Chapter 7

The White Mountain national forest was knee deep in snow at this time of year, and Maura was glad she was on the inside of her cabin, which had heating running through each wall and under the floorboards in every room. There were five rooms in all, two bedrooms, a living room, a kitchen and a bathroom, and each was tastefully luxurious without being over the top.

To say the cabin was big was an understatement. It was twice the size of Jane's apartment, and also boasted an underground bunker that Maura had had Sophia Covas construct for her when she'd first bought the place. Only she and Sophia knew of its whereabouts – she hadn't even trusted her father with that information – and so she felt as secure as she could ever be.

She looked out into the dark, at the twenty foot high ferns that surrounded the property, hiding it from all but those in the sky. She wasn't really seeing them, though. She was thinking about Jane, and wondering what the Detective must think of her now. She probably hates me. Maura hated herself, but it was much safer if Jane didn't know anything about her location. She found she feared more for Jane's safety than her own, and was only mildly surprised by that notion. I care for her, that much is obvious. But secretly she knew that it went a little deeper than care, that she had enjoyed making love to Jane, having Jane touch her in the most intimate ways, far more than she was ready to admit.

When it came to relationships, Maura's usual modus operandi was to keep her distance, because she knew that whoever she took up with would always be in danger from people who wanted to get at Paddy via her. It was an unfortunate side effect of being part of her father's world, and the one that made her wish most of all that she had never been born a Doyle. She didn't want to be alone, but she was loath to drag anybody into something that could potentially prove fatal.

Jane could take care of herself, there was no doubt about that, but this rival, whoever he or she was, had no qualms about killing a cop, and Maura wouldn't be able to live with herself if anything happened to the Detective because of her last name.

And so here she was, alone again, and wondering not for the first time if she would ever find true happiness.

Jane was getting ready for a power run when Frost knocked on her door the next day. She answered it and turned away without a word, placing her sneaker-clad foot onto the arm of her sofa and tying her laces. Frost had followed her in and now stood waiting for an explanation. He was her partner, and she owed him the truth.

"I'm not a dirty cop, if that's what you're thinking," Jane said straight away. Frost stayed silent, just waiting. Jane sighed. She told him everything, leaving out the more intimate details but giving him the bare bones of the situation nonetheless. When she finished, Frost sat down on her sofa, looking shell shocked.

"Damn...I had no idea."

Jane shrugged, "I only told Korsak." She was done with the conversation now, it was time to move on. "Are you still working the case?"

"Yeah, the higher ups are sending someone over from Vice to work with me until you're back." After a moment he added, "You will be back, won't you?"

Jane grinned, "Just as soon as they roll over and apologise for making a mistake."

Frost laughed. "Best get back to it. Take care of yourself, Jane. I'll see you soon."

Jane followed him out and went for her run, her feet pounding the pavement, working out all the frustrations of the day before. She powered through the park, taking barely any notice of her surroundings. She exited the park on the other side, which brought her onto the small road that bordered the Boston Harbour shipping yard.

The seagulls were out in full force, diving and cawing as they searched the rough sea for their breakfast. It was hardly a serene area, but Jane liked it. She liked the noise and the busy goings on as containers were loaded and unloaded. She stopped to catch her breath and stretch her legs, hanging on to the mesh fencing that surrounded the yard.

She watched as a container was lifted by the static crane in the middle of the yard. It was a huge beast, but then it had to be in order to lift the heavy containers. She was about to carry on when a green container was picked up and swung around by the fence on its way to the massive freighter at the docks. It passed within four feet of her, and she was more than shocked to hear a very human voice crying out from within the big metal structure.

Sprinting around to the open gate, she waved her arms at the crane operator. "Stop!" She shouted as loud as she could, "Put it down! BPD! Put the container down!" Jane reached for her badge before she remembered it had been confiscated. Growling, she continued to shout until the man did as she asked, more out of pure confusion than anything else.

He lowered the container to the ground. Jane didn't wait for him to meet her, she ran for the container's door and forced it open. She was more than a little disturbed at what she found. She turned to the man who was almost at her side and barked, "Call the police, ask for Frost, and then an ambulance, right now!" And then she was in the container where Sophia Covas had been left to die.

The woman was battered and bleeding. Her once sleek black hair was matted with blood and her face was almost unrecognisable. One of her arms was bent at an odd angle and when Jane looked closer, she could see that the tips of her fingers were caked in dry blood.

"Jesus Christ..." Jane breathed. She did her best to move Sophia into a more comfortable position. She managed to turn her onto her back and rest the poor woman's head on her thighs. She grabbed the water bottle that she kept strapped to her waist whenever she ran, and put it to Sophia's lips, encouraging her to drink. She did, but after a moment she coughed, bringing up most of what she'd drunk and more worryingly, a splash of blood. She was groaning in pain, the noise like that of a dying animal. She was in a very bad way.

"Sophia," Jane said, "Can you hear me? Its Detective Jane Rizzoli, do you remember me?" She was answered with groans, only slightly louder than before. "Who did this to you? Can you tell me that?"

One of Sophia's eyes opened, a startling glint of blue amongst the blackness of her bruised face. She opened her mouth a mere millimetre and rasped, "M..Mau...ra."

Jane's eyes opened wide. "Maura did this to you? Maura Doyle?"

"No!" Sophia gasped and then coughed, bringing up yet more blood. "Maur...a...tr..tr...ouble."

"Maura's in trouble?" Jane's head was spinning. Maura's in trouble, I have to get to her. Sophia's eye had closed again, and her breathing was becoming more laboured. "Sophia, listen to me, stay with me now," She lightly patted Sophia's face and the eye cracked open a little. "Where is she, Sophia, where's Maura?"

The eye rolled around in its socket, as if searching for the answer. "Wh-White Moun...tain, 4...4...7...1" Frost came barrelling in at that point with a youngish woman on his heels. The new partner, Jane assumed. She made to rise, lifting Sophia's head gently, but was stopped by the surprisingly firm grasp the woman had on her t-shirt. Jane looked down into eyes that were bright and alert for the first time since she'd walked into the container.

"What is it?" Jane quietly asked.

"I didn't give her up," Sophia said, her voice suddenly strong, "Tell her...tell her for me, I didn't give her up..." And then, as if that last outburst had completely soaked up all of her energy, Sophia's body shut itself down and she slipped into unconsciousness.

Jane was rendered numb for a second, and then she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"I can take it from here." It was the woman, Frost's new partner. Jane didn't have time to take much of her in, but from her hasty assessment she got a tall, slim, Latina woman with a kind smile and brown eyes. Then she was up and heading out of the door. She didn't know how much time she had, but she wasn't going to dally and find out.

Frost's new partner took Jane's place at Sophia's side, placing the battered head on her lap. She lightly stroked the matted hair from the bruised face, all the while talking quietly about how the ambulance would be there soon.

Sophia awoke to the feeling of soft fingers on her skin and the gentle sound of somebody whispering to her. For a moment she forgot where she was and what had happened to her. The pain soon brought her back to reality, though, and she cracked open her eyes. She was looking up into the face of what was surely an angel. She did her best to smile, but it hurt and she was sure that her mouth wasn't really cooperating.

"Its okay, I've got you. Don't try to move." said the angel, and Sophia relaxed. "My name is Riley Cooper," she said softly, "and we're going to get you fixed right up."

Irina Veselovsky surveyed the grey skies above the White Mountain forests with annoyance. Snow was coming down in thick droves, so thick that she could barely see the trees from her rented lodge room window. The park rangers had issued a warning to all tourists, banning anybody from going out into the blizzard until they gave the O.K. She was no tourist, but even she was not crazy enough to chance the journey to Maura Doyle's safe house in this weather.

She fingered her toolbox in her pocket, thinking about all the ways she was going to torture Maura when she found her. Mr Grady had given her free reign with this one, and told her to use as many, if not all, of her tricks as she could. He had even gone as far as to say Irina could defile her body if she so wished. She wouldn't, because that wasn't her forte, but the fact that he wanted this Maura to suffer so much said a lot about his motives. She didn't know what these people had done to anger Mr Grady, but it wasn't her place to ask. He had paid her a hefty amount to get the job done and to do it as painfully and messily and as possible. It was a business transaction, nothing more. That didn't mean she didn't enjoy it, of course.

She had the coordinates written on a small piece of paper which was tucked inside her pocket. One of Mr Grady's go-betweens had called her with the information just as she was losing her patience with Sophia Covas. Such a shame that whole episode had been for nothing. Not that Irina really cared. She was getting paid no matter how she got what Mr Grady wanted. If there were a few unforeseen casualties in the meantime, it was neither here nor there as far as she was concerned.

There was nothing for her to do now except wait for the snow to stop, and since all the lodge fees would be going onto Mr Grady's tab, she was going to thoroughly enjoy her break from work.

Jane drove up the highway at a very illegal speed as she made her way to White Mountain Forest. She had a small bag sat on the passenger seat beside her, and in it she'd packed a few essentials, including her Smith and Wesson which was loaded and ready for action. She'd dressed in her warmest clothes, her bulletproof jacket hidden beneath them, just in case. She didn't know who she was going to be dealing with, but she knew they were incredibly dangerous.

In the back of her mind she knew she was being a complete idiot by going into an unknown situation with no back up, but what could she do? If she went to the station they would ground her, and then it might be hours before a decision was made about what to do. And even then, Jane might not like the answer. No, this was the only option. Maura needed help, and Jane found that she would take on hell or high water to get to her and keep her safe. It was a heady sensation, to realise that the Doctor had become so important to her. When did that happen? She silently wondered, only to remember how it had felt to make love to Maura, to kiss her and touch her body, to watch her as she climaxed...

She shook her head. This was no time to be fantasising. She had to keep her head, literally. She was doing over a hundred miles an hour and its was pelting it down outside. If she wasn't careful she could lose control. She didn't alter her speed, though. Maura's safety was more important than her own.

It was a couple of hours later when she reached the White Mountain lodge. Due to the snow, she'd had to abandon her car at the edge of the forest path and press on by foot. The lodge was about a kilometre away from the main road, and it took her another half hour to traverse it. When she did finally make it, she was more than a little frustrated to be told that nobody was allowed to leave the lodge unless they were heading down toward the road.

"I'm a detective, this is police business, I have to go out there!" she growled at the park ranger, who she could tell didn't quite believe what she was saying.

"Can I see your badge please?" he said, pleasant as can be.

Jane sighed. "No, I've been suspended for the time being, its a long story and I don't have time to tell it. I need to go, my friend is out there and she's going to need my help!"

"If your friend really is out there then I'm afraid you'll just have to trust the park rangers to find her for 's her name?"

"Maura, Maura Doyle."

"We have everybody out right now, looking for stragglers. They know the area. If she's out there, they'll find her. That's the best I can do, now excuse me..." He moved on, clearly happy to finally be away from Jane.

She scowled, determined to get her way. She looked around the lodge lounge, trying to think of an idea, when she saw another park ranger pull up on his snow mobile outside. A very bad idea manifested itself then, and she knew that once she put it into motion, there would probably be no going back. The thought of Maura in Sophia Covas' condition spurred her on, and she dashed outside before the ranger disappeared.

"Detective Rizzoli of the BPD! I need to borrow your vehicle, sir!" she barked, holding her hands out for the snow mobile's keys. He looked at her in suspicion.

"Do you have I.D. you can show me, ma'am?"

Jane hated when people called her ma'am, it made her seem so old. She could tell that the ranger wasn't going to hand anything over without her badge, so it was time for some good, old fashioned drastic measures. She pulled her gun from its concealed holster on the inside of her jacket and aimed it at the man, sorry for what she was doing but knowing she had no choice. "This is my I.D, now give me the keys." she said, her voice low and threatening.

Five seconds later she was careening into the trees, leaving the angry shouts of the park rangers behind and heading for Maura.

Irina put down the paper she had been hiding her face behind and watched the detective leave, mildly admiring her moxie. She realised that her job had just gotten slightly harder but that didn't bother her much, she was used to dealing with unpredictable circumstances. What bothered her was that she would have to cut her break short and follow the detective out into the blizzard now. She couldn't risk having her target move to a safer location.

She stood and walked out of the lodge, pulling on her black face-warmer that left nothing visible but her steely grey eyes. She pulled out her gun from its place in the back of her jeans and, without any hesitation, pulled the trigger on the next ranger to arrive on his snow mobile. The screams were deafening as the shot rang out around the lodge, but Irina ignored them as she mounted the vehicle and sped off after the detective.

She hadn't lost a single target in the twenty or so years she had been a hit-man for hire, and she wasn't about to break her winning streak now because of some renegade cop.

Chapter 8

The blizzard was beginning to clear when Jane stopped in an open clearing to get her bearings, but when she looked up at the sky it was clear that more was on the way. The clouds were still a threatening grey with no evidence of dispersing. If she didn't find Maura soon, it would be too dark to see a thing, even with the snow mobile's lights on full beam.

She cursed under her breath as she dismounted the vehicle, her hands practically frozen around the handles. Not for the first time she wished she'd doubled up on gloves, and everything else for that matter. She was freezing, and she knew that without some kind of shelter, she probably wouldn't survive the night. So it was imperative that she found Maura soon, for both their sakes.

Putting thought into practice, she pulled the mini GPS system she'd brought with her from her pocket and checked her location. She'd purchased the device about a year ago after a disappointing date with a woman she had known and liked since they were children. She'd never tell anyone but Jane was an ardent fan of retail therapy, and would scour the shopping channels whenever she'd had a particularly damning date.

And look at me now, she thought, something I bought actually came in useful. Hear that, Ma? She studied the display as it zoomed in on her position. She'd already preloaded the coordinates that Sophia had given her, and was happy to see the thick red line from her location to Maura's was not too long. According to the system, Maura was approximately two kilometres to the east. If Jane hadn't stopped to check she'd have carried on straight past her and ended up at the foot of White Mountain.

Happy now that she was almost home and dry, she slid the system back into her pocket and mounted her snow mobile. Just as she was about to turn the key, however, she heard the distinctive sound of another mobile crashing through the snow covered trees. Jane kept still and waited, aware that if she lit up her vehicle now she would be seen. It was probably a park ranger, and even though they were usually the good guys, Jane knew she wasn't exactly in their favour at the moment. So she waited for it to pass.

Unfortunately it seemed like the rider had much the same idea as she had, and she heard the engine slowing as the rider stopped. Jane could make out the faint lights of its headlamps about fifty metres away, and then they disappeared as the engine was killed.

The forest was silent for a few moments, and then Jane could faintly hear a woman's voice. How she was getting reception out here, Jane didn't know, but she crept closer, curious as to why the rider had felt it necessary to come all the way out here to make a phone-call.

"I need you to get me a location on the target and point me to it." Jane heard a distinctly Russian accent from the speaker. "Does Mr Grady pay you to make jokes? Because if you insist on continuing you may find you don't have a tongue to make them with." The speakers voice was dangerously calm, and Jane could tell it was not an empty threat. This was no park ranger, which could only mean one thing. Sophia's torturer had found Maura too.

"Who authorised this change of plan?" The woman asked, then after a minute, "Affirmative." She said, and then Jane heard a snap as the phone was clicked shut. Seconds later the woman's mobile roared to life and she began to move off. Jane whipped out her gun and shot at the vehicle. Lady Luck must have been with her that night because she heard a splutter and then the engine died again. She heard a Russian curse being uttered as the woman tried and failed to start the engine again. Jane wasn't going to hang around and find out what it meant. She'd lost her bearings again and didn't know which direction her snow mobile was in. It didn't matter, she had her GPS out and she was already running in the direction of Maura.

The snow was knee deep and she tried her best to stay on top of it but it was hard going. She didn't know if she was being followed by the woman and she didn't stop to find out. She did her best to conceal the light emanating from her Sat-Nav and pressed on, hoping she was at least ahead of the sadist.

Unfortunately for Jane, Irina was a smart woman, and as the detective made her way to their mutual destination, the Russian followed at a distance, keeping her eye on the soft glow made by Jane's GPS system.

Over an hour later, just as Jane's legs were beginning to give up and buckle underneath her, she could see a distant orange glow through the trees. She didn't know if it was where Maura would be, but she did know that she couldn't feel anything below her knees and she was shivering so hard it felt as if her brain was knocking around her skull. Darkness had set in and she had to find shelter fast.

She pushed her legs to their limit as she made for the light, hoping against hope that Maura would be there. Then, just as she was getting closer, she heard several shots ring out behind her. She didn't turn as she pulled out her gun and fired a couple of shots in return, she kept on and on until she could see what must be the hugest log cabin in existence. And there, at the main window that formed most of the front wall of the building, was a silhouette that looked strikingly familiar. It disappeared as Jane hobbled into the light coming from the huge window, and then Maura was meeting her at the door, pulling her inside, lowering her gently as Jane's legs finally gave way.

"Jane! Jane, you're bleeding! What-"

"The door," Jane tried to shout but her voice was weak, "Lock the door..." And then she was lapsing into unconsciousness, Maura's face being the last thing she saw before she closed her eyes.

Jane awoke to a terrible burning pain in the back of her right leg. She was lay on her front and, startlingly, she was naked but for a too short robe that thankfully felt warm and dry. She felt soft fingers on her searing leg and groaned in pain.

"Stay still, Jane, I'm almost finished..." Jane felt the unmistakable sensation of her skin being sewn together, but she lay still as Maura had asked, her teeth gritted against the pain. When Maura was finally done and had wrapped her calf with a bandage, she turned herself over, her muscles protesting so painfully it made her feel a bit nauseas.

"Don't move too much," Maura soothed, pushing her down and sitting beside her on the bed. The Doctor gently stroked the hair out of her face and caressed her jaw. "What are you doing here?" She asked, but there was no reproach in the question, only tenderness.

Jane remembered then that there was still a sadistic hit-man – woman – running around outside, and she shot up, ignoring the burn of her injured body. "There's a woman outside! She's here for you! We've gotta go, now!"

"Jane! Jane, its okay. The cabin is in lock-down. Nothing and no-one is getting in here. We're safe."

Jane fell back onto the pillows in relief. "I came here to keep you safe...and instead you're the one doing all the saving." She sighed, "What happened to my leg, anyway?" The pain was a dull ache now, and she felt more relaxed than she had been in days.

"You had a bullet in the back portion of your crus. I removed it and applied sutures." Maura explained.

"I had a bullet in my where?" Jane blurted, nonplussed.

Maura chuckled, "In your calf muscle." She elaborated.

"Oh...I didn't even feel it."

"You have second degree frostbite, Jane, I'm surprised you were even managing to walk." Maura said, an unmistakable tone of worry in her voice, "You are either very foolish, or very brave." She muttered.

"I'm pretty sure its the first." Jane grinned weakly. She tugged at Maura's sleeve. "Come here," She whispered. It had only been a few days since she'd kissed Maura goodbye and gone for breakfast. But as their lips came together, it was as if they had not touched each other in years. They kissed desperately and fervently, Jane taking the lead even though Maura was above her. She wanted to bite, to caress, to suck and lick Maura's lips in a show of possession. She hadn't realised until this moment that she'd been drowning, and Maura was her much needed oxygen. She began to pull Maura atop her, but the Doctor halted her progress.

"You're injured," Maura chuckled, "You need rest."

"I need you," Jane whined with an all too cute puppy-dog expression on her face.

"And you will have me," Maura assured as she fiddled with the hem of Jane's still too-short robe, her eyes glinting with barely disguised lust, "But not until you're in a lot less pain."

Jane scowled, but it was hard to keep it up as Maura brushed her fingertips under the robe and skated them around to the inside of her thigh, almost touching her where she needed it most. Jane tried to thrust her hips up to meet Maura's fingers but immediately gave up with a groan when her muscles screamed at her to stop.

"See," Maura grinned, "You're not ready."

"You're a cruel woman, Dr. Doyle." Jane said, but she was smirking despite the ache between her legs.

"Only when dealing with impatient patients, Detective." Maura chuckled.

Irina was severely pissed off. She'd been a mere three metres away when Doyle had implemented the lock down that had brought all the hidden shutters down over every window and wall. Now she was locked out in the cold with no shelter but the trees, which didn't do much to keep the biting wind off her face. She was freezing, and she knew the temperature was going to drop further as the night wore on.

She was a survivor, but up until this point her territory had been the city streets. She could pick the lock on almost any door she came up against, but in the forest there were no doors, only miles and miles of trees. And snow, lots of snow.

She'd already scouted out every inch of the fortified cabin, looking for a way in, but the Covas woman had done an exemplary job. Not even a tank could smash through those shutters, and there were no locks to pick. She supposed there must be some way of disabling the lock down from the outside for safety reasons, but if there was she hadn't found it. She was well and truly out in the cold.

She paced between the surrounding trees, trying to keep her limbs moving. If her legs packed up on her, she was finished. It was on her second lap around the cabin that she saw something that she hadn't noticed before. It was a slanted outline of something that had been covered in snow. The shape looked familiar but Irina didn't get her hopes up as she waded through the snow to it. She began to dig, shifting the two feet of snow that had built up over the last day or so. Her hands were freezing in her gloves but she didn't care, because she was uncovering what appeared to be a cellar door with a nice big fat padlock on it.

Irina reached for her tool box with glee, grabbing her lock pick with clumsy fingers. She almost whistled as she began to work on the lock, so happy was she to be getting out of the cold.

Inside the cabin, Jane was explaining what had happened to Sophia and why she had felt it necessary to come here and almost get herself killed in the process. Maura had tears in her eyes and a hand over her mouth as Jane described Sophia's injuries.

"My God...poor Sophia..." She whispered, shocked. All those years she had resisted getting too close to the woman, for both their safeties, and what good had it done?

"She wanted me to tell you...she never gave you up. She didn't tell them where you were." Jane said softly, her hand over Maura's.

"Is she...?" Maura couldn't finish the question, but Jane understood it.

"I don't know...she was in a bad way, Maura, I...I wouldn't get my hopes up." Jane held Maura then as she cried. She thought she should feel somewhat jealous, but found all she felt was overwhelming affection for this woman who really cared for people a lot more than she let on. "It wasn't your fault, Maura." She didn't know if the doctor really believed her, but it didn't matter, Jane would make her see it in time.

"I need to call my father, he might have more of an idea what is going on." Jane nodded and settled back as Maura retrieved her phone. She looked around for her clothes and saw them neatly folded up on a bedside chair. She was feeling a little too exposed by Maura's robe and since she couldn't tempt the woman into making it worthwhile she decided she would dress herself.

It was slow going and the pain was almost unbearable, but by the time Maura had returned to the room she was pulling her BPD hoodie over her head, cursing under her breath as her body practically creaked with pain.

"I can't get through." Maura said absent-mindedly. She dialled another number and waited for it to connect, but again it went straight to voicemail. Frowning, she looked at Jane questioningly.

"Maybe he went for a walk?" Jane unhelpfully suggested with a shrug.

"Hmm, no, my father doesn't walk, he has people who do that for him." Jane's eyebrow arched, "That was an attempt at humour." Maura added with a smile.

"You might need to work on that," Jane chuckled, "I'll see if I can get through to my part – ex-partner." She said and looked around for her mobile. Maura pointed to the bedside drawer, still dialling and listening for an answer on her own phone. Jane took hers out of the drawer and checked the display. There were thirty-six missed calls, and as she scrolled down the list she realised she was in a lot of trouble.

Some were from Frost, others from Korsak and there were quite a few from her boss, Cavanaugh. But it was the twenty-four missed calls from her mother that Jane was really worried about. She resolved to leave that until later when there wasn't a crazy person running around outside. She was so not ready for a confrontation with Angela Rizzoli right now.

She dialled Frost and waited, hoping the signal out here was good enough to get through. She sighed with relief when she heard the ringing tone in her ear. She was anticipating the click as he answered, but it was an entirely different click she heard first. Her head span around to face the bedroom door, where Irina Veselovsky stood with a freshly cocked gun in her hand and a triumphant smile on her face. Maura had heard the click too, and she stood with her mobile pressed to her ear and her eyes on Irina, looking a lot calmer than Jane would have expected.

At that moment Frost answered the phone with a quick "Jane?" But she knew she couldn't answer him. It seemed like Irina hadn't seen the phone in her hand so, thinking quickly, she leaned forward as slowly as she could and slid the phone inside her boot, resting against her ankle. She hoped to God Frost could hear what was going on and wouldn't hang up.

"You're not going to find daddy on the end of that phone-call," Irina sneered, "He is already a valued guest of Mr Grady's."

"Grady?" Jane muttered, "Any relation to Daniel Grady?" She asked. If Irina was annoyed by her probing, she didn't show it, she merely looked bored.

"He is Daniel Grady," She explained as if talking to a child, "And he would very much like Miss Doyle's head on a plate."

Jane's head was spinning as everything fell into place. This living Daniel must be either the deceased's father or son, here to avenge his death. It was obvious, really, and had they not been dealing with mobsters, the case would have been solved weeks ago. As it was, here they were, about to be part of the grand finale scene that gangsters were so fond of. They were quite the drama queens, really.

Irina pointed her gun at Maura. "Give me the phone." She quietly commanded. Maura complied, throwing the phone across the floor until it came to rest at the woman's feet. Irina promptly stamped on it, breaking it into bits. "Now, you're coming with me."

"She's not going anywhere," Jane snarled, standing and putting herself between Irina and Maura. Her injuries were all but forgotten as adrenaline surged through her.

"I don't believe I was asking for your permission." Irina said, pointing the gun at Jane. "Perhaps a bullet in your other leg will make you see just who is in charge here."

Jane had her hands behind her back. She was delving into the deep back pocket of her cargo pants. Maura watched, wondering what she was looking for. When she pulled out a pair of handcuffs, Maura was even more confused.

Whilst Jane kept Irina talking, she locked one of the cuffs onto her own wrist, and then motioned for Maura to do the same with the other cuff, so they were cuffed together. Jane used her free hand to take the key out of her pocket and hold it enclosed in her fist.

"Maura's not going anywhere without me, so if I die you're going to have a dead weight on your hands." Jane explained, holding up hers and Maura's hands to reveal the cuffs.

Irina surged forward and clocked Jane across the face with the barrel of her gun. "You stupid bitch," She spat, "I am Irina Veselovsky, I won't be bested by a lowly cop like you've done will do nothing more than increase the body count," she snarled, "Now both of you," She jabbed the gun into Jane's aching ribs, "Up to the roof."

As Jane and Maura walked side by side, Irina behind them, the Detective heard the Doctor utter a whispered thank you in her direction. She squeezed the hand attached to hers, hoping for an opportunity to get out of this mess.

"There's no way we'll make it out of this forest in this weather." Maura stated. She made a high pitched 'oompf' as Irina jabbed her in the back.

"That's what you think, Miss Doyle." Jane heard the sound of buttons being pressed and then the muted tone of a phone ringing. "Mr Grady, I have your package here, but I'm going to need a helicopter to deliver it." There was a slight pause, then, "We will be on the roof of my current location." The phone was snapped shut and the women were prodded on again by the impatient Russian.

"In case you haven't guessed, we're going to take a little ride." Irina grinned.