Chapter 11

Ann G. was shaking her head all the way out to her Yukon, "I don't like this. Not one little bit do I like it."

Matt understood both sides. Ann wanted them to stay on the ranch and out of sight. Jim and Sara wanted away from the ranch, and they did need the long list of supplies and parts. "They're getting a little stir crazy I think. Did you see little Nicky crying thinking she was going to get left."

Ann sighed and handed Matt the satellite telephone, "I guess. Here, turn this on will you."

Matt opened the phone and pushed the power button, "It's dead, babe."

Ann rolled her eyes at Matt's pet name, "It can't be it was on the charger all night. Get the cord out of the glove box and plug it in here."

Matt got the twelve volt power cord out and plugged it into the phone and then into the empty lighter socket. As soon as he did thick tendrils smoke began to rise up out of the phone, "Shit! This thing is catching on fire!"

Matt made several failed attempts to pull the cord out of the phone before Ann jerked it out of the lighter socket leaving parts of it still stuck in the socket. "No communication! Now, I'm really not liking this."

Matt reached up and felt of his shirt pocket and smiled, "Well as soon as we are out of cell hell we can use my phone.

Don tried the phone one more time, "Ann is still not answering her phone. Damn! I wished we'd got that radio installed in the van."

Kiesha handed Don his pistol, "We'll discuss that later. We gotta go." They ran out to the new truck and hopped into the back seat. Jackie floored the truck and left the Hobbit Hole in a cloud of dust.

Nagel was surprised to catch a glimpse of Jim O'Daniel, but that brief glance was enough to ignite his smouldering hatred. He turned and followed the van as it turned down a side street headed for the Wool Growers.

Nagel didn't notice the white Yukon that pulled up to the front of the Wool Growers ancient adobe building. He did notice that it didn't take any of them long to seek the cool insides of the adobe building. It reminded him of yet one more thing that he hated about Texas. Here it was the middle of September and it was over one hundred degrees.

He checked the clip in the 9mm Glock making sure it was full. After that he eased the slide back just far enough to make damn certain that there was a round chambered. For a brief few seconds he entertained the idea of leaving the four extra clips right where they were, hidden away in the glove box. That thought quickly passed and Nagel's paranoia had him opening the glove box and removing them. He put two in his left hip pocket, but found that wallet he had purchased a few days ago at the truck stop in Ozona was not going to allow him to put the remaining two clips in his other hip pocket.

He took out the wallet which was only serving to hold a small fraction of the money that the lawyer had given him and stuck it under the seat. After putting his last two clips in his hip pocket Nagel stepped out of the air conditioned SUV he was driving and into the sweltering fall heat.

Little Nicky walked out of the relative cool of the giant warehouse into the bright sunlight. Reagan had just grabbed two fifty pound sacks of horse and mule feed and headed to the back of the van. Just before he walked out into the blinding sunshine he saw Nagel across the street as he drew his gun.

Reagan knew that Jim was right behind him with two more sacks of feed. He dropped his sacks, "It's Nagel!" he shouted. Jim didn't respond other than to drop his sacks and draw his pistol.

Reagan was unarmed but he didn't let that stop him. He ran as hard as he could trying to get to Nicky. Nagel saw him and recognised him at once. He fired two quick shots as Reagan tried to get between Nicky and Nagel. The first shot hit the cement drive of the warehouse and ricocheted into Nicky's tiny body. The second shot hit Reagan in the chest just as his body passed in front of Nicky.

Nagel never saw Jim exit the warehouse. It was his last chance to see any thing ever again. Jim's training took over as he fired two quick shots dropping Nagel in the middle of the street.

Ann G. and Matt slid to a stop mere feet from Nagel's prostrate body. Both exited the Yukon with guns drawn. Ann G. used her foot to kick the pistol out of Nagel's reach as Matt checked him for a pulse. Sirens in the distance and Reagan's body made Ann want to kick the lifeless body. Instead she went to where Jim was already on his knees. That's when Ann G. saw Nicky and her blood soaked dress. The EMT's arrived and pushed Jim and Ann out of the way. In what was only a few minutes but seemed like hours they had Nicky and Reagan loaded in the ambulance and headed for the hospital.

In the overcrowded operating room of the Pecos County Hospital the one doctor and a green physician's assistant were working at a frantic pace. The bullet that hit Nicky had not done as much damage as it could have. On the other hand the bullet had picked up dirt and filth and rudely introduced it to her tiny body. A harried nurse with blood on her scrubs interrupted Don's prayers to ask if Nicky was allergic to penicillin.