We all went and took a shower and Debbie got a lot of attention. I warned Sean not to get her over stimulated unless HE wanted to do it all over again. He looked at me and then was a little less boisterous in his affections. I had noticed that he was walking a little funny but had resisted the urge to comment on it.

We went back to the kitchen and Debbie made us a little snack and some tea. She asked, “Are you sure that we are safe Sean. You don’t know Big Daddy, he’s not going to let this slide! Steve always talked about how important it was to never let anyone get one up on you.” She shivered, “One night on the way home from a bar when we first got married a guy cut us off on the road. Steve followed him all the way to his house and then beat him nearly to death! He called Big Daddy when we got home and all he said was that Steve should have just killed the son of a bitch. I don’t know what he did but we never heard anything from it.”

Sean nodded, “That fits with what the FBI gave Jim. He is a psychopath and your husband was too. I’m surprised that they never got caught.”

Debbie shook her head, “Big Daddy OWNS this town lock stock and barrel. Hell when the cops would show up at the hospital when Steve would beat me too bad and was afraid that I would die… back when he cared… he would just tell them that I had fallen down the stairs. We lived in a one story house with no basement! One time a man threatened to go to the State Attorney General over one of Big Daddy’s crooked deals. The next day his daughter was raped and the day after that his son was arrested for possession with intent to sell a pound of pot! When the man tried to bail him out the Judge denied bail. The boy was raped and finally the man dropped his complaint and the boy was released. A month later the man and the boy were both killed in a one car accident. Their car ran off the road into a canal. They never even unbuckled their seat belts!” Debbie sighed, “One guy was found dead in a lake with five bullet holes in his head and it was called an accidental drowning. They said that he was floating face down and someone must have mistaken his head for a turtle!” Debbie began to cry, “I’m SCARED Sean!”

She came into my arms and Sean explained, “Debbie, I have a motion sensitive perimeter around this property then another layer as you near the house. I also have some other people out there watching the property after dark with infrared and starlight scopes. I don’t think we have to worry much during the day about a sneak attack because from here on nobody goes to the door except me. You stay mostly away from the windows, especially after dark, and you don’t answer the phone. Let the machine take your calls. I don’t want anyone to even know for sure if you are home.”

I kissed Debbie, “Don’t sweat it lover. It will all be over in just a couple of days. Big Daddy can’t let that stuff be turned over to the feds so he will either have to cut a deal or DO something quick. I really pissed him off. We are betting on something quick and not thought out.”

“I’m just so sorry that I got you all wrapped up in this she Josh! I will just die if something bad happens to you because of me.” Debbie cried a little more and I just held her.

Sean got up and left for a bit and then returned. “Here, I want you to carry this at all times until this is settled.” He handed me a gun in a clip on holster. “I know that you have a concealed carry permit so I assume that you know what to do with it.”

“Yeah, I couldn’t bring mine because of the airport security.” I pulled it out jacked the slide and looked. “Glock 23 isn’t it. I like the 40 S&W a lot. I usually carry it in a SIG but I also have a couple of Glocks so it is a familiar sort of feel to me.” He handed me two magazines and I smiled.

He asked Debbie, “How about you, do you shoot?”

“Not really. I did a little when I was a kid with my Dad but Steve kept all the guns locked up and wouldn’t let me ever touch them.” She grinned, “I think he was afraid that one of those days I would use one on him. I still haven’t had a locksmith open his gun safe.”

Sean looked at her and raised an eyebrow. “He had a gun safe and you haven’t even looked into it? You’re kidding right? What kind of woman are you? Hell when I was married my wife went through everything every time I left the house. I though curiosity was something tied into women’s genetic makeup!”

She answered, “I don’t know Sean. When I got out of jail and came home the house had been pretty well trashed by Big Daddy and all of Steve’s paperwork was gone. I guess I just figured he had cleaned that out too.” She paused, “You know, now that I think about it, I’m not sure that anyone but Steve actually knew about the big safe. I only knew about it by accident. I saw him get into it one night after he had beaten the hell out of me. I think he thought I was unconscious.”

I looked at her, “Where is this safe?”

“Come on, I’ll show you.” She took us to the bedroom and to a big floor length mirror that was mounted directly onto the wall. Reaching over to the side she pushed in on a piece of the chair rail on the wall and at the same time gently pulled on the side of the mirror. It swung out and to the side. Recessed in about 6” was the steel door of a really big gun safe.”

“Holy SHIT!” Sean exclaimed, “That thing is huge. How big is the inside?”

“Hell if I know. I only saw him open it that one time and then I opened this part once when he wasn’t home.”

“Let me make a call. We need to see what Stevie was hiding. This could be important. I know someone that might be able to help us and just by chance he is here. I use him when I want someone covering my ass and well he has some other sometimes useful skills and abilities.” Sean smiled, “There isn’t a residential safe made that George can’t open.”

He pulled out his cell and hit a speed dial. After a short conversation he nodded and told us that George would be right over. “He’s staying in the motel over on the interstate. He was sleeping. He is pulling the nigh watch tonight so he was catching a little extra.”

We went back to the kitchen and finished our snack and tea. Sean liked it best because it had no outside windows and had no outside walls even. He looked over at me and then Debbie, “As much as I like the view, I think that it might be best if we got dressed don’t you?” He looked pointedly at Debbie.

She blushed, “Oh SHIT!! I hadn’t even thought about that!” She blushed, “I always am running around the house naked and well I am so comfortable with you Babies that it hadn’t really crossed my mind.”

I looked at her and laughed, “It had crossed my mind every time you walked in front of me. Did you notice that when we went to the bedroom to look at the safe that Sean and I followed you but not to closely? The view was spectacular to say the least. Didn’t you think so Sean?”

“VERY!!” He nodded, “As a matter of face Sugar you need to stay dressed from now on. We are going on full alert status now and I need to be alert and not watching just your ass. I hate to say it but until this is finished there can’t be any more hanky panky for me either. THAT definitely is way too distracting!!”

I commented dryly, “Wimp, you just don’t want Debbie working your ass over again today.”

Debbie giggled, “Then I guess I will have to do yours then won’t I?”

“Actually dearest one I think you have the ass in greatest need of attention. While our protector is on duty I will try and get you straightened out.” I answered.

We all laughed and I could feel everyone relaxing a little bit until Sean’s phone rang and his “friend” let him know that he was about to come through the gate.

George was not at all what I had expected. He was a little short and a little chubby with an almost cherubic look about him. He was nearly always smiling and his voice was soft and a little higher pitched than a male’s voice usually is. Later Sean told me that George was a 5th degree black belt in karate and a brown belt in Brazilian Jujitsu. He was Samoan and that was just the way he was built. Sean chuckled, “I’ve seen George wade through a half-dozen rednecks in a bar and never stop smiling and never break a sweat. He just seems to fucking giggle and people fall down screaming!”

He smiled as he was introduced but then just BEAMED when Sean showed him the big gun safe. “First off I can tell you already that this isn’t a gun-safe. This is a top of the line vault door. I don’t know yet what is behind it but the company that makes and sells this door generally specializes in walk in gun vaults and safe rooms. What’s on the other side of this?”

Debbie answered, “A walk in closet. There isn’t like anything standing out in there. It is just a regular rectangular sort of closet.”

George nodded, “If we measured it would probably be 3 to 5 feet shallower than you would expect.” He pulled out a bag and got down to the business of opening the safe. “The good news is they make the doors massively heavy and strong but don’t get fancy with the locking system. This is designed to keep out normal thieves and burglars, not trained bank robbers or locksmiths. I’ll have it opened in no time.”

Good to his word, in about 15 minutes he turned the big wheel and the bolts slid back allowing the door to swing forward. George stepped back and nodded to Sean. “You need to be careful and check for a booby trap just inside the door. I’ve seen that a couple of times. Do you want to do it or let me?”

Sean shook his head and waved George on. He eased the door open and then on his knees stuck his head in about 18 inches off the floor. He grunted and reached up. There was a loud click and he opened the door on up. “He had an electric eye set, Break it while it was turned on and something nasty would most likely happen. He stepped on in and then came back out. “It is a set of stairs going down to the left. Are you ready to take a peek Sean?”