“Why?” Evan asks Rask.
“Because,” he says, shrugging his shoulders, “I have nothing to lose. I don’t have a wife or a kid depending on me. I don’t have a family to go home to at night. I have nothing except you guys. No one is going to mourn me if I die again.”
“I will,” I say, adding my two cents. “You’re our friend and brother. We care deeply about what happens to you.”
“And we’re wasting time trying to decide who is going to be line leader. This isn’t kindergarten. This is real life. We have some shit to fuck up, and standing around here isn’t getting us any closer to where we need to be.”
“Let’s get over there.” Nate slings a duffle bag over his shoulder. It dawns on me that the guys are already dressed in their sand-colored fatigues with their combat boots laced up. My eyes wander from each of them, watching as they prepare for the unknown and wonder how I’m going to be able to do this.
The sound of a shutting door jars me out of my thoughts and I realize I’m left alone in the room, holding my duffle bag. The guns, which were laid out on the bed, are gone, and the only sound in the room is the television and my thumping heart. The guys’ voices carry upward from the parking lot and I count three doors slamming before the horn is honked.
Can I do this? Can I go into this knowing another man will be protecting my wife and daughter when it should be my job?
Will I let my life be continually dictated by this mad woman?
The horn honking once more startles me into action as I reach for the duffel bag. With one last look around the now empty room, I leave, letting the door slam shut behind me. As much as I wish to never see this hotel again, I know we’ll be back here later, hopefully with Penny and Claire by my side.
As soon as I’m in the car, Nate is driving out of the parking spot and onto the road. It’s only a matter of minutes before we’re driving through town and turning off onto a road that quickly turns into dirt. So many questions are plaguing my mind, but I don’t ask them. Instead, I stare out the windows, letting my gaze move from side to side so I can take in my surroundings. I catch a quick look at Evan and Rask only to see that they’re doing the same thing. We’re memorizing all that we can in case we need to escape. But unless Frannie has brought an army with her I doubt we’ll be retreating at all.
After what seems like twenty minutes, Nate pulls off onto the side of the road and shuts the car off. “Up this driveway is Penny’s house. Fortunately for her it was easy to hide here. Unfortunately for her, it’s so far off the beaten path that no one can hear her if they’re in trouble.”
“How’d you know where to go?” I ask, as I slip a pistol from my duffle bag into my boot and drop a few magazines into my side pocket.
“Cara gave me detailed instructions which I memorized,” he replies, as he gets out of the car and walks to the rear, popping the trunk open. Evan and Rask follow him, and through the rearview mirror I can see faint reflections of guns being taken out. I say a silent prayer aimed at Penny, letting her know I’m coming for her, before I get out of the car.
The guys are putting on their helmets and checking their night vision when I come around to the end. Rask hands me a rifle, similar to the one I used in Cuba.
“Where’d we get all of this?”
“I have great contacts,” Evan says, answering me with a smile. For some reason I don’t want to know about his contacts, but am very thankful they like him enough to outfit him with military grade weaponry. The less I have to learn in the heat of the moment the better. I set my rifle down and put on my brain bucket, securing the chinstrap. The night cam is the same one I’m used to, and it comes on as soon as I drop it over my eyes.
Rask leads us up the hill with me following last. My senses are heightened and every few steps I’m turning around with my gun aimed at the woods. I want to yell at Penny for living like this, but I get it. It makes sense to stay hidden when you’re trying to be inconspicuous, but to be so far out and away from civilization is not a good thing, especially considering the threat she was facing.
Rask puts his fist up as the house comes into sight. It’s larger than anything I could ever provide for her and probably something she dreamed about long before she met me. The wraparound porch likely offers great views of the sun rising and setting each day, not to mention the calm way the summer nights tend to leave us. I can see her sitting out there with a glass of iced tea in one hand and a book resting in her lap.