A Father's Justice Pt. 05

"Go, go, go," he said. He heard the blades of the chopper overhead and saw the aircraft descend to a point about 10 feet off the ground by the Lear jet. He saw three ropes come out of the craft and three men descending, reminding him of a passage from an old Jethro Tull song:

"Like spiders down ropes to free-fall;

A thirty round clip for a visiting card;
Admit one to the embassy ball."

After the men made their way down, they crept up to the buildings, remaining in the shadows. The chopper lifted and all hell broke loose as the minigun opened up, shearing the nose off the Lear jet. Suddenly, guards came out of the buildings, and walked straight into a wall of hot lead from the AK-47s carried by Ian, Cap and Buster.

The three men scampered to their designated buildings, kicking in doors, firing as they went. Ryan heard Beverly on the radio, giving instructions to the men.

"Whiskey Delta four, bogey at 10 o'clock," she said, which was followed by a short burst of fire. As she gave directions, the chopper turned its fire on the vehicles, smashing the engines. Ryan was impressed that Bob thought enough not to target the gas tanks. Still, the possibility the vehicles could still catch fire weighed on his mind. The last thing he wanted was a fireball alerting local law enforcement.

He looked at Jorge and Smith and gave the signal to move. As he did so, he spotted Elmer and a guard going into the building. They sprinted to the building, firing at guards as they came toward them. Ryan flipped his night vision goggles up as they approached the building.

Just as he was ready to kick the door in, it opened and a large man stood there shocked. Ryan wasted no time, putting a bullet in his head. They rushed inside and saw Elmer with one arm around Sarah's upper body. He held a knife to her throat.

"Watch the door," Ryan told Jorge. Jorge wordlessly turned to the door to provide cover. They could hear the staccato noise of the AK-47s and the sound of the minigun. A few scattered shots could be heard, along with shouts and screaming, but those died off soon enough. Ryan and Smith spread out, their pistols at the ready.

"Come any closer and I'll cut your pretty little daughter's head off," Elmer threatened, pissing Ryan off even more. Sarah was crying as she struggled to get free.

"Boy, didn't anyone ever tell you never to bring a knife to a gunfight?" Ryan asked. He watched and waited for an opening as Elmer tried to position himself. Ryan knew he only had one shot at this. Soon enough, Elmer's leg presented itself. Ryan aimed low and fired, hitting Elmer's lower leg. He screamed and dropped the knife.

Sarah, now free, ran toward Ryan and Smith as Elmer screamed in pain on the floor.

"Daddy," she cried, her arms outstretched.

"Where's little Ryan?" Ryan asked his daughter.

"In the next room," she said. "They've got him drugged up on something."

"Get him and get them the hell outta here," Ryan told Smith. "Go!" Smith holstered his pistol and ran into the other room, where the little boy was laying on a bed, unconscious. He picked the boy up and carried him out into the main room, Sarah close by.

"Come on, Ryan, we have to go," Smith said.

"Get them outta here," Ryan said. "I'll be along directly. GO!" Smith looked at Elmer, nodded his head, then spoke into his microphone.

"Whiskey Delta CP, objectives secured," he said. "Get in here, now!"

"Roger that," Bill said. Smith escorted Sarah out of the building. Jorge looked at Ryan.

"Go, Jorge," Ryan said. "Cover them. I'll be there shortly." Jorge nodded his head and left with Smith. When they were gone, Ryan approached Elmer, kicking the knife away. Elmer looked at Ryan, fear etched in his face.

"Please, Ryan," he begged. "Don't kill me. I have money. Lots of it. It's yours. All of it. Just please don't kill me. I'm begging you."

"Not so full of piss and vinegar now, are you? I don't want your money, asshole," Ryan said. "I have enough of my own." He delivered a swift kick to Elmer's balls, causing him to scream in pain. "That's for fucking my wife and destroying my marriage." He kicked Elmer again, twice. "That's for kidnapping my daughter and grandson." He delivered another kick to Elmer's groin. "And that's just because you're a scum-sucking, maggot-infested piece of shit and I hate your guts. Remember what I promised you, boy?"

Elmer nodded his head.

"Well, whaddya think?" Ryan asked. "You like this little war? You having fun now? Huh? ANSWER ME, GODDAMMIT!"

"Please, stop," Elmer whined.

"Grow the fuck up," Ryan snarled. "You brought this on yourself." He put his pistol away and drew his large knife, causing Elmer's eyes to go wide.

"You believe in God?" Ryan asked, seeing the St. Christopher's medal around Elmer's neck. Elmer nodded his head. "Good. Because you're going to meet him. Real soon," Ryan said, causing Elmer to piss his trousers. Ryan chuckled as he saw that. He got behind Elmer and grabbed his head, bringing the knife to Elmer's throat.

...

A few minutes later, Ryan walked to the van, having cleaned his knife on Elmer's trousers. He saw Smith by the open back door, motioning for him to hurry. He double-timed to the van, took one last look around to make sure everyone was secure, then stepped inside.

As the van passed the gate, he grabbed the remote from his pocket, lifted the protective cover and pressed the button. Two muffled explosions could be heard, followed by the sound of falling trees. He glanced back and saw they effectively blocked the gate. That should slow down anyone trying to get in or out, he thought.

"Whiskey Delta Seven," he said in his microphone. "Sitrep."

"Everyone present and accounted for," Jim said in reply. "All buildings secured. One casualty." Ryan's heart dropped.

"Who?" he asked brusquely.

"Gunner," Jim said. Ryan knew he was referring to Bob. "Cap says it's just a minor flesh wound. He's alright." Ryan breathed a sigh of relief. Still, it hurt to hear that his son-in-law was injured. "He did good, boss," Jim said, making Ryan feel better. More than that, really. He was proud of the young man.

"Roger that, Whiskey Delta Seven," Ryan said. "Get back to base. Maintain radio silence." He heard the click of a keyed microphone in acknowledgment, and took his comm unit off. He turned to Beverly, who was shaking.

"You alright?" he asked. She nodded her head.

"Did I do okay?" she asked.

"You did better than that," he said. "You were perfect. We couldn't have done this without you." He held her until she stopped trembling. He looked at Sarah and Ryan. She was holding the boy in her arms, crying. He let go of Beverly and went to his daughter.

"Are you alright?" he asked. She nodded her head and cried.

"Yes, thanks to you. Again," she cried. He held her as she sobbed and comforted her as best he could. "I'm worried about little Ryan," she said in between her sobs. Beverly came to them and looked at the boy, then put her ear by his mouth.

"He's breathing," she said. "So maybe he's just asleep. What did they give him?"

"I don't know," she said. "They kept him doped up the whole time we were there."

"We'll have Cap take a look when we get home," Ryan said. He looked at his daughter's tear-streaked face. "Did they do anything to you?" he asked.

"No, but they were planning something bad," she said. "I overheard them talking about a gang bang, then selling me off to some Mexican cartel if you didn't come through."

"You don't have to worry about them anymore," Ryan said. He sat on the bench, holding his two women as Jorge drove home. He considered telling her about Bob, but decided to wait until they got home. He looked around at the others and realized they were decompressing in their own way, so he said nothing.

Bob turned the police scanner back on after they crossed the state line, and heard some chatter indicating local LEOs were on the way out of Carlsbad.

"ETA 90 minutes," they heard one officer say. Of course, Ryan knew that didn't necessarily mean other officers weren't closer. He hoped they would be home by the time the locals arrived on the scene.

"Jorge, go ahead and turn the lights back on," he said. "And watch your speed. The last thing we need is to get pulled over by DPS."

"Got it," Jorge said in response. This particular road wasn't traveled much, but that didn't mean a state trooper wasn't sitting in a speed trap waiting for an unsuspecting car. Border Patrol agents were also known to troll some of these roads. It seemed that all of them were holding their breath the whole way back, but they finally pulled into his driveway. When Jorge stopped, Ryan exhaled.

"Home, sweet home," he said. They climbed out of the van and made their way inside. Ryan carried his grandson upstairs and laid him down on one of the beds. He covered the boy and kissed him on the top of his head. He went downstairs and noticed that Beverly had unlocked the back door, letting the others inside.

Cap had Bob's uninjured arm around his shoulder and guided him to a chair in the kitchen. Ryan could see the torn shirt and the sleeve was drenched in blood. His heart ached for the boy. He put a hand on Bob's good arm.

"It's just a scratch," Cap said. "A bullet ricocheted off the door panel and struck him. He'll need a couple stitches but he's okay otherwise." Ryan nodded his head, bent down and kissed the boy on the top of his head. He grabbed the second 12-pack of beer and the cigars off the counter and began handing them out.

Sarah took one look in the kitchen and saw Bob sitting there as Cap cleaned his wound. She cried out and ran to him as everyone watched.

"Oh my God," she cried. "You've been hurt. I didn't know you were there."

"Who do you think was making all that racket outside, shooting up everything in sight?" Cap asked.

"That was you?" she asked. Bob nodded his head, a weak smile on his face. She wrapped her arms around him and smothered him with kisses. "Why? Why were you there?"

"I couldn't just sit home and wait," he said. "If anything happened to you or little Ryan and all I did was sit at home, I could never live with myself."

"Oh, sweetheart," she said. "I love you so much. You're now officially my new hero." He chuckled as she said that. "Just wait till I get you home. I'll show you how much I appreciate what you did." He smiled at the thought of that.

"Why don't you let me finish up here, and I'll go check on your son," Cap said. Sarah nodded her head, kissed Bob one more time and went into the front room, where everyone had already opened their beer and lit their cigars.

"You know," Cap said quietly after she left, "the old man really thinks the world of you." Bob looked at him, shocked. "So do the others. You earned their respect tonight."

"How?" Bob asked.

"Well, you stood up and fought for your family," Cap said. "And you shed some of your own blood in the process. That means a lot to hard guys like Ryan, Bill, Buster and Ian."

"And the rest of you?" Bob asked.

"You've earned all our respect, Bob. Excuse me, Gunner. That's your new name now, at least among us," Cap said. Bob smiled.

"I like that," he said. "Gunner. Yeah, I can live with that."

"You know what else might be nice?" Cap asked, as he stitched Bob's arm.

"What?" Bob asked.

"If you started calling Ryan, 'Dad.' He thinks of you as the son he never had," Cap said.

"Really?" Bob asked. Cap nodded his head as he cleaned up and bandaged Bob's arm.

"I can see it in his face," Cap said. "The way he looks at you, the way he talks to you. He was like that with Dawson, too."

"Who was this Dawson guy?" Bob asked.

"He was on our team for a few years," Cap said. "Had a wife and three kids at home. They got into a bit of a pickle, so he joined up to earn his way out of debt. Ended up throwing himself on a grenade without even thinking about it. Ryan tried to stop him, but it was too late. He's carried the guilt of that ever since. Always thought it should've been him instead of Dawson."

"Damn," Bob said. "I never knew that."

"There's a lot about that old guy you don't know," Cap said. "Maybe it's time you got to know him a little bit better." Bob nodded his head.

"Maybe you're right," he said. Cap finished with the bandage, packed his gear and stood up.

"I'd better go check on your son now," Cap said. "Take it easy with that arm for a few days. It may itch after a while. I'll give you some antiseptic cream for it."

"Thanks," Bob said. Cap nodded his head and went upstairs. Ryan came to the table and sat down. He opened a beer and handed it to Bob, then offered him a cigar.

"You know, this'll probably be the only time Beverly will let you smoke one of those in here, so enjoy it while you can," he said with a smile.

"Thanks... Dad," Bob said. "You don't mind if I call you that, do you?" Ryan fought back a tear and shook his head.

"Not at all, son," he said. "In fact, I'd be a bit irritated if you didn't." Bob chuckled.

"I've seen you when you get irritated," Bob said. Ryan smiled and shook his head.

"No, you've seen me get plum pissed the fuck off," Ryan said. "Still... Jim tells me you did real good out there. According to him, you stood right up in the door of that chopper after you got hit and just kept firing. Tell me, why DID you come out here?"

"Like I told Sarah, I just couldn't sit at home knowing she and Ryan were in danger," Bob said. "I could never live with myself if something happened to them and all I did was sit on my ass at home waiting to hear from someone." Ryan nodded his head.

"I can respect that," Ryan said. "You're a man -- a father and a husband. You wanted a father's justice. And you got it. And I couldn't be more proud to call you son." Bob looked at him, shocked. Ryan smiled, nodded his head and stood up.

"Well, I have one little thing to deal with here tonight," Ryan said. "Why don't you come in and join us for a bit. You're about to see history unfold." Bob grabbed his beer and his cigar and followed Ryan into the front room.

Ryan held up his beer and tapped on the bottle with his knife to get everyone's attention. Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked at him. He set his beer down, put the knife back in its scabbard, then took the cigar out of his mouth and handed it to Jim. He motioned for Beverly to join him. She went to him and looked up at him, wondering what he planned to do.

As everyone watched in stunned silence, he got down on one knee, took her hand and looked up at her.

"Beverly," he began. "I never thought I would ever be able to love another woman again. But you came along and made me feel whole again. And for that, I will always and forevermore love you with everything in my heart. So, in front of all these witnesses, I'm asking, will you marry me and make me the happiest man on earth?"

"Oh my God, Ryan," she said, tears falling down her face. "Yes, my dear Ryan, I'll marry you. I love you so much." He stood back up as everyone cheered and clapped. They embraced each other right there in front of everyone.

"Get a room, willya?" Buster shouted out, causing everyone to laugh.

"Got one, upstairs," Ryan said to more laughter.

"Oh God, the whole place is gonna be rockin' tonight," Buster said. That prompted more laughter. Ryan and Beverly hugged and kissed each other again.

"So, when's the wedding?" Smith shouted.

"Well, I have a few loose ends to tie up, then well git 'er done," Ryan said. "If that's okay with the lady of the house," he added.

"Damn, not even married yet and he's already pussy-whipped," Ian shouted. They all laughed again.

"Well, you know what they say," Ryan said. "It's okay to be hen-pecked if ya don't mind the hen doing the pecking."

"It's more than alright," Beverly said. She looked around before continuing. "Just so y'all know, Ryan definitely wears the pants in this family. I'll have you know this wonderful man saved my life once. I thought I had lost everything, but then he came along and made it all right."

"That's what my dad does best," Sarah said, hugging Beverly. "And if it's alright with you guys, I'd like to start calling you 'Mom' as of right now. After all, you risked your life for me and little Ryan and that's something my birth mother never, ever did." Beverly held Sarah in her arms and the two women shed a few tears together.

"Of course it is, dear," she said. Suddenly they heard a telephone ring.

"Hold on," Smith shouted. "It's for me. Everyone, be quiet." They all quieted down as Smith answered his phone.

"Yeah, Smith," he said. They only heard his side of the conversation. "Uh huh. What's that? In New Mexico? Really? That sounds awful. Okay, call Jones and have him meet me there. I'll be there as soon as I can. Right. Bye." He ended the call and looked at the group.

"What was that all about?" Ryan asked.

"The local LEOs in New Mexico called the FBI field office in El Paso," Ryan said. "They want me to investigate an attack on a corporate retreat. Said the place looks like a war zone. No survivors. Y'all wouldn't happen to know anything about that, would you?"

"Us?" Jim asked. "Oh, hell no," he added to laughter.

"That's what I thought," Smith said. "Anyway, I'd better get cleaned up and get going. You wouldn't mind brewing a pot of coffee, would you?"

"I'd be happy to," Beverly said. While she was making coffee, Ryan spoke up.

"There's two more bedrooms upstairs, guys, and that couch isn't too bad. Might as well settle in for the night," he said. Everyone split up and found a place to sleep. Ryan met Smith at the front door as he prepared to leave.

"You have everything?" he asked.

"Yeah," Smith said. "Good thing you made me keep my service pistol and badge here."

"You gonna be alright?" Ryan asked. "You did put your career on the line tonight."

"Let me worry about my career," Smith said. "It'll be alright. I'll call you tomorrow, okay? You gonna be home?"

"I'll be flying back east with Sarah, Bob and Ryan, but you can still get me on my phone," Ryan said. Smith nodded his head.

"Okay," he said. "I'll be in touch."

"Thanks again," Ryan said. "For everything."

"You're welcome," Smith said, shaking Ryan's hand. Weary, Ryan closed the door and headed upstairs where his wife-to-be was waiting. He knew they would only get a few hours sleep before she had to get up and tend to her chickens.

"I need a break," he said to himself as he laid down next to Beverly.

"Goodnight, my husband-to-be," Beverly said as she kissed him on the face. He returned her kiss and wrapped his arm around her. She felt so soft and warm.

"Goodnight, my wife-to be," he responded before falling asleep.

...

To be continued...