Bug Out! Texas Book 6: Citizen Vengeance Read online

  Ramsey chuckled. “Bait, huh? Sure that’s a good idea?”

  “Maybe it’s slightly risky, but it’ll be hard for the enemy to sneak in enough people to attack the RV Park, now that we have the Satellite imagery.”

  “We might lose access at any time,” Ramsey said. “Keep that in mind.”

  “Shit,” Jason said. “Really? How much chance is there of that?”

  “Unknown,” Ramsey said. “Nelson is working on an alternative. I can’t talk about it over the phone.”

  “Good,” Jason said. “You have any objection to us baiting these guys?”

  “No, but I’ll run it past Gallagher and Wallis after I get off the line. Go ahead unless I call you back on it.”

  “Thanks,” Jason said. “Talk to you later.”

  Jason ended the call.

  “Well?” Francis asked.

  “He said to go ahead unless we hear differently. He’s gonna talk to Wallis and Gallagher.”

  “We should talk to him about getting another tank,” Francis said. “We won’t have all four corners of the park covered now.”

  “Yes,” Jason said. “Maybe we can use one of the off-roaders instead, for now. Those M19s have pretty decent range.”

  “True,” Francis said.

  They rode silently for a while, both deep in their own thoughts. Jason was worried. This was a great victory, but what would the follow-up be from the enemy?

  “We’re getting close to route 18,” Francis said. “See it ahead?”

  “Barely,” Jason said.

  “Think they would’ve marched all the way to the RV Park?”

  Jason thought about it for a moment. “That’s hard to say. If they’d defeated us, they might have turned around and gone back to New Mexico. Their main concern is keeping the supply lines open.”

  “What about our weapons?” Francis asked.

  “We had most of the good stuff with us,” Jason said. “Of course they didn’t know that. Wonder what happened to Simon Orr?”

  “Maybe he’s burning up in that bonfire,” Francis said.

  “Possible,” Jason said. “I’d be surprised if nobody noticed him, though. He doesn’t look like an Islamist.”

  “Were there militia people in that battle?” Francis asked.

  Jason froze for a moment. “You know, I didn’t look. When the battle was over I went back to our lines pretty fast.”

  “We should use our social media contacts to ask,” Francis said.

  “Yeah, we need to do that.”

  “There’s the tanks,” Francis said as they rolled by them.

  “Yep,” Jason said. “You know who was in the tank that we lost?”

  “No,” Francis said. “Probably Gray’s guys. They trained hard on the tanks. I think about 70% of our tank crews are from that group.”

  “They’ve given a lot,” Jason said. “We need to go out of our way to acknowledge that.”

  “Agreed. You think this was a turning point?”

  “No, I think this was just the beginning, and it’s going to get harder now,” Jason said.

  “Why?” Francis asked.

  “Because they know we’re more than just a nuisance to them,” Jason said. “We’re a threat to their mission. Big time. We’ll need to prepare, to get smarter, to lock in our support from the surrounding areas.”

  They were silent for a while as they raced down route 18, headlights behind them. Jason’s phone rang. He answered it.

  “Jason, its Chief Ramsey.”

  “Hi, Chief. You get an answer?”

  “Yeah, use the goats. We’re very interested to see what happens. Keep your eyes open, though, okay? If they send a small detail to check out the signals, they might also send a group of assassins in. We don’t want any of your key folks there to get killed or captured. Understand?”

  “Yeah, we’ll put a 24-hour guard on this,” Jason said. “Thanks.”

  “Don’t mention it,” Ramsey said.

  “Hey, one other thing,” Jason said. “No, a couple other things. Any chance we can get another tank, to replace the one we lost? It leaves a hole in our defenses.”

  “I’ll check,” Ramsey said. “I can’t promise anything, but I’ll push for it. What else?”

  “We need some storage tanks so we can store fuel from the still operation. Think you can help us with that?”

  “I’ll give that a shot too,” Ramsey said. “There has been some discussion about sending a tanker out there to refuel you guys. Gallagher figured you’d need it after the battle.”

  “Perfect, that would be helpful. Thanks.”

  “No problem,” Ramsey said. “Be careful. Talk to you soon.”

  Jason ended the call.

  “He go for it?” Francis asked.

  “On the RFID chips, yes. He’ll check into the tank stuff.”

  “Great,” Francis said. “We’re almost home.”

  “Good, I’m beat,” Jason said.

  They covered the remaining road in less than ten minutes.

  “I’ll get out here, if that’s okay,” Francis said, pulling over a few yards inside of the park.

  “Okay, thanks for driving,” Jason said. “Thanks for fighting with me too.”

  “It was a pleasure,” Francis said as he got out. Other vehicles were flooding through the gate now. Jason got behind the wheel and drove back to his site. Carrie was sitting on the picnic table next to their rig, head in her hands.

  “Hi, sweetie,” Jason said.

  She ran into his arms, hugging him tight, sobbing.

  “It’s okay,” Jason said. “I’m safe. All our friends are safe too.”

  “Kate had a miscarriage,” Carrie whispered.

  “Oh, God no,” Jason said.

  Chapter 6 – Justice of the Peace

  Hannah woke up next to Brendan as the sun was coming up. She got out of bed and walked to the window, looking out over the bustle of the city.

  “Hey,” Brendan said.

  “Oh, you’re awake,” Hannah said, turning towards him.

  “Come here,” Brendan said. She smiled and got back on the bed, snuggling against him. “What’s it look like out there?”

  “It looks like normal,” she said. “As if nothing happened.”

  He turned face to face with her, looking into her eyes. “You aren’t buying it, are you?”

  “Those enemy fighters slipped into the middle of the city unseen,” Hannah said. “They were probably hiding out nearby. They might be within a few hundred yards of us right now.”

  Brendan brushed hair out of her eyes. “If you think like that, you’ll be nervous all the time. They probably got into a vehicle and split. If they left on foot, somebody would’ve seen where they went. I saw a couple guys following the survivors of that group we fired on at the end.”

  “Well, I hope you’re right,” Hannah said. “Hope they’re far away from here.”

  “So what do you want to do today?” Brendon asked. Hannah punched him on the arm.

  “Stop that,” she said. “You know what we’re doing today.”

  “I do?” He did a fake yawn.

  She giggled. “You’re gonna mess with me until we’re married, aren’t you?”

  “I’ll mess with you even more afterwards,” he said, pulling her close. They kissed passionately.

  “I love you so much,” Hannah said, arms around him tight. There was a knock on the door.

  “Shit,” Brendan said. “Probably Juan Carlos already. Or Richardson.” He got up and checked out the peep hole. “Richardson.”

  He opened the door a crack.

  “Oh, you guys aren’t up yet?” Richardson asked.

  “What time is it?”

  “Almost ten,” Richardson said. “Can you guys be ready for breakfast in half an hour?”

  “Where, in the hotel?”

  “Yeah,” Richardson said. “We’ll go to the courthouse after that, if you’re still interested.”

  “Oh, I don’t kno
w,” Brendan said.

  “Shut up,” Hannah said. “We’ll be there, Richardson.”

  “Yeah, I’ll bet you will,” Richardson said. “See you two in a little while.”

  Brendan shut the door and then ran towards the bed, leaping, coming down on his belly next to Hannah.

  She giggled. “You are excited. Don’t deny it.”

  “Okay, you found me out,” he said. “Shall we get dressed?”

  “Yeah,” she said, getting up, turning her back to him and wiggling her butt.

  “Wait, on second thought, come back here,” Brendan said.

  “Nope,” she said. “After the wedding. Comprende?”

  Brendan laughed and watched her get dressed. He joined her. They went out into the hallway. Juan Carlos and Madison were out there waiting.

  “It’s about time, girlfriend,” Madison said. “What were you two doing in there?”

  “Waiting until after the wedding,” Brendan said, rolling his eyes.

  “Damn, dude, you too?” Juan Carlos said with mock indignation.

  “Get a load of these two,” Hannah said. Richardson and Lita came out into the hallway.

  “They’re finally up,” Lita said.

  “Kids,” Richardson said.

  “I’m hungry,” Juan Carlos said. “Hope they have good food in this dump.”

  Madison rolled her eyes. “Let’s get going.”

  The restaurant was crowded for a weekday morning. It took a few minutes to get a table. Richardson insisted on a table away from the windows.

  “How far is the courthouse again?” Madison asked.

  “A little too far to walk, with you on crutches,” Lita said.

  “Sorry,” Madison said.

  “It’s not a problem,” Richardson said.

  The waitress came over and took their orders.

  “So I almost hate to bring this up,” Juan Carlos said. “Is it safe to be in public spaces like the courthouse?”

  “I’ve been thinking about that, believe me,” Lita said.

  “Me too,” Richardson said. “The courthouse is a harder target than a mall or the Riverwalk. We should be fine.”

  “Maybe we should take a cab so we don’t have to park our car in the open,” Brendan whispered. “We’ve got guns in there, remember?”

  “Yeah, I remember,” Richardson said. “I’m okay with doing that. Might even be able to take the hotel shuttle.”

  “Good, let’s ask them,” Lita said. “After we’re done here, unless any of you needs to go upstairs again.”

  “My, aren’t we anxious?” Hannah cracked.

  “As a matter of fact, we are,” Madison said. “Geez, listen to me.”

  The waitress brought their breakfasts, and they attacked the food, eating quickly.

  “That was pretty good,” Juan Carlos said.

  “Let’s go check on that shuttle,” Richardson said, getting up. He put bills on the table and they walked out of the dining room.

  The hotel lobby was busier now, people rushing around, talking and laughing.

  “This is a good sign,” Brendan said.

  “A Good sign of what?” Hannah asked.

  “Good sign that the terror attack didn’t work.”

  “I agree,” Richardson said as they got to the concierge station. A middle-aged woman with short gray hair sat behind the desk.

  “Can I help you?” she asked.

  “Yeah, we were wondering if we could get a shuttle ride to the Courthouse on South Main Avenue,” Lita said.

  The concierge punched on her computer keyboard, looking at the screen.

  “Which one? The Bexar County Justice Center, or the County Marriage License Office?”

  “The Marriage License Office,” Lita said. “That’s where you can get married, right?”

  The woman grinned. “Yes. Congratulations. Which couple is getting married?”

  Lita smiled. “All three.”

  “My my,” the woman said. “I’m seeing this a lot. Kinda like what happened during World War II, from what I’ve read.”

  “Can we get a ride there, and a ride back?” Juan Carlos asked.

  “Yes, of course. Free of charge, since it’s so close. When you’re ready to come back, just call me.” She handed a card to Lita.

  “Thank you,” Lita said, taking the card from her.

  “I’ll have the shuttle brought around. Should be less than ten minutes. You can sit over there.” She pointed to couches and chairs in the middle of the lobby.

  “Thanks so much,” Lita said. They sat down.

  “That was easy,” Richardson said.

  “Yes,” Lita said, snuggling up to him on the couch. “I’m so happy.”

  “Me too,” Richardson said.

  The three couples sat waiting for about five minutes. Then the concierge person raised her hand. “It’s right outside. Enjoy!”

  “Thanks,” Lita said. They headed out to the driveway. The shuttle was waiting.

  “Are you the couples getting married?” the driver asked.

  “Yep,” Madison said.

  “Very good, please get in and take a seat. I’ll have you there in a couple minutes.”

  “Thanks,” Richardson said. They got in.

  “I can’t believe it’s really going to happen,” Madison whispered to Hannah. She smiled back.

  “I know,” she said, taking Brendan’s hand into hers. The shuttle took off, turning right on College Street and then left on North St. Mary’s Street.

  “Too bad one of you is on crutches,” the driver said. “It’s a nice, short walk.”

  “What’s a good place to have a reception dinner?” Richardson asked.

  “For how many people?” the driver asked.

  “Just us,” Richardson said.

  “On the Riverwalk?” he asked.

  “No!” Madison said quickly.

  “Yeah, not after what happened yesterday,” Lita said. “How about something nearby that’s not in such a busy area?”

  “Hmm,” the driver said. “Restaurant Gwendolyn is nice. It’s north of the Riverwalk, a little out of the main tourist area. There are other upscale restaurants in that area too. On Pecan Street.”

  “Maybe that’ll be a good place to go,” Lita said. “We won’t go right after, though. We just had a huge breakfast.”

  “Yeah, we might want to go back to our rooms for a while,” Brendan said. Hannah punched him in the arm.

  “I’d be okay with that,” Madison whispered.

  The driver turned left on East Commerce Street. “We’re almost there.”

  “Good,” Madison said. She squeezed Juan Carlos’s hand tighter.

  The driver made another left, this time on Military Plaza, went one block, then turned left on Dolorosa, pulling to the curb. “Here we are.”

  “Wow, that was fast,” Richardson said. He fished some bills for a tip out of his wallet, handing them to the driver as they left.

  “You have to walk past the first building to get to the Marriage Center, I’m afraid. Just call Rebecca at the concierge desk when you’re ready to come back.”

  “Will do,” Lita said.

  They got out and walked onto the Courthouse plaza, then made their way to the second building.

  “This should be quick, since we got our license paperwork filled out already,” Hannah said.

  “Shoot, the door is on the far side of this building,” Lita said. “Sorry, Madison.”

  “I’m fine,” Madison said, shooting a smile at her. “I’m the happiest girl on earth.”

  They finally made it to the doors and went into the lobby. A sign directed them to the marriage license desk. There was no line, so they walked up to the window.

  “My, this is quite a crowd,” the young clerk said behind the window, wearing a name tag that said Ricardo.

  “Hi, Ricardo,” Lita said. “We’ve got marriage license paperwork filled out. We’d like to get it processed, and get married.”

  �
�Well, you’ve come to the right place,” Ricardo said. The three license applications were slid into the window to him. He looked at Lita and chuckled. “All three of you are getting hitched, huh? Cool. IDs please?”

  All of them slid their licenses in.

  “By the way, the grooms are all DPS employees,” Lita said. “We’d like to get married today.”

  “Great,” Ricardo said. “We can waive the waiting period. No problem.” He arranged the papers and driver’s licenses in front of him, then started typing on his computer. “This will take a few minutes.”

  The group stood, waiting silently. Juan Carlos saw a bench a few feet away. “C’mon, sweetie, let’s sit so you can rest.”

  “Okay,” she said. He helped her sit down. “Happy, Juan Carlos?”

  “Are you kidding?”

  She sighed and leaned against him.

  “Okay, Richardson and Lita, you’re ready to go,” Ricardo said.

  Richardson slipped some bills to Ricardo. “This should cover all three.”

  “Thanks,” Ricardo said. “The chapel is down the hall. You might want to put all the names in. Sometimes the line gets a little long.”

  “Great, thanks,” Richardson said. He took the document and walked to the door, hand in hand with Lita. “See you guys down there.”

  “You know I’ll want to have a ceremony eventually,” Hannah said to Brendan. “With a dress and a cake and all.”

  “Love to,” Brendan said.

  “I like that idea too,” Madison said. “When I’m off these damn crutches.”

  “You’re healing up pretty well,” Juan Carlos said. “It looked better today when I changed your dressing.”

  “I know, it doesn’t hurt much anymore,” Madison said. “I hardly have to take any pain meds now. That means I can have a little Champagne tonight.”

  “Brendan and Hannah,” Ricardo said. “All set.”

  “Great,” Brendan said, rushing over to the window. He took the document and thanked him, then came to the bench and sat next to Hannah.

  “You aren’t going down there?” Madison asked.

  “We’ll wait,” Hannah said. “No sense going over before you guys.”

  “Madison and Juan Carlos,” Ricardo said.

  “There we go,” Juan Carlos said, smiling. He rushed up to the window and picked up the document. “Thanks, dude.”

  “Good luck,” Ricardo said. “She’s gorgeous, man.”