“But you want me to tell you all about it on this deserted road, when it’s about to get dark?”

  She giggled. “Stop teasing me. Answer the question.”

  Sam sighed. “I’ll have to introduce you sometime. He’s got an office in Marina Del Rey.”

  “I don’t think I want to go that far,” she said.

  “Hell, I wish he were here,” Sam said. “We could use him.”

  “You got his number?”

  “It’s on my phone, and I can’t even put the battery into that.”

  She chuckled. “Yeah, you’re right.”

  “He’s probably left the state by now anyway,” Sam said. “There’s no way he’d put up with UN thugs and Islamists pushing him around.”

  “Stop with the hero worship. You’re pretty tough yourself, you know.”

  “Yeah, I know,” Sam said. “Okay, here’s what happened. George was married to Sadie Evans.”

  “What? Why would he marry a serial killer?”

  “He didn’t know who she was,” Sam said. “He knew her as Lisa. Hell, I knew her as Lisa. Always thought she was a real iceberg, but she was pretty. Really pretty.”

  “You knew her?” Connie asked, eyes wide. “How come you never told me about that?”

  “I had to get away from that circle of friends. I heard that George did too. The last time any of the gang saw him was right before his wedding.”

  “Interesting,” Connie said. “Why did Sadie Evans want to marry him?”

  “Jason Beckler was hunting her after she double-crossed him. She needed a cover. George was the perfect mark. After that battle with Saladin, he was a wreck. PTSD. Decided to change his life and hide his past. He quit the agency, got himself an aerospace job, married Sadie, and tried to settle down.”

  “What agency?”

  “CIA,” Sam said.

  “Oh,” she said. “Crap. How come you never went to work for them?”

  “I had problems with that last mission too,” Sam said.

  “What kind of problems?”

  “Honey, I really don’t want to talk about that right now. I’ll tell you someday. I promise.”

  She looked at him silently for a moment. “Okay. Go on.”

  “Sadie decided to kill George, so she enlisted the help of a low-life who worked for him at the aerospace job.”

  “Seen that on more than one cop show,” Connie said.

  “Seriously,” Sam said. “To make a long story short, Sadie’s henchman tried to kill George by blowing up his condo. George walked away, but the blast damn near killed Malcolm Davis.”

  “What was Malcolm Davis doing at his house?”

  Sam laughed. “He was a psychotherapist. George was his patient. They were working the PTSD problem. Davis figured out who the wife was. They were at the condo closing things out so he could disappear when the bomb went off.”

  “Geez,” Connie said. “How much of this made the news?”

  “Not much,” Sam said. “This is a long road.”

  “Yeah, and it’s getting dark. I don’t want to talk about this much more. Just tell me how they ended up in this area.”

  “Okay,” Sam said. “Sadie and her henchman came to the house out here to hide. The henchman stranded her here.”

  “Why?”

  “He figured out that she was going to kill him the first chance she got.”

  “Wouldn’t she have done that out here in the sticks?”

  “She needed him in order to get out herself,” Sam said. “It’s tricky getting in and out of here. Lots of roads to make a wrong turn on. Easy to get lost. Apparently her sense of direction wasn’t good, plus he took the car when he left.”

  “Oh,” Connie said. “I’ll bet this guy got picked up by Jason Beckler.”

  “You got it,” Sam said. “He forced the henchman to bring him out here. Meanwhile George and Malcolm figured out where the house was. They were waiting. The rest is history.”

  “They’re making a turn up there,” Connie said. “Around that bend.”

  “Yeah,” Sam said. “Notice how we have two roads branching off here? One of them might go into the middle of nowhere another fifty miles. The other might lead right back to the highway. It’s nuts back here.”

  “Lots of ridges around too,” Connie said. “It’s pretty now that the sun is lower. Look how it lights up the canyons coming off that mountain over there.”

  “Yes, it’s beautiful,” he said.

  They road silently for another half an hour.

  “Better turn on the lights now,” Connie said. “Wonder how much further it is?”

  “I don’t know,” he said. “Another bend coming up.”

  “Is that an old truck? Down there in that gully off the road?”

  “Yep,” Sam said. “That looks really familiar.”

  “It does?”

  “Maybe I’ve seen a picture of it or something.”

  “Maybe you’ve been here before,” Connie said, glancing around nervously.

  They rounded the bend further, and Sam gasped.

  “What’s wrong?” Connie asked.

  “That’s the house. My God.”

  They parked along the road side, the dark house on the left, a group of about forty tents to the right, in a big open pasture.

  Sam got out with Connie, and they rushed over to where Sid, Yvonne, and One Eye were. John, Sarah, Clem, Jason, and Hank joined them.

  “You know what that place is?” Sam asked.

  “What, that old house?” One Eye asked. “Somebody grandfathered in before they made this a State Park, I imagine. It’s abandoned. Has been for years, from what I’ve heard.”

  “Why are you camping here?” Sam asked.

  “Water. There’s a well behind the house,” One Eye said. “The diesel pump is toast, but we rigged up a hand pump. We stay out of the house, though. The elders say it’s an evil place.”

  “They said a mouthful there,” Sam said.

  “You know something about this place?” Sid asked.

  “Oh, yeah, I know a lot about this place,” Sam said. “I’ll tell you all about it after we get settled.”

  “We should wait on that,” One Eye said. “We’re planning an attack. We need to discuss it tonight.”

  “An attack?” Sid asked. “Good. Where?”

  “Big supply depot, a few miles this side of La Quinta,” One Eye said.

  “Excellent,” Hank said.

  “Yeah,” John added.

  “We’re cooking up a feast,” One Eye said. “We’ll eat and then talk.”

  Chapter 7 – Tunnels

  Robbie waited at his restaurant, watching the lighter-than-average traffic flow by on Sepulveda Boulevard. Ted came out of the office, brow furrowed.

  “Where’s your car?” Ted asked. “It’s not in the parking lot, I hope.”

  “No, it’s down Second Street about two blocks,” Robbie said.

  “So how do you know Sparky?” the manager asked. He was a middle-aged man with a slight but hard build and a shaved head.

  “My girlfriend works for him, Ted,” Robbie said, eyeing him. “You’re nervous as hell.”

  “You know who Sparky runs with, right?” Ted asked quietly.

  “Yeah,” Robbie said. “Don’t care. The UN thugs took my girlfriend. They tried to kill me in the process. Time to choose a side.”

  “Sparky has murdered people before,” Ted said.

  “Yeah, I figured,” Robbie said. “He treats my girlfriend like a kid sister. He’s probably my best chance to save her.”

  “Probably your best chance to get killed too, either by the UN or by Sparky’s people. Watch yourself, kid. I mean it.”

  “I understand,” Robbie said, “and I will. You’ve always been good to me, Ted. I’m gonna miss you.”

  “You’re not coming back?”

  “After what we’re about to do, I’ll have to make myself real scarce around here,” he said.

  A UN van pulled into the lot, parking in the handicapped spot. “That might be him,” Robbie said.

  “You know what he looks like?”

  “I have this picture.” Robbie showed it to him on Morgan’s phone.

  “That’s him, all right,” Ted said, looking at the phone screen. “Go hide in the back until we’re sure it’s him. This might really be the UN. You know they’re looking for you after what you did. Where else would they come?”

  Robbie felt dizzy for a moment. “Dammit. Why would Sparky want me here, then?”

  “They’re probably going to pull something,” Ted said. “Sparky is nuts.”

  Robbie rushed into the back and hid in the supply room, pistol in hand. Ted watched him, then turned back towards the door as two men in UN uniforms walked in. One stood by the door. The other walked up to Ted.

  “Are you the manager, sir?” the man asked in a Greek accent. He was a tall thin man, clean-cut with dark hair and olive skin. “I’m Inspector Demetriou of the UN.”

  “Yes, I’m the manager,” Ted said, smiling. He extended his hand to shake. Inspector Demetriou stared at it. “What time does your establishment open?”

  “We’ll open for lunch in just over an hour,” Ted said. “Why are you here?”

  “We’re looking for one of your employees. His name is Robbie Johnson.”

  “Robbie works the night shift,” Ted said. “He won’t be here until about six pm.”

  “Yes, we know what his hours are,” Inspector Demetriou said. “He has left his house, after killing three UN Peacekeepers. Has he come here?”

  “No sir,” Ted said. “That doesn’t sound like Robbie.”

  “It’s not a good idea to question UN Inspectors.”

  “This is still the United States of America,” Ted said, feeling his face flush. “We have a Constitution.”

  The Inspector chuckled. “Your silly nationalist document means nothing now. You are under Global Governance, just like the rest of the world. We’ll finally have progress.”

  A large, slightly overweight young man came out of the kitchen. “Hey, boss, these slugs bothering you?”

  “No, Bryan,” Ted said. “Get back to work. I’ll handle these guys.”

  The Inspector grinned. “If you want to engage us, be my guest, Bryan.”

  “Boss?” Bryan asked, face turning red.

  “You heard me, Bryan,” Ted said, sweat breaking out on his forehead.

  “I’m calling for backup,” the large UN Peacekeeper by the door said in a British accent. “You’re playing with this bloke. That’s what got Stephan killed.” He pulled out his phone and made a call.

  “Go ahead, Cameron,” the Inspector said. “The more the merrier. Now, on with the questioning. You say Robbie is not here. Has he contacted you?”

  “No,” Ted said.

  “I don’t believe you.”

  Ted sighed. “Oh, hell, believe what you want, Eurotrash.”

  “How dare you?” Inspector Demetriou spat. He pulled his weapon and aimed it at Ted’s forehead. Then there was a shotgun blast, the Inspector’s head splattering all over the front of the restaurant.

  “Dammit, Bryan,” Ted said as the peacekeeper dropped to the floor. Cameron pulled his pistol and fired wildly in his direction as he ducked behind the front counter.

  Bryan waited until he emptied his pistol, and then moved out and fired the shotgun, catching him in the shoulder.

  “You bloody wanker,” the man screamed. Then he saw another UN van roll up. “Yes! You blokes are dead meat now.”

  Sparky leapt out of the Van in a UN uniform that barely fit. He rushed in.

  “Thank God,” Cameron said, his eyes getting wide as Sparky pointed a pistol at his head. He pulled the trigger without pausing on his way through the door.

  “Sparky, dammit,” Ted said. “Thanks a lot. You did this on purpose. Now I have to leave too.”

  Robbie ran out in a panic, looking at the carnage.

  “Hey, kid,” Sparky said. “Good to meet you.”

  “Who had the shotgun?” Robbie asked.

  “Me,” Bryan said. “How’s it going, Robbie?”

  “We’d better get the hell out of here,” Sparky said. “Let’s pile into the UN van, okay?”

  “What choice do we have now?” Ted asked.

  They all rushed out the door and got into the van.

  “Stop by my car so we can grab the weapons,” Robbie said. “I’m a couple blocks down Second Street. Turn right at the light there.”

  “You got anything worth taking, kid?” Sparky asked.

  “Two Weatherby rifles with scopes,” Robbie said. “Nice sniper rifles. Cost over a grand each.

  “Yeah, that’s worth it,” Sparky said. “What else?”

  “There’s a 30-30 lever gun, a double-barrel twelve gauge, and two 9mm auto pistols.”

  “Okay, we’ll grab them,” Sparky said. He made the right turn and drove down the street.

  “There it is,” Robbie said, pointing to his car. He slipped out the side door of the van and opened the trunk, grabbing the guns and setting them in the van. “What about my car?”

  “Leave it,” Sparky said. “You won’t be needing it anymore.” Robbie got in and they drove away.

  “Where we going?” Bryan asked.

  “Our hideout,” Sparky said. “It’s not far.”

  “Listen,” Ted said. “Those damn euro-sirens.”

  Sparky chuckled.

  “This isn’t funny,” Ted said. “I had a good gig going there.”

  “We’re on a mission from God,” Sparky said. “We’re putting the band back together.” Bryan snickered, but stopped when he saw Ted’s angry expression.

  “You son of a bitch,” Ted said, shaking his head. “You sent Robbie to my place on purpose. You knew what would happen.”

  “You found me out,” Sparky said. “You still as sharp as you used to be?”

  Robbie and Bryan looked at each other.

  “You two knew each other before?” Robbie asked.

  “Yeah,” Bryan said.

  Sparky laughed.

  “Quit laughing, Sparky,” Ted said. “You could’ve just asked me.”

  “Would you have left that high-paying gig to join us?” Sparky asked.

  Ted sighed. “No, but after the way those guys threw their weight around, I’m mad enough to join the fight.” A smile crept over his face.

  “Good,” Sparky said.

  “How do you two know each other?” Bryan asked.

  “Navy Seals,” Ted said.

  Robbie grinned. “Son of a bitch.”

  “What about these two?” Ted asked Sparky. “I won’t allow them to be hurt.”

  “We want Robbie on our team,” Sparky said. “He killed three UN Peacekeepers so far, and he’s an expert hacker.”

  “I killed that Inspector and wounded the other UN creep,” Bryan said. “Do I get to join up too?”

  “Probably,” Sparky said. “We’ll talk when we get to the hideout.”

  Ted glanced over at Robbie. “This what you bargained for, kid?”

  “I’m just reacting at this point,” Robbie said. “Job one for me is getting Morgan back, but I’ve seen enough of these cretins to know we have to fight them no matter what. You saw how they were in your place. I heard all of it.”

  “I’m not going to disagree there,” Ted said. “You’ll be dealing with some very dangerous people. You’re gonna have to get a lot more street-wise than you’ve been in the past.”

  “I know,” Robbie said.

  “You think you know,” Ted said.

  “Hey, don’t discourage the recruits,” Sparky said. He got onto the 405 freeway, heading north.

  “Where the hell are we going?” Ted asked.

  “Marina Del Rey,” Sparky said.

  “Ivan there?”

  “No,” Sparky said, “but he’s still running things. He moved up north to get the resistance started there. Once we’ve turned the people against the Globalists here, we’ll join him there. I think he has something big planned. I’m guessing Sacramento.”

  “We just enlisted, didn’t we?” Bryan said, grin on his face. “If you let me join, that is.”

  “We’ll see,” Sparky said. “I like what I see so far.” He made the turn onto the Marina freeway. His phone rang. He answered it.

  “Sparky. I’m driving, so you’re on speaker. Who is it?”

  “Cody,” the voice said. Robbie’s head snapped towards the front of the van, and he moved up to hear.

  “Hey, Cody,” Sparky said. “Nice job in Beaumont. They can’t use the 10 or the 60 to get out to their base in Coachella Valley anymore.”

  “Yeah, that worked out pretty well. Almost as well as what those retired folks did to that pass outside of Dulzura.”

  “Saw that,” Sparky said. “What a frigging mess.”

  “Yeah, the enemy finally gave up trying to clear that pass,” Cody said. “You know we lost most of those people, right? The enemy hit the RV park. Beheaded almost everybody there.”

  “The core people got away,” Sparky said. “They’re with the Barona tribe now.”

  “You’re kidding,” Cody said. “Well, that’s good news at least. I look forward to meeting them.”

  “Why are you calling?” Sparky asked. “I’m kinda busy.”

  “I captured another UN van. Just wanted to know where you want it brought.”

  “Where’d you get that?” Sparky asked.

  “I know where he got it,” Robbie said.

  There was silence on the line for a moment. Sparky cracked up.

  “Robbie?” Cody asked.

  “Yeah,” Robbie said. “You stole their van from in front of my condo, huh? Good job.”

  “How do you two know each other?” Sparky asked.

  “Cody lived across the street,” Robbie said. “He was there during the problems this morning.”

  “In your condo?” Sparky asked.

  “No, man,” Cody said. “I was at my condo picking up some stuff, when I heard the gunfire.”

  “How many people did Robbie kill?” Sparky asked.

  “Three,” he said, “although I had to put a bullet in the one he ran over in the driveway. Guy wasn’t quite dead yet.”

  Sparky chuckled. “Okay, then I guess the score is two and a half.”

  “Two and three-quarters,” Cody said. “He was pretty close to dead.”

 

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