51. Kali
51
KALI
C laudia came to find me as soon as the guys took off.
I didn’t feel like talking, and she read that so she didn’t push. Which I was grateful for because today was not the day to push my buttons. So, we sat on the back porch.
“You two want to watch something?”
It was the biker that first came around the corner after I shot Shelly.
“Depends on what you think we’d like to watch.” Claudia’s narrowed eyes on his junk was an indicator where her mind was. And she didn’t seem happy about it, which almost made me start laughing because my sister had changed.
He barely reacted, instead giving us both a set of binoculars. “Those are long distance, but take a look. Swing it down and to your six o’clock. Might spot some guys you recognize.”
I took them, and aimed where he said, and I saw them right away.
My breath was caught in my chest, for a moment.
Two houses. A main one with the lights lit up like it was Christmas, and a shed in the back. There were men walking around in the main house, and one was currently coming out to smoke, but it was his assault rifle that really got my attention.
Zooming out a bit, I saw the guys moving in.
My breath was taken away once again, because I’d never seen anything like it. Not in person. In movies, yes. Television, but not in real life. I was seeing it now, though and I didn’t know if I should be impressed, worried, excited, or pissed. I had no clue. My reactions had shut off since I found out about Connor, and I didn’t know if I should tell Claudia or not. Everything was shut down for me.
But they were moving in, all from different angles. All converging on the main house as two figures approached the shed. They moved up, hugging the side of the building until they got to the door. I couldn’t tell exactly what was going on, but they had paused before the door swung open.
The guy on the front porch heard and began to move to the side to see what was going on, and he was reaching for his rifle when suddenly a figure stood up from the ground. A gun was raised. The front porch guy stumbled back, his hand raising to his neck. He swung around, and tried scrambling to bring his rifle up. The black figure stepped forward, that gun still being held steady. The front porch guy went unconscious.
I wasn’t seeing any flares and I wasn’t hearing any shots so I was guessing they were using suppressors.
“Look,” Claudia gasped.
I went back to the shed and sagged in relief. “That’s Katie. They got her out.”
Or it looked like her, but her head was down. It was a female, and soon after, two guys came out. Justin and Harper. Thank goodness. Two guys moved to help run them back, and they were covering them, but once they disappeared, they began moving in on the main house.
It was a slow and steady approach until they were lined up right next to it, bent down under some windows.
And, acting as one unit, the windows were smashed by one guy. Another guy on the other side threw something inside.
The air looked like it exploded and right after that happened, the front door was kicked in. A line of guys surged in, guns up, and gas masks on.
I couldn’t see what was happening on the back end, but was assuming it was the same thing.
These guys moved like military. They were professional and organized, and a whole new chill went down my spine thinking Shane wasn’t just one of them. He was their leader.
It happened so quick. It wasn’t long before they were hauling men outside. Five in all. Zip Ties were put on them, and they were laid on their stomach. Other guys were going through the house, and this was just as organized. Phones were collected, thrown to a pile. Weapons went in another pile. Files. They brought out laptops. All sorts of items, and other guys were bagging everything up. Others were going through the weapons while four guys stood around the men on the floor, their guns pointed right at them.
Then, like rising out of fucking mist or something, I saw Shane walking in from a hill.
He wasn’t dressed like the others. He was all in black, but no gas mask. God no. A whole different chill went through me at what I saw. He was wearing an old hockey mask, white. There were marks on it, one going right down from above the eye to the cheek below. I knew it was Shane because I knew his body.
Another shiver wracked my body.
When he approached, the guys looked up and even I could tell everything got quiet. The guys lay still. Even the men going through everything, bagging everything up, seemed to go a little slower, more cautious.
Shane–no, this was Ghost.
Ghost went to the group and stood there.
Abruptly, one of his men grabbed one of Estrada’s and jerked him to a sitting position.
Ghost stood over him, saying something.
The guy wouldn’t look up.
Sha–Ghost stepped forward and pressed the end of his gun to the man’s forehead. He said something again.
The guy started shaking his head, and his lips were moving fast, frantic.
Shane/Ghost suddenly jerked the gun to the side and shot. There was no suppressor on that one. The bang traveled to our ears seconds later, but at the same time, the Red Demon who’d pulled him to a sitting position, slammed the butt of his gun on the guy’s head. He fell down, unconscious.
The others hadn’t witnessed what happened, and they began moving around.
The bikers surrounding them moved in and Estrada’s men stilled again.
They repeated the process, all the same until they got to the last remaining guy.
He was lifted up, but he was shaking too hard. When they tried sitting him down, his legs weren’t working. He kept flopping down, so they were forced to hold him up. He was almost eye level with Shane, who raised his gun, pressed the barrel against his forehead and like the others, he kept shaking his head. He was weeping. His torment was hard to watch, but I hardened myself. He was part of the group that took a daughter, took Harper and Justin.
Fuck him.
“Hey.”
I almost screamed. I’d forgotten Roanoke was there. He patted my shoulder, and ignored my shriek, though he was sporting a grin. “Incoming. Think these are your people.”
I whipped my binoculars off and looked. A four-wheeler was speeding our way. I didn’t recognize the guy driving, but I did recognize Katie. I saw a glimpse of two guys in the back, but it was enough for me. I jumped off the porch. My feet hit the dirt and I was running.
Katie was in the front, and seeing me, recognizing me right back, she flew off the four-wheeler and right into my arms.
I snatched her up, my hand cupping the back of her head. Her mom might’ve not been my favorite person, but I understood why she did what she did. Didn’t agree with it. Thought there would’ve been a better way about it, but I did understand the fear.
I was passing her off, turning and prepared to grab both Justin and Harper for a hug when I stopped.
My arms were already up. I was going for them–that wasn’t Justin, or Harper.
Two strangers stared back at me.
The guy who’d driven them to me took off his front mask, and I recognized Corvette. He stepped toward me, his hair messed, sweat streaks over his face. “Yep. That was our reaction too, and just to be very clear here, these are not your friends?”
I shook my head. “No.”
Also, what the fuck?!
I hit call on my phone.
My dad answered, but he heard me crying. “Kali? What’s wrong?”
I told him what I could.
My heart was breaking and I needed my Dad.