They were actually on the road at eight. It was a beautiful Colorado July morning, seventy degrees with cotton ball clouds suspended over the mountains. Wolf had arisen a half – hour before his guests and made two large thermoses of coffee, one thermos of tea and wrapped up pastries for the Winnebago along with some fruit.

By the time Illya and Napoleon came downstairs, Wolf had made three bacon, egg and cheese sandwiches and wrapped them in foil. "Guten morgen! I trust you slept well?"

"I certainly did," Napoleon said. "That bed was the perfect firmness and knowing where the weapons are made me feel quite secure."

Illya had grunted and accepted a sandwich from Wolf and started looking around for coffee.

"Everything we need is in the RV; let's go!"

They were all fairly quiet on the majority of the three – hour drive down, not the quiet of awkwardness, but rather the comfortable quiet of contentment and companionship. Illya and Napoleon sat at the dining table drinking coffee and watching the magnificent scenery pass by while Wolf had settled into the drive, sipping coffee every once in a while, and putting it back in his cup holder.

"I feel like I should be a tour guide for just a few moments," Wolf said. "We are about twenty minutes from Drew's. Monticello looks like a big city compared to Ouray, but its population is less than two thousand. Drew's place is basically a bar on the outskirts of town that serves food. Life is simple in this part of the country, so his comfort food is not fancy, but it is quite good for what it is. Several hot and cold sandwiches, including burgers and hot dogs with French fries. Sometimes, he'll have a special, but that's usually during hunting season."

"I am sure whatever he has will be fine," Illya said.

Wolf exited Highway 141 and made a left onto Monticello Road. They could see the main part of town ahead, but they only drove another mile or so before Wolf turned into a large dirt parking lot. There was a building at the end opposite the entrance with a huge sign atop it that went almost the length of the building that read "AL's Suds and Subs."

The building itself was made of wood painted a dark red, almost a maroon with large plate glass windows on either side of the door. You could see inside that there was a bar to the left and wooden tables and chairs to the right. It looked clean and inviting.

Wolf parked the Winnebago next to a blue Ford Fairlane. "This is Drew's car." He cut the engine and the three men exited. Wolf led them around to the back and through an unlocked door. "Drew? Where are you?"

"I'm in the basement! Be up in a minute!" came a voice with a soft Southern accent from below them. "Go sit at the bar! I made coffee!"

"I think we're coffee'd out, but okay!" Wolf yelled back and gestured for Illya and Napoleon to follow him. They walked past the small kitchen and out the service doors into the main dining room and bar. The décor was simple; pine walls covered with posters of elk, deer and other wildlife native to the area. The ceiling fixtures were made of deer antlers and even though it was bright outside, the interior was dark and cool.

They sat at the bar which gave Illya and Napoleon time to check out the bartender's side. They noticed there was not a large liquor selection, just Bacardi light rum and Johnny Walker Red. There was no beer on tap, but there were four tall coolers filled with bottles of Coors, Budweiser, and other beers that seemed like they came from small breweries. Beer was definitely the way to go in this bar.

They began to hear footsteps coming up the stairs and suddenly, there was Drew with a couple of boxes in his arms that he dumped on top of the bar. "Hey, Wolf! So, which one of these guys is your family?"

Wolf stood up and shook the man's hand. "I consider them both family, but technically, this blond guy actually is. Eddie Case, Navaare Solange, meet Drew Layton, owner of AL's Suds and Subs."

"Nice to meet you guys!" Drew said as he vigorously pumped each man's hand. "Listen, Wolf, I thought I had more napkins in the storage room, but I don't. I need to shoot home to get some from the house. Would y'all mind keeping an eye on the place while I'm gone? It's not even 11 yet and I'm not expecting my cook and my waitress until noon the earliest and I'll be back by then."

"Not a problem," Wolf said, "The safe's combination is still the same?"

Drew laughed. "Very funny. I'll be back as soon as I can. I may stop at the Post Office, too." And with that, he was gone.

Wolf looked in the boxes Drew had brought upstairs and put away the beer and napkins he found. "I guess I can be nice and refill the napkin holders and the salt and pepper shakers. You both just relax."

"I'll help," Napoleon said as he grabbed salt and pepper from behind the bar. "This reminds me of my waiter days when I was in college."

Illya was about to say something smart when he thought he heard a sound from the back door. That sounds like a lock being picked, he thought before a female voice called, "Andrew Layton! Where are you?"

Oh no, he thought as he jumped off his barstool just as Angel burst into the bar. She spotted him immediately and opened her mouth to speak when she noticed the other two men in the room. Her eyes widened and she pulled her Baretta from her back holster. At the same time, Wolf pulled his Luger from his holster between his shoulder blades.

"Nooo!" Illya screamed. "Do not shoot! Do not shoot!" He leapt in between Angel and Wolf, arms out, desperate that they listen to him.

Napoleon had pulled his weapon as well, eyes darting from side to side, determined to shoot whoever put his partner in danger. "Get out of the way, Illya!"

Instead, Illya continued to stay between Wolf and Angel even as they bobbed and weaved in an attempt to get a better shot. "Stand down! I need you both to stand down! Please!"

"Do you know who that is?!" Angel and Wolf shouted simultaneously.

"Yes, I do," Illya replied with a calmness he didn't feel. "I will introduce you, but I need you both to trust me and stand down. Please." He lowered his arms slightly and looked from one to the other. "Please."

The second time he asked was the charm. After what felt like an eternity, Wolf lowered his gun. A few seconds after that, Angel followed suit. "That is better," Illya said, relief evident in his tone. He turned to face Wolf and said, "I would like to introduce you to Angel LeDeux, formerly known as Angelique DeChien of THRUSH." Before anyone could say anything, he turned to Angel and said, "Angel LeDeux, I would like to introduce you to Wolf Schmidt, formerly known as Ludwig Bowler, THRUSH Central Committee member and my brother – in – law. I believe you know Napoleon."

Both former THRUSH's mouths fell open in shock. Angel recovered first. "This is your brother – in – law?! You're married?! That ring on your finger is real?!"

Wolf was gobsmacked. "You're supposed to be dead! What are you doing here?"

"To misquote Mark Twain: The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated. What I want to know is why you all are here in what I think is my father's place of business."

"Father?!" Wolf said. "Drew is your father?"

"If he is the Andrew Layton who used to be known as Andre LeDeux, then yes. Where is he?"

Napoleon stepped forward. "He forgot something and went home to get it."

"In Vendure?" When Napoleon nodded, she said, "Figures. I just left there. Well, in the meantime, it would seem there is a lot to talk about, isn't there, Illya?" She moved over to a table and sat, deliberately laying her gun upon it.

Illy looked over at Wolf, who reluctantly holstered his weapon and took a seat a table away from Angel.

Napoleon moved to stand next to Illya, pasted a smile on his face, clapped his hands and said, "There is a lot to talk about. Who wants to start?"