Chapter Twenty-Two
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“BE CAREFUL, YOU TWO,” Pastor Hogan said as GG and Dalton prepared to leave the brownstone townhouse.“Your white armbands will work from a distance, but it’s still going to be dangerous outside.”
“We know, Pastor,” Dalt said, offering his friend his hand.They shook, then Larry gave GG a hug.
“We’ll keep in touch with you somehow,” GG told him.“Maybe we can get ahold of some walky-talkies.”
“Good idea,” Dalton said, unsurprised by her craftiness.She’d always been more than just a pretty face and an amazing body.“Some of the cops carry them,” he added.“It should be easy enough to procure some.When I do, I’ll drop one off the next time I come to visit you.”
“I’m glad I got to meet you, Ms.Gold,” Pastor Hogan said with a grin.“Amaros and his people need allies like you two if we’re going to win this war.”
The way was clear when Dalt checked the window next to the door.“It’s time to go, darlin’,” he said, shouldering two full backpacks.
“Thanks again for everything,” GG said to the preacher as she hefted two more backpacks over her shoulders.They kept their rifles in their hands.She waited until they’d left the building before speaking.“Larry’s a good man,” she said quietly.“Fate must have plans for him and his flock.”
“And us,” Dalton said wryly.“Lead the way,” he requested, since she knew Manhattan like the back of her hand.They had a long trek ahead and she walked fast, but not quickly enough to draw notice.
They passed patrols of cops and avoided groups of large men who had to be soldiers.GG tensed up every time they spotted four or five of the hulking aliens moving in a cluster.Dalt wished he could kill Rahab for causing his ex so much fear and anguish, but he was just an ordinary man.
“What’s wrong, Dalt?”GG asked, keeping her voice down.“You look broody.”They were in Soho by now and had made good time so far.She still wasn’t used to Manhattan being so damned dark at night.
He chuckled and didn’t deny it.“I was just thinking about how much I want to murder the commander of the evil aliens.”
GG snorted out a laugh.“I can’t tell you how many times I’ve fantasized about ending Rahab’s life.I’m just a mere mortal, though, unlike the cambions.”
He heard a bitter note in her voice.“It really bugs you that your nemesis has supernatural powers, doesn’t it?”he asked in amusement.She’d told him about Victoria Tudor, aka Victory, her hated rival.
“Of course it bugs me,” she retorted.“Vic’s the reason why I was on my way out of pro-wrestling.My manager flat out told me I was getting too old and that I needed to retire.My sponsors were hinting they wanted to switch to Vic.She was younger, prettier and more marketable than I was.”
Dalton shook his head in denial.“There’s no way she’s prettier than you, Glory Gold,” he said.“And you’re not old.You’re only thirty-six.”
GG heaved a sigh.“You’re right.I’m far more beautiful than Vic.”They laughed quietly, glancing around to make sure no one was within earshot.“I know why I was left behind.I’m selfish, vain and a pain in the butt to pretty much everyone,” she said.“Why areyoustill here, Dalt?What did you do that stained your soul?”
Another group of red-eyed soldiers turned onto their street, giving him a brief reprieve.Dalton smoothly turned into an alley with GG right beside him.In unspoken agreement, they sprinted away.They didn’t stop until they neared the Brooklyn Bridge.
“I’ll tell you my villain origin story once we’re safely on the other side, darlin’,” the cowboy said.
GG nodded and peered through the gloom.“I can see six cops guarding the bridge,” she said.“They’re stopping everyone who’s coming and going.”No one entered or left the city without being searched for supplies.
“We should use the road,” Dalt suggested.“It’ll take us longer, but it’ll be safer.”
“We’ll need to stay low and sneak past them,” she said as they angled towards the road that was clogged with vehicles.
It hadn’t snowed during the past couple of days, but a foot of powder covered the ground.Giving the guards a wide berth, they used vehicles for cover as they headed for the bridge.
Dalton kept his eye out for anyone glancing down, but no one spotted them as they climbed over and squeezed past the trucks and cars.They reached the far side without incident, then hurried away from the structure before cops could come along and spot them.They didn’t want their contraband to be taken away or to engage in battle with anyone.Stealth was the only way they would survive when they were this badly outnumbered.
“We should be in the clear now,” GG said when they were a few blocks away from the bridge.“Spill it, Dalt.What big bad thing did you do to be stuck here with the rest of us sinners?”
