Barry says, "Great idea Dylan. Why don't the
three of you head to LA and see what you can find out."
Dylan says, "Did you forget I'm getting
married on Saturday?"
Barry says, "It's only Wednesday. You can be
back in plenty of time. I'll handle all of the wedding
preparations."
He shakes his head as he walks out of the
study. He dreads telling Skye he is leaving again before the
wedding. He finds me in the kitchen and says, "Skye, can I talk to
you for a minute?"
I immediately know something is up. With a
knot of apprehension in my stomach I join Dylan in the great room.
I follow him to the sofa where we sit down and Dylan slides his arm
across the back behind me.
"Umm, Skye, I ... I have to go to LA for a
couple of days," he says as quickly as he can.
My heart drops into my stomach. I look at his
beloved face and see the worry and trepidation in his eyes and ask,
"Why Dylan?"
"Tom Christensen turned up a couple of
close-ups of guys bringing boxes out of the building that Jim
Burleson was working on and loading them into a van. We are going
to look up former employees of the restaurant and see if anyone
recognizes the pictures. I promise I'll be back before
Saturday."
Nodding I say, "All right Dylan, I
understand. Please be careful. I love you."
He pulls me into his arms and tenderly kisses
me, "I love you too."
******
Dylan, Pinky, and Stump head for LA armed
with the list of former employees and the latest address for each
name available on the internet. After renting a car at the airport
they head out. They have plotted the best route to take to hit as
many as they can in their limited time.
The first name on the list works at a
restaurant near the airport so they head to that location first.
They walk in the door between the lunch and dinner rush and
approach the hostess. Dylan asks, "We're trying to locate Mary
Franklin. Does she still work here?"
The hostess says, "Yes, just a minute and
I'll get her for you."
Impatiently standing around the foyer, they
see a pretty middle aged woman walking from the back of the
restaurant. She looks nervous when she approaches Dylan and says,
"I'm Mary Franklin, what can I help you with?"
Dylan says, "Hi Mary, my name is Dylan Drake
of Drake Security and I am trying to locate people that were once
employees of the restaurant on Rodeo Drive that was destroyed in
the explosion. Are you the same Mary Franklin that worked at that
restaurant?"
Suspiciously she says, "Yes I worked for them
several years ago. I don't know what I could do to help you."
He pulls out the pictures, "Do you by any
chance recognize either of these men?"
She looks at the pictures, "Yes, that's
Pierre Bouchard. He was the chef when I worked there. The other one
is his brother I think."
"Thank you Mary. You've been a tremendous
help."
******
Stump, Pinky, and Dylan load back up in the
rental car and Pinky fires up his laptop to research Pierre
Bouchard. Sure enough a picture of him comes up along with an
article about the opening of the restaurant naming him as chef. On
another website they find a picture of Pierre and his brother
Emile, matching the other man in the surveillance pictures.
After further research, they see where the
brother, Emile is a veteran of the French military and has
extensive experience working with explosives.
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. So 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.