Thank you Jeanne Hawkins, Guest, and white collar black wolf for your reviews and support! I'm always nervous posting a new story and seeing what others think. Here is chapter two. I am going to activate a trigger warning just in case. I don't get too graphic with bad scenes, but I know sometimes just mentioning stuff can be triggering. Happy reading!

"Austin?" Sam asked again. Austin felt as though his vision was being compressed. He felt light headed too.

"S-Sam," he repeated. Ella Prince. Of course. Prince would be for going to Princeton, and Ella was probably from that whole Cinderella thing from high school. Why she would use that, he had no idea.

"Is this a joke? What are you doing here?" Sam demanded. She shut the door and locked it this time, turning to face him. "How did you find me?"

"I'm a detective, Sam. I find people," Austin answered, leaving out the receptionist as promised.

"You're serious right now?" she asked, crossing her arms. "You're a police officer?"

"Yea, I am."

"Prove it," she ordered. Austin reached for his badge and I.D. and handed it to her. She looked at it, frowning.

"I thought you wanted to be a writer?" she asked, looking up at him then.

"Things change," he answered. He noticed her condo then. "Going somewhere?"

"Yes, not that it's any of your business," she answered, moving past him and shoving his I.D. back into his hand. He tucked it away as she finished packing her suitcase.

"You can't leave," he said stupidly.

"Yes, I can."

"No. You're in danger. I'm taking you to witness protection."

"I'm not going anywhere with you," she said, stopping and looking at him again.

"Look, high school was a long time ago," Austin started, which made her burst into laughter. He stopped, confused.

"You think this is about high school?! Austin, come on. If you were some other random cop, I still would not be going with you. It has nothing to do with some stupid thing that happened at high school," she finished. Austin noticed a hitch in her voice at this.

"What did you see, Sam?" he asked. She tightened her mouth and didn't answer. She carried on with her packing.

"Sam, let me help you."

"No, Austin. I can take care of myself. I always have, and I always will," she said, snapping the suitcase shut. She set her backpack on top of it. Austin watched as she went to do a circle check for things she had possibly forgotten. He went to the window and looked out.

"Nice view," he commented.

"It's why I bought it," she answered in the background, still looking around. He noticed a car pulling up then, and he could hear Diego start to bark madly. Austin stiffened, knowing that the men who got out of the car were up to no good. He saw them shield their eyes and look up at him, and he stepped back quickly.

"Sam?" he called.

"What?" she snapped. "I'm busy here."

"Sam, we gotta go," he said, rushing to the door.

"What?" she asked.

"Two guys who look like hitmen just pulled up outside. You're coming with me right now," Austin ordered. For once, she looked a little scared. She went for her suitcase and backpack.

"Leave it," he said. She glared at him and put the backpack on anyway. He pulled out his gun.

"Is that necessary?" she asked.

"It might be," he replied. "Come on." She reluctantly followed him to the hallway. He could hear voices in the stairwell. Sam pressed the elevator button, and, thankfully, one was right there. They got in, and the doors closed just as the stairwell doors opened. Austin holstered his gun again, sighing in relief. He hated public gun fights and avoided them as much as he could.

"I have to get something from the office," Sam said suddenly. He looked at her.

"I'll get it for you later," he promised.

"No, I have to get it myself."

"I am more than capable..." he began.

"Unless you want to cut off my thumb and take it with you to open the case my evidence is in, then no, I'm going with you," she cut him off.

"All right," he said. "But we have to move fast. If they haven't already been to your place of work, then they will be shortly."

"Then you better step on it," Sam reasoned opening the car door. Diego stuck his nose through the seat, sniffing.

"Diego, back," Austin commanded, shutting the door behind him and starting the car.

"Cute dog," Sam commented, following suit. She hugged her backpack to her closely. Things were starting to spiral out of control, and she wasn't sure how to stop it.

...

"I still don't know how they found out where I live," Sam said as they parked outside her office and got out.

"Not everyone is bad at finding people, Sam," Austin said. "Unless your receptionist is not as good as you at determining who is a fake cop versus a real cop."

"She told you?!" Sam exclaimed, annoyed.

"It was really easy," Austin smirked. She huffed as they opened the door, but they both froze instantly.

"Oh my God," Sam said, covering her mouth. Austin felt sick. The receptionist he had been referring to was now on the floor dead.

"So they were here first," Austin said, swallowing. He focused on breathing. Sam rushed ahead of him.

"Sam!" he hissed, pulling out his gun again. He caught up with her and yanked her back.

"What?!" she snarled.

"You don't just rush into a crime scene," Austin told her angrily.

"I'm not touching anything. I'm getting my evidence," Sam argued, pulling out of his grasp. Austin hurried after her, seeing a few more bodies lying on the floor. These men meant business, and it made Austin afraid for Sam then. He could see she was fighting not to cry as she fumbled to open her desk drawer.

"No," she moaned, rooting around furiously.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"It's gone," she answered, looking at him. "They took it."

"But they can't get into it right? You said you need your thumb print to open it," he reasoned.

"And you don't think they haven't lifted my print off of something by now? If not here then at my place?" she challenged.

"Right," Austin nodded. Of course. Why hadn't he thought of that himself? Sam made him lose focus it seemed.

"Sam?" a voice croaked. Sam whirled to see her friend Jack on the floor.

"Jack!" she cried, bending down to him and pulling him into her arms. He was covered in blood. Austin stood back, not sure what to do.

"Sam," Jack said again.

"What happened?" she asked urgently.

"They came looking for you. They took your stuff," he managed to say.

"I know. It's okay. They don't have it all," Sam told him. Austin perked at this. What was she talking about? He eyed her backpack then. She wouldn't go anywhere without it, so he figured whatever she was referring to must be in it.

"I'm sorry," Jack said, coughing.

"Just rest. Austin is calling for help," Sam said, giving Austin a meaningful look. He nodded and pulled out his phone.

"Hang in there, Jack," Sam begged as he closed his eyes. She could hear Austin giving the dispatcher their location and what had happened. She was still stunned to see him as a cop. She figured he would be a rich and famous big shot football player by now.

"Sam, we have to go," Austin said once he had hung up. Once Sam was reassured that Jack was still breathing, she set him onto the floor gently and stood up.

"Where? How can you trust that there isn't someone on your team orchestrating this?" Sam gestured.

"There isn't," Austin reassured her. "Come on. You're not safe here."

"Austin, I have proof that police officers are involved in this," Sam said angrily. "Why else do you think there's a huge bounty on my head suddenly? I have been working on the Garzinger story for as long as you've probably been trying to solve it. Why now, Austin? Why try to kill me now, huh? Think!"

"Is that the evidence you have?" Austin demanded. "Is that what you saw?"

"Yes, Austin."

"I don't believe you."

Sam growled and unzipped her backpack then, pulling out her camera. She flicked through some photos until she rested on one.

"Here," she said, shoving it into his hands. "Look for yourself."

Austin looked at the image and felt shocked. There was Andy himself shaking hands with Garzinger while two other officers stood in the background.

"This doesn't prove anything," Austin said, handing it back to her. Sam pulled out her recording device and hit play.

"'We've got your back, Garzinger. You got that shipment for us?'" Andy's voice asked.

"'It's on schedule.'"

"'Great. Here's the address. You'll find them there waiting.'"

"'Nice doing business with you,'" Garzinger said.

Sam clicked it off, staring at Austin. He felt even more sick.

"How did they find out you were there?" Austin asked eventually.

"I got caught sneaking out, but I got away."

"So, they don't know that you have this recording?" Austin asked. She shook her head.

"No. They just think I took notes."

"And that's what they think is in that locked case then?"

"Yes."

"All right. Well, we obviously can't go to the station now, can we?"

"I'll be a sitting duck there," Sam nodded. Austin rubbed his neck hard. This was getting complicated. Why had Andy requested Austin to bring Sam in? Why hadn't he gone himself? Unless he was trying not to be involved in it to throw off suspicion. Austin felt confused. Then, another fear hit him.

"Cassie," he murmured.

"Who?" Sam asked, hearing him.

"Come on," he ordered, tugging on her arm.

"What about Jack?" Sam asked, looking back. They heard sirens then.

"They'll get him. He'll be all right," Austin reassured her.

"How do you know?"

"I just do. Come on, Sam, we gotta go." He had to get Cassie out of school before Andy figured out he was harboring Sam and knew about his involvement.

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