2. Nova
Nova
The dark road stretched on for what seemed like forever.
The longer we drove the more secluded our journey became.
I couldn’t remember the last time we saw a building or even another car on this road.
Timberline was big but this had to be outside of city limits.
I must have dozed off when we left the interstate because this couldn’t be it.
The two-laned roadway was pitch black as we drove.
We were surrounded by nothing but the large trees of the forest and the mountains in the distance.
The sky above was still dark, but I could tell that the light would be creeping through soon enough.
I watched as a soft gradient of deep indigos, oranges, violets, pinks and the darkest blues blended together through the window to create a masterpiece, as Timberly’s head rested against my shoulder, her small body warm and heavy with sleep.
Her stuffed animal was tucked under her arm, its worn ear pressed against her cheek like it was guarding her dreams.
I rested my hand on my belly and breathed slowly and tried to calm my mind.
The baby kicked, giving me a soft nudge like he was checking in.
Crew’s hand found mine in the dark, intertwining his fingers with mine.
He raised my hand to his lips and pressed his mouth to my fingers before he finally spoke.
“This will be home until this is over. I want to make sure that you and baby girl are comfortable, so I have a surprise for you when we get there.”
“What is it? Tell me.”
“You’ll see when we get there,” he said.
We drove for about thirty more minutes before the vehicles slowed and then turned off the road entirely onto a path that would only be noticed by someone who had driven it before. Gravel crunched beneath the tires, loud in the quiet making Timberly stir in my arms.
“Are we here?” She mumbled.
“Almost, baby girl.” He said to her, rubbing his hand across her back.
That seemed to satisfy her and she yawned, curling closer into my side, fingers brushing the edge of her stuffed animal.
My chest tightened at how quickly she adapted, how little reassurance she needed to trust that her parents had it all handled.
Children shouldn’t have to be brave, but I was glad that she was.
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 on the 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 voice got 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.
I walked over to him and wrapped my arms around his strong body, standing on my tip toes to kiss his lips sweetly.
“I love you.” I said against his lips.
“And I love you. I just want you to be happy and I’ll do anything to make that happen.” He kissed me again, this time deeper until he pulled back, pressing his forehead against mine. We just stood there breathing each other in for a moment that was just ours.
“Eww.” The kids laughed.
“Catch up with the girls. I’m gon’ check in with Black and Blue.” He said, kissing me one last time.
“Hold on.” I said, catching his arm as he stepped back into the hallway to leave.
Crew turned and leaned against the wall, his arms crossed, and gaze locked on me like he knew what I was gonna say before it left my mouth.
“I know this is bothering you more than you’re letting on. But I just want you to know that I see you. Since the first time we met you have done nothing but be our protector.”
His eyes were darker than usual, the usual swirls of silver were now two deep pools of stormy gray, shadowed by deep thought and worry.
“I can’t lose you. Any of you.” He said taking my face in his hands.
“You won’t,” I sighed. “Because you’re smarter than them. And you for damn sure are more ruthless.”
He huffed out a small laugh but didn’t speak.
I leaned in placing my hand over his heart, feeling how steady it was under my palm.
The strong, steady rhythm grounded me. I guided his other hand to my belly and the baby kicked again, right on cue, like he knew his dad needed another reason to push forward.
I watched as Crew exhaled slowly, pressing his forehead to mine.
“I don’t want our kids to grow up in a war zone.”
“Then we’ll end it.” I said quietly.
The words hung heavily between us.
Crew pulled back just enough to look at me. I didn’t see the fear that had been there when he woke up from his nightmare. What I saw now in those beautiful grey orbs was darkness and a cold precision that I was sure he would use to take their enemy down.
“Go back into the room with the girls and I’ll get breakfast ready after I make sure everything is running smoothly.” He breathed against my neck as he pulled me closer, sending a shiver up my spine.
“Yes, Sir.” I moaned. It was taking everything in me not to drop to my knees in front of my husband.
“Keep it up. You gon’ be face down ass up in our room for the rest of the morning. You know I’ll always make time to remind you who you belong to. Now go.” He said before turning me toward the room and swatting my ass as he made his way down the hallway.
I walked…more like wabbled back into the room with the girls.
It had been decorated in the same country cottage style as the rest of the building, but this had been created all for my comfort in mind.
The sofa and chairs were upholstered in a warm soft material that felt like cashmere under my fingertips.
The plush rug under my feet was a mixture of pink, tan and grays that blended well with the soft theme of the space.
The right wall was covered by a massive built-in bookshelf that was filled with books, while the left housed a big screen television that sat over the fireplace.
I eased myself down onto the gray sofa next to Tyra and pulled the pink throw blanket over me.
Tucking my feet underneath myself I got as comfortable as I could with my huge belly.
“So has he told you the plan yet?” Kema asked as she examined one of the books from the shelf.
“No not yet. I’m not sure if he has a plan already or if he just wanted us safe first.” I answered honestly.
I didn’t expect Crew to keep me in the dark about what he was about to do but I wasn’t sure if he would let me in on everything he had planned. I knew he wanted to protect me, especially because I was so far along now.
“The twins haven’t said anything to us either. I hope they don’t think we just gonna sit around here with you while they have all the fun. I mean we love you and all, but we want to have some fun too,” Mecca said.
“What about me? I have skills that could be useful in any situation,” Tyra whined.
“Like what?” I asked with a giggle and yawn.
It had been a long night, and I was definitely gonna need a nap before this day was over.
“Stop acting like you don’t know I have a black belt in wing chun,” Tyra said, smiling bright.
“Bitch, just because you watched all four Ip Man movies does not make you a black belt in kung fu.” I howled, laughing so hard my sides hurt.
“Whatever, I'll keep my skills to myself then.” She pouted.
“Aww it’s ok Tyra. We believe you. The next time there's a fight we’ll make sure you get to use your special set of skills.” Mecca told her feigning seriousness.
“Fuck ya’ll.” She huffed and plopped down on the recliner in the corner.
“Don’t be mad Ty, we won’t leave you out of the fun, promise.” Kema told her.
This is what I needed. I needed something to keep my mind off what I knew Crew had to do and my girls would help me stay sane while Crew defended our family. I let my mind wander as my girls laughed and joked, enjoying the calm before the storm.