Nelson, with his hands tied behind his back, ran toward the gate. Samantha sprinted toward him.
Eric aimed at a second person and shot him.
In an instant, some in Truman’s group turned their guns on Eric and the others.
Mack managed to get off a few shots before he was hit three times, once in the stomach, once in the hip, and a round in his left leg. He fell to the ground and grunted in pain.
Eric was calm and steady as he aimed at the woman who had just shot Mack. He was squeezing the trigger when he was hit in the shoulder.
Samantha opened the gate for Nelson but not in time.
Several bullets struck him in the back and he fell into her arms. The force caused her to fall backward with him on top of her.
Scott had a shotgun and was blasting away. He hit one of the men, but then several of them targeted him and let loose a volley of fire. One of the shots was fatal; he fell to the ground with a gasp.
Frank ran over to help Nelson but a barrage of bullets rained down on him. He too was hit several times, with one fatal shot to the head.
Mack yelled out in pain, and from a kneeling position he shot and killed the man who had delivered the fatal shot to Frank.
The group trained all of their guns on Mack and fired. He yelled out before falling over dead.
There were still six people from Truman’s group alive and unhurt. Seeing everyone on the other side down they stopped shooting.
“We got them all!” one of the women cheered.
A man in the group walked inside the gate and up to Samantha, who was struggling under an unconscious Nelson. He raised his rifle at her.
She tried to reach for her pistol but couldn’t. Resigned to what was about to happen, she closed her eyes.
A shot rang out.
She opened her eyes and the man fell over backward.
The shot had come from behind her; she looked back and saw Seneca. Having more time, she wiggled out from underneath Nelson and pulled out her pistol.
Truman’s group targeted Seneca but she ran away, disappearing as quickly as she had appeared. She ran from the gate toward a large boulder about fifteen feet away.
Samantha sat up and fatally shot two of them.
The ferocity of the gun battle had caused everyone to forget about the mysterious vehicle.
Without notice, a Humvee plowed into the remaining three, the force of the impact tossing their bodies like rag dolls.
Nelson had come to and was coughing. He cried out in pain and rolled onto his back, his hands still tied.
Seneca ran to him as Samantha tried to stop the bleeding from his wounds.
Eric stood up and yelled, “Who is that?” pointing to the truck.
The driver’s door opened, and out stepped Gordon.
When Pablo had finally called it a night, his bloodlust had taken the lives of thirteen people. With each new person he tortured, more information and names were divulged. The insurgency had managed to penetrate his ranks by buying some of his men. He had never given it any thought, but if he was able to buy an army, it only proved that his army could also be bought. A mercenary army is only as loyal as the highest bidder. These men weren’t fighting for their country, they weren’t fighting for honor, or for something they believed in. It was all about money. This new insight made him realize that going forward, he wouldn’t be able to demand loyalty; he had to pay for it.
When he walked into the dining room he expected to see Isabelle but she wasn’t there. He grabbed the decanter of wine and a glass and took his seat at the head of the table.
After pouring the cabernet, he followed his wine-swilling ritual. He swirled it, then stuck his nose in the glass. After that, he examined the legs, impressed with what he saw. The final part of his ritual was taking the first sip. When the first taste of wine entered his mouth he swished it around, then swallowed.
“Sublime!” he said to no one in particular.
He looked at his watch. She was running about ten minutes late.
A small dining bell sat on the table. He picked it up and rang it. A servant quickly came in and asked, “Yes, Emperor?”
“Is the special treat ready to bring in?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Good, I’ll ring again when I want you to bring it in.”
“Yes, sir,” the servant said, then left the room.
At the same time the main dining room door opened and Isabelle came in. “So sorry I’m late. You know us ladies.”
“I understand, beauty takes time,” he softly said.
“Oh, is that the Paso Robles wine?” she remarked when she saw the decanter.
“Yes, it is, but I have something else I want you to try; it’s a surprise. I’ve also had the chef prepare something special for dinner too.”
“What’s the occasion?” she asked after kissing him and taking her seat.
“Today was a magical day!”
“Oh my God, I heard what happened to your car. I was worried sick until I heard you were safe and sound,” she said, reaching over and grabbing his hand.
“Are you hungry? I’m famished,” he said as he picked up the bell and rang it.
The servant came in with a large covered tray and placed it on the table in front of her. “Madam, would you care for some wine?”
“Yes, that would be fabulous.”
The servant grabbed a second decanter from a buffet table behind her and poured her a glass.
She had adopted his passion for wine and had even started her own ritual similar to his.
“Salud,” he said as he raised his glass.
They touched glasses and each took a sip.
“Oh my, that’s so good. It’s really rich, with a hint of… ah, I don’t know. Here, you try it,” she said, handing him the glass.
“No, thank you, my dear. I’m more than happy with this glass.”
“So you want to hear about my day?”
“Sure, I love knowing what you do! It really connects me to you.”
“Yes, I know how you love to know the ins and outs of what I do or who I talk to.” His tone had shifted a bit. Gone was the sweet demeanor.
“Ha, what does mean?” she asked, picking up on his more aggressive tone.
“Today, I started with torturing General Pasqual and two of his family members, a lovely lady by the name of Maria and her son, Jorge. After the general told me what I needed to know, I killed him, Jorge, and little Maria. Oh, little Maria. What’s the most accurate way to say it? Let’s just say she was fucked to death.”
The smile on her face vanished and fear gripped her.
“I then had the pleasure of torturing the captain who oversees the command post operations. He had so much to say, he really was the most vocal. He gave me so many names, and when I felt confident he was done, I split his head in two. Then it got really interesting! The names he gave me led to this wonderful young man by the name of Jordan.” Pablo stood up and removed the cover from the tray, exposing the head of a young man.
Isabelle shrieked when she saw the head.
“I understand you and him know each other very well. Look at how I decorated his head.”
She covered her eyes with her hands. She couldn’t bear to look at the head of her lover and leader of the local insurgency, Jordan DeMint. The intelligence that he and Isabelle provided to Conner and the United States had been valuable.
“Look at it!” he screamed at her.
She began to wail and shake.
“Now Jordan here, he was very tough, and I didn’t get too much out of him. Even after I cut off his cock and stuffed it in his mouth he wouldn’t give any information up. Fortunately for me, your father was the most forthright,” Pablo said as he rang the bell again.
The servant came in with another covered tray and placed it in front of her.
Pablo removed the cover. There on the tray was her father’s head.