Book 3 Chapter 3

The van traveled all night, not stopping except to refuel then go on. By morning, they pulled into Los Angeles. "We made it." Sherry whispered.

"Next stop will be to go to a little shop in east LA. I know a guy there that does a little side job - fixing ID's. He's good at it," Ted said. "He's expensive, so don't tell him about the money or he'll charge you three times over. Did you get a hold of Jim?"

"He'll be here by tomorrow. Does he know where to find us?"

"Yeah. He was born here, so he knows the city."

The boys woke up. "Where are we?" Lucas asked.

"Your new home," Sherry replied.

"Can we eat? I'm hungry!"

"When we get to where we're going. Now shut up!"

The boys remained quiet. Thirty minutes later, Ted pulled into an alley and stopped behind a store. "This is it."

"Why the back door?"

"I'm taking no chances."

Sherry turned. "Come on you two."

The boys got out. Lucas took a long look around. Ever since they switched vans, he had been thinking of a way for him and Sean to get away. Ted knocked on the back door. It was five minutes before the door opened., a fat, bald man answering.

"Hey, Ted!" He looked at Sherry and the two boys. "What is it you need?"

"She needs new ID's for the three of them."

The man looked at Sherry up and down, which made her feel somewhat uncomfortable. "What are you looking at?" she sneered. The boys backed away. "I have to be sure." After a little bit he nodded his head and had them follow him in.

"How much ID are you going to need?"

"Everything. Birth certificates, social security cards, driver's license, the works."

The man rubbed his hand over his stubby chin. "That's going to cost you quite a bit."

"How much?"

"Must be having to hide from the law, so somewhere in the neighborhood of $2500 a piece."

"$2500 a piece!"

"I have to cover my costs, plus I do need a little extra for me. Take it or leave it."

Sherry took a deep breath. "Okay. $2500 a piece. We need these right away."

"I can have them ready in three days."

They left the shop. The man watched them as they drove off. "Something about them," he thought as he closed the door.

Mark lay in bed unable to sleep. He looked over at Mara sleeping. Slipping out of bed as quietly as possible, he went out on the porch. As he looked over the yard, memories came back of he and the boys wrestling on the ground. He could still hear them squealing and laughing, letting them pin him.

An arm went around his. He turned to see Mara looking at him. "I couldn't sleep. I'm sorry if I woke you."

"You didn't wake me. I couldn't really sleep myself, thinking of where they are now."

"I was remembering how the three of us would run around and wrestle in the yard. I would pretend to let them get the best of me." His voice began to crack. "Why did she have to take them? All she wanted was the money. She doesn't really love them."

"I don't know. Revenge. Who can say."

"She got her revenge. She knew how to hurt me. If I ever get my hands on her, nothing will stop me."

"Mark, don't think like that. It only makes it worse.

I remember the boys taking me around the ranch, showing me all the places you had taken them. I fell in love with this place right from the start.

Some days we would be outside running around, then we'd end up on the ground. Of course, the boys would have me say 'give up." She laughed. "According to them, I was not the greatest at it."

Mark smiled, then a tear when down his cheek. Mara put his arm around her and leaned against him. He pulled her tighter to him. "Dad told me the other day what Sean had said to you, about calling you mommy."

"It really hit me when he said it. It made me remember my own son and how he would have been." She turned to him. "Mark we will get them back. We just have to have faith." It was sometime later when they went back inside to bed.

Judi and Glen were laying there wide awake. "Can't sleep?" he asked.

"No."

"I can't either. Just seeing how he was when he saw the cabin empty was something I never want to see again."

"What are the chances of them being able to find them? She has to have gotten different IDS."

"I don't know. Let's hope the police can find them, or by some miracle she slips up some kind of way."

Book 3 Chapter 4

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