Divorced! Now what?
Chapter 79

Theo POV

We watched the television as more temporary cameras were set up so we could get a better view of the tunnel entrance. The men set up the roadblocks and started to replace the lights that needed replacing, and an ambulance was nearby, working on a pretend patient involved in an accident. Everything looked real enough. Scott's voice came over the speaker.

'Set, ready to enter! Four armed men entered the tunnel, followed by two carrying a gurney to bring Bethany out. It was almost midnight, and the roads were fairly quiet, even for this time of night. It seemed everything was going according to plan, but that did not take away the rats gnawing in my gut, trying to eat me alive inside. My heart was beating so fast, you would think I had just run a marathon.

The television screen flickered to live viewing; one of the men was wearing a camera on his head, and we could see what was going on. They were creeping slowly down the tunnels. The ground had a lot of footprints in the sand, and that was what they were following: an easy guide to the main cave. Even when they came to the fork in the tunnels, I knew I was coming up; the footprints only ever went one way; it appeared they had been living in this place for a while, and the thought of this being their main hideout flickered through my mind. This new gang in the city had grown so fast and hidden so well; for them to be hiding here, they had to have someone who knew the area to place them there.

'The gang has high-up help and contacts to be here?' I suggested to Bob, who was leaning forward on his arms, watching the screen intently.

'You're right. We have most of the names now; we're just missing a few links. When they fall into place, then we shall start rounding them up, Bob said casually as if he were talking about a sports report.

The men slowly walked down the tunnel, and I wanted to yell at them to hurry up. No! I needed to see my girl and see how she was fairing.

They were not moving fast enough for me.

'Come on, come on. I groaned in my head.

'Calm down, go make us another coffee. It will be a little while yet. They are not even halfway down the tunnel, and you are going to be a mess before they reach the opening. Bob admonished me as he turned to watch me leave the lounge room, with my tail between my legs. How he could be so calm when it was his daughter they were going to rescue is beyond me. It has to be all his training for him to cope so well.

The coffee brewed, and I decided to make some toasted cheese. I was not that hungry; it was more of something to do. I say I am not a cook, and by my standards, I am not. Still, I can cook enough to stay alive, and if someone else does the preparation, like the marinated steaks that Bethany made, I wish I had the skill to do that part of it. I am more of a 'throw it on the cooker and hope for the best' type of cook. At least I don't burn food anymore.

I took out the coffee and toast and placed them on the table. Bob was right; they were not at the cave entrance yet, I sighed. I was relieved they had not arrived when I was in the kitchen and missed it or were still creeping along at a slow pace.

'Toasted Cheese. Thanks, Theo, I am peckish. Bob grabbed a piece and took a small bite, testing how hot the cheese was, before taking a more giant bite.

I did the same and sat back, a little more at ease than before I had gone to the kitchen. Bob was good at reading people and must have read that I needed the break. It was not much longer and the entrance came into view. I sucked in a breath and leaned forward as I watched closely. Bob did something similar, and we both seemed to be holding our breath as the camera slowly took in the inside area.

They have a small kitchen section, but it was a mess with empty takeaway boxes; the camera moved to the right, and there were bunk beds set up, a lot of them, a place that looked like the bathroom area, and to the left was what I had been waiting for. I assumed the person on the bed was Bethany. It was hard to tell from here, as it was away from all the other beds, so I thought it was her. Two men were asleep on the bottom bed of the bunk beds closest to the separate bed, and the other was sleeping on a chair next to the bed; no other person could be seen there. As they closed in, the camera turned to the left, and they had a corkboard set up with photos and maps on it, a communication setup, and a computer. I wondered briefly where they got the power, then kicked myself. If the underpass had lighting, it would take little to tap into the power grid, powering the lights.

'Get closer to that board, and let's get a look at it. Bob spoke softly, and the camera moved to that part of the cave. I wanted to scream not to and go get Bethany, but I held my tongue; I was being personal and selfish; what was on that board was as important to the mission as getting Bethany was. I understood this might be the only chance to look at it. The men might wake up once they pick up Bethany, and things would change quickly. Also, we are still determining if anyone is on their way here. The longer they are in the tunnels, the bigger the risk of being caught there; a change shift could be on their way.

The person stood in front of the table and very slowly looked at everything: the board and a book on the table. He flicked through each page, then looked around some more. I knew that this was being recorded and could be reviewed later.

The head turned to look at the bed, and a man was already beside it. I am not sure what they did to the one sleeping on the chair, but he was not moving at all; maybe they made sure he stayed asleep. The person by the bed picked up Bethany's bridle style, carried her to the gurney, and covered her with a blanket; I could not see her face as they covered her.

'Don't panic; they cover her face so she does not get anything in her eyes if she wakes; it is a precaution. It does not mean she is dead. Bob answered my unvoiced question as the two men holding the gurney started moving out of the tunnel at speed. It was still a long time until they got out of the tunnel and went to the ambulance. Two ambulance people lowered their trolley, transferred Bethany into it, and pushed her into the ambulance. I watched as the ambulance took off, still having no clue about her condition but relieved she was on her way for treatment.

'Sir.' Scott's voice came over the speaker.

'Speak. Bob's gruff voice replied, the first sign I had seen, or should I say, heard him c***k a little.

'The victim is on her way. He did not say her name, but he did not need to, and I think Bob had mentioned before that names would not be used if a traitor was listening.

'Good job. The screen went dead, and I stood staring at it; I felt moisture run down my cheek and realized I was crying. I turned to look at Bob and saw he, too, had tears running down his cheeks. 'Bob, where are they taking her?' I asked softly.

He turned, looked at me, and broke into a smile.

'Her lab. It is isolated, has all we need to treat her, and no one would question a patient in there. Bob said with a smirk, trying to get in there without anyone noticing.

'Perfect. Do you wish to accompany me to the hospital and await her arrival?' I said I was happy to have her on our turf. I could even sleep there if I wanted to, and no one would question it.

'Try and keep me away! Bob and I headed to the hospital, where I expected Robson to be already prepared and waiting for the ambulance to arrive.