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  They reached the road and hid behind bushes to get ready to race across. There were still about a fifty Jijis scattered up and down the street in a few groups. However, it was doable without the need of a diversion from Eddie’s team, so he called him and told him to hold off.

  The Jijis were enjoying their time away from guarding the interstate for the past week. A few Jijis were walking by their position chatting loud enough that Scar could understand what they were saying.

  After they walked by Scar looked both ways and saw the coast was clear. Without having to give an order, Amber and Taylor fell in behind him as he flew across the road and jumped over the chain-link fence that bordered the Proving Grounds.

  Safely hidden in the woods, they began moving toward the first of two roads they needed to cross. Scar slowed the pace when they approached the first road where he spotted headlights through the trees. The area was cluttered with large groups of Jijis standing around.

  Amber tapped Scar on the shoulder and pointed north.

  He nodded.

  She then took point, followed by Scar and Taylor bringing up the rear. The three of them darted their heads around looking for anything out of place. There was just enough light from the moon for the goggles to enhance their view as they stalked through the woods. After about five hundred feet, Amber started stopping every few yards. She turned her head to listen before taking a few more steps, then froze. Someone was close by.

  She moved her head to the right to peek around a tree and finally saw what she had been hearing. Up ahead were two Jijis talking in low tones. She turned to Scar and pointed at them.

  Scar let out a shallow breath when he saw them. He still couldn’t hear them but was glad Amber was leading them. Any noise they might have made would have alerted the Jijis. They still wouldn’t be able to see his team in the dark, but if there was enough noise, then they might have started firing their guns blindly.

  Nobody moved for a couple of minutes as they waited to see if the Jijis would leave. Taylor gritted his teeth as he was losing his patience. He handed his rifle to Amber and pulled his knife out. She took it and looped the sling around her neck while Scar withdrew his knife as well. They weren’t nearly as fast as Bassett and would have to take these two down at the same time.

  They padded toward them like cheetahs stalking prey. Slow and silent. Scar could hear them talking now, but their chatter wouldn’t be loud enough to hide the snapping of a twig.

  “Just a couple more feet,” thought Scar as he angled the blade of his knife. As if they done it a thousand times before, Scar and Taylor pounced in unison. They grabbed the Jijis around their heads while covering their mouths and stabbing their throats. They let go of the bodies and then nodded at each other. Amber came in and handed Taylor his rifle before they continued north.

  They traveled a thousand feet north along the road to find it wasn’t as congested up this way. A few cars had headlights on, which forced them to move a little further north to avoid them. It was a hundred and fifty feet across the open road, and it would take the Taylor, being the slowest, at least seven seconds.

  Amber whispered to Scar that she would guard their six. He tapped Taylor’s shoulder and told him to go when he was ready. They were between two groups, and it took a few minutes before Taylor got up and bolted across the road. Amber followed Scar as they made it to the safety of the trees.

  Taylor was breathing rapidly and grabbed Amber’s jacket to stop her.

  “Give an old man a second,” he whispered.

  “You did alright,” she replied.

  “Yeah, right.”

  “Badger, I’m serious.”

  Scar took advantage of the break and radioed Bassett to tell them they were across the first road.

  “Copy. We’ll wait for your signal.”

  Scar gave Taylor another minute before he motioned for them to continue. Once again, Amber led the way, and she expertly led them around another group of Jijis who were using flashlights to facilitate their search.

  The road Bassett and Meeks were waiting beside was only five hundred yards away, but it took nearly thirty minutes to get there. They finally made it to the next road, and they could see why Bassett decided to stay put. Jijis were roaming around, and a couple of cars were racing up and down the road.

  “You’d think they were celebrating something,” snorted Taylor.

  “They don’t get out much,” said Amber.

  Scar keyed the radio. “Bassett we’re here. We’re just north of the two dragsters.”

  “Roger that. Not too far south.”

  “You want me to go get them?” suggested Amber.

  Scar thought it was a good idea and gave her the okay. He handed her the bag containing the extra ammo and night-vision goggles.

  Amber kept looking both ways while waiting for the right moment. An excited charge shot up her spine at the prospect of operating on her own. Rarely did it happen as she always had at least one partner.

  A couple of Jijis peeled away from a larger group and were approaching their position. As she waited for them to pass by, she judged the distance across figuring it was about the same as running to first base. She’d been a speedster back in college when she played softball. She could run to first base in two and a half seconds, but she wasn’t as fast as she used to be.

  The two Jijis strolled by carrying weapons on their backs. A bearded one was laughing at something his friend said. He then split off to head to another group on the other side of the road.

  Scar turned back the other way just to make sure that side was clear before giving her the all clear. He tapped her on the arm and whispered to go. She got up and started pushing her arms back and forth and pumping her legs as fast as she could. She reached other side of the road in full stride and couldn’t stop when she saw the bearded Jiji in her way.

  Chapter 23

  Manassas Virginia

  Having just rescued Stormy from the clutches of his flirtatious friend, Green sat down next to her on the couch. He then began to give everyone an update on what happened with Reed.

  “That sly old fox,” said Gibbs. “He’s playing the long game for sure.”

  “But he believed the assassination attempt?” asked Kyle, the younger Gibbs.

  Green nodded. “Yeah, I mean it was convincing. You guys did it perfectly. I almost believed it myself after it was all done with. The placement of the bodies was spot on, and you had the right amount of shots fired.”

  “I’ll tell ya, it was touch and go for a few seconds. His bodyguards were better than I thought they would be,” said Kyle.

  “Oh?”

  “Yeah, I mean, as soon as we started shooting, they yanked Reed back behind that car. We hit them both, too, didn’t we, Dad.”

  “They were both wounded but kept fighting,” said Gibbs. “But as soon as they tried to return fire, you could tell they were way off their game.”

  “Good,” said Green, “probably sold Reed on it even more.”

  “So what’s next?” asked Stormy.

  Green turned to her and said, “Before we discuss that, I need to tell you about a phone call I received from Cole Winters.”

  “He called?” asked Gibbs. “He’s not in Jackson?”

  “No, he’s not, and he has a good reason for it.”

  All eyes were on Green as he told them about the death of Cara Winters. He didn’t find it easy telling them even though she had tried to expose him to Reed. It was still a horrible thing regardless of her actions.

  “My goodness! Such a terrible thing,” said Senator Seeley. “I can’t even begin to imagine losing my own daughter that way.”

  “I was listening to the conversation,” said Sarah Green. “You can tell the man is in pain.”

  “But then he goes and saves his hometown from a bunch of rapists?” asked Stormy.

  Green nodded.

  “This guy sounds like the real badass,” said Stormy turning to Sam.

  “Well, you�
��d never know it by looking at him,” said Green.

  “Oh?”

  “Yeah, he’s very unassuming and doesn’t look like much of a warrior. Which probably works in his favor because you underestimate him, at least I did.”

  “How so?”

  “Before we were on the same side, I was tasked to capture him and let’s just say he put one over on me.”

  Stormy gave him a surprised expression. “Really?”

  “Yes. I’m not embarrassed to admit it, but he was able to capture us after we stormed their camp and took his men prisoners. And he did it with just seven men. It was actually a brilliant plan and well executed.”

  “How many of you were there?” asked Stormy.

  “I guess there was about thirty of us,” said Green hoping he wasn’t disappointing the girl he liked.

  “Did he kill any of your guys?”

  “No. He did it without firing a shot. It turns out he’s a skilled strategist. It’s how he’s been able to do so much with so few men.”

  “I get that,” said Kyle. “Kinda like us, right now.”

  “He also saved us from an ambush my former commander set up for me in Detroit Lakes, Minnesota.”

  “What?” asked Stormy.

  “Colonel Nunn, my former CO was working for Reed and didn’t like that I was questioning him on what we were doing, so he set my men up to be…” Green paused for a moment looking for the right words. “No other way to put it but, executed.”

  Stormy’s eyes grew wide.

  “Had the Shadow Patriots not happened upon us, then I would not even be here.”

  “What happened to this Colonel Nunn?”

  Green paused again as he searched for an answer. He hadn’t told anyone this but his mother. His men never ask him about it even though they knew he had done it. They were just happy they were no longer part of it. He looked around the room as everyone waited for an answer. A month ago, he wouldn’t have brought the subject up but seeing how they just murdered two of Perozzi’s men, the people in this room deserved the truth.

  He turned to Stormy. “I tried to arrest him but he resisted, and we came to fisticuffs, which resulted in me killing him in his office.

  Stormy placed a hand on Green’s arm.

  “Our family friend, David Crick,” interrupted Sarah Green, “was killed in that ambush. He was John’s Lieutenant and grew up with him. Nunn got what he deserved.”

  Green turned to his mother and gave her a firm nod. She had been just as devastated at the news of Crick’s death. She was practically his second mom.

  There was a palatable silence in the room, and Sam spoke up. “John, why don’t you tell them about the idea you had today.”

  Green glanced over at Sam thankful he had changed the subject. “So I had this idea that I think will help drive Perozzi nuts or at the very least show him, he can’t control everything. It’s just something we can do until we can make another big move.”

  “What?” asked Stormy as she, once again, placed her hand on his arm.

  “Street art. Graffiti or whatever you want to call it. You know, political cartoons pasted on buildings targeting Perozzi and Reed.”

  “Oh, that is good,” said Gibbs. “That’s a big no-no in the district, and it would get people talking.”

  “Yeah, kinda what I was thinking.”

  “I love it,” said Stormy. “Street art in New York is fantastic, and some of it really makes a statement.”

  “Only problem is finding someone to do it?” asked Kyle.

  “I know someone,” said Stormy.

  “In New York?” asked Kyle.

  “No, at work. One of the busboys is an artist and quite good. He was showing me some of his work, and he could easily do this.”

  “Will he do it though?” asked Sam.

  “I’m sure he will if I asked him. Maybe give him some money.”

  “Can we trust him?” asked Green.

  Stormy let out a scoff. “Oh yeah. He hates the government and everything about it.”

  “That works in our favor,” said Green. “But we’ll have to tell him that if he does this, he can tell no one, and I mean no one, because I can assure you Reed will have the cops all over this. They’ll interrogate every artist in town for any morsel of information.”

  “Or maybe just make it about Perozzi,” said Sam. “If you just make it about him, Reed won’t be so motivated to find out who it is.”

  “I like your thinking,” said Gibbs. “he’ll secretly enjoy it.”

  “Exactly.”

  “Yeah, I like it too, Sam. Perfect,” said Green.

  “I’ll call him when I get home,” said Stormy.

  “You have his number?” asked Green.

  Stormy shrugged her shoulders. “Yeah, a lot of guys give me their number.”

  Green let out a silent sigh. Of course, tons of guys give her their number. It’s almost comical to think these guys actually think she’ll call them like she is desperate for a date. She almost seemed embarrassed by it, but she couldn’t help how others act around her, and it doesn’t seem like she encouraged it by any means.

  “Well, in this case, it works in our favor,” said Green.

  “Okay, then it’s settled. I’ll call ya and let you know.”

  “If he’s up for it, let’s see about meeting him tomorrow night,” said Green as he gave Stormy his business card with his home phone on the back. He laughed to himself thinking here he was, another guy, giving her his number.

  Chapter 24

  Chelsea Michigan

  After skulking through the Proving Grounds to extract Bassett and Meeks, Amber had run across the last road to where they waited. She was the fastest and stood the best chance of crossing it without being seen by the numerous Jijis that were patrolling the area.

  She tore across the road in a full sprint and wasn’t able to stop before crashing right into a Jiji. She tumbled over him and landed on her back. The impact ripped the goggles off her head, and she lay there unable to think. Her head pounded like a gavel, and she tried to rub the stars out of her vision. A warm liquid adhered to her fingers. It was blood oozing from her forehead. She tried to get up, but before she knew it, the Jiji was on top of her pressing a blade against her throat.

  He leaned down to her ear and whispered, “Scream, and you’re dead.”

  Amber was disoriented but felt the blade biting into her skin and nodded instinctively.

  The bearded man had one thing on his mind, and that was to have Amber all to himself. His free hand moved to her breasts, and he started to fondle them while keeping the knife to her throat.

  The man’s touch repulsed Amber, causing adrenaline to explode through her, which brought back her senses. She had to do something, if she didn’t, it would be all over.

  She moved her arms around the ground to feel for her weapon but found nothing.

  “C’mon Amber, remain calm and keep your wits.” She inhaled a deep breath to calm down. She didn’t dare yell out, not because he told her not to, but if she did, then there would be a lot more Jijis to deal with.

  She still had options, and her next move was to get the knife out of her right boot. Thankfully, she took up the habit of carrying one after witnessing how it had saved Reese on several different occasions. She just had to remain calm and give this guy false hope.

  She couldn’t bend her knees or even move her legs with him on top of her. She stretched her hand as far down as she could but wasn’t even close to the boot. She needed a better position.

  His hand moved down to the button on her jeans to undo them. His breathing increased with excitement as he pulled down the zipper but then became aggravated when he couldn’t pull her pants down.

  Amber smirked slightly because her jeans were so tight fitting that she struggled to get them off.

  “Take your pants off,” he ordered.

  She pretended to push them down a little bit. “I can’t if you’re on top of me. Scoot down some.”
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  The bearded man let out a frustrated scoff as he shuffled backward, now keeping the knife pressed against her exposed belly button.

  Amber still couldn’t bend her knees. She just needed to get him a little further back so she could reach the knife.

  She could sense his growing irritation and didn’t want him to change strategies. The excitement and nervousness were clouding his judgment. If he were smart, he would smack her around and use that knife to cut the pants off.

  She needed to give in a little and give him false hope. She slid the jeans off her waist and was thankful she wore white underwear. The contrasting color in the dark blazed like a beacon in the night. The bearded man’s face lit up in anticipation of a pleasurable conquest.

  “Lift up some so I can bend my knees.”

  Staring at her white underwear seemed to put the man in a trance, and he did as she asked without thinking. The bearded man lifted up from her legs giving her the room she needed.

  She lifted her butt off the ground and pushed her pants down past her thighs. His breathing now came in short rapid breaths as she sat up, putting her face just inches from his. The stench of his breath was overwhelming and elicited a gag reflex. It was all she could do not to turn away, but she needed to keep him distracted while she reached down into her boot.

  Gripping the knife handle brought much-needed comfort. The coolness of the metal hilt never felt so good as she pulled the blackened steel blade out.

  The bearded man leaned in and tried to kiss her. His bristled beard scratched her cheeks as she turned away. She then shoved the blade into the back of his neck with all her strength.

  The razor-sharp tip of the blade burrowed deep through muscle tissue and bone with a crunching sound. Blood splattered out and ran down the knife.

  He let out a short gasp and coughed blood on her purple cami top. The whites of his eyes glowed in the dark, as they turned glassy while staring, dumbfounded, at her. He then fell forward resting his head on her shoulder.