Chapter 16
Tacy
Someone knocks on the door, and I open it to see Declan standing there with a bouquet of pink tulips and a concerned look on his face. The fucking slimeball. His brand-new red Porsche sits in my driveway, right behind my car. Blocking me in. That’s okay, because my gun is loaded and stuffed into the back of my pants. A girl can’t be too careful these days with all the kidnappers and evil people running around.
I squeeze a tight-lipped smile at him and wait for him to talk first.
“Tacy. I heard what happened. Are you okay?” He offers me the bouquet, and I take them reluctantly.
“Oh, I’m just peachy, Declan. Who told you?”
“Sheriff Bouchard. You know I’m friends with the entire department, being the governor and all,” he says and flashes a fake smile at me. There’s something lurking behind his eyes. A shadow. A lie. He steps one foot onto the porch.
“Right, the Sheriff. Of course,” I say and place my hand on the doorframe. All the while thinking about the cold hard steel pressed against the skin of my back.
“May I come in?” He asks and steps up onto the porch with both feet. Then casually strolls towards me.
I step into the threshold and block him. “No, you may not.” I clutch the stems of the tulips with my other hand.
His brows furrow and he takes two steps back.
“Why not? What’s going on, Tacy? Is someone inside?” He cranes his neck to the right and peering over my shoulder and into the living room.
“Yeah, as a matter of fact, I do. He’s big and mean and he’ll rip out your fucking throat with his teeth,” I say and fold my free arm behind me. I stroke the handle of the gun…
Declan’s mouth drops open, and he takes another step back, almost falling backward down the steps. He grabs the porch pillar and rights himself. “Why are you acting like this, Tace? What did I do to you?”
“You know exactly what you did,” I say and chuck the tulips at his head. Pastel petals fly all over the porch and blow away in the wind, fanning out over the front yard and driveway. “I trusted you. I thought you were a good person, Declan. But you’re a Benedict Arnold. A sellout. You’re corrupt. As far as we’re concerned, we are not friends. And I don’t ever want to see your fucking face again.”
I retreat inside, slamming and locking the door. Then hurry to the alarm module and press the button until the system says “armed”. The audacity of this asshole to come to my house after ratting me out. He said he heard about my kidnapping through the Sheriff. My wheels start spinning, as I realize Declan might have pull with the police. Might he even be driving the suspicion of me as Starkey’s murderer? Feeding information to the cops? I take a deep breath and peek out the blinds, just in time to see Declan Harvey squeal out of my driveway in reverse.
“I hope you total that fucking car, you piece of shit,” I mutter.
Aris
“We can’t wait any longer. We must move,” I say and pound my fist on the metal table. Clyde, Thor, Shawn, and Reggie circle the table. I’m at the head. “Word is out about Duselizab. People are starting to figure out the med’s being used as a weapon. My wife is one of them.”
“I know you’re concerned for your Tacy’s wellbeing, Sir, but we don’t have the manpower yet,” Reggie says and cracks his knuckles. He was my assistant when I was in politics and when my name was Solomon Rountree. Now he’s my assistant and lead weapons consultant here among The Rebellis.
“We have enough,” I state. “And it’s not just my wife I’m worried about.”
“We agreed on at least one hundred fifty for a full militia,” Thor chimes in. He and Reggie are rule followers. Sometimes to their own detriment. Which sounds hypocritical since they’re technically rebels against the system. Both ex-military who have recently gone rogue. Thing is, they’re not betraying their country. They’re trying to save their country. From the evil elite in power.
“We have seventy-two, currently,” Clyde adds.
A car alarm beeps in the distance. Maybe three blocks away. Which isn’t unusual, given that we’ve made our headquarters in an old manufacturing plant in the crime-ridden part of town. But honestly, it wasn’t that bad until we moved in. What do you call a good man who commits a crime in the name of justice? A criminal. Doesn’t matter the cause, in the eyes of the law. But at this point, we’ve all accepted we’re delinquents. Wanted men. And we don’t give a fuck.
“Seventy, actually,” Shawn speaks up. His left eye is black and blue and there are two stitches poking out from his bottom lip. “Two of the newbies ran their fucking mouths and, unfortunately, my temper got the better of me.”
“Fuck, Shawn. Can’t you keep your fists to yourself for forty-eight hours?” I ask. “You’re fighting all the damn time, man. Like a god damn child. Go to anger management or something for fucks sake. Not to mention, we want as few people as possible to know about us. The more men we lose before the mission is complete, the more risk we take of the wrong people discovering our whereabouts. You know The Org has fucking moles in every neighborhood. Every business. Hell, they’re probably on every fucking street corner.”
“They won’t say shit, Aris. Trust me,” Shawn says. “Thor, how are we looking with the shipment from Harbor Towne?”
“Scheduled for Tuesday, four AM,” Thor replies.
“Good.”
“By the way Shawn, love the fucking Rambo bandana.” Thor lets out a rumble of a laugh and the entire table follows suit.
“Thanks, Asshole,” Shawn grumbles. “I’m losing my hair over this stressful shit. Just trying to look good for the ladies.” He lifts his bandana to reveal a receding hairline.
“It’s not the stress, Shawn,” I say amidst the guys’ laughter. “You’re getting old man. Just like the rest of us. Accept it and move on.”
“When the guns come in on Tuesday, who’s meeting the harbor master at the dock?” Reggie gets back to business.
“That’d be me and Clyde,” Thor says. “Along with three of the new recruits.”
“And these new recruits, are they vets? Ex-cops?” Reggie asks. “Felons?”
“One was a Navy Seal, the other two air force fighter pilots.”
“Perfect,” I say. “We’ll have the weapons. And majority of the manpower that we need. What are we waiting for?”
A strained silence falls over the dimly lit room. Reggie licks his lips. Clyde tilts back in his chair. Thor twists his face like he needs to take a shit. And Shawn repositions his bandana. A motley crew, this one. But the people I trust most in the world. They’re dangerous men but they have hearts of solid fucking gold.
“I mean, in all honesty Aris, I don’t think we’re ready yet,” Shawn says.
“I just listed the ways in which we are ready, so what’s the problem?” I ask and lay my hands on the table.
“What I mean is…ah fuck, I hate admitting this. We’re unsure if this is going to work,” Shawn answers.
“It has to work,” Reggie adds. “We have no other options. The government is corrupt. The pharmaceutical companies and healthcare corporations are killing people in cahoots with politicians like Declan Harvey. Our own fucking governor. They tried to kill Aris, for fucks sake. The Org has infiltrated every industry in this state, and likely the country, and bends everything to their will. Before long, our women will be barren, our sons will be killed off, and the elites will be in full power. And the rest of us will be their fucking slaves. There will be two classes – the elites and the peasants. Like a revived feudal system.”
“You mean, you’re fucking scared, Shawn,” I growl. “Admit it. You’re acting like a little bitch.”
Shawn scowls and rises from his chair. “I’m not a fucking coward, Lazaris. I’ve saved everyone at this table at least once.”
“Calm down. Take a seat. I’m just pushing you, man. Look. I get it, guys. This is big. Huge, in fact,” I address the entire team. “You read about militias rising and overthrowing governments in history books. At least, the ones who win. And the guys who don’t win? They’re erased from history. And the victors go right on leading the country and sucking the people dry. I know it’s fucking scary, but how many people must lose their dignity, their lives, to satisfy The Org’s bloodlust? They say they’re trying to control the population so that humanity survives as a species. The truth is, they want to replace anyone who isn’t like them. It’s called Eugenics. And we can’t fucking let it stand. So, we must take a stand. Sometimes it takes destruction to pave the way for a new creation. The Revolution was about a lot more than just taxes. And this rebellion? This isn’t about money or power. This is about standing up for what’s right and saving lives. Stomping out The Org and their disgusting fucking agenda.”
I gaze around the table at the men’s faces. The fear in their eyes is morphing into something else entirely – ferocity. Determination. Fury.
“And if we win, well…” I continue, “We’ll do things right. We’ll turn the corrupt in. Let them rot in jail. Get the right people back to the top.”
“Here, here,” Reggie, Clyde, Shawn, and Thor say in unison and pound the table with their fists.