"Family Secrets and New Beginnings"

**This story immediately follows "A Flash of Fang"**

"Friends are family you choose."

Edna Buchanon

CHAPTER 1

Matt picked up the ringing phone on his nightstand and looked at the alarm clock: 3:39am. He groaned. "Houston."

"Houston, I'm sorry to wake you, but a friend of mine has a big problem." It was LAPD detective Michael Hoyt on the line.

"What happened?" Yawning, Matt sat up on the side of the bed and tried to keep his eyes open. Why do things always happen in the middle of the night? The thought floated through his head.

"His daughter has been kidnapped. They live down in San Diego." Michael Hoyt was putting on clothes as he spoke.

"Okay, uh, I'm gonna need a phone number or something so I can get the address and everything." As he spoke, Matt found his way to the closet for a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, then fumbled in the dresser for socks. His wife, CJ, was now awake and propped on her elbows listening to her husband's side of the conversation.

"No you don't because I'm going with you." The police lieutenant was tossing clothes into a suitcase with the help of his wife.

"Oh okay, well do you want to meet me here? Then we can drive down in the truck." He pulled out the boat bag that he used for a suitcase and started putting more clothes into it as CJ got up and grabbed socks and underwear out of the chest, packing her husband's bag for him.

"Works for me. Thanks, Houston." He closed the suitcase and slipped his shoes on his feet.

"No problem. See you in little bit." He hung up. "Somebody's been kidnapped. I'll be in San Diego." Matt hoisted his bag over his shoulder and started down the hallway, then set it down and quietly walked into his three month old daughter's room and placed a gentle kiss on her cheek. She was sleeping soundly and never even knew he was there. CJ walked with him to the kitchen, handing him his gun and the black duty holster that he used, along with three spare magazines. "You forgot something."

"Thanks Babe." He walked over to the kitchen counter and turned on the coffee pot. Rubbing his eyes, he yawned and CJ walked over and put her arms around his waist and her head on his chest.

"Don't forget that the wedding is Saturday." She looked up at her husband. He was going to be Murray Chase's best man at his wedding to their secretary Chris Atwater. After the wedding chapel that they had booked for the ceremony was burnt down by an arsonist, Matt had offered to let the couple use his ranch in Texas. They were due to fly down Friday morning. It was now almost 4:00am Wednesday morning.

"I won't. Sorry to be running off on you like this." He turned her head up to his and gently kissed her. They had been married now for about sixteen months and their daughter was now almost three months old.

Michael Hoyt pulled up and parked in the Houston's driveway a short time later and headed into the kitchen where he could see the light on. As he came through the door, Matt and CJ were wrapped up in each other's arms kissing. "Good morning, love birds. CJ, I'm sorry to be taking him away from you."

"Good morning, Michael." CJ grinned at her husband. "You boys be careful, you hear me?" She handed the two men travel mugs full of coffee.

"Yes ma'am." Matt leaned down and gave her one more kiss before picking up his bag. "Okay, cop, let's hit the road. I'll call you later, Babe. Love you."

"Love you, too." She watched as the two friends loaded up in her husband's truck and drove down the driveway of the ranch.

All the while he was driving to Houston's home, Michael had been thinking about what had happened down in San Diego. He knew better than most how it felt to be the father of a kidnapping victim: he had already dealt with his daughter being kidnapped a few years earlier. If it hadn't been for Houston's help and dogged determination, she probably would be dead. Matt had taken a butcher knife to the chest and nearly died when he tracked down the child molester and kidnapper who had abducted Kathy Hoyt. But from that point on, he and Hoyt had been best friends.

"Okay, now tell me who we're talking about here." Matt took a sip of the coffee.

"Jessica Murphy is the daughter of my friend Austin Murphy. We went through boot camp together and got stationed together the whole time we were in the Navy."

"I bet that doesn't happen too often." Matt had considered himself lucky when he had landed in the same squad as his cousin Will when both men had been sent to Iraq while in the Army.

"I wouldn't think so. Anyway, Austin is still in the Navy – a Commander. He called me a little while ago and told me that his daughter had been kidnapped from her apartment just off the UCSD campus. She's a Marine Biology major, third year – a really smart girl. Her roommate came home about midnight and the place was torn apart. She called the police and Jessica's dad. When he went out to get in the car to go see what was going on, he found the ransom note."

"Mmmm. Has she got a boyfriend?"

"I'm not sure. He just called in a panic and asked for some help. He didn't like the attitude he was getting from the detective that was assigned to the case."

"That's not good. Do you know anybody in the department down there?"

"No, I don't. Sure wish I did." Hoyt watched as Matt rubbed his eyes before taking another swig of coffee.

"I know Uncle Roy has a couple of friends down there. We'll call him later and see if he can help us out." Matt's uncle, Roy Houston, was quite a character. He had worked for the CIA for many years before becoming a college professor, and for the last three years he had been working with Matt at Houston Investigations.

Neither man said anything for a few minutes. "Houston, I know you've got the wedding to deal with this weekend. I'm sorry."

"That's this weekend, Michael. And besides, all I have to do is make sure Murray doesn't pass out during the ceremony." Both men laughed. Murray Chase had a habit of panicking and hyperventilating. "And of course I'm responsible for the bachelor party." He smiled as he thought back to the bachelor party that his friend Vince Novelli had thrown for him before his wedding to CJ the year before. They had spent three hours at a strip club, during which time Matt had to fend off a bevy of strippers. The men had ended up playing poker in the back of the Novelli's restaurant until the crack of dawn.

"Oh boy, what are you going to do?" Hoyt was almost afraid to ask.

"We're going to have a party at the roadhouse that Daddy left to me. Of course I've got a stripper that's going to pop out of a cake…" He looked over at Michael and grinned. "But nothing too major. This is Murray after all. I don't really think we'll get into too much trouble. Maybe end up playing poker again." Both men laughed. Hoyt had heard about Matt's bachelor party from Vince, since he himself hadn't been able to attend because of work.

"The way Murray is you better only let him have one beer or he won't be able to stand up at his own wedding." Hoyt started laughing. Murray didn't hold his liquor well at all.

"Maybe we should just have root beer, huh?" Matt grinned as he thought about the last time Murray had gotten drunk; it wasn't pretty.