Leta had a thought. “Silo wasn’t behind that, too, was he?”
“No,” Chief said. “That was an extremist group. Same group behind the Australian bombings.”
“Wonder if they’re still around,” Leta mused.
“Some of them, probably,” Echo said. “But since a lot of them were from the Indo-China region, I’d bet a lot of them died.” He sadly shook his head. “Hell of a way to clean house, but a lot of extremist groups probably no longer exist in anything other than memory.”
“New ones will pop up,” Chief darkly said. “Always do. Nature abhors a vacuum.”
“I hope to hell not, babe. Me and the big guy want a vacay. They need to train some new SOTIF troops to go round those people up. Omega and I are ready to get out and are due to get out.”
“What about not jinxing this?” Leta quietly asked. “It’s not exactly over yet.”
“Oh. Very true.” He shrugged. “Just ready for a change is all. Ready to figure out the rest of our lives together, now that we’ll actually have a chance to have lives together.”
It was a little before dawn when everyone else returned. Putt-Putt was already flying their precious cargo to their next destination. Not long after they returned, the group from Florida arrived, and everyone settled in to get a few hours of sleep.
It would be their last chance alone in a room of their own for a while, and despite her exhaustion, Leta wanted to make good use of it.
Her men seemed of a similar mind.
“You save a little energy for us?” Uncle asked as they snuggled together in bed.
“Sure did. Just enough. I can sleep during the drive.” The three of them would ride in her SUV, which had been driven up from Florida by one of the guys.
She quickly found herself on her hands and knees, on top of Zed in a sixty-nine with his very talented mouth between her legs.
When the thought that Gary had done her a huge favor bubbled up, it almost started her laughing, forcing her to shove that away and focus on what she was doing. On what they were doing. To her.
Because Uncle had slid his cock inside her and was slowly fucking her, taking his time, apparently not in any rush to get off as Zed toyed with her and teased her. Every moan they pulled out of her was muffled by Zed’s cock in her mouth.
She was enjoying the hell out of that, too, the way his hot shaft felt against her tongue, the answering moans she could pull from him with every lick and suck.
This felt right. Felt good. Felt better than anything she’d ever felt in her life before.
It felt like this was exactly where she belonged and was supposed to be. Like maybe before now everything she’d done had been an inevitable path to this place and time. She’d never envisioned herself a hero before, but now she was helping to save the world.
Her reward for that was two really hot, really sweet guys who’d made it difficult for her to remember her life before they walked into it.
Like maybe this was love, for once, finally.
Now I’m thinking too much.
Silencing her inner narrator, she focused on the feel of Zed’s lips and tongue on her clit, Uncle’s cock sliding into her pussy and finding every perfect nerve ending to stroke along the way back out again. And when Zed teased the first orgasm out of her, he didn’t stop. Neither of them did. Zed only backed off long enough to let her come down before ramping her up toward the next one.
Trapped between their bodies, she realized this was exactly where she wanted to be for the rest of her life.
Love might not have been a conscious thought of hers before, but it certainly was now. Maybe it wouldn’t be long-term. Who could tell? For now, she’d be perfectly content calling it love and enjoying every second she got to spend with these two hunks.
Her two hunks.
As if the Universe was making up for all it’d taken from her in the past.
Here ya go. Two hunky, devoted dudes. Enjoy.
Another orgasm ripped through her, made all that much better by Uncle’s cock pressed deep inside her, the man holding still with a soft groan as her muscles milked his shaft.
“Fuck, that feels so good, baby,” he whispered before he slowly started fucking her again.
She’d barely had time to catch her breath from that one, and to wonder how many they were going to try to get out of her before they let themselves come, when she moaned as Zed started pushing her toward the third.
Seemed the magic number the men were looking for was three. Because once she cried out as that release hit, Zed started bucking his hips, fucking her mouth while Uncle picked up the pace and started fucking her pussy hard and fast, every stroke slapping against her and startling her when she had one more.
Okay. Four it is.
And after Uncle had finally filled her pussy with his load as she was swallowing a load from Zed, the three of them collapsed into a jumbled heap together.
Zed turned around and pulled a blanket over them, snuggling close in front of her while Uncle spooned against her from behind.
“I think I’m in love with you guys,” she whispered, almost afraid to say it out loud for fear of jinxing whatever it was they had.
Zed made her look him in the eyes. “If it makes you feel any less terrified, I think I’m in love with you, too.”
She looked over her shoulder at Uncle. He rose onto his elbow and kissed her. “Me, three. Not sure if this is love, but I’m going to call it love. I know I want it to last.”
That made her feel a lot better, relieved, to know they seemed as scared as she felt. She nodded.
He smiled, kissing her again. “Let’s get some shut-eye while we can.”
And thus relieved, she was able to snuggle between them and let her mind stop talking to her for a while.
Chapter Twenty-One
“I’m glad I got that video clip posted this morning,” Ax said.
“I’m sure it ruined Hannibal’s day.” Kali didn’t sound the least bit sorry about that, either.
It was late Saturday, and they were heading toward St. Louis. They’d heard the news on the radio about the attack on the CDC.
Neither of them doubted Hannibal Silo was behind it.
Ax had also received a message from Bubba on the secure sat-phone he had, informing him that a vaccine had been isolated and that the team was moving to a more secure location. If he and Kali didn’t want to join the Drunk Monkeys, they would officially be on their own if there was no one close by to render assistance.
Now knowing what the world could hold in store, the fact that they’d be alone terrified Ax more than a little, but he knew it was necessary. He and Kali had to do this on their own.
Ax drove Kali’s car. They’d taken it because she rightly worried there might be a tracker on his. He left his in Atlanta for his brothers to use and only told them he was traveling for work, for his new job.
They’d opted to take back roads despite the heavy holiday weekend traffic. It wasn’t worth the risk being spotted. Kali was no longer recognizable as Mary Silo, but Ax knew dumb luck chances could still happen.
Law enforcement would be focused on heavier-traveled roads, like the Interstates. It’d mean a longer drive for them, but that was fine.
They’d use the time to plan.
He’d also told Kali he was in contact with Bubba, and why. Ax refused to squander the goodwill and assistance he and Kali would still get from Bubba and the Drunk Monkeys. That, and he didn’t want the group wasting their time and resources looking for them.
It was a given that the Drunk Monkeys would eventually find them if they wanted to look for them. Telling them where they were going meant he could relax and focus on the task at hand, the part he wasn’t revealing to them.
That they were going to take down Hannibal Silo.
Going through the church’s data, Ax and Kali both were convinced Hannibal didn’t have any other aces up his sleeves, such as the LA Preachsearch project. There were at least two other Kite drug labs,
but one of them was dormant, and the other wasn’t even up and running yet.
There were no reports of ODs or Kite infections in those areas, either.
Hannibal’s disgusting Legacy Project was on hold, and the child brides appeared to be unmolested as of yet. With media scrutiny still somewhat high, Hannibal apparently didn’t want to risk bringing unwanted attention to those plans.
Ax also agreed with Kali’s assessment that once word got out about the vaccine it might trigger Silo to do something nuttier than he already had. There might already be plans in the works for a SOTIF team to take him out, so they’d have to be ready to act quickly.
If they wanted to bogart the pleasure of that task, they’d need to move into position and prepare. He already knew how they could do it. The way the compounds’ security systems were set up was pathetically predictable, and all the compounds had been built the same way.
Their plan was to wait for the final vaccine to be announced, put into production, and distribution timelines issued. Once that happened, Hannibal was a dead man.
Ax hoped the unit forgave him for this, but he and Kali had dibs on the asshole. Between the torture and suffering she’d endured, and the deaths of his parents…Well, he didn’t feel the slightest bit of hesitation or remorse over their plans.
They’d have to take out Jerald, too. He’d be first. His quarters were on a lower floor than Hannibal’s, and he’d be the easier target. In St. Louis they’d have plenty of time to scope out the situation and prepare. It might even mean inserting themselves into the compound under false IDs. The compound still had vacancies. Ax had even gone into their housing database and reserved them a small apartment.
They wouldn’t actually go that far unless it looked like the compound was going into full lockdown mode. They’d prefer to stay outside the walls and wait there.
“You all right, son?” Kali asked, breaking his reverie.
“Yeah. Just thinking about the plan.”
She offered him a brilliant smile. “We can’t fail.”
“Please don’t jinx us.”
“Oh, this is the truth of God’s will,” she said. “Heavenly retribution in the form of two really pissed off people. Don’t worry. Hannibal’s hubris will be his ultimate downfall.”
He was glad she felt so confident, but he’d seen first-hand how resourceful the reverend was when it came to outsourcing help. Kali might be good with a gun, but he wasn’t. All it’d take would be one ill-timed misstep for them to both turn up dead without Hannibal joining them.
“I did make it clear I’ve only shot a couple of times, right?”
“I’ll take care of that, when the time comes. I’m sure we won’t even need to fire our guns.”
“Glad you’re so confident.”
“I refuse to be any other way. You have no idea how long I’ve waited for this day and ever thought it’d come.”
“The day you’re free of your husband?”
She smiled, but it chilled him deeply, all the way through to the very core of his soul. “No. The day I make him my bitch.”
* * * *
At least an hour before sunrise Sunday morning, Kali directed Ax where to park the car and got out, pulling on gloves as she started to walk. Beneath her hiking boots the snow crunched as she headed for her destination.
“Hold on,” he called out, getting the car locked and hurrying to catch up.
Their breaths fogged the cold air as they walked.
“Where are we going?” he asked.
“Shh.”
She’d walked this path several times while she still lived here. She’d spent plenty of time daydreaming, scheming, planning, even though before now she realized those plans had little hope of coming to fruition without assistance.
Assistance she now had in spades.
They emerged from the trees at the top of a hill overlooking a valley. Below them lay the Church of the Rising Sunset’s St. Louis compound.
“There’s our target,” she said, her senses on full alert. “That’s where we’ll take him down. I wanted you to see it like this.”
“Why?”
“Because one day, very soon, it’ll belong to us.” She stared up at him. “Hannibal put on a damn good show for everyone over the years. That’s why only people like Jerald and Dr. Isley saw the truth. I’m on all the church records and paperwork. He dies, it all goes to me.” She returned her focus to the compound below them. “That’s why Jerald has to die, too. Because like you said, he will want to make me disappear once Hannibal’s out of the picture.”
“You’re sure he won’t be of more use to us alive?”
“Absolutely not. Had he not been Hannibal’s willing accomplice all these years, I’d give him a lump-sum payment to make him go away. He stood by and not only encouraged Hannibal, but actively helped him. He helped Hannibal scout out the girls.” She slowly shook her head. “Someone willing to sink to those depths isn’t worthy of life.”
He rubbed his hands together, blowing into them before jamming them into his pockets. “I’m not sure how much time we’ll have to plan this.”
“That’s why we’ll have to act quickly. Right now, the media will be focused on what happened in Atlanta yesterday. Hannibal will fall from the world’s attention. And once the vaccine is announced, no one will give a shit about a pervy preacher. All they’ll care about is how soon they get their dose of the vaccine.”
“So now where?”
“Let’s get a hotel room for the day and sleep. We’ll find a better place to stay tomorrow.”
“Okay.”
They turned, Kali leading the way back to the car. How good it felt to do this, to be here, and to now know that whatever they planned, they would not fail.
They could not fail. With Ax’s help and the support of Arliss’ resources, they’d get rid of Hannibal once and for all and she’d finally be able to do some good with the rest of her life.
And she’d make sure to dismantle every last bit of Hannibal’s “legacy” in the process.
Keeping him alive for that purpose would be so much fun, forcing him to witness his own downfall, but she was no idiot. You didn’t keep a dangerous predator captive and taunting it. You either killed it, or released it back into the wild into its proper environment.
Unfortunately, for a predator like Hannibal, there was no proper environment. It was unlikely a court would convict him. He was too slippery for that.
Jail would only give him a chance to become a martyr and earn converts to his cause. A falcon with its wings clipped still had a beak and talons with which to rip and tear.
No, like any predator unfit for release, Hannibal had to be put down for good.
Before he could take anyone else with him.
Her only regret was not growing a backbone sooner, before all those people in LA and Barstow and New York and elsewhere died.
She would spend the rest of her life atoning for those deaths by making sure the church became what it should be—a force of light and good.
Everything Hannibal Silo wasn’t.
* * * *
The controlled chaos of the final loading late Sunday afternoon nearly overwhelmed Leta. There wasn’t anything for her to do but stay warm and out of the way as the men quickly broke down everything necessary to transport and completed the loading process.
They still “owned” the safe house location, as they did the one in Florida, and could always retreat to them if needed.
Despite now having more stuff, and two additional people in her SUV, Leta was shocked to discover that when her men did the packing there was plenty of room to spare. She’d ride in back, the seat now up but half-filled with gear.
Giving her a cozy nest for the trip.
Hell, she’d had less comfortable cots while in med school. This was a piece of cake.
After a last, late lunch of MREs, Papa called everyone to gather around. “Panda and the others landed safely and are waiting for us. When we get there, we
’ll be unloading the trucks and reloading the plane immediately. The RV will go with us, of course, but the rest of the vehicles and unnecessary gear will be left behind there for us to claim later. We won’t be needing them, anyway.”
“Gonna need dog sleds,” Kilo jokingly grumbled. “You’re killing us Florida natives. You know that, right?”
Leta looked up at Uncle and silently mouthed, “Dog sleds?”
He draped an arm around her and pulled her close. “We’ll keep you warm,” he whispered.
“Everyone, keep up,” Papa continued. “You all have radios. Stay frosty, but considering the food chain appears secure, we shouldn’t hit any resistance along the way. Load up and move out.”
Snuggled into her spot in the backseat, Leta stared out the window as Uncle took the first shift driving. Frankly, with the risk of black ice on the frigid roads, she didn’t want anything to do with that. Her SUV had all-wheel drive, but she’d never driven on anything other than snow- and ice-free Florida roads.
That’d be irony, to survive an attack by armed gunmen just to get us all killed in a fricking car wreck.
All the stress had caught up with her, too. She quickly dozed and startled awake some time later with Uncle gently shaking her shoulder. It was dark out, and the cold air washing in through the open door made her shiver.
“Gas and bathroom break, babe.” Both men were wearing surgical masks.
She pulled hers up and into place. “Where are we?” At this point the masks were more to help hide their true identities than to prevent them from catching anything. In the cold air, no way the virus could survive airborne.
Zed offered her a hand to get out. “North of Nashville.”
“Where, exactly, are we going?” she asked as she got out and started to stretch.
“Not too far west of Kansas City. We’ll be cutting through St. Louis. Not worth the risk taking back roads. It’s the tail end of a holiday weekend. We’ll be less visible among all the other traffic.”