The Journal: Crimson Skies: (The Journal Book 3) Read Free Page B

asked
calmly.
    “We’re fine, Captain. We don’t require any
help,” Bob said. “Are you going to force us to leave our
homes?”
    Captain Andrews looked at each one, lingering
on Emilee, and then said, “No. I’m not interested in stressing our
already overloaded system.”
    During this brief conversation, Eric and
Jason came from the house across the street, carrying a case of
Eric’s latest brew. When they saw we had visitors, they quietly set
the beer down and advanced slowly. Even limping, Eric was silent in
his stealth.
    The driver of the Humvee had been standing a
few feet from the truck, far enough for Eric and his brother to
approach from either side. In one swift act, Jason held a knife to
the young soldier’s throat while clamping his other hand over his
mouth. During that same move, on the other side, Eric relieved the
now prone young man of his M4 carbine rifle.
    With the rifle tucked under his right armpit,
and a crutch under his left, Eric advanced silently until he was
within range, and touched the barrel of the rifle to the Captain’s
ribs. Captain Andrews froze.
    “Sargent Rush, I presume.” The captain turned
his head slowly.
    “Sir,” Eric stated, not moving the rifle, and
yet acknowledging the officer’s recognition.
    “I’m not here to make trouble, Sargent,”
Captain Andrews said. “Can you lower that weapon?”
    “No sir, not yet. Mom, will you relieve the
captain of his service revolver?”
    I could tell Eric was in a different mental
zone. I strode forward and took the gun from his service holster
and backed away, out of reach, and set the Beretta M9 on the
table.
    “It appears as if you were right, none of you
need my assistance,” Captain Andrews said, smiling. “If you’re
wondering how I knew it was you, son, I recognized your daughter
from your stay at Sawyer this past winter.”
    “Captain, are you going to force us to
go to Marquette?” I asked.
    “No, ma’am, I’m not. My orders were to clear
out Moose Creek. It’s obvious to me that you’re not in Moose
Creek,” he replied with a friendly grin.
    “Okay. Then would you care to join us for
dinner?”
    “That’s generous of you. Thank you, I think
we will. May I turn around now, Sargent?” he asked. Eric stepped
back, still holding the rifle level.
    When the captain saw his driver face down on
the ground, he chuckled. “A green recruit. Can he get up now?”
    As the young man stood, he asked, “How did
you get the drop on me so easily?”
    “Too much time spent in The Sandbox,” Eric
replied.
    “Ma’am, you will get no trouble from us, I
promise. Will you ask your son to lower that weapon? It doesn’t
help the digestion having a high powered rifle aimed at you,
especially when it’s in the hands of a trained sniper,” the captain
said. “Sargent, after you arrived last February, I did some
inquiries on your service record.” He looked at Eric’s crutch.
“What happened to your leg?”
    Mark, who had been silent this entire time,
now spoke up. “A wolf tried to include Eric in his dinner plans.
Eric disagreed with the menu.”
    “His foot and calf were mangled pretty badly,
but Mark put him back together,” I said. “We eliminated the threat
- all of them,” I said as steely as I could and with as much
implication as I could manage.
    “You’re a doctor?” The captain’s attention
was now focused on Mark, who responded only by nodding. “We sure
could use you in the city. Please consider joining us.”
    “I’m needed here, but thank you for the
invitation,” Mark said coldly and politely.
    The captain had been eating from a plate put
in front of him, even sipped from the cup of beer set beside him by
a silent Amanda.
    “Captain Andrews, what happened to our two
friends in Moose Creek that were forced to leave a few days ago?” I
said accusingly.
    “I’m sorry, I don’t know anything about
that,” he said calmly, and took another sip from his still full
cup. “I can tell you have