stop anytime soon and they'd lose their advantage afforded by the night vision goggles.
The van was loaded with ten girls and two cops. The main problem was how they were going to get it to stop. It was going too fast to ram or to shoot out a tire. The last thing they needed was for the van to crash. Besides not wanting to injure the girls, he needed it to transport them.
He tapped his fingers on the steering wheel searching for an idea when one hit him. He turned to his passenger who was one of Nordell's men. His name was Perkins, and he was in his sixties.
“How good of a shot are you?”
Perkins turned to him. “What am I shooting at?”
“The back end of the van. Just need them to think something is wrong with it.”
“Oh, I can do that, but won't they see the muzzle flash?”
“Not with this,” said Meeks handing him a Ruger 22/45 with one of the suppressors Winters had brought. “Even got a red dot on there for ya.”
“Yep, this will do it.”
Meeks swung over to the far left-hand lane of the three-lane interstate. He stepped on the accelerator and moved into position. Perkins rolled the window down and aimed at the back end of the extended van. The rear axle was a good five feet from the bumper giving him plenty of room. He aimed and squeezed the trigger. The bullet hit the van making a little hole. Perkins fired two more in the same area.
“He's let off the gas,” said Meeks. “Hit it again.”
Perkins fired two more in succession.
Meeks anticipated the drivers' move and slowed down to keep out of sight. The tail lights lit up just as he took his foot off the gas.
The van slowed and came to a full stop. Meeks mirrored the move before opening the door and shouldering his M4. He pumped his legs hard to close the twenty-five-foot gap as the driver opened the door. Meeks aimed on the run and pulled the trigger. It was a three-shot burst, and two hit the cop in the chest throwing him to the ground. Meeks kept running toward the driver's door unsure where the other cop was. He turned, looking inside the open at a cop who hadn't had time to react. It was an easy shot. Meeks squeezed the trigger hitting him with all three.
The girls in the van started screaming not understanding they were being rescued. Meeks jumped in the driver's seat.
“It's okay. It's okay, you're safe,” said Meeks turning the dome light on.
Perkins opened the passenger door. Since he was from Jackson, he knew most of the girls. “Is everyone okay?”
The girls started to calm down as they recognized Perkins and then Meeks. Some started crying with tears of joy knowing they would no longer be sex slaves. Their celebration melted Meeks' heart, and he hoped never to get used to seeing it, but also hoped never to have to do this again.
* * * * *
Scar had followed the van loaded with ten girls of various ages to a small strip motel. They had traveled about thirty miles south, and the sun was just starting to rise. Once he found where they were stopping, he parked one street over and broke through a back door of an abandoned retail business that had large plate glass windows. He raised the binoculars to get an idea of what was going on across the street.
The two men with him were from Jackson, neither were former military, but both served under Nordell to defend their town. He didn't know much about them, other than they were willing to be there.
Scar's stress level had been lowered as soon as he laid eyes on Winters. It had been a hell of a week without him, and he missed not having him around. When Winters told them what happened in his hometown of Sabine, it didn't surprise Scar in the least bit. With what they'd seen over the past few months, not much did anymore.
What did give him pause was the two young girls Winters had brought back with him. It wasn't so much that they were girls because having Amber and Reese along with them had dissolved any lingering notions they couldn't fight. And it wasn't how small they were, which they were, but their ages. Granted Collette was eighteen, but she looked younger than Laney who was only sixteen. It just didn't seem right.
Scar sighed. Perhaps this was just the way it was going to be from now on. With the war going on out west, most of the abled body men were already there fighting and dying. They had trouble at times finding new recruits to join the Shadow Patriots. Most everyone was either lying dead in a pit thanks to the Patriot Centers, too old, not brave enough or were taking advantage of all the unprotected females.
When they first started the Shadow Patriots, Scar remembered Winters saying that as Americans, everyone had the freedom to come and go at will.
“I guess he also meant it included young girls,” thought Scar. Oh well, who was he to scoff at it? Perhaps it was going to be the new norm. Fighting was better than waiting to be scooped up and used as a sex slave. Of course, the proof is in the pudding, and the two new girls would have to prove themselves just like Amber and Reese had to.
Chapter 52
Captain Vatter of the National Police touched the bandage on his face trying to relieve an itch. He scratched lightly around the area from the slash he received from his cousin Carol. It was the beard stubble that was making it itch as he wasn't able to shave the entire area. The wound was still fresh as was the memory of killing his cousin and selling off the twin girls in exchange for his head. He didn't regret making the deal knowing if he had not, then he wouldn't be here, bitching about an itch on his face.
He threw the bed sheet off and swung his feet onto the floor before staggering to the oversized bathroom of the house in which he was squatting. The decor wasn't really to his taste, but it didn't matter because it hadn't cost him a dime.
It had been a late night at their new party-house, but he needed to get to the station and call in his report to Washington. He hadn't done so yet because it was the weekend. He also had to reign in the men. They had been celebrating the last couple of days after having conquered the town of Jackson.
It had been a big win despite losing thirty-one of his guys. It was a high cost, but they did restock the party-house with a bevy of young girls, which added to the five local girls they managed to scoop up over the last week. The pickings were slim, and bottom of the barrel in the looks department around Detroit as most of the pretty ones had already left the area.
He had let them have their fun, but now it was Monday and time to get back to work. They needed to help the M & M's search through what remained of the town to find any more stragglers. It was still a dangerous assignment as Officer 'Walrus' Hendrix could attest, if he were still alive that is. They found his body out on Kibby Road, so it was apparent there were still some remnants of the rebels in the vicinity.
After taking a shower and grabbing a quick breakfast, Vatter headed outside as Tannenbaum was walking across the street towards him. The twenty-five-year-old cop with the splotchy beard on his baby face had been the one to suggest giving Mordulfah a gift in order to save his head. It was an idea that germinated into taking the twin girls there.
“What up?” asked Tannenbaum after taking a sip from a coffee mug.
“Where's your cruiser?” asked Vatter knowing he needed a ride to work. It wasn't the first time and wouldn't be the last. A lot of cops lived in the neighborhood, an area filled with expensive homes none of them could typically afford. However, these weren't normal times, and these weren't regular cops.
“I think I left it at the party-house.”
“Little too much to drink?”
Tannenbaum stopped to take another sip. “Just a bit.”
“So, if ya can't remember where the car is how can you remember what girls you had?”
“Oh, trust me, I can totally remember them...well, some of them. But, hey, what's it matter, cuz, I'm gonna see 'em again tonight.”
“Ya got a point there,” said Vatter opening the door on his cruiser.
“There's a couple of them, I cannot wait to see.”
Vatter started the car. “Well, I hope it's not the ones that are headed to Toledo this morning.”
“Wait. What?”
“We're taking ten to Toledo. I finally got a contact there that wants to work out trades.”
“What are we getting in return?”
“We're getting fifteen of theirs.”
“Are they ugly?”
“Not at all, my man. I picked 'em out myself. They just need fresh girls is all.”
Tannenbaum threw back the rest of the coffee. “Cool.”
“I've also sent another ten to the motel.”
“Oh?”
“Yeah man, I like having two locations. I might even open a third location just in case something happens, you know, like in Saline.”
“Hell, this new place we got is like Fort Knox. Bars on the windows, the back entrance is a steel door locked tighter than a clam with lockjaw. And we got ten of our guys guarding the place.”
“Half of them are probably keeping themselves busy with the girls.”
“Can't hardly blame them. I mean, c'mon now.”
Vatter threw his hands up at the lackadaisical attitude. He hated the rebels but respected their tenacity and wasn't going to underestimate them. He had no doubt any remaining would do their damnedest to rescue those girls. Of course, they'd have to find them first, which wouldn't be an easy task.
Vatter had chosen that particular nursing home for a few reasons. One was because it was in a rundown residential neighborhood, not an obvious choice. Two, because it was in a bad part of town, it had coils of barbwire on top of a chain-link fence that surrounded the place. The only way in was a small entrance from the street which was visible from the glass entrance, making it impossible to come in unseen. And lastly, even if they did make it inside, two separate hallways would divide their force. His guys could take cover in the rooms while tearing them to pieces out in the halls.
Chapter 53
Being held hostage for the second time in her life had only made Collette's resolve stronger. With her shoulders back and her chest thrust out, she stood taller as she approached the last few open doors. She found the last of the rooms were either empty or had a lone gird tied to a bed. Each time, she signaled Winters to show his presence and each time, the girl either nodded or managed a smile.
The last door on the left had a different handle on it. This one led to a corridor and connected to the other hallway. Winters made a mental note on that before deciding what to do about the last four doors that were closed. They still needed to clear them, and Winters debated what to do. Should they knock on the door or just open it?
“I'll just knock and see what happens,” whispered Collette.
Winters gave her a nod thinking it was a crap-shoot either way. He'd kept his knife in one hand and the suppressed pistol in the other.
She came to the first one and gave it a soft tap. After a few moments, she looked at Winters and shrugged her shoulders.
She grabbed the doorknob and turned it. She peered inside to find it empty, so she headed to the next one. Again, she gave it a light tap before pushing the door. A chill ran down her spine when she spotted a cop sleeping in the bed. There wasn't a girl in there, so she stepped backward and ushered Winters over.
He looked in and decided to save time by shooting him. He entered the room, aimed and pulled the trigger. The single round hit him in the temple and disappeared into the bed. A blood stain emerged as Winters walked back into the hall.
This last one made seven cops killed, and he was starting to feel better about the mission when gunfire erupted from Amber's position.
Collette grabbed Winters' arm not knowing what to do. Burns who had come further into the hallway to keep Winters' six clear, turned and ran towards Amber.
Winters pushed Collette into the room with the dead cop. She noticed a Glock 21 on a table and grabbed it. Winters got down in a crouching position at the doorway. The last thing they needed was to have a cop surprise them.
More gunfire kept them on high alert when Winters heard a door open and rustling of clothes in the hallway. A cop exited from the last closed door. He was headed toward Burns' position. Winters stood up and aimed. He fired two shots both missing him. The cop twisted around and hastily let a couple of shots loose at Winters. Both rounds hit the wall.
