Don't own any of them except for the Terrinova family. They've been my playthings in my original fiction for many years. This is the sequel to Paragon of Madness. You don't need to read it first, but it might help.

Most of the 'mistakes' in grammar are intentional. I tend to write the way people actually speak and we all know that in everyday life we tend to let the grammar slide.

Chapter One

Sasha Terrinova was angrier than she had ever been at Francesco Mancini or Samantha. How dare someone think that they could attack her partner and not pay for it. How dare her father ban her from the case that had gotten her partner hurt in the first place. Johnny was in the hospital and instead of letting her pull her resources and go after the men that had put him there, Cruz had pulled her off the case and placed her on a mandatory leave. Being the daughter of the director of the agency seemed to have its perks in the beginning. However, Sasha was now seeing that he could be too involved in her work.

A year after she had found herself bleeding to death in the Eppes garage, Sasha's life had taken some drastic turns. The discovery that her father was not a major player in California organized crime, but was indeed the head of a special ops branch of the CIA was enough of a change. She had moved into their home in Santa Barbara and relished getting to know her true parents and her siblings. Joining the agency was not planned, but she had been happy working as a field agent and helping her country with her specialized knowledge – until today.

She spent an hour seething with anger before the beginning of a plan began to form in her head. She had other resources outside of her family and the agency. She would reach out to them. Resigned, she packed a bag and climbed into her car. It was less than a two hour drive to Los Angeles.

She almost didn't answer when her cell phone began to ring just as she drove across the city limits.

"What do you want Robyn?"

"Is that any way to greet your sister?" The voice on the other end of the line demanded.

"It is when I'm angry." Sasha didn't miss a beat.

"Where are you?"

"Why don't you get your husband to trace my cell phone so you'll know where I am. Oh, you can't because he's in the hospital recovering."

"Sasha, please."

"Please what Robyn? Sit back and do nothing to find the people that hurt John? That's what Dad has ordered me to do."

"Where are you going?"

"I'm going to find someone to help me."

"Help you do what? Take revenge? Johnny is going to be okay."

"Dad suspended me today. For my own good he says. I should take some time and relax while John is in the hospital recovering. The bottom line is that Dad doesn't trust me to do my job. That's what hurts."

"You've got it wrong Sasha. Dad is trying to do what he couldn't do when you were a kid. He's trying to protect you."

"Robyn, look. All I want to be able to do is help track down the guys that shot your husband – my partner. I thought that I got this job because of my skills. Not because my father is the director. He proved to me today what he really thinks about me and this job. Maybe – maybe I really don't belong in the agency."

"Sasha, they've always just wanted to protect you. Look at his side for a minute. Dad searched for you for years. He and Mom were not the same after you were kidnapped. When they got that call from the FBI saying that you were alive and told them where you were – they both got that spark back. The one that died while you were gone. Of course you can do this job. Of course your skills are what helps you to be successful at it. But he's also a parent that lost his child. He just doesn't want to loose you again."

The tears came from nowhere. She quickly wiped them away. "I just need some space right now. Living at the manor with them has been great. I – tell them I'm going to see a friend. I'll call when I get a hotel room."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. I'm sure. Robyn, I love you. I promise I'll call later."

"If you don't I'm tracking you down."

"You're a nurse not an agent."

"Yeah, I'm also a mother. It's instinct to protect your family." Robyn stated. "Love you too Sis."

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"Hey Dad. Where's Charlie?" Don asked as he pulled the front door closed.

"In the solarium. He has a guest."

"A guest? Since when is Larry a guest. I thought he was an extended member of the family."

"It's not Larry."

"Oh yeah? I thought Amita wasn't coming back from Harvard for a couple of more years?"

"It's not Amita." Alan smiled.

"But it is a girl? Does he know what to do with one?" Don smirked as he removed his jacket and tie.

"Do you? If you don't that would explain my conspicuous lack of grandchildren." Alan looked up from his crossword puzzle. "Perhaps I could explain it to you again."

"Very funny old man. So, who's he got out there?"

"Someone I found hanging out in the garage a while back. Sasha came to visit him today."

"Yeah? How's she doing?"

"Why don't you go ask her. She mentioned wanting to speak with you about something."

Don was amused when he entered the room to find Charlie excitedly explaining some theory to Sasha and she jumped in and started relating the theory to a physics project she had once worked on. They both enjoyed the world of academia more than Don ever had.

"What's going on in here?" Don smiled as he entered the room.

"Hi Don." Sasha moved to give him a quick hug in greeting. "Are you still catching all the bad guys in Los Angeles?"

"We're trying. So, what's going on with you?" He questioned.

"I'm just taking a few days off. I thought I would come hang out in LA for a while and I couldn't come all the way out here and not visit the family that saved my life."

"Dad said you had something you wanted to talk to me about?"

"After dinner. We can talk about that after dinner. Your father invited me to stay." Don thought he saw a flash of something cross her face before she caught herself and continued. "Your brother and I were discussing -"

"Yeah some theory the both of you have applied to practical situations before. That's all I need to know. Listen, it's good to see you. I'm just going to help Dad set the table. I'll see you guys in a few."

"Don's right. It is really good to see you. I didn't think we would after you moved to Santa Barbara."

"It's been eighteen months since all of that went down. I have changed so much since then. My life has changed so much since then." She frowned. "I didn't realize how much I missed school until I went there and saw you today – teaching and being so enthusiastic about your subject. It makes me think that maybe I did the wrong thing."

"The wrong thing? Being with your family is the wrong thing?" Charlie was confused.

"No. I joined the CIA almost a year ago. I think maybe it was the wrong thing to do. Maybe I was just trying to gain my father's approval by involving myself in the agency that he has dedicated his life to."

"You don't really believe that. Do you?"

"I don't know what to believe right now."

"Then I suggest you don't make any life altering decisions until at least after dinner." Charlie smiled at her.

"Do you think that I could sit in on one of your classes again tomorrow?"

"If you think you can keep up."

"If I think I can keep up? Someone has a very high opinion of themselves there, Professor. Maybe I need to bring you down a notch or two. After all, I am a Doctor. Maybe you heard about the child genius part as well? One of the youngest brightest minds at CalSci. Any of this ring any bells with you?"

"Yes. I does. I was just trying to remind you of it as well."

After dinner was over, Don followed Sasha outside to contemplate the koi pond. She seemed to grow more melancholy as the evening progressed.

"Are you ready to talk about it now?"

"Last week my partner and I were were working the disappearance of two high profile scientists. We had tracked them to a biogenics lab outside of Geneva. Johnny was wounded during the failed extraction. He was shot twice." Don waited, sensing there was more. After a minute she continued. "My father decided that I needed to be pulled off the case, that if I was involved in tracking the guys down that shot John, that I would do something stupid to get revenge. So he suspended me – for my own good. Johnny he's more than just my partner. He's my sister's husband. He's family. I can't help but take that seriously. Am I making any sense here?" She was frustrated.

"Your father took his daughter off of a case where he felt like she was in danger. This daughter means a great deal to him especially because of the time they spent apart. Time that he couldn't be part of her life. When he couldn't protect her. And now that he has some control over her safety and welfare, he is taking it to the extreme. That about cover it?"

"Pretty much." She sighed. "My sister told me the same thing that you just told me and for some reason it's more reasonable when you say it."

"Yeah well, older siblings do tend to make a lot of sense."

"Why I get the impression that your brother would disagree with you."

"No he wouldn't. The kid's a genius you know."

"Thanks for listening. I think I'm going to head back to the hotel now. Tell Charlie I'll see him tomorrow. Okay?"

"Yeah. Sure. Be safe." Don watched as she headed out to her car and drove off.

Charlie had been watching from the window as Sasha and Don finished their conversation and he waited patiently for his brother to come back inside.

"Is she okay?"

"She will be. I think she's been through a lot in the past couple of years and she has some hard decisions to make."

"Her father, do you know anything about him?" Charlie questioned.

"He does his job very well." Don offered. "And I think he 'd do just about anything to protect her."

"As any father would." Alan piped up.

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"You are an amazing teacher, Charlie." Sasha complimented as they walked across campus the next afternoon.

"It's been nice to have you back here the last couple of days. Thank you for coming today. You kept me on my toes."

"I've been afraid to ask, but where is Amita? I thought the two of you would be married by now."

"She's gone. To Harvard for several years. It wasn't meant to be."

"I'm sorry."

"It's okay. I've come to terms with it."

"I'd like to come to terms with some lunch." She changed the subject. "Are you up for it?"

"Sure. Let's go."

They both enjoyed the lunch hour and each other's company and were headed back to campus when Sasha spotted a dark SUV following them.

"Hey Charlie, why don't you do me a favor and call your brother. Tell him where we are and explain that a dark blue Ford Expedition is following us. Let me know when you're ready to give him the plate number."

"Sasha,"

"Please Charlie, do it now."

Those were the last words Charlie would hear before the sound of two gunshots and Sasha's scream as she lost control of the car. The car was on it's second flip when he finally blacked out.