The Defiant: An Unbeaten Path (18 page)

Francis again flew back against the side. Angered by his beating, once again he came at Michael.

“Stop this now!” Viktor yelled.

Francis stopped just inches again from Michael, his fist clenched, and he sneered.

Michael flinched and Francis jumped, scared he might get struck again.

“You’re a dead man,” Francis barked.

“One day I will die, but not by you, son, not by you,” Michael chided.

Anatoly looked at Michael and began to laugh.

Francis’ eyes grew wide with anger, and he lashed out at Anatoly. He jumped on him and began to pummel him.

Michael was not going to allow Anatoly to be subjected to that so he went for Francis.

Again, Viktor ordered, “Stop it! Fucking stop it, now!”

Francis stopped hitting Anatoly, and Michael let go of Francis.

Without a care, Anatoly laughed again. His bloodied mouth stretched wide and his left front tooth was now missing.

“Michael, where is the spear?” Viktor asked with his thick Russian accent.

“I fucking told you, I don’t know. The beating you gave me on the ship made me lose my short-term memory. I can barely remember as far back as six months or so.”

“I told you what I would do. Do you remember that?”

Michael knew he was referring to Karina. “Vaguely.”

“How about I remind you,” Viktor said and nodded to Francis.

Francis stood and grabbed Karina.

Michael went to move, but two other men restrained him.

With his large hands, Francis began to choke Karina. He grunted as he applied more pressure to her slender throat.

“Leave her alone. If I knew something, I’d tell you, I swear it,” Michael pleaded.

“Where is the spear?” Viktor asked.

“I don’t fucking know.”

Viktor nodded again.

Francis stopped choking her, but he wasn’t through yet. He dragged her heaving and panting to the side door and opened it.

Cool wet air blew in and swirled around.

“What are you doing?” Michael screamed.

“I told you what I would do to her if I caught her.”

“No, don’t hurt her. I’ll tell you everything. I will tell you everything,” Michael begged.

Karina’s eyes were full of fear as Francis held her next to the open door. Her dark hair whipped in the wind and partially covered her face.

Michael could see she was terrified, but she wasn’t begging. She wasn’t going to give them the satisfaction. The only thing that prevented her from falling thousands of feet to her death was the decision of a cold-blooded killer.

“Michael, there’s nothing you can say. I keep my promises. So when I tell you that you better tell me where the spear is or I’ll kill your brother and his family, you’ll know I mean what I say,” Viktor said and one last time nodded.

Francis looked at Karina and said, “Bye, sweet tits.” He shoved her out the open door.

Karina didn’t scream or cry out as she went. One second she was there, the next she was gone.

Francis leaned out to watch his handiwork, which was his last mistake.

Michael, in a fit of anger, broke free of the two men and lunged at Francis. He grabbed him by the throat, squeezed hard and with a vicious tone said, “I told you I was going to kill you.” Michael then threw him out the open door.

The two guards grabbed Michael, but he wasn’t giving up without a fight. He elbowed one and wrapped his arm around the other’s head and twisted, breaking his neck. He let that man drop and snatched the other and tossed him out of the helicopter.

Seeing an opportunity, Anatoly rose and attacked two more guards, but his assault was repelled easily with a rifle butt to the face. He fell back into his seat, unconscious.

Michael turned on them next. He punched one in the throat, dropping him, and the other swung his rifle but underestimated the tight confined space and hit the ceiling. Michael punched him squarely in the jaw. The full-force punch dropped the man. Michael was on a rampage and couldn’t be stopped. He now knew that if he took the helicopter down, he could kill Viktor and end this insanity once and for all. He pivoted to attack the pilots, but upon turning, the copilot shot him with a Taser. The electrical volts brought him to his knees, then onto his side. He twitched as the voltage ran through his body. He heard one of the guards yell, “I got him!” just before he blacked out.

CHAPTER SIX

“All warfare is based on deception.” – Unknown

Wellsville, Utah

The plan was set and Luke was going to be a part of it. It took a lot of back and forth and many hours to haggle out the details and for Nicholas to finally give his approval.

Based upon information from Luke, they needed to move quickly, and they’d be going in the early morning hours. He knew all the patrol and raiding party schedules, which proved to be beneficial to their planning and was another reason they had to move now versus wait a day or so.

All the raiding parties were deployed, and to add insult to injury for Wellsville, Chad had ordered more than normal. This put a strain on the town’s security, but he was going after a big prize in Salt Lake City to the south. The more raids they completed, the larger and farther away they had to go for fresh booty; this in turn required more people. This was the real reason Chad had been pushing so hard and pulling in every passerby they came upon along the highway. His thirst for more treasure and greater spoils forced him to expand.

The plan to get Bryn was fairly cut and dry. After subduing the three guards out front, the group would split into three.

Sophie, with the help of Luke and using a car he had acquired from his father’s house, would set a large fire at a supply warehouse in the southeast part of town. This would pull many of the town’s resources to deal with that.

Colin and Nicholas would take the guards’ truck and head directly to the hospital to get Bryn.

Becky, Abigail, Frank, Marjorie, Katherine and Evelyn would take the Suburban, minus the trailer, and head out of town, following a route given by Luke. This route would take them overland until they were well past any checkpoints. They’d then get onto the highway and begin their trek north. Their goal was to stop at the first exit in Montana and wait for the rest to arrive.

After Bryn was rescued, they were to meet up with Luke and Sophie so they could help him load a truck he had stashed near Chad’s old gravel pit.

Nicholas had all the lights turned off hours before, and the group sat in the dark, talking. This was done so the guards would believe they were asleep. Their cue to move would be when the lights of Luke’s car pulled up outside.

“I’m nervous,” Becky said, holding Nicholas’ hand.

He leaned and whispered, “I am too, but I know we’ll be all right. When you get in the Suburban go, don’t look back, just drive until you get to Montana. We won’t be far behind.”

“I know, I just wish there was a way to solve this without all of this,” she said.

“Me too, but we have even more reason to do this after what Luke said.”

“I don’t trust him.”

“Me either.”

“Then what are we doing?”

“We’re doing the same plan as before, we just have keys and hopefully a route that is good. Otherwise, we’re doing almost exactly what I had worked out with Colin; it just doesn’t require storming the hospital.”

“I’m just worried; I can’t lose you.”

Nicholas gave her a kiss and said, “I love you.”

“I love you too.”

Headlights streamed into the house and danced along the wall.

“That must be Luke. Game time, people, let’s move,” Nicholas ordered.

Everyone rose and headed out the back of the house. Colin, Sophie and Nicholas went right and the others left, as the Suburban was parked along that side.

Nicholas could hear Luke chatting with the guards; then three distinct flashes and heavy thuds came from the truck.

Colin was watching and asked, “Did he just shoot those guys?”

Nicholas already had his pistol drawn but was hoping he didn’t have to use it. With Luke taking the initiative, the cat was out of the bag. They’d have to go through each step killing now, especially if the word got out before they could leave.

Colin, Sophie and Nicholas raced over to the truck.

Luke saw them and said, “Hurry up.”

Nicholas walked up and said, “Turn your lights out.”

“Let’s go, guys,” Luke stressed.

“You killed them.”

“So what?”

“I thought—”

“You thought wrong, pops. These guys weren’t so nice, believe me.”

“But—”

“Mr. McNeil, just because these guys were lily white and had conservative haircuts with the part to the side doesn’t mean they were the good guys.”

“You have a suppressor?” Nicholas asked.

“Yes, I do,” Luke answered proudly.

While Nicholas was talking to Luke, Colin pulled the bodies out of the truck and dragged them around the rear of the house.

Sophie jumped in the car with Luke, and he said, “You ready to burn some shit down?”

“What’s gotten into this guy?” Sophie asked Nicholas.

“I’ll see you west of the hospital in thirty minutes,” Nicholas said.

Luke acknowledged and sped off.

The rumble of the Suburban’s engine caught Nicholas’ attention.

Colin finished with the bodies and said, “All done.”

Nicholas was fully committed now. After Luke killed those men, he was committed to not getting caught. This had to go down smoothly or it would end up being a gun battle, one he didn’t want to have.

The drive to the hospital took less than five minutes. Colin parked exactly where Luke had suggested. Now they waited for the signal, an old hand-crank siren, which would sound when the fire was spotted.

“That kid had a silencer?” Colin asked.

“Yeah, I wish I had one.”

“Me too.”

Like an old mechanical cat screeching, the siren sounded.

Nicholas could see the orange glow southeast of them and hoped it worked to draw many people away from them.

An explosion suddenly shook the ground and let out a massive boom.

“What the hell was that?” Nicholas asked.

“That kid either had something else up his sleeve, or that wasn’t intentional.”

The siren continued to blare.

Nicholas and Colin ducked as several truck headlights crossed over them. People were moving, and it all seemed like they were heading in the direction they wanted.

“It looks like it’s working,” Nicholas said.

“I’m ready when you are,” Colin replied.

“Once more into the breach, my old friend,” Nicholas said and both men fist-bumped.

They jumped out of the truck and sprinted to the rear door.

While Colin provided cover, Nicholas used the key Luke described. It passed the first test when it fit, and passed the second when he heard the tumbler disengage. Nicholas pushed down on the stainless steel handle and the door clicked and opened.

“We’re in,” Nicholas said. He raised his rifle and tactically entered the building.

A small lantern placed next to an empty chair illuminated the hallway in a yellowish glow.

Colin followed, his back to Nicholas until they reached Bryn’s hospital room.

“Going inside,” Nicholas said.

Colin pivoted around so he could see both directions.

Nicholas opened the door and the light from the hall chased away the darkness. There strapped to the bed was Bryn. She looked banged up and bruised but was most certainly alive.

“What the fuck do you want?” she asked, thinking it was a guard.

“It’s Nicholas. Time to get you out of here.”

“It’s about fucking time,” she joked.

Nicholas slung his rifle and pulled out a knife and cut her restraints.

Bryn sat up slowly and swung her legs off the bed.

“You all right?” he asked.

She put her feet on the floor and stood, but she lost her balance. “Whoa.”

“You’re not all right. Don’t worry, I got ya,” Nicholas said and put her arm around his neck and his around her.

“Sorry, I’m a bit dizzy.”

“No worries, you’ll be safe soon,” Nicholas said as her weight put stress on his side. The pain medicine he’d been taking was working, but the physical stress of what he was doing tonight would not help him heal. He quickly walked her to the door when several loud cracks echoed in the hallway.

“We got company, boss!” Colin hollered.

Their cover was blown and Nicholas was not where he wanted to be, smack dab in the middle of the hospital.

Nicholas heard yelling and screaming from down the hall and in the main part of the hospital. The gunfire had told everyone they were there.

“Go, go, go,” Colin said as he pushed them along. He noticed Nicholas moving slow, so he offered, “Let me take her.”

Nicholas didn’t argue.

Colin slung his rifle and swooped Bryn up, cradling her in his arms. “I got ya, baby girl, you’ll be fine.”

Nicholas raced past him, his side on fire from the pain in his ribs. He kicked the door open and stepped out into the rear loading area. After a quick scan he called out, “All clear.”

Colin came running with Bryn’s weak frame bouncing in his massive arms.

In seconds they were at the truck.

A volley of single shots from a semiautomatic rifle hit the door and rear of the truck.

Nicholas turned and engaged a single guard who had followed them out. He took aim and squeezed. The bullet ripped out of the barrel and struck the man in the chest.

He fell back, his grip on the rifle firm as he fired inadvertent rounds into the air.

Colin sat Bryn in the center and sat next to her.

She opened her eyes to slits and looked at him. With a weakened hand she took his and said, “Thank you.”

“No problem,” he replied. He then looked at Nicholas and hollered, “Let’s go, Nic!”

Nicholas had stood watching the exit, waiting for Colin and Bryn to get settled. Hearing Colin, he got in the truck, fired it up and slammed his foot on the accelerator.

The truck’s tires smoked and spun as he turned the wheel hard to the right. Nicholas was impressed with the old 1960 Ford F-250 crew cab’s performance.

When they intersected with the street out front, he turned the wheel hard again to the right and put all of his weight on the pedal. “Let’s see what this old girl can do!”