william w johnstone - ashes 04 by blood in the ashes

Author:blood in the ashes [ashes, blood in the]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2011-08-09T13:50:40+00:00

Anarchy in the Ashes

on Ben. And those are his words, Jerry. I’ve heard him say them many times. And, Jerry, those of us with any type of advanced education are now in the very definite minority. A mob’s mentality can be very infectious even to an educated person. There are many more reasons, Jerry. That’s just the high points.”

Jerry clutched at any straw to help ease his mind. “Was it… was it hypnosis, Colonel?”

“No, Jerry. It was mob hysteria and too much love for Ben Raines.”

He squared his shoulders. “Yes, sir. You’re right. And it was pure stupidity on the part of people who should have known better. And I’m at the top of that list. I’ll pick the ones I talk to very carefully, Colonel,” he promised. Jerry removed his .45 pistol from leather and handed it and a spare clip through the bars. “You keep this well-hidden, Colonel. When I come back on guard duty, I’ll bring a couple more guns until I can get you all armed.”

“Jerry?” Dan called.

“Sir?”

“Some C-4 and detonators, too, please.”

Jerry laughed. “You betcha, Colonel. Consider it done.”

Cecil said, “Be very careful who you discuss this with, Jerry. Very careful.”

“Don’t you worry about that, Colonel,” Jerry assured him. “That sucking sound you heard a few minutes ago was me, pulling my stupid head out of my ass.”

Cecil laughed, feeling, for the first time in hours, a slight glimmer of hope. “I have to say this, Jerry.

Brace yourself for Ben’s taking off when all this is over.”

“We never mentioned it aloud, Colonel, but that was part of it, too-among us older troops. We put too much on the man, didn’t we?”

“Yes. Ben is his own man, Jerry. None of us had any right to foist something on him he really didn’t want. Took me a long time to reach that decision, but I finally made it.”

“Who will lead us, sir?”

“Whoever Ben appoints, Jerry.”

“I hope it’s you, sir,” Jerry said.

“Thank you, Jerry.”

“I’ll be back in about an hour, Colonel. I’ll bring the C-4 and a couple of pistols this next trip.”

When Jerry’s bootsteps had faded away and the door to the runaround closed behind him, Dan said, “You took an awful chance, Cec. That could have blown up in your face. Awfully cheeky thing you did, but I am so glad you seized the moment and brought it off.”

“So am I, Dan. So am I. It was a risk, but I felt it the only chance we had left us.”

“I will feel ever so much better when I have my hand wrapped around the butt of a pistol,” the Englishman said.

Cecil hefted the .45. “I can tell you, friend. It does feel good.” CHAPTER NINE

She looked at the small contingent of Gray’s Scouts that had accompanied her out of the Rebel Base Camp. Roy Jaydot, his Russian wife, Katrina. Tina’s fianc`e, Bob Graham. Mary Macklin. A dozen others.

“We’re too small a group to do much damage to Willette’s bunch,” Tina said. “First we’re going to have to link up with the other teams of Scouts that made it out.

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