Time in the Country 14

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Amanda had crossed the short open space to the barn with gritty determination to both find her husband and get him and her children out of there in one piece. Before leaving the Agency she had worked a few cases alone but none of them had been as important as this. She didn't even want to contemplate the consequences if she should fail.

When she reached door, she raised her gun and stood, silently listening. She heard someone inside humming a soft tune but no echoing voices. Knowing she had no choice, she swiftly opened the door and jumped in to find one lone man just inside, brushing down a horse.

Putting on her best Agent in command persona, she drew a bead on the startled man's face. "Put your hands up." She demanded. "NOW!"

Too stunned to do much else, the man raised his hands and took a step backwards. Instantly Amanda was on him. Shoving him against the stall wall, she placed her gun directly at his temple, her other hand she pressed against his throat. "Where's my husband?" She demanded.

When Phillip flung the door open and the boys threw themselves inside, they were astounded at what they saw. Just inside the door, their mother was standing with a man pushed up against a stall, her gun placed against his temple and her hand around his throat. "Way to go, Mom!" Phillip expressed his admiration.

"Where is he?" She demanded again through gritted teeth, ignoring her son's presence, she pressed harder against his adam's apple.

"Somebody'll be coming." The man said in reply, trying to catch a breath. "Somebody'll be coming in any minute and you and your brats will be guests of Mr. Stone just like your man." Despite the gun at his head, the man had the temerity to smile.

His reaction and refusal infuriated Amanda and she placed her finger on the trigger. "It won't help you." She said, meeting his smirk with a steely gaze. "Cause you'll be dead."

Seeing the murderous look in the brunette's eyes, the man suddenly paled, understanding just how serious she was. Swallowing hard, he motioned to a large grain bin against the far wall. "In there." He managed.

Though she hadn't acknowledged them, Amanda knew the boys had disobeyed her orders and followed her in. "Jamie," she ordered without taking her eyes off the man in front of her. "See if you can find some rope. Phillip, come here."

Jamie looked around urgently and finally located a loop of rope in the next stall. "Found it, Mom."

"Good, you and Phillip get this man tied up." She told them, still never relinquishing the hold she had on him until the boys had him surrounded and his hands tied securely behind his back. "Gag him, too." She said as she finally lowered her gun and ran across to the feed bin and pulled up the lid.

Lee was lying inside, awake but tied and gagged much as the boys now had the worker. "Oh, Lee." She gasped. Putting the gun back into her waist band, she knelt down and removed the gag from Lee's mouth then began working on the ropes around his wrists.

"Amanda." He sighed in relief. As soon as he was free from his bonds, Lee got up from his tiny cell and climbed out, pulling Amanda tightly into his arms. "Are you alright?" He asked, kissing her forehead.

"Me?" She pulled back. "I'm not the one tied up in a feed bin."

Lee shook his head with a grin, too happy to see her to care about the fact that she was right. Looking over at where the boys were, Lee gave them a grateful smile as he finally released Amanda and stepped over to them, pulling them both into his arms for a moment. "I have never been so happy to see anyone in my life as I am you three."

Just then, they heard noises coming from the front of the barn. "They're coming." Jamie's adolescent voice cracked in his fearful excitement.

Lee nodded. "Yeah, come on. Let's get out of here." Pushing the boys towards the door ahead of him, he held out his hand for his wife, not moving until she reached his side and took it.

When they got to the door, Lee stepped in front of his family, and cautiously opened the door. Peering outside. He saw no one around but he knew that was no guarantee. However, hearing the sound of voices and footsteps getting closer, they had no choice but to risk it. "Hand me your gun." He whispered to Amanda.

Instantly she pulled it from her waist band and handed it to him. Raising it above his head, Lee swung the door open and stepped out, locking his arms straight out in front of him, ready to fire. No one was there. "Let's go." He ordered quietly as he hurled himself outside and ran, stopping only until his family had caught up to him and passed him on the way to cover.

Without a moment to spare, they made the safety of the thick woods and dropped from sight just as yelling could be heard from the barn and the back door flew open with several men spilling out.

Phillip and Jamie's eyes grew wide and they looked at Lee and Amanda, praying they had a plan.

"Run." Was the answer they received and quickly they obeyed, running hard behind their mother as their stepfather trailed along behind them, gun raised, ready to shoot anyone who might spot them.

The woods, they were running through, were thick and heavy with undergrowth and several times Amanda came close to falling, but she never stopped. Reaching back, she took a hand of each of her children and continued to run until they came to a small clearing and she could make herself go no further.

The voices of their pursuers could still be heard but they were much dimmer and seemed to be heading away from them. Lee and the boys stopped, dropping their hands to their knees to keep from falling on the ground. Amanda was leaning heavily against a tree, unsure she could move, even if Stone and his men were to show up right then and there with machine guns.

"Lee," she gasped for air. "I… don't think… I can… run anymore."

Lee nodded. "I know. But we can't stay here. How'd you all get here?"

"Ox." Jamie answered.

"Yeah," Phillip joined in as he looked around them. "But I don't think we're heading in the right direction to get back to it. We came in from the south." He pointed to some moss on the side of the tree Amanda was leaning on. "We're heading north."

Lee remembered his and Amanda's first trip through the woods on a long ago Christmas Eve. He had learned then not to argue with the Junior Trailblazers. "Alright, then." He said. "We'll have to circle back around. Come on."

Wearily Amanda pushed herself away from the tree, hoping she had the strength to keep up with her strong husband and sons, but suddenly her stomach cramped up and she knew she couldn't. "Lee?" She looked at him in fear. "I… I can't."

Lee turned just in time to see Amanda falling forward.

TBC