Dead Center, page 12
part #2 of Nemesis Series
“You’re sounding like a broken record.”
“I’m saying that now you’re a father. You didn’t expect to be, yet here you are. This is a gift. Didn’t you want to be a father?”
“Yes, but…”
“But what? Ava is yours now; you’re responsible for her. You are her everything, be there for her. Raise her, teach her the ways of the Clan so someday she may take over. Finding this woman is something we’ll never stop doing, but let’s focus on our business and making sure Ava is raised properly.”
With the dreaded map of the area pinned on the wall, the red lines glaring at him, August sighed. “It just doesn’t feel right not giving my all to find her.”
“Ava needs you; our operation needs you. Let’s get back to work and I’ll put together a dedicated team that will keep looking,” Scott said.
August’s thick calloused hands rubbed his jaw as he pondered the idea. “Just go on like nothing ever happened?”
“I didn’t say that. Don’t you listen?”
“I suppose it’s all I’m hearing,” August replied.
“Then stop, get back to work, and I’ll take over the search.”
“Fine.”
Getting to his feet, Scott nodded and said, “I’ll keep you updated about the team’s findings. I’ll also send word out about the search operation coming to an end immediately and for everyone to report back to their perspective areas,” Scott said.
“So that’s it?”
“No, that’s not it. Go find Ava and take her to wherever you promised,” Scott said. “You’re a dad now.”
August sighed. His mind wanted to find an excuse to keep the search going at its current level, but everything Scott said rang true.
“Say, where exactly did you promise to take Ava?”
“Tahoe, she wants to see Lake Tahoe,” August said.
“Good, go take her…now,” Scott said.
The wood chair squeaked when August pushed it back and stood. “Did you hear from the governor?”
“I did. He said he’s willing to talk to you,” Scott said. “Shall I schedule a meeting?”
“Yes, make it immediately.”
“What are you doing?” Scott asked.
“Do you remember that fella Marks?”
“Yeah.”
“He gave me an idea. At first I didn’t see the wisdom in it until recently.”
“And that wisdom is?”
“I’m going to make a deal with the governor. We’re going legit.”
“Legit?”
“Yeah, I’m going to make the governor a deal he can’t refuse, part of the deal legitimizes our entire operation. We’ll be, quote unquote, working for the state, but I’ll make sure they are working for us.”
“Well, brother, I trust you, but on this other thing, you need to trust me,” Scott said.
August sat without saying a word.
Scott got to his feet. “I’ll go get the meeting scheduled but before I do; I’ll have Ava come back in so you can take her to Tahoe. And I’ll send a chase vehicle for your safety.”
“Very well,” August shrugged.
Scott exited the room, closing the door behind him.
Relaxing into his chair, August again pondered this new plan. Scott was right, family was everything, but he had been focused on the dead not the living.
The door opened and there stood Ava, her head hung low. “You wanted to see me?”
“Come in,” August ordered.
With trepidation, Ava entered but only walked a few short steps. “Am I in trouble?”
“Come here, right next to me,” August said.
“We don’t have to go. I know you’re busy. I didn’t mean to make you mad,” Ava said, not moving from her spot.
Seeing she was frightened of him, August got up and went to her. He firmly planted his hands on his hips and said, “I’m not mad at you.”
“You’re not?”
He squatted down so he could look into her angelic face. “No, I had you come back because I’m going to take you to Tahoe today.”
“You are?”
“Yes, are you ready?”
“Yes, I’m ready. I brought a pack; it’s in the front room. I have granola bars and some chips, oh, and I packed some Gatorade too,” she said happily.
He tousled her hair and said, “Ava, I’m going to take care of you now, you know that right?”
“I know.”
“I may not always be perfect, and sometimes I’ll make mistakes, but I’m going to try real hard.”
“You’re going to be my daddy, I know,” she said sweetly.
“Let’s not use that word or title, I don’t deserve it.”
She interrupted him when she reached out and took his hand. “Can we talk about this on the ride there?”
A smile creased across his rugged face. “Sure.”
The two walked out of the office, hand in hand.
SEPTEMBER 23, 2016
“One is not exposed to danger who, even when in safety is always on their guard.” – Publilius Syrus
TAHOE NATIONAL FOREST, CALIFORNIA
Nestled in the trees with a creek bubbling just below sat the old hunting cabin. The weathered oak planks were grayed from years of exposure and the harsh elements of the Sierra Nevada Mountains.
Cautiously, Lexi advanced, her rifle at the ready and Sasha now positioned on her back in the carrier.
Sasha cooed.
“I know, I’m being careful,” Lexi said as if answering a warning from Sasha. The five-day trek across the rugged mountains had been arduous, but Joe was right, she was in the middle of nowhere. This little cabin just happened to be in one of the most isolated and remote areas of the mountains imaginable. This gave her peace of mind, but until she knew for sure the cabin was secure, she wouldn’t let her hair down just yet.
She cleared the short distance and was now a foot from the front door. A small window sat to the left of it. She leaned over and peered inside but couldn’t see anything in the darkened space.
Sasha cooed.
“I know it looks empty, but you can never be too sure,” Lexi replied. She reached down with her left hand, pressed the latch and pushed. The door creaked open. The midday light chased the dark away to expose a single room. A rectangular table sat in the middle, surrounded by four chairs; to the far right was a cot, the mattress rolled up; to the far left a wood-burning stove sat in the corner, a stack of wood piled next to it. She crossed the threshold and got a closer look to find a small sink with a wooden counter tucked up against the wall, but what was missing was a faucet. Upon closer examination she saw a bucket positioned under the sink and then it made sense. The sink was there simply to wash things, there was no plumbing, and any water was captured in the bucket and tossed outside. But where did the water come from?
Sasha cooed.
“Yep, looks empty to me too. I hope you like tight spaces, kid,” Lexi replied.
Sasha again cooed, as if responding.
“Yeah, well, I know it’s dirty, but we can clean it up,” Lexi said. “How about we look around outside?” She exited the cabin and walked the perimeter to find a shack with a tin roof. She tossed open the door to find tools and gear, including axes, shovels, chains, rope, wood hand saws and an assortment of small hand tools like hammers, screwdrivers, channel locks and the like. Stacked to the ceiling was wood, cut and split. The wood gave her an idea. Was there a chain saw in there? She looked but couldn’t find one.
“A lot of this will come in handy,” she said.
Sasha vocalized as she sucked on her fingers.
The sound of cracking branches sounded from outside. Lexi stiffened and peeked her head just enough to get a glimpse around the side of the shack to see a mule deer standing not forty feet from her. At first she found beauty in the creature standing there; then she saw it for what it was: food. She slowly raised her rifle and put the vital area of the deer in her reticle. She flipped off the selector switch, placed her finger on the trigger, and slowly applied pressure.
Knowing the sound would travel, she had to assume she was too far for anyone to hear, or if they did, the one shot wouldn’t be enough to locate her. She and Sasha had to eat, and this deer could provide food for a long time as long as she could preserve it by drying it out. “Hold your ears honey,” she said softly.
The rifle cracked.
The deer leapt a few bounds then fell to the ground.
Lexi’s ears rang from the gunshot, which could only mean poor Sasha was in trauma and she was. After a pause she let out a wail that seemed to go on for minutes. Lexi removed her from the carrier and held her until she stopped crying. “I’m so sorry, but this deer will provide for us. Now let’s go see what we’ve got here.”
With Sasha in her arms, she walked to the deer, which was dead on the ground, its tongue handing out of its open mouth. The shot had been perfect, right through the heart. She bent down, placed her hand on the deer and said, “Thank you.”
Seeing her mother, Sasha stretched her arm out too.
“You want to touch the pretty deer?” she asked as she lowered her down.
With her small arm outstretched, Sasha first tapped then ran her fingers through the deer’s hair. She cooed as she ran her hand back and forth.
“Do you like that, huh?” Lexi asked, a warm smile stretched across her face. “I’ll teach you how to hunt, skin, all of it. I’ll teach you all I know and hopefully more.” She sat down next to the deer and held Sasha in her hands facing towards her. “I’m going to protect you. I’m going to train you. We’re in this together now. And when you get old enough, we’ll go back out into the world but as a team. For now, the world will have to do without me; it will have to continue on. Right now and for years, this will be our home, our sanctuary, this is where we’ll train, prepare and get ready. I won’t let you get hurt, and the only way I know to do that is to give you what I wish I had growing up, the skills and the mindset to survive. You’ll be more prepared than I ever was; you’ll be better than me. What happened to your aunt won’t happen to you. You’re going to be a fighter, Sasha. Do you hear me?”
A coo left Sasha’s lips as her tiny fingers reached out and touched Lexi’s face.
The two looked into each other’s eyes for what seemed like an eternity.
Lexi brought her close and gave her a warm embrace. She looked back towards the cabin and said, “Welcome to your new home, Sasha.”
JULY 28, 2030
THIRTEEN YEARS LATER
“The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man who lives fully is prepared to die at any time.” – Mark Twain
TAHOE NATIONAL FOREST, REPUBLIC OF CALIFORNIA
“I just did this yesterday,” Sasha complained.
“And you’ll do it again tomorrow if I say so,” Lexi snapped back as she placed the AR-15 on the table in front of Sasha.
“C’mon, Mom, I can do this in under thirty seconds,” Sasha groaned as she rolled her eyes at the thought of having to once more fieldstrip the rifle. “You said we’d go recon to the south, maybe even see the cabin where I was born.”
Lexi placed her hands on her hips and shook her head. “This is important. We can do that tomorrow, maybe.”
“Why? When will I ever have to do this?” Sasha fired back. Even though she’d been raised away from any other influences other than her mother, Sasha was displaying typical teenage attitudes though not as severe compared to other teens living in a normal societal setting.
To Lexi it proved that it was in a child’s nature to rebel. They needed to establish their own identity and prepare themselves for independence. She reveled in all the changes she was seeing in Sasha, but still she wished the old Sasha who adored her mother was still around, at least for a bit longer.
“I’m not going to keep repeating myself. Put on the blindfold and ready yourself,” Lexi ordered.
Sasha did as Lexi said, wrapping the bandana around her head and tying it in the back. When it was secured, she said, “It’s tied.”
Praying she’d beat her best time, which had been thirty-six seconds, Lexi hovered her finger over the function button of her G-Shock watch she’d taken off the remains of a body she’d found in the woods to the south and said, “On the count of three…one…”
Sasha stood erect, her hands relaxed.
“Two…”
Taking in a breath, Sasha exhaled slowly, her mind going over the parts of the rifle in her head.
“Three.”
With lightning speed, Sasha went to work. She picked up the rifle, removed the pivot and takedown pins to separate the upper and lower receivers. She pulled back on the charging handle, dropping the bolt carrier group into her hand and setting it on the table. She completely removed the charging handle and set it next to the bolt carrier group then picked that up. With her small fingers, she removed the firing pin retaining pin, took out the cam pin, twisted the bolt and pulled it out of the bolt carrier. She tipped the bolt carrier back, allowing the firing pin to fall into her hand. Using the firing pin, she pushed out the extractor pin and took the extractor off the bolt and set them on the table. With the upper receiver complete, she had one last thing to do, again using the firing pin as a tool, she depressed the buffer retainer, freeing the buffer and buffer spring. She quickly pulled the buffer out of the spring and set them on the table, then raised her hands. “Done.”
A large smile stretched across Lexi’s face.
Curious as to her time, Sasha removed her blindfold and asked, “Well?”
Playing along, Lexi chewed on her lower lip and replied, “Looks like we’ll have to do this again tomorrow.”
Sasha grunted her displeasure and shook her head. “Really? I thought I did pretty good.”
“You didn’t do good…you did great. Thirty-one seconds, that’s five seconds off your best time.”
With a clenched fist, Sasha threw her arm into the air. “Yes.”
“That was amazing, but can you beat your time reassembling?” Lexi challenged.
“What do I get if I do?” Sasha asked, her lips pursed and arms folded in defiance across her chest.
“A bet, huh?”
“Yeah, a bet.”
“If you beat your time of forty-eight seconds reassembling, we’ll go to the top of Bravo Mountain,” Lexi said of a peak that she had named and one that provided a strategic position for their hideout. “We’ll climb up to the fire lookout tower and look around. Maybe we’ll see something.”
“We never see anything. We’re in the middle of nowhere,” Sasha complained. “I want to go to the cabin where I was born. I want to see that.”
“You have to understand it’s dangerous out there; plus it’s a three- to four-day hike. I need to make sure you’re ready for the world when I introduce it to you,” Lexi explained.
“Mom, I’m ready. I’ve been taking this rifle apart since I was five. You’ve been training me for this my entire life. I’m more than ready.”
Lexi chewed on her lower lip as she pondered the trip.
With a cock of her head, Sasha teased, “You must think I’ll beat my time; hence why you’re not taking the bet.”
Furrowing her brow, Lexi shot back. “You’re cocky, aren’t you?”
“Just like my mama made me,” Sasha quipped.
“And what if you don’t beat your time?” Lexi asked.
“Um, I’ll prepare dinner for a week straight,” Sasha answered.
“Let me think on that,” Lexi said. Again she chewed on her lower lip. After a long pause, she jutted out her hand and said, “Deal.”
“Best start packing, ’cause we’re going on a trip,” Sasha said. She wrapped the blindfold over her eyes and readied herself.
Like before, Lexi counted down and hit the stopwatch.
With similar speed to her disassembly, Sasha put the rifle back together.
Lexi watch the time tick with pride and apprehension. If Sasha were to pull this off, she would have to take her, something she was still reluctant to do.
With a clack, Sasha finished the assembly and set the rifle down, bolt locked to the rear, and raised her hands. “Done.” She ripped the blindfold off to find Lexi shaking her head. “Well?”
No answer from Lexi.
“How did I do?” Sasha asked.
Holding the watch out for Sasha to see, Lexi answered, “Looks like we’re going for a hike.”
TRUCKEE, REPUBLIC OF CALIFORNIA
The man trembled uncontrollably, his pants soaked in his own urine. Unable to look at his captors, he stared at the ground and sobbed for his life. “Please, I won’t do it again, I swear it.” A large overhead light shone down on him and was the only source of illumination in the cold dark warehouse.
Emerging from the shadows, August stepped up to him and looked down with disgust. “You thought you could rip me off. Do you know what I’ve done for you? I gave you a safe place to live, a home to rest your head, your family’s head, and this is how you pay me back?”
“I won’t do it again, I swear,” the man moaned, his hands clasped together as if in prayer.
“There are no second chances, none at all,” August spat.
Scott, August’s younger brother, stepped out from the darkness and up to August. He leaned in close and said, “I’ve got the governor of Nevada on the phone. He wishes to speak to you.”
“I’ll call him back. I’m busy,” August snarled.
“Don’t we have someone who handles enforcement?” Scott chirped with a vicious glance at the man. “This is important. He wants to renegotiate the terms for the—”
With a stiff hand, August held it up in front of Scott, turned his head to face him and snapped, “I’m busy. I’ll call him back later.”
“Okay, big brother, I’ll tell him you’ll call him back,” Scott said. He put the satellite phone to his ear and spoke. “Tell the governor my brother will call back later. What’s a good time?”
