Seeking Safety (9 page)

When time comes for us to leave, one of
Barry's security guards escorts us down the back stairs to a
waiting limousine that takes us back to our apartment.

******

From that day forward Eric is on cloud nine.
He is going to get to spend a whole month on a real ranch! He
wonders if Barry has horses and stuff. He can't wait! He really
likes Barry and is very grateful for his and the other guys help in
protecting him and his Mom from his Dad. His Dad was a very mean
man. He hated the way he used to hit and kick his Mom. He hated
that he wasn't old enough to do something to make him stop

Since seeing Barry in New York, he and his
Mom have rented every movie they can find starring Barry Farrady.
He is a great movie star and all of the movies are really good. He
can't wait to get to know him better. He'll be glad when June gets
here!

******

Steve Simpson has been scanning all of the
tabloid websites for any mention of Barry Farrady. He has read
hundreds of tabloid stories about the famous movie star. He is
hoping Farrady will lead him to Melanie and Eric. They seem to have
disappeared off the face of the earth.

He made arrangements for a member of the
group that works for a magazine out of Seattle to stake out
Farrady's ranch. So far he hasn't turned up any useful
information.

As he is scanning the websites one more time,
he sees a story he missed earlier about Barry Farrady appearing in
New York City for the premier of his latest movie. He slowly pages
through the article looking at all the pictures when he sees it, a
picture of a crowd of people in front of a ritzy hotel in New York
City. Right in the front row is Eric Calloway. Bingo! He
immediately dispatches a couple of members to New York City to try
and track down the boy and his mother. He furnishes them with
recent pictures they can use to gather information.

******

When Barry finally finishes all of his public
appearances for the movie and returns to the Rock Springs Ranch, he
has something to look forward to, Beth and Michael will be arriving
in two weeks. He is extremely excited and can't wait to really get
to know them. Barry is haunted by the memory of the brief kiss that
Melanie gave him as she was leaving that cold January morning. He
is burning with curiosity to know if they possess a true sexual
attraction or if it is just a figment of an over active
imagination.

In the months since Darren Calloway was
killed, Barry has updated the security at the ranch by adding a ten
foot fence with razor wire on the top around the entire perimeter.
Security cameras are spaced so that someone is watching every inch
of the perimeter twenty four hours a day. Armed guards are
stationed at the entrance and patrol all areas of the ranch
regularly. He has a permanent security force to keep the Paparazzi
under control and prevent any other issues that might arise. Barry
also has the ability to access any of the security cameras from his
computer in the study.

He has installed an automatic gate requiring
a security code and paved the road between the Murray's ranch and
his own and a guard is stationed at the gate around the clock also.
The Murrays and Barry are in the process of building a state of the
art airfield to be shared by both ranches in the future since both
own private jets. It will have a lighted runway that is heated to
keep it clear of snow and ice in the winter. Housing for mechanics,
pilots, flight attendants, and their families is included in the
complex.

On the day Beth and Michael are scheduled to
arrive Barry is so excited he can't sit still. He is pacing around
the great room looking out first one window and then another. His
mother says, "Barrett, for heaven's sake, sit down! You are driving
me crazy!"

Laughing Barry says, "I'm sorry Mom. I just
can't wait to see them again."

"I hope you don't mind that I invited Bob to
dinner tonight, I want him to get to know them too. He will be a
fine example for, what's his name now, oh yes, Michael."

"I don't mind at all, Mom. Bob is a good
honest man. I am very happy that the two of you have hit it off.
You deserve to be happy Mom," he says. "Don't forget we are all
having dinner at the Murray's home on Saturday. I think Dani and
Michael will be great friends. They are exactly the same age."

******

Michael and I are absolutely amazed by the
luxurious jet Barry sent to New York to pick us up. A limousine
arrived at our apartment before daylight and took us straight to
the airport where we boarded the jet. We were served a sumptuous
meal while in flight and were able to watch live television as we
traveled. Another limousine picked us up at the airport in Cody,
Wyoming and we are now nearing the entrance to the Rock Springs
Ranch. Michael is so excited he can't sit still. He is peering out
the nearly black windows of the limousine at all of the reporters
snapping pictures of the car as it approaches. He is shocked at
what Barry has to deal with every day. Then he sees him,

"Mom! That man, the one in the red shirt, he
was at the compound!" whispers Michael alarmed.

I jerk my head toward the direction Michael
is pointing. I spy the man he is talking about. "Are you sure? He
does look familiar." I am extremely concerned.

"I'm positive Mom. He didn't live at the
compound but he visited regularly. I'll never forget those people!
We have to tell Barry!" he whispers.

"Yes, we will tell him as soon as we see him.
Thank God he can't see into this car!" My heart is pounding with
fear.

******

Early the same morning Steve Simpson's cell
phone rings at the compound in Idaho. One of the members he sent to
New York City to find Melanie and Eric says, "Hey Steve, when we
finally tracked down where Melanie and Eric have been living, they
were gone. The neighbors told us they left in a limousine before
daylight this morning. From what we found inside the apartment, it
looks like they are planning to be gone for a while. The
refrigerator was completely cleaned out and no other perishable
food was in the cabinets. The landlord said they told him they
would be gone at least a month. Do you think they may be going to
Farrady's ranch?"

Steve replies "Could be. I'll put the word
out to the members in the area to keep an eye out for them. Why
don't you guys head back here? Thanks for calling me."

******

A few hours later Steve Simpson's cell phone
rings again. He answers, "Simpson."

A member that is an employee at the Cody
Wyoming airport says, "Steve, a woman and a boy that looks like
Eric Calloway just arrived in Cody on Barry Farrady's private jet.
They were whisked away in a limousine before I could get a positive
identification, but I am pretty sure it was them. The woman's hair
is short and dark so I am not sure about her, but I am pretty sure
the boy was Eric."

"Thanks, I'll handle it from here," replies
Steve, a grin sliding across his face. Soon, real soon, he will be
a multi-millionaire.

He has already contacted that lawyer in
Seattle, Benjamin Roland, to have the adoptions papers ready. As
soon as he finds Eric and takes care of Melanie, he will contact
him again. Then it is just a matter of time. He has already picked
out his beach house in Florida where he plans to live. To hell with
this bunch of losers! He will give them the compound and what is
left of the fifty thousand. Then they can fend for themselves.

******

Barry is waiting in the circular drive in
front of the house when the limousine turns into the drive. His
heart is pounding with excitement. He opens the back door and
offers his hand to Beth. When she takes his hand to stand up, Barry
pulls her into his arms and gives her a quick but firm kiss on the
lips. The zing they had shared so many months before roars through
his veins. As he pulls back from Beth and gathers Michael into his
embrace he wonders what this sexual chemistry they share might lead
to or if it is even possible for them to pursue it.

I am stunned. I remember the same electric
shock when I briefly kissed Barry when we left the ranch the last
time but I really didn't think much about it then because I never
expected to see him again. Now I am not sure what to think. My
experience with sex is very limited and certainly hasn't been
positive, but I am not afraid. In fact, occasionally I enjoyed sex
with Darren. The times when he was sober he was gentle, persuasive.
I am just thankful I never got pregnant again and I owe that fact
to my friend, Jasmine and the special herbal tea she showed me how
to brew.

Now I wonder what sex with someone like Barry
Farrady would be like. He is so gorgeous and his body so
scrumptious I would like to gobble him up. I shake my head. I need
to get those thoughts right out of my head. We're talking about a
famous movie star. He would never be interested in a plain,
unsophisticated woman like me. Besides, movie stars pass out kisses
like most people shake hands. It is a normal act of greeting for
them.

As soon as we get inside the house I tell
Barry, "Barry, Michael recognized one of the reporters at the main
gate as having been at the compound in Idaho."

Barry jerks his head toward me, "What? You're
kidding aren't you?" His heart speeds up with apprehension.

"I'm afraid not. Can you check into it
please?"

Barry answers, "Of course! I'll call Scoot
right now. Do you know his name?"

"Unfortunately, no we don't. All we know is
that he is about five foot six or seven, muscular, long brown hair
tied back with a leather thong and today he is wearing a red shirt.
Michael said he never lived at the compound but that he visited
regularly."

Barry picks up his cell phone and calls the
front gate, "Sam, who is the reporter wearing the red shirt, brown
hair tied back with a leather thong?"

Sam answers, "I'm not sure. He's new, been
hanging around for a month or so. Is something wrong?"

Barry answers, "I don't know yet. Keep an eye
on him will you? Don't do anything that might raise his suspicions
though."

Barry calls Scoot immediately.

******

Scoot and the other three members of the
Drake Security team arrive in a matter of hours at the Rock Springs
Ranch by way of the private road from the Murray's Rocking J Ranch.
Because of the nature of the Murray's horse breeding business it is
not unusual for groups of people to come and go out of their ranch
at all hours of the day and night.

We all gather in the great room of Barry's
house where the members of the Drake Security team show pictures to
me and Michael of all of the men they have previously documented to
be associated with the militia group that was once led by Darren
Calloway. Halfway through the stack of pictures, Michael says,
"That's him. That's the guy at the gate."

Scoot looks at the picture then says, "Peter
Williams. He's a long time member of the group and works as a
reporter for a rag out of Seattle. He could be here legitimately,
but my guess is, probably not. It's a well known fact that Calloway
and that other guy, James Bragg, died here last winter. They may be
scouting the area planning some type of reprisal. I doubt they even
know about Beth and Michael being here."

Stump speaks up, "I've got press credentials.
Why not let me hang out at the gate and see what I can find
out?"

"It might work. It certainly can't hurt. Call
and get your gear delivered to the airport. The three of us will
stay here at the ranch. Do you have our quarters ready over the
barn Barry?" asks Scoot.

"The construction is complete, the furniture
delivered, and the rooms are ready and waiting for you to move in.
All of the other equipment you asked for was delivered last week
and is stacked in the office area," answers Barry.

"Great," Scoot says. "Go about your lives
like everything is normal. Your new foreman, a man I'm sure you
remember by the name of Bud Wilkes and his wife Mary will be
arriving via the front gate later today. Bud is bringing two guys
with him. Those two along with the three of us will be your new
ranch hands. I think Bud plans on giving an interview to those
reporters out front telling them about his new position and that
you are about to begin raising cattle." Scoot and the other guys
start toward the door when suddenly Scoot stops, turns, and says,
"Oh, and one more thing, you just bought a helicopter. We're
picking it up at the airport in Cody tomorrow."

Barry smiles and shakes his head. He is going
to love having the guys here at the ranch. One thing is for sure,
life will not be boring!

I have been sitting on the sofa in the great
room of Barry's home listening to the men as they discuss all of
the possible scenarios. I am amazed at the knowledge and skills of
these men. I feel very lucky to be under their protection. It is
obvious to me that while Barry Farrady may not be one of them now,
he is very close to these men and once was a serious member of this
band of brothers.

Late that afternoon a huge extended cab
pickup pulling a horse trailer carrying six horses pulls into the
yard. A second older truck pulling a horse trailer carrying four
more horses follows.

Barry, Virginia, Michael, and I are waiting
in the yard to greet them. Michael is so excited he is practically
jumping up and down. These trucks are delivering the horses, he
can't wait! When the man steps out of the first truck Michael is
awestruck. Wow! A real live cowboy! He looks just like one in the
movies!

When the man opens the door of the extended
cab pickup and steps out into the ranch yard, I am enthralled. This
middle-aged man looks like he has stepped forward in time from the
old west. He is tall and lean wearing scruffy boots, well-worn
jeans, a long sleeve western shirt, and a light grey cowboy hat. He
walks with a swagger that only hours in a saddle could cause. His
face looks like it has been chiseled from granite and is the color
of weathered leather. No doubt he made quite an impression on those
reporters at the front gate. Stepping to the passenger side of the
truck, he lifts a petite red head down and places his arm
protectively around her shoulders.