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Cold hands dragged me from my warm bed in the middle of the night. "Get dressed. We leave in fifteen minutes," Blue informed me. We'd been given scrubs to wear since we arrived, so I was pleased to see the clothes I was wearing when we were captured. They'd been laundered and were in a neatly folded stack on the end of the bed.
I took a really quick shower and got dressed. I pulled off some pieces of paper and stuck them in the pockets of my cargo pants along with the pen. I had nothing else of my own with me. I was sitting on the edge of the bed when Patch opened the door.
"Come on," he said, not bothering to manhandle me this time which I appreciated. My relief was short-lived. Once I was in the hall, he took hold of my upper arm to propel me down the hall to the stairs. We stepped out onto a helipad on the roof of the building. I hugged my arms around me against the cold, as Patch pushed my head down and tugged me toward the waiting helicopter. I was pushed into a seat and Patch sat beside me. Blue was already in the co-pilot's seat in the front of the helicopter, another guard, the blonde one I call Yellow, followed Cassie on board. They sat across from us. I looked around and noticed Henson and Randerran were not with us.
"How long will we be flying?" I asked.
"As long as it takes," Patch said.
"Are there any coats or blankets?"
He just glared at me. I pulled myself into as much of a ball as I could manage in the weird seat and tried to sleep. Things were going according to plan so far. I ran through scenarios of how things might go at the bank until I fell asleep.
An elbow to the ribs woke me up. "Wake up. We're landing."
"Where?"
He didn't answer. It was light, and I recognized Chance's A-frame before we touched the ground. I'm the one that suggested we use Chance's house as a launching point. He was out of town, so Randerran accepted my offer. Now that we were here, I couldn't decide if I should be happy to be home or pissed that these guys were violating my home. I hoped maybe I'd gain some advantage by being on familiar ground.
As we walked toward the house, I saw someone standing on the porch. My first thought was that it was Chance. How many times had I driven into his driveway and seen him walk out on his porch to greet me, but I knew it couldn't be him. As we got closer I saw there were two men—Randerran and Henson.
Once we were all inside, Randerran pushed me toward the kitchen. "Make us some coffee."
It bugged me that he expected me to serve him as though he were a guest in my home, but that wasn't a battle worth fighting at the moment. I knew Cassie liked coffee, and she looked as though she could use some. I concentrated on that and made myself a cup of Earl Grey while the coffee was brewing.
"Ms. Mason, sit," Randerran said, pulling out a chair at the kitchen table. I took my tea and sat down across from him. "I want to make sure you're clear on your role today. You'll be escorted to the bank. You'll retrieve your uncle's journal that has the coordinates and bring it back here. I'll be here with Cassie. Should you attempt to make anyone aware of your situation or try to escape. Cassie will suffer for your actions. Take a close look at her face, if you doubt my willingness to harm a woman." He handed me my keys. I checked to make sure the safe deposit key was still there.
"Do you have outdoor gear for us?" I asked.
"You'll have what you need. It's time for you to go."
Henson grabbed my arm. "Come on," he said.
I pulled my arm free. "Do you mind if I get my coat? These people know me. I've been cold since I moved here. They'll know something's wrong if I show up without a coat when it's still winter."
Henson looked to Randerran for approval. I went to the closet by the door and pulled out a jacket. All of my outdoor gear was in my bag that I assumed was still at Renee's cabin. I started to put it on, but Patch jerked it out of my hand. "Check it first, you idiot," he said to Henson.
He pulled everything from the pockets. "Can I have those mittens?"
He shoved them my way. "Let's go."
"Remember, Ms. Mason. No tricks," Randerran said as he held the door open.
"You drive," Henson said, opening the driver's door of Chance's SUV. He climbed in the passenger seat and Blue sat behind me.
"I have a gun pointed at the center of your back. Just follow the plan, and I won't need to use it," he said.
There isn't much to downtown Wilkins' Gap, but on a weekday the parking spots in front of the bank and the neighboring post office are usually full. I was surprised to find three empty spots. I parked, turned off the truck, and took a deep breath.
Blue got out and opened my door. "Give me the keys. I'll stay behind the wheel."
"Fine," I removed the key for the safe deposit box and dropped the remaining keys in his outstretched hand as Henson came around and stood beside me. Henson grabbed my arm and started toward the bank.
"If you hold my arm like that everyone will know something's up," I said, looking down at the spot where his hand was wrapped around my sleeve.
"Fine." He let go of my arm. "I stick by your side. I go into the vault with you. No tricks."