by Karen Ward
Armed with the videos furnished by Tom Christensen and the pictures identifying the two men, they head for Detective Long's office.
When they walk in the door, Dylan says, "Hello Detective, I have some information on the explosion I think you'll be interested in."
"Really, I can use all the help I can get," says Detective Long.
"Well, I have a video surveillance tape and close-ups showing the former chef of the restaurant and his brother coming out of the building that Jim Burleson was preparing for implosion carrying boxes and loading them into a van. I also have a video of the same two men unloading boxes from the van and carrying them in the back door of the restaurant the night before the explosion. I believe they are your perpetrators."
"Mr. Drake, that sounds interesting. Let's see what you've got," says Detective Long.
After viewing the video and seeing the close-ups and the website identifying the two men he says, "I'll pick them up for questioning. We certainly don't have anything else right now. I'll let you gentlemen know what we find out."
Dylan asks, "Doesn't this pretty much clear Jim Burleson?"
Detective Long says, "That decision will be up to the prosecutor but I would think so unless we can prove a connection between all of them."
Dylan says, "You do know that Jacob Murray has agreed to represent him, don't you?"
Obviously surprised, the detective says, "No, I hadn't heard. He's one lucky guy. Jacob is the best I've ever seen."
After leaving the detective's office the three former Marines head back to Wyoming.
******
On Saturday night Dylan and I are married in the great room at Barry's ranch. I am wearing a beautiful floor length flowing white gown with pink roses in my hair. I am carrying a huge bouquet of pink roses. Dylan is wearing a black tuxedo with a white cummerbund. Damian Drake serves as ring bearer and is wearing a miniature matching tuxedo. Bear gives me away. Barry Farrady and Evelyn Drake Willingham serve as attendants and witnesses. All of the residents of the Rock Springs Ranch and the Rocking J Ranch are in attendance.
Barry and I are still believed to have perished in the explosion in LA so the honeymoon will have to wait. Dylan and I have moved into one of the upstairs suites at the ranch and Damian has relocated to the room next door.
After the celebration is over, Dylan and I retire to the suite for our first night together as husband and wife. As we walk up the stairs, Dylan's heart is soaring. He is happier than he can ever remember being. He and Skye have not been intimate since his return from Phoenix and he can't wait to hold her in his arms again.
When we reach the door to the suite, he lifts me in his arms and carries me across the threshold. Once inside he lets me slide down his body and he gazes tenderly into my beautiful sky blue eyes. Lowering his head he brushes his lips against mine and says, "I love you Skye Drake. I will love you as long as I have a breath in my body. You are the reason I live, my love, my life."
Tears in my eyes, I say, "Oh Dylan, I never dreamed I would be as happy as I am today. Without you, I would still be lost. I love you more than I can ever say." Smiling I take his hand and move it to my abdomen and look up into his eyes.
Hope springs into Dylan's heart, "Skye?"
Smiling I say, "Yes, Dylan, you're going to be a Daddy."
Tears in his eyes and grinning from ear to ear he picks me up and swings me around and around. He finally sets me gently back on my feet and slowly lowers his head for a deep breathtaking kiss. He lifts his head, looks lovingly into my eyes, and says,
"Ten minutes ago, I didn't think it was possible to be happier than I was at that moment. I was wrong. Knowing you are carrying my child is the best present you could ever give me. Thank you, my love."
He once again lowers his head and delves deeply into the sweet warmth of my mouth savoring my sweetness. Slowly, he undresses me and carries me to the huge king size bed and shows me how much I mean to him in every way a man can worship a woman.
Just as dawn is breaking across the horizon, Dylan's cell phone rings and he groggily answers, "Drake."
Pinky says, "I'm really sorry to bother you man, but all hell's breaking loose in DC. A group of armed terrorists have taken over the capital and are holding a group of Senators that were meeting in a special session captive. They have requested we all come. Even Barry is going on this one."
"I'll be down in a few minutes." Turning to me he sees my panicked face staring at him with tears in my eyes. "Oh Skye, don't look at me like that. Please understand. This is what I do. Only a few groups in the country are able to penetrate a fortress like the capital."
"I'm sorry Dylan. I do understand, but I love you so much and I will worry about you every second you're gone. Please be careful. Kiss me before you go," I plead.
He pulls me into his arms, "This is not the way I had pictured waking you this morning. I love you Skye." Lowering his head he kisses me deeply. "I'll be back soon. I promise."
******
Once Barry's jet is in flight the group receives a secure video briefing from their contact in DC. They learn the capital has been taken over by a group of domestic terrorists. It is unknown how many. The attack was well planned and executed with military precision in the dead of night. Eight capital policemen are presumed dead and seven Senators are thought to be hostages. The terrorists have disabled all of the security cameras in the capital which indicates some knowledge of the building and its security systems. All of the possible exits have been sealed to prevent their escape and negotiators are trying to get in touch with someone inside.
Barry has dyed his blonde hair and eyebrows black and has applied a fake beard. If Dylan hadn't known who he was he would never have recognized him. He says, "Farrie, that's a good disguise. I wouldn't recognize you if I didn't know for sure it's you."
"I've been working on it for a while. What's the point of having all my contacts in the movie business if I can't use them to help me occasionally?"
******
After Dylan leaves, I curl up into a ball in our bed and breathe in the essence of our lovemaking. Tears streaming down my face I pray for his and the others safety. Damian comes into the room and climbs into bed with me. He places his little arms around me and says, "Don't cry Skye. It's all right. Daddy will be back. He always comes back."
Smiling, I say, "I know Damian. I just miss him when he's gone. Come here and let's plan what we are all going to do when Daddy comes home."
******
Detective Long picked up the former restaurant owner and matched his fingerprints to the set that had been previously unidentified. When confronted with the video evidence and the fingerprint match he confessed to setting the bombs. His intention had been to kill the current owner and destroy the business. He indicated he thought the timers were set to go off at eight in the morning during a time when only the owner and minimal staff would be inside the building. As it turned out, the bombs had been timed to go off simultaneously at precisely eight o'clock during the dinner rush. The second man in the video, his brother, has left the country and is presumed to be in France. Barry and Skye's arrival at the restaurant was indeed a coincidence.
With the cause of the blast confirmed, Jim Burleson is released from jail and the judge reschedules the rape trial to begin the following Monday. When the prosecutor's office notifies me, I agree to be in LA on the following Monday.
With Dylan, Barry, and all four of the other Marines in DC dealing with the terrorists, I am worried about going to LA by myself. I am hoping Dylan will be back before next weekend.
******
Dylan is not happy with the way things are progressing in DC. They have been sitting around for four days in a van outside of the capital and no one is making an effort to free the hostages. The people in charge seem incapable of making a decision. The negotiators are not making any progress and the media is everywhere. The guys can't even leave the van to go to the restroom without being surrounded and harassed by curious reporters. S
o far, Barry's disguise has worked like a charm.
The terrorists have disabled the security cameras inside the capital so they don't even know where in the capital the hostages are being held. Finally, after six days, word comes for them to advance and begin clearing the capital room by room. Dylan and his team will be the first inside and the capital police will follow holding the rooms after they are cleared.
I am watching the media coverage of the events in DC and I see the guys when they leave the van in full body armor and head into the building next door to the capital. A knot of apprehension settles into my stomach. I know their part of the operation has begun. I get up and turn off the television then go out to the barn and saddle my favorite horse. Maybe riding will help take my mind off what's happening in DC.
Later that evening I turn the television back on to get an update. Nothing has changed. The hostages are still inside and no one has heard anything from the team inside.
The following morning when I turn on the television the first thing I see is a reporter talking about the end of the standoff. When the cameras swing to a line of ambulances in front of the building with patients being loaded inside my heart clenches. I listen to the reporter's talk but I can't tell from their chatter who has been injured. I do learn that the standoff has ended and some people have been killed but they are not releasing any names. Eyes glued to the set I scan the background looking for any sign of the Drake Security team. Melanie joins me in front of the TV and asks, "What are they saying?"
"All I know for sure is that the standoff is over. I saw the guys headed inside early yesterday but I couldn't watch. When I checked last night nothing had changed. I just turned it back on." They watch as one of the Senators that was a hostage is interviewed and he praises the group of men that saved them but doesn't mention who they were or what happened to them.
I watch until late into the night but still don't find out any definite news about Dylan and his friends. I do learn that all of the Senators were freed unharmed. Finally I head to bed. This pregnancy is really dragging me down. I can't seem to get enough sleep and am tired all the time. At least I am not having morning sickness. I fall into a restless sleep.
The next morning the news is no better. The media is concentrating on the rescued hostages. All of the interviews I watch talk about the brave group of men that saved them and killed all of the terrorists but no one mentions who they were or what happened to them. I am scheduled to leave for LA first thing tomorrow so I make myself go to bed early.
******
I rise early and travel to LA on the Murray's private jet. Barry's jet is still in DC. The prosecutor is sending a car to pick me up at the airport and deliver me to a hotel near the courthouse. He has agreed to furnish a car to and from the proceedings. I am not planning to venture out of the hotel by myself. I am very nervous and am carrying my .45 in my purse.
When I arrive in LA I am greeted by a policeman in uniform who informs me he is to take me by the hotel to leave my things and then deliver me to the courthouse. He helps me into the back seat of a marked police car and drives me straight to the hotel and then the courthouse. The proceedings on this first day are primarily dealing with motions and jury instructions. After court is recessed for the day the same policeman takes me to the hotel. When I am safely inside he tells me what time he will pick me up the next morning for court. I order room service and do not leave my room until time to leave for the courthouse the following morning.
Since jury selection was completed before the trial was postponed because of the explosion at the restaurant, testimony begins immediately the following morning. The first day of testimony is primarily from Richard Thomas where he names the defendants by name. He confesses to convincing me to come with him to the van where he drugged me with a spiked cola. I wait patiently in the witness waiting area and watch the proceedings on closed circuit television. When they recess for the day I am relieved that I didn't have to testify yet.
Back at the hotel, I decide to go down to the hotel's dining room for a quiet dinner. I am very nervous, and check to make sure I put my pistol back in my purse when I returned from court. I sit in a booth in the corner and watch the people come and go as I nibble at my dinner. As I leave the restaurant to go back to my room a man I had seen relaxing in a chair in the lobby grabs my arm and whispers, "Don't make a scene or I will kill you right here."
Shocked and frightened I do exactly as he tells me. He pulls me out the front door and shoves me into the back of a limousine and climbs in behind me. I am terrified. I don't have any idea who this person is or what he wants. Digging in my purse I feel for my pistol and find my phone. I have Dylan on speed dial so I push the appropriate button, wait a few minutes to give the call time to connect, and then I ask the man, "Who are you? What do you want with me?"
"Just shut up and you won't be hurt!" the man growls and looks out the window. I lived in LA for most of my life but I'm not sure where we are. It looks like we are headed toward the coast.
I just keep mumbling about where we are going and what we are passing. I only hope that the phone connected and Dylan is listening. I don't even know where Dylan is or if he is where he can answer. I may be talking to his voice mail.
******
When Dylan sees Skye's name on the caller ID of his cell phone his heart soars. But when he answers her call he is horrified to hear a strange man telling her to shut up. They are waiting on the tarmac in DC for Barry's jet to take off and he panics. He begs, "Barry, call Melanie and find out where Skye is. I have her phone connected to mine and it sounds like she is in trouble."
When Barry hangs up he says, "She's in LA. The trial started yesterday." He instructs the pilot to change their flight plan to fly directly to LA instead of the ranch in Wyoming.
By this time Dylan has put the phone on speaker and all of the guys are monitoring what is being said. Barry calls Detective Long to tell him they believe Skye may have been kidnapped and he assures them he will check on her and get back to them.
Barry says, "From what is being said it sounds like they are headed up the coast."
When Detective Long calls back confirming that she was seen leaving the hotel in a limousine with a man in a suit. Barry relays the information from the phone to Detective Long who puts out an APB for the limousine on the coast road. Then they hear Skye say something about getting in a small boat and they hear an outboard motor start that drowns out all the voices for a while. The phone sounds like it is in her purse because everything is somewhat muffled.
The jet is now in flight but they are at least five hours away from California. Dylan is terrified. He is praying for her safety. Bear is trying to comfort him telling him that Skye is a good strong swimmer. He reminds them that she is smart and brave and the toughest woman he has ever met.
******
I am terrified. When they force me into the small motorboat I know wherever they are taking me is going to make it harder for someone the rescue me. I am going to have to stay alert and look for an opportunity to gain the upper hand. The small boat pulls up to an island off the coast where I see lights from a house. The man that kidnapped me from the hotel roughly pulls me ashore and drags me up an incline to the small cottage. I hear the motorboat start back up and pull away from the island. He pushes me in the door and says, "You might as well make yourself at home because you're not going anywhere for a while."
Once again I ask, "Why did you bring me here to this island? What have I ever done to you? I don't even know you."
He responds, "Look, I'm just following orders. Now shut up and get comfortable. Don't try anything and we'll get along just fine. I don't want to hurt you but I will if you force me to. We are going to stay here until the boss comes for us." Then the call drops.
The man's words are somewhat comforting to Dylan. At least it sounds like she is not in immediate danger. He tries to think positively but it's hard.
Barry is still on the phone with Detective Long who has ev
ery law enforcement agency in the area searching for them. He informs Barry that there aren't too many inhabited islands close enough to the California coast to reach by a small motorboat. They will begin searching by air as soon as it's daylight.
******
I go into the bedroom and lie down on the bed clutching my purse to my chest. I am extremely tired and fall into a restless sleep. As I am drifting into sleep I pray Dylan got my call and comes for me.
******
The guys are studying the maps they pulled off the internet trying to determine how far up the coast they could have traveled in the time they were monitoring the call and what the most likely area would be where they will find an inhabited island. They have narrowed the possibilities down to three primary search areas.
Barry relays the information to Detective Long and he narrows the search areas down to two primary areas based on his knowledge of the coast. He promises to have a helicopter in the air at first light. He will send a car to the airport to meet their plane and bring them to their central command post.
Detective Long is tracing Skye's cell phone signal and by the time the plane lands in LA they have narrowed the search area down to a group of small islands about three miles off the coast. When the Drake Security team reaches the central command post the sun is peeking over the horizon.
It is decided that since the former Marines are the most experienced in search and rescue including water rescues they will be in charge. After viewing the aerial reconnaissance videos made by the Coast Guard drone, they decide to fly by helicopter to the area and drop into the ocean about a mile off the island and make their way to the cottage. Since they do not know how many men are with Skye, the four younger team members will all go. Bear will wait with Detective Long at the central command post monitoring their activities by radio.
They all don wet suits and scuba gear they borrowed from the LA police department and seal their weapons in waterproof bags. Dylan is more nervous than he can ever remember being before a mission. His wife and his unborn child are at stake this time. As they board the helicopter, Bear wishes them well.