'Protect the Lady'

"Omigod, anyone involved in this sort of intrigue has to think ahead and focus in all directions, right? Ah, and that's why we move each day to another remote spot, as that makes it more difficult for the assassins, if they really are assassins."

"Good, you are beginning to think like a pre-crime investigator, Sharon. But please, don't go soft on thinking one or more assassins out there has bullets with your name on them or that they might be baddies but they won't really hurt you. They are out to kill you for reward and would gloat if they thought you were beginning to turn soft."

"Oh god, I'll try hard not to fold my sweetheart. I don't want either of us killed or harmed and it's me that they really are after. Isn't revenge horrible. I'm the target because I turned down an asshole who insisted on dancing with me."

"It's sickening. Spew and don't mind me, my companion who just called me sweetheart."

Sharon gave a weak laugh.

Archie told her to keep her focus on winning a shoot-out.

"While I was briefing my boss Ross Mitchell about our first confirmation of being under observation, he offered to send me a back-up sharpshooter for a couple of days for us to pick up at Rockhampton, about 70 miles to the east of us. But I said no, as the shooting, if that was to occur, would be most likely be a week or so farther north in the more far more sparsely populated region."

"Ross asked how did I reach that conclusion and I said by attempting to think like killers would. He sighed and said to call him about sending a sharp-shooter back-up person by helicopter if we believe we were under direct threat. He told me to establish proof that we didn't shoot first."

Archie and Sharon left Highway A5 at Miles for Highway A2 that continued a long way roughly westwards until turning in a more northerly direction to the small town of Barcaldine that was 360 miles west of Rockdale City on the North Queensland Coast.

They were travelling in increasingly isolated country.

With Sharon driving, Archie nursing his rifle he said quietly, "There goes a tiny drone."

"They are looking for us?"

"If it's their drone, yes."

A little later the drone returned and flew around them about a mile out.

"That small they are hard to spot, but fortunately we anticipated that may use a drone or two. They now have video confirmation that they have our whereabouts."

"So, you think they will strike this evening?"

"We'll be prepared for that possibility but we will reach Barcaldine mid-morning tomorrow to take on fresh supplies and more diesel. Their guide is probably suggesting they strike tomorrow out from the town. Oh, of interest, the Circle of Latitude of the Tropic of Capricorn passes here about six miles north of the town."

"I'll be interested if I live to share that information."

"Don't lose faith. We'll out-smart them and outshoot them so we'll live."

"I like hearing talk like that."

"Good."

"I'm missing beautiful beaches."

"We'll go to a remote on as soon as this is over. The cops can come to us at the beach to interview us."

"Ooh, I really talk like that."

Archie and Sharon stayed four hours in the town.

They hired a room for the night and he left Sharon there soaking in the bath with her pistol on the chair beside the bath with instructions not to let anyone in. The password to unlock the bolted door would be Big Fat Pussy."

"Wouldn't 'It's Archie' suffice?"

"What is a baddie thought of trying that to gain entrance to blow your brains out?"

"Scare me if you wish, Asshole," she said tiredly. "Use your smutty small boy password."

Archie kissed her warmly and went off to get fuel and supplies.

He asked the guy filling the vehicle and six bulk containers with diesel where was the best place for lunch and he said Em's Gourmet Grill.

"Where's that?"

"By the Shakespeare Hotel. If the restaurant isn't open the Shakespeare serves brilliant hotel fare."

"Ah, that's where we're stopping to bath away the travel weariness."

Returning to the hotel for his bath, Archie was asked for the password.

"Big Fat Cunt."

"You're a real slob for maligning my gorgeous pussy like that. Apologise."

"I apologize and promise to show my respect and lick your pussy with reverence."

The bolt slid open and Sharon called, "Enter kind sir. I'm all sweet and clean now. I'll delay having my pussy licked until at the end of a day's drive when I'm hot and sticky."

That left Archie wishing he'd just simply apologized rather than adding indelicate verbosity.

That evening, camping off the road, Sharon said, "I have the feeling that's something is building up to happen. It's just a feeling."

"I'm experiencing something like that too," Archie said although my explanation we gorged on those beef ribs at lunchtime and swilled beer and it's pretty high us here above sea level so that could explain why we feel differently."

"Oh, I feel assured," Sharon said, and appeared to practically fall sleep instantly.

Archie went a little away from his bed and peed on the rank grass. He reasoned perhaps the assassins had not reached Barcaldine yet from the point where they recovered their drone and anyway, they would be experiencing the lure of deep baths, cold beers and a plateful of beef ribs with vegetables on side dishes.

He belched, went back to his bed and fell almost instantly asleep.

* * *

Next evening it happened, and following a bit of luck, Archie and Sharon knew enough to be fully ready in the expected attack.

Just on sunset, that Archie, standing with a coffee and watching the sun setting out over the horizon far out to sea, as they were camped on a high vantage point, he turned and incredibly just caught a flash of reflected fading sun rays on windows of a vehicle that had come up the far downslope of the hill on which he and Sharon were camped on the highest portion, and the vehicle travelled across the short clearing to disappear into tall and scrubby bush.

"They are here," he called to Sharon who was waxing her legs and she groaned, "Oh dear."

He joined her in the cabin and pulled on his jacket, long pants and boots and collected his rifle, torch and bottle of water.

"I take it you are going on a recce?"

"Yeah."

"Don't get caught."

"I won't. The sky is clear and according to the weather chart I just read and by the time I circle wide out to where they are secluded, the half-moon will have risen. Please, please, don't panic because I aim in get in close to try to find how many people there are. Keep your rifle close in case they send someone out on a recce."

"They mightn't know we are here."

"They crossed a short clearing of the far end of this hill and would have seen our vehicle in the developing gloom and will know it's us. Yet another guess. I don't think they will close in before say 10.00 pm."

"What's the use of a guess?"

"Coming from me it's a tactical guess from a person trained to think like the enemy. It works sometimes."

"Oh god. Sometimes!"

"Isn't that better than not having a clue."

"I need a pee," Sharon said. "Good luck and come back safely to me. Promise to be back before 10.00."

"I promise."

"And consider they may have intruder warning beams around their campsite."

"Not this time. They are amid bush and beams are ineffective in bush and woodlots."

She kissed him and said emotionally, "Off you go, my expert recce man."

Archie returned at 9.35 and whistled to alert Sharon and smiled in satisfaction as he heard the slick click as she released the safety catch of her rifle. He walked into the illumination of the downlight and halted, to allow her to check that it was him.

"Good news, great probably. I could only see two people and they were eating. And then an amazing discovered. The driver and presumably guide complained about his sprained ankle and when the skinny long-haired shooter, err assassin got up and walked into the light to get coffee, I saw that he was actually a she with small tits and was wearing an ear-ring on the ear nearest to me."

"At that point, I'd seen enough."

"Oh, a female shooter. Then we shouldn't have too much trouble over-powering her."

"Don't stupidly believe that. If she's highly professional and experience she'll be our biggest nightmare."

"Oh shit."

"Yeah. Right I have worked out a plan. Let's set it up."

Ten o'clock went by with no sign of an unfolding threat.

Another hour went by and the tension for Sharon especially and Archie increased.

Then just before 11.30 they both spotted two figures in dark clothing creeping up in the moonlight.

Sharon lay protected by a large rock almost 50 yards from the Land Rover that had the interior lights on and music from a laptop was playing loudly. Archie lay prone on the grass much closer in.

Archie saw the woman fiddling with something on the ground and he lifted up to get a better view, but too late.

"Boom."

The Land Rover turned into a ball of fire with the exploding rocket igniting combustibles and then the gas cylinders exploded and debris rose high into the night sky and then rained down from above.

Archie, closed to the blast, was momentarily stunned but Sharon was far enough away to be okay. She fired at the assailant who clutched her thigh, held out her arm and her companion handed her another weapon.

Hitting is right ear repeatedly, the one facing the explosion, attempting to clear the hopefully temporary deafness, Archie was close enough to identify the new weapon as an automatic military assault rifle.

Sharon was in grave danger when she lifted her head above the rock to fire again.

The woman half facing took aim in Sharon's position. He fired just one shot at the assailant's chest and she dropped like a stone.

The guy standing beside her faced where the firing of the shot had come from, raising his hands high.

Sharon came running over and sounding only a little jittery said, "Nice shot, thanks. And well done to take a prisoner as a witness to the activities of that bitch who was a cold-blooded killer. What now?"

"Probably most if not all our items plus our vehicle are shredded, as that was a violent blast.

"Damn, that was my favourite toothbrush and I had become attached to that lipstick holder."

"What?"

"Oh, nothing."

He phoned Ross his security HQ boss, thinking the call would be switched through to his home. But Ross said he was at HQ.

"An hour ago, an attempt to hit John W was made at the hospital. Our two guys got both of them in time, killing one and two shoulder hits dropped the other one. The gunfire was right outside John W's hospital suite but he wasn't hurt but is really worried about you and especially Sharon. We have identified the dead guy, but yet to be confirmed, as Silas Lander."

"Wow, if it is our worries diminish as he's the king-pin behind this sordid business. We are both fine. Could you do us a favour."

"Yeah buddy."

"Please put your phone recorder on."

"Yep, all set."

"Could you contact Federal Police and say our touring Land Rover and all contents were blown up by a female assassin using a small field rocket launcher. Sharon hit the bitch in the thigh and the bitch grabbed from her assistant a military automatic rifle that in the pale moonlight looked something like an American M4A1 Carbine. I shot her lethally through the chest and the assistant, who appears docile, surrendered immediately."

"The Feds will want involvement because of the use of a rocket in attempted double killings. The main Police Station is over 300 miles from here. We are about 12 miles north of the town of Barcaldine on the high hill that is the site for the town's communications tower."

Archie then gave the coordinates off his smart phone.

"Christ mate, you two must have come close top extermination. Well done. Mark where you were when you both were shooting and don't touch anything, particular the assassin's body. Can you give me a description?"

"Probably around 40 with dark skin, could be Mexican or even Colombian if she's non-American."

"Why did you say Colombian?"

"I read a novel a few years ago about a Colombian warlord who had three daughters that he trained as assassins."

"Hell, we won't want the dead woman's family seeking revenge and going after you. We'll request the Feds to contact the FBI to help establish who commissioned the assassins to go after John W and his daughter, and why and then get that info to the news media one way or another. Court proceedings could take many months to begin."

"Thanks pal. Okay if I get Sharon to call her dad now?"

"Yep and he'd welcome the call."

Sharon, who had been listening to that conversation, took the phone.

"After you finish your call Sharon, I'll attempt to get pizza and coffee delivered to us here and it will be a long night for us."

"Yeah, and I guess it will be no beach for a day or so."

"Agreed but never mind, I suggest we hire a motorhome and camp at a beach for a month or two before the heat up here approaching summer becomes a little uncomfortable."

"Oh year, eat, drink, swim and sleep."

"You have missed out an important activity."

"Omigod, it having sex all you think about."

He placed his torch under his chin and leered.

He phoned the café in town that offer home deliveries and ordered four pizza and four coffees for two hungry survivors to be delivered on top of the hill with communications towers a little north of the town and paid by card and included a tip of fifty bucks.

The End