Rajun Cajuns #6

Book 5

Bits of book Five

They all heard a gasp from the doorway. When they looked over...There stood Jordy and the woman he helped yesterday.

She was in his arms again but now she was wide awake. She was also shivering. “What did you just say?” she asked.

Shay studied her then he repeated what he said just a moment earlier, “Our friend called us this morning and told us about a man named Chester Lauden. Do you know this man?”

She nodded. “Lord help me but I do know him and I can tell you firsthand, he’s not a good person. He’s cold, not very forgiving and he’s nothing but trouble. If he comes here then you are all in grave danger.”

“And how would you know all of that?” Boomer asked her.

Mindy looked over at him and whispered, “He’s my grandfather and the man I ran away from.”

“What do you know about the standing order to burn this place down if Solomon died?” King asked.

Mindy sighed as she explained, “My grandfather tried to tell Solomon he was making a mistake by hiring Dale Bailey and his family to make those bombs but Solomon didn’t care.

He didn’t care that those men were breaking the law, that they were risking their lives in a dangerous job.

He knew full well that Dale had a drinking problem and I think he was hoping Dale would just blow himself up when the bombs were all done.

I don’t think Solomon cared what happened to them as long as they made the bombs he needed.

He was a prince like that, but he also knew how unstable Dale Bailey was too.

He instructed my grandfather to keep track of his position that if he was ever hurt, killed or caught then he wanted my grandfather to come and burn the place down to the ground.

To make sure everyone in the area was burned up to make a statement.

He wanted the whole world to know he was being avenged. ”

King just shook his head. “That is crazy, girl.”

Mindy nodded. “It may be but those are my grandfather’s orders and he thinks if he does it he’ll be the next leader of the cult.

He doesn’t know that Solomon has his successor already picked out.

And if Grandpa couldn’t get the one who killed him then the new leader would make an example of him.

He would slice grandpa’s throat right there in front of everyone. ”

Shay looked disgusted then he asked, “Do you know how your grandfather operates these missions?”

Mindy nodded. “Yeah, I know how he does it. He’ll bring a team of three men in and they’ll split up each taking their own path.

To just light fires as they go. They won’t mess around with just matches either, they all have small blow torches and they will burn it all.

As they walk a straight path. They will have a meeting point on the other side and when they meet up, they will have left a full on blaze behind them. ”

Maudie growled and the others sitting there growled as well.

King looked around and found that everyone had silently joined them.

The Hogans didn’t look happy either.

“Who are the other three that will come with your grandfather?” Shay wanted to know.

Mindy shrugged her shoulders and replied, “Their names are Tommy Logan, Richard Kyle and Gerry Bloom. They are the real arsonists. Tommy will go north, Richard will go west and Gerry will go south. Grandpa always goes east. But they have a starting point and here that would be by water.”

“By water?” Leeza asked.

Mindy shrugged. “That’s the easiest way to get here and escape.

I heard them plan it one afternoon. Grandpa had them all on speaker.

There’s one point by water that can reach the center of the swamps and there’s another point on the other side that also has a waterway for them to escape. That’s all they need.”

Leeza looked over at Renee and Rhetta then she nodded. All three of them knew where those spots were and what concealment they could use there to fight them. “We know that area and we can defend it.”

King looked at Mindy then said, “This is your family we’re talking about here. Are you ok with the fact he might not survive? Then even if he does, he’s probably going to go to prison.”

Mindy stared back at him then she nodded her head.

“My grandfather is not a good man and nothing he’s done in the last fifteen years has shown me any care.

So yeah, he needs to be stopped, maybe just as hard as Solomon was stopped.

He won’t be missed and this stance might just show the entire cult that their plans might not be as easy as they all thought.

It might just show them all that Solomon was crazy and those who follow him will probably end up dead or in prison.

Maybe this is the wakeup they all need.”

Teige brought up an important point, “The real question here is are they gonna believe it's done. Or will they keep on the same track Solomon was on?”

Mindy shook her head. “Knowing what I know they will probably keep on the same path. They will keep going until enough of them are dead or in prison. They truly believe they can’t be touched and that they are on some special mission.

” She shrugged, “Personally, I think the whole damn group is wacky. But hey, that’s just me. ”

“Does your grandfather know how you feel?” Boomer wanted to know.

Mindy nodded. Then lowered her head as she admitted, “He knows because years ago, I started to ask questions I shouldn’t have.

He told me then not to make waves or he would teach me to hold my tongue.

” Then she looked up at Jordy with tears in her eyes.

“And he did just that. Over and over again. But that didn’t matter because I still had my own mind and I could still think for myself.

Then he informed me I was to marry Solomon and I refused. ”

Boomer scoffed. “Yeah and we all know what that damn bastard did to you then, don’t we?”

They all knew that she had been starved to malnutrition.

“So when he can’t get through to Solomon,” Mindy whispered. “He’ll come here. He will bring Tommy, Richard and Gerry with him.”

“And he’ll find out that swamp people aren’t gonna accept what he plans to do here,” Sonny added his version of upcoming events. “We have every right to defend our homes and we know this swamp better than he ever will.”

Mindy raised her head and told them all, “You might have to kill him but you know what? He’s not a good man and the world won’t miss any of them, but I have a feeling the world would greatly miss all of you.”

Everyone in that room just stared at her.

A half hour later...

Mindy sat in the jeep bouncing around as Jordy flew through the swamps. When they got close to the camp, she could see what was happening.

Her grandfather and his men were sitting on the ground while the Hogans held them in place with guns aimed at them. Then behind the line of men was something indescribable.

Her eyes widened at the beady eyes in the shadows. She turned to Jordy and asked, “What’s behind them?”

Jordy looked over and said, “That is ole Blue and a few of his family members, I think? They are still hangry after getting woken up by the Boar War.” He kept shaking his head as he pulled the jeep into the camp. He helped her out then they both walked over.

Chester Lauden looked up to see Mindy there and snapped, “What in the hell, girl? I don’t know how you got here nor do I care when you got here, but you need to tell these men to let us go.”

“And why would I do that, Grandpa?” Mindy asked with a hard tone in her voice as she made her way over with the bat in her hands. “And why the hell are you here?”

Chester glared at her and snapped, “You don’t question me girl, we’re here looking for Solomon and his brother.”

She looked around the camp and saw the abandoned blowtorches.

“I see you all brought your limp tools with you.” She saw the signs of scorched plants and earth.

There were also a few dead pigs that were burned badly.

She winced at the destruction and the scent of burned flesh.

Looking back at her grandfather, she smirked.

“What? Did you try to make your own bacon?”

“Don’t you dare ridicule us.” Chester growled. “Just who the hell do you think you are anyway? You ain’t nothing.”

Mindy nodded. “That’s true enough, I am nothing and nobody at least in your eyes.

But guess what, grandpa? You ain’t nothin in my eyes either.

Nothing but a bully, a criminal and just plain mean.

A real loser as they say. Just look at you all scuffed up covered in ash.

I bet your men protected you for the coward you are.

I am sorry to say that I carry your blood. ”

Chester surged to his feet and stomped over to her. Even as his hands were zip tied, he raised them up as a double fist at her.

Jordy growled as did his two brothers Teige and Ragan as they all stepped closer.

Mindy glanced over at them and shook her head. Then she looked back at Chester. She raised the bat and held it in her hands like she was lining up a hit. “If you come near me,” she warned. “I will hit you.”

Chester scoffed. “You wouldn’t dare.”

“Oh yes, I’d dare,” Mindy snapped at him “You aren’t going to touch me ever again you lowlife loser.

You also aren’t going to sell me into marriage to a man three times my age.

Solomon is dead, I am happy to say. I heard that from someone who was there when that monster died.

He took three arrows in the back and he deserved each and every one of them. ”

Chester stopped and frowned at her announcement. “What the hell did he do to deserve three arrows in the back?”

“He was gonna slit my throat until the first arrow hit,” Sonny snapped angrily. “Then she laid two more in him to stop him cold.”

Chester snapped his head over to him and his eyes widened. “What did you say?”

“He was gonna slit my throat then my woman stopped him cold with three arrows,” Sonny repeated the event to him.

Reecie stepped up next to her husband and raised her bow. She then told Chester in French Creole, “Pièce de résistance...Contre-attaquer.” Turning, she kissed Sonny’s cheek.

Chester stared at her as he shook his head and slipped to his knees. He forgot about hitting Mindy and grappled with the entire undoing of all his nefarious plans. “A woman killed him?”

Mindy did something odd then. She smiled. After all the suffrage many females had borne under this foul man, she finally saw justice served as her grandfather literally fell apart while on his knees in the sand.

“Yes and we have seized all the guns and explosives,” King eagerly reported to him now. “Dale and his clan are also gone. All of it is over and done with.”

Chester went silent as he then muttered to himself in gibberish it seemed. He looked pale and his eyes were bloodshot. He then shouted, “No! Noooo,” as he leapt up and lunged for Mindy once again.

Jody acted swiftly as he grabbed her and tugged her out of the way.

This was when ole Blue made his move, he swiftly waddled out of the shadows like he was a bolt of scaled lightning and clamped his mouth onto Chester’s ankle.

He looked none too happy by the annoying noisemaker being near his family nest. When he snapped his mouth shut tightly onto Chester’s lower leg— everyone standing there heard Chester’s bone break.

As Blue began twisting his head back and forth, Chester screamed again and one of the bones in his leg burst through his skin.

The other blue gators came out of the shadows now. So the other three men sitting there scatter-crawled to get to safety.

Blue dragged Chester toward the water while Chester was ranting wildly to get the gator off of him.

Mindy just stood there watching. She stared at her grandfather being dragged toward the river. She didn’t move nor did she speak.

Chester shouted at her to help him. When that didn’t work, he looked back at her and begged for mercy. When she didn’t move, he screamed at her, “You little bitch! I’m your grandfather, help me. For the love of God. Mercy, mercy!”

Blue had him near the water now.

Mindy looked down and grabbed the gun Jordy had in a holster at his waist. She raised it up in an aiming position. Then she whispered, “Forgive me Father for I have sinned.” The gun snapped off with the bullet hitting her grandfather in the chest.

Chester flopped back onto the sand and didn’t move again.

Blue didn’t seem to care about the shot or the other people present as he took him into the water anyway. His gator family followed him, flanking his wake like large scaly protectors.

Mindy quietly handed Jordy the gun back. Squaring her shoulders, she turned to walk back to the jeep and got into her seat.

Just then, Shay’s copter came roaring in and hovered over the small beach.

Everyone moved back from the raging wind and blowing sand coming from the chopper blades.

Then a waterfall opened up from the Bambi Bucket and doused all three of the notorious Flame.

From a megaphone, Boomer’s voice boomed out, “Choke on that, fuckers!”

The helpless zip tied Flames men spluttered and wandered blindly in circles as they fell in the ash and mud to get up then fall down again.

The Hogans, the girls and King all laughed until they had tears on their cheeks.

The copter flew off after witnessing the comical sight as well.

After a couple of minutes, the Hogan men gathered the three soggy, wet Flames men.

One of them was still defiant and he kept repeating, “You all done it now! You’ll be sorry!”

“Aww pipe down, will ya?” Harry told him.

Tiege nodded and wrestled the second guy into the jeep. “It’s over man. Just go to jail like you’re supposed to.”

The man who kept shouting turned to look at the Hogans standing there by the jeeps. “Soleman wasn’t alone, you idiots. They will come here and avenge him!”

Sonny pushed him up and into the backseat and grumbled, “Just be quiet, will ya?”

“Oh, my God!”

They all looked up at Mindy who had said this as she sat in another jeep close by.

She looked pale as she whispered, “He’s right.”

Jordy stepped close and reached for her hand. “What are you saying, baby?”

Just then, King walked up and raised his phone to announce, “Shay just texted me. He says there are reports of explosions going off in three major cities.”

Nodding her head, Mindy said, “Soleman has a son. He is now the new leader. Soleman always said his son would take over for him. Chester and Soleman always spoke in whispers about that. Like it was a sacred secret or something. The strange part was that this son had a crazy girlfriend who’s the real killer. ”

“I told you!” the Flames guy exclaimed as he laughed. Soot-mud covered his face and clothing as he looked downright insane. “It ain’t over till the Fat Lady sings.” He fell over on the seat as he laughed hysterically.