Brotherhood
Chapter 31
...
He had never been in a real war, and this was as close as he hoped he'd ever have to be. He stared numbly out over the dusty, bone-dry construction yard, a battlefield now eerily still, the bodies of the dead marking their final seconds with blood. The shattering chaos over, he began to hear the muted cries of the wounded, some crawling on hands and knees, others barely on their feet as they searched for any escape from their pain. Callen made no sound as one of the SEALs worked to stop the bleeding, his eyes glassy and his hand going limp as he slipped into unconsciousness. He looked so vulnerable and it was frightening to see him so still, and he tightened his grip on his brother's hand. He was asked to give the medics room to work, but he resisted until Sam pulled him to his feet and walked him to the edge of the trees, his protests weak and ineffective against the big man's determination. He felt the sting of guilt once again as Sam returned to his partner's side, while he stared blindly out at what the end of the day and the mission had wrought.
He found he had no energy and almost no interest in what happened to Pierce and the others holed up in the Quonset hut. He did laugh once when General Rasmussen shouted out his demand to be treated with the respect he deserved as a decorated war hero before agreeing to surrender. Even when the three of them came out and were quickly surrounded by members of the tactical squad, he felt indifferent, simply watching, wanting nothing more to do with them. He had looked away briefly until he heard shouting, turning in time to see Newton Pierce stoop to grab a pistol out of the hand of a dead man. He had a sudden vicious wish that they would shoot him, but the bastard decided to do that himself, quickly shoving the gun up under his chin and pulling the trigger. The echo reverberated out over the bayou, stilling the voices of the living.
"Fucking coward," Harrison White muttered as Roy led him up and turned him over to two SEALs.
The man looked over at him as he leaned against a tree and spit out some of the blood from Deeks' earlier punch. As the man glowered at him he felt a sense of pride for the first time. They had taken these arrogant bastards down and derailed their dangerous plans for the country, finally ending what his brother Joe had started and almost died for.
"You're fucked, asshole," Deeks said wearily. "Enjoy the Congressional hearings."
"I was right, wasn't I?" White asked. "Joe Atwood was your partner taking down that Chinese spy."
"Yeah he was," Deeks replied, seeing no reason not to tell the man.
"At least that sonofabitch is dead," he said with a sneering grin.
"Wrong, you arrogant fuck," Deeks said. "He's the one who'll be living happily ever after while you rot in a federal prison for the rest of your life, if you're lucky. Think the Attorney General might just seek the death penalty for you."
"You're lying about Atwood," White snarled. "I saw the report. He was killed in a shootout with Guidry's men."
"Fooled ya, couyon," he drawled out derisively with all the venom of Jimmy Hale.
"Fuck" the man replied with a scowl. "You and Jake aren't real brothers either are you?"
"Wrong again."
"I saw him go down. He dead?" the man asked with a nasty look of hopefulness.
"No. He's not," Sam boomed as he stepped out of the shadows of the trees.
"Don't tell me. You're not with the DOJ," White said, sighing with resignation.
"Sam Hanna, NCIS, Office of Special Projects."
"You the one running the Hale brothers?" He asked, openly curious.
"That would be Henrietta Lange," Sam replied.
"Shit."
That information silenced him and he dropped his head in defeat as the two SEALs escorted him away.
"You okay Deeks?" Sam said as he laid a big hand on the back of his neck.
He had no idea how to answer that question and simply shrugged his shoulders, feeling incredibly exhausted and uncertain. As he searched his reeling mind for an answer, a man called out Sam's name as he hurried toward them, and he could see he was angry by the tension in his jaw. Sam must have seen it too and turned to face him.
"We can't find Guidry," he reported.
Deeks went cold inside, and pushed away from the tree to rush back to the place he'd left the man, the others silently following. He stared down at the matted weeds and the smear of blood on the edge of one of the girders, his anger deep, and the regret leaving him breathless.
"Dammit! I knocked him out. He was right here," Deeks said, scanning the immediate area even though he knew he was long gone.
"Well you did a piss poor job of securing him," the man said.
"I had to get to my partner," Deeks growled, suddenly feeling remnants of Jimmy Hale. "He was shot."
"You're Deeks, right? You should have waited until you could turn Guidry over to one of my men."
"Fuck you, whatever the hell your name is," Deeks shouted in his face, his alias roaring full force.
If Sam hadn't stepped between them, Deeks wasn't sure he wouldn't have hit the guy.
"Go easy, Murphy," Sam warned. "We wouldn't have taken any of these guys without Deeks and Callen, so cut him some slack."
"I'm the special agent in charge here, Hanna," Murphy replied. "Guidry is still a major threat and I intend to find out why your boy here just let him walk away."
"You think I let him get away on purpose, you pompous asshole?" Deeks shouted, struggling to control his mounting anger.
"Deeks!" Sam voice was sharp as he put a restraining hand on his chest.
"Watch your mouth, Agent Deeks, or I'll have you detained for some serious questioning," Murphy warned.
"You're out of line, Agent Murphy," Morgan Bellamy of the NSD called out as he walked up to join them. "Don't make accusations against this young man trying to cover up for you're own failures. You were a suspect yourself at one time, so stow the unwarranted indignation."
Murphy looked pissed, but he didn't argue and Deeks was grateful, uncertain whether he could have controlled his volatile anger.
"Thank you, sir," Sam said quietly, watching Deeks carefully.
"Agent Deeks. I'm Morgan Bellamy, Deputy Assistant Attorney General, National Security Division. I oversee the Office of Intelligence," he said. "You and your partner have the nation's grateful thanks for what you did during this mission."
"Don't forget to thank Joe Atwood, sir. He deserves it after what he went through," he replied, unwilling to let anyone forget that they had thrown his brother to the wolves.
"I promise you, his service won't be forgotten," the man replied.
"We still need to find Guidry, sir," Murphy asserted.
"I'm going after him," Deeks quietly announced as he checked his weapon.
"You don't have to do that now, Agent Deeks," Bellamy said. "Our tactical squad will find him."
"No they won't," he replied. "He'll lead them into traps that'll get 'em killed."
"I have men who are trained to track. Are you?" Murphy argued, his resentment plain.
"I am," Elan said with a surly attitude that almost made Deeks smile.
"And I know this here swamp," Roy added as he stood stalwartly beside him.
"Who the hell are these guys?" Murphy asked, looking slightly bewildered.
"These men were part of a black ops task force that was set up to do the job you and the others failed to do," Bellamy said coldly. "Now go help with the clean up. You're not needed here."
The official's support surprised Deeks and his smile flickered briefly at the dark look on Murphy's face as he turned to leave.
Bellamy reached out and Deeks shook his hand. "I trust you to finish this, Agent Deeks. Take care of yourselves, gentlemen."
He walked off to the beating sounds of incoming helicopters and Deeks suddenly longed to climb on board one and simply fly away.
"You up for this Deeks?" Sam asked, concern etched on his face. "I can go with Elan and Roy."
"I need to finish this," he finally said softly. "I know him better than anyone here, and you need to take care of G. He needs you now. I don't want him to wake up alone in that hospital room. He'll have questions."
"And he's gonna be pissed when I tell him you went after Guidry," Sam replied.
"He won't be happy, but he'll understand."
"At least take a few of the SEALs with you," he said.
"Just one," he replied. "Need somebody to watch Roy's back. He's old."
"I may be old, smart ass, but y'all just be chasin' your tails without me."
Sam suddenly pulled Deeks into a powerful hug, whispering in his ear to take care, and Deeks felt his heart swell with true brotherhood for the big man. Sam then shook Roy's hand before pulling Elan close and squeezing his shoulder, telling him to watch out for both of them.
"I want all of you back here in one piece," Sam demanded as only he could. "Don't make me have to come rescue your sorry asses."
"I don't think he respects our skills, Cuz," Elan smiled.
"Some Navy SEALs is just full of themselves, boys," Roy said.
"You should know," Elan gibed.
Deeks was anxious to get moving, but Sam froze him with one look as he got on comms to the SEAL team, ordering weapons and ammo and for a man named Alonzo to join him. A solid looking man wearing sunglasses and jungle fatigues with a khaki t-shirt tied tightly around his head came on the run, his chest covered by a tactical vest. A backpack was slung over one shoulder and he carried an AR-15 with a tricked out sight. He looked hard and mean until he caught sight of Roy, then he smiled.
"Hey Ro-B," he said lightly. "Thought you'd be in the old-folks' home by now."
"Damn, Zo. Didn't expect to see your ugly butt again," Roy said as he spit at the man's feet. "Didn't I wash you out for being an asshole?"
"Takes one ta know one, sir," he replied.
When Roy turned to say something to him, Deeks cut him off, uninterested in a long or a short story about how they knew one another.
"This here testy fella is Deeks," Roy said. "And the ugly one with the long hair is Elan Hand, a former Army Ranger. Talks crap in Arapaho when he's pissed, which is quite a bit."
Alonzo turned to face Deeks, his respect obvious as he came almost to full attention. "How long you under with The Brotherhood, sir?"
"I didn't keep a fuckin' journal, asshole," he snapped as he felt Jimmy Hale explode back into his mind. "Guidry has a head start on us, so if you two are done with your little reunion, Let's get on with it."
"Cuz?" Elan stepped in front of him, his eyes searching his. "You don't need that alias anymore. Let it go. You're Marty Deeks, brother. Just be the good man that you are."
In that instant his real name sounded foreign to him, and he shook his head, trying to expel the fog that had closed over his mind. He had been Jimmy Hale for so long he was finding it hard to shake the persona. He stared back at Elan and blew out his breath a couple of times, embarrassed by his actions and divisive words, searching deeply for who he really was. The men who surrounded him stood by patiently as he struggled, and Zo finally handed him a soft plastic pouch of water and the kind gesture help to ease some of the turmoil he was experiencing.
"Sorry for being a dick," he finally said after downing half the man's water.
"Don't need an apology, friend," the man replied. "Just tell me where we're going. I'll make sure Ro-B won't slow us down."
"Respect your elders, wiseass," Roy said, pulling him after Elan as he trotted off toward the bayou.
"Don't get yourself killed, Deeks," Sam said softly as he squeezed his shoulder. "I might just miss you."
"Really?"
"You're my brother too," he replied with a soft smile.
He could offer no words in reply, the big man's affirmation of their connection causing deep emotions that were almost overwhelming. Sam ruffled his hair and then pushed him after the others, but he turned to watch him walk away, wanting more than anything to make the man proud.
When he joined the others, he was surprised to realize that they looked to him as the leader and that was a sobering feeling, but one he was ready for. The boat they'd come in on was still where they'd left it, but the satphone was missing and that was a worry. Elan and Zo tracked Guidry along the edge of the water all the way back to where the militiamen had disembarked. Now there were only two boats, all of them figuring the sound of the outboard motor on the boat he'd taken had been drowned out by the heavy gunfire.
"He'll head for familiar ground, most likely," Roy reasoned.
"Maybe," Deeks said softly. "But he's smart as hell. He knows someone will be coming for him, and he might have already called for backup."
"Weren't all his men here today?" Zo asked.
"Didn't see Prou," Deeks replied, feeling his skin crawl at the thought that crossed his mind. "He's a sniper and an explosive expert. If those two connect..."
"Boobytraps," Elan said softly.
"Not if we get to him before he rendezvous with this Prou guy," Zo offered.
"Might head back to the upper camp," Roy reasoned.
"No," Deeks said quickly. "All the men that were up there came along for the meet, accept Prou and Pea. Not sure why."
"That leaves the main camp on Bayou Chene," Roy said. "Figure that's where Guidry pulled his little surprise backup unit from."
"He'll be expecting an army to come after him so he'll want to have as many men with him as possible," Deeks said quietly.
"Sounds like he has quite an ego," Zo said.
"It's not his ego we'll have to worry about. It's his rage," Deeks said. "I lied to him. He won't forget that."
"You know he'll be lookin' for revenge, kid," Roy warned evenly. "You stay sharp now."
Deeks knew he was right. If Guidry could get to him, he would try and take him alive so he could mete out a proper punishment to satisfy his insatiable rage and savage taste for blood. That need might make him reckless, and if it did, he intended to take advantage of it, if he got the chance.
"What's the fastest route to the main camp?" Elan asked as they all piled in one of the boats.
"Port Allen Lock," Roy said as he swung the boat around and opened the throttle. "Might be able ta cut him off before he reaches it. Know a shortcut the Doucets showed me once. We can lie in wait for the bastard."
"Sam? You still on comms?" Deeks asked.
"I'm here. What do you need?"
"Eric ever get a lock on that satphone Guidry uses?" Deeks asked. "Need his location."
"I will put Mr. Beale on comms with you, Mr. Deeks," Hetty said in his ear. "But before I do...I'm afraid I'm not too pleased with this little excursion of yours. The four of you taking on Guidry and his now desperate army on your own is foolhardy. The man is on the run and we can easily trap him tomorrow with the full force of the military."
"That will just give him time to regroup and prepare," Deeks argued. "Too many men died today, Hetty. Isn't that enough?"
"Are you doing this out of guilt, Mr, Deeks?" she asked.
"I should have shot that sonofabitch when I had the chance," he replied, feeling the weight of it all once again.
"That may well be, Mr. Deeks, but believe me, no one of any consequence faults you for your actions today," she said kindly. "Now that you're out there, please be careful. You know Guidry, but he doesn't really know you. Finding out that he was taken in by a federal agent who he came to care about has to have unsettled him. Use that, Mr. Deeks, and do what you have to do to stay safe."
"I will, Hetty," he replied softly. "Any news on Callen?"
"Not yet, but he's in good hands. Rest assured, we'll take good care of Mr. Callen."
He sought a respite in the suffocating humidity of the late afternoon, but it never came, the high pitched whine of the full throttle engine a fitting accompaniment for his turbulent thoughts. They only had a few hours of daylight left, and he had no desire to go after Guidry in the dark. He began to give in to exhaustion as he listened to Roy's now familiar drawl behind him as he filled Zo in on the violent proclivities of The Brotherhood and the particular savagery of Antoine Guidry. He turned the action of the day over and over again in his mind, confused by his instant decision not to kill Guidry. His excuse had been finding his brother, but now he wondered if that was all of it. Could the man have gotten to him? He definitely was surprised that Guidry had come to rescue him from Pierce and Harrison White. Had that stayed his hand? Had he somehow succumbed to his offer of a family connection? Guidry did remind him of his father in some small way. Had his past caused him to resist repeating the same terrifying response to his own father's violence?
"Deeks?"
"Yeah Eric?"
"I managed to get a GPS signal from Guidry's satphone," the tech said in a rush. "He's not going anywhere near the main camp or the upper camp."
"Then where Eric?" He asked, jerking upright.
"You're not gonna believe this, but he just entered a waterway called Blue Bayou."
"Seriously? I'm not in the mood for jokes, man," Deeks snapped back.
"Believe it, kid," Roy said with a smile. "It's real, all right, but it ain't nothin' like the song Roy Orbison sang."
"Linda Ronstadt's version is better," Eric replied.
"Any other time, boy, I'd give ya an argument, but not today," Roy said gently.
"Sorry."
"Some of Doc Mouton's stripper wells are in that area if I remember Joe's map correctly," Roy continued.
"Does Guidry have men up there maybe?" Zo asked.
"I guess it's possible," Deeks said. "Never heard him talk about it."
"Maybe it's home ground," Elan suggested.
"Or maybe he really is running," Zo added. "Place might give him access to a vehicle."
"Guess we'll just have to go find out," Roy said. "How far ahead of us is he, Eric?"
"A little over eight miles from your position at the moment," he replied.
"How's he know that?" Zo asked, looking surprised.
"Trackin' spray, brother," Roy laughed. "And a lot of it. Sam sprayed it all over Deeks here for like ten minutes. Thought the kid was gonna pass out from the fumes. Safa must be back at my place feedin' him our location. I'm startin' ta like that little lady."
"Watch what you call me, old man," Safa said over comms. "It's Agent Jordan to you."
"What you pissed about?" He asked.
"You should have taken me along," she replied. "He killed one of my agents."
"Right now you're more valuable where you are," Deeks told her. "Coordinate with Eric and as soon as Guidry stops we need to know. I don't want to give him time to set up an ambush."
"He can't know we're on his tail," Zo said.
"He won't take a chance that we're not," Deeks replied. "He provided guards for Mouton's operation. If there are militiamen there, he'll make sure they're watching."
Blue Bayou was narrow, snaking and winding its way under a low canopy of trees that arched overhead. Yellow-green algae clogged the eerie waterway adding to the stench of the rotting dead trees along its bank. They occasionally saw gators floating half hidden in the reeds and Roy gave them as wide a berth as possible. When they startled a heron coming around a bend, the gray bird's wide wings beat softly as it flew right over them, making Zo laugh quietly. The man seemed to enjoy the trip, but the claustrophobic feel was all too familiar to Deeks, and flashes of Saint's death were never far from his mind. He wanted this over with, and the longer the pursuit took the more he felt himself sinking back into his alias. It was a place he didn't want to be, even though it had kept him alive for all those long days. He wanted Guidry to see who he really was, to acknowledge he'd been fooled, even though he knew the man's anger would be explosive if they ever came face to face. He needed to bring him in, for Joe and for Oscar Doucet, but he knew it wouldn't be easy and was likely to be impossible. Guidry wouldn't go down without a fight.
"Marty," Elan alerted him softly, nodding toward an upcoming pile of dead trees, ghostly pale in the shadowy light. "Could be a sniper blind."
As he looked back toward the others, Zo slid silently over the side of the boat and disappeared into the water. Roy cut the engine and they drifted sideways until bumping solidly against the bank to wait. He saw the top of the SEAL's head once and after that only a few barely discernible ripples as the man swam toward his prey. They could barely see the pale trees from their position and if there was someone there they couldn't afford a gun battle with Guidry this close.
"It's over," Elan whispered as they saw Zo give a thumbs up.
Roy started the engine, keeping the throttle barely open and the boat slowly moved along the bank. Elan went over the side as soon as they got close and helped Zo pull the body of the dead man into the bayou. It wouldn't be there for long as a couple of gators slipped quietly off the far bank.
"Got the guy's cheap ass radio," Zo said as he tossed it to Roy. "Might come in handy for finding out what they're up to."
"Lucky for us, Roy speaks Cajun," Elan said with a quick smile.
"Eric? How close are we?" Deeks asked.
"He stopped moving about ten minutes ago," Eric replied. "Hetty got us top priority for a satellite flyover. Should be in position in about five minutes. I should be able to give you some idea how many men you're dealing with... unless they're all inside a building or something..."
"No infrared?" Roy asked.
"I'll see what I can do, Major Tom," Eric replied.
"That the kid that walked you out of that blown op?" Zo asked.
"One and the same, buddy," he replied. "Now, how many think this here dead guy heard us comin' and alerted Guidry?"
"We'll go the rest of the way on foot," Deeks said.
"There must be a trail," Elan said. "No boat here."
He started searching for it before he even stopped talking and Zo followed quickly after Roy tossed him his gear. The undergrowth was almost as thick as the mosquitos, but they pushed through on a narrow muddy track that wound between a mixture of sycamore, hackberry and sweetgum trees. When the radio suddenly crackled, they stopped, kneeling beside the thick tree trunks for cover. They watched as Roy listened, his expression giving nothing away until he smiled and said something in Cajun and then switched off the radio.
"Told 'em the boat they heard was just a couple of poachers," Roy said. "They gonna be real surprised when we show up."
"Maybe," Deeks said, unconvinced there weren't more scouts out and about.
They moved as silently as they could, the forest becoming more dense and closing in around them. Zo was covering the rear now and Elan led the way, ranging far ahead to try and relocate the path that had disappeared in the tangled undergrowth. Deeks froze for one brief second when he heard him cry out, but then charged recklessly through the bush, fear pushing him forward on the run. The sounds of the fight were desperate grunts and harsh gasps and when he finally caught sight of him Elan was on the ground being pummeled by two militiamen. Deeks roared out in anger and crashed full speed into the man about to slam the butt end of a rifle down on his brother's head. He drove the man to the ground, cursing as he hit him again and again until he went limp. He turned quickly to see Elan standing over the other man, his knife and forearm streaked with blood.
"Elan? You hurt bad?" Deeks choked out.
"His blood. Not mine," he replied, breathing heavily but smiling. "Thanks for taking on the big one, brother."
"You two all right?" Roy asked as he rushed up to them.
"Nice Ka-bar," Zo said, moving quickly to toss aside the dead men's weapons. "Serrated?"
Elan shook his head no and leaned heavily against the nearest tree to catch his breath. "You know either one of these guys, Cuz?"
"The one you killed. Name was Silas," Deeks said as he knelt beside the young man's body. "His mama made boudin for the camp. He was one of the nice ones."
"Not anymore," Zo said evenly. "What about the big guy? He's still breathing."
"Tie 'im up and gag him," Deeks ordered softly as he continued to stare at the man who had kindly brought them a plate of cold chicken their first day in camp.
"You sure?" The SEAL asked.
"Yeah, dickwad, I'm sure," Deeks said coldly as he stood to confront the man. "You got a problem with that?"
"No sir," he replied. "Just wondering if you might have been with them a little too long. Maybe got too close?"
"Is that what you think?" Deeks asked barely above a whisper. "You think I don't know what side I'm on?"
Deeks felt the first quiver of raw rage as he took a step toward the man. Elan took his arm and Roy put a hand on Zo's chest as the two men tried to stare down one another. He was sorry that Silas was dead, but no one had the right to question his loyalty, especially someone from the outside who had no idea what he had gone through. That's what they'd done to Joe and now he knew exactly how his brother felt.
"You can think whatever you want about me, but I'm going after Guidry," Deeks said as he pushed past the man. "You can come or you can go. I really don't give a flyin' fuck."
He didn't wait to see what they did with the living militiaman, his mind now focused on ending this operation and bringing Guidry to ground. Elan caught up with him and slapped him on the back as he passed by looking for the trail. His presence calmed him and his anger began to subside.
"Deeks?" Eric's voice broke through his thoughts and he stopped. "Satellite shows it's a storage facility, and I'm gonna take a wild guess and say it's for petroleum. There are several vehicles and a road that connects to a state highway and eventually the interstate. There are a couple of men near the first of five storage tanks, six men surrounding the first building on the southeast corner, and infrared shows three men inside. Oh yeah, and there's a lookout up on the oil derrick. There is tree cover close to the road and a small building to the west of that, but that whole place is pretty much surrounded by a swamp."
"Thanks, buddy," Deeks said as Roy and Zo joined him.
"You get that, Roy?" He asked. "Fill in your friend."
"The asshat here is now on comms," Roy said.
The SEAL stared at him as he attached a suppressor to the barrel of his AR-15, but he couldn't read his expression behind the black wraparound sunglasses. Elan finally stepped up to the man and hissed out something in Arapaho before shoving him in the chest. It was an unmistakable challenge that they didn't need right now, but the man raised his hands to show he wanted no fight.
"I think Elan wants you to know how much he appreciates your badass attitude," Deeks said with a flickering grin as he laid a hand on his brother's arm.
"I was out of line, sir," Zo said.
"Call me Deeks. Roy is the only 'sir' here," he replied.
"He is old and decrepit ain't he?" Zo smiled.
"But charming as hell," Deeks replied.
"Y'all got no respect for experience," Roy grumbled. "Let's do this, dickwads."
"I'm gonna take that as a term of endearment, sir," Zo said. "I'll take out the sentry on your command, Deeks."
Their differences settled, they moved out toward their objective, and Deeks finally felt the last vestiges of his alias fade. Zo's questioning had made him defend who he really was and his thoughts turned to his brother Joe. Guidry had hunted him relentlessly and made him suffer in this forbidding landscape, and now he was about to turn the tables on him. He wanted the sick bastard to know that Joe had survived, that he had overcome every attempt to bring him to ground and had come out on the other side and was now home with his family. Getting close enough to do that was dangerous, but to see the look on Guidry's face might just be worth the risk.
They held up just inside the tree line beside the small, corrugated out building Eric had mentioned. Zo used it for cover, snugging himself up against the corner as he checked out the sentry on top of the derrick through his scope. The metallic sound of a chain hitting metal made them turn to see the black barrel of an assault rifle poke out from the half opened door and aim at Zo's back. Deeks felt the movement of air as Elan's knife flew past his head and buried itself in the militiaman's chest. His death was almost instant, but not instant enough to stop the burst he got off as he fell, the bullets clipping the tree branches above their heads.
Zo hadn't moved and the next thing they heard was the muted sound of the shot he immediately took to take out the sentry. No one had time to acknowledge the action, forced to hit the ground as the guards opened up on them from across the road. The militiamen had no cover and three of them fell as they returned fire, followed by two more as Zo methodically fired. The small building suddenly exploded, blowing Zo sideways and raining fiery debris down on top of all of them.
"Move, move, move," Elan shouted as he grabbed Zo's tactical vest and pulled him out from under a piece of corrugated siding, dragging him beneath the trees.
Roy had continued to fire, covering them as they scrambled away from what was left of the building. Deeks shouted for him to follow as he laid down bursts of cover fire, until he finally noticed Roy's left pant leg was on fire. He yelled for Elan to cover him as he rushed back to help, sliding down beside him and scooping handfuls of dirt over the flames, patting them out before helping him back to the trees. The old Cajun never made a sound until he saw Zo.
"Is he dead?" He asked breathlessly.
"Not yet, Ro-B," Zo croaked out. "Deeks? You and Elan need to spread out. Don't think I can walk, and it looks like Roy won't get far on that leg, but we can cover you from here."
Elan immediately patted the tough man's shoulder and moved off toward the right and closer to the road. The remaining militiamen had taken cover, their firing relentless and Deeks was glad to have the solid trunk of a big oak to hide behind. The sudden revving of an engine caught his attention and he chanced a peek.
"It's Prou. Guidry's driving," he shouted over the gunfire as the truck roared up a dirt road along the upper bayou. "Elan? Do you have a shot?"
His answer came when the truck swerved and went off the road, disappearing into the trees along the bayou. He was up and running as soon as he saw the tire of the truck blow, catching sight of Elan as he made his way toward the crash.
"Watch yourself Elan," Deeks warned over comms. "Prou is a sniper. Guidry is mine."
His brother's reply in Arapaho made him smile briefly, but he held his breath as he saw him move low and fast across the narrow dirt road. Elan slid down an embankment and looked back for him, motioning him forward. The truck was nowhere to be seen as he crossed to the other side. When he got to his position, Elan had already moved, following the skid marks and broken bushes down toward the water.
"Truck's empty. No blood," Elan whispered in his ear. "They split up."
When he reached him he was kneeling beside the brackish water of the bayou. The light was dim in the dense undergrowth surrounding them, but he pointed out the two sets of footprints, one going south and the other north, deeper into the swamp beyond. Using hand signals he let Elan know he was going to follow the footprints heading north, instinctively knowing that's where Guidry would go. The swamp held no fear from him. It was his home ground and Deeks shivered in spite of the still, muggy air. Elan nodded, staring into his eyes for a long time before squeezing his shoulder and turning south.
The tracks moved in and out of the water as Guidry tried to cover his trail, but he managed to follow. He could still hear the distant sound of gunfire, as he struggled through the dense vegetation and dead tree limbs along the bank. But as the bayou twisted around a fallen tree, he heard no frogs or crickets, and even the birds had stopped their chatter and he paused, suddenly wary. The sudden muted report of a rifle distracted him, fear for Elan his only thought.
Guidry burst from the undergrowth behind him, tackling him into the black water, and he cursed as his gun slipped from his hands as he went under. He fought to get his feet under him in the slippery mud, as the hulking Cajun got an arm around his throat. He clawed at his arm, but he was sliding toward unconsciousness, and in one last-ditch effort he managed to pull his knife, jamming it down hard into Guidry's leg. They broke the surface as one, the Cajun screaming out curses in two languages as Deeks pushed the man's arm away. As he turned to face him, Guidry swung a fist at his head, knocking him back under and leaving him groggy. He was suddenly yanked up and out of the murky bayou and dragged up on the bank where he coughed putrid water into the mud. Guidry stood over him, his own knife in his hand.
"Always said you was a tough sonofabitch, Jimmy," he said, heaving in great breaths of air. "You a goddamn liar, but you brave, couyon."
"Pierce is dead," he told him as he leaned over on his elbow and spit out the foul taste in his mouth.
"You shoot 'im?"
"Shot himself."
"Figured dat rat bastard was a fuckin' coward."
"They're all in custody, Guidry. Or dead," he said wearily. "It's over. There is no more Brotherhood."
"Jake dead?" He asked, ignoring his comment and looking honestly curious.
"No. Neither is the federal agent you thought we killed."
"Phil? He alive? Sonofabitch," he laughed. "You two boys is good. What dat couyon's real name, boy?"
"Joe Atwood. He's my brother," he replied quietly. "That's why Jake and I came."
"Y'all are brothers?"
"Yeah, we are, boss," he said with a cocky grin. "We got our own brotherhood."
"Should gut ya, mon fils," he said quietly, but there was no hint of rage in his voice.
"I won't go easy," he replied and struggled to his feet. "And there are a lot more men on the way, so why don't you just surrender?"
He laughed at that, in that odd cackle he had, but he shook his head as he did. "Cain't do dat, mon fils. Don't like bein' locked up. Dis here my home. Dis swamp all I ever know."
"Then I guess you're just gonna have to try and kill me," Deeks replied as he straightened up to face him.
"You save my life, boy," he said as he held the knife blade up to catch the fading light. "Cain't seem ta forget dat. Don't know why ya do dat, but ya did and so I gonna let ya keep yours. We even now, mon fils."
He was stunned by his words and wasn't quite sure what the man would do next, or what he should do either.
"Go on now, Jimmy Hale. Walk away."
"My name is Marty Deeks," he replied.
"Naw, mon fils. You always be Jimmy Hale ta me," he replied as he stepped back down into the muddy bayou. "I bleedin' good now, boy. Let de gators take me. Dis here be my home. Dis where I need ta be when I die. You and Jake take care now, mon fils."
He sliced the blade of the knife across his chest and as the blood flowed freely he spread his arms and lay back in the black waters of the bayou. Deeks didn't move as the water turned red, keeping watch as he floated unmoving. He was startled, but unsurprised when he heard the soft splash of a gator as it entered the water just upstream. He heard the hiss of another as he turned away and began his trek back, unable to watch the madman's final minutes. The sound of the gators thrashing in the water followed him, but he heard no screams from Antoine Guidry.
...
...
TBC