Seeking Safety by Karen Ward

friends. They are exactly the same age."
    ******
    Michael and I are absolutely amazed by the
luxurious jet Barry sent to New York to pick us up. A limousine
arrived at our apartment before daylight and took us straight to
the airport where we boarded the jet. We were served a sumptuous
meal while in flight and were able to watch live television as we
traveled. Another limousine picked us up at the airport in Cody,
Wyoming and we are now nearing the entrance to the Rock Springs
Ranch. Michael is so excited he can't sit still. He is peering out
the nearly black windows of the limousine at all of the reporters
snapping pictures of the car as it approaches. He is shocked at
what Barry has to deal with every day. Then he sees him,
    "Mom! That man, the one in the red shirt, he
was at the compound!" whispers Michael alarmed.
    I jerk my head toward the direction Michael
is pointing. I spy the man he is talking about. "Are you sure? He
does look familiar." I am extremely concerned.
    "I'm positive Mom. He didn't live at the
compound but he visited regularly. I'll never forget those people!
We have to tell Barry!" he whispers.
    "Yes, we will tell him as soon as we see him.
Thank God he can't see into this car!" My heart is pounding with
fear.
    ******
    Early the same morning Steve Simpson's cell
phone rings at the compound in Idaho. One of the members he sent to
New York City to find Melanie and Eric says, "Hey Steve, when we
finally tracked down where Melanie and Eric have been living, they
were gone. The neighbors told us they left in a limousine before
daylight this morning. From what we found inside the apartment, it
looks like they are planning to be gone for a while. The
refrigerator was completely cleaned out and no other perishable
food was in the cabinets. The landlord said they told him they
would be gone at least a month. Do you think they may be going to
Farrady's ranch?"
    Steve replies "Could be. I'll put the word
out to the members in the area to keep an eye out for them. Why
don't you guys head back here? Thanks for calling me."
    ******
    A few hours later Steve Simpson's cell phone
rings again. He answers, "Simpson."
    A member that is an employee at the Cody
Wyoming airport says, "Steve, a woman and a boy that looks like
Eric Calloway just arrived in Cody on Barry Farrady's private jet.
They were whisked away in a limousine before I could get a positive
identification, but I am pretty sure it was them. The woman's hair
is short and dark so I am not sure about her, but I am pretty sure
the boy was Eric."
    "Thanks, I'll handle it from here," replies
Steve, a grin sliding across his face. Soon, real soon, he will be
a multi-millionaire.
    He has already contacted that lawyer in
Seattle, Benjamin Roland, to have the adoptions papers ready. As
soon as he finds Eric and takes care of Melanie, he will contact
him again. Then it is just a matter of time. He has already picked
out his beach house in Florida where he plans to live. To hell with
this bunch of losers! He will give them the compound and what is
left of the fifty thousand. Then they can fend for themselves.
    ******
    Barry is waiting in the circular drive in
front of the house when the limousine turns into the drive. His
heart is pounding with excitement. He opens the back door and
offers his hand to Beth. When she takes his hand to stand up, Barry
pulls her into his arms and gives her a quick but firm kiss on the
lips. The zing they had shared so many months before roars through
his veins. As he pulls back from Beth and gathers Michael into his
embrace he wonders what this sexual chemistry they share might lead
to or if it is even possible for them to pursue it.
    I am stunned. I remember the same electric
shock when I briefly kissed Barry when we left the ranch the last
time but I really didn't think much about it then because I never
expected to see him again. Now I am not sure what to think. My
experience with sex is very limited and certainly hasn't been
positive, but