I've got five brothers who've been waiting for the signal to move. Hank pulled out his phone, sent a group text. Go. Full assault. Mine warehouse 85 minutes.
Responses came back instantly. Wrench in route. ET a 20 minutes. Rattlesnake in position. Ready to engage.
Hammer copy. Moving in. Doc on our way. Preacher. The righteous shall inherit the earth.
Let's help them along. Hank looked at Gunner. The dog was on his feet now. Ready. Always ready.
Let's ride. They burst out of the diner. Hank's Harley roared to life. Thornton and his deputy climbed into the patrol car. Three vehicles racing north into the desert headlights, cutting through darkness.
Hank's phone rang. He answered on the helmetcom. Hank, it was Conniey's voice shaking but determined. Autumn's not here. She left a note.
Said she couldn't let you fight her battles. Said she was going to turn herself into Blackwood. Stop the violence. When me an hour ago, she took my car. An hour.
She'd be at the mine by now. Probably already locked in that warehouse with the timer counting down. Connie, stay with Doc and Preacher. Don't open the door for anyone. Bring her back, Hank.
She's just a girl. She deserves better than this. I know. I will. He disconnected.
Push the Harley harder. 80 m an hour on a dark desert road. 90. The prosthetic leg vibrated against the floorboard. Gunner's body pressed against his back, solid and reassuring.
The mine appeared ahead. Flood lights illuminating the main building. The warehouse set back darker. Guard shack at the entrance. Chainlink fence topped with razor wire.
Hank killed his lights slowed. Thornton's patrol car pulled alongside. There's a service entrance on the east side, Thornton said through his window. No cameras. I can get you in.
Do it. They circled around. The service gate was locked, but Thornton had a key. The chain fell away and they rolled through ahead. The warehouse sat quiet.
Two quiet. Hank's phone buzzed. Text from Rattlesnake guards on the move. Something spooked them. Three heading to north perimeter.
Three staying at warehouse. Then another text. Wait. Vehicle approaching main gate. Black SUV.
Tinted windows. Hank knew. Felt it in his bones. Ellis Blackwood had come to watch his Empire burn. They parked in shadows behind a storage building.
Hank dismounted, checked his pistol. Seven rounds, not enough, never enough. Thornton stepped out of the patrol car, drew his service weapon. Glock 22, 15 rounds. The deputy did the same.
Whatever happens, Hank said. Autumn gets out alive. That's the mission. Everything else is secondary. What about Blackwood?
If he gets in the way, we go through him. Gunner's ears swiveled. The dog's head turned toward the warehouse. A low wine escaped his throat. He'd found her.
Even from a h 100 yards away through concrete walls, Gunner knew she was there. Good boy. Let's go get her. They moved. Three men and a dog crossing open ground toward a building rigged to explode in 73 minutes.
Rattlesnake's voice came through Hank's phone, barely a whisper. You've got three guards at the warehouse door armed with AR-15s. Body armor. They're expecting trouble. Can you take them?
Negative. Angle's wrong. I'd get one, maybe two. The third would light you up before you got close. Then we need a distraction.
Thornton spoke. I'm still sheriff. Let me walk up. Official business. They know me.
They'll know you've flipped. Maybe, maybe not. Either way, I can get close. Give you an opening. Hank studied him, looking for the lie, for the betrayal.
But all he saw was a tired man trying to do one right thing after 30 years of wrong ones. Okay, but Sheriff, if this is a setup, Gunner will know, and he won't give you a chance to explain. Fair enough. Thornton walked forward, hands visible, no weapon drawn, just a law enforcement officer approaching his own people. The guards tensed, rifles came up, not quite pointing at him, but ready.
"Evening, boys," Thornon called. Colonel Blackwood asked me to check on the situation. "We weren't told you were coming." "Last minute change. He's concerned about the timeline."
Thornon kept walking, getting closer. 30 yards, 20. Wants to make sure the package is secure. Package is fine. You can tell the colonel everything's on schedule.
I need to verify personally. That's not protocol. 15 yards. Protocol is what I say it is. Now, open that door or I'm calling Blackwood and telling him you refused a direct order from the sheriff.
The guards exchanged looks uncertain. The hierarchy was breaking down. Nobody knew who to trust anymore. 10 yards. One guard lowered his rifle.
Sir, we have orders not to. Thornton drew and fired in one smooth motion. Center mass. The guard dropped. The other two guards spun trying to acquire targets, but Thornton was already moving.
Old combat reflexes kicking in. He hit the ground, rolled, came up firing. The second guard went down. The third guard got his rifle up, finger on the trigger. A rifle shot cracked from the darkness.
The guard's head snapped back. He collapsed. Rattlesnake's voice. Got him. You're clear.