“Let those FEMA guards just try to mess with Joy and Nancy,” said Jake, laughing.
“Not a chance!” I replied. “Not even a chance.”
“Next subject?” he asked.
“That would be Mike,” I told him.
“He’s complicated,” he said, throwing out a line I had used about Mike more than once already.
“How was the beer summit?” I asked.
“Not exactly presidential, but I think he and I have an understanding of sorts, although I still have dreams of him trying to kill me in my sleep. I’m just trying to understand him better and not get in his crosshairs. My family is more important than some ‘macho bullshit,’ as Joy called it.”
“I know,” I told him. “That was kind of funny, though, when she did that. He reminds me of a bull in a china shop. He will take extreme measures to avoid and even protect the finest china, and at the same time won’t give a second thought to bulldozing everything else in his path. And other men are a fine line with him. He either likes you or he doesn’t, simple as that. We need someone like him, though. While I may not condone all of his actions, I owe him more than one debt I can likely never repay.”
“Consider yourself lucky then, Lance,” came a voice, as Mike grabbed my shoulder from behind, causing me to nearly fall over.
“Every time I say anything about you, Mike, you just show up like some kind of ghost out of the woods!”
“I’m a tracker, you know that. And Jake, for the record, I like guys who treat women with respect, children with care, and don’t mind getting their hands dirty to make sure other men do the same.
“We don’t see eye to eye on everything, and that’s a given, but you stood up to that guy Jeff at the very beginning of all this, in front of Lance’s house in McKinney. You helped Lance get supplies from the grocery store to be used for our entire group, now including my girl and Javi, and you showed up for the rescue of Lance’s boys. While we have our differences, I respect you. Just don’t go trying to change me.”
“I second that,” I interjected. “I’ve already tried… Why are you even out here, Mike?”
“Shift change,” he said, pointing to his watch, reading 1:56 a.m.
“Can you guys start with a perimeter check?” I asked, realizing we had got to talking and missed doing a second round.
“Sure. I got stuck with one of Nate’s guys, who’s probably still asleep, but I’ll do it either way…
“And guys,” he called out as we prepared to ride back to camp. “Tomorrow is going to be one hell of a day. I can hardly wait!”
“See you in a few hours,” I told Jake, as he dropped me off at my tent.
I kissed each of my boys on the head, as well as Joy, hoping to sleep without the dreams from before.
* * * *
Thankfully, I was blessed with no dreams and woke up surprisingly refreshed, given my six hours of interrupted sleep.
Looking outside our tent, the camp was busy, with people heading in all directions with gear, ammo, guns and food.
“I’ll be back as soon as I can,” I told Joy.
“Daddy, what’s happening?” asked Hudson. “Why is everybody running around?”
“It’s okay, Buddy. Daddy has to be gone for a couple of days with Mr. Vlad and some others. You will be with Mommy at Beatrice’s house with all the other kids, having fun.
“I will be back,” I told Joy, hugging her and the boys, hoping I was right.
“And what if you don’t?” replied Joy tearfully.
“Then the rest in our group will watch out for you and our boys. Worst case scenario, if it goes bad for all of us down at the river, then you work together with Beatrice to all stay here, or you take the Colonel up on his offer to stay at the FEMA camp. In the last scenario, let him know up front that you and the other women will not be putting up with harassment from any of the guards. I believe he will make sure it doesn’t happen.
“I need to set up as soon as Vlad gets here. You all head over to Beatrice’s house within the next 30 minutes, so I know you are safe.”
* * * * * * *
Chapter Fourteen
Raton Pass, New Mexico
Vlad swung by minutes later with the four-wheeler, and we packed our gear, including the rifles, rounds, food and water that we needed to last us several days.
I was paired with one of Nate’s guys who had been crudely trained to feed the M60 with belt rounds, should we need that weapon.
He was more nervous than me, asking all kinds of questions about who was coming and what would happen if they crossed the river.
I didn’t want to scare him any more than he already was, but at the same time I wanted him to understand how important his job feeding the gun was, so I just told him the truth.
“If they get across the river, we are all dead. Not maybe or possibly, but absolutely finished. Do you understand that?”
“Yes,” he mumbled. “I suppose I do.”
Beatrice handed out egg and cheese breakfast burritos she had started making at 4 a.m. with her new helpers. She had been saving up eggs for nearly a week.
Vlad grabbed two for each of us for the road, and we swung by Tammy’s coffee stand before meeting up on the edge of the property with the others.
* * * *
