SWNOVELS Chapter 42 ~Fight Them With Words
Maddox’s POV ~
I walked outside.. taking a look around. Every person my eyes landed on were armed to the teeth.. loaded for bear! We aren’t getting caught with our pants down around our ankles.. the element of surprise is gone.. On both sides.. We know they’re coming.. but they know we know.. so I have no doubt they will try to change it up.
I told Geek “I want this entire thing video’d.. Document everything.. get drones up and filming them coming at us.. then pull them back out of firing range. I plan on contacting their president.. after this is all said and done.”
Walking back inside, I ordered “Everyone.. head to your designated positions. We want to be ready and aware of the enemy’s every movement.. Venom and I will be at the east gate.. That is the direction they are coming from. They DO NOT come on to our land.”
Delilah skipped over to me.. and I don’t know about you.. but a woman decked out in combat gear is Hot! Especially My woman! Damn.. I can’t wait to get her out of these clothes! She grinned and told me to focus.. I grabbed her and swung her around.. growling “Oh, my baby! You have no idea how very focused I am!”
Laughing.. we walked hand in hand over to Delaney and Venom .. He tells us “Let’s get to the border.. I want our ladies planted on those tree branches..” Delaney grins “I’m not promising anything, you know.. I haven’t been to the simulator for several days.. and I’m in need of target practice.”
Delilah laughed “Me too! They best hope I don’t spot anyone pointing a weapon at our old men!” I laughed “Hey! Who you calling Old Man?” Kissing me she whispered “MY old man!” Laughing again, as she skipped away.
It took nearly an hour before we could feel the rumble of the convoy heading up our road. I still don’t have a clue what they think they will accomplish.. But I guess we will find out.
We watched.. as the vehicles slowed to a stop outside our fences.. parking side by side.. hoping to hide the fact their men were unloading from the transports.. searching for cover. Not realizing our men had closed in behind them.. Within minutes, we had them surrounded and they didn’t have a clue!
Tom chuckled from my left flank “Commander Harris.. I was right!” I mind linked him “Would you like to take lead on this? Find out what he wants?” His link came back 🐺 Holy fuck! That takes some getting used to! Making Venom and I both laugh.. then he said “Yeah, Alpha! I would love to talk to this prick!” I nodded and had him step forward.
He clears his throat.. making sure all eyes were on him and said “Harris! I’m surprised they sent you out here. I always thought they liked your brown nosing.. ass kissing strategy of rising to the top. Yet.. here you are.” Then he loudly said “To those about to die.. I salute you!”
Holy antagonism! He just goes straight for the metaphorical jugular! And once again, I am grateful he chose the side of right!
Harris spoke calmly “Hand over Max Unger.. and this will all be resolved peacefully.” I spoke “Well.. you see.. It may end peacefully today.. but we have danced this dance with Unger.. We allowed him to slip away five years ago.. when he was simply embroiled in abducting women.. in itself, a crime.. against humans. But now.. he abducted My Woman.. with nefarious intent.. and that.. my friend.. is a crime against wolves. You have no jurisdiction here. The only reason you want him released is to make him disappear.”
Harris said “You are wrong.. I have a warrant in my possession.. charging him with treason.. crimes against humanity.. and waging unauthorized war with a subspecies.”
Venom barked out a laugh “You do realize humans are the actual subspecies.. don’t you!? I want to read the warrant.” Harris held it up.. and a soldier started walking it to the fence.. where Brock was standing.
He grinned nastily and told the soldier “Don’t touch the fence. It will light your ass up with over eighty five hundred volts.. Won’t kill you.. but it will hurt like a mother fucker!” The soldier gulped so loudly we could hear it.
Venom read over the warrant.. looked at me and said “It reads real pretty.. But.. it’s not an official warrant. The judge’s signature is illegible.. there is no government seal.. It looks to have been downloaded and printed off the internet.”
Tom tells Harris “Bogus warrant. Not worth the paper it’s printed on..” and as he said that.. the whistling of a grenade launcher was heard.. at the same time a muffled pop was heard above my head.. I watched the soldier with the grenade launcher, drop it and clutched his shoulder.
Delilah opted out of killing him.. but when the grenade landed and exploded.. accompanied by a yell of one of our people.. she yelled “Try that shit again! I kill the next one!”
Steele was fighting me.. he wanted to shift and start ripping people apart. Harris yelled “We don’t want a fight! Max Unger is government property. We are only asking he be returned.”
Venom yelled back “Tell us why.. You and I both know he is no longer active military.. and just a simple employee now. You tell us why you want him so badly.. and I might consider his release.”
Harris said “I shouldn’t have to spell it out.. You know what happens to a compromised operative. It’s not my decision.. but they are my orders.” I said “So, you want him back so you can kill him. That is ignorant as fuck! He hasn’t given your organization up. He hasn’t talked about the operation.. not about Gemini.. and not about your current covert activities. I can’t guarantee it will stay that way once he knows you consider him dispensable.”
Harris snarled “Look! My orders are to bring Unger back to Washington.. and I won’t allow you to stop me..” Then he ordered his men to open fire and our people systematically started taking them down..
I had ordered to try and not fire a kill shot. When I air the video.. I want it known we did not intentionally kill anyone.. Delilah and Laney were both continuously firing.. hitting arms and legs.. but when a round hit Delaney in the upper arm.. knocking her from her perch.. Venom and I wolfed out.. while Delilah emptied her clip into the group that fired on Laney.
Tom had shifted into Samuel and flanked us.. as we leaped the fence.. landing directly in front of Harris.. He flung himself into his humvee… locking his doors. Never ordering a ceasefire.. and ducking his entire body behind the front seat. Coward!
We had them pinned down.. which wasn’t difficult.. Not a lot had the heart to fight.. although they were still firing on us. Steele and Torin backed up to gain momentum.. and leaped simultaneously into the side of the humvee.. successfully turning it on its side.
A woman ran out into the line of fire.. yelling “Max isn’t here.. He’s over at a gold lake.. You have to save him..” We heard a single shot ring out.. and watched a hole open up in the middle of her forehead.
Venom tackled the shooter.. who happened to be Harris.. and Tom jumped the fence.. running to the fallen body. Hazel stared sightlessly into the afternoon sky..
I shifted and told Harris “I am giving you exactly five minutes to vacate my territory.. You have murdered an unarmed woman.. a Human woman.. and if I dare to hear she is referred to as collateral damage. I will burn your world to the ground!”
I stepped into a circle of my men and announced “The woman these people just murdered.. a human woman, under our protection.. is the wife of one of our own.. Retired General Thomas Henderson. Her name was Hazel.. and she leaves two young daughters! Tonight, we mourn. Tomorrow we end this!”
The soldiers gathered their dead and wounded.. loading up.. they left. I ordered a head count and conditions.. Discovering we had only lost two.. but twenty three were injured.. including Delaney. Delilah had killed five.. they were clustered and firing their weapons. She didn’t know which one had hit Delaney.. so she killed them all.. then she said “Their God can sort them out.. They are lucky I didn’t kill more.”
We had gathered in the conference room.. and Geek was editing the video feed I would release to the public. Tom knew several reporters that were eager to scoop the story.. and we were still waiting for the video from Golden Lake..
Axe and Snake did not indulge in conversation or negotiations.. They warned them once.. to vacate the area. When they didn’t.. and raised their rifles to firing position.. Snake gave the order to unload on them.
Where we dealt with launching grenades.. Golden Lake didn’t allow their group enough time to even load a single launcher.
That is definitely a strategy I will remember. For now.. we fight them with words.