Page 67 of Battle Mountain

“Holy mother of God,” Geronimo gasped. It was a human ear with a tiny diamond earring pierced through the lobe. Geronimo recalled last seeing it on Joann Delaney at her desk.

“It was Delaney who gave us up,” Nate said. “She’s a disciple of Axel Soledad.”

“You took herear.”

“Just the one,” Nate said. Then: “Let’s get out of here, and don’t drive like your hair’s on fire. We don’t want to raise any alarm bells. The interstate is just a few blocks away, so take it easy. You’ll see the entrance to I-80 West right in front of us.”

“Herearis in my car,” Geronimo cried.

“Just the one,” Nate repeated.

—

They were onI-80 near Lone Tree when Nate said, “She claimed she didn’t know that Axel would send gunmen after us, but I’m not sure I believe her.”

“Did she tell you this before or after you twisted her ear off?” Geronimo asked.

Moaning with annoyance, Nate leaned forward and grasped Joann Delaney’s ear by the lobe and flipped it out the open passenger window like a discarded cigarette butt.

“Happy now?” he asked.

“Yes.”

“After,” Nate said. “She wasn’t very cooperative before that. She could have made it a lot easier on herself, but she’s a true believer—the worst kind. I didn’t enjoy one second of it, but we needed the intel and she could have gotten us both killed.”

“What else did she tell you when you threatened to tear off other parts of her?”

“Axel’s been doing what Axel does,” Nate said. “Just like we thought—he’s been collecting people with grievances and molding them. Like he tried to recruit Reese in Montana and CherylTuck-Smith. Axel’s got some kind of plan in place, but Delaney didn’t know what it was exactly and I believe her on that.”

“Who has he recruited? Did she tell you that?”

Nate indicated that she had. “He went back to the well and gathered up some of the antifa ‘activist’ types he used to fund and rub shoulders with, apparently. The ones who want to burn everything down—the real lunatic fringe. It seems Axel’s been training them in weapons and tactics.”

“That sounds like the three we ran into,” Geronimo said. “But they had the weapons without the tactics.”

“I think you’re right. They were unfamiliar with combat of any kind, and they set themselves up to be taken down. I’m not real worried about the rest of them. But Delaney said Axel has also brought in some military vets—folks who are trained and very bitter. People like him, who want nothing more than to get revenge on the elites who sent them overseas and betrayed them.”

“Like Allison Anthony,” Geronimo said.

“Delaney didn’t say her name outright, but she’s the first person I thought of, too.”

“Man, that’s too bad.”

“It is.”

“Did Delaney know what Axel is up to? Or where he is?”

“No and yes,” Nate said. “She absolutely didn’t know Axel’s plan, other than in broad strokes: to strike a blow against the D.C. military-industrial establishment. Delaney is in favor of that as well. She lost a son in Iraq.”

“Oh,” Geronimo said. “I’m sorry to hear that.”

“Me too.”

“But you still twisted her ear off to get intel.”

“Yes,” Nate said, “I did. And I’d do it again to get the info we got.”

“Will she try and warn him?”

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