The Bonner Incident: Joshua's War (23 page)

“I’m not telling him shit. I’m tempted to shoot the son of a bitch.”

“Just to warn you, Moore won’t come into Sandpoint. All government agents are to stay in or near the compound.”

Buck looked at Ernest, “If I had birds like that giving me information, there wouldn’t be any crime around here.”

“It was put out this afternoon,” Ernest smiled. “Those birds are risking a lot, but believe in what they are doing.”

Nodding, Buck looked around the table. “I believe in it, but I just don’t want the violence to happen.”

“Buck, the other side has been using violence on us with impunity. The very citizens of this country and hell, we’ve seen it firsthand in this county,” Ernest said.

“I know,” Buck said. “What time does that little store in Lamb Creek close?”

“When Stance gets tired of staying open,” Ben said. “Usually, she wants a beer around nine or ten and the doors are locked.”

“Fair enough,” Buck said turning around. “Give me three days to get word to some people.”

“I hope you trust these people with your life,” Chris said, getting up.

“I already told one that I’m the sheriff in this county and he wasn’t. He had to wait till the feds came to Boundary County to start hunting them,” Buck said walking to the door. 

Gene stood up, “Well, I’m going to the store,” he said and looked at Ben with a glare. “And so is your ass,” he snapped jabbing a finger at Ben. “You’re going to buy your own damn snuff.”

Buck turned to see them following and Ernest behind them. “Guys, I’m the sheriff, I don’t have to worry right yet,” he said. “They wouldn’t dare try something with me.”

“If Ben doesn’t buy his own snuff, you can drop him off at the clinic after I kick his ass,” Gene said passing by Buck and opening the door.

“Shit, I want to see that,” Ben snorted walking outside.

As Buck walked out, Cory started the SUV and he climbed in, pulling out his phone and seeing he had signal again. He typed a message and hit send. “Cory, head to the store up in Lamb Creek,” Buck said as two more trucks cranked up. “When we get there, get that AR out of the back, in case the fed boys are around.”

“Want me to call for some backup?” Cory said, speeding around the barriers.

“No, it would only make it worse if tensions flare.”

Pulling out onto the main road, Cory sped north with several vehicles behind them. “Glad we have some backup,” he mumbled to himself and Buck grinned.

They pulled into the store parking lot and Buck pointed, “Pull to the side of the building.”

“Yes, sir,” Cory said and pulled over as Buck looked at his phone, reading a text message. “So, your friend coming?”

“’Friend’ is the wrong word,” Buck said, tapping the screen. “I prefer ‘a person I know’.”

Buck got out to hear Gene shouting at Ben. “You better buy enough for you and Chris! If either of you just takes my can again, I’m cranking up my chainsaw!” Walking toward the store, Ben looked back and just grinned at Gene.

“No damn respect,” Gene muttered, slamming the door of the pickup truck closed. Buck walked over to see four of Ernest’s men spread out across the parking lot, as Ernest walked over to Gene with Buck.

“Your boys know their stuff,” Buck said quietly.

Nodding as he adjusted his balaclava under his helmet, Ernest looked at Buck. “I’m proud of them.”

They turned to see Ben coming back with a huge bag. “Did you buy junk?” Gene snapped.

“No,” Ben popped off, walking over and holding the bag open so Gene could see inside. “I bought every can of snuff they had.”

Gene reached in and pulled out a can of Copenhagen, “This is for what you owe me,” he said, stuffing the can in his pocket.

Walking to the passenger side, Ben just chuckled as a black SUV pulled in front of the store. Paying the SUV no mind, Ben opened the door of his truck, putting the bag on the seat as four men got out of the SUV.

“That’s not Moore,” Ernest said, moving around Buck and Gene to stand at the front of the truck.

Buck and Gene looked over as the four men looked at Ben, then turned and looked at Gene. Then the three looked at the man who’d got out of the passenger seat, who said something in a low voice. “Shit,” Buck mumbled, moving to the front of the truck. When he went to walk around Ernest, Gene grabbed his arm.

“Don’t get close to Ben,” Gene whispered and moved up beside Buck.

The driver moved over with the other three behind him. All were dressed in tactical gear and filthy-looking like they had been out in the woods for a long time. “Place your hands where I can see them,” the driver said walking up behind Ben.

“You as well,” the passenger said, pointing at Gene.

“Boys, I know you know who I am,” Buck said dropping his hand to his pistol. “They are with me.”

“Sheriff, they are wanted for questioning,” the passenger said.

Keeping his eyes unfocused so he could watch all of them, Buck shook his head slightly. “They’ve already been questioned and I don’t care if you have a warrant, they aren’t going anywhere with you.”

Ben turned around with a grin, looking at the agents. “Mmm, pretty city boys,” he grinned.

“Get down on your knees with your hands on your head,” the driver said, pointing at Ben.

Buck moved to intervene, but Gene grabbed his arm again. “Don’t be rude,” Gene said with a grin. “Watch,” he said and looked over at Ben who was staring at the four. “Ben, take ‘em,” Gene said calmly.

Like a bull let loose, Ben charged all four, taking them to the ground before any could draw their pistols. Letting Buck’s arm go, Gene watched Ben grab one of the agent’s arms as he tried to draw his weapon. “I learned when Ben is ready to fight, don’t get near the red-headed leprechaun,” Gene said, watching Ben punch the man hard, snapping his head back. “When he gets that look in his eye, just get back.”

Buck nodded with wide eyes as Ben kept all four close, driving knees and elbows. “One of my deputies saw Ben fight in an MMA match in Spokane,” Buck said, grimacing as Ben drove a knee into one of the agent’s groin. “I got twenty bucks that says he breaks one of their arms.”

Reaching back to his wallet, Gene pulled it out, then laid a hundred-dollar bill on the hood of the truck. “I have a hundred that says all four will have multiple broken bones.”

“I’m not betting,” Ernest said as one agent managed to pull his pistol and Ben grabbed his wrist, then punched the agent’s elbow, bending backwards with a snap. As the pistol fell to the ground, Ben palm punched the agent in the jaw as he snapped out a foot, kicking another in the face.

Cory stepped around his SUV, watching as Ben kept all four on the ground with him still on top. “Shit,” he mumbled as Ben grabbed one agent’s head as he brought his knee up, shoving the agent’s head down to meet his knee. A sickening crunch filled the air as the agent’s head snapped back leaving a trail of blood.

As Ben grabbed another agent’s arm and twisted it, Buck said. “Um, I hate to say this but, maybe we should like, pull him off.” He cringed when Ben hit the man’s arm that he had twisted in the bicep with an audible snap. The man fell back screaming and holding his oddly angled arm.

“Buck, you don’t get close to the leprechaun until he’s done,” Gene said, watching the beat down. “I’ve watched that short twerp beat down ten men in a bar, and the officers that came to arrest him.”

Slowly nodding, Buck’s eyes got wide as Ben grabbed the driver’s leg, wrapping his own leg around it and rolled, putting the driver’s leg in a leg lock. Ben kept rolling as he twisted the driver’s ankle and a loud wet snap sounded as the driver grabbed his shattered knee.

Ben rolled out, letting his leg go and scurried over on all fours for the first man, who he had broken his nose. The man cradled his face and Ben grabbed one of his wrists, pulling it out and brought it down across his knee, snapping the elbow. Letting out a scream of pain, the man fell back as Ben got up and calmly walked around, kicking each man in the side of the head, knocking them unconscious.

With a grin, Ben bent over each one, taking their tactical harness off. Picking up the vests and the dropped pistols, Ben tossed them in the bed of the truck, then went over and patted each one down. He pulled out knives and phones, but left the wallets and IDs.

He looked at Gene with a huge grin and ran over to the SUV the agents had driven up in, yanking open the back door and climbing inside. They saw him climb around inside the SUV for several seconds and then Ben got back out, carrying three M4s and a SAW. With his face flushed with anger, Ben walked past the agents and tossed the weapons in the bed of the truck.

Turning around, he saw the passenger waking up and squatted over the man, grabbing his shirt and punching him in the face. “Where the fuck is your tent?!” Ben bellowed, punching the man again.

Letting out a sigh, Gene shook his head. “I was so honored to call him ‘buddy’ until that,” he said with remorse.

Ernest looked down the road, seeing headlights. “Company coming. Can we get Ben to stop beating the shit out of them?”

“Ben!” Gene shouted and Ben looked over, frothing at the mouth. “Quit playing. More are coming.”

Letting the unconscious man go, everyone cringed as his head hit the concrete with a thunk. “Fuckers,” Ben spat and stomped another agent in the chest, making him bounce several inches off the ground.

Two more black SUVs pulled up and four men jumped out with M4s as Moore jumped out of the first SUV. “The first one of you that raises your weapon, I’ll shoot you myself,” Moore snapped at the men. They looked at Moore, lowering their weapons in the ready position.

Seeing they weren’t going to start a war, Moore turned back to Buck. “Care to explain why there are four federal agents lying and beat down in front of you?”

“They tried to arrest one of my deputies and he defended himself,” Buck said and the anger fell off Ben’s face.

“I’m a cop,” he said, quietly with a grin.

Moore looked at Ben and Gene, knowing who they were. “Sorry for their actions, but it was their actions alone. Every agent here has been told that they aren’t wanted for questioning anymore,” Moore said, glancing over his shoulder.

“You four, load them up and take them back to the compound,” Moore said seeing the men slowly move. “You will put your rifles in your vehicle first.”

The four stopped and looked at Moore in shock. Then they moved back to their vehicle, putting their weapons up and then moved over to carry the men one at a time.

“To what do I owe the pleasure of another meeting, sheriff?” Moore said as Winters came around the SUV, staring hard at Ernest and his men.

“You want to wait until your people are gone?” Buck asked as Winters pulled out an ink pen, twirling it between her left fingers in a mesmerizing pattern.

Giving a nod, Moore turned to watch the four carry the last man off and putting him in the SUV they’d driven up in. One got in and drove away, heading north back to the compound. Jerking his head, Moore motioned the others back inside the other SUV.

When they’d got inside, he looked to Buck. “Okay.”

“When were you planning on telling me that your agents killed two boys?” Buck said and Moore gave a sigh, slumping his shoulders.

“It was a justified engagement,” Moore said in a low voice. “But you were going to be notified when a missing person’s report was filed.”

“Moore, I know a memo was put out, telling all your agents to avoid Sandpoint and Priest Lake, but they need to avoid any town or home from now on. I cannot and will not ask for their safe passage any longer,” Buck said as Winters moved up behind Moore, still twirling the pen in her left fingers.

“Buck-,” Moore said, lifting his head up to look at Buck. He stopped with his mouth hanging open. Closing it, Moore looked off, “You will be just as guilty as us when your people get shot.”

“Well, since you’re already shooting my people, at least they will be able to fight back without worry from me,” Buck said.

Behind Moore, Winters put her pen back in her pocket, pulling out a tin of breath mints. Popping one in her mouth, “Sheriff, will you at least guarantee us that you won’t condone attacks on our people?” she said, snapping the tin closed.

“Nope,” Buck said as Ernest held out his right hand, popping his knuckles with his thumb in rapid succession but didn’t pop the fingers in a line, he moved back and forth over his fingers, then stopped.

“Any person who is attacked has the God given right to fight back, no matter who the attacker may be,” Ernest said taking a step in front of Buck. 

“Fascist pig,” Winters said, tossing the tin at Ernest.

Jerking his right hand up and catching the tin, “Sheriff, she is littering, may I fine her?” Ernest asked, staring at Winters.

Moore glanced over his shoulder, “Will you knock it off?” he whispered sharply.

“Moore, they are talking about letting people fight us and encouraging them” she whispered back.

“I know, and let me handle this,” he said looking back at Buck.

“Sheriff, you told me that you walk the line of the law, what you are saying now goes against that,” Moore said solemnly.

“Wrong, Moore. Standing with you any longer would be crossing that line. I’m not going to lie. I’ve swayed myself these last few weeks, but I can’t in good conscience go any further. You’re not stupid, Moore. If you attack the people around here, they will all come at you in force,” Buck said.