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  The red needle on the speedometer topped ninety as Reese kept the pedal to the floor. The old Chevy’s engine screamed as they flew down the road. Nate took another look at the map and told her to slow down and take the next right. She eased up on the gas pedal, and the engine quieted down as the truck began to coast. She saw the turn and braked before taking the turn onto Braeburn Circle. She stopped at the entrance of what was a small neighborhood with only four houses.

  Nate keyed the radio. “Bassett come in.”

  After a couple of more tries, Bassett responded.

  “Who is this?”

  “It’s Nate and Reese out for a drive.”

  Bassett gave a quick heads up on their situation.

  “Copy that. We’ll go for help.”

  Reese began backing up the truck when two cars approached from the left. They were full of Jijis. The hair on the back of her neck bristled with a combination of excitement and fear. Her job had just gone from easy to complicated and dangerous.

  She grabbed the Python and pulled the hammer back. She fired two shots hitting the windshield with one round striking the passenger.

  “Hang on,” she yelled, as she shoved the gearshift into drive. She rocketed through the small neighborhood but ran out of road. She swung the truck onto a grassy field hitting the turn so hard, it threw Nate into the door.

  Both cars fell in behind them in hot pursuit.

  Reese let out a sigh of relief seeing an open field. It was almost guaranteed you could get anywhere you needed to go, but as she passed by a small pond, it reminded her to not get cocky.

  “Swing to the left and then make a wide right turn,” said Nate, as he lifted the M4 to the window. “I want to take some pot shots at these guys.”

  Reese gave him a lopsided smile knowing what he wanted her to do. The field was big enough to draw these two in, and she knew just what to do to get these guys to follow her. She slowed down before swinging to the right. The second car started to turn away to try and cut her off. She gunned the engine, and the truck went into a full controlled spin. Had the situation not been so serious, she’d be laughing in hysterics as the tires kicked dirt and grass high in the air.

  The second car came into Nate’s sight. He had to brace himself with his leg against the floorboard while holding onto the M4 with his one good hand. He lined up a shot and pulled the trigger. Rounds penetrated the windshield before the driver swerved to the left to protect himself leaving his passengers exposed. Nate took advantage and fired directly into the passenger side. Multiple rounds hit the windows killing both passengers as blood splattered throughout the interior.

  The first car broke off the chase while Reese continued spinning the truck around. Nate emptied the magazine but this time on the driver’s side.

  “They’re done,” yelled Nate.

  Reese let go of the steering wheel, and the truck jerked the other way before she grabbed the steering wheel again. Just up ahead was a road and she tore off towards it.

  “Take it easy hitting the asphalt,” warned Nate.

  Reese nodded and slowed down before making a right onto Sylvan Road to head south. The first car followed but stayed far back.

  “That was friggin awesome,” screamed Reese. “Hell, those poor bastards didn’t stand a chance.”

  “Nice driving kiddo,” said Nate.

  “Nice shooting.”

  Reese’s heart raced as she took in a couple of hurried breaths. She white-knuckled the steering wheel as she the punched the accelerator. She had no idea where this road would take her and ordered Nate to find them on the map.

  He reached for it and found what he was looking for. “Take a right on Heim Road.”

  “Where is it?”

  “Coming up.”

  Sweat beaded on her forehead when she saw cars sitting up the road blocking their turn onto Heim Road. Now she understood why the car behind her didn’t bother following too close. They were about to be boxed in.

  Chapter 17

  Winnipeg

  Winters had arrived with the injured Findley and her family early in the morning. After arriving he had taken Laney and Collette to the big cafeteria to get something to eat when Sadie came charging in.

  It had been a joyous reunion, and Sadie had taken it upon herself to give the two girls the grand tour. This had given Winters the chance to get some sleep before his meeting with General Standish later in the afternoon.

  Winters had just finished debriefing General Standish and Colonel Brocket on the Shadow Patriots activities, and as always, the two military men were impressed with what they heard. They admired the Shadow Patriots enough to continue supporting them with supplies.

  Brocket then informed Winters of some Americans who wanted to volunteer. They had been waiting for the last week in hopes of finding out where they could go. It was excellent timing because he needed drivers to bring supplies back to Jackson. He had considered asking the girls but didn’t want to put their lives at further risk. They had done enough last night, and there was no sense in pushing his luck.

  Brocket led Winters to the sleeping quarters where the men had been staying. He explained to him they were from Minnesota and knew Bill Taylor.

  He gave the door a short knock, and a man who was in his early forties answered the door. Jack Butler stood at five-foot-nine and kept what remained of his hair short. It was almost at a length where he could shave it rather than cut it.

  “Mister Butler, this is Captain Winters of the Shadow Patriots.”

  “Captain, my friends and I have been waiting to meet you.”

  Winters noticed the roughness of his hand as he shook it and figured he had been in construction or something of that nature. Definitely, someone who wasn’t afraid to get his hands dirty, which was the sort of person he liked having around. The harder the man, the better fighter he typically was, at least it was with what he had observed over the last few months.

  “I understand you want to join us,” said Winters.

  “We do. Me and my two buddies that is, you know. We, all ah, grew up and went to school together and been itching to do something.”

  “How did you know to come to Winnipeg?”

  “Well, you know, we’re from Minneapolis, and I know Bill Taylor, so, you know, I heard through the grapevine that, ah, you know, that this was the place to come.”

  “You know, Bill?”

  Butler nodded.

  “Well, any friend of Bill’s is a friend of mine. Glad to have you aboard.”

  “When will we be heading out and where?”

  “Tomorrow night and we’ll be heading to Michigan. You guys can help me drive some trucks there.”

  “With supplies and such.”

  “Yeah, food, medicine, some weapons.”

  “That sounds great.”

  “Are your friends around?”

  “Oh, they’re off somewhere, I’m not sure where. I can go find ‘em if you want.”

  “No, that’s alright, I’ll catch up with them later.”

  “It’s ah, a real honor to meetcha.”

  Winters shook his hand and was pleased to see he had three new guys who were in their early forties, which was a good thing because they typically had a lot more energy than a lot of his guys. The younger the men they had on their team, the better.

  Winters headed to the infirmary to visit with Finley. He hadn’t had the chance to see her yet and wanted to find out what she and her mother’s plans were. Did they want to stay in Canada or head back home? He also needed to get with Laney and Collette to find out the same thing.

  Winters found Finley’s room and gave a gentle knock as he pushed the door open.

  “I was wondering when you were going to come visit me,” said Finley.

  “Just saving the best for last is all,” smiled Winters as he bent down to give her a light hug. “How ya doing?”

  “Still hurts some, but, like, my fever and headache are gone.”

  “Glad to hear it.”


  “Thanks for bringing me here.”

  “Please. You deserve it after what you did. I couldn’t have done it without you girls.”

  Finley’s face lit up hearing the compliment.

  “I’m sorry for not thinking they’d be waiting for you at your place.”

  “It’s alright. They would have, like, taken my mom and sister anyway, so I’m glad I was there with them.”

  “Well, it all worked out, and now you’ll have a couple of badass scars to remember it all with.”

  “Right. Now I’m gonna have some street-cred.”

  Winters sat on the edge of the bed.

  “I met Sadie.”

  Winters smiled.

  “She is just the sweetest. I absolutely love her. She came right in, and like, took my sister under her wing and cheered her up.”

  “She’s very good at that.”

  “She told me you and her, and another girl were, like, taken hostage, and she was supposed to marry some prince.”

  Winters nodded his head.

  “And that you were rescued, but then you had to, like, fight your way out.”

  “That pretty much sums it up.”

  “Wow! It sounds like a good plotline for a book.”

  “It does, doesn’t it,” said Winters with a curious look.

  Tears started to run down her face. “I’m so glad you came home.”

  “What’s wrong?” asked Winters, as he grabbed her hand.

  “Laney told me why you, like, came back home. I’m so sorry, Cole.”

  More tears streamed down her face, and Cole gave her a comforting hug telling her it was okay.

  “But if it hadn’t been for your daughter, then we’d be, like, still having to…” cried Finley not wanting to finish her sentence.

  The whole ordeal was finally hitting her and the realization that her good fortune came at the cost of another’s life. It was a hard truth. How do you celebrate with something like that in mind? The only thing you can do is not forget the sacrifice someone else made.

  Winters began to wish he hadn’t told anyone because it would be easier for the girls to be grateful for their rescue. They had already paid a high enough price as it was. They would have to accept what they did for food and be okay with it. This wouldn’t be an easy thing to do, and it would be something they’d think about it for the rest of their lives. Now they had an additional string attached to it. Perhaps down the road, it would give it more meaning in a spiritual sense.

  Winters continued to hug her for a few more moments. “Hey, hey, don’t think that way, okay. It was an honor to help you girls, and it gives Cara’s death meaning to me. It helps me deal with my sorrow.”

  “But.”

  Winters leaned away. “No. No buts.”

  Finley nodded and used her hands to wipe away her tears. “Okay, but still, it just sucks for you.”

  “Hey, everything happens for a reason, alright?”

  “I guess.”

  Winters wanted to change the subject and asked if she knew if her mother wanted to stay in Canada.

  “I think so. She was, like, hoping to talk to someone about that.”

  “I’ll mention it to the right people. Where is everybody?”

  “Oh, they went to get something to eat so I could get some sleep.”

  “Then I’ll leave you to it. I’ll come back by in the morning.”

  Winters gave her another hug and then headed to the smaller cafeteria. He found Finley’s mom and sister sitting with Laney, Collette and Sadie. Everyone turned their heads when he walked in.

  “Cole,” said Sadie scooting over to make room for him.

  Winters sat down between Sadie and Laney, greeted everyone, and told them he just came from seeing Finley.

  “She’s on the mend thanks to you,” said Finley’s mom, Debbie.

  “Just glad we had somewhere to take her.”

  “Sadie has been regaling us with some of your adventures,” said Debbie.

  Winters turned to Sadie. “Has she now?”

  “Of course I have,” said Sadie, “how can I not brag about you? You’ve saved so many lives, like, Amber and Reese.”

  “Reese?” asked Laney. “Your girlfriend, Reese?”

  Sadie’s mouth dropped open and turned back to Winters. “Reese is your girlfriend?”

  Winters nodded unsure how she’d feel about that.

  Sadie grabbed his arm. “Oh. My. Gosh. That is so sweet. My big sister deserves someone nice like you.”

  Winters let out a sigh of relief.

  “I’m going to have to write her a letter.”

  “That’s a lot of cards you need to get done. You’d better hurry.”

  “Why? When are you leaving?”

  “Tomorrow night. It’s one of the things I wanted to discuss with you guys,” said Winters as he turned to Debbie.

  “Can we stay here?” she asked.

  “Absolutely. If that’s what you want. I can get with General Standish, and he’ll have someone work out the details with you.”

  Debbie turned to her daughter Kayley. “You think you’d like to stay here for awhile?”

  Kayley was about the same age as Sadie and nodded her head excessively. “Yes. Yes. As long as Sadie is here.”

  “Heck yeah, I’ll be here. Ahh, I’m so excited I’ve got a new friend.”

  “Tired of all the grownups, eh?” asked Winters in humorous tone.

  “No. It’s just that I need a girlfriend.”

  Winters turned to Collette. “What about your mom?”

  “She wants to stay here too,” grumbled Collette.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “I can’t stay here with her. I’d rather go back home than stay here.”

  Winters nodded having witnessed the friction between them. She had been looking forward to going to college and getting away. Winters turned to Laney assuming she wanted to get back home to her mom and sister but asked anyway.

  “Yes. Of course.”

  “Alright then, we’ll be leaving tomorrow night. I have some new volunteers who will help drive the trucks back to Jackson. We can drop you guys off on the way.”

  “Cool,” said Collette.

  “Tomorrow if you want, I can have some instructors give you a crash course in weapons training. This way in case you need to defend yourselves again, you’ll be ready.”

  “Oh yes, I love it,” said a wide-eyed Laney. “Will you give us some guns to keep?”

  “Remember what I said? We go everywhere armed.”

  Both Laney and Collette shook their closed fits in front of them.

  Winters liked the idea of arming these girls in case there was any more trouble back home. No need to have all his work go to waste by having a power vacuum filled with more criminals.

  Satisfied with the plans, Winters excused himself and headed to back General Standish’s office to use his phone. He needed to contact Major Green tonight and give him an update.

  Chapter 18

  Chelsea Michigan

  After taking out one of the cars that were pursuing them, Reese had swung the truck out of the field and onto Sylvan Road. There was still a car behind her, and she was headed toward a roadblock. The Jijis were about to box her in, and she had few options.

  One of the things Reese learned over the past few months was never panic. There was always a few seconds to figure out what to do and when there’s adrenaline pumping through you, a few seconds was all you needed.

  She let off the gas while looking in the mirror to see their tail was about hundred feet back. Small hills bordered both sides of the road so swinging back into a field wasn’t an option. They could try and ram the blockade while shooting their way through, but she had no idea how many cars would be there. Coming up on the left was a house with a dirt road in front of it. Taking a left was appealing, but they were too close to Manchester Road, which was the Jiji border. She was running out of options when suddenly the hill to her right leveled out
. It was what she was hoping for, another option.

  “Hang on,” she said as she swerved to the right through a small opening of trees, which broke out onto another field.

  The engine raced as the front-end rose up off the ground before diving back down. The pickup bounced violently rocking them on the bench seat. Reese fought to control the steering wheel and was able to wrestle the truck to avoid hitting an evergreen tree. They crossed through over-grown lawns and two driveways before reaching Heim Road. She took a quick look to her left and was surprised to see at least six cars at the intersection.

  “You see ‘em all?” asked Reese.

  “Looks like they got a party going on,” grunted Nate.

  “You all right?” asked Reese noticing Nate’s painful expression.

  “Yeah, I’m good. Again, nice driving.”

  Reese broke out a smile at the compliment. She always ate up accolades from Nate because he so rarely gave them. He wasn’t an emotional guy and had little patience for stupidity.

  Nate took another look at the map and told her to take a right when the road ended. The last Jiji broke off the chase at they got closer to Jackson. Nate kept calling on the radio and wasn’t able to reach anyone. He threw it up on the dash having grown frustrated with its limited range.

  It took fifteen minutes before Reese pulled into the emergency room entrance.

  She opened the door and looked in the back surprised her crutch was still there. She reached for it and rushed inside with Nate. It took a few minutes before they found Scar down in the cafeteria with Taylor and Amber.

  “Are they together?” asked Scar after getting their report.

  “No. Nordell and Burns are on the south end,” answered Nate pointing on the map. “We came out here on Sylvan Road. They had a blockade of five or six cars down here.”

  “Cops?” asked Taylor. “Any cops?”

  “Can’t say for sure,” said Nate.

  “They might not be invited to the party yet,” said Taylor.

  Scar studied the map and thought about their limited options. The north end of the Proving Grounds was the interstate, and the east side was Manchester Road, which was the Jiji border, so neither of those sides were an option. It was either come in from the south or the west, with the latter looking more appealing. It was a much larger area and had more places to enter unnoticed. Scar glanced at his watch, which read five o’clock. They had four more hours of daylight. Using their night-vision advantage would be preferable, but if their friends couldn’t hold on, then they’d have no choice but to come in guns blazing.