hat.
“She came with a surveillance team last night. A part of the same convoy that checks on Pine Forest,” Alfred was informing us and I shot a grin at the mention of the convoy we ambushed last night.
“They come by your house,” he continued and pointed at Gabriel and I, “hoping to catch you off guard...I don’t know what they expect to find. But it’s what they do.”
We were all taking in the information when the woman blurted out, “You’re the Reed brothers?”
“What of it?” Alyse asked.
“I didn’t ask you!” the woman snarled. “I was talking to the Reed brothers.” Gabriel walked up to her and snatched the hat off her head.
“Gimme that!” she screamed as her bleach blonde hair fell over her face. Gabriel ripped the pin off the hat and examined the back.
“A transmitter…just like the Captain,” Gabriel said as he handed me the pin. I turned it over to see a small circuit board with a small microphone. I looked up at Gabriel and he was staring at the female soldier through angered eyes and his knuckles, white. I know he wouldn’t do anything. Women and children are not on his hit list.
“You’re looking at a full scale war here,” Gabriel said to Alfred through gritted teeth.
“War my ass,” said Fred. “This is our home. They don’t have a chance.” When he said this, the other boys grinned.
“This is not like last time,” the blonde soldier interrupted. “More will show up and take your home,” she said with a grin.
Fred just laughed and shrugged it off. “The question is, how are you boys gonna get out of here,” he said after he pointed at the destroyed Shelby.
“That’s a shame,” I said and looked up at Gabriel, but he was concentrating on the female soldier. “Gabriel?” I asked to try and break him from his trance.
“What’s he going to do to me?” she nervously asked anyone listening.
Gabriel paid her no mind and asked us, “What’re we going to do with this?”
“Kill her,” Mike said.
“No,” I said and they all looked at me. I looked around at each of their faces and read that they wanted me to add something to my ‘No.’
“What then Mr. Legend?” Aaron asked.
I stared at Ms. Blonde and felt a bit of compassion. Or at least I think it was. She anxiously looked around at all of us as she waited while we decided her fate.
“Just let her go…” I whispered.
“What?!” Kevin said and stepped forward.
“Let her go,” I said loud and clear.
Kevin shook his head and stepped toward the prisoner with his pistol ready, but Gabriel stepped in his way. They stared at each other for, what seemed like, an eternity.
“Move,” Kevin said.
“No,” Gabriel replied.
Kevin finally lost it. He looked as if Gabriel punched his child. “Do you see who you’re protecting?!” Kevin spat. “She’s the enemy!”
“It’s a little more complicated than that,” Gabriel said as his eyes drifted downward…lost in his own mind.
“Calm down,” Fred intervened. He put his hand on Kevin’s shoulder and nodded him to back off. He walked up to the captive and cut her bounds. She looked around at us and relief washed over her face. Too quickly, she stood up and her legs gave out from under her. She fell into Mike who caught her. But he then grabbed the back of her neck and threw her out of the garage. She hit the ground with a loud thud, but managed to swiftly get back on her feet. She glanced at us as we watched her at the end of the driveway. She slowly took the hat off her head to examine it. She glanced back up and threw the hat on the ground and ran up the street.
“I didn’t think compassion was a trait you boys carried,” Alfred said.
I guess it was compassion.
“I like it,” he added as I was thinking to myself.
“We have to get going,” I said and held my hand out for him to shake.
He took it and said, “You two take care…”
The three of us started walking down the street toward the destroyed Mustang.
“Hey!” Alfred called out. As I turned around a small object nearly smacked me in the face, but my hand was quicker. I examined the object in my hand and found myself staring at a key.
“Trade?” Alfred asked.
Alyse took the Cobra’s key from her pocket and tossed it to Alfred. He handed the keys to Kevin and they whispered something to each other. Kevin, along with the rest of the gang, jogged over to the Cobra and began pushing it down the street and around the corner.
“Two houses up in the garage. Now get out of here before they arrive…we can handle the bastards, don’t worry about us,” he said and walked in the garage. “Take care of her. And take care of yourselves…we’re all counting on you,” he added and closed the garage door down. The quiet atmosphere resumed.
“This is a massive key,” I said examining the large key fob. I turned it over to see a large arrowhead, with a star inside, etched in the key fob. “Pontiac,” I whispered to myself and Gabriel snatched the key from my hand.
“That was my Cobra,” he said, answering my scowl. We were all silent as we walked up the street. Anxiety built up as I couldn’t wait to see what was waiting in the garage for us. The anxiety and the silence made the walk too long—even though it was only two houses up. Alyse walked in front of me and I caught myself staring at her butt…which was great.
Gabriel trotted up the driveway and to the garage door.
“Ooh, nice!” I said once Gabriel pulled the door up to reveal the car. The blue 2006 GTO stared at us with intense headlights. Gabriel didn’t say anything as he hit the ‘unlock’ button on the key fob.
He walked to the driver’s door and said, “We have to get moving,” and took his place in the captain’s seat. He probably misses the Mustang.
“What is this?” Alyse asked as I opened the passenger door.
“It’s a goat,” I smirked, and she crawled in the back after I moved the seat up.
I sat in the passenger seat and admired the dash. Everything was stock except the button on the aftermarket short-throw shifter.
“Oh,” I said and reached for the button but Gabriel smacked my hand out of the way. I glared at him, but then noticed the switch next to the shifter with a label next to it that read ‘I like to scream.” “Oh, a cut-out,” I said and reached for the switch but Gabriel brought his hand up. I pulled my hand and frowned.
He smiled and said, “Let’s go,” bringing the car to life. The roar of the engine echoed in the garage. “Damn,” Gabriel whispered, almost to himself, and nodded. I guess he finally accepted the GTO. That didn’t take long. He sped out of the garage and up the street.
“Don’t forget about our ride,” I said before he got to our street.
He flashed annoyance in my direction and said, “I didn’t forget. If you had let me get to the street before saying that, you wouldn’t look like such an ass.” He smiled and I just shook my head. He stopped just behind the Mustang and Alyse and I got out.
“That car was really comfortable,” Alyse said as she sat in the passenger seat of the Mustang. Gabriel sped forward and led the way to the entrance of the subdivision. I followed two car lengths behind him as he turned left on to Mobile Highway, but he stopped at the first intersection we ran into.
I pulled up next to him and rolled the windows down as he did his.
“You know there aren’t any more red lights,” I said to him, but he was too focused on something. “You remember where to go? Just a straight shot down this road.” He held his finger up telling me to shut up. Then I heard it. Like a stampede of wildebeests. A gang of diesel engines could be heard coming from the right. The street to our right curved left before the heard could be seen.
Gabriel sped to the other side of the intersection and stopped. As I followed he jumped out of the car and asked, “Do you have any explosives on you?”
“There is C4 in a bag in the trunk with detonators,” Alyse
replied. “I figure we come prepared for anything,” she said to me and shrugged. I popped the trunk and Gabriel did some digging. He walked toward the intersection with the bag in hand. I hopped out of the driver’s seat to see what he had planned. He pulled the C4 from the bag and rigged it along the intersection. There were four blocks he placed under some cardboard which was on the side of the road. He threw the empty bag in the trunk and shut it. He put one foot in the GTO and positioned himself for a quick getaway.
“Nice,” I applauded.
“Get ready,” he said as the sound of the convoy was much louder. I quickly jumped in the car and watched from my rear-view mirror. The first truck was a Humvee which gracefully drove over the cardboard. The second truck, about half a car length behind the first, was another Humvee. The third was a large cargo truck which housed about a dozen soldiers. Gabriel then set off the C4 as the cargo truck was directly over the explosives. The explosion left me shuddering, but I didn’t linger to let the sensation last. Gabriel and I both punched the gas and flew from the scene.
“Go, go, go!” Alyse exclaimed, but was muffled through the whine of my supercharger or the whistle of Gabriel’s turbochargers.
“Did his car break?!” Alyse yelled over the wind rushing into the car.
“That jet engine sound is the turbochargers in his car!” I yelled back. I looked down to see we hit 120 mph and we didn’t stop. The surrounding area was a blur as we continued at extreme speeds. A sinister grin grew on my face which turned into a teeth baring smile. I looked over at Alyse who was doing the same thing.