Black Eagle: Stand 3y6n6x

“…Black Eagle…” …STAND…

There comes a time in Life when You have to draw a LINE in the sand…

…Then…STAND…Your Ground…

PETER GIANT BOWLEG

Copyright © 2018 by Peter Giant Bowleg.

Photograph: Doug Smith Photography Phone: [770]-969-4866 P. O. Box 162841 Atlanta, GA. 30321 www.dougsmithphotos.com

Layout/Author: Peter Giant Bowleg Director of Graphics: Scot Mmobuosi www.scotdesigns.com EM: [email protected] PH: [914]-714-0027

Library of Congress Control Number: 2018913174 ISBN: Hardcover 978-1-9845-6406-1

Softcover 978-1-9845-6405-4 eBook 978-1-9845-6404-7

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This book is “entirely fiction” and is not based on any story, person, tv series, other book or movie. This book was created by Peter Giant Bowleg – alone. The story and characters were created as a direct result of the imagination of Peter Giant Bowleg. None of the characters are intended to resemble any living or dead persons.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only. Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Rev. date: 10/31/2018

Xlibris 1-888-795-4274 www.Xlibris.com 787170

Contents

Commitment… Dedication… Sacrifice… Loyalty… Duty… Honor… Faith… Trust…

Acknowledgement

Thank You One and ALL…

The Beginning…

The Future…

Reference Section

Resources

Director of Graphics

Commitment… Dedication… Sacrifice… Loyalty… Duty… Honor… Faith… Trust…

You have to believe that you are going to WIN… You have to put aside all doubts and fears… Fully commit to WINNING at ALL costs…

The man that is committed to the point where he has Embraced death is usually the one that will WIN…

No matter the size of the opposition… No matter the circumstances… No matter the terrain…

He who BELIEVES that he will WIN… Usually WINS…

Peter Giant Bowleg

This book is dedicated to my biggest fans – my two sons Tavares and Valentino Bowleg and their families.

This book is also dedicated to my mother Theresa Fairweather along with my brothers and sisters – Andrew, BJ, Judy, Paulette, Trevor, Ethan, John Jr. and Stephanie along with their families. Thank you for the encouragement and that has inspired me to complete my books. Thanks for being true ers of my dreams…

Wishing you Success in all that you do, dream of or desire to do. Thank you for encouraging and ing me in my dreams and plans. Be Blessed…

“…Lots of Love to one and all…”

…THANK YOU…For the Encouragement and …

This book is also dedicated to the men and women of all branches and even the black ops groups of the military that are standing in harm’s way all around the world. They willingly stand their ground and give their lives so that we can enjoy Freedom.

…THANK YOU…One And ALL…

Publishing Division of Black Eagle Group

“…Make Your Haters Your Motivators…”

Acknowledgement

This book would not be possible if it were not for the Love, Inspiration, Encouragement, Sacrifices, Prayers and of a Wonderful, Loving and Powerful Lady by the name of Theresa Fairweather – My Mother. Through all the good times, bad times and in-between times mother always had a “word of encouragement” not only for her seven children but for everyone she knew or came in with. My mother was and always will be a “generous and caring person with her time, money and prayers”. Thank you – “Sexy Pepsi as she is known to the family” – I truly appreciate you and the many sacrifices you made for all of your children. I Love You Forever…

This book is also a “Very Special Thank You” to my brothers and sisters; Judy, Andrew, Ethan, Paulette, Trevor and BJ. Extra Special Thanks to my sons Tavares and Valentino along with their families. A very special “Thank You” to my late grandparents – Romalia and George Albury of Nassau, Bahamas along with My Uncle Rick of Harbour Island. They watched over me and made sure I kept “on the right path” no matter the situation. Thank You.

An Extra Special Thank you to Warren Young and his family for the encouragement and . Thank you to the FedEx workers at Kennesaw, Northside, Downtown Atlanta, and Perimeter for all your help and ideas. A Special Thank you to Richard Ewoodzie, Jeffrey Mays, Mrs. Ena Moncada, Charles Ruffner, Darlene Haffaney, Mr. & Mrs. Anita Bratton, Todd Rainwater, Jemarcus Folds and family, Brandon Freerksen and Vernon Jones for being true friends and ers. I truly appreciate your encouragement and . A very Special Thank you to Esperanza Spalding for your inspiration. A Special Thank You also to the Staff of the Publisher for their assistance and invaluable advice in bringing this book to

market. To all the people that have made this book possible that I may have overlooked in naming them – Thank You. Have an Amazing day.

Be Blessed…

Peter Giant Bowleg Author

“…Make Your Haters Your Motivators…”

Thank You One and ALL…

A Special Thank You to the Management, Staff and the Security Detail from G4S Security Services of The Delk Road RaceTrac Service station, Marietta, GA. 30067

RaceTrac - 2466 Delk Road – Marietta – GA – 30067 Larry, Kelly, Jemarcus, Marie, Mrs. Anita Bratton & Husband (Mr. Bratton), Todd, Remeka Turner, Gregg, Brandon, Briana, Brandi, Marie, Taylor, Crystal, Anna, Addo, Shannette, Andriel, McKiah, Giovanni, Tammy, Paul, Theresa, James, Keltz, Levante

During a time of crisis the management and Staff looked out for me and made sure that I was safe and ok. I will never forget all of you as long as I live and breathe. Be Blessed… May all your dreams, wishes and plans come true…

“…Thank You very much for all your help and …”

A very Special Thank You to the strangers that stopped by The RaceTrac and FedEx Office areas as I was working on my books and writing… Thank you…

Thank you for the encouragement, and ion to get me to finish what I have started.

I am truly Blessed to have met each and every one of you… Especially Karen, Aaron and the many of the Rugby Team from Life University…

Thanks a Million… Have an Amazing Day… May ALL Your Dreams Come True…

A Special Thank You to “…The Mystery Lady…” Thank you for the INSPIRATION and the ENCOURAGEMENT…

The Beginning…

Peter Giant Bowleg

Hector Alvarez always played for keeps. He had learned that “the tough way” from his father Jorge. His father had been in the military during the Vietnam wars and had taken three tours before calling it quits. Something bad must have happened to his father because he never talked about it and began to have these random incredibly violent mood swings. The man that used to come to his t-ball and football games was lost somewhere in Vietnam.

Jorge Alvarez returned from Vietnam and became an assassin for hire. He taught Hector to shoot and handle guns of all types. As the only male child with three other daughters Jorge was always testing Hector to “toughen him up” as he always told his wife Magda. He would constantly attack and roughhouse with the boy. When things became too rough at home Jorge would spend days and nights with his best friend Roberto and his family. Roberto’s family tried to do what they could for Hector and treated him like another member of the family. He was always welcome in their home and at the dinner table.

Roberto’s father and Jorge were old friends. While Jorge went into the Army and became a trained sniper Roberto’s father Reuben went into the Marines. During his second tour of duty he was killed when his unit was overrun by the Vietnamese.

After Reuben was killed Football became Roberto’s refuge for a while and then basketball and then he dropped out of school. He became a drug dealer for the Raiders Gang.

Roberto’s mother; Ava did not approve of his new lifestyle of pockets full of money, fancy cars and fast women. She told him so in no uncertain tones. His sister Selena always came to his defense and would get his mother to change the subject. Ava had worked two jobs while her husband was in

Vietnam and after he died to make sure that her family bills and needs were met.

One night, Jorge flew into a terrible rage and beat Hector unconscious. Hector’s mother Magda tried to intervene to save her son. Jorge turned his rage onto his wife Magda and began to beat her with his heavy work belt. Hector came to as his father was beating his wife un-mercilessly with his belt. Jorge held a butcher knife in one hand and in the other he had a heavy work belt that he was hitting his wife with. Hector ran to the closet and grabbed one of his father’s 9mm guns and fired at his father until the gun emptied. He was still pulling the trigger to the sound of empty clicks when the neighbors arrived to find out what was going on. They had to pull him away from his father’s body and force the gun out of his hand. Hector became a changed man after that.

The Police investigation ruled that Hector had acted to save his mother’s life and no charges were filed. Jorge was cremated and his ashes were scattered on the North Georgia mountains where he had loved to hunt. As for Hector after his father’s death he became “cold and distant” to anyone he did not know. Gone was the outgoing and friendly guy. Hector also ed the Raiders Gang.

Hector was a natural with a gun and became an assassin for the gang. Hector also became quick to fly in a rage like his father. Roberto and those closest to him tried to keep him from losing control when he became hot about an issue or person. Hector was extremely ambitious and began moving up the chain of command in the Raiders. Roberto was ive of his friend in most matters. When they had a dis-agreement they would meet at a Bar called Rosa’s off South Cobb Road and try to work out their differences. No matter the issue they would meet there and try to see each other’s perspectives on whatever they had a conflict on.

The last time they had had a conflict it was over “greed”. That conflict had happened over a year before. Hector had wanted to raise the pricings for their marijuana and cocaine products. They had met at Rosa’s and Roberto had said it was basically a simple reason NOT to raise prices. He took a paper napkin and said we are doing over half a million at our current prices per week. If we raise prices we run the risk of chasing off a third of our customers. In front of Hector Roberto took out a pen and he subtracted a third of the amount of the half million. Hector told him that right now they should concentrate on expanding their territory and distribution base instead of raising prices. Reluctantly Hector agreed with Roberto. They hugged and toasted with glasses of Bacardi Dark. It was off to party, eat, drink and chase women after that. To Roberto it was “no big deal” but to Hector it was sign of disrespect because he was now third in command in the Raiders gang.

Hector let it go because of their history and the way Roberto’s family had always been there for him but he was “pissed about it none the less…”. One day Roberto was told by another member of the gang that Hector had left town and gone to visit another gang leader in Mexico. Rumor had it that the gang Hector was going to see was big into “Human Trafficking”. Roberto felt that the gang was growing and being profitable in the areas it was in now. They were making a ton of money daily. The gang did not need to get into “Human Trafficking” as that would mean more attention to them and then the FBI coming after them. Once he got wind of the plan; Roberto called Hector and asked him where he was? He wanted to meet Hector at Rosa’s to find out if what he heard was true. Hector said he was out of town and would talk with him once he returned to town then hung up.

Roberto could tell something was wrong in the way Hector answered him. Roberto called his girlfriend Irene and told her he needed her to pack quickly. He was on the way home. He told her not to open the door to anyone but him. He jumped in his S500 with the AMG package and raced to Kennesaw and on the way he called a friend at the Net Jet Company in Kennesaw. He told them he needed a one-way transport to Jamaica right away. Alberto knew that Roberto could handle any fee for the trip but

Alberto knew that Roberto was not a fool as well. There was a trip headed to Nassau and it could be diverted to Jamaica after dropping the couple headed to Nassau, Bahamas for the cash fee of $15,000.

Alberto told Roberto that he had a plane leaving in an hour for Nassau, Bahamas and he could divert it to Jamaica for the $15,000.00 total. Roberto told him he was on the way and to add one more person to the manifest. He told Alberto to use a fake name for the person but that they had their port and travel documents. Roberto thanked his lucky stars for getting Irene to apply for a port. He did not like how Hector sounded and he wanted her safely out of harm’s way. He also would alert his Uncle Salvador to post extra guards at his home in case Hector acted stupid.

Roberto stayed close to the speed limit and when he hit open stretches of road and his radar said nothing in sight he opened up the “Silver Bullet” as he called his car. He called Irene and told her he was nearing home. Roberto roared through the driveway to the home and slid to a stop. He hopped out and went straight to the closet and pressed his thumb print then punched in a code. The closet slid back. He put on his shoulder holster. He grabbed two 9mm Smith and Wesson guns. He grabbed two 40 Cal Glock pistols. He grabbed two AR15 rifles and stuck them in a duffle bag with extra clips of ammo for each of them. He opened the safe and took out five stacks of $20,000 each and a stack of $15,000. He gave Irene three stacks of $20,000 and told her to hide that in her purse. He told her to pack light. When she arrived she was to give Marquis $10,000 immediately. He would know what to do. In the Blue Mountains of Jamaica they took no prisoners. They also did not bullshit around with strangers.

Marquis and Roberto were friends from Junior High. Marquis had gone into the Marines for a tour and then had had family issues so he returned to Jamaica. He was now a full time Rastafarian. Roberto and Marquis had kept in touch continually. Marquis had had a crush on Selena for a long time and Roberto had tried his best to “hook him up with Selena” with no

luck.

Selena was on a “corporate power trip” to climb the corporate ladder in America. All she did was work. She had moved from Assistant Manager to VP for Diversity and was now focused on moving into the Mergers and Acquisitions department. At first Roberto had thought maybe his sister was gay and did not know how to tell him. Selena had come to him and told him explicitly that she was just busy doing her work thing.

Roberto would have to call Selena once he got Irene on the plane to Jamaica. Irene was crying in fear when she saw the guns. Roberto told her not to worry. He had to make sure that she was safe first in case Hector tried something stupid. He got her travel bag into the trunk and fastened her into the enger seat. He armed his home alarms. Roberto placed one of the 40 Cal guns under the back of the front enger seat. They were running out of time. Roberto needed to get to the private airport in Kennesaw. He ran a couple of stop signs but he would worry about that later. He could handle a couple of stop sign or even speeding tickets. Getting Irene to safety was the major priority now. She was his Life.

Roberto knew that Marquis would put his people and a safety net around Irene. Roberto ed the time a trio of white guys had tried to jump Marquis because of his color and dreads. It was three against one when Roberto came across the commotion and jumped in. Roberto and Marquis put a beating on those white boys that was the talk of the school and the neighborhood. No one bothered with either of them after that. They beat all three into unconsciousness and then made sure to stomp on their knees and ankles afterwards. They would not be walking right for the rest of their lives. Roberto and Marquis had become life-long friends after that. Even when against the wishes of Marquis Roberto dropped out of school they remained friends and would keep check on each other.

Now Roberto needed to keep Irene and his unborn child safe and out of harm’s way. Roberto told her that she was to leave her cell phone with him and to have Marquis call him if she needed anything. He told Irene he loved her and needed her to be safe. Marquis was one of the few people that he trusted to do that.

Alberto hopped into the back of Roberto’s car when he pulled up. He gave Alberto the $20,000 package and told him to keep the change and he was never at the airport. Alberto said “ok” and agreed. He pocketed the funds and raced inside to get the ticket for Irene. She began to cry and shake. Roberto held her close and told her it would be alright.

He kissed her as she began to call him “Papi” again. He held her close and then it was time to go. She knew that when Roberto became restless there was a problem. She also knew he needed her to be in a safe place so that he could concentrate on surviving whatever challenges were coming his way. Irene hoped it was just the Police and not a rival gang or an internal competition within the Raiders Gang. She climbed the stairs and just before entering the plane she turned; waved and blew a kiss to Roberto.

Roberto waited until the plane had taxied out and lifted off. He watched it climb high quickly and then bank hard to the right. The plane was off to the Bahamas and later Jamaica. He called Marquis right then and told him what was going on. He also said that Irene was on the way and needed extra care as she was pregnant. Marquis told him not to worry and to handle his business. He had this end locked down.

Roberto told Marquis he needed her to get past customs quickly as she had a “gift for him”. Marquis started laughing and told him that Irene would be ok and to take care of himself. He would have his sister Julie and his Mother look out for Irene and make sure she was taken care of. After hanging up with Marquis Roberto called the Chevy Dealership on Cobb Parkway. He

almost forgot it was Selena’s birthday soon and he had ordered her a “Special Gift”. Roberto asked for the Sales Manager; Kevin Mackey. When Mr. Mackey came on the line Roberto reminded him of his order for the Candy Red Camaro R/T.

Mr. Mackey ed Roberto immediately. He knew what he wanted and would not compromise. Mr. Mackey had made sure the car was cleaned, gassed and set up in the main showroom. It was roped off so no one could touch it. Roberto told him he wanted the vehicle delivered to Mr. Cho’s in the Galleria Mall. He wanted it parked behind the property in valet parking.

Roberto told Mr. Mackey he was on his way down from Kennesaw to pay the balance on the car. Mr. Mackey stated that there was actually a credit owed to him of $1500 from his $18,000 payment for the car. Roberto told him to keep it for his hard work and to have the vehicle delivered to Mr. Cho’s in the next hour. Roberto called his State Farm Insurance agent and told him to Mr. Mackey at the dealership and add the vehicle to his insurance package.

Next Roberto called Selena and told her to take a cab to Mr. Cho’s and meet him for lunch. He sang early happy birthday to her on the phone. Selena cracked up laughing. Roberto teased her that she could not be “too loosey goosey” in that stuck up office where she worked. He cautioned her to be careful. She agreed to meet him at 1:15pm for lunch. Roberto told Selena to take a cab and he would give her a ride back to work. She was ok with that. He made sure to call Mr. Cho’s and advised the Manager of the restaurant what he was doing. He told Mr. Yin that he would have a special thank you for him if it was done right. Roberto stressed that the vehicle had already been cleaned and polished.

He did NOT want any and everyone driving the new car except the valet

when he brought it around front to give it to Selena. Roberto called his associates in the gang to let them know he was in Sandy Springs and headed back to town. He wanted to gauge their reaction. He got no reaction from Jose or Alex when he called. They worked closely with him transporting and selling drugs. If there was indeed trouble coming his way these two did not have any idea about it. Knowing how Hector would and could have crazy mood swings Roberto geared up for any and everything.

He cruised over to Mr. Cho’s and got a table near the back where he could keep everything in front of him. He was not sitting too near any entrances or windows which gave him the advantage of seeing any kind of attack.

Roberto ordered lobster and steak meals for he and Selena. He also ordered a mojito and two extra baked potatoes. The waiter brought his drink and a basket of sweet bread. He had a nervous energy right now so he requested that the waiter bring his meal while he waited for Selena. As he ate Roberto reflected on how good things had been going for him of late. He was respected and feared in the community. He also was respected and feared by rival gang . From time to time they had crossed paths in various clubs and at various events and they would send Roberto a bottle of champagne and he would do the same for them. It was considered a sign of mutual respect.

As he waited Roberto considered options. He had money stashed in Switzerland that he could easily access anywhere in the world. He had money stashed in Haiti as well. He figured most people would look for him to move to Switzerland but Haiti; not really likely. He also had extremely high balances in all of his s with SunTrust and Wells Fargo banks. He was set for life if he had to get out and run right now. Alarms went off in his head when he had spoken with Hector. Roberto also believed that Hector had also gotten wind of his thoughts of the gang getting into “Human Trafficking”. Roberto strongly felt that it would bring more heat on them and also attention from the UN, DEA, CIA, FBI and other federal agencies.

Roberto was shaken out of his thoughts by a “cheery” hello from the entrance of the restaurant as Selena came striding in. She was extremely beautiful and never saw herself that way but a lot of Roberto friends and Roberto himself had noticed how she had blossomed like a rose in full bloom. Gone was the awkward skinny sister of the past. Now every member of the gang and people he met wanted to get to know her. Not his baby sister….no, no and no. Besides he had tried and failed to hook her up with Marquis and that was the last time. She rushed to the table as he waved for the staff to bring out the balloons and cake. They began to gather and sing “Happy Birthday” as Selena began to turn bright red. They sang it in English and Spanish. Roberto was going to give them a big tip. Selena gave a big huff and puff and blew out all the candles on her birthday cake to a big round of applause.

Selena was glowing as she ate and chatted about work and family. Their mother had ed away from breast cancer over twelve years ago and it was hard at first but they were staying strong with the of their mother’s brother Uncle Salvador.

Selena had her own townhouse near downtown Atlanta in the Vinings area but spent most weekends in the Villa Rica area with their uncle Salvador. Serena had always loved to ride horses as a child and now she could do so every weekend at Uncle Salvador’s estate. There was a huge black stallion called Zorro that was her favorite. He was huge and fast like the horse in the movie. That was where his name came from. She had been riding him for years now. Selena asked about Irene and Roberto told her that she was ok but did not tell her that he had sent her out of the country. That reminded him; he would need to get Uncle Sal to increase his security in case Hector really went off the ledge and tried to attack his family. Roberto said a silent prayer to his dead mother for the job she did raising him and his sister after their father died. He called for the Manager of the restaurant and gave him a $2,000 tip and asked him to get the present. Selena asked Roberto “What present?”

He said thank you to the staff and headed for the front door with Selena arm in arm. They arrived at the entrance to Mr. Cho’s just as the Manager was pulling the Candy Red Camaro up front.

The Manager jumped out and urged Selena to get behind the wheel. She began jumping up and down; laughing, smiling and tears flowing at the same time. She began pointing her finger at her big brother and shouting; you are in trouble in English and Spanish. He waved her off. The Manager closed the door for Selena and he and the staff returned inside the restaurant.

Roberto leaned in the window of the enger door and told her Happy Birthday and then their world exploded in a barrage of gunfire. Roberto was hit on the left side, left shoulder and leg. He spun around and hit the ground. He pulled out his gun with his right hand and began to spray bullets everywhere. He dropped the gun and dragged himself into the car yelling at Selena to go, go, GOOO! She slammed the car into drive and began heading for I285 South. She blew through a stop and a street light and began to go as fast as she could. It was an RT Camaro not the SS which meant it did not have the big 8-cylinder engine that would have allowed them to disappear over the horizon. Roberto was groaning in pain but conscious. Selena told him in Spanish a black car was coming after them and it was coming up fast. There were guns pointing out the windows. They were not the police. Roberto told her to keep going and then make a quick turn on the South Cobb exit ramp and go straight over and turn left to get on I285 north. Selena became the reckless horse rider with a different kind of horse as she followed Roberto’s directions between groans.

She glanced over quickly and could see Roberto covered in blood. He told her to keep her eyes on the road. She was going to have to be the one to save both their lives. She began praying in Spanish while ing slower moving vehicles. The Black Charger caught up to them again. Roberto told her to

take the Delk Road exit and turn quickly left and head for the turn on the right that would lead them to Cobb Parkway. Possibly there was a cop having donuts that would get involved and allow them to get away. She turned onto Delk Road. Bounced the Camaro off the side of a Toyota Truck and kept going. She blew through the light as it turned red at Delk Road and Franklin Road. The Charger stayed right on her tail. It was just one car length behind Selena and Roberto. Due to all the other people around the Charger was not shooting at them. Selena came up the ramp to I41 and prayed that no traffic was coming. This was no time to stop and obey the traffic laws she said to herself. She hit the gas pedal hard and swung the Camaro right onto Cobb parkway just missing a black Sportscar that was about to move. He had the green light.

Selena kept the gas pedal floored as she raced north on I41

towards the “Big Chicken” restaurant area. The Black Dodge Charger stayed one car length back waiting to strike like a cobra snake. Selena was a capable driver thanks to her time spent with Roberto as a teenager.

She was using all the skills he had taught her to dodge between cars and to run red lights at full throttle. She needed more power and a nitrous kit to get away from their pursuers.

At the I-120 intersection Selena bounced off a Ford Taurus and turned left on I-120 towards Atlanta Road and South Cobb. She hoped and prayed the car was full of gas. She could not stop and ask for time-out to get fuel. She smiled at her failed attempt at humor. Selena tried to keep her composure as not only her life but her beloved brother Roberto’s hung in the balance. She decided she had to get back onto I75 and head north to Earnest Barret Parkway where the State Troopers are always stopping people. She would get help then. She kept low behind the wheel and kept swerving in and out of traffic. She was not going to make it easy for her pursuers. Not this

senorita she said to herself in Spanish. She would head over to South Cobb Parkway and head straight to I75 and go North. Yes; that was the plan.

Troy “TJ” Jones was “tired” with all aspects of his life. He had recently lost Stacie the love of his life. She had become worn out due to his years of travel and his many military missions over the last eight years and had moved out. She had taken their only child Ray with her. She had accused Troy of “not striving for more” since he had returned home from the military. She wanted him to run for office, start a business, become a Police Officer or get into politics in some way. But “TJ” as he was known to his friends, neighbors and brother marine was not that type of person.

He was a leader and a “behind the scenes person” after spending so much of his life in covert ops and Special Forces unit activities. TJ always was a “doer”. He did not talk about doing things or making them happen. He completed stuff. All his life that was the way he was. If he saw something that needed fixing he would set to work getting that thing fixed. Right now, his life needed fixing. He was working a thirteen dollar an hour customer service job at Verizon in Kennesaw, Georgia and it was not adequately covering his expenses. He still had some savings from the military but at the rate he was using it by the end of three years he would be broke if all he had was his Verizon salary. There was rent to pay, utilities, childcare, auto payments, insurance and it all added up to a negative number with only his Verizon pay.

He had started with Verizon two years ago and there were no bonuses and no over time. Here he was; a man that had served his country in some of the most dangerous corners of the world leading men in and out of hostile situations and now he was responding to angry Verizon Customers. Today was especially tough as usually he and Stacie would take his son to Chuck E Cheese and let him play around while they held hands and made “goo-goo eyes” at each other. They had been in love for a long time and he had lots of great memories of their times together. Now she was gone; and he had to

figure a way to move on.

TJ had never seen Stacie as angry about their life as she was the day she “stomped out and slammed the door behind her”; three months, two weeks and four days ago. Troy knew he had to stop counting the hours, minutes and time since she left. He had to regroup. He had a week of vacation time that he was taking shortly. He was going to take a trip during the week to see some friends of his in North Carolina from the military and try to find his way again.

He marked it down on his calendar to leave right after work on Friday. Mentally he began to go over the clothes he would take in much the same way he would go over his weapons, weather and mission check list before a military operation.

He also made a mental note to his older brother Andrew and his younger brother Ethan and let them know where he was headed and how long he would be there. He also made a note to ask one or both of them to check on Stacie and his son Ray.

He took out his lap top and made the necessary notes to his brothers and decided to take a shower and then get something to eat. Old habits die hard for a military person. He checked all his doors and locks. TJ went to the garage and made sure his M16 and two 9-millimeter guns were in their usual hiding places. He then took his 40-caliber desert eagle and placed it under the mattress in its usual resting place. In the bathroom closet his faithful 9-millimeter was still at the ready with the safety off.

TJ caught a shower and placed an order for a couple of pizzas and then stretched out on the couch to check out the sports scores. He had planned to

cook something but had decided to “do something different for a change”.

He was lying on the sofa half watching the basketball game and half asleep when the doorbell rang. He looked through the peep hole to see a Domino’s Pizza guy outside. He opened the door and asked the guy how much; and paid him quickly. TJ gave him a $10.00 tip. Those guys work hard too. He locked the door and set the pizzas on the coffee table. He grabbed a Pepsi soda out of the fridge. TJ decided to go and get a second Pepsi soda as he had no plans to leave the sofa tonight. TJ watched the NFL, NBA and then fell asleep.

He awoke with a start about 1:30am. Something just did not seem right. The same instinct that kicked in just before a fire fight seemed to be kicking in now; for no reason. Troy immediately became alert as if he were on another mission. He walked the apartment and checked all the locks and the garage as well. He checked and double checked the windows. Everything was locked tight just as it was before. Something was wrong, but TJ could not put his finger on it. He lived in a townhouse apartment with a one car garage. Usually his Trans Am stayed outside while Stacie’s Camry took up the garage space. But now that she had left him and moved in with her cousins TJ parked his Trans Am in the Garage.

His car was a 2009 Trans Am with the Ram Air Package. It was Black with a Black Interior. The car had a 6.0 V8 that had a booster chip in it. “The Beast” as TJ called his car also had double nitrous loads if needed. The windows and T-Tops were tinted black as well. He loved that car. Only two people looked under the hood of that vehicle. Either TJ or Russ the lead mechanic at the Firestone shop near him did anything to it. TJ locked the door from the kitchen to the garage. He turned off the TV, turned out the lights in the living room and went to bed. He climbed into bed and just could not shake the feeling that something was wrong but he could not put his finger on it. He had had a “tough session” with one of his supervisors; Ed Burrows this week. That meeting had lit a small fire under him to start

seeking alternative employment. He could very easily go into Security or Police work. He also could very easily become a “hired gun” for some military outfit or companies like The Blackstone Corporation. They had exmilitary people in areas all over the world. TJ was tired of using or being around guns for a living. He wanted to do “something different” for his livelihood. And “No” he did not want to become a cop. Even though he had made some good friends in the area who were cops; no it was not for him.

He also had decided that he had had enough of going from one side of the world to the next time after time. He wanted to be around for his son Ray. He had spent enough holidays and major occurrence days in his family’s life away on missions. That was the reason he had lost Stacie.

TJ was adamant to himself that He would not lose his son. He was going to be here for him. There comes a time in every man’s life when he must draw a line in the sand and say; ”enough”. You have to stand your ground at some point. He also knew he had to take steps to improve his life and his income or forever be trapped in the pit of never having enough money or income to save and grow in the future. TJ felt that he just had to step back and find a way to make it happen.

Troy decided just before drifting off to sleep that he would give himself the mission to improve his life and his income. He would begin as soon as he returned from the North Carolina trip. Right now, hanging with his surviving partners from the war zone was a priority. Ohhhhhhhhhh Yeahhhhhhhhhh!!!! They were going to have fun; hunting, fishing, drinking and having a good time.

The alarm went off as usual at 6:00am and TJ climbed out of bed with “Thanksgiving for another day…”. One more day to go and then he would be off to North Carolina and seeing friends from another time. Together they had endured and survived war and hellfire. He began stretching and

then resumed his every day routine. Stretch for 15 minutes then; four sets of sit-ups and four sets of pushups. Following the pushups and sit-ups TJ would cool down with more stretching. He always drank two glasses of water as he started his stretching.

After the workout he would grab a glass of orange juice and then set the coffee machine so that by the time he had gotten dressed to leave; the coffee would be ready. As TJ was starting the coffee machine before climbing into the shower the “unease” that he had felt from the night before returned. He did not know what it was but he felt like the moments before he was to embark on an operation or mission. When you train as hard and as often as he had and when you have been in as many hotspots and “sticky situations” as he had been in the military you learn to trust that “unease”. You have your mission.

Troy knew from experience that you have your orders but you learn quickly that things never go as planned 99 percent of the time. You have to have options. He felt that “unease” right now but where was the threat? He was not in a combat zone. He was in Cobb County, Georgia. This was not a war zone.

For some unknown reason Troy had gotten a concealed- weapons permit after returning home. He would take his guns to the Adventure Sports Gun Range on South Cobb Parkway once a month and fire each of them and then clean and reload them. In addition to the guns in the house TJ kept a 9 mm behind the front-enger seat of the Trans Am and another 9mm in the back trunk on the left side under a blanket. Each of the guns was fully loaded with two extra clips next to them. Each gun had their safeties off in the event he needed them.

TJ grabbed his coffee and filled his travel thermos for the 20 to 25 minute trip to work. He put his travel bag with the laptop in the back trunk and

opened the garage door and eased out. All he wanted today was an easy day at work and then another easy one tomorrow and then it’s off to North Carolina for a reunion. He was looking forward to seeing that bunch again. He started smiling as he recalled his Marine Mates from “Delta Hell”. He laughed as he thought about the name they had given themselves. The entire squad figured that when they got into trouble they would unleash “fire and brimstone” on the enemy. They did not care who stood in their path during their missions and various operations.

Troy was called Black Eagle because of his ability to disappear in the darkness. He also had the ability to silently and quickly sneak up on enemy targets. TJ would attack like a hungry black eagle going after prey. He had the eagle tattooed on his right bicep about to strike and the name “Black Eagle” on a banner under it. He reached over to touch it as he drove.

TJ turned right from Windy Hill Road on to Cobb Parkway as he was going to take his time driving to work today. He was not going straight to I75. He was really early as he had not stopped at Chick-Fil-A to get breakfast or McDonalds. As he drove past Lockheed Airforce base the unease returned and he reached under the enger seat and put the 9mm on the enger seat itself within quick reach.

TJ began scanning the landscape in the much the same way as he did during missions. He was trying to determine where the threat was and to explore options. In his former line of work his unease would work like a stop light in reverse. He would go to level green where there was a threat but one that was known. Level yellow meant there was a more serious threat but he could call in a strike, evade, withdraw or move around the threat. Level Red meant there were only two options; call in a strike or unleash “hellfire and brimstone”. He had moved up to level yellow only because he was in his comfort zone. Unlike a day-to-day citizen he had been in many fire fights and felt comfortable if he had to shoot it out with someone. He also felt comfortable because he was in his “beloved” Pontiac Trans Am (nicknamed

– The BEAST).

Then TJ saw the reason for his unease; traveling at a high rate of speed and coming up the off ramp headed directly towards him up the right ramp to Cobb Parkway from Delk Road. There was a Candy Red Camaro being chased by a black Charger. They were not stopping. It looked as though the Camaro was trying to get away from the Charger. Both cars came screaming up the road and hung a right a few feet from his vehicle and went speeding up ahead. Where were the Cobb County police when they were needed? They were probably eating donuts or something. TJ sat there while trying figure out what to do and which route to work he should take.

He looked for another route to take. If he was uneasy there were probably guns involved. It was not his fight. TJ started ahead and then made a quick U-turn and took a shortcut to get on to Delk Road. He was hoping to jump on to I75 North from Delk Road. He decided that fast was good enough for today; so what if he would get to work early.

TJ made the right turn onto Delk Road and barely caught the light to turn left onto the exit ramp for I75 north. He decided he would let the Beast free for a while on the way to work. The engine had a kit in it that boosted the power in it. The Beast also had a double-nitrous package attached to it as well. This gave the Beast over 1200 Horse to run with. If the traffic was light he would turn her loose and let her run. He had barely gotten onto I75 when along came the same two cars. The Candy Red Camaro had bullet holes in it and was being fired on by the Charger. The back glass had bullet holes in it and it looked as though the enger side also had holes in it.

They roared past as everyone scrambled to get out of the way. TJ slowed down not wanting to get involved. He called 911 and stated what he saw about the two cars. TJ also gave his name, rank and serial number as he explained who he was. The operator said they had a major bank robbery

situation with an officer down in downtown Marietta. It would be a good for them to get someone out there.

TJ did not want the Police shooting after him if they showed up or when they showed up. He told the operator who he was and what he was driving. He was a Senior Lieutenant in the Marines. He was a Special Forces Team Leader. “Enough of this shit” TJ exclaimed and let out his eagle war cry and gave chase.

It was obvious that the Charger had more power than the Camaro. As he gained on them TJ noted that the Camaro could only get a little bit ahead of the Charger then the gap would close. Well look out people “Here comes The Beast” to the party. There were a series of bends in the road coming up in just over a half mile. TJ felt if he could catch up before the bends and disable the Charger the Camaro could get away. He crushed the gas pedal and the beast pushed him back in the seat from the force of the engine kicking into high gear. He caught the cars just as they began to enter the first of five hard curves. He sighted on the rear taillights. He put two quick rounds into them and then two shots into the rear right tire. The Black Charger swung left and hit the center wall. Then it spun out of control across the curve and off the road. TJ did not stop to check on the occupants. He raced ahead to catch the Camaro. When he caught up he pulled alongside and honked repeatedly. The window of the drivers’ side rolled down and the lady who was driving was frantic. TJ motioned for her to pull over.

She looked back and saw that the Black Charger was not following her. She pulled over and TJ asked her what was going on? The lady did not answer TJ. Instead she ran to the enger side and opened the door and there was a male in the seat wounded. TJ checked his vitals as the lady was screaming and jabbering in Spanish. He told her to go sit in his car. The guy had lost a lot of blood and looked as though he had been hit two or three times. There was no time to waste.

Two exits up on I75 North was a Wellstar hospital. He lowered the back of the rear seats in the TransAm and as gently as he could he put the man in there and covered him with the blankets. He took her Camaro and drove it off the side of the road into the bushes where it was hardly visible. He told the lady to call 911 and tell them what they were driving and let them know we are headed to the Wellstar Hospital with a multiple-shot person. They need to have a doctor with extra fluids and a team waiting when we get there in 5 to 10 minutes. TJ buckled in the lady and told her to hold on he was going to be driving fast and she need to relax and stop jabbering and yelling. He was going to need to concentrate as he was going to be driving fast through morning traffic with no police blinking lights to get people out of the way. He was going to have to dodge the cell phone s, texters, the half asleep, the drunk and those putting on makeup. He needed to get the guy to the hospital quickly. He was in bad shape but he had a steady pulse.

TJ had put the blankets over and around the guy so that as he rolled he would be braced a bit. TJ unleashed the beast and began the race against time to the Wellstar hospital. Luckily he always kept his car in tip-top shape and full of fuel. As he raced through traffic it brought back memories from his first real driving experience in Miami.

TJ and his friends were going to the gym to hang out and play basketball. As they were walking in there were guys throwing things at another guy who was running out of the gym. Lucky for me thought TJ; he had slowed down and stopped walking into the gym to put on his sweat shirt.

Sammy had ed him and was entering the gym age way when; the next thing you knew Sammy got hit in the eye with a bottle. There was blood and glass everywhere. Everyone came running over. We had to get him to the hospital. The bottle had broken as it hit him in the face. His father had given him a bright yellow hemi convertible. I was the only one aside from Sammy that had driving experience and so it was up to me to

drive him and two others to the hospital. Sammy had ended up losing his eye. There was no time to wait for an ambulance. Just like there was no time for the guy in my back trunk; dejavu thought TJ.

TJ was running at 90 to over 110 miles per hour as he ed people. He had all his flashers going and his head lights on full blast and he was ripping past people even using the emergency side lane once or twice.

TJ eased up to the red light near the hospital and then blew through it. Hold on he told her the hospital is only a few blocks away. He could hear grunting and groaning coming from her male friend as he drove but there was nothing more that could be done for him in the car. He whipped into the hospital parking lot going the wrong way. He narrowly missed two cars and screeched to a halt at the emergency entrance.

Good old reliable Wellstar Hospital Service; as requested a doctor and team were there. TJ took the man out of the trunk and placed him on the stretcher. The Doctor and assistants began racing inside. The young lady he had met took off after them. The next thing TJ knew there were police everywhere…

TJ asked the police for a moment and called a supervisor he trusted at the job and asked him to tell his direct supervisor that there was an accident and he was involved. He explained that he would be in as soon as he could.

The police took the young lady away for questioning. Another two officers came to speak with TJ. He showed them his concealed weapons license and his gun. He told them what he saw and what he did and then asked if he was free to go. A supervisor on the force named Sargent David Walker came over asked him if he knew the people he was helping? The supervisor told

them that it looked as though there was a hit on the guy who had been shot. Luckily his sister could drive and she managed to evade them until you came along. She wants to thank you. TJ told him he had to get to work.

David Walker, The Police Supervisor told TJ “most people don’t step in or help other people as you did today young man. Most people look the other way.” He gave TJ his card and told him to come and get a copy of the report on the matter in case he received any traffic tickets in the mail. The Supervisor reminded TJ of James Alvarez a Sargent on the Cobb County Police department in Marietta. TJ asked the Supervisor; Sargent David Walker if he knew Officer Alvarez? He told TJ that he knew him quite well. The Supervisor told TJ that Officer Alvarez would be proud of him. The Supervisor’s brother had been a marine and had been killed in action and he was very ive of TJ. He also asked TJ about the possibility of becoming a cop. (One on the list of a few jobs that TJ was now busy avoiding like the plague.)

TJ told Sargent Walker about the location of the girl’s vehicle and recommended that his officers retrieve it before the shooters find it. He agreed. Sargent Walker immediately sent two officers to get the young lady’s vehicle. TJ also told him about the location of the other vehicle he had shot at. The supervisor immediately sent officers to check on that vehicle. TJ thanked him for his assistance and the job offer. He told him he would think about it. As TJ pulled up the back seat headrests and began to open his driver’s door the lady came out of nowhere to wrap him up in a bear hug and kiss him on the cheek. TJ was so startled he did not know whether to hug her back or what.

TJ gently pulled her away as she kept thanking him in English and Spanish. The supervisor said bye and left them alone.

She told him that her name was Selena and that the man who was shot was

her older brother Roberto. She told TJ that he had saved both their lives. Her brother was being operated on now and her family was on the way to the hospital.

She asked TJ to wait one moment and ran away only to come running back a few minutes later with her name, address and phone number on a piece of paper. Selena told TJ that she wanted to properly thank him by cooking dinner for him sometime. He said not a problem and thanked her for the offer but explained that he still had to get to work. He also recommended to her that she get another Camaro with the bigger v8 and have the extra horse power kit put in it. She laughed for the first time and TJ realized how beautiful she was. Spanish with an exotic look were TJ’s thoughts as he listened to her thank him again. She rushed in and hugged him again and kissed him on the cheek again. This time TJ held Selena close. Not only was she beautiful and had an awesome body; she smelt great and felt really good thought TJ.

TJ gently pulled her away and said “You are Welcome”. He drove away as she waved over and over again. He pulled onto the highway and began driving south to his work exit. He pulled into the BP gas station after getting off onto Barrett Parkway and filled up the Beast.

TJ went inside and bought some Air freshener trees and other materials and placed them in the back trunk. He took the 9mm from the trunk and wrapped it in a towel and placed it under the enger’s seat. He was going to have to give his vehicle a total cleaning. TJ took the bloody blanket that Roberto had been wrapped up in and took it to the trash bin and threw it away. He saw that there were blood stains in the back but felt he could clean them out. TJ stopped at the Target store and got several cans of Lysol spray, some rags and 409 cleaner with lemon scent. He sprayed the back and front of the Beast and went to work. He gave the Beast a light clean up using the 409 spray and rags.

At lunch time TJ checked his phone. Cell phones were not allowed in the Verizon center. On it was a message from Sargent David Walker the Police Supervisor stating that Roberto had made it through surgery and should pull through in time. He had lost a lot of blood and was lucky to be alive. Sargent Walker again hinted at TJ ing the Cobb County Police Department. TJ smiled as he thought about the prospect of being in a uniform again. Not interested he said to himself. He saved the supervisor’s number in his phone and went back to work. It was Thursday night and in all the excitement TJ forgot that he would usually go to Dave and Busters near work with some of his co-workers and watch the NFL. They came by his desk to ask why he was late. He did not give details. He just stated he had car problems.

After work TJ and about ten or twelve co-workers followed each other over to the Dave and Busters location. They pulled together a group of tables to watch the game. Some guys shot pool and others were busy eating. TJ and about six of the group were eating when one of the guys started teasing TJ about eating a lot. They began kidding him about being late.

One of his co-workers said TJ was not late due to having car problems. He was late because he was busy laying the wood to some lady and that is why he was eating everything in sight. TJ just laughed at the good-natured teasing and then it was game time. The Pittsburgh Steelers versus the Baltimore Ravens on a Thursday night NFL game. Every time these two teams meet it’s a good old-fashioned dog fight. It was a great game with Ray Lewis and the Ravens knocking Ben Roethlisberger out of the game on a blitz where he was sandwiched between two Ravens. The Steelers lost 28 to 17.

After paying the tab the group split up and headed home. TJ called one of his friends Warren in North Carolina and told him what happened. Warren told him to be alert at all times from now on. He told TJ he may have unknowingly stepped into the middle of a gang war. Warren asked TJ how

much firepower he kept in the house and in his car? TJ asked why? Warren told TJ that if he had stepped into the middle of a gang war they now knew that he carried a handgun so they would be armed with AK47’s, M16’s, AR15’s and more.

Warren suggested TJ beef up what he had at home and in the car. In all the time TJ had worked with Warren he had never called it wrong when it came to things like this. TJ was not due at work until 10am on Friday so he was going to stop into Adventure Sports and increase his firepower. When he got home, TJ took the 9mm out that he had used and placed it on the kitchen table to clean it.

TJ got his cleaning kits and cleaned the M16 as well. He reloaded both weapons and placed them in the Trans Am.

TJ gave the Beast a front to back check. He checked the fluids in the Trans Am. Walked around it and checked for bullet holes. He scrubbed out the trunk area and put down more Lysol. He folded the back seats down flat and put the M16 and extra rounds in there. He decided to keep one 9mm in his door pocket and the other one in its usual place under the enger seat. Something told him to put extra clips for all the weapons in the car. He also had some flash bang, smoke grenades and throwing stars. He placed all of those in a black backpack bag under the folded down back seat. He placed a pair of black military pants, military shirt, side holster, underwear, T-shirts and boots in the vehicle. Then a thought hit him. He went to the bedroom and took the desert eagle out and cleaned it. He placed that under the enger seat and put the 9mm under the bed mattress. He would need as much stopping power as possible if he were confronted on the street.

He took the shotgun from the bathroom closet and put it in the hall closet in the living room. He felt he was ready. If anything came his way. Suddenly TJ’s cell phone started ringing and ringing on the other end was James

asking what was going on. Warren had called everyone from their Delta Unit and told them what had happened. They were all calling to check on him. TJ laughed a bit but it was comforting that his marine teammates were concerned about him and had his back.

After TJ had cleaned the Desert Eagle and placed it in the beast under the enger seat he thought about what Warren had said. He began to make a list of what he should get. He thought a Heckler and Koch, AR15, another M16 with the grenade launcher component. Warren had a friend that could supply him with grenades quickly if he needed them. Warren’s friend was in Alabama and he could drive there and get them if necessary. The same friend also had C4 and other equipment. He would need a lot of ammo; just in case he thought.

TJ had the ADT alarm system. He would ramp it up and add external cameras so that he could see what was approaching his apartment and street. It was time to swing into action. He put on his black t-shirt and sneakers.

TJ mounted 2 cameras on the upstairs window so he could see the road without sticking his head out. He did the same for the rear of the apartment. He placed another camera so that he could clearly see in front of the garage. He called ADT and asked who could add the bright flood lights to his front and back yards. They gave him a name and number. He called and left a message of what he wanted. TJ called Warren back and had him call his friend in Alabama and get the pricing for the materials and supplies. Warren called at 1am to tell him to turn on CNN TV. TJ raced to the remote and turned on the TV to hear reporters talking about the shootings on the streets of Cobb County.

The reporters interviewed a Police Spokesperson who stated the incidents were still under investigation. No names were given out. The police showed

the three guys that were injured when their car ran off the road. One was killed. The reports on CNN also showed the police at the hospital. His name was not mentioned and his car was not identified but bystanders on the highway told reporters all they could was “a souped-up Black Sports car flying by them at 100 plus miles per hour”. TJ sat on the couch and began to consider the implications. Questions came to mind at a high rate of speed:

• What if the gang finds out who I am? • What are the risks? • What about little Ray and his ex?

TJ immediately sprang into action. If the story was out about the incident; with enough reward money and s the gang would soon find their way to him. He had to be ready. TJ did not mind being in harm’s way but he wanted little Ray and his mother (Stacie) safe and sound. He called Tim; a former marine buddy in Denver. He had a large family and lots of kids. He also had a bunch of brothers that loved to shoot. That would be the safest place for little Ray and his mother until this mess was over. He called his ex and asked her to meet him for breakfast in the morning. He advised her it was urgent. She knew TJ well enough that when a certain tone came into his voice you move on it. She agreed to do so.

TJ told Stacie it was extremely urgent and to bring little Ray with her. He called Warren and asked who on the team could be in Atlanta quickly? Everyone said they were on the way. The North Carolina trip was off. It was all-hands on deck in Georgia. Tim told TJ that it was ok to have the ex and little Ray come out to Denver. He and his brothers would look after them. TJ told Tim the pair would be on the first flight out to New York and then fly out of New York to LA and then take a different airline from LA to Denver.

TJ made the arrangements on the computer and printed out the tickets. He then called a computer friend of his to come to the house ASAP. He wanted his computer swept of everything on it. He also wanted his friend to replace his old computer with a new computer and printer.

At 1am TJ was as active as he’d ever been before a mission. This was a life and death mission. He did not mind his own but little Ray and Stacie were not going to be casualties. Once they were safely away he would take the fight to whoever chose to come calling on him. It was time for the Black Eagle to scream and attack. TJ sat down to make a checklist of things to get done on his laptop. He had already called ADT about changing his service and sent them an email. They did not need to access the inside of his apartment. He retrieved his action case from the garage and in it were little clear glass balls that he would place near his doors. The condition of them would tell him if anyone had been at his front door, the garage door or the back door.

He unpacked his 40-caliber sniper rifle, scope and silencer. He placed it on the table to clean it ASAP. As he wiped the dust from the case he ed all the times he had used it on missions and assignments on foreign soil. Now he was preparing to use it on home soil in the good old USA. Well, this is what Uncle Sam spent a lot of money to train him and his team for; to fight and win. Take no prisoners.

TJ knew he would need lots of ammo and he sent a text to Warren to ask his friend to add a case of ammo for the sniper rifle as well as four cases for the 9mm guns and two cases for the M16 as well as a couple of cases for the desert eagle. The Desert Eagle rode on his hip and the 40 Cal could put a hole in an engine block if he needed to.

One time under siege during an operation that had turned yellow he had put down two enemy operatives who had hidden behind a truck. Big Thunder is what he called his black 40 Cal Desert Eagle. The sound alone of the gun made you think twice about coming at him. TJ had an American Express card that he had saved for emergencies. It would come in handy now. It was under another name from his overseas operations. He had only used it to buy Stacie and little Ray’s tickets to New York. Two hours later they were going to Denver by way of LA. Tim was already briefed and had already made his family and brothers especially aware of the situation. TJ needed Tim and his family to keep little Ray and Stacie safe. TJ felt he and his Delta team could handle whatever came at them.

TJ had ed seeing an abandoned Warehouse complex on I75 North just above Kennesaw one day when he had just been out riding on his Suzuki 750. He had stopped to look at it but there was no for sale sign on the grounds. TJ ed it now and googled the site. It had multiple buildings and lots of side access roads. He and the team could use that as a headquarters for a short time. TJ began to get those old operations nerves going. He was getting amped up and on alert. He looked at the warehouse from all directions. It was on high ground. It could not be easily approached.

In TJ’s mind it was the perfect place to draw a line in the sand and stand your ground. He made a note to drive by there during the day Friday as soon as he could and make “some changes”. He went to his computer and sent an email to the nearby FedEx Office store to order six Sold signs for the property in varying sizes. Announcing it was sold would keep stragglers off the property. Anyone there beside his team would become targets. He needed to know if the location still had electrical power and a few other things. That reminded him. He sent a text message to Warren to have his friend add a 60 Cal machine gun and four boxes of ammo to the list as well as 4 grenade launchers and six boxes of grenades. TJ ed what he had learned on his second mission. It is always easier to have too much firepower than not having enough. Luckily, they were able to call in an airstrike and move to a defensible position until additional troops arrived.

TJ never forgave his commanding officer for that foul-up. Lucky for TJ and his team; their commanding officer was transferred to a desk job. TJ was moved up to lead the team after that. TJ learned several things from that mission about preparation and making the proper plans. TJ also learned the importance of having enough fire power. That mission had impressed on TJ and the team that it is always better to have too much fire power rather than not enough.

It was time to get some rest thought TJ he needed to stay amped up but focused. People die when they overlook things or underestimate the enemy. He had seen it early in his military career. It had also been drilled into him constantly that he needed to be aware of his surrounding and his options. He also was warned that “victory in war time comes due to preparation in training and not underestimating the opponent”.

As he took a shower TJ reflected on his many missions around the world; Iraq, Afghanistan, Colombia, Alaska, South Pole, Haiti, Venezuela and elsewhere. His thoughts on the various missions were interrupted by the image and warmth of Selena next to him at the hospital. TJ wondered where she was and if she was ok. He smiled and shook his head. Time to rest; a war was coming. He touched the Black Eagle tattoo on his right bicep. The Black Eagle may have to be unleashed pretty soon. He put on his PJ’s and crawled into bed. His 9mm was on the night stand.

TJ awoke early and got in his workout. He knew that time was running out on him. The team would be here by nightfall. He had to get little Ray and his mother out of town first. Next, he had to get to Adventure Sports and load up and set up a base of operations in the warehouse quickly. He also knew he was going to have to be ready to adjust his plans on the fly for contingencies. One thing at a time he thought.

TJ called Verizon and spoke to a supervisor he had known since he first

started working there and told him that he was sick and would be back at work after the weekend. He did not want the staff and his co-workers to get drawn into this thing. He dressed quickly in his favorite color, Black. He had on long sleeved black pullover, black slacks and black rubber soled shoes. He had a light weight black windbreaker that he planned to wear because from now on he would be armed at all times. He put on the shoulder holster and the windbreaker to cover it up. He holstered one of the 9mm pistols under his left armpit and grabbed his backpack with the computer in it and grabbed his coffee. McDonald’s here I come TJ thought. He would need all his energy from this point on so he would need a big breakfast. He was about to leave the house when his home phone rang. Most people called him on his cell phone so it had to be critical. TJ put his gear down and raced to the phone.

Selena and her co-worker; Kelly Isaacs were headed to the Wellstar Hospital entrance to visit Selena’s brother Roberto. They had bought flowers and candy with them for Roberto. All of a sudden a Black Escalade came racing up in front of them out of no-where and screeched to a halt. Four men got out with guns in their hands and ordered them into the vehicle. The two women dropped the flowers and candy and did as they were told. The men told them not to scream or make a move. If they did; they were dead on the spot.

They got into the vehicle. Inside the vehicle the men took the women’s purses and handed them to another man seated in the front enger seat. He searched for the women’s ID’s. Once he finds them he tells the driver to stop the vehicle. They tell Kelly to get out of the vehicle now. She complies. The vehicle speeds off with Selena inside. Kelly kicks off her shoes and begins running back to the Hospital entrance to get help.

On the phone line to TJ was a heavily accented Spanish male. He told TJ to stay right where he was until he heard back from him. They had Selena and wanted Roberto for her. TJ heard Selena yelling to TJ to leave town and

then the phone went dead. TJ raced to call Sargent David Walker, the Supervisor that he had spoken with at the hospital. He identified himself and then the Supervisor went silent. TJ kept yelling hello, hello, hello. Finally, the, Supervisor came on the line and informed TJ that his good friend Sargent James Alvarez was dead. Sargent Alvarez and two other officers were shot when armed assailants attacked the hospital to kill Roberto.

Sargent Alvarez had died holding the attackers off as they had attempted to get into Roberto’s room. How they found out no one knows at this point. One of the three officers with Sargent Alvarez has also just ed away. He sacrificed himself so the other officers and Roberto could not get killed. We also got word that the attackers had kidnapped two women from the hospital and released one later.

TJ began cursing and yelling to himself because now for him there was no turning back. He had to narrow the odds. First, he had to get little Ray and Stacie out of the way.

Despite the call from the Spanish speaker TJ had to get out of the house. He quickly grabbed an overnight bag and grabbed extra pants, pullovers, underwear, socks and ammo and loaded up the beast. He grabbed his black raincoat with the lining that hung on the wall until the rains came and threw it in the back as well. He opened the garage door and revved the engine waiting for a physical response. There was none so he came roaring out and instead of going to the McDonalds near him he decided to go to one closer to where he was meeting Stacie and little Ray. He called Warren to find out if all the materials he ordered would be ok. He told Warren about the girl and the kidnapping. Warren advised TJ to keep on the move until he heard from the attackers again. TJ said all his calls to his home were being forwarded to his cell phone. Warren suggested adding two more M16’s and four more 9mm pistols and extra ammo for each. Warren told him that he would be there by 9pm as he was already on the way.

Warren told TJ the other of the Black Eagle Squad would be arriving one by one shortly after he got there. They were all driving in so that they could bring their personal weapons. Warren reminded TJ to be alert and watch his six.

TJ got to the McDonalds on Spring Road and parked the beast across the street at the QT. He parked it where he could see it and so that he could get to either exit from the QT. He quickly ordered two big breakfast meals with extra scrambled eggs and toast. As he waited for his meal he quickly went through his actions to this point and what he would need. He called the salesperson at the Chevy dealership where he had purchased the beast two years ago and asked if they had any used 2002 to 2008 Chevy Avalanches or similar vehicles. The guy said he would check and call him back. As he ate breakfast he knew that his home would be off limits for now. He called ADT and asked them to alert him if there were any issues at his home. The rep told him that ADT had activated all alarm systems and were able to monitor his home from their command center.

The ADT rep sent TJ the link to the system via email. TJ could now look at his home via his phone. The new technology – wow – he thought. TJ called Stacie to see if she and little Ray were on the way. Only 6 and a half years old; little Ray was the most precious thing in this life to him and he wanted him and his mother safe until this was all over with. Stacie started blabbering about how she saw his car on the news. He told her in a firm voice to calm down and hurry up and meet him where he told her to.

There was a bookstore store on Cobb Parkway that he and Stacie would take little Ray to for story time. He had told her to meet him there. It was 8:40am.

TJ grabbed his coffee and headed out from McDonalds to be early for his meeting with Stacie. He stopped at the SunTrust bank drive through and with-drew five thousand dollars from his . His military money and hidden savings would now come in handy. He had always had his banker set up a separate for him while he was in the military. 25% of his salary, bonuses, extra pay and everything had gone into this and only he and the banker knew it existed. It had been over thirteen or sixteen years ago that he had started doing this. It was probably stacked right now. It was also in an interest-bearing . He had never even thought about the until now. He did the math in his head “at least 10 years at of $400 to $600 a month going in and nothing coming out” wow.

Should be a good chunk in that now he thought when he did the math in his head. TJ made a mental note to check on the later. He knew Stacie also had her own credit cards and checking from her work at the City of Atlanta Auto Licensing Center on Roswell Road.

TJ looked at the desert eagle resting on the enger seat now and thought of another enger that had sat there not too long ago…Selena. He made a mental note to do what- ever it takes to get her back safely. First, he had to get Stacie and little Ray on the plane. There was something about Selena he thought. TJ circled the bookstore building.

It sat on a corner with multiple in and out exits. You could get to the nextdoor sports bar, Tilted Kilt from the back of the building. He scanned every vehicle and then parked in front of the building with the beast pointed towards the exit that would take them to Cobb Parkway and a quick right and then onto I75 South to the airport. He would follow her all the way there. They had valet parking at the airport. He would have them park Stacie’s car and give them extra to keep his car right at the curb. Money talks he had learned.

TJ sipped his coffee and noted how in such a short time he had come full circle back to the things he had wanted to put in the past. He was a topnotch marine and leader. He wanted to get out of the missions and operations arena and now he was deep in the middle of a major mission that could cause him to lose his life. Oh, the irony of life he thought as he saw Stacie’s red Camry approaching the turn lane. She pulled up next to him and began yelling and cursing worse than Selena when he first met her on the side of the road. She was gesturing and all animated about him being on the news and the shooting.

Stacie knew his car and they were showing on CNN footage of a part of the chase with his car in it. TJ grabbed Stacie by both shoulders and shook her and told her to calm down in a firm voice. She was yelling and crying at the same time and that caused little Ray to cry. TJ pulled little Ray out of the back seat and held him and whispered to him to calm him down. He gave him a big hug and kiss. Then he swung him around like on the merry go round. He had always loved that. Little Ray stopped crying and TJ told him that everything would be alright. He told Stacie the same thing.

TJ itted yes it was him on the news and yes there was trouble brewing. Although Stacie had left him he still cared for her and she was also the mother of their child. He did not want her or little Ray in harm’s way. Little Ray had been named after Ray Charles the movie. Funny; TJ and Stacie were watching the Ray Charles movie for the fifth or sixth time when her water broke. They had had to shut off the movie and raced to the hospital in her car. It’s funny how memories are triggered by little things. He told her what he wanted to do and told her that that was the only way for her and little Ray to be safe. Stacie had met Tim and his wife Louise a few times before. Tim had decided he wanted a big family and so he had completed his commission and moved on. TJ and Tim had kept in touch as his family grew. Louise had said they were so busy making babies and having them.

For Louis and Tim, they had little time for anything else. Tim had come

from a big family. Tim was one of twelve children – he had 8 brothers and three sisters. To TJ some of his sisters were tougher than some of his brothers. He knew they would take care of Stacie and little Ray.

TJ and Stacie jumped in their cars. TJ followed Stacie down I75 with his eye on her and scanning the horizon for threats. He was in full mission mode now. He knew he had to get them on the plane first and then he could concentrate on surviving whatever came at him and his team. TJ smiled as he thought of the gang reuniting to bring some “hellfire and brimstone” to people that were used to giving other people a hard time. Now TJ and his team would be giving them some of their own medicine. They would be receiving the “cleansing fire of 9mm pistols, grenades and M16 brimstone”. If he believed that Selena was dead they would bringing down and destroy everything that the group owned or was part of in the country. He would start with their friends, their family and anyone else that got in the way. They would level everything even if he had to do it by himself.

TJ had told Stacie to pull straight up to the valet parking and leave the keys with them. She did as she was told. She got out and pulled little Ray out of the back seat. TJ gave the guy a $50 bill and told him to park her car in long term parking and leave his at the curb. He would be back shortly. He had a tag that said Bill on it.

TJ took the long-term parking ticket stub and grabbed little Ray and picked him up. He took Stacie and Little Ray to the Delta departure area. Their flight would be leaving for New York in half an hour. TJ had left the 9mm under the driver’s seat and felt a little naked with no gun on him but it was the law. They quickly got to the departure area and sat where little Ray could stand by the glass and look out at the planes arriving and departing. TJ told her that he was sorry to bring grief into her life. He told her that he had loved her before and would always love her and wanted her to be happy.

He apologized that his military career had caused her so much pain and missed moments. He thanked her for the way she was bringing up their son. TJ told her most importantly he wanted her and little Ray to be safe and secure right now.

TJ gave her the parking stub. He pulled out the envelope with the money in it and gave it to her. He told her not to use her credit cards. He told her once she got to Tim to have him call him and he would wire them any money or extra funds she would need. He told her that by using her credit cards whoever was coming after him would be able to find her and little Ray. She agreed and gave him her credit cards to cut up. Stacie still liked TJ but after she had walked out he had put a lock on his heart. They say you can forgive but you cannot forget. You also cannot take back things said or actions taken after the fact.

TJ waited with her until the flight was called to board. He took little Ray in his arms hugged him tight and told him that he loved him. TJ gave him one more swing. Then he watched Stacie and Little Ray walk onto the plane.

TJ stayed until the plane took off. Then he called Tim to say they were on the way to New York and that he was on the way to get extra firepower. TJ retrieved his car from the valet parking area. She and little Ray were safe now and that was a great load off his mind. He headed out of the HartsfieldJackson area onto I285 West. He scanned the road ahead and behind him. He was ready for anything. He made sure the desert eagle was ready to fire and placed it on the enger seat.

TJ kept scanning the roadway ahead and behind him as he knew his car stood out from other vehicles. Right then his worst nightmare became a reality. He had been switching lanes while trying to spot any pursuers. His hope was if the gang found him on the roadway he wanted to be away from other civilians. He did not want to be a part of any citizens becoming

“collateral damage”. Then he spotted his pursuers! Two cars; changing lanes with him and keeping within striking distance. Both of the vehicles were late model Dodge Chargers; one red and the other silver. They were closing the gap fast. TJ reached back and pulled the M16 from under the covering in the back seat behind the enger seat.

TJ stomped on the accelerated as he kicked up the speed of the Beast. He started moving faster through the traffic as the pursuers began to close the gap. He could not let them get close enough to start shooting at him in this traffic. He wanted to get them where it would just be him and them. Whoever the drivers were chasing him; they were good. They were keeping pace with him. He could not use the extra power of the beast (the additional chip and nitrous units) now because when they kick in it is best to be going straight or reasonably straight.

When that power comes on you do not want to be weaving in and out of traffic as he was doing now. Then a thought hit him; what if he could draw them away from the other innocent bystanders? What if he could get them to follow him onto Camp Creek Parkway past the shopping area? It was wide open out there. He knew the perfect spot to give them a taste of hellfire. TJ smiled and sped up some more. He did not want to lose them but he did not want them closing the gap either.

As I285 turned from westward to northbound TJ let out a war cry and slid the Beast between an 18-wheeler and a beer truck. The two Chargers kept coming. He thought of little Ray and Selena. He intended to be standing when this war was over. It was important to focus on the task at hand he told himself.

TJ cut off a large Chevy truck by inches at the last minute to get on the off ramp to Camp Creek Parkway. He looked behind him; no luck; his pursuers were making moves of their own and would be able to get on the

exit ramp behind him. He had to make the light at the top of the ramp on green or yellow to turn left onto Camp Creek Parkway. Once he got beyond the shopping mall traffic it would then be just him and the gang . He would deal with them there in that space.

The light turned green just as he reached the top of the off ramp. TJ accelerated hard on the left turn with his tires squeeling and screeching. His pursuers were not so lucky. Because of the gap the light had changed color as they tried to follow him. The first charger (the Red one) was able to make it through the light. The second Charger; (the silver one) slammed into the side of a work van. It was not going anywhere anytime soon. The Red Dodge Charger and its occupants were coming after TJ hard and fast. TJ guessed they were now very angry. TJ thought he could see muzzle flashes. As he slowed down to get through the mall traffic TJ heard two or three thuds. There were shooters in the front enger side and rear of the driver’s side. These gang wanted his blood. Well; they were about to feel the talons of an angry Black Eagle real soon. TJ wanted to clear some space between him, the gang and the general public before he returned fire.

As he cleared the mall traffic; he knew the road curved a bit but was relatively straight. He could handle that with the nitrous kit and the chip working in the beast. He hit the switches for the double load of nitrous. 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 – now zero…the nitrous kits along with the chip in the engine combined to kick the extra horse power into the beast. 100, 110, 120, over 130 miles per hour. The beast pulled away easily from the pursuing stock model Charger. TJ watched as the beast began to leave the Charger way, way, way behind. TJ blew through the two lights on towards a moon-shaped large curve that swept you to the top of a hill.

TJ slid the beast to a stop just over the top of the hill. He grabbed the M16 and raced back to the top of the hill. He got down on one knee. He knew the terrain. There was no construction in the area. The road had a 6-12 foot

drop on each side of it and then brush and pine trees. He set the M16 on automatic fire and released the safety. He took a few deep breaths and got ready. He knew the Charger would be coming fast and it would keep coming along the road way hoping to find TJ. From the top of the hill he could see the Charger enter the curve to come up the hill. He sighted on the roadway; here we go he said to himself. “Come to daddy…”!

He could tell from the expression of the driver and front right enger they were not expecting him to be there and he sent them a message in hot lead.

There was a driver and front enger along with three others in the back seat. TJ let loose a full automatic spray from the front enger person to the driver. Then he targeted the front right tire. Bam; the tire exploded and the vehicle veered straight right off the top of the hill. It flew from the roadway into the trees and settled into the bushes. He could hear the screams and curses of the gang that survived. Right now, he only needed one survivor. TJ eased up on the rear of the vehicle. Smoke was coming out of the engine and it would probably catch on fire shortly. TJ moved quickly. There was not much movement. He yanked out a gunman that was on the left side when the vehicle hit the trees. He was gone; his neck broken.

The middle enger in the rear section was moaning and spitting blood. TJ put the muzzle of the M16 to his head and told him get out. When he crawled out of the vehicle TJ greeted him with the butt of his M16. He was out cold. TJ left the other wounded to either bleed out or to deliver a message to the other gang that this was a war. They were not going against old people or other victims that had no firepower. They were going to feel the heat from this point forward. They had grabbed an eagle by its tail feathers and it was angry. They had also made the mistake of taking Selena. He had to find her and find her quickly. TJ hoisted the unconscious gang member onto his shoulder and headed for The Beast.

TJ placed the gang member in the back trunk and duct tapped his hands behind his back, his legs together and his mouth closed. TJ checked the rear of the beast; no major damage was done. He jumped behind the wheel and switched off the nitrous system and burned rubber for Fulton Industrial Boulevard. He would jump back onto I285 from there. He kept switching lanes and checking the roadway and the traffic behind him. You never know what is going to happen and it is always better to be prepared for it.

Now it was time to get busy, busy, busy… TJ took an exit off I285 North to Cascade Road and pulled into a Shell Service station. TJ wanted some snacks. He grabbed a six pack of Pepsi’s, potato chips, some pastry and to fill up the Beast. He gave the attendant a $100 note and then put the Pepsi’s and pastry in the car while he waited for the car to fill up.

TJ put the windbreaker back on and put the 9mm in the holster. He scanned the other pumps and nothing jumped out at him. No alerts went off in his head. He noticed a police cruiser turning into the parking lot but there was only one officer in it. No threat there he thought. The pump clicked off just then and he noted it had taken $68.00 of to fill up the beast. He started to go inside to pick up his change and receipt. Just then his phone rang. He stopped outside the gas station. On the phone were the gang telling him that they would send Selena back to him in pieces if he did not cooperate.

TJ told them that if they hurt one hair on Selena’s head as sure as the sun rises in the east and sets in the west he and his team of Marine Seals would find them and bury each and every one of them. You are not dealing with helpless old people or kids. You have started a war and if she is hurt “we will find all of you…believe it”! There was silence on the end and then the person hung up.

He wanted them to know who and what they were messing with. TJ also did not want to miss out on the home cooked meal that Selena had promised him before. He went to the rear of the Beast and took a facial shot of the gang member. He closed the trunk down and called the Supervisor, Sargent David Walker that he had met at the hospital. He asked him if he knew who that person was. He sent the photo file. TJ sent a text message stating he needed all the info he could get on the person. The person in the photo’s friends had Selena. He smiled as he thought of Selena the last time he had seen her. He prayed that he would safely be able to get her back.

TJ thought of Selena as Helen of Troy and said to himself as he smiled that some things are worth fighting for. Selena was definitely one of them. He walked in to get his change just as the TV in the service station was showing on the news the two cars chasing each other up I75. He quickly got his change and receipt. It was Thursday the mega million Lottery Jackpot was at $250 million for the Friday drawing. He decided to grab five quick picks and head out.

Troy “TJ” Jones jumped into the beast and warmed up the engine. Everything on the dashboard looked good. He opened one of the Pepsi’s, grabbed a pastry and took a bite. He fastened his seatbelt and eased towards the exit to make a left and get back onto I285 North. He threw the lottery ticket into the glove box. He felt like hitting the gas hard and laying down some rubber but he did not want to call any unnecessary attention to himself. He already had enough of that. He headed for the Adventure sports store. He called Warren to ask if he could his Alabama friend and have him meet him near the Georgia state line. Warren promised to get right on it.

TJ was on the second Pepsi soda and the second pastry when he got to South Cobb road exit. He quickly made the right and just caught the light to turn left onto South Cobb. It would be a straight shot to Adventure South to get the guns and equipment he would need in the short term until the supply

came from Alabama. First though he needed to stash his hostage and get started on some information research and questioning. TJ pulled up to the Sun Suites of Smyrna Motel on Highland Parkway in Smyrna. He asked the front desk clerk for a room away from everyone. He needed some peace and quiet for a while. TJ paid in cash for a room for a week. He got his key, some extra towels, some Coca-Cola and headed out to his room.

TJ pulled up close to the room and took a hand gun, AR15, a couple smoke grenades and then the Coca-Cola, extra towels and stuff inside the room. TJ made sure that no one was around when he went to the back trunk of the Beast and hoisted the gang member onto his shoulder and quickly into the room. He put him in the bathroom tub for now. He closed the door to the bathroom and called the front desk to find out the nearest eating place. He was told Arby’s was around the corner on South Cobb. TJ locked up and headed there. He got several burgers, several orders of fries, 3 baked potato orders and two coleslaw orders. He told the gang banger if he screamed or made loud noises he would be knocked out again and he showed him the 40 Cal Glock he carried. TJ made sure that the gang member understood. The gang member nodded. TJ gave him two burgers, two coke sodas, a baked potato and coleslaw. First TJ searched all his pockets to make sure that he had no knives or cell phones. He untied him and left him in the bathroom. TJ sat down and placed the AR-15 where it could be easily reached. He kept his eye on the bathroom door while eating the other burgers, fries and potato.

As he ate TJ mulled over the options to get the information that he needed. Who was trying to kill Roberto? What did they want with him? How did they know about Selena? Who was the leader of this outfit?

If possible; where was Selena being held? He then would have to know the fortifications and the logistics for breaking Selena Free. There had to be a way. If not; TJ and his team would create a way to get her safely back with Thunder and Lightning. The rest of the team would be in town soon and

together they would “do what they do best”. They would bring “hellfire and brimstone” to the Raiders Gang unless Selena was returned safely. The Big Question was how to make it happen…?

TJ ate quickly and then waited ten minutes as he pondered how to get what he wanted quickly. He figured he would try the direct approach. It had always worked in the past. When people looked into his eyes up close; they could tell that TJ was deadly serious about his craft. They could tell he was an experienced war veteran. TJ ed a friend of his with the DEA named Michael Turner. They had been friends from their football playing days. They had always had to go against each other in Junior High and in High school. Their teams always clashed and later on they became good friends. It was a respect thing. They had kept in touch feeding each other intel from time to time. TJ needed intel quickly on this Raiders gang and their leadership. He was playing catch-up. He needed locations, investments, interests, hip, home locations, family and love interests. Michael came on the line after the third ring.

They exchanged pleasantries and then TJ told Michael what was going on and that he needed all the info he could get. TJ explained that the gang had Selena and were after her brother Roberto. Roberto was under armed guard at the hospital. Michael told TJ that the DEA had been tracking that gang for a while and he would get together whatever he could within two hours. Michael told TJ to be careful as this group had a bunch of “wannabe soldiers” in its organization and they were liable to do anything or try anything. Michael had always come through for him and TJ had made sure to come through for Michael in the past. He hung up knowing he would have info on the group shortly. Not sketchy information but who, what, when, where and leadership.

What TJ had in mind for them was the old “Shake the tree routine”. TJ and his team would hit each and every location that the gang operated until they safely released Selena. And if they did not release her they would obliterate

every member of the gang from the face of the earth that did not run to the police or leave the country. That was the plan in the back of TJ’s mind as he finished his meal. He would start with this one and end with the rest or until he was dead. TJ was drawing his line in the sand – NOW!!! TJ took out a pad and paper along with a pen. He pushed the door open and told the man; play time is over. I want the names of the leadership of the gang and the location where they have Selena.

The guy stated he did not know anything about Selena and was not going to give TJ any info. TJ said ok. Got up and put the pad down. He took his 40 Cal screwed on the silencer. TJ shot him in the leg. The man began howling and shaking. Then he threw up most of the food he had just ate. TJ told him to shut up or he would shoot him in the next leg. Here is a pen and pad. I want all the locations where your gang hangs out or does business. You have five minutes TJ told him. He said if you do not give me good information I will shoot you in the next leg and let you bleed out in this tub. Start writing!

TJ closed the door and called Sargent Walker. He told him where he was and what room he was in. He said he had a gang member with him that he needed isolated. TJ gave his location and told him to bring medical help as the gang member was wounded from earlier near Camp Creek.

Sargent Walker said when he heard about what had happened and read the report he thought it was TJ’s handiwork. He told TJ to sit tight he would be there with backup shortly. TJ hung up the phone and put his weapons back in the car. He returned and opened the bathroom door the young thug was writing as fast as he could. TJ asked him where are the other gang holding the girl hostage. He told TJ he did not know for sure but probably at Hector’s home in Alpharetta. It was huge spread. TJ grabbed the pad and saw that there were several known locations written on the pad with the name of the business and area.

TJ told him great job. He gave him a couple of pillow cases and told him to tie them tight around his leg above and below the wound. Help was on the way TJ told the wounded man. TJ heard sirens just as he stopped talking and closed the bathroom door and headed to the front door. He put the hand gun in his shoulder holster and closed up his windbreaker. He slowly opened the door as Sargent Walker was knocking. He let him in and showed him the hostage.

The other police officers grabbed the young man and hoisted him out of the tub and into a waiting car. Sargent Walker told TJ that he had a list of some places the Raiders might be and he added to the list the gang member had written. He told TJ to give them all the hell that he could and he and the of his unit would do all they could to back him up. TJ asked for info on the home that Hector the leader of the group had in Alpharetta? Sargent Walker said he had not seen it but there were some aerial and surrounding photos that he had seen at the office. He told TJ he would email the info to him. They shook hands and TJ headed out for Adventure South Sports.

As TJ drove north on South Cobb Drive towards the Adventure Sports location; he ed that there was a SunTrust Bank branch located on South Cobb Drive. He would stop in and retrieve some of the “hidden money reserves” before he went to Adventure Sports. TJ walked in and spoke to a banker. He gave his name and info and the banker pulled up his hidden and his regular .

The banker told him that in his regular checking he now had $14,000 and change but in his “hidden ” he had set up as a Roth IRA he now had over $85,000 with interest. TJ let out a big “Wow” when he heard that. Luckily they were in the man’s office; Brent Wells. TJ asked if he could withdraw some funds from the hidden and have the remainder tied to a separate debit card in case he needed it. Mr. Wells said he could and asked how much TJ needed right now in cash. He could wait

here and Mr. Wells would get a withdrawal slip and complete the transaction for him. TJ filled out the withdrawal slip for $18,500 and waited for Mr. Wells to return.

What a blessing thought TJ. A beautiful caring lady - Selena - comes into his life in the midst of turmoil just when he had given up on loving again. He had started the hidden on a whim and now it was going to come in handy. Another blessing thought TJ. On leaving the Bank TJ headed to the Adventure Sports Store to beef up the weapons supply for the short term. After that TJ would go to the FedEx Store to pick up the signs and install them at the warehouse complex. Oh he also had to stop by Allison the electronics and surveillance expert and get some equipment for the warehouse. TJ called the ADT rep back and advised that he was also going to have to have video and monitoring service for a new property for a short time.

TJ asked about getting it done quickly and tying it into his present . The rep said it could be done but it would be an extra $125 fee to rush it through. TJ gave him the address and told him there would be “something extra” for him if he got the technicians out there by this afternoon and got video monitoring in place. The ADT rep said no problem and promised it would be done.

TJ collected the funds and said a quick thank you. He pocketed the new debit card and headed for Adventure Sports. As soon as he walked in Bill the rep he had been dealing with for a long time called him over. He moved away from the other customers and whispered to TJ; “I thought I saw your car on the news this morning…”? TJ said yes it was him and that he needed a list of goods to protect his self. For the first time Bill asked him to come behind the counter and into the private office.

As a long-time assistant manager at Adventure South Bill probably saw and

heard a lot in his years. He also knew that TJ was an ex-marine like himself. Bill told TJ that he and his manager saw the video that morning on the news when they opened the center. They were going to donate whatever he needed to his cause. No charge. TJ almost began crying when he heard that. He gave the guy a big hug and told him what he was after. Bill took the shopping list and suggested that TJ get some military clothing as well because he probably could not go home now. He was right.

TJ ed he had his boots in the car but they were worn from years of tracking mud, sludge and whatever else came his way. He tried on a pair and got some socks, military pants with the extra pockets, belt, shirt and a couple of caps – everything black.

Bill came running over and told TJ that since his car was on the news he had better pull into the back of the center and they would load him up there. He also winked that he had a couple of “special surprises” for him. TJ raced out front and jumped into the beast and quickly reversed out and pulled to the back of the Center. Bill was already there with his Manager and they had raised the garage door so that he could pull in. He shook hands with Al the Manager and owner of the Center and thanked him for the donation.

In the office they showed him what they meant by “special surprise”. They had a black 60 Cal automatic and three mini rocket launchers with reloads along with his list of M16 rifles with grenade launchers underneath the barrels and ammo for his 9mm weapons. If the gang after him wanted a war well they just awoke a bear and it was fully loaded. The clothes went into one duffel bag and the guns and ammo went into two other bags. They took a black blanket and covered everything. The back of the beast was filled up. TJ shed a few tears and gave each guy a hug and then Bill told TJ to make sure and look in the small bag after he had left the location.

TJ thanked Bill and Al again and hopped in the beast. They raised the garage door and he roared off towards Windy Hill Road and the Fed Ex Office. The signs would fit over the guns and ammo in the back. He just grinned and shook his head as he thought about the 60 Cal and ammo for it. Now they would have two of them. And to top it off…he did not have to pay a dime for them.

He made a mental note to send those guys $2000 each when this was over to do whatever they wanted with it. He let out the marine core “Semper FI…” yell and blasted down the road towards the FedEx at the corner of Cobb Parkway and Windy Hill.

TJ received a phone call from Stacie stating they were on their way to Denver and that she now understood from the CNN reports why he wanted her and little Ray safe. She thanked him and told him to do what he had to do to survive. He ed her in the past telling him that when they were together whenever he left for a mission or operation. Memories he thought. Time to focus.

Speaking of women; TJ closed his eyes and prayed that Selena was doing ok. The associate of Hector’s who had made the call to TJ was reluctant to let him know what TJ had said when he called the second time. He also knew how upset Hector could get when things did not go his way.

Salvatore decided to stay a good distance away when he told Hector what TJ said. Salvatore decided the best answer was a short answer. That answer got him killed. When Hector was told that TJ had said he would come for all of them, their businesses, friends and family if one hair on Selena’s head was hurt he flew into one of his rages. He asked Salvatore what he said in return when this “soldier boy” threatened them? Salvatore said he hung up. Hector got out of his chair and said “you did what”? Salvatore said “I hung up”. Before he could say another word Hector shot him right between the

eyes.

Hector motioned to two other men to get that “carcass of a chicken out of his house and yard right away”. They grabbed Salvatore’s body by the legs and arms and dragged him to a nearby Tahoe and sped off with his body. Hector told the rest of the gang that there would be a meeting at the gang’s headquarters off Fulton Industrial near the Swingers hideout and he wanted everyone there at 8pm. The rest of the of the gang immediately began calling, texting and emailing the group. Hector told the group to be ready; they were going to war now. No one was going disrespect him or the Raiders Gang; no one!

As TJ thought of Selena; he relished the idea of having a fully home cooked meal by her. She was beautiful. He felt butterflies in his stomach and he ed what it felt like when he held her close at the hospital.

TJ smiled and he wished she were here but most importantly he needed to get her back safe and whole. He smiled to himself as his heart started beating faster when he thought of her. He pulled into the FedEx Office parking lot. There was something about Selena that started the old fires stirring in his heart. Right now this felt like the mission to end all missions; a storm was coming.

TJ got his signs and folded them up. He bought a staple gun from FedEx and heavy-duty tape. He would post the signs all over so that if you came on the property you really wanted to be there. He had ordered six signs and he decided to add two more to the order. As he waited TJ checked his email and his list. Warren called shortly after and advised him that Mark his supplier in Alabama was on the way to Atlanta and would meet him close to the State line. He told Warren to give his his description and cell number. TJ gave Warren the address of the warehouse and told him what he had in mind. He told him that it would be their base of operations.

Another call came in as he was talking to Warren. It was the rep at the car dealer ship. He told Warren to get as much food as possible and head for the warehouse when he got in. TJ told Warren to relay the info to the rest of the team.

The rep at the dealership called TJ and said they had a 2006 Avalanche but it had a lot of miles on it. He said he had driven it and it drove ok. It was a 4x4 version with towing package.

The rep told TJ the 2006 Avalanche was a dark charcoal almost black in color. The rep said they could get him a good deal on it. The asking price was $7,500 but they could bring that down to $6500 and get him good financing. He gave the go ahead to the rep and told him he needed it gassed up and ready to go when he got there about 4:30pm. The rep said he had already spoken to his Manager and all he needed was for him to give the ok to run his credit again and then get the paperwork ready. TJ gave him the go ahead and told him he would put down $2,000 on it. The Rep said it would have a tag on it and filled with gas at 4:30pm when TJ arrived to pick it up.

TJ hauled ass to the warehouse and began to unload his gear. The power was still running just as he thought. He climbed the stairs to the second floor and saw the office was vacant but musty. He dusted off the counters and then got the Lysol out of the car to spray out the area. He marked out a spot for a medium sized refrigerator. He knew where he could get one at a great price and quickly but he would need the truck for it. He wiped down the counters quickly to lay out the extra weaponry and supplies. He put everything extra out in bunches…the M16s over here…the 60 Cal over here and all the 9mm guns and ammo over here. Surprise, surprise, surprise in the little bag that Al had given him to open later were 2 dozen grenades.

The warehouse office was perfect for what TJ had in mind. From this site he

could see inside the warehouse as well as scan the perimeter. The third floor would be the Eagle roost where the sniper rifle and 60 Cal guns would come in handy. One 60 Cal would cover half of each side of the grounds TJ quickly dressed in the new gear and covered the weaponry with the blankets Bill and Al had given him. He then took the signs and the staple gun along with the tape and posted them at the entrance and along the sides of the main building. He also posted one to the east and another to the west fencing beside the entrance to the property. Since it was sold there should be no “wannabe buyers” sniffing around.

TJ called the ADT guy to make sure that the monitoring installation would take place today. The rep assured him that it would. As a matter of fact he had assigned the work himself to a close friend. TJ told him to tell his friend to be careful and to “touch nothing he saw”. The rep agreed. After posting the signs TJ changed his mind and called the auto dealer rep and asked him if they could have the truck ready to go now. The rep told TJ he would be ready in a half an hour. TJ said he was on the way to get the truck and would need someone to drive it to a location where he needed it. He also asked the rep if they had any multi-enger vans. He needed one that could carry at least 8 or a Suburban type vehicle. Preferably black as well. He told the sales person he would need it in a day or two.

TJ drove over to the Chick-fil-a drive in on Ernest Barret Parkway and got a couple of chicken sandwiches and a couple of bottles of water. He added fries to the order and headed for the Carl Black dealership.

TJ pulled into the Auto dealership near the auto repair section and strolled over to the sales area. He did not want to call attention to his car or himself. He met his sales rep at his office and was told the payments would be $238 for 36 months. TJ signed the papers and pulled out his credit card for the $2000 down payment. The rep agreed to drive the truck behind TJ to the warehouse location. Once there, TJ parked the beast inside the warehouse transferred his M16 and handguns to the Truck. TJ had one 9mm in the

holster and another under the driver’s seat.

The Desert Eagle remained under the enger seat. He had extra ammo and one of the grenade launchers on the back seat. It was a four-door vehicle with a covered back area. The windows were tinted; not as dark as the beast’s windows were but dark enough so that he would not be recognized except up close. TJ and the rep returned to the Carl Black dealership. TJ gave the rep $50 for his troubles and headed out for Alabama. The rep promised to find him a used suburban or van by nightfall.

On the way to Alabama TJ called a local appliance trade store he had used before and asked if he had any midsized refrigerators? The dealer said they had quite a few in stock for sale. Great TJ said he would be there soon for one.

TJ kept scanning the horizon as he headed towards I20 he did not want to let the people looking for him get a jump on him. He had transferred most of the firepower from the Beast to the Truck. It ran great despite the high mileage and 4x4 Automatic transmission. TJ stopped at a QT Service station before getting on I20 West to Alabama and filled the truck up. He checked all the fluids and grabbed a couple of Pepsi’s and some pastries. Time to make some moves he thought. TJ’s phone began ringing like crazy shortly afterward. One after another the other 8 of the team starting with Richard and Jonas the two wild of the team called to check on him and let him know they were on the road to Atlanta. They all asked about little Ray and Stacie. He told the team that Tim was taking care of them and they were on the way to LA and then change planes and head to Tim’s place. From LA Stacie and little Ray were taking a different airline to Denver. It touched him that they would drop everything to cover his six. He thanked them all for coming. The team all told TJ to stay upwind and out of range until they arrived to “unleash some hellfire and brimstone”.

TJ called Warren and told him to tell his supplier that he was headed to meet him and on I20 in a charcoal Avalanche vehicle. He gave him the mile marker number he was ing at the time. He was making good headway.

TJ next received a call from ADT stating that there were strangers parked near his home. They also reported that there were a couple of individuals caught on the monitoring system checking his doors. The monitoring department had triggered the alarm and had alerted the police to scare the individuals off. This meant that the gang had found out who he was.

He called his friend at Verizon and told him to be careful and to have security on alert. He did not want any civilian casualties on his conscience; except maybe Mark Burrows his direct supervisor. Lucky for him he had no close relations with anyone at the Verizon Center. TJ called the local AT&T dealer and requested another cell phone and a new number. The lady there kind of liked him so he asked her if she could block the tracking service for his present device. He also wanted to know if she could transfer all his info to the new phone and have it ready for him in two hours. She said yes. He told her to make it happen and to have a heavy-duty case for it. He selected the new Samsung 5 Note.

It would be a change from the I phone he had now. She gave him the new number. He scribbled it down. He sent a text to all his s with his new number and a note that the old number would shut down in 2 and a half hours. He called Stacie and told her. He called Tim and quickly told him what he was doing. He called Warren and asked him to on the info. TJ slowed down his speed. He thought he should be nearing the end of Villa Rica and closing in on the state line shortly. He knew police usually hid in the bushes near various state lines looking to catch speeders going home. He slowed down to 5 miles over the limit. He did not need any issues now. He called the Police supervisor he had met at the hospital. He advised him of the pending number change and phone change.

He also asked the Police Supervisor to do what he could to make other officers aware of who he was in the Marietta and North Kennesaw areas. He also described the Avalanche to him. TJ received a call from Warren’s friend that he was parked at a RaceTrac Service station waiting for him. TJ asked him to purchase a cooler from the Service station and some ice. He would try to make it look as though they were hunting buddies about to exchange gear and head out on a trip. Based on the mile marker ahead TJ figured he had about ten to 20 minutes more riding ahead of him. He knew that particular RaceTrac service station. He had filled up there a few times and he knew the layout. The plan was to pull up; chat for a bit and then load up the gear and split.

When TJ arrived he drove around the gas station and pulled up to Warren’s friend Gene’s vehicle. They exchanged pleasantries. Gene had the cooler on the ground beside his truck and he had filled it with ice. TJ went inside and bought a six pack of Pepsi, a pack of water, some chips and his favorite pastry. He asked Gene if he wanted anything. He said no. They grabbed the beverages and snacks and headed to the vehicles. TJ kept scanning the sides of the service station. He did not want any issues in Alabama even though the Georgia border was not that far away.

They loaded up the gear and put the cooler in the back of the front enger seat. Gene and TJ quickly transferred the weapons to the back trunk of the Avalanche and covered the trunk. The extra ammo went on the back seat and on the floor in the enger area of the Avalanche. Gene gave TJ a hunting blanket to cover it. TJ hoped with the tint of the glass and the hunting blanket on top of the materials covering everything; if someone looked in the vehicle nothing would be out of the ordinary. TJ quickly paid Gene the discounted price of $4,500 in the front seat and they separated.

TJ headed back for Atlanta. He knew it was now afternoon time and the traffic would be heavier. It also meant that there would be more Police and

Traffic Patrol units on the streets. He had to be alert and stay invisible. That meant he had to watch his speed, lane changes and driving activity closely. He had to be under control at all times.

Warren called shortly after and asked if he was ok and did he get the “shopping cart filled”? Affirmative was the reply from TJ. He told Warren he was headed back to Georgia and should soon be crossing the State line. TJ asked Warren to check on the status of the team . TJ promised to check in with Warren and the team soon. As he drove TJ’s thoughts drifted to the possibilities of having Selena in his life.

After Stacie had walked out on him TJ had taken time to evaluate his life. She was right. He realized she was only pushing him to do more with his life. He had begun to consider getting into an MBA Program or taking part in the partnership programs the government had with Corporate America for returning military people. One step at a time he told himself. Right now he had to gear up for the approaching storm. He knew it would only be a matter of time. TJ began a check list in his mind. He knew that the gang coming after him now knew his name and where he lived. They also probably knew he had a son. He called Tim and told him to block Stacie from calling or ing her family and friends. They had to keep her and little Ray isolated so that the people coming after him could not find them. Then a thought hit TJ. If the gang could not get to him or Roberto they would probably try to strike Selena and Roberto’s next of kin. TJ prayed he was in time. He called Sargent David Walker the Supervisor and asked him to get Roberto’s next of kin info for him.

Sargent Walker agreed to call him back shortly with the information. TJ wanted to put a net around his team and the family to keep each other safe. Sargent Walker called and gave him the numbers to Escobar the associate of Uncle Salvador and the number to Uncle Salvador. He had helped to raise Roberto and Selena after their parents had died. Sargent Walker said Uncle Salvador and Escobar were both men of little talk but were very direct with

him at the hospital.

Roberto was under Police guard at the hospital and several of his male and female relatives were there round the clock. The Police had set up a room next door to Roberto for them.

Next TJ called Escobar and Uncle Salvador to check on them. He also wanted them to let them know that they had better beef up their protection. TJ introduced himself as the man in the fast-black car. They laughed when he told them that. TJ told them that the gang had already found out where he lived. It would only be a matter of time before they found where the family was. He asked them a lot of quick questions. How many people did they have on site? How much firepower did they have? He thought then about moving the family to the ware house compound with his troops. Together they would be able to defend all sides of the property and it was huge. It was an old-style factory with lots of brick structures. It sat on a huge flat rise that allowed one to see in all directions and anyone coming in would have to come through the vegetation below on foot or take the one drive way in.

Either way; they would be easily seen or detected with motion detectors and heat monitors which would allow them a chance to defend themselves. Uncle Salvador and Escobar said they about 20 people and there were kids and family there also. All together Selena’s Uncle Salvador had about 40 people. TJ scanned the Warehouse in his mind’s eye and ed when he had checked out the property there were two dorm buildings there made of total brick with kitchen, bathroom and shower facilities. It was dirty but it would work. That would take care of the females and kids. In his mind’s eye TJ felt with the extra guns they would all be able to survive. The larger dorm would be used by Uncle Salvador and his family. The men would bunk with his team in the other dorm building.

TJ told Uncle Salvador and Escobar what he had in mind. He stressed they would have to move quickly. They would have to stock up on food, water, materials, bedding, blankets and toys. TJ knew the water ran and there was electricity in the buildings. Nights in Georgia could be cool so he suggested they stop by a Walmart and get a few space heaters, blankets, towels and bath supplies. He gave Uncle Salvador the directions to the warehouse property. TJ told them he was on the way there now and advised them to ignore the SOLD signs he had put up. Uncle Salvador figured he and his group would be there in two to three hours. He figured two hours for the travel time and an extra hour for picking up supplies.

TJ told Uncle Salvador he had already heard from the people holding Selena. Once the family was safe and his team arrived they would be taking action to free her. Uncle Salvador and Escobar agreed with TJ and said they were on the way after he gave them the directions again to be sure they got there. He hung up.

TJ made a mental note to get some mini gas cans and have them spread around the perimeter as mini mines for him and his team to shoot at. He also thought of the old medieval knights and their castles. They could dig a mini mote on the perimeter areas and fill them with gasoline or jet fuel and light them up if they were being full on assaulted. He also ed that Darren from his team was a big-time hunter and loved bow and arrows. TJ knew that the “silent kill” of an arrow would also cause the other attackers to “think twice” or lose heart. He called Darren and his “southern accent” through loud and clear on his “howdy lieutenant”. TJ told Darren about a Dick’s Sporting Goods Store in Kennesaw on the way to the warehouse area.

TJ quickly told him to get as many arrows and bows as he could. He also made sure that Warren had told Darren about the location. Darren confirmed the address and location. He already had it programmed into his truck’s GPS and should be there in a few hours. TJ told him to be careful and to stay alert.

TJ made a note of things to do. First up…get the gear to the warehouse. Second…get the phone changed. Third…get Uncle Salvador, Escobar and their families in the compound and secure. TJ then called AJ or “The Wiz” as he was known on the team. The Wiz was a person of contrasts. He was a great computer wizard, black belt in Aikido, top sniper scores and the quietest person ever. He called and told AJ that the warehouse where they would be holed up in needed perimeter monitoring along with the ADT materials that he would have in place. TJ told the Wiz that what he had in mind were remote controlled flood lights in sections that would temporarily turn the night into day to stun their attackers should they need it. They would also need to be able to block and lock down all frequencies of their attackers. The Wiz told TJ he had packed all his electronic and computer gear. He would pick up flood lights and have them with him. TJ told him he would get some lights as well.

The Wiz told TJ not to worry whatever they had he would make it work. TJ knew better than to bet against the Wiz. TJ told the Wiz to stay alert and he would see him in a couple of hours. The trip back into Georgia was proving non-eventful until he heard an alert on his phone. He picked it up and it was Sargent David Walker, the Supervisor from the Police department. He had two bad things to make TJ aware of; a police officer who knew the gang that was after him had given them info on TJ.

Second TJ’s apartment had been set on fire a short time ago. Luckily the neighbors had spotted it before it became out of control and the fire department had taken care of everything. Sargent Walker said that they had the “turncoat” officer in custody and were attempting to secure what

they could on their end to make sure nothing else went wrong. TJ thanked him and hung up. TJ knew for sure now that there was no turning back. The storm was headed his way and he was never one to back down when threatened. Like a junk yard dog…he could and would stand his ground. A line had been drawn in the sand and there was no crossing it. These gang were starting to agitate an eagle. It was time to take some heat to them.

TJ began considering the places where the gang did business or hung out that were written on the pad. He ed one as a pool hall away from everyone near downtown. It was off the beaten track; hiding in plain sight they said. Well it was going to have a house call tonight. Warren called shortly after stating he was in Georgia and headed around I285 to come north to the warehouse site. TJ briefed Warren on what had happened since they last spoke and his idea for the mote. Warren told him to forget the mote and the gas cans that he had a few surprises stored in his truck. Warren said his surprises were named “land mines…” that he was bringing to the party. TJ told him the same as the others; to stay alert and he would see him soon.

TJ had switched from I-285 and had chosen to return to the warehouse by way of I-5 and I-92 North. He had cut across a lot of territory and would be at the warehouse in 10 to 15 minutes. He made note to get a lot of playing cards, board games, flashlights, batteries, water, juice and stuff. He decided in his mind that two medium sized refrigerators would work best for this site. One in the dorm area in the south west side where the families would be and one in the command center where the team and whoever Salvador brought with him would be. He also made a note to get blankets and materials on his stop. Never could have too many blankets for kids and families.

The refrigerator store where he would get them from was not too far away from the warehouse site. It was near Barrett Parkway and 41 North. He

would go there after he got the new phone and get them in place for the supplies. He also wondered if a small freezer for the family area would not go with what they had as well. It was better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it. He opted for the latter. He would get one.

First, he had to get to the warehouse and stack the supplies, get his new phone up and running with the new number and have the phone Company block his old number. They were making progress thought TJ.

Warren called to say he was at a Walmart and was there anything he could get. TJ told him…water, microwave unit, microwaveable food, lots of blankets, pillows and a few space heaters 6 to 8. TJ told him to pick up some decks of cards, a small TV/DVD combo unit and some kids DVDS. TJ quickly told him that some families would be stored in one of the bunkhouses away from them. He also wanted at least two 150 feet extension cables; preferably black. In case there was no power in the bunk houses they would run the electric from the main building. He also told Warren to get some fuses for the fuse box. It was the old-style fuse system. Warren told him he would see him within an hour. TJ clicked off and decided to speed up a little he had a lot of things to do and the window of time before the storm was closing fast.

TJ called his friend at the cell phone store and told him he was on the way there. The friend said in half hour his phone would be dead and he would need to have the new one. TJ gave him the green light. His friend also said anyone trying to retrieve info on the phone or numbers it calls or had called would also not have access as of that half hour. TJ told him he owed him and explained that it was a “life and death matter” and the friend said he had never let him down before. He would not let him down now.

Just then Darren called to ask if TJ would mind if two of his hunting buddies from Atlanta who were both ex-military wanted to the party.

TJ gave his blessing and told Darren to tell them where they would be holing up. One of the men was an ex-marine and the other was an ex-army buddy. All three of them had hunted together all their lives. They were all great hunters. They were good long-distance shooters and also loved the bows and arrows. This would be perfect for them thought TJ.

TJ pulled the avalanche up the warehouse doors. He pulled into the warehouse area… The set up was perfect. He could pull into the warehouse and unload without being seen and then close the door and head out for cell phone store and then the refrigerators. This was not a neighborhood area. It was strictly spaced out and industrial for thirty plus miles.

TJ felt he did not have to worry about neighbors getting caught in the line of fire. If you came calling…you wanted to be in the area and would get what you deserved – hellfire and brimstone.

Escobar and Uncle Salvador were worried. They felt that they were taking too long to get to the warehouse and the Walmart. They had about twelve vehicles following each other and they had to cover a lot of ground quickly. I-85N was moving too slowly. Then Uncle Salvador ed the short cut that TJ had taken earlier. He advised the group to get to I-5N and use it and then switch to I-92 and they would beat the slowdown areas. Everyone agreed and they began to make more time.

Selena was worried. The gang had made sexual threats to her while they drove her to a huge house in Alpharetta. One of them kept staring at her and licking his lips. She was not afraid. Her Uncle Salvador had taught her to stand up for herself. One or two women and men had found out the hard way that she could hold her own. The last guy to touch her ass without invitation had received a black eye and kick to the groin for

it. Oh, by the way she had been in the army for four years.

Selena was not worried for herself. She was worried that because the gang had her captive; her brother and new friend were now in harm’s way. She had thought she heard Hector’s voice earlier before she had heard a single shot but now there was only music being played over the home sound system and silence where she was in the home. Her guess was that it was a mansion and she was being kept in one of the far wings away from the main entrance. She had received a few sandwiches, sodas, water, Gatorade and fruit after being placed in the room. There was an ading bathroom. Selena smiled as she thought about TJ. When he left her at the hospital he had told her to be careful. She had forgotten to tell him that she had spent time in the army. She smiled again. She had gone through basic training when she was in her “tom boy phase”. Selena had stayed in the army until she was 22. She had left the army to attend college and be with her family. She knew her brother was in a gang for a while. Selena knew some of the gang that hung with him but she had always kept away from Roberto.

Now life had come full circle. Where her family had fed and sheltered Hector before; Hector and his gang were all now gunning for her, her family and TJ. Family she thought as she looked out the window; her mind trailing off. She had dated a few men but none had “caught her attention” to the point where she wanted to build on it. She had remained focused on her career with SunTrust Bank. She was now and Assistant Manager and moving up quite nicely.

She smiled as she thought of TJ. He was tall, dark, handsome, strong and commanding. She ed him buckling her in and telling her to calm down as he would need her to stop screaming and making loud noises as he drove fast. She ed his powerful voice and the intensity of his eyes.

Selena had kept crying and had gotten scared as he had swung left and then right around slow-moving vehicles in order to get to the hospital quickly. Her eyes had gotten big the one time she glanced at the speedometer and noticed they were traveling at over 110 miles per hour and climbing. Selena noticed how calm TJ was as he moved his vehicle through traffic. He never panicked. He had hit the horn a few times but never “lost control”. She noticed how he quickly slid the vehicle to a stop and immediately began getting her brother out of the back trunk all the while giving info to the attendants. She had run in with the attendants and her brother. However, as she ran she had looked back at him. She had decided right then that no matter what; she would follow his direction where ever it led.

There was something about TJ Selena thought. He was like the “eye of the storm”; calm and safe harbor. Selena hoped and prayed in English and in Spanish that she, her family and TJ and his friends would make it out safely. She knew trouble was coming their way. She also knew that her family, along with TJ and his friends would have to make a stand. She hoped it would not be their last stand.

TJ rushed into the cell phone store. His friend was waiting for him with the phone and the necessary accessories. As a longtime customer the case had come free. The ear piece had already been programmed to the phone. His friend took TJ’s old phone and put the sim card in the new phone.

The rep took the new phone in the back and programmed it and came rushing back in ten minutes…done. TJ paid the bill and gave his friend a folded $50 thank you note. Next stop, the refrigerator store. At the refrigerator store TJ selected two midsized refrigerators and they were loaded on the back. He then found a midsized freezer and added that to the load in the back. The staff helped him tether the equipment to the rails of the Avalanche. TJ headed back to the warehouse to get them in place. Once at the warehouse TJ unloaded the Freezer and one refrigerator in the dorm area and found out that there was power there. GREAT one problem solved.

Next, he moved to the main ware house area and decided to place the second refrigerator on the first floor of the warehouse office area.

TJ powered it up and then began a mental checklist. As he ran through things in his mind he heard a honking sound outside and up pulled Warren screaming and yelling Semper Fi and Black Eagle. TJ and Warren exchanged hi fives and hugs. TJ jumped into the Beast to survey the property with Warren following behind him. They looked at all four sides and started playing out scenarios in their heads. TJ updated Warren on the events to this point and the fact that Selena’s family with 20 guns should be there shortly. Warren agreed with TJ that he and the Team should take the perimeter and Uncle Salvador and his team should back them up. They dropped off the supplies for the dorm that Warren had gotten.

Back at the main building TJ and Warren unloaded the mines, guns, grenades and other materials that Warren had brought. They left the mines on the ground floor but placed all the guns on the second floor. Warren suggested they set up separate areas for the ammo for each of the weapon types. TJ agreed and they set it up and covered it all with tarps. Warren and TJ went over to the dorm buildings and double checked everything. The buildings smelled a bit musty but it was safe and it would do. The water was running. They flushed all the toilets and checked the showers and faucets. They checked out the sleeping areas and the midsized kitchen. Everything was working in them. TJ and Warren agreed they would need air freshener and Lysol spray to air out the living area. They left all the doors open to help.

They powered up the freezer and wiped it and the refrigerator down. There were multiple bunk beds all over the living area and space to place blankets for others to sleep. It would have to do. The buildings were old style and had solid brick walls. The glass windows at each end could be covered up.

TJ and Warren went up to the third floor and looked around. They discussed options. There were windows that pushed out from which you could take rifle or bow and arrow shots without being visible. TJ told Warren that he envisioned Darren and his hunting buddies using this area along with the 60 Cal guns covering the main entrance and the far sides. Warren agreed.

The ADT guy showed up and immediately began wiring everything with cameras and set up monitors for everything on the second floor. He was given the $50 handshake as he moved quickly to hook up cameras in all directions and also set up additional cameras to monitor the living area as well. They were all tied in to the one command center on the second floor. This way TJ and Selena’s uncle could deploy additional where needed. A short time later Darren arrived and began setting up his stuff on the third floor. He also had camping equipment and sleeping materials. He had thought to sleep near his post on the third floor. TJ and Warren agreed with him. Darren had also brought extra gear for his two hunting buddies.

They lived in the Woodstock and Cherokee County areas and would be arriving soon. TJ had already briefed Warren on his plan to bring Escobar, Uncle Salvador and their group to the site. The extra manpower would help secure the grounds and the families would be set up in the dorm area.Warren took off for the Walmart nearby to get more blankets, sheets, pillows, pillow cases, water, peanut butter, jelly, bread, Gatorade, Lysol, Air freshener, two medium sized microwaves and surge protectors. TJ gave Warren $800 from the war chest to help. Just as Warren pulled out to go to Walmart Uncle Salvador, Escobar and their caravan pulled up at the warehouse compound.

Uncle Salvador walked up and extended his hand. They shook hands and TJ told him of his plans for the family and the men. Next came Escobar and they shook hands as well. They pulled around to the dorm area and TJ showed them the living quarters with the kitchen and bathroom facilities.

He told them that one of his men was already on the way to Walmart for Lysol and Air fresheners to take the musty smell away. There were several young kids there and they immediately took a liking to the TV/video combo that was bought for them. Some of the kids had their own tablets. They were happy with the electrical power for their machines. Good – anything to keep their attention and out of harm’s way. There were 8 women and seven children ranging in age from 15 to 1.

The women immediately began to tape up the ten windows in the dorm areas and to clean them up. Uncle Salvador’s group had also brought blankets and sheets so they began preparing the sleeping areas. Some of the women began stocking the refrigerator and the freezer.

TJ advised Uncle Salvador and Escobar to feed his family and men now. Let them rest and then start a rotating guard system for both dorms. TJ told Uncle Salvador and Escobar that he wanted to have him and his men handle the perimeter and Uncle Salvador and his men would cover the family and interior areas. They all agreed on the plan. TJ said a silent prayer that hopefully at the end of this saga he would be able to hold Selena close again.

He left Uncle Salvador, Escobar and his family to coordinate things at the dorm buildings and went back to main building in the beast. TJ stressed to them before heading to the main building that their team needed to rest now because by sundown trouble would be headed their way. TJ figured if not sundown at least by tomorrow night trouble would arrive. Darren’s two friends showed up and were quickly briefed on what was going on. They had brought a cooler and extra ice. They were introduced to everyone and immediately began setting up shop on the third floor. Warren returned and it was reunion time for the gang. Then Warren took the supplies to the dorms for them to get that squared away along with the cards and games.

There was a huddle called on the second floor and everyone began to be briefed on the situation and plans for the property. Warren decided it was better to start setting the mines on the perimeter of the property along with remote explosives. That was his area of expertise; no questions asked. TJ had Warren drive to the dorm and gave Uncle Salvador and their team an update. TJ also wanted him to be the one to tell them to keep all the kids and his team away from those areas. TJ told Warren once all the team were in place he could set up mines and other explosives on the entrance roadway.

The Wiz arrived a short time later and began taking command of the systems and the monitoring equipment. He also had some infrared cameras and equipment that would allow the team to see the attackers but they would not be able to see TJ and the team. Since the gang had found out about TJ. They would eventually find out about the warehouse location. The group knew that in a matter of time they would find them. They had to be ready. First things first; they had to give the gang a sign that they were serious. The Wiz, Warren and the team huddled on what would be a fitting target to hit to let the gang know we were serious. They decided that two targets would be hit the same time; in two hours from now. They selected the site near downtown. They also selected a site in Marietta near Austell Road that the gang hung out in.

TJ and Warren would hit the site down town and The Wiz and Darren would hit the other site at the same time near Austell Road. The plan was a long-range rocket loaded with smoke and tear gas would hit the buildings first. Whoever stayed inside the building after the smoke and tear gas ignited; well too bad. Next would come a “rocket with the sound of thunder”. The two teams headed out. TJ and Warren took the Beast and Wiz and Darren in the Avalanche. Both teams had rocket launchers and extra rockets with them. At each location the teams parked a half mile away. They had their video monitors courtesy of The Wiz. They locked in on the targets and started using Google maps to observe each site. An hour later they received the word to fire the first of the two rockets. Off went the rockets on their happy missions to fill the locations with smoke and tear gas.

The two teams watched and laughed as men, women, boys and “wanna be soldiers” came running out of the places looking around as the buildings filled with smoke and tear gas. Look out people thought TJ here comes the sound of thunder to help you quit the gang life. He fired his rocket just as Darren and the Wiz fired theirs. Neither team waited around for the rockets to go off. They were on their way back to the warehouse compound in Kennesaw. An hour and a half later the remaining of the team arrived. The information came in from Michael about the leaders of the gang and especially Hector. He was suspected in a number of homicides but there was never any proof or witnesses willing to testify.

TJ called Sargent Walker and asked about the information on Hector and his whereabouts. Sargent Walker emailed TJ a file that included Hector’s juvenile file, criminal record and a huge estate home in Alpharetta. He also had a location off Fulton Industrial that the Raiders used as their main headquarters. Sargent Walker remained on the phone until TJ and Warren confirmed that they had the information converted to their laptops. TJ thanked him for his assistance to date and asked if a trust fund was being set up for the two deceased officers? He promised to donate $6,000 on behalf of him, his seal team and Selena’s family. Sargent Walker said he was “touched by the gesture” and he knew the families of the officers would appreciate it. TJ introduced the Wiz and Warren to Sargent Walker in case they needed to touch base with him for any reason. They all exchanged numbers and then it was planning time.

The Wiz fired up a program connected with a top-secret satellite system and Warren fired up google maps on his lap top. They began to review Hector’s estate and the gang’s main site on Fulton Industrial. The site on Fulton Industrial was a little tough because it sat on a hill with great visibility of the surrounding access roads. To offset that visibility the team would have to hit the site with two long range rocket shots to have any effect safely. Attacking them would put the team at too much risk.

Warren stepped in and said they did not need to attack the Fulton Industrial site. They only needed to hit it like the other two sites and instill fear in the of the gang. Everyone agreed on that.

As for Hector’s home location the group believed that that was where Selena was being held but they needed to be sure. They decided to try reverse calling the gang. The Wiz tapped TJ’s phone and had him try calling back the number that called him seeking to speak with Selena to assure that she was alive. They all waited as the phone rang and rang some more. Then a Spanish sounding person came on the line. TJ told them that he was the one in the Black car. He wanted to speak with Hector. He also wanted to be assured that Selena was unhurt. The Wiz told TJ to stay on the line as long as he could so that they could triangulate the call. TJ nodded his head in agreement. At first the guy on the phone played “stupid” and said that there was no Hector there and he had the wrong number.

TJ told him in a very low voice; I know that you were the guys that called me twice before. So, let us stop with the games and put Hector on the phone. TJ could hear the guy talking to a couple of other men and then he was walking down a long corridor and finally another voice came on the phone. This was Hector thought TJ. Strong, confident, arrogant is what his file said. He was considered bi-polar and mildly psychopathic.

The male voice on the other end of the phone told TJ he was Hector and asked TJ if he was the one that had killed his boys earlier in the day. TJ said yes that was him. TJ said he wanted Hector and the gang to know that he was a serious person just like them. He did not usually bother people but; if people bothered him, his family or his friends well he would strike back. Hector just laughed when TJ said that. Hector said he liked TJ’s attitude and that he was the same way and he would enjoy killing him, his family, his son and Selena. He started howling like a wolf. Well TJ said; since you have not agreed to my request to put Selena on the phone my team of Seals and I

will take it that she is dead. So; it’s time to come after you and let you feel my pain. Stand by your phone TJ told Hector and stay put there is more bad news headed your way. TJ hung up.

TJ told the group what had happened. He pointed out the police report and analysis of Hector. The analysts and psychiatrists believed that due to his poor treatment by his father he was partially insane. Well insane or not the Fulton Industrial site was going to become “scorched earth”. With Darren riding shotgun TJ headed out to personally level it. First there would be long distance silent kills. He and Darren were both excellent shots. They would take out the sentries silently; then the tear gas and smoke would come and then they would each fire a rocket into the building. That should level it.

Anyone that stayed inside when the tear gas and smoke hit; well that was their problem. TJ circled through various back roads and side roads that allowed him to stay off I285, I41 and I75 to get to the Fulton Industrial area. There was an old truck site just over a quarter mile distance from the Raider’s headquarters where TJ and Darren would bring the war to the gang. They unpacked the Beast. They laid out their weapons. First, they would select two of the gang on the perimeter and hit them with silent shots. They were out in the open drinking, smoking, chatting, dancing and acting like they were invincible.

Tonight, was judgment time for some of them thought TJ. Darren would take the right side and hit two or three people and TJ would take the left side and do the same. Like the buzzing of a bee; one was hit in the chest and dropped. Another was hit in the stomach and dropped. Then two more were hit in the upper torso and dropped. After that two more men were hit in the head dropped. People were scurrying around looking and firing randomly. Darren and TJ were out of pistol range. They laughed as they loaded the smoke and tear gas missiles. Here we go they said. One, two and away the rockets went. One hit the left side and the other hit the right side of the

building and then there was smoke and tear gas everywhere. People were running out of the building coughing and wheezing. Many of them were falling to their knees and rubbing their eyes.

Now it was time for the big bang said Darren. He laughed as he and TJ shouldered their rocket launchers and let fire.

Darren and TJ did not have to watch what happened; they knew what the results would be. They began packing their launchers, rifles and other materials inside the Beast and eased out of the area. TJ and Darren headed back to their base in Kennesaw. Ten minutes later TJ’s phone rang. It was Hector on the phone saying he was going to send TJ Selena’s head in a bag. He said he just received a call of an explosion at his gang’s Fulton Industrial gathering place. TJ said as far as he was concerned Selena was already dead and he was going to level everything Hector owned, used or the gang used and including that big pretty house in Alpharetta.

Hector went silent when TJ said that. Yeah, TJ said my team and I know about that 12 bed rooms, 7.5 bath with the two tennis courts, huge pool, eight-foot wall and mini moat around the house. But just like your other places; we don’t have to knock on your door to level stuff. We have the tools and we are well trained by Uncle Sam. TJ told Hector you have killed or your people have killed at your direction a Police officer that was a friend and I owe you for that. You have killed Selena and I really, really, really owe you for that So Hector get ready; said TJ I’m a very angry Black Eagle and I am going to howl over your dead or dying carcass. TJ let out an eagle war cry and hung up.

Darren started laughing because he knew that whenever TJ howled; it was not good for the opposition. Darren said “here we go” and TJ said “you know it”.

When they pulled into the compound they found a bee hive of activity. The women were cooking hot dogs, hamburgers and micro wave meals. There were sentries out patrolling the grounds and the 60 Cal’s were already in position on the top floor and manned. TJ filled Uncle Salvador, Escobar and the team in on what had happened as well as the phone call from Hector. TJ said he was not definitely sure that Selena was dead. He was counting on the Wiz to use the Satellites and heat signatures to tell him. He strongly believed Selena was somewhere in that house. The question was where? The Wiz was going to have to use his equipment, satellites and whatever else he could to see if he could detect Selena’s presence in that house before it was hit. The plan was to hit it the next night.

The Wiz, Darren and Warren huddled through the remainder of the night in the second-floor command center trying to peer through the walls of Hector’s estate. Inside the compound Selena was restless. Morning had come; she was still alive. She had been confronted by Hector for the first time and he told her that she was going to die and he would send her head to her new friend TJ. He was wired and angry. Selena smiled when Hector said that.

Selena guessed that Hector had spoken to TJ and from his reaction he had met someone that was not afraid of him or his gang. Selena said nothing but as a former army soldier she knew when she could smell fear. Right now, Hector was facing someone that would not back down for the first time. She smirked when Hector told her again how he would rape and kill her. She now knew what her father had told her about Hector was true. He could be loving and ionate and flip a switch and become cold and non-caring in a second. Her father believed the bad treatment Hector had received from his father had made him this way. Selena said nothing and Hector turned and stomped out of the room and slammed the door shut. Selena could hear the receding footsteps fading off into the distance.

She knew right then that some way or somehow TJ was plotting to rescue her and now Hector also knew that TJ cared for and about her. Knowing TJ the short time that she did; Selena felt he had probably told Hector that if she was already dead he was going to level everything Hector owned or the gang used. TJ probably had already blown up a few things by the agitated way the gang that brought her food now treated her. Gone were the threats of rape and violence.

The Raiders gang now had learned fear 101. They were not dealing with old people or people that had no guns or if they had guns were not battle tested like TJ and his crew.

The gang probably had had some of their friends killed or blown up by TJ and his crew. They were now “shitting bricks” thinking that they were next. They were probably right about being next on TJ’s hit list if he thought she was already dead. She smiled as she thought of “her knight in the fast-black car”. Selena was worried about Uncle Salvador and the remainder of the family. She knew Roberto was safe in the hospital. He was under Police protection around the clock. Selena prayed that TJ and his crew would come through for her. She wanted to fulfill her promise to cook a full meal for the man of her dreams, TJ.

The Wiz finally called TJ to come to the second floor about 2pm the next day. TJ awoke and grabbed his M16 and double timed it from the second bunkhouse to the main command center. The Wiz, Warren and Darren had found a program that the SAS and SWAT used and had applied it to Hector’s house. They had found multiple silhouettes of females by the pool area. They had only found one female silhouette in a room off on the West Wing of the mansion near the first set of tennis courts. That person appeared to be pacing the room. It had to be Selena. TJ was very relieved. He told the Darren to take the Avalanche and get Escobar and Uncle Salvador and bring them to the command center to see the image themselves. They needed a little bit of positive news just like he did. Ok

thought TJ; next stop the Mansion. They had to get Selena out of there.

TJ told Darren and Warren to start plotting how best to get in there and bring Selena out safely and “no crazy stuff either”. They all laughed. The main barrier was the 8-foot wall. There were ways that they could get to the wall from the bushes on the side, the front and the back but the question was getting over it. They had wall mounted cameras with good night vision based on what they saw. The building was well back from the road and not easy to get to. Going up the drive way was suicide as there was only one way in and one way out. The traffic generally used the U-shaped drive way in front of the house to get to the outbound lane. The roof had a steep angle so coming in from above would be tough and make them extremely vulnerable. So that was out of the question.

When Uncle Salvador and Escobar arrived; Darren, Warren and the Wiz showed them the image of the person in the West Wing Room. They also showed the images of other women near the pool area. It was indeed a female image but this one was trapped behind closed doors. The others were out “shaking their assets” by the pool areas. TJ told Uncle Salvador and Escobar they were working on a plan to get her free come nightfall. Uncle Salvador gave all three of the men a firm hug and thank you for all they were doing. TJ told Uncle Salvador that they were not going to attack any more of the gang’s hideouts. As of now they would concentrate on getting Selena back safely. That was priority number one. Uncle Salvador again thanked the men and TJ. He and Escobar thanked them for their efforts and assistance.

Darren drove Uncle Salvador and Escobar back to the bunkhouses to share the news with their family and friends.

After the departure of Escobar and Uncle Salvador the team began considering options to secure the release of Selena. There was nothing that

the leader of the gang wanted which they were willing to trade to get Selena back. They were not putting Roberto in harm’s way. They would have to take Selena back by force. How was the big question that needed to be answered?

How about the Trojan horse program said the Wiz? They would get a used truck and paint it black. The Wiz could remote wire it so that he could drive it straight through the front gate and set it off with explosives inside. Enough explosives that it would draw all the fire of the gang inside the compound. Four of The rest of the team would also be firing from the bushes and moving to draw more fire from the gang. They would be thinking it was a frontal assault. In the meantime; TJ and Warren would go through the back service entrance area and using AR-15’s and hand guns with silencers to rescue Selena. A second vehicle would be ready to be sent remotely with a bigger batch of explosives to get the gangs attention and allow the team to withdraw back to the compound. The plan sounded like a winner. They would need two used cars quickly. TJ called his friend at the dealer ship and explained he needed two used Ford vehicles. The Wiz said Fords were easier to wire. TJ told him he was buying them cash for a special project and needed them by midday the next day.

The sales person said give him a couple hours and he would be at the dealership early and find two for him in the under $5,000 range. A trio of people were sent to the nearby Walmart to get more food, water, beverages, chips and supplies. Two large first aid kits were also put on the list in case anyone was hurt or injured. There was a huge Walmart store that stayed open 24 hours in the area. TJ gave them $1,200.00 from the war chest to make sure they had enough money.

TJ hung up from the sales person and asked the Wiz what he would need for the remotes for the cars. He told him about $700 to $800 worth of equipment that he could purchase at the computer store and he would make it work. TJ gave The Wiz $1800.00 from the war chest to make sure he had

enough. TJ had worked with his team so long that they all knew what the other was thinking and how each would react. They had a group huddle and explained what was going on. They reviewed the tentative plan to attack the Estate in Alpharetta where Selena was being kept. They would attack right after nightfall. TJ called the sales person back and advised of the need for a large van or extra-large suburban. The sales person said they had one but it was white. It was a 2002 in decent condition with high miles. It was going for $5,000 but could be sold for much less if he got the two other cars. He figured everything would be about $9800 for all three vehicles in a worst case scenario from what he could see. He would be sure of it in the morning after speaking with his boss. TJ told him to make it happen and it would be a cash deal.

Warren set up the rotation of the team for the night and morning watches and then it was time to rest. TJ was restless as he fell asleep. He hoped and he prayed that they would be in time to save Selena. They could not use any smoke or tear gas this time so that there would be minimal collateral damage. Only those that are a threat or raised a weapon would be shot. He prayed that they would all make it out safely. He tossed and turned. He hoped that if Selena was the person in the West Wing she knew he was coming to get her out. TJ finally fell asleep as dawn broke.

The Sales rep at the dealership arrived early and checked his inventory on the computer and then he went out by hand and checked out the three vehicles he had in mind. He test drove them around the lot multiple times. He then gave a mechanic $40.00 of his own money and told him that he needed to be sure that all three vehicles ran right and were topped off with engine fluids and fuel. He had a feeling that whatever TJ had in mind for them he would not want them breaking down. He went to the Paint Shop and asked about black spray painting the Van and how quickly it could be done. The Manager of the paint shop said if the Van only needed one layer and it did not have to be perfect $300 dollars and he could have it done in an hour and a half. The Sales person told him he would vouch for the customer and to have it painted Black right away. The Sales person told the mechanic to check out the Van first and then take it to the Manager in the

paint shop quickly.

The sales person then met with his sales manager and explained that they had three vehicles he wanted to sell in a cash deal to the man that had purchased the Avalanche.

The sales person said he needed the best pricing they could get. The man needed them by midday. He gave the stock numbers to the Manager and told him he had personally verified that all three vehicles were on site and available for sale. A 1999 Ford Taurus, a 2002 Mustang and a 2002 Suburban van.

All three vehicles were worth about $5,000 to the dealership due to their age and high mileage. The sales manager agreed to part with all three vehicles for $6800.00 cash or credit card. The dealer would not have to hassle with a used car buy person to get rid of them. The Sales person immediately called TJ and told him that with taxes and tags it was $7,740.00 out the door for the three vehicles. He told TJ that he was getting the Van sprayed black as he spoke. He told TJ that that was why the price was $300.00 from where he wanted it to be. TJ said he would be there with a cashier’s check for the price at 12 noon and to have them ready to go and away from the main building. The sales person told him to come into the dealership near the used car lot. He would have all the papers ready and a receipt as well. TJ thanked the sales person for his assistance.

TJ said to himself he would be giving the man a vacation trip on him when he went there. He would give him $1,000 extra in cash. He told The Wiz that he had a Mustang for the first knock on the door and a Ford Taurus for the final knock on the door at Hector’s estate. The Wiz headed out to the Micro Center store on Powers Ferry Road. The Wiz had to get the components he needed to remote drive the Taurus and the Mustang. Warren and Darren went to see a friend of Darren’s in Woodstock for extra explosives to make

the “two knock call” on Hector’s estate. TJ rose and went to the SunTrust bank on Barrett Parkway and secured a cashier’s check for the vehicles and an extra $7,000.00 in cash for the of the team and Uncle Salvador in case it was needed.

The trio of Darren, The Wiz and Warren had already mapped out an “A” route to Hector’s estate. They had also mapped out a “B” and a “C” route to and from Hector’s estate. The group of Darren, The Wiz and everyone else would travel in the Suburban and attack the front of the estate. Two would drive the Mustang and Taurus behind the Suburban. Then the Mustang would go calling on the estate going through the out-bound lane. Once TJ had found Selena and freed her. He and Warren would give the Wiz the go ahead to send the Taurus calling up the inbound lane of the home. TJ reminded those shooting at the home from the bushes to not shoot in the direction of the west wing.

They were not even shoot at the walls in that area unless there was a “clear target”. They all agreed. TJ, Darren, Jonas were dropped off by the Wiz at the dealership at 11:45am. TJ found the Sales person already waiting with the vehicles all ready to go. TJ gave him the cashier’s check and a sealed envelope that he was not to open until they had left the property. They shook hands and TJ and his team headed out with the three vehicles.

After TJ and the team had left on opening the envelope the Sales person found a note saying “Take a Vacation and enjoy life…” the man in the fastblack car on TV. There was $2500 in cash in the envelope. Only then did he realize who he was dealing with. He said a silent prayer for TJ and his men. He raced into the Sales Manager’s office and gave him $50.00 and then to the Manager of the Paint shop and gave him $50.00 as well. He located the mechanic that had helped him with the vehicles and gave him $50.00 also. He knew that he would get a commission from the Avalanche Sale and financing, the sale of the three vehicles and now TJ had given him a gift. He believed in sharing.

TJ and the team pulled into the compound and began loading up the vehicles with their gear. The Wiz began working quickly on the Mustang and the Taurus to set up the remote controls. Then he loaded the vehicles with the explosives.

Then it was time for a full-on meeting and heading out to Hector’s place. In the meeting TJ reminded the shooters to keep moving while shooting at the front of Hector’s estate. Again, he stressed no shooting at the Western wing. The group headed out for Alpharetta. TJ and Warren gathered their night vision gear and TJ told Warren to bring along an extra handgun for Selena and he would have an extra M16 slung across his back for her as well. Hector had a bad feeling after his conversation with TJ. He did not know why but he just did not feel right. He flash-backed to the nights when he came home and sensed his father was going to fly into one of his rages. He felt as though he was walking on egg shells in the home.

That same feeling was coming back to him as he sat by the pool with Rita one of his favorite girls curled up in his lap. Hector had wanted Rita to have his kid but she was not into losing her figure for anyone. She said that was her money; her body. She was a top stripper at several Atlanta Clubs. She had always insisted that he use a condom when they had sex. Hector had been with many girls for all the wrong reasons but he always had the reverse feeling with the other girls he dated or messed around with. He did not want kids with anyone but Rita. She insisted on protected sex and the others wanted a child with Hector but with them he insisted on protected sex. Not tonight thought Hector as Rita lay in his lap.

Come on baby he said as he shook her a little and started to get up. It was time for Hector to rule. He pulled her by the arm and they headed for his room. In her mind Rita thought they would make love as usual but Hector was in his “foul mood tonight” and Rita was going to get what he had in mind for her for a long time but had never done it. He had forced himself on

other women in the past and he was about to do it again. He had to let Rita know and show her who was the boss! He tucked his 9 mm in his waist band and began pulling her towards his master bedroom. He told every gang member he ed to be alert in case anything happened. Hector and Rita rode the elevator to the second floor headed towards Hector’s master bedroom. Rita was checking her purse for condoms. Hector told her that they would not need them.

Rita stupidly believed that that meant Hector only wanted a blow job. She was in for a rude awakening. Right after Hector closed and locked the bedroom door he turned and backhanded Rita across the face. She flew over the coffee table. She was only 5 feet 5 inches tall and weighed 119 pounds soaking wet. Hector pulled her up off the floor by her hair and slapped her again. She began to scream. He took the gun out and put it to her head and told her “one more sound bitch and you’re dead”. Rita immediately shut up. She whimpered as her lip and cheeks became swollen. She had a dark brown complexion and came from the Dominican Republic.

Hector told her to get on her knees and give him a blow job. He was already swollen stiff from anticipation. Rita did as she was told. He waved the gun in her face to remind her that he was in charge. Then he told her to stand up. He ripped off the red bikini she had on. He yanked off the top and the bottom and threw it to the floor. He told her to turn around and touch her toes. She did as she was told. He fingered her until she was moist and then he rammed his stiff member into her as far as he could go. She groaned a bit but did not scream. She was mindful that he was enraged and he also had a gun and did not care about killing or hurting her. She had been told that by other girls who had dated Hector. She had been warned to stay away from him. Hector had bought her expensive gifts, taken her on trips and given her a new car. Now she was paying in pain for those gifts. Rita’s vagina was aflame with pain as Hector savagely thrust deeper and deeper into her.

Then Hector stopped thrusting. He pulled his swollen shaft out of her and

picked her up. He tossed her onto the massive bed. The bed that they had shared and made love in over and over was now her bed of misery as pushed her face down on it. He was going to let her know who was in charge right now. He placed her face down on the bed. He told her not to move an inch or she was dead. Rita was relieved that he was not tearing up her insides but now she felt real fear. What was he doing?

What was he planning for her? She dared not turn to look. Then she heard him taking off his pants and shoes. He told her to spread her legs. Rita did as she was told hoping and praying that she would make it out of the bedroom alive.

Hector kissed her on her back and then on her shoulders. Rita began to become aroused by his kisses. This was the Hector she knew and loved. Not the savage one from before. He continued to kiss her back all the way down to her buttocks. He kissed both sides and began licking her aching vagina. She hoped the worst was over but she was wrong. He told her to get on her back and spread her legs. Hector pulled Rita’s legs up and then he began to ease his huge member back into Rita slowly. It had been a while since they had had sex until Hector had come. He usually wanted a blow job and then had to run off to some activity of meeting. Not this time. He began to pile drive her into the mattress. He pulled her legs up on his shoulders. As Rita looked at Hector it was almost as if he could not see her. Hector began to ride Rita like a horse. He began laughing like a mad man as he pushed harder, faster and deeper into Rita.

Rita wanted to scream out in pain but she bit her lip and moaned lowly. She looked at Hector and it was as if he was assaulting someone else. He was physically there but mentally somewhere else. He kept laughing like a man. Rita moaned in pain but dared not scream. Hector whispered into her ear “who’s the boss now”?

Hector began to plunge deeper and deeper into Rita tearing her insides out. Hector’s thick penis began to rip Rita apart. He came with a scream and pushed forward as far as he could so that his sperm would go as deep as possible into her. Hector pulled out of Rita and told her again; “who’s the boss…?”.

Rita began to lose consciousness. He slapped her across the face and asked her who’s the boss? You are she moaned between the pain and her tears. Don’t you forget it he told her. Hector then grabbed a pillow and pulled off the pillow case. Hector cleaned himself up with the pillow case and dried himself off. He began getting dressed. After he was dressed he tucked his gun in his waist band and slapped Rita on the ass and asked her if it was as good for her as it was for him. He laughed eerily again and stormed out of the room and slammed the door. He left Rita bloodied, swollen, battered and hurting on the massive bed. Tears were streaming down Rita’s face. Rita was hurting inside and outside. Hector would tell all his friends what he had done to her. Now “real fear engulfed Rita”. He would now treat her any way he wanted because he felt he owned her like property. There were several of the gang that wanted to sleep with Rita. He might now her around to his “top guys”. She needed to get out of town.

All the things her friends at the strip clubs had told Rita about Hector were now ringing painfully true. Rita just wanted lay there and die. She just lay there hurting inside and out. Rita was going to leave Hector and this place before he came back to hurt her again. She had to change her life and her lifestyle. She had family down in the Keys. She would move there. Yes, she was going to turn over a whole new leaf and change her name. She would change everything about herself. She knew her purse was in the room. She found it on the ground near the door where Hector had hit her. Her car was not at the house. It was still at the club so the valet at the club had her car keys. She would find a way. She groaned as she began to get up and felt the sharp pains in her vagina.

Rita knew that there was no time to get treatment with a long bath. She had to get out now! She did not want to be there in case Hector came back for round two or sent one of his boys in to get a taste of her. She took one of the other pillow cases and cleaned herself up. She found an oversized t-shirt and a baseball cap. She found a pair of pajama pants belonging to Hector. She drew the string tight as she could. She began rolling up the pants legs. She would use the back-emergency exit and head to the rear of the estate and get out that way. She had money in her purse. She had her credit cards and had saved her tips as well as the money Hector had given her. She would change her looks, her name and relocate.

She was good at doing hair and nails. She would take all her money out of the bank the next day, sell her car and max out her credit cards and then move. The first order of business was to get out of the estate without Hector finding her.

Rita eased to the door and then tip toed to the emergency exit that led down a fire escape to the rear of the property. Rita knew that there was a road that ran directly along the back of the property and it connected to the main road. Rita felt even though in pain she could walk to the gas station about two miles away and catch a cab. Then it was off to the Florida Keys and a new life. Her face was swollen and she was hurting but she was alive. She eased to the back gate that the service people used. She looked all around to make sure that no one saw her leave and then she began walking towards the side road.

Rita walked right past TJ and Warren crouched behind the garbage can. She was busy checking her purse to make sure that she had money for a cab. Rita did not see TJ and Warren but they saw her. Rita was going to change her number also and her friends. This was no time for a pity party thought Rita. She had enjoyed the travel, the money, the parties, the super bowls and VIP treatment. She had also realized that all these things have a price. She had paid by being savagely attacked and brutalized by a man she

thought loved and cared for her. Her co-workers at the strip clubs had tried to warn her. She had learned a lesson the hard and painful way.

She would heal in time. Then Rita heard a loud explosion behind her. She saw smoke in the air and heard gun fire. Forget pain; thought Rita she needed to get out of this area as quickly as possible. She had always taken care of her body and was extremely fit. She began to sprint towards the main road. Once there she turned left away from Hector and his estate. Rita was jogging bare feet towards the QT gas station and later freedom in the Keys. She would heal in time. Rita settled on an easy pace as her steps drew her closer and closer to the gas station and safety. She would ensure that she did not get pregnant by Hector and then change her life. There was a plastic surgeon she knew in New York that would change her face. She would get a new look. Get her name changed and move to a new location. A new life awaited her. She would find a hard-working man that valued someone who cared for and about them.

At the estate; Hector was on his way to let Selena know that her days were numbered when the first car exploded as it hit his front gate. Then came the sound of rifle fire as bullets hit the front of the house and the wall. Men were screaming all over the place. What the heck thought Hector? Is this a dream or what? He had just let Rita know what time it was. He was feeling good and now this! He turned around and raced to the stairs and headed for the front of the house.

Right then Hector’s phone began ringing it was Steven his right-hand man telling him to get down to the front as someone was trying to storm the estate. He told Steven to do what he could he was on the way. Hector checked the load of his handgun. He raced down the second level of stairs and saw wounded men and women in the living room area. He ducked down as more glass broke from gunfire. He gazed out the broken window and saw the smoking remains of a car that had hit the front gate. Steven came racing over and told him what had happened. Hector told Steven to call all the

of the gang in the area and get them over to the estate. He wanted one group on the left side and another on the right side of the estate. They were to return fire until help arrived. The problem for Hector was at the estate there were no rifles or long guns. Their arrogance was costing them now.

Everyone had hand guns ranging from 9mm to 40 Cal but not desert eagles or M16’s or AR-15’s or AR-9’s. Random fire was coming from the right and left sides of the estate and Hector and his men fired at where ever they saw flashes. TJ and Warren began moving right after the explosion. They had watched the solitary figure go by heading for the roadway. It appeared to be a small guy or girl. The person did not see them so they let them go. They also appeared not to be a threat to either TJ or Warren so they watched them walk away.

After the explosion TJ and Warren saw the small figure racing away from the home so they were not concerned about them.

TJ and Warren eased onto the estate through the service gate. The explosion and gunfire had drawn everyone away. At this hour of night the servants were long gone. They eased into the kitchen area. One guy was treating an arm wound by pouring some form of ointment on it and about to wrap it when he turned and saw TJ. Warren hit him with the butt of his AR-15 and he dropped to the floor; out cold. They found the stairs to the second level and began climbing. As they came to the top; TJ in the lead gave Warren the sign to hold. He sighted on a lone gunman headed towards them. The man was armed but he was steadily looking out the window and not paying attention. He was 10 feet away when he saw TJ. As the lone gunman reacted to seeing TJ and began to raise his gun to fire TJ put one between his eyes. Down he went. One behind the other TJ and Warren eased towards the West Wing of the home.

Another gunman came out of a bathroom headed towards the front when Warren saw him. Warren put two bullets in his chest before he could react. TJ and Warren kept moving and scanning ready for anything. They finally reached the room in the West Wing on the map. TJ tapped on the door and whispered Selena. He rapped a little louder while Warren scanned the hallway.

Next there was rustling and moving about in the room. Someone was coming to the door. TJ knocked a little louder and called Selena. TJ thought he heard Spanish but was not sure. He jimmied open the door and eased into the room; ready for anything. Selena came at him with a shower curtain rod. Whoa!!! Selena it’s me; TJ he said has he grabbed the rod and pulled her into a bear hug.

Shhhhh he told her as she began to gibber in spanish. They had to get out of there. Warren gave her a 9mm handgun. She stuck it in her waistband like a pro. Hmm thought TJ! We need to talk he told Selena. He pulled the AR-15 from the sling on his back and gave it to her. Warren gave her the night vision goggles they had brought for her. TJ took point again and Warren brought up the rear with Selena in the middle. TJ called The Wiz and told him to make it rain. That was their code meaning he and Warren had Selena and were moving out. They needed to send the “big bang” in the Ford Taurus.

The Wiz fired up the Taurus and remote steered it towards the mansion. He pushed the throttle lever all the way down. The Taurus leapt like a wild pony and headed for the mansion through the incoming drive way. It hit the gate area and exploded.

It shook the house and broke all the glass in the estate. TJ, Warren and Selena rushed towards the rear of the property.

They raced through the back gate to the Avalanche. Selena climbed in the back seat of the Avalanche and was told to lay down on the floor by TJ. Warren climbed into the bed of the truck ready to lay down fire at any pursuers. TJ throttled up and raced down the same side road that Rita had taken and towards the main road. The Wiz and the team with drew to the Suburban and headed for the compound in Kennesaw. Everyone ed for. Some scratches and bruises from the brush and debris but everyone ok. The Wiz called TJ and said “mission accomplished”.

TJ came back “roger that” mission accomplished here as well. She is ok; busy jabbering away in Spanish but just as feisty as ever TJ said with a laugh. He heard Selena say; I heard what you said. You will pay for this; just wait. Once they were well clear of the area and there were no pursuers. Warren and TJ pulled off at a small convenience store and got some snacks for Selena and Gatorade. They knew the gang would be looking for payback so they needed to get back to the compound quickly and lock it down. Warren, The Wiz and Darren all agreed. They all agreed to get back to the compound and get ready for the gang to come after them right away. First; TJ gave Selena his phone to call Roberto and her Uncle Salvador to let them know she was ok and free.

Both teams raced back to the compound. Selena wanted to get up off the back seat and come in the front with TJ. He told her no. She had to stay under the blanket lying on the floor of the vehicle in the back.

Warren was now riding shotgun with him. He thought he heard a smart remark from her and he just smiled to himself. He told Warren Selena was probably cussing him out in Spanish under the blanket. She said for once you are right.

Back at the compound TJ and Warren drove straight to the bunk houses and delivered Selena to Uncle Salvador, Escobar and the family. They left her there. A short time later The Wiz, Darren and the other of the team arrived. It was time to get ready either tonight or tomorrow night the gang would find them and come calling. They had to be ready around the clock.

Warren called the group together in the command center and told them what happened. He said the gang would be shell shocked for a minute and then angry. That anger will make them come after us. We need to be ready. Everyone was urged to clean their weapons; stock up on extra ammo and gear. Then eat and rest. We have to be ready. Everyone agreed. They were all glad that no one had been hurt. TJ gave the go ahead to have Warren set up mines on the roadway in. TJ also had the Wiz set up additional remote cameras on the edge of the road and two miles up and two miles down the road. TJ briefed Uncle Salvador and Escobar. He told them that there was no going back now. The roadway was mined and everything had been done to prepare for the storm. They were set.

Uncle Salvador told TJ and Warren his team was resting and he would brief them. Their job was to protect the interior and especially the dorm quarters and their families. He said he understood. TJ also asked him to keep the children from near the fences as of right now.

They were going to be placing mines and other stuff around the fencing areas. TJ, Uncle Salvador and Escobar shook hands and just then the Wiz came up with radio units. Selena was sleeping. They gave one to Uncle Salvador, Escobar and TJ took one. The Wiz gave one to all the team and Darren’s two buddies. Right now they had to be ready to survive the next round. Everyone needs to eat, clean their weapons, rest and get ready.

It was on now! Time for the Black Eagle to Scream! Time to get amped up and focused. They were coming TJ could feel it and he wanted to be ready when they came. TJ met with Darren and his hunting buddies along with team member Rusty. For some reason Rusty loved big caliber guns. He carried two desert eagles. He had one on each side of him. Rusty would be manning one of the 60 Cal guns. He set it up near his window and brought the extra ammo up to his area and began cleaning the gun.

TJ told Darren and his two friends that they had the green light as of right now.

The minute the attackers showed they could start hitting the incoming attackers by sniper rifle and by bow and arrow. He wanted the gang to feel and see the impact of the “silent kill”. Nothing sends a message like standing there next to someone and all of a sudden that person drops with a bullet in the head or an arrow in them. It could shake a person up as you heard nothing or saw nothing; only the results. Darren and his buddies were soldiers and trained snipers. They were also battle tested and experienced hunters; so they were used to long distance shots.

Once the gang came in range they would unleash the two 60 Cal guns on them. Rusty would have his and Darren would take the other one. TJ gave instructions to have the five grenade launchers set up in four different places so that they could hit the attackers on all sides with them. Now came the hard part; the waiting. TJ huddled with Warren and the Wiz to make sure that they had covered everything. They agreed that they had done everything they could do from a defensive position. With women and children to protect and not knowing how many guns would be coming after them they all agreed that they were ready.

As TJ stretched out on the floor to catch a nap his thoughts were to minimize the amount if any of the attacking gang that made it to

the main level. They were basically playing “king of the hill” in this mission.

The goal this time was to keep the enemy from main complex. TJ got up and retrieved his sniper rifle and extra ammo. He placed it on the second floor. From that level TJ and the remainder of the team would attempt to keep the gang off the grounds. Above them, Darren and his team would be doing so by long distance. The Wiz had mounted monitors for Uncle Salvador to see all sides, Darren and his team to see all sides and the main command center where he would be controlling it all. TJ hoped and prayed that if there was a breach of the perimeter he hoped it would be where he could get to it quickly. He and Warren had unloaded the Avalanche and had it ready to race to any area where a breach occurred. TJ said his Our Father prayer silently and hoped that they would all make it through the coming storm safely.

In his mind’s eye TJ felt he had done all he could do to get ready. It was time to rest and focus. He got a few sandwiches and some fruit in his stomach. Warren and the Wiz looked over the terrain on all sides using the cameras and contemplated from which direction the most serious threat would come from. They figured there would be a direct threat up the drive way and the main brush area leading to the plateau that the ware house stood on. The bush area in particular was to the East of the Drive way area. The next day a sudden thought awoke TJ from his nap. He immediately called Warren on his radio and then after Warren arrived he called Uncle Salvador.

He asked Uncle Salvador if he had told anyone where he was going? Uncle Salvador said he only told his two neighbors who owned property next to his. He said he did that so that they could keep an eye on his property. Warren asked Uncle Salvador if the neighbors had any younger family living with them? Uncle Salvador said one of them had two boys and a daughter all teenagers. He said he did not believe that they were gang . TJ said with the word on the street out about him there probably

was an underground reward for info and one of the three would know someone. They had to be alert as of right now. Sure enough; two hours and forty-five minutes later the neighbor called Uncle Salvador to say that his location might be compromised. He said that his oldest son had asked why no one was on Uncle Salvador’s property and he had told him that Uncle Salvador had relocated to Kennesaw. He had told him that Uncle Salvador was at a warehouse complex up there with his family for a time. He told him that a few hours ago and just a few minutes ago he overheard his son on a “suspicious call”. He was giving the info to someone on the line and hung up when he was asked why he was telling someone about Uncle Salvador and his family’s location? The boy had confessed that he was going to be paid $10,000 for giving that info to someone.

The neighbor said he had smacked his son in the mouth and called at once. TJ, Warren and Uncle Salvador now knew that it was only a matter of time before the enemy gang figured out where they were. The clock was ticking and they had to be ready.

TJ called a meeting of everyone on the team in the command center and Uncle Salvador and his righthand man Escobar. TJ brought them up to speed on the info they received. They also had the Wiz and Warren give their thoughts on the direction they felt that most of the heat would come from. Everyone agreed that if they could hit the attackers as far away as possible with the sniper rifles and grenade launchers they would get some to change their minds about attacking and limit the amount that made it to the top. It was “king of the hill” time and the Black Eagle and his team were going to unleash “fire and brimstone” on the attackers from near and far.

Everyone took up their stations. Uncle Salvador said he had the first ten in his crew up and on station. The women and children were in the dorm and on the floor. They had their games to keep them company and there were blankets and sheets on the floor. All of the top bunks were empty.

The windows had been covered first with a layer of cardboard. Next some cut chicken wire was attached and then another layer of cardboard was added with heavy duty Georgia duct tape.

TJ and his team took up their spots on the second level. Richard, Jonas, Akili and Eric were going to be on the ground floor providing firepower. They had M16’s with launchers attached. Each of them also had flash bang grenades and smoke grenades. Warren also issued them the grenade launchers they had gotten from Adventure Sports. They also had split up the grenades among TJ, Warren, Richard, Jonas, Akili and Eric. TJ was starting to get amped up and focused. When it came to missions he would have a wide focus and then gradually he would become narrow focused. Right now his focus was becoming very narrow and he wanted a piece of the gang badly. He wondered how many gang would come after them? He wondered what kind of fire power they would have. TJ and Warren figured if they had “street weapons” they would probably have 9mm guns, some 40 Cals, AR15’s, AK47’s and some M16’s. They also figured that street gang thugs for the most part were used to firing on people that had no guns. Most importantly the gang were not used to the “hell and brimstone and carnage” that his team were used to dishing out. It is one thing to be shooting at someone that does not have guns or know how to use them.

It is another when the persons shooting back are battle tested veterans. Now that some of their friends had died in the other attacks by TJ and his crew many of them were already scared. It’s one thing to be in a gang and using a gun. It is another thing to be in a full out war with grenades, mines, battletested soldiers and with a few bows and arrows in the mix. It was going to be a “rude awakening” and an “eye opener” in more ways than one for the attacking gang . Class was about to be in session.

About three hours later The Wiz called TJ and Warren on the radio and asked them to come to the Command Center quickly. From the monitors he

had spotted something. Sure enough down the road several hundred yards from the drive way they saw five SUV’s parked on one side and six more on the other side. From the camera angles they could see at least two in the front and two behind them in each of the SUV’s. Fully loaded the Escalade model could hold ten in each of them. Now it was a matter of seeing how many more would them and also TJ and his team could not see who or how many were coming through the bushes. Once they came into range, the heat sensors would tell them how many bodies were moving against them. The Wiz had mounted heat sensor equipment in all directions.

TJ and Warren told Akili and Jonas to be ready in case the gang were to send one team in a vehicle to try to clear a path through the mine field and then follow it through.

He wanted Akili and Jonas to be ready with the grenade and rocket launchers to shut down that effort quickly.

The sun was fading and TJ felt that the gang would probably wait for darkness to make their move. Everyone had to be ready for whatever the gang came at them with. In the warehouse Warren had found stacks of sandbags. The group had quickly moved some of them by truck to the dorm area to allow Uncle Sal’s troops to stay kind of protected when they were outside the dorm by stacks of sandbags.

Warren also had stacks of sandbags placed at both entrances to the warehouse big doors so that Akili and Jonas would be protected using the rocket and grenade launchers. They were as ready as they could be unless they could find an Apache helicopter to come in and give some air to ground fire and really give this gang some “hellfire and brimstone”. The clock was ticking down. The Apache helicopter was out of the question so they would have to use what they had.

Everyone was in position. Everyone had extra ammo and gear within reach. They all had rifles and 9mm handguns. To ensure that there were no problems with their handguns getting jammed if it came down to close encounters TJ had told everyone to check and double check their guns.

He had advised Uncle Salvador to have his team check and double check their weapons. TJ stressed that everyone needed to make sure that every shot counted. TJ and Warren had given extra handguns to the women along with extra ammo just in case their help was needed. Hopefully with the minefield, rifle fire, bow and arrows and the grenade launchers the team would have enough firepower. Time would soon tell.

TJ gave a radio check of all team and Uncle Salvador and his righthand man Escobar. Everyone was alert and ready. All 20 of Uncle Salvador’s team were in position. A couple of them were on the roof of the dorm with rifles. The sun was going down now and TJ hoped it was not going to be the last sundown he saw. He wondered where Selena was and if she was worried again. He smiled as he thought of her. He wanted a future with her and he would be damned if he was going to let some gang and its leaders get in the way. It was time for this Black Eagle to show its talons and stalk prey.

As the gang began to assemble the video cameras came in handy. It gave TJ, Warren, The Wiz and the team a sense of how many men and women (some were seen on camera with handguns) would be attacking them. Just as TJ and Warren thought they would; the majority of the attackers seemed to be gathered at two areas. Some were near a bushy area with footpaths that led directly to the property fence line east of the main drive way.

As Warren had speculated; the gang leader was gesturing towards a pair of large work trucks that had shown up. TJ and Warren now were sure that the main attack would be with the two work trucks leading the way. The other vehicles packed with gang would follow the work trucks. They were going to be in for a rude awakening. They probably thought TJ and the group might have one or two grenades and that was it. Along with the mines in the driveway; Warren had placed C4 in both sides of the walls along the access driveway.

TJ and Warren had told everyone to let them start to move through the mine field and once they got halfway Warren would trigger the C4 placements and Akili and Jonas were cleanup. Send everything moving or sitting still to kingdom come. TJ also sent a radio alert letting everyone know to be alert because there may be other teams moving in from the rear of the property. From the video monitoring it looked as though two main guys were coordinating things. TJ asked the Wiz to see if he could do a “face recognition id” of the two men that appeared to be the leaders. He said he would try and get back to him. TJ, Warren and his team were used to taking the fight to the enemy by stealth or all out strike. They could not do that and leave an opening for the gang to get through. They would have to “Stand Their Ground” and let the enemy come to them.

Every man had the green light once the gang started attacking. TJ, Warren and the Wiz also had a “bright light surprise” for the attacking gang . They had strung high powered lights around the second level of the warehouse and the dorm areas. Once these lights went on it would make the night turn to day and hopefully catch some of the attackers in no man’s land and leave them vulnerable. The lights would temporarily blind them and make them “easy targets”. They would be in a “Turkey shoot”. At least that was what TJ, The Wiz and Warren hoped for.

TJ had also given orders to everyone including Uncle Salvador’s team that this was a “take no prisoners mission”. There was not going to be any

wounding and capturing of the gang . If they chose to be in the attack force he wanted them dead. No if’s and’s or but’s about it. He did not want Uncle Salvador, Serena, Escobar, himself or his team to have to worry about them coming back at them for round two. It was going to be round one and done! Everyone said they understood. After that final meeting all the teams had taken up their positions. Darren and the team on the top floor had told Warren and TJ that they had seen movement in the bushes near the rear of the property. Luckily from his position Darren and his team had good visibility and night scopes.

In the command center on the second floor there was a part of the rear of the property that was not easily seen.

TJ was worried about that but he hoped and prayed that Uncle Salvador and his team would cover that area well. Uncle Salvador and his right-hand man Escobar had orders to call quickly if they felt that they might be overrun. Rusty was also given orders to be ready to swing his 60 Cal that way if need be.

Warren told TJ that he believed once the two trucks were at the entrance and ready the attack would begin and he was right. Five minutes later the trucks fired up their engines and quickly sped towards the entrance to the driveway as hand guns, small arms, AK47 and some M16 fire came from the vehicles trailing the two work trucks. Warren waited for them to hit the first set of mines. When the first truck hit the mines; a quarter way through the drive way it lifted that truck right off the ground and then the C4 was triggered shredding both trucks. TJ gave Akili and Jonas the green light to unload on them with the rocket launchers. The explosions were so powerful that the second truck flipped in the air and came down on top of the first truck. The drive way was totally blocked and the fire was getting hotter and higher. Then other small arms fire began to come from the bushy area east of the drive way and to the rear of the property.

TJ told Rusty to hit the bushy area to the rear with fire from his 60 Cal. Where ever TJ, Eric and Richard the other two “wild” of his team began to fire on the rear bushy area where the heaviest rifle fire was coming from. It was like Afghanistan, Africa, Iraq and all the other missions rolled into one. Using the 60 Cal guns TJ and the team were laying fire in much the same the F16 and F22 Fighter planes would do on their major missions. Then they would mop things up with their M16’s and other gunfire.

Instead of waves of attackers it seemed as though the gang was attacking all at once on all four sides hoping someone would break through. It seemed as though the gang expected small arms and some rifle fire. However, they had not counted on the mines, the grenade launchers, the rocket launchers and smoke. TJ had the team launch smoke grenades to all four sides to give the attackers something else to think about.

The Wiz called TJ over to the computer and showed him the id’s he had been able to come up with on the two leaders. He also showed TJ an area to the west where there was no arms fire coming from but there were a group of humans moving towards the property based on the heat signatures. TJ called Akili and Jonas and pointed out the area from the second floor. All of a sudden there was a heavy dose of rifle fire coming from that area. Jonas hit the deck hard and began cursing. He had been hit in the shoulder area. TJ called up to Darren and told him to unleash the bow and arrow attack on all sides especially the West area.

He gave the latitude and longitude for the location the same as they would do on other missions. With the high-powered bows that Darren and his friends were using; TJ did not want to be on the ground for the next ten minutes. They were going to be hitting any heat signature or area with a lot of arrows. TJ hoped the “silent kill” or “silent strikes” from the arrows would make some of the gang lose heart and give up.

There was still continuous gunfire coming at them so enough of the gang was still attacking but none had reached the top as yet. TJ and Warren looked closely at Jonas’ wound and it appeared as though the bullet had gone straight through the shoulder area. There was a lot of bleeding but he would be ok. They bandaged him up and moved him to the back of the command center in one of the offices. He still had his side arm and could use that if he needed to. They gave him a shot in the area of the wound to prevent any infection. TJ and Warren also gave him pain killers to keep him alert.

Warren, The Wiz and Darren recommended that as the last of the attackers were drawing near they should save their ammo until the attackers were directly in sight. If any reached the plateau where the main complex was they still had to navigate the mine field. Also, the floodlights had not been turned on as of yet so TJ and the team had another surprise for the gang .

The Wiz told TJ and Warren what he had learned about the two leaders of the gang. He had their names, addresses and aliases using the CIA, FBI and local data bases. They were small time punks that had risen up through the gang ranks. The Raiders gang was d with the Bloods gang that had started in Los Angeles. They were now going to have something new to tell their “homies” if they survived tonight. And if some-how they survived; his team knew who they were and would be constantly hunting them down.

TJ and Warren called for the team to cease fire and report in. He checked off everyone. He called Uncle Salvador and Escobar. They were ok so far. Uncle Salvador said two of his team had been wounded but he felt they would both survive.

Escobar stated that Selena was safe in the dorm area coordinating the distribution of ammo. Good girl thought TJ as he heard the report.

Suddenly the gang stopped firing. TJ felt sure that they had not gone away or given up. He called the Wiz and had him scan the entire perimeter and the roadway areas by camera and heat signal. TJ was right. The drive way was blocked. The gang could not attack them in their vehicles that way. From the directions being given it looked as though the remaining were being sent to various directions to attack at once again. The Wiz checked as much of the surrounding area as he could.

Suddenly the gang began firing from all sides. TJ told the group to wait to return fire. TJ and Warren knew that it was about 900 to 1100 yards from the perimeter area near the fence to the building complex. They also knew that the gang had to cross the mine field right after the fence to reach the complex. They waited. The rifle and small arms fire kept coming. Then the first of the mines started going off. Some of the gang had reached the plateau on the West side.

TJ gave the green light to fire and for the Wiz to switch on the highpowered lights. It was like shooting turkeys in a barrel. Some of the gang were trying to shield their eyes with one hand and shoot with the other. Darren, Rusty, TJ, Warren and the rest of the team began to shut them down. Bodies were hitting the dirt for the last time. If any survived they would this night. TJ gave orders for Darren, Rusty, Richard, Eric and Akili to drop all the smoke grenades they had on all four sides. He then ordered Darren and his hunting buddies to let loose all the arrows they had remaining on the gang. The Wiz told TJ and Warren that there was a large remaining group of about 20 or so moving steadily towards the dorm area from the south side bush trail. TJ called to Rusty to get the 60 Cal in position as quickly as possible and light up the south area just beyond the fences in 2 minutes. The Wiz and TJ felt they were going to rush one behind the other and hope someone made it to the dorm.

TJ called Uncle Salvador and told him where the group was that was

moving towards him and his team. TJ told Uncle Salvador and Escobar to pepper that area with fire now as there were about 20 or more coming from that direction.

TJ told Richard to get the Avalanche ready in case he needed to get over there and help Uncle Salvador and his team. TJ told the Wiz to turn off the flood lights for 5 minutes and then turn them back on.

TJ called to Warren and told him to take command of the team as he had done many times in the past. He then called Richard, Akili and Eric to meet him at the Avalanche. TJ told them he would drive and they were to return fire if necessary from the various windows of the truck. He wanted to make sure that Uncle Salvador and his team were not overrun. TJ also did not want to have anything happen to Selena if the gang were to break through to the dorm. That was not going to happen. Not in his lifetime; he thought as they reloaded and checked their weapons before heading out. TJ called Uncle Salvador and Escobar to let them know that he and some of his team were coming to help in the Avalanche. He did not want to get caught in “friendly fire”. He told them to quickly the word to their team as he was headed their way shortly in the truck. TJ jumped behind the steering wheel for the ride to the dorm. His plan was to pull up next to the stack of sandbags near the door to the dorm and position the truck between the dorm and the oncoming attackers. He quickly told the team what he planned to do.

Everyone would exit on the right sides of the vehicle out of direct line of fire. Just then the Wiz turned off the flood lights which allowed TJ and his team to exit the warehouse under cover of darkness. He quickly floored the accelerator and as he came around the building the Avalanche began to take on fire from the bushes. TJ gave the word to fire at will at the muzzle flashes and anything they saw moving towards the fenced area.

Just as he and Warren had thought, the attackers came streaming over the fence and into the mine field. Body parts were flying everywhere but they kept coming. TJ and his team along with Uncle Salvador and his team unloaded everything they had on the attackers. TJ saw one or two of Uncle Salvador’s team go down. Wounded or dead he did not know. He left that for Uncle Salvador and Escobar to determine. He and Akili quickly moved over to that side to keep the attackers at bay. Akili and TJ lobbed grenades at the remaining attackers hoping to have them turn tail.

Finally, as quickly as it began, the remaining attackers began to retreat. TJ called Warren and told them they were now going on the offensive. All team besides Jonas were to head out after the attackers. This was what his team did best thought TJ. He wanted the leaders of this group dead; as a sign to the others to leave Uncle Salvador and him alone. He especially wanted Hector the leader of the group dead.

As the group that attacked the dorm retreated Akili and TJ were on them from behind. Short burst here one down. Two shots over here another one down. Rifle fire coming from multiple guns off the left flank. Give an eagle yell and let loose a grenade. No more rifle fire. TJ could hear footsteps ahead. He stopped and quickly put on his night vision gear. He wanted the two leaders. A body on the ground; TJ gave a quick check. A female dead; so sad but too bad for her. Not one of the leaders. TJ moved on.

TJ jogged on along a small trail. He was in “full eagle attack mode now”. He was tracking the sounds of the footsteps and voices ahead of him. They were less than 30 yards ahead of him. He could spray the area but he wanted to be sure he got the two leaders to send a message.

Akili whispered on the radio that he was on the left flank of TJ on another trail and he was coming up to a clearing. TJ knew that his trail would be ending soon and coming to a clearing soon too. Sure enough 30 yards later

he was in small open area. He could still hear voices but this time they had turned to the left. He called Akili and let him know that the remaining group of attackers were coming his way. He also let Akili know that he was trailing the group. Akili had night vision equipment and would have it on now. TJ counted seven shadows. They moved together towards the roadway. TJ guessed they were headed back to where the vehicles were. He dropped back and called Warren.

He told Warren where he thought the group was headed. If this group was headed to their vehicles to get out; the remaining attackers would probably be doing the same thing. He told Warren and Darren to get to the vehicles quickly and add C4 and other explosives to the remaining vehicles. Surprise, surprise, surprise! Welcome to a real war. Warren and the Wiz said they were headed out towards the attacker’s vehicles by the roadside immediately.

TJ told Uncle Salvador to make sure that his entire team was on alert until daylight. Any enemy attackers moving were to be target practice. No surrendering and no mercy for any of them. TJ reminded Escobar and Uncle Salvador that this was a war. Now thought TJ; it was time to make sure that the leaders do not get away. He advised Akili that he was about a half mile from where the roadway began. He had dropped back to Uncle Salvador and Warren. He was now double-timing it to bring this war to an end. He told Akili to let the gang get to their vehicles and coordinate with Warren. He also had the Wiz give a description of the two leaders from before. Those two were dead men walking. They were the two Aces in the deck of cards everyone was playing now. In Iraq the military had created a deck of cards with targeted Iraq military people listed as Aces, Kings or Jokers in the decks. There were only two cards in this deck that mattered. Everyone else were being considered Jokers. They were of secondary of least concern to TJ and the team. The leaders were their “Most Wanted” targets.

TJ hoped that Warren and the Wiz could get to the vehicles and plant one or two C4 packages and have the remaining grenade launchers at the ready. TJ told Akili his plan to let the gang get to the vehicle area where they would be easier targets. It would be up to Akili, Warren, Wiz and TJ to bring the curtain down on this war.

TJ could hear only occasional handgun or rifle fire now. He knew his remaining team and Uncle Salvador and his team would still be alert for any and everything. He ed his days in Florida and the hurricane attacks. A lot of people would get injured in the midst of the storms because when the first part of the storm came over they would huddle inside. But when the eye of the storm came through; it would be calm and easy. People would come out thinking the worst was over and be caught unawares when the remainder of the storm hit. No relaxing for anyone until sundown tomorrow.

TJ hustled after the gang and hoped to bring this war to an end with two more casualties on the attacking gang’s side; the two leaders. TJ could hear more voices now as he moved towards the road. He also could hear wounded people asking for help and to be taken to the hospital. He heard one of the leaders tell the wounded he would get help but right now they had to get out of there. TJ smiled to himself as he trailed the group. The gang were now learning how it felt to be “victims”.

TJ thought there is another lesson coming; a final test. He already knew that he could mark the gang down for “F’s”. TJ’s earpiece clicked three times that signal meant Warren and the Wiz had marked the vehicles with C4 and were in position. TJ wanted to send a “loud and clear message” to the gang with a series of big bangs. It would be first the M16 fire to have them scramble into and around their vehicles and then the C4 would be triggered in succession for all remaining vehicles and then the grenade and rocket launchers would bring the “cleansing heat fire”. TJ fell back a bit from the group he wanted to give them a good lead to the

vehicles.

Two clicks came in his earpiece. That meant Akili had sighted the gang and soon would be sighting him. The gang was using the roadway now headed back to their vehicles with some wounded being dragged along. It appeared to be 12 active and 4 wounded and the two leaders. TJ knew the vehicle area was about a quarter mile away from his reconnaissance of the area. He trailed in the bushes. TJ heard three clicks in his earpiece which meant Akili was coming to him from his area; which would be to his left. He waited for Akili to arrive. Warren and the Wiz were up ahead at the vehicles. It was time to bring the curtain down on this production.

As he waited for Akili to reach him; TJ thought of Selena and whispered a prayer under his breath that she was safe.

TJ smiled to himself as he thought of her. She had come into his life in the midst of a storm but she was becoming his anchor and his stabilizer. Nothing could defeat the man who has a purpose he thought. He was counting down to the home cooked meal that she had promised him. On a second thought he wanted to jump on the first plane to the Bahamas, Jamaica or somewhere private and just be alone with her. It was time to focus on the task at hand.

There was a long click on his ear piece and then he sighted Akili. They huddled quickly. They held their ground for a few minutes to make sure that there were no surprises or any stragglers lurking. They scanned 360 degrees with their night vision. There was nothing moving. The night vision goggles picked up the heat signal from humans. None were showing as they scanned all around. It was time to end this!

There were three clicks in TJ’s earpiece Warren began whispering that the gang had arrived. He counted the two leaders and about 18 individuals and 8 wounded. TJ told him where he and Akili were down the road from them. He said in 2 minutes they were going to hit the gang with rifle fire and that would force them to hide behind or get into the Suburban and Escalade trucks they had. Once the gang bean to try to flee Warren and Wiz were to trigger the C4 explosives and then hit them with the grenade launcher and the rocket launcher.

TJ and Akili checked their M16’s and nodded at each other. They stretched out on the ground behind two fallen trees and sighted on the gang . Goodbye trouble makers – hello hell he thought. TJ counted down and let out his Eagle Yell and he and Akili began firing. One dropped, two dropped, another dropped, and another started screaming as he was hit in the chest. The remaining gang hustled into and behind the vehicles. TJ called to Warren and Wiz to flip the switches on the C4.

C4 is just like play dough when you do not have a trigger in it. But when you ignite it; that little matchbox sized pack of play dough could obliterate a large building. TJ and Akili watched as one after another the five remaining vehicles lit up like matches on fire and exploded. TJ called for the Wiz and Warren to hit them again with the rocket launcher and grenade launcher. When the rockets and grenades hit; they again lit up the night. It may have been over kill but TJ was taking no chances with any more of his team being exposed to getting injured. He also wanted to be sure that no one from the attacking gang made it out alive. Not if he had anything to do with it.

TJ called for everyone to hold their positions and see if anyone came out of the rubble. He also did not want to take a chance that a dying gang member would be able to target his team or himself. TJ called Darren and the team in the main warehouse.

One of the hunters had been hit by a bullet but it was not life threatening. Uncle Salvador and his team had lost three men and four more were injured. They figured the four injured would survive and be ok. Jonas was complaining about getting injured but the bleeding had stopped and the wound was stabilized. TJ had Akili, Warren and the Wiz pull back to the building. They called ahead and called for everyone to meet in the main warehouse. TJ told the team and Uncle Salvador’s team he was proud of them all. TJ wanted to avoid the Police and Media if they could. They needed to all leave ASAP!

Right now they needed to quickly clear the drive way and get moving. There was not much left of the vehicles that were hit in the roadway. Uncle Salvador had found a tractor in the shed behind the warehouse and got it started. He pushed the blown-up vehicles to the side so that they could leave.

TJ called for Uncle Salvador and his team to get loaded quickly and head out going north first and then swing around to their home area. He would check with them. He suggested they go the long way around and not use I92 or I5 or I75 or I285. They were to use the back roads. He agreed. TJ reminded Uncle Salvador to be alert. Uncle Salvador would start out going North towards Cartersville and then onto 101 South and from there to I78 and to his home in Villa Rica.

TJ gathered his team together and told them to get moving on the double.

They loaded up everything they could in the avalanche and their vehicles. They would head south and then east. In no time Uncle Salvador was pulling up to the drive way to leave and out of the truck jumped Selena. She ran to TJ and put him in a bear hug and kissed him. She did not want to let go but TJ pulled her away letting her know she had to leave but he would find her. He did not want Uncle Salvador or his team in the media as that

would prompt more gang issues. They needed to be gone ASAP. He put her back in the truck and told Uncle Salvador to get moving and call him if there were any issues.

There was no time to waste. Although they were in a fairly deserted area with all the shooting and explosions the police would be headed their way shortly. Taking the lead in the Beast with Akili driving the Avalanche TJ and his Delta team headed out on the back roads. There were a couple of roads that ran parallel to I285 and I75 which would lead them around Marietta to I51 South and then on to I78 East which would take him through Mableton to Decatur. In Decatur they would jump on I278 East there was a Campground on the way to Lithonia they would gather there and regroup. They would one by one refill their vehicles as they travelled to not draw attention. There was a medical clinic in Mableton that was independently owned and you paid cash for your treatment there. Jonas and the marine friend of Darren’s would be able to be treated there.

The group spotted a Walmart along the way. The team pulled off on a side road and TJ gave Warren money and he took the sizes of everyone and bought sweats and jeans, along with t-shirts, caps, pullovers, socks and sneakers. His story to the cashier was that it was for a men’s and boy’s basketball camp that was being held next week. Warren and Akili brought the goods to the group along with lots of Gatorade and pizza. Everyone filled up and changed clothes. All the clothes, gloves, socks and shoes were packed into plastic bags and dumped in a nearby warehouse’s dumpster and set on fire.

TJ had asked Warren and Akili to get lots of water, Gatorade, pizza, antiseptic hand wash and Axe body spray. The use of the antiseptic hand wash would remove any gun residue that may have carried over aside from their usual gloves. By changing clothes they also reduced the residue on their bodies. The Axe body spray was to reduce the scent of the fire and anything else on them.

TJ knew where there was a motel in Decatur and he wanted to reach there before the news began breaking about the dead and the fire and the cars at the warehouse site. Jonas and the Marine Hunter were treated at the clinic. Lucky for Jonas the bullet went right through and the wound was cleaned quickly by Warren and the team. The doctor checked it out covered the wound with antiseptic and he was given a shot, stitches and antibiotics to take. His arm was in a sling and everyone gave him a hard time about it.

At the motel they checked in in groups of two or in TJ’s case alone. Their rooms were spread out in the 100 plus room facility. TJ’s phone came alive suddenly. It was Sargent Walker the Cobb County Police supervisor on the line. He was asking TJ if he knew anything about a warehouse, a bunch of dead people and some blown up trucks in Kennesaw? TJ said “no, why are you asking?” Then the supervisor gave him a report that it looked as though a “war” had happened up here. There were dead people, guns, bullets and bullet holes everywhere.

TJ said you might want to have your people check for mines along the fences sir before saying he would call the officer back. The supervisor told him not to worry and keep his head down. He suggested TJ get out of town for a while. TJ agreed with the officer and told him thanks for everything. The supervisor suggested he turn on the TV when he got a chance. In the room TJ turned on the TV and on every station they were talking about a gang war that had gone on in Kennesaw. The cameras were showing the blown-up trucks; still burning and the shot up warehouse. Everyone had questions. TJ figured it was now too dangerous for them to travel together. Warren and Jonas said goodbye and headed out. Akili was next. TJ let him keep the Avalanche after retrieving his 9mm guns. He told Akili all the paper work was in the glove box and to have anyone with questions call the dealership and ask for his sales person.

He would have the sales person call Akili and coordinate the title being

transferred. TJ gave Jonas the Suburban and told him to call the Salesperson and have the title transferred to his name. He gave everyone his new number if they had any issues. TJ said goodbye and thanks to everyone in their room. They all agreed to leave ASAP before things got “tight”. They all refused his donations of money.

TJ decided to leave as well. He loaded up the beast and headed south and then west to find Selena. No time for home cooked meals. They were heading for the Bahamas.

Rita was at a dealership selling her 2016 Mercedes SL Coupe when the sales people all disappeared. She followed them to the cafeteria where there were all these news reports of explosions in Alpharetta at a known gang leader’s estate. They were showing the dead and wounded all over the place. The Estate main house had caught fire and was destroyed. Thank God thought Rita. A second story came on of a gang war in Kennesaw and it showed several blown-up vehicles. One of them Rita recognized as similar to Hector’s but she could not be sure. If it was indeed Hector; well good riddance. The reporters were speculating it was him and his right-hand man dead in the vehicles. Dental records would have to be used to identify the remains they were charred and burned. Rita breathed a sigh of relief. She was going to sell the Benz vehicle that Hector gave her and get a enger car.

The dealership wanted to give Rita a fully loaded black 2012 Dodge Charger that they were selling for $19,000.00 and also would give her $159,500.00 in cash additional. This was compensation for the fully loaded 2016 Mercedes SL500 she owned. It had low miles and was well taken care of. She agreed and signed over the title. The Dealership gave Rita the title to the Charger and a cashier check for the $159,500.00 and a full tank of gas for the Charger. Rita had sold her furniture and moved to a Motel. Rita drove straight from the dealership to the airport headed for Las Vegas. There was a terrific plastic surgeon there that could make a few facial

changes. Rita would not be recognized in the future. She needed to also make sure that she was not pregnant by Hector. She would also change her hair style. Then it would be off to New York to change her name and finally to the Florida Keys to start her new life. She was not changing her mind now that Hector was dead. She was going to live differently from today on. No flashy men for her or flashy times. Rita wanted an everyday hardworking man. She wanted someone who would love her, treat her right and together they would make it through. Maybe she would get her insurance or beauty and makeup license.

TJ called Uncle Salvador and asked where he was. He told him he was headed to his other ranch in Villa Rica. He gave TJ directions and TJ told him he would be there soon.

TJ realized with all he guns in the car he would have to be careful as he did not want to be stopped now. Using the back roads TJ circled over to Bankhead highway. He headed west on bank head and then he would move over to I20 once he was past Powder Springs.

For a stretch of several miles TJ let the Beast run free but decided he did not need any hassles from the police now. Not with a back trunk filled with guns and ammo. He slowed down. TJ crossed into Powder Springs and stopped at a small service station and filled up the beast. He was wearing black jeans, black Nike sneakers, black windbreaker, a black baseball cap and his 9mm. He filled up the beast and checked all the fluids. TJ checked all the tires and grabbed a few air fresheners to place in the beast. He grabbed another Gatorade and climbed into the beast. He sat for a minute and plotted out what he wanted to do. His thoughts were; get Selena and drive to Alabama and take a flight to Florida from there and another flight to the Bahamas from Florida. You did not need a port to go to the Bahamas. All you needed was your driver’s license to travel to the Bahamas. Selena could cook him his meal when they returned.

TJ decided after reaching Powder Springs it was safe to get on I20West towards Villa Rica. He planned also on using I20 later to head to Alabama.

In Alabama at the regional airport he and Selena would fly to New York, then Florida, then The Bahamas and its sandy beaches and nice warm sunshine. As he drove he ed there was a large Storage center along this route and began scanning both sides of the road for the sign. Twenty minutes later he hit pay dirt. He parked two stores down and walked to the center and asked about rental rates and if there was an Enterprise Car Rental agency around. The lady behind the counter said there was an Enterprise Car Rental location not too far away.

TJ got the largest space they had and also booked a space for the Beast. He paid for six months in advance using the American Express Card. He called the 800 number for Enterprise Car rental and was connected to the Villa Rica location. He explained where he was and that he wanted a Black Dodge Charger SRT fully loaded automatic. He told the agent that he needed a ride in forty-five minutes from the storage facility. The agent agreed to come and get him. TJ thanked the lady as she showed him his new space. He gave her a $20 Thank you handshake and went to retrieve the Beast.

He parked the beast in front of the space. He unlocked it and quickly placed all the weapons except for two 9mm handguns and extra ammo inside the space at the far-right corner of the space. He covered the Beast with a black tarp he had bought.

TJ covered the remaining guns, ammo, clothing and other gear with the blankets. He had placed one set of blankets on the floor and then the guns and ammo on top and another blanket over it all. They would be nice and cozy. He did not want to attract attention to himself by driving the Beast. First, he had to get to Enterprise Car Rental for a different vehicle and then over to Uncle Salvador to retrieve Selena.

TJ chatted with the lady while he waited for the Enterprise Car Rental employee to show up. An older guy named Reid (at least that is what the badge on his shirt said) showed up to get TJ.

They shook hands and TJ hopped in the front enger seat of the minivan with the Enterprise Car Rental name on the sides. Reid was wearing a Vietnam Veteran cap and TJ asked what branch of service he had served in? Reid told him he was on the ground in Vietnam with the Army. He told TJ he had earned a Silver Star and a Purple Heart during his service. He asked TJ if he had heard about the shootings and goings on that were on the news from Kennesaw? TJ explained that he had just come back from an out-of-state business trip. Reid gave him a quick run-down on what the news channels were saying. He told TJ that some gangs had had an all-out war and there were dead people, blown up cars and a warehouse complex shot to pieces up there. Reid said it reminded him of the war in Vietnam but it had happened right here in the USA.

Reid said whoever it was that did it; had erased several bad dudes from the street. The dead gang would get no sympathy from him. TJ told him he would have to check out the news once he got home. At the Enterprise Car Rental store TJ said goodbye to Reid and walked in to get a vehicle. He used his overseas ID that had a fake name and address along with Amex credit cards to match. He got a black four door Dodge Charger SRT loaded up his gear (now in the backpack and two sport bags) and headed out. He saw a sign for a McDonald’s restaurant up ahead. He pulled into the parking lot and strode inside.

He quickly ordered two quarter pounders with cheese, a large order of fries and a large coke. Too bad McDonalds did not sell Pepsi anymore he thought. TJ paid for his order and got back into his new ride. He had some calls to make. One by one he checked in with his team as he sat in the parking lot and ate. TJ had pulled around to the main parking lot area and

had backed in the Dodge Charger SRT so that he could see all exits. He was still on alert and would not go off alert until he was actually in the Bahamas. Everyone was ok. Darren had said his injured friend was ok and being treated. Warren had said Jonas was ok and they were safely headed to his place. After dropping him off Warren would head home. Warren also reminded TJ that since the son of the friend had “ratted out” Uncle Salvador he needed to be dealt with. TJ told Warren he already had a plan for him.

TJ said he just needed to find out the young man’s name and where he worked and he would call up a former DEA friend he had to deal with him. TJ told Warren his friend was on a National Anti-Gang task force. His friend would probably arrest the young man and interrogate him. His friend was named Robert Hoover.

TJ told Warren that he called Robert Hoover “Robert the lionhearted” because as a marine he was always all out full speed ahead in everything he did. TJ figured Robert and his team would find whoever the young man had ed and deal with them harshly. They did not have to worry about that end of the saga coming back to bite them. Besides from what he was told by Uncle Salvador the young man’s father had already given him a “man-sized” beat down for “ratting out” Uncle Salvador. Warren asked if he had heard from Selena and the next thing you knew his phone lit up and it was her calling. Warren laughed when TJ told him who was calling. They hung up as TJ gave his Eagle cry. No thanks necessary between marines. Once a marine you are always committed to your fellow marines. It was a lifetime commitment.

TJ smiled as he answered the phone. He was not smiling when Selena unleashed her half Spanish and half English rage on him. She was half screaming and half yelling about where he was and if he was ok in both languages.

TJ told Selena that he would hang up if she did not calm down. Yes – he was ok and Yes and was sorry he had not called sooner. And Yes – he told her he knew how she could get worried and that was why he was on the way to her but he had to change cars. Suddenly he could hear background sounds but she had stopped talking. He called her name several times getting progressively louder and now worried.

Then Selena came back on the phone – crying. She said she did not want to cry in his ear but she was really worried that maybe one of the gang had escaped and hurt him. TJ became speechless as she let her guard down and told him that she had fell in love the first day she met him and would follow him where ever he led her. Selena told TJ that she was his for life. Then she said something quickly in Spanish. Wow!!! TJ was overwhelmed by her sudden confession. He had to pull over to the side of the road.

His mind raced as he thought of the last few months. Stacie had left him and taken their son. He was trying to stay level headed at his job and he had wondered if he would ever find or know “true love”. He had gone on a few dates but those went no-where. His question of finding true love was now answered by the amazingly beautiful, tough and smart Selena who he had only met a few days ago. As the song he had heard said “when Love calls you have to answer”. TJ reassured her that he was alright and would see her shortly.

Selena said she would be counting the hours, minutes and seconds until she would see him again. He smiled and told her that he Loved her and he missed her. She started crying again. She said the same and hung up. TJ got misty himself as he thought of the vision of her beautiful face in tears. He had said he loved her from the heart. He had not even thought about saying the words; they had just flowed out of his mouth from the depths of his soul. He sat by the side of the road as his mind and his heart raced.

TJ sat there by the side of the road and he had an epiphany. It was as if the fog cleared from his eyes. He could see more for his life with Selena beside him. He could see more for his future with Selena beside him. He wanted to be more, do more and achieve more with his life; the key was with Selena beside him. He pulled out and headed west towards his new future. He had to tell her about little Ray. He would do that once they had left Uncle Salvador’s place. First things first; he had to get to Uncle Salvador’s place. He punched in the address that Uncle Salvador had given him and turned on the visual and audio GPS System. He also had to find out from Uncle Salvador the name of the young man that had “ratted them out” and where he worked. TJ made sure that he was not being followed. He stopped at a Service station and stocked up on a small cooler, ice, chips, bananas, water, pastry and of course his Pepsi sodas.

TJ called the dealership and left a message for his sales person that he was going to be paying off the loan early. TJ called his job employee line at Verizon and reported he was sick and would be taking a few days off. He would use all his time off and then quit. He was going to be seeking better work and utilize his Management and Leadership skills. He would get the details on the military/corporate America program for veterans after he returned from the Bahamas with Selena.

TJ called Uncle Salvador and told him he was nearing his ranch and what he was driving. Uncle Salvador was still on alert about everything. TJ did not want to get shot at or get the rental car damaged by Escobar and the rest of the team.

TJ guessed Uncle Salvador had told Selena what he was driving because as he pulled into the drive way he immediately spotted her running towards the drive way waving her hands in the air. It was as if she was running a one-hundred yard dash. He had barely gotten out of the Dodge Charger SRT and closed the door when she charged at him; embraced him and began smothering him with kisses. Then he fell back against the car and

held her close. They kissed like Romeo and Juliet the first time they met. Everything around them disappeared as he felt the warmth of her body close to his. Time stood still as their lips and tongues intertwined and they became as one. TJ could feel the heat of Selena and Selena could feel the heat of TJ’s body as well. They had to come up for air…

They stopped kissing only when they heard the voices of Uncle Salvador and Escobar. They had embraced and closed their eyes as they had kissed. TJ was feeling good. He held Selena’s hand and she had both her hands around his hand. TJ, Uncle Salvador, Escobar, Selena and several men and women gathered at the table. Uncle Salvador gave a prayer of thanksgiving that most of them had survived and prayed for the souls of those on his team that had died. He also prayed for a speedy recovery for the injured on his team and on TJ’s team.

The Future…

They (Uncle Salvador, Eduardo, TJ, Selena and others) were all seated at a huge dinner table and a variety of foods, meats, vegetables, lots of different rice (brown, white and gray), black beans, pasta and deserts were laid out. There was white wine and red wine. It was celebration meal for all of them.

Uncle Salvador sat at the head of the table and wanted TJ to sit at the other end of the table. TJ declined and stated that that seat belonged to Escobar. He sat to the right of Selena who sat to the right of Uncle Salvador. Selena was beaming and reaching over to rub TJ’s back every so often. TJ asked Uncle Salvador for his permission to take Selena on a vacation to the Bahamas. He also told him he had a way to deal with the young man that had given away Uncle Salvador’s destination. He told Uncle Salvador what he had planned and both he, Escobar and the other of Uncle Salvador’s team agreed that that was the best solution. They felt as TJ felt that if the young man had “ratted them out once” he might probably do it again. Uncle Salvador got up and quickly called his neighbor and got the information that TJ needed to on to Robert Hoover. He got the information and gave it to TJ. Then TJ stood up and tapped on a glass of water with a fork and asked for every one’s attention. The room went quiet. Everyone stopped eating and talking. There were about twenty plus people at the table and another thirty that were either eating, drinking at other tables or serving. Everyone stood still.

TJ told the room that he was not good at making speeches so this would be his first and last one. TJ said to Uncle Salvador that as the guardian for Selena he “wanted to ask his permission to marry Selena”. He said he felt his future had become much clearer and brighter since she had come into his life. He wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. The room exploded in applause and tears. Selena was flat-out bawling, women and men were cheering, clapping and wiping away tears. TJ felt as though his vision and his dreams had all become clear as he reached for her and held her close.

Uncle Salvador and all the men stood and raised their glasses in a salute to

TJ and Selena. Uncle Salvador broke the room up when he said “I give you my blessings and my permission son but, it is up to Selena to say Yes or No”. Selena went into a full-out flood of tears and started shaking and quivering against TJ. She shook her head up and down and said emphatically; “Yes”. TJ pulled her away and gently kissed her on the forehead and told her that he felt he could conquer the world with her beside him. He kissed her gently on the lips and asked everyone to raise their glasses in a toast to his queen and future wife – Selena. They all saluted and cheered.

TJ felt right. He felt comfortable giving his heart to Selena. He excused himself and made the call to Robert Hoover and told him what had happened. Robert took the info and told him he would take care of things.

TJ told Uncle Salvador that things were already set in motion to deal with the young man. He told the group that he wanted to get Selena away to the Bahamas as quickly as possible. He told her to only grab her purse and id. They would buy everything they needed in the Bahamas. She laughed and quickly ran to get her stuff.

TJ exchanged handshakes and hugs with Uncle Salvador, Escobar and the other men and women in the room. Then they quickly headed out towards I20 and then Florida and then on a plane to The Bahamas. Selena sat beside him holding his hand as he drove. TJ thought of how hectic it had been in the last 24 hours and now he felt “safe” with Selena beside him. She seemed to read his mind as she smiled and said again what she had said before. “I have made up my mind that I Love You TJ and I will follow you where ever you lead me…”!

TJ looked at the road ahead and smiled his future was so bright he had to wear extra dark shades he thought. He leaned over and gave her a quick kiss. The Next stop for TJ and Selena; road trip to Florida and then off to – The Bahamas…

…The End…

Reference Section

• Google.com • 9 mm Handgun Image - YouTube.com • AR-15 Rifle Image - Springfield.com/Springfield Armory • Rocket Launcher Image - www.bfcentral.cnet • Browning 50 Cal Machine Gun - www.browning.com • Brandon Freerksen - Weapons Consultant • Atlanta History Center - Inspiration • Adventure South Sports - Information/Insight • Wild West Gun Range - Information/Insight • King James Version of The Bible - Verses/Quotations • Military Personnel at Dobbins Base - Marietta, GA • Homestead/Pensacola Air Force Bases - Information • Scot Mobuosi/Scots Design - Graphics • Wikipedia.com • SAS, CIA, FBI, Security Staff, Coral Springs Police – Information • Security Firm Staff/Carnival Cruise Lines - Information

THANK YOU…One And ALL…

Resources

Devtac Bullet Proof Military Helmets Wikipedia SAS “Who dares wins” Special Forces Dobbins Air Force Base - Military/Staff USA Seals Special Forces Google.com Cobb County Police Officers Fulton County Police Officers Coral Springs Police Officers Miami Police Officers Chrysler/Dodge Auto www.gijobs.com

“…THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME AND INFORMATION…”

Director of Graphics

Mr. Scot Mmobuosi www.scotdesigns.com

Phone: [914]-714-0027 Email: [email protected]

Scot Banye Mmobuosi is a visual and graphic artist as well as a web designer. His background in Mathematics and Architecture have helped in enhancing is artistic talent by incorporating precision and details. His ability to draw exceptionally has enabled him work for animation companies, writers and graphic novelists. In fact he is involved as the artist of the graphic novel series called “The Tales of Conquest” (http://www.talesofconquest.com) which would be out soon. Scot also has tremendous computer graphic skills and uses this to create images and other visuals, no matter how complex. He feels, anything that can be imagined can be created.

In addition to these, Scot also builds website, both corporate and personal. He believes his background in Mathematics has a big influence in this. For more information on Scot’s works, please visiting his portfolio website at http://www.scotdesigns.com and feel free to him.

Scot B. Mmobuosi www.scotdesigns.com

Peter Giant Bowleg Author

Dreamer, Encourager, Loner, the smiling Man in Black, Usher at Mount Paran Church Of God, Son, Brother, Father, Friend, Cousin, Nephew, Relative and Believer are some of the ways he is known. Born in the Bahamas he was Educated in the USA. He is the son of Theresa Fairweather of Florida and the Bahamas Islands. One of seven children his Brothers and Sisters are Andrew, Paulette, Judy, Ethan, Trevor and BJ. He has two sons – Tavares and Valentino Bowleg living in the Bahamas. His book “…What Are Your Dreams…?” are his thoughts and ideas of bringing a change to the way Black and Minority Young People and adults see themselves. He believes change the picture in the mirror and Change the person’s life and legacy. He has spent Over 30 years in Corporate America. He has worked at Citibank, Shell, Texaco, United Waste, Carnival Cruise Lines, Lou Bachrodt Chevrolet and others. He has started Publishing and Consulting firm in Atlanta Georgia called Black Eagle Group. It was created to publish his books and provide Consulting Services. He gives a “third eye view of Business and Marketing” for Companies and individuals.

He has written another book – “Run To The Light” A book of poetry and short stories designed to uplift. The book is online under his full name Peter Giant Bowleg. He has a ion for God, Family, Life, Fellow Man, Woman and Child.

Be Blessed… “…Make your haters your motivators…”

[email protected] www.blackeaglegroup.net blackeagle/facebook/Instagram blackeagle/snapchat/Twitter

Scot Mmobuosi - New Book Cover

As former marine Troy “TJ” Jones drove to work one day he noticed an incident and decided to get involved. Taking that step would have life altering consequences. Follow the action as “TJ” becomes involved and through all the twists and turns. You will not want to put this book down.

There comes a time in Life when You have to draw a LINE in the sand…

…Then…STAND…Your Ground…