The Veteran

Chapter Fourteen

I walked to the barn and leaned the SCAR inside the door, grabbed the first aid kit from the wall, set it on the bench, and opened it. My arm was bleeding, and it wouldn't be healthy for the boys to see this. As I was wrapping my arm, I glanced at the security system console and turned on the monitor. Sixteen views came into focus from cameras covering the full perimeter around the house, the barn, and even the safe room passageway. He had done an excellent job. All the cameras were pan/tilt with full zoom out to a little over 100 meters. I caught movement from one of the screens and observed Mary walking toward the barn. I hoped it didn't turn into one of those conversations.

She knocked, "John?"

"In here."

She stepped in and was getting ready to say something, and I cut her off, "Before you say anything..."

"Yes, I saw it, and I don't care about that. How's your arm?" She reached to grab it.

"It's fine, a little sore. I'll be all right in a couple of days." I finished the bandage wrap.

"I was coming to tell you we need to pick up some groceries. We are getting low on most of the basic items, and now that things have settled down a bit, I was wondering if we could go into town? We've all been cooped up here, and you said we weren't in any immediate danger, so I thought we might be able to go out."

I couldn't leave anyone at the farm alone, and the SUV was armor-plated, had bulletproof glass, and could fit everyone. Maybe I had lost my edge, but I gave in and said yes, but under certain conditions.

"We should wait until first thing in the morning. It's already late afternoon, and we need a little downtime. Can it hold off until then?"

She agreed, and the rest of the afternoon was quite dull, and I enjoyed it. I spent time with the boys, who had lots of questions about everything, and I did my best to entertain them while Mary helped her parents.

Everyone except me settled in for the evening. I slung my SCAR over my shoulder and made a perimeter check before retiring for the night. I woke on several occasions and checked the windows, peering into the darkness looking for anything. My gears were engaged, and I couldn't shut it down. Coffee would be my best friend later in the morning. For now, fitful sleep was my companion.

Morning came, and I knew the boys would be getting up soon, earlier than I wanted them to, excited about going to town. I had been up a few hours and Mary came out to the barn to check on me.

She brought me a fresh cup of coffee, "Are you ready to go, John?"

"Not really, but I promised, and I'm not going to break that promise."

"If you're not sure, maybe we should stay home."

"No, it's ok. I think we can handle it. I'll finish up here and be in the house in a few minutes."

"Ok. I'll get the boys ready and tell my parents."

She turned and headed for the house.

I pulled the SUV up to the barn, put the SCAR on the floor in the front, pulled a couple thousand dollars from the briefcase and slid it under the front seat, and checked the weapons in the back. With the cool autumn breeze rolling in from the north, the temperature was chilly enough to justify a jacket. I slipped on the shoulder holster and spare Smith & Wesson .45 with two extra magazines Diego had left hanging in the barn, followed by one of his windbreakers, which hid the shoulder holster well. With the weapons in the truck and my two concealed pistols, I had enough firepower to defend us, if necessary, but almost pulled the plug on the venture, when everyone came out. I could tell that everyone, including her parents, was excited to go. I had to go through with it. Before I let them in, I told them the rules and the reality.

"We are staying long enough to pick up what we need. No window shopping or browsing. Mary, do you have a list?"

She nodded.

"We are not out of the woods, and this isn't the best of ideas, but I understand being cooped up and a little time away might help. We will be most vulnerable on the open road. Mary, you'll drive, and I will watch out for any problems. If I tell you anything, at any time, you don't question me. You pull over at once, and everyone gets down on the floor and stay until I tell you it's clear. Do you understand me?"

Everyone, including the boys, nodded.

"When we get to the store, Mary will pull up, driver's side to the store and I will drop you off at the entrance. Mary, you go in and start shopping. Frank and Jean, you will follow her and keep the boys with you. I will park and then come inside. We will buy what we need, and when we leave, I will pull up to the entrance, and you will wait for my signal to come out. At no time are you to separate or leave the store. Is that clear?"

They all acknowledged me.

"John, I don't want to leave Jake here alone. I don't think Diego would want him in the house when we're not here, and I don't want to leave him outside or put him in the barn. Can we bring him? There's plenty of room."

I didn't want to bring him since we'd only be gone for a short while, but she was right, and I opened the back and let him jump in. He would be comfortable riding in the back seat with the boys, and he irritated Frank and Jean, so I got a bonus. He settled into one of the seats, wagging his tail. Knowing how much him coming along would irritate them brought a smile to my face. I stepped into the barn and grabbed his leash.

When we got in, they all remarked how fancy it was, but I ignored them. I still wasn't sure going to the store was the best idea, but we would soon find out.

I was thankful we didn't encounter any problems on the way to the store. Everyone talked about how good it felt to be away from the farm, and I had to admit it almost felt normal, spending time together. Regardless of how relaxed everyone else was, I didn't let my guard down.

We arrived at the grocery store, one of those supercenter types, a little over twenty miles from the house, and I dropped everyone off and parked, leaving the windows cracked for Jake. I didn't like leaving him in the SUV, but it was a brisk day, and he wouldn't overheat for the little amount of time we stayed in the store. I scanned the parking lot on the way in and didn't notice anything out of the ordinary or suspicious. All we had to do was buy what we needed, and head back to the farm. We walked through the store and picked up the essentials, but the boys kept wanting to look at toys. They kept asking for project items, snacks and were running up and down the aisles, just being boys, but their behavior was starting to annoy me. Mary looked at me, and I guess she could sense my frustration,

"What's wrong?"

"Oh, they're just being boys, and I feel like shit for not having spent as much time as I should with them recently. I feel like I've been neglecting them, and it sucks. Playing around like that has never bothered me before. I guess I'm frustrated at what this has done to our family."

"Look. I'm sure they understand you've had to travel for your job," she said, and I could tell she avoided using any other references, "and we'll leave it at that for now. Let's just enjoy our time away from the house, and we'll worry about things when we get."

I corralled the boys and as we were walking to check out when Mary caught sight of the makeup counter. She glanced at me and smiled. She didn't often buy makeup, let alone wear it, and they had been cooped up for quite a while.

"John, do you mind if I look around a bit? I'm not ready to go home yet, and they have some pretty cool things on sale I'd like to look at," she said, displaying her sheepish grin. I never could resist that smile.

"Go ahead," I said, smiling back at her, "I'll take the boys with me, and we'll look around, but we won't be far."

They had been begging to look at toys, and I took them to the toy section. I could see Mary down the aisle browsing from the makeup to the clothes. She needed some time away from the boys. I scanned the store, worried about someone sneaking up on her or us. I hadn't seen Frank or Jean for a while and was relieved, but still concerned. Even though we never saw eye to eye, I didn't want anything to happen to them, regardless of how they treated me. They were my boys' grandparents, lucky for them.

She caught up with us in the toys section, and I eyed the makeup and a few items of clothing in the shopping cart. She winked at me and smiled. The boys asked to pick out some toys, and at first, I was hesitant, but with all the crap they'd been through, and with money, not an issue, I gave them the go-ahead. Mary let them pick out a few games and a couple of toys apiece, and I told them they could each pick out a new bike. They screamed with excitement, like little banshees. Mary helped me pick out all the accessories, and we headed toward the checkout line. It almost felt normal.

As we approached the checkout, which was getting busy, Frank and Jean stood by the exit, and Frank was on his phone. I pointed it out to Mary, "Damn it, I told him not to call anyone." Mary called out my name, but I was walking at a fast pace toward him. As I approached, he shoved his phone into his pocket.

"Frank, I told you not to make any calls." I held out my hand, demanding, "Give me the phone, Frank."

"I'm not giving you my phone, John. It was only a quick call to Mary's sister. She's been worried and texted me, so I returned her call. You can't deny me that."

I moved in closer and whispered, "You're right, Frank. I can't deny you that. I can't deny you the stupidity for putting not only us but now Robin in danger because of your call. They've been monitoring our phones for a while now, smart guy, and if you think they don't have your numbers, you're sadly mistaken."

I could tell he was getting angry.

"You don't have any right to talk to him that way," Jean spouted.

"The fuck I don't. If you're putting my wife and my boys in danger, I have the right to say whatever the fuck I want to say. I'm half tempted to break it in half and shove it up your ass. Give me the phone, Frank." I said, staring him down.

Mary had finished checking out and approached us, "What's going on?"

"Your father decided to call your sister."

"You what? John told you no phone calls. Are you trying to get us killed? Give me the phone, Dad." I could tell she was furious and was glad the anger wasn't directed at me.

He hesitated, and she snatched the phone from his hand, after which she snapped the phone in half and tossed it in the garbage. "I can't believe you. After everything we've been through, and you pull something like this. Jesus, Dad!" She held up her hands and walked back to the cart with the boys.

I told everyone to wait inside the store. Before I stepped out, I scanned the parking lot through the windows. A few cars were different, as expected for a busy day, but something seemed out of place. I had parked the SUV far enough out and away from other vehicles, but now there were two cars parked next to it. Someone was in the furthest car, and they were watching this entrance. I couldn't see inside the other one.

I motioned everyone back away from the door, "I need everyone to stay here. Don't do anything until I come back."

"John?" Mary asked.

"I'm making sure everything is ok. I'll be back in a few minutes. Wait here."

I headed for the other door inside the store, which was shielded from view of the cars by several vehicles. I walked out the side entrance and made my way up the row of cars, keeping low and my presence out of the line of sight of the vehicles. If I was lucky, I could sneak up on them before they realized I was there. I approached the first car closest to me and didn't see anyone inside. I moved to the back of the SUV and glanced inside. Jake had his snout poked out the window and was barking at the other vehicle. I peeked around the corner of the SUV and saw two men sitting in the front seat. I wasn't sure if they were armed, but Jake's hackles were up meaning he sensed danger from them. I was sure their intentions weren't good. If they were waiting for us, an open parking lot was a dangerous place and could put us in a lot of trouble. Both driver and passenger windows were down, and I crouched and snuck around to the passenger side. I pulled the .45 from my shoulder holster, crept up to the passenger window, and placed the barrel against his temple. I cocked the hammer, "I will put a bullet in your brain if you so much as breathe wrong. Slowly ease your weapons into the back seat. Nod if you understand."

He didn't move. I peered into the car, and they were both carrying submachine pistols of the AK variety. The driver, bearded, had a hat on and the other, buzzed cut, had earrings. Both were covered in tattoos and were BelyyaPrava from the markings. I would kill them in this parking lot if I had to. As none of their people had been successful in killing me thus far, I think they both realized it. They pushed their AKs over the front seat into the back.

"Do you have more weapons,"

They both shook their heads no.

I opened the back door, slid in, and put the barrel of my .45 against the back of the driver's head.

"Drive around to the back of the store," I ordered.

We drove to the back of the store, and there was nobody around.

"Park," I demanded.

The driver pulled into one of the spots and put the car in park.

"How did you find us? Are there more of you?"

"You are going to die for what you did," the one with the earring said, giving me a smirk.

There was a water jug on the floor. I picked it up, put the .45 against it, and shot him in the back of the head through the jug, silencing the report of my pistol. Water sprayed everywhere but it muffled the sound of the round. The driver freaked out, now covered in blood and water, but calmed down after I jammed the pistol into to his ear.

"I asked you a question. You'll answer if you don't want the same thing to happen to you," I said, digging the barrel harder into the side of his head, "Who sent you and are there more of you?"

"We have contact in the Russian mafiya. Told us you were in this town, but we do not know where exactly."

"Bullshit," I yelled, and shot him in the leg. He screamed and grabbed his leg.

"I am telling truth. It is only us, and it is only luck to find you. We saw boss' SUV."

I shot him in the other leg, "Bullshit, try again." He screamed more. Not wanting to attract any attention, I pulled his head back by his hair and shoved the barrel in his mouth, "Next one goes into your brain, now tell me the fucking truth!"

"Contact is Russian and told us where you were. Said they track SUV with satellite and we follow you here."

"Now that's more like it. Who's your contact?" I demanded.

"I can't tell you. I won't tell you," he screamed. I leaned forward, pressing my thumb into the bullet wound on his right leg.

"Tell me now, or you die."

"Contact is Nataliy's wife. She is my cousin."

I pulled out my phone and started a recording, "Repeat it and say your name."

"My name is Igor Slavinsky and Nataliy's wife, Ingrid is my contact. She told me where you would be."

"Who am I?"

"You are John Hunter and a dead man." He smiled.

"And so are you." I pulled the trigger sending a round through his head, wiping the smile off his face. I killed the recording, slipped the phone in my pocket, holstered my weapon, and slipped out of the back. I had a few splatters on me, but I had made sure not to leave any prints. There was nobody around the back, and I didn't see any cameras. I walked around to the front of the store and stopped at the entrance to grab one of those little cart towelettes to wipe the blood off my jacket. Unnoticed, I walked through the store to the other entrance where the family was waiting.

Mary didn't miss much, and she gave me an odd look. Had I missed some blood? I didn't give her a chance to say anything, "We have to go now. "Wait right here!"

I made my way to the SUV and drove to the front of the store and motioned them out. Mary helped her parents put the boys in the back and loaded the stuff after her parents were inside. She hopped in the passenger seat, and we took off fast. They were tracking us, so we had to ditch the SUV. Nataliy had a traitor in his midst, and I had to be the one to break the unwelcome news that it was his wife. This wasn't turning out well.

We drove toward Des Moines International Airport, which was 80 miles away.

"John, where are we going? What happened back there?" Mary asked.

"Not now. I'll tell you about it later, but we have to lose this SUV. It's bugged, and they've been tracking us. I have to call Diego now."

I raised the divider between the front and back and pulled out my phone to call Diego. He answered on the first ring. "Yo, amigo, what's up?"

"We've got problems. The SUV was bugged. They found us at the superstore."

"What the fuck do you mean, found you at the superstore? What the fuck are you doing at the superstore anyway? Never mind. What's happening? Damn it, bro. Why would you do that?"

"Diego, not now man. I'll explain later. We're dumping the SUV at the airport and renting a passenger van and a car and heading home. Nataliy has a traitor in his midst, and it's his wife. I have evidence."

"Oh, Goddamnit. Ok. Get home safe and call me back. I'm done with the movers and heading to the airport. I'm all done here. I'll be there in less than six hours. Out." and he hung up.

"We need to tell your parents. Call them to the front and send the boys to the back," I said to Mary.

I lowered the divider and glanced back at everyone. I could tell they were all scared, even Frank. Mary called her parents to the front, and in low, calm tones, I explained they had found us, but we would get rid of the SUV and would rent a van and a car for the return trip.

Frank and Jean were shaken. "Was that because of the phone call?" Frank asked.

"No, thankfully for your sake. Those guys were waiting to ambush us in the parking lot. They don't fuck around. No more bullshit. You got me, Frank? Not a word to the boys either. Not a single word."

He nodded, and I raised the divider. I turned and looked at Mary, "You need to call your sister. There's a distinct possibility she could be in danger."

I listened as Mary called her sister and explained the situation. Her sister wasn't at home, and Mary recommended she come to us, but she refused, even after Mary told her how dangerous the situation was. Her sister was like her father. Stubborn. A trait that could end up getting her killed. I couldn't afford to worry about another person at this point. Mary got off the phone and looked at me, "She's not going to listen to me. She might listen to my dad, but even then, I'm not sure if she'll come here."

"I don't want another death on my hands. If I can find her some protection, will she take it?"

"How are you going to do that?"

"I'm going to call Agent Harper and see what he can do. I'm not sure if he can help, but I'm going to try. If nothing else. I'll," and I paused, sighing, "pick her up and bring her here."

"Is that safe? Who's going to take care of us?" I could tell she was worried.

"I'll wait until Diego gets back, which is only a few hours away, and then I can catch a flight to pick her up. I'd send Diego, but she doesn't know him."

"Ok, I'll have dad talk to her after we stop. Are we going home after we pick the van and car?"

"No, I'm going to put you up in a hotel and call Jones. He might be able to help us. Probably better than the FBI, I hope. If your sister doesn't want to come, Diego and I will head back to the farm and make sure it's safe. They were tracking us, and I'm not sure they know where the farm is."

"Jesus Christ, John. I'm getting really tired of this, John. Is it ever going to stop?" she asked her brow crinkling, a scowl spreading across her face.

"I hope so, honey. I really hope so," I said, unsure of my own answer.

We arrived at the airport, and I rented a passenger van for them and a car for me, loaded everything into the van and asked Frank to drive it. Frank talked to Robin, Mary's sister, trying to convince her to come to us, but she refused. I didn't have the time to argue and wasn't going to waste a trip to be told no. Mary wasn't happy with her sister and told her as much over the phone. Frank and Jean were now more of a liability than anyone else.

We left the SUV in the parking garage, which would block the tracking signal. Jean would ride with Frank, and I jumped in the car with Mary and the boys, with Jake in between them. I hated giving up the armor plating, but with them tracking the SUV, we couldn't risk it. We left the airport as soon as we could and headed in the direction of home, looking for a hotel. I hoped they didn't know the location of the farm, but I would bet money they did. We would know soon enough.

I couldn't take them back to the farm, not knowing if it had been compromised. Staying at a hotel was the safest option. I found one of those all-suite hotels off the interstate. I rented two rooms with cash and used the fake license I had for ID, paying the clerk an extra $200 to forget he had seen us.

After getting into the hotel room, I explained I was going back to the farm to check it out to make sure it was safe. They were all scared. I told them to stay put and not leave the room or open the door unless I said. I gave Frank a shotgun and Mary a pistol and showed them how to use them. They both hated guns but agreed with me to keep and use them, if necessary. I put the SCAR, ten magazines, and some grenades in the car, and called Jones on the satellite phone.

"Mr. Hunter, how can I help you?"

"We've been compromised."

"How?"

I explained what had happened. He didn't sound surprised that Nataliy's wife was responsible. He said they knew there was someone else in the Russian organization passing information to BelyyaPrava. My information confirmed it.

"I'll send a team within an hour to rendezvous with your family. They should arrive in less than three. I don't think moving them is a smart idea, so my men will stay with them and keep them safe."

I agreed. Moving them was a bad idea.

"Thanks, Mr. Jones. I appreciate the help."

"If you need more assets, I'll send them.

"I don't think that will be necessary, but I'll keep it in mind."

I ended the call.

With Diego arriving in a few hours, I would wait for him.

I turned to Mary, "Global is sending a team to our location. I won't leave until they get here."

"Is that a good idea?"

"It's the best thing we have at the moment, and I need to make sure you're safe."

"Ok, if you think that's best."

"For now, it's all we have. As soon as Diego arrives, we're heading back to the farm.

After the security detail arrived, I spoke with the detail commander and informed him of the situation, introduced him to Mary, Frank, and Jean, and provided him with my phone number. I left the hotel and headed to Oskaloosa. It took about an hour and a half, and I made my way back to town and found a small diner where I sat and waited for Diego's call. In less than four and a half hours from when we last spoke, my phone rang and on the other end was Diego.

"I just landed, amigo. Going to grab a rental and head your way. What's your location?"

"I'm at Tom's diner, on the north side of town. I'll wait for you here and then we'll head to the farm."

"See you in about two hours." He hung up.

I had a good meal and some coffee to keep me alert. Sitting in an open public place, always made me nervous. I made small talk with the waitress who asked if I had seen the news about what happened at the superstore and listened to her talk about the double murder.

There was footage on the superstore cameras, which I hadn't thought about at the time. I didn't have long before they figured out who I was. I needed to change my clothes and headed toward a strip mall down the road. I found a Goodwill, bought some second-hand clothes and changed in the car. My old clothes went into a dumpster, and I headed toward the south side of town.

I called Jones to check on the situation, and he informed me his team had reported in, and my family was safe. I explained my interaction with the BelyyaPrava at the superstore, and he said not to worry about the video, and then I called Mary.

"What's going on? Any word from Diego?"

"Yes, he just landed a little while ago and is on his way to me. As soon as we make sure the farm is safe or not, I'll call you."

"Ok. Please be safe and don't do anything stupid. I love you."

"I love you too." I hung up the phone.

Don't do anything stupid?

I could've used that advice about six hours ago. We could've stayed home, but they would've come to the farm, and it would have been worse.

The phone rang, and it was Diego. "I'm in town at the diner. Where are you?"

"I had to leave since the cops will figure out it was me at the superstore and I didn't want to be a target. I'm waiting at the picnic area on the highway south of town. I'll see you here."

It took Diego less than ten minutes, and he pulled up next to me. I told him everything that happened. He agreed the cops would figure it out soon enough. He pulled a weapon and a few magazines from the trunk, and we pulled away from the picnic area, heading toward the farm.

On the way, four fire trucks and two police cars passed us, heading in the same direction. Turning on to Diego's road, we saw smoke ahead. It looked like it was coming from the farm. Diego was ahead of me, and he accelerated.

Damn it, Diego.

I pushed on the accelerator and caught up with him, flashing my lights and honking my horn. We got close enough to see his warehouse ablaze. I thought it could have been an accident, but someone torching it was a more realistic scenario. Either way, nothing good was going to come out of this.

Diego got out of the rental and started screaming, "Motherfucker. I'm going to kill someone. Do you know how many cars I have in there, John? Twenty-three classic cars and now they are done, gone, burned. I'm going to find out who did this and bury them."

"Bro calm down. We can't go waltzing up in there, even if it is your place. Think about all the guns you have, many of them illegal."

He was furious and didn't listen. He hopped back in the car and took off toward his house. I couldn't let him go this alone, so I followed. Before we were able to get close, we were motioned to pull over by one of the local cops who had blocked the way with his car. I stayed in my car to keep him from recognizing me. Diego got out an approached him

"Is this your place?"

"Yeah, it's my fucking place. You need to let me through. My shit is burning to the ground," Diego spat.

"I'm sorry. I can't do that. We're waiting for the fire marshal to arrive. He'll decide if anyone besides emergency personnel is allowed nearby."

"So, I have to sit here and watch my stuff burn, is what you're saying,"

"Look Mr...?" the cop started.

"Montoya."

"Look, Mr. Montoya, it's too dangerous that close to a burning building and I'm not going to lose my job by letting you on your property, so just sit tight, and we'll let you know when you can go on your property."

It was a no-win situation for Diego. If he disobeyed the police officer, he would be arrested, and if he just sat there, he would have to watch his prize possessions burn to the ground.

"Fine, I'll sit here until the fire marshal gets here."

"Thanks, Mr. Montoya. I appreciate your cooperation."

Diego mumbled under his breath as he walked back toward my car. "Fucking asshole won't let me on the property until the fire marshal gets here."

"I heard that Diego," I said, "you do have insurance, I'm assuming."

"Yeah, for the building and some of the cars, but not all. There's over a million dollars' worth of cars in my warehouse. Some of them rare, a few one of a kind, and every one of them is a heap of junk by now. Even if they weren't burned directly, the heat and smoke damage is enough to ruin them. I even had a fire suppression system put in for all the good that does me now. Someone's going to pay for this," he snarled, "I swear to you. Someone will pay."

My concern now was law enforcement finding all his illegal weapons and explosives. If they did, ATF would be called in, and he would go to jail. That couldn't happen.

We had to get the fuck out of Dodge. "Grab your car and let's go," I said.

I waited for him to get to his car and turned the rental around. I picked up the phone and called him, and punched the accelerator, "We can't stay here, bro. They're going to find the weapons, and when they do, we're going to be in deep shit."

"I know. You're leading. Where are we heading?"

"Away from here. Any ideas?"

"I'm drawing a blank, but we should probably get off the fucking road."

My window was open, and the echo of explosions came from behind us. Damn it. The explosives had gone off. They would be on the hunt for us, and we'd shown what we were driving.

Diego was still on the phone, "Did you hear that?"

"Yeah, I did. I shouldn't have gone rushing in like I did. Cops are gonna be all over us."

"We need to find someplace safe, and I got nothin'."

I turned on the radio and announcer was talking about the shooting at the supercenter. They were looking for someone fitting my description. That was two strikes against me. There wasn't a lot I could do to change my appearance, so if someone realized I matched the description, I was screwed.

"Turn your radio on. They're looking for someone matching my description to the supercenter shooting. We have to get the fuck out of here."

"Aww, shit," Diego said, "we got trouble. I got blue lights about a mile or so back in my rearview. You can't outrun them in that piece of shit of yours. Pull over and get in."

I crested a hill, slammed on the brakes, skidded to a stop on the side of the road, and pulled down a cornfield trail. I didn't want to leave all my weapons in the car but didn't have enough time to retrieve them. With a small hill between us, I hoped the cop hadn't seen me pull over. I ran back to Diego's car, the door open and jumped into his rental, a new Dodge Charger. I knew it could outrun the cop car, but it couldn't outrun the radio. Diego punched the accelerator, and we rocketed onto the highway, screeching tires, and leaving a smoking trail. The cops were closing fast, and we had to leave this long stretch of flat road. There was a gravel road up ahead and told Diego to make a right. He slammed on the brakes and drifted around the corner. I'm glad he was driving because I would've put us in the ditch. He floored it, and we shot down the bumpy road. I turned and looked, the cop had turned to follow, and right behind him was another cop car, making a left on the road. They wouldn't be able to keep up, but we were running out of options.

"Do you know this road?"

"Nope. We're going to have to wing it. I'll check the GPS and see where it goes."

I pushed the button for the GPS and after it synchronized my heart sank. We were on a dead-end road.

Diego glanced at the GPS and saw what I saw. "Aww fuck, bro. I got nothing, and I'm not getting into a firefight with the cops. That's not happening."

"Pull over and let me out. Maybe they'll let you go."

"Bullshit. You know that'll never happen. I guess the fat lady's singing, amigo. Time to face the music." I tossed our pistols out the window, we came to a stop and waited. We were going to jail. I hoped we weren't going to the morgue.