Chapter Nine
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GG AND DALTON DIDN’T get as far as they’d hoped after leaving the old warehouse early in the morning. The boat they’d stolen to cross the Hudson River was gone when they returned to where they’d left it. “I’m sure I tied it up tightly,” Dalt said in annoyance.
“It’s just as well it’s gone,” GG said, using binoculars he’d stolen from the cops to peer across the water. “Rahab’s goons are still searching for us.”
She handed the binoculars to her companion.
Dalton lifted them to his eyes and saw men and women wearing white armbands searching the buildings.
Groups of four or five huge muscular men were scattered amongst them.
They had to be the soldiers who were now his enemies.
“We’ll need to wait until nightfall, then find another boat to sneak across the river,” he figured.
“Let’s pick a spot where we can keep our eyes on them,” GG suggested.
Dalt had found some food during his search for a vehicle.
He’d also snagged some bottles of water from the same place.
They entered a café that overlooked the river and sat down at a table next to the window to wait.
It had already been ransacked for food and beverages, so it should be safe enough.
GG’s stomach rumbled and her ex reached into the small backpack he’d found. “Here,” he said, offering her an energy bar.
“Thanks,” she replied and tore it open. They snacked on the energy bars and drank bottled water in companionable silence. “I never thought you’d leave Montana,” GG said when she finished eating. “Maybe Fate really is real and she sent you here to save my butt.”
“Something sent me those dreams of the soldier chasing you,” he agreed in a disturbed tone. “I would have arrived sooner if it hadn’t been for the blizzards.”
“We weren’t ready to escape from the soldiers yet,” she told him. “Wynter hadn’t even figured out what her special talent was. She needed time to discover what she could do and hone her skills enough to get us all free.”
“I still can’t believe she turned that alien into ice,” he said with a shudder. “It’s a pity she didn’t wipe the others out, too.”
“Rahab told me his men can heal from almost any injury,” she said. “I’d bet my favorite pair of boots that the other guards she incapacitated recovered. They’re probably part of the search party.”
Dalton nodded, then peered through the window with the binoculars again. “How many soldiers are there?” he queried.
“Rahab told me there were nearly a hundred, but the knights and cambions have whittled down a few,” GG said with a smirk. “Rahab throws a tantrum every time he feels someone die. I hope he choked on his rage when he found Berit’s corpse.”
“You’re sure Wynter and her knight killed him?” Dalt asked, lowering the binoculars to look at her.
“Tolas needed to kill him so he could bond with Wynter,” she reminded him. “I just wish I could have watched that hairy giant’s demise.”
Dalton chuckled at her vehemence. “You always were a bloodthirsty woman,” he said in part admiration and part amusement.
“Which is why I was so good at pro-wrestling,” she boasted, then sighed.
“You miss the fame?” he guessed sympathetically.
“I miss the old world,” she said. “I miss normalcy.” She gazed out the window at the Manhattan skyline in the distance.
“Nothing will ever be the same again,” she said sorrowfully.
“If Rahab and his squad win, they’ll turn humanity into their slaves.
Amaros and his knights need to win their war for everyone’s sakes, even if most people don’t deserve it. ”
Dalt reached across the small round table and took her hand. “They’ll win, darlin’,” he said. “Fate’s on our side, remember?”
GG dredged up a smile, then squeezed his fingers before letting him go. They kept up their vigil while reminiscing about their pasts. He asked her questions about what it had been like in the wrestling industry. She had plenty of stories to tell him, most of which made them both laugh.
Darkness eventually fell and it was time for them to leave. “Wait,” Dalton said when they exited from the café. “I see headlights,” he said, gesturing towards the distance.
“It must be the cops heading back to their base with their contraband,” GG figured.
“Let’s take a look,” the cowboy suggested.
GG followed her ex to the road the law enforcers were using. They’d driven as close as they could get to the Lincoln Tunnel. Vehicles clogged the bridges and tunnels, so they parked on one of the side streets.
Dalt stopped to peer around the corner of a building. GG peered around him, using his body to hide herself from view.
“Wait here and guard the truck,” one of the cops ordered.
“Why do I always have to watch the truck?” the man who’d been chosen whined.
“You’re the worst shot out of all of us,” their leader said with a smirk as his small team began unloading the items from the back of the vehicle.
“I’ve got an idea,” GG said as inspiration struck.
“Lay it on me,” Dalt invited her.
“Why sneak across the river on a boat when we can pretend to be cops and blend in with them?” she proposed.
“You’re a genius, Glory Gold!” he exclaimed quietly.
The leader was on his walky-talky, calling for more aid to carry the boxes across to the city.
GG spied a pile of discarded clothing that had been dumped in a nearby doorway.
She crossed to it, found a white shirt and used her knife to tear it into strips.
She handed one to her companion and he tied it around her bicep.
It stood out starkly against her dark blue jacket.
She tied one around his arm in return. “Now we look the part,” she said in satisfaction.
“A group is on its way through the Lincoln Tunnel,” the leader of the cops told the others. “More will be heading here to help us from the New Jersey side,” he added, aiming the comments at the lone cop who would be guarding their truck.
GG and Dalt waited for the small group to leave and reach one of the entrances to the tunnel before moving. “I’ll do the talking,” GG said. “Your accent isn’t exactly local.”
“Yes, ma’am,” the rancher said with an eyeroll.
Making sure her lower face was covered by the high neck of her ski jacket, GG strode towards the truck with her ex right beside her. Seeing their armbands, the guard nodded in greeting.
“We were sent here to help carry supplies through the tunnel,” GG said briskly.
“Grab whatever you can carry,” he replied, nervously peering behind them. “Have you heard the news that some rebels are trying to flee from Manhattan?” he asked.
“Nope,” Dalton said. “Who are they?” GG shot him an assessing glance at his ability to mask his normal accent. She’d underestimated his acting skills.
“There are eleven pretty women. One of them is kind of famous,” the cop said in a self-important tone. “I’m sure you’ve heard of Glory Gold, the pro-wrestler?”
GG snorted out a laugh as she picked up a box from the back of the truck. “Everyone’s heard of her,” she said in derision. “What did she do?”
“I don’t know and I don’t care,” he said. “All I know is Mayor Giamano wants her and the other women found. They’re to be returned to the city unharmed.”
“We’ll keep our eye out for them,” Dalt said, grabbing two of the larger boxes.
“Wait!” the cop said when they turned to walk away. GG tensed up, ready to drop the box and punch him in the throat. Shooting him would be too loud and draw unwanted attention. “You’ll need this,” he said, reaching into the bed of the truck to grab a flashlight.
“Thanks,” GG said as he slipped it into her hand.
“It’s pretty dark in the tunnel,” he said, then turned his attention back to guarding the truck.
“I thought I was going to have to shoot him for a second there,” Dalton muttered when they were a safe distance away.
“Me, too,” GG agreed, glad they’d avoided bloodshed.
She had to pause to switch the flashlight on once they entered the Lincoln Tunnel.
Vehicles were packed in tightly in all three entrances.
The walkway was clear of civilians, since guards were stationed at both ends.
They weren’t allowing anyone to enter or leave while the search for the fugitives was still ongoing.
GG and Dalton were waved through once the cops saw their armbands.
“How long is this tunnel?” the cowboy asked.
“It’s about a mile and a half long,” GG replied, shining the light ahead. “We’ll be in Manhattan in no time,” she said confidently, hoping no one would recognize her despite her disguise.
It was a long trek beneath the river. They occasionally had to squeeze against the wall to let other people pass them. Their fellow armband wearing officers nodded and murmured greetings each time they passed. GG and Dalt responded in bored tones, then continued on.
“Thank God that’s over,” Dalton said in relief once they exited from the far end. They followed a group of cops into Midtown, then waited until no one was in sight before quietly splitting off from them. “Follow me,” Dalt said, hurrying northward.
GG kept up with him as he headed to Morningside Heights. Their luck was in and they didn’t run into anyone.
“This is the place,” the cowboy said when he reached an old brownstone townhouse. It was far nicer than a humble pastor could have afforded, but it was close to the hall he was using as a church. He put the boxes down, then knocked on the door.
Larry Hogan’s face appeared in the window next to the door. His suspicion turned to delight when GG shone her flashlight on her ex’s face. Dalton winced at the glare and cut a look at her. “Thanks, darlin’,” he said wryly.
“It worked, didn’t it?” she said innocently, then snickered.
The preacher unlocked the door and opened it. “I never thought I’d see you again when you didn’t return yesterday, son,” he said, holding out his hand. “Who’s your companion?” he asked curiously.
“I’m Glory Gold, the most notorious and wanted woman in New York, Pastor,” GG said. “Rahab and his people are hunting for me and some women I helped escape from them.”
Larry’s eyes widened, then he ushered them inside.
“They came knocking on the door earlier and I had to let them in to search the entire building. It’s lucky I keep a small stash of food in the pantry just in case I get raided.
” They picked up their boxes and stepped into the foyer. “What have you got there?” he asked.
“We have no idea,” Dalt said with a grin. “But whatever it is, it’s yours now, sir.”
GG felt a wave of relief surge through her when the pastor closed the door and locked it.
She sensed they would be safe here, for a while at least. They only planned to stay long enough to grab Dalton’s gear, then find a safe location somewhere else.
Now she was having second thoughts about leaving so soon, thanks to all the minions of evil scouring the streets for her.
“Come in, sit down and tell me everything,” Pastor Hogan told them. “I’ll make us some coffee. You can both spend the night here where it’s safe.”
Not about to turn down that offer, they followed him into his new home.