Mac Taylor yawned as he walked down the hallway of his apartment. He was barefoot and wearing a white t-shirt and gray sweats. This was the first night he had been at home for over a week. He had fallen asleep on the couch watching TV. Now he was about to get in bed and sleep until he just woke up. He did not work the next day, one of his rare days off.

Mac went to the bathroom and then pulled the covers back on the bed. He made sure his phone was on vibrate and that the alarm was off. He did not want anything to disturb him. He knew he would not get any calls from the office unless it was on fire or something. Jo would not allow anyone to disturb his rest.

Just as Mac was getting comfortable, his phone started vibrating on the nightstand. "Oh shut up," Mac said. He did not want to answer the phone now, he wanted to sleep but the phone kept insisting. It stopped vibrating just as he could not resist any more so he turned over and tried to relax again but then the phone started vibrating again. He got it off the table and saw that it was Lindsay calling. Why would Lindsay be calling this late at night? She and Danny were in Montana for the holidays. Mac pressed the talk button. "Hello?" he answered.

"Mac, I thought you weren't going to answer," Lindsay said.

"I was about to be asleep," Mac replied. "What's up?"

Lindsay was silent a moment wondering if she should tell Mac but she had already called him now. "Lindsay?" Mac said interrupting her thoughts. "What's going on?"

"Mac, I shouldn't have bothered you. I'm probably just…"

"Lindsay, what's going on?"

"Danny has disappeared."

Mac sat up. "What?"

"He went to the store today and never came back. I went looking for him and found his car in the store parking lot with the groceries in the trunk. I reported it but I just had to tell you."

"I'm glad you did. What did they tell you?"

"The obvious: apparently, he was abducted before he got in the car."

Mac rolled his eyes. He hated to hear people state such obvious facts like that but he had seen a lot. "Was there any sign of a struggle?" he asked.

"Not really. It's like he just disappeared there."

"And there are no signs of anything? Where's Lucy?"

"She's here with me. I almost sent her with him."

Mac could hear the fear and guilt in Lindsay's voice. "You keep me informed," he said.

"I'm scared, Mac. There have been other abductions out here and they've never been found."

"Maybe things will be different this time. Who has been abducted?"

"All men, and one thing about it is the cameras are disabled and don't get any of the abduction. The cameras are disabled by computer."

Mac considered that a moment. "This was planned then," he said. "Have you seen anyone around watching you?"

"I've thought of this, Mac. I just don't remember seeing anyone."

"If they were planning to kidnap him specifically, they would have had to know when he was going to be at the store, or they were watching for him."

"Maybe it is random. I don't know of anyone over here who knows Danny besides just acquaintances with me."

"And nobody has a clue who is kidnapping people over there?"

"If they do they're not letting me know."

"Have any of the others been police officers or anything like that?"

"I don't have any details, Mac. I'm just a civilian here, you know."

Mac nodded. "Yes, I know," he said. He was not sure what to do. "How many kidnappings have there been?"

"At least five over the last five months," Lindsay said.

"About one a month."

"I guess."

"And there are no new groups or anything over there in town?"

"No."

"Just keep me informed."

"Okay, Mac."

Mac ended the call and stared at the phone a moment. He was not sleepy now. He looked out the window at the moon hanging in the sky. Who would kidnap Danny, and why?

Danny was looking out the window of the place he was in. He could see the moon hanging big and bright in the cold sky which was obscured a little with clouds. He knew it was going to be getting very cold soon. He had been getting some groceries so they would not have to go out for a few days. He had no idea who had grabbed him but they had been waiting for him when he came out of the store. He had put the groceries in the trunk and then started to get in the car. As he was opening the door, someone had opened the door of a van behind him and two guys had jerked him into the van. They had been well prepared because by the time he had time to react, they were already speeding away. He had looked up into the barrel of a gun and was warned not to move. He had wondered who would want to kidnap him. They had not told him anything and still had not told him anything. He knew Lindsay had to be wondering where he was.

Finally, a man came into the place where Danny was being held which was a wooden building with several windows with metal bars on them. It reminded him of a prison camp or a military base. The man who came in was wearing green camouflage fatigues. He stood tall and lean and had a military style haircut to his blond hair. He stared at Danny with blue eyes. "I suppose you're wondering why you're here," the man said.

"That thought did cross my mind," Danny replied.

"Well, you're here as entertainment and as bait for a bigger fish."

Danny was confused now. "What? Who?"

"You'll know when he gets here."

"How do you know me or anybody I know?"

"I know the man I'm after, and I know who he cares about."

"What?"

"Well, I'm after someone else, and if I know him as well as I think I do, he'll be coming over here after you and I'll be waiting for him."

"Who are you…" Realization came to Danny. "Mac? You're after Mac?"

Danny started toward the man but the other two with him aimed their weapons at him. "Why do you want Mac?"

"That's none of your concern," the man said. "Are you a good fighter?"

Danny was surprised by that question and concerned. "What?"

"We'll see how good a fighter you are."

Danny was starting to get nervous as the two armed guards came toward him. "I'm not a fighter!" Danny declared. "I'm just a cop! A lab rat!"

"You've had plenty of training to be a detective," the man said.

"Can you at least tell me who you are?"

"You'll know soon enough."

Danny was taken out of the building he was in. He realized he was in a place with several buildings like the one he had been in and then there was a large building that looked like a gymnasium or an arena, and Danny thought he heard people yelling as though they were at a ball game.

"Can't we talk about this?" Danny asked. "I'm really not a violent person."

"You'll learn."

Danny wanted to run away from this situation but he could not get away from them and he was sure they would shoot him. He dreaded seeing where they were taking him. He knew it could not be anything good. As they got closer to the building, the yelling and cheering got louder.

Just as they were about to take him into that building, Danny elbowed one of the guards behind him. Then he grabbed him by the arm and shoved him into the other one. Danny ran as fast as he could even though he did not know where he was or where he would go.

"Come back here, Messer!"

Danny ran around the end of one of the buildings and hid. He had to wonder how that guy knew who he was. He did not know where there could be a phone but he did not think he would have time to find it either. He could hear them coming, and they were angry. He looked around him but all the buildings there looked the same…except one. He realized there was one that looked more like a house or cabin.

As Danny moved toward that building, he tried to listen and keep up with where his captors were. Suddenly, he heard the leader of the group yell, "Messer!" Danny stopped to listen. "Messer, if you don't come out, we'll just have to go and get other bait!"

Danny suddenly froze and felt cold inside. He knew who they were talking about. "It's your choice, Messer! You'll never find your way out of this wilderness, and I don't think your wife would fare as well here!"

Danny went from cold to angry. "I'm here!" he yelled.

The three who were after him did not take long to find him. They grabbed him roughly and slammed him against the wall. He stared into the cold blue eyes of the leader of this crowd as he clutched his throat. "You try that again, and we'll have to go and get some insurance on you," he warned.

Danny swallowed hard. "I won't!" he said feeling rage inside.

"Good. I wouldn't want to have to send you in there injured. The last guy didn't fare so well."

"What do you want Mac for?"

"He and I will have the ultimate fight to the death. I should make a lot of money on that one."

"What?"

"Aw come on. Haven't you ever heard of prize fighting? Or illegal gambling?"

Danny was beginning to get the picture now. "You're making money off people against their will?" he asked.

"It makes it more interesting, but trust me, when they get in there, they get real willing. You get some guy at random…although in your case it was on purpose. I couldn't believe my luck when I found out someone was connected to my old rival. He always thought he was better at everything."

"You're wrong."

"No, I'm not. He was cocky in his young age. Maybe he's learned a few things since he got old."

"Why are you doing this?"

"Money! I've been promising them a big fight, and you make it happen!"

"How do you know Mac will come after me?"

The man laughed. "You're practically family," he said. "After all, your child is his goddaughter."

Danny could not help but wonder how he knew all this. "But that's enough talk!" the man said. "You've got an appointment!"

As he walked into the arena, Danny thought he would never tease Lindsay about nothing happening over here again…if he ever saw her again. Things happened, it was just hidden. He figured this was the biggest thing going, and he suddenly felt lost and very alone.