Chapter 29
Once everyone was outside, Dillon moved down the path in the woods first, keeping Sydney close while John followed.
But as they walked the path, John knew Teddy and his wife were still at the halfway mark where he’d left them.
He needed to let them know he was coming without giving it away to Dillon.
“So, what is the plan when we reach the barge?” John asked, raising his voice so it would carry into the woods.
“I’m going to take my money and ride off into the sunset,” Dillon answered.
“All this for an early retirement,” John said.
“It’s more than that,” Dillon replied. “People will remember me, John. They will remember what I did, that I stole more money from any bank than any person in the history of the world. And no one will ever find me once I’m gone.”
“You keep telling yourself that,” John said.
Dillon laughed. “Do you doubt me?”
“People like you can’t change their nature,” John answered. “You’ll find trouble again. It’s only a matter of time.”
“Maybe you’re right,” Dillon replied. “Maybe I’m only buying myself some time. Either way, I will come out on top. I always do.”
Dillon’s confidence bordered on arrogance. But John had every intention of knocking him down a few pegs. But first, he needed to make sure Sydney was out of harm’s way.
John made eye contact with Sydney, and he gestured toward the woods. The pair had been out here several times. Both of John’s children were well aware of the traps he had set up in the woods to protect their home. And she nodded in understanding.
All that mattered now was making sure Sydney was safe. Once that was accomplished, then he didn’t care what happened to him.
The terrain from the house to the dock was fairly stable, but they were approaching an area where it was much thicker in trees off the path. If John was waiting for an opportunity to make a move, then he was nearing it.
But they were also getting closer to the spot where John had left Maggie and Teddy. John’s pulse quickened. Things could turn south very quickly, and he wanted to make sure he was ready. He kept a close eye on Dillon, watching his every move.
When they finally turned the corner on the path where John had left Teddy with Maggie and the canoe, John hoped he had hidden his surprise when he saw they were both gone.
Dillon noticed John’s hesitation and raised an eyebrow. “Something you need to tell me?”
John quickly recovered. “No, we’re getting closer.” John thought it best to scan the woods nearby discreetly, searching for where Teddy could have taken Maggie, but he was nowhere to be found.
The closer they moved toward the barge, the more John had to think about what came next.
He continued to make eye contact with Sydney, hoping she would pick up on their need to make something happen.
It was a nerve-racking situation, and one wrong step could be fatal.
But John finally saw Sydney give him a nod. She was ready.
“Getting closer,” Dillon said. “What do you think is going to happen?”
There was a malicious playfulness in his tone, and John watched as they neared one of the traps closest to the path’s edge.
“I think you’re going to lose,” John said. “Because that is what is right.”
Dillon laughed. “Do you want to know what I think your biggest problem is? You truly believe that if you do the right thing, then you will be rewarded. But that’s not how the real world works, Johnny Boy.
People take what they want, and if they’re not strong enough to hold on to it, then someone else will come along and rip it from their grasp. ”
“That’s a very cold and calculated view of the world,” John said.
“Have you not been paying attention since the EMP was detonated?” Dillon asked. “Look at how quickly people turned on one another when resources were scarce. People were only out to save themselves.”
“People are more than just the violent animals you make them out to be,” John said. “Except for you.”
“And is that what you think I am?” Dillon asked.
“No,” John answered, staring Dillon in the eyes. “I think you’re a coward. Plain and simple.”
Dillon laughed. “I’m not afraid.”
“Yes, you are,” John said. “You’re afraid of dying. You’re afraid of drawing that last breath. It’s the only reason you kept my family alive and the only reason you haven’t tried to kill Sydney yet. You’re not confident that you could beat me in a real fight.”
John had wanted to pick at Dillon’s ego, blind him with anger so Sydney could make her move. Dillon was nothing more than a child. If John exploited the man’s insecurities, he would take the bait. They were getting closer to the trap now. Just a few more steps.
“You’re not as clever as you think, John,” Dillon said. “You’re not going to trick me into a fight.”
Sydney tensed when they reached the spot near the edge of the path. She was in a good position, too. All she had to do was push Dillon to the right.
“Then I guess we’ll have to settle this some other way,” John said.
And on cue, Sydney shoved Dillon hard with her shoulder.
He didn’t move as far as John hoped, but the few steps were enough to spring the trap, and when the spike flew into Dillon’s leg, Sydney sprinted away from him toward her father, but Dillon started shooting, and John moved quick to get Sydney out of harm’s way before either of them caught a bullet.
When Teddy first heard the gunshots, he had no idea what to do.
All he could think about was making sure that Mrs. Carver remained safe.
He knew that was what Mr. Carver would have wanted.
It took all of Teddy’s strength to pull the canoe off of the path and into the woods, being mindful of the traps that Mr. Carver had told him about.
Mrs. Carver was still unconscious, but she was alive.
Between Mrs. Caver’s condition and the gunfire, Teddy was at a loss for what to do.
He remembered what Mr. Carver had told him about how dangerous the woods around the property were.
All the traps he had set and how one wrong move could be fatal.
Teddy was stuck. But then he heard movement on the left, and Teddy readied himself for a fight. But that all ended when he saw Blake pop his head out from a hole in the ground.
“Teddy,” Blake said, keeping his voice at a whisper.
“Blake?” Teddy asked.
Blake was quick to get out of the tunnel and then rushed over to Teddy. He hugged Teddy and then noticed his mother in the canoe nearby.
“Mom,” Blake said, his voice a whisper.
“She’s okay,” Teddy said, trying to calm Blake down. “Well, she’s hurt, but she’s still alive. I wanted to get her back to the cabin, but your dad mentioned there were some traps out in the woods, and I didn’t want to misstep.”
“It’s okay,” Blake said. “I know where to go. Just stay here with my mom, and I’ll be back with help.”
“Maybe I should go with you?” Teddy asked.
“I will be okay,” Blake answered. “It would be too difficult to try to navigate my mom on that canoe, and I don’t think I can help carry it.” He gestured to his broken arm. “You stay here and keep her safe like you’ve been doing. Thank you, Teddy.”
Blake hurried away, the noise of gunshots growing louder in the woods.
Once Blake was out of the hole he had found Teddy in with his mom, who was at least safe now, Blake knew he had to go back to get his sister.
It had been his fault the bank robber was able to do this because Blake had let him into the house.
Blake should’ve known better than to trust a stranger.
But he had allowed his emotions to get the better of him.
Blake was tired, but he was boosted by a shot of adrenaline after escaping the house through the tunnels. He kept tasting bits of dirt in his mouth from his escape, but it was a small price to pay to remain alive.
Blake was careful not to trigger any of the tripwires through the woods. He was glad his father had taken the time to show him where they were.
Blake was nearly back to the house to save his sister when the shooting started again, and Blake jumped from the gunfire, and then he saw his father drag Sydney into the woods. The other man was nearby, screaming and shooting without hesitation.
Blake shifted course and hurried toward his dad and sister, but when he neared them, he was immediately shoved down to the ground by his father.
“Stay down!” John shouted.
Blake covered his ears as his father returned gunfire, but with the other man firing so wildly, his dad could barely get a shot off. He leaned closer to his sister, who embraced him in a hug.
“Are you okay?” Blake asked, staring at his sister.
“Yeah, I think so,” Sydney answered, checking herself.
Eventually, the shooting stopped, and when it did, John turned to both of his children. Blake had seen his father angry before but never this focused. It was like he turned into someone else as he spoke.
“I need the two of you to get back to the cabin immediately,” John said. “Stay there and lockdown. Do you understand?”
“But, Dad, we can help,” Sydney answered.
“Yeah,” Blake said.
“You two have already done more than I could have hoped for,” John said. “I’m so proud of the two of you, but right now, all that matters is making sure you two are safe.”
“We don’t want to leave you, Dad,” Blake said.
For a brief moment, Blake saw his father become normal again. Even at the height of so much chaos, John would never forget he was always a father first.
“I know,” John said softly. “But you two are the most important thing to your mother and me, and everything we do is protect you. That’s my job. And that’s what I have to do now.”
Sydney understood, and she slowly pulled Blake away from their dad. But Blake didn’t want to leave. They had been apart for too long.
“It won’t be much longer,” John said, reading his son’s mind. “I promise.”
Blake remembered what his father had always told him about making promises. You never did it unless you were certain it could be kept. And his dad always kept his promises.