Lost Shadows Page 14

  “Yes, my truck.”

  “You washed it?”

  Reese raised her palms up. “Yes. Why does everyone have the same response?”

  “Cause it’s a piece of junk, sweetie,” said Amber putting a hand on Reese’s shoulder.

  “Well, that may be, but she’s my piece of junk now and besides, I first made-out with Cole in it.”

  “Ooooh, okay. I get that now.”

  And may I say, that it looks pretty darn good too. Badger even put some new tires on it.”

  “Now that, I understand,” snickered Amber.

  “Yeah…it kinda needed them,” said Reese looking up at the ceiling embarrassed.

  “Well, I’m glad to see you’ve got that taken care of. So, Nate tells me you’re going to hang out with him and Elliott tonight.”

  “Yep. Gonna make it a game night.”

  “Good. Poor guys are getting frustrated they can’t help, especially Nate. He’s like that Tasmanian Devil cartoon guy wanting to destroy something.”

  “A knock came on the door, and Amber got up to open it. “Hey, Meeks.”

  “You ready?” he asked.

  “Just about. Just chatting with Reese.”

  “Reese?” asked Meeks, as he walked into the room. “I heard you washed that beast of yours today.”

  Amber put a hand to her mouth to hide her laughter as Reese threw up her hands in frustration.

  “Alright, I’m done,” she said as she got up. “I’m out of here.”

  “What? What did I say?” asked Meeks.

  “Everyone’s been kinda making fun of her for washing that truck,” said Amber putting her arm around Reese’s shoulder.

  “Well, that’s because it’s a piece of junk,” joked Meeks.

  “Yes, I know. Ha-ha,” said Reese crossing her arms over her chest.

  “Oh, c’mon now, Pieces. If we didn’t love ya, we wouldn’t be razzing ya.”

  Reese tilted her head to the side and drummed her fingers on her arm.

  Meeks stared her down in an attempt to break her, knowing full well that she was pretending to be mad. He’d been married long enough to not recognize that look she was giving him. He broke out in a disarming smile, which finally did the trick.

  She let out a scoff. “Boys. You guys suck, you know that?”

  “Yep. We do. And I’m a juvenile at heart.”

  “Duh.”

  “Come here,” said Meeks putting his arms out and stepping forward to hug her. “You know we’re big kidders around here, but that still doesn’t negate the fact that the truck is a junker.”

  Reese thought for a moment. “Yeah, I got nothing.”

  “Of course you don’t,” said Meeks letting her go. “But it is your junker, so we’ll leave it at that.”

  “Thank you. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a date with two other boys.”

  “Nate and Elliott?” asked Meeks.

  Reese nodded.

  “Cool. They could use the company,” said Meeks.

  “You guys be careful.”

  “We will,” said Amber as she gave Reese another hug.

  “You want me to wait up for ya?”

  “No need. You look tired already,” said Amber as she ran her hands down the sides of Reese’s head.

  “Yeah, I am,” said Reese who then turned and walked out into the hallway. She let out a chuckle thinking of Meeks. She wasn’t mad at him at all, she was madder at herself for not having a good retort for him. Usually, she could keep up with him, but couldn’t think of a solid defense, because the truck was a piece of junk.

  She turned the corner to Elliott’s room figuring they would make fun of her as well. She stopped at the door to try to think of something, but still came up blank. So, she thought the best defense was a good offense and would have to bring it up first. She tapped on the door before turning the knob. Inside, Nate was sitting in a chair next to Elliott’s bed.

  “Before you guys say anything, yes, I’m an idiot because I washed that piece of junk I’ve been driving around.”

  Nate turned to Elliott and then turned back to her. “I’m sorry, you did what?”

  Reese groaned, knowing she had just busted herself for nothing. She just couldn’t win today.

  Chapter 38

  On the road to Sabine Iowa

  The drive back to Iowa was going smoothly, and Winters was enjoying the girl’s company. They’d been on the road for a few hours, and they chatted about everything and nothing like teenaged girls are want to do. He would miss them because, in only three days, he had grown close to them. It was easy to bond with people when you share life or death experiences. All three girls had impressed the hell out of him. Despite living through a nightmare, they had kept positive attitudes.

  Of course, not all the girls involved were like this, but from what Laney and Collette had told him, they all supported each other emotionally. They would get together and give each other pep talks about surviving their ordeal. What a fantastic thing it is to help your fellow man. Not only did it help hearing the pep talks, but also, it was just as helpful, if not more so, to give them. Sharing themselves spiritually was their greatest strength, and it had kept them going.

  Helping someone was always good for the soul. Winters knew this first hand, because it was what had been keeping him going these last few months. Especially this week when he needed it the most, he was able to feed off a diet of helping his fellow man to help fight off his own insanity. Winters took a deep breath and glanced at the girls he had the good fortune of meeting. Had they not met, he had no doubt he’d still be battling Mister Hyde and going insane.

  “Whatcha thinking about, Cole?” asked Laney.

  “Oh, nothing.”

  “Excuse me, but I can see it on you. You’re, like, in deep thought.”

  Winters wrinkled his face at her perceptiveness.

  “Come on,” said Collette, “Do I need to keep reminding you of road rules?”

  Winters took another deep breath. “I was just thinking how fortunate I was to meet you girls and how much I’ll miss you.”

  “Ohhh,” said Laney putting her arm around his and squeezed tight. “You’re gonna make me cry.”

  “Me too,” said Collette. “Oh, dang it, here come the tears.”

  “We’re going to miss you too. I mean, like, how will we ever be able to thank you?” asked Laney.

  “That’s the thing, you’ll never need to. Your plight was my salvation. It is what saved me. So, it’s me that should be thanking you. You’re the ones who were living in a nightmare. I just happened by and was able to do something about it.”

  “Then we all, like, saved each other,” said Laney as she squeezed his arm again.

  Winters looked at her. “That we did, girls. That we did.”

  “You’ll see us again though, won’t ya? You’ll come back home, right?” asked Collette.

  “I will now.”

  “So, we’ll have a big party when you get back,” said Collette.

  “Yeah, that’d be awesome,” said Laney.

  “Listen, I hate to break this moment, but I have to go,” said Collette.

  “Yeah, me too.”

  Winters shook his head because they were literally out in the middle of the prairie with very little foliage. He looked to the right and saw they were driving next to railroad tracks. He began coasting before coming to a full stop. He didn’t bother pulling over to the side since they were the only ones on the road.

  “Where can we go?” asked Collette.

  “Just over that hill are railroad tracks.”

  “How can you tell?” asked Laney.

  “I’ve been on this road many times.”

  Both girls grabbed their new Colt M4 rifles as they jumped out of the truck.

  “I’ll escort you guys,” said Winters bearing in mind Murphy’s comment about Fowler.

  “You don’t need too.”

  “I insist, so wait while I go tell the others what we’re doing,
” said Winters not caring if he sounded like an overprotective parent.

  He walked back and gave a head nod through the glare of the headlights before coming to the driver’s side window. “Hey, just taking a quick pee break.”

  “No problem, Captain. We’ll just stretch our legs out,” said Fowler who then turned to his friend with raised eyebrows. They’d been waiting for an easy opportunity to take the trucks and finally had the chance.

  Winters powered up his night-vision goggles while he walked back over to the girls. “Alright let’s go.”

  Laney was the first to hit the tall grass that covered the small hill and slipped. “Ah, it’s wet.”

  “Careful girls,” said Winters who stayed behind them as they climbed the small hill.

  They reached the top, crossed over the railroad tracks, and started down the other side toward a cluster of trees. Winters stopped halfway down and scanned the area before the girls reached the trees. He kept looking around for any kind of movement. A couple of minutes later, he realized he needed to go as well. He moved over to the left just as the girls broke out of the trees to start back up the hill.

  “You coming, Cole?” asked Laney.

  “Give me a minute,” replied Winters.

  * * * * *

  “Alright guys, this is it,” said Butler.

  “We wait,” said Fowler.

  “Wait for what?” asked Butler.

  “I want those girls,” said Fowler.

  “To hell with the girls. We got the trucks free and clear right now, so let’s just go,” argued Butler. “I don’t really care about the girls.”

  “Yeah, but I do,” said Fowler as he turned to Cochran. “You’re with me aren’t cha?

  “They are cute.”

  “We’ll just shoot Winters,” said Fowler.

  Butler shook his head. “Did you not see what the girls were carrying?”

  “Oh please,” said Fowler in a dismissive tone.

  “I told you I didn’t want to get into a gunfight with this guy. Besides, he has night-vision goggles on, so we can’t very well sneak up on him. Hell, we can barely see twenty feet.”

  “Twenty feet’s all I need,” said Fowler. “I’ll get up on the hill, and if I think it’s good, then we’ll take the girls. If not, then we’ll drive off.”

  “Fine. Go for it,” relented Butler.

  Fowler scooted across the road and up the hill. He squatted down and let his eyes adjust from the glare of the headlights. Before long, he heard the girls coming, and one of them turn to yell at Winters. Fowler’s heart pounded in his chest when he heard Winters was still down the hill. He let the girls walk past him. He gave them a few strides before he got in behind them. As they got closer to the lead truck, they came in view of the headlights. Fowler pulled a knife out and rushed at the girls just as they came to the door.

  He pushed Laney into the door, wrapped his arm around her and put the knife to her throat. “Either one of you scream, and I’ll slice her throat.”

  Laney’s skin turned clammy as the blade cut a layer of skin. She looked at Collette whose eyes were bulging.

  “Drop your weapon and get in the truck,” said Fowler as he slid Laney’s rifle off her back. “Do it now. If you don’t hurry, I’ll have to kill Winters.”

  Collette nodded and dropped her weapon before climbing into the truck.

  “Slide over and drive,” ordered Fowler as he pushed Laney into the truck.

  Cochran rushed over, grabbed both rifles, and shut the door after Fowler climbed in. He then ran back to his truck and watched Butler pull away first. He then waited for Fowler to go before falling in behind them.

  Chapter 39

  An explosion of energy burst through Winters as he saw the trucks begin to leave. He raced down the hill as he swung his rifle off his back. He lifted it up and was about to shoot but thought better of it. He wasn’t sure which one was carrying the fuel and didn’t want to blow it up. Besides, he saw a better way once he hit the asphalt. These trucks were loaded down with supplies and not the fastest off the line, which gave him one small chance. He dug deep and kicked his legs as fast as he could.

  Thankfully, he was in much better shape these days and silently thanked the Canadians for training him. He had lost weight over the last few months and had built up his endurance.

  He could see the chrome handle on the back of the truck as he closed in on it. His weapon bounced off his chest with every stride making him tug on the strap. He lifted his right arm to reach for the handle. The stinging exhaust from the tail pipe choked his breathing as he stretched out his arm to grab the handle. The cold metal was reassuring as he pulled himself onto the step bumper, which was a foot or so wide giving him plenty of room to stand on.

  He began cursing at himself for being duped by these three guys. Murphy had been right about the creepy vibe he had detected. Winters shook the negative thoughts from his head because there was no way of knowing these guys had ulterior motives. Bringing up Taylor as a reference was what sold him on their trustworthiness.

  He then began counting his blessings, thankful they had decided not to start a gun battle. No telling who might have been killed in a shootout. He suspected the girls were doing as they were being told and hopefully were keeping their minds clear. No doubt, these guys would keep them alive, which would give him the time he’d need to kill the bastards.

  The wind kicked around Winters as he kept a vice-like grip on the chrome handle. He thought about pulling the cargo door open and crawling inside but decided to wait. They weren’t but ten miles away from Detroit Lakes and the first major intersection. A turn meant they would have to slow this heavy beast down before taking it. If this happened, then he would rush the cab and climb in.

  He gave his new Glock 17 a confident pat. His new toy would come in handy. Not only would the suppressor tone down the report but it would also help hide the muzzle flash.

  The anticipation of which direction they would head grew as the truck began to slow down. They were making a turn but which way? If they went right, he would need to come in on the driver’s side to keep hidden from view from the other two trucks.

  Was that window open? The air conditioner wasn’t working in the truck he drove.

  He rocked back and forth ready to pounce on either side. It didn’t matter to him which side. If the door was locked, he’d shoot through the window. The fully loaded truck was coming to a complete stop. He peered through his goggles to the right side and saw nothing but could hear the engines roar in the dead air. They were going left.

  He let go of the handle and stepped off the bumper. He pulled out the suppressor and threaded it onto the Glock as he peered over to the left side to see Butler driving the first truck. He kept watching and saw Collette driving the middle one. Good to know. He racked the slide on the Glock before sweeping around to the passenger side. He grabbed the door handle as the truck started to move and found it unlocked. He jumped inside while pointing his pistol. Cochran’s eyes grew wide knowing he was in trouble.

  “Keep driving,” yelled Winters.

  Cochran didn’t respond but continued with the turn.

  “So, where are we headed?”

  “Duluth I think.”

  “You don’t know?”

  “I swear I don’t.”

  “Got a buyer for this stuff do ya?”

  “Butler does.”

  “Who are they?”

  “I’m not sure.”

  Winters shook his head. “You don’t know much do ya?”

  “I swear I don’t know them. It’s some gang. Butler’s dealt with them before. Scary bunch is all I know.”

  Winters leaned back in the seat. He knew gangs were roaming around and paid tribute to the National Cops. They had never run into one but knew there were some in Ohio where a booming sex trade was developing. He had no doubt that’s where Laney and Collette would be taken and sold off.

  “When were you meeting them?”

  “
As soon as we arrive we’re gonna go find ‘em.”

  “Anything else I should know?”

  “No, sir.”

  Winters scoffed at the man’s newfound respect. “Do want to live?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Well, it’s your lucky night,” said Winters as he turned and placed his legs between the bucket seats. “Open the door and jump.”

  “What?”

  “You heard me,” said Winters as he pointed the gun at his head. “Now, either jump or take a bullet, it doesn’t matter to me.”

  Cochran hesitated before opening the door.

  “Remember to roll,” said Winters as he took control of the steering wheel and shoved him out the door.

  Winters looked in the mirror and watched him hit the ground. He bounced on the road rather than roll. Idiot. Not that he cared, but he didn’t feel like shooting him. He didn’t want it on his mind because he had more important things to think about like what his next move would be. These trucks have fifty-gallon fuel tanks and get about ten miles to the gallon. This was plenty to make it to Duluth without stopping. He could only hope they would pull over to take a break.

  Chapter 40

  The suspense in the cab was gut-wrenching as Collette dropped a hand from the steering wheel and gave Laney a reassuring pat on the leg. Laney’s muscles tightened, and she took some deep breaths to calm down remembering what Cole said about never panicking. The reminder helped calm her nerves enough to better assess the situation.

  First off, these guys were not going to kill them, granted, they were going to rape them, but then, what’s new? So, they had a chance at some point to escape. The best way to enhance that opportunity was to cooperate. It would throw them off balance if they gladly had sex with them. This was easy since they had been doing that for the last few months. Once they had their trust, they could make their move.

  She started gaining confidence, which then made the situation transparent. They had guns in their backpacks. Thank you, Sergeant Armstrong.

  Both bags sat on the floor, each with a Glock sitting snug on top. She took another deep breath to keep her nerves in check. She always jumped into the fray because of a compulsion problem. This was not a good trait right now. That wasn’t how Cole operated. When he was getting ready to climb in her bedroom window, he asked if there were any creaks on the floor. That was the type of thinking this predicament demanded. She needed to come up with an excuse to dig into her bag without arousing suspicion. It had to be something so innocent that Fowler wouldn’t give it a second thought.