The Watchman of Ephraim (Book Club Edition) (37 page)

“
I count three men inside the kitchen with him, señor.”

As they continued to keep watch, they spotted one of the black SUV’s heading for the stables.

De Niro’s heart jumped.
Moriah and the boys!

“
Martin, I have to go after them. Can you handle this situation?”

The leather-faced gaucho grabbed De Niro’s arm.

(In Spanish) “Sir, there’s a chance that they will kill William, no matter what I do. What do you want me to do then?”

De Niro’s upper lip curled into a snarl. It was something that came from his Brooklyn roots. He replied in English.

“
You free William, Martin, do you hear me! I have to go protect my boys and Moriah but you have to save William!”

He broke from Martin’s hold and took off a step before turning back to him.

“
If they hurt him, I want you to kill them all!”

Martin radioed to Concho as he watched De Niro hurry towards the stable. Then he took aim with his rifle at one of the guards on the back porch.

* * * * *

Payam waited for William to answer but the old man remained silent and defiant even with the terrorist’s pistol pressing against his forehead.

“
I can see you will be of no use to me, old man!”

His finger started to squeeze the trigger when a loud shot rang out, then another.

The sounds of the shots jolted Payam’s aim from William’s head as he shouted at the two men standing on each side of him.

(In Farsi) “That came from the back. Go check!”

Payam turned back to William only to see him grinning back at him.

“
You’re
scared now, aren’t you? As you should be, if you only knew who’s out there.”

“
Shut up, old man!” Payam blurted, pistol whipping him and sending the old man collapsing to the floor.

The terrorist ran to the front of the house where the bulk of his men were standing guard.

“
Go around the back! Kill anyone except for De Niro and his—“

Two more loud shots rang out from the back of the house freezing everyone in their tracks. Payam ducked but quickly straightened up.

“
GO!”

* * * * *

De Niro made it to the stables, saddled Dollor and took off down the trail. He rode for about five miles, when he spotted the black SUV. It was about a quarter mile ahead of him and turned with the driver’s side facing him. It didn’t seem to be moving.
Lord, please!
I hope they didn’t catch them!

Drawing his rifle from the scabbard hanging from his saddle, he kicked Dollar’s sides and took off in a full gallop until he was within the effective range of the large caliber weapon, about 100 yards away. He tugged on the powerful animal’s reigns bringing Dollor to a halt in a position perpendicular with the SUV and looked through his binoculars.
Moriah and the boys aren’t in the truck.

De Niro said a silent prayer thanking God that Martin had spent so much time teaching him the art of mounted rifle shooting. He recalled how, years ago, he asked Martin if the shot Clint Eastwood took with his rifle, from atop his horse, at the end of the movie,
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly,
was possible. Martin proceeded to show him that it was, but that it took an expert shot. De Niro drove Martin crazy afterwards, asking him to teach him how to shoot like that. Now he’d find out if he learned the lessons taught to him.

“
Whoa boy … whoa …”

* * * * *

The men inside the SUV argued.

(In Farsi) “What do you want me to do? The trail splits off in every direction! For all we know they turned onto one of the many trails we already passed! We should have used the horses—“

Before the driver could finish his sentence, a 405 Winchester caliber bullet pierced his neck sending blood shooting out of his mouth and throat and all over the man in the passenger seat. For a moment, no one in the car knew what happened or what to do. A moment later another bullet ripped through the window of the door behind the driver’s seat slamming into the cheek of the man sitting there. His body slumped over, being held in the seat only by his seat belt.

The remaining five men panicked. The ones in the back all tried to jump out of the passenger side rear door but they were bottlenecked. Only the two sitting closest to the passenger side doors made it out of the vehicle as De Niro emptied the rest of the 5-round magazine into the trapped men in the back seat.

The two men who made it out of the SUV started firing their automatic rifles wildly up the trail. Their shots didn’t come close as De Niro reloaded his rifle and nudged Dollor just enough for the horse to advance at a slow, steady gait. He bridled his rage and didn’t fire back as he approached. He figured the uncertainty of the two gunmen’s situation would eventually get the best of them and make them try something foolish. The closer he got, the louder they heard Dollor’s hoofs clopping against the rocky desert floor.

Both men wiped sweat from their eyes as they peaked over the bloody bodies of their fallen comrades and out the shattered windows of the SUV. They saw the figure of a lone horseman slowly drawing near holding his rifle like a knight would his lance.

De Niro drew close enough to hear them arguing with one another in their native tongue. One finally called out to him in English.

“
You on the horse … look … we throw our weapons out!”

Two AK47 assault rifles were flung out, one bounced off the hood of the SUV and the other kicked up dust behind the black Suburban.

De Niro brought Dollor to a standstill about ten feet from the driver’s side of the large vehicle, making sure to keep his rifle pointed at it. He watched the two men stand up on the passenger side with their hands on their heads. Both men started walking around the rear of the truck but De Niro could see that the first man was keeping his eye on the AK lying on the ground only a few feet from them.

The men came to a stop and for a tense moment, no one moved or said a word. The first man was enraged as he stared at his weapon then gave De Niro an insolent bob of his head.

“
Maybe I pick up my rifle and shoot you, you infidel pig!”

The second man admonished him in Farsi but the first man wouldn’t hold his tongue.

“
Maybe I shoot you and then I go find your two sons and—“

One 40-caliber bullet erupted from De Niro’s rifle, its report drowned out the end of the man’s sentence. The gunshot struck the man between his eyes severing the top portion of his head. He was dead before his body crumpled to the ground.

The second man screamed out and took off running down the trail.

De Niro rotated the lever under his Winchester and took aim but hesitated a moment as he contemplated shooting an unarmed man in the back. His indecision was quickly remedied when he saw Richard, Louis and Moriah emerge from behind a pile of boulders, on foot, leading their horses and heading towards him from beyond the man.
No way, he comes near my boys!

He squeezed the trigger and instantly the man was blown off his feet.

De Niro galloped out to detour the three around the body. His boys ran over and hugged him. Richard was first to speak.

“
Daddy, I’m sorry, I got lost!”

Moriah waited for the boys to break free.

“
We were trying to decide which trail we should follow when we heard the sound of their SUV. So, we dropped our horses on their sides behind that rock formation. Cris, I don’t know what would have happened if you didn’t come for us!”

De Niro could see that Moriah was trembling with tears in her eyes. He walked over to her and put his arms around her … and felt her body melt into his. She pushed back from him just enough to put her lips to his. The desperate kiss was warm and tender, but it was also filled with sexual tension. As before, he didn’t reciprocate but this time that didn’t seem to bother her.

When their lips separated, she looked deeply into his eyes. A smile blossomed from her face. De Niro was fascinated at how her smile seemed to turn her tears into prisms that made her emerald eyes beam with sunshine.

“
I don’t mind if I have to do all the work.”

She winked at him as she mounted JoJo. De Niro smiled back at her with just a touch of confusion on his face while he helped his boys back onto their horses. Then he jumped back on Dollor.

“
Come on, we have to get back to the main house. I left Martin alone and they’re holding William.”

* * * * *

Payam was becoming frantic.
Where are my men? Why don’t I hear anything out there?
He looked down at William. He wasn’t moving and there was a good deal of blood pouring out of his head. Payam started towards the back door but stopped dead in his tracks. He didn’t dare move an inch as he felt a long, sharp blade being pressed to his throat from someone standing behind him. Whoever was holding the knife reached around and grabbed his pistol from his hand. The Iranian terrorist felt the blade start to cut the flesh under his Adam’s apple.

“
He better be alive or I cut your head off!” It was Martin Fierro’s voice.

“
I’m quite alive, Martin, thank you … but cut his head off anyway …” William replied with a raspy voice as he opened his eyes.

Martin held the blade tightly to Payam’s throat and looked down at William.

“
So you are alive!”

“
Barely…! No thanks to you. What did take you so long?”

“
My men … are outside!” Payam interrupted, speaking in a strained whisper.

“
William, I come and help you in a minute. First, I show this man where his men are.” Martin replied, pushing the terrorist and forcing him out the back door.

The Iranian couldn’t believe his eyes as he stepped onto the back porch. The bodies of the two men guarding the back door were sprawled on each side of him, and the bodies of the two men he sent out afterwards were arrayed in front of him. Beyond them, the rest of his men were lying with their faces to the ground and their hands on their heads with their weapons a few feet away. Payam saw the reason for their apparent surrender as Concho, Arturo, Aurelio, Rosita and the rest of the estancia staff stood over them pointing rifles, shotguns and pistols at them.

* * * * *

De Niro, Moriah and the boys made it back to the main house to find the estancia staff guarding the Iranians lying on their bellies. He sent Moriah and the boys to the guest house then walked up the porch past the bodies of the terrorists and into his kitchen. Inside, Rosita was tending to William’s head wounds and Martin was standing, pointing his Winchester at Payam’s chest as he made him sit at the kitchen table. De Niro walked right passed the terrorist and over to his Executive Assistant and dear friend.

“
William, are you alright?”

“
I’m … a bit worse for wear, sir. How are the boys and Dr. Stevens?”

De Niro called to Concho.

“
Take William to the hospital now. Rosita you go with him. Concho, ask for Dr. La Marca when you get there. Tell them that I want him to personally tend to William. Do you understand?”

“
Yes sir.”

He stepped outside.

“
Arturo, if you would, continue to keep an eye on these men.”

“
Si, señor …!”

Martin pointed at the terrorist’s pistol and cell phone on the far end of the kitchen table.

“
Señor, that’s all he had on him.”

De Niro took the pistol and the phone into his study. After checking his home phone for a landline, he hit an auto-dial button, a moment later Mugsy appeared on the screen.

“
Cris, are you okay?! Where are the boys?!”

“
We’re all okay, Mugs. Listen, conference Johnny-F in …”

Mugs hit a few buttons and Johnny-F appeared on the screen next to him.