Jak didn’t fully appreciate how hungry he was. Stella saw him clear his plate with ease and was ready with more ham, homemade bread and eggs. It was all washed down with some excellent tea.

As he ate, Jak explained to Stella who he was and why the men were after him.

“My father already is, or will be, in the area very soon to supervise operations. That’s why I need to get going.”

Stella shook her head.
“You said that there were three Suburbans on your tail?”

“Yeah. Why?”

“If I were leading them, I’d have two of them bottling up the area and keeping tabs on what vehicles come in and what go out. It is all the sort of training that those guys would have had before they went rogue.”

“Eh? How do you know that?”

She grinned back at Jak.

“Part of my time training FBI agents was also spent with the ATF and DEA. I know how those former TLA operatives work. Most of their former employers follow much of the training we give our agents. Plus, the way he stood when he was speaking to me. It was straight out of the FBI training manual on how not to approach a suspect. You stand with your left chest turned away from the suspect. That gives them less chance of putting a bullet in your heart unless you are wearing Kevlar or Ceramic Body Armor. He wasn’t, so he stood like that. Naturally, I don’t broadcast my work history to the world, so he would have been hard-pressed to know that I knew that he was a former agent.”

“What about you? Don’t you stand like that?”

Stella laughed.
“I did when I first left the Secret Service, but a former agent that I met by accident reminded me of that practice. Ever since, I have worked on driving that behavior out of my psyche except in times of danger.”

“If… If I am to stay here, what happens when they return? You seem to be expecting them?”

“If I were them, I’d come back. On the face of it, there are far too many places for a fugitive to hide in a place like this. The reality is different, and I’ll show you why in a moment. When they do return, you will be here but not here or at least anywhere that they’ll be able to find you.”

Jak looked puzzled.
“Let’s clear these things away. No sense in making it easy for them to see that I’ve had a visitor. Then I’ll show you why you found the only possible place to hide outside the property line.”

Jak was expecting the ‘grand tour,’ but Stella had other ideas. Instead, she took him into her office. On the large oak desk, there was a large computer screen. She switched it on.

“I am very security conscious, which, given my background, is understandable. The moment that black monstrosity turned off the road, I knew about it. Every movement they made was captured by a CCTV system that is very well hidden. That’s why I knew that you were no threat. For starters, you were not carrying a weapon, and you kept looking back the way that you came. When you went to ground, you stayed put and didn’t make a sound. That is not the way an assassin would work without previously having cased the place. You hadn’t, so… I let you be because you were clearly not a threat to me. OTOH, those thugs… They are a different matter.”

Stella navigated to a security app, and suddenly, the screen was full of camera images. Jak counted sixteen different views. Stella homed in on one and expanded it to fill the whole screen.

“This is my little pride and joy,” she said, beaming.

On the screen, there was an image of a WW2 aircraft.

“That’s an early Mustang, isn’t it? My guess is a ’65 model. Until recently, I owned a ‘69 Camaro that I restored from the ground up.”

“Ah, a fellow car buff,” replied a beaming Stella.

“My father got me interested in planes. He ran a crop-dusting business. I learned to fly and got my pilot’s license before I graduated high school. That plane is worth… when airworthy, several million dollars. I’ve been restoring her and two other aircraft of similar vintage since I retired. That’s why I have all this security.”

Then she switched to another screen.
“This is my other passion. That is a fully working Sherman Firefly Tank. It has a British 17lb Anti-Tank gun instead of the original US-made gun. It served in Europe in 1944 and 45 with the Canadian Forces, hence the lack of the US Star.”

“I have never heard of them?”

“That isn’t surprising. The US had a huge dose of ‘Not Invented Here’, yet it knocked out many more Panzers than the standard one. I managed to find it at a sale over the border in Canada a few years ago. The engine was blown, so I got it cheap. Two guys at the local VA were only too happy to rebuild it for me in return for playing around in the tank a few days a year.”

“Stella, you are a formidable woman. I am honored to meet you. I live for years and years and then get to meet two formidable women in less than a month. Someone somewhere is trying to tell me something.”

“Thanks, Jak. I’d like to meet this other woman someday…”
“If I get out of this, then you will be made very welcome in Scotland.”

“Speaking of getting you out of this, if those guys return and park where they did before, they are right in the firing line of it. It is all part of my defenses. As a single woman living alone, I am a target for thieves. Plus, because of my time in the Secret Service, I know a lot of dirt on a lot of people, and many of them are still active in DC, especially the previous POTUS, Trump. Taking me out would eliminate that threat. I’ve rigged the cannon up so that I can fire the shell that is loaded from here. There won’t be much left of that tin can if I fire it.”

Jak stepped back from looking at the screen.
“You are one hell of a lady, Stella.”

“Thank you, Jak. People don’t expect a woman to have an interest in this sort of stuff, but when you are brought up around it, it becomes second nature. Those men are not welcome here, and when they return, I will make sure that they know it.”

“What about me? Where will I be hiding?”

“Through that door over there,” she said, pointing at a paneled wall.

“I don’t see a door?”

“That’s because it is hidden.”

Stella did something on the computer keyboard, and a door clicked open.

“Why don’t you go and get that 12 gauge and a box of ammo from the kitchen and go inside? You can open it from the inside, but without the computer or a big axe, it can’t be opened from the outside. It is my panic room. Take a jug of water and a glass with you, but you should… You know, relieve yourself first.”

Jak smiled at this woman. She was growing on him... rapidly.

A few minutes later, Jak settled himself in the room. A TV monitor showed the same view as on the computer in her office. All they could do was wait.

“Are you going to be ok in there?” asked Stella.

“Yeah, I have something to drink, so I’ll be fine.”

“Good. I’m going to close the door now. Remember that you can open it at any time.”

“Thanks, Stella.”

It was only with the door closed that Jak began to have second thoughts. He looked at the TV monitor for Stella, and for a moment, he panicked. She was nowhere to be seen. Then, he spotted her coming out of the bathroom. She went and sat at her desk and began writing something.

More than four hours had passed before Jak heard a quiet alarm going off. One glance at the screen explained that. Two of the three Suburbans had pulled into the area in front of the house. Jak desperately wanted the first Suburban to contain his father, as it was in direct line of fire from the tank. Sadly, his father emerged from the second vehicle and went directly to the front door of the farmhouse.

He banged loudly on the door as if he were commanding Stella to obey him. She sat at her desk until he’d banged twice. One of his henchmen appeared with a large hammer. They were prepared to break the door down. Jak knew the man from back home. He was the ‘enforcer’ who made sure that people, even one week behind with their rent, were soon out on the streets. He was a man to avoid, especially on a dark night.

Jak saw Stella pick up her phone and make a call.

“Police, please.”
“I have four men trying to break into my home. They are armed. One is carrying a sledgehammer.”

“Yes, that’s the address.”
“If they break in, I will not hesitate to shoot them as is my right.”

Jak saw the men hesitate. Then he smiled. Stella must have broadcast her call to the cops. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed some movement. Some gates that had been well hidden were starting to close. One of the men noticed that, but they were too late. They were trapped in the courtyard.

A furious argument broke out among the henchmen. Two were pointing at Jak’s father. He regretted not being able to hear what they were saying.

They were still arguing when two cop cars arrived at the farm. One blocked the driveway as Stella opened the gates. Four cops with weapons drawn entered the courtyard. Two of the men immediately stood against the wall in what is known as ‘the position’. They were not going to resist.

The other two waited for orders from Jak’s father. He, like the coward that he is, did nothing.

Jak could see two of the officers handcuff the first two who had not resisted and sit them on the floor after relieving them of their weapons. With them safe, all attention was turned on the other three, including Jak’s father.

One by one, they were handcuffed, frisked and sat on the floor. Then and only then did Stella make an appearance. She talked to the officers and then pointed at Jak’s father.

Jak had to go and explain why they were after him. As he exited the room, he made a lot of noise. He didn’t want to get shot.

“Come on out, Jak. I told the cops that another person was in the house,” shouted Stella.

He breathed a sigh of relief and walked out into the late afternoon sun.

As he appeared, his father started cursing him, the day that he was born and even his late mother.

“Shut the fuck up,” said one of the cops, a Sergeant.
“You can speak all you like when we get you down to HQ.”

“I’ll have your badge for breakfast,” said Jak’s father.
“Look, dumbass, everything you say is being recorded. Threatening a Police Officer is an offence. I have already read you your rights. I suggest that you shut up until you have had the chance to confer with an attorney.”

Jak’s father glared at the officer. He didn’t like being talked to like that, but for once, he stopped talking.

One of the other officers returned from the patrol car. He was smiling.
“Those two over there,” he said, pointing at the two who had given up right away,
“Are on parole from Nashville. As they were found to be armed, they have violated their parole conditions. I’m sure that the Tennessee State Cops will want them back to serve the rest of their sentence.”

“Anything on the other two?”

“Nothing serious apart from not having a license for concealed carry in this state or anywhere else, for that matter.”

“Good. We have enough to hold them at least overnight.”

“What about the older guy?”

“Him?” said the Sergeant.
“He seems to be the instigator of all this. He’s a long way from Coal Country.”

Then he turned to Jak,
“He’s your father, right?”

“Yes, sir.”
“Why is he and these goons here?”

“Sergeant, it is a family matter. He wants me to take over his failing coal mining enterprise. I don’t. Then there is the little matter of his estranged brother. I was left half of his estate when he died in Scotland. They have not talked since before I was born.”

Jak took a deep breath and said,
“Then there is the little matter of me being Gay. My father hates anyone who is LGBT.”

“Why are you here if you have a place to go to in Scotland?”

“Sergeant, I’m waiting for my UK work visa to be granted. Once the British Consulate grants the visa, I’m going to live and work in Scotland. I’ve got a fish farming business to run. That turned over some sixteen million dollars last year.”

“That useless SOB could not manage…” said Jak’s father.
That was as far as he got before he was glared at by the Sergeant.”

“Shut up. When I want your opinion, I will ask for it.”

“Sergeant, I don’t want to press charges unless there is no alternative. I’m pretty sure that Stella here wants to return to her quiet life.”

“What are you saying, son?”

“Sergeant, if you can hold this lot for, say, 48 hours, then I should have my visa and be on my way across the Atlantic. If he…” said Jack, glaring at his father.
“If he comes to Scotland, then I’ll serve a cease-and-desist order on him. My lawyers in Edinburgh are preparing one as we speak. If he persists, then the laws against stalking take over and that always results in prison time.”

“Son, you’d send your Pa to jail?” asked the Sergeant.

“Yes, Sir, in a flash. He wants me to be like him, and I’m not like him at all. Then, being openly gay in his part of the state is a one-way ticket to hell. Scotland might not be perfect, but I have a chance to live my life in the way that I want to.”

Jak turned to his father.
“You will not be welcome in Scotland, and just remember that even carrying a blade like the one that you were found carrying today is a crime with a five-year minimum sentence. Carrying a gun is highly illegal. I think that I read that you get ten years at least. I’m sure that you will remember that every time you think of coming after me again. Add in the hate crime aspect, and you will be banged up in a hell-hole of a jail called Barlinnie, as they say, over there for a very long time. Just let me get on with my life and with the person I love, ok?”

The Sergeant smiled.
“I think that we can manage to keep them locked up until Tuesday. That’s four days. I know for a fact that the duty public defender has gone fishing and won’t be back until Monday afternoon.”

Jak’s father got a bit fidgety. The Sergeant sensed his impatience and said,
“Remember, Sir, that your thousand-dollar-an-hour lawyer won’t be able to appear in front of Judge Thompson unless they have been granted pro hac vice in this state. Ask your lawyer what that means. You will get your one phone call when we get the five of you back to the HQ.”

“Sergeant, there are two more out there. Those two are the ones to came here earlier demanding to search the place, without a warrant, I might add,” said Stella.

“We have an APB out for them. If they try anything, we’ll deal with them. We don’t like city folk coming up here and bringing their world with them, if you know what I mean,” replied the Sergeant.

“Right, you lot, we are going to take you back to Police HQ. Two more cars are on their way here to assist us in transporting you to where you have a nice, cold cell waiting for you.”

[Two hours later]

Stella had taken Jak to Albany and had dropped him at the Amtrak Station.
“Thanks, Stella. You are a star.”

“No, Jak, it was nice having you come visit. Come again anytime. Next time, bring that nice woman that you told me about with you.”

“I will, Stella, but I’d like to invite you to our wedding. I’ll make sure that you get an invite.”

“I’ll be there. Almost my last trip with the Service was to Scotland. Sadly, we only saw a few golf courses where we watched the then-POTUS cheat like mad. He demeaned the game of golf in its homeland. The locals didn’t like him either. It would be nice to be able to enjoy the place for once.”

Jak returned to New York, where he stayed for a few days. He slept on the couch of someone he’d been at university with. That ensured that he kept a low profile just in case his father had other goons on the hunt for him. On the 4th day, he got the call that he’d been waiting for. His visa had been granted. A trip to the consulate and his passport was stamped. It was too late to get a flight to Glasgow that day, but he found a business-class seat on the following day’s flight. He used his US Credit card to pay for the ticket. His father would go berserk when he received the bill, but there was little he could do about it.

Sarah was waiting for him at Glasgow airport. Their embrace told everyone around them that this was a couple in love.

The good news didn’t end there. Stella had sent him a message during the flight. Jak’s father had been fined $1000. Each of his henchmen had been fined $2000 for carrying a concealed weapon. The two who were on parole were sent back to Tennessee to serve out the remainder of their sentences. Jak’s father and the four others had tried to leave the county without paying the fines. They had been arrested again and made to pay the fines in full and in cash before being released to go home. It was either that or seven days in the county lockup. They paid.

Jak read the message and said, ‘Ouch. That’s gotta hurt his ego, if nothing else.”
Sarah laughed.

As she drove towards Edinburgh on the M8 motorway, she said,
“Is it time to start Calum’s challenge?”

“What about Uganda?” asked Jak between a series of yawns.

Sarah chuckled.
“I’ve decided that for the time being, my time is better spent here. My advisor on the ground is reluctant to go there. If he is wary and he’s a married man with children, then my going could be a risky thing if they associate me with someone who is transgender.”

Jak breathed a sigh of relief. Then he smiled at Sarah and put his hand on hers.
“That’s good to know. I was worried sick about you.”

Sarah laughed.
“While you were facing down your father?”

“Yes. I know it seems strange, but everything I did was done with the goal of coming back here and being with you again. As for the challenge, now that I have cut my last ties to him and everyone back home, I can’t wait.”

“Good,” said Sarah.
“We have a lot of shopping to do. Someone I know needs a completely new wardrobe…”

Her face was a picture of joy and happiness.
Jak laughed. Being with Sarah was never going to be dull.
[the end]