Chapter 10: Fire in the Hole!

Apparently, there is a strong MS13 presence in the Fort Meyers area, as well as a host of organized crime syndicates, Sam wrote.

It was still very early so I chose to chat via laptop to avoid waking Trinity. Anything of note regarding the name Kramer?

I think so, I’m still setting up surveillance bots and combing through police reports over the last few months, she replied, there was an editorial in a Prosperity magazine about a real estate mogul named Austin Kramer. He’s a land developer who is collecting run-down neighborhoods and turning them into strip malls. But he is lauded for his generosity and giving back to the Latino communities.

The article popped up on my screen and I saved it for later. I wonder if the cops are as crooked down there as they are here, I mused.

Oh, I’m sure you can count on that, she replied, I just came across a notice that the human trafficking task force we worked with a few months ago, has set up shop in Pensacola. I think I’ll tag that for future surveillance too.

What about Sipowicz? I asked.

Ah yes, (Ex) Under Sheriff Palmer, He is still in the wind, but I did find out that his original name was Federico Reyes and that he was born in ... wait for it ... Cuba! He immigrated here on a boat when he was just a baby and has been poisoning the waters ever since.

Cuba again? I looked up from the kitchen table to see Trinity stretching in the bedroom doorway with a yawn. She was completely naked and I noticed more than a couple of discolored bruises on her from our various training sessions. My dick responded to other observations as she sleepily wandered into the bathroom.

What is so special about Cuba, in the big picture here? I asked, recovering from the distraction of teen exhibitionism.

I’m not sure yet but there is a surprising number of Cuban immigrants living in Florida, she replied, your American news is all about the ‘open border’ situation with Mexico but never seems to take note of the Communist country you share a border with. They float onto your shores by the thousands, every week.

I rose to get another cup of coffee. I heard the toilet flush and turned to gape at her tight little ass as it disappeared back into the bedroom. I looked outside and noticed that Dawn was painting the sky over the canyon a wild and raw panorama of reds, blues, and greens. I also noticed Gil making his way slowly across the clearing with an overstuffed frame pack. I turned back to the laptop.

Gotta go, I wrote, Thank you for everything.

Ciao.

I stepped out onto the porch to find Travis had joined the old hermit and was excitedly making circles around him as he approached.

“Headed down to the claim?” I called out in greeting.

“Yep,” he replied, “Ah’s gonna make a trip ever mornin’ and start getting my new sluice set up.” Besides the giant pack, he was carrying an armload of equipment.

I pointed toward the carport with my cup. “You know, you could haul most of that to the hot spring in the back of the side-by-side,” I pointed out, “it would sure save you a lot of back aches.”

He stood in front of the porch and scratched his head, grinning sheepishly. “Well, that just makes sum sense don’t it?”

I laughed and turned back to the door. “Go load your stuff in it and come have a cup of coffee,” I added.

We sat and drank our coffee for a while, discussing his plans for the claim site.

“I was gonna use the ATV for hauling all the lumber and construction block later when that path down the ravine isn’t so treacherous,” I stated. I was referring to the cabin we had been planning on building for him, “we might as well start gathering all the treated lumber for the foundation and floor.”

He nodded and sipped his coffee. “There’s that one tight spot bout halfway down,” he mused, “where it wraps around that sharp outcropping. I was wunderin how you felt about practicing yer blastin skills on it ta make it easier ta get past.”

I straightened at the notion and nodded. “Oh yeah, we should definitely practice on it!” I grinned, “I think I might join you this morning and go check it out.”

“Go check what out?” Trinity asked yawning tiredly as she padded into the kitchen wearing her usual tight fleece shorts and thin tank top. She paused to give Gil a warm hug, wrapping her arms around his furry head and kissing his cheek. His blush was mostly hidden by all the scruff.

I explained what we were planning and she got a twinkle in her eye at the mention of blasting. She grabbed a glass of milk and began preparing breakfast.

My phone dinged alerting me to a perimeter alert, as we were eating. It was Randy driving an overside flatbed hauler, with the Jeep and Buick strapped down to the back. The crumpled dune buggy was trailing behind raised by its front end on the tow bar.

I invited him in to join us for breakfast while Trinity eagerly danced around her prize in her bare feet. Her nipples were once again at full attention in the cool morning air but only us three old codgers appeared to notice.

“I noticed something interesting about the buggy,” Randy noted as he released it and stowed the tow bar beneath the bed, “it has a nice old Corvair engine.” He went on to explain how the Chevy made one of the better air-cooled engines back in the ‘60s. “this one appears to have been modified with the Turbo-Air 6 that was popular back then. I think it boosted the horsepower from 80 or 90 to 140 or so.” I handed him a roll of bills and he tucked them into his pocket without counting it.

We went back inside to our breakfast and Trinity was glued to his every word as she piled his plate high with pancakes, bacon, and scrambled eggs. “Do you think it needs much work?” she asked excitedly.

He shrugged, “the frame is pretty solid looking and the roll bar seems intact,” he replied, “the shell is fiberglass and pretty busted up, but easily replaced.” He looked intently at me and Gil. “There’s a lot of blood and brains in the driver’s bucket seat.” Trinity paled at that but was still over the moon about her new ride.

“Speaking of which,” he said as he pushed his empty plate back, “Y’all might want to check out the trunk of that LeSabre before I head on out of here.”

Curious, Gil got up and went outside. Travis joined him once he determined that he had tested Trin’s generosity with the bacon, to the limit. The hermit returned a few moments later carrying a very tactical-looking assault rifle with a scope on it.

Trinity swooned at the sight of it. “Wow! That looks badass!” she exclaimed, “what is it?”

Gil held it with the sling about his neck in a fashion that suggested comfort and familiarity. “This little darlin’, is a Heckler & Koch HK33, fully automatic assault rifle,” he held it by the pistol grip tucked against his chest with the barrel pointed down, “standard police issue and favored by a lot of SOG groups around the globe, including the SEALs, Delta and British SAS,” he released the magazine and looked at the bullets, “this one is chambered in 5.56 NATO and has a muzzle velocity of 3,250 feet per second.”

He unslung it and set it on the couch carefully. “And ah can’t tell y’all how happy I am that it stayed in that trunk last night.”

It took all afternoon to get my portable generator and drill down to the outcropping, and the rest of the day to drill all the holes; but by midmorning the next day I had placed all the demolitions, opting for an electronic detonator this time.

We were gathered back several hundred yards when I flipped up the trigger safety.

“Fire In the Hole!” I yelled loudly and depressed the red button.

The blast report wasn’t nearly as impressive as the rumble of the ground beneath our feet. We could see a cloud of dust appear down the trail and Travis lost his shit, barking excitedly at the cacophony of noise and ground shaking. Several flights of birds decided to take flight and filled the sky with their frantic passage.

“Woo Hoo!” Trinity screamed excitedly while Gil and I grinned at each other.

We found a substantial pile of rubble where the narrow path had once wrapped precariously around the outcropping. With shovels and picks, we were able to clear it over the side and smooth out the path surface enough to make it easy to navigate. The explosion had removed a massive piece of the stone barrier, up to about 10 feet off the ground. There was now a semi-flat wall where the outcrop used to be.

I could have graded it further with the Yanmar but there was no way to get the mini excavator down to this spot. Still, it made the climb down to Gil’s camp more manageable and that was the whole point. Trinity helped him carry his stuff down while I hauled my heavy drill and generator back up to the hot spring clearing, where the side-by-side waited. By the time I made it back from my second trip, my young ward joined me and we returned to the clearing.