Natalia sprang from her pillow and tried to catch her breath from the bad dream she had been having. She was pouring sweat and her silk nightie she had on was sticking to her body. She was wiping her forehead with her hand when Ryan leaned her way.
"Natalia, are you okay?" Ryan asked as he put his hand on her shoulder.
Natalia shrugged his hand off because she did not want to be touched and shrieked, "Leave me alone Ryan! Just leave me alone!"
Ryan got up and walked to the door of Natalia's room, but before he exited, he looked back at his new love and wished there was something he could do about the demon that was haunting her nights. Ryan then walked out shaking his head from confusion of what to do.
Natalia sat on the side of her bed trying to get herself together. That same dream had been haunting her since she and her sister were little girls. It was a memory she tried to forget over and over, but most nights would not let her. It was the horror of what happened in the past coming back to be reality that frightened Natalia.
"What's wrong Ryan?" asked Calleigh when he walked in the lab. She could always tell when something was up with anyone, especially Ryan and more so Eric.
Ryan just looked at her and rubbed his head and really did not know what to say.
"Ryan, it's me, Calleigh. You know you can talk to me. We've been friends a long time."
"I don't know where to start Calleigh."
"Is it Natalia? Are you and her having trouble?"
"No. No, it's not anything like that. I'm worried about her in a different way. Has Natalia ever told you what happened to her and her sister when they were little?"
Calleigh looked at Ryan with a quizzical gaze and said, "Umm, not anything in particular. The only thing I know about her sister is that time with the photographer."
"No, not that. So you don't know. Calliegh, Natalia and her sister were abused by their uncle. They were teens when it stopped. Anya tried to kill him because she had enough of it. Her uncle was convicted of statutory rape and abuse of a minor. Well, he is scheduled to get out of prison tomorrow and knowing this, Natalia has been having nightmares the past month."
"Oh," Calleigh said and looked out the lab window to Natalia passing by. "Is she worried that he is going to come back?"
"I don't know Cal. I honestly don't know what Natalia is thinking. I've tried to get her to open up about things to me, but you know how she is. She has always been quiet about personal issues. We never knew about her ex-husband until he came into the picture that time."
"You've got to try Ryan. You love her and she obviously loves you. Ask her. That's all you can do. You'll never know if you don't ask. There she goes now, go Ryan. She needs you." Calleigh said and smiled.
Ryan smiled back to Calleigh and exited her part of the lab and chased Natalia down on her way to her room.
"Hey Natalia, talk to me honey," Ryan said as he followed into her lab room.
Natalia turned around and faced him. "Ryan, please, don't force me."
"I'm not Natalia, but I am concerned. You've been having this same dream for a month now. Your uncle gets out tomorrow."
"Ryan, don't you think I know that? You don't have to remind me!"
"I know I don't, but Natalia, you need to talk about it. I'm here for you honey. Let me help you."
"Ryan, I know something is going to happen. I can feel it. And I feel like I can't stop it. Anya is out there right now and alone. I couldn't get her to come stay with me. With us. She thinks that nothing will happen. I'm not as believing as she is."
"Natalia, would it make you feel better if I can get Frank to send a squad car to sit outside her apartment building for today and tomorrow?"
"It would, but I don't think that will happen. Frank would know we don't have probable cause. It's only a hunch I have. He'd never go for that."
"Well, let me see what I can do. You never know," Ryan said and dialed Frank on his phone just as Natalia's buzzed an incoming text message.
Natalia looked at it and shrieked, "Oh God, Ryan! Look!"
Frank had not picked up yet and Ryan hit the button to disconnect and looked at Natalia's phone.
All he could see was a frantic Anya screaming, "Natalia, help me!"
Someone had already taken her.
"H., you need to see something. We've got a situation," Ryan said into the phone as he held on to Natalia crying on his shoulder.
"Be right there Mr. Wolfe."
Horatio watched as Ryan held out Natalia's cell phone to show him the video text message.
"Why is Anya calling for help, Ms. Boa Vista?"
"Someone's got her Horatio. I knew this was going to happen!"
"Fill me in," Horatio asked as he turned towards her.
"Our uncle gets out of prison tomorrow. He abused me and Anya all the way into our teens. Anya had enough one day and she tried to kill him. Short of it is, he went away for what he did, but got parole and we could not stop it. I know it's him behind this."
"Does anyone else in your family know he is getting out tomorrow?"
"There's no one else immediate Horatio. It's just me and Anya."
"Give your phone to Walter so he can see if he can trace the location of Anya. I don't think her captors know she made it. It could give us a location. Mr. Wolfe, me and you are going to Anya's apartment."
"Well, I am going with you two!" Natalia said.
"No, Ms. Boa Vista, you stay here. You're too close to this already."
"Like hell I am Horatio. This is my sister we are talking about!" Natalia yelled and walked out the door of her lab to head to see Walter, then looked back and yelled, "I'll meet you two there."
Horatio shook his head and Ryan smiled and said, "Yeah, there goes my girl."
"No, Mr. Wolfe, there goes one of our girls. Don't forget about Calleigh."
"Humph," Ryan guffawed, "How could I."
Then he followed Horatio out of the lab and to the Hummers that would take them to Anya's apartment.
"H., Natalia really shouldn't see this place," Ryan said as he looked around the ransacked room.
Everything was out of place. The lamp lay broken on the floor, it's bulb shattered into a million pieces. The glass top of the coffee table was also broken in three places.
"I couldn't agree with you more, Mr. Wolfe."
"But we both know that is not going to happen."
"Oh my God!" Natalia screamed as she walked into her sister's apartment and saw the mayhem.
"Natalia, you really need to stay out of here. You should not be on this case. Horatio's right. You're too close to this."
"I wish you two would quit telling me what I should do. Don't you both understand it's my sister we are talking about! I'll find her if you two can't!"
"Natalia, go! Get away from here! Let us find Anya. Mr. Wolfe is right, you do not need to see this."
"But Horatio..."
"No 'buts' Ms. Boa Vista. Now go!"
Natalia, all mad and red-faced, huffed out of her sister's apartment and to her state authorized Hummer. She passed Walter on the way out.
"Man, I pity the fool that gets in her way. What's up with her?" Walter asked as he walked into the apartment and looked at Horatio and Ryan standing there.
"Horatio just told her to leave, and I agreed with him."
"Whoa Wolfe, you didn't? Wow, she must hate you now."
"Ms. Boa Vista will get over it. Now, Walter, did you get anything from her phone?"
"Nothing but knowing the video text came from Anya's phone. There's no signal coming from it now. It's obviously off."
"Or destroyed. Whoever's got her don't want us to find her," Ryan said and ran his hands through his hair.
"They don't know us now, do they?"
"Ha, they don't know Natalia!" Walter exclaimed and Ryan laughed.
"I'm getting nothing H. There's not a trace of evidence at all. All I'm getting is proof of Anya and traces of Natalia. But that's understandable H."
"Yes Walter, but there are signs of a struggle. Everything is out of place. We need to look harder."
Walter then began his search in another part of the apartment.
Ryan rushed in holding an evidence bag with a smashed up cell phone in it. "Hey, I found this in the bushes outside the window. I bet it's Anya's."
"That explains why Walter could not get a signal from it. Anya's captors found it. Get it to the lab. We need to get something we can go on."
Walter then entered the room and had a very quizzical look on his face.
"Something wrong Walter?"
"Um, well, it's better if you see it for yourself."
Ryan and Horatio followed Walter to Anya's bedroom where the bed was askew and the covers ruffled and piled in a heap to one side.
"Now, look at this," Walter said and pulled out the ultraviolet light and started to shine it on the bed.
"Holy sh...!" Ryan said with big eyes, "That is a lot of DNA!"
From top to bottom and side to side, Anya's bed was covered in DNA trace, obviously from a male donor.
"Um, that's not all. Look at this," Walter said and moved the light following along the bed to the head board and the wall behind it.
"Wow, I'm a… speechless," Ryan said with a smirk.
"Gentlemen, we need to find who shot that load," Horatio said and turned and walked out of the bedroom.
Ryan and Walter looked at each other and smirked then Walter said, "Horatio didn't really just say that did he?"
Laughing, Ryan countered, "Yes, I'm afraid he did."
"Wow, who knew H. could be so funny," Walter said as he took a swab out of his kit and took a sample from the sheets. He did not stop there, however. He took four more samples from various places, including the headboard and the wall behind it.
When Ryan and Walter walked back into the living room, they found Horatio standing by the door jam leading into the kitchen shining his flashlight in one certain spot.
"Gentlemen, it appears we have a slug embedded into the molding here," Horatio said.
Walter put his kit down, opened it, and pulled out the forceps, but before he went digging for it, he said, "The projected angle H. is coming from the couch by the shattered coffee table," then he buried the forceps into the hole and within moments, had the slug that had penetrated the molding.
As he was doing so, Ryan walked over to the broken table, got on his knees and shined his flashlight under the couch and there it was; a nine millimeter.
"I've got a nine mill under the couch," Ryan announced as he reached under with his gloved hand and pulled it out.
"Well, this slug obviously belongs to it. It's a nine mill also."
"H., you think it's possible for it to belong to Anya?" Ryan asked as he bagged the gun.
"Possibly. Or we have one shooter with two different loads and bad aim!"
All Ryan and Walter could do was look at each other and chuckle as Horatio headed out the door.
They were still laughing as they closed the door behind them.
"Calleigh, where's Natalia?" Horatio asked as Ryan and Walter came in after him, still laughing.
"I thought she was with you Horatio."
"No Calleigh, I sent her back. She didn't need to see what we found."
"Well, if she came back here, I didn't see her," Calleigh said as she eyed her laughing counterparts. "What's up with them?"
"Oh, I'll let them tell you," Horatio said and smiled slyly.
Calleigh walked up to Ryan and Walter and said, "Okay, what gives?"
Ryan and Walter both looked at each other and busted out in laughter again. It got worse after Walter held up his kit and said, "We'll know after we find out who shot these loads!"
After that, the laughter could not be contained. Calleigh just rolled her eyes as she turned and walked away from them.
Horatio was still standing in the same spot and he was now smiling and snickering as well.
Calleigh eyed him and as she walked by Horatio said, "I swear, you men and your guns," and kept walking to her lab to wait for Walter to deliver the sample.
Walter finally walked in and said, "Which load do you want Calliegh?" and he broke up laughing again.
Calleigh, not missing a beat said as she smiled, "The one shot into wood, not out of it!"
Walter's smile dissipated then he said, "Hmm, suddenly, that's not funny anymore."
"That's because I said it. Not so funny when a woman says it, is it?"
Walter could not say anything. He just handed the bagged gun and slug to Calleigh and walked out.
Ryan was standing in Natalia's lab. He knew that she had not come back. Her cell phone, which Walter had left on the counter by the computer when he was finished processing it, was left untouched. He knew Natalia was not coming back. He knew what she was doing. And he knew she was going to do it alone.
Ryan did not want the others to know Natalia was not coming back any time soon, so he picked up her phone and stuffed it in his pocket and walked out.
Horatio ran into him as he exited. Horatio looked at him and asked, "She wasn't here was she?"
"No. I honestly didn't think she would be. Natalia does not want us to find her."
"Apparently, since her issued Hummer is in the lot out back. Your girlfriend, Mr. Wolfe, has gone rogue."
"Yeah, and there is no telling where she could be."
"Where she doesn't want to be found Mr. Wolfe," Horatio said and kept walking past him.
"Where's Anya!" screamed Natalia at Riley, the guy Anya had been seeing for a little over a month now.
"I don't know Natalia! I haven't seen her today. The last time I talked to her was last night before she went to bed."
"You're lying! Now tell me where she is!" Natalia said as she shoved the gun in her hands a little closer to his face.
"I'm telling you Natalia, I don't know what you are talking about!"
"Riley, you better not be lying to me. My sister's life is on the line out there somewhere. I swear, if I find out that you are lying to me, I will find you and shoot you wherever you stand! I don't care who's around. I'll kill you instantly!" exclaimed Natalia and walked out.
When she got in the rental car she had picked up, Natalia began to cry. She did not want this happening to her or her sister again. One time was enough with the photographer, but now, to be taken over something as petty as their uncle getting out of prison was ludicrous. Anya did not deserve this. Neither did Natalia.
Natalia collected herself and cranked the car. She knew what she was going to do once she drove away from Riley's. She had already made up her mind and she was already prepared to camp out.
So seeing it was getting late, she drove to a spot near the prison and parked where she could see anyone coming in that would be picking up a prisoner being released. From her angle, she would be able to see anyone. She was anxious to see who was picking up her uncle.
As Natalia hunkered down behind the steering wheel, her thoughts turned to Ryan and she knew that he would be wondering where she was, but this was something she could not tell him she was doing. Since Horatio ordered her off the case, she knew it was best not to be around the lab or anywhere near anyone who worked there. That's why she did not go back to even get her phone. She would be okay without it. Natalia knew she could get in trouble for surveilling off the clock, but it did not matter to her. This was something that she needed to do for herself.
Natalia knew nothing was going to happen during the night, or should not anyway, but she set the portable alarm clock to go off every hour, all the way up until 7:00am when newly released prisoners could be picked up. She wanted to be sure she saw who it was that would be getting her uncle. Something told her that her uncle would not be walking out of there alone.
And Natalia was right.
Just a little after 8:20am, a car pulled up and with her expert eyes, she glared at the driver. It was Riley. She figured he was just dropping a friend off at work until she actually saw who got out of the passenger side. When she saw it was her and Anya's father, she knew that Riley was somehow involved.
Natalia and Anya left home the day their uncle had been put away. They did so because they blamed their father for not doing anything sooner about their abuse because they were both sure he had known about it.
There was no remorse for leaving their parents though, but Natalia knew that it killed her mother to see her and Anya go. Of course, their mother knew why, and let them, but inside, Natalia knew it ate her insides out.
Neither one had time to even come back and see their mother after they left. Both of them had planned to do so. However, a week after they had left, their mother passed away and before Natalia or Anya knew it, their father was burying her. It did eat at their mother so much it literally did kill her.
That was the last time, at their mother's funeral, Natalia and Anya had seen their father; until now. Natalia was sure that Anya had seen him already.
Natalia watched her father walk into the prison as Riley drove off. She was definitely going to kill him. That would come later though. She had to wait for her father to walk out with her uncle now.
Natalia looked at her watch and it was now close to ten. She was beginning to wonder how long her father and uncle would be in there when the door opened. Her father walked out first and then out came the uncle that she would rather see dead.
The years in the prison did not seem to change her uncle at all. He still looked the same to her. It was as if Natalia was still looking at the same face that had abused her and Anya all those years; the same face that caused her mother's death. Natalia was never going to forgive him for anything. She would kill him first.
Then the taxi pulled up and into it her father and uncle went. Natalia was behind them following at a safe distant.
It stopped at a little diner. If she had been in her uncle's place all those years, she would have wanted something better to eat as well.
Now, Natalia had to wait again.
It was not long until they were on the move once again. Her father and uncle got into another taxi. This time, Natalia followed it right to Anya's apartment.
She watched her father and uncle enter Anya's apartment. She knew then how it got demolished like it did. It was now obvious to her that their father had taken Anya somewhere and that he was going to take their uncle to see Anya now. It was all beginning to make sense.
Natalia was now beginning to get impatient waiting for her father and uncle to leave to take her to where Anya was being held. She knew they would. She just had that feeling.
"So Riley, tell me, how do you know Anya Boa Vista?" Horatio asked him as Ryan stood by the interrogation room's window.
"I don't know what you are talking about! Who's Anya?" Riley said as he sat there with his hands folded in on each other upon the table.
"Oh come on Riley. We know you know Anya Boa Vista. Your DNA is all over her room," Horatio said.
"With not such a precise aim I may add," Ryan said as he snickered.
Both Horatio and Ryan could see Riley's expression change. They could tell that he knew that he had been caught in a lie.
"That was Anya's idea. Not mine. I can't help it went all over the place!"
"Then, I suggest you learn how to shoot your gun if you ask me," Ryan said as Walter stood by the window and held up a folder.
Horatio turned and looked at him and headed for the door. Walter did not even say anything to Horatio. He just handed the folder to him.
Horatio read the findings and said, "Good work Walter. Very good indeed."
Horatio walked back into the interrogation room, opened the folder, and slid it to Riley so he could see the picture of Anya's cell phone.
"Recognize this?" Horatio asked.
"Um no, should I?" Riley said and backed away from the table a little.
"Take another look. A closer one."
"It looks like a busted up cell phone. What's that got to do with me?"
"That busted up cell phone has your prints on it," Horatio announced.
"Okay, okay. So it has my prints on it. I used Anya's cell a couple of times. So what?"
"Riley, it also has another set of prints on it as well. Luis Boa Vista's to be exact."
Ryan just looked at Horatio surprised. Natalia never spoke about her and Anya's father. Riley did not answer. He just sat there.
"Why don't you tell us how you know Mr. Boa Vista," Horatio demanded.
Still, Riley sat there. This time with his arms folded back.
Ryan walked over to him and slammed his fist down on the table and yelled, "Hey, the lieutenant asked you a question! You better have a good answer!"
"Okay, geez, I'll tell you what I know. Anya's father found out I was seeing her. How, I don't know. He showed up one night at the bar where I bartend, and started asking me about her. So I told him what I knew. Then he propositioned me and offered me fifty thousand dollars to take her some place secluded he picked out. I figured, I had only been seeing her for a month. It wasn't like I was in love with her. And it was fifty thousand green ones.
I was going to do it and make it look like a surprise to her so she would go with me, but then her father showed up at the apartment and Anya absolutely lost it! Anya didn't even say hi or anything to her father. She hurled a lamp at him and he ducked and it shattered the coffee table. He went after her and knocked her on the couch. She came out with a gun she obviously had for protection. Anya pulled the trigger, but missed, and her father knocked it out of her hand and it slid under the couch. The cell phone, well we didn't know she had it. Her father was carrying her to the car and caught her making a video text, grabbed it out of her hands, and threw it up against the apartment as we were taking her to my car.
Anya would not be still in her daddy's arms after that, so he yelled to me to knock her out. I looked at her, she looked at me, and I said, 'I'm sorry,' and walloped her. That was the last thing she remembers. I am sure she is conscious now and with her father and uncle."
"We need the name of the place you took Anya. Now!" Horatio yelled.
"The old Parkway West Medical Center," Riley answered.
Ryan was out the door and as he rushed, he looked at Walter still standing outside the interrogation room and said, "Follow me!"
Riley was taken into custody and Horatio was behind Ryan and Walter. Before they knew it, they were pulling into the abandoned Parkway West Medical Center. The whole place was bare except for two cars in the parking lot.
All three of them knew Anya, her father, and uncle were somewhere in the dilapidated building.
Natalia figured she had given her father and uncle enough time to go to Anya's location inside the old Parkway West Medical Center. With her gun drawn, Natalia walked in and searched carefully for their location.
Then she heard her uncle.
"I see you're ready Anya. It's been a long time. A very long time. I saved up for this day!"
She also heard the muffled sounds of her sister Anya.
Natalia slowly rounded the corner and found the room where she heard her uncle's voice. Slowly, she walked in with her gun pointed, but when she saw Anya, she put it down. She saw that Anya was gagged and bound by all four limbs, spreading them evenly outward and she was completely naked. She knew her father was the one that positioned her that way. He was making her ready for their uncle.
Then Anya looked straight at Natalia standing behind her uncle and daddy, but they did not catch her look. Natalia put her finger up to her mouth telling Anya to be quiet.
Natalia raised her gun and just when she was about to pull the trigger, Horatio whispered in her ear, "Ms. Boa Vista, you don't want to do that."
Natalia froze. Her team had found her and her sister along with their father and uncle.
Ryan backed up Horatio and Walter backed up Ryan. The pieces had fallen into place.
"Don't either one of you move," Horatio said and Natalia's father and uncle stiffened.
Horatio handed his knife to Natalia and said, "Natalia, go cut Anya loose, and if either one of you try to stop her, both of you will not live to see tomorrow!"
Natalia ran to her sister and cut the ropes that held Anya's arms and legs. As soon as Anya was down, Natalia rushed her out of the room and Walter found an old dirty sheet covering an old gurney and wrapped Anya in it. Then Natalia held her.
Horatio and Ryan came out of the room with Natalia and Anya's father and uncle in cuffs and as soon as they did, Anya somehow got Natalia's gun and shot both of them without hesitation.
There was not a thing that any of them could do. It happened in an instant.
Afterwards, Anya fell into her sister's arms and said, "I couldn't let them hurt us again. Now you won't have any more dreams Natalia."
Natalia, looking at her dead father and uncle now slumped on the floor, simply patted her sister on the back then her gaze went to her CSI family and while looking at each of them, she answered Anya saying only, "I know sweetie. I know."