A shot rang out from the other side of the farm gate and the lock flies of the chain, while the bullet ricochets whistling past Mark Morgan's head. "Hands up!" Shouts a female voice from the other side of the gate, which is somewhat familiar to Robert and Robert, grabs his own Walter PPK from Morgan's waistband.
The rogues behind Morgan dives for cover behind the Cresidda's and Robert races with his pistol gripped between his tied hands, through the gate that is busy swinging open, to where Michelle is lying behind the stone wall of the driveway while some bullets fly past him like a swarm of angry bees.
Morgan runs in his men's direction shouting: "Don't shoot! Don't shoot! You'll kill me!" The first thing that Robert notices when he tumbles over the wall is Michelle's smile where she is firing away at Morgan and his thugs with her Berretta.
Robert can smell Michelle's fragrance through the gunpowder fumes around them and the sun's ray’s gives live, to that dark brown hair of hers. Michelle has a knife handy and she quickly cuts the ropes, from Robert's wrists. Robert's Walter barks angry, when one of the thugs changes his position. A bullet whistles away from a rock next to Robert and an unknown kind of anger, fills him while he fires with his pistol at the group of thugs.
While some of the gangsters draws fire from Robert and Michelle, a group of three tries to sneak along with the under growth to ambush them from behind. Suddenly a submachine gun starts firing short bursts and the three gangsters are taken by surprise and they are driven back and two of them are wounded. At the very moment that the submachine gun starts firing, Morgan and his thugs file into their cars and tries to make a break for it.
Two hand grenades are lobbed at them, but fall short and explode behind the cars that are speeding away. Clemmens carefully aims through the sight of the RPG7V rocket launcher and the rocket flies in the direction of the car that is the last to leave and barely misses it, when the car disappears round a bend in the road and a huge oak tree is blown away in stead.
Michelle is in Robert's arms and he kisses her, as if it is the last opportunity for him to do so. Robert feels her soft body pressing against him and again realizes how much he loves her. They hear something rustling in the bushes behind them and Robert see Clemmens walking in their direction. To Robert it is like meeting a long lost brother after some time. The two men embrace for a moment and Clemens' teeth flashes white in his black face.
"We are truly brothers," says Clemmens with intensity in his voice and then continues: "I never have forgotten how you saved my life, that day at the creek." The two men's eyes meet and although the years have changed them and their lives radically, they realize that they are still just the same and are friends for life.
While the threesome walks over to the mansion Clemmens remarks: "You still have got very good taste in women," and Michelle blushes to her embarrassment. "You do realize that I can not stay?" Clemmens asks and then explains: "The Police all over the country is looking for me. Some neighbouring farmer may have heard the shooting and may have reported it to the Police."
Michelle tries to phone, but the telephone line is dead. "They must have cut through the lines,” Clemmens remarks. "I know that they will be back with reinforcements and this time armed to the teeth and they are most probably blocking the farm road," Robert says and there is worry written all over his face.
"If I can borrow a horse, I will be very grateful. I'll phone for help from the town." Clemmens offers. "Take my horse Mistress,” Robert offers and Clemmens smiles shaking his head. "You must be joking Robert. No you are the only person that is able to ride her." When Robert leaves them for a moment in aid of nature's calling, Michelle gives Clemmens a number that she had scratched on the back of a cigarette packet, which she asks him to phone when he reaches safety.
"We'll be in the hillocks," says Robert when the two men greet each other after they had saddled a horse for Clemmens. He waves while his friend rides off at a gallop. Robert takes two rucksacks from a cupboard and he and Michelle pack some tinned food, rusks, powder milk, coffee, a tin opener, a small pot and frying pan, some water bottles that they fill up, matches, a first aid kit and two tin plates and cutlery into the rucksacks along with two nylon ropes and two trochees. Two sleeping bags are tied on top of the rucksacks and Robert searches for a compass and a pair of binoculars.
Michelle makes them some coffee and they are drinking it in the lounge, sitting close to each other when she explains why she had led Robert into a trap. "Mark Morgan's men had abducted my child Eric and they threatened to kill him if I didn't ...bring you to them."
"I never knew that you are married?" Robert inquires, breaking the silence that followed her words. "Not anymore. My husband was killed in a car accident and now... now my Eric is also dead." Michelle's voice is hoarse from emotion and tears are streaming down her rosy cheeks.
She is crying her heart out and says through the sobs: "I didn't have a choice, but I couldn't leave you with Morgan and I couldn’t inform the Police after what I did to you." "Why didn't you inform the Police, when you realized that your child was dead?" Robert wants to know.
"There wasn't time," she lies not wanting to tell him that she had been assigned to protect him and to find the red file and that she had made a mess of her assignment because she is scared that he may doubt that she really loves him.
"I came to help you, because I really do love you," Michelle says and then she is in Robert's arms and that brown head of hers rests against Robert's chest and the sobs again jerks through her beautiful body. "They... killed ...Eric. Last night... the Police... found his body...in a empty warehouse."
Robert tries to comfort her. "Never mind my darling. I am glad to be with you and to be alive." The woman sobs for some time and then asks with a little voice: "Are you still angry at me?" Robert smiles reassuringly at her and then kisses the tears from her cheeks.
"I am not angry at you. I am sorry that I judged you so harshly and called you a Delilah. The Lord protects that bunch of thugs. They will be back and this time they will have no mercy, since Morgan is a desperate man and we know to much about them for our own good." Robert says while he hugs her.
(1257 Words)
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