Incest/Taboo Lady in Red

"Yeah, and it's a good thing they did, because Billy looked pretty upset," added Jordan with a grin. "I'm sure it would have been a lot worse if Billy had gotten his hands on those two guys!"

"Thanks, Jordan. I'm glad you saw the situation as it really was," responded Billy with a nod to her. "Those guys got off easy."

"I know the restaurant has security cameras, so we can get copies from Carl and get them to our legal team," suggested Steve. "Those clowns will be suing us for all kinds of things after this."

"They'll have to make bail once they get out of the hospital," laughed Charlotte. "They'll be spending a lot up front on lawyers. Steve, how did you know Chip broke Twig's arm and messed up his knee?"

"I served overseas with Chip, and I had a few opportunities to see him in some tight situations. So I know his favorite tactics and how effective they are. Twig's fate was sealed when he insulted you ladies, especially Kate. Chip may be getting older, but he sure isn't washed up yet. You mentioned jail after the hospital. Did someone call the police?" asked Steve.

"It wasn't necessary. There were two off-duty policemen sitting at a nearby table. They read the brothers their rights while they waited for the ambulances. The Twigs had better hope they don't appear before Judge Connor. He's dining three tables over right now, although as a witness, he can't preside over any legal proceedings," pointed out Kate.

"Yeah, Twig really screwed the pooch when he sat for the anthem, and it only got worse when he decided to visit our table," observed Billy. "I thought Jared was going to whip Twig's ass when he balked at leaving the field. It was all on TV, and it was easy to tell that Jared was furious."

"I apologize for that dumb ass sitting for the anthem," responded Jared. "I thought the entire team understood our feelings on the matter and would act accordingly. We've agreed to establish charities with Gibbons and Johnson. We'll set up food banks in the city with their names attached to the enterprises. Most players felt it was a lot more productive than kneeling for thirty seconds and pissing off a lot of people, including the ones who sign their paychecks."

"No one blames you, Jared. You aren't a mind reader. Twig was looking for a confrontation, and he got one," stated Gwen. "He said he was sitting because he could. Some players on other teams don't stand for the anthem and he felt he didn't have to either. That's one big problem with players kneeling, even for a cause they believe in. It sets a precedent that allows players to believe they can determine when and why they can act inappropriately, even while they're drawing pay from our company and wearing our uniform. It would never work in the military, in police departments, or in most private businesses, and it won't work for anyone working for Lady in Red."

It was well after midnight by the time Gwen and Steve managed to enter their hotel room and crawl under the sheets after a long and arduous day. The stress of the previous months had taken its toll, and they quickly fell asleep, holding each other.

At six o'clock the next morning, two Harley Davidsons made their way through Washington streets to reach the secondary roads of Virginia. Gwen was sitting behind Steve as they cruised through rural Virginia. Tyler and Sybil occupied the bike alongside them. Paula had gladly taken Saint and Vickie for a few days while Gwen and Steve started getting some rest and relaxation. The rest of their friends had various family and business obligations, and were unable to any take more time away after spending two months with the World Tour. Tyler and Sybil had remained at home working, so they eagerly joined Steve and Gwen for a relaxing road trip.

They spent the night quietly at a bed and breakfast in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. The next morning found the friends up early and posing for photos with the owners. The pictures were posted on the owner's Facebook page before the foursome had even reached the end of the long driveway.

Shortly before noon, they stopped at a gas station with a burger joint on one side. While the two men fueled their bikes, the ladies went inside to use the bathroom and secure a table. As he entered the building, Steve noticed about a dozen motorcycles lined up on the side of the parking lot.

Once he was inside, Steve found Gwen and Sybil sitting at a table in the middle of the room. They were surrounded by rough looking characters sitting at the nearby tables.

"Sybil and I have made some new friends," greeted Gwen with a smile. "These folks are in a local motorcycle club. They recognized me and asked if they could ride along with us. I told them to ask you."

"Normally I don't travel with lawyers and accountants, but I'll make an exception today," replied Steve with a grin.

"How did you know we're professionals?" asked a man with an earring and pony tail. "I think we look the part of a tough biker gang."

"I saw several sidecars attached to your shiny new Harleys," replied Steve. "Your ladies don't look at all like typical 'biker bitches'. They're all dressed pretty conservatively and wearing just the right amount of makeup. Your clothes are new, some of you even have creases in your jeans, and there isn't a tattoo anywhere in sight. Don't get me wrong. You all look great, but it's pretty obvious you aren't real bad-asses."

Around 3:15 PM, Steve was leading the bikers up a long hill in Central Virginia. As they began down the slope on the other side, they saw a school bus a few hundred yards in front of them entering a sharp curve. The group watched in horror as an oncoming log truck coming out of the curve lost control and slid into the bus, slamming it hard and causing it to flop onto its side! Logs rolled helter-skelter across the highway, with one coming to rest on top of a car that had been following behind the bus. The dust hadn't yet settled when Steve and the other bikers pulled to a stop at the scene.

"Mom, you have to turn on your TV!" called Lisa as she rushed into her mother's house in Asgard and switched on Paula's television. "There's been a bad bus accident in Virginia. You need to see this!"

As images on the screen began taking shape, Paula saw a woman step up to a podium to address a small gathering of reporters. Tears trickled down her cheeks as she gazed at the camera.

"I'm Janice Bolding, the chairwoman of the Ulster County, Virginia Board of Supervisors.. This afternoon at 3:15, a school bus from Lincoln Middle School with 42 students on board was involved in a collision with a loaded log truck. The accident occurred on a sharp turn on route 52, known locally as The Oxbow. This scenario is the absolute worst nightmare for schools, parents, and first responders. Today, this horror became a reality for Lincoln Middle School.

"The bus was overturned by the force of the collision, and several of the students were ejected upon impact. A large log caromed down the highway, coming to rest on top of a car which had stopped behind the bus. The driver of that car was pinned beneath the log. An infant in a car seat in the back was also trapped inside the vehicle.

"At least three students were critically injured. I've been told they were just minutes away from death. The young woman in the car was suffocating because the log on her roof was pressing it against her chest, preventing her from drawing a breath," revealed the spokeswoman before she stopped to take a sip of water.

"I've given you enough detail for you to realize just how dire the situation was. In our community's darkest possible moment, a miracle came to the Oxbow. Traveling the same stretch of highway was a very unique group of motorcyclists, and they witnessed the entire accident. Included in this group were two nurses, as well as a pediatric orthopedic surgeon.

"These good Samaritans immediately began to render lifesaving first aid. First responders have stated with certainty that the measures immediately taken at the scene saved the lives of at least three children plus the adult trapped in the car. The men in this group worked together to lift the heavy log off the car, allowing a nurse the opportunity to access the woman and begin lifesaving rescue breathing, reviving the young mother. Our first responders began arriving on the scene within seven minutes, to discover that extremely competent and well-trained medical professionals had saved at least three lives that otherwise would have been lost. The orthopedic surgeon had calmly directed the others, while using her training and skills to stabilize the injured. When her identity was revealed, she was asked to ride with an injured student to the local hospital so she might assist the surgical unit of River City General Hospital. She graciously agreed to the request.

"The locals have already begun calling this incident the 'Miracle at The Oxbow'. There are many reasons to believe it to be a miracle that an accident of this magnitude somehow resulted in no fatalities. The chief reason so many of us feel that it was a miracle is the identity of the surgeon who worked to save lives at the scene and who subsequently traveled to the hospital to assist our doctors. That angel of mercy, until very recently, served as President of the United States! Incredibly, it was the Queen of Peace who worked so competently to save lives!"

There was a murmur from the reporters as the chairwoman paused to take another sip of water. Suddenly the horrible bus accident had become an international news event. Gwen Hammer had happened upon a horribly serious bus accident and had immediately started saving lives!

"The miracle is not so much the remarkable effort made by this group to save our children," continued the spokeswoman. "The miracle is that the only chance some of these kids had to survive the accident was to receive immediate professional medical care, and these heroes arrived on the scene fully qualified to administer it. In the midst of a horrible tragedy, our community was blessed with an unbelievable miracle."

"My sister is a miracle worker! Again!" gushed Lisa. "I have to admit the incident in Hungary was hard to believe. Saving the baby in Cuba was Gwen's medical training, or so it seemed, but these incidents keep happening. There's something afoot in the universe, and Gwen and Steve are in the middle of it. This can't all be totally random, especially that old lady who correctly told Gwen the future. On two continents! That's simply not possible, yet it's happened twice to Gwen and once to Hanna Kiss."

Hanna was the mother of Lena Kiss, the young girl the iconic old blind woman Gwen had now met twice had told her was Gwen's son Saint's future queen.

"I wish I knew what it all meant," admitted Paula. "This all began when Gwen met Steve that day at the mall. It just keeps building, but to what end?"

"That's the question, isn't it, Mom? What do the Gods have planned for my amazing sister, her husband and her family? We'll probably have to wait to find out, just like everyone else."

Lisa's attention returned to the television as the chairperson again spoke to the cameras. "Our local hospital is grateful for the help of medical facilities in neighboring counties. Many of the less seriously injured children have been transported to other hospitals. A few have already been released to their parents. We have three children in intensive care, but they also are expected to recover. Eight students have either undergone or will undergo surgery to repair broken bones and other injuries suffered in the accident. The young mother that had been trapped by the log on her car is expected to make a full recovery.

"The entire Board of Commissioners is adamant in the belief that the timely arrival of The Queen of Peace made the difference today. All seven board members, three Democrats, three Republicans, and one Independent have signed a petition declaring support for Gwen Hammer in the next presidential election. We do not condone the impeachment proceedings so recently taken by Congress. It's our wish to be the first elected officials in the United States to endorse our Queen to be elected President! I'm certain we won't be the last."

Steve and Tyler had remained at the accident scene to offer assistance to first responders. They worked to provide care to the injured, to reassure family and friends who arrived on the scene and to maintain a safe environment as traffic was once again permitted to travel on the highway.

It was almost dusk when they climbed on their Harleys and led their group into a very active River City. Sybil had caught a ride to the hospital, so she could be close to Gwen if she needed any help or protection. Sybil was once again in charge of all security for Lady in Red and Asgard. Gwen had signed off on the use of Secret Service agents for her protection, preferring her own security people when she felt they were needed.

As they neared the hospital, Steve noticed a large park. It was well lit, and hundreds of people were milling about. Steve was very aware the shirt he wore had blood from some of the accident victims splattered on it. He decided to pull over at the near park entrance and change into a clean shirt, knowing that the blood could well upset family members of the injured.

He was followed into the parking lot by Tyler and his new friends. "If you have any clean clothes with you, I suggest those of you with bloody shirts and pants change now. We don't want to be the cause of any distress from the families of the kids we helped."

With that, Steve pulled his blood-stained shirt over his head and tossed it into a nearby trash can. He was digging into his bag on the bike when he heard a girl's voice tentatively calling his name. Frustrated in not having the time to find a clean shirt in his bag, he turned with a slight scowl to face his questioner.

Tired as he was, Steve had to grin when he saw what he guessed were two high school girls about seventeen years old. Both of them were standing slack-jawed and unable to speak. Steve arched an eyebrow, and the darker girl finally found her voice.

"Mr. Hammer? I'm Pamela Stenson, and my friend is Anita Lord. We're seniors at River City High. I hope we're not bothering you, but we've set up a blood drive to help the accident victims, and it would be really, really great if you could come over to the bloodmobile with us and donate a unit of your own blood. I know it would inspire a lot of others to do the same."

"I think I can manage that. Would it be okay if my friends gave blood as well?" asked Steve as he pointed to his group of biker friends watching the encounter.

"Of course! They're all heroes in River City!" exclaimed the blonde girl, Anita, while she openly stared at Steve's torso. "It would really help us reach our goal of 200 units."

"Would it be okay if I found a shirt to wear before I went with your ladies to donate?" asked Steve, now grinning.

"Honestly? I think you look great just like that!" exclaimed Pamela. "Could we get a picture with you before you find your shirt?"

"I don't know if that would be a good idea," worried Steve. "You girls are minors, and I'm not. We don't want to start any rumors or get in trouble with your moms."

"They're both eighteen, but you're right," interrupted a smiling woman to Steve's left. "But if Pamela's mother were in the picture, it would be okay, don't you think?"

"I suppose that would work," agreed Steve as he nodded in thought. "Even her big sister would be fine. Why don't you join us for the picture?"

"Big sister? That's my mom!" exclaimed the excited girl as she handed her phone to Anita. "Take a picture of Mom and me with Steve Hammer. Get a lot of pictures of us!"

Mother and daughter quickly moved to either side of Steve, each of them wrapped an arm around his waist and pressed their breasts against his bare chest. Anita squealed in delight as she snapped numerous photos of her friend with Steve Hammer!

"Okay, Ladies. I need to get my shirt on," insisted Steve as he stepped away from the two women and once again dug around in his bag and this time pulled out a shirt. "It looks like we're attracting a crowd. I promised to donate blood, so let's get going."

Anita and Pamela proudly escorted Steve to the bloodmobile, where they tried to take him to the front of the line. "Girls, I'll wait my turn like everyone else. My blood's no better than the next person's. Besides, this way will give more people a chance to notice me and follow my example."

"I never thought of it like that," admitted Anita. "That's why you're so successful. You think about how your actions will affect others."

"That, and how he looks with his shirt off," added Pamela. "What a hunk! Look how many people are already coming over to get in line!"

Steve used the time to speak to people, sign autographs, and pose for pictures as he waited his turn to donate. The already large crowd grew even bigger as the word spread of Steve Hammer's presence in the park.

After giving blood, Steve met with the families of some of the children who'd been in the accident. He did his best to comfort them and to praise the character of the kids and the dedication of the first responders at the scene.

The community was too wired to sleep that evening. There were over a thousand people still milling around the park just after midnight, when a hush fell over the crowd. Those nearest the hospital began dropping to a knee and those behind them quickly followed suit.

"Our Queen!" began as a whisper that gradually chorused louder as an exhausted Gwen Hammer, accompanied by Sybil, trudged slowly through the crowd. Her eyes moved over the people surrounding her until she found Steve flashing a big smile as he strode toward her.

Many of the females in the park had tears running down their cheeks as they watched The Warrior take his Queen into his arms and kiss her passionately. The entire community was filled with pride that the Queen of Peace, so recently President of The United States, the wealthy and beautiful Lady in Red, had somehow arrived in River City in their time of need. She had proceeded to save lives and repair small bodies that were badly injured. Not a single River City resident doubted that Gwen's arrival could have been anything less than a true miracle.

"Senator Lancer is scheduled to tour the school and hospital tomorrow afternoon. Will you be here to meet with him?" asked a kid that wore a 'River City High School Crier' badge on his shirt.

"No," was Steve's immediate response.

"You do know Senator Lancer represents Virginia in the Senate and lives less than a hundred miles from here?" persisted the young man.

"I'm aware he represents Virginia at the moment," responded Steve. "But these good people are going to expect more from their elected officials than Lancer is able or willing to provide. He's rapidly becoming irrelevant."

"Do you think he'll be elected our next President?" was the kid's next question.

"Absolutely not," replied Steve flatly. "This nation can do much better."

A network reporter suddenly appeared next to Steve. "Brandon Twig told reporters this afternoon that he's filing suit against Lady in Red, as well as the DC Spartans for violating his constitutional rights. He's also going to file suit against your company for the possible career-ending injuries he suffered at the hands of your brother-in-law, Chip Martin. The players' union is looking into charges that you're intimidating players into standing for the anthem, as is the commissioner. How do you respond to all of this?"

"Twig has the right to file law suits until the cows come home," allowed Steve thoughtfully. "I'm confident the team had every right to send him to the locker room after his disgraceful and cowardly display while wearing our uniform. I'm equally confident that he insulted and physically assaulted Chip with the expectation of doing him considerable bodily harm. Chip's no rookie when it comes to hand to hand combat, as Twig found out. He made several bad decisions, and now he's crying. My response is that he needs to man up."

"You released him before halftime of the game Sunday night. Does that mean you won't honor his contract?" asked the reporter.

"Why would you ask that?" responded Steve with a scowl. "Lady in Red has never knowingly failed to honor a contract. We'll abide strictly by the terms of his."

"Will you come out of retirement now that your team has shed its starting quarterback and middle linebacker?"

"Gwen and I will make that decision soon. Now please excuse us. There are some people I want to introduce to their Queen," was Steve's answer as he turned away from the reporter and took Gwen by the hand.

"Folks, this is Gwen. Gwen, these good people are families of some of the injured children," explained Steve as Gwen nodded to the group and as they quickly dropped to a knee.

"Please stand. Think of me as just one of your children's doctors tonight," offered Gwen with a warm smile. "Allow me to tell you just how brave and wonderful your kids are."

An hour later, Sybil caught Gwen's attention and advised her to get some rest. "Gwen, you've been going since early this morning. You're pregnant and exhausted. Let's find a hotel and call it a night."

"My Queen, if I may be so bold?" interrupted an older woman with white hair and dark skin. "I'm Beverly Watson, and I live alone in a nice five-bedroom home on a safe street. May I offer you, your Warrior, and your friends the use of my home for the night? It's only a few blocks from here. You saved my grandson's life, and it's the very least I can do."

Gwen briefly considered before deciding to accept the gracious offer.

"We accept!" replied Gwen, causing the older woman to break into a huge smile.

"Brenda, call your sisters and tell them to get the beds made and everything ready for royalty!" instructed the woman to a younger version of herself. "Our Queen and her Warrior will be our guests tonight, along with their friends."

By the time the two couples pulled their motorcycles into the driveway of a large Victorian home, the sidewalk held several dozen people watching in awe. As Gwen removed her helmet, those watching kneeled in unison.

"Your Queen thanks you all!" acknowledged Gwen before turning to enter the beautiful home as her hostess held open the door.

The next morning, Gwen, Steve, Sybil and Tyler sat at Beverly's table as she and two of her daughters bustled about the kitchen cooking breakfast.

"Ma'am, we can't thank you enough for your hospitality. The bed was very comfortable, and the food smells delicious," praised Tyler.

"You're thanking me?" objected Beverly with a laugh. "You folks saved this town's children. It was a miracle that you were on that stretch of road at that exact time. You brought hope to a terrible tragedy. Some of the kids have a long road ahead of them. We know that, but we thank God they're alive and will get better. We thank you!

"Besides that, having our Queen and her Warrior stay overnight in my house will raise my social standing in the community immeasurably," added the middle-aged woman as she laughed heartily.

It was almost 9 AM when Steve and Tyler swung onto their bikes and waited for their wives to join them. Gwen and Sybil gave Beverly and her two daughters warm hugs before climbing onto the bikes behind their husbands.

The streets were lined with people of all ages as the two-bike caravan made its way to the park where their new biker friends had gathered to wait for them. Steve turned off his machine as Gwen dismounted and walked toward the bikers that had helped them so much the previous day.

As hundreds of townspeople watched and listened, Gwen spoke to the group. "I've instructed our people to send each of you a leather jacket with our Lady in Red logo on the back and the words "First Road Warrior" boldly printed below the logo. There will only be nineteen original jackets, and you folks will have them.

"I want everyone to know how highly Steve and I regard you. These jackets will come with responsibility. You'll be the original Road Warriors, the first of many, I hope. I want travelers all over the country to be able to turn to Road Warriors for comfort and assistance, should they need it. Lady in Red will give you as much support as we can, but it's pretty much going to fall on individual Road Warriors to be prepared to assist those in need.

"I know I'm asking a lot from you, but I believe you have what it takes to carry this responsibility. I ask that you nominate others who you feel have the character needed to represent Lady in Red and your Queen. They will receive jackets like yours, but only yours will include the word 'First'. Over time, we hope to have Road Warriors riding most of the highways of our nation. Henceforth, when people see the Road Warrior jacket with the Lady in Red logo, they'll know they've found someone they can trust to lend assistance in difficult times. That's the legacy you so selflessly originated yesterday when you stopped to help those injured children," concluded Gwen. "I'm extremely proud to proclaim this group the first of my Road Warriors."

"We ride for our Queen!" responded a biker Steve had grown to like a great deal the previous day. "May we always make her ideals our own!"

With that, Gwen gave a huge smile to the bikers as well as to the hundreds of locals witnessing the event. She then swung a long leg over the bike and settled in behind Steve. He brought the bike to life and slowly turned into the street. All the bikers left their helmets off as they rode slowly and proudly through the town. They followed Gwen's lead by waving and smiling to the people who lined the streets to see their Queen and her Warrior one more time, and to bid them farewell.

Senator Lancer arrived at the local high school two hours later, scheduled to address a student assembly in the gymnasium. He expected a heavy media presence, and he'd carefully crafted his speech to profess his sympathy and concern for the community. His next stop was scheduled to be the hospital where he intended to visit some of the injured children and pose for photos as he comforted their families.

The bleachers in the gymnasium were packed with students, while reporters and camera people stood along the sides. The Superintendent of Schools called the assembly to order and then asked the president of the student council, Pamela Stenson, to introduce the guest speaker.

"Ladies, Gentlemen and fellow students, it seems like a long time ago, but it was just yesterday that a school bus transporting our younger brothers and sisters was involved in a horrible accident. The bus was overturned, and many of the kids riding in it were seriously injured.

"Then our community was blessed with the Miracle at the Oxbow. Make no mistake, it truly was a miracle that the best couple in the entire world witnessed the accident, and along with some incredible friends, immediately began saving lives. That's what great people do.

"I had the honor of being in the presence of greatness yesterday, and it's changed my life. I want to be so much more than I am. I want to be so much better than I have been. I want to be a person who makes a difference. I want to be as much like our Queen as I possibly can.

"For that reason, I cannot in good conscience present to you a person I feel is beyond evil. He led the charge to impeach our President, our Queen, the very best leader our nation has ever had. Now he hopes to convince us young, impressionable students who will be voting in a presidential election in three years, that he is worthy of becoming President of the United States. I stand here today to tell you that abomination will never happen."

By now the reporters and camera operators were acutely aware that real news was being made in the auditorium. They began moving closer to the podium to better record the events as they unfolded.

The students in attendance had been briefed beforehand on the stance the president of their council would take. They had been given a few minutes to consider their response to her planned actions, and all had agreed on their course of action.

"In three years our Queen and her Warrior will return in to the White House in triumph. As thrilling as it was to be in the presence of true greatness yesterday, it disgusts me to be in this auditorium in the presence of a person so willing to damage our nation in order to pursue his power-grabbing personal agenda. I am now leaving this building!" declared Pamela as she squared her shoulders and marched down the steps to the gymnasium floor.

Anita Lord and several other students immediately joined her as they strode shoulder to shoulder toward the exit. Soon all the students were moving in a quiet and orderly fashion to file out behind the young women leading the boycott of the senator's planned speech.

Senator Lancer was stunned as he sat in his chair on the small stage. Nobody remained in the gym except for himself, the Superintendent, and a collection of very amused journalists. He had been in politics for decades and had never experienced anything like this. His audience had left before he could even speak! He turned to the Superintendent.

"I want that girl expelled!" he demanded loudly. "In fact, every one of these students that left the building need to be expelled. You can't disrespect a national leader like this! I'm a senator from this state! What are you schools teaching these kids?"

The cameras still running, Superintendent replied calmly. "Senator Lancer, I wish our school system could take the credit for what we just witnessed, but I think probably the same thing would have happened in Anytown, USA.

"We had a tragedy here yesterday, and it's affected all of us. These young adults had a firsthand look at true leadership, love and compassion, and I've never been prouder of my students than I am at this moment. They're taking a stand and making a statement. They're doing so peacefully and with restraint. They're following the powerful example of their Queen and her Warrior. They'll work to make our community, our state, and our nation a better place."

Cameras were trained on Lancer as he listened to the Superintendent impossibly defending his students' behavior. His face was almost purple with rage as he turned to glare at the reporters and the cameras that had been covering the entire episode. Twice he attempted to articulate his emotions, but no words were forthcoming.

Reporters began calling out to him, asking questions about the day's turn of events. An aide hurried into the gym and to Lancer's side. He took the Senator's elbow in his hand to lead him out a side door where their limo was parked.

"Jesus!" exclaimed Vince Rosen as he sat watching the events transpire on television. "That kid just pounded another nail into Lancer's coffin. That took some nerve!"

"She was emulating Gwen," replied Cyndi. "Steve and Gwen were in that town for less than a day, and they managed to inspire and uplift the entire community. The whole world has come to think of her as their Queen."

"Tell me about it!" responded Vince as he gazed lovingly at his wife. "Every world leader she's ever met, and some she hasn't, have called to ask what's going on. Each one of them was upset about Gwen being removed from office. It took some effort to convince them she and Steve weren't going to seize control of the government, but it looks very possible Gwen will again be leading the U.S. in three years. Seeing the problems Lancer is already having only reinforces my belief."

"I'm extremely proud of you, Vince. You're a great man doing a very difficult job. That said, I'll be happy to welcome Gwen back to the White House, so we can relax a little and enjoy life while we still can," admitted Cyndi.

Gwen felt the phone in her jacket vibrate, so she dug it out and checked her messages. She signaled Steve she wanted him to pull over when it was safe. They had been riding for five hours and were in eastern Tennessee when Steve led the group into a rest area. Gwen stepped away from the group and placed a call.

Less than a minute later, Gwen signaled for Steve, Tyler and Sybil to come over and join her. "Hanna Kiss was trying to reach me. I just called her back. She's frantic. Her daughter Lena's been taken, and the kidnappers phoned her to demand ten million dollars in ransom! They expect her to get the money from us."

"Is she still in Hungry," asked Steve as he considered the information Gwen had relayed.

"That's just it. They're in Sparta. Lena was kidnapped in our home town!"​