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“That’s nice of you,” was all she could say, bringing in the toast after him.
Her mother beamed at Bobby. “It’s so good to have the family whole again. You wait, Bobby. It will be no time before Teigen will be carrying your child. All I ask is that you name it after me.”
“Of course, Mama.” Bobby responded. “We’d love to name the baby after you, right, Teigen?”
There was no way there was going to be a baby. She’d do anything she had to before she’d let Bobby touch her again. Fortunately, it looked like no one expected her to be with Bobby while her mother needed care. How the hell she’d let herself get talked into seeing her mother again, she couldn’t explain., except that the shock of her mother’s illness clouded her judgment. She’d find a way out before her mother died. She’d said her goodbyes long before now and she’d have no guilt leaving when she could.
* * *
Ellison
As night fell, Ellison and Frank dressed for darkness and gathered the equipment they’d need, including a night vision scope, a jammer to disrupt the security system’s WiFi, and a microphone array designed for long-range video surveillance. Frank suspected security wasn’t monitored 24/7 so it was likely no one would notice if they stopped the cameras from recording.
"Do you know how to shoot a 10mm?” Frank asked.
“Regretfully, I’ve never handled a weapon before.”
“Then I won’t give you one. It’s probably better that I’m the only one armed. I have enough experience to know when not to use it as much as when to shoot. That’s critical.”
“I’m sure you’re right. God, I hope it doesn’t come to that.”
Frank somber expression spoke volumes. “Me neither.”
They left their car down the road from the gate and circled the property to the back, where there was a fence topped with only one layer of barbed wire.
“I’ll jam the system then help you over the fence. I’ll have no problem getting over on my own.” Frank took the deauther out of his backpack and pointed it at the camera above them. Once he was sure the camera had been disabled, he came out of the bushes and approached the fence.
“Let’s get going. The longer it takes us to find her the more of a chance we have of getting caught.”
Ellison got a small tear in his jacket going over the fence, but otherwise he was unharmed. Frank didn’t even get that, clearing the barbed wire with no problem. Once they were both on the ground, they proceeded toward the cluster of buildings ahead.
How the hell they were going to find Teigen without alerting anyone else was beyond him, but Frank seemed to know what he was doing, so Ellison followed blindly. Thank God he’d brought Frank along. Not only was he knowledgeable about how to get around security, the amount of equipment he was packing was impressive. Another thing to be grateful to his father for.
He’d figure out how to thank him later. For now he had to find his girl, as Frank called her. And, he realized, shewashis; she just didn’t know it yet. He had to find her to tell her.
They stopped behind the nearest building. Frank motioned for him to stay while he crept around the perimeter and withdrew his listening device. It took him about 15 minutes before he came back to Ellison.
“I found her. We have to circle past three houses before we get to hers, but we don’t have to go out into the open to get there. Follow me.”
They crept along the buildings till they could position themselves behind Teigen’s house. “We’ll wait till they go to bed before we try to enter the house. I’m going to go in alone. It’ll be a lot more dangerous if you come with me.”
Reluctantly, Ellison agreed. He had no idea how to make his way silently through a house. He hoped Teigen would accept that Frank was there to help her. He felt helpless not knowing her frame of mind after seeing her mother. Could she be convinced to stay? Would he ever have an opportunity to tell her how he felt about her? The questions were eating him up the longer they waited.
They sat behind the house, checking periodically to see if the lights were out. When the whole complex went dark, they waited a while longer to ensure that people were asleep. Frank picked the lock to the back door and disappeared.
Ellison waited for what felt like hours, praying that no one woke up and caught Frank, that Teigen accepted Frank’s word that he was there to help her, and if she wanted to leave, they got out safely.
Someone walked across the compound. Ellison held his breath in fear of being discovered. The sound of a door closing allowed him to exhale, but he was concerned that someone would hear his heart racing and discover him there.
Finally, the door to Teigen’s house opened and Frank and Teigen emerged. Ellison couldn’t keep from crying as he rose and embraced her.
Frank’s voice invaded his relief at having Teigen in his arms. “We’ve got to get out of here now!”
Holding Teigen’s hand, he followed Frank back to the fence. Frank hoisted him over, then he was able to help Teigen down after Frank gave her a boost.
They took off toward the car as soon as Frank hit the ground. Ellison let Frank drive so he could sit with Teigen in the back seat. They sped off to the motel in silence.
“I’ll run in and collect the bags,” Frank advised.
