The warehouse was quiet as Joseph Case walked through its halls to inspect his biggest investment to date. He had put in five million dollars of his own money to get this operation off the ground and it better not fail. After checking out one of the holding cells he made his way to the cafeteria to see the tables were set, ready for their first meals. Soon, men of his choosing will be sitting here hopefully broken just enough to not fight back.

He took one look around the room then left to head towards a very large conference room located at the end of the hall. Here, he saw three of his men milling around a large table with several pieces of paper and folders strewn about it's top.

"Everything is near completion." Mason Banes said to Case. "All we need now are the fighters." He put down the folder he was looking through and shook his head. "So, you think we can really pull this off?"

Case gave the man a shrug. "If we do, we'll be several dollars richer at the end of the year." He picked up another file. "How many fighters and how many civilians?"

"Twenty fighters so far and ten civilians." Banes picked up a remote and pushed a button which brought a large television screen to life. "The fighters come from several different backgrounds like you ask." He cycled through files till he found the one he was looking for. "The most experience fighter is someone named, Cordell Nathanial Walker, a retired Texas Ranger from the Dallas area. Black belt in five martial arts."

"It says here he's married with a fourteen year old child." Case picked up Walker's folder, waved it at Banes then threw it on the table. "He's sixty-eight and now retired. How much of a fight can he possibly pull off?"

Banes seemed a bit flabbergasted. "The reason why I chose Walker in the first place is because of a news report out of Dallas." He clicked on the Ranger's file then searched through newspaper clippings he had scanned three days earlier. "Three months ago, he was at a gas station and while at one of the pumps, a man attacked him. Walker knocked the man out with one single blow."

"Let's just hope the fights don't end too quickly." Case gave Banes a nod. "You can began the collection tomorrow. Don't hurt any of them. Use a tranquilizer if you can."

"Got it. And if any of us get caught? What then?"

"God help you if you talk to the cops."

Three Weeks Later

The room was slightly dark as Cordell Walker awoke from a light sleep to start his day. He slowly sat up, rubbed his hands through his hair then checked the time. Ten minutes before five o'clock. Why does his internal clock still think he's on Texas Ranger time? He shook his head then stood up, cringing as his feet hit the cold hardwood floor. This winter has been the coldest in Dallas for quite some time which made doing the chores a pain to do.

After he got into his work clothes he went down to start some coffee. As it was brewing he made him a quick fruit salad then sat down at the dining room table. Padded footsteps told him the family dog was paying him a visit. He looked down to see the husky mix staring up at him with his blue eyes, tail wagging back and forth.

"Hey Murphy." Walker scratched the dog between the ears. "Why are you out of Angie's room?" He glanced at the ceiling. "Should I go check on her?" When the dog yawned then laid down by his feet Walker relaxed. "Yeah, she's getting to that age where boys are more important to her than you or even me."

Once finished with his quick meal, Walker put the bowl in the kitchen then went to the front door where he grabbed his sheep lined jean jacket. After he put his gloves on he went outside and into the brisk winter air. As he made his way across the lawn frost crunched beneath his boots. Though it was dark, Walker could easily make his way to the barn. After all he has been walking the same path for over twenty-five years.

As he opened a side door a wave of warm air hit him making him sigh with relief. The sound of his horses snorting and pawing put a smile on his face. He went to the office where he got three apples from the refrigerator and sugar cubes from a cabinet before he went to the first horse named Freckles.

He rubbed his hand down the horse's nose as he fed it an apple. "Freckles, it's a shame that Angie doesn't ride you anymore." The horse bopped his head up and down. "Here, let me brush your coat."

Two hours later, Walker found himself outside checking the fencing along his property. He rode atop Raptor, a Palomino he had bought when Angela was only four years old. Unfortunately for him, she had quickly outgrown the horse and wanted nothing to do with him. And since Raptor was nearing twelve years, Walker just used the horse for daily chores such as this one.

Raptor made his way down the familiar path as Walker checked the fencing that traced several acres of his property. This was a mundane chore that had to be done if he didn't want to loose his horses. After several minutes of riding he finally found a section of fencing that needed repairs.

As he jumped off Raptor his trained eyes could see the wire had been cut clean through which hasn't happened in several years. He flipped open the left saddle bag, got the tools and wires needed to do the repair then squatted down to began his work. It should only take him a few minutes to fix the wire and he'll be on his way.

A sharp pain in his neck made him reach up to see what had happened to him. His fingertips barely grazed something feathery when his mind started to fade. No, this can't happen to him, not right now. His vision began to blur as the tools dropped from his hands.

"Don't fight it, that will just make it worse." Came a voice from behind him. "Just let your mind fall into the darkness."

"No, I can't let that happen." Walker's voice was slurred as he attempted to get to his feet. He shook his head then pulled the dart out of his neck. "Why…me?"

"Because you can bring us money." The voice got louder as footsteps approached from behind. "Jasper, get the quad ready."

Banes watched the man on the ground slowly try to get up, amazed at his ability to fight the tranquilizer. Let's hope Walker will pass out soon or else it will be very difficult to transport him with the quad. He watched Marshall as he tied Walker's hands with a piece of thick rope then did the same with his ankles.

Walker pulled at his restraints, his movements sluggish. "Please, I have a kid…"

"Get him into the trailer now." Banes took out his cell phone and dialed Case's number. "Case, we got Walker. The dart worked."

"Excellent. Make sure he arrives unharmed."

Banes flipped his phone closed and watched as his men lifted Walker into the small trailer attached to the quad. The ex-Ranger still struggled against his restraints, however Banes could see him tiring out. He shook his head then patted Jasper's shoulder to let him know he did a good job with the tranquilizer.

Jasper shook his head as he put on his helmet. "That man is a machine."

"Just get him to the pick up location unharmed." Banes helped Marshall secure a camouflage tarp over Walker's body. "Once you get to the van, you know what to do."

"Right." Jasper kick started the quad then looked over his shoulder. "See you at the warehouse."

XXXX

After Angela took a long shower, she made her way downstairs where the smell of pancakes made her stomach rumble. Her dog, Murphy happily greeted her and she reached down to rub him between the ears. She went into the kitchen where her mother stood before the stove fixing breakfast for the family. Her mother turned, gave Angela a smile then placed two pancakes onto a plate for her.

"Go ahead and ring the bell for your father."

Angela rolled her eyes, but did what her mother told her to do. As she stepped onto the back porch the cold wind hit her hard. She shivered, reached up and started to bang the cowbell hoping her father will hear it. After a few more pulls of the string she quickly ran back inside, rubbing her arms as she did so to try and get some warmth back into them.

"Why do we still live out here?" Angela sat down at the breakfast table inside the kitchen. "Dad doesn't work with cattle anymore and it's in the middle of nowhere."

Her mother placed a glass of orange juice beside Angela's plate. "This land is very special to your father." She placed a plate at her father's seat then went back to get herself some food. "He loves this place."

"I still don't see why he does." Angela took a bite of her pancakes. "And he always smells when he comes in from chores."

"Angela, that's not nice."

Angela shook her head. "It's true. He smells like horses and hay." She cringed just thinking about how her father smelled when he came in for breakfast every morning. "It wasn't so bad when he was a Texas Ranger, but now since he's retired he spends all his time with the horses. What does he do out there anyway?"

"He's going through a difficult time." Her mother sat down with a heavy sigh. "You're getting older and he's loosing his little girl." She shook her head. "Where is he?"

"Probably on the outer perimeter." Angela saw movement in the backyard. "I think he's here now."

Her mother turned then quickly stood to her feet. "Call Uncle Jimmy."

"What's the matter?" Angela dropped her fork as she spotted Raptor grazing in the backyard with dad's saddle still on his back. "Raptor? Where's dad?"

"I don't know, Angie." Her mother went to get her coat. "But call Jimmy and Gage. Tell them we need Rangers and police here now."

Angela quickly got the phone and dialed Uncle Jimmy's number. He answered on the second ring. "Uncle Jimmy, dad went missing."

"Where's your mother?"

His voice told Angela something was seriously wrong. "Uncle Jimmy, what's the matter?"

"I just need to talk to your mother."

"Okay." Angela was disappointed that her uncle wouldn't talk to her. "But I am almost fifteen, Uncle Jimmy. You can talk to me."

There was a long silence then came a heavy sigh. "Uncle Gage went missing on his way to work this morning. Sydney can't get hold of him on his cell phone."

Angela's breath caught in her throat, but she held in the urge to cry. "Okay, I'll get mom." She went out to the back porch to see her mother stroking Raptor's mane. "Mom, it's Jimmy." She put the phone back to her ear. "Uncle Jimmy, please find my dad."

"I'll try my best. Just hang in there, Angie."