Page 35 of Killer Moonshine

“No. But I think I can help you,” said the man. “You’re waiting for Mr. Hugo if I had to guess. He’s gone. I used to work for him and found out that he was after all of you. I’m guessing it was you that killed all the other bodyguards, so, out of courtesy, I’d appreciate it if you didn’t kill me.”

“Where is he?” asked Nine as they stepped out of the vehicle. The man stared at them, shaking his head.

“You’re all supposed to be senior citizens, easy to take down. Apparently, he was a fool about that as well. To answer your question, or not answer it, I don’t know. I told him I would only help him if he gave me five million. Obviously, I knew he wouldn’t do that, so I left. I was so glad to be out of there I forgot my own things. So, I went back and got my bag, but he was already gone. Everything is out of that little house.”

“Does he have money? Has he really taken money from men in the Middle East to get to us?” asked Gaspar.

“I don’t know if he has money or not, but all he’s talked about is getting to you guys and proving that he’s capable of being what you are. He didn’t think I would notice that his tattoos were fucked up. I think that really pissed him off.”

“Where would he go?” asked Ian.

“I don’t know. That’s the truth. There wasn’t anything left in the house. Not that there was ever much in there to begin with. He kept everything in small storage boxes, I guess to move quickly if he needed to. If it’s true that you destroyed all the stills, he has no money coming in that I’m aware.”

“What about his connections for girls, or any of it?” asked Ian.

“As far as I know, he doesn’t have any. He met with a man three weeks ago. Francis D’Agostino. Some big deal on the East Coast.”

“We know him,” nodded Ghost.

“Well, he was pissed when he left. Told Hugo not to waste his time again, or he’d cut his balls off with a dull knife. He tried to laugh it off like they were friends joking with one another, but I don’t think they were.”

“D’Agostino has no sense of humor, so he wasn’t joking,” said Nine. “Did you get your things out of there?”

“I did. Sir.” Nine tilted his head, looking at the younger man. “I’m ashamed that I went to work for him. I take some solace in that all I did was guard the house and him, but it doesn’t change the fact that I feel like I betrayed my country. I’d just like to ask that you let me live so I can make up for it in some small way.”

“You’ll live,” said Ghost. “You’ve given good information that will help us. If you know where Hugo went, that would be even better.”

“I know he drove south, so I have to guess it would be New Orleans. But that’s all I know.” Gaspar nodded at the man.

“That’s good enough.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

Waking in the campground in southern Arkansas, the rag-tag group of people were in surprisingly good spirits considering what they’d been through in the last few months. Several people were moving around, preparing meals, others were shaking out the sleeping bags.

Leaving their homes was the hardest thing they’d ever had to do. They’d been settled, each with their own home, and living a life away from prying eyes and onlookers. When they saw the groups of people moving through the valley toward them, they knew they had to run. There was no time to take anything personal or to pack cars or vans with items.

Thank goodness they were always prepared. Tents, sleeping bags, utility bins filled with supplies and food, it was all ready. As they escaped on the route that had been planned for years, they took one last look back at the only place that had ever been home for them. And watched it burn.

“Good morning,” said their leader. “Everyone okay?”

“All good,” nodded several of them. “Any word?”

“No. A few strange vibes, but nothing concrete that we can use. I think we need to try and find my old friends.”

“They’re not going to want to take all of us in,” said the other man.

“I don’t think you understand. It’s kind of what they do. If we’re in trouble, they’ll help us. We probably should have gone to them in the first place. We can’t keep running from campground to campground. Sooner or later, someone is going to find us, and we’re going to be out of luck.

“We’ve got people that will need medications, we’ve got pregnant women, we can’t keep running. Besides, that’s no way for the kids to live. They deserve to be able to play outside when they want to without fear.”

“I know,” nodded his friend. “I’m just terrified for all of us. We’ve known that there were more like us somewhere out there but to believe that we could find them was like looking for a needle in a haystack. Plus, who’s going to believe us?”

“These people will. I promise you. They will.”

They spent the morning discussing their options and talking about the possibility of heading back to their homes. Except it was no longer an option. They’d lost a few during the exit and skirmish. Had it not been for the quick thinking of their team, they would have lost more.

The problem was he wasn’t really sure how to get in touch with his old friend. Hell, he wasn’t even really a friend. Just someone who’d saved his ass once. But he knew of what he was doing and what he was accomplishing. It was something they all wanted to be a part of.

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