Thanks for all your kind words and prayers. I had a cardiac incident, lost consciousness- at the end of a high school basketball game, and was carried out by a player. Quite the story for high school. My nurse practitioner was there and stayed with me the whole time. They kept me for three days in the hospital for a 200 SVT and some wonky blood work. I am to follow up with a hematologist tomorrow and an ablation is in the works when we settle some blood issues.
Chapter Eighty-Two (or Not for the Faint-Hearted)
A deep fog gave the dawn an eerie light. Wisps of fog and light interspersed to make objects look surreal and even floating. Macklin wore a heavy navy sailor coat with a hat pulled below his eyes. His gray hair escaped askew from the topper. He managed to have multiple weapons hidden upon his body. He expertly knew how to use them but prayed he didn't have to—-
Jarrod and Nick took a deep breath and exited the rig. Macklin walked behind them at a proper distance for a hired man. They had prearranged signals for the three of them.
Jarrod rapped on the warehouse door. It was pushed open by someone unseen, inside. Four men in the shadows surrounded them and pushed them through the door.
"Put the money on the workbench."
Nick bellowed, "I want to see my sons first."
"You aren't in charge, Mr. Autonberry."
Nick cringed but did not correct the man.
They opened the back doors of the warehouse and split open the slats of the freight container. They deliberately tumped the backside of the crate and violently dropped the four victims on the floor. Four men walked out of the shadows and put a stiletto to each of the youth's neck.
Jarrod swallowed back the bile in his throat.
The hooded man took the valise and began to count out the hundred dollar bills in the tapestry bag. Nick and Jarrod eyed their sons. Terror was in all of their eyes as best they tried to hide it,
The boys were all covered with blood and sawdust. The young lady's dress was tattered and split open. She tried to cover herself.
All the boys were barely conscious searching the darkness for their father's voices.
They coughed and spat, "Water?"
"Please give them some water," Jarrod pleaded.
"Please," added Nick.
"Pa? Pappy? Is that you?" as their eyes adjusted to the light.
"We are here boys to bring you home," Jarrod said in an even tone.
"Water please?" the girl asked again.
A man walked over with a slop pail and tossed it in their faces. They spat and gagged. Four men held Nick and Jarrod back. Macklin was cornered by two men still at the door.
"I am sure some water was in there, matey," the man bellowed.
Nick eyed him with murder in his eyes.
The man flashed his knife at Nick and then pointed it at the boys.
They waited in place a few more minutes as the counting continued. Chip slouched from blood loss and the man rolled him to the floor. He put his boot in his ribs.
Nick cursed and Jarrod gave him a look to shut up.
"Looks like it's allllllll here, men. We will just back out of here. Don't move until we shut the back door."
"Hey looky who I found outside?" A voice interrupted them and opened the front door.
The sailor tossed a beaten and bloody Pinkerton agent onto the floor. He was moaning. The sailor slit his throat in front of all them.
"This is what we do to traitors. You were told not to bring anyone. So he dies. We are searching outside again. The next one dead is your child or maybe the whore. Or we could have fun with her and then kill her. It's your choice, Barkley. A kid or a wench?"
"I don't know who that man was." Jarrod lied. The truth wasn't going to save anyone's life at this point,
"Just take your money and give us our boys," Nick yelled.
"We would have but you brought someone. Gotta make sure it's not a setup. Hey mate, stick each of them to make sure they bleed well. So their papas know we mean business. Red blood always gets attention."
"No," Nick and Jarrod yelled in unison. Macklin moved over slightly and eyed the lantern in the room.
Jarrod caught his eye and the implication. He slightly shook his head worried that they couldn't get to the emaciated youth in time.
An imperceptible nod from Macklin acknowledged Jarrod.
The silence was deafening in the room as each of the four teens was poked with the end of the knife on the neck and blood began to drip out. The boys moaned and Esther whimpered.
Jarrod and Nick were seething. Macklin had vengeance in his eye.
About that time, Pinkerton agents burst into the side doors with guns drawn; the trained snipers began to methodically take out the sailors. Nick lunged away from the man holding back and shot the pirate counting the money. Jarrod elbowed the man at his side but a bully club from the shadows took him down. The last thing Jarrod saw was the sailors slitting the throats of the boys. He wailed and fell into unconsciousness.
The lantern was kicked over and the room lost its light source. It was replaced with smoldering hay and the soft glow of a fledgling fire.
Nick fought and fought hitting, flailing, and shooting the men trying to get to the boys. A bullet pierced the back of his knee and he fell in a heap. He lost consciousness.
Macklin took down several men until two shots felled him. JT lunged away and his shoulder was pulled out of place. Chip slumped unconscious with the neck wound and the loss of blood from the earlier knife wound. James David tried to wrest away and lost the top cartilage of his ear. Esther had a stab wound to the shoulder and fell in a heap.
The Pinkertons finally secured the site. All of the Barkleys and the girl were seriously injured as well as Macklin. All of the pirates were dead—-except the leader who escaped with the 10,000 dollars.
"Call for wagons. We got casualties." as they dragged everyone out to safety.
—&—-