"What the hell are you talking about Dink?" John asked emphatically as they trotted into the house. Dink gave him the 20 second overview and John just laughed. "That explains the A-10's and all the noise then. Once I heard those I knew something was up. Well, I guess we moved from the frying pan into the fryer, didn't we". "John", Dink said with false earnestness "we didn't invite you Yankees down here, you moved here your damn selves...enough of this, get the girls and lets go".

Johns eyes told the story. "Where?" asked Dink. " Don't know", John replied, "somewhere along the coast. I tried the cell phone but the cells are overloaded". As they were getting back in the truck to go John looked at the house, the land and Coco who stood on the porch tail down and motionless. "Well, I guess it was too good to last".

As the truck lurched back down the road, headed for the coast, they began crafting a plan for how they'd find the girls.

****
John marveled at the clear blue sky as the Suburban flew down back roads aimed at the coast.

"Boy, we've stepped in this one big time. I reckon Ketch will put two and two together pretty quickly and have his folks looking for me shortly." Dink tossed out after a few minutes of silence.

"Yea, the second the GPS unit went off-line they knew you were off the reservation. Won't be long before they swing by my place too I'd guess" replied Miller, stirred from his thoughts.

Dink continued, "Ketch is a pompous jackhole but ain't no dummy. And we're not exactly flying low profile here" alluding to the Sheriffs Department truck in which they rode.

Miller outlined his plan. "I agree, I figure once we get to the coast we can blend for a short while since we're in a different jurisdiction. He can't search everywhere. If we run into other LEO's however, we might have problems because I'm sure they'll come up with a pretext for a BOLO on this truck. Christy should recognize that shits falling apart and if I know her she'll make it to one of two places we've always talked about as rally points. We can use our LEO vehicle to get through any crowds, pick her and Ava up, and then haul ass out to the boonies until dark".

Dink rubbed his chin as he eased the Suburban into a sharp turn. "Miller, that's a pretty thin plan".

Miller chuckled. "Got any better ideas?"

"No. I reckon not" was the reply.

Miller continued on, "If we can get them we can circle back via the west and park out until dark. Then we can get back to my place, grab some supplies".

Dink eyed his friend. "You realize they'll probably take up at your place for a while right?"

Miller continued on ignoring the interruption, "...once we get some supplies we can get the hell out of here. You heard from Webb?"

Webb was an interesting character. He was young and came from money but he never acknowledged that he did. Those that didn't know him stayed clear of him as he was quiet and reserved. People weren't even really sure what he did for a living. Those that did know him liked him immensely, knew that he meant business and didn't mess around. He was dependable and skilled in the ways of putting a hurt on people. All in all, he was a good man to have with you rather than against you.

"Nah" replied Dink, "he texted me once the news broke of all the problems up north, and again when it was clear the military was being mobilized down here but in all the excitement this morning I had sorta forgotten about him".

"Ok. We'll figure out how to get in contact with him later. For now lets focus on getting the girls, getting supplies at the house without getting nabbed and then we'll find him"

Dink laughed, "with any luck he'll be sitting on the porch with a cold one waiting on us".

Miller wanted to laugh but he knew his plan had two major flaws. It depended on Christy recognizing that something was amiss, and more importantly, that she chose the right rally point. They just weren't going to have enough time to hang out in several places all day before word spread to the local LEO's that Unit 232 was "to be reported for officer dereliction of duty".