Page 27 of Chinook Winds

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“How much farther?” Kinsley asked. As grateful as she was for Bob’s rescue, there was no doubt in her mind Legion would be searching every road around the river for them. They needed to move out of sight quickly.

Bob was a big man who appeared to enjoy life no matter the circumstances. She’d liked him right away because he reminded her of her grandfather.

“We’re almost there. And there’s no way they’ll discover where we’re going,” Bob assured her.

Kinsley smiled despite the situation. She sure hoped he was right. Even though public opinion was shifting, and American citizens were beginning to realize they’d been lied to by Kincaid, Legion still had a tenuous hold over the country, and Collins would do everything in his power to keep it that way.

Bob told her he’d brought the biggest vehicle he owned. The Excursion was crammed full of people and they’d been driving for more than an hour. “Drive’s coming up on the left,” he announced.

Kinsley sat forward and searched the dense foliage. Nothing appeared to be passable. Bob jerked the wheel hard to the left. Uneasiness slithered into the pit of her stomach. She trusted Bob because of Tom, but there was no drive visible. Kinsley turned to Victor. He shook his head.

Bob pointed what appeared to be a remote of some type straight ahead. Before her eyes, part of the trees moved. She realized he had built a gate and covered it in foliage to fool anyone passing by. Ingenious. Once the gate opened, Bob pulled the SUV through. The gate swung closed behind them.

Tom turned around and studied the various surprised looks with a grin. “I told you he thinks outside of the box.”

Kinsley shook her head. “That was amazing. I can’t wait to see the house.”

Tom chuckled. “You’re in for a surprise.”

She had no doubt. Outside the window, snowy woods made the place appear almost magical. The property reminded her of Tom’s in a way. The beauty of the unspoiled countryside pulled her in. Filled her with longings for a simpler time.

Bob stopped the SUV in front of what appeared to be a pile of rocks. He punched a button on the same remote and another door swung open. Large enough for the SUV to fit through. Lights turned on inside as Bob drove. A paved path headed in a downward direction.

Kinsley couldn’t imagine how much work had gone into creating this underground structure. As they continued heading down at a slow grade, she had lots of questions for Bob. “How did you come up with this?” All she knew about the man was he was a friend of Tom’s and he had a plane.

Bob smiled at her in the rearview mirror. “I’m an architect by trade. I’ve built many buildings around Virginia. Some in Washington D.C. as well. Guess I always thought at some point in the future of our world, there would come a need for a place like this. I had no idea it would come so soon after I finished building it.”

The drive ended at a massive stone wall. An underground house?

Bob got out. “Come inside. All of you.”

She hated being in the bunker in Canada. Claustrophobia was something she’d struggled with all her life. Kinsley could feel her skin crawl.

Bob opened the door and went inside. She followed Victor into the structure.

There was a series of golf carts lined up.

Bob hopped in one. “There should be enough for all of us.” Tom climbed up front while Kinsley and Victor slid into the second seat. Cole and Ben got onto the back seat and Bob started off. They were now climbing.

“There’s a large bunker available in case of a nuclear attack.” Bob pointed to a set of doors on the right. Kinsley thought about how close his words came to the truth.

They kept moving. Continued to climb until they reached another wall. Bob jumped out and opened the massive wooden door. Waited for them to go inside first.

Nothing about the house was what she’d expected. The door opened into a massive kitchen that led to a living room that was all windows. Shocked, Kinsley swung to Bob. “We’re not underground anymore.”

Bob smiled at her reaction. “We are not. Living underground is okay for moles but not for humans. And this piece of property is close to five hundred acres. The structure and the house are at the far end of the property. Those mountains you see in front of you are part of the Blue Ridge Mountains.”

Kinsley moved to the floor-to-ceiling windows. She couldn’t find words to describe the view. Staring out at the fading sun’s glow along the snowy mountains, it was as if God had provided the view as a reward for everything they’d gone through. “It’s beautiful. This is an incredible place.”

“I appreciate that. Tom has kept me updated on everything that’s happened, Mr. President.” He spoke directly to Victor. “Though things may be shifting, bad people still have control, and it’s in their best interest to make you go away. You are welcome to stay here as long as you need.”

Victor appeared humbled by the offer. “Thank you, Bob,” he said quietly with a catch in his voice. “We are grateful for your assistance. We wouldn’t have made it out of there without you.”

Bob waved off his thanks. “This is my country and you are my president. I didn’t fight in wars to let our freedom be taken away by a bunch of thugs. I’m here to assist in any way I can, Mr. President. My home is yours. Whatever you need, just ask.” He scanned the group of people who had come this far. “Now, what say we get busy taking our country back.”

Chapter Eight

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