An imposing gate came into view a moment later tall and black, medieval like it should be protecting an ancient castle. The monstrosity stretched as far as I could see, blending into the trees like it had come into existence at the same time as the tree that surrounded it. It had to be at least 20 feet tall or more with what looked like spikes and barbed wire at the top. Was that a man walking along the top? From this position I couldn’t be sure. The caravan of SUVs pulled up to it and Black rolled his window down before leaning out to bring his face close to a panel that must have been some type of scanner. With a bright green flash of light from the screen the heavy gate opened with a smooth mechanical whirring that screamed security and protection.
We passed through, and the gates closed behind us with a loud metallic clank like a locking mechanism was engaging. Right when I thought that was all the security there was, I saw movement out past the trees where the walls met the forest, stood armed guards dressed in dark tactical gear seemingly camouflaged into the landscape at spaced intervals along the gait. The property beyond the gate unfolded slowly into a wide clearing surrounded by dense woods. Based on the opulence of the wall I had expected to find a large estate similar to our home in Timberline. What I hadn’t expected was a large solid structure, maybe an old military installation built into the mountain.
The building looked more like a large bunker than a home. There were no windows that I could see, which meant that even if it wasn’t surrounded by the wall, no one would be able to see it from the road. I wonder what his place had been used for. Even though it may not be at home it looked secure, which was the purpose of all this. The building was sterile and blank. It didn’t even have a normal entrance; I wasn’t sure how we would get inside.
“This is… not what I expected.” I said quietly, staring up at the massive rock monstrosity built into the mountain.
“I know, but it won’t be forever. Bear with me, Princess.”
I sighed in agreement as I watched a door rise to the left of the structure and the first SUV pull into what turned out to be a large underground garage. Once the last SUV entered the door lowered behind them. A bright light illuminated the space as soon as the door went down. I watched as the men exited and grabbed their bags.
“I know it doesn’t look like much but wait until you get inside, I promise you’ll be comfortable here.” Crew said.
“Do you own this place?” I asked.
“You could say that. This place…this place doesn’t actually exist on paper,” he began. “It was part of an old military installation that was abandoned back in the 70’s. We bought it a few years ago along with the 2200 acres it was built on. Technically it's owned by a shell corporation that can’t be traced back to any of my businesses. I made sure a long time ago that if I ever needed a way out, that I had a few places that I could go and disappear until the smoke cleared. This is one of the many locations that I had set up in a few secluded locations. I hoped I would never need to use it. Come on, let me show you the inside,” he said.
The twins were already moving when we stepped out of the vehicle. The temperature in the garage was cool with a slight breeze compared to the outside so it must have been air conditioned. Black scanned the perimeter of the garage while Blue checked angles and blind spots outside on his tablet with practiced ease. Two other men I recognized from old stories but had never met in person nodded at Crew and took our bags through a metal door I hadn’t seen when we first arrived. Crew walked to the other side of the SUV and lifted Timberly onto his shoulder. She wrapped her arms around his neck, with a sleepy smile.
“We're here now, baby girl.” He told her.
With Timberly in his arms, he led me through the door that I had seen the men go through, jumping a little at the sound of a lock engaging when the door shut behind me. Crew hadn’t reacted so I collected myself and continued through the entry way, smiling at what I saw when the space expanded into a massive room. The interior was warmer than I had expected. It was clean and cozy with the feel of a comfy cottage. The living area was open and spacious, like you would find in an upscale vacation home. Crew placed Timberly down on her feet so she could look around like he knew she wanted to. The bedrooms onthe first floor were set up for the family, each with an ensuite and electric fireplace. Crew said that there were living quarters on the lower levels for the men. Timberly wandered into one of the bedrooms and plopped down onto the bed.
“It’s big,” she announced.
“You like it?” Crew asked.
She nodded happily.
“Can I get a dog?” She asked out of nowhere.
Crew crouched in front of her, pushing a loose curl behind her ear, before giving in just like I knew he would. He couldn’t deny her anything within reason.
“Of course, baby girl. What kind?”
“Can I have two Doberman puppies like from the movie, ‘UP’ "?
“Those will make great guard dogs for you and the baby. We can look for some when we go back home, deal?”
She smiled, satisfied and wrapped her tiny arms around Crew’s neck.
When he stood, our eyes met, and something unspoken passed between us. He was doing this for us. But he wasn’t really at peace even though he tried to pretend he was for Timberly. We left the room and went back out to explore the other parts of the house. The large chef’s kitchen was stocked with enough food to last us a few months by the looks of it. Crew had thought of everything when it came to this place. There was even a state-of-the-art clinic filled with medical supplies neatly organized in locked cabinets. The last room on this level was at the end of a long hallway off the huge kitchen.
“Come on, let's check out the last room. I think you'll like it.” Crew said, leading me down the hall.
He took my hand and led me down the hall to the door before he stopped and placed his hand on my lower back before opening it. Then he stepped aside and stirred me in. My voicegot caught in my throat when I saw what was on the other side of the door. Standing inside the room decorated like a cozy she-shed was Tyra, DJ, Mecca and Kema. They all wore huge smiles as I walked towards them.
“It took you long enough, big mama.” Mecca said, rubbing her hand across my belly.
“How’s our nephew doing?” Kema asked, giving me a big hug.
“You know we wouldn’t let you be stuck out here by yourself.” Tyra said, wrapping her arms around me when I stepped in front of her.
“Thank you, guys.” I whispered, my voice thick with emotion.
“Oh Lord, please don’t cry. You gon’ make Crew put us out and we just got here.” Tyra giggled.
“You happy, Princess?” He asked, from his position at the door.