Retribution (Moonstruck Genesis #4)

Chapter 9

FIVE PHONES buzzed, beeped, honked, chimed, and dinged, while the sixth one played “Do You Think I’m Sexy.” Annie had the good graces to blush as the wives grabbed their cells and read the texts simultaneously. Five sets of concerned faces looked to Hannah.

“Dammit.” She raised her chin to meet their gazes. “Let me guess…bare bones on the messages.” Scrunching up her face, she managed a decent impersonation of Mac when she added, “We have a plan. Going in tonight. Be home soon.”

All five nodded in agreement.

“I call bullshit.”

Annie turned the screen of her phone around. “Sean added another message. Just call me Boomer.” She rolled her eyes. “That man totally loves blowing stuff up.”

The strains of “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” sang from Hannah’s phone. “Amy!” She thumbed the ACCEPT CALL button. “Where are you?” She listened and nodded. “Good. Can you find us or should I meet you and guide you in?” After another few moments of listening, she added, “No. We’ve moved.”

Jacey leaned in and whispered in Hannah’s ear.

Hannah answered her before continuing her conversation with Amy. “That’s true, Jay. Amy? Jacey just reminded me that we need to come into town anyway. We’ll meet you and you can follow us home.”

They worked out timing and place then broke off the call. While the other wives wrangled kids, Jacey and Hannah ducked into Hannah’s RV.

“What are you not saying?”

Hannah pasted an innocent expression on her face.

“I play poker with you, Hannah. That look won’t work on me. What gives?”

“It’s bad, Jacey. There’re about sixty gangbangers in town and maybe thirty civilians. Plus the girl. Mac says they have an informant.”

“But you have a bad feeling?”

“Oh, hell yeah.”

“Because of Liam?”

Inhaling deeply, Hannah considered Jacey’s question. “Maybe. He’s so fucking close to his change, Jacey. You went through this with Nate but he was an adult. I’ve heard Mac talking with the guys about what happens. If Liam doesn’t do it right, he…he can get lost in the wolf and not come back. Or he…” Her voice broke and cleared her throat. “He can die if he gets caught in-between.”

Jacey squeezed Hannah’s shoulder. “Mac knows this. He’ll be here. And Antoine is here now. He can help Liam hold on until his dad gets back.” Pasting on her own poker face, she added, “In the meantime, we have a shit load of stuff to do to get ready for Christmas. It’s four days away.” Her face morphed into one of comic panic and she flailed her arms. Her antics got the desired burst of laughter from Hannah.

“Then let’s get this show on the road, woman.”

THE WOLVES spent the day watching the town while Sean played with his toys. The warmth of the December desert day escaped as the sun sank and a chill filled the night. At sunset, the big Wolf, carrying a backpack stuffed to the seams with explosives, and Lightfoot disappeared into the desert.

Long after hard dark, Sean returned from placing the last few explosives—set in place for their escape route. He’d placed shaped charges, trip wires, IEDs, and a few other surprises at the gas station. The Wolves and Mano huddled one last time before beginning their assault.

Mac stared at Mano, his expression unreadable. “Once you hit town, you’ll have no more than thirty minutes to gather everyone in the church. First boom goes off at twenty-one hundred hours on the dot. We’re in, we’re out. That’s nine o’clock, Mano. The targets don’t stir much before midnight.”

“Yessir.” Mano’s grim expression didn’t change. “Mr. Fox, Lucy, and the Artezes will help me. I’ll slip in and explain the plan to them. Lucy can ring the bells in the tower. If anyone asks, it’s a special prayer service. For Christmas.”

“That won’t work. You’ll need to do it word of mouth. Lightfoot will already be in the tower to provide cover and ringing the bells will deafen him. Are you sure you can do this?”

Mano nodded, his eyes gleaming with anxious anger. “Positive.”

“Okay then. Nate will make sure you get back to town.” Mac glanced over at the big Marine, who nodded in acceptance of his mission.

“Radio silence until the first explosion, unless there’s a problem.” Harjo made eye contact with each of his men. “I wish I was going with you.”

“Colonel, we talked about this. Command and control,” Mac reminded him. What went unsaid was that Harjo was only human. The others could probably survive whatever the Los Malvados threw at them—barring a guided missile, beheading, or shredding their hearts.

“I know, Sergeant Major.” Harjo offered the Wolves a wry smile—just a hint of curl at the corner of his mouth. “Bring Honi—and yourselves home.”

They all came to attention and saluted. He returned the gesture. Old habits died hard. One by one, they faded into the gathering dusk. Nate waited for Mano. The younger man sucked in his breath and exhaled.

“Thanks, I guess. For what you’re doing.” He sounded a little sullen.

Harjo ignored the tone. “Maybe it will be enough, Mano. You need to get going.”

“Yeah.” He trudged into the desert, Nate following silently.

Harjo’s phone vibrated. He’d put it on silent days ago, while still at the hospital with Atosi. The text was from Amy. He missed her so much. They’d barely had a honeymoon, opting to return when they discovered all hell had broken loose. And then with Atosi’s illness…

The old man was better. Harjo’s cousin George had taken Atosi home from the hospital. His grandfather was a tough old man. Thankfully. The idea of life without him hurt Harjo’s heart. He depended on Atosi’s wisdom.

He read Amy’s final words with relief. She’d hooked up with Hannah and the other wives. They’d keep her safe if things went wrong here. He didn’t anticipate problems. Forty gangbangers against the Wolves? That was pretty much like leading lambs to the slaughter. The bastards wouldn’t know what hit them.

He texted back, sharing his love for her and how much he missed her. If things went as planned, they’d retrieve Honi Montoya in a few hours and would be headed straight back to Gallup. Her family and the Navajo Tribal Police would protect the girl then. After dropping her off, their duty would be done. If they drove like madmen, the Wolves would be back in Louisiana in time to celebrate Christmas. They’d trade off driving and go straight through with stops only for gas and food until they got home.

Home. Christmas.

The emotions churning in his chest felt strange and all tangled up. Growing up, home had been sitting at Atosi’s knee. Then came the Army. Which was not so much home as comfort zone. And here it was Christmas. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d partaken in a family celebration. And no matter the circumstances, the Wolves, their wives, their children…hell, his wife? They were family. Amy called it making a heart family. He wanted that for her, since her own family was so dysfunctional. Truth be told, none of them had grown up in a conventional family. They were all each other had. He studied the town as lights flickered on like so many muted stars in the darkness of the desert. That wouldn’t last long. The moon edged toward full and would peak on Christmas night. A Christmas Moon.