Alone

by dawn341

The crew of the Vast Explorer are attacked on their boat.

Alone by Dawn Cunningham

* AD INC *

This story was written many years ago. I'm just posting it to this website since most of my other sites have disappeared. Disclaimers:

None of the characters belong to me. I'm just borrowing them and not getting paid for it.

Do not post or publish this story anywhere else, without my express permission. Feel free to share it with others as long as the disclaimers remain intact.

Despite the way the story starts out... this is NOT a death story.

* AD INC *

They should have been safe.

The Vast Explorer, a salvage and diving ship that had seen better days, was docked in a safe port. There was no political unrest to worry about. No power-hungry men determined to seize control of the area by whatever means necessary. The boat contained no sunken treasure recently excavated from the depths of the ocean. Nor were there priceless artifacts to be donated to a museum. There was nothing that should have drawn a bad element to the boat.

Judson Cross, professional explorer, treasure hunter, thrill seeker, and captain of the Vast Explorer was sound asleep in his bunk. Mackenzie 'Mac' Previn, his best friend, partner, dive master, and weapons expert slept in a cabin nearby. Her time as an independent contractor for the CIA and other such organizations made her leery - even in safe ports. Nestled under her pillow was her favorite automatic weapon - just in case. The other crewmember, Gabriel 'Gabe' Patterson was more naïve, but then he'd spent a good part of his fairly short life being protected by others. It was part of being the son of a very rich, and powerful senator.

Judson never heard the intruders enter his cabin. His first indication of trouble was the electric jolt from a taser placed on his arm. It woke him abruptly from a sound sleep, but there was little he could do to defend himself. His muscles refused to respond almost from the instant the electrical shock entered his body. He was flipped over on the bunk, and he felt his arms pulled behind him. The distinctive sound of handcuffs being locked around his wrists seemed to fill the cabin. He was turned back around, and a piece of duct tape was placed over his mouth, effectively gagging him. Duct tape was then wrapped around his feet, binding them together. The final indignity was the blindfold that was placed over his eyes.

It had all happened so quickly that he never had a chance to call out to warn Gabe or Mac. He sensed, more than knew, that his attacker had left the cabin, and he feared that his friends would soon be receiving the same treatment, but there was nothing he could do about it. Frantically, he tried to get his body to respond. If he could only get to his feet, maybe he could do something. All he managed to do was to roll off his bunk and land heavily on the deck.

The last thing he expected to hear was the sound of the Vast Explorer's engines throbbing to life. They were stealing his boat! If they thought they were going to get a lot of money out of selling it they were in for a big surprise. The boat was in need of some serious work, but that required some serious money that he didn't have. They'd be lucky if they didn't end up being stranded someplace at sea.

When he could finally move his head without feeling like it would implode, he scrubbed his face against the carpet, trying to remove the blindfold. It had been tied too tightly, and deciding to conserve his energy until his body had fully recovered, he stopped his efforts. Unfortunately, he couldn't stop his very imaginative mind from coming up with horrifying ideas as to what was going on, and what was happening to his two friends.

* AD INC *

Judson had no idea how long he'd been trussed up before he heard someone enter his cabin again. The effects of the taser had worn off, but with his feet taped together, and his wrists cuffed, he hadn't been able to do anything. There was a brief touch of cold steel on his bare legs, then the tight pressure around his ankles was gone. Realizing the tape binding his legs together had just been cut, he kicked out, hoping to take his captors by surprise. It had been a long shot, and he failed.

He felt hands grab his arms and jerk him up to his knees. A moment later, a hard punch to his chin sent him crashing back to the floor.

"Try that again, and I'll make you really regret it," a low voice growled.

Once again, Judson was yanked up, this time to his feet. His jaw throbbed, and he felt slightly dizzy as he was pulled out of the cabin. His bare feet made little noise compared to the shoes of the men who were still holding tight to his arms. Mentally, he tried to figure out where they were taking him. When he felt the breeze on his face, he realized that he'd been taken out on the deck - probably the stern.

The engines were still pulsing, sending his boat who knew where, so Judson was unsure why he'd been brought on deck now. There was only one reason he could think of, and it didn't bode well for him. People tossed overboard in the middle of the ocean were seldom found. It was a quick and efficient way of disposing of evidence. Judson shivered at the thought. Or maybe it was just the strong breeze blowing over his half-clad body. His normal sleep attire of a t-shirt and briefs wasn't meant for standing around on deck while the boat was moving at a fast clip.

He was left alone - or at least he thought he was alone - he heard the men walk away leaving him standing where he was. He had no idea how close to the railing he was, and had no desire to find out. There was no way he was going to accidentally fall overboard and do their dirty work for them. When the men returned, they didn't stay long. Judson had a feeling that they'd brought one of his friends on deck. He shifted slightly, and his arm brushed against a bare torso that flinched away. It had to be Gabe. The young man slept in pajama bottoms only. He wished he could do something to reassure him.

The men returned again, but this time they stayed. Judson knew that meant they'd brought Mac out to join them. Whatever was going to happen, would happen soon. He wished he didn't have a gag on. He'd like to be able to say goodbye to his friends. He had no doubts that this was the end for all of them. The worst part was that he had no idea why anyone would do this. Was it just a simple case of theft? Were they just after his boat, and they had gotten in the way? Or was there a more sinister reason?

"All right, good job, everyone," a man's voice called out.

Judson recognized it as the same one from his cabin - the one who had hit him. He almost jumped when hands wrapped around his arms, and he was pulled away.

"You know what to do with the other two. Be sure you weight down their bodies so they'll never be found."

Judson couldn't believe what he was hearing. They were going to kill Gabe and Mac, but not him? That didn't make any sense. He struggled against the hands, but they held him firm, while forcing him back toward the living quarters. When the sound of gunfire rent the air, he wanted to howl, but when he heard the two splashes that could barely be heard over the sound of the boat's engines, he stopped fighting.

Finally, he was shoved down. Expecting a hard fall to the floor, he was surprised when he landed on something soft. It took him a moment to figure out it was his couch.

"This was all your fault, Cross." The voice was back. It sounded like the man was kneeling next to him. "You ruined my life. Destroyed everything I loved. So, I'm returning the favor. And I'll be watching you. If you allow someone close to you again, I'll come back. And I'll do this over and over until you finally understand. I want you to live the rest of your life alone. No one to turn to. No one to help. Alone." The man laughed. "In fact, I think you need to get out of this business, or next time I'll sink your boat, as well as anyone on board. Your days in the limelight are over. If I see your name in any paper or magazine, I'll come after you again."

Judson felt a sharp prick on his arm, and though he tried to fight it, he felt himself drifting off.

* AD INC *

Gabe Patterson shivered as the cold night air seemed to wrap around his bare chest. He couldn't help but worry about Judson and Mac, and wonder if they were even still alive. Hopefully, they'd only received the same treatment as he had - tasered, then bound, gagged and blindfolded. Now, he was on deck, and to be totally honest, he wasn't just a little scared - he was a lot scared.

It had been an act of rebellion that had brought him to Judson Cross. His father had wanted him to finish law school, but he'd wanted to see the world. To sail the seas like his ancestor had. Judson made it quite clear that there would be no servants, no bodyguards, and none of the perks he'd had growing up as a son of a wealthy senator, but he hadn't cared.

He'd pulled his weight though - at least he'd hoped that Judson believed that. Gabe had a knack at fixing things - like motors and engines and pumps, and other equipment that was always falling apart on the Vast Explorer. He also brought technology to the boat. Judson was practically computer-phobic, and was usually amazed at what the young man could accomplish with his laptop.

He'd been in a lot of tough predicaments since he'd come to work for Judson Cross, but this seemed to be the worse yet. And that was saying something. He couldn't even begin to count how many times he'd been shot at or in a fight since he'd known Judson and Mac. He'd survived a run-in with vampires, being infected by a manufactured plague, a plane crash, and a simulated Mars environment run by a computer that had run amok.

He felt someone brush up against him, and pulled back. There was something about being blindfolded that made him feel very vulnerable. He wished the bad guys would just do whatever it was they were going to do. Anything would be better than the wait.

"All right, good job, everyone," a man's voice called out. "You know what to do with the other two. Be sure you weight down their bodies so they'll never be found."

Gabe felt hands pulling him away. He knew there was little sense in struggling at this point. What he couldn't understand was the comment about the other two. Were they going to leave someone alive?

When the gunshots filled the air, followed by two splashes that could barely be heard over the sound of the boat's engines, Gabe realized that he was the one being left alive. That meant that Judson and Mac were dead. Tears burned at his eyes, and his stomach rolled, making him want to throw up. He swallowed heavily over and over, knowing that vomiting while gagged with duct tape was not a good thing.

It didn't take long before the engines on the Vast Explorer stopped. A few moments later, he was being guided down the gangway and into a small boat. It didn't take long for them to reach their destination. Once there, he was uncuffed and the blindfold was removed. He looked around, and saw that he was in the Zodiac - a small runabout that was used to go ashore when the Vast Explorer couldn't dock. It was currently bobbing up and down with the waves, and it had been pulled up next to another boat that had a ladder draped over the side.

"Climb."

Gabe glanced at the two men accompanying him. Both had face masks on, and each had a gun pointed at him. He carefully stood up, and reached for the ladder. He'd only gone up a few rungs, when he kicked out at the men still in the boat. The one he connected with lost his balance and went overboard. The other ignored the first, and kept his gun on Gabe.

"Climb!"

Gabe sighed, but continued his ascent. The other man didn't even try to follow him - just stayed in the Zodiac with his gun trained on the young man. The one who'd fallen in had also climbed back into the small boat as well. When he got to the top of the ladder, there were two men waiting for him, so there was no chance of escape that way. Once again his wrists were cuffed behind his back, but at least they didn't bother to blindfold him.

He was lead away into the boat, but he was able to pull back long enough to look across the water at the Vast Explorer. He could barely make it out in the dark. Somehow, he doubted he would ever see it again. Not that he was sure he would ever want to. There would be too many memories to face.

He was taken to a small cabin, and pushed down on the bunk. The men didn't even say a word, they just turned and left him there. He heard the door lock behind them, and he stood up. The cabin was almost completely empty. The bunk rested along one wall, and was securely fastened to the flooring. In the middle of the wall was a porthole, and while it looked like it would open, it was too small to squeeze through. There would be no escape that way - not that there was anywhere to escape to except the ocean. And that would be certain death. There was another door, and it took some struggling, but he finally got it open. Inside was a bathroom, with no other exit. With a sigh, he went back to the bunk, and sat down to wait.

He had no idea how long he'd sat there when he finally heard the engines start up. They must be leaving the Vast Explorer behind, but he couldn't tell. The porthole only showed ocean. He was on the wrong side of the boat to see the Explorer. Knowing there was little he could do, he finally stretched out on the bunk, and tried to get comfortable.

It seemed like hours later when he heard a key in the door. Two men entered the cabin, fully masked as before. One stayed by the door, gun in hand, while the other approached Gabe holding a cell phone in his hand. He reached out and yanked off the duct tape with one decisive move. The young man tried to not cry out, but it felt like half his face had come off with the gag.

"Say hello to daddy," the man with the phone ordered, holding it up to Gabe's ear.

"Dad?" Gabe managed to force out past the pain.

"Gabriel? Gabriel, are you all right?"

Gabe felt like crying at the sound of his father's voice. "I'm okay, Dad. But they killed Judson and Mac!" Before he could say anymore, the phone was pulled away.

"If you don't want the same thing to happen to your son, you'll follow all our instructions. It's going to cost you a million to get him back alive. We'll contact you later with instructions for the payoff." With that he clicked off the phone. His last action before leaving the cabin was to press the duct tape back over Gabe's mouth.

He slumped back down on the bed. He finally had the answers he needed. Judson and Mac's deaths were his fault. If he hadn't come from a rich family, they'd still be alive.

How was he going to live with this?

* AD INC *

Mackenzie Previn wished she could take the taser from her captor and shove it up someplace where the sun didn't shine. Every time she thought she was starting to recover, they'd given her another jolt. She'd even tried to fake them out by not moving, but they must have known how long the recovery time was because she was zapped again. The only thing she could figure out was that they must know of her reputation.

Even with her hands cuffed behind her, she could kick some major butt if she could only get her body under control. Plus, she was limber enough to be able to get her hands in front of her - handcuffs or no handcuffs. Once that was accomplished, she would be even more deadly. But they wouldn't allow her enough time to recover between jolts from the taser.

She tried not to think about Judson and Gabe. They were probably getting the same treatment, and the thought really bothered her. Judson was strong enough to handle it, but Gabe had led a sheltered life before he'd joined their crew. Granted, the young man was getting better and better in a fight, but that didn't mean he could take the physical punishment.

"Bring her."

With those words, she felt herself lifted from her bunk, and roughly thrown over someone's shoulder. She hung helplessly as she was carried through the boat. Finally, she was lowered to the deck, less than gently. All she could do was flop around like a puppet with loose strings when she tried to move.

"All right, good job, everyone," a man's voice called out. "You know what to do with the other two. Be sure you weight down their bodies so they'll never be found."

Once again, she felt the hands raising her up, and she was carried away. She wished the taser had affected her hearing, but she was fully aware of the gunshots, followed by the splashes that had to be bodies tossed into the ocean. For some reason she'd been spared, and she didn't like the thought.

Losing Gabe made her sad, but she could survive that. She'd miss his boyish charm, youthful enthusiasm, and his quick wit. However, losing Judson was like losing a part of herself. They weren't lovers, although they had come close several times. She'd had people tell her that men and women couldn't be best friends, but that's what she and Judson were. They watched each other's back. They shared everything - all their hopes and their dreams. She'd even told Judson once that she would kill for him. And she knew he'd have done the same for her.

Now he was gone. And she was alone.

And for some reason, she was to blame. That wasn't how it was supposed to be. They had always managed to get out of trouble, one way or another, no matter how bad the odds. They were a great team. Now it was just her. She had no one to trust. No one to count on. But she made a solemn oath to herself. When she got out of this mess, she was going to hunt down all the bastards involved, and make them regret what they'd done.

Eventually, she was carried down a gangway, and placed in the Zodiac. A quick trip later, she was roughly pulled on board another boat by the use of a rope. Then she was carried inside, and tossed on a bunk. She felt something cold on her ankle, followed by a loud click. Then she was roughly turned over, and her handcuffs were removed. Still unable to move, she could only listen as the men who'd brought her here walked back across the cabin. The sound of the door lock made it clear that she probably wouldn't be able to get out of the cabin easily. The next thing she heard was the engines starting up. They were off to wherever, and if she didn't get her act in gear, she had a feeling that she wouldn't like the destination.

* AD INC *

Judson's first thought on waking was that he'd had a really bad nightmare. He was on the couch, but there was no sign of handcuffs, blindfold, or duct tape. He rubbed his hand over his mouth as he remembered the feel of the gag, only to wince a little at the tenderness there. That brought him to his feet in a hurry. Maybe it hadn't been a nightmare after all.

"Gabe? Mac?" he yelled out, praying for an answer that he was pretty sure wouldn't come. At almost a full-out run, he headed for Mackenzie's cabin. The bunk was unmade, the sheets trailing down on the floor. Gabe's cabin was in the same shape. Neither of his friends would have left their beds in that shape. It was one of Judson's rules - living on a boat required discipline, and tidiness.

Slowly, he made his way out onto the deck. The boat was drifting in the middle of nowhere - no land in sight in any direction. He went over to the railing and stared down into the water. Was this where it happened? He didn't think so. The engines had still been running when the shots had been fired. They could be miles from where his friends had been thrown overboard. Plus, who knew how long the boat had been drifting, or how far it had drifted. Their bodies could be anywhere, weighted down, never to surface from the cold, dark, depths of the ocean.

Judson shook off his morbid thoughts with great difficulty. Standing there was accomplishing nothing. First, he was going to search the boat, from top to bottom. It was a very slim hope, but he wasn't willing to give that up yet. It took almost an hour before he finally had to admit that he really was alone. Even worse, the controls had been badly damaged, and would need to be repaired before he could even start the engines. It had obviously been done to give the bad guys time to get away.

But before he started on repairs, he decided to send out his rover to take a look under water. The remote control device might let him find his friends. He would feel so much better if he could locate their bodies. While Mac would probably not mind being buried at sea, Gabe deserved to be returned to his family.

It was harder to manage the drone by himself than he realized. He kept finding himself wanting to call out to Gabe or Mac to do something to help. Each time he remembered they weren't ever going to be able to help him again sent a shaft of pain to his heart.

Several hours later, he finally decided to give up. Even if this was where they'd been thrown overboard, the ocean was too deep. He would never be able to find them. He would concentrate on something else - like revenge. Normally, he wasn't a vengeful man. He was usually the one who had pulled up his two young friends before they got into trouble. But someone who would kill Gabe and Mac just because they were his friends was someone that needed to be punished.

He felt drawn back to the stern deck, and he wandered over to the railing again. He stared down into the dark water for a long time, before he suddenly started to shake. Slowly, he sank down on the deck as tears started to roll down his cheeks. All alone, in the middle of the ocean, he mourned his friends.

* AD INC *

Gabe wished there was a clock in the cabin. He had no way to judge the passing of time, other than he knew it was past dawn based on the light coming through the porthole. He wondered where they were taking him. The Vast Explorer had been docked in North Carolina, but they could be anywhere by now. He'd never felt so alone in his life. Growing up, he'd had his family, as well as bodyguards to protect him. Then he'd had Judson and Mac to count on, but right now he just had himself. It was a terrifying thought. He reminded himself that there was a good chance that he would make it out of this alive. If they had planned on killing him, they wouldn't have gone to so much trouble with face masks and blindfolds. The only thing he had to worry about was whether his father would cough up a million dollars for the son who had rebelled against his family's plans. Would his father think Gabe was too much trouble, and decide that this was the way to wash his hands of the most troublesome member of their family?

If it had been Judson who'd received the ransom note, Gabe knew how he would have reacted. He would have agreed to the ransom demand, and if he couldn't raise the money, he would have shown up with fake money and a plan to rescue Gabe. And Judson's plans usually worked. He'd once used torn strips of paper to con some thieves into thinking he was going to pay them to return a stolen Roman plate. He'd not only gotten the artifact back - he'd even figured out that the museum curator had been the mastermind behind the whole thing.

Just thinking about Judson caused his stomach to start churning again. Tears burned his eyes, and he fought against giving in to them, but a single tear slipped down his right cheek. It was followed by a tide of others as if a dam had burst.

He must have fallen asleep because he didn't hear the men return. The first that he became aware that they were in the cabin with him was when one of them yanked the duct tape off of his mouth.

"Ow!" he cried out as he struggled to sit up. Hands reached out to help him, and he couldn't believe it when he was uncuffed. He finally understood when another man came in carrying a tray which he placed on the bunk.

"Lunchtime. And as long as you behave, we'll leave the cuffs and gag off. But if you try to cause trouble, you'll regret it." With those words, the three other men in the cabin left, locking the door as the went.

Gabe looked at the tray, and found that they'd brought him a variety of fresh fruit, cheeses, and sliced meat. Taking no chances, they had provided paper plates, but no utensils. He would have to eat the food with his fingers. For a moment he couldn't face eating anything, but then he forced himself to start. He needed to keep his energy level up so that he could take advantage of any chance he had to get away.

* AD INC *

Mac paced as much as she could in the cabin she had been placed in. They had chained her ankle to the bunk which was firmly attached to the wall and floor. It gave her enough room to use the bathroom, and get about halfway toward the exit to the cabin. Whenever her captors came in, there was nothing she could do because she couldn't reach them. Food trays were slid over to her, and if she didn't slide them back, they were left behind. In the heat, it didn't take long for the leftovers to start smelling so she started sliding them back.

She still had no idea what was going on. Who would go to this much trouble just to get their hands on her? Who would want her enough that they would kill her friends? It had to be something to do with her previous life before she'd joined Judson's crew. She'd definitely made enemies then, but this seemed a bit extreme just for revenge. Plus, why had this happened now? It had been four years since she'd changed the direction of her life.

There had been only two fairly recent things she'd been involved with. There had been her run-in with Gavin Merrill. Four years earlier, they had been lovers as well as partners. They'd been contracted to help out an Agent Jake Canfield to help break up a gun-smuggling ring, but Gavin had other ideas. He decided to go rogue, and planned to take off with six million dollars worth of diamonds. The only problem was that she had hidden them. He'd been forced to give her an experimental drug to find their location. Unfortunately for him, the drug had wiped out her memory of that time - including her memories of Jake and Gavin. After that, she'd left the business.

It wasn't until she'd run into him again last year that she had finally started to remember. But Gavin had been shot and had fallen into the ocean, along with the diamonds. He would have no reason to come after her, even if he had survived. Well, not unless he wanted revenge - after all, she'd been the one to shoot him. She'd had to do it to save Canfield's life. Knowing him, Gavin could be ruthless if he decided to come after her.

The other top reason she'd come up with dealt with the Icarus disk. It had contained names of all the western intelligence agents around the world. It had both active and retired agents, their locations and aliases. Her name would have listed as one of the retired ones. It would have been worth millions to the right person. Or maybe that should be the wrong person. The agency insisted the list didn't exist and yet they'd almost been killed for it. She'd destroyed the computer disk, but maybe someone thought she still had it. That would also be a good reason for this to happen.

If she ever got out of this, she'd probably go back to being an agent. Her parents were both dead, and with Judson and Gabe gone, there was no one left to worry about her. And no one for her to worry about.

* AD INC *

"Damn!" Judson swore and threw the screwdriver down. The damage to the boat had been more serious than he'd first thought. Plus, he'd gotten lazy in the last year - ever since Gabe had come on board. The young man had been so good at working on the boat that he'd left it to him. Now, he had to figure out what Gabe had changed before he could fix it. The young man hadn't bothered updating the specs when he made changes. He had probably documented them on his laptop, but that would do Judson little good.

It had been two days since the Vast Explorer had been boarded and his friends had been killed. During that time, he'd been stuck in the middle of nowhere while he tried to fix his boat. The radio had been broken beyond repair, and he hadn't been able to find any of their cell phones on the ship. The Zodiac was missing as well. It reminded him of the time when they'd taken a young woman on board who had damaged all the controls, and radio, shot Judson, then took off in the Zodiac with a priceless artifact. At least that time, he'd had two friends with him to help get him out of that mess. Mac had unwillingly operated on him to remove the bullet. It had been Gabe who'd managed to get the engines fixed so that they could go after the artifact.

He jerked his head up from the tangle of wires when he heard the sound of an air horn. Hurrying out to the deck, he spotted a Coast Guard cutter headed in his direction. They must have spotted the distress flags he'd raised. He waved his arms over his head, and the air horn went off again, letting him know he'd been spotted.

It didn't take too long for the Coast Guard to board his boat, but he could have lived without the four hours of interrogations that followed. You'd think he'd done something wrong instead of being the victim. The one important piece of information that he'd kept from them was that Gabe's father was Senator William Patterson. He felt that he should be the one to inform the man that his son had died.

Eventually, the interrogation ended, and two tugboats showed up to tow his boat to the nearest docking facility - which happened to be in Florida. He'd covered more distance than he'd realized. Once the Vast Explorer was secured in its berth, Judson headed for Gabe's cabin. While he was not looking forward to the phone call, he knew he couldn't put off making it. It took him a while to find the phone number because everything in the cabin kept bringing up memories that he wished he could forget. Once he found it, he looked at the clock. He decided it was too late to make the call. Instead, he would get some sleep, and call in the morning.

His sleep was filled with nightmares that involved watching Gabe and Mac being shot while he tried to stop the gunfire. It seemed to play over and over again, and no matter how he tried to stop the shootings, he'd always be too late. He woke up in a cold sweat, his stomach turning over and over. Giving up on sleep, he headed for the shower, and stood under the hot water for longer than normal.

When he finally decided it was late enough in the morning to make the call, Judson left the boat and went in search of a payphone. It took a while to get through all the levels of bureaucracy of secretaries, and assistants, but he kept insisting it was personal and involved the senator's son, and he was finally told the senator was not available. However, he did get a time when he should call back later in the afternoon.

* AD INC *

Mac sighed as she studied her breakfast tray. This was the start of the third day she'd spent in this cabin and she was getting really tired of it. She wanted a shower more than anything. She wanted clean clothes. She also wanted fresh air. She was tired of staring at the bare walls.

Knowing that she had to keep her strength up, she forced herself to eat and drink everything on the tray. She slid it back over toward the door, and turned back to the bunk, when she started to feel dizzy. The cabin seemed to spin around, and she slowly collapsed to her hands and knees trying to fight the vertigo. A moment later, she fell the rest of the way to the floor unconscious.

When she next woke up, she was surrounded by total darkness. At first she thought she'd been blindfolded, but then she realized that there was nothing covering her face. She was fairly certain she was no longer on a boat due to the lack of motion. She tried to reach out with her hands to explore the surrounding area, but couldn't move. She struggled for a few moments before deciding she had a straitjacket on. Her legs were also bound tightly together. She squirmed around, and found that she had very little room to move - probably a closet, but she couldn't be sure. It could be a large crate, as well.

Never one to wait patiently, she decided to get someone's attention. She lifted her feet and started kicking anything she could as well as screaming for someone to let her out. She was starting to get tired by the time the door was open. She blinked, then closed her eyes as the light blinded her. After a few moments, she was able to see, and she instantly recognized the smirking face staring down at her.

"Gavin! Let me out of here!" she demanded. She couldn't believe he'd survived being shot, and falling into the ocean.

"In time, love. You know it's amazing what you can buy with six million dollars worth of diamonds - well, minus the few that fell into the ocean. If you had just cooperated with me, we could have been very happy with each other."

"And the agency would never have stopped looking for us. Not my idea of a happy life."

"You're too short-sighted, love. I would have arranged a convenient accident, that would have made it look like we were dead. You know... like being shot and falling into the ocean? Then we could have enjoyed all that lovely booty. But now I have to do this the hard way. In just a few days, I'll have more of that wonderful drug to give you. You'll forget all about your current life. You should even forget about what happened between you and me. But until then, I think you need an attitude adjustment. We'll see how you handle a few days in the dark. No food. No water. No company. Enjoy yourself." With those words, he shut the door, enclosing her in darkness again.

Mac refused to waste her time or energy on protesting. Gavin could be ruthless, and she doubted anything she said would change his mind. She might as well spend her time sleeping, but even as that thought crossed her mind, the closet seemed to explode in sound. She wanted to cover her ears as they were assaulted by the discordant noise, but the straitjacket prevented that. The loud noise would keep her from sleeping, and that, combined with lack of food, water and light, was a crude form of brainwashing. Her training should prevent her from caving in, but she wasn't sure whether she could handle another dose of Gavin's experimental drug. On the one hand, she hoped she'd forget her life with Judson, but on the other hand, she didn't want to forget it either. She settled in to wait out the time, and started reciting the periodic element table. It would keep her mind occupied.

* AD INC *

Gabe looked up as two men entered the cabin. As usual, they both wore masks, and one of them remained by the door, gun pointed, while the other crossed the room. He didn't think it was time to eat again, and neither man had a tray. Other than one time when they brought him some clothes, the only time they had ever came to his room was to bring food. It had been a very boring time, but he had a feeling that things were about to change when he'd heard the engines stop just as the sun was coming up. He just wasn't sure he was ready for whatever they were going to do.

"Time to go, kid," he said, as he motioned for Gabe to stand up. "Don't do anything stupid. Your old man is going to pay your ransom, and then you can go home." With those words, the man turned him around, and handcuffed Gabe's hands behind his back. Next, a blindfold was wrapped around his head. "I'm not going to gag you - unless you try to cause problems."

"No problem," Gabe said. He just wanted to get this over with.

He was led out of the cabin, through halls, up stairs, then over what had to be a gangplank. A short distance away, he was lifted into a van. The men climbed in behind him, and the door slammed shut. As he was pushed down onto the floor the engine started, and he felt the van start moving. He concentrated on trying to remember turns, and any noises that would give the police a clue as to where the boat was docked. He wasn't going to let these guys get away with murdering his two best friends.

The drive seemed to last forever. Several times he thought they had reached their destination as the van stayed in one place for a long period of time, but then it would start moving again. Finally, he heard the engine shut off. The back door to the van was opened, and he felt the fresh air on his face. A few moments later, he was dragged out of the van, and hands grabbed his arms to start him moving. He guessed they walked for about five minutes before he was pulled to a stop. The blindfold was removed, and he blinked in the bright sunshine. It looked like an auto junkyard. Piles of wrecked cars were stacked all over the place.

A dark-haired man climbed out of a car at the far end of the aisle they were in. As he started coming toward them, Gabe recognized the man. He was his father's right hand man, David White. He carried a large suitcase, and was alone.

"That's far enough," the man holding Gabe's arm called out.

"Gabe? Are you okay?" White called back.

"I'm okay."

"You bring the money?" the kidnapper asked.

White laid the suitcase on the ground and opened it. Then he turned it so it was facing the other two men. Gabe could see the neatly stacked bills inside.

"All right. Close it up, then back off."

"Not without Gabe."

Gabe felt something cold against his temple, and realized the guy was pointing a gun at him. "Back off or I'll shoot him!"

White threw up his hands. "All right. Just don't hurt him." He slowly stepped back, as one of the other kidnappers ran over and grabbed the suitcase.

Gabe felt the hands pulling at him to turn, but he resisted. If he went with the men, they'd probably kill him. With a twisting motion, he tore himself free, and started running awkwardly toward White. When he heard the gunshots, he expected to feel a bullet tear through his back, but nothing happened.

"Get down, Gabe!" White called, as he pulled out his own gun.

Gabe threw himself down in the dirt, landing hard since his hands were cuffed behind his back. More shots were fired, then there was silence. A moment later hands reached down to pull him to his feet. He rolled over, and kicked out, determined not to be taken again.

"Gabe! Take it easy. It's me."

The young man paused, then looked up. It wasn't the kidnappers standing over him, it was White. With a sigh of relief, Gabe relaxed, and let himself be pulled up.

White looked him over carefully. "Did they hurt you?" he finally asked.

Gabe shook his head. "But they killed my friends."

"Previn and Cross?"

Gabe nodded, unable to speak as he remembered the gunshots.

"I'm sorry. I know how much you liked them." White rested one hand on Gabe's shoulder and squeezed lightly. "We caught them, so they will pay for what they've done."

Gabe looked around, and realized that the junkyard was swarming with men wearing jackets with yellow FBI letters stenciled on them. They had five men on their knees, hands resting on top of their heads. One by one, they were being searched, then handcuffed. One of the agents brought a set of keys over, and a moment later Gabe was freed.

"Is Dad okay?" Gabe asked, wondering why White was there instead of his father.

"He's fine. We couldn't risk letting him come here, so I volunteered to come instead." White pulled out a cell phone from his pocket. He pushed a few buttons, then handed it to Gabe.

"Gabriel?"

The young man almost choked up as he heard his father's voice. "I'm okay, Dad," he finally managed to say.

"Thank God! Did they hurt you?"

"No, I'm fine. Just glad it's over."

"So am I. Look, David will bring you back here. I can't wait to see you."

"Me either. Bye, Dad." Gabe shut off the cell phone and handed it back.

"Ready to go?"

"Don't they need my statement or something?"

"They can come get it later. After all, you're a senator's son. They don't want to make him mad." With that, White placed an arm around Gabe's shoulders and guided him toward the car.

* AD INC *

When the appointed time came around, Judson headed back to the payphone. He had never met the senator. In fact, he'd never even talked to the man. Judson had always gotten the impression that the man thought he was responsible for Gabe's defection from law school.

"This is Senator Patterson."

With a start, Judson turned his attention back to the phone. "Senator, this is Judson Cross. I'm afraid I have some bad news about your son."

"What's happened to him?" the senator demanded.

"He... He was killed... three days ago." Judson had to force the words out. Even now, he still didn't want to believe it. Saying it made it seem more real.

"And you're just calling me now? How dare you?"

"My boat was damaged. I had no way of getting the information to you." Judson tried to remain patient, knowing this call had to be a shock to the man. "I've only just now reached a port where I could make a phone call."

"Where are you? I'll contact a funeral home nearby to arrange for... his body to be brought home."

"I'm sorry. His body couldn't be recovered." Judson explained the sequence of events that had occurred, leaving out the reason behind them.

"And tell me, Cross, how is it that you were the only survivor?" Even over the phone, the ice in the man's voice caused Judson to shudder.

"Whoever did this wanted to hurt me," Judson explained. "And they knew that killing Gabe and Mac would be the best way of doing that. You have no idea how sorry I am that Gabe was killed because of me."

"It seems to me that you never really cared whether Gabe was hurt or killed. You kept leading him into dangerous situations where he should never have been. I hold you personally responsible for his death, Cross. If you're smart, you'll stay far away from me and my family for the rest of your life. And that includes coming to Gabe's memorial service. You will *not* be welcomed. Is that understood?"

"Yes, sir." Judson couldn't blame the man. In many ways he felt the same way. "I'll crate up Gabe's things and send them to you."

"Don't bother. I want nothing to remind me of his time with you! Good-bye."

Judson just stared at his phone, unable to believe that Gabe's father would not want his son's personal effects. Then he decided that the man would probably change his mind and regret that decision. So, he would still go ahead and crate up Gabe's belongings and put them in storage. But that could wait until tomorrow. Right now he wanted a drink.

* AD INC *

Mac had no idea how much time passed before the noise stopped. She was certain that it hadn't been all that long - definitely not the several days that Gavin had threatened her with. Of course, this could just be another ploy. Stop the noise for a while, then start it up again. Keep her off balance.

The last thing she expected was for the door to swing open. Once again she was blinded by the light. The first thing she was able to focus on was a gun pointing at her. A moment later, it was pulled back, and she recognized the man standing there. Agent Jake Canfield was the last person she would have expected.

She'd worked with Canfield when she'd been partnered with Merrill. Her ex-lover had tried to convince her that it had been Canfield who had given her the drug that wiped out her memory. And that it had been Canfield who had tried to kill her. Instead, it had been Merrill who had been behind it all. She had shot Gavin to save Canfield's life.

He knelt down in the doorway. "Are you all right, Previn?"

She nodded. "Yeah. Just get me out of here."

He reached out and started trying to unknot the rope tied around her legs. He struggled with it for a few moments before he finally got it undone. He unwrapped her legs, then reached out to haul her to her feet. Once she was out in the room, he started working on the straitjacket.

"So, what were you doing here, Previn?"

Mac rolled her eyes. "I was working on my tan. What were you doing here?"

"We got a tip that Merrill was here. We've been looking for him ever since he somehow managed to escape the last time. I was never convinced that he was dead. We never expected to find you here. So, what was going on?"

She sighed as the straitjacket was removed. "He apparently wanted me back, and was willing to pay for the privilege. He paid someone to kidnap me, and bring me here. He was going to use that drug on me again to see if I would forget what happened last year. I'm not sure what he hoped to accomplish."

"I guess that means Cross will be showing up anytime now to rescue you."

"No, he won't," Mac snapped out, but didn't elaborate. "Did you get Gavin?"

"Yes. Unfortunately he refused to surrender. We were forced to kill him. And there's no doubt this time."

"I want to see his body."

Canfield shrugged. "If you really want to." He gestured toward the door, and she headed out of the room. She found herself in a basement storage area. Two other men were searching through boxes.

"Upstairs."

She climbed the stairs to the next level. There were more men on this level, but the one she wanted to see was on the floor, being photographed by what had to be a forensics expert. There was no doubt at all that Merrill was dead. She wanted to scream out in anger. There would be no revenge for her. She wanted to make him regret ever coming after her, but she couldn't do that now. She turned back to Canfield. "Where are we?"

"About a hundred miles south of D.C.. Why?"

She sighed. "I wanted to know where I was. Merrill had me kidnapped right off the Vast Explorer. I don't suppose you know if he's hired some men recently?" If she couldn't take her revenge against Gavin, there was always the guys who had actually pulled the triggers.

"Not that we know of."

"I want to be in on the search. I want to find the men he paid to... bring me here."

"What aren't you telling me?" Canfield looked skeptical.

"The men who kidnapped me... they killed Judson and Gabe," she finally explained. "I want them."

"The senator's son?" Canfield burst out.

Mac nodded, while wanting to smack the other agent. Just because Gabe was a senator's son didn't make his death more noteworthy than Judson's. She could see the headlines now. 'Senator's son and another killed at sea'. It was so wrong.

"Oh my god!" Canfield turned and paced a few steps away to another man. "Go through everything with a fine tooth comb. We don't want to make any mistakes here." He turned back to Previn. "I'll have to go see the senator... tell him what happened... This could get ugly."

"No! I want to tell him. After all, Gabe was my friend. It's the least I can do. After that, I want back in."

"You want to come back and work for the company?" Canfield stared at her in shock.

She nodded. "But first I want to catch the bastards who did this."

"Deal. C'mon. We need to get you cleaned up, and into some clothes if you're going to see Senator Patterson."

Mackenzie looked down at herself. She had to admit that seeing a senator in a her sleepwear which consisted of loose shorts, and a camisole-style top wasn't a good idea. It wasn't like she had any choice in what she had on. After all, they hadn't given her a chance to get dressed before they hauled her off the boat. However, the thought of showering sounded wonderful. "Let's go."

* AD INC *

Judson emptied his beer glass, and debated ordering another. He'd lost track of how many he'd had so far, but he didn't really care. He wished he could figure out some way to shut off his mind. Between thinking about Mac and Gabe, and trying to decide what he was going to do, he was getting a headache.

He loved what he did. He'd wanted to do it since he was only twelve years old. There was something about discovering a piece of history that made him happy. It wasn't about the fame, or the money. Because he donated so much to museums, he was often lucky to get enough to cover expenses, but that was just who he was. He wanted people to be able to enjoy the things he found. They didn't belong in private collections, although sometimes he had no choice in the matter.

But how could he continue to do this by himself? Could he risk bringing in people to work for him? Even if he kept himself away from them, what if whoever did this came back? How could he live with himself if he got more people killed just because they worked for him?

There was nothing else to do. He had to find out whoever was behind this. There had to be a way to figure it out. The only thing he had come up with was to return to where the Vast Explorer had been moored before this all started. Hopefully, someone would have seen something there that would give him a lead.

But first he had to get his boat fixed. He didn't have any money to do it, but somehow he'd find a way. He pushed away from the bar, and headed back to his boat.

* AD INC *

Mackenzie stood under the hot water, luxuriating in the warmth that seemed to flood through her body. She felt herself start to relax which was a bad thing. She'd been able to hold back her feelings up to this point, but she was starting to lose control. She had refused to let go before. Showing weakness wasn't something she did. Only Judson had seen glimpses of her insecurities. But now that she was alone, where no one could see her, she couldn't keep up her defenses. She sank down on the floor of the shower and started sobbing. She covered her mouth with both hands to lessen the noise that seemed to echo through the room.

It seemed to take forever for her to gain control again. Finally, she stopped crying, and she climbed back to her feet and finished her shower. Stepping out of the cubicle, she briefly toweled herself off, then wrapped the terry cloth robe that the hotel had provided around herself. Grabbing another towel, she started on her hair, avoiding the mirror at all costs. Eventually she had to look into it, and took note of the puffiness and redness of her eyes.

She splashed cold water on her face, wishing that she had some makeup so she could camouflage the fact that she had been crying. Finally, she let herself out of the bathroom. Canfield was waiting in the bedroom, reading some papers from a briefcase sitting on the table next to him.

He looked up when she came out, then nodded toward some bags sitting on the bed. "I had someone pick up a variety of clothes for you. Hopefully, you'll find something there that you like. The rest can go back. There's also new i.d. for you, too."

Mac moved over to the sacks and started looking through them. She selected pants and a top from one bag, then found some underwear in another. The best surprise was some makeup in the last bag. Canfield must have had a woman do the shopping. She carried the items back into the bathroom, and got dressed. She pulled her long, dark hair back into a plait, then applied the makeup. Finally, she emerged back into the room.

"There's been a change of plans," Canfield said as she entered.

"Oh?"

"I've talked to my superiors. They don't think it would be a very good idea for you to go talk to Senator Patterson. They felt that the senator might feel that you were responsible for his son's death." Canfield held up a hand when she started to protest. "I don't think you're responsible, but look at it from the senator's point of view."

Mac sighed. "I suppose you're right, but I feel like I should..." She wasn't quite sure what she should do. It just didn't seem right to at least pass on her condolences. Surely he would want to know about Gabe's last days.

"They also don't want you working on the investigation. They feel that you're too emotionally involved to be able to be able to see things clearly. However, they do have a situation in England that they think you will be perfect for. They want you over there as soon as possible. I just need to debrief you, then you can be on your way."

"Wait a minute. I need some time before I can go running off on another assignment. Everything I own was on the Vast Explorer. That means I have nothing - especially clothing. I also don't have any weapons. I need a few days to arrange things. Besides, what if the senator decides he wants to talk to me?"

Canfield didn't look too happy, but he only nodded. "All right. Now, let's go over what happened."

* AD INC *

The next morning Gabe's father asked him to come to his office after breakfast.

"Gabriel, I want you to go home to Vermont," his father started out.

"Dad, I don't want to go home right now," Gabe protested, feeling like a little boy who had been summoned to the principal's office. He always felt that way whenever his father called him in for a chat. His father sat on one side of a huge desk, and he was on the other side.

"I think it would be for the best. You've been through a horrible ordeal, and it wouldn't hurt for you to get away for a while. Our estate in Vermont would be the perfect place. I want you to stay out of the limelight. The last thing I want is for the press to get hold of this story."

"Why? I'd think you'd want everyone to know that it doesn't pay for them to kidnap one of your kids."

"No, it will let everyone know that my family was vulnerable. It might make someone else decide to try something. Besides, I don't need this kind of publicity right now. I'm in the middle of some very important negotiations for the Senate appropriations committee."

Gabe fought back a sigh. It was always about his father. "I'm not going to Vermont," he stated firmly. The last couple of years with Judson had taught him how to stand up for what he believed in.

"Then what are you going to do?"

"Well, first, I'm going to try to find out what happened to the Vast Explorer."

His father snorted. "Even if you could find that decrepit piece of junk, what would you do with it? All it's good for is the scrap pile."

"That's not true! Sure, it needs some work, but it's a great boat. Besides, there are things I want from it. Pictures. Mementos." He paused for a moment, fighting back tears. "I also need to find out whether Mac or Judson had a will. I'm sure he did, and there's probably a copy on board."

"What? You think he left you something?" his father sneered. "I really doubt that. And from what I've heard about him, he had more debts than he had assets."

"I don't care. I just want to see that his last wishes are carried out. It's the least I can do for him." Actually, Gabe was pretty sure that Judson had changed his will so that he and Mackenzie would inherit the boat. And with Mac dead, that meant the Vast Explorer would be his. He could afford to pay off any debts.

"Even if you found a will, with no body, you'll have to wait seven years before you could have him declared dead. And if you're thinking about sailing off to waste your life the same way as Cross did, you can think again."

Gabe wondered how his father knew that he'd been thinking about doing just that. Not that he would be anywhere near as successful as Judson. He was still convinced that the older man had some kind of mojo when it came to finding sunken treasure.

His father stood up and came around the desk to lean up against it. "Listen, Gabriel. Be reasonable. I've let you have a couple of years of gallivanting around. Having fun. But it's time to get back to the real world. Go up to Vermont, and when the next term starts, you can go back to law school - make something of your life. And I'll put my best people on finding out what happened to that boat, as well as finding out whether Cross and Previn had wills."

"I'll think about it," Gabe replied, even though he knew he'd never go back to law school. There was no way he could picture his life going in that direction again. "Give me a few days. I'll stay out of the limelight. No one will even know I'm here."

His father looked at his watch and sighed. "All right for now. I have to get to work. We'll talk about this later." He retrieved his briefcase, and left the room.

Gabe sighed, wishing his father would be as supportive as Judson had been.

* AD INC *

Judson wanted to slam his fist into the loan officer's smug face. He'd been trying to borrow money all day to get his boat fixed and everywhere he went he was turned away. While his credit rating wasn't that great, he did have his boat as collateral. It was like someone was making sure he wouldn't get anywhere. He couldn't help but wonder whether the men who had killed his friends had more power than he had realized.

He grabbed up his paperwork, nodded to the loan officer, and left the bank without saying another word. There was more than one way to borrow money. If a bank wouldn't loan him any, he could go to the less savory money lenders. He really didn't want to do that because the interest rates would make it nearly impossible to pay off the loan. He might as well sign over the title for his boat. Before he did that, he would max out the few credit cards that he had.

He had one other source of money to consider. He had a feeling that both Mac and Gabe had secret stashes on board. He had been hesitant to search for it before, but he knew his friends would have understood. He could also sell some things. Gabe's laptop had to bring him some money. It wasn't like the senator wanted it.

He headed back to the boat, and started with Gabe's room. While he was searching, he also started packing up the young man's belongings. By the time he was done, he hadn't found any cash. The only thing left in the room was a picture hanging on the wall. Judson took it down, and studied it. It was of the three of them, and had been taken in England. They'd been standing on the dock, in front of the Vast Explorer. He'd been in the middle, and had one arm around each of his younger friends.

They all looked so happy in the picture. It just wasn't fair! They had both been too young to die. With a loud, anguished cry, he threw the picture against the wall. Almost immediately, he regretted his actions, and he retrieved the picture. The glass was badly cracked, and the frame was also damaged. Carefully, he removed the backing so that he could hopefully salvage the print. Behind the frame he found five one hundred dollar bills.

"Thank you, Gabe," Judson said, looking skyward. He removed the money and the print, promising that he would find a better frame for the print. Now he could go buy some supplies.

* AD INC *

Mackenzie paced around her hotel room, trying to get her mind organized. Something was very, very wrong. Last night she had watched the news, expecting to see something about Gabe, but there had been no mention whatsoever. There was no way the news would not report the death of a senator's son. Nor had there been anything in the newspapers this morning.

The fact that Canfield seemed insistent on getting her out of the country also made her suspicious. She could understand that the senator might not want to see her, but it seemed strange that the agency didn't want her to help in finding the people responsible for Gabe's death.

The thing that really had her becoming more suspicious was something that had occurred to her while she'd been debriefed yesterday. Why had she been blindfolded? Her captors had always worn masks whenever she'd seen them. So, they had probably had on masks when they came on board the Vast Explorer. If she had wanted to make an impact on someone, she would have made them watch their friends die.

Was it possible that Gabe and Judson hadn't been killed? But if that was the case, did Canfield know? And if he did, why didn't he tell her? Or maybe there was something else going on. Maybe they hadn't told the senator that Gabe was dead. But that didn't make any sense, either. What could be accomplished by that? She'd been involved with devious, complicated plots before, and this one was beginning to seem like one of those.

After much thought, she decided she needed to find out where the Patterson homes were. She knew they had one in Vermont somewhere, and she figured they probably had a home here in D.C. too. And neither one of them would have a listed phone number. Canfield probably had at least the addresses, but he would be harder to get around. Instead, she was going to see what she could find out at the senator's office. And that would require a disguise.

Much later that night, wearing a short, blond wig, and a tight fitting black dress that had a low neckline and a high hem line, she waved good-bye to the senator's aide who had been her escort to dinner. Little did the man know that he had been a fountain of information. Now she had the home phone number and address of Senator Patterson's house here in D.C. The aide had no idea that she had slipped his personal digital assistant out of his pocket when she'd gotten up to go to the restroom. It hadn't taken long to find the number, and she'd slipped the PDA back into his pocket as she slid back into her seat.

She quickly changed into clothes meant for stealth instead of seduction, then decided to try the phone number first. She wasn't sure if the number was a private line that would only ring in the senator's office. She could only hope that it was a family line. She also knew it wouldn't be a smart thing to call directly from the hotel, so she headed out to find a payphone.

She wasn't really surprised when a man answered the phone. "Senator Patterson?" she asked in a high pitched voice.

"Yes."

"This is Gail Strom, Washington Post. Is it true that your son, Gabriel, is here visiting you?"

"No comment. And how did you get this phone number?"

Mac quickly hung up. So much for the easy way. She stared at the phone for a few minutes, then dialed Judson's cell phone number. She got a message that the phone was out of range or turned off. She got the same thing with Gabe's cell phone, as well as her own. It didn't mean anything. If the Vast Explorer had been left abandoned out on the ocean, it could very well be out of cell phone range.

Time to head to the senator's house and see what else she could find out. It took her a while to get there because she didn't want to attract any attention to herself. Once there, she started scoping out the place. Remote controlled gates blocked the drive, and there were armed guards with dogs patrolling the grounds. Using high-powered binoculars, she scanned the estate and spotted security cameras set up in strategic places. Still, she was pretty sure she could get inside without detection if she could avoid the guards and dogs.

The only question was whether it was worth the risk. If she got caught, and was wrong about Gabe being here, then she'd probably end up in prison. She moved around several times, trying to find a good vantage point to keep watching the house. All of the downstairs rooms had curtains pulled over the windows, keeping out prying eyes.

Judson had always said timing was everything, and this night she had great timing. She was in the right place at the right time when a light came on in an upstairs room. The curtains were still open, and she trained her binoculars on the room. A moment later, she saw Gabe cross the room toward the window. A moment later, the curtains had been pulled.

She couldn't stop herself from smiling. She wanted to shout out her happiness. Gabe was alive. And that meant Judson was probably alive, too. But first things first. She had to get to Gabe somehow and compare notes with him. Once again she turned her attention to the grounds of the estate. She timed the guards, and memorized their patrol paths. Finally, she decided she had a good chance to get past them. There was a balcony outside of Gabe's room, and a trellis close by. She could scale it, and hopefully reach the balcony. After that, a quick picking of the lock and she would be inside.

Everything went according to plan, although it had been a longer stretch to the balcony than she realized, and she almost fell. She took a few moments to recover, then pulled out a lock pick. It took almost no time, and she slowly turned the knob to open the door.

She should have considered it, but she hadn't. A loud alarm went off as soon as she started opening the door. Knowing that she didn't have much time, she burst into the room, trying to locate the bed where Gabe would be. A light came on, and she blinked in the sudden brightness.

"Mac!" Gabe's shout of surprise as he shot up in bed was quickly followed by two guards bursting into the bedroom.

"Hold it right there!" one of the guards called out, aiming an automatic rifle at her.

She put up her hands quickly, not wanting to end up being shot. "Hey, Gabe, you want to call off the guards?" she asked.

"What?" Gabe sounded stunned, and she couldn't really blame him. He shook his head, then said, "Oh, yeah. It's all right, guys. She's a friend." He got out of bed and crossed the room to hug her. "Mac! I can't believe you're alive!" He pulled back and scowled at her. "Did Judson know about this?"

The guards slowly lowered their guns, then one of them left the room. A few moments later, the alarm was cut off. By that time, Senator Patterson had joined them.

"What's going on here?"

Gabe turned around. "Dad, this is Mackenzie Previn. Mac, my father."

"I thought you said she'd been killed."

Gabe turned back to Mac. "I thought she had." He hugged her again.

"Do you always enter people's houses this way?" the senator spit out. "Did you ever think about using the front door? Or maybe you were part of the kidnapping plot - were you going to try a second time?" The remaining guard jerked up his gun at that statement.

"Dad!" Gabe protested.

"Think about it, Gabriel. They knew where to find you. Maybe Cross and Previn set up the whole thing. They made you think the boat had been boarded, and that they were killed. They'd get the ransom payoff and head back to Europe, knowing that you would never look for them. It makes perfect sense to me." He waved the guard toward Mac. "Arrest her."

"No!" Gabe stepped in front of Mackenzie to protect her. "She wasn't part of the kidnapping, and neither was Judson. They're my friends. And I'd trust them with my life."

"Then you're a fool. Fine." He waved the guard out of the room. "But the next time they try to get ransom money out of me, I'll make sure they spend the rest of their lives in prison." With those final words he stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind him.

Gabe sighed, then turned back to her, pointing toward the sitting area of his room. "Mac, what's going on? I thought you had been shot along with Judson. Is this another one of his schemes?"

"No, it's not one of his schemes," she said, remembering the time she and Judson had led everyone to believe she was dead. "I thought you and Judson had been killed." She sat down on the sofa, and Gabe settled down on a nearby chair. "Someone set it up so that we all thought the other two were dead."

"You mean Judson is still alive?" The look of hope on Gabe's face made him seem so young.

"I don't know, but if we're both alive, then he probably is too. And he may be in a lot of trouble." She quickly explained what she had been through, and then Gabe did the same.

"Who do you think is behind all of this?" Gabe asked when he was done.

"I don't know, but it has to be someone who is pretty well connected. I think the agency might be involved somehow, too."

"The CIA? But why?"

"I don't know, Gabe. But they sure didn't want me talking to your father. And they wanted me out of the country as soon as possible."

"Yeah, if you had talked to my dad, he would have told you that I was alive. I just don't understand why the CIA is doing all of this. Could they be after Judson for some reason? Without us to cover his back, he could be in big trouble. We have to find him." Gabe jumped to his feet and started pacing around his bedroom.

"Any ideas? I've tried his cell phone with no luck. Maybe you could do something with a computer - you know download satellite images or something like that."

Gabe rolled his eyes. "You've got to be kidding. How am I supposed to find one boat that could be anywhere by now? And what if he's not on the boat?"

"Well, it's a starting place," she insisted.

Gabe shrugged. "All right. Let's go down to my father's office. I can use his computer."

"Umm... maybe you should get dressed first," she suggested with a smile. "Or at least put a robe on."

Gabe looked down at his pajama bottoms. He gave her a sheepish grin, and headed for his closet.

* AD INC *

Gabe sighed, wishing he had his own laptop. He had software on his that his father's computer didn't have so he was having to waste time downloading that first. He was finally able to start downloading satellite images of the coast line, but it was taking a long time. He had no idea where to even begin to look. The Vast Explorer could be anywhere by now.

As data started flooding into the computer, he set a new program to work that would search the images for a boat that came close to the size of the Vast Explorer. By doing that, he could process the data faster.

"Can you hack into bank records? Or maybe credit cards?" Mac asked. "Maybe Judson has gotten some money, or charged something that would tell us where he is."

"Do you know what illegal means?" Gabe asked. "Besides, this is my father's computer. If something like that gets traced back to it, it could ruin his political career."

"We have to find Judson," she insisted. "If he thinks we're both dead..." She stood up suddenly, and walked away.

Gabe could understand that. He'd been through it already, and he figured it would probably be worse for Judson. The man's first priority was protecting his own, and he and Mac definitely fit into that category. He had to feel like he had failed. Assuming of course, that he wasn't still in some kind of trouble.

"What about Canfield? Do you think he'll help? After all, you saved his life."

"I don't know. He might think we're even because he saved me from Gavin. But I suppose it would be worth trying." She glanced at her watch. "He won't be in his office for hours."

Gabe sighed. "All right. Why don't we try to get some sleep? The computer can keep running the program. If it hasn't found anything by the morning, you can go talk to Canfield, and see what you can find out."

"I suppose that's the best option. I just wish there was more we could do right now." She sighed. "Do you want to call me a taxi to take me back to my hotel?"

"I'll have someone drive you." Gabe stood up, and headed for the door.

"Oooh... I forgot... I'm among the privileged..." She gave him a saucy grin. She often teased him about his wealthy family. Things were almost feeling normal again.

Gabe just rolled his eyes.

* AD INC *

Mackenzie showed up at Canfield's office the first thing in the morning. Of course, he didn't show up until an hour later. She didn't miss the brief look of dismay that flashed across his face when he saw her.

"Previn, I thought you were supposed to be on your way to London this morning."

"Things have changed." She stood up and approached him. "But somehow I don't think you're going to be too surprised. Turns out that Gabe isn't dead, after all. In fact, he's staying at his father's place here in D.C. Know anything about that?"

"What? I had no idea!"

Either Canfield was a better actor than she gave him credit for, or he really hadn't known about Gabe. "I think the agency is involved with this. Someone wanted us to believe the others were dead. Whoever was supposed to talk to the senator yesterday didn't do it." Or maybe the senator was lying. She was surprised she hadn't thought of it sooner. "Look, I need your help. I want to find out if any of Judson's credit cards have been used recently. Or see if he's withdrawn any money from his accounts."

"I can't do that."

"Oh, yes you can. You owe me, Canfield. I saved your life, remember?"

"And I probably saved yours, too. Who knows what Merrill had in mind for you."

"All right," she conceded. "But we really need to find Judson. And if you don't help, I'll go to the press and let them know that someone is playing games - either the agency or Senator Patterson. Or maybe both. And Gabe will back me up. The mud will stick long enough to drag someone down."

"I'll be back in a few minutes," Canfield finally said.

Mac paced around the office, silently wishing that Canfield would hurry up. It took more like twenty minutes before he returned with a paper. He passed it over. She glanced down at it, then threw her arms around his neck, and kissed his cheek. "Thanks. Oh, and I quit."

"No kidding. Go away, Previn."

She wasted no time getting a taxi to take her to the Patterson house. Before she'd even gotten out of the cab, Gabe came running out of the house.

"I found the Explorer! It's in Florida!"

"And so is Judson!" She showed him the paper which showed charges against Judson's credit card. "So, what's the fastest way to get there?"

"We take my father's private plane. I'm sure he won't mind."

"I'm not so sure about that. He thinks Judson and I set up your kidnapping."

"Look, you go pack, and I'll go talk to my father. We'll meet up at the private terminal at the national airport. Okay?"

Mackenzie wasn't too keen on letting Gabe talk to his father alone, but she also knew that her being there wouldn't help matters any. "All right." They quickly decided to use the same taxi, and Gabe dashed back inside for his own bag. Moments later they were on their way.

After dropping Mac off, Gabe directed the driver to head to his father's building. He was surprised when his father's admin told him he could go right in, he'd always had to wait before. David White was already in the office, but he immediately gathered his papers and left the room.

"What can I do for you, Gabriel?"

His father was one of the few people who refused to use the shorter version of his name, and Gabe hated it. "I want to borrow your private plane. Mac and I think we've found out where Judson is, and we want to get there before he takes off again."

"Absolutely not! You are *not* running off with Judson Cross again. He's going to get you killed one of these days. Just look at this last episode. He couldn't even stop you from being kidnapped - and I'm still not sure he wasn't involved in that somehow. You are going back to law school."

"Dad, you can't run my life for me. I like being with Judson. I've learned so much from him. Seen so much of the world. I watch his back, and he watches mine."

"He wasn't watching it very carefully. Gabriel, you've been lucky so far. But this episode should have been a wake-up call. You're the son of a very wealthy family. That makes you a target."

"That may be. But out there, I'm not your son. I'm myself. That's it. And I like it. If you don't want me to use your plane, fine. We'll find another way to get there." He turned to leave the room, but his father's voice stopped him.

"All right. I'll let the pilot know you're on your way. Take care, son."

Gabe smiled back at his father. "You, too."

* AD INC *

"There it is!" Gabe said, pointing to the boat. "You want to try to surprise him?"

"Are you kidding? He might come out shooting." Mac couldn't wait to see Judson again. She'd tried to sleep on the plane, but kept having nightmares about finding his body on the boat once they got there.

"That's true. Okay, so we make lots of noise." They made their way up the gangplank, calling out several times, but there was never a response.

"You check out the engine room, and I'll check out the living quarters," she suggested when they'd made it to the deck. "Then we'll head to the upper decks."

It didn't take long before it became apparent that Judson wasn't on board.

"Where do you think he is?" Gabe asked.

"Who knows. But I'm sure he'll be back. He's probably off buying some parts for all that damage in the control room."

"Yeah, they sure did a number up there, didn't they? I think I'll go up and take a look at it. Maybe I can speed up the repairs."

"No, let's get comfortable on deck, and wait for Judson to come back."

"All right."

* AD INC *

It was already dark by the time Judson headed back to his boat. He'd been looking all over town trying to find the supplies he needed for repairs, but the selection lacked something. He was beginning to think he would have to leave his boat behind or he'd never find out who had killed his friends.

The last thing he expected to see was lights shining through the portholes. He laid down his purchases and pulling out his gun, he quietly made his way on board. He couldn't imagine who would be on board. Hearing noise coming from the galley, he slowly headed toward that area. A moment later, he decided he must be losing his mind, because he would swear that he heard Mac's voice. And then he heard Gabe's voice.

He abandoned all stealth at that point, and almost ran into the galley. He couldn't believe his eyes. "Mac? Gabe?"

The pair looked up and saw Judson standing there, his face totally shocked. They both called out his name, and rushed over to hug him tightly. He had to be hallucinating. Or maybe he was dreaming.

"Judson, are you okay?" Mac asked as she pulled back.

"How?"

"Long story," Gabe replied. "Dinner's almost ready. We can talk while we eat."

"I don't think I could eat a thing," Judson said, trying to get his mind to accept that his two friends were alive and on his boat. He brushed at the tears that welled up in his eyes. He felt like the luckiest man in the world. His mind finally caught up with the events, and he started making mental notes of what had to be done. Fortunately he'd never gotten around to having their stuff put in storage so all they had to do was unpack. He'd have to contact the Coast Guard and let them know that he'd been wrong about their deaths.

"Gabe! You need to call your father. He thinks you're dead," Judson said as he suddenly remembered another person who needed to be told the truth.

Gabe's eyes narrowed. "When exactly did you talk to my father?"

"Two days ago, when I finally got into port. It was later in the afternoon. He's a hard man to get hold of."

"Damn him! He knew. He knew you were alive and he didn't tell me!"

"I don't understand." Judson couldn't figure out why Gabe was so upset.

"He knew I was alive two days ago. I'd already been rescued from my kidnappers. He'd even come home and seen me for a few minutes before he went back to work."

"But when I talked to him, he didn't tell me anything about you being safe."

"I can't believe he'd do that," Gabe stormed out of the galley and into the main cabin area.

Mac grabbed Judson's arm and stopped him from following the young man. "It may be worse than just his father lying to him. Gabe's father might have arranged this whole thing, but I don't have any proof."

Judson didn't want to believe that, but Mackenzie's suspicions usually turned out to be right on. He motioned for her to follow, then joined Gabe in the cabin. "All right. Let's sit down and talk this all through."

For the next hour, first Gabe, then Mac talked about what had happened to them. Then Judson filled them in on his days alone. Dinner had been long forgotten. When they were all done, Judson tried to sum it up.

"So, Gabe was supposedly kidnapped, then rescued at the last minute. The same goes for Mac. Then the agency tries to get her out of the country. Gabe, were you ever questioned about the kidnapping?"

"No. My father's aide said they would come to see me, but they never did."

Judson didn't like the conclusions he had come to, either. It just didn't make sense for the CIA to go to these extremes for no reason. Getting Mac to come back to work for them was hardly worth it. Especially since they had never tried to do that before. The only thing that made any sense was that Gabe's father was behind all of this. But how did he point that out to the young man?

"I can't believe he was going to keep the fact that you were alive from me," Gabe said, slowly shaking his head. "And he probably knew that Mac was alive, too." He looked up at his friends. "Much as I hate to say this, I'm beginning to wonder if he wasn't behind this whole thing."

Judson and Mac exchanged looks.

"You think so, too, don't you?"

"I'm sorry, Gabe, but it's the only thing that makes sense."

Gabe jumped to his feet. "I think I need to go make a phone call."

"If you want, I'll talk to him," Judson offered, wishing he could make this all go away.

"No, I need to do this myself." With those words, he went out on deck.

"This is going to tear him up," Mac said, stating the obvious. "Why would he do this?"

"I don't know. We'll just have to be here for him."

"I'm glad we are. When I thought you were both dead..." She couldn't finish. "I've never felt so alone."

"You weren't the only one. When Gabe gets his head back on straight, we'll have to figure out some kind of alarm system. I don't ever want to be caught off guard like that again."

"He'll have something fixed up in no time at all. It will give him something to keep him occupied."

"Just fixing up the boat will give him something to do." Judson thought about it for a while. "We'll do what has to be done, then head somewhere exotic for a vacation. A week or two hanging out on a beach will do wonders."

"Actually, he'd probably be better off if we keep him busy," Mac pointed out. "Got any hot tips on sunken treasure lately?"

"I'm sure I can find something." Judson smiled at the thought.

While waiting for Gabe to finish his call, Judson and Mac kept busy preparing another meal. This time they kept it simple. Fresh fruit, and cheeses were sliced up and placed on a platter.

Finally, Gabe came back inside, and sat down at the table. "He tried to deny it at first, but he finally admitted to doing everything. He seemed proud of what he had done. The men who boarded the boat were part of an expert security team he used for big events. The FBI agents who freed me were all actors."

"What about Gavin?" Mac asked.

"He knew about him, and 'sold' you to him. Then he contacted the agency and had them rescue you. The same is true for Judson. My father contacted the Coast Guard and told them where to look for you. He just let you float around for a few days first."

"Did he say why he did all of this?" Judson asked quietly. Gabe seemed so disheartened, but he didn't know how to fix it.

"He wanted me home, safe and sound. Back in law school. He figured if I didn't have the two of you, then I would cave in."

"He was trying to protect you. It's what parents do." Judson decided he should try to help mend the fences between father and son.

"No. That's not what they do. They need to let go. I'm not a child anymore. He's got to accept that. I may have needed protection while I was growing up, but it's my life, not his. If I want to risk it on a daily basis watching your back, that's my call."

Judson stood up and moved behind Gabe, resting one hand on the younger man's shoulder. "You can watch my back any time."

"Mine, too," Mac added. "We're a team."

"No, we're family," Judson corrected her. "And we have a lot to do. This boat isn't going to fix itself. And the larder isn't going to be refilled by itself either. Plus, you two need to unpack."

"Actually, the boat is going to fix itself - kind of." Gabe smiled. "Dad is going to be sure there's people here first thing in the morning to do all the repairs. And he's footing the bill for them, as well as our docking fees while we're here. Plus any other damage as well."

"Then I guess we'd better make a list - starting with new cell phones."

"Think he'll pay for better ones?" Mac asked, giving Gabe a cheeky grin.

"If he knows what's good for him, he will," Gabe replied.

"Then let's get going!" Judson announced. "I'll go buy groceries."

"I'll go shop for cell phones," Gabe announced.

"And I'll check out our weapon stash. I'm sure something must have been thrown overboard and will have to be replaced."

Judson watched as his two friends headed off on their self-appointed tasks. It was nice to not be alone anymore.

The end.