Late the next afternoon, Benjamin Black rolled out the red carpet for an honored guest, Colonel Lionel Rutherford of the Unified American Empire. Ben had never met the man but knew much about his reputation. From what Ben had been told, the man was sadistic, arrogant, and lethal—making him a model UAE officer.
Ben had spent the morning getting to know Chrissy Dupree—an exceptional child, given the circumstances. She had apparently witnessed unspeakable horrors, yet had made it through in remarkable fashion. Chrissy was polite, enthusiastic and— in stark contrast to the world around her—optimistic.
Ben had a long list of theories as to her importance and managed to cross each one off the list. None of her relatives had any connection to the UAE. The girl had never seen a soldier from the UAE, and she had never set foot on a military installation. The girl’s importance to the UAE was a complete mystery to Ben, making her even more valuable to the resistance. If she possessed critical knowledge about the UAE, she could prove useful in striking a devastating blow. But more than that, Ben had accepted this child into his community and felt responsible for her wellbeing. He doubted the UAE’s interest in this girl had anything to do with kindness.
Ben’s radio crackled. “Ben, they’re here. You coming out or do you want me to bring them to you?”
“Show them to my office.” Ben wanted to stand behind his desk and have the man seated in front of him, a not-so-subtle reminder of who was in charge.
Ben stood as his guest entered and extended his hand. “Colonel, it’s an honor to meet you. What brings you to the Magic Kingdom?”
His snobbery in plain sight, Lionel Rutherford paused a bit too long before returning the handshake, as if Ben’s hand had been dipped in something unsavory of which he should be wary.
“Mr. Brown, I …”
“Black.”
“Excuse me?” The colonel looked horribly offended by the interruption.
“Black. My name is Benjamin Black.” Ben shot the colonel a piercing smile.
“Ah, yes, of course it is. Well, I’m sure you’re aware of the recent measure to combat the slave trade. The report you compiled on the liberated …”
“Why is that, exactly?”
“Why is what?” Colonel Rutherford shifted in his seat, clearly growing impatient.
“Why after all this time has the UAE decided to do something about the slave trade? Why now? What happened?”
“That need not concern you, Mr. Black. All you need to know is that the UAE is going to great lengths to…”
“That’s the other thing that has me puzzled. You guys have a lot on your plate these days with all the attacks. Real sorry to hear about McClellan; that was pretty fucked up. How do you guys have the time to chase down slavers?”
Colonel Rutherford was not amused. The leaders of these fortified communities didn’t impress him. They were more often than not delusional morons who rose to power by being the most violent idiot of the bunch. “Mr. Black, I’m afraid we don’t have time for lengthy discussions. My business here is rather urgent, so I’m going to have to forgo the hospitality I’ve heard so much about. Do I have your attention, sir?”
“Of course.”
“You have a child here by the name of Christina Dupree.”
“We have a lot of children here. I can ask around for …”
Ben knew things were about to get ugly when the look on Rutherford’s face went from disgusted to venomous. “I was not asking a question, hillbilly! I know she’s here!”
“Hillbilly? I’m sorry, have I done something to offend you? Colonel, we’re here to cooperate in every way possible. You hungry? I can have some grub brought up, and we can sort this out.”
“I don’t have time for your silly games and, quite frankly, you’re pissing me off. I know you spent the morning with the girl trying to figure out why we want her. That means you know exactly where she is. I’m leaving here with her in ten minutes.”
Ben was finished trying to manipulate the asshole and dropped the act. “Before I do anything, I want to know why she’s so important.”
Rutherford chuckled. “Or what? What’re you gonna do? Stop me?”
“C’mon, let’s not get carried away. I think I have a right to know.”
“You have a lot of nerve, you know. The only right you have is to do what the fuck you’re told. You think you’re some sort of big shot? I can shoot you between the eyes and give your job to the first person I see. Catching on? You do not want to waste my time.”
“The girl is a part of this community, and I’m responsible for her wellbeing. And while we’re on the subject, I am a big shot. I’ve built up quite a settlement here, and we’ve got the muscle to defend it. I’ve got a double-barreled shotgun under my desk, conveniently aimed at your crotch. I figure we’ve got two choices: You can either get the fuck outta my park and not come back, or I can blow your ass outta that chair.”
Colonel Rutherford smiled, not the least bit shaken. “Third option?”
“I’d love to hear it.”
“Look out the window. Honestly, I’m surprised you didn’t meet us in the parking lot. Could’ve saved us both a lot of time. Go on, Mr. Black! Take a peek. I promise to sit right here and behave myself.”
Ben leaned back in his chair to get a better look at the parking lot, his finger still curled around the trigger. The good colonel wasn’t screwing around. Dozens of vehicles and easily a hundred eager soldiers were amassed outside, ready to storm the park.
“As you can see, I came prepared. Impressive, aren’t they? That’s about a third of them. Believe me when I tell you I won’t hesitate to slaughter every adult in this park and take all of the children with me. I’d rather not resort to such drastic measures. Just give me the girl! Is one little kid really worth all that to you?”
“You’re a bastard, you know that?”
“Actually, I don’t really get much criticism in my line of work.”
“I can see why. Will she be safe?”
“Absolutely! She’ll be an honored guest! You think we’d go to all this trouble if she wasn’t important?”
“Who the hell is she? I gotta know, please.”
“It’s not actually the girl who’s important. It’s her father.”
“What? Her father’s dead.”
Colonel Rutherford beamed from ear to ear. “Oh, no, General Dupree is very much alive, I assure you.”
CHAPTER ELEVEN
“Mr. Everton, I admire your passion, sir. I pride myself on being somewhat of an expert in human nature. I know these first stages of captivity—such an ugly word, but I just can’t think of a polite euphemism for what we’re doing here—are the most difficult, and I do apologize for all the unpleasantness. I’m eager to get to the next phase of our relationship. I think we’re almost there, don’t you?”
Joel Everton was duct-taped to a kitchen chair and had been for the past eleven hours. His wife was in the same predicament a few short feet away. Although her mouth had been taped shut, she’d been spared all but a fraction of the violence her husband had experienced. “You’re not suggesting we’re becoming friends are you? That whole Stockholm Syndrome thing isn’t happening here.”
“No, no, Mr. Everton, I have no illusions about us becoming friends. I certainly don’t expect you to become buddies with my two associates here. The next phase is acceptance of what’s happening to you. It’s a given…inevitable, I’m afraid. I’ve seen it many times; some take twice as long as you and some take half the time.”