Montana Saga Chapter 11

Henry and Roman Conrad, Harrison and Zach Grant stand shoulder

to shoulder on the porch under the lights watching the red tail lights of

Henry's armored SUV disappear down the dark mountain road. The dark

tree line at the edge of the property obscures Gregory Landt's blacked out

van slipping in behind Rya and her family from a safe distance with its lights

off so their not spotted by her family.

Henry stands on the porch letting out a breath, looking over at Harrison.

"She's something else isn't she?"

Harrison thinks for a few beats, looks over at Henry and tells him.

"That she is...thinking for a few beats more, then Harrison tells him with a

smirk, "delicate...like a hand damn grenade."

Henry chuckles from deep in his chest.

Henry looks out into the dark Montana night and tells Harrison

with a hint of disbelief,

"She's giving Roman a 24ct gold belt buckle with his name on it

for his graduation gift." Henry whispers to Harrison

Harrison let out a low whistle and says, "She's the only person with

such a generous heart."

Zach looks at Roman and tells him,

"We've known Rya for nine years and still, my favorite thing she taught

us was the once-over."

Roman breaks out laughing at the memory, looks at Zach and they both

say in unison, "You knock 'em out with one punch...and it's over! That and

the personalized plates "And don't forget about those personalized cowboy hat

license plates she got you for your birthday Zach. Those were cool!" Roman

smiled fondly.

Henry stands on his porch like a sentinel. His voice cutting through the cool

night air. "It's a big day tomorrow. Let's get some sleep."

The four men say their goodbyes with firm nods. Harrison and Zach Grant

climb into Harrison's midnight blue-truck, pulling out of the driveway and

heading toward their own 18-room mansion.

Harrison and Zach completely exhausted from the long week, change into

their sleep plants and fall into their beds, slipping into a deep, heavy sleep.

In the 17-room Conrad mansion, Roman does the same, his mind at ease

about his upcoming graduation.

But in the the master bedroom, Henry Conrad lies flat on his back, staring

at the ceiling. The house is dead silent, but his mind is racing. He tosses and

turns for another two hours---by a quiet, unshakable restlessness---before

his eyes finally close, completely unaware of the blacked-out vans waiting on

the border.