CHAPTER 10

Con, Andrea and Laura took it in turns to exchange bemused looks. Their faces said they understood Frank's need to protect them, but they didn't understand his actions, where they were going, or why the rush.

"Where are you taking us?" Con asked on their behalf.

"Mom and Andrea are taking a car to the airport." Frank pulled an envelope out of his pocket and gave it to Laura. "Go to the Jetsky desk and give them this. They'll put you on a privately hired jet and it's going to take you somewhere. From there disappear - hire another private plane if you want. Where you go's up to you, but be random, and don't stay in America. Don't use Jetsky twice."

Frank fished his wallet from his inside pocket, and from within extracted a credit card which he handed to Laura. "There's more than enough money on this to fund a trip for a few weeks. Buy yourselves new phones and send me the numbers; prepaid, not contract." His fingers returned to his inside pocket and he swapped his wallet for a pen and took Laura's hand. "Don't stay for too long in one place, be nomadic." He scribed onto her palm. "If you run out of cash, phone this number and give them this password. They'll make a money transfer."

Laura stared at her palm in confusion. "Slow down, Frank. Where are the funds coming from? Surely your reward money won't last that long?"

"Me, I'm rich."

Laura looked up at him, and laughed, but he held her gaze so she stopped. "What do you mean?"

"Drop me a message as you board so we know you're safe."

"What about the rest of you, where are you going?"

"A safehouse."

The elevator shuddered to a halt and the door slid open to reveal four stationary cars outside.

"What safehouse?"

"Can't say."

A squad car entered the parking area and swung around behind the fourth car. The door opened and Fenton climbed out. "A welcoming party?" he asked. He still wore the same shirt on with the large blood stain. They stared at it.

"How's the head, Flash?" Con asked.

"Four stitches," he said, and bent so everyone could see the repair work close to his natural parting. "They did a full CT scan, no bullet fragments in there. It skimmed me, all blood and no substance." Laura walked into his arms and hugged him tightly.

"Get ready for feeling like your head's opening up again," Con said and snaked his arm about Andrea's waist. "Frank's taking us to a safe house. Andrea and Laura are being flown away in a private hire jet, courtesy of Frank."

"Eh?"

Collig appeared at Frank's shoulder. "We're ready for you, Lad."

Frank strode to the first car, leant below the steering wheel and popped the trunk. He walked across to the back and opened it wide. "Sorry Mom…Andrea, but get in."

Laura pulled away in shock. "Oh no, I'm not getting in a trunk," she said and looked to Fenton for support.

"Is this really necessary?" Fenton asked.

"Given the fact practically everyone has already been shot at, I'd say getting the hell out of Dodge is our number one priority."

"Everyone?" Con asked.

"The chose James as the main target, but when they missed him, had Joe in their sites instead. It's pure luck Jimmy still has a head."

"Son?"

"I'm fine, Dad. Honestly."

"Well, I'm getting in the trunk," Andrea said. "After what happened with Claud, I'm happy to. I don't want to be shot at again and roughed up."

Fenton's brain processed what Frank told him, and appreciated the urgency of the situation. "Laura, you're getting in the trunk," he said and put his hand on her neck to bury his fingers in amongst her blonde hair. "Frank knows what he's doing."

Laura moved to cup Frank's face. "Will you all be safe?"

"What I'm doing will make us as safe as it's ever going to get. Please, Mom, I can't be worrying about you two."

Andrea stepped forward and took Laura by the hand. "This is happening so we may as well go with it. To be honest, I think we're getting the better end of the deal."

Laura sighed, "Fine."

Their driver took their bags and sandwiched them between the front and back seats of the car. Laura and Andrea moved from child-to-child and then to their respective men-folk to give hugs and kisses. Laura allowed Fenton to help her into the trunk, while Con swept Andrea up into his arms. He whispered something that made her smile, laid her inside the car next to Laura, and stepped back.

"We'll see you soon," Fenton said. He gave Laura one last embrace and then closed the lid down. "I hope you really do know what you're doing, Frank," he said tight lipped.

"Trust me, I do." Frank pushed his palm out. "Give me your phone."

"I don't believe this," Fenton muttered and turned it over.

Frank slipped the phone into Collig's top pocket and said, "Send Mom and Andrea to the airport, Ezra. Please make sure their driver stays with them until they board."

Collig gave the driver the instruction and asked him to be careful and wary of being followed, and let the car go.

While Ezra satisfied his role as Chief, Frank fished his own cell phone out. He manually keyed in a number and pushed the receiver to his ear. "Pandora's out of the box…six of us…thank you." Then he disconnected.

"Who you talking to?" Fenton asked.

Frank ignored him and waved Collig's specially selected and trustworthy officers together. "Do you know the Morton farm?"

They nodded.

"It's where I want you to take us, to the road which runs along the uncultivated land at the rear of the park. Do you know where I mean?"

Another round of nods.

"Say if you're not sure. I don't want to lose anyone en-route." He waited a few seconds but no one broke their gaze or spoke up. "Don't drive in a convoy, split up, don't use your radios or phones…and be careful you're not followed. I don't want any chatter over the police band, okay?"

"Any of you use your radios and I'll bounce your heads!" Collig warned.

They nodded again, even more emphatically this time.

Trunks were popped and the men and Vanessa gathered with Chief Collig.

Con regarded Rebel and then looked to Collig but Frank pre-empted him. "Rebel's to come with us. I think he could be useful. Definitely a bonus you bought him along. Let's go. James, you're with me, I need to speak to you."

Con opened the rear door of one of the cars to encourage Rebel to get onto the seat but Frank stopped him. "Do you think he would tolerate travelling in the trunk? You may have been seen driving into the building with him and I don't want anything to give us away."

"I can keep him calm."

"This is getting better and better," Fenton moaned.

"Let's roll out," Frank said.

Joe helped Vanessa into the third car, got in to spoon with her, and the lid clunked shut.

Frank and James climbed into the front car and laid down, head to toe. Collig leaned in and took Frank's hand firmly in his.

"You can get me on my phone if you need to," Frank said. "Please don't try to find us."

"Good luck, Frank, and you, Detective Anderson," Ezra said and let go of Frank's hand.

Frank and James were then plunged into darkness as their door slammed down. They listened to Collig's distant voice bid farewell to Fenton and Con and then the thump of a trunk closing. Frank strained to listen for dog barks but Rebel stayed silent. Then their own car rocked gently as their driver got in, and the engine rumbled into life. The car rolled forward, and gradually picked up speed.

They lay there for a while in silence.

"What just happened?" James asked. "Did The Chief make me an interim Police Detective?"

"That all you got? Following this whole experience, that's your big question?" Frank laughed softly. "Congratulations, Pal."

"Thanks. I don't know why though. Collig must find me a pain in the neck to work with, I know Dad did. I'm always arguing with him."

"The Chief doesn't want senior officers who agree with everything he says - he wants his decisions challenged, he respects people who do. He doesn't want automatons. Why do you think Joe and I aren't scared to contradict him?"

"Oh."

"You don't get claustrophobic, do you?"

"Dunno. I've never been locked in a trunk. Buddy, you said you wanted to talk to me about something?"

"I do. I feel I need to impress on you the gravity of what you're getting into. Don't feel you have to help us out by some warped sense of loyalty. If you want to, you can put your feet up and let us get on with it. It's not your fight. You shouldn't have even registered on the Posse's radar."

James exploded, "Are you KIDDING me?" He lightly punched the side of Frank's leg. "Warped sense of loyalty? Wow! You have a talent for words, Buddy, but you don't always use them right…BRUTAL! Don't you know me at all?"

"You need to understand what you're getting into. These people; they won't stop until they get what they want, or we stop them. You'll be throwing yourself in front of a freight train with no way of getting off the tracks. You don't know how bad it got the last time."

"Bud, I'd be facing the freight train even if my name wasn't on the list. And I do know how bad it got the last time. You guys are my family now. I'm not gonna sit around and watch you all fight the good fight while I'm toasting marshmallows. I'm getting my hands as dirty as the rest of you." James went thoughtful for a few seconds and then said, "Wow, just…WOW! Warped sense of loyalty? You're wack!"

"Sorry, badly worded," Frank admitted and reached out to feel around but getting James' thigh.

"What you doing to my leg?"

"I'm trying to shake your hand ya dumb dumb."

Sulkily James said, "I dunno if I want to," but then he laughed and his hand nudged Frank's. They awkwardly shook, slapped hands, and twanged fingers.

"Welcome to the team, James."

They travelled in silence for a while, Frank relaxed by the gentle sway of the suspension and the drone of the tires against asphalt.

James broke the stillness, "Bud, the safe house isn't Chet's farm is it? Cause so far your planning has been impeccable, but taking us to one of your oldest friend's homes is predictable at best."

The car bounced over an obstacle in the road and jolted them together.

Frank could just about make out James as he rolled back and then lifted his palms up to brace them against the roof of the trunk. "Of course it's not the Morton farm but I don't want the cops who are driving us to know. I'm creating a fog screen. Remember Officer Rodden?"

"The Network guy who threatened Nancy with the gun to try and get the memory stick?" James lightly punched the back of the car and then the hand returned to push against the roof.

"Who's to say one of these guys isn't as bent out of shape?"

"They're my mates." James took a deep inhalation of air, and then blew out slowly.

"You considered Rodden your mate once. Look how skewed he turned out to be. You okay?"

"I think I'm claustrophobic after all. This journey gonna take long?"

"No, relax, only a few more minutes."

"Right, a few more minutes. I can do this." James blew air out loudly. "It's warm in here, is it warm in here?"

"Yes, it's stuffy. Relax, you're starting to worry me."

"Okay. Yeah, this is most relaxed I've been ever! Relaxed R Us. Yep, this' me being all relaxed like."

"You sound like Con sometimes."

They felt the car slow down and heard the scrunch of gravel under tires as they drew to a halt. They then heard the trunk pop. The driver's door opened, the car rocked, and footsteps strode up the side. Seconds later the trunk opened and their driver said, "We're here."

James leapt out and walked away. He bounced on the balls of his feet a couple of times before he returned. "A breeze!"

The second car arrived and pulled up behind them. The driver quickly opened the trunk and leaned in to lift Rebel out to the ground. He held onto his leash until the two men were out and then returned Rebel to Con.

"She your girlfriend Lieutenant?" the cop asked. A lot of Con's ex-colleagues couldn't get out of the habit of referring to him as their commanding officer. Correcting them had become tedious, so Con didn't bother anymore.

"My partner, you mean? Of course she is. Would be odd if she wasn't, considering what I just did with her."

"What a knockout!"

"HEY!" Con objected, but then said smugly after a rethink, "You're right."

The final car pulled up. The lid opened and Joe and Vanessa rose up. Joe jumped down to the ground and then lifted Vanessa out. "Fun, fun, fun!" he said and winked at his girlfriend. She gave him a sharp nudge with her elbow. "Ouch."

Frank looked at the cars. "We'll take the first two," he decided. "Thanks for your help guys, you can go back. Tell The Chief thanks and I'll be in touch."

The men got into the rejected car and left.

"Wow, it's gotten cold," Vanessa complained, and pulled her small jacket about herself.

Joe slipped his coat off and draped it around her shoulders.

"C'mon," Frank said. "I don't want us out here in the open." He headed for the car he and James had arrived in, and dropped into the driver's seat. Joe, Vanessa and James joined him. "Follow me, Dad," Frank instructed through the wound down window.

Fenton walked across, rested his forearm on the top of the car, and leaned down. "Aren't you going to tell us where we're going?"

"Nope."

"You, Boy, are answering some questions when we get to where we're going."

"You shouldn't have put me in charge if you can't handle it," Frank said and smirked.