Anne and Griffen returned their vehicle. Ethan's father waited patiently, standing on the road.
"So, what's the scoop?" Rufus leaned forward, resting his arms on the back of the front seat. "Do we ram him?"
Anne ignored him. " Ethan is being held in a warehouse in Montreal." She stared over their heads at nothing. " I saw him in a chair with his hands tied behind him. The sign on the wall behind him was in French, but I had no way of knowing exactly where he was. I sorta ruled out Louisiana and focused on Canada because I knew that is where his mother's family lives. But until his father told me Ethan is in Montreal I really had little chance of narrowing it down."
"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go get our man!"
She turned to Rufus. "Only Griffen and I are going. "
"What? No!"
"That's the stupidest thing I ever heard."
"I need to go with you in case he's hurt."
They all talked over one another. Complaint upon complaint. Warnings and threats.
Finally Anne spoke softly, calmly, so they had to be still and listen.
"There is no way we can all cross an international border unnoticed. There are too many of us and they..whoever they are...will be watching for us. Ethan's dad seems to think it is a rogue branch of the Secret Service, but can't pin any one down, so, there is noone he can trust."
"Except us." Griffen piped up.
"Except us." Anne agreed quietly.
Rufus didn't like being left behind. His skin was charged, his blood felt like it was boiling in his veins. He hadnt been able to convince Anne to let him go with her and Griffen. He was sitting in the rustic living room of a cabin in a secluded woods. With him was the Vice President, Georgie, and Lucy. Twiskers slept peacefully, oblivious to the human drama playing out around her.
Ethan's father had arranged for Anne and Griffen to be flown directly to Montreal on a close friend's private jet. The same friend who owned the cabin. He said the friend had nothing to do with the government and they had known each other since grade school. The flight would take less than 2 hours. The pair would land at Montreal-Trudeau Airport then report to the airport's private customs facility.
"Lucy. What happened to that giant dog that was guarding you the last time I saw you?" Georgie broke the silence in the room.
Lucy smiled sweetly. "I had to leave him back at the base, but he'll be okay. The soldiers love him. They spoil him with leftover lasagna and games of catch."
Two hours turned into four as Rufus anxiously watched the clock.