Chapter 69

We drove the whole way to the cabin that used to be Mark's in total silence. I had a hunch what Butter was thinking about, but George seemed to still be in a bit of a daze. Unlike Butter, I had a hunch George was still thinking about Doris, trying to rectify his feelings for her and weigh it all against the guilt from the loss of his wife and kids. I had gone through the same thing so I had a feeling about what he was thinking about. When we came to the gate, I identified us and the gate opened to let us in. Although I knew they were there, I couldn't catch a glimpse of any of the team that was guarding the house. I pulled around to the back out of sight, and that's when one of the team met us. He told us we were expected and to go right in.

When I walked in the back door the first thing I heard was the sound of kid's laughter from further inside the house. I smiled to myself as we went through the kitchen. The kid's laughter made the tension drain right out of me, and I felt lightened somehow as we went into the main room.

"Harry, it's good to see you again. I want to thank you for saving my life. You took off before I had the chance earlier. I think you've met my wife Carly? At least I heard you got to meet her temper."

I looked over at her and she was trying to bite back laughter if the smile she was fighting was any sign. I rubbed the side of the jaw she had slapped and just laughed. She lost it as did Sean from his seat on the couch.

"Yea, she slaps harder than Tran does."

With that they both were laughing their asses off at my discomfort.

"You ought to try being married to her. At least she's an equal opportunity slapper. She'll slap anybody she can reach when she is mad. Believe me, I been on the receiving end of it a few times. Now Harry, what's this I hear from Preacher you figured out where most of the guns are? Are you going to let me in on it or take all the glory for yourself? Also, I have a crow to pick with you my friend."

"You too? Seems like everyone had some kind of problem with me today. Get it out so we can resolve it before we get down to business about the guns."

He just looked surprised, and looked at Carly in a puzzled way before he spoke again.

"Harry, I'm not mad at you for anything but a little disappointed you didn't invite us to your wedding tomorrow. I had to hear about it from Preacher when he was here earlier. I didn't even know you were planning to get married. When did all of this happen?"

"Sean, I see Preacher has a big mouth as usual. I was planning on having you, Carly and the kids there if I had been given a chance to ask. Since my surprise is ruined by Mr. Big Mouth, all I can say is, you will be there. The team will bring you to my place tomorrow and we will ride choppers to Vegas. It's already been arranged. Make sure you all pack some clothes because we will be there for at least three days. Did the team stock the house for you? If you need anything just let me know and I will have it brought."

"Harry the house is great and has been fully stocked with everything we need for our stay. The kids have been having a ball with all the room to play. Man, this place is beautiful."

"Yea it is Sean, too bad Mark never had a chance to get settled in before he was killed. They barely had a month here before he went down. Now it just stands empty and the girls will have to wait too many years to live on their own. I just can't seem to bring myself to sell it because I don't want strangers living in his home. I thought most of this place up and Tran had it built to my ideas, mostly for the girls. They will never use it and to hear your kids having so much fun makes me happy. Carly, if you will make the coffee we can sit at the table and I will go over the whole thing about the guns for Sean."

We spent the next two hours going over the ideas I had, and what would be the best way for his people to handle the recovery. I reminded him to make sure any teams he had recovering the weapons would be covered by SWAT, because the people who wanted them back would not hesitate to shoot. He was surprised by where I thought they were hid and asked me several times if I were sure. I handed him the list of the different graveyards and the mausoleums that had been renovated in the last year by three different funeral homes. Since they were all on the lists I had recovered from the safe at the casino, I felt sure I was right in my surmise. There was also a list of new ones that had been built supposedly by the request of the county, which didn't show up on any of the paperwork I had seen while spending time at the county computers. There was no record of any such items being voted on by any of the commissioners from the old crowd. When I had spoken to several of them, they all said they didn't order any such construction. I told Sean that when we came back from Vegas, this part of the operation was his and the rest was mine. He was a little shocked about all that I had laid on him, but he said he would be on the phone setting up his people as soon as we got to Vegas.

"Harry, the person who set this up either was a genius or had a very twisted mind. I can't believe they would do this just to hide some guns and explosives. Why didn't they put them in a cave like the others?"

"I think these weapons were stolen from the weapons suppliers, Sean. They planned on making a separate deal with all the survivalist groups in the U. S. so they could get help from them with other stuff if they needed it down the line. When we get back, this county will be cleaned up and most of the old sheriff's crowd will either be dead or in jail. I think the actions we take in the weeks to come will finally break their hold on this and several other counties. I think I have had enough for today so I will see you all bright and early tomorrow. You can watch me go to my doom once we get in front of the justice tomorrow."

Everyone got a big laugh at me when I said that, and as I got up to leave, Carly came over to me and whispered in my ear.

"Thank you for giving my husband back to me Harry. For that I will be forever in your debt. I am so sorry I slapped you at the hospital."

"Carly, your slap was what made me finally accept my love for Tran and realize why she slapped me a long time ago. It took you and my granddaughter to make me realize how much I really did love her. I couldn't be happier about us getting married tomorrow."

I went back out the back door with Butter right behind me. George was leaning up against my unit deep in thought, and as we climbed in he asked me a question that threw me a little.

"Harry, Doris told me she had a lot to tell me about her life here and I was wondering, how much do you know about it?"

"George, I won't talk out of school but I will say she hasn't had it easy for the last few years. The rest will be up to her to fill in if she decides to tell you. I will say she is a fine woman and she has shown herself to be a woman of honor with her friends and family."

"Thank you Harry and I appreciate it that you won't talk out of school. It just shows me I was right in coming here. I never thought I would ever see her again and to my surprise, I still have a lot of feelings for her even after all these years."

"George in my own personal opinion she is a fine woman and would make any man a good wife. Just remember, she won't be pushed or ordered about in any way. She has a good head on her shoulders, and you will have the next three days to get to see what I am talking about. Jimmy and Sandra will be playing tonight so I think you will be in for a treat. Butter, when we get to my place contact Preacher and have him send some of his men to patrol the area around my cabin. Your team loves Sandra and I am sure they won't want to miss her playing tonight."

"Thanks Harry, I will. I would have a riot on my hands if they had guard duty while she was playing. They have wanted me to ask her several times to play but I reminded them she wasn't their personal U.S.O. entertainment. If this Jimmy plays as good as she does, we are all in for a real treat tonight. Didn't you say Jimmy was the nephew or something of Doris?"

"Yes, he is her sister's son whom she raised after her sister died. He was really backward and shy until he and Sandra adopted each other. Since then he is your normal eighteen year old, only three times smarter and even more gifted."

We pulled up in front of my place and I took a deep breath before going in. Yep, Tran was waiting on me and she proceeded to give me a good hiding in front of everyone. I just stood with a sickly embarrassed grin on my face as she climbed up one side and down the other. The girls were all sitting on the couch with big grins on their faces as she gave me hell. Butter was grinning and making slapping motions with his hands every time she scored a point on how stupid I was. I was starting to get a little pissed when she finally wound down. I looked at her for a few minutes before I said anything. I think Sandra knew what was coming because she was shaking her head no as I opened my mouth.

"Tran, if we were married and you did that in front of everyone, I would take you to the bedroom and turn you over my knee. Since we aren't, I can only say, never dress me down like a kid again. Now, if you're done, I suggest you drop it before I say something in anger I will regret on the night before our wedding."

She must have seen she had went a little too far because she dropped it, asking what I wanted for supper. I told her just to make finger food as I wasn't that hungry and I was sure the team would eat anything that was made. Jimmy pulled up in his Jeep and came in with his suitcase in one hand and his violin in the other. Sandra went running to him and got a big hug as did Dina and Dana. They all seemed glad to see him. He hugged Tran and asked if we had eaten yet? She just laughed saying she was going to make super now if he was hungry. He told her he had missed lunch and was starved. I went to the bedroom to make some calls and the girls were dragging Jimmy upstairs to see their tent.

My first call was to Preacher and I gave him hell for tipping Sean about the wedding. He apologized to me saying that since Sean and I had been together the whole time he thought Sean knew. He also told me the two teams from Bragg were already here and getting their game plan together for scouting the survivalist camp. They had new satellite images to pour over and had some really good pictures from the drone to look at yet. I reminded him again to remember that these people were woodsmen and knew the ground. He told me these two teams from Bragg were specialists in this type of thing, and since they all came from the mountains, they knew more about the woods than any of his own people. When I told him about finding the Ukrainians and what I planned on doing about them, and he got mad, saying his men could use some action too. I reminded him that he barely had enough men to guard both cabins with the different shifts and the security for it all while we were in Vegas. He finally calmed down saying I was right, but it still didn't sit well with him because the Russians or whatever they were had made the team look bad. I reminded him a little humble pie never hurt anyone, and I was quickly told to go to hell. I invited him over to the cabin to hear Sandra play tonight and he said he would be glad to come. I finally was able to get off the phone after going over the schedule for the morning.

My next call was a joint one to the Director and the ATF Director. I told them what I had found out about the Ukrainians and the types of weapons they were carrying around in their cars. We finally got on the same track and the raid was set up for two in the morning the day after tomorrow. The ATF would handle it and would make sure the camp got burned down in all the confusion. I also told him to find out who had bought it and what his connection to all of it was. He said he would be on it first thing in the morning. I gave him Avery's number, reminding him that he wasn't the enemy. He hung up thanking me for the information and said he would take it from this point. I was thinking to myself he sounded like a damn fool when the Director said he would call me back on the other cell in five. I got on the horn to Avery and told him the plans, and that it was FYI and not for anyone else. He said no problem and thanked me for the tip. I told him the Director of ATF would be calling him tomorrow and what he would be looking for, and that I thought he sounded like he was full of himself so be prepared. He just laughed and again said he appreciated the call.

I smacked myself in the head from the thought that had just occurred to me. I stuck my head out the door to yell for Tran and almost knocked her over as she was bringing me a tray with sandwiches and fresh coffee.

"Sorry honey, but I just had a thought. We hadn't invited Andy and Shorty and their wives to the wedding yet."

"Calm down Harry, I already took care of it. They are two of my best friends and I would never forget to invite them for the both of us. They will be here at eight in the morning and Doris is riding with them in Cruncher. Nina said he finally put an exhaust on it so she won't have to wear ear plugs."

"Thanks honey, in all the confusion it just slipped my mind. Is there anyone else I might have forgotten about?"

"I think we have covered all our friends Harry. I am sorry about earlier, but when Butter told me you left without an escort, I was so worried. Then I heard about the shooting on the road and I was mad enough at you to spit. Lucky for you, Sandra knew what you were up to. When she told me, I calmed down a little, but it was still very stupid on your part. Would you have really done what you said if we were already married?"

"You can bet on it woman. You wouldn't have been able to walk very well for a little while when I was done."

She looked at me in a funny way. I had started to sip my coffee when she said to me as she went out the door, "Ooh, sounds kinky to me."

I almost choked to death on the sip of coffee. When I finally quit coughing I could hear her laughing as she went down the steps. Then it hit me she had done it on purpose so I would choke. Man, this was going to be a really interesting marriage cause she gave as good as she got and usually came out ahead when she did. I was still smiling to myself when the chirping of the cell started. I answered it and the Director's voice was on the other end sounding angry.