Stealing Second (The Amendments Book One 1) (19 page)

“He was right,” said Jack, “on both counts. Where were you when they took your parents?”

“They didn’t take my parents.
I’m from Ohio. I’ve been a guest in the student exchange program.”

“My daughter did that. She loved it. Where does your host family live?”

“We left them at the farm.”

“Dear God,” gasped Ace, “the farm where we were being held?”

Neil nodded and wiped a tear from his eye. “I found them like that. They had all been killed.”

“I’m so sorry,” I said. “But we thought Scooter and his brothers were responsible for that.”

Neil’s eyes were full of tears now and he angrily shook his head. “Those bastards lived next door. I was outside on the steps and they just took over. They beat me and bound me up. They knew my host family, they didn’t even care…”

“Holy shit,” groaned Ace. “Where were you when it happened?”

“I spent the night at a friend’s house. I should have been there. I’m going to kill as many of those assholes as I can. That’s a promise. I don’t have anyone to save, but I’ll do whatever I can to help you. I’ll fight; you’ll see. I’ll make them pay for what they did. I want my parents to be proud of me when I go back home.”

Lisa
walked over and took Neil into her arms and he began to weep. She led him back over to the couch. Violet slid over and took his hand and Lisa sat down on the other side of the boy and pulled his head into her shoulder. For a long moment, the house was silent.

“Well,” whispered Ace. “That was a buzz-kill, wasn’t it?”

“We need to send more messages like the ones they’re sending us!” shouted Neil from across the room. “Ace was right, we should chop off the head of any soldier we come across and stick it on a post. Maybe then they’ll think twice about messing with us.”

“The kid has a point,” said Jack.

“He does,” agreed Ace. “We’re going to have to find a chainsaw. I don’t give a shit, I’ll do it. Maybe if we plant enough blue helmets those rat bastards will go home. I say it’s worth a shot.”

“Don’t you think we’ll only be making things worse?” asked Cathy.

I shook my head. “How much worse can it get? You weren’t inside that house. Ace is right, but we’re going to need more than one chainsaw.”

Jack pounded his fist onto the table. “You can count me in. Are we all in agreement that
after we get our people out of the concentration camp, we’ll start hitting them with everything we’ve got?”

“I never thought any other way,” said Ace. “Once I’ve got my wife and kids stashed away, I’m going to go Rambo on those sons-a-bitches. Anyone in a uniform is getting shot. That’s what war is.”

“What about the soldiers who don’t want to be there?” asked Cathy, taking the last spoonful of her soup and holding it up to her lips: “You can’t really believe that they’re all bad.”

Ace stood up. “They know what they’re doing. Any soldier taking part in this occupation is no less guilty than the bastards who planned it. You don’t take up arms a
gainst your own people. Hell no. They’ll get exactly what they got coming to them.”

“That’s right,” said Jack. “Ain’t karma a bitch?”

I was still on my feet and Cathy looked up at me. “Sit down and finish your soup,” she said, with an odd twinkle in her eye.

I had been avoiding the soup. The iced tea soup was terrible and I had all I could do to eat what I had. I was no longer hungry
, but I sat down. Jack and Ace left the table and as soon as they were out of the room, Cathy arched her back and stretched her arms. She placed her left hand high up on my thigh and I nearly jumped.

“I’m getting tired. I was hoping that you guys would let us ladies have the beds?
Violet and I could share one of the bedrooms and Lisa could have the other.”

“I don’t care where anyone sleeps,” I said. “I’m sure the guys wouldn’t have a problem with that.”

Cathy gave my thigh a light squeeze. “I’d appreciate it if you slept in our room. On the floor, of course. I know we’d feel safer.”

I turned to look at her and she was giving me that same starry-eyed stare that she had given me in the kitchen. Before I could move, she planted a soft kiss on my lips. She lingered for a moment before pulling away. I couldn’t remember the last time I had been kissed like that, but I did remember what Cathy’s body looked like in a bikini and my head was a jumble of impure thoughts.

“Hey lover-boy,” said Ace, “would you mind joining me and Jack out in the garage?”

“Sure,” I said, “no problem.”

Cathy tilted her head and smiled at me. “Go on. I’ll clean things up in here.”

I walked outside and took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. I had to get Cathy out of my mind; she was already clouding my thoughts. The sun had disappeared behind the trees in th
e western sky and it was nearly dark. The only sounds I heard came from the crickets and the occasional bullfrog. There wasn’t a single gunshot and I wondered about that. Had Ace been right? I didn’t know. In the shadowy light, I could see Jack and him out in the garage. I walked over to join them.

“I didn’t know you and Cathy were an item,” said Ace.

“Me either,” I admitted. “I’m not sure how I feel about it.”

“She’s a good-looking woman,” Jack said,
offering me his flask. “Brandy. Care for a nip?”

I di
dn’t care for brandy, but I reached for the open flask and took a sip. I had to get the iced tea taste out of my mouth. The brandy instantly took care of that. I grimaced and handed the flask back to Jack. “Thanks.”

Ace chuckl
ed. “You can be honest out here. That soup tasted like refried vomit, didn’t it?”

I nodded my head and laughed. “That’s what I was thinking.”

“I know,” said Ace. “That’s what we were all thinking. Still, we needed to eat and it served a purpose. We’ve got to figure out a plan. I want to get moving at dawn.”

Jack took another swig off his flask and offered it to us. Ace and I shook our heads and he slipped it
back into his hip pocket. Again I was wondering about Ace’s ability to read my thoughts. This was the second time it had happened and I was uncomfortable with the idea that someone could look inside my head. I shook it off and told myself I was just being paranoid. He was right, we needed a plan and there was no time to waste.

The two-
car garage was decades newer than the house, but it had been cheaply constructed and was already falling apart. The concrete floor was cracked and there were matching oil stains at the front of both stalls. Insulation had been tacked between the studded walls, but most panels were either flopped down to the floor or chewed up by rodents. A pile of trash had been heaped in one corner and a funky smell hung in the air.

“How would you feel about sending Neil and
Violet up to the camp with a note?” Ace asked.

I had been thinking something along those same lines
. I shrugged my shoulders. “They would have the best chance of walking away,” I said. “I don’t know how Cathy would feel about that and we’d have to ask the kids. What do you guys think?”

Jack crossed his arms. “I don’t like it, but I really don’t see another way. I think it’s our best option. We write them a note, maybe just to test the waters. I don’t think we should make an offer yet. We could be waiting someplace nearby and see what they come back with. Honestly, this whole thing could be over. I haven’t heard any gunshots since early this afternoon. Have you guys noticed that?”

Ace shook his head. “That’s possible, but I wouldn’t bet on it. I’m thinking that both sides are regrouping. Maybe they needed to pull the troops back into the cities. Something like that. I don’t think we should make any assumptions.”

“We don’t even know where the FEMA camp is,” I said. “Do we?”

“Actually,” said Jack, “we do. They’re using a warehouse on the west side of the freeway. That’s going to make it harder to pull this thing off. I’ve heard that they have all the bridges blocked.”

“They do,” I said.
“And they’re patrolling the frontage roads.”

“We’re going to have to cross the interstate somewhere north of town,” said Ace. “I say we head west at the crack of dawn and try to cross it. There isn’t much over there and I think we’ll be safer once we make it into the woods. We head south and when we’re about half a mile from the camp, we’ll give the kids the note and send them in. I agree with you, Jack. We won’t make them an offer. We’ll just ask if they’d consider taking some money in exchange for our people. Do you think we should name them?”

“Hell yes,” said Jack. “If we hit pay dirt, we’ll want to give them the chance to round our people up. That way they’ll be ready when we make the switch.”

It all sounded too easy. “And how do we make the switch? We can’t trust the guards to just hand them over.”

“Maybe,” said Ace, “but maybe we can. If I’m right and the guards are civilians, they probably have families of their own. They’re going to know how we feel about them. My guess is that they’re only there because they need the money. All we’re doing is paying them off to look the other way.”

Jack nodded his head. “And they might already be doing it. They might already have a dollar figure set, like bail money. Actually, I’d be surprised if they didn’t.”

“All right,” said Ace, “we’d better get inside and catch some sleep. Do either of you think we should post a guard tonight? I think we’re pretty safe.”

“I’m beat,” said Jack. “We haven’t heard anything and I don’t think anyone saw us come in here. I think we can all get some shut-eye.”

I thought so too and I nodded my head. I stared up at the house. “What if Cathy won’t let Violet carry the note?”

“We’ll have to send the red-headed kid,” said Ace.

“And what if he doesn’t want to do it?”

“Then I’ll do it myself.
For crying out loud, Gary. We’re never going to see our people again if we don’t take some risks. You’ve got to think positive thoughts. We’ve got a lot riding on this. One last thing, guys. Assuming this works and we walk out of here tomorrow, where the hell should we go?”

I had just been thinking the same thing and my breath caught in my throat. I was just about to suggest we return here, when Ace nodded his head.

“Right,” he said. “We’ll come back here and figure something out.”

If I had any thoughts about Ace’s ability to read my mind, I lost them at that moment, inside the garage. I suddenly wanted another drink. I stared at Ace and shook my head. “Can you read minds?” I asked.

He laughed. “What kind of question is that?” he asked. “Hell no, that’s crazy. We’re all thinking along the same lines, Gary, so it probably seems like it. You guys have been taking the words out of my mouth all night long. Seriously, it’s a little weird. Jack, how about another nip on that flask? Can you spare a drop for us?”

Jack reached back to his hip and pulled out the flask. “Sure thing, I’ve got half a gallon tucked away in my gear. I don’t leave home without it.”

Ace took the flask, unscrewed the cap and took a swig. He grimaced and offered it to me. But just before he did, he gave me a knowing wink.

I was absolutely sure of two things as we returned to the house. Jack was definitely an alcoholic and Ace was clairvoyant. I had never met a mind reader; had never actually believed such powers existed, but I was absolutely certain Ace had that ability. I was thinking that when we arrived at the door. Jack went inside first and Ace followed, but he paused in the tiny entryway and turned to face me.
“Don’t tell anyone,” he whispered.

Then he turned and walked into the living room.

“What do you mean yo
u gave your sleeping bag to Lisa?” Cathy asked. “She doesn’t need it. My God, it has to be seventy degrees outside and she had a mattress to sleep on.”

Cathy and
Violet were already upstairs when we returned. Neil was sprawled out on the couch and Jack and Ace were claiming their spots. Lisa looked upstairs and groaned. “That bed’s nasty,” she said.

And like any gentleman would do, I offered her my sleeping bag. The look on her face made it worth it and she even gave me a kiss on my cheek. I had walked upstairs feeling good about that and I was offended by Cathy’s remarks. “Keep your voice down,” I hissed. “She was going to sleep on the floor. What was I supposed to do?”

There was just enough light for me to see her shaking her head in the darkness. Violet was already tucked under her unzipped sleeping bag and it sounded like she was fast asleep. “She has a thing for you,” Cathy whispered. “Haven’t you noticed?”

I had noticed, but I shook my head. “Look, I’m going to stretch out on the floor and go to bed. If anything happens during the night, we’ve got to get out of the house. Let’s meet behind the garage, okay?”

“You’ll sleep next to me on the bed. I’ll sleep in the middle. I’m not going to let you sleep on the floor, not without a sleeping bag. You’ve got to quit encouraging her, Gary, okay?”

I didn’t know how to respond to that and suddenly Cathy slipped her arms around me in the darkness and lifted her head for a kiss. Before I knew what was happening, we were locked in a passionate embrace. To be perfectly honest, she was by far the best kisser I had ever met. Slowly, she pulled away and she led me to the bed. She sat down on the edge and kicked off her shoes. I leaned over and untied my own.