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CHAPTER ONE
Anna unloaded the last box from her Cherokee and took it inside. She was tired and looked it. She absently pushed the stray curls of her auburn hair back into their silver clasp. The drive from Los Angeles was long, but she really needed the time alone. To say the last six years of her life had been difficult would be an understatement. Oh, there had been good times of course, but there had been a lot of pain and misery. Now she was starting over with a new place to call home courtesy of Jim Wentworth, a good friend who passed away six months ago. But before he died, he had given her foundation a warehouse in Seattle as well as $500,000. With this generous donation, she felt she was being giving a new lease on life. It was hard to leave LA - her friends, a home she had remodeled, the children she had grown to love - but she knew it was for the best. It was time to break free of the past and let it go.
She had arrived in Seattle a few hours before, just after 7pm, and went straight to the warehouse. It was very large and she had been working on plans to convert it into a recreational center for children. She surveyed the structure, her mind filled with endless possibilities. Where others saw only a dusty old building, Anna saw a haven for all of the children in need. She knew all it took was vision and elbow grease, and she had no shortage of either.
There was a small outer building which she had converted into her office. It would be the base of operations for the foundation in Seattle for the time being. Eventually, when the project was completed, Seattle would become the new headquarters for the CRADLE Foundation - her baby - with offices in Los Angeles and New York.
Anna had started the foundation over ten years ago as a way to pay back all the gifts God had given her. It's goal was to help children in any way it could, because they were our future. There was nothing that could compare with the smiles of the children she helped. Even with all the grief that she endured because of her work, she never thought of giving it up. To her, the pain was worth it.
Now, as Anna carried the last box into the office, she felt at home. She sat down on a nearby box and stretched her long legs before her. God, a nice hot bath would feel so good about now, she sighed. She looked longingly at the bathroom she had installed, but knew it wouldn't be possible. There was just too much to do. She had to get her "home" in order. Anna planned to live there until she found a house. However, it wouldn't bother her. She had grown accustomed to living out of her offices in LA. Although she owned a home, lately she had spent very little time there. Despite the fact that she loved that house and had spent many hours restoring it, it held too many painful memories. As much as she hated to part with it, it too was part of a past that she had to let go. She would return to LA next week for the closing.
The closing, she thought to herself. What an apt word. The closing on that part of my life. And now a new beginning. Speaking of beginning, I had better get started clearing some of these boxes and put them in order, so I'll be ready to begin in the morning.
It was almost 2am when she finished. She was used to long hours, so working this late into the night was quite natural for her. But for some reason, she was totally exhausted and could barely keep her eyes open. So she crawled onto the sofa and drifted off into sleep, her fantasy soak in the tub completely forgotten.
"Okay, okay, I'm awake. Jeez. You're worse than my assistant, whoever you are." Anna looked up in a sleepy gaze. Her face, still softened by sleep, was almost hidden beneath a wild tangle of auburn curls. She stretched her lithe figure luxuriously as she brushed the mass of hair away. Her emerald green eyes widened at the sight before her. A man in his mid-thirties, about six feet in height, with hazel eyes and long black hair pulled back in a ponytail stood over her. Even beneath his blue sweater and jeans, she could tell he had a powerful build. He was quite handsome and Anna felt emotions stir in her that she hadn't felt in a long time. "So, who are you? And what are you doing here?"
"I might ask you the same questions," was his answer. He was studying her and she could tell he liked what he saw.
"Sorry, but I asked first."
"I'm Duncan MacLeod and this is my office. Now will you tell me who you are?"
"I'm Anna, Anna McGowan. What do you mean - your office? I hate to tell you this, but this is my...." Anna stopped talking as she looked around, a puzzled look forming on her face. This clearly wasn't her office. Throwing her blanket off, she stood up and walked around the room. Where was everything? She walked to the window - her jeep was gone too. "What the...? Okay, I get it. This is a joke. Who put you up to it? Eric? Reg? Richie?" she said as she turned back to face Duncan.
"Someone call my name?" Another face appeared in the doorway. This time, it was a young man about twenty years old wearing a black T-shirt and jeans. He was slightly shorter than MacLeod with short, curly blonde hair and blue eyes. Well-built. Kinda cute for a kid. "Morning Mac. And who's this charming lady?"
"Richie, this is Anna McGowan. Anna, Richie Ryan," Duncan said.
"Pleased to meet you Richie," Anna said, shaking Richie's hand.
"Likewise," Richie responded, noticing the blanket on the sofa. Turning to Duncan with a mischievous grin on his face, he continued, "Uh, Mac, why was she sleeping down here on your sofa? You have a lover's quarrel?"
"NO, we did not have a lover's quarrel," Duncan replied defensively. "I found her sleeping here this morning for some unknown reason."
"Unknown reason," Anna said softly, almost as a question. Anna knew that he was telling the truth. It was one of her many talents - she could tell by the sound of someone's voice whether they were lying to her. Duncan MacLeod didn't know anymore than she did as to just why she was there. "I'm sorry. What did you just say?" she asked when she realized Duncan was speaking to her.
"I asked you how you got in here and why were you sleeping on my sofa?" Duncan responded in a demanding tone.
""Your guess is as good as mine," she said brusquely. "Sorry. That was uncalled for. I guess this has just got me a little unnerved. I'm mean, how would you feel if you went to bed and woke up in a strange place, not knowing where you were or who these strange men are?"
"I can understand it. Can't you, Mac?" Richie chimed in.
Duncan softened, "I guess I can. So where exactly is this office of yours?"
"It's the old Wentworth Shoe Warehouse over on Hill Avenue. A friend of mine left it to my foundation and I was going to renovate it."
"Wentworth Shoe Warehouse. Never heard of it. Where exactly on Hill Avenue is it located.?" Duncan asked.
"It's between Avery Road and Pierpoint Street," was her answer.
"That's the old Bartok brewery," Richie said.
"You must be thinking of another building," she said. "This belonged to Jim Wentworth, hence the name Wentworth Warehouse."
"Hey, I've lived here all my life," Richie told her. "I grew up in that area. I know it by heart. There is only one building located there and that's the Bartok brewery."
"Well, maybe I got my streets mixed up. I just know what I know. Oh man, look at the time. I got to go. Can I use your phone to call a cab? Seems my jeep didn't make the journey with me."
"Better yet, why don't I just give you a ride there?" Duncan said.
"No, I don't want to inconvenience you any more than I have. It's obvious you have a business of your own to run, so I'll just catch a cab and get out of your way."
"It's no problem. Richie will look after the place while I'm gone. My car's out front." But he didn't fool her for a minute. Anna knew Duncan wasn't about to let her out of his sight. At least, not until he discovered exactly who she was and how she managed to get into his dojo. She wanted to know the answer to that last question herself.
They left the dojo and headed for Hill Avenue in Duncan's black T- bird. Once there, Anna gave Duncan directions to get to the warehouse. When they arrived at their destination, Anna got out of the car, totally perplexed by what she saw. "I don't understand it. This wasn't here yesterday. My warehouse was here," she said as Duncan walked up and stood beside her. "What the hell's going on here?"
It was then she felt it, just as she always did when danger was at hand - that sense of foreboding. She looked around, searching for it. As she did, she noticed a look on Duncan's face. It was as if he felt the same thing. Strange. She continued looking until she saw him. No, it can't be. He's dead. He died over a year ago. At least, that's what they told me. Those LYING BASTARDS. How could they do this to me? She started to walk towards him when Duncan grabbed her arm. "I think it would be better if you stayed here," he said.
"I don't think so," Anna replied defiantly, pulling her arm away.
"I do think so. STAY HERE!" Duncan commanded.
"NO ONE is going to keep me from that sick bastard," she said vehemently. "I'll have his bloody little head on a platter." She saw Duncan wince at her last statement. Why? she thought. Well, I don't have time to worry about that now. I have to capture that 'creature'. At that moment, she knew HE was gone. "Dammit, he got away." Anna noticed Duncan was eyeing her suspiciously.
"What did you mean by having his head on a platter?" he asked.
"What do you think I meant?" she said incredulously. "It's just an expression. Jeez."
"Listen to me, Anna. Stay away from him. He's a very dangerous person and I don't want to see you hurt, maybe even killed."
"Mind your own business, MacLeod. I can take care of myself."
"You can take care of yourself? Yeah, right."
"Oh you'd be surprised, Mister. Now butt out." Anna turned away from Duncan and stopped dead in her tracks. On the billboard across the street was an advertisement for a well-known restaurant chain. It was inviting people to visit any one of it's five locations in the city. Now Anna was really confused. "Seacouver. Where the hell is Seacouver? There's no such place."
"What do you mean, there's no such place? This is the city of Seacouver."
Anna just looked at him, totally bewildered. What the hell was going on?
