Seeking Safety (11 page)

******

A couple of weeks have passed since Michael
and his Mom came to the ranch and Michael loves everything about
it. He has learned how to ride and to care for the horses. Bud, the
new foreman, says Michael is a natural and will make a fine
horseman and rancher some day.

Michael and Barry have spent hours combing
over the hills of the ranch on horseback and on four wheelers.
Michael thinks that Barry is great too. He is patient, kind, and
understanding and he has been teaching him survival skills. They
have gone fishing in the river that runs through the ranch and he
is teaching him what berries are safe to eat and which ones aren't.
His real Dad never spent time with him like Barry has.

He and Barry have spent a lot of time just
talking too. He has told Barry everything he can remember about the
compound in Idaho. Being a kid, he had been allowed in places at
the compound his Mom was never allowed to go. His Dad had let him
in the compound office and carried him to some of the meetings and
he has related to Barry everything he can remember. He has drawn
maps of the compound and the inside of the compound office. He has
told him who lived in each of the cabins at the compound and
identified the men that seemed to be the leaders. He has told him
about all of the other kids who lived at the compound, what they
did for fun, and who was mean to him and who was nice.

Michael is glad his real Dad is dead. He
hated him for the way he used to hit and kick his Mom. That last
time when he had tried to step between his Dad and Mom, his Dad had
hit him too. He will never forget that. He socked him right in the
nose and made it bleed and then beat him across his back with a
belt. It had hurt real bad and his Mom had cried. He still has
scars on his back from that beating. Barry had asked about them
when he had seen them at the pool. He finds himself wishing that
Barry could be his Dad. His life would certainly be different if he
was and he would never have to leave the ranch then.

He dreads having to leave the ranch, but he
knows it won't be much longer. His Mom told him they would stay a
month but he can tell she is getting ready to leave. She has been
slowly packing their clothes. He knows she is nervous having that
reporter at the gate that is part of the militia. He can understand
her fear because he is afraid too. It's just that he knows the
ranch is the safest place they can be. Barry, Scoot, and the other
guys will protect them.

Michael and Dani Murray, Jacob Murray's
daughter from the Rocking J Ranch have become fast friends. They
are exactly the same age and spend nearly every afternoon riding
together. One afternoon as they are riding across the back pasture
on the Murray ranch, they are chased by two men on four wheelers.
Dani is able to outrun the men, but Michael's horse is frightened
by the unfamiliar noise and rears causing him to fall off. The two
men grab him and leave on the four wheelers. Dani gallops as fast
as her horse can carry her back to the barn yelling, "Daddy, Uncle
Jason, Bob, two men just took Michael!"

Jacob Murray asks, "Slow down, Dani, what
happened?"

Dani says, panting, "Two men just took
Michael! They were chasing us and Michael's horse threw him. The
men grabbed him and left on four wheelers. They took the old
logging road at the back of the pasture. Please hurry Daddy!"

Jason places a call to Barry while Dani is
still talking and relates what Dani is saying to them. Within
minutes they hear the helicopter pass overhead headed toward the
back of the pasture and the logging road. Jacob, Jason, and Bob
head toward the logging road on horseback.

******

Michael is terrified and his heart is
pounding with fear. He remembers these men from the compound but he
doesn't know why they have grabbed him. His Dad is dead and he
can't think of any other reason they would want him. He knows
better than to try to fight these men. They are cruel like his Dad
and he doesn't want another beating like the one his Dad gave him
the night he and his Mom left the compound. He knows without a
doubt that Barry and the other guys will find him.

I am hysterical. I am pacing back and forth
in the great room of Barry's house. My heart is pounding with fear
for Michael.
Why did they take Michael? What
do they want with him?
Virginia is trying her best to
calm me but I am inconsolable. Jana, Jenny, Neal and Dani Murray
arrive within minutes. Jenny takes Virginia by the hand and heads
to the kitchen to make coffee and Jana takes my hand and leads me
to the sofa. Dani is holding one year old Neal and sits down in
front of the fireplace to play with the baby.

"Beth, you have got to calm down. You are not
helping Michael by getting upset," Jana coaxes. "You have to try
and think what reason they have for taking him. Anything you
remember can be helpful."

With tears in my eyes I respond, "I know,
Jana, I'm just so scared. What if they don't find them? What if
they are too late? What if I never get to see Michael again?
They'll take him back to that horrible compound! Oh God, please
help him!"

"Everything's going to be just fine, you'll
see. These men, Barry's friends, they're very good at what they do
and Barry loves Michael. He will find him and keep him safe." Jana
consoles.

******

Barry's heart is pounding with fear. Damn!
Damn! Damn! How could he have let this happen? Why didn't he warn
Michael to stay on the Rock Springs Ranch where he would be safe?
Damn! Beth is never going to forgive him. Hell, he's never going to
forgive himself if something happens to Michael. Please God, keep
him safe!

Scoot is the pilot of the helicopter. Pinky
and Barry have their sniper rifles loaded and ready. Goose is the
lookout and says, "Look, over by the fence, I see them. It appears
they are headed for that wash over on the other side of those
trees."

Scoot turns toward the area Goose indicated
and they spot an armored vehicle hidden in the brush. "All right
guys, you may only get one shot a piece. We have to get them before
they reach the vehicle," warns Scoot.

Pinky says, "I'll take the one on the red
four wheeler, you get the other one Farrie."

Leaning out on either side of the helicopter,
anchored by belts attached to the helicopter's frame, Barry and
Pinky take aim. Scoot yells, "Now!" just as the men hop off of the
four wheelers headed for the truck dragging Michael between
them.

When the shots ring out both men immediately
drop in their tracks on either side of the boy. Stunned to be
suddenly free of their grasp, Michael looks up at the helicopter
and sees the men leaning out on either side. He waves smiling as
relief flows through his young body. Scoot lands on a flat area
just about a quarter mile away and Barry bolts out toward the boy.
Grabbing him into a bear hug, he says, "Thank God! They didn't hurt
you, did they?"

Michael shakes his head, grins, "No, I'm all
right. I knew you would come save me."

Scoot, Pinky, and Goose check the dead men
and verify their demise and their identities. They are the same two
men that Bob Kenner identified previously as having been scouting
the area around the Rock Springs Ranch.

As the three men approach Barry, Pinky says
grinning, "Farrie, I sure am glad your skill is still in top notch
form. That was a close one!"

Michael looks curiously at Barry and asks,
"Farrie?"

Barry blushing says, "It's short for Farrady.
That was my code name in the Marines just like Pinky, Scoot, and
Goose are these guy's code names."

Michael asks, "Did you really shoot one of
those two men from up in the helicopter?"

Barry blushes again, "Yeah."

"Wow! That was awesome!" exclaims Michael
throwing his arms around Barry's neck. "I want you to teach me how
to shoot like that!"

Barry responds, "Well, maybe when you are a
little older as long as your Mom says it's all right."

Jacob, Jason, and Bob arrive on the scene on
horseback. Smiling Jacob says, "Well, Barry, We're glad to see all
is well. We heard those shots and got here as fast as we could.
We're glad it all turned out for the best."

Jason adds, "The sheriff is on the way. He'll
want to get statements from everyone."

Barry nods his acknowledgement but says, "I
think he's going to need to come to the ranch to get our
statements. I don't want to keep Beth in suspense about Michael's
safety. I'm sure she heard those shots too. Do you mind waiting for
him here and asking him to stop by the ranch?"

"Not at all," answers Jacob. "Get the boy
back to his mother." Jacob understands completely the horror of not
knowing the fate of your child. His daughter had been abandoned by
one of his former girlfriends at a truck stop hundreds of miles
from home when Dani was only eight. His current wife, Jana, was the
one that found her hiding in the truck stop restroom and protected
her until Jacob could get to her from Texas.

Scoot asks, "Michael, are you ready for a
ride in my bird?"

Michael says, "You bet!" His heart is
pounding with excitement. He takes off running toward the
helicopter followed by Barry and the Drake Security team. They all
climb aboard and fly back to the Rock Springs Ranch.

As the helicopter takes off, Jacob Murray
looks at his twin brother, Jason and says, "We need to get us one
of those."

Jason asks skeptically, "And just who is
going to fly it?"

Jacob responds, "We could learn. Doesn't it
look like fun?"

Jason grins and says, "How about if we get
Scoot to teach us to fly one first and then we can talk about
buying one."

Bob Kenner shakes his head. Young men do love
new toys.

******

When I hear the helicopter getting closer I
run through the back door of the house so I can see them when they
land. My heart is pounding with fear because I heard what I think
was gunfire.
Please God, keep Michael
safe!

Bud Wilkes is waiting in the yard and I walk
up beside him, shaking with fear. He says, "It's over. They are on
their way back. They should be here momentarily." He glances over
at me and sees me shaking with fear. He heard the shots too and
recognized them as coming from the sniper rifles. He is confident
everything ended well. He consoles, "Don't worry. Those boys know
what they are doing. Your boy is fine."

I glance up at Bud and he smiles at me. I nod
my head and try to return his smile. His words comfort me some but
I will not relax until I see Michael for myself.

When the helicopter lands in the yard at the
ranch, Bud has to grab my arm to keep me from running into the
blades before they stop. When I see Michael step out of the
helicopter no one is about to stop me. I am sobbing with relief and
enclose him in my arms squeezing him tight. "Oh Michael, I was so
scared. Are you all right? They didn't hurt you, did they?"

"Aw Mom, I'm fine. Barry saved me just like I
knew he would. He shot one of the two men from up in the helicopter
before they could take me away." I am shocked at his words and look
up to see Barry approaching.

Walking up beside them and blushing Barry
says, "Hey Michael, give Pinky credit too. He shot the other one.
If Scoot hadn't flown us to the location we wouldn't have made it
in time and Goose is the one that spotted you."

Tears running unashamedly down my face, I
thank each of the men in turn. When I get to Barry I put my arms
around his waist and lay my head on his chest sobbing with relief.
I feel his arms close tenderly around me.

Barry hasn't allowed himself to touch or hold
Beth since that first night when he had kissed her on the patio.
She just feels too much like she belongs in his arms and the
attraction he feels for this woman scares him to death. His arms
have ached to hold her for days now. Holding her again is heavenly
and his heart thuds heavily. He wishes their lives were different.
The way things stand now he realizes they have no future together.
He lives in the public eye with the Paparazzi following him
everywhere and it would just be too dangerous for her and the boy.
A sense of deep sadness flows over him.

******

I don't know why I put my arms around Barry.
He hasn't made any attempt to get close to me since that first
night on the patio. If I am honest with myself, I have been
disappointed that he hasn't attempted to kiss me again but at the
same time, I'm really not surprised. He is a famous movie star
after all and I am nobody.

Putting my arms around him just seemed like
the most natural thing in the world for me to do. Just like seeking
his comfort after having been so scared for Michael seems natural
to me. Standing in the middle of the ranch yard wrapped in the
safety of his arms is the only place I want to be at the moment. I
realize a relationship with Barry Farrady is hopeless on so many
different levels, but I need his comfort right now. I'll worry
about everything else later.

******

Michael is pumped up. Yes, he was scared to
death when those two men grabbed him after he fell off his horse.
They were friends of his Dad and he remembers how mean they could
be. He was very relieved when Barry and the guys came to his
rescue. It was so exciting being rescued by them in their
helicopter. And riding in the "bird", as Scoot called it, was
awesome! Barry is absolutely the greatest! He remembers seeing him
hanging out of the side of the helicopter when he had looked up and
waved. Now, seeing his Mom and Barry hugging, wow! Wouldn't it be
cool if his Mom and Barry got married? Barry would be his Dad then.
Yeah, he would love that! Then he wouldn't ever have to go back to
New York City. He hates New York City. He wishes he could stay here
on the ranch forever!

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