CHAPTER 66

    The two officers walked ahead of them into the compound. They wouldn't have been lucky to get inside had she not swiped the key card from Tiffany's dead body,the one she had seen her use earlier. She hadn't seen or heard anyone else around the house but still,it wouldn't hurt to take precautions. Carl walked beside her while Kenny took the tail looking around them as they went towards the front.

              "Nice place!" he said in a low voice. She shook her head wondering how he managed to be so composed even though they didn't know if they were walking into danger. Someone as crazy as Taylor could have left a bomb or something else lying around waiting for them. She could have thought about everything, about her mission going sideways and this was just the perfect way to make sure she wouldn't go down alone. Even much worse,what if she had done something to Ravenna. She was the kind of mother who didn't care what happened to her. If she could force a ten year old to write threatening notes like she had,what else was she capable of. "I am really considering asking if I could maybe have this house,you know, now that the owner is dead,it has no use,right?"

                   "What right would you have to it?" she asked, stopping for a moment. "Also,we don't know if she has other crazy relatives who wants revenge or who might want to claim the house."

                 "Well, I could have it at least until something like that happens."

   Carl walked closer to her and tried to whisper,"Is he always like this. So thick in the head?"

    She chuckled,"I have no idea. I just met him the other day."

                  "Hey, I'm desperate. I have no job and no money. Hell,I don't even know if I will have a place to stay for the next few days. Dylan might already be making plans to throw me out after the happy reunion with her girlfriend here. By the way I'm still jealous about that kiss."

       Carly couldn't help but laugh. She however stopped remembering where they were and what they were supposed to be doing. "Dylan wouldn't do something like that. You are her friend and she wouldn't just throw you out because of me."

                 "Not very true but it's a little comforting. Trust me that woman I saw back there would do anything for you."

    The darkness around the area made it hard to see the others. If they stayed much longer,they would lose them and she wasn't sure they were aware they had stopped following.

                  "Let's go first."

                     "Right."

      They didn't encounter anything or anyone up to the front door,so they didn't hesitate to break it down. She flipped on the lights in the sitting room then headed to Ravenna's bedroom where they had been confined together but there was no sign of her. She looked around the room. Everything else was intact except for the one thing, the teddy bear she had held onto the entire time they had been locked in together. Something told her she was still inside. If not in her bedroom,then somewhere in the house.

                 "Ravenna?" Silence. "It's Carly,are you there?" She listened and heard a tiny sound but she wasn't sure where it had come from. 

                 "Where is she?" Carl asked coming in beside her. She shushed him then out of instinct, she fell on her knees. "What are you doing?" Carl asked but instead of replying, she lifted the covers which fell almost to the floor. She peeped under the bed and there she was, cuddled in one corner and trying to suppress sobs.

                "Hey, come on out. It's safe now." Ravenna slowly lifted her face up and looked at her. 

                "Carly? You came back?" she asked.

                 "Yes I did. I told you I would come back for you. Come here,"she said nodding. Ravenna gave her a tiny smile then crawled out slowly. Carly helped her to stand up but she remained kneeling on the floor so that Ravenna stood a few inches taller than her. She observed her as she looked around the room, studying the new faces curiously then looked at her questioningly. "They are the ones who helped me come back for you. They are the good guys."

                 "Mom and aunt Kelley?" Carly knew exactly what Ravenna was asking but didn't know if it would be wise to tell her the truth. She didn't know if the little girl could handle it. She looked at the others for help. Her brother stood there dumb struck looking at his daughter and probably not believing she was real or how she had grown up for ten years without him and with him having no idea she existed. She turned to Kenny who nodded for her to go ahead. She looked at her and shook her head,"They are not coming back."

   Ravenna's face slowly turned emotional  which showed that she clearly understood what that statement meant. She fell over on her, wrapping her hands around her neck and holding on tightly. She pulled her closer and she could tell it was maybe the first time anyone had let her that close or to get that emotional. She closed her eyes and felt the pain the girl must have been feeling. When they pulled apart, she touched her arms and squeezed lovingly. "I am so sorry sweetie." What she hadn't been expecting was Ravenna's next words.

                   "Thank you." She just nodded lacking anything to say. Ravenna then turned to the others again. She decided to introduce them to clarify things.

                  "This is my brother Carl and our friend Kenny. The others behind them are police officers. Ravenna however didn't concentrate on the others. She fixed her eyes at Carl and just as she was wondering what was going on in her head, she spoke."

                 "Carl?" They both nodded. "Are you my father?" Whoa, just how much did the girl know? "My mother said that you were dead."

   She saw Carl struggle to find words to say but failing each time. All this was clearly too overwhelming for him. She turned to Ravenna.

                 "It's okay, you don't have to do anything right now or say anything. There will be plenty of time to catch up once we get out of here. Both of you are surprised and not ready for this just yet."  Ravenna however didn't heed to the advice. She rushed forward and literally flew into her brother's arms. Carl was taken by surprise but adjusted quickly. She couldn't remember the last time she had seen her brother in such a mixture of emotions. Crying, laughing, sobbing and above all holding on to his daughter as if he didn't ever want to let go again. She smiled and wiped away some stray tears from her eyes then chuckled loudly when she saw Kenny do the same. That was weird. Their joy was however cut short by a sudden interruption from one of the officers outside the room who announced in panic.

                  "I'm  afraid we don't have much time to stay. There is a bomb set to to blow up thirty seconds from now. We have to get out of here!"

    They got up in a hurry. She only managed to grab Ravenna's teddy bear and her backpack. Carl proceeded carrying Ravenna. She followed him and they didn't stop until they were a distance away from the main house. The other three followed seconds before the bomb exploded with a loud blast setting the whole house up in flames. They looked on as the fire spread in the night,all of them breathless. Thankfully none of them was hurt. 

                  "Well,there goes my dream house," Kenny said breaking the silence surrounding them. They all looked at each other. At least she and her brother knew what he was talking about. The others had no idea. The two officers looked at each other then one of them excused himself.

                  "I'll call it in."

                            ★★★

     The drive back was made in silence. For the second time in one day they had escaped death narrowly. Ravenna had eventually left her father's side and was now sitting on her lap,her head against her chest but not asleep. They needed to give a statement but instead since it was already too late in the night,they agreed it would be the first thing to do in the morning. They headed to the hospital directly where she wanted to go see Dylan first. She didn't want to go home before seeing her and assuring her that they were all okay. She had also learned from Kenny that the kids had been left there with another friend Dylan had made at the hospital. It was something they had discussed hours before they went to rescue her. That and who he would contact and trust to come through as back up. 

                       ★★★

      Dylan paced in the hospital room regardless of the pain from the bullet hole in her chest that spread the pain to her shoulder. The doctors had removed it successfully and bandaged the wound. They had given her painkillers but she had completely refused to be sedated. There was no way she could fall asleep without knowing if Carly and the others were safe. She didn't want to consider the possibility of anything happening to them after they had escaped death just a few minutes ago. She looked at her watch. It was forty minutes past the time they left. The should have been back already. What was taking them so long? Lacking anything else to do, she picked up a remote from a shelf and switched on the TV just in time to see the headlines of the news broadcast about the bomb that had just exploded some minutes ago. Wasn't that place exactly where Carly had said the Taylor's house was? She sat back down on the bed but her hand remained hanging in the air,her eyes unblinking. She felt a knot in her chest. This just didn't feel right. She sat there clueless of what to do before she finally remembered her phone. She searched her pockets but didn't feel it. It took her sometime to remember that it was in her shirt. The shirt a nurse had offered to help clean up. "Fuck!" she cursed loudly.  She had no idea where she would get it. She needed to call Carly, she needed to know if she was safe. All this couldn't possibly have happened for nothing. She shot across the room heading out. On her way out,a nurse was coming in with her meds. She didn't look at her twice.

                 "Officer,you shouldn't go anywhere in that condition,at least not until tomorrow." Fuck conditions. She didn't even turn back. "Officer,your medicine!" 

                     "It can wait,"she replied and continued walking. Her shoulder hurt when she left the arm hanging down or swayed it. She pulled it up as though she had a sling. She walked into the lobby where several people were waiting. Emily. She rushed towards her. Emily stood up the moment she saw her. "I need your phone, now," she said even before Emily could say a word. Emily obediently gave it to her without question but just as she was about to dial, she looked up and saw them coming in through the door. They were all  okay,Carly was okay. She sighed with relief then gave the phone back to Emily.  

She tried to run but the pain wouldn't let her but somehow,they were in each others arms within seconds. She didn't even care about her wound. The joy was just too much to care about anything else. She held her against her with her good hand as large drops of tears fell from her eyes. She was happy. Her nightmare was over. At least she now didn't have to hug her while still looking over her shoulder. 

                 "I'm okay," Carly announced the moment they pulled apart but her hands were still on her face wiping the tears away. "Are you?"

    She nodded,"Yeah, now that you are here. Very okay." They moved at the same time. Their lips met in communion ,hungry for each other. Both not doubting their feelings anymore and not caring who was looking at them. They had gone through much together. They had survived from the claws of death together and their love was just as intact. They might have been apart for a really long time but as far as second chances could go,they both deserved this moment. This opportunity to make things right between them once and for all.