Chapter 44

As soon as I heard the bolt, I was ducking behind Jeff and drew my pistol. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see two men with rifles. They were much older than Jeff and his friends. I took in all of this in an instant. An instant later, it was over.

Robby had dropped and rolled. As he rolled, he drew his pistol and shot the one nearer to him without stopping his roll. I shot the one near me. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Robby reach cover with his rifle at ready. I had Jeff in a hold to keep him with me and still. I backed the two of us against a block wall. I said, "How many others and where?"

He was shaking. "No-none. They jumped us yesterday and sent me out when they heard people and horses. If I didn't bring you here, they were going to kill us."

"They've probably raped your female friends already. You and your brother would have been killed soon. I'm almost surprised they hadn't already."

"They made Millie and Alice sleep with them last night. Ted and I were tied up. I could hear what they were doing. They were hurting them. They said that if Ted and I didn't help them, we would die."

"You may anyway. Your next lie to me will be your last. I will break you in half." I put a little pressure on his back. His eyes rolled. I think he believed me because his knees went weak for a moment. "Get your friends over here." He waved them over and I held my pistol to Jeff's head. The three of them approached slowly and fearfully. I said, "Are there any others around?" I looked at them without feeling mercy toward them. They shook their heads. Robby had vanished but returned in a moment with the rest of our party. Bennie's face clouded up when he saw two dead men and me with my pistol against Jeff's head.

I heard his voice, like from the bottom of a well, say, "The explanation had better be good."

I smiled over at him. "Jeff here led us into a trap but he thought his three friends would die if he didn't. Those tried to ambush us and paid the price. Robby has checked things out. Bennie, he's good."

George said, "That's not a good way to start a relationship."

The older girl said, "What will become of us?"

George said, "That's some up to you and some up to us. If people want to join our community, we vote on it. If you don't want us or we don't want you, you will have to leave Protection territory. We have a good, safe community but won't tolerate liars or cowards."

Jeff looked troubled. Alice, the younger of the two girls, spoke up, "The brothers aren't much. They didn't listen when Millie tried to get them to take precautions. Those two men raped us." She looked at me and said, "If you hadn't killed them, I would have given the chance or died trying. Ted kept us prisoner while those two set up the ambush. If Protection takes them, Millie and I will move on. The brothers only protect themselves, not others." Millie nodded white lipped.

Robby asked, "Which one of you was a virgin?"

Millie's head whipped up. "Alice was. They left us tied up. Ted untied me enough to force me this morning before we came out."

Bennie came over to her and said gently, "How old are you two?"

Alice replied, "I'm thirteen Millie's fifteen."

Bennie's voice was hard when he asked, "George, what's the age of consent in Protection?"

George replied, "Fifteen, but there was no consent in this situation."

He shook his head and said, "Jeff, Ted, you don't get a choice. Get your things together and travel twenty miles north, northeast, or east from this point. Never come closer. You will be shot on sight. Do you understand?"

Ted mumbled something. Bennie looked at him and said, "The answer to George is either yes or no. If it's yes, you can leave. If it's no, you can die."

He shouted back, "Yes, I understand!"

Bennie looked at Jeff. "What's your choice?"

"I'll leave with my brother. We won't be back." I shoved him away from me with distaste.

Bennie, Robby, and I watched them closely as they left. After they had gone, Millie and Alice relaxed and came to Jane and me. We talked quietly for a few minutes. Our husbands and Robby smiled gently. Alice decided first, "I'll go with Jane and become part of Protection."

Millie softly said, "Yes, I would like that, too."

Robby said, "Good, you two ladies will do well in Protection. Jane can teach you a few moves to stop any other unwanted advances though those are pretty much nonexistent in Protection.

"George, what did the rest of you find before the shooting?" Robby gave me a little surprise in how quickly he changed mode. His voice was a pleasant baritone and, while he wasn't small, he didn't have Bennie's tower of strength. He seemed to respect Bennie perhaps because his wife, me, knew him well and trusted him completely. I had proved myself under fire though I think Robby saw the tiny bit of relaxation when Bennie came on the scene. Bennie had done nothing but talk and demonstrate his massive presence and both the young girls had adoring eyes for him as well as for Robby. Bennie moved over to me and we hugged. We moved closer to the others to hear the report from George with our arms around each other.

George said, "Tom and Vic both think they can get a decent-sized plane in the air with no more than two days work. The ones in the hangers are in the best condition. They have found two trucks with good fuel so the outlook is positive."

"Good. I'll get the buckboard and haul the trash away." He strolled off in an easy trot. He returned moments later with the buckboard. He and Bennie effortlessly tossed the bodies into the back. They went off to the far end of the field and tossed the bodies into the deep grasses. They returned talking quietly.