They make their way back to where Scoot
dropped them early that morning. They have gathered as much
information as they can without gaining access to the house. Scoot
and Goose pick them up just before dark and they head back to the
ranch.
******
When they arrive back at the ranch the five
members of the Drake Security team and Barry Farrady all sit down
in the office to discuss their options.
Barry says, "I am acquainted with John
Bracken. He always gets what he wants, no matter what it costs or
what he has to do to get it. He is going to be a difficult
adversary."
Bear says pointing at the topography map of
the park, "The chateau is located here and the mine entrance is
about here. We saw several guys going in and out. They had security
cameras at the entrance monitoring the activities inside. We didn't
see any around the surrounding area. We couldn't see all the way to
the back so we don't know how deep it goes into the mountain. The
house has blackout drapes on all of the windows so we couldn't see
anything inside. Some of the windows also have bars. It does have
security cameras on the outside monitoring all of the open areas
near the house. We saw a generator in the back enclosed in a chain
link fence and hidden by a camouflage cover. The generator appears
to be the main source of power for the chateau."
Stump's heart is pounding with fear and he is
panicking. He looks at Scoot, the fear showing in his eyes and
says, "We've got to get Sam out of that place before he hurts
her."
Scoot says reassuringly, "I think the man is
interested in what Sam can do for him otherwise he wouldn't have
gone to so much trouble to kidnap her twice. I don't think he plans
on hurting her. He might if she tries to escape, but as long as she
does what he says, she will probably be safe."
Bear asks, "I've been thinking about this all
day and the only thing I can think of is to create a distraction of
some kind to pull everyone in the house outside."
Scoot asks, "What kind of distraction?"
Bear says, "I don't know. What about a couple
of well placed grenades inside that mine?"
Scoot says, "We may have to resort to that
but let's see what other options we come up with first."
Goose says, "A distraction would be helpful.
The grenade idea would go a long way to balancing the odds. It
would take out all of the guys in the mine and we would only have
to deal with the guys inside the chateau."
Scoot says, "Yeah, but how many innocent guys
that are just trying to support their families would we kill. I
would rather find another way."
Pinky suggests, "What if we stage a firefight
in the area to make them think they are under a full siege. Then we
can take out the guys that do come out without much problem. We
could enlist the help of the ATF and FBI. Sam has been kidnapped
and we should probably call them anyway."
Barry says, "That could work. I've got
several movies we can splice the fight scenes together and wipe out
any dialogue and then broadcast it over loudspeakers. We could make
it sound like a real battle. It we do it after dark we would also
have the advantage of night vision."
Pinky adds, "I'm sure Leaf can splice the
movies and remove the dialog with no problem."
Scoot says, "I like that. Pinky, you and
Barry get with Leaf and get started on the soundtrack. Goose and I
will call the ATF and FBI. Bear, you and Stump decide on the best
location for the firefight and where to place everyone around the
area to capture as many people as possible. Once we have those
decisions made, we'll decide how we are going to get inside that
chateau."
******
Early the next morning Samantha is awakened
by a knock on her bedroom door. When she answers she finds the
guard, James, standing there. He says, "Time to get up, Miss Wells.
You are expected at breakfast in twenty minutes."
Samantha nods and closes the door. She
hurriedly dresses in jeans and a long sleeve blouse. She puts her
hair up into her usual bun and dons her black frame glasses. Then
she heads back toward where she thinks the dining room is
located.
James speaks from behind her startling her,
"Keep walking straight ahead then turn left at the next
intersection."
When the man spoke Samantha nearly jumped out
of her skin. Damn! Where was he hiding when she stepped out of her
room? She didn't respond to his words but did follow his directions
to the dining room. When she walks in the man named John is waiting
for her.
"Good morning, Miss Wells. You look much
better this morning. I trust you slept well," says John.
Samantha nods and says, "Yes, thank you."
John smiles and says, "Wonderful. I'm glad
you found your tongue this morning too. Once you have finished
breakfast I will show you where you will be working and you can get
started identifying the artifacts we have already found."
Sam nods again but doesn't speak.
After breakfast he leads her down into a
basement area where she sees a long work bench crowded with
artifacts and fragments of artifacts. A state of the art computer
sits in the corner and one whole wall is lined with bookshelves
packed with books on archaeology. Sam walks around the area
examining some of the artifacts. When John speaks again she looks
up at him.
He says, "As you can see, we have found quite
a few items already and these are why I am certain we are digging
in the right area to find the lost cave. Well, I'll leave you to
your work. If you have any questions, you can ask James to contact
me. He will be keeping you company." He turns and heads back up the
stairs to the main part of the house.
Not having any other options, Samantha begins
cataloging the items on the workbench.
******
A large contingent of ATF and FBI agents
arrive at the Rock Springs Ranch early the next morning. They are
all gathering for a planning session for the operation to rescue
Samantha Wells which will take place as soon as it is dark. Loud
speakers will be placed in areas on all four sides of the chateau
at a distance far enough away to make them hard to detect but close
enough to rattle the windows of the chateau. The ATF agents will be
stationed outside of the mine to capture any men that exit. The FBI
will be scattered about the area around the chateau and the Drake
Security team will disable the generator and the security system at
the chateau before entering the house itself. It will be Drake
Security's job to clear the chateau and to hopefully safely rescue
Samantha Wells.
******
Samantha is awakened by the sounds of
explosions and gunfire and she immediately runs to the bathroom and
closes the door. She quickly dresses in jeans and a sweatshirt and
then hides in the far back corner of the walk in closet and piles
clothes on top of her body. She is shaking like a leaf and her
heart is pounding with fear. She knows that someone is trying to
rescue her and she prays for their safety. Please God, keep them
safe.
She has just sunk to the floor and finished
piling the clothes on top of her body when she hears someone open
the door to the bathroom. She holds her breath as she hears them
looking for her. She hears them open the door to the closet. Then
she hears James yell, "She's gone!" Then she hears running in the
hall outside of her room. She doesn't move a muscle she is so
frightened. She is curled up in the fetal position trying to appear
as small as possible in the corner of this closet with the clothes
piled on top of her. She prays they will think it is just a pile of
dirty clothes. She can still hear tons of gunfire and what sounds
like explosions in the area so loud they are rattling the windows
and tears seep out of her eyes to the floor.
******
Stump and the other guys disable the
generator at the chateau with one of those well placed grenades.
Pinky easily shoots out the security cameras allowing them to enter
the house and clear each room in turn. Because they have on their
night vision goggles, they have an advantage over the guards. They
are forced to kill six men on the first floor. They haven't found
Samantha or John Bracken yet. Where is she? They keep searching
from room to room. John Bracken is caught trying to escape out the
back of the house and is killed when he pulls a weapon.
When they get to Samantha's room, Stump knows
immediately she is near and says, "This is her room. I can feel her
here." He starts searching but doesn't find her anywhere. Finally
he calls, "Samantha, where are you?"
Sam is so scared but when she hears Rance's
voice she breathes a sigh of relief and whispers through her tears,
"Here, in the closet."
Stump barely hears her but rushes into the
bathroom and glances in the closet. He doesn't see her at first and
asks, "Where?"
Samantha starts trying to unwind her limbs.
That's when he sees her and he runs to her side, pulling her into
his arms, he says, "Thank God! I was so worried. Are you all right?
Did they hurt you?"
Tears are streaming down her face and she
shakes her head. She can't speak because she has a huge knot of
emotion in her throat. He picks her up and rushes outside with her
to where paramedics are waiting. When he tries to lay her down on
the gurney, she clings to him and says, "No, don't leave me!" So he
sits down on the gurney and holds her in his arms while the
paramedics examine her. He can feel her shaking so he caresses her
back and speaks to her in a calm soothing voice,
"It's all right Baby. You're safe now
Samantha. I'm not going to let anyone hurt you. I'm here and you're
safe Sweetheart. I promise I'll take care of you and keep you
safe."
After a brief examination, the paramedics
tell Stump that she appears to be all right physically but probably
needs a sedative to help her relax. Samantha says, "No, I don't
want a sedative. I just want to go home." So the paramedics hand
Stump an envelope with two tablets that she can take later if she
needs them. He thanks the paramedics and then exits the ambulance,
Sam held securely in his arms.
******
It is very late when they finally return to
the ranch so Stump carries Samantha straight to her room in the
main ranch house. He gently sets her on the bed and removes her
clothes. Then he pulls the blankets on the bed over her and
tenderly kisses her lips and says, "Goodnight Sweetheart." He turns
to leave.
Samantha cries, "Please, Rance, stay with
me."
Without a word he strips out of his clothing
and stretches out beneath the covers then pulls Samantha into his
arms. She snuggles close to his side and whispers, "Thank you.
Thank you for saving me again."
Smiling, Rance feels like he is in heaven to
be holding Samantha in his arms again. He prays that she will
forgive him. He takes a deep breath of satisfaction and says, "I
heard you, you know. I heard you pleading for me to help you."
Surprised Samantha says, "You really heard
me?"
Rance replies, "Yes, it was like you were
standing right beside me. It scared me to death. I was so afraid we
wouldn't get to you in time."
Samantha whispers, "Oh Rance, I was so
scared. When I first woke up in the backseat of the pickup I
thought Zeke or Jeb had grabbed me. Thank God it wasn't them."
Stump asks, "Who was it? Did you know
them?"
Sam says, "It was Terrence Wilbanks. I
recognized him as soon as he opened the door to carry me into that
house. He didn't stay though. He dropped me off and then left
immediately, even before John came into the room."
This time Stump is surprised, "Really? That
is interesting. I wonder if he even knows who he's been working for
or if he's been taking orders from some go between."
Samantha says, "I don't think he knows. I
don't think anybody knew John was in that house except the body
guards. Rance, he knew about you. The first night he said it was a
shame we had a disagreement that he would have liked to have had
someone with your talents in his organization."
Now Stump is really surprised. "He said that?
He must have had me investigated when I went to work at the
construction site. The information about me in the public arena is
not too flattering. Knowing what's out there, I can understand why
he would have thought that. He must have thought we were a couple
from what happened at Mel's. That means he had someone spying for
him at the bar."
Samantha asks, "Zeke and Jeb?"
Rance says, "No, I doubt that. They wouldn't
have wanted to feed me to the bears if their boss was interested in
hiring me. I don't think they are involved in the mining at
all."
Samantha shyly asks, "Would you make love to
me please?"
Stump replies, "Oh Samantha, I can't. I don't
have any protection with me. I'm sorry."
Samantha takes a deep steadying breath and
then explains, "You don't need protection. I'm pregnant Rance. I
took a home pregnancy test before I went to work the day I was
kidnapped. I think that is why he was able to take me by surprise
in the parking lot. I am not usually so careless."
Rance asks, "You're really pregnant?" Stump
can't believe the wave of joy that is flowing through him. He's
going to be a Daddy!
Samantha replies, "I'm afraid so. I know it's
probably the last thing you want to hear but it's a fact and we
can't hide from it."
Rance's heart clenches at her words and he
says, "Samantha, I'm so sorry for the way I treated you before I
left for Washington DC. It was cruel and I am terribly ashamed. It
is the biggest mistake I have ever made in my life. I have missed
you so much I have almost become an alcoholic."
Samantha says unbelievingly, "What? You never
drink but two beers!"
Rance confesses, "I have been drinking
whiskey, a lot of whiskey ... almost a fifth every two days."