Chapter 190

Back in the RV, Willa projected the UIS file onto the large screen in the upper-level lounge. Louis sat beside her, while the others gathered on the sofas. Yamamoto’s men stood guard outside.

“As I suspected,” Willa said, her fingers moving on her laptop. “The Central Union is watching them, but they can’t find a direct link to any terrorist activity. So they’re listed as a ‘charitable organization of concern.’ A lot of vague language.”

She opened the file. The screen showed a list of names, photos, and brief profiles. All of them were Mormons living in Idaho or Wyoming.

“There! Brother John,” Maeve said, pointing to the screen. “John Dever. Fifty-two years old. Born in Salt Lake City. Moved to the Central Union in 2015. Lives in a farm in the middle of nowhere in Wyoming.”

“He’s a ‘senior advisor’ of the foundation,” Gladice read from the screen. “That’s a fancy name for a spy.”

“Is there an address?” Savannah asked.

Willa zoomed in on the map. “No. Only a general area. Somewhere in Yellowstone.”

“Yellowstone?” Donya asked. “The national park?”

“Yes,” Willa said. “But the border region. In the part that’s in Wyoming. It’s a very remote area. Hard to get to. And full of bears.”

“What kind of bears?” Donya asked, her eyes wide.

“Grizzlies,” Willa said. “The big ones.”

Louis thought of the black bear that chased them in the woods back in the Smokies. He shuddered.

“What’re grizzlies like?” Cherish asked. “I’ve only met a black bear once when it tried to steal our honey jars. Papa shot it. We ate bear stew for a week.”

Gladice laughed. “How did it taste?”

“A bit stringy. But it was good with potatoes and carrots,” Cherish said. “We also used its fat to make candles.”

“You’re a tough one, Cherry,” Gladice said. “I’m sure you can handle a grizzly.”

“I don’t know,” Cherish said. “Are they bigger?”

“Yes,” Willa said. “Much bigger. And they eat people for fun.”

Angelique gave her a look. “I’m sure you’re just making up this last part.”

“I’m not,” Willa said. “They’re predators. And they’re very aggressive.”

“So, this Brother John is hiding in a bear nest,” Maeve said. “How do we get to him?”

“We need to locate his exact location first,” Louis said. “Then we need a plan to get in. I wonder if that’s where the Country Pleasures compound is.”

“It might be,” Willa said. “But not necessarily. The file says he lives in a farm. Not a compound.”

“What’s the difference?” Maeve asked. “They both have a lot of land and people.”

“A compound is more fortified,” Angelique said. “With fences, guards, and surveillance. A farm is just a farm. With crops and animals.”

“I think this Brother John will have armed guards,” Savannah said. “And maybe a few dogs.”

“And maybe a few bears,” Maeve said. “You know, we captured a bear back in the People’s Army. His name was Boris. He liked beer. And we taught him to pull a plow.”

Gladice laughed. “You’re shitting me. A bear pulling a plow?”

“It’s true,” Maeve said. “He was good at it. Better than the men.”

“Where is he now?” Donya asked.

“Killed by the men during a famine,” Maeve said, her voice flat. “They ate him. I didn’t join them.”

Donya looked at Maeve. “I’m sorry, Maeve.”

“Don’t be,” Maeve said, shrugging. “People die in West Virginia all the time. So do pets.”

Louis held Maeve’s hand. “We can get you a bear cub and teach it to carry our missiles, Mae-Mae.”

Maeve looked at him and smiled. “That would be great, Louis. I’ll call him Boris Junior.”

“Seriously? A missile-carrying bear?” Willa said. “Sometimes I think you’re all insane.”

“It would be the most famous bear in the world,” Gladice said. “We can have a Tengri channel for him.”

“Where are we going to keep a bear?” Angelique asked, shaking her head.

“There’s a zoo near the Pax Pacifica site,” Gladice said. “We can build him a special enclosure with a missile launching platform.”

“You’re not serious,” Willa said.

“I am,” Gladice said. “And all targets will be in Dixie. We will let him decide what to bomb.” She winked. “I’ll put extra honey on the button that says Montgomery.”

Cherish stared at her. “You want to teach a bear to bomb a city?”

“Only the bad parts,” Gladice said. “And only after he finishes his honey.”

“This is going nowhere,” Angelique said. “Let’s focus on the mission.”

“She’s right,” Willa said, her eyes on the screen. “I think we should head toward Yellowstone tomorrow. See if we can get any info from the locals about a mysterious farm with lots of activity.”

“Good idea,” Louis said. “And we should share the intel with Robin. He might have some toys to help us locate the farm.”

Willa nodded and typed a message on her phone. “Sending it now. I’ll ask for satellite imagery of the area.”

Yamamoto’s voice came over the intercom. “Sir, we have a problem.”

“What kind of problem?” Louis asked.

“Our sniper has been detained by the Rexburg Police. They say he needs to be questioned. And they want to inspect his weapon.” Yamamoto’s voice was tight.

“Why didn’t you stop them?” Louis asked.

“His team was left behind to handle the local authorities when we left. He was processing the scene with the police. Then they took him. It happened a few minutes ago.”

“Where is he now?” Louis asked.

“At the Rexburg Police Department. Chief Henderson is on his way there now.”

“Tell the chief to release him and give us back the weapon. Or we’ll have a bigger problem than a dead shooter,” Louis said.

“I already did, sir. He refused. He said it’s standard procedure.” Yamamoto paused. “They could detain him for up to twenty-four hours. The law is on their side.”

Louis felt a surge of anger. “The law is a joke in this country.” He stood up. “We’re going to the police station. All of us.”

The women stood up, their faces grim.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea, sir,” Yamamoto said. “It could escalate the situation. You could be detained too.”

“I don’t care,” Louis said. “They are not taking one of my men. Not someone who saved my life. I’m going to get him.”

Maeve’s eyes gleamed. “I’ll bring a grenade.”

“No grenades, Mae-Mae,” Angelique said. “Let’s not start a war in a police station.”

“Let’s,” Maeve said. “It would be fun.” She went downstairs and sat back in the driver’s seat. “Let’s go!”

The RV started moving. The SUVs followed. The convoy drove through the quiet streets of Idaho Falls, then turned onto the highway toward Rexburg.

“Captain, what’s the status of the rest of his team?” Louis asked over the intercom.

“They are waiting for us near the police station, sir,” Yamamoto said. “Three of them. With their SUV.”

“Good,” Louis said. “Tell them to be ready for anything.”

“Copy that, sir.”

Louis took out his phone and called Chief Henderson. The chief answered on the third ring. “Mr. Collins. I was about to call you.”

“Let my man go, Chief. Now,” Louis said. “Or you’ll regret it.”

“I’m afraid I can’t do that, sir,” Henderson said, his voice tight. “We need to verify that the shooting was justified. And we need to inspect the weapon.”

“The shooting was justified. A man tried to kill me. My sniper saved my life. That’s all the verification you need,” Louis said. “And the weapon is Dominion property. You have no right to inspect it.”

“The law says otherwise, sir,” Henderson said.

“Then your stupid law can go fuck itself,” Louis said. “I’m on my way to your station. You better have my man and his rifle ready when I get there. Or we will have a problem.”

“I can’t promise that, sir,” Henderson said.

“You can try,” Louis said, hanging up.

“He’s not going to let him go,” Willa said.

“I know,” Louis said. “That’s why we’re going there.”

“Are we going to fight the police?” Cherish asked. “Is that a good idea?”

“It’s not a good idea,” Angelique said. “But it’s the right thing to do. We don’t leave anyone behind.”

“Especially not the man who saved Louis’s life,” Gladice said. “He deserves a bonus. Not a jail cell.”

“Do you think Olivia can help us?” Donya asked.

“She can try,” Angelique said. “But I suspect she’ll just tell us to wait until the police finish processing everything. She’s a government agent.”

“Let’s not rely on her then,” Savannah said. “We have our own guns. And our own way of doing things.”

“We’re almost there,” Maeve said, her eyes on the road. She turned off the highway and entered Rexburg.

The police station was a one-story brick building on a corner, with a small parking lot in front. Two police cars were parked near the entrance. An armored SUV flashed its lights as they approached. The RV parked behind it. The other SUVs parked around them, blocking the exits of the lot.

“Time to go,” Louis said, standing up.

The women followed him out of the RV. The guards from the waiting SUV joined them, their rifles ready. Four guards spread out at their vehicles. The remaining eleven guards formed a wedge around Louis and the women and walked to the entrance of the station. A uniformed officer stood at the door, his hand on his pistol.

“This is a restricted area,” he said. “You can’t come in.”

“Stand aside,” Louis said. “I will not ask twice.”

The officer stared at him, then at the wall of guards behind him. He swallowed and stepped aside.

“Thank you,” Louis said, walking past him into the station.

The lobby was small and empty. A woman in a police uniform sat behind a counter, typing on a computer. She looked up and her eyes widened when she saw them.

“Can I help you?” she asked, her voice trembling.

“We’re here to pick up my man,” Louis said. “And his rifle.”

The woman stared at them, then picked up the phone. “Chief, there’s… a group of people here. With guns. They want the prisoner.”

She listened, then hung up. “The chief will be right with you.”

“We’ll wait,” Louis said, leaning against the counter.

The doors to the back offices opened. Chief Henderson came out, followed by two officers. He stopped when he saw them.

“Mr. Collins. I told you on the phone. I can’t release him. Not yet.”

Louis stared at him. “Where is he?”

“In a temporary holding cell,” Henderson said.

“Take me to him,” Louis said. “Now.”

Henderson hesitated. “Sir, I’m advising you to leave. We have the situation under control.”

“I don’t care,” Louis said. “I’m tired of the bureaucracy of your country. Take me to him. Right now.”

Henderson looked at the eleven heavily armed guards surrounding them. “No. That’s not how it works.”

Louis stepped forward. “Chief, we can do this the easy way, or the hard way. The easy way is you open the cell. And we walk out of here. No one gets hurt. The hard way is we break down the door. And if your men get in our way, we will shoot them. Are we clear?”

Henderson’s face reddened. “You can’t threaten me in my own station, Mr. Collins. I will arrest you for obstruction of justice and for threatening a police officer.”

Louis laughed. “Arrest me? You and your petty officers? Try it. I dare you.”

He looked at Yamamoto. “Captain, find the cell. Get our man out. And get the rifle. Use explosives if you have to.”

“Copy that, sir,” Yamamoto said.

“Sir, don’t,” Henderson said, his hand now on the butt of his pistol. “This is a police station. Not a warzone.”

“Then don’t treat it like one,” Louis said, staring at him. “You detained the man who saved my life. You are interfering with my mission. That looks like an act of aggression to me.”

“I’m following the law, Mr. Collins.”

“The law of the Central Union doesn’t apply to a Dominion Guard sniper in the performance of his duty,” Louis said. “This is a diplomatic incident now, Chief. And you’re in the middle of it.”

“Sir, think about what you’re doing,” Henderson said, his face pale now.

“I am thinking,” Louis said. “I’m thinking that you have about ten seconds to open that door. Before I order my guards to blow it up for you.”

Henderson looked at Yamamoto, who looked at him with an emotionless face. He looked at the other guards, who were standing still, holding their rifles. He looked at Louis, whose eyes were cold.

“You’ll regret this, Mr. Collins,” he said, taking out a set of keys. “This is not over. We will file a formal complaint.”

“I’m looking forward to it,” Louis said. “Now, open the door.”

Henderson nodded to one of the officers, who walked to a door on the side of the lobby and unlocked it. “This way.”

Yamamoto and two guards followed him. The others stayed with Louis and the women. The woman behind the counter had taken out her phone and was recording them with a shaking hand. Savannah glared at her and she quickly put it away.

A few minutes later, Yamamoto came back with a man in a Dominion Guard uniform and a long rifle case. The man had short dark blond hair, a square jaw, and a scar on his left cheek. He looked calm.

“Sir,” he said to Louis, saluting. “Staff Sergeant Alexander Petrov, reporting.”

“At ease, Sergeant,” Louis said. “Are you okay?”

“Yes, sir,” Petrov said. “Just a few questions. Nothing I couldn’t handle.”

“And the rifle?”

“Here, sir,” Petrov said, patting the case.

“Good,” Louis said. “Let’s go and find a hotel nearby for you and your men. You deserve a good night’s rest. And a bonus.”

“Thank you, sir,” Petrov said.

“You saved my life today, I won’t forget it,” Louis said. “I’ll make you a rich man when you retire.”

“I’m not planning to retire soon, sir,” Petrov said. “But I appreciate the offer.”

“We’ll see about that,” Louis said, smiling. He turned to Chief Henderson. “A word of advice, Chief. Don’t mess with the Dominion Guard. We are not the ones you want to make enemies with.”

Henderson’s jaw was tight. “The Central Union will not forget this, Mr. Collins.”

“I won’t forget I was nearly assassinated in your country either,” Louis said. “Now, if you’ll excuse us.”

He turned and walked out of the station with the women and the guards. They got back into the RV and the SUVs.

“So, where are we going now?” Maeve asked, starting the engine.

“Let’s go to the next town and find a nice hotel for the guards,” Louis said. “Then we can all get some sleep. We have a long day tomorrow.”

Maeve nodded and drove the RV out of the parking lot.

Louis sat down on the sofa. The adrenaline was wearing off, and he felt a sudden wave of exhaustion. “I don’t understand why they made it so difficult. They are the ones who should be apologizing. Not detaining my men.”

“Power play,” Angelique said. “They wanted to show you who’s in charge.”

“They failed,” Louis said, smiling.

“I think they’ve learned their lesson,” Willa said. “For now.”

“Do you think we will have more trouble on our way to Yellowstone?” Donya asked.

“Not if they know what’s good for them,” Maeve said.

“Even if they do, we can handle it,” Savannah said. “We have a lot of guns.”

“And a lot of attitude,” Gladice added, winking.