Chapter 26

Jack and Norm were in their quarters hammering out a new security plan. I knew I wasn't welcome, and wouldn't have anything significant to add, so Sammy and I went off in search of something more productive to do.

The ranch sits at the high end of a long valley that runs up against the mountains. It is well suited for defense, if the attack is conventional, but who attacks in a conventional manner anymore? I chewed on the problem while Sammy and I wandered around the ranch yard.

What got me thinking along those lines was when I turned my problem one-hundred and eighty degrees, and started to think about how I would stage an attack against my ranch that the weaknesses became more evident. The driveway is long, and curvy, so racing up with a car bomb would be both challenging and easy at the same time.

We needed a stopping point, where any vehicle arriving, came no closer than about a hundred yards. The guard shack we placed there could become a transfer point, where any package was removed from the arriving vehicle, examined, opened, and delivered to the proper place once the guards decided it was Ok.

That point had to be hardened to avoid a vehicle ramming its way through. A properly located ditch and collapsible bridge would stop any vehicle as long as it drove over the bridge, and the ditch was deep enough to stop a vehicle, and keep the occupants corralled until help arrived.

The house was pretty secure. All the windows were built to stop anything up to rifle fire, and the doors were solid steel, wrapped in wood. The frame was beefed up, and the exterior was fireproofed. There was no natural cover near the house. Anyone attacking us had to do so over open ground, and the contractor had built in line of site windows, that covered every direction.

Once the cars were behind the garage doors, they were safe from bombing, and would remain available should we need to make a run for it. The garage also held some special toys that we could break out to discourage any attacking force. When those twelve guys came after me the last time, I knew I needed to upgrade my armament, so I consulted with the Judge's people and bought everything they suggested in triplicate.

The basement dry storage, coolers and freezers had sufficient food and water supplies to keep us safe for years, not weeks, or months. It was stocked with clothes, shoes, bedding, soaps, and cleaning fluids, not to mention all kinds of incidentals that people need. We could hold out for a long time, if necessary, and any attackers would never locate the basement access. It was that well concealed.

Jack was looking at everything with a fresh eye, and that would result in a lot of changes, which we would have to get after right away. I didn't care how much it cost. My motivation was protecting my loved ones, and me.

I made detailed notes about the collapsing bridge idea, and mid-point guardhouse, and headed to the kitchen in search of dinner.

I didn't hear anything from Jack and Norm for the rest of the night. The children were full of energy, and Teri had a harder time getting them into bed than in previous nights, but I was upstairs and didn't really pay attention.

Well after they were asleep I stepped into the kitchen just as Teri put something in the fridge. "I am about to hop in the hot tub. Want to join me?"

I could see her thinking that over, and gave her space to decide if I was sincere, or just trying to get her clothes off. She must have thought I was safe, because she smiled, thanked me for the invite, and ran off to get her new swim suit. I uncovered the hot tub, and got in all the way to my neck, to avoid Teri seeing my damaged chest. I worried about her taking one look at what those bastards did to me, and taking off with the kids.

The water was perfect and I was floating blissfully when I heard her climbing the stairs. She came across to the screened porch where they set up the tub, and slipped off her robe. I found her figure very pleasant to look at. Her hair hung to her shoulders, and seemed to be trained to stay out of her face. Her breasts were just about right for her frame, and for the first time, I wondered how her nipples would taste. I liked the flare of her hips, with just a touch of fullness from childbearing, and again I felt an urge to discover her personal scent.

Teri hopped right in and let the warm water minister to her. We floated silently for some time before Teri spoke. "I apologize for telling you all my dirty secrets, before. You must think I'm a terrible person."

"You would be surprised to know just what I think of you and your courage, Teri. Sometimes people need to talk. Today was your time, and I am flattered that you would trust me enough to talk about something that is so stressful, painful, and downright awful. What Calvin did to you and the children was nothing short of spousal abuse, and criminal neglect.

"Unfortunately, men get away with that type of behavior all the time, which makes them bolder, stupider, and more destructive. You were lucky to get away with your sanity, and I am amazed at your strength, and courage."

We chatted about the kids more than anything else.

"Judy suffered with so many little things, that we ate up the limits on Calvin's policy. Even though children are double the maximum, Judy needed so much care, it all went away. Fortunately, Timmy stayed healthy, or Cal might have left us a lot sooner."

She turned reflective all of a sudden, and said, "He changed in great big jumps, Kevin. One day we were a married couple, enjoying our lives and looking forward to the future. But then, one day, Cal got invited to the first of those basement parties, and it was like something deep inside him was unlocked. If you can imagine it, he was like someone who was allowed to see beyond the curtain, and found the most wicked world, just beyond an ordinary mans' reach. Once he was invited back beyond the doorway, he could never be the same, again. Whatever he found when he used other men's wives, seemed to complete him in the worst ways possible."

She was quiet for a little while, and then said, "Why do you let me prattle on about something so ... so ... so awful? I am NOT going to talk about it anymore. And that's that!"