The Road Home Read online

  “I want to think about this,” Nelson said. “How long until they get into a dangerous part of the gulf?”

  “The way they’ve been moving so far, a couple days,” Wallis said.

  “Good, then I can sleep on it,” Nelson said.

  Chapter 7 – Comfort Food

  Madison woke next to Juan Carlos, who was still sleeping. She watched his face, her love for him giving her a rush. He stirred, and his eyes fluttered open.

  “Hey, beautiful.”

  “Oh, please,” she said, smiling at him. She moved closer, putting her leg over his hip. “We made it through the night, anyway.”

  “We did.” He grabbed his phone, fired up the long-range app, and looked at the Canyon Lake area. “No hits nearby.”

  “Good,” she said, still watching his face.

  He moved his finger on the screen. “Whoa – very few hits left around that base by San Antonio. They must have hit it and burned the bodies.”

  “Maybe the enemy fled before they got there.”

  He scanned the areas surrounding the base. “Doesn’t look like it to me.” He set his phone back on the bedside table and turned towards her, his hand going to her waist, pulling her closer.

  “Eewww, my breath is gonna be bad,” she said.

  “Mine too.”

  “Let’s brush our teeth and get into the bath for a little while,” she said. “We can play in there. Is that okay?”

  “Was that a trick question?”

  She looked at him and snickered. “You and your movie references. No, it’s not a trick question. We need each other.”

  They got up and walked into the small master bath, Madison turning on the tub water, as Juan Carlos took their tooth brushes out of the zip-lock bag on the counter.

  “The tub in the last place was nicer,” she said as she joined him in front of the mirror, pulling her long t-shirt over her head.

  “You’re gonna brush naked, huh?”

  “Might as well get you good and primed.” She smirked as she picked up her toothbrush. Juan Carlos picked his up too. They were brushing when their phones dinged with text messages.

  “Crap,” Juan Carlos said with a mouthful of toothpaste, trying to spit it out fast. Madison giggled. He picked up his phone and looked at it as she finished.

  “Richardson?” she asked.

  “Yep. He asked if we could be downstairs in half an hour.”

  “Tell him forty-five minutes,” she said as she rinsed her toothbrush. He replied as she adjusted the bath water. “Might be a little hot.”

  Juan Carlos finished the reply and hit send, then set his phone down. He turned as Madison came up to him for a hug. They got into the tub together, their passion rising as they kissed and caressed, ending up back on the bed, making love frantically.

  “We were kinda loud,” Juan Carlos said between pants.

  Madison flashed him an embarrassed smile. “We’re still almost newlyweds, you know.”

  “Want to rinse in the tub? It’s probably still warm enough.”

  “Sure,” she said. They did that, then dressed.

  “We’re a little late,” Juan Carlos said, as he stuck the phone in his pocket and put his pistol in his belt.

  “They’ll live,” Madison said, brushing her blonde hair. They headed for the dining room. Richardson and Lita were sitting at the large round table they’d used the night before.

  “Brendan and Hannah aren’t here yet, huh?” Madison asked as they sat.

  “No, but they’ll be along in a minute,” Lita said. “Hannah just texted.”

  “Who’s the extra place setting for?” Juan Carlos asked.

  “Probably me,” Harley said as he limped to their table.

  “Harley!” Richardson said, standing to shake his hand. “How are you feeling?”

  “Other than the limp, I’m good,” he said. “My memory of that mess is pretty fuzzy. You’ll have to tell me the story.”

  “Harley, you’re back!” Brendan said as he walked up with Hannah. She glanced at Madison, and both turned red. Lita noticed it and snickered.

  Nell walked over with an order pad. “This everyone?”

  “Sure is,” Richardson said. “This is Harley. Got anymore rooms?”

  “Land sakes yes,” she said. “You can stop by the counter after breakfast.”

  “Great, thanks,” Harley said as he sat down. They ordered, and Nell scurried away.

  “Glad you’re back with us,” Richardson said.

  “Seriously,” Juan Carlos said.

  “What are we gonna do now?” Hannah asked.

  “Set up shop,” Richardson said. “That action by the National Guard last night kicked the enemy out of the area.”

  “You know what happened at the base?” Brendan asked.

  “It was a rout, and we’ve gotten smarter. They had the whole place booby-trapped. Our folks caught that and defused the bombs.”

  “Did the bad guys escape?” Juan Carlos asked. “There are very few icons left there.”

  “They killed them and burned their bodies,” Richardson said. “Now the guard is heading for another base. Since we can see them it’s like shooting fish in a barrel.”

  “The enemy has to know about the apps by now,” Harley said.

  “Maybe not, because of that base attack,” Richardson said.

  “Why not?” Juan Carlos asked.

  “Because the squad that attacked the hotel came from that base,” Richardson said. “They probably figured that one of their folks spilled the beans.”

  “Oh,” Harley said. “Makes sense. Where’s the next base?”

  “The biggest clump I’m seeing is around Goliad,” Richardson said. “in the southern half of the state, that is. Dallas is a bloodbath waiting to happen. Then there’s the gulf.”

  “Still enemy ships out there, huh?” Harley asked. “Damn US Navy deserted us, didn’t they?”

  “They were drawn away, from what we’ve been hearing,” Brendan said.

  “Drawn away by whom?” Harley asked.

  “The EU Navy,” Richardson said.

  “Really? We could destroy that navy in about twenty minutes.”

  “I agree, Harley, but we’re in a strange situation. The US Navy isn’t working for the Federal Government as it stands now, but they rely on bases all over the country—so they’re pushing but not too far. At least until the worm turns.”

  “The worm turns?” Juan Carlos asked.

  “Release of the apps with names and other data, and the cleaning out of our Federal Government,” Richardson said.

  “Oh,” Harley said. “Yeah, we’d need names to clean out the government.”

  “I don’t understand why they put RFID chips in high-ranking people,” Juan Carlos said. “It’s not like they need battlefield command and control.”

  Richardson chuckled. “They do need to keep people from cutting and running. With the RFID chips, the high-ranking officers can’t run.”

  “And they can’t hide,” Lita said, smiling. “It’s very understandable when you think about it.”

  “Couldn’t they just go to their doctor and have them removed?” Harley asked.

  Juan Carlos shook his head. “We forced Federal employees into the healthcare system, remember? The government will get tipped off. They know every health detail about every one of us.”

  “Allowing that to happen was a huge mistake,” Brendan said. “When this war is settled, we need to get rid of that system once and for all.”

  “I agree,” Richardson said, “but we’ve got enough to worry about now.”

  The food arrived, and they all dug in, keeping quiet for a little while.

  “Damn, they have great food here,” Juan Carlos said. “Better than that foo-foo crap at the resort.”

  Madison chuckled. “This is comfort food. If you lived on this stuff, you’d be as wide as you are tall.”

  “That’s a fact,” Harley said. “My grandmother made food like this, and, c
ome to think of it, she was as wide as she was tall.”

  “What are we doing today?” Lita asked.

  “Director Wallis said to call him after noon today for instructions. They expect to have the training center ready to occupy, and several boats ready to check out.”

  “That gives us almost four hours to relax,” Madison said. “They got a pool here?”

  “You got a swimsuit?” Hannah asked.

  “Dammit,” Madison said.

  Lita smiled. “I think my water sports are going to be restricted to the tub in my room.”

  “Already used that,” Madison said.

  “Yeah, we know,” Hannah said with a wicked grin.

  Madison laughed, her face turning red yet again. “Shut up, you’re no better.”

  “Okay, you found me out,” Hannah said. “Maybe we ought to go buy some clothes.”

  Richardson’s phone rang. He looked at it. “Wallis.” He got up and walked away, putting the phone to his ear. “Yes sir.”

  “Sorry I’m a little early. We’re gonna be busy soon, and I have the info now. Your base is a large barge with the capability to anchor or move. It’ll have enough dock space for ten patrol boats. Currently it’s anchored near the Randolph Air Force base facility, next to the Lake Canyon Yacht Club.”

  “A barge, huh? Interesting. Does it have armaments?”

  “M19 and mini-guns on turrets at the four corners of the roof. It’s a rectangle shape. The sides are armored against fire up to 7.62 cal, but if it gets hit with explosives or a mini-gun, it won’t last long. Should be fine for any small arms fire.”

  “Well, maybe that’s better than we’ve had before,” Richardson said. “Where are we supposed to live?”

  “Anywhere you like,” Wallis said. “You’ll all get an allowance. You could opt to stay on the barge. There are quarters. They’re small but not too bad, from the pictures I’ve seen. Five stateroom quarters and barracks for the trainees.”

  “Might be a good choice temporarily,” Richardson said, “but I don’t know how it’ll go over with the ladies. Harley is back with us, by the way. We just finished breakfast at our hotel.”

  “That’s great,” Wallis said.

  “How do we get there?”

  “Take 306 south to Jacob’s Creek Park Road,” Wallis said. “Make a left on Randolph AFB Road. Follow the signs down to the marina. You can’t miss it. You’ll have to take a water taxi out there. We’ve got people manning the dock station.”

  “Great,” Richardson said. “We’ll take off in a little while.”

  “Sounds good. Talk to you later, Richardson.”

  The call ended, and Richardson went back to the table.

  “Was that Wallis?” Juan Carlos asked.

  “Yeah. Our training facility is ready. It’s on a barge. I’ve got directions.”

  “You guys are gonna be gone all day?” Hannah asked.

  “You can go with us,” Richardson said. “There are living quarters, which we could use temporarily, until we find places of our own. We get a housing allowance.”

  “Living on a barge?” Madison asked, her face not portraying excitement.

  “Let’s at least look at it,” Lita said. “It’s not like we can settle down somewhere for the long term anyway. Eventually we’ll be going to the Rio Grande, right?”

  “Eventually, but that might be a while,” Richardson said. “We have a lot of training to do.”

  “Okay, I say we go check it out,” Hannah said.

  “Let’s meet back down here in an hour,” Richardson said. “Does that work for everybody?”

  They nodded in agreement, and left the dining room.

  Chapter 8 – Demolition Plans

  Curt and Amanda left their rig, heading for the RV Park clubhouse. Others were slowly making their way there in the early afternoon sun.

  “Look, there’s Kyle and Kate,” Amanda said, pointing at Jason’s Jeep as it came through the gate. “She must have been given a clean bill of health.”

  “Good,” Curt said. “Hope we get on this last mission quick. I’m missing Texas.”

  “Me too, honey.”

  They entered the clubhouse, which was already half full. Jason and Clancy were messing around with a large-screen TV in the front of the room, sitting on a waist-high table.

  “Are we having special guests, pencil neck?” Curt asked has he approached the front of the room.

  “Gallagher and Wallis,” Jason said. “Maybe Governor Nelson and the others too. Things are happening fast in Texas. I think they’ll want us to move on I-40 very soon.”

  “What’s very soon?” Amanda asked.

  “This afternoon,” he said.

  “How far is the target?” Amanda asked.

  “Full speed, my GPS says an hour and a half,” Clancy said, coming around from the back of the TV set, screwdriver in hand. “Since we aren’t leaving the tanks behind again, it’ll probably take another forty-five minutes or so.”

  “That’s not so bad,” Curt said. “We can do that.”

  Jason looked at his phone. “We’re getting close. They’re gonna be on in less than five minutes.”

  “Everybody know to come over?” Amanda asked.

  “They all got a message,” Jason said.

  “Look, here comes Kyle and Kate,” Clancy said, nodding towards the door. Jason turned around, a big smile on his face. Carrie rushed to meet them from the middle of the room, where she was chatting with Brenda, Rachel, Kim, and Sydney. They all followed, doting on Kate as they came to the front.

  “How is she?” Jason asked Kyle as he walked up, Eric, Kelly, and Junior beside him.

  “She’ll be okay,” Kyle said. “I don’t ever want to go through that again.”

  “She was damn lucky,” Clancy said.

  “You got that right, pencil neck,” Curt said. Amanda shook her head and rushed over to the other women.

  “We’re gonna attack soon, aren’t we?” Kelly asked quietly.

  “Yep,” Jason said.

  “I’ve been looking at that spot in more detail,” Junior said. “It’s a good place to hit. I don’t think the terrain around that bridge is easy to drive on. It’s rocky as hell. It’ll be hard to get around our handiwork”

  “Yeah, I noticed that too,” Kyle said. “Was looking at it while Kate was asleep at the hospital.”

  “Does she know we’re about to take off?” Jason asked, shooting a glance at the women, who were chatting and smiling.

  “She does,” Kyle said.

  Jason’s phone dinged. He looked at the text message. “They’re ready. Let’s start it.”

  Clancy nodded and turned on the TV, then used the laptop to connect to the transmission. He cast the picture to the big screen, and plugged the microphone into the laptop. “You guys hear us okay?”

  “Yep,” Gallagher said. “You hear us?”

  “Sure do,” Clancy said. He turned to the crowd. “Gather around, folks, and keep side conversations down to a dull roar.”

  Gallagher and Wallis chuckled as the group approached. Stanton Hunt and White Eagle rushed through the door, hurrying to the front of the room.

  “Sorry we’re late,” Stanton Hunt said.

  “You aren’t late,” Jason said, smiling as they approached. The rest of the group was in place and quiet.

  “Let’s make this short,” Gallagher said. “We like the plans you sent us—we looked at some hi-res satellite photos of the bridge over that wash. The terrain is difficult. They won’t be able to bypass it easily—at least not if they need to move heavy trucks over it.”

  “Here’s the photo,” Wallis said, messing with his mouse for a minute. It showed up on the big screen. “See that black rock there? It’s volcanic; jagged and crumbly. It would be a challenge with a Jeep Rubicon. There is another challenge, though. Look at old Route 66.”

  “I was looking at that,” Junior said. “We’ll have to do something there, but it’s a small road. It’ll be easier to bl
ow than I-40.”

  “Yeah, it’ll need some attention,” Clancy said. “Got a contact in town. Has a rental yard with a big dozer. I was planning to pick it up on the way. We could just trench that road in a few places, and it’ll keep traffic off it for a while. It’s not that long of a stretch. Just a little loop.”

  “Good idea,” Jason said, looking closely at the map. “Now back to the big job. Thoughts?”

  “Can we blow that with tank cannons?” Dirk asked. “Looks kinda solid.”

  “I’d use the plastic explosive, pack both tunnels full, then use the tanks to finish the job,” Gallagher said. “You the best demolition expert?”

  “Curt knows a lot too,” Dirk said. “And my brother Francis, and Clancy. We’ll be okay.”

  “How are we getting home?” Chance asked. “Also, we didn’t see any good places to blow Route 60, and if we don’t, they’ll use that to go around the bridges we blew up on I-25.”

  “The Arizona recruits are gonna blow up Route 60 on their side of the border, but it’s not the best place,” Gallagher said. “My suggestion is to blow these two bridges here, on Old Highway 60 and I-25.” He pointed it out on the satellite picture with his finger.

  Wallis nodded in agreement. “They go over an irrigation ditch. It’s not big like the Rio Grande, but you aren’t gonna be driving any trucks over it.”

  “Those bridges look pretty small,” Curt said. “Especially the old one. Ought to be easy to blow.”

  “Yeah, that looks like a short, easy job,” Dirk said. “We’re gonna need to save some tank rounds for that. Maybe some explosives, too.”

  “I’ve got a line on some dynamite,” Clancy said. “Same guy who has the dozer. We ought to stock up on the way out.”

  “Good idea,” Gallagher said. “You have enough gas for the round trip to I-40 and back?”

  “Yeah, we’ve got a bunch of Jerry cans already filled and ready to go,” Junior said.

  “Then it sounds like you’re ready,” Wallis said. “I’d take off soon, blow I-40 this afternoon, and find a place to camp for the night. You can blow Highway 60 in the morning, on the way back home.”

  “I like it,” Jason said. “Everybody ready for that?”

  “Hell yeah!” shouted somebody from the back. Several others said yes, and most people nodded in agreement.