Part 14
Windswept Farm
Outskirts of Lexington, Kentucky
1535 Local
"Who are you?"
Tink turned around and saw huddled group of young men and women. Some appeared to have been crying, all looked frightened. He figured them to be about Pick's age, in their early twenties. Bell glanced at the door and then took a step towards them. They visibly flinched and unconsciously banded tighter together. Tink stopped and sighed, "I'm not with them and I'm not planning on hurting any of you. My name is Bell. Do all of you work at Windswept?"
A young man and woman looked at each other and then stepped forward together. The man spoke first, "I'm Anthony James, but you can call me Little T. This is Maggie. We all work for the Montgomerys. What the hell is going on? Who are these lunatics?"
Tink ran a hand through his hair, "That could take a while, mind if I sit down?" He'd discovered early on that people found him less intimidating when he was sitting.
Little T waved a hand, "Be my guest. Pull up a tack box and have a seat."
Tink did just that and watched the group begin to relax, "Do all of you know that the Montgomerys' daughter, Carol, is the Queen of a small, eastern European country called Bacovia?"
There were nods from most of the group, although one young man looked at his neighbor and said incredulously, "For real? I thought it was some sort of family joke. Aren't the Montgomerys American?"
One of the girls answered him, "Of course, the Montgomerys are Americans." She looked at Tink, "She married into royalty, right? Like Princess Grace of Monaco?"
Bell nodded and continued, "Bacovia is pretty small and until recently, nobody paid much attention to it."
Maggie put up a hand, "What happened recently?"
Tink shifted a little, the tack box wasn't the most comfortable thing he'd ever sat on, "U.S. intelligence has discovered a link-up between the Chechens and some al-Qaeda operatives. Apparently they've decided that Bacovia would make an excellent terrorist base. To do that, they need a government that is more in sympathy with their goals. In order to get the government they need, they have to get rid of the old one." Tink stopped for a moment to let them digest that information.
Another young man put up a hand, "But what are they doing here? Practicing?"
There were a few nervous sniggers in the background. Tink let it die down and then said quietly, "The current government of Bacovia is a monarchy and the current ruling family is adamantly opposed to terrorism."
The same young man spoke up again, "So? ...What? They throw them out of office and bring in someone who's for terrorism?"
Tink stared at him, "They're not planning on just throwing the royal family out." He heard Maggie's sharp intake of breath.
"Oh my God," her eyes were huge, "they're going to kill the whole family? Even the kids? But... but... the little one, she's only, like, ten or so."
"Twelve," Bell said grimly. "Age doesn't matter to these people. They have to kill the entire family." He watched the reaction ripple through the group.
"But these guys are Americans," Little T protested. "What would they care if al-Qaeda was in Bacovia or not?"
"They're mercenaries," Tink said shortly. "They claim to be in it to advance their political views but what they want is money."
"Who ARE you?" T asked again. "CIA?"
Tink looked indignant, "I'm Corporal Thomas Bell of the United States Marine Corps."
The group stared at him in disbelief. "You're a jarhead?" someone asked.
"Marine," Bell rumbled ominously, beginning to scowl.
Little T held up his hands, looking decidedly nervous, "Hey, no offense, man." He glanced back at the others and leaned forward a little, "So, what do you think they're gonna do with us?"
"That's hard to say," Tink hedged. The last thing he wanted was a roomful of panicked civilians.
"Take a guess," the young man persisted.
"For godsakes, T," Maggie interrupted. "What do you want him to say? None of those guys were wearing masks or anything. What makes you think they're going to just let us go?" She glared at Tink, "Is there anything we can do? I don't want to sit here and wait for them to shoot me like a fish in a barrel."
Windswept Farm
Outskirts of Lexington, Kentucky
1555 Local
Nicky and Cat entered the woods and immediately brought their horses down to a walk. Neither relished the thought of banging a kneecap into a tree. Cat glanced down at her mare's heaving flanks and dismounted, loosening the girth. She looked nervously over her shoulder to the field beyond the trees and then back up at her brother, "We can't stay here."
Nicky nodded, "We're supposed to meet in a clearing back this way. Pick and Colonel MacKenzie should be there already." Maneuvering his gelding around his sister and Calypso, he took the lead down a narrow horse path.
"Is the Colonel all right?" Cat kept glancing nervously over her shoulder. The gunfire seemed to be dying down.
Nicky shook his head, looking back at his sister, "I don't know, I was concentrating on you."
"Nicky?"
"Yeah?"
"Thank you. You were amazing out there."
He shrugged his shoulders and looked back at her with an embarrassed smile, "You were doing all right, I just evened up the odds a little. ... Besides, I'm the only one who's allowed to pick on my older sisters."
She grinned at him and they fell into a companionable silence as they followed along the meandering horse trail.
********
Mac braced herself against the tree and slowly swept her eyes across the clearing. Tyler had gone to find Jack at her urging. As much as she wasn't looking forward to riding again, it would be the only way she could keep up when they started to move. She opted to remain standing, afraid that sitting down would lead to collapsing. She desperately wanted to, preferably in a steaming hot bath with a bottle of ibuprofen in each hand. Her body was one huge ache but she didn't think she'd broken anything new. Mac wasn't sure what kind of damage she'd done to her left shoulder. She remembered vividly how it had felt when her collarbone had broken before and that hadn't happened again, but raising her left arm to shoulder level required pain-filled effort. She'd tucked it inside her jacket after shifting her pistol to her right-hand coat pocket. She'd had the holster clipped in front of her left hip so she could cross-draw with her right hand. Now she sported the beginnings of a huge bruise where the sidearm had been driven into her from the fall.
Mac heard the sound of someone approaching before she could see anyone. Easing back behind the tree, she put her hand in her jacket pocket, wrapping it around the reassuring feel of the 9mm pistol. Tension turned to relief when first Nicky and then Cat entered the clearing. She stepped out from behind the tree when she saw them scanning the clearing anxiously.
"Over here," she called softly, pulling her hand out of her pocket and waving.
"Colonel!" Cat threw her reins at her brother, racing across the clearing. She stopped just in front of Mac, rocking back uncertainly on her heels, unsure how the Marine officer would react to an embrace.
Mac recognized her dilemma and lifted her right arm with a slight smile, "Just be careful. I think I'm one big bruise."
Gratefully, Cat stepped in and cautiously hugged the Colonel. Now that the adrenaline was fading, she found she couldn't stop trembling.
Mac could feel the young woman shaking. Rubbing her back, she murmured soothingly, "It's okay, everybody's safe." Leaning back a little, she looked into eyes that were bright with unshed tears, "You did good, you know. I'm very proud of you."
That did it. Cat started sobbing, burying her head in Mac's shoulder. Mac just held on, letting the tears run their course. Nicky came up, trailing the two horses. He started patting his sister's shoulder awkwardly, looking at the Colonel in dismayed confusion. Mac smiled at the young man, "She'll be fine in a minute, she just needs to get this out of her system."
After a few more moments, Cat pulled back, wiping at her face with both hands, her sobs diminishing to an occasional hitch in her breathing. She gave Nicky a tremulous smile and he returned it with relief. He hated to see his sisters cry, he never knew exactly what to do about it.
Cat turned from him to Mac and her smile faded. Her relief at finding the Colonel safe and subsequent crying jag had kept her from really looking at the older woman. Now she noticed how pale the Marine officer seemed and how carefully she was keeping herself upright. "Ma'am?" she asked, worry creasing her brow, "Are you all right? Do you need to sit down?"
Mac smiled ruefully, "I feel like someone just put me through the tumble-dry cycle and I'm afraid to sit down. I might not get up."
Cat stared at her with wide eyes, "I'm so sorry, Colonel. I should have thought of something besides jumping that fence."
Easing herself back so that she was once more braced against the tree trunk, Mac raised an eyebrow, "My plan involved getting shot. I'll take the bruises, thank you." She gave Cat a stern look, "And what were you thinking when you charged back into that group?"
Scuffing a toe in the dirt, Cat couldn't quite meet the Colonel's eye, "I was just trying to give you time to get away."
Mac sighed, "Cat... " She waited until the young woman looked up at her, "Thank you, but please don't do anything like that again. You took years off my life." Mac grinned at the Princess, "Besides, you're not always going to have someone as brave as your brother rescuing you."
Cat grinned back and then turned to her furiously blushing younger brother. She knew he was both enamored and terrified of the Colonel. Throwing her arms around him, she kissed him on the cheek, "You should have seen him, ma'am. They never knew what hit 'em."
"I can believe that... " Mac broke off abruptly when the horses' heads and ears came up, pointing into the woods to their right. She pushed herself off the trunk, her hand going into her coat pocket. "Get into the trees behind me, take the horses with you," she ordered tersely. "Now!"
Turning so that the tree trunk would be between her and whatever was coming, Mac gritted her teeth and sank down into a crouch. Anxious minutes passed and then she sagged with relief when Harm suddenly appeared in the clearing. "Over here!" she called softly.
He hurried over, slinging his rifle over his shoulder and kneeling down next to her. His eyes worriedly scanned her, taking in her appearance, "How bad?"
Mac returned the look, "I might ask you the same thing. Pick didn't say much."
Harm gave an exasperated sigh, "It's not good. We're it, but we don't have time for details right now. We need to get out of here." He gave her a more pointed look, "How bad?"
She gave him a tired grin, "Nothing broken, I think, but I'd kill for a soft bed and an icepack right about now."
He smiled back, "I'll bet." Harm glanced up when Nicky and Cat reappeared out of the underbrush and then continued to look around, "Where's Tyler?"
"I sent him to find Jack, if he could," Mac said, trying not to grimace as she let Harm do most of the work in getting her on her feet. "We need to move right now, don't we?"
"Yeah," Harm replied, keeping an arm around her waist, "they've probably figured out by now that I've left but I'm hoping they'll still be pretty cautious while they make sure. We need to be as far away from here as we can." He eyed her in concern, he was still supporting a lot of her weight, "Think you can handle it?"
"Have to," came the short reply. Mac had been hoping that Pick would have returned by now. Had something happened to him?
Cat stepped forward, "Excuse me, ma'am... sir; but we could lead you on Cal... " she turned partway and gestured towards Nicky, "... or Alcazar. That'd be faster, wouldn't it?"
Mac eyed the two horses dubiously. Calypso was a good-sized mare, Alcazar was even larger. It would be a bit of a climb to get up there and an even longer fall down. She cringed mentally, just thinking about it. "I don't know... " she said slowly.
Harm spoke up at almost the same time, "I'd rather have you and your brother riding, Cat. You and Nicky are the ones they're really after." He glanced down at Mac to see her nodding in agreement, "Our job is to see to it that both of you stay out of their hands." Motioning towards the horses, he said, "Mount up. We have to leave."
Reluctantly, Nicky gave Cat a leg up on Calypso and then vaulted onto Alcazar. Harm waved a hand at them, "Head west, stay near the trees. We'll be right behind you." He watched them head out and looked down at Mac, "Ready?"
"No, but let's do it anyway," Mac said, steeling herself for the trek ahead. It was time to suck it up. They needed to find a safe place so they could make plans for rescuing the Dzuricks.
Windswept Farm
Outskirts of Lexington, Kentucky
1605 Local
El sat very quietly and listened. She was not going to cry. She was twelve years old and a princess besides and crying simply wasn't done. She'd almost crawled out of her hiding space after those men had taken Tinker away but had heard the other voices in time. She'd hadn't liked what she heard or the way they'd said it and she'd been incensed when she realized that they were the Cartwrights. Maybe Mr. Rabb should have listened to Mo. It'd gotten quiet again and then there'd been yelling and shouting. Mostly it was men's voices but she thought she'd heard her sister's voice too. That had scared her and when the shooting started, she'd been terrified. She curled herself up even tighter and kept her eyes squeezed shut. It seemed like forever before the gunfire had died down and she was afraid of what that might mean.
The minutes crawled by and then she heard voices again, well, mostly a voice. She hadn't heard it before, it sounded young, like that nice Lt. Tyler. This voice was angry and steadily growing in volume. El concentrated on listening, it sounded like they were standing just inside the barn.
"They got away?! Six of you and they just waltzed out?" Aaron threw up his hands in disgust and looked over at Bodie, "Have you ever seen such incredible stupidity?"
Bodie shook his head, grateful that he was just a foot soldier. Aaron was in worlds of trouble with Nash. Someone was going to pay dearly for this blunder. Relieved of any of the responsibility, Bodie could afford to watch everything unfold with a clinical eye. He knew Aaron well enough to pick up the slight edge of hysteria in his anger. He couldn't blame him, they both remembered what had happened two years ago. Dave Tavis had been an up-and-comer in their organization, one Nash had taken under his wing. He was extremely bright and then his ego had ballooned out of control with the personal attention.
Things came to a head when Nash had decided to test their training and pick up some capital on the way by staging a bank robbery. Obsessive-compulsive, he'd planned everything down to the smallest detail. They executed the op-plan perfectly and then Tavis decided to improvise on his own. Things fell apart in a hurry - one civilian was killed, Artie was captured and instead of picking up close to $250,000, they only got $20,000.
They made it back to their rendezvous point and Tavis had been contrite, apologizing profusely. Nash had heard him out in apparent calmness. What happened after that still gave Bodie nightmares. None had been allowed to leave and when Tavis finally died, hours later, everyone had breathed a sigh of relief. Nobody ever failed Nash again... until now.
Aaron rounded on the Cartwrights again, "What the hell happened?!"
JD glanced at the others and shuffled his feet, "It wasn't our fault. The princess' horse started going crazy and then the two of them bolted."
"Bolted? Bolted where?" Aaron glared at the Cartwrights. "No one went by us at the main barn. You let them turn around and go back the way they came? Didn't you block their path? What kind of morons are you?!"
JD stared at him, anger becoming visible on his face, "Of course we blocked them!" He jabbed a finger towards the pasture, "How could we know that they'd jump the pasture fence? We didn't think they'd go that way. That cousin of theirs hasn't been riding very long - she shouldn't have gotten over at all!"
"So you started shooting... ," Aaron measured the distance to the fence with his eye, "... that's what? A hundred feet? And all of you together couldn't hit two women or their horses?" He swept a contemptuous glance over the group and froze when he noticed two of the men in the back. One was trying to lean inconspicuously on the other. Aaron pushed past the others until he was face to face with the two. They stared sullenly back and then jumped in surprise when he shot a hand out and grabbed the wrist of the one who was leaning. Pulling it away from the man's side, Aaron stared at the growing red stain. He turned back to JD, his voice dripping with disdain, "You couldn't hit the women but you managed to shoot one of your own? How the hell have any of you managed to live this long?"
Unable to contain himself, Bo shoved past JD, "Someone was shooting at us, smart-ass!" He looked down at the smaller man and shoved a finger in his chest, "This is YOUR fault! You never told us they would have guns!"
Aaron grabbed the finger and snapped it backwards, dropping Bo to his knees with a howl. Hanging on to it, Aaron stepped in closer, pulled out his pistol in one smooth move and shot the eldest Cartwright between the eyes. Letting the corpse drop to the ground, he swept his gaze around the rest of the men who were standing frozen in horror. He pinned a terrified JD with a glare and said softly, "Tell me exactly what happened."
JD stared at him, white-faced, and resolutely refusing to look down, launched into a stuttering account of everything that had happened. Aaron listened silently until JD dwindled to a close. He looked over at Bodie, "Go get some of our people." He waited while Bodie hurried off and then turned back to the Cartwrights, "You're going to help my men track down these people and you're going to do it quickly and quietly. I want the Dzurick children. I don't care if you kill the others so long as you don't make any noise." He stared at the group, "If you try to run off, I will hunt you down one by one and you'll wish you'd died as quickly as this stupid bastard."
Bodie came back at a run with two men and a woman. Aaron looked at him, "Got your comm units?" They nodded. "Okay, take these guys along and find the Dzuricks. You have one hour." He pointed at JD, "You stay here, we're going to see the boss and you can explain just how badly you screwed up." JD began to look slightly green.
"Aaron," Bodie spoke up. "What about this guy?" He pointed at the Cartwright that'd been wounded. Aaron looked at him and shrugged slightly. Bodie nodded and directed a look at his three people. The woman stepped close to the man, who was now staring wide-eyed at Aaron and a moment later, he collapsed on the ground. She leaned down, wiped the blood off her knife using his shirt and then re-sheathed it. Stepping back, she stood and waited soundlessly. Bodie gestured sharply at the remaining shocked Cartwrights, "Let's go. You three will take point." He looked back at Aaron, "One hour."
El stayed very still and promised herself she wouldn't cry.
*******
Harm and Mac stopped for a moment when they heard a faint, muffled shot reverberate in the distance. He glanced down at her, "Sounded like a pistol. Doesn't seem to be that close."
Mac nodded and then tried not to wince, "Back by the barn? Maybe they've taken to shooting each other." She was moving somewhat easier now. All the little aches seemed to be dissipating... or perhaps, consolidating was a better word. The pain was settling into three areas: her back, her neck and her left shoulder.
Harm smiled grimly, "We should be so lucky." They were making better time than he had hoped but they still weren't far enough away. He was certain that there would be pursuit - these people couldn't afford not to. Harm was also becoming troubled about Tyler's absence and he knew Mac was worried. Now would be a good time for Pick to make a reappearance, they needed his skills to watch their backtrail.
They resumed walking. Harm had shifted his arm from around Mac's waist to under her elbow. She was handling her own weight but he knew that her neck and probably her back were bothering her. Having witnessed the fall, he was just grateful she hadn't broken either one. It only took a few minutes to fill Mac in on the events at Windswept. The debate about what to do would take a little longer. They needed to contact the authorities, both the Feds and the local cops, and let them know it was a hostage situation. That was another reason they needed to find Tyler, Mac's cell phone had also gone MIA. Now they were moving mostly in silence, Harm was concentrating on their backtrail, Mac was watching her feet.
They stopped suddenly when Nicky came swiftly towards them out of the trees to the right. The siblings had been ranging in front of the JAG officers, being careful to stay close to cover and within shouting distance.
"Commander! Colonel! You have to come quick! It's Miz Parker and Pick!" He wheeled Alcazar around and hurried into the woods once more.
"Nicky! Wait!" Harm hissed in a low, intense voice, "Goddammit!"
"Harm, go," Mac said firmly. "I can catch up on my own. Whatever's going on can't be that far away."
"You sure?" Harm eyed her dubiously.
Mac gave him an exasperated look, "Go. I'll be right behind you." With one last look, Harm hurried off the way Nicky had gone. Mac gritted her teeth and did her best to hurry, too. She was willing to bet that whatever it was that had Nicky in an uproar probably wasn't good. It was several long minutes before she cleared the narrow span of trees. What Mac saw made her pick up her pace, even as each stride made her wince that much more.
Both Nicky and Cat were dismounted. Cat had the reins of Calypso, Jack and Brazos. Nicky was holding Alcazar and Gallant, the bay gelding Liz had been riding the day before. Harm and Pick were crouched on either side of a prone figure and Mac knew, with a sinking feeling, that it had to be Liz Parker.
At least she was alive, Mac knew that that would be the only reason why Pick hadn't left her. The questions were how badly was she hurt and how to get medical help. Mac came up beside Harm and rested a hand on his shoulder. "How is she?"
He covered her hand briefly with his own, "If you can call getting shot in the back lucky, then she probably owns the world's largest collection of four-leaf clovers. She didn't go into shock and she hasn't bled to death. It looks like the bullet hit just under the right shoulder blade and came out by the collarbone." Harm glanced over at Tyler, "From what Pick says, it looks like she landed on her side and her body weight actually compressed the wounds and stopped the bleeding."
Mac whistled softly, "Someone was watching over her. Has she been awake at all?"
"Fits and starts, ma'am," Pick answered. "I did what I could with that little first aid kit I carry, but it wasn't meant for something like this."
Harm looked around, "We can't stay here. We need to get her and the kids somewhere safe and call in the authorities and paramedics." He looked at Pick, "How far are we from Windswept's property line?"
Pick glanced over his shoulder, "A quarter mile to the west, give or take a bit. There aren't any gates along the fenceline," he warned. "It's post and board with woven wire tacked on the inside. The Parkers own the property on the other side. I think it's at least another quarter mile to their house. If you want to get her off Windswept entirely, then the main entrance is our best bet." He looked back down at Liz, "Do you think we can move her safely?"
"No choice," Harm replied, "It's definitely not safe around here." He scrubbed a hand through his hair, "The question is how?" He and Pick were the only ones strong enough to carry her but they were also the group's main protection. He couldn't afford for either of them to be encumbered.
"Sir?" Cat raised a hand, "What if I take her on Brazos? That way the Colonel can ride Jack and Nicky can lead Calypso for me."
Harm looked at her thoughtfully, what she suggested could work with the added bonus of positioning Mac for a fast escape should things go sour. Moving Liz on horseback couldn't be any worse than he and Pick trying it. He turned a carefully neutral face to Mac, "That might be the best way. What do you think?"
Mac eyed him suspiciously. He had agreed far too readily for someone who'd just seen his fears about her riding justified. "Fine, so long as you don't think I'll ride quietly off into the sunset and leave you and Pick to deal these people alone." She looked over at Cat, "What about Gallant?"
Cat shrugged, "Take off the bridle and saddle and turn him loose. This is the winter pasture, it's not in use right now." She stopped abruptly as another thought occurred to her.
"What?" Mac prompted her.
"Well, he might wind up following us anyway," Cat said apologetically. "Horses are herd animals. They don't like being left alone."
"So we'll let him tag along," Harm cut in. "We need to get going." He looked over at Mac, "How long have we been moving?"
"From when you joined us in the clearing? Eighteen minutes."
Harm thought for a moment, "How long since we heard that pistol shot?"
"Seven minutes." Mac frowned at him, "What? You think they fired off a starting gun for the pursuit?"
"Maybe," Harm answered. He looked at Cat, "It was the Cartwrights that tried to grab you?"
Cat nodded, "I recognized some of them. They're JD's brothers and cousins, I think."
Harm looked back at Mac, "I doubt those guys masterminded any of this, which means they were hired as muscle."
"And having us escape probably didn't sit well with their employers. You think they killed one of them as an example about failure?" Mac questioned somewhat skeptically. "I would think that would make the rest of them bolt. I assume they were just in it for the money."
"But what if running out was worse than staying in?" Harm countered. "The stakes are pretty high for these people, it wouldn't surprise me if they promised retribution for anyone who crossed them."
Mac started to nod and thought better of it, "Well, if you're right, that means one less bad guy to deal with."
"Maybe two," Harm replied. "I think I might have hit one of them while I was covering your escape."
He motioned for Cat to mount Brazos while he bent down to gather Liz up in his arms. They could continue to talk while they moved. Pick stepped in to help and together they got Liz up in front of Cat. Once those two were situated, Mac moved over to Jack and Nicky gave her a leg up. She suppressed a groan and then gave the young man a grateful smile. Nicky grinned in return and then hurriedly stripped Gallant of his tack before turning back to mount Alcazar. Pick reached up and handed Calypso's reins to him.
Tyler looked over at Harm and then Mac, "We need to head north and east for the main gate." He pointed, "Nicky knows where all the pasture gates are, we have to get through two before we reach the entrance to Windswept. The last hundred yards will be down the main driveway and there's no cover for a hundred yards before that. It could get hairy if anyone catches up with us." He looked back at the two officers, "You want me to scout behind and see who's there?"
Harm nodded, "Yeah, and for godsakes, don't let them see you."
Pick grinned, "Don't worry, I won't." He popped to attention, "Sir, ma'am. Permission to skulk?"
Mac rolled her eyes from her perch aboard Jack, "Go. Oh, but leave us your cell phone. We've managed to lose both of ours."
"Yes ma'am," Pick dug into his pocket, handed the phone to Harm and then jogged back the way they'd come.
Harm watched him disappear into the woods and then turned to his little group, "Let's go."
Windswept Farm
Outskirts of Lexington, Kentucky
1535 Local
"Who are you?"
Tink turned around and saw huddled group of young men and women. Some appeared to have been crying, all looked frightened. He figured them to be about Pick's age, in their early twenties. Bell glanced at the door and then took a step towards them. They visibly flinched and unconsciously banded tighter together. Tink stopped and sighed, "I'm not with them and I'm not planning on hurting any of you. My name is Bell. Do all of you work at Windswept?"
A young man and woman looked at each other and then stepped forward together. The man spoke first, "I'm Anthony James, but you can call me Little T. This is Maggie. We all work for the Montgomerys. What the hell is going on? Who are these lunatics?"
Tink ran a hand through his hair, "That could take a while, mind if I sit down?" He'd discovered early on that people found him less intimidating when he was sitting.
Little T waved a hand, "Be my guest. Pull up a tack box and have a seat."
Tink did just that and watched the group begin to relax, "Do all of you know that the Montgomerys' daughter, Carol, is the Queen of a small, eastern European country called Bacovia?"
There were nods from most of the group, although one young man looked at his neighbor and said incredulously, "For real? I thought it was some sort of family joke. Aren't the Montgomerys American?"
One of the girls answered him, "Of course, the Montgomerys are Americans." She looked at Tink, "She married into royalty, right? Like Princess Grace of Monaco?"
Bell nodded and continued, "Bacovia is pretty small and until recently, nobody paid much attention to it."
Maggie put up a hand, "What happened recently?"
Tink shifted a little, the tack box wasn't the most comfortable thing he'd ever sat on, "U.S. intelligence has discovered a link-up between the Chechens and some al-Qaeda operatives. Apparently they've decided that Bacovia would make an excellent terrorist base. To do that, they need a government that is more in sympathy with their goals. In order to get the government they need, they have to get rid of the old one." Tink stopped for a moment to let them digest that information.
Another young man put up a hand, "But what are they doing here? Practicing?"
There were a few nervous sniggers in the background. Tink let it die down and then said quietly, "The current government of Bacovia is a monarchy and the current ruling family is adamantly opposed to terrorism."
The same young man spoke up again, "So? ...What? They throw them out of office and bring in someone who's for terrorism?"
Tink stared at him, "They're not planning on just throwing the royal family out." He heard Maggie's sharp intake of breath.
"Oh my God," her eyes were huge, "they're going to kill the whole family? Even the kids? But... but... the little one, she's only, like, ten or so."
"Twelve," Bell said grimly. "Age doesn't matter to these people. They have to kill the entire family." He watched the reaction ripple through the group.
"But these guys are Americans," Little T protested. "What would they care if al-Qaeda was in Bacovia or not?"
"They're mercenaries," Tink said shortly. "They claim to be in it to advance their political views but what they want is money."
"Who ARE you?" T asked again. "CIA?"
Tink looked indignant, "I'm Corporal Thomas Bell of the United States Marine Corps."
The group stared at him in disbelief. "You're a jarhead?" someone asked.
"Marine," Bell rumbled ominously, beginning to scowl.
Little T held up his hands, looking decidedly nervous, "Hey, no offense, man." He glanced back at the others and leaned forward a little, "So, what do you think they're gonna do with us?"
"That's hard to say," Tink hedged. The last thing he wanted was a roomful of panicked civilians.
"Take a guess," the young man persisted.
"For godsakes, T," Maggie interrupted. "What do you want him to say? None of those guys were wearing masks or anything. What makes you think they're going to just let us go?" She glared at Tink, "Is there anything we can do? I don't want to sit here and wait for them to shoot me like a fish in a barrel."
Windswept Farm
Outskirts of Lexington, Kentucky
1555 Local
Nicky and Cat entered the woods and immediately brought their horses down to a walk. Neither relished the thought of banging a kneecap into a tree. Cat glanced down at her mare's heaving flanks and dismounted, loosening the girth. She looked nervously over her shoulder to the field beyond the trees and then back up at her brother, "We can't stay here."
Nicky nodded, "We're supposed to meet in a clearing back this way. Pick and Colonel MacKenzie should be there already." Maneuvering his gelding around his sister and Calypso, he took the lead down a narrow horse path.
"Is the Colonel all right?" Cat kept glancing nervously over her shoulder. The gunfire seemed to be dying down.
Nicky shook his head, looking back at his sister, "I don't know, I was concentrating on you."
"Nicky?"
"Yeah?"
"Thank you. You were amazing out there."
He shrugged his shoulders and looked back at her with an embarrassed smile, "You were doing all right, I just evened up the odds a little. ... Besides, I'm the only one who's allowed to pick on my older sisters."
She grinned at him and they fell into a companionable silence as they followed along the meandering horse trail.
********
Mac braced herself against the tree and slowly swept her eyes across the clearing. Tyler had gone to find Jack at her urging. As much as she wasn't looking forward to riding again, it would be the only way she could keep up when they started to move. She opted to remain standing, afraid that sitting down would lead to collapsing. She desperately wanted to, preferably in a steaming hot bath with a bottle of ibuprofen in each hand. Her body was one huge ache but she didn't think she'd broken anything new. Mac wasn't sure what kind of damage she'd done to her left shoulder. She remembered vividly how it had felt when her collarbone had broken before and that hadn't happened again, but raising her left arm to shoulder level required pain-filled effort. She'd tucked it inside her jacket after shifting her pistol to her right-hand coat pocket. She'd had the holster clipped in front of her left hip so she could cross-draw with her right hand. Now she sported the beginnings of a huge bruise where the sidearm had been driven into her from the fall.
Mac heard the sound of someone approaching before she could see anyone. Easing back behind the tree, she put her hand in her jacket pocket, wrapping it around the reassuring feel of the 9mm pistol. Tension turned to relief when first Nicky and then Cat entered the clearing. She stepped out from behind the tree when she saw them scanning the clearing anxiously.
"Over here," she called softly, pulling her hand out of her pocket and waving.
"Colonel!" Cat threw her reins at her brother, racing across the clearing. She stopped just in front of Mac, rocking back uncertainly on her heels, unsure how the Marine officer would react to an embrace.
Mac recognized her dilemma and lifted her right arm with a slight smile, "Just be careful. I think I'm one big bruise."
Gratefully, Cat stepped in and cautiously hugged the Colonel. Now that the adrenaline was fading, she found she couldn't stop trembling.
Mac could feel the young woman shaking. Rubbing her back, she murmured soothingly, "It's okay, everybody's safe." Leaning back a little, she looked into eyes that were bright with unshed tears, "You did good, you know. I'm very proud of you."
That did it. Cat started sobbing, burying her head in Mac's shoulder. Mac just held on, letting the tears run their course. Nicky came up, trailing the two horses. He started patting his sister's shoulder awkwardly, looking at the Colonel in dismayed confusion. Mac smiled at the young man, "She'll be fine in a minute, she just needs to get this out of her system."
After a few more moments, Cat pulled back, wiping at her face with both hands, her sobs diminishing to an occasional hitch in her breathing. She gave Nicky a tremulous smile and he returned it with relief. He hated to see his sisters cry, he never knew exactly what to do about it.
Cat turned from him to Mac and her smile faded. Her relief at finding the Colonel safe and subsequent crying jag had kept her from really looking at the older woman. Now she noticed how pale the Marine officer seemed and how carefully she was keeping herself upright. "Ma'am?" she asked, worry creasing her brow, "Are you all right? Do you need to sit down?"
Mac smiled ruefully, "I feel like someone just put me through the tumble-dry cycle and I'm afraid to sit down. I might not get up."
Cat stared at her with wide eyes, "I'm so sorry, Colonel. I should have thought of something besides jumping that fence."
Easing herself back so that she was once more braced against the tree trunk, Mac raised an eyebrow, "My plan involved getting shot. I'll take the bruises, thank you." She gave Cat a stern look, "And what were you thinking when you charged back into that group?"
Scuffing a toe in the dirt, Cat couldn't quite meet the Colonel's eye, "I was just trying to give you time to get away."
Mac sighed, "Cat... " She waited until the young woman looked up at her, "Thank you, but please don't do anything like that again. You took years off my life." Mac grinned at the Princess, "Besides, you're not always going to have someone as brave as your brother rescuing you."
Cat grinned back and then turned to her furiously blushing younger brother. She knew he was both enamored and terrified of the Colonel. Throwing her arms around him, she kissed him on the cheek, "You should have seen him, ma'am. They never knew what hit 'em."
"I can believe that... " Mac broke off abruptly when the horses' heads and ears came up, pointing into the woods to their right. She pushed herself off the trunk, her hand going into her coat pocket. "Get into the trees behind me, take the horses with you," she ordered tersely. "Now!"
Turning so that the tree trunk would be between her and whatever was coming, Mac gritted her teeth and sank down into a crouch. Anxious minutes passed and then she sagged with relief when Harm suddenly appeared in the clearing. "Over here!" she called softly.
He hurried over, slinging his rifle over his shoulder and kneeling down next to her. His eyes worriedly scanned her, taking in her appearance, "How bad?"
Mac returned the look, "I might ask you the same thing. Pick didn't say much."
Harm gave an exasperated sigh, "It's not good. We're it, but we don't have time for details right now. We need to get out of here." He gave her a more pointed look, "How bad?"
She gave him a tired grin, "Nothing broken, I think, but I'd kill for a soft bed and an icepack right about now."
He smiled back, "I'll bet." Harm glanced up when Nicky and Cat reappeared out of the underbrush and then continued to look around, "Where's Tyler?"
"I sent him to find Jack, if he could," Mac said, trying not to grimace as she let Harm do most of the work in getting her on her feet. "We need to move right now, don't we?"
"Yeah," Harm replied, keeping an arm around her waist, "they've probably figured out by now that I've left but I'm hoping they'll still be pretty cautious while they make sure. We need to be as far away from here as we can." He eyed her in concern, he was still supporting a lot of her weight, "Think you can handle it?"
"Have to," came the short reply. Mac had been hoping that Pick would have returned by now. Had something happened to him?
Cat stepped forward, "Excuse me, ma'am... sir; but we could lead you on Cal... " she turned partway and gestured towards Nicky, "... or Alcazar. That'd be faster, wouldn't it?"
Mac eyed the two horses dubiously. Calypso was a good-sized mare, Alcazar was even larger. It would be a bit of a climb to get up there and an even longer fall down. She cringed mentally, just thinking about it. "I don't know... " she said slowly.
Harm spoke up at almost the same time, "I'd rather have you and your brother riding, Cat. You and Nicky are the ones they're really after." He glanced down at Mac to see her nodding in agreement, "Our job is to see to it that both of you stay out of their hands." Motioning towards the horses, he said, "Mount up. We have to leave."
Reluctantly, Nicky gave Cat a leg up on Calypso and then vaulted onto Alcazar. Harm waved a hand at them, "Head west, stay near the trees. We'll be right behind you." He watched them head out and looked down at Mac, "Ready?"
"No, but let's do it anyway," Mac said, steeling herself for the trek ahead. It was time to suck it up. They needed to find a safe place so they could make plans for rescuing the Dzuricks.
Windswept Farm
Outskirts of Lexington, Kentucky
1605 Local
El sat very quietly and listened. She was not going to cry. She was twelve years old and a princess besides and crying simply wasn't done. She'd almost crawled out of her hiding space after those men had taken Tinker away but had heard the other voices in time. She'd hadn't liked what she heard or the way they'd said it and she'd been incensed when she realized that they were the Cartwrights. Maybe Mr. Rabb should have listened to Mo. It'd gotten quiet again and then there'd been yelling and shouting. Mostly it was men's voices but she thought she'd heard her sister's voice too. That had scared her and when the shooting started, she'd been terrified. She curled herself up even tighter and kept her eyes squeezed shut. It seemed like forever before the gunfire had died down and she was afraid of what that might mean.
The minutes crawled by and then she heard voices again, well, mostly a voice. She hadn't heard it before, it sounded young, like that nice Lt. Tyler. This voice was angry and steadily growing in volume. El concentrated on listening, it sounded like they were standing just inside the barn.
"They got away?! Six of you and they just waltzed out?" Aaron threw up his hands in disgust and looked over at Bodie, "Have you ever seen such incredible stupidity?"
Bodie shook his head, grateful that he was just a foot soldier. Aaron was in worlds of trouble with Nash. Someone was going to pay dearly for this blunder. Relieved of any of the responsibility, Bodie could afford to watch everything unfold with a clinical eye. He knew Aaron well enough to pick up the slight edge of hysteria in his anger. He couldn't blame him, they both remembered what had happened two years ago. Dave Tavis had been an up-and-comer in their organization, one Nash had taken under his wing. He was extremely bright and then his ego had ballooned out of control with the personal attention.
Things came to a head when Nash had decided to test their training and pick up some capital on the way by staging a bank robbery. Obsessive-compulsive, he'd planned everything down to the smallest detail. They executed the op-plan perfectly and then Tavis decided to improvise on his own. Things fell apart in a hurry - one civilian was killed, Artie was captured and instead of picking up close to $250,000, they only got $20,000.
They made it back to their rendezvous point and Tavis had been contrite, apologizing profusely. Nash had heard him out in apparent calmness. What happened after that still gave Bodie nightmares. None had been allowed to leave and when Tavis finally died, hours later, everyone had breathed a sigh of relief. Nobody ever failed Nash again... until now.
Aaron rounded on the Cartwrights again, "What the hell happened?!"
JD glanced at the others and shuffled his feet, "It wasn't our fault. The princess' horse started going crazy and then the two of them bolted."
"Bolted? Bolted where?" Aaron glared at the Cartwrights. "No one went by us at the main barn. You let them turn around and go back the way they came? Didn't you block their path? What kind of morons are you?!"
JD stared at him, anger becoming visible on his face, "Of course we blocked them!" He jabbed a finger towards the pasture, "How could we know that they'd jump the pasture fence? We didn't think they'd go that way. That cousin of theirs hasn't been riding very long - she shouldn't have gotten over at all!"
"So you started shooting... ," Aaron measured the distance to the fence with his eye, "... that's what? A hundred feet? And all of you together couldn't hit two women or their horses?" He swept a contemptuous glance over the group and froze when he noticed two of the men in the back. One was trying to lean inconspicuously on the other. Aaron pushed past the others until he was face to face with the two. They stared sullenly back and then jumped in surprise when he shot a hand out and grabbed the wrist of the one who was leaning. Pulling it away from the man's side, Aaron stared at the growing red stain. He turned back to JD, his voice dripping with disdain, "You couldn't hit the women but you managed to shoot one of your own? How the hell have any of you managed to live this long?"
Unable to contain himself, Bo shoved past JD, "Someone was shooting at us, smart-ass!" He looked down at the smaller man and shoved a finger in his chest, "This is YOUR fault! You never told us they would have guns!"
Aaron grabbed the finger and snapped it backwards, dropping Bo to his knees with a howl. Hanging on to it, Aaron stepped in closer, pulled out his pistol in one smooth move and shot the eldest Cartwright between the eyes. Letting the corpse drop to the ground, he swept his gaze around the rest of the men who were standing frozen in horror. He pinned a terrified JD with a glare and said softly, "Tell me exactly what happened."
JD stared at him, white-faced, and resolutely refusing to look down, launched into a stuttering account of everything that had happened. Aaron listened silently until JD dwindled to a close. He looked over at Bodie, "Go get some of our people." He waited while Bodie hurried off and then turned back to the Cartwrights, "You're going to help my men track down these people and you're going to do it quickly and quietly. I want the Dzurick children. I don't care if you kill the others so long as you don't make any noise." He stared at the group, "If you try to run off, I will hunt you down one by one and you'll wish you'd died as quickly as this stupid bastard."
Bodie came back at a run with two men and a woman. Aaron looked at him, "Got your comm units?" They nodded. "Okay, take these guys along and find the Dzuricks. You have one hour." He pointed at JD, "You stay here, we're going to see the boss and you can explain just how badly you screwed up." JD began to look slightly green.
"Aaron," Bodie spoke up. "What about this guy?" He pointed at the Cartwright that'd been wounded. Aaron looked at him and shrugged slightly. Bodie nodded and directed a look at his three people. The woman stepped close to the man, who was now staring wide-eyed at Aaron and a moment later, he collapsed on the ground. She leaned down, wiped the blood off her knife using his shirt and then re-sheathed it. Stepping back, she stood and waited soundlessly. Bodie gestured sharply at the remaining shocked Cartwrights, "Let's go. You three will take point." He looked back at Aaron, "One hour."
El stayed very still and promised herself she wouldn't cry.
*******
Harm and Mac stopped for a moment when they heard a faint, muffled shot reverberate in the distance. He glanced down at her, "Sounded like a pistol. Doesn't seem to be that close."
Mac nodded and then tried not to wince, "Back by the barn? Maybe they've taken to shooting each other." She was moving somewhat easier now. All the little aches seemed to be dissipating... or perhaps, consolidating was a better word. The pain was settling into three areas: her back, her neck and her left shoulder.
Harm smiled grimly, "We should be so lucky." They were making better time than he had hoped but they still weren't far enough away. He was certain that there would be pursuit - these people couldn't afford not to. Harm was also becoming troubled about Tyler's absence and he knew Mac was worried. Now would be a good time for Pick to make a reappearance, they needed his skills to watch their backtrail.
They resumed walking. Harm had shifted his arm from around Mac's waist to under her elbow. She was handling her own weight but he knew that her neck and probably her back were bothering her. Having witnessed the fall, he was just grateful she hadn't broken either one. It only took a few minutes to fill Mac in on the events at Windswept. The debate about what to do would take a little longer. They needed to contact the authorities, both the Feds and the local cops, and let them know it was a hostage situation. That was another reason they needed to find Tyler, Mac's cell phone had also gone MIA. Now they were moving mostly in silence, Harm was concentrating on their backtrail, Mac was watching her feet.
They stopped suddenly when Nicky came swiftly towards them out of the trees to the right. The siblings had been ranging in front of the JAG officers, being careful to stay close to cover and within shouting distance.
"Commander! Colonel! You have to come quick! It's Miz Parker and Pick!" He wheeled Alcazar around and hurried into the woods once more.
"Nicky! Wait!" Harm hissed in a low, intense voice, "Goddammit!"
"Harm, go," Mac said firmly. "I can catch up on my own. Whatever's going on can't be that far away."
"You sure?" Harm eyed her dubiously.
Mac gave him an exasperated look, "Go. I'll be right behind you." With one last look, Harm hurried off the way Nicky had gone. Mac gritted her teeth and did her best to hurry, too. She was willing to bet that whatever it was that had Nicky in an uproar probably wasn't good. It was several long minutes before she cleared the narrow span of trees. What Mac saw made her pick up her pace, even as each stride made her wince that much more.
Both Nicky and Cat were dismounted. Cat had the reins of Calypso, Jack and Brazos. Nicky was holding Alcazar and Gallant, the bay gelding Liz had been riding the day before. Harm and Pick were crouched on either side of a prone figure and Mac knew, with a sinking feeling, that it had to be Liz Parker.
At least she was alive, Mac knew that that would be the only reason why Pick hadn't left her. The questions were how badly was she hurt and how to get medical help. Mac came up beside Harm and rested a hand on his shoulder. "How is she?"
He covered her hand briefly with his own, "If you can call getting shot in the back lucky, then she probably owns the world's largest collection of four-leaf clovers. She didn't go into shock and she hasn't bled to death. It looks like the bullet hit just under the right shoulder blade and came out by the collarbone." Harm glanced over at Tyler, "From what Pick says, it looks like she landed on her side and her body weight actually compressed the wounds and stopped the bleeding."
Mac whistled softly, "Someone was watching over her. Has she been awake at all?"
"Fits and starts, ma'am," Pick answered. "I did what I could with that little first aid kit I carry, but it wasn't meant for something like this."
Harm looked around, "We can't stay here. We need to get her and the kids somewhere safe and call in the authorities and paramedics." He looked at Pick, "How far are we from Windswept's property line?"
Pick glanced over his shoulder, "A quarter mile to the west, give or take a bit. There aren't any gates along the fenceline," he warned. "It's post and board with woven wire tacked on the inside. The Parkers own the property on the other side. I think it's at least another quarter mile to their house. If you want to get her off Windswept entirely, then the main entrance is our best bet." He looked back down at Liz, "Do you think we can move her safely?"
"No choice," Harm replied, "It's definitely not safe around here." He scrubbed a hand through his hair, "The question is how?" He and Pick were the only ones strong enough to carry her but they were also the group's main protection. He couldn't afford for either of them to be encumbered.
"Sir?" Cat raised a hand, "What if I take her on Brazos? That way the Colonel can ride Jack and Nicky can lead Calypso for me."
Harm looked at her thoughtfully, what she suggested could work with the added bonus of positioning Mac for a fast escape should things go sour. Moving Liz on horseback couldn't be any worse than he and Pick trying it. He turned a carefully neutral face to Mac, "That might be the best way. What do you think?"
Mac eyed him suspiciously. He had agreed far too readily for someone who'd just seen his fears about her riding justified. "Fine, so long as you don't think I'll ride quietly off into the sunset and leave you and Pick to deal these people alone." She looked over at Cat, "What about Gallant?"
Cat shrugged, "Take off the bridle and saddle and turn him loose. This is the winter pasture, it's not in use right now." She stopped abruptly as another thought occurred to her.
"What?" Mac prompted her.
"Well, he might wind up following us anyway," Cat said apologetically. "Horses are herd animals. They don't like being left alone."
"So we'll let him tag along," Harm cut in. "We need to get going." He looked over at Mac, "How long have we been moving?"
"From when you joined us in the clearing? Eighteen minutes."
Harm thought for a moment, "How long since we heard that pistol shot?"
"Seven minutes." Mac frowned at him, "What? You think they fired off a starting gun for the pursuit?"
"Maybe," Harm answered. He looked at Cat, "It was the Cartwrights that tried to grab you?"
Cat nodded, "I recognized some of them. They're JD's brothers and cousins, I think."
Harm looked back at Mac, "I doubt those guys masterminded any of this, which means they were hired as muscle."
"And having us escape probably didn't sit well with their employers. You think they killed one of them as an example about failure?" Mac questioned somewhat skeptically. "I would think that would make the rest of them bolt. I assume they were just in it for the money."
"But what if running out was worse than staying in?" Harm countered. "The stakes are pretty high for these people, it wouldn't surprise me if they promised retribution for anyone who crossed them."
Mac started to nod and thought better of it, "Well, if you're right, that means one less bad guy to deal with."
"Maybe two," Harm replied. "I think I might have hit one of them while I was covering your escape."
He motioned for Cat to mount Brazos while he bent down to gather Liz up in his arms. They could continue to talk while they moved. Pick stepped in to help and together they got Liz up in front of Cat. Once those two were situated, Mac moved over to Jack and Nicky gave her a leg up. She suppressed a groan and then gave the young man a grateful smile. Nicky grinned in return and then hurriedly stripped Gallant of his tack before turning back to mount Alcazar. Pick reached up and handed Calypso's reins to him.
Tyler looked over at Harm and then Mac, "We need to head north and east for the main gate." He pointed, "Nicky knows where all the pasture gates are, we have to get through two before we reach the entrance to Windswept. The last hundred yards will be down the main driveway and there's no cover for a hundred yards before that. It could get hairy if anyone catches up with us." He looked back at the two officers, "You want me to scout behind and see who's there?"
Harm nodded, "Yeah, and for godsakes, don't let them see you."
Pick grinned, "Don't worry, I won't." He popped to attention, "Sir, ma'am. Permission to skulk?"
Mac rolled her eyes from her perch aboard Jack, "Go. Oh, but leave us your cell phone. We've managed to lose both of ours."
"Yes ma'am," Pick dug into his pocket, handed the phone to Harm and then jogged back the way they'd come.
Harm watched him disappear into the woods and then turned to his little group, "Let's go."