"You need to settle down, Agent." There was that voice again. "I'm going to get you to Ca.s.sidy, Agent Toles."

"Cold."

"Yeah, you're in shock. Just relax," he said filling a syringe from a small bottle.

"Thinks I was in New Mexico."

"I know, Agent. I know more than I should. You're gonna be fine. I promised."

Alex could hear the words but it was hard to understand what they meant as the pain began to encompa.s.s her body. A sudden sharp pinch and the words from the deep voice began to fade into a gentle tone. It was so familiar and so comforting. The agent began to relax as the voice echoed in her mind. "Ca.s.s..."

"Where the h.e.l.l did they go?" Steven Brady yelled from the front seat of his car. Reaching the far side of the warehouse, there was no evidence of Christopher O'Brien or Claire Brackett. "s.h.i.t!" The NSA agent bristled at his own actions. "What the h.e.l.l were you thinking, Brady?" he chastised himself. "DAMMIT!" He threw the car into reverse and hit the gas pedal with force. "Alex...I hope you are there."

"What?" Michael Taylor asked for clarification. "When?" He rested his forehead against a closed fist and exhaled the breath that he had been holding. Slowly, he replaced the phone to his ear. "Brady hasn't checked in. What do you mean....Are you certain? We'll need an extraction.....How the h.e.l.l did..." The NSA director nodded his silent understanding to the voice on the other end of the call. "Yeah, I'm here......You want me to call her...I don't know if that's wise. Someone should warn her..... Are you sure? How far out are you?" Taylor shook his head and sighed. "Fine, I'll work on Brady. Keep me in the loop."

"What in the h.e.l.l were you thinking?" Claire Brackett screamed.

"He was pointing a gun at you!"

"Jesus Christ, O'Brien!"

"What was I supposed to do? What are we doing in here anyway?"

Brackett gritted her teeth and groaned. "We're waiting."

"For what?" the congressman asked.

"For the smoke to clear, you idiot."

"Look. Claire...I'm done with this. We..."

"You," she said as she moved to take a menacing position over him, "are just beginning."

"I need to get back to...."

"You aren't going anywhere, Congressman. You'll be lucky if you leave this pier."

Light was just beginning to peek through the tiny slits in the blinds as Ca.s.sidy rolled over. Dylan was sprawled across the bed and she smiled at the contented expression on his face. She stretched and looked over at the alarm clock and sighed. It was not even 6:00 a.m. yet. Occasionally, right about now, Ca.s.sidy would awake to find a tall, sweating agent hovering over her sporting a toothy grin. "One more day," she said to herself as she planted a soft kiss on the sleeping boy beside her. "Coffee now."

The teacher reached over and retrieved her cell phone. She smiled as she opened the text message from Alex. "Ca.s.sidy. I can't explain. I know Rose is with you. Someone is on their way to pick you up. Just be ready, please. You'll understand then. Please, trust me. Pip." Ca.s.sidy froze. This was impossible.

Christopher O'Brien had been prattling on, mumbling for hours about how he needed to get back to Washington. The cement floor was cold, it was damp and he was growing increasingly tired of his surroundings. He was feeling a bit emboldened by the earlier altercation with his ex-wife's new lover, and a bit gratified as well. His constant chatter, albeit nearly inaudible, was grating on Claire Brackett's nerves. The congressman stretched his legs out in front of him and rested all of his weight against the wall. He closed his eyes, recalling the episode hours ago. "See what you get," he sighed as a smirk swept over his face.

"You really are not very bright. Are you?"

"Excuse me?" he asked.

Claire Brackett shook her head. "Krause."

"What about him?"

"Get up, Christopher," she demanded.

"Are we finally leaving this h.e.l.l hole?"

Brackett licked her lips and nodded. "I'm leaving this h.e.l.l hole." The congressman looked at her and a new wave of fear overtook him. She laughed. "If, by h.e.l.l hole you mean this dank warehouse, yes, we are leaving. a.s.suming you can shut up long enough to follow what I tell you."

"And then?" he asked, struggling to lift himself from the floor.

"I have a plan. Just be quiet and wipe that smirk off your face." He grinned a bit wider. "You think if Toles dies all will be well?" She shook her head. "Either way you went from a nuisance to enemy number one."

"She's just an agent."

"You think so? My father had the President of the United States a.s.sa.s.sinated; on the basis of a suggestion. He won't kill Alex Toles. Why do you suppose that is, Congressman?"

"Who knows, Claire?"

"Mm-hum...Well, all I know is that whoever she is connected to is powerful enough to worry my father. No one worries my father."

"No one even knows..."

"Everyone who matters knows we were here or they will within hours. You just keep your mouth shut and do what I say and maybe we will both live long enough to get back to Washington."

"Mom?" Ca.s.sidy gently shook her mother from her sleep.

"Ca.s.sie?" Rose blinked and rubbed the sleep from her eyes as she pulled herself to a sitting position. Ca.s.sidy's expression frightened the older woman. "Ca.s.sie, what is it?'"

"I don't know," Ca.s.sidy faltered.

"I don't understand."

"I got a message from Alex's phone."

"What did she say?" Rose asked.

"It wasn't from her."

"Ca.s.sie, that doesn't make sense."

Ca.s.sidy could not stop trembling. "No. It doesn't, but in a way..."

Rose reached out and took the younger woman's hand. "Ca.s.sie, who was it from?"

"An old friend."

"Of Alex's?"

"No, of mine. It's hard to explain. I just know someone is on their way here. Something is wrong. There is no way that..." She stopped as her body began to shake more violently.

"Sweetheart," Rose pulled her daughter closer. "Alex, she'll be all right."

"What if she's not? Mom? What if she...."

"I don't believe that, Ca.s.sie. You shouldn't either."

Ca.s.sidy took a deep breath and nodded. "I packed a bag. Can you...."

"I'll do whatever you need, you know that. But, what makes you think you..."

"I can't explain it. Pip...if he was with Alex, from what Alex told me...I can't explain, Mom."

Rose pursed her lips and sighed. "Okay. I'll get Dylan up. You do...."

Ca.s.sidy rose from her seat on the bed and headed for the door. "All I can do is wait. That's all I can do." She left the room with her hand on head. "Alex, is this what it was like for you?" Suddenly, Ca.s.sidy realized what it must've been like for the agent when she realized that Carl Fisher had managed to capture Ca.s.sidy. The difference was that Alex moved heaven and earth to reach her. Alex knew what calls to make, where to go; Ca.s.sidy was helpless to do anything but wait. "Alex," she pleaded.

"Where am I?" the agent asked, sensing familiar surroundings.

"You're in good hands, Agent Toles."

"Where's Brady?" she asked, still struggling to pry her eyelids open.

"Still in France, Agent."

"What do you mean?" Alex tried to move and immediately fell back.

"I need you to listen to me, Agent. Don't try to open your eyes. Just listen to me."

"Who..."

"Agent Toles. SPHINX...it's just a start. Do you understand?"

"I don't...."

"Lie low for now. I promise I will help you. But," Jon Krause paused and closed his eyes as he gathered his thoughts. "I made a promise, Agent Toles. Not just to him."

Alex strained to concentrate on the voice. "Who? Ca.s.sidy....I ....""

"She'll be here soon, Toles. Lie low. For now."

"John," she rasped. "Why did you leave?" Alex fought to stay awake as a tear slipped out from under her eyelid and slowly descended the length of her cheek.

Krause watched as the female agent's expression began to relax again and sleep began to overtake her. "You'll get there, Agent. Follow SPHINX. Follow John." He leaned in closer to her. "This is much bigger than you or I, Agent Toles. Just..... Just tell her Pip brought you here. She'll understand. Then you will too." He started to leave just as two men in scrubs began wheeling the gurney away. He stopped them momentarily. "Take care of her. She's...

"Easy to love," Alex muttered as she felt herself being carried away.

Jon Krause nodded his agreement. "Yes, Agent. She is."

Dylan sat at the kitchen table spooning his cereal into his mouth as if in a trance. Ca.s.sidy watched him and silently wondered how she would explain her leaving without upsetting him. "Ca.s.sie," a voice broke through her private pondering. "A car just pulled up out front," Rose whispered in her daughter's ear. Ca.s.sidy closed her eyes, licked her lips and nodded her understanding. "Do you want me to," Rose began.

"No," Ca.s.sidy answered. "I should answer it."

Rose attempted to offer her daughter an encouraging smile. The older woman's own apprehension had grown in the last hour. She didn't know much about Alex's job. She did know there were dangers attached to it and she did know that Alex meant the world to her daughter and her grandson. "G.o.d, please just let her be okay," she softly whispered.

"Keep praying that, Mom," Ca.s.sidy called back as she headed for the door.

Ca.s.sidy's hand was trembling so fiercely that it was difficult for her to grasp the door k.n.o.b and turn. She had been filled with a sense of dread ever since Alex had climbed into the car to leave a few days earlier. Now, she confronted her worst fears. Where was the agent? Was she hurt? Did someone take her? Was she dead? She shook her head slightly trying to banish all of her questions and opened the door. "Ca.s.sidy," a soft voice greeted her. Her eyes grew wide and then narrowed in an attempt to process the sight before her. "Not who you expected, I guess," the woman said reaching for Ca.s.sidy's hand.

"Jane?"

"It's a long story," Jane smiled genuinely.

"Alex...is she..."

"No. But, we need to get you to her."

Ca.s.sidy nodded and then began to speak, "Jane...is Alex...."

"I'll explain on the way; what I know anyway. Which isn't much, Ca.s.sidy. It could be a couple of..."

"I already packed."

"He called you then?" Jane asked.

Ca.s.sidy searched the woman before her silently with her eyes. "How do you know..."

Jane Merrow smiled. "Oh, Ca.s.sidy. We all have our secrets. You thought it was only you, huh?" Ca.s.sidy's composure relaxed slightly. She was still terrified of what she might find when she reached Alex, but it was clear that Alex was alive and that put her greatest fear at bay, at least for the moment.

"What am I going to tell Dylan?" Ca.s.sidy was visibly worried about how Dylan would react to her departure.

"Why don't you let me lead?" Jane suggested. She gently rubbed Ca.s.sidy's shoulder.

Ca.s.sidy led Jane the short distance to the kitchen. Dylan had taken possession of one of his action figures and was playing at the table. "Look who I found," she announced as lightheartedly as she could manage.

"h.e.l.lo, Dylan," Jane called over to receive a smiling wave. The former first lady turned and faced the older woman at the counter whose jaw had dropped several inches. "You must be Rose," Jane greeted warmly. "Alex speaks so highly of you. Nice to finally meet the legend," she winked.

"Mrs. Merrow, I...."

"Please...Jane. I told Ca.s.sidy already, Alex is family; so are all of you." She tightened her grasp gently on the older woman's hand and released it. "Dylan," she said as she made her way to him. "Could I borrow your mom for a bit?"

He looked up at her and shrugged. "I have to go to school."

Jane fought a genuine laugh. "Do you like school, Dylan?"

"Sure," he said.

"I promise I will get her back as soon as I can."

The small boy looked at her and nodded. "Alex comes home tomorrow."