Executive Orders: Part 2 of the Homeland Series Read Online Free Page B

keep my mind off of things.”
    “Thank you,” Hank walked Maggie to the preacher’s wife. “I’ll pick her up soon. I won’t be much longer.”
    “Take your time.” Edith held up the plastic bag. “I made you and Gunny some supper.”
    “Thank you again.” Hank accepted the food and set it on this desk. “We’re going to get Ray out of there. Him and everybody else. That’s a promise.”
    “I know you’re doing all you can, but don’t forget to pray. That’s the most important thing we can do.”
    “Yes ma’am.” Hank hugged Maggie and kissed her goodbye before she left.
    When Maggie and the preacher’s wife were gone Gunny walked to a wall cabinet, opened it, and retrieved a bottle of whiskey and two cups. “Let’s start with this.” He poured each of them a drink and settled back into his chair. “The way I see it, we have three choices.”
    “Okay, Gunny. Let’s hear ‘em.”
    “Option one: We can team up with Sanger and do our part in the Second Founding.”
    Hank shook his head. “Fat chance.”
    “Option two: We could stand aside. Keep our heads down. Let ‘em do their thing.”
    “Not gonna happen.”
    “Well, that just leaves option number three…”
    “Yup. The only question is how.”
    Gunny smiled. “I have some ideas.”
    The men sat quietly, calculating the consequences of what they knew they had just decided to do.
    Hank raised his cup. “To America.”
    Gunny met his toast. “Liberty or death.”
    The dispatch radio crackled to life. “701, this is 229, over.” It was a deputy calling for Hank. “701, this is 229, over.”
    Hank grabbed the hand-mic and replied, “This is 701, go ahead.”
    “We just arrested Chloe Duncan.”
    Shit.
    Finbarr Duncan’s daughter, Chloe, had been on the run since robbing a pharmacy in town, killing several people in the process. This was the last thing Hank needed. He had enough on his plate dealing with Agent Sanger. Now he would have to butt heads with Finbarr over his precious pill-popping princess.
    “Where was she?”
    “She was trying to steal drugs from the stockpiles at Food City. A deputy caught her trying to pry the back door open with a crowbar.”
    Hank keyed the radio. “Good work. Bring her in and we’ll put her in a cell until we can figure out what to do with her.”
    “Roger that. We’re on the way.”
    “I’ll meet you at the jail.”
    Gunny shook his head. “When it rains, it pours.”
    Hank took a swig of his drink. “I guess that makes me Noah.”
    Hank took some of the food Edith brought and walked across the street to the jail. He had a few minutes before the deputy arrived with Chloe, so he decided to check on one of his inmates.
    “Hello, Brandon.” Hank said as he reached the teenager’s cell.
    “Hi, Sheriff.”
    Hank opened the wrought iron door and walked in. “Hungry?”
    “Starving.”
    Hank handed Brandon the food. “Compliments of my preacher’s wife. Best cook in town.” He smiled. “But that’s just until Betty gets back.”
    “Thanks.”
    “You doing okay?”
    “You tell me. I’ve been kidnapped, forced to break into a pharmacy to steal drugs, shot at, blown up, and locked up in here. And my parents are dead. I couldn’t even bury them. What’s left of them is still in that squad car on the highway.”
    “I know.” Hank didn’t know what else to say.
    “I never hurt anybody.”
    “You did all you could to save your mom and dad. You did what you had to do.” Hank sighed. “But the law is the law. I’m sorry I have to keep you in here.”
    “It’s just as well. My family is gone. I got no home. No food. No place to go. I’m better off in here.”
    “I guess so,” Hank replied. “When you get out, don’t worry about finding a place to go. You can stay with Maggie and me until things get back to normal.”
    “That’s gonna be a while.”
    “I know.” Hank patted Brandon on the back. “You saved my life, remember? I kinda owe you.”
    A squad car pulled up