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  Will had been shot on the left side of his chest, but the bullet just scrapped a rib leaving a furrow on Will’s side. Bob’s left hand was hit by a ricocheted, and Bill caught a round in his right forearm. None of the wounds was serious, and Jane and Bill tended to the wounded.

  The Karr and Dickerson families grieved while Jack added guards around the house and sent several down to the river to see why the guard hadn’t warned them.

  Jo and Jane spent the morning getting Jake’s body ready for burial while Will dug a grave behind Bob’s house out by a big oak tree. Both families were in shock and wondered how O’Berg and Walt had become so evil.

  ***

  Jim those bastards knew the layout of my house and which room I slept in. They also knew which room you were in. They hit those rooms first from the outside. If I hadn’t heard them approaching and Will and Maddie hadn’t killed several of them we’d all be dead,” said Bob.

  “I couldn’t sleep so I talked Maddie into going for a moonlit swim when we heard the men outside.”

  Jack drove up with Greg, and they had Izzy’s body in the bed.

  “Bob, one of the bastards shot Izzy in the stomach and let him bleed out. That’s why we didn’t get any warning from the guard on the river.”

  Joan took Maddie off to the side and asked, “Do you really believe that your dad is behind this attack?”

  “Yes. He has become a power-mad dictator over in Lebanon. He had his sheriff shoot women and kids the other day as they tried to steal food from a store. He made several of the cities prominent leaders disappear.”

  Joan replied, “Then you need to know that Greg Farmer and your dad are close friends. Greg is very wealthy and is the money behind the Senator’s run for the presidency. I worked for the Senator right out of college while I worked on my master’s degree. Your dad got too friendly, and I left.”

  “Oh shit. He is a trusted member of our community. I’ll get Bob off to the side and let him know. Please keep this to yourself.”

  “I will. Be careful.”

  Joan continued to give Maddie more detail about Greg’s role and friendship with the Senator.

  Maddie caught Will off to the side and said, “Joan just told me that Greg Farmer has been a major donor and supporter of the Senator’s for a long time.”

  “Oh shit. He is a spy in our ranks. Is Joan sure?”

  “Yes, she worked for dad right out of college and saw Greg at dad’s office many times. Greg and the Senator went on expensive vacations, and Greg supplied the women who went with them.”

  “Maddie, I’m sorry that you had to hear such sordid details about your father.”

  “It just confirmed what I already knew about the piece of shit. I disowned him long ago and would shoot him on sight if he ever came around here. Let’s go catch Papaw Bob.”

  “Well shit. I suspected there was a spy in our group, but I never suspected that Greg could spy on us much less kill Izzy, “Bob exclaimed after hearing what Maddie had to say.

  “I’m sorry about Greg. I know he was a good friend of yours.”

  “The son of a bitch will pay for what he did. I have to calm down and figure out how to use Greg to set the Senator up for an ass whooping. I’m only going to bring Jo, Jack, Jane and you two into the fold on this one. We need to meet after the funeral and set a trap that will end the Senator’s rule of Lebanon and kill him and that scumbag, Walt Long.

  The funeral for Jake was held that morning in Bob’s backyard, and they laid him to rest in the grave that Will dug under the oak tree. Everyone was in tears as they placed the young lad in his grave, but Jo was torn to pieces seeing her innocent boy stricken down before he had a chance to grow into manhood. Helen also saw her new boyfriend struck down before she got a chance to know him.

  They left Jo by the grave with Bill and went to the center of the Horseshoe to the community graveyard to bury Izzy and Jim Dickerson’s family members. The service was short, and only the immediate family stayed after the service to mourn the dead. The rest had to get on with the full-time job of survival.

  “Papaw, we need to get the SOBs massed together thinking that they are about to trap us when we spring our trap on them,” Will said.

  Jane replied, “How will we know that Greg has tipped off the Senator?

  Bob replied, “Because Jack and Will will shadow Greg after we cover the fake plans with the team. Since the time of the meeting, until we attack will only be about three hours, Greg will have to haul ass over to the Senator or use a walkie-talkie to contact the Senator. When we know the Senator has been contacted, bring Greg to me.”

  Jack replied, “I know how that song ends.”

  “Damn Skippy. I’ll put a bullet in his gut like he did to Izzy and watch the bastard die.”

  The discussion went on for an hour, and they had a plan to end the dictatorship of Lebanon. Bob called a meeting for the normal leadership and told them about the plan that he and Jack had put together. There were several questions; however, the leaders were pleased with the plan and wanted payback for the people lost or wounded by the SOBs.

  Greg excused himself by saying, “I’ll meet y’all at the staging area. I have to check on Betty Lou before we leave.”

  Greg headed straight to his barn closely followed by Jack and Will. He entered the barn and took a radio from a box hidden under some hay.

  He turned the radio on and said, “This is Charlie. This is Charlie.”

  “Go, Charlie. This is Lucy.”

  “Charlie, you are going to be attacked …”

  Will heard the bastard give the details for the plan for the attack that night. Will waved at Jack after Greg stored the radio and they followed Greg back to Bob’s house.

  Jack caught Bob and told him that the rat had passed on the information and the trap just had to be set.

  Jim had been sent to meet with his forces and was told where to stage his men and what his assignment was.

  Bob stood in front of his troops and said, “We are heading to a staging area south of Lebanon after dark and then at 3:00 am we will stage in an abandoned grocery store about 600 yards south of the police station and city hall. Jim’s team will join us there. At 3:30 am, we will move out to our targets. We will send groups of five-man teams out to specific objectives to eliminate. I will lead a thirty-man team with the mission to kill the Senator and his staff. Jim will have two similar teams and eliminate the police force.

  The success of this mission is predicated on total surprise. We have to infiltrate the area without being seen and then get to our targets without being detected. By daylight, all of the bad guys will be dead.”

  Also, the above is exactly what Greg told Walt Long. Walt told the Senator, and then Walt filled his key men in on the plot. He planned to have his men in the staging building and the buildings around that building so he could kill all of the rebels in one surprise attack. He would concentrate his forces for maximum efficiency.

  Bob called the leaders together in a surprise meeting and said, “Men it’s time to head to the south of Lebanon.

  Greg said, “Did our plans change? It’s just a little after 2:00.”

  “Yes, those plans have been scrapped, and we are now sending the teams directly to their targets.”

  Greg’s face turned red, and he started to leave when Jack took his weapon and pushed him back into the meeting at gunpoint.

  “Team, this rat has been passing information on to the Senator and personally killed Izzy. He is responsible for the deaths of our family and team members. Greg why?”

  Greg lunged for Jack’s pistol, and Jack shot him in the chest during the struggle. The shot tore his heart apart, and he died quickly. Most of the team was stunned and tried to make sense of what had just played out in front of them.

  Bob spoke up and filled the silence, “Greg Farmer has been working with the Senator all along. He has helped coordinate the attacks by the Walkers and several biker gangs. It wasn’t a coincidence that we were always a
ttacked when we were the most vulnerable. Men load up. We have things to do and people to kill.”

  Will asked, “Papaw, what is the special assignment that you gave Grandma and Maddie?”

  “What? Maddie told me to check with you and that she had something to do. Will they’re grown assed women and I know Jane and Maddie can take care of themselves. We have people to kill, and my guess is, so do they.

  Maddie and Jane were in Jane’s Volkswagen heading to Lebanon.

  ✼

  Chapter 11

  Day 20 – The Wraiths and Rat Killing Time.

  “Maddie it’s time for you to join me on my next outing as the Wraith. You know the Senator won’t even be close to the fighting or be caught in the trap. Are you up to helping me kill the Senator, Walt Long, and anyone else around them when we find the sorry bastards?”

  “Yes, I am. They are vermin who need to be exterminated. Jane, I was always a strong willed person. I have grown into a strong woman who can do what it takes to survive. I want to help you get rid of the criminals, thugs, and filth that hang around in the shadows and escape punishment.”

  “I knew that would be your answer. What does Will think about this?”

  “Will is okay with the elimination of the trash; he just doesn’t want me to get hurt. He wants to go on the missions with me and help guard me against danger.”

  “That’s a good idea in general, but won’t work this time. We are going to sneak into the Senator’s camp in broad daylight pretending to be women who want to take care of the Senator’s sexual needs. The bastard has a small harem and adds to them anytime he finds women who pass his inspection. This work will up close and personal with knives. Do you think your dad will recognize you?”

  “No, he’s only seen me twice in the last two years, and I’ve matured a bit. I don’t like killing, but I’ll like this work.”

  “We need to be ready to head to Lebanon this evening. Get your shortest shorts and a halter top. We need to show our goods to catch the Senator’s eye. Place your .380 in your waistband holster, and it probably will be confiscated. If not we have a couple of pistols.”

  They drove over to Hartsville and down to Lebanon and then stopped at a roadblock at Highway 141 as it entered the city limits. They were told to get out of the car and were searched for weapons and contraband. The guards found both .380s and handcuffed the women for bringing guns into the city. Both guards made lewd jokes about personally punishing them for breaking the law.

  Jane said, “We were going to Lebanon to see the Senator. We heard he likes gorgeous women and treats them well. It’s not good for single women out there these days.”

  “Well we get a few of you each day, and the Senator’s harem is all full. You lucky women get to be Phil and my women. We will treat you right if you do what you are told to do.”

  Jane demanded to see the Senator and was pushed into the back seat of a car and told to strip down.

  Maddie pulled her driver’s license from her back pocket and said, “That’s me, and I’m the Senator’s daughter. Look.”

  The guard looked at Maddie and the license and asked, “Why were you trying to sneak in acting like whores?”

  “We wanted to surprise my dad. My mom is his ex-wife, and we wanted to surprise him.”

  “Oh shit. Mam, I was just kidding. Please get out of the car, and we’ll get you a ride to the Senator’s office.”

  “Phil, radio the Senator’s office and tell him his daughter and ex-wife are being transported to his office.”

  The man called the Senator’s aide, and the aide told him the Senator was tied up in a meeting, but they should bring the ladies on in to see the Senator. A car arrived a few minutes later, and Maddie and Jane were taken to see the Senator. They had lost their guns but still had their ceramic knives taped to the small of their backs under their blouses.

  They arrived at City Hall, and both were escorted into the Senator’s private area and offered drinks and sandwiches. A woman came into the room and said, “Maddie, I recognize you from the pictures on the Senator’s desk. Who is the woman with you? I met your mother years ago, and this is not her.”

  Maddie quickly answered, “Mam, I’m sorry for the deception; however, this woman has saved my life on several occasions and is just like a mother to me.”

  Jane spoke, “I’m Joan Gregory, and I was one of Maddie’s teachers at her high school. We were on a field trip when the lights went out. We’ve been on our own and ever since surviving the best we could.”

  They finished their sandwiches while Jane surveyed the room looking for anything that could be used as a weapon. Both women left them alone in the room, and Jane signaled that the room might be bugged, so they kept the conversation to topics that helped solidify their story.

  The first woman came back into the room to bring more drinks and to take away the empty plates.

  “Mam, where is the restroom?”

  “Oh, just go through that door and make a left. It’s the third door on the right. Just don’t try to go out the exit door. The guard will send you back to me.”

  They went into the restroom and checked it for potential weapons, cameras, and bugs. They found nothing usable, finished their business, and walked back to the room they were held in, while waiting for the Senator. All of the doors were locked along the hallway. They were given several magazines and a couple of crossword puzzles to pass the time since the lady told them that the Senator was in a very long meeting.

  Jane whispered to Maddie, “I’ll bet the meeting includes a couple of young blondes.”

  The Senator was in fact in the company of a red head and a blonde for the rest of the afternoon. His staff knew not to disturb the Senator when he was in his special meetings. This meeting went into overtime, and the Senator wasn’t finished until 6:00 pm, and then he took one of the women to dinner before coming back to the office. He had been told while he was cleaning up that his daughter was waiting on him at the office.

  “Make her comfortable, and I’ll be back when I get back.”

  The two women who were attending to Jane and Maddie were now pissed that they had to stay over and babysit the Senators brat of a daughter. They were getting a bit short with Maddie when a young blonde woman came into the room.

  “Maddie, my dear. I’m your stepmother. I married your dad after your mom left him. You are so beautiful. I want you to come to our house and dine with me.”

  “Hello, I’d love to. Can my dear friend come with us?”

  She paused for a second and replied, “Of course. A friend of yours is a friend of mine and your father.”

  An older limousine took them to the Senator’s home, and several maids and a butler took care of them. They were each given a room, and formal eveningwear was laid out on their beds. When they came downstairs, they were given cocktails and conversed with the Senator’s wife until a maid came in and told them that dinner was ready.

  A rather attractive young man seated them and served them during the meal. Maddie saw him stroke her stepmother’s inner thigh when they thought no one could see.

  “Maddie said, “I like your butler. I need one of them for myself.”

  “He comes in handy and a big help when the Senator is in those long meetings.”

  Maddie replied, “I’ll bet he services you very well. Is he good in bed?”

  Her stepmother laughed and said, “Actually he is great in bed. You see the Senator has his flings and I have mine. It’s hard to find a good man these days, and Jose is a good man when I need him. If your mom had been more open minded, she would still have the Senator.”

  Maddie stifled her normal smart assed remark and said, “Mom was never good at sharing her men. I, on the other hand, don’t mind sharing.”

  “Well, if you won’t tell your father, I’ll send Jose up to your room tonight. He will make you feel like a special woman.”

  Jane interrupted, “Damn, you young chicks are talking all around me. I have needs also.”
/>   “Jose can stop by your room after he has pleased Maddie. I share my toys.”

  It was half past 8:00 when the Senator came strolling into the room, gave his wife a peck on the cheek, and picked Maddie up and hugged her.

  “My dear Maddie, tell me all about your last few weeks. I hope they weren’t too bad. I hear this charming young lady saved your life,” the Senator said as he kissed Jane’s hand.

  Maddie looked at Jane and saw a very attractive woman who could pass for 35, and she saw that the Senator couldn’t take her eyes off Jane or her well-shaped body. He was smitten by her, and she played him with every trick she knew. She laughed at his jokes, wiggled what needed to be wiggled, and ran her fingers on his thigh when no one could see.

  They retired for drinks in the study, and the maid served brandy while Maddie filled them in on their travels. She kept most of it as true as possible so their stories would match if needed. Soon it was time to retire, and they went to their own rooms. The Senator told Jose to keep his wife busy while he attended to his guests. He took a bottle of wine and two glasses to Jane’s room and knocked.

  Jane ushered him into the room and said, “I was wondering how long it would take you to get to my room. I’ll cut the crap and tell you that ever since Maddie told me about you on the trip, I’ve had a crush on you. She wasn’t wild about coming here, but I convinced her to come so I could meet you.”

  “Well, I’m so glad she did. You are stunning in the gown.”