Only Mac and John went to check on the plane which did not fly over our house. That part was good. John said it had floats to land on the river and he could tell it had landed. That means they now know about Lauren and her men. John also said that because they had planned on taking 6 people back, the plane was not large enough to hold more than the pilot and copilot, plus those 6 passengers.

But they will likely fly around and come back later with more men. So that gives us a bit of time to prepare. We met in the living room for a meeting to figure out the best way to protect ourselves and set a trap for our unwanted “guests”. Oddly enough Agata came over and asked if she could sit on my lap. Aasta had to translate again. I said that would be fine.

She came up and leaned against me so I put my arm around her. Sky said she smiled when I did that. And Sky was in tears as she spoke. Agata and Honey had been through so much it is understandable that they do not trust men. So this little act from Agata brought tears to my eyes as well. Honey asked Aasta why I was crying.

Aasta told her it was because I was so happy that Agata trusted him now, so quickly and she also said that I loved her and Agata and I was so happy we could help them. Honey watched her little sister as she tried to cuddle even closer to me. Now she was crying. I asked Honey if she knew the area well and if there was a place to hide away from the house, but not too far away.

She told us that Mandar came out here every summer before, she and her oldest brother would come over and do some work for Mandar. Plus the two of them would explore the area around the house. Mandar had told them about a secret underground “house” that he had made, and he took them down inside of it one time. That was the last time Mandar came out here. We went looking and found the place.

It had a heavy steel door blocking the entrance. It was flat on the ground and after unlocking the door it took both John and Matt to open the lid. Down we went. Good thing we had flashlights and our battery packs to keep them going. It was a very nice house, though not big, hard to know why Mandar had it, but right now I did not care.

I put the girls, Sky and Aasta in there for safety and was about to come out but Matt stood in the way. “Not this time Steve,” he said smiling, “you are needed here, not up there.” “Do you need Jennifer?” I asked. “I am here Steve,” she said from behind me. “Satisfied?” asked Matt, still smiling. “Be careful,” I said, “I would like all of you to survive this encounter.”

“So would I Steve, and we will be extra careful,” he assured me. Then up he went and the door came crashing down. “The air is fresh,” said Jennifer, “so the ventilation must be good.” We looked around, there were nice beds to use, and even some food. Muffin and Tiia stayed with us, the other cats were up top with the team. And I was worried. Very worried.

The plane had left without circling around the area which could mean they already know about the house, or they really do not care. Without Lauren, they no longer have a job, so perhaps they are not willing to fight. I have noticed our enemies do not normally have anyone lined up to take their place if they get killed. It is usually up to another family member to decide whether or not to come after us.

That would be Majori in this case, or Christopher, but both need to build up their numbers before attacking us. Unknown to us here, but the team back home knows now, Carole Ann is the daughter of Lauren and cousin to Christopher. Mandar’s idea of hiding us here would have worked out fine, it was just a chance meeting with Lauren that spoiled everything.

Still, it was worth it to rescue Honey and Agata from the clutches of Lauren. When that plane flew off, it had fewer people on board. Six well armed men were left behind to find us. They knew of the house and came directly to it. They approached from the back of the house, carrying explosives with them. Soon there were 3 large explosions and fires erupting as a result.

But as the men ran back toward the trees, Matt and his team met them and a brief gun battle ensued. Lauren’s men lost the fight quite quickly and none of our team were killed or even wounded this time. Soon they were opening the door for us to get out.

Meow,meow!!=Me hear boom boom!! Everyone went out quickly and then we ran, fast! The resulting explosion shook the ground all around us knocking us all flat. Some kind of security feature on that underground hideaway? Or perhaps a trap by Lauren to kill Mandar? She almost got us without even trying…

To Be Continued.

©2024 Steve McLeod.