A/N: I don't own any of the characters; they belong to Tess Gerritsen, Janet Tamaro and TNT.
Chapter Two
Shortly after Maura left, Frankie's doctor had appeared in the waiting room. His face was weary from the long hours, but he was smiling. "Good news," he said, "Frankie survived the surgery, and he's going to be just fine."
Angela, who had been holding her breath ever since the doctor had walked into the room, started to cry softly as she leaned her head on her husband's shoulder. "Thank God!"
"How's Janie?" Frank Sr. asked.
"I haven't heard anything, but I'll go find out right now," the doctor offered. "I meant to tell you earlier, Frankie is alive because of the quick treatment he received before getting here. If it hadn't been for the chest tube, his heart would have stopped and it would have been too late." He turned back toward the double doors to check on Jane's progress. "I'll be right back."
"Maura saved his life, Frank!" Angela exclaimed. "Where is she, anyway? She has to know about this."
Korsak looked at Frost with an expression of alarm. "She went outside for a moment, but that was what, twenty minutes ago?"
Without needing to be asked, Frost started down the hallway immediately and went out to the parking lot. It was deserted and there was no sign of Maura anywhere. With a sense of deep foreboding he returned to the waiting room. He sat down next to Korsak, speaking in a quiet voice. "She's not there. Korsak, there's something off about this. She wouldn't just leave."
Korsak nodded solemnly. "I know what you mean." He looked over at the Rizzolis, who were waiting for news on Jane. The doctor hadn't returned but would surely come any minute. "Keep me posted on Jane, I'm going to call this in and get some uniforms on the street looking for Dr. Isles."
Frost sighed. "Let me know if there's any way I can help."
By the time Korsak had finished his call, the doctor was back in the waiting room, updating everyone on Jane's condition.
"She's still in surgery, and for the moment it's really touch and go," he explained. "The bullet caused massive bleeding and the repair will take some time. I wish I had more to tell you, but I will let you know as soon as I find out."
"Can we see Frankie?" Angela inquired. "Is he awake yet?"
"Yes, he is," the doctor replied. "It's best if he has only one visitor at a time."
Angela made haste to follow the doctor through the double door, Frank Sr. lingering behind her. He caught sight of the troubled expressions in the eyes of Frost and Korsak. "I can tell something's up, guys. What's wrong?"
Korsak could see no point in hiding the truth, even though everyone was still worried about Jane. "Maura's missing. We've started a search party. When she didn't come back inside..."
"WHAT?" Angela's voice sounded frantic. "Somebody took Maura?"
"We think so," Frost said.
"According to the information at headquarters, Marino may have some associates who are determined not to leave any witnesses to what happened in the morgue today." Korsak rubbed his eyes wearily. "We'll have someone posted here to protect both Frankie and Jane, so they'll be safe."
"I'm going to stay here and wait with you for news on Jane," Frost said, "and Korsak is going back to headquarters for a while. We didn't want to leave you two alone."
"Just find her," Angela's eyes began to well up with tears. "Maura's like part of our family. Please make sure she's OK."
Across town, in his secret location, Irish mob boss Patrick Doyle paced back and forth with concern. He, too, had heard news reports about the hostage crisis and shooting. Just as he'd made sure his daughter was safe in the past, he was determined to do the same thing now.
One of his best enforcers strode into the room, awaiting instructions from his boss.
"Find out who is behind this drug ring," Doyle instructed. The enforcer nodded. "And make them pay if anything happens to my daughter." He watched the enforcer exit and thought back to the time when one of Maura's coworkers had called him with the name of the man who had killed his son, all so he could protect Maura. For a moment in time, both sides had agreed on one common priority. Perhaps history was about to repeat itself.
As she slowly opened her eyes, Maura felt the sensation of movement beneath her as her body rolled from side to side before slamming into something that felt like a wall. The haziness faded somewhat as she tried to lift her head. She was lying on the floor of a large van, hands and feet tied, sliding as the van careened forward or turned a corner. Her two captors were inside and yet a third man was driving. She closed her eyes in order to not draw their attention, but later opened them a tiny bit to catch a glimpse of anything that could tell her where the van was headed. But the windshield was too high, and the effort fruitless.
When the van came to a stop, Maura closed her eyes once more as her captors lifted her out and started to carry her to a new location. The scent of salty air and the sound of sails blowing in the rainy breeze were enough to tell her that they were at the docks.
She stole a glance as they walked onto the nearest boat. While Maura did not recognize the boat itself, she definitely knew the man standing on the deck. It was Cavanaugh.