McCulver looked over at Eli briefly. “Is this really all that made it out? Where’s the thirty-cal?”
Eli breathed deeply and exhaled, feeling his heart pound at his chest. “Don’t remind me. Brown’s staying behind to gather intelligence. We’ll pick him up tomorrow, when this settles.”
“Is it going to settle that quickly?”
“What do you mean?” Eli barked.
“We just attacked a high-value military target. No doubt about that now. If any one of our guys were captured, the feds will be at the Parsonsfield site pretty quickly.”
Eli buried his face in his filthy black hands. With a thirty-caliber machine gun and nearly forty heavily armed militiamen assaulting the house, he hadn’t considered the possibility of failure, let alone that some of his men might be captured and tortured for information. Kevin was right.
“When we reach headquarters, have the men pack up everything and hit the road. I want the place evacuated in less than an hour. If those two tactical vehicles show up before we’re gone, they’ll put an end to this show before it starts. I’ll head up 160 with Bertelson’s men and find a suitable location in the Brownfield or Denmark area. Made some deliveries up that way in the past. There are some real isolated places near the New Hampshire border. I’ll pick a spot north of Porter for a temporary rally point. School, campground, whatever. I’ll come get everyone once the new site is secure.”
“I should make a second trip to my house,” said McCulver. “I have some bomb-making gear—old cell phones, wiring, detonators—some pipe bombs in the shed. It’ll save us from scrounging around while we need to keep our heads low.”
“As soon as I return to guide our boys to the new HQ, I’ll cut you loose on that mission. You’ll need to approach your house carefully, and you’ll have to wait at the rally point for someone to contact you via radio, in case the feds follow you back.”
“I don’t think anyone back there knows where I live.”
“Probably not, but they know your name, and I God-guaran-damn-tee Homeland Security has a functioning database that could spit out your last five known addresses in a heartbeat,” said Eli.
“Maybe I should forget about it.”
“No. They’ll hit the Parsonsfield HQ first, then my house in Waterboro, working their way down the list. The biggest risk is running into them on the road. You can’t take the Bronco.”
“What about splitting off from you guys when we hit Cramm Road?”
“Negative. I need you organizing the pack up and withdrawal from Parsonsfield,” said Eli.
“We have enough competent people to pull that off, Eli.”
“I thought we had enough competent people to shoot a thirty-caliber machine gun, but apparently that wasn’t the case! No. I need you personally in charge of this. I can’t be there, and one of us has to be with the troops at all times until we get things back on track. They need leadership right now. Without leadership, they’ll drift away to the four winds.
“I’ll put the guys left over from Bertelson’s squad directly under your charge, along with the guys that were part of Jimmy’s crew. Spread them out and use them to keep the troops in line. I don’t want one of the SUVs to slip out of the convoy with rations and ammunition. Reporting to the rally point isn’t optional.”
“Got it. I still think it’s risky sending me south later in the day.”
“The payoff is worth the risk. This’ll be your last trip to the house for a long time. Make sure your wife knows that,” said Eli.
“She knows. I’m more worried about the kids.”
“You tell them this is like a regular military deployment and that their dad is gonna be a hero, with his name all over the county.”
“You really believe that, don’t you?”
“Now I do. After what I saw at that house, there’s no doubt in my mind that York County is about to be invaded.”
Chapter 44
EVENT +75:52
Limerick, Maine
Alex helped the marines load the portable stretcher carrying Ed into the back of the Matvee. Samantha held his hand until she had to let go.
“I should go. I can leave the kids with—”
“I’ll be fine, Sam,” Ed groaned, partially smiling.
“You don’t sound or look like you’ll be fine. Why are you smiling?”
“Morphine,” said one of the marines from the front seat.
“Why didn’t I get any morphine?” Charlie griped from the passenger seat.
“Because one of us needs to stay coherent,” grumbled Linda from the seat next to him.
Corporal Lianez raised his eyebrows and whispered, “You put two Thorntons in the same vehicle with me, sir?”
Samantha started laughing.
“The kids need you here,” said Ed. “I need you to be with the kids. The corporal said I’d be fine.”
“No offense to the corporal, but it’s not like he put you through an MRI,” Samantha snapped.
“None taken, ma’am,” said Corporal Lianez. “Best I can tell, the bullet entered his hip high on the outside, skipped off his pelvic bone and exited through his buttocks. Bleeding is normal, so I don’t think it took a deeper route through. I’ve seen enough bullet and frag wounds to tell. We’ll keep the bleeding to a minimum until we get to the hospital.”
“Sorry, I didn’t mean—”
“Ma’am, there’s no need to apologize. I wouldn’t trust me either.” The corporal winked. “You’re welcome to come, but I’d want my wife to stay with the kids too. Captain, if you’ll close the hatch when they’re ready?”
“Thank you,” Samantha said, hesitating to say any more.
“This is what we do—but you’re welcome,” said Lianez, climbing into the troop compartment.
“Tell the kids I love them and I’ll be back soon,” said Ed.
“I will. I love you.”
“Love you too, honey.”
“You ready?” asked Alex.
When Samantha nodded, Alex pulled Samantha to the side of the tactical vehicle. They hadn’t swept the forest for hostiles, and he didn’t want to expose her to the eastern tree line when the door swung shut.
“Be good, my friend. The marines will stay with you at the hospital and push for priority treatment. I can’t imagine they have too many gunshot wounds, so it won’t be a problem. If it is, I’ll have the battalion commander press down on the hospital. Probably see you tomorrow.”
“Watch over the kids for me,” said Ed.
“Like a hawk,” said Alex.
“Like your own.”
Alex nodded. “I think you pulled off number three in there today.”
“Number three?”
“Three times you’ve saved my ass.”
“That didn’t count,” said Ed.
“No?”
“Everyone racked up at least ten ass-savings in there. We’ll keep the tally at two.”
“Fair enough. I still owe you. Keep those two from killing each other,” he said and shut the rear hatch.
Alex opened the left passenger door, figuring he had to say something to the Thorntons. He knew he’d probably regret it.
“Why do I have to go to the hospital? I’m fine,” Charlie insisted. “You need help here, and I can still get around.”
Alex looked at Linda, who shook her head and mumbled, “Idiot.”
“You have a bullet hole in your leg, Charlie,” said Alex.
“So what?”
“Morphine kicked in, Linda?”
“Something kicked in. Feels like a bad ankle sprain,” she said, wincing when she accidentally moved her foot.
“Better than before?”
“You have no idea.”