that are upset about the Civil War. I know that sounds ridiculous to a Northerner, but trust me, it’s true. White supremacists run some towns, while black militants control others. Then, to complicate things further, there are places in this state that no one controls. The swamps, the forests, the bayou. Shit, I guarantee you there are entire communities in Louisiana that don’t know what year it is—or even care. Those are the areas where a place like the Plantation could exist. No visitors, no cops, no laws. That’s where a place like that could thrive.”
The possibility didn’t make Payne happy. He had secretly hoped that Bennie Blount was a simpleton who mumbled to strangers about fictitious places in order to get attention, but that seemed less likely now. If someone like Greene was willing to believe that the Plantation could exist, then there was a good chance that it actually did.
And if that was the case, then it was up to Payne to find it.
CHAPTER 30
Sunday, July 4th
Independence Day
THE leaders of the Plantation had waited several years for this day to come, and now that their plan had come to fruition, they could barely contain their enthusiasm. The special ceremony they had planned was originally slated to begin an hour before dawn, the same time they had held the symbolic ritual of the burning cross, but now that their big day was actually here, they realized that their adrenaline wouldn’t let them wait another four hours.
Their big announcement would have to be pushed forward.
Holmes notified Hakeem Ndjai, who told the rest of the guards. Within minutes, the Plantation’s tattooed battalion began assembling the prisoners into formation, forcing the tired captives into a very specific order:
Before Holmes, Jackson, and Webster made their appearance, the guards double-checked the prisoners, making sure everyone was where they were supposed to be.
Then, like a shadow through a sea of black, Master Holmes and his raven-colored steed charged through the night. The only thing announcing their presence was the sound of hooves tearing up the soft turf in rhythmic bursts and the occasional crack of a leather whip against the horse’s dark flesh. The sound brought chills to the recently flogged prisoners.
Once he reached the three groups, Holmes stared through the holes of his black hood and sighed. “Well, well, well! What do we have here? A bunch of frightened white people! The sight warms my heart!” He turned his attention to Ndjai. “Is everyone here, Hakeem?”
“Everyone except Master Jackson and Master Webster.”
Holmes nodded as he thought back to the days when he was the scared victim, when he watched members of the Ku Klux Klan ride in on horseback and terrorize his family with burning crosses and threats of violence. Shit, he could still remember the pounding of his heart and the knot in his gut. The way he trembled while clinging to his mom for safety.
“Will they be joining us?” Ndjai asked.
Holmes nodded, refusing to take his eyes off of the prisoners. He loved the way they quivered in the firelight. “My friends wouldn’t miss it for the world.”
BLOUNT gawked at the interior of Greene’s mansion as he walked down the hallways, glancing into every room he passed. He had never been in such a large house before and wanted a chance to snoop around. Unfortunately, his hosts had other ideas.
“Bennie!” Payne shouted. “Where are you hiding? Levon got off the phone five minutes ago, and we’ve been waiting for you ever since!”
“I sorry, Mr. Payne!” He jogged toward the sound of Payne’s voice. “I guess I gots a little bit lost when I left the toilet. I sorry!”
Payne grinned at Blount’s lanky form and easygoing country manner. “That’s all right. But if we’re gonna finish our preparations, we’ve got to get back to work.” He threw his arm around Blount’s shoulder and squeezed. “And you’re our star!”
The concept made him smile. “Let’s gets to it then! I been waitin’ my whole life to be a star!” Blount and Payne joined Greene and Jones at the massive dining room table. Maps and sketches were scattered all over the wooden surface. “So tells me, what does ya need to know?”
Jones, who possessed the strongest background in military strategy, glanced at the information in front of him. He had graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy, where he had studied computers at the Colorado Springs campus. After receiving the highest score in Air Force history on the MSAE, the Military Strategy Acumen Examination, he earned