084:

At five a.m. she got the babies up and fed, and put back to sleep in the double stroller. By six, she was dressed, and had packed her belongings. By seven when her grandfather rang the bell for breakfast, she was strapped into the mini-van and out the driveway, with no one the wiser.

Her phone buzzed. She checked it and picked it up, figuring this person deserved at least some explanation. "Hey." She said seriously.

"What the hell are you doing? Where do you think you're going?"

Ryan... and he was mad.

"Where do you think? I'm dropping off the money and I'm finishing this mess once and for all. And when I'm done, Ryan Patrick, I'm going on a cruise with a friend, and we are through, done, kaput." Her voice was tinged in determination, absolutely set on following through with her plan.

"You're insane!. Wait up! I can't let you do this for any reason. What is your frigging reason, Melia?" She saw head lights in her rearview mirror and realized she had to keep him on the phone so he couldn't call and alert her dad. That would be the real madness.

"I am the only one that can do this. I have to know who is behind it and I will know when I see them. I've seen them before, Ryan. I will know who they are. And if not... then they are little piss any nobodies and this will get them, off my back!"

"Oh, for Pete's sake, you think these are the same guys who killed Jerry? You think they're that dumb that they'd come after you as well? If they did, it wouldn't be to abduct you, it would be to kill you." Both cars were careening down the long driveway now, and kicking up a lot of dust. "This is exactly why I had Jared protect you, Melia, to keep them from killing you!"

Melia knew her course of action was right. She just wished he hadn't followed her. He was an unwanted complication. And--- she glanced at her watch--- now there wasn't time to ditch him.

She turned onto the main highway and then hit the freeway going 80. Her mind in a whirl, she thought if she could get there early then she could talk to Ryan and finish this up. Kind of like getting to a church meeting early, get the business done before the prelude music began. The drop spot wasn't far, she knew where it was from her many trips to visit her grandparents as a kid. They came to this field all the time to fly kites. She turned in and drove around the outer perimeter looking for other cars, there were none. When she stopped, Ryan's car zoomed to a dusty screech beside her and he got out, yanking on her door and yelling at her.

It was then that everything hit at once. Shots were fired, Ryan crumpled before her eyes and someone got in the other side of the car and with a mask of Frankenstein on, shoved a loaded gun in her face and told her to get out and get her kids out as well. A car pulled up beside Ryan and shoved them all inside so quickly, she didn't have time to yell any deals at them or see who they were. Only that fat loaded gun pointed at her, and another now pointed at Hannah, who was screaming. As the car carrying them started to pull away a motor cycle careened out of the hilltop with a wild banshee driving it, and as it fell beside the car, the rider opened Ryan's side door and Ryan fell out, half passed out anyway. The man holding her shoved Ryan's body out the door and Melia felt a bump as the tires ran over him and she started to scream. In that split second, she'd gotten a look at the motorcycle rider as well... it was Kell.

The man in the front shoved Abby into her arms. "Shut this kid up, or I'll kill it." Said a menacing voice and Melia put her hand over Abby's mouth, holding Hannah with her other arm. Both babies were screaming and she knew of no way to stop them.

****