**Note** This story is a sequel to Norwood Manor. Although it is considered a story in itself, if you don't read Norwood you might be a little confused as to some of the references.

When their relationship had begun six months before during the harrowing kidnapping case involving six young children Kate would never have believed it could lead to this point. Her lover in question was unconventional in more ways than one, foremost among them being that she was a tall, gorgeous woman. Added to that, Kate had known her since middle school and now Annika was a brilliant FBI agent and forensic pathologist. Janeway had always been impressed with the younger woman's intelligence but when she had almost single-handedly solved the kidnapping of the small children, her respect for the blonde had leapt immeasurably. Kate felt that the fact that she was completely in love with the beautiful agent had absolutely no bearing on anything.

Unfortunately, Annika had been left with no choice but to kill the suspect in defense of their lives while Kate had been injured in the exchange of gunfire. The wound had been minor, and she had recovered quickly. An internal affairs investigation into the shooting had been conducted during which Annika had been suspended with pay. It was standard procedure after such an incident, and the young woman had quickly been exonerated of any wrongdoing. In fact, a commendation for bravery had gone into her permanent file, as well as a reprimand for going into a dangerous situation without waiting for appropriate backup. But Annika couldn't have been happier with the outcome. All of the children had been returned home safely, and barring the death of Billy Amos, everything had turned out well.

In the course of the investigation it became clear that Amos had been acting alone. At least that was what the evidence indicated. That being what it was, the case was summarily closed leaving Kate and Annika free for the following two weeks while the shooting was investigated. It gave the women time to spend exclusively with each other and solidify their relationship. Even after everything had returned to normal and they had gotten back to work they spent all of their available off time together. Progressing in the normal way that relationships did, they had eventually begun talking about living together. But the issue wasn't a simple one, and they couldn't figure out who should move. Annika had only purchased her home the year before and loved the peace and quiet of country living. Kate was living in the house she had grown up in with her family. It held a lot of pleasant memories of her now deceased parents and the times they had spent together. The issue had become an emotionally charged one until they had decided to take a break from the whole thing. A vacation was just the thing to help them relax away from the stress of everyday issues. Neither of them had ever been to California and considered southern California to be ideal. The weather was always warm, and the sun shining. There were also plenty of things to keep them busy.

The plan was to drive across Interstate 20 through Texas and cut off to Interstate 10. When they finally crossed into New Mexico they would cut off onto some of the more scenic roads and enjoy the countryside. Somewhere in Arizona they would reconnect with Interstate 8 and eventually into San Diego. The San Diego Zoo, Wild Animal Park and Sea World were only a few places of interest on their itinerary, and if time permitted they would try wine tasting in the Temecula Valley before driving down the coastline along old highway 101.

The morning of the trip dawned sunny and warm. It was as near to being a perfect day as Kate could imagine, and she was looking forward to the three day drive as she dropped one of Annika's suitcases into the back of her Ford Explorer. The sound of the screen door slamming alerted her that her lover was coming outside and she turned to watch her progress.

Sunlight glinted off golden hair almost blinding Kate as her partner came out of her home. They had already retrieved Kate's things from Dripping Springs and were picking up the last of their supplies at Annika's house. The blonde held a cooler full of sodas and water and Kate walked over to help her with the heavy load.

"Is that almost everything, Honey?" Kate asked smiling as she assisted placing the cooler in the back seat.

"I think so," Annika said happily. Slipping her long arms around the smaller woman's waist, she pulled Kate into a hug and said randily, "I'm ready for a month of relaxation, sun and sex."

Although they had been together for six months, their sex life showed no signs of becoming commonplace. If anything it was even more energetic and all consuming than it had been in the beginning. They just couldn't seem to get enough of each other, and if they were very fortunate it would stay that way.

Laughing at her lovers playful manner Kate buried her fingers in the long hair and pulled her closer until their lips were only a breath apart. "Sex?" she asked in mock disbelief. "Who said anything about sex? I'm cutting you off."

"Right," Annika returned capriciously, "like you could do without me for more than a few days."

Staring into the blue eyes Kate's amusement began to fade and she asked honestly, "A few days? I couldn't do without you for one." Leaning in she connected with the full lips and lost herself in Annika's slow tender kiss for a few precious moments.

She returned kissing Annika again quickly before pulling away. "And I'm beginning to wonder if we're going to stand around all day and talk about this trip or if we're really going."

"Alright, alright," Annika laughed climbing into the Ford. She would drive the first leg of the trip and let Kate take over for a while some time in the afternoon. They would stay over at a hotel each evening, alternating drivers as they went.

The young doctor was glad they had planned to take their time driving and stopping along the way each night. She knew it had been difficult for Kate to have her University classes covered for the month off they had planned for this vacation whereas Annika had the time off saved up. But she knew Kate didn't regret the shifting and rescheduling the other woman had needed to do for an instant.

The afternoon passed pleasurably with the sun shining in through the windows, the women singing along with the radio, and intermittently teasing each other. They had decided to forego making themselves eat healthy on the drive, and pigged out as they pleased on cheetos, bologna sandwiches, soda, and Annika's favorite junk food… ho ho's. But that evening, both of them were sick of the treats and ready for some solid food. Kate was driving by this time and had Annika check the road atlas for a place to get off the interstate. Ideally it would be a road that would parallel the 20 and take them through the more interesting smaller towns. Highway 6 looked perfect. They connected with the two-lane blacktop in Cisco and followed if for about half an hour until they arrived in Albany.

Darkness was just beginning to fall when they hit Albany and both women felt like they were starving for some real food.

"What sounds good?" Kate asked scanning both sides of the city streets for a promising looking restaurant. Aside from the Dairy Queen, and MacDonald's Kate wasn't too sure they were in for much luck.

"There," Annika said pointing at a rustic looking dinner with a hand-painted sign identifying it as Sarah's Place. "Look, the sign says they have Tex-Mex. Yum, I could go for some chicken enchiladas with sour cream sauce."

"Not bad," the other woman conceded, "but I'm hoping for some pot roast and mashed potatoes."

"Carnivore," the blonde teased, reaching over to poke Kate's ribs as they pulled into the lot.

As was typical of small diners in Texas, the air was filled with cigarette smoke and laughter. The place was hopping which Kate took as an indicator for how good the food would be. It took a few minutes to get a table since they had to wait for a pimple-cheeked, gum-chewing teenager to clear the table. The high-school aged girl moved slowly as though she didn't have a care in the world and Annika despaired that she would ever finish. Then a whip-thin redhead came out of the kitchen through the swinging doors and snapped, "Stephanie!"

The brunette girl turned her head quickly at the sound and her eyes opened wide.

"Get your butt moving, we've got people to feed. Don't you see those customers waiting for that table?"

Obviously this was Sarah, the pathologist decided when Stephanie suddenly started wiping seats with some energy. She finished in just a minute, and the redhead walked up to Kate and Annika.

"Sorry, folks. Sometimes they forget why they're here. You'd think I pay them just to stand around. I'm Sarah."

While speaking, the woman had expertly led them over to the booth and seated them with menus before they realized they were walking. "Get you something to drink?"

The experience had been uphill from there. The atmosphere was homey, while their orders arrived fast and hot. Kate supposed they lingered longer than they should have, but was really in no hurry to get back on the road. But she was enjoying herself, and for some reason sounds and smells seemed sharper, more intense. So was the obvious love in her partners clear blue eyes. Eventually, however, there was no further reason to delay the trip and after a quick trip to the bathroom they were on their way again.

It was very dark driving through the Texas countryside. Kate didn't realize how dark the roads could be driving so far from the well-lit interstates. Her eyes were beginning to burn and she glanced over to see Annika sleeping with her head resting against the passenger window.

Great, she didn't even have conversation to help her stay awake. Turning up the radio was out since she didn't want to wake up her partner, so with few options Kate lowered her window to get a little fresh air. Although she had been trying not to awaken the other woman she was unsuccessful.

Annika awakened with a sharp inhalation and sat up looking around. "Where are we?"

Smiling at how cute the blonde was when she woke up Kate said, "We're on 191 just west of Midland. Kermit's the next big town."

"Think we could find a room there?" Annika asked seeing the time displayed on the radio.

"You read my mind," Kate answered enthusiastically.

Frowning Annika asked, "Honey, if you're tired why didn't you stop sooner?"

"Just stubborn, I guess," Kate answered with a shrug.

"Yes and you are going to fall asleep and get us killed."

"Ooh, cranky!" Kate returned, refusing to be baited by her tired girlfriend.

The teasing had the desired effect and Annika smiled before relaxing back into the seat. Reaching over she grasped Kate's hand and their fingers entwined. "The 302 is coming up soon and we should be arriving in Kermit in about forty-five minutes."

"Kermit," Annika groaned, instantly thinking of the Muppets character. "Sounds like heaven."

Finally reaching the town Kate stopped at the traffic signal and debated for a moment which way to go. There were more lights to the left so she took a chance and they were rewarded a few minutes later by a strip of motels. The sleazier establishments seemed closer to the highway, but they finally found a La Quinta Inn that promised a vacancy and happily pulled into the lot. It wasn't the Ritz, but the room was available, the sheets would be clean and the shower would be hot. More importantly, within the hour Annika would be sleeping in her arms.

_______________________________________________

The large bearish man handled the eighteen-wheeler as though he were handling a load of eggs. The household goods he carried in the back didn't even rattle as he rumbled down the blacktop. Ray Cantrell had been handling large machinery and farm equipment in Wimberley, Texas since he was a small boy. He had been driving a truck for Toner Moving Company for the last sixteen years and enjoyed knowing his touch was sure behind the wheel.

When he wasn't driving his rig he spent his time with his family in Wimberley and participating in church activities. His devout faith and soft-spoken manner had earned him the nickname Deacon and it was a title he wore with pride. That the title carried over equally well into his private calling carried further satisfaction.

He utilized his time on the road to stop off and be with his secondary wife and child…and his disciples. The Deacon touted the recognized faith of Christianity openly with the notion that it would put him above reproach with anyone observing from the outside. But it was the private religion he practiced that he believed in fully.

Ray didn't consider himself a heartless man; he had children of his own and two wives. But the dark lord required sacrifices and he was more than willing to do what he had to in order to assure his place at the Masters side. Unfortunately things hadn't gone the Deacons way during the last ceremony and Malikai was not a forgiving lord. Ray had to make restitution for the ceremony that had gone awry six months before. He would do that by killing the two women that had spoiled everything. Fortunately for him the investigation the FBI had conducted hadn't led them to believe there had been a conspiracy of any sort and the case had ended with Sheriff Billy Amos taking sole blame. That led Deacon Cantrell and his disciples free to make amends with Malikai by severing two very loose ends.

Now all morning and into the early afternoon he stayed the same distance behind the champagne colored Ford. This had been the first opportunity in six months to take care of the women and make it look like an accident. He had friends working in the Federal Building and it hadn't been difficult to learn of the agents pending time off. Having a few weeks notice had given him time to schedule his own down time. The rig was his own but the contents a ruse in case the authorities for any reason stopped him.

Cantrell was a big man standing five feet, nine inches and weighing two hundred twenty pounds. He had an honest face with a clear, tanned complexion. He was clean-cut with short hair and a slight beer gut that gave him a deceptively harmless appearance. But at the moment he looked anything but harmless.

The Deacon drove relentlessly after the Explorer. He didn't turn on the radio, drink coffee or look at the scenery. His eyes were focused on the vehicle in front of him as he waited for the opportunity he was sure would present itself. His followers were only a c.b. call away waiting for his signal.

When the flashing turn signal came on, Ray drove past the traffic signal and found a supermarket lot to turn around in. Having traveled this route countless times he knew there was only one strip of hotels and motels. It wouldn't be difficult to find them. He drove slowly looking for the SUV and found it parked in the La Quinta lot. Ray parked next to the other rigs in the hotel lot, but was still in easy visual range of the vehicle. No doubt they were settled for the night and he was free to enjoy a meal of his own.

Ray carefully locked the truck and walked across the lot to the adjacent MacDonald's. He would get a room at the same hotel and ask the clerk for an early wake up call, then be back in the truck before the women ever awakened.

The evening passed uneventfully and Ray slept the sleep of someone with no weight on his conscious. When the wake up call came he stretched luxuriously, un-kinking all his muscles before climbing slowly out of bed. The women barely crossed his mind while he showered and retrieved his continental breakfast from the hotel lobby. He was leaning back dozing in the seat of his rig when the hotel room door on the second floor finally opened. With the instincts of a predator, he knew his quarry was on the move even though his eyes were closed. Pushing the ball cap back off his face, he watched the lithe blonde and the compact redhead carry their overnight bags down to the Explorer. They separated there with the blonde stowing the luggage while the redhead went into the lobby, presumably to return the key. For a moment he was tempted to take out the bombshell where she stood, but he defeated the urge at the last moment. Having watched the young woman the night Amos was shot, he knew that appearances were indeed deceiving in her case. She looked harmless, but she was deadly. It was better that he stick to the plan. Eyes narrowed, he reached for the mike on his c.b. radio. It was one thing to follow the women in his rig for a day, but if he stayed behind them for another day they would undoubtedly notice. The roads they were traveling on weren't that large and there wasn't much traffic. It was time to call upon the disciples.

______________________________________

Annika sat patiently waiting behind the wheel of the explorer. The engine was running and the radio playing while she sat thinking of the morning she had just spent with her lover. She had awakened with Kate laying fully on top of her and kissing her face tenderly, but with passionate intent. Her ardor had awakened instantly and they had spent the first few hours of their second day on the road making love almost frantically. Annika couldn't help but wonder if their lack of restraint had to do with the fact that they had no everyday worries on their minds.

Smiling at the warm memory she realized, not for the first time, that Kate was usually more sexually aroused after first awakening in the mornings. Since Annika was the opposite and the professor was as receptive with her advances, the blonde decided that they balanced each other quite nicely. Her musings were pleasantly interrupted when she saw Kate walk out of the lobby. The redheads arms were loaded with two styrofoam cups, muffins, and cellophane packages. Chuckling, Annika got out of the car to help her with the load before both of them could get in and get started.

"So what's for breakfast?" Annika asked with a laugh in her voice as she eyed the goodies. Obviously it would be another morning filled with junk food. It was just another of Kate's quirks and something the blonde found endearing.

Grinning at the reaction she anticipated Kate answered wryly, "We have coffee, orange juice and muffins. Evidently that's this hotel's version of the continental breakfast."

"Uh," Annika returned predictably, "donuts! Every cops worst nightmare, or at least they should be."

"Don't worry," Kate assured her reaching into her handbag. "They had a vending machine in the lobby. I got you a Dr. Pepper and some ho ho's."

"Oh, you're a life saver," she returned watching as Kate popped the tab on the soda can. As much as she enjoyed a good cup of coffee from time to time, Dr. Pepper was Annika's real choice of beverage in the mornings and she couldn't help but be touched by her partner's thoughtfulness.

A gold emblem on one of the cellophane packages caught Kate's eye and she paused to read it.

"So what did we win?" Annika asked amused at the other woman's fixation.

"Huh? Oh, it says Enter the Ho-Ho Sweepstakes and win $900,000 or 900,000 donuts."

Both were laughing when Annika asked, "900,000 donuts? I'd be the size of a house."

"I think I'd rather have the money," Kate agreed. "Then I could be called the Donut Queen."

Laughing the two roared away toward the west and eventually crossed the Texas state line into the New Mexico desert. Kate's hand rested lightly on Annika's shoulder while the blonde rested her free hand on the professor's knee. The contact was so customary that neither really thought about it, but would have noticed were it not present. The sun rose high as the morning passed and the heat built steadily, but neither noticed in the comforted air-conditioned interior of the modern vehicle. When they stopped for gas a few hours later they switched positions before getting back on the dusty highway.

Annika had been anticipating the change of position all morning since she had something in store for her partner. Kate was always saying that she had extremely good concentration and could handle a variety of tasks simultaneously. The blonde intended to find out just how good that concentration was. Being the conscientious federal agent that she was, Annika waited until they were on a fairly deserted stretch of road before beginning her assault.

Kate was driving along focused on the road in front of her. After a day and a morning in the seat of the car, she was falling into a zone and wasn't paying attention when a long fingered hand suddenly took up residence between her thighs. Jumping slightly, she glanced over at her partner and was surprised by the dilated pupils she found staring back at her. The look of arousal on Annika's face caused an answering flood of moisture between the professor's legs, and Kate's nipples instantly went hard.

"Annika, what are you doing?" she asked in a smoky voice, trying to keep her eyes on the road.

Softly squeezing the damp flesh inside the jeans suggestively Annika responded, "What does it feel like I'm doing?"

Really seeing no reason to respond verbally, Kate couldn't help but spread her legs and shift lower in the seat. Moaning low in her throat she leaned her head back against the headrest and gave in to the tension building in her lower belly. Her eyes were squinted, but she kept her eyes steadfastly ahead watching for traffic.

Annika's attention was focused on her partner. She had turned in her seat so that she could use her right hand and her left rested along the back of Kate's shoulders. Frustrated by the cloth barrier, the blonde released Kate long enough to loosen her belt and jeans before burrowing under the cloth and reaching for the moisture. A long low groan was her reward, and caused an answering surge in Annika.

Long fingers separated the folds of Kate's sex before seeking entrance into the humid opening. Penetrating deeply with her middle finger Annika smiled and latched onto an ear lobe as Kate arched her pelvis against the pressure, impaling herself farther onto the digit.

Panting in pleasure Kate could feel an impending climax and as the feeling began washing over her couldn't keep her eyes open.

"Oh!" she cried out as the spasm gripped her loins.

The realization that she was behind the wheel of a vehicle suddenly occurred to her in the middle of her pleasure, and Kate forced her eyes open only see an old beat-up pickup pull out in front of them.

"Shit!" she blurted out whipping the steering wheel to the left to avoid the contraption, laying on the horn while she did so. When they passed the two-tone brown Chevrolet they were so close that Annika could see the flecks of food in the drivers black, greasy beard. His eyes were dark, hard, and brittle like week old ashes and she felt a shiver crawl down her back at the anger and hatred she found there. Then they were passed the battered vehicle and pulling back onto the roadway in time to avoid a collision from the other direction.

Heart pounding in fear, Kate glanced into the rearview mirror as the annoyed driver flipped them off and honked in outrage.

For a few moments the women could only pant in fear and try to get their heartbeats under control. Then through gritted teeth Kate said angrily, "No more fooling around while we're driving."

Embarrassed and horrified that they had almost caused a multi-vehicle collision, Annika sat back quietly and watched the road unwind. It was her fault this had happened, she berated herself. She knew better than to behave so childishly, especially in a moving vehicle. Someone could have gotten killed, and she knew that if anything had happened to Kate she would never have forgiven herself. Just the thought that Kate was angry with her over this was almost more than she could bear, and she stared out the window with tears shimmering in her blue eyes.

She was startled a few moments later when Kate's hand reassuringly covered her knee and she glanced over in surprise.

"Let it go," Kate advised her. "You weren't the only one at fault."

"I started it," Annika argued.

Looking at her askance Kate said with a disarming smile, "I could have said no. I didn't and that makes me at fault, too."

Thinking about it for a moment, Annika finally allowed herself to be reassured. Grasping Kate's hand she simply said, "Thank you."

The rest of the morning and early afternoon passed quietly. Kate diligently paid attention to her driving while Annika relaxed into her seat and did her best not to distract the other woman. The incident had been frightening, and it would be a long while before Annika was even tempted to do something like that again.

Early afternoon found them low on gas again. A sign informed them that they would be in a small town in twenty minutes followed immediately by another sign that said, Next Gas 161 Miles.

"Guess I know where were getting gas," Kate said facetiously.

Puling into the small station sometime later, Kate began fueling the vehicle while Annika went to make use of the facilities. The professor was watching the numbers move on the pump and wasn't paying attention to the vehicles coming and going in the parking lot so when a vehicle pulled up at the pump next to her, she didn't really notice.

It was hot in the dusty desert and sweat trickled down the back of Kate's neck. She couldn't wait to get back into the air-conditioned interior of the Explorer. Glancing over toward the building she made eye contact with Annika and felt better with just the visual connection. Then the agent went inside to purchase drinks, and Kate heard the pump shut off. After she hung up the nozzle, she thought she should check the oil and water in the radiator. Although it was a new vehicle it was very hot, and she didn't want to take a chance that it would overheat. Kate walked away from the Explorer to find a water hose. It was only a few feet away and would easily reach the vehicle, but when she turned back it was to see a stranger peering at the engine under her hood.

"Nice car," she heard in a deep male voice and walked around the man to identify the person behind the voice. To her surprise and sudden fear, it was the driver of the brown two-tone pickup.

He was wearing a cowboy hat on shoulder-length stringy brown hair, a button-down shirt with rolled up sleeves, faded jeans and sunglasses. When he placed his hands on the fender well to lean over and peer into the engine Kate could see the dirt encrusted under his fingernails. Although his voice was friendly Kate could feel the fine hairs on the back of her neck prickle and knew this man was dangerous.

"Its comfortable," she finally returned guardedly through narrowed eyes. "But I would imagine yours is more practical," she said referring to the battered four-wheel drive vehicle he drove.

Appearing to finally lose patience with the word play, the man pushed away from the Explorer and asked harshly, "Don't you even care that you almost killed us back there?"

Although Kate did feel responsible for the near miss, she was sharp enough to realize that she and Annika weren't completely at fault. Regardless what they had been doing, this man had pulled out in front of them. If he had yielded the right-of-way, as he should have, the near accident would never have occurred. Maintaining her temper with an effort Kate said, "Look, I don't want any trouble…"

"I'm sure you don't," he interrupted with an obvious threat in his voice. Before the professor could respond he turned and walked toward the gas station. Annika was just exiting the building and could easily read the anger and frustration on her partners face.

She wasn't sure what had just transpired and her glance shifted worriedly between the two. As the cowboy passed her, he touched the tip of his hat politely and said, "Ma'am, I'd be careful who I ride around with if I was you."

"What was that about?" she asked curiously.

Kate controlled her automatic sarcastic comment with an effort. It wasn't Annika's fault that the stranger had been so rude, and she tried not to take her anger out on her partner. "Nothing," she said tightly. "Just get in the car."

The normally even-tempered woman's blue-gray eyes were flashing hotly, and Annika knew it wasn't like her to be so short so when the compact redhead climbed into the drivers said, Annika simply slid into her previous seat without comment. They had been supposed to change drivers, but she understood that Kate felt the need to occupy herself. Deciding that Kate would tell her what had happened in her own time Annika said nothing.

For the first few miles Kate was tense and constantly checking the mirrors for the two-tone pickup. Annika tried to wait patiently but her patience was wearing thin. "That was him, wasn't it?" she asked in irritation after ten minutes of riding in silence. "That was the guy we almost ran into."

Kate glanced over at Annika and was struck by the mixed look of frustration, anger and concern. It was the latter expression more than anything that caused her to apologize. "I'm sorry, Darling. I'm not being very fair to you. Yes it was him."

"What did he say to you?" Annika asked, the FBI agent in her fearing that the stranger had threatened Kate in some way.

Thinking back over the brief conversation quickly, the professor had to admit that he hadn't really said anything to her. He had simply asked her if she didn't care that she had almost caused an accident. It was a simple question really. Surely there was nothing sinister in it that comment to imply intimidation.

"It wasn't really what he said, it was just something in his eyes. I really couldn't say what, but it just scared me," Kate admitted. "For a moment it almost made me wish you had brought your gun."

Annika was surprised by that statement and looked at Kate in shock. "You asked me not to. You said that guns make you nervous."

"Yes, of course. You're right." Reaching over to squeeze Annika's knee she said, "I'm sure its fine. I'm just being paranoid."

The tone was obviously forced and Annika felt that Kate's reassurance was more for her benefit than the professors. She hadn't heard the conversation but Kate was the most solid, secure person she knew. If this guy rattled her that badly it was something to take note of. She would have to keep her eyes open, but at least she had her cell phone if they got into trouble.

Although content to let distance pass without need for further conversation, Annika needed physical contact with her lover. Entwining her fingers with those resting on her knee, the pathologist stared out the passenger window at the passing desert. Conversation for the next few hours was sporadic at best with time seeming to pass much more slowly than it had the day before. Both were hesitant to voice the shared thought that the vacation had gotten off to a bad start. When the engine began sputtering suddenly and the Ford began to jerk sharply, they were convinced of it.

The Explorers engine knocked loudly one finally time before it died completely. Inertia carried them to a slow stop as Kate steered them to the shoulder of the road.

"Now what?" she asked angrily. "It can't be out of gas, the gauge still shows half a tank."

Fighting her own mounting frustration Annika simply sat staring at the instrument panel as Kate popped the hood and climbed out of the vehicle. The dynamic woman walked around and opened the hood, peering intently at the engine it contained as though her will alone would cause the vehicle to operate properly again.

Shaking her head Annika finally climbed out of the SUV and joined the other woman in front of the vehicle. Warm air whipped her hair around her face and she glanced eastward at the horizon. A storm was obviously brewing as dark, menacing thunderclouds loomed threateningly overhead. The sky had taken on an orange and reddish cast and the temperature was beginning to fall. The smell of the desert sand was thick as it was kicked up by the winds. Leaving her lover to stare at the mysteries of vehicle mechanics, the blonde walked around to the back of the vehicle and pulled a sweat shirt out of her suitcase before walking back to the front.

Thunderclouds were also forming in her lovers darkened gaze. Trying to prevent a storm of other sorts, Annika decided to try distracting the other woman from their current predicament. "Lets take a walk," she suggested gently. "I'm sure a car will come along that can help us, and it would be a shame to waste a chance to explore the desert a little."

As a doctor of psychology Kate understood what her partner was doing and acknowledged that it was a good idea. She just wasn't sure she was willing to walk away so quickly. What if someone happened along and they were too deeply into the sagebrush to flag them down? Staring down the blacktop hoping to spot a highway patrol car and was surprised to see light glinting off an oncoming vehicle. Thinking that her prayers had been answered Kate stepped toward the car waving her arms to get the drivers attention, then froze in horror a moment later as she recognized the brown truck from the gas station. At first she was convinced that the truck was a figment of her overworked imagination.

The vehicle roared by with the driver blowing the horn mockingly. It sped about a hundred yards down the roadway before the occupant suddenly slammed on the brakes causing it to skid to a stop.

Kate and Annika's hearts were pounding in their chests as the reverse lights came on and the truck backed up toward them. Annika looked around quickly trying to find something that she could use as a weapon in a hand-to-hand confrontation. The car keys were the only things that came quickly to mind and she reached for them in the cab of the truck while Kate seemed frozen in place. She didn't know if the man in the pickup was as dangerous a Ted Bundy or a Jeffrey Dahmer, but he was certainly unbalanced and she wanted to be prepared in case she needed to defend herself and her partner.

The road they were on was a simple two-lane blacktop that was lightly traveled, and she doubted that anyone would come to their defense anytime soon. Fortunately, she was proven wrong only a moment later as they were interrupted by the sound of a loud engine approaching.

An eighteen-wheeler seemed to come out of nowhere as it pulled up behind the tableau. Both of the women watched as the driver of the pickup seemed to hesitate as though weighing his options. Then appearing to feel that now wasn't the time for whatever he had been planning he roared away.

The door of the truck opened and a friendly, clean-cut man wearing a Ford baseball cap approached with a smile on his face.

"Howdy, folks. Having car trouble? It looks like you could use some help. Name's Ray Cantrell."

Letting out a relieved breath Kate said sincerely, "You are a life-saver. Thank you for stopping."

Frowning slightly in confusion at the statement, the truck driver ignored the remark and gazed under the hood of the Explorer. For some reason Annika had the impression that he knew even less about vehicle repair than Kate did. Verifying her assumption by the fact that he didn't even try to touch the engine, he turned toward them a moment later. "Well, I cant really help you with repairs, but I could give you a lift into the next town. Laramie has a decent station that could tow your car in and make repairs. They even have a diner called Benny's where you could wait."

Staring into the man's deep brown eyes Kate was unaccountably reminded of the same soulless look in Billy Amos gaze the night of their confrontation in the woods. The familiar and uncontrollable shudder she had felt as a child exploring Norwood Manor came back to her, starting in her stomach and bowels and generating an irrational fear of a complete and seemingly benevolent stranger. However it was a feeling she couldn't shake and Kate had to admit to herself what she had been forced to face up to more than twenty years ago; that she was a complete and unmitigated coward.

"We're fine," she answered inanely. "I think we should just stay here and wait for someone who can help us."

Making a show of looking at the out of state license plates on the Explorer Ray said, "Look, I don't mean to be pessimistic but this is a sparsely traveled road. It's pretty unlikely that there will be a lot of traffic."

Kate returned the gesture of looking at Cantrell's Texas plates on the rig. "It looks like you're from out of town yourself. How do you know so much about the traffic on this road?"

"Well," Ray answered with a slow drawl, "I travel this route regularly. I know the area. You sure you don't want that ride?" he prompted.

"No, thanks. I think we'll just stay here with the car," Kate repeated, pointedly ignoring the clearly flabbergasted look on her lover's face.

Annika glanced at the darkening sky but felt compelled not to argue with Kate in front of the trucker as he turned to walk toward his truck. As soon as he was far enough away she asked, "Is there a reason you are being so stubborn? Do you realize that there is a storm brewing?"

Feeling ridiculous Kate searched for an excuse for her behavior that wouldn't make her sound stupid. "I guess I'm just worried about leaving a new vehicle sitting on the side of the road."

Sighing in frustration Annika reasoned, "Kate a vehicle can be replaced. We can call the service station from the diner and wait in comfort. And I don't know about you, but I could use a coffee," she added hoping to entice her girlfriend into leaving the vehicle.

Realizing that the blonde had a point, Kate suggested, "Why don't you go ahead. I don't mind, really."

"Are you sure?" Annika asked frowning, although she was seriously considering the idea she was reluctant to leave Kate alone.

"Tell you what," Kate offered, "Leave me your cell phone. You can call me from the diner."

"Last chance, ladies," Cantrell interrupted standing up on the edge of the floorboard to peer over the windscreen.

Annika exchanged another hopeful look with Kate. "Go ahead," the professor urged. "I'll wait for about an hour. If no one comes along I'll call for that tow-truck."

Grinning, Annika pressed her cell phone into Kate's hands and jogged toward the rig. As she climbed into the passenger door she returned her partner's wave and the truck roared away.

Kate stared after Annika until the truck disappeared from view. Then in frustration she kicked the front tire before walking away to sit in the drivers seat. Determined to wait out the hour she had specified, she turned on the radio to listen to some music that hopefully help pass the time. After a few minutes she began to get cold and reached for the jacket Annika had left sitting on the passenger seat. The leather coat was too large for the diminutive woman, the sleeves easily three inches passed her fingertips, but the smell of her partner clinging to the material was comforting and she pulled it closely around herself.

After only a few minutes Kate felt her frustration rising again, and got out of the car to stare accusingly under the hood. Liquid in the tip of a rubber hose shimmered in the muted illumination garnering her attention. Reaching for the previously unnoticed hose, she could clearly smell gasoline. It couldn't really be that simple, could it?

Sure enough, now that she had noticed the hose Kate could see where it should have been connected into the carburetor. Pressing the hose onto the small metal tip, she was pleased when it didn't pop loose again. Running around to the driver's side Kate hopped in and pumped the accelerator a few times. Holding her breath in anticipation, she closed her eyes and said a quick prayer to an unspecified deity before turning the key. To her shock, and elation the engine turned over without hesitation.

"Yes!" she shouted enthusiastically. She was only about fifteen minutes behind Annika. She could catch up with her at Benny's and they could stop for the night. This had been a bad day and she looked forward to putting it behind her. They could find a room for the night and, if Annika was agreeable, start over tomorrow.

Seventeen minutes later she was pulling into Benny's parking lot. The lot was full and music reverberated from the establishment. Kate was relieved that there was no sign of the eighteen-wheeler. Shrugging unconsciously she dismissed that fact as inconsequential. Cantrell hadn't said he would stick around, only that he would drop Annika off. In truth she was relieved that he wasn't there. There was just something about him that made her skin crawl.

Parking, Kate locked the SUV and entered the diner. The place was dark and dank, smelling of stale cigarettes and beer. If her girlfriend had hoped for a cup of coffee in this place she was doomed to disappointment. It was nothing more than a glorified bar. Squinting her eyes to see through the blue haze, Kate looked around but was unable to spot Annika. Thinking perhaps the blonde had gone to the bathroom she took a breath to ask a passing waitress the location of the restrooms but choked on the acrid smoke.

Kate waved her hand in front of her face ineffectually attempting to clear the air enough to breathe properly before approaching the bar. A large, beefy man with a dirty apron around his middle wiped at a stain on the wooden bar trying pointedly to ignore her. But he was delusional if he thought this mere slip of a woman would just get the hint and leave him alone.

"Excuse me," she began loudly over the din of the jukebox. "Have you seen a tall, blonde?"

"Nope. Ain't seen no one like that," he responded without glancing up.

Astounded at the audacity and beginning to get angry the professor gritted her teeth and began again. "Perhaps if you could let me describe her before pronouncing that she hasn't been here it would help."

Finally he stopped wiping at the spot that seemed indelibly impressed into the wood and looked up into flashing blue eyes. Kate could see the anger in his watery eyes as he raised a hand to wipe at his grizzled face, but it was the other expression hiding just beneath the surface that caught her attention... fear. "Look, lady, there ain't no one been in here today except my usual customers. That's how come I don't need you to describe your friend. Now, I suggest that if you don't want no trouble that you be on your way. The Sheriff's office is just down the road apiece. Why don't you start there?"

Kate's emotions were pulled in so many different directions by his various comments that for a moment all she could do was flounder. Panic fluttered around the edges of her vision by the thought that Annika hadn't even arrived and she thought about taking her frustration out on the bartender by shaking him until his teeth rattled. For a moment she seriously considered giving into the impulse, but realized that something else was going on here. This man was tense and frightened. Nervous sweat was beginning to form on his forehead and upper lip. But she was convinced that whatever he was frightened of, he was telling the truth about Annika. She had never made it to Benny's. And although he might be telling the truth about her absence, she was equally convinced that he knew something about what had happened to her.

"I'm sorry, but its obvious that you're hiding something. Now whether that involves trafficking illegal drugs or selling pornography on the black market, I don't care. What I do care about is finding my friend!" Her voice had risen considerably in her fright, and Kate suddenly realized that she had garnered the attention of most of the patrons.

The bar-keeper, whose name Kate suddenly realized was Benny judging by the stitching over his left breast, was staring at her like she had just sprouted two heads. His mouth was gaping and the cigar he had tucked into the corner of it fell unnoticed onto the bar before falling onto the floor.

"Get out of here!" he finally sputtered. "I don't know who you think you are, but no one comes in my place and talks to me like that." For emphasis he reached beneath the bar and pulled out a wooden baseball bat. Tapping the bar with the weapon for emphasis he said, "You've got about thirty seconds, and believe me when I tell you that I won't be calling the police to have you removed."

Embarrassed and more worried than ever Kate had no choice but to leave the tavern. Standing in the parking lot she thought furiously of how she could locate her partner. Her heart was pounding in her chest as she realized that she was unable to find her on her own. But she had to find her, and the only logical thing she could think of was going to the police. She still remembered the eighteen-wheelers license number. It would be easy enough to find out who owned the rig.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you."

Kate started and turned to the owner of the well-modulated voice. The woman didn't carry the drawl that she had heard from the locals. A short, leanly muscled brunette leaned almost casually against the side of the building, her hands resting inside the pockets of her black leather jacket.

"What are you talking about? How do you know what I'm going to do, and why would you even care?" Kate asked harshly.

Pushing away from the wall the woman walked over to stand a few feet in front of the professor. Even in the dim circle of light cast by the overhead pole Kate could see the intelligence shining in the green eyes. She didn't know who this person was, but she could sense that there was no threat here.

"I'm the one who is going to help you get your girlfriend back," the stranger stated matter-of-factly.

Kate truly loved Annika and wouldn't trade that feeling for anything, but she was far from comfortable about discussing her orientation with a perfect stranger. Deciding to accept the appellation from the standpoint of female friend Kate asked, "And why should I trust you?"

"Because you're as frightened as I was."

"Do you know what's going on?" Kate asked hopefully feeling some of the dread lift from her heart.

Taking a deep breath the brunette began with, "My name's Holly, and yes I have at least some idea because the same thing happened to me. Unfortunately I didn't figure it out in time."

The way the statement was phrased brought the terror flooding back, filling Kate's heart with cold, numbing, mind-bending apprehension. "She's not dead. I absolutely refuse to believe that."

Ignoring the rising alarm and resulting anger Holly responded confidently, "You're right, she's not dead. At least not yet, and we're not going to let that happen."

"I don't understand," Kate said. "We don't even know you. Why would you help us?"

Dipping her head, Holly acknowledged that it was a valid question. How could she tell this woman about what she had experienced at the hands of these men that preyed on unwary strangers? She didn't even know what motivated them, only that having no other choice she had played their game and lost. Vengeance was her motivation, and if using this woman's plight to find her targets was what she had to do, it was something that simply couldn't be helped.

"Can you just accept that I'm tired of watching this scenario play out?"

"You're saying that this isn't the first time? That others have been…taken?" Kate asked horrified. "What about the police? What did they do to stop this?"

Shaking her head emphatically Holly said, "The police are useless. They have no clues, no suspects and no way to stop motorists from passing through town. How do you contain something like that?"

"But I have the license plate number of the truck Annika got into."

Holly snorted derisively. "And you think that's accurate, right? Do you think that these guys could operate for as long as they have by missing something so rudimentary? Think about it. Those plates are fake, probably taken from some of the previous victims."

Frustration welled in her chest from the sheer inability to think clearly. Time was passing and Kate still had no idea what the next step should be. As a psychologist she knew that as more time passed the harder it would be to locate the other woman. "Tell me what you know."

"Not here," Holly responded taking a set of keys from her pocket, and glancing around the parking lot nervously. "There's no telling if we're being watched."

As the brunette struck off across the lot toward a nondescript dark sedan Kate began to wonder if her newfound colleague wasn't just a bit paranoid. Nevertheless she had little choice and followed Holly across the parking lot to a black Nissan Maxima. After everything that had happened so far perhaps she should have been more cautious but something instinctually told her that this woman could be trusted. Sliding into the leather passenger seat she asked, "Where are we going?"

"I've rented a small house just a few miles from here. We'll be able to talk candidly and I'll answer as many of your questions as I can. After I'm finished you can decide if you still want to go to the police with this. Personally, I think it's a waste of time."

"So you think we should just let it go and cut our losses?" Kate asked in outrage as the brunette started the car and flipped on the lights.

With a growl of anger Holly turned back toward her. "Weren't you listening to me? Of course I don't think we should do nothing. I'm tired of sitting back and doing nothing. I want to get your partner back and shut down their operation. I don't know why they do this, whether it's for monetary gain or something much more malevolent. What I do know is that the police, for whatever reason, haven't been able to stop them."

Angry at Kate's insinuation of cowardice Holly gunned the engine and pulled out of the parking lot. Worried about Annika and frightened at what they had somehow gotten into the professor sat quietly overwhelmed beside the shorter woman. Questions fired rapidly in her mind but she asked nothing, schooling herself to patience until she heard what the stranger had to say. If she was going to get he lover back she needed as much information as she could get, especially if she was going to the authorities afterward. As much as Holly seemed to feel that would be a mistake Kate wasn't so sure. Annika was an FBI agent, and there was no doubt that the department would leave no stone unturned to get her back unharmed. If the Podunk Sheriff's department couldn't put a stop to this criminal ring, the FBI would.

A few minutes later Holly turned down a dimly lit road and then into a driveway. The brick house was small, but clean and Kate sat gingerly in the only armchair in the living room. The green chair was tattered and threadbare, but she had the impression that the furnishings didn't belong to the other woman. There were no pictures adorning the walls, and nothing to give the atmosphere any kind of a personal touch. This was a temporary arrangement and Holly's words in the parking lot came back to her.

"This is revenge for you, isn't it? Its personal, that's why you're here. What happened?"

Holly sat on the edge of a mismatched sofa that was equally as worn and rested her elbows on her knees. Allowing her hands to dangle she stared at the floor and began her story. Her tone was emotionless as she spoke, almost as though narrating something that happened to someone else. It was easy to see that by depersonalizing the incident was the only way she could get through recounting.

"Four months ago Jaymie and I were on our way to Tucson. I had just gotten out of the military and she had gotten a raise with the architecture firm that she worked for. They made her a full partner and a considerable raise. The only catch was that she had to relocate to the Tucson office. It was a great opportunity, and we were so excited. It was like all of our dreams were finally coming true."

Shaking her head, Holly snorted and said, "It's funny how just as soon as everything seems to be falling into place, fate jumps up and bites you in the ass."

When she looked up and met Kate's eyes the pain was so clear that the professor felt her own guts clench. "We stopped at Benny's to get something to eat. Jaymie left her purse in the car and had to go back out and get it so we could pay the check. She never came back."

"I asked everyone if they had seen her and eventually had to go to the police. The officer I spoke to made some crack about me being a dyke and that Jaymie had probably gotten tired of it and left me for a man. He insinuated that she had probably just hitched a ride with a trucker and gone on her merry way."

Flabbergasted Kate could only ask, "And I suppose it was perfectly normal to leave all of her worldly possessions behind?"

"She didn't even take her purse," Holly said with a smile that held little humor. "It was still in the moving truck. Jaymie had been driving the U-Haul while I followed in the Maxima," she explained.

"I hung around after the police concluded their so called investigation," Holly continued. "The following morning I got a call on the phone in my hotel room. It was one of the kidnappers. He told me that they had Jaymie and that if I wanted to see her again that I would pay them thirty thousand dollars. That was all the money that we had saved, and the only way they could have gotten that information would have been for Jaymie to tell them."

"Surely the police reopened the case after you received a ransom demand," Kate argued. "What did they find out?"

"They never reopened the case. They said I was making it up to get them to keep investigating. Needless to say nothing else was done and that's when I decided to pay the ransom. I took all of our money out of the bank and drove to the power plant."

Having trouble keeping up Kate asked, "The power plant? What has that got to do with what happened?"

"I was told to go to the old shut down power plant on state road 260. A guy in a cowboy hat and a brown truck was going to meet me there and I was to give him the money. They promised that Jaymie would be returned to me by the following morning."

Kate felt a chill run through her at the description of the kidnapper. It was just their luck that she and Annika would run into a kidnapping ring in the middle of the desert and piss off the head kidnapper. In her mind she could still see the angry look on the cowboy's face when she had almost run into him on the highway.

Holly's voice cracked and she had to look away fighting obvious tears. From her expression Kate could tell that this story didn't have a happy ending and she was afraid to ask the next question. "Did they bring her back to you?" she asked softly.

After a moment Holly nodded and answered. "Yeah, they brought her back alright. At four o'clock the next morning the phone rang again. The voice on the other end said that Jaymie was in the truck. I assumed that she must have been tied and blindfolded so she wouldn't be able to identify them, but that wasn't it at all."

"She was dead, but they didn't just kill her…they mutilated her."

"Oh my God." Kate muttered placing her hand over her mouth in horror.

"Her eyes had been removed and a strange symbol had been cut into her forehead. The coroner said that she was probably dead before that happened. He said that some kind of poison had been injected into her and that the injuries looked to be postmortem."

"The police were so apologetic after that and when I decided to stick around and conduct my own investigation they didn't say anything. I guess they felt guilty. Or maybe they just knew that I wouldn't get anywhere," she reasoned.

Understanding how Holly could draw that conclusion Kate asked, "You said that you've seen this several times since you've been here. How many times?"

"Six times in four months," she responded. "And every time Benny's cafe seems to be involved somehow. I'm convinced that Benny is either in on it or he's being coerced somehow. All I know is that I've seen the man in the cowboy hat in or around that bar shortly before or after every incident. I've even tried following him but something always happens. Either I get a flat tire or a broken fuel line or something," she added with a shrug.

"Taunting you with it," Kate interpreted, "Rubbing it in your face that you were powerless to stop them."

"Something like that," Holly agreed then after a moment added, "You're the first person that has listened to me. I've offered to help the others but after they talk to the police they seem to lose hope and simply move on. I can't do that. Jaymie was the center of my world; she was everything to me and I don't intend to leave here until these people pay for what they've done."

"So it is revenge for you after all," Kate observed sad to see that someone's life could be reduced to nothing but a drive for vengeance.

Raising her head to gauge Kate's reaction Holly asked, "If it had been your friend, what would you do?"

Kate had a lot to think about as Holly drove her back to the parking lot. There was no doubt in her mind that she would do whatever it took to get Annika back, and that if she were harmed in any way Kate would be like a force of nature in her pursuit of justice; relentless, powerful, and possibly destructive.

"You still intend to go to the police, don't you?" Holly asked quietly.

"I have to," Kate responded and briefly explained her belief that Annika being a federal agent would hold a certain sway with local law enforcement.

"I hope you're right," Holly conceded. "But please make sure they know to keep it low key. If these guys find out about a federal task force they might decide to cut all ties to this area."

"And kill Annika in the process," Kate concluded.

Nodding Holly said, "I understand, but if you need help you can contact me at The Oasis, room 224." While making the statement, the young woman was scribbling furiously on a Wal-Mart receipt. "This is my cell phone number as well. Please…don't hesitate to call me if you need me."

"Thank you," Kate said sincerely reaching out to squeeze the younger woman's arm before getting out of the car. Holly waited thoughtfully for her to cross the parking lot and unlock her Explorer. She climbed behind the wheel and slammed the door locking it with her elbow before the other woman drove away.

She had every intention of going to the authorities but it was much too late to do so now. Resigned but not pleased with having to wait she decided to rent a hotel room and try to get some sleep. She needed to have her wits about her if she was going to remember every detail. Kate was so occupied with her thoughts that she didn't notice the dark gray Monte Carlo parked in the shadows of the parking lot.

**********************

Annika sat quietly in the hard backed chair in the center of a dark, dank room. Her wrists and ankles were bound to the chair and she was blindfolded. After she had accepted the ride from t truck driver they had only gone a few miles before he had pulled over, claiming hydraulic problems. But before she could open her door the man in the cowboy hat stood on the outside step of the eighteen-wheeler and plunged a needle into her arm. The drug had acted quickly causing a giddy, swimming sensation in her head and heavy lethargy in her muscles. She hadn't been able to resist or voice a protest as she was manhandled out of the vehicle and into the trunk of an old, beat up Monte Carlo. She might have been in the confined space for a minute or a day when the trunk abruptly opened and she was yanked rudely into the glaring sun. She tried to resist but her body stubbornly refused to cooperate. Even though her body and vision were affected her mind was frighteningly clear. In the brief time she was outside she tried to see and remember as much a possible.

The area appeared remote, little more than a clearing surrounded by brush and cactus. In the center was a large metal building that had obviously once been a mechanics garage. Windows had been broken out and rust liberally coated the outside of the structure. Then the blindfold was placed over her eyes and she was dragged toward the building. That had been hours ago, and she had been in darkness ever since. She had received only one visit from the truck driver, recognizing him by his voice. Her dizziness had receded somewhat and she sensed that two others accompanied him. One of them spoke to him almost reverently, calling him Deacon and quietly carrying out his commands to ensure that none of Annika's belongings remained in the rig should it be searched by the police for any reason. The other individual, she couldn't discern the gender since they hadn't spoken, shifted quietly near the entrance. Her FBI instincts told her that they were standing guard duty.

The Deacon was still polite in his dealings with her but was adamant in obtaining information from her. At first Annika refused to answer him, and was rewarded with a backhanded slap across the face. The blow split her lip and caused a ringing in her head that abated grudgingly a few moments later.

"I'll ask again," he said without raising his voice in the slightest. "What is your cell phone number?"

"Why do you want to know?" she asked angrily.

Chuckling humorlessly Ray said, "So we can make arrangements to return you to her."

Annika knew it wasn't that simple. Why kidnap her if they were simply going to return her? "And when you do contact her, what will you request in exchange for my safe return?"

"That's where you come in," he returned easily. "How much money do you have access to?"

"That's what this is about? Extortion? You're nothing but a common thug!" the forensic pathologist asked in outrage.

"I am anything but a common thug!" he shouted in return, losing his composure for the first time. Annika was pleased at the response hoping that she would gain more information than he intended. What she discovered was more than she could have hoped for and left her shaken in horror.

"You owe me, both of you do! Because of your interference in Dripping Springs the ceremony was defiled and Malikai unappeased. The dark one requires his sacrifices of the innocents every quarter century."

It actually took a moment for the implications of his words to sink in and once they did Annika was absolutely horrified. The FBI task force hadn't found any reason to believe that anyone except Sheriff Billy Amos had been involved in the kidnapping of the six children six months before.

"That's right, Agent. You assumed that Amos acted on his own, that he was a homicidal maniac arbitrarily abducting innocent children. The vaunted FBI." He continued in disgust. "You always think you're right, that no one is as smart as you. Amos was nothing more than an instrument to do my bidding."

"What about Malikai?" Annika taunted. "Shouldn't it have been his bidding that Amos was doing, not yours?"

If she had hoped to generate animosity toward the Deacon from his followers she was doomed to disappointment. They had followed the dark ways far too long to be so easily swayed, and Ray knew that. But in his own black heart he truly believed in the way he had chosen to follow and like so many other fanatics felt he was completely justified in his actions.

"All things I do are in the best interests of the Dark One. Malikai knows that, but I also know that because of your interference he must be appeased. Now…you will give me the cell phone number and Kate will obtain the information she needs to pay the ransom. Don't bother lying to me, I already knows that she has at least thirty thousand dollars in stocks, bonds and other accounts that she can turn into liquid capital very quickly; say in two days."

"And if she doesn't?"

Weighing his options quickly Cantrell realized that it didn't matter what Annika learned, she would be dead before she could use the information and he knew from experience that honestly spelling out her fate could break the spirit more quickly than the vilest of threats.

"It's like this Miss Hansen, Janeway will think this is a simple ransom. When she comes to deliver the money we will have her too. If she refuses to comply, she will get a dead body back and then we will take her from her hotel room. We'd prefer to have the money as well obviously. It's difficult to fund our operation simply on donations. Our religion isn't as widely recognized as Christianity, but it is just as real. In any case Malikai will have his revenge and we will have the money. The means of obtaining both really isn't important. It is preordained."

Annika sat quietly in the chair knowing that he had spoken the truth, at least as far as he knew it. There was no way Kate could know how this man was tied into their past, she would think it a simple ransom demand. If she could only find a way to get free and find a phone, she could call her and warn her not to comply with their demands. She didn't want to die, but all of the odds were in Cantrell's favor and Kate was everything to her. If she had to die in order to save her soul mate, so be it. Feigning defeat, the blonde allowed her self to slump in her bonds as though hopeless.

"Check the ropes," Cantrell instructed Lucas. Since Annika was blindfolded she couldn't see the wink he directed toward the longhaired cowboy. Ray was no ones fool and knew the stalwart woman couldn't be beaten into giving him what he wanted, but she could be tricked. With absolute surety, he knew she would play into their hands if they gave her a little slack.

Lucas stepped in behind the blonde and glanced only once at the Deacon before he loosened the bindings slightly. Hansen would think she had gotten free on her own, and would be captured again easily. Although they knew she was a formidable opponent in hand-to-hand combat, she still had the drug in her system. It would slow her down enough to make all the difference.

As soon as the door closed behind her captors Annika began working at her bindings. She had only worked on them a few moments before they began to loosen and she couldn't help but think how inept Lucas had been in carrying out his orders. Blood oozed from her abraded wrists as she twisted and squirmed. Although the wounds weren't serious they did sting, but had the added benefit of helping her to squirm free of her confinement. She was almost surprised when her hand abruptly popped free. Quickly she reached up and tore loose the blindfold. In seconds she was free and moved quickly toward the door. Annika knew there was a guard standing in front of the door; she had heard the Deacon order someone to stand fast as he left. The only way she could hope to overcome them would be to draw on the element of surprise. The skilled agent knew that although he door had been closed when Cantrell left she hadn't heard the latch of a lock click into place.

Unceremoniously yanking the door open she had only enough time to notice a pair of surprised brown eyes before she delivered a side snap-kick that put the lights out on the tight jean-clad young man standing guard. She was disappointed to see that he was unarmed meaning she was still defenseless against Cantrell's men, but there were other more important considerations at the moment.

Annika may have been a trained FBI agent, but she was still a human being and her heart hammered painfully in fear in her chest. Forcing herself to breathe as quietly and slowly as possible she looked around for the nearest escape route. She could either walk toward the double overhead doors at the opposite end of the cavernous bay or she could go to the left toward a doorway that appeared to lead into an office of some type. Judging from the muted light filtering around the double doors they led outside and it was night. Kate must be frantic worrying about her. Escape was tempting, but it was more important to warn Kate of what was happening. The office held the possibility of having a telephone so she fought down the panic beating against her breast and started for the doorway.

Debris cluttered her route causing her to have to zig zag around the clutter. Boxes of rubble hindered her path and on the brief journey she saw everything from license plats and child car seats to toys and women's clothing. The license plates were from various states and she couldn't help but wonder how many times this scenario had played out. Feeling sick to her stomach Annika quietly approached the door and eased it open in case someone was occupying the space. To her relief the room was unoccupied and on the solitary desk sat an old fashioned multiple line phone with a readout at the top.

Finally things were beginning to go her way she thought as she sprinted for the phone. Annika's hands were trembling with the rush of adrenaline as she punched in the numbers and waited for the cell phone to ring.

"Come on, come on," she urged quietly as she listened to the ringing sound.

Abruptly the door burst open and there stood the Deacon and three of his men, including the one Annika had just kicked right between the eyes. The young man was nursing a swollen jaw, but didn't appear angry. Reacting as quickly as possible the blonde slammed down the phone and stood defiantly facing the group.

"Thank you for your help," Ray said pleasantly. "I didn't really think that you would willingly give us the number, but now it really doesn't matter. Seize her," he added dramatically.

Annika struggled briefly but to no avail. She was quickly subdued with men on each side of her holding her arms and preventing her from striking out. She could have kicked herself at how transparent the plot had been to obtain the number. The FBI had issued her cell phone to her and the number was unlisted. Cantrell obviously knew that he wouldn't have ever gotten the number from her or information. Now all he had to do was push the redial button on the telephone. To her horror that's exactly what he did as she was dragged from the room kicking and struggling. This time she wasn't taken to the same room but was led down a set of steps to a type of basement and handcuffed against the wall in much the same way the children had been in dripping springs. Here water seeped from a broken pipe somewhere and trickled down cracks in the walls and along the floor. Annika wasn't blindfolded this time, but she got the distinct impression that such was the idea. Rats hovered in the shadows just at the brink of her vision causing her to fear that they would eventually grow bold enough to approach her. Undoubtedly inspired by hunger and the weakness that would overcome her should sufficient time be allowed to pass, they would become daring enough to try for a meal. That was something she was determined to deny them.

***************************

An insistent ringing that simply would not stop awakened Kate. At first she couldn't identify the sound but eventually aroused herself from slumber enough to realize that it was Annika's cell phone. Fighting free from the heavy comforter on the hotel bed she reached for the phone on the bedside table. She knew in her heart that the call was from Annika and with her heart thumping painfully in her chest Kate depressed the answer button. "Annika?" Annika, darling is that you?"

Still there was no answer and she could only stand by helplessly and listen as the sound of dead line abruptly buzzed in her ear. But she knew it had been her partner and that meant that Annika was still alive. Sitting the phone back on the nightstand, she sat on the side of the bed thinking. She would contact the authorities in the morning and with any luck an FBI task force could be here quickly. Since the phone was agency issue they should be able to trace the call and find out where the younger woman was being kept.

The sound of the phone ringing again interrupted her thoughts and Kate reached for it quickly. "Hello?" she answered desperately. "Annika?"

"No, I'm sorry Miss Janeway. This is Ray Cantrell, but I am calling about your friend." The man answered in a casually friendly voice.

"Cantrell?" Kate asked, "The truck driver? What have you done with my girl…with Annika?"

"I haven't done anything yet," he responded easily. "But what comes next depends on you. For starters, I don't want you going to the authorities. You will receive further instructions in the morning for getting her back, but its going to cost you."

"I don't care what it takes," the professor assured him.

"I'm glad to hear that."

A second later the phone line went dead, and Kate could have kicked herself for not asking to speak to Annika. For all she knew the man was lying and had already harmed her partner. "Damn," she muttered staring pensively at the phone.

Getting up Kate headed for the shower. There was no way she would be getting any sleep now and it looked as though it would be a long day tomorrow. Of course she would pay any ransom that was asked of her to save her lover, but there was no way she would ignore the resources of the FBI. She knew they could be counted on to be discreet.

The next morning she was disappointed but unsurprised when the local authorities reacted in much the same way that Holly had told her they would. However when she mentioned the fact that Annika was a federal agent, their behavior changed abruptly. Perhaps they were simply concerned how their small town problems would quickly leave them in considerably unfavorable light especially should it become national news, but the Sheriff was soon on the phone to the FBI Headquarters in Austin, Texas. It was the only number Kate knew by heart and she felt it would help things along that these people knew Annika. She wasn't disappointed a few moments later when Sheriff Holmes hung up the phone and looked at her for silent as though weighing her up before speaking.

"They're sending a task force that will be here by ten."

Since it was only 8 a.m. Kate thought that maybe he was impressed by how quickly they were responding. She knew that she certainly was. After Holmes promised he would contact her when the task force arrived, Kate heaved a sigh and headed out into the dry heat of the morning Arizona sun. A considerable weight had been lifted from her shoulders but she knew this was only the beginning. A cup of coffee would be just the thing to clear the cobwebs from her head.

Just as she was sitting behind the wheel of the Explorer the cell phone rang.

"Hello?" she answered nervously; worried that someone was watching her and had seen her talking with the authorities. To her immense relief that didn't seem to be the case. She didn't recognize the voice on the other end.

"You're instructions are to bring thirty thousand dollars in large, unmarked bills to the abandoned power plant on state road 904. Have the money by tomorrow afternoon. The exchange will take place at 6 p.m. Don't be late. The Deacon wouldn't be pleased."

Before she could answer the person on the other end hung up. Who was the Deacon? What exactly was happening here, and just how the hell was she supposed to come up with that kind of money so quickly? Well, she could almost smell the coffee she wouldn't be tasting as she headed to the nearest financial institution.

It didn't take long to make the necessary phone calls or fill out the paperwork, but it seemed to take forever while she waited for the wire transfer. A call came in at 10:30 to inform her that the task force had arrived. None other than Agent Rickey Waters headed it, and Kate couldn't have been happier. She knew that Rick was a friend of Annika's and knew that he could be counted on not only to be circumspect but tenacious in discovering her whereabouts and bringing the suspects to justice.

Kate spoke with Waters briefly and informed him of the telephone call for the ransom and her subsequent actions. He seemed a little off somehow, and she thought at first that maybe she was just being paranoid. Waters promised to try and get phone company records to see where the call was placed from, but didn't appear positive of the outcome. He pointed out that it might not be possible, or that the suspects could simply move the young pathologist. By the time the call ended Kate was sure something was wrong. Waters had seemed so cold to her. It wasn't in what he said; he had even invited her to attend the briefing he would be holding that evening. But he was so carefully polite and casually distant that she couldn't help but wonder if he knew and disapproved of the doctors relationship.

Deciding that she didn't have the luxury of worrying about such personal issues at a time like this Kate hung up and wandered over to the teller.

"I'm sorry to bother you," she began politely, "but I was wondering if there was any word on the wire transfer I requested?"

The young woman looked confused for a moment then seemed to remember what Kate was talking about. She was tempted to ask if a transfer for such a substantial amount were so commonplace that she could just forget about it, but remembered Holly telling her that this scenario had played out many times in the past.

"Oh yeah. I was going to tell you before, but you were on the phone," the woman, Mary, explained. "We got a call from your branch. It will take a while longer to liquidate your assets than they thought. The branch manager said they would send the transfer in the morning."

"In the morning?" Kate asked flabbergasted. Her heart was thumping nervously as she realized how closely they would be cutting things. "Isn't there anything we can do to speed things up?"

"I'm sorry ma'am. It's up to your bank to wire the funds."

With no other recourse and using every ounce of her willpower not to take her frustration out on the young teller, Kate pushed away from the counter and stalked out of the bank. Maybe she couldn't do anything about the transfer, but she could plan for the future. She may be new to all of this cloak and dagger stuff, but she was no idiot. The kidnappers wouldn't just politely hand Annika over after she paid the money. It was too dangerous to leave any potential witnesses.

The FBI would no doubt be playing strictly by the rules and would hardly be the ones she could turn to in regard to having a stand by plan. That left only one person she could turn to, her new friend Holly. Kate sensed an element of steel in the injured woman that she inherently knew she could count on. The other woman's warning that she would be Annika in danger by involving the FBI rose again in her memory and she carefully began to prepare, trying to take every possible flaw into account.

Walking out into the dry, heated desert air she pulled the cell phone off her hip and punched in Holly's number. The young woman answered on the first ring and the psychologist began outlining her plan.

When everything was finished Kate actually felt calm and at peace. Everything was set in motion, and she felt that they had planned for every possible contingency. Annika would be back with her by tomorrow evening and things would be back to normal. Feeling strongly optimistic for the first time in days she fell onto the bed in the hotel room and into a deep, dreamless sleep.

The ringing of the cell phone awakened her. Glancing quickly at the hotel issued alarm clock on the nightstand Kate was surprised to see that it was after 9 a.m. She hadn't slept that deeply in a long time. A second ring reminded her of what had disturbed her slumber and she quickly depressed the answer button.

"Hello?" she answered before attempting to clear the sleep out of her gravelly voice.

To her immense relief it was the bank calling to inform her that the wire transfer had come through and she could pick it up at her convenience.

All of the feelings of confidence Kate had been feeling the previous night suddenly turned into a nest of butterflies that insistently took up residence in her midsection. For a moment it was a close call whether she would actually throw up or not. Picking up the funds at the financial institution was the first step in the beginning of a plan that could potentially be the beginning of the end.

Swallowing past the lump of fear in her throat the redhead resolutely threw back the covers and headed to the shower. Kate didn't have a snazzy briefcase to stash the money in like she had seen on television so after she got back in the car she stuffed it into a pillow case she had taken from the hotel room. It was far from elegant she thought with a shrug, but it would suffice.

Now would come the hard part... the waiting. Fortunately she could take up some of that time by meeting with Agent Waters to advise him of the kidnappers instructions. She had to keep them in the loop and hope that they could retrieve Annika, but ultimately she knew that it would fall back to her.

Rick insisted on wiring her to a mike transmitter in the hopes of tracking her every move.

"What if they see the wires?" she asked nervously. "We don't want to do anything to make them angry. They might kill her."

"It won't come to that," Rick assured her. "Technology is a lot more sophisticated now than it used to be, the wires are barely noticeable and will be placed under your blouse. You don't have anything to worry about."

Seeing that his words had failed to reassure her, Rick finally lost his patience. He had been holding in his feelings on their obviously more than casual relationship and it finally overflowed the barriers he had carefully constructed. "Look," he said drawing a frustrated hand through his thinning hair. "I admit that I don't understand this…thing…the two of you have, but I have always been Annika's friend. I would never deliberately do anything that might endanger her life."

Trying desperately to ignore the disgust in his voice when speaking of their involvement, she strove to latch onto his obvious sincerity about protecting the young agent.

"Alright," she conceded, fighting to keep the anger out of her voice. "I'll wear it, but I'm warning you now; if anything happens to her…"

"Yeah, yeah," the big man replied waving away the implied threat. "Lets worry about that when we get her back. Now, I want you to go over everything again, and this time go slower. What time did they tell you to make the drop?"

With resignation she began going through the details for the third time deliberately leaving out any information regarding Holly. Why not? She had nothing better to do until late afternoon anyway?

********************

The time for the ransom drop arrived sooner than Kate would have believed. After leaving the station she had gone back to the hotel room trying to act as normal as possible. With a wire and a miniature microphone laced under her arm and up into the collar of her shirt that was somewhat difficult to do.

As she climbed into the cab of her champagne colored vehicle she felt the wire subtly chafing her skin and frowned in mild irritation. It was only a few blocks to the hotel room and she had just pulled into her space in the parking lot when the cell phone rang. Fumbling gracelessly with the car keys she tried to get the phone off her waist without dropping it. It rang three times before she managed to wrestle it to her ear.

"About time," came a sardonic voice on the other end of the line. It was the same voice that had contacted her each time, and as a psychologist Kate knew that the faceless man was developing a familiarity with her. That could prove to be an advantage for her if she played it right.

"You have the money?" he continued without waiting for her to reply.

"Yes, I have it," she replied breathlessly hoping that Agent Waters was listening in, and praying that the kidnappers wouldn't know it. It was a toss up whether luck would be on her side considering that the call had come half an hour early.

"Good. Start driving. You have the directions. Someone will meet you there and take the money."

Take the money? What about Annika? "Will they tell me where to find my friend?" she asked almost frantically.

"Friend? Is that what you call it?" the snort of derisive laughter on the other end was enough to make Kate flinch but she fought against responding to the taunting. "Don't worry. You'll see her soon enough," he responded cryptically.

Just as she was sure he was going to ring off he added one final warning. "Make sure you're not followed. If there is so much as one uniform or one suit around you can kiss your girlfriend goodbye. Now start driving."

"But it's not time!"

The buzz of a dead line was her only response. Frantically Kate punched in a series of numbers into the phone. Holly answered on the first ring, and the older woman filled her in.

"Its alright," Holly assured her. "Just make sure you stick to the plan. I'll be only a few miles behind you. When they take the money you stay there, and describe the vehicle to me. I should be able to catch up to them easily, and then I'll follow them to wherever they have her. I'll look like just another car on the road."

"Make sure you don't get too close," Kate admonished. "I don't want them recognizing your car."

"No worries," Holly said. "Now you better get moving before you attract attention."

Nodding her head Kate ended the call without responding. She was so distracted that normal conventionalities didn't even enter her mind.

Holly waited calmly in the parking lot of the Benny's cafe as the Explorer passed her. She knew that the monitoring device the FBI had planted on the doctor wouldn't work. There were all kinds of devices made specifically to jam such things and these kidnappers didn't have a Mickey Mouse operation going. They had high-tech, state-of-the-art equipment and would easily separate Kate from the federal agents. She would be out in the middle of the open desert and any law enforcement operatives would stick out like sore thumbs.

Strangely, she felt centered as she pulled out onto the blacktop a few minutes later. It felt good to be doing this to help the other women, but in another way she was striking a blow for her fallen mate. At the same time it felt just a little selfish, but she could almost hear Jaymie telling her that she was doing the right thing.

Holly's thoughts eventually returned to dwell on the commanding redhead driving the Ford Explorer and she realized how much respect she had developed for the impressive lady in such a short period of time. It had been years since she had felt that kind of respect for anyone. This Annika must be a special person indeed, and a very lucky one.

Kate was too busy checking the road signs to watch for Holly coming up the road from behind. If the other woman followed the plan she wouldn't be able to see her anyway and would just have to hope that their timing was on the mark. State road 904 came up with very little warning, and she had to brake abruptly to make the turn. Feeling the tires skid a little on loose gravel, she let out a sigh of relief that she had found the road. It would be over soon now.

Heat from the dry desert air caused the pavement to appear to ripple in the distance, and Kate squinted into the distance. Finally she could see the old abandoned structure of the power plant. Pulling up to the chain-link fence she noticed that it was securely padlocked and there didn't appear to be anyone around.

"Well this is just great," she groused climbing out of the SUV and standing in the sweltering heat. At least she had thought to wear a short-sleeved t-shirt, even if her jeans were already sticking unpleasantly to the backs of her thighs. A dust cloud approaching quickly caught her eye and she didn't have to wait long before she identified the familiar lines of a brown two-toned pickup.

Eyes widening in panic Kate suddenly realized that this wasn't a simple ransom drop. It was a trap. Suddenly some things began to make sense. The argument in the gas station had been a ploy, a way of sizing up the targets. How and where Cantrell fit into all of this was as yet unknown, but it was still a pretty sophisticated set up just to get people to hand over their life savings. No, a big piece of the picture was still missing.

Now was hardly the time to think about such things as the fight-or-flight urge suddenly overwhelmed her and she bolted for the car. All she could do was hope that even now backup was on the way.

"Waters, if you're hearing this I need help!" Kate fairly shouted as she jumped into the car and started the engine. Since the microphone was only one-way, she had no way of knowing if she'd been heard.

As she watched in disbelief the truck came to a halt and a second later the now-familiar cowboy climbed out. His eyes were focused on her throughout the process. With thoughts of rescuing her partner trembling on the edges of her mind, she fought the animal instinct to flee. Obviously this entire thing had been a set up from the beginning and they had walked into it like a rat into a maze, but maybe he was simply here to give her instructions for the delivery.

That brief hope was shattered a moment later when the man rounded the hood of the truck with a rifle in his hand. The urge to run finally won. Kate slammed the vehicle into reverse and mashed the accelerator to the floor. For a breathless moment the tires spun uselessly before grabbing onto the asphalt, then she was flying backward. The pickup barely missed colliding with the driver's door, and Kate shifted down into drive in an attempt to escape the crazy cowboy.

Heart slamming she led him on a great chase back toward town, but it was a chase that was doomed to end swiftly. Yelling obscenities, the ruffian gunned his engine and managed to pull up onto Kate's passenger side. He was obviously gesturing for her to pull over, but she had no intention of following that particular request. A moment later the decision was taken out of her hands when he turned the wheel sharply and pounded his truck into hers.

Spying a narrow dirt road rapidly approaching Kate turned the wheel and careened recklessly onto it. She was gratified to see that the other driver hadn't anticipated that particular move as he roared past the turn off. But a moment later he responded by turning toward her and bumping easily over shrub and cactus alike in dogged pursuit.

The road began narrowing as it led into a stand of trees leading down to an old riverbed. Kate hoped desperately that this would work in her favor since the pick up couldn't pull up next to her. What she hadn't counted on as she careened around a twist in the dirt road was the tractor some farmer had negligently left crossing the traffic lane.

Reacting purely on instinct Kate slammed on the brakes even as she flung her arms up to protect herself from the inevitable blow. When the airbags went off she was unprepared for the impact that knocked the breath from her body, and her head to swim dizzily. Fortunately she had braked enough to prevent serious injury to herself and recovered from the disorientation swiftly.

Ignoring the blood streaming from the gash in her forehead, the stubborn woman fumbled for the door handle and struggled to climb out from behind the airbag. She was almost surprised to see the disagreeable man standing calmly beside her truck with his rifle pointed toward her.

"Where's the money?" he asked coldly.

For a moment the woman actually considered trying to run again, but immediately gave it up as a lost cause. She would have to play things out on his terms and hope that Holly could adjust to the new rules of this insidious game. The only thing important now was rescuing Annika, and if this was how things had to go then so be it.

Waving toward the wrecked SUV she indicated that the money was inside of it.

"Well, get it," he said as though she were a particularly slow child.

Following Kate over to the Explorer he waited patiently while she retrieved the pillowcase of funds, then gestured with the rifle that she was to carry it over to his pickup.

"Don't worry about your wire," he stated calmly. "It won't work. Just throw the money on the seat."

"No," she said stubbornly. "First you tell me where she is."

"Do it!" he snarled. "Unless you want me to shoot you right now."

But after she had tossed the money onto the truck seat she was doomed to disappointment if she simply thought that he would tell her where she could find her partner and send her on her merry way.

Stepping between Kate and the vehicle he ordered her to turn around while he retrieved something from inside the cab. Then he grabbed her hands and pulled them behind her back, taping her wrists together quickly.

"Now get into the truck, and I'll take you to her. I want you on your knees in the floorboard facing the seat."

Really, what else could she do, Kate wondered? Her wrists were taped together and she couldn't outrun him regardless. With little recourse but to pray that everything worked out all right she climbed into the vehicle, following his instructions exactly. Kate knew that they would probably both die. The crooks had them and the money. It was in Holly and Rick Waters' hands at this point.

Climbing into the awkward position on the rough floor mats she wondered if this position was meant to embarrass her if he was simply afraid of an advantage she might have if she sat on the seat, but in either case she was beginning to get angry and couldn't resist provoking him a little.

"I gave you the money. Now let her go!"

The man only laughed in response and began driving away from the crash site.

"What are you laughing at?" she asked in outrage, daring to lean toward him in an antagonistic manner. Her reward for such behavior was a sharp cuff across the cheek that made her head bounce off the seat and rattled her teeth.

"Don't worry," he finally responded harshly. "The Deacon will take care of both of you."

He never took his eyes from the road as though she was barely worthy of his notice now. Having nothing else she could think of to say, Kate began noticing the condition of the inside of the truck. Litter was scattered liberally along the floorboards and behind the seat. There was everything from beer cans, to wads of paper, and old Burger King wrappers. But sticking out from the edge of a brown paper bag was something Kate thought she could use.

Glancing up quickly she realized that he still wasn't looking at her and began to lean over closer to the floor mat as though weary. With her hands taped together it was a difficult maneuver, and a very dangerous one. She had to keep her eyes on the kidnapper at all times in case he happened to glance over, and had to feel around for the object she needed. Her fingertips grazed across it and she chanced a quick glance down.

Got it, she thought triumphantly. He almost startled her an instant later when he began to speak, and she realized how convincing her ploy at appearing defeated had been.

"I sure wish I'd been there to see the look on your face when your car seized up. Teach you to leave your hood up when you walk away."

Distracted by gloating over how easily he'd caused their car trouble, the cowboy didn't notice when Kate used the tip of the ballpoint pen to puncture the tape binding her wrists together. He was so cocky that he had no idea what she was doing as he continued his monologue. "Deacon will be pleased with his servants now that we have you, and the Dark One shall reward us."

Religious fanatics, she wondered.

"This is the price you pay for interfering with the sacrifice of the innocents," he advised her casually, unknowingly dropping all of the pieces into place for her.

Groaning internally, Kate began putting the whole picture together. This was the piece she had been missing. Taking a chance on being backhanded again she asked carefully, "Dripping Springs?"

"Yeah," he answered conversationally as though proud to share his convictions with her.

"But why all of the kidnappings and murders here?"

"Malikai has many followers and many bases."

"But why the ransom demands?" she asked growing bolder. He obviously had no problems bragging about their actions, and saw nothing wrong with them, a clear indication of being a sociopath.

"Need to get the money from somewhere," he answered with a shrug.

The conversation drifted to a close as Kate began concentrating on cutting through the tape. She stopped a moment later when the man leaned across the seat and picked up the pillowcase. Driving with one hand, he sat the bundle beside him on the seat and reached inside it. While he was distracted Kate finished sawing through her bindings. When her hands parted abruptly she didn't hesitate, but took immediate action knowing that their lives depended on it.

Raising her hand high into the air she brought the ballpoint down with all of the strength she had and all of the swiftness that gravity would allow. Even as she drove the point of the ink pen into his shoulder she mashed her foot over his on the accelerator.

Grunting in pain he shoved the tiny woman away from him and into the passenger door. Then he was fighting to stabilize the pickup on the roadway. But Kate bounced back immediately and began fighting the weakened man for the wheel. The cowboy lost control of the truck as Kate forced it off the blacktop. It bounced across the shoulder before it hit the ditch at an awkward angle and began to roll. A moment later it came to an eerily quite stop.

Kate was knocked silly for a moment but shook off the haze and climbed carefully out of the vehicle. Her companion opened his door and tried to climb out but he hadn't faired as well as the older woman and fell into the dirt, grunting in pain.

The pen had punctured his shoulder, and he had broken a leg in the accident. Kate used that to her advantage by grabbing his shirt and hauling him onto his back.

"Where is she?" Kate demanded, but the man was stubbornly silent.

The psychologist didn't know what to do. If he wouldn't talk what recourse would she have? Let the FBI interrogate him? It would be too late by then. Deacon would know about what had happened and Annika would be in mortal danger. She was almost ready to weep in frustration when she was suddenly distracted by the sound of wheels crunching on gravel.

Looking up in fear that the other kidnappers had followed and caught up with her, Kate almost wept in relief when she saw Holly climbing out of her car and running toward her.

"Sorry," the smaller woman apologized as she loped over. "I couldn't help sooner because I was afraid he would hurt you if I did."

Forgoing asking how Holly had known she was in the pickup Kate could only respond, "He knows where Annika is, but he's not talking."

If Holly thought that she sounded remarkably like a twelve year old instead of the educated forty year-old woman that she was, she didn't mention it. Sizing up the situation quickly she knelt down by the man.

"Where is she?" she asked calmly with dangerous eyes.

"Screw you," was the only response.

With a cold grin that sent chills down Kate's spin, Holly asked, "Is that right?" Then she reached down and unbelievably sank her thumb into the bloody hole in the mans shoulder. Tears of sympathy sprang to the psychologists eyes as he howled in pain, but she did nothing to stop the other woman.

Inside Holly agonized over the pain she was causing, but knew she couldn't afford to let that empathy show on her face. It hurt her to know the pain she was inflicting on another human being, but a life was at stake.

"I'm sorry," she said relenting slightly on the pressure to his injury. "I missed that answer. Where is she?"

"Malikai will save me," he insisted weakly and was immediately rewarded by her pressing in again.

Again he howled in pain, and when he finally subsided Holly prompted coldly, "Where?"

"Farm Road 270," he panted. "Three miles…onto county road 11523. It's an abandoned metal garage on the left."

"Thank you," Holly responded and then squeezed until he mercifully passed out.

Kate was sick to her stomach at Holly's actions. She couldn't condone such a thing, but she could hardly argue with the results. Turning away she started back to the truck with Holly beside her. The small brunette searched briefly through the vehicle and retrieved the rifle Kate had seen before and a handgun that had been hidden beneath the seat. Tucking the pistol into her waistband, she casually tossed the money over to Kate.

"I lost the cell phone," Kate informed her. "It's in the Explorer so I can't let the FBI know what's happening."

To her surprise Holly pulled the phone in question out of her pocket and handed it over. "I called Waters for you, and told him what road we were on when this started. They should be on their way."

"That was quick, especially considering how little you think of the police," the older woman pointed out.

With a shrug Holly said, "I may not think much of the cops, but I trust your judgment. If you think Waters is that good, who am I to argue?"

Sharing a quick grin with the older woman Holly continued, "Now, let's go get your girlfriend. We'll tie your friend up first so that they can retrieve him, but I really don't want the FBI raining on our parade."

"Don't you think we should wait for the task force?" Kate asked. "After all, they have training in this kind of thing. They'll know how to get her out."

"Before or after she's dead?" Holly asked sharply. The stricken look on the redheads face made her wish she could bite her tongue off for asking such a question, and Holly took a steadying breath. "Look, I'm sorry. Call Agent Waters and tell him about your friend here so they can grab him. But if they see a bunch of suits swarming all over the place, what do you think the first thing they'll do is?"

Seeing the psychologist hesitate, Holly pushed the point home. "We need to get there now, while we have the element of surprise."

"Fine," Kate finally relented, "but I am going to call and make sure they pick up this cowboy so he can't hurt anyone else."

Kate made the call as brief as possible. She ensured the FBI agent knew that she was unharmed, but refused to answer any questions about where they were headed. She did tell him that she would call again after they had arrived at their destination. Kate got the definite impression just before she ended the call that he was not pleased at the lack of information. Her companion, however, was not displeased. In fact it seemed that Holly found the entire situation extremely amusing as she snorted in laughter behind the wheel. She found Janeway's stubbornness refreshing and almost intoxicating.

Intoxicating? Where did that come from, Holly wondered. That thought was enough to quiet her as she concentrated on driving to the kidnapper's location.

She refused to develop a crush on this woman, she informed herself. True that Kate was sophisticated, charming, and intelligent. It was also true that she had eyes that could reach into her soul and a husky voice that could send shivers down her spine. But on the other hand, Kate was obviously very much in love with Annika. That was something Holly couldn't and wouldn't interfere with. The best thing to do in this situation was to channel her attraction into helping find Kate's partner, and allowing all of them to move on with their lives. Being a realist, Holly knew that her attraction would fade over time.

The sun was just beginning its decline behind the trees as Holly pulled off the gravel-top road, and into the ditch before coming to a stop. "This is it," she announced calmly as she opened the door and climbed out. "We'll have to go through the woods for a while."

Kate slowly followed her example and climbed out of the Maxima frowning at the surrounding countryside. Frightened but determined that they would get Annika back; Janeway was also trying to see everything around them. It wouldn't do for them to be ambushed now when they were so close. She was also informed enough to know that a religious fanatic was one of the most dangerous human beings to cross. Anything they had to do to further their cause was justifiable in their eyes. Undoubtedly they wouldn't hesitate to kill three unarmed women.

The house wasn't even visible from where they had parked, and Kate couldn't help but wonder how Holly knew they were close or even how they were supposed to get inside. "You've been here before?" she asked curiously.

Casting a glance toward the feisty redhead, Holly felt her heart leap a little in response before she determinedly squelched the feeling and answered the question. "After Jaymie disappeared and the police refused to help I combed the countryside. I drove all around for days looking for some sign of her. I have to admit, I never would have believed the locations would be so simple as this," she added with a shrug.

Acknowledging that with a nod Kate replied, "We usually ignore things that seem unthreatening. How threatening is an empty old building in the middle of the country?"

"Regardless," Holly answered, "now that we know they're here I think we need to be prepared. To that end, I think you need this."

This turned out to be the handgun Holly had taken from the kidnapper. For a moment Kate could only stare at the firearm in stunned reaction. She had talked Annika into leaving her service weapon at home because of her dislike for guns. Now Holly was casually handing her one and expecting her to go charging into the lions den to rescue her girlfriend. She just didn't know if she could do it.

"I…I don't like guns," she said hesitantly.

Turning to look at her in disbelief Holly asked, "Well, what do you expect to do? Just waltz in and ask them if they would please hand her over? Get real, Kate."

Kate knew it was true. Not only had they killed Jaymie, but the had murdered innocent children. Reaching for the gun with trembling fingers, she tried to assure herself that she would only use the gun for intimidation. "Fine," she said with as much conviction as she could muster, "Let's go,"

Using the encroaching twilight for cover the women moved through the trees until they came up behind the garage. They could hear voices coming from the front of the shop and moved to the edge were they could hear more clearly. Peering around the edge of the building Kate spotted two men talking together beside a couple of nonfunctional fuel pumps. Several vehicles were parked in the dirt lot including an eighteen-wheeler that looked eerily familiar.

"Dammit, Jimmy, where's Earl?" Came a voice that Kate recognized as belonging to the Deacon.

Jimmy responded by working the wad of chewing tobacco around in his mouth and spitting onto the ground. A trail of brown saliva dribbled from the corner of his mouth and into an unkempt beard before he casually wiped it away with the back of his hand.

"Don't know," he replied slowly. "He hasn't checked in. If something's gone wrong we may have to do the blonde."

"No," Cantrell responded immediately. "We need both of them for the ceremony."

Shrugging Jimmy pointed out, "Well, as long as they're dead Malikai will understand. That's all that matters. We're going to kill them anyway. Do we really need to wait and do them both at the same time?"

"Good point," Ray responded after considering it briefly. "I would rather perform the ceremony since we missed the one in Dripping Springs, but as long as they're dead and we get the money I guess that would be alright."

Kate was astounded at the heartlessness displayed by these human beings, and she could practically hear Holly's teeth grinding in outrage as they listened to the rest of the conversation.

"Have the others be ready to move out," Cantrell ordered. "Make sure there's nothing left that can link us to them.

"Yes, Deacon" Jimmy replied before walking casually away to do his masters bidding.

Cantrell stood for a moment by himself staring off at the rising moon. Kate didn't know if he was communing with his master or if he was simply contemplating the upcoming mayhem, but when Holly leveled the rifle taken from the cowboy and began moving toward him Kate knew it was time. At the moment the Deacon was alone. Kate quickly surmised that Holly had decided to take the direct approach instead of slinking in through the back door. As much as she didn't like it she had to admit that forcing the hooligan at gunpoint to take them to Annika should be the quickest way.

The surprise on his unremarkable features quickly turned to mirth. It was clear that although not expecting company he didn't really consider them a threat.

"What," he asked sardonically, "you're going to shoot me? Somehow I don't think so," he added shaking his head. He was actually pleased to see them. Now he didn't have to go chasing after his quarry since it had come to him.

The flippant attitude in the face of something that had been a harrowing experience thus far finally caused the psychologist to lose her patience. "Don't tempt me," she advised him with her voice trembling in anger.

Something in her voice and the resolve in her eyes got through to the man's superior frame of mind. While Cantrell could sense her determination his belief in his cause was firm and he was willing to die for the Dark One. That didn't mean he was suicidal though, and these were only two women. Surely he could outsmart them if he could stall long enough.

"Where is she?" Holly asked coldly.

Thinking quickly the Deacon offered, "I can take you to her."

"Its a trap'" Holly said quickly knowing that the religious leader would hardly make such an offer as a gesture of good will.

"Of course its a trap," Kate shot back angry at how things seemed to be out of their control and unraveling quickly, "but what choice do we have?"

"Then I suggest we make a plan."

Holly's tone told Kate that the other woman already had a plan and from the look in her alabaster eyes Janeway felt a short-lived pang of sympathy for the kidnappers.

"I'm listening."

*******************

Finally the break came that she had been hoping for. Annika's captors had taken to removing her bonds every few hours for bathroom breaks and twice for meals, under heavy guard of course. Fortunately for her, the last time she had been tied into the uncomfortable straight-backed chair the ropes hadn't been tightened quite as diligently and she hadn't been blindfolded. It seemed that her assailants were no longer considering her a threat, and that was something she intended to use to her advantage.

Judging by the sun it had been mid-afternoon when she had been bound to the chair and she knew that she would be uninterrupted for quite some time. Working behind her back was difficult and it didn't take long before her fingers became abraded. Although she wasn't bleeding heavily it was just enough to make the ropes slick and her task more arduous. But perseverance won out and eventually she felt one of the ropes loosen. It wasn't much but it was enough to reenergize the agent.

Listening for any sound of company Annika worked at the bindings, ignoring the sweat that ran down into her eyes and plastered her hair against her forehead. When the ropes suddenly gave way she was almost startled into making a sound.

She was out of the chair in an instant and moving toward a metal ladder that was bolted to the wall. The ladder led to an overhead storage compartment that she thought might be the perfect place to hide until the time was right. Darkness would be the time to move. Until then she would be too easily visible. After that she would get to a phone and call Kate. The FBI would be the next call she would make, but she would have to move quickly before Cantrell and his crew had time to notice that she was missing.

Climbing into the rafters Annika was caught off guard by the amount of debris that she found. Boxes overflowed with clothing and various items that obviously belonged to previous victims. She stepped over an Ohio license plate and around a child's car seat.

"What a monster!" Annika whispered in outrage. How could anyone believe that torturing and killing innocent people was justifiable for any reason? She had seen some terrible things in her time as an FBI agent, but this was undoubtedly the worst. Her stomach felt queasy with the thought. Right now she wanted nothing more than to find Cantrell and shake him until his teeth rattled. If only Kate hadn't talked her into leaving her service weapon at home! Fortunately she was highly trained and in a pinch her hand-to-hand skills were nothing to take for granted.

The sound of approaching voices caught her attention and Annika ducked into a darkened corner.

"Where is she?" Kate asked hotly pointing the muzzle of her weapon at Cantrell's chest.

Although Kate was a non-violent person at heart, the instinctive urge to protect a loved one was stronger. Later she would wonder at her animal reaction, but for now she was incensed at the empty chair sitting in the middle of the cavernous bay.

"I don't know," Cantrell returned honestly.

Annika was just preparing to come out of hiding when the office door burst open and all hell suddenly broke loose. Four men rushed from the room alerted by Kate's raised voice that things weren't quite right. Cantrell used the distraction to duck away from the woman and head for the exit. Firing wildly toward the men Kate's shot went wide and lodged in the wall. Then they were on her. She fell in a flurry of blows and Annika leapt to her defense from the rafters with a scream of rage.

One of the men heard the blonde's cry and turned to face her with a pistol in his hand. His shot missed the agent as she quickly closed the distance and lodged in Holly's arm as she came through the rear doorway. Annika didn't notice the stranger slump to the floor as she snapped a forward kick into the assailant's chest and threw him into one of his fellow conspirators. Both of them crashed onto the floor and Annika grabbed one of the remaining two men by the shirt collar. Hoisting him up she used the momentum to drive her knee into his crotch. He fell writing onto the floor squealing in pain just as the blonde looked up and saw Kate punch the remaining man in the throat.

To her satisfaction he fell away from the redheaded doctor gagging and trying to draw breath.

"Remind me not to make you angry," Annika joked weakly as she reached for Kate's hand. "Now, let's get out of here."

All the blonde wanted to do was wrap Kate up in her arms and ask how she'd found her, but two of the ruffians had recovered enough to begin untangling themselves from the floor and there was no time.

"Holly," Kate said seeing the other woman leaning against the wall with a grimace of pain on her face. The rifle was nowhere in sight. "She's hurt…we can't leave her here."

Knowing only that the opened doorway led into the night Annika didn't stop to question her partner. "Can you walk?" she asked succinctly as she supported the injured woman with an arm around the waist.

"Its only a flesh wound," Holly returned hustling out of the building with the two.

Trying to slow down Cantrell's lackeys Annika slammed the door shut and wedged it with a board stuck under the handle.

"That won't hold them long," Kate said. "This way…we have a car."

Following her feisty partner into the tree line Annika cast a worried glance over her shoulder. She knew that they wouldn't make very good time with an injured woman and could only hope that the encroaching night would provide them some cover.

"I can't make it," Holly suddenly announced and slumped to the ground.

"You can make it," Kate countered. "Come one, we can't leave you here."

Panting the young woman shook her head. "I'm sorry, but I'm only slowing you down. Leave me here. I'll hide here and they won't find me because it's too dark. Get to the car and call Waters. You can come back for me."

Annika hesitated briefly. She didn't like leaving the other woman alone, but if they stayed they would all be found. "Where's the cell phone?" she asked Kate.

"We left it in the car. We didn't want it to ring and give us away."

Nodding in understanding the blonde said, "Then we have no choice."

"We can't just leave her."

Forcing herself to take a breath Annika met her lover's eye intently. "Darling, if we don't leave we shall all be caught. The Deacon is still free and if he isn't captured others will fall victim to his evil. There is no other way."

Kate felt the truth of the words in her heart, but still she faltered. Swallowing the guilt in her throat she looked at her new friend. Blood coated the sleeve of Holly's shirt but Kate suspected the cause of her weakness was pain rather than blood loss. "We'll be back for you," she promised.

"You better," Holly returned. "Now go!"

The sound of engines revving filled the night as Kate and Annika sprinted for the road. They had pulled the car into the trees and Kate prayed that Cantrell and his men wouldn't see it. Luck was with them and they found the Maxima undisturbed.

"Get in," Kate said climbing into the driver's seat.

"Kate, what are you doing? You're going back for her, aren't you?"

"I am not leaving her there for that lunatic to find!"

After a moment Annika responded, "Good,"

Seeing the look of surprise Kate cast toward her the blonde asked, "You didn't really think that I would, did you?"

A car and a pickup flew past the women on the roadway. They were very close but from the increased velocity Kate knew they hadn't been spotted. She waited until she could no longer see their lights before turning on her own headlights and starting toward the abandoned gas station.

"Hopefully it will be a minute before they realize we haven't gone anywhere."

"Well soon find out," Annika rejoined humorlessly.

The feeling of foreboding in her gut was proven accurate a moment later when they saw the eighteen-wheeler. It was already moving toward them at ramming speed. Kate turned the wheel at the last minute and the rig roared passed. As it went by they could see Holly in the passenger seat. The terrified brunette was bound and gagged, and Cantrell actually had the nerve to wave as he drove by.

"He's got her!" Kate almost sobbed. "What do we do now?"

Reaching for the cell phone on the dash Annika responded, "Follow them. I'll call Waters and find out where they are."

Quickly she punched Rick's number into the phone. He answered on the first ring and she could hear the relief in his voice when she identified herself. To her disbelief she discovered that Rick had gotten lost in the unfamiliar terrain and was on the wrong road. Since she had been blindfolded when she was brought here she was also unfamiliar with the area and had to relay directions from Kate. A moment later she rang off with the promise that she would keep him advised as to their location while she circled back around and intercepted them.

Kate had turned around quickly to follow them, but in the darkness and as fast as Cantrell had been moving she wasn't sure which way they had gone on the county road.

"Do you see them?" Annika asked worriedly, peering down the road as far as the headlights would allow.

"No."

"Do you see them?" the blonde asked again, hoping she had misheard.

"No!"

The shattering glass of the passenger side door being blown out by a gunshot blast caused Annika to scream in startled reaction, and Kate to swerve the wheel of the Maxima. Fighting inertia for a moment it was a tossup as to whether she would keep the vehicle on the road. Then she had the car under control again, and glanced over at the car on the shoulder. It was Cantrell's man, Jimmy, behind the wheel of the car that had passed them on the road before starting back to the gas station. He was trying to force them off the road by slamming the front of his car into the Maxima's fender.

"Are you alright?" Kate asked trying to stay ahead of the man.

"Yes!" Annika responded watching the car pulling up even with them. Something glinted in the moonlight and she recognized the barrel of a shotgun being aimed at them. "Look out!" she shouted instinctively ducking sideways in the seat toward her partner.

Kate's response was to protect her partner and herself at that moment. She reacted by turning the wheel of her vehicle to plow back into the white car next to her. For a moment she thought she might get the edge up as Jimmy's car scraped against the guardrail. Then her edge was lost as she found herself bracketed on the other side by the pickup she had also seen. It occurred to her to wonder how they could have known where to find them so quickly.

"Cantrell used a C.B. radio to contact them," Annika shouted over the squeal of twisting metal, and Kate wondered if she had voiced her question aloud.

But there was no time to ask the question as the Maxima was sandwiched between both vehicles and being forced in a direction of travel. As she was rammed on either side it occurred to Kate that she still had the cowboy's pistol tucked in her waistband. Driving with one hand she reached for the gun and aimed it out the driver's window. She had no intention of killing anyone, but was praying that she might injure them enough to escape. Firing two shots into the passenger door of the pickup she was disappointed when the vehicle only swerved away for a moment and then came right back at them.

That was enough! Thinking quickly she slammed on the brakes and was gratified to see both vehicles roar past. Obviously they hadn't thought of that one, she thought with a grin.

The grin vanished a moment later when they were rammed from behind. Their heads snapped back against the seat before they turned to see the eighteen-wheeler behind them.

Now suddenly they were caught on three sides by the gangsters.

They had to get out of this predicament! "Hang on!" Kate advised.

Luck finally sided with the psychologist as the white car on Annika's side began pulling slightly ahead. Jimmy was fiddling with the shotgun trying to maneuver to get a shot off. He was unprepared when Kate turned the wheel sharply and collided with the rear fender of his car. With his hands off the wheel at the moment of collision he lost control of the vehicle as it was flung into the path of the Maxima. Kate rammed the car going full speed and felt a visceral reaction of triumph as it flipped in the air and landed on its roof. A moment later the white car burst into flame leaving an eerie glow in the night as the other cars continued on their journey uninterrupted.

Kate could see the man on her left prepare for another attempt at ramming her off when the road when he glanced ahead and his eyes widened in surprise. Looking up she could see why as headlights were approaching from the other direction. Since the man had been driving on the wrong side of the road he had no option but to slam on his breaks and try to get behind Kate and the eighteen-wheeler before he was struck in a head-on collision.

All three drivers reacted instinctively by slamming on their brakes. That worked out fine for Kate and Annika, but not so for the driver of the eighteen-wheeler.

Cantrell felt a dip and sway in the rear and glanced back in his mirror. To his intense consternation and fear he realized he had lost control of the trailer behind him. The rig was beginning to jack-knife and there was little he could do to prevent it except control the stopping rate of the rig. The car coming toward them managed to pass before he lost complete control. Then the trailer continued to slide on the pivot until it was taking up the other lane. His rig had almost come to a complete stop when the Deacon realized the bolts connecting the trailer had snapped and it was sliding freely along the highway.

In a way he was relieved. The trailer was a dead weight slowing him down from capturing the two elusive women. It would be easier this way. But where was Darvin?

The driver of the pickup should have caught up by now. His question was answered when the white pickup crashed through the trailer, careening out of control.

Damn it! Now he was mad. Downshifting, Cantrell decided he was going to end it now. Malikai be damned! Moving up closely again he rammed the back of the crumpled Maxima.

"Kate, we must get out from in front of him!" Annika yelled then pointed ahead. "There! Turn onto the bridge."

The redhead spied the bridge in the looming darkness and thought it just might work. If they could turn quickly enough, perhaps Cantrell would be unable to follow. Trying to maintain a steady speed she waited until the last moment before turning the wheel. But without the trailer the Deacon had better control and turned easily behind them.

Not having a great deal of training at high speeds Kate turned the wheel too sharply and lost control. The Maxima turned sideways on the road and stalled. Cantrell saw his opportunity and his grin widened as he slammed his foot down onto the accelerator. Impacting with the passenger side door he pushed the damaged vehicle toward the guardrail and what was potentially a sixty-foot drop into the river below.

"Kate, get out!" Annika shouted urging her lover to open the door and flee.

Kate reached for the handle but nothing happened. Her heart pounded against her ribs as she slammed her shoulder against the door and it still didn't budge. All of the ramming from the other vehicles had damaged the door enough to where it wouldn't open. "I can't! It's jammed!"

The car was being pushed through the guardrail and Kate kept trying to open the door. Then Annika was helping her, leaning over and adding her strength to Janeway's. Still the door stubbornly refused to open. Kate knew that standing on the brakes was only delaying the inevitable.

"Out the window!" the blonde shouted. "Climb out the window!"

As Kate grabbed the windowsill in preparation of climbing out the hood of the car began to crumple from being mashed against the guardrail. She heard Annika shouting, but over the groaning of twisting metal didn't understand that the blonde was saying she couldn't get out. Frowning she glanced down and in the moonlight could see Annika tugging at her legs. They were being pinned by the dash as it caved in from the pressure of the metal guardrail.

"I can't get out!" Annika shouted. "Go, save yourself!"

"I won't leave you!"

The pressure suddenly let off and Kate realized that Cantrell had backed up his truck to get a running start at pushing them over the edge. She put her feet against the dash and pushed as hard as she could to try to give Annika enough room to squeeze out. Just then the truck hit them from behind again. Annika screamed in pain as the dash caved in further.

"No!" Kate shouted tears stinging her eyes. She had to stop this madman!

Reaching up she grabbed the windowsill and climbed onto the edge of the Maxima. Since the car was practically flattened against the guardrail where it had wrapped around it, Kate had to climb over the hood of the car. Then she was on the asphalt running for the cab of the truck. Cantrell ignored the small woman and backed up to get in position for another attack on the vehicle.

Jumping onto the steps Kate reached for the handle and opened the door. The Deacon had already shifted back into gear and was moving forward again. She had no hope of fighting the man for control of the wheel by herself and shouted for Holly's help. "Grab the wheel! Help me turn!"

Having complete faith in the commanding aura of the tiny redhead, Holly bit down on the gag in her mouth and lent her strength to Kate's in turning the wheel. The truck bounded as it hit the front of the Maxima and rolled up onto it. Kate could practically hear Annika scream in pain as the front of the car continued to crumple and the imagined sound lent strength to her limbs. The women were slowly winning the fight and the wheels of the truck rolled over the hood and bounced off the guardrail. Finally the metal barrier gave way with a groan of protest. The windshield shattered impressively under the assault and Kate found herself flying through the opening. She managed to catch hold of the wiper blades and brace her feet against the hood ornament as she felt the rig going over the brink. The truck fell past the edge of the bridge and was caught only by a metal strut that caught the undercarriage. Hanging suspended over the drop Kate knew that the strut wouldn't hold out for long under the truck's weight.

Bit by bit she climbed up the front of the truck. Bit by bit the truck was sliding over the edge. Kate didn't have to worry about Cantrell at the moment as the big man was trying to get to safety himself. Ray opened the door of the truck to get out. He stood on the door and reached for the side rail, using it to hoist himself up onto the back of the cab as Kate climbed into it. Holly was still tied and Kate quickly pulled the tape off her hands.

"Get out of here!" Kate shouted. Holly immediately opened the passenger door and began climbing out as the psychologist headed for the driver's door. But when she reached for the handrail she found that Cantrell was waiting for her. As her hand circled the metal brace his foot came down onto it causing her to lose her grip and shout in pain. Feeling herself begin to fall she reached with her other hand just as he was stepping down again.

Her hand ended around his ankle and their eyes met in mutual understanding. The image of the children that had been kidnapped in Dripping Springs flashed through her mind as well as all of the other countless victims. Then the image of a battered Annika flashed through her memory and all of the anger and frustration Kate had been feeling for days caused her teeth the grind together. Pulling with all of her strength, she managed to throw Cantrell off balance enough to fall from the truck. It was with a certain amount of satisfaction that she heard him scream as he fell to the bottom of the ravine.

The truck bounced again as it continued on its inexorable journey over the edge, drawing Kate back to the present. Looking up she saw that Holly had managed to climb down from the truck onto the safety of the pavement and that the Maxima was hopelessly tangled with the truck.

The metal of the two vehicles was so twisted together that when the truck finally went over the edge it would undoubtedly take the car with it. Only Annika was still pinned in the car! Galvanized by the realization that her lover was only moments away from a horrible death, Kate quickly climbed up the cab of the truck and onto the roadway.

Running to the passenger side she could hear Annika crying in pain and she reached in through the shattered window to assess her injury. The blondes legs were pinned between the seat and the dash. Her jeans had been torn and blood oozed from beneath. She couldn't tell the extent of the injury, but there was no time to worry about that now.

"Don't move," she said as an idea suddenly occurred to her. Running around to the other side she forced the driver's door open and got back into the car.

"I'm going to get you out," she promised putting her arm around Annika's shoulder. "Come on, lean toward me."

Kate had the idea that the seat would give enough to allow the blonde to slide out. Since the edge of the car by the passenger side hadn't caved in as much as the center of the vehicle it should provide just enough room. If Annika could only lean over and rely on her to pull her out they had a fighting chance.

"Pull!" Kate urged as the vehicles jerked toward the edge. "Pull, Annika! Come on!"

Slowly they were making progress. Kate's feet were on the roadway now as she desperately wrapped her arms around the blonde and pulled with everything she had. Abruptly the blonde was free and the two women tumbled onto the ground with Annika landing safely in Kate's arms.

The redhead wrapped her arms around her lover as Annika sobbed in reaction against her chest. "It's okay," she promised, tears of relief leaking from her own eyes. "It's okay, my love."

For a moment they could only hold each other in the heartfelt joy of being reunited safely. Then Kate remembered Cantrell. With their arms around each other, they moved cautiously toward the edge of the bridge and looked over the edge. The headlights of the truck illuminated Cantrell as he lay at the bottom of the ravine. He hadn't fallen into the water but had landed on the rocks below. At first they thought he was dead, but then he turned his head and looked up at them. Blood oozed from his ears and his body was obviously broken, and Kate was surprised to realize that she felt nothing for his predicament.

A scraping sound drew their attention and they turned their heads to see Holly standing beside the truck. She was staring down into the ravine with a cold, smoldering anger in her eyes. "This is for Jaymie, you bastard!"

Holly drew back her foot and kicked the already weakened strut that was now barely holding the truck suspended over the ravine. Kate was sure the kick couldn't have been that forceful, but the metal was weakened that the impact was just enough to send the vehicle on its way.

Unable to watch, Kate buried her face in Annika's breast as the truck went over the edge headed right for the Deacon. "It's alright, Kate. It's alright," Annika assured her holding her close.

The squeal of tires coming to a stop and doors slamming caused them to look up.

Rick Waters was running toward them followed closely by several other men in black suits. "Hansen, are y'all alright? I knew from the carnage up and down the road that you were still alive! Where are they?"

"Its alright, Rick," she said with a smile. "You're a little late."

Nodding with her chin she indicated the ravine below. Rick glanced over the edge and whistled appreciatively. Then he looked back at the two women wrapped unselfconsciously in each others arms. He expected his insides to clinch in response to seeing two women hug each other and was surprised when they didn't. Shaking his head he finally realized that he didn't care what their relationship was. He had always respected Hansen, and Janeway had been pretty amazing the last few days. Their love for each other was obvious, and if they felt anything for each other like what he felt for his wife, what business of his was it? It didn't change who they were.

He could only hope that he would hold onto that open-mindedness, and that it wouldn't prove to be a fleeting thing. Strange how something so profound could occur to you when you least expected it.

"I assume it will be in your report," he said, deciding to let them relive this harrowing experience when they were ready. "Now, let's get you three looked at. Your friend looks a little green around the gills."

Looking at Holly, Kate could see that it was true. The tiny brunette sat on the ground leaning against the ruined Maxima and looking like she was going to retch. Kate knew how painful a gunshot wound was and could only sympathize with the other woman. And after everything she had been through, she couldn't even blame her for what she had done to Cantrell.

As much as she wanted to feel sad at the taking of another life, she could only be relieved that his dark reign had ended. She didn't want to consider that there would be others to replace the man.

"I'm sorry about the car," Kate said to her friend.

Looking at the ruined Maxima Holly could only grin and shrug noncommittally. "The insurance will cover it," she assured her friend. "Especially if you leave that pillowcase of money in it."

Kates eyes widened in shock as she realized that she had forgotten all about the thirty thousand dollars. "Don't bet on it," she joked weakly as she limped over to the car and removed the money. Then she walked back to her partner and linked her arm unselfconsciously around Annika's slender waist.

"Let's go home, my love," she said gazing up at her partner in adoration.

"Yes, my loves," Rick said stepping between them and placing an arm around their shoulders. "Let's go home…after a stop by the local hospital."

Annika and Kate sat on the porch swing at the blonde's home in Dripping Springs. Kate's small feet were in Annika's lap as she stretched out on the wooden seat while the blondes head was leaned against the backrest. Both were content to simply relax in the lazy afternoon sunshine. They never had completed their trip to California, choosing to simply return home after their harrowing experience with the Deacon and his men.

Kate's newly repaired Explorer sat in the driveway and still contained a few boxes of her possessions.

Opening her eyes and glancing toward the vehicle Annika asked, "Are you sure you won't regret moving in here?" It wasn't that the younger woman didn't want Kate to live with her, quite the contrary. She simply didn't want her partner to move in because it was something Annika wanted.

Without opening her eyes Kate smiled and answered. "Not a chance. After being spied on, followed and watched by Cantrell and his men, I cant think of anything more pleasant than the privacy of living in the country. Besides, it's not as if I sold my parent's house. I think renting it out was a good idea."

After their return from Arizona Kate had decided to sell the house in Austin that she had co-owned with Sarah. It had provided the psychologist with a kind of closure from that past relationship, and much of her furniture currently resided in Annika's barn. But she hadn't been sure what to do with the house in Dripping Springs. Annika had suggested renting the house to Holly, and Kate had thought it was a wonderful idea. It hadn't worked out that way; however, as Holly decided to continue to Tucson as she and Jaymie had planned. She was still recovering from her gunshot wound, but promised that she would keep in touch with the two women. She had continued on her way after the insurance company had replaced the Maxima.

Even though Holly had turned her down, Kate had ended up renting the house to an elderly couple that she was sure would take good care of it. The decisions she had made regarding housing had been based largely in part to their experience at the Deacon's hands. Almost losing Annika had been a serious wake up call, and she realized that it didn't matter where she lived as long as they were together.

"What did Rick say when he called?" she asked changing the subject.

The question caused the image of all the debris she had found in the garage overhead to flash through Annika's mind. "He said that investigating the contents of the garage, they linked Cantrell and his men to kidnappings in three other states. After that they talked to the cowboy, Earl. When they told him what they had found, he told them everything. He will be spending the rest of his life in jail."

"If they don't prosecute this as a capitol crime," Kate countered reasonably.

"True," Annika admitted. "But I am unsure if Arizona carries the death penalty. In any case, what you did was very brave and has put an end to a band of cutthroats. I am simply glad that it is over."

Kate allowed herself to bask in the praise from her lover for a moment before she said, "I agree. Now…if you're agreeable, I think we should move this party inside. Say to the bedroom?"

The smoldering tone caught Annika's ear and she turned feigned innocent eyes on the smaller woman. "Why Doctor Janeway, whatever are you suggesting?"

"Why Doctor Hansen," Kate returned sitting up and taking the other woman's hand in her own, "I think that is something better demonstrated than discussed."

"Really?"

"Oh, yes." Kate nodded, tugging the blonde behind her and into the house. "Definitely."

The End

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