Episode 14: Crossing Jordan

Episode 14: Crossing Jordan
by Toni Walker

Avery Ashton didn’t know how long it had been since she called for help but all she did know was that she couldn’t stop shaking. The men in the front room were only now starting to wake up and one of them stood in her doorway watching her.

“Heard you had a little excitement last night.”

She turned and saw Tucker McLeod. “Excitement? You call what I went through last night excitement? That was torture. You let him get to me.”

Tucker remained in the doorway leaning lazily against the door jam.

“If I am not mistaken, this was *your* lame brained scheme. Remember, I know you, Avery. I know how your mind works. You did date my brother for a year, after all.”

“This is not what I expected.”

Avery knew when to turn on the waterworks and her eyes dripped with fake tears, at least, Tucker thought they were fake tears. He had no way of knowing that Casanova really had been there last night. All he could see were the police officers passed out in the living room and her ripped clothing and a tiny scar on her cheek that ran a beet red line down her face.

“Do me a favor and keep your wild schemes to yourself. It’s not like it’s a secret that you want to drag Parker into your bed. We all can see it. You stick to him like some trained dog waiting for a command. Can’t you see that Parker has a thing for someone else?”

“That’s -- That’s not true.”

“Sure it is. You weren’t in San Francisco with him when he met, what’s her name? Zan? You could have melted bricks with the looks those two were exchanging.” Tucker seemed to enjoy the role reversal. He hadn’t had the pleasure of torturing Avery before in the same way Avery tortured everyone else in her life. He found it to be somewhat of a kick.

“Shut up. Leave me alone.” Avery laid her head back on the pillow and pulled the covers up to her chin.

“Whatever you say.”

Tucker closed the door on Avery and sauntered slowly back into the room where the officers were recovering. Zan and Trent had arrived while he was in with Avery.

“How is she?” Zan asked. “She sounded frantic on the phone.”

“Melodramatic as always but safe. If Casanova really did anything to her, it was purely psychological. Parker and I have been fairly certain from the get go that she’s been playing him. Unluckily for her, she seems to have drawn the psycho out of hiding again.”

“You think this whole thing -- that Avery was making it up?” Trent asked.

“Up until last night? Yes. But one of the officers saw a glimpse of a man crawling into Avery’s window before he passed out. He wasn’t able to phone us but his testimony jives her story.” Tucker took charge of his men and ordered a new team to replace the ones off to the hospital.

“Where’s Parker?” asked Zan. “Shouldn’t he be here too?”

A hint of a smile lifted the edge of Tucker’s mouth. “He was more worried about his ex-partner, Samantha than Avery. I’m sure if you hadn’t been preoccupied with Trent here that Parker may have spent part of the evening with you. But his interest in you seemed to have spooked you last night.”

Trent gave Zan an intense look. “That’s what was bothering you last night?”

Her silence was telling.

***

Jaxx Sinclair wasn’t sure what had happened to Charlie Cooper and Karen last night but their disappearance was worrying him. He’d already put a call into the police station and no one had seen either Karen Chamberlain or Sheriff Cole since the previous night.

His first thought was the hospital. Maybe Karen had been injured last night. Charlie, however, could have wandered off to a next door neighbor‘s house. He wasn‘t certain about anything. Frankly, he had already gotten too involved in the lives of the residents of Park Ridge. All he had come back for was closure on his sister‘s death, not to delve into a mystery.

He had been sitting in the parking lot contemplating his options when Charlie’s nurse friend, Sydney Green knocked on his Jeep window.

“How’s Charlie doing?” she asked after Jaxx rolled down his window.

“Good question. She and Karen disappeared on me last night. You don’t know who Charlie would go to when she’s in trouble, do you?”

Sydney laughed. “Charlie? In trouble? Not gonna happen. That girl is the most straight laced person I know.”

Jaxx got out of his Jeep. He literally towered over Sydney. An envelope fluttered to the ground as he exited.

“You dropped something,” Sydney said. She leaned down to pick up the invitation, then whistled. “Not in town a week and you’ve already been invited to an exclusive McKenna Corp function? You must have friends in high places.”

“What do you mean?” Jaxx accepted the invitation. “Paragon Island? Maybe that’s where Charlie and Karen have gone.”

“You never know. Good luck on the search.”

Jaxx turned to get back into his Jeep but then stopped short. “Interested in attending the party of the year?”

***

Charlie listened as Cole and the black woman bickered in the front seat of the black sedan. They thought they were safe. They thought they could speak frankly amongst themselves since the cone-of-silence aka the window separating the front and back seat was in place. But the thing was either not working properly or left open enough for Charlie to hear most of what they were saying.

“What does McKenna want with the girl anyway?” Cole asked. “It’s not like she can give him the clue to Paul’s whereabouts.”

“Mr. McKenna believes Charlie holds a clue to the final sequence that will allow the scientists to finish the weapon. He merely wants to question her himself,” Asia Mott said with a bit of venom in her voice.

“Question her, hell. Torture her is more like it. And Wayne isn’t much better than dear ole dad.”

“They each have their own issues to work through with Miss Cooper.” Asia Mott’s voice never once betrayed her employers true motives, but Charlie was sure her trip to hell would be a short journey. If hell had dark angels, she would definitely be one.

“I have to get out of here,” Charlie whispered to herself. She tried to open the door but it was locked and there was no way to unlock it from the back seat.

The sedan began to slow down and Charlie’s heart jumped into her throat.

“Do not get out of the car, Cole,” Asia insisted. “We have a deadline to keep.”

Cole smiled and gestured to the long legs of the woman stranded by the side of the highway. Her head was peeking under the hood of her old beat up Mustang.

“I’m the Sheriff and she’s stranded. It’s my job to help her.”

Asia let out a slow breath. He was out the door before she could protest a second time. Rain began to drip on the hood of the car and pebbles of moisture streaked down the windshield.

“Great,” she muttered.

“What seems to be the problem, little lady?”

The young woman looked over her shoulder and smiled. She was wearing Daisy Duke short shorts and a barely-there top. His eyes appreciated the sight she made. And that image was getting better by the minute now that she was getting wet. She didn’t seem to mind the rain and brushed a wet strand of hair out of her face.

“Thank God you’re here. It just died. I don’t know why. Everything seems to be in working order as far as I can tell but my flashlight is out of batteries so I can’t get a good look at all the connections.” She held out her hand. “My name is Jordan.”

“Sheriff Cole Dalton at your service.”

“Sheriff? Well my lucky stars must be watching out for me tonight if the first car along just happens to be the sheriff. Karma is on my side for a change.”

“Can I offer you a lift into town?”

“That would be great. I’m on my way to the Island. Got a new gig to waitress and sing in some big hotel over there.”

Cole chuckled. “It really must be your lucky day. We’re on our way to Paragon Island ourselves.”

“Fabulous. Let me get my suitcase. I travel pretty light.” He raised an eyebrow at her one and only battered suitcase. “I move around a lot.”

Cole put her bag into the trunk and opened the back door. She leaned in and then let out a loud giggle. She sat down next to Charlie and the door closed.

“What are you doing here?” Charlie asked. “I thought you were on your way to Hollywood.”

“I took a left turn at Albuquerque.” She smiled and leaned in for a big hug. “How ya doin’ big sis?”

***

Karen Chamberlain fished the cell phone out of her pocket. She placed a call to a familiar number not saved in the address book of her cell. She couldn’t afford to let anyone know about this private line.

The man that answered didn’t reveal himself.

“You’re not going to believe this. McKenna is inviting everyone to the island.” Karen fingered the invitation she’d received hours earlier. She felt guilty for leaving Jaxx in the lurch but she had no choice. She had a mission here. “I know that psycho is searching for the final sequence and he isn’t sure who Paul gave it to. I know it’s a trap.”

“McKenna won’t give up, Karen. You know him. And anyway, we have bigger fish to fry. Paul escaped.” Erik Winters moved the curtain a fraction of an inch and peeked outside.

“He escaped? Why didn’t you call me sooner.”

“We didn’t discover it until a few minutes ago,” Erik admitted.

“It was Adam, wasn’t it? Adam strikes again.. No one has ever gone fugitive on your watch, Erik.” Karen sighed in frustration.

“Give the man a break, Chamberlain. He and his wife are having trouble again. Paul waited until he was distracted, then booked. Paul is concerned about Charlie and Joy. He’s convinced McKenna is going to get tonight.”

“The man has good instincts. I think someone snatched her right under Jaxx and my nose.”

“There is another problem though. I never had a chance to tell Paul about his condition. If he does find Charlie, she may not recognize him. Or worse, it may push her further into Wayne’s arms.

“I thought the distortion of his cells had calmed down. The last time I saw him he looked fairly normal.” Karen was not ready for Paul or Charlie to reunite but she didn’t want the man to morph into a monster either.

“The condition came back suddenly this afternoon. Not sure why. My concern is that the disfigurement will remain permanent. Once he finds out about his face, he’ll return to the island, I’ll guarantee it. He’ll have to break into his secret lab to fix his condition.”

“I agree with you,” Karen said. “Take Adam and get to Cooper’s lab. Tell Adam to block his wife’s number on his cell. The last thing we need is her distracting him.”

“Already taken care of.”

“Meet up with you in, say, an hour?”

“Got it.

***

“I have to admit, I’ve never seen you looking quite so disheveled, Avery.”

“Shut up, Tucker. I don’t want to talk anymore. Go away.” Avery threw the covers over her head. She really didn’t want to deal with anyone now, especially Tucker.

“I thought you would have recognized my voice by now considering I’m the father of your child.”

Avery slowly lowered the cover from her head.

“You’re -- You’re dead,” Avery stuttered.

“When you do a job, Ashton, you might want to make sure the deed is done to its fullest. It was a surprisingly fast recovery considering the deep hatred I harbored for you.”

Avery had no words for Trey McLeod.

Trey grabbed a handful of Avery’s blond hair. “I’ve been watching you, Avery.” He gestured to the men lounging in the other room. “This is who you replace me with? Tucker’s do-good partner?”

Tears came to Avery’s eyes. “He’s more man that you’ll ever be, you freak.”

“Freak now, is it?” Trey ran a finger Avery’s cheek. “ remember when those lips begged me to make love to you. And that wasn’t so very long ago, in fact.”

Avery reared back from him, but not far enough to get out of his reach. Her body trembled, yet she remained rooted to the spot.

“Yes,” Trey whispered. “You fear me, but you still want me. I can feel it.”

“You’re sick. Leave me alone.”

Another voice came from the bedroom door. “Yeah, leave the lady alone.”

Trey didn’t bother to turn and acknowledge the voice. “Ah, Mr. Sutherland. Fancy yourself a hero, do you?” He chuckled. It was low and menacing.

“Maybe you didn’t hear me, McLeod. Leave the lady alone.” Leo leveled his weapon at Trey.

“You surprise me, Leo. I had no idea you had so much grit in you.” Trey squeezed Avery’s hair and she screamed in pain. He used the distraction to throw Leo off balance then he thrust Avery’s body into his and both of them tumbled to the floor.

“Love to stay around and chat and reminice about old times but I must depart.”

By the time Leo disentangled himself from Avery Trey had escaped.

Avery got up slowly, almost in a daze. “Was that Casanova?” she asked, her voice as shaky as her trembling body.

“Casanova?,” Leo said skeptically. “It would make my job easier if he was. At least then I’d have a face for this killer.”

“What does he want with me?” Avery asked.

Leo slanted an intense look at Avery. “That’s a very good question. Why would a psycho like McLeod terrorize you the same time a serial killer is hot on your heels? Either you’re not telling me everything or you have some seriously bad karma.”

Leo grabbed his cell phone out of his pocket and walked toward the door. “I’m going to call this in. You might want to get your story straight before I return.”

Episode 13: Invitation to Terror

Episode 13: Invitation to Terror
by Toni Walker

"I believe I've come up with an idea of how to get everyone together... including the elusive Paul Cooper." Asia Mott was dressed in a severe maroon suit that screamed corporate. Her hair was picture perfect, not one strand out of place. Everything about her was very well put together, at least, that was the image she wanted to portray.


Asia sat the prospectus in front of Braxton McKenna. As far as WayneCorp went, Braxton was the be-all and end-all. He made the ultimate decisions.


Braxton didn't completely trust his son, Wayne to always see his side of the issues at hand. Today would be no different, he was sure. His son believed the L300 was a weapon being sold to the government through slightly shady channels. But what he didn't know was that Braxton was selling it to the leader of a drug cartel, Antonio Santos. And these people didn't take no for an answer. They were tired of waiting for their product. They didn't understand that the final sequence to complete the ultimate pulse weapon was in the hands of a woman who had no idea what she was in the middle of.


Braxton studied the prospectus. A party on Paragon Island, and everyone was invited. "Brilliant, Asia. Truly brilliant." He closed the folder and folded his hands together.
Tomorrow he would have the sequence and be rid of his pesky complications all at the same time.


The CEO chuckled. "Maybe we should rename it Terror Island? Because before we're done, we're going to make them all wish they were never born."

***

Adam Lear stood outside of Braxton's office listening at the door using a device he had obtained during his tenure as a special agent in charge of witness relocation.


"Terror Island? Damn," he muttered. He knew he was going to have to find a way to get himself invited to this shindig. But that might be a problem considering Braxton didn't trust him as much as he used to. And he was sure he had Asia to blame for that. Interfering bitch.


His security clearance hadn't changed, but he was no longer included in the key pow-wows like before.


He listened intently hoping to discover exactly what those two were up to.
Asia hung up a phone and her heels clipped toward the center of the room where Braxton's desk sat.


"I believe our men have found them, sir."


Adam was sure Asia looked like the cat that ate the canary. She was both excited and impressed with herself. She worked hard to maintain that shiny corporate image. Everything about her was flawless, planned to the Nth degree, but flawless none the less.


Asia laid a schematic in front of father McKenna. The map was plotted with various intel her men had gathered.


"A man fitting Paul Cooper's description was seen leaving a doctor's office downtown. We tracked him to a single apartment over a hardware store."


"Do we know if the L300 scrambled his brain, or is he still fundamentally himself?" Braxton donned a pair of reading glasses and peered at the small text.


"We aren't certain, sir. But I will have that looked into, if you would like."


"Good. Good. If Paul Cooper is walking around with the sequence dancing around in his head, then I want him brought to me."


"Right away, Mr. McKenna."


Adam didn't like this development at all. If they had discovered the place he'd hidden Cooper, then Joy Sinclair's location could be all but compromised. He quickly grabbed his things and exited the building, dialing on his cell phone as he entered his Mustang.


"Hey, it's me. They're onto us. Get Joy somewhere safe. I'm heading on over to Paul's. Trouble is on the way," Adam said.


"Do you want me to call Karen?," Erik Winters asked. The three of them had been working to keep Paul and Joy safe for nearly two years.


"No, I'll do it. I don't think she's going to be too happy about this new development."


"Damn, Adam. Neither am I," Erik muttered. "As soon as I hang up, I'm setting the house a blaze and high tailing it to the alternate location."


"Will do. See you there if I don't encounter trouble."

***

Outside Charlie's cabin an hour later
The hooded figure came closer to Cole Dalton, but the gun he held didn't waver. The closer the person came, the easier it was to tell it was a woman. Under the black velvet hood was a beautiful woman of color. It took Cole a moment to realize she was Wayne's right hand man, Asia Mott.


He held the gun to his side. "You scared the living shit out of me. Damn woman."
Asia came up to Cole and placed her well manicured hand to the side of his face. "Such language from such a handsome man.


Cole held her hand there for a moment longer than he needed and then pulled it away. "What's the matter? Wayne afraid I won't get Charlie there in one piece?"
"Oh, nothing like that Cole. I just watch out for Wayne's interests as well as those of Wayne's father, Braxton McKenna."


Charlie Cooper couldn't contain herself much longer. What were these people doing here and what was she talking about?


"Wait a minute! Wait a gosh darn minute. Get Charlie where? Am I going somewhere?"


Asia pulled out a square silver envelope and handed it to Charlie. "Mr. Braxton McKenna and his son would like to invite you to his private island for a very special party."


Charlie's eyes lit up. She loved parties. She and Paul used to attend WayneCorp parties all the time.


Cole eyed Asia suspiciously. What was she up to?


He watched Charlie open the invitation. It was written in a beautiful script, probably handmade and probably a real pain in the ass to get made on such short notice. Braxton McKenna was like that. When he wanted something, he wanted it immediately, if not faster.


"I hope my sudden appearance didn't frighten you considering your ... current circumstances." Asia watched as Charlie glanced over her shoulder.


"No, no, I'm fine. But Jaxx, he thinks I should stay here and stay out of the fight. But.. it looks like it's over now, so all is well, I guess."


Cole positioned himself like a wall between Asia and Charlie. "Wayne is frightened for your safety." He looked toward the after effects of the fight between Jaxx and Karen and the hoodlums. "For obvious reasons. Someone wants to do you harm, Charlie. And Wayne thinks that you would be safer if you stayed at the McKenna mansion."


"He's right," Asia added. "The mansion has state-of-the-art security so nothing like this would happen again."


"Oh..., okay. Just let me tell Jaxx..."


"No!" Asia said suddenly. "Let me tell Mr. Sinclair. I'm sure he would agree that staying with Wayne is the best thing to do."


Charlie shrugged and exited the Jeep. Before she followed Cole toward his car parked down the street, she reached back in and grabbed her mysterious puzzle box.


"Can't leave this behind," Charlie said with a smile.


"You coming, Mott?" Cole yelled back.


"Not right now, Mr. Dalton. I have a few more invitations to deliver."


The smile that crossed her face as Cole helped Charlie into his car was down right evil incarnate.

***

"What in the hell is going on in this town?"


Jaxx Sinclair was tired of walking into wall after wall. When he tried to find out information about Joy's accident, he hit a wall. When he tried to help Charlie, he hit another wall. This town had too many damn walls and it was beginning to look down right suspicious.


"I'm sure she's perfectly fine. She probably got scared and went into the house..." Karen said, glancing into the darkened windows of the cabin.


"But I told her to stay out here!"


"And the hospital also told her to stay overnight, but she's still here, isn't she? Even though she's a sweet girl, Charlie doesn't always do what she's told."


"I'm beginning to notice that."


Karen Chamberlain glanced into the car looking for any clue when she found a square silver envelope with her named written in a beautiful script on the front. There was also one for Jaxx.


While Jaxx checked the back yard for signs of Charlie, Karen opened her invitation.
Dear Karen and Paul, the letter began. Karen held the card to her breast. Damn! Someone knew Paul was alive?


She slammed the door of the Jeep so hard it dislodged the the silver envelope with Jaxx's name. The invitation fell into a crevice between the gear shift and the seat. Only a corner of it was visible to the naked eye.


When Jaxx returned from the backyard, not only was Charlie no where to be found, but Karen was now gone as well.


"What in the hell?" Jaxx shook his head and walked over to the deputies. Maybe coming back to this town had been a bigger mistake than he realized.

Episode 12: Lost and Found

Episode 12: Lost and Found
by Toni Walker

"I think you're wrong."


Marcey Chamberlain whispered to her companion across the darkened corner booth. Her auburn hair gleamed like fire, but Cole Dalton didn't seem to notice. He seemed all but indifferent to the woman seated across from him.


"It doesn't matter who's wrong or who's right. Wayne McKenna is calling the shots here, and he thinks Muse is a threat."


Cole filled his side of the booth stretching his arms across the top of the seat.


"Muse is a threat?" Marcey burst out laughing. "Is he insane? The only thing she's worried about is whether her father finds out she's remained friends with me. Now that he's being challenged for his mayoral seat by my sister, Karen."


She wasn't finished yet as she continued her spiel without taking a breath.


"Muse is only concerned with Muse. She's been that way her entire life."


Marcey leaned forward more in interest in the man across from her than the topic of their conversation. She took in the lines of his jaw, firm and toned. He was definitely a man she wanted to stare at all day.


Cole's phone chirped and he noted the number on the display. He was up and standing before Marcey could reach for his hand.


"It's McKenna. I have to take this." He flipped open the cell, placed it at his ear and walked away.


Marcey sighed. "Sure, take the call. It's not like we were in the middle of dinner or anything." Her words were barely audible, her confidence in their relationship dwindling.


She was tired of Cole putting everything and everyone before her. Hell, most people probably didn't know they were even seeing each other. Cole seemed to pick the most out of the way restaurants and the darkest corners.


At first, she thought it was romantic, but now his actions seemed on the legit side of shady.
Cole kept walking until he was outside. He didn't stop until he came to a deserted area near the parking lot. He had to make sure no one knew the upstanding police chief was working with someone like power-hungry Wayne McKenna on a project that might not seem entirely legitimate to the general public.


Wayne and his family had a reputation in Park Ridge. They were domineering, big-headed chauvinists who molded themselves into the Midwest's royal family. But they were far from noble, and rumor had it that they would do anything to get what they wanted.


Cole didn't exactly want to be on the receiving end of young or old McKenna's wrath.
"What's up, sir?" Even though he wasn't the nicest man on Earth, Cole knew how to treat those in power - - it was all about respect.


"Charlotte's been released from the hospital. Why wasn't I informed immediately?" Wayne paused and the silence was telling. "I don't have time for subtly any longer. This isn't the way I wanted it to play out, but I can't afford to wait. My father is irrate, not to mention the buyer has stepped up the deadline."


Cole could hear McKenna pacing on the other end of the connection. He was one of the few who knew Wayne was genuinely interested in Charlie Cooper in a romantic way. Deciding to get rid of her or reveal his not so good side, was a big step in a direction Cole wasn't sure Wayne wanted to take.


"Bring her to me," he said, finally. "We have to find out what Paul told her."


"All right. On my way."


Cole snapped the phone closed and headed for his squad car. The owner of the restaurant knew to put the bill on his account. He was used to such interruptions, but Marcey might not appreciate being left high and dry again. But he didn't care. To him, she was only an informant. He didn't care what she thought their relationship was - - as long as the information kept flowing in.


Cole sped away from the restaurant heading in the direction of Charlie's cabin. He knew McKenna was planning a clean sweep of her house in order to find the missing sequence Paul had stolen. Without it, Wayne couldn't complete his little spy gun and rake in the dough his family obviously didn't need.


Just as he expected, the cleaners were at the cabin. In the distance something caught his eye, two people he wasn't expecting were causing a scene with the cleaner team. Jaxx Sinclair and Karen Chamberlain.


"What are they doing here?" he grumbled. Cole shook his head. "He's worse than a damn reporter." But Cole knew Jaxx wouldn't let up on the search for his sister until he not only found the body, but the truth as well.


He approached the scene formulating a plan. Maybe he would give Jazz what he wanted. It didn't matter if it was the truth, as long as he believed it. Then when Jaxx was out of town, he'd find an interesting way to deal with Ms. Chamberlain.


Light a light switch, Cole refocused his attention as he approached the cabin. He was on the far side of the action. That was why no one noticed him. Considering what was going on out front, he doubted Miss Prim and Proper Charlie Cooper was inside the cabin. Too risky for her soft heart.


Cautiously, he slipped up on the dark Jeep, and, like he expected, she was sitting quietly inside the vehicle. He leaned down and into the open window.


Charlie gasped and dropped the silver cell phone she had clutched in her hands.


"Cole? My God, you scared the life out of me."


She was breathless from the shock of knowing someone had broken into her little cabin. It had been so safe until she decided to go poking around in her husband's mysterious accident.
"What are you doing here?" she asked.


He gave himself a moment to come up with a convincing lie. He didn't like to be rushed.


"I was at dinner and heard a report on the scanner that your house was being broken into."


"Wow," she mouthed silently. "You must have been pretty darn close then, because I just called 911 a minute ago."


That surprised Cole, but at least it fit in with his story.


"It's my night off, but I wanted to see how quickly my men would respond."


Charlie wasn't exactly the brightest light in the universe. So, he was confident she'd believe him. Her life had been a charmed one up until her husband's death. She's been the most popular girl in high school, a cheerleader with abundant school spirit, and eventually the Homecoming Queen three years running. Bad things didn't seem to happen to her, and then Paul Cooper waltzed into her life and her luck went from good to completely bad.


Cole chatted with Charlie trying to keep her calm while he considered the best way to draw her away from the scene of the crime.


Down the street, a dark car approached and doused its lights. A figure emerged dressed all in black and quietly slipped out of the car and up to Cole. His steps made no sound.


The man was noiseless, and his presence not even known until he laid a hand on Cole's shoulder. The police man spun around and reached for his gun spontaneously. He easily trained it on his unexpected visitor.

***

"What are you doing here?" Jaxx Sinclair asked curiously.


He fought with one masked adversary while Karen Chamberlain beat up a second who had unluckily decided to take her on.


"Well, I thought we had a date," she smiled at him while she punched the dark man in the face. "You stood me up."


Karen's opponent fell to the ground unconscious. She turned to take on Mr. Third, but the one watching from the shadows sped off in the direction of the cemetary.


"Chicken."


"I did not stand you up. Something came up."


Jaxx continued to fight the masked man. He hoped Charlie had some sense and remained in his Jeep.


"Something always does. Need some help?"


"No, I've got it." Jaxx spun in a circle and knocked the man to the ground using a modified round-house kick. He wasn't quite as limber as Karen. Her kicks were Jackie Chan perfect.
The two men in black ended up nearly on top of each other catching some zzz's. Karen smirked at the sight of them.


"That's convenient. No messy clean up."


Jaxx's stare was withering but Karen only laughed.


"Come on," he said. "I think I have some rope in the Jeep. We can tie them up and hand them over to the authorities."


"Do you impress all your girls by kicking the crap out of the bad guys?" Karen asked.
"Considering I don't have a girl at the moment, I'd have to answer that with a no."
"If you want one, I'm available."


Jaxx's scowl broke into a grin. "Don't tempt me. I just might take you up on that offer."


Karen came up next to Jaxx and whispered in his ear, "I dare you," then she took off at a sprint toward the Jeep. Jaxx quickly followed. He ambushed her at the rear of the vehicle locking her between the Jeep and the prison of his arms.


"I'm not used to women like you, Karen."


"Maybe you've been looking in all the wrong places."


Karen jumped up and circled her legs around Jaxx's waist. "Since I saw you this morning, all I've wanted to do is this."


She pressed herself into Jaxx and deeply kissed him. Her mouth feathered across his. The attraction was mutual. He quickly surrendered to the contact.


"Now that's more like it," Karen said against his mouth. Her smile was dazzling.


They would have continued if a uniformed police officer had interrupted their mating ritual. Karen was unashamed of the position she found herself in. If the officer was uncomfortable, he could just go find himself another partner because Jaxx was all hers.
"Excuse me, but we received a call that this house had been broken into."


He must have been a newbie because Karen didn't recognize him. She pointed in the direction of the crumpled bodies. "There's your men, officer." She shooed him away to go deal with the bad guys.


"Don't you think we should give a statement?"


"As long as I don't have to move from this position, I'm game for anything."


"Don't worry," he said, feeling her backside in his palm. "I'm not complaining. Maybe Charlie could deal with the police. She saw the entire thing."


"She did?" Karen glanced around. "I don't see her. Where's she hiding?"


"In the Jeep."


"Unless she's a ghost, Charlie is not in there."


Jaxx dropped Karen, much to her protest, and examined the vehicle.


She was right. Charlie was gone.

Episode 11: Nothing Ventured

Episode 11: Nothing Ventured
by Toni Walker

Jaxx Sinclair still couldn't believe Charlie could be so foolish. She didn't know him from Adam. He kept his eyes on the road ahead trying to reign in his inner critic who undoubtedly wanted to give Charlie a piece of its mind. Somehow he managed to keep his tongue and his attitude in check.


Charlie arched an inquisitive eyebrow at her new friend who had so kindly offered to drive her home. Well, officially, she had to persuade him, but technicalities like that all evened out somewhere in the mix.


"Your sister told me about you," Charlie Cooper warned. Her eyebrows remained arched, smiling at Jaxx as if sh she knew some wild secret about his past.


Jaxx Sinclair smiled. "Nothing good, I suppose?"


Charlie's smile was sly and dangerous. It had been a long time since she had any real fun in her life.


"Oh, it was all good. She painted you as the dragon-slaying, damsel-saving, hero-who-doesn't-want-to-be-a-hero type."


He stared at her evenly and tried hard not to snarl. Did people really believe that crap? But it figured that Joy would make him out to be something he wasn't -- a good guy. And he was by no stretch of the imagination, a superhero.


Jaxx remained silent the rest of the drive to Charlie's house. Mostly because he didn't have anything to say, and he wasn't the type to idly chit-chat. He'd really lost his mind letting her talk him into breaking her out of the hospital in the middle of the night.


"I appreciate you bringing me home," she said suddenly, as if reading his mind. She looked small and naive in his hulking Jeep. She was just too damn trusting. He could have been anyone tonight, even someone pretending to be Joy's brother.


"Your sister had complete faith in you, so why shouldn't I?" Charlie had told him earlier at the hospital.


Jaxx had voiced his concerns at the time, but she was as stubborn as a mule.


"Oh, posh. It's a small town. What's the worst that could happen?" Her words from earlier echoed in his head. The question was left unanswered considering he'd pondered the worst for two days now.


Everything kept coming back to McKenna and this special project he had several members of WayneCorp. working on in secret. Jaxx felt a headache coming on, but something else was niggling at the back of his mind. His spider sense was ringing like crazy, and that could only mean trouble.


He only half listened to Charlotte talk when he realized he hadn't kept his meeting with Karen Chamberlain. There was definitely something unusually lethal about that woman. He'd had similar feelings about other tough-as-nails female operatives before, but Karen was a chameleon. She'd be a difficult one to pin down. She probably had a hidden agenda. She seemed the type.


Thus far, both of them seemed particularly interested in the silver locket and what secrets it held.


"You're quiet over there." Charlie broke his concentration just as he pulled into her driveway.


"Must be jet-lag." That was one of his classic excuses. It worked well because it always sounded plausable. "We're here."


The little cabin next to the cemetery was quiet. Birds twittered and crickets chirped. But it was the single light dancing inside of Charlie's cabin that had his full attention.


"Stay in the car," Jaxx cautioned. His tone was soft, yet firm. He reached for the door handle as she asked, "Why."


Silently he put a finger to his lips and pointed to her cabin.


"Oh..." she said as if she clearly understood. But she didn't. "I still don't get it."


This time his voice was firm and definitely menacing as he whispered barely audible words in her ear. "You have an intruder in your house, so stay put!"


"OH!" This time she understood.


Jaxx stealthfully slid up to the house, a virtual shadow in dark clothing. He peeked an eye inside one window. The place was ransacked. Somebody was looking for something. And it didn't look as if they were having any luck finding it.

***

Muse Williams had never been so tired in her life. It had been a stupid plan, she could admit that now. But at least it had turned Wayne McKenna's attention onto her. He found her not long after she checked out of the exclusive hospital.


"Your father is not very happy with you, Muse." Wayne snatched her arm roughly as he pulled her toward his awaiting Astin Martin.


Muse smiled under her pallor. Wayne frightened her, but the excitement almost made up for the fear.


"Palmer's PR guys are going to pitch a fit over this tomorrow morning."


"What's the difference? People know how I am, and most people don't believe half of what they read these days."


Wayne wasn't convinced by her logic.


"And most people don't have the unveiling of a secret prototype looming over their heads, either."


"Are you afraid someone is going to run amuck with your secret little spy gun?"


"With stunts like you pull, I'm surprised some noisy Fed hasn't come sniffing around. I've had Charlotte Cooper's cabin under surveillance for some time. It's not nice to play God with people I want to gain the trust of."


Wayne was not happy with her, Must could tell.


"Then it's lucky you were there to save the day, wasn't it?."


"I warn you, Muse. Don't test me. You don't want me as an enemy."


No, she wouldn't want that. She just plain wanted him.


"You're such a worry wart." Muse knew she was pressing her luck, but when it came right down to it, she knew no other way to play the game. She knew he would be mad -- and he was.
At least, she had successfully pulled his attention off of Charlie Cooper. The woman was a relentless do-gooder. She had a soft spot for saving children and animals. What man didn't like that? But now, even with her various worthwhile causes, Charlie had failed.


Wayne's eyes were now focused elsewhere, and Must was going to make damn sure she was the next woman in his life, the next Mrs. Wayne McKenna.

***

There were at least three people at various points all around the cabin. One inside. One in the shed and one keeping watch at the side of the house.


Jaxx had no firepower, but he wasn't that shoddy at hand to hand combat. All he had to really worry about was getting shot in the chest. Slowly he approached the man at the side of the cabin. He was sporting an automatic weapon. Seemed a little like overkill to Jaxx, but he doubted the men were here due to their genius intelligence.


Jaxx grabbed a few pebbles from the driveway and tossed them past the man with the gun, attracting his attention. Before he could pounce on the intruder, someone else came flying out of the shadows pummeling the man with street-fighting skills he hadn't seen in years. The blond woman punched the intruder clean in the face and kicked him where it would do maximum damage.


She looked at Jaxx from over her shoulder. A quick grin came to her face.


"Surprised to see me, Sinclair?" Karen Chamberlain smiled and elbowed the trespasser in the face. He fell to the pavement unconscious.

Episode 10: Dive Right In

Episode 10: Dive Right In
by Toni Walker

Trent Hardgrove had been Zan's friend since he came to town with his father who took over the job of police commissioner. It was easy to get to know her back then. She lived only two houses away. Plus, when Mona, Zan's mother, began having strange mental episodes his father wouldn't talk about, Zan started spending much more time with him. He was quite a bit older than she was, but the age difference hardly mattered now.


The night wind swirled beating at them as he pulled Zan from the SUV. She didn't struggle against him as he thought she might. Her head rested on his shoulder as he carried her inside. She completely trusted him, even in sleep, and he found that thought extremely comforting. Her hair tickled his neck when she nuzzled closer to his throat .


He breathed a controlled sigh. "Relax, Hardgrove," he told to himself. "Just remember, she's your friend. Nothing more."


"Yeah, right," the cynical part of his brain declared. His inner voice wouldn't let him deny what he really knew to be true. But that didn't mean he had to voice that feeling to Zan.
Trent laid her on the couch once he managed to get inside the small house he owned outside of town. He noticed she wasn't sleeping very deeply, so he moved her with extra care so as not to startle her awake.


He wished he knew what happened at Infrared tonight. Whatever it was; it was haunting her.
It was colder than he realized in the living room, so Trent went outside and gathered a few of the logs he'd cut this summer. He stacked them inside the fireplace. It took a while to set the logs ablaze, but he didn't have anywhere else he wanted to be. He would glance at her from time to time, looking at her face, making sure she was okay. A half a hour had passed when he finally got the kindling to set fire to the larger logs.


He sat on the couch next to her feet and laid his head back against the cushions. She murmured in her sleep, but it was nothing he could understand.


"Don't worry, Zan. You're with me. You're safe." Trent rubbed her calf through the cover trying to lend a sense of comfort to herself... and to himself. Only a few minutes passed before he too was asleep.

***

Tucker MacLeod approached Parker and the crowd of people gathered around him. They were fawning over a woman who was definitely passed out.


"What's going on?" he asked. Rena St. Clair was by his side, but kept on walking toward the bar when he stopped.


"Your partner is an insensitive prick. That's what's going on." Leo Sutherland lambasted Parker, but it wasn't something Tucker was used to. It took a moment for the woman's face to register in his memory banks.


"Is that Samantha Ashton? What is she doing here? I thought she was hiding out in the mountains somewhere on the outskirts of Park Ridge."


"Obviously, the commissioner and Parker here, think that she could be of use to them. Not realizing that she is still completely traumatized by her experiences the first time." Leo took charge, something that was unlike him. "Can we get some water over here... and maybe a blanket?"


Samantha Ashton stirred and sat perfectly upright in the chair. "No, that's all right. I'm fine."
"Sure you are. That's why you did that swan dive into my arms earlier. People who are fine do that all the time."


Leo helped her as she tried to stand and wobbled a bit. Tucker merely regarded her as the others fawned over her.


"I'm not changing my mind, Parker. I know what this psycho is like. I don't know if I could go through that again." Sam flipped the long blond bangs out of her face and marched back out the door she had entered through.


"Quite a performance," Tucker said. "Is that how you get all your ex-partners to come back to work... you deceive them? How could you have thought she would react any other way?"


"This sicko is after her sister. I thought she could put her personal feelings aside and ...." Parker tried to explain himself but he knew no one standing around would see it the way he did.


"Maybe you can do that, Parker, but the rest of us, we have hearts and souls. We bleed when we're cut and recoil when we're nearly killed. Buy a clue, Barnett. You screwed up big time with Sam." Leo grabbed the purse that fell to the floor when Sam fainted, then hurried out behind her shouting, "I'm outta here."


Avery Ashton picked the perfect moment to approach the two men. "What's wrong with you? You look like you've seen a ghost."


"A ghost from his past, maybe." Tucker nodded to Avery and walked off to find Rena. There was no telling what sort of trouble she could get herself into after as many drinks as she had consumed.


Avery brushed off the thought of anyone else taking up Parker's time. After all, he was supposed to be safeguarding her. "I've been feeling a little neglected tonight. You've been off God knows where and Tucker has been chasing Rena around the club. Have you forgotten that I'm the one being targeted here?"


"No, I haven't forgotten, Avery. How could I? You remind me constantly." Parker motioned for the two other operatives to come forward the escort Avery back to the car. "I need to make a phone call. I'll be out in a minute."


"Get your hands off me, you big lug. If anyone is going to touch me, it's certainly not going to be you!" Avery tossed her perfectly styled hair over her shoulder and proceeded out of the club with the two guards following closely behind.

***

Casanova observed as Avery fought her guards at every turn. It would be easy to get her alone. It would be even easier to slit her throat. But he didn't want to go the easy way. He much preferred the scenic route. It would give him much more pleasure that way.
He hoped she was a screamer.

***

It was after one when Trent stirred, his mind still fuzzy from sleep. His back was cramping from falling asleep sitting up, but that wasn't want had his immediate attention. Zan had moved in her sleep and was now leaning against him. Her hand snaked across his chest making every nerve ending jump to alert. He tried to push her away, but the more he tried, the more she rubbed against him. Soon her mouth joined her hand sending feather-light kisses up his chest.


If she was trying to test his strength of will, he might be found failing tonight. He could still she was still asleep. Zan was known for her sudden midnight strolls down the street. He never realized what other things she might do in her sleep.


"Zan," he groaned when her hand inched toward his waistband. "Honey, wake up."
Her mouth trailed up his chin and captured his mouth silencing his pleas. It was during the open-mouthed kiss that Trent gave in. He had wanted to kiss her so many times over the years, yet stopped himself for one reason or another. Now he couldn't deny it any longer. He pulled her onto his lap and returned the kiss.


When he opened his eyes to look at her, he realized Zan's eyes were open as well. She hadn't been asleep at all!


"Zan, what are we doing?" his breathing was heavy, his chest heaving for oxygen.
"Make love to me, Trent."


She didn't have to whisper another word. His mouth zeroed in on hers. He picked her up and took her to his bedroom. They didn't make it too the bed. He mashed her into the wall pressing himself against her, showing her how much he wanted her. Her sigh and moan was all he needed to hear. She pulled at his clothes and hers were disappearing just as quickly until they were both naked and lying on the bed. Thigh to thigh. Stomach to stomach. Mouth to mouth.


He had been ready the first moment she kissed him. When she straddled him, he thought he would lose it right there. God, how he had dreamed of this. He entered her slick body over and over bringing her to climax after climax before he surrendered himself.


What Trent didn't realize was that he was actually still lying on the couch. He didn't realize that he was still dreaming, yet this time, he was acting out his dream with Zan an all too willing participant. Neither realized that they had truly made love. Both were asleep the entire time.
They were entwined on the couch naked as the day they were born. They spooned together, fitting each other's body like a well used glove. He instinctively covered their sweat soaked bodies and they fell into a much deeper and more contented sleep.


Tomorrow the realization would hit them. Tomorrow they would have to decide if what happened tonight in there sleep was something they wanted to experience fully lucid and in blazing reality.

***

It was nearly two when Casanova came out of hiding and into the light of the full moon. He could see Avery through the window. She wasn't nearly as haughty in sleep as she was awake. The French doors were unlocked and he easily let himself in. Avery had no reason to be frightened. She knew that no one was truly after her.


But she had a hard reality to face. He was back and he was going to show her about pleasure.
One hand inched up her thigh as he held the knife in the other. He knew no one would come and bother him. He had put strong doses of a sleeping agent into the protector's coffee tonight. They all had partaken of the drink. And they all would sleep while he had his fun.


He gripped her throat with a gloved hand and squeezed. She awakened to a shocking reality. His face was covered by a mask, one of a villain, someone along the lines of Snidely Whiplash with a curling mustache. She couldn't see who he really was. That would ruin the surprise he wanted to save for later... because there would indeed be a later.


"Wake up, precious." His voice was hard and raspy and unlike anything she had heard before. "Wake up and learn about real pleasure." Casanova pressed the blade to her throat nicking the white column. A trickle of blood dripped down her neck.


She screamed and he only laughed. "They won't hear you precious. I made sure of that." He ripped the nightgown from her body and ran the tip of his knife down the center of her chest leaving a thing, red line. She thrashed on the bed. It only excited him more.


This was only the beginning. They had all night.


Then tomorrow, he would return to his real love... Samantha.