At least, for the time being.
“Look,” Frost softened his tone dramatically. “If this works out … you and me … we’re set for life. No more runnin’ rabbits. No more calls in the middle of the night. No more leaving the people we love to race off to whatever God-forsaken corner of Sol some pompous ass CEO wants us in.”
“Yeah,” Cee Tee shrugged. “And we’ll be looking over our shoulders for the rest of our goddamned lives.” He shook his head wearily, “I can’t believe I let you talk me into this … You know what these people are capable of … Granny’s Jesus! We work for them, remember! We track down the people who do to them what we’re doing now!”
“And I’m tired of working for them,” Frost’s face twisted in disgust. “I’m tired of being tossed crumbs like a dog begging for scraps. I want my own piece of the pie.”
“Hell, what good’s a piece of the pie if you don’t live long enough to eat it?” Cee Tee threw back at him.
“Look, with the connections we’ve made over the years, we got the means to disappear,” Frost continued to make his case. “New identities. New faces. New DNA profiles. People owe us.”
“I don’t wanna be somebody else,” the Com Tech sighed pensively. “I like who I am.” He looked at Frost with eyes that seemed to look right into the merc’s soul. “I thought you did too.”
Frost opened his mouth to say something, but before he could, Six’s hysterical voice echoed through the room.
“Echo Tango One to Echo Tango Two, be advised … we have bandits on our six! I repeat bandits on our six!” A few seconds later, “It’s those fuckin’ hillbillies!”
Frost and Cee Tee looked at each other. Not a word had to be said. Both knew instantly.
The Tuttles!
Chapter 15
None of the mercs saw the antique truck turn the corner, its bed full of heavily armed gun thugs. As it rolled to a stop, two of the gunmen dismounted, while a third leaned over the cab and coolly aimed his rocket gun.
The first indication that the ARAs in front of Lulah’s house had that they were in trouble was the rocket exploding against the side of the AC. The aerocraft had been hovering above the street, waiting to extract the team. The armored plates did their job, and the menacing, black craft took only a glancing blow. But the second was a lucky shot that took out the right rear vectoring fan. The AC spun as Nine fought the controls, trying to keep it in the air.
Down the street, Josie Tuttle stood in the back of Gideon’s pickup. Thrusting his rocket gun in the air triumphantly, he gave a Rebel Yell as he watched the black aerocraft whirl around like an out-of-control antique toy top.
On the ground, Four and Six came under withering fire as they scrambled for cover. Four dove behind a parked civilian hovercraft while Six took shelter behind a huge oak tree. Crawdaddy and Worm were strolling casually down the street, firing as they approached. From the cover of his truck door, Gideon poured in fire himself, but he saw no reason to expose himself. Let them young fools play ‘High Noon.’ Right there was fine with him.
He watched with glee as the crippled AC crashed into a house, caving in the roof and the front wall, the stern of it sticking out of the debris at a forty-five-degree angle. Another of Josie’s rockets struck the tree Six was hiding behind, blowing it to splinters. The merc staggered out of the smoke, severely wounded, only to be mercilessly gunned down. Gideon watched the man die with elation that bordered on sexual gratification. There was no sweeter emotion than revenge. He just hoped when the shooting was over, and the smoke cleared, he’d find that fucker Frost among the bodies.
His gloating would be interrupted by the jet-black hovercraft that came barreling into his line of sight. It was a late-model luxury class, one of those fancy, high dollar types. It flew right into the middle of the combat zone, landing right on the lawn of the house the mercs had been shooting up.
“What the fu—” Gideon couldn’t believe what he was seeing. Who’d fly an expensive car into this shit to get it all shot up?
His eyes grew wide with abject terror as the door opened. The man who stepped out, rail pistol in each hand, was one of the few people Gideon Tuttle feared.
Cutter Hawkins!
***
Inside the house, Lulah had managed to crawl over to where Tex lay. He wasn’t moving, but putting a hand to his neck, she detected a slight pulse. He was still alive, barely, but he was losing a lot of blood from shrapnel wounds. He needed medical attention immediately.
At the front window, Amber saw the arrival of the Tuttles and knew, strangely enough, her old nemesis, Gideon, had just done them a favor. It might just be the distraction she needed. Crouching low, she made her way over to Lulah and Tex.
We need to go now! she signed to Lulah.
Lulah looked down at the gravely-wounded Tex. “What about him?”
Amber looked the man over and shook her head. She doubted there was much that could be done for him. It would only do more harm to try and move him. It was a hard choice, but a necessary one.
Lulah looked at the man. He’d sat up all night guarding her kids. He’d stayed behind to protect them when Tiger had left. He could’ve
