Twenty-One
Half an hour later, I felt the truck slow and finally stop. Pushing up off the seat, I reached for the door handle and slowly climbed down from the cab.
Boomer appeared at my side. “How you doing, man? You were damn lucky; at that range he should have killed you. The shot to your side actually didn’t hit you; that silver dollar you carry in your pocket saved your life. Damnedest thing I’ve ever seen. Most of the blood came from a bloody flesh wound from your face and the side of your head. Whoever shot you was a lousy shot and was only carrying a 380. You’ve lost a lot of blood, but I can rig up a bag and transfuse you on the plane. I’ll add some B12 and iron to help give you a boost. But, buddy, when you crash it’s going to be a big one.”
“Thanks, Boomer, I appreciate it, man. Do me a favor and tell Dukes I’m going to live, get him to back off a little.”
Boomer chuckled. “I got this, Breech.”
Twenty minutes later, Dukes, Sonny, Opry, Danko, Murph, Gia, and I were back in the truck heading to the airstrip. All of us were dressed in fatigues, even Gia, although hers were a mashup of things from all of us. We were armed to the teeth, and ready for whatever we had to do to get Jiji back. Conversation was at a minimum, everyone focused on what we needed to do.
The truck turned into the gates of the airfield, and traveled down to one of the hangars, lit up against the night. The doors were open and inside was a gleaming Lockheed L100-Hercules freighter. Jamie was talking to a guy by the open loading ramp. Seeing us, he came over to the truck as we stopped near the back of the hangar.
All the doors opened as we exited the truck, and I walked up to Jamie, hand extended. “I really appreciate your getting us in the air so quick, Jamie.”
He shook my hand, but his attention was on Gia, who had walked up behind me. “I owe you, Breech, and even if I didn’t, you never ask for anything, so when you do I know you really need it. Hello, little lady, you wouldn’t be the one who I heard on the phone a while ago putting this big lug in his place, would you?” She laughed, her face turning a rosy hue. He reached over and caught her hand, bringing it to his lips and kissing the back.
Sonny shouldered Jamie aside, turning Gia onto the ramp and steering her inside the plane. “Okay, lover boy, let’s get this bird in the air, you don’t have time to play prince charming.”
Gia pulled her arm away from Sonny’s grasp. “Hey, He-Man, I’m totally capable of taking care of myself.” Looking over Sonny’s shoulder, she waved to Jamie. “Someday my prince will come—and this behemoth isn’t him.” With a huff she turned around and flounced into the hold to find a seat.
Jamie, Opry, and Danko were laughing at Gia’s comment until Sonny glared at them. “Shut up, you fuckers,” Sonny put his hands on his hips, looked up, and we could hear him counting to ten before he, too, walked up the ramp into the hold.
Clasping Jamie on the shoulder, I gave him a man-hug and fist bump before walking up the ramp. Once we were all seated, Jamie came through on his way to the cockpit. “Everyone strap in, we’ll be airborne shortly.”
Sonny leaned over and checked Gia’s seatbelt; she slapped his hand away and said in exasperation, “I know how to buckle a seatbelt, Sonny, cut the crap, would you?” She reached into her bag and passed out papers. “I made copies of the map of the main house. There are two ways to get into the house from the back. There is a cellar that runs the entire width of the house. I think he will keep her in his playroom because it’s soundproofed and the staff won’t know she’s there. The only two people that I know have a key are Brom and Lane, and no one would dare go in the room anyway, even if they had keys.”
I pulled out my phone and pulled up a picture of Lane that I had taken in the barn that day with Jiji. Passing the phone to Dukes, I said, “This is Lane, he’s the target; we need to get him neutralized and get his keys.” Dukes gave me back the phone and I sent the picture in a group text.
Gia spoke up, “Drake has a small house behind the barn. It can’t be seen from the main house, and Lane goes down there usually at night to get an update from Drake on the horses. That’s the best time for you to ambush Lane: while he’s away from Brom. He never locks the doors because there isn’t anyone around, it’s really isolated. There is a back way onto the farm and that’s the way you should approach. It’s an old logging road and they use it to bring in hay from the surrounding fields for the horses.”
Dukes patted Gia on the leg. “Your intel is invaluable. We couldn’t have gotten this kind of solid information without you, Gia, I’m impressed.”
Gia blushed under Dukes’s praise. “I spent a lot of time wandering around that place, trying to make myself invisible. I’m happy to share what I know if it means Jiji will come home safely.” The plane had taxied down the runway while we were talking. We could feel the momentum as the plane gathered speed, hurtling forward then into the air.
Once the plane leveled off, I asked, “Does anyone have any questions about the plan?” Everyone shook their head no. “Okay, we have about 2 hours of flight time; Danko is going to hook up the IV Boomer sent to transfuse me, and I’m going to get some shuteye. You all should do the same.”
Shrugging out of my jacket, I rolled up my sleeve and let Danko hook up the IV to the site Boomer had put in before we left. He started the drip and I leaned back, closing my eyes to rest ‘til touchdown. I heard the guys around me getting comfortable while we flew through the night. “Hang on, Jiji, I’m coming for you, babe.”