76

As Ackerman approached, he was pleased to see that John Canyon was waiting to meet him in front of the barricades, acting as the tip of the spear. They had placed two massive pickup trucks with their beds angled toward the trading post. The resulting V formation reminded Ackerman of the paddles in a pinball machine. He had never been allowed to play games such as that when he was a boy, and when he was a man, he had much better things to play with. Still, he was familiar with the concept and design.

Between the two trucks, they had backed up a panel van, the type that normally carried the name of someone’s plumbing business stenciled on its side. The rear doors of the van were open to two men with AK-47s trained on Ackerman. From various points, all along the barricade, there were other guns of other calibers pointed in his direction. A lot of fingers on a lot of triggers, but he wasn’t worried, and not only because he was incapable. Behind each of the angled pickup trucks were additional vehicles and additional men. Then, far back to the left, away from the action, was the motorhome that Ackerman presumed to be their command post and outhouse.

It was a good little roadblock. It would’ve been difficult to ram a vehicle through it and escape.

He was pleased to see that Canyon had positioned his resources in much the same way that Ackerman had imagined he would. Although he had never played Battleship as a child, at the moment, he felt a bit like he had just won a giant iteration of the popular board game.

Stopping ten feet short of the barricade, Ackerman waited his finger held tight against the ring attached to the safety pan attached to the release mechanism of the grenade, which was then attached to Tobias Canyon’s face. To the young man’s father, he said, “I know that you were wanting to see your boy, and my associate informed me that you had wished to come up to the trading post and speak face-to-face. But I figured what kind of a host would I be if I didn’t come out to meet and greet all of you myself.”

Stepping forward, the elder Canyon said, “Cut the crap. Let’s talk deal. I want my son back, and I want my truck back. And I’m sure that you and your little girlfriend would like to walk out of here with your lives. So let’s talk. How much is it going to cost me?”

Ackerman cocked his head and replied, “My apologies, John. I appear to have somehow been imprecise or unclear with my demands. You were to bring me Agent Carlisle by a certain time, or I told you that I would destroy you and your little kingdom. Am I speaking with a dialect or an accent that makes it difficult for you to comprehend. I would be happy to restate in a manner that would—”

“How are you operating under the assumption that you have any room to dictate terms to me? Look around! I have you completely surrounded, outmanned and outgunned. The only thing keeping you alive is the fact that I need information from you. And fortunately for me, you aren’t the only one who possesses that information. I don’t care where it comes from. You or your brother. I expect him to be along shortly.”

Ackerman felt an eye twitch at the use of the word “brother” and laughed to cover the gesture. “Yes, I expect Marcus to be along soon as well, but I’m not sure that you’ll enjoy his company. He’s not nearly as much fun as I am. He kind of just cuts straight to the point without all the embellishment. But what you refuse to comprehend, my dear Mr. Canyon, is that we are in the exact same situation that we were in earlier. With you sitting in a position of weakness and believing yourself in the seat of power. It’s sad really.”

“You are completely out of your mind. I have no idea where your friend is. I think it’s time that you had a reality check.” Turning to one of his subordinates, he gave a nod, and a short barrel-chested man picked up a radio receiver and said, “Come on in.”

Ackerman had no idea to whom this man was speaking or why it would have a bearing on their current discussion, but he didn’t like surprises, unless he was the one doing the surprising.

He said, “I wouldn’t try anything reckless, John. I will not hesitate to separate your son’s head from his body. Well, I guess ‘separate’ is a bit imprecise—there won’t be much head or body left—but you get the idea.”

Canyon had a little smirk on his face. “Just watch, my friend.” Ackerman stepped to the side of the van in order to see the approaching vehicle. It started as a pair of headlights and became a pair of headlights attached to a massive dark shape. Then it emerged as the biggest, blackest, armored narco tank that Ackerman had ever seen. The armored truck stopped, and Ackerman watched as his brother dropped down from the back with his hands raised in surrender.