Defiance: A House Divided (The Defending Home Series Book 2) (21 page)

“We didn’t get everyone out,” Zach said, with a grimace. He was fighting to hold on.

Dale knew he was right. Travis’ team had gone in with nine rangers, but only three had made it back alive. Maybe once this was all over they might find a safe opportunity to go back and offer the others a proper burial.

“I’d like him to be buried at the house,” Dale said, studying Colton’s eyes, futilely willing them to open.

Zach remained quiet for a moment before answering. “I think that’s a good idea. I know he’d want to be next to his mother.”

Dale nodded. He’d already considered that. “We can bring her too, when time permits.”

Sandy put an arm around Zach, who stared at his son, his eyes roadmaps of sorrow and no doubt of guilt.

Travis came in a few minutes later, his left arm bandaged above the elbow. “Sir, I informed headquarters that we were here.”

“That was fast,” Sandy said, studying his arm.

He grinned. “Bullet missed the bone. I was lucky, I guess.” Travis saw the change his comment evoked in Zach and bit his lip. “If there’s anything I can do, boss, just let me know.”

“There is,” Zach replied, holding out his gun. “If you have any mercy in you, you’ll take my pistol and put a bullet between my eyes.”

Travis shook his head.

“Can we have a minute?” Dale asked the others.

“Of course,” Sandy said, and she led Travis from the room.

When they were alone, Dale turned to Zach. “You left when your son was only a boy and returned to find a man standing in his place,” Dale said, struggling against his own wave of emotions. “I loved him like a son too, Zach. And I wish I could take credit for the man he eventually became, but I can’t.”

Zach swallowed hard and his throat made a loud clicking noise. “Neither can I. That was his mother’s doing,” he said. “She deserves the credit. Even before I got sent away I was too busy chasing after a good time or the next big score to really realize what I was missing. They only take their first step once, learn to ride a bike once, graduate from high school once. I missed those moments, even though for some of them I was still around. I just couldn’t be bothered, and that’s what kills me the most. When I made it out of prison I swore to myself this time things would be different. That I’d be a positive role model for him to follow. And all I managed to do was get him killed.” Zach put the pistol to his temple.

“No, Zach, don’t,” Dale shouted. “That isn’t the answer. It’s not what Colton would’ve wanted. He worshiped you. I could see it in his eyes.”

Tears streamed down Zach’s cheeks. The veins in his neck bulged.

“When you showed up, it was as though Colton had finally found his purpose,” Dale continued. “I won’t lie. A part of me was jealous. Why didn’t he look at me in the same way? But the answer was obvious. The special bond between father and son is something impossible to duplicate and often impossible to deny. I was always the responsible one and yet most of my old man’s attention always seemed to be on Shane, the screw-up. For years, I resented him for that till finally I understood. He wasn’t only doing it for my brother, he was doing it for himself. I guess deep down that’s why we do anything. That same force brought you and Colton together and gave you a few precious weeks together. That’s a second chance few fathers ever get.”

The pistol in Zach’s hand wavered, then began to descend, first past his nose, then his chin before settling back into his holster. As it did, a figure appeared in the doorway.

“I showed up at headquarters and they said you were here. Oh, am I interrupting something?”

Both men turned at once.

It was Dannyboy. “I got something you gotta see,” he said before his eyes shifted to Colton’s corpse on the table next to them and his smile melted into a frown.

The three men spoke for a few minutes before they left the room.

“What was it you wanted to show us?” Dale asked.

Dannyboy led them downstairs and into Nobel’s command center. Assembled there were fifteen to twenty burly-looking bikers, clad in black leather vests and red bandanas, with an assortment of handlebar mustaches and long scraggly beards.

“They’re a chapter of the Bandidos. Met them in a bar near Tucson and told them what the cartel had done,” Dannyboy said, grinning. “Turns out the two groups have a long-standing feud and were anxious for some payback.”

“So what do you say then?” Dale asked, eyeing Zach and the rings around his swollen eyes.

Zach glanced down at Dale’s hand, contemplating the offer.

“I was pig-headed,” he said. “I see that now as clear as day. It’s just too bad I had to lose something so dear to me in order to figure that out.” He shook Dale’s hand. Those around them stopped what they were doing and applauded.

Nobel was there too. “United we stand,” she began.

“And divided we fall,” Zach replied.

There was more applause before Walter and Ann came forward. The old man was on crutches and being helped along by his wife. “Now that you two have kissed and made up,” Walter said, bracing himself against the table, “it’s time to get down to business.” He unfurled a map of Encendido marked with key strategic positions. “I’ve had some time to think these last few days and I’ve come up with a plan.”

One of Nobel’s communications people appeared next to Dale and told him someone was on the shortwave asking for him, said it was urgent.

“Did they say who it was?” he asked.

“I believe her name was Brooke.”

Dale’s blood dropped five degrees.

He followed the man to the radio room and punched the mic’s actuator switch. “Honey, is everything all right?”

“You need to come home right away,” his daughter said. She didn’t sound afraid at all. She sounded excited, elated even.

“What’s going on?”

“Caleb’s already out there talking to them. And I had to put the muzzle on Duke so he wouldn’t hurt anyone.”

“Slow down, Brooke,” Dale told her. “I don’t understand what you’re saying.”

“They’re here, Dad. And I can hardly believe it.”

“Who?” he asked, starting to lose his patience.

“The army. They’ve finally come.”

Dale and the radio operator looked at one another. An involuntary smile began to spread across Dale’s face. Fate
was
a funny thing. She could hide when you wanted her the most and appear just when you thought she’d gone away.

He turned to the comms operator. “Tell Nobel and the others the good news and that I’m headed home to fill the army in on the cartel’s activities in town.”

The comms man nodded as Dale ran from the room and headed for his truck.

––––––––

T
he drive home felt like an eternity. Dale had thought it safest to skirt around the outer edge of town in order to avoid any cartel forces fanning out to locate the resistance’s base of operations. Coming in from the west, Dale saw three Humvees parked along the road, each armed with .50 caliber machine guns and manned by a gunner. He brought the truck into the driveway and parked a few yards from an officer and his men, all dressed in desert camo. Brooke was with them, along with Caleb, both beaming with smiles and excitement. Dale popped out of the truck, trying to temper his enthusiasm. The resistance had done a good job containing the cartel and he wanted to make sure they got their fair share of the credit.

“Mr. Hardy,” the officer said in a Georgia accent, a tuft of silver hair poking out from beneath his helmet. “My name is Captain James Lee.”

Dale wasn’t sure whether to salute him, but opted instead to shake the man’s hand.

“What took you guys so long?” Dale asked, half joking. “Our town’s been taken over and we’ve been struggling to hold onto it.”

“The whole country’s been affected,” Captain Lee said. The soldiers with him were admiring the pumphouse. “Your daughter here told us about how the cartel came in and killed the acting mayor.”

“True, but things were already bad enough before all that happened,” Dale explained. “The sheriff was expropriating people’s land and resources. Ruling with an iron fist. They tried to do the same to me.”

The captain looked around. “I can see they didn’t get very far.”

Dale laughed. “That’s right. Listen, I’m not here to tell you gentlemen how to do your jobs, but the sooner the cartel’s removed from Encendido, the quicker folks around here can get on with their lives.”

“Are you armed, Mr. Hardy?” the captain asked.

“As I should be,” Dale replied, motioning down to the pistol at his side.

“For our safety, sir, I’m going to ask that you remove the weapon for now. It’s only a precaution.”

Dale’s features fell. “I’m not the enemy,” Dale explained. “I already told you, as we speak a renowned drug lord’s taken up residence in our town. If he isn’t stopped he’ll start gobbling up the other towns until Arizona and every other state along the border belongs to him.”

“We’re all on the same side,” Captain Lee assured him.

“I’m sorry, Captain, but I can’t comply. I’m no danger to you or your men, I can assure you.”

“Subdue them,” Captain Lee ordered.

Three soldiers lunged at Dale while a fourth kept his M4 Carbine pointed in his direction. A handful of other soldiers grabbed Caleb and Brooke and pushed them down, fastening their hands with zip ties.

“Are you people stupid?” Dale said as he was wrestled to the dusty ground. Once he was zipped and disarmed, the soldiers lifted him back onto his feet.

“Place them in one of the Humvees,” Captain Lee ordered.

“This is insane,” Dale shouted as he and the others were led away. “You’re supposed to protect us, not imprison us.”

They were shoved into the backseat of the lead Humvee. The temperature inside was scorching and it smelled like dirty socks.

Tears were forming in Brooke’s eyes. “Why are they doing this?” she asked.

“I have no idea,” Dale said, his eyes searching the vehicle’s interior for clues to the unit’s origin. “Did you notice anything odd before?” Dale asked them.

“What do you mean?” Caleb and Brooke both asked at once.

“Anything strange when they showed up, anything at all.”

Brooke scrunched her nose. “Well, one of the men had a funny accent.”

“Funny how?” Dale asked.

“I don’t know, sounded weird, French or Eastern European. I’m not sure, maybe it’s nothing.”

Dale’s eyes were scanning the dashboard when they froze on a pair of dog tags dangling from a hook. He tilted his head until he could make out what was written there and seeing it sucked the air out of his lungs.

On the dog tags were the words...

... La Brigada de Los Asesinos.

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Last Stand: Surviving America’s Collapse (
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Last Stand: Patriots (
Book 2
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Last Stand: Warlords (
Book 3
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Last Stand: Turning the Tide (
Book 4
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Other books by William H. Weber

Long Road to Survival (
Book 1
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Long Road to Survival (
Book 2
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