Bug Out! Texas Book 4: Texas Battle Cry Read online

  “Got it,” Richardson said.

  “You talk to Lita with your cellphone?”

  “Of course,” Richardson said.

  “Then her phone has to go too. And the other women if they’ve talked to her.”

  “Roger that. Thanks, Captain. Talk to you soon.”

  “Take care of yourselves.”

  “You too,” Richardson said.

  Lita ended the call. “Dammit, I love my phone.”

  “I love being alive more,” Juan Carlos said. “Where can we dump them?”

  “There’s a stream by the road up about half a mile,” Lita said. “I’ll show you where to stop.”

  “Okay,” Richardson said. “Guys, make note of any numbers you need to keep track of.”

  “Got it,” Brendan said.

  “I got a small pad and a pen in my purse,” Madison said. She pulled it out, then took out her phone and got a few numbers off of it. Then she handed the pen and pad to Juan Carlos. He finished and passed it up to Brendan and Madison as Richardson pulled over.

  “You guys ready?” Lita asked.

  “Yeah,” Madison said. “I’m not happy about throwing away this new iPhone.”

  “Me neither, but you can always get a new phone,” Juan Carlos said.

  “I got that insurance on mine,” Hannah said. “As far as they know, I just lost it while I was hiking.”

  Brendan snickered.

  “When you replace it, don’t clone from a backup,” Richardson said. “Chances are the virus is on there. You’ll be right back in danger.”

  “Yeah, we’ll use burners for a while,” Juan Carlos said. “No muss, no fuss.”

  They got out of the SUV, taking their guns with them. The stream was about thirty yards from the car.

  “Bye bye,” Juan Carlos said, tossing his phone into the rapids. The others did the same.

  “Let’s go,” Richardson said. “We need to put some distance between ourselves and this place. If they’re watching, they know exactly where the signals disappeared.”

  “Yeah,” Lita said. They headed back in a hurry.

  Madison watched Juan Carlos take a long look down the road. His strong form standing there made her flutter, with his hawk-like eyes staring. “Think there’s still somebody after us?” she asked.

  “Could be,” he said. “We’ll keep our eyes open for a while.”

  “Hey, while we’re young,” Brendan said. “We can’t get in until you do.”

  “You could sit in the way back,” Juan Carlos said.

  “No,” Richardson said. “Brendan may need to get out quick with that SMAW. C’mon, you two.”

  “Okay,” Juan Carlos said, holding the seat down for Madison to get in, then climbing in behind her. The others got in and Richardson took off.

  “Hey,” Madison whispered, getting close to Juan Carlos, her hand on his thigh.

  “What?” he asked her.

  “I’m breaking my rule,” she whispered. “I love you.”

  “I love you too,” Juan Carlos said. He kissed her hard. Brendan and Hannah snickered in front of them, causing them to break the kiss.

  “Be nice,” Madison said.

  “Watch out the back window,” Richardson said. “Might be somebody else. You can make out later.”

  Madison smiled at Juan Carlos and mouthed the words to him again. Then they both got sideways so they could watch out the back window.

  Chapter 2 – Mountain City

  “Long ass drive,” Jason said to Curt as he drove the Jeep down the road in the early morning darkness.

  “You want me to spell you yet? Slept a little.”

  “I slept some too,” Junior said from the back seat. “I can take over if you need me too.”

  “Okay, next stop,” Jason said. “We should be hearing from the bikers pretty soon.”

  “I know,” Curt said. “Hope they didn’t get caught.”

  Curt’s phone rang. He put it on speaker.

  “Curt?”

  “Hey, Kelly, what’s up?”

  “We’re gonna trade off in a minute, so we’ll be pulling over,” he said.

  “We were just talking about the same thing,” Junior said.

  “Hear from Gray’s bikers yet?” Kyle asked.

  “No,” Curt said. “They ought to be pretty close now, though.”

  “All right, I’ll pull over,” Jason said.

  Both vehicles parked and the men got out. Curt rushed behind the Jeep to check the Barracuda. Kelly and Kyle walked over from the truck, the .50 cal looking monstrous on the roll bar behind the cab.

  “How far is 290?” Kelly asked.

  “Another half hour,” Junior said. “I should drive, guys. I slept the longest.”

  “Fine by me,” Jason said, brow furrowed. “Haven’t heard from Gray’s bikers yet. Should have.”

  “Yeah, I was thinking the same thing,” Curt said.

  Jason still looked concerned.

  “What?” Kyle asked him.

  “Eric. He’s at the homestead in Fredericksburg. Maybe I ought to call him.”

  “Let’s not take the time to drive there,” Kyle said. “That dirt road would cost us too much time.”

  “I was thinking more about him meeting us. He’s really good in a fight, and he’s got that Bronco.”

  “Call him,” Curt said.

  Jason nodded and hit Eric’s contact. It rang four times, then clicked.

  “Jason?” Eric asked in a groggy voice.

  “Yeah, it’s me,” Jason said. “We’re about half an hour away from 290. Headed for Mountain City.”

  “Really?” He sounded more awake. “You get attacked in Fort Stockton?”

  “Not yet,” Jason said. “You heard about what happened in Austin, right?”

  “Yeah,” Eric said.

  “Curt figured out where they have their supplies and fuel hidden. Fuel for the tanks.”

  “It’s in Mountain City?” Eric asked.

  “Yeah,” Jason said. “We’re gonna blow it up.”

  Eric snickered. “I got that case of grenades. Maybe I should join you.”

  “Oh, yeah, forgot about that. Where’d you get those again?”

  “Took them from the enemy when they were attacking Deadwood,” Eric said. “Where should we meet?”

  “You know where that big BBQ is? On 1826?”

  “The Salt Lick,” Eric said. “Yeah, I can be there in about half an hour.”

  “It’ll take us a little longer. We’re in my Jeep towing Curt’s Barracuda, and in Kyle’s truck.”

  “Okay, I’ll get going now. I’ve got some friends from the Deadwood battle with me. I’m sure they’d be interested.”

  “Okay, brother. Be careful.”

  “You too,” Eric said.

  Jason ended the call.

  “He’s gonna join us, ain’t he?” Junior asked.

  “Yep, and he’s got a case of grenades,” Jason said.

  Curt snickered. “Good. Let’s haul ass.”

  “Junior, you know where the Salt Lick is, right?”

  “Hell yeah,” Junior said. “No problema. We go south from Dripping Springs. Maybe they’ll be open on the way back.”

  Kelly chuckled. “Think they’ll let us back in?”

  “Uh oh, you guys caused some problems there, I take it?” Kyle asked.

  “Yeah, but it was a long time ago,” Junior said. “I doubt if they remember.”

  “Let’s saddle up,” Curt said.

  The men got back into their vehicles and took off into the darkness.

  Chapter 3 – Dark Road

  “Who was that?” Kim asked as Eric got out of bed.

  “Jason,” Eric said. He pulled on his clothes. “He needs my help.”

  “Oh crap, what’s going on?”

  “Curt figured out where the enemy has their supplies for the Austin attack. They’re on the way to blow it up.”

  Kim got out of bed and dressed. “I’m going with you.”
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br />   “I’m okay with that,” Eric said. “You know how to handle yourself. I’ll go wake Dirk and the others.”

  “Okay, sweetie. I’ll load the guns and ammo in the Bronco.”

  “Leave some room for that crate of grenades, and Paco.”

  Eric left the trailer and rushed to the house. “Dirk! Chance!”

  “What, we under attack?” Dirk asked, getting off the couch. Chance stirred and sat up. Don woke up on the recliner.

  “Jason called me. They figured out where the supplies for the enemy attack on Austin are. They’re on the way to blow them up. I’m gonna go help. Interested?”

  “Hell yeah,” Dirk said. “I’ll go wake up Francis. He and Sherry are in the trailer.”

  “We might want to leave a couple men here,” Eric said. “To protect the girls, for instance.”

  “Yeah, you’re right,” Don said. “I’ll stick around. Francis should too.”

  Kim came into the house, Paco trotting behind her. “Everything is loaded except for the grenades. That box is still too heavy for me.”

  “I’ll get it, sweetie,” Eric said, rushing to her side. Eric lifted the grenade crate into the back end of the Jeep. “I didn’t think we had so many left. We’re gonna mess the enemy up good.”

  “Sure you want to take Paco?” Kim asked.

  “Yeah,” Eric said. “Good early warning.”

  Dirk and Chance ran out, guns in their hands. “Where we meeting them?”

  “At a BBQ in Driftwood called Salt Lick,” Eric said. “Ready?”

  “Hell yeah,” Chance said. “Let’s haul ass.”

  Eric got into the driver’s seat of the Bronco, Kim in the passenger side. She pulled one of the AK’s on her lap. “How far is it?”

  “Just over half an hour,” Eric said. “Mountain City is a little further.”

  “Careful on those switchbacks,” Kim said. “They scare me when it’s light.”

  Eric chuckled. “Don’t worry, sweetie, the Bronco handles it a lot better than our motor home.”

  “Yeah, well no hot-rodding.” She held onto the sides of her seat as Eric turned onto the first switchback, the road getting more and more narrow. “How’s Dirk handling it?”

  “He’s got a four-wheel-drive truck,” Eric said. “He’ll have no more trouble than we will.”

  It took only ten minutes to get to 290. Eric sped up to sixty-five.

  “I’m worried about Alyssa and Chloe,” Kim said. “They were crying last night. I heard it before we went to the trailer.”

  “Maybe the news bothered them,” Eric said. “That video of the Islamists chasing down civilians in south Austin was enough to scare anybody.”

  “Maybe they lost people in Deadwood,” Kim said.

  “Wonder what happened to Alyssa’s mother? Don’s not wearing a wedding ring.”

  “Sherry told me that Don’s wife became an addict. Overdosed about five years ago.”

  “Oh, geez,” Eric said. “What?”

  “Meth,” Kim said. “I had a friend get into that. It ruined her.”

  “What about Chloe?”

  “Parents both dead.”

  “How did that happen?” Eric asked.

  “Mom died of cancer,” Kim said. “Pancreatic. Dad killed himself about six months later. Don took her in, since she was Alyssa’s best friend.”

  “Oh my God,” Eric said. “That’s tough. Don’s a good guy for taking her in.”

  “Small towns have their problems, but people take care of each other in them,” Kim said. “That says a lot.”

  “True,” Eric said. “I’ve lived in the city and in small towns. They both have their strong and weak points, but I’d have to give the advantage to the small towns. You have to be careful in them, though.”

  “Careful how?”

  Eric chuckled. “Everybody knows everybody, and gossip gets out of control sometimes. If you get on the outs with the wrong circle of people, you might have to move away.”

  “That’s true,” Kim said. “Cities are much more anonymous. You can re-invent yourself and nobody bats an eye.”

  “What’s the biggest city you’ve lived in?” Eric asked.

  “Atlanta,” she said. “You?”

  “San Antonio,” Eric said. “It was a little too big. I like Austin better.”

  “Atlanta was fun when I was younger,” Kim said. “Bar hopping with my girlfriends.”

  “Yeah, I’ll bet,” Eric said. “You probably got a lot of attention.”

  “Oh, I suppose so,” Kim said. “I was pretty lucky, now that I think about it.”

  Eric laughed. “Yeah, when you’re young you feel invincible. I used to bar hop on my motorcycle. Not so bright. And of course that was before helmet laws.”

  “Geez,” Kim said. “Oh well, I might have gotten on the back with you.”

  Eric laughed. “Yeah, maybe so. I could’ve done a lot worse.”

  “Hey look!” Kim said, pointing ahead. “Is that more flatbeds with tanks on them?”

  “Looks like it. Maybe we ought to pull off into the woods there. Call Dirk.”

  Kim hit Dirk’s contact on her phone as Eric slowed the Bronco and turned it onto the dirt road to the right.

  “Dirk, get off the road. Tanks on flatbeds coming.”

  “Roger that,” Dirk said. “I’ll follow you.”

  Eric made it into the trees and shut off the engine. Dirk pulled up behind them. They got out and listened as the flatbeds approached. Paco stood at attention, staring at the road, growling softly.

  “Quiet, boy,” Eric whispered.

  “He’s a good judge of character,” Chance whispered.

  “Think they saw us?” Dirk asked.

  “We had our headlights on, so yes,” Eric said. “Get your rifles out in case they send a scouting party back here.”

  “Yeah, and grab a couple grenades,” Chance said.

  “Can they see us from the road?” Kim asked.

  “No, but they saw where we turned, if they were paying any attention.”

  “Here they come,” Dirk said, checking his rifle. The big flatbeds flew by on the highway, one after the other.

  “How many is that?” Kim asked.

  “I counted twelve,” Eric said. “Wonder if they’re going to attack Fredericksburg?”

  “Think they’ll hit our place?” Chance asked.

  “It’s way off the beaten path,” Eric said, “so I doubt it.”

  “Something turned onto the dirt road,” Kim whispered, eyes filled with fear.

  “I see it,” Eric said. “C’mon, let’s get them before they get in range of our vehicles.”

  “Yeah,” Dirk said, his AK-47 at the ready. They rushed forward and dropped, all of them firing at the military vehicle, bullets crashing through the windshield. It rolled to a stop, and three men piled out of the back, racing for cover. Dirk hit one, Chance another. The third ran. Eric got up, running towards him.

  “Damn that guy can run fast,” Dirk said, watching as Eric lifted his gun and fired, taking the man down.

  “Thank God,” Kim said to herself as she saw him trot back over with a new AK-47 in his hands.

  Dirk hurried to the vehicle in a crouch, checking the inside. “They’re all dead.”

  “Get their weapons,” Eric said. “Check for grenades.”

  “What the hell is this thing?” Chance asked as he checked it out. “Looks like a Humvee but it’s not.”

  “That’s a GAZ Tigr,” Dirk said. “Russian-made Humvee-style vehicle. They had guns – usually a 7.62 machine gun and a grenade launcher. Let’s take them.”

  “Maybe we should just drive the vehicle,” Chance said.

  “No,” Eric said. “There might be other good guys around.”

  “I got a better idea,” Kim said. “Let’s hide it back in the brush there, and get it later.”

  “Good idea,” Eric said

  “I’ll help,” Dirk said. They rushed over, cleaned out the driver and passenger s
eat and hopped in, driving it back into the brush. Then they checked the back with their phone flashlights.

  “Lots of 7.62 ammo we can use for the AKs,” Eric said. “Might as well take that.”

  “See those long, thin covers in the floor?”

  “Yeah,” Eric said.

  “Open them.”

  Eric opened the one closest to him. “Bingo. Machine gun. Probably mounts on the bar up there.”

  “The other one is probably an auto-grenade launcher,” Dirk said.

  Eric opened it. “Looks like it. Maybe we can mount this stuff on one of our vehicles.”

  “Maybe,” Dirk said. “You want to bring the ammo? I’ll get Chance to help me drag the bodies out of sight.”

  “Okay,” Eric said. He picked up two big metal boxes of ammo and walked towards their vehicles, putting one in the back of Dirk’s truck and one in the back of the Bronco. Then he helped Dirk and Chance with the bodies, stripping them of ammo and their handguns.

  “Ready to go?” Kim asked. Paco was next to them, watching the road like a hawk.

  “Yeah, let’s go,” Eric said. Dirk gave them a thumbs up, and then they all got into their vehicles and took off for 290.

  “Hope none of those guys called us in,” Kim said.

  “Seriously,” Eric said. “We’ll have to be careful if we come back here. It’s obvious that we hid that vehicle and the bodies. They’ll expect us to come back. Might be the death of us.”

  “Shit, you’re right,” Kim said. “Maybe we ought to forget it.”

  “We should play it by ear,” Eric said. “We’ll have Jason, Curt, and Kyle with us after the mission, assuming we live through it.”

  “Mission?” Kim chuckled. “Wow, we’re really in this, aren’t we?”

  “Damn straight. Glad it’s still dark for a while.”

  Chapter 4 - Secrets

  “That’s the last of the cameras,” Hendrix said. “Looks like the coast is clear.”

  “This scares me,” Maria said, clutching him closely. “I should go with you.”

  “No, somebody has to be here to manage communications,” Hendrix said. “You’re gonna do your job, and I’m gonna do mine, okay?”

  “Okay,” she said.

  “I’ll bring down a bunch of those long t-shirts and other things you can wear, also stuff for myself, and some of the perishables I have in the fridge up there.”