“I’m proud of you, Em.” Ben smiled.

  “Hey, take it easy!” Martin shouted as one of the boy’s cannonballs splashed water onto the table. He had a few empty beer bottles lined up in front of him and was currently working on a fresh one. Ben was embarrassed by the man and the fact that he was taking advantage of Ed and Julia’s hospitality. Martin wasn’t coming with them tonight, but Ben was bothered by the thought he’d be worthless if something happened while they were gone. Maybe he’d stop drinking long before then or maybe Ed would run out of beer. At the rate Martin was putting them away, Ben was willing to bet on the latter.

  “Dad, are you getting in?” Brad swam toward the edge.

  “No, I don’t think so, buddy, but it looks like fun, though.” Ben tried to sound genuine, but the water was less than appealing. The fact that there was a thin layer of dog hair covering the surface didn’t help any.

  “We were going to wake you, but you were sleeping pretty soundly. Ed had to cut the power to everything nonessential for a while,” Sandy said.

  “Yeah, just need to make sure we have enough juice to keep the fence going,” Ed explained.

  And that was important, especially since Ben, Joel, and Ed would be gone for who knew how long. The fence was one of the reasons Ben was a little concerned about leaving the others here on their own. It wasn’t that they weren’t capable of taking care of themselves. They’d proven they could on numerous occasions, but feeling responsible for the well-being of the group as a whole had become a part of who he was. And having a few extra measures in place to ensure their safety was a small consolation.

  The rest of the day passed by without incident, and everyone seemed content not to question their good fortune. The pool did a good job of keeping the kids entertained while the adults talked the afternoon away. Once the sun passed below the roofline of the outbuilding and shade crept across the patio, no one seemed to mind staying put for a while. Ben hadn’t planned on recapping the last few weeks of their lives for their new friends, but unfortunately, Martin’s jaw was too well-lubricated with beer to stay closed, and although it was unintentional, he was doing his best to embarrass Ben. Martin described some of their more harrowing incidents much differently than Ben remembered them. According to Ben’s memory, he was less savior and more lucky survivor. They all were.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Fortunately, Martin’s drinking caught up with him and he eventually passed out in a hammock on the far side of the patio. Everyone seemed to appreciate the newfound peace and quiet. Ben spent the rest of the early evening making small talk when necessary but mostly keeping to himself and relaxing.

  The remaining hours of daylight passed quickly, too quickly for Ben’s liking, although a big part of him was anxious to get into town and grab what Emma needed. He’d done his best not to think about it all day, but now that the time for action was drawing close, it was hard not to.

  After a perfectly cooked meal of grilled venison and rice, Ben, Joel, and Ed headed down to the basement, where Ed showed them how to reenergize specific circuits so the kids could play games again or watch a DVD using the solar power system. After that, they got down to business. Ed unrolled an old set of blueprints on the pool table and used the blank side to draw a rough map of their route into town and to the clinic.

  The majority of the trip would be through the woods and over sawmill property, except the last mile or so. Depending on the level of activity in town, they could decide whether to go on foot from there or not. Ed promised it would make no difference if the clinic was still standing or not. The safe was fireproof and located in a section of the building that had been reserved for a future handicap lift or small elevator connecting to the second-floor office space. He knew this because he built the place for Julia. Worst-case scenario, they might have to do a little digging in order to reach the safe. They’d make sure to include an axe and a couple of pry bars in their gear prep.

  Ben didn’t have much say in this part of the plan. He’d never seen the town before and would have to trust Ed’s judgment when it came to determining the best way in and out. The last time Ed and Julia had tried to get to her clinic was over a week ago, and they had been unsuccessful. The main roads were blocked, and the people they encountered were less than hospitable. The busted window and large dent in the tailgate of Ed’s old F-150, which was normally reserved for work around the property, bore the proof of that.

  Ben hoped enough time had passed since their last attempt at getting to the clinic that things had changed for the better. It was a morbid wish, but maybe the population had thinned out since then. And if things were as bad as Ed and Julia portrayed them to be, perhaps natural selection had eliminated most of the dangers that lay between them and Emma’s medicine. Ben knew better than to think they would simply cruise into town uncontested, not if they were spotted anyway. Staying out of sight would be paramount if they were going to pull off this operation with any degree of success.

  He wished there’d been time to do some reconnaissance prior to their attempt, but he hadn’t wanted to risk detection or draw attention to the safe at the clinic during daylight hours. Ben was able to at least cover some of the basics, for Ed’s sake. And he made sure the man understood a couple of things, like treating every door or opening as a threat, stacking up on a door, and checking the red zones of a space they were clearing. These were all things Joel was familiar with, but it never hurt to hear them again.

  And now the clock was ticking. Emma had taken her last dose of antibiotics with dinner. According to Julia, there was a good chance her symptoms would return within a day or two without a full course of antibiotics to thoroughly kill the infection. Ben couldn’t stomach the thought of his daughter’s health deteriorating. He never wanted to see her in that condition again.

  “Well, I guess the only thing left to do is gear up.” Ed grabbed the blueprint sheet off the pool table and rolled it up. “Here you go, in case we get separated.” He handed it to Ben and proceeded toward the vault door.

  “I don’t plan on letting you out of my sight.” Ben stuffed the crude map under his arm and he and Joel followed Ed into his small armory.

  “Whoa, I didn’t even know some of this stuff was legal.” Joel spun around, slack-jawed, as he took in the impressive display of firearms and gear, finally settling on a Remington 700 equipped with a silencer.

  “Yeah, you have to have your FFL in order to get some of this stuff. The suppressor can be owned legally in Indiana for hunting with the right paperwork and a little money, but not these.” Ed crouched down and pulled a hard case out from under a shelf. He flipped open the lid and stepped back. Ben was surprised to see two MP5s outlined in foam.

  Joel stepped forward for a better look. “Are those MP5s?”

  “Yep, good job.” Ed seemed surprised that Joel recognized the gun. “You ever shot one?”

  “Yeah,” Ben and Joel answered at the same time.

  “I took Joel to an indoor shooting range for his birthday one year and they had one for rent. Fastest hundred bucks I ever spent.” Ben laughed.

  “It was fun, though,” Joel added.

  “How did you manage to get your hands on those?” Ben asked.

  “Friend of mine has his federal firearms license. I’m still not really supposed to have these. Believe me, they weren’t easy to get and cost a small fortune.” Ed pulled one out and handed it to Joel.

  “How much?” Joel extended the telescoping stock until it locked in place with a loud click.

  “Joel.” Ben shot him a look.

  “No, it’s fine. You’re looking at about sixty K between the two of them.” Ed pulled the second submachine gun out of its case and handed it to Ben. Outside of Joel’s birthday, it had been a long time since Ben held an MP5. He’d carried a suppressed version as backup on more than a few raids. These two of Ed’s were chambered in the 9mm like the one he was familiar with, only they were much cleaner and looked almost new. What the versatile submachines lacked in stopping power they made up for in volume.

  “It didn’t really cost me that, but let’s just say my friend with the FFL license got one heck of a deal on the house I built for him.” Ed chuckled and turned back toward the stacks of ammunition. “We might as well use them tonight. If not now, when, right?” Ed slid a can of 9mm ammunition out into the center of the room, followed by a canvas bag full of thirty-round magazines for the MP5s. “I’ve got a lot of .223 already loaded up and ready to shoot, but we’ll have to load magazines for those.” Ed handed each of them a sling for the MP5. “It won’t be too bad. I’ve got a speed loader.”

  Ed was moving fast now, pulling gear from the shelves and handing Ben and Joel items as he went. He only slowed when he produced two plate-carrier vests in multicam pattern.

  “I only have two of these, and I want you guys to wear them.” Ed pushed the vests at them. Joel took his, but Ben refused. All he could think of was the conversation he’d had with Julia in the hallway that morning.

  “No, you wear it.” Ben held up his hand.

  “Are you sure?” Ed held on to the vest but let it drop to his side.

  “Yeah, I’ll move better without it,” Ben insisted. That was a lie, but as long as Joel was covered, that was all that mattered. Besides, Ed was already doing enough for them. The least Ben could do was make sure the guy made it home alive. The vest wouldn’t guarantee that any more than Ben could promise to bring him back to Julia unscathed, but it wouldn’t hurt.

  They continued going through Ed’s arsenal, gathering the remainder of what they needed. Ed’s vault was like a toy shop for gun enthusiasts, but it was important to limit themselves to the essentials. Each of the RZR’s had a small bed behind the seats, and although it was tempting to take more than they needed, their best bet was to keep it simple and stick to what they could carry. They could only shoot one gun at a time. He also wanted to retain the ability to move fast and quiet. There was a good chance they would end up on foot, and even though his knee and ribs were feeling better, there was no reason to weigh themselves down unnecessarily and push it.

  Ben also didn’t want to leave the RZRs with too much gear in them in case they were discovered. There was nothing worse than supplying the enemy with the means to fight better. He was sure the Patriot Hooligans had plenty of ways to do that on their own.

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Ben noticed his watch burn through the late-night hours faster than he thought possible, and he was thankful for the extra help from the others with loading magazines and filling water containers for the excursion. When that was done, he encouraged the rest of the group to get some rest, but everyone insisted on staying up to see them off.

  The extra help carrying gear to the RZRs via the tunnel was welcome, and before long, the two all-terrain vehicles were loaded and ready to go. The only thing left to do was top off the tanks with gas. Joel and Brad volunteered to help Ed take care of that while the others retreated inside to the comfort of the air-conditioning. Ben offered to stay and help, but Ed insisted that Ben head in and let him and the boys take care of the final preparations.

  He would have resisted, but Julia offered to make a fresh pot of coffee, and that sounded like a good idea, considering the night they had ahead of them. Besides, he’d be back out to look things over and check through their gear one more time long before it was time to depart.

  They were shooting for two in the morning as a jump-off time, but Ben doubted he’d be able to wait that long without some convincing. He understood that Ed wanted to be cautious, based on what he’d seen, and allow ample time for the rowdier inhabitants of town to burn themselves out, but it wouldn’t hurt to give themselves a little extra time. And sitting around here waiting was starting to drive Ben crazy.

  “Black, right?” Julia pushed a fresh cup of coffee across the bar top toward Ben.

  “Yeah, thanks.”

  “You guys have everything you need for tonight?” Sandy joined them in the kitchen as Emma and Allie continued on into the living room with the dogs. Only Max stayed behind to lie near Julia’s feet.

  “Yeah, I think so.” Ben looked at Sandy. He could tell she wanted to say something but was holding back. “Go ahead.”

  “Please be careful tonight.” She shrugged. “I feel like I say that so much it’s losing its meaning, but I really want you to be careful tonight.”

  “I will, I promise. But you know there are no guarantees.” Ben knew they understood the risks, but for some reason, he felt clarifying that fact alleviated him of some responsibility. It didn’t, though, and the pressure to make sure everyone was all right was starting to wear on him. Being the one that the others turned to for reassurance was tiring at times, but it was his burden to bear nonetheless, especially right before they were about to tackle something like this. It was hard enough keeping his pre-operation jitters in check.

  Ben was already buzzing with anticipation about the task ahead, one of the reasons he knew there was no point in trying to rest prior to their early-morning departure. The time would be better spent mentally preparing himself.

  “I almost forgot. This is what you’re looking for.” She slid a piece of paper across the counter. It listed a few names of medicines.

  “If we can get to the safe, we’ll bring back everything we can carry.” Ben folded the paper and stuffed it in his pocket.

  “Just make sure those antibiotics on there are part of what you grab. Without those, this is all for nothing as far as Emma is concerned,” Julia warned. Ben nodded and took another sip of coffee as Ed and the boys came in through the back door.

  “All fueled up and ready to go,” Ed stated.

  “Good.” Ben checked his watch and was surprised to see that not much time had passed since they were all outside in the outbuilding. Up until the last couple of hours, the evening had gone by quickly. Now time seemed to be at a standstill. It was going to be harder than he thought to stay put until the agreed-upon time.

  The kids retreated to the living room for a late-night game of Monopoly, but the smiles and laughter were more subdued. The reality of what they were about to do was beginning to take hold. Even the dogs were on edge. It was like they understood the day wasn’t over and there was a good reason for why everyone was still awake.

  Ben finally decided he’d waited long enough to excuse himself to the outbuilding for a last-minute check of their gear. He was glad when no one followed. Time alone was a rarity these days, and he needed a little bit of that right now to mentally prepare.

  Ben circled the RZRs in the darkness of the garage; the only light was a small LED fixture over Ed’s workbench. Tugging at the MP5, he made sure the Velcro straps holding it to the roll cage would endure the trip. He and Joel were both bringing their sidearms and an AR-15. Ben assigned the Kel-Tec to Joel for the night as well and took the liberty of attaching the red dot sight to the stout bullpup-style 12-gauge. He also made sure both barrels were loaded with double-aught buckshot.

  There wasn’t much of a moon tonight, or at least not enough to penetrate the haze that lingered in the sky. That was good for a stealthy insertion but made for tough conditions when trying to acquire a target in the heat of battle. The red dot would help Joel get on target faster, and the buckshot would ensure he covered a broader area.

  Preparing for something like this was challenging enough, but having Joel along added a whole new element to the mix of emotions. It also raised the stakes tenfold, as far as he was concerned. Was he being a bad father by allowing Joel to come with them? He wasn’t really sure, but he wouldn’t be asking this of his son if he didn’t think it would greatly increase their chances of success. So no matter the amount of guilt he felt about putting Joel in danger, Ben needed to suppress those doubts and focus on saving Emma. He also needed to listen to his gut, and it was telling him Joel was ready for this.

  One positive thing he could focus on was that they wouldn’t be putting any of their vehicles at risk tonight. Thanks to Ed volunteering the RZRs, that was one aspect of this operation he didn’t have to stress over. As nice as it had been staying here at Ed and Julia’s, Ben was no less determined to reach Colorado. The side-by-sides were expendable equipment, in his opinion. And if the RZRs drew too much attention, they could ditch them. All that really mattered was Emma’s medicine and getting back safely. If that happened to be by foot, so be it.

  After a few redundant trips around both RZRs, Ben heard voices coming from outside. A few seconds later, Ed entered the building, followed by Max and the others. They had all come to see them off, including Emma.

  “It’s about that time, huh?” Ed seemed different, less confident than usual. Max stayed at his side until they reached their RZR. Ed pulled Max’s hunting vest off the seat and put it on the dog before allowing him to jump up into his position on the passenger seat.

  “It is. You ready for this?” Ben spoke so only Ed could hear his question.

  “Yeah.” Ed nodded and blew out a deep breath as he connected the D-rings on Max’s vest to the seat with a couple of carabiners.

  “Don’t want to lose you there, buddy.” Ed rubbed Max’s head and then started putting on his own vest.

  “You too.” Ben looked at Joel.

  “Can I do it when we get there? It’s really bulky,” Joel asked.

  “No. It won’t do any good if you aren’t wearing it.” Ben spoke sternly. This wasn’t up for debate. And he wasn’t taking any chances. Joel didn’t argue and put the vest on, slapping the ceramic body armor insert with his hand when he was done. When the vest was adjusted to his liking, Ben helped him strap on the various magazine pouches. Joel would be carrying six extra magazines of .223 for his AR-15 and a small pouch of double-aught 12-gauge shells for the KSG. It was a bulky setup for someone not used to it, but Ben would have gladly worn one if he had the option.