After the Republic (18 page)

Bob was back on his feet in a flash. Jack rushed from the interior of the hedgerow and sprinted to the passenger side of Joshua’s Silverado.

“Martin, clean up the mess,” Bob yelled.

Bob motioned for Joshua to follow as he gunned the Suburban. The tires screeched as he spun out of the driveway onto the road. Joshua floored it and followed him out.
Here we go!
He saw another vehicle off in the distance speeding away. Bob was in hot pursuit and Joshua tried to catch up. Kane crossed the road behind them, presumably going in the direction of the shooter.

“What happened?” Joshua asked Jack.

“Kane took out the shooter. I took a shot at the vehicle, but it began a quick U-turn as soon as I squeezed the trigger and I missed the driver.” Jack frowned as he replaced the spent rounds in his rifle. “I think I took out a female passenger.”

Joshua’s heart pounded as he followed Bob and the bandit. He gripped the steering wheel tightly with both hands as the mountainside streaked past in a dizzying blur. The old Silverado shook and rattled as it hugged the narrow, winding mountain road.
They didn’t cover this in drivers’ ed,
he thought.

“I just hope Thomas is okay and that we find him,” Joshua said.

“We will,” Jack assured him.

Joshua felt beads of cold sweat on his forehead as the chase continued for several miles. As they rounded a curve he spotted the getaway vehicle streaking down a narrow dirt path on the right. Bob did not follow them, instead passing the entrance to the path and continuing down the road.

“Should we turn?” Joshua asked.

“No, follow Bob,” Jack answered. “I think I know what his plan is.”

When they rounded the next curve they found Bob pulled off onto the shoulder. A thick cluster of trees obscured the view of the valley and the path down which the getaway vehicle had fled. Joshua’s old Silverado skidded to a stop.

“What’s the plan, Bob?” Joshua asked.

“They think they lost us. Joshua, go back past the dirt path and drop McGee off. McGee, you go into the woods and come down the right side of the dirt path. I will enter the woods here and come down the left side. Joshua, you maintain position in your vehicle, out of sight, from a vantage point where you can see any vehicles coming up the path. Keep your eyes open, and if you see the other vehicle trying to escape use your truck to block its exit.”

“What about me?” Tommy asked.

Bob’s tone transformed from that of a commanding officer to a concerned father. “Son, you stay here in your Dad’s vehicle. We’ll get him back for you.” Tommy nodded.

Bob disappeared down the mountainside and Joshua drove back up the road past the dirt path down which the getaway vehicle had turned.

“Let me out here,” Jack said.

Joshua obliged and Jack began his trek down the embankment.

***

Bob nimbly made his way down the side of the mountain into the small valley where Thomas’ kidnappers had fled. Halfway down the incline he spotted the getaway vehicle parked between a small brown house and a rickety old wooden barn in the clearing below.
Is this where they’re holding Thomas?
he wondered. A dark red El Camino was parked near the getaway vehicle and a run-down trailer sat near the property’s edge. The yard was cluttered with rusty barrels, five-gallon buckets, boards and three lawn chairs.

The embankment was steep, but Bob was unhindered as he stealthily descended toward the house and barn. As he neared the base of the slope a man exited the back door and rushed to the barn. Bob watched him through a telescope. During the brief instant the barn door was open he spotted Thomas, blindfolded, gagged and tied up against a pole. A shot of adrenaline pulsed through his veins.
We’re in the right place.

After reaching the edge of the yard Bob surveyed the steep hill on the other side of the house. Jack was still far up the mountain, slowly descending.

Bob clenched his teeth. “Hurry up, McGee,” he mumbled under his breath. “I don’t have all freakin’ day.”

Bob froze as a mangy brown mutt stepped around the corner of the barn and stopped. He could feel the dog’s glare laser-focused on him. He put his hand on his holstered 1911. Bob swallowed hard.
If he starts barking I’m blown.
The dog silently fixated on his position for what seemed like hours, then abruptly turned and slowly meandered away from the barn. He exhaled as the dog disappeared into the woods off to his right. After the dog was safely out of sight Bob began a slow belly crawl forward.

Yelling and cursing rang out from the barn. Bob had crawled about halfway to the structure when the door opened. He froze and watched as the man he had seen earlier left the barn and returned to the house. Bob heaved a sigh of relief when the house door slammed shut without the man noticing him on the ground less than fifty feet away.
That could have imperiled the mission.

Bob un-holstered his 1911 and continued his silent belly crawl to the barn. Once there, a quick glance between the loosely fitted boards confirmed that Thomas was still tied to the post. He again studied the adjacent hill, where Jack was only about halfway down the mountain.
I don’t have time to wait on you, McGee.

Bob stealthily slipped around to the back of the barn, putting it between himself and the house. He quietly slipped through the door and made his way toward Thomas.

“Thomas, it’s Bob Kendall,” he whispered. “We’re here to--”

He felt a blow to his back and fell forward onto his knees. His pistol flew from his hands and skidded across the dirt floor, out of reach. Bob vaulted up and spun toward his unknown attacker. WHACK! His face was met by the broad side of a shovel. He tumbled backward, dazed. The last thing he saw was the shovel descending toward his face.

***

Joshua was growing impatient. He studied the valley below through a pair of binoculars, unable to get a clear view of what was happening.
What’s going on down there?
Off to the right he spotted Jack, still making his way down the mountainside.
It’s not that far. I could make it down the path in no time. I might even be able to beat Jack there...

***

Groggy, Bob struggled to regain his senses. His swollen right eye resisted his efforts to open it. He was inside a dimly lit structure that was permeated by a dank, musky odor. After a moment he realized it was the barn where Thomas had been held. He tried to stand up, but the tightly bound ropes would not allow it. As the blurriness receded Bob realized Thomas was still tied up a few feet away. His blindfold had been removed. A tall, skinny man in worn jeans and a frayed green flannel shirt stood ten feet away holding a shotgun.

“Old man, you destroyed my truck the other day. Today you killed my little brother and my girlfriend. Now it’s
your
turn!” He punched Bob repeatedly, then kicked him in the ribs and spit in his face for good measure. “I’m gonna enjoy this! You’ll watch your friend here die. Then you’re next!”

Where is McGee?
Bob thought.
Slow bastard.

The man squatted near Bob, the heavy stench of his foul breath saturating the air like a toxic cloud. “Who do you think you are? Rambo? Jack Bauer? You’re just an old man who will be forgotten in a week!” He pumped a shell into the chamber of the shotgun as he walked away.

“I’m the one you want,” Bob pleaded. “Let him go and kill me. He’s done nothing to you.”

“It’s too late for that! He’s seen our faces,” the man snarled, pointing at Thomas. “And the last thing
you
see before you die will be proof that you
failed
to save him!”

Bob’s heart sank under the weight of his inability to accomplish his mission. “Thomas, I’m sorry I failed you.” Thomas looked at him helplessly.

The kidnapper let out a sadistic laugh and took aim at Thomas. Bob closed his eyes, unable to watch. He heard one shot, then a pumping shotgun, then a second blast. Then a body hitting the floor.
Thomas was on the ground. That person was standing up.
Bob opened his eyes and saw the kidnapper lying on the ground, blood oozing from beneath his lifeless corpse. Tommy stood in the doorway closest to the house, a smoking 12-gauge in his hands.

“Dad…” Tommy ran to his father.

“Son!” Tears streamed down Thomas’ face. “You saved my life! But you shouldn’t have risked yourself!”

Tommy stood up straight with an air of defiance. “I couldn’t sit up there and do nothing!” He laid the shotgun on the ground and began untying his father.

“Your father is right, you shouldn’t have come down here.” The stranger’s voice was followed by the sound of a pumping shotgun. “Hands up. NOW.”

Another man stood in the doorway. Bob’s heart sank as he realized
this
was the man he had seen go from the house to the barn and back earlier.
How could I not have suspected there were two of them?
Where the hell is McGee? He should be here by now.

“Do what he says, son,” Thomas said. Tommy raised his hands.

“It won’t help.” The man checked the fallen kidnapper’s body for a pulse. “Boy, you killed my cousin!”

“He was going to kill my Dad!”

The gunman snarled in response. “Well, now I’m going to kill
all
of you!”

Thomas pleaded for his son’s life. “No! He’s just a boy!”

“He should’ve thought about that earlier!”

The man raised his shotgun and pointed it at Tommy. Tommy dove and landed behind an old red crop sprayer as the kidnapper fired off a shot. The shotgun blast echoed within the barn, followed by the sound of metal clanging against metal. Bob cringed as ricocheting pellets pelted his legs, arms and torso.

“Boy, you can’t hide.” He pumped another shell into the chamber. “I
will
get you.”

Thomas struggled against the bindings, trying to get up. The man hit him in the chest with the shotgun butt, sending him back to the ground. Still bound, Bob watched helplessly. Tommy leapt from behind the crop sprayer and landed behind the wheels of an old blue tractor further from the back door. The man fired off another shot.

“You’ve got yourself cornered now, boy,” the man snarled. “That’s the last stupid decision you’ll ever make.”

Thomas again desperately pleaded for his only son’s life. “Don’t kill my son!”

The plea seemed only to fuel the attacker’s desire for revenge. “Shut up!” He again hit Thomas with the butt of his shotgun. Bob’s skin burned as he strained against the ropes, unable to free himself.
If I could just get free…

As the kidnapper turned back toward Tommy another figure silently shot through the front door behind him. In one sweeping motion Jack did a quick forward roll, spun and kicked the man’s legs out from under him. The shotgun flew from the man’s hand and slid toward the back of the barn.

Jack and the kidnapper both rocketed back to their feet. Jack pulled out a large serrated knife with a black handle. The attacker grabbed a machete from the barn wall and the two faced off.

“It’s about time you got here, McGee,” Bob said.

“You shouldn’t have come here,” the man snarled at Jack. “Now you can die with your friends.”

Jack remained silent and kept his steely stare focused on the man. The kidnapper wildly lunged at him with the machete. Jack deftly avoided the blade, but did not seek to strike a blow of his own. He silently squared up, waiting for the enraged kidnapper to make a second move.

Jack avoided the attack as the man again lunged at him wildly. He smoothly pivoted and slashed the kidnapper’s back. The man let out a yell, cursed and charged. The kidnapper again missed his mark, this time coming away with a gash on his left bicep.

Tommy picked up the shotgun. Unable to get a clear shot at the kidnapper, he rushed to his Dad’s side.

The attacker continued lunging wildly at Jack, while Jack calmly staved off every advance. One fighter completely out of control, another fully under control. Nearly every time the kidnapper swung his machete, Jack’s blade was the one that found its target.

The kidnapper backed up, paused for a second and raised his machete over his head. Jack took one step back, baiting him. The attacker let out a scream like a crazed animal and charged head-on, swinging the machete wildly. Jack charged to meet the attack, slid to the ground and knocked the attacker’s feet out from under him. As the kidnapper’s back hit the ground Jack spun and forcefully drove the knife into his jugular vein. The man gasped for breath and reached for his throat, then faded into oblivion.

Jack quickly retrieved his knife from the fallen kidnapper’s neck and wiped it off on the man’s shirt. Tommy finished untying his father and then released Bob while Jack checked the area for additional kidnappers.

Bob rubbed his swollen eye. “What took you so long, McGee?”

“You’re welcome, sir,” Jack answered.

“Why didn’t you just shoot the guy?”

“Where’s the sport in that?”

“McGee, this isn’t a joke.”

“I couldn’t get a good angle without putting you guys in the line of fire,” Jack said. “We need to clear this scene and get out of here.” He found a set of keys on one of the bodies and threw it to Tommy. “Can you pull their vehicle around behind the barn?”