Danny, Lindsay, the chief and the rest of the officers, including the state police from Idaho and some local police were all together at Highway 93 which led into the Wilderness. Chief Blackhawk had told them all the plan. They hoped they could get in there and get everyone involved in this. Little did they know that their prey was already flying the coup.

Mac lay on the cot shivering. He pulled the blanket over him but it did little good in such cold weather. The fire had died in the fireplace. He had stoked it as much as he could but it had burned out. Once that fire died, it had not taken long for it to get very cold in the cabin. He could see his breath already. He had realized as he got older that he got cold a lot faster than he did when he was young. He thought maybe he was going to die this time. It was so cold, he had to cover his face with the blanket to breathe, but ice was starting to form on the blanket from the moisture in his breath. How did people live in this part of the country? He supposed they always made sure they had a place to be warm and made sure they had plenty of firewood.

As Mac was sinking into despair and cold, he thought he heard something else outside. He could not get up now. He was just too cold and he felt too relaxed. The air he was breathing was so cold, he thought his lungs even felt cold. He supposed the body could only compensate so far at warming the air that one breathed in. It was as cold as a freezer and he thought he was almost frozen.

Danny and Lindsay were finally at the arena with the other officers. They knew they were too late, however, because there were no vehicles there, the arena was empty and the power was off as well. They looked in the first cabin and found two people. One was Mr. Flanders who had the five children, and the other was another man who had been kidnapped in Bozeman. "They must have left them all here," Danny said.

"That means Mac must be here," Lindsay agreed.

Danny did not have much hope that Bailey would let Mac stay here alive. They searched and found the other three men who had been kidnapped around the area, but they had not found Mac yet. "Where is he?" Danny asked. "That doctor said he was here!"

Chief Blackhawk went to the doctor. "Where is Detective Taylor?" he asked.

"There's another cabin up the hill there," Dr. Livingston said. "That's where he was keeping Detective Taylor after the fight."

Chief Blackhawk and the others headed up the hill that the doctor had indicated and sure enough, there was another cabin there. They went over to it and rammed the door down. Danny and Lindsay ran inside. "Mac!" Danny exclaimed when he saw Mac lying on the bed and not moving.

They ran over to Mac and found that he was definitely alive but he was very cold. He opened his eyes when he felt their hands on him. "Danny," he said.

"We're here, Mac. You just hang in there."

They got Mac up and he was shivering. "Can you walk?" Lindsay asked.

"I think so," Mac said through chattering teeth.

They wrapped the blanket around him, even though he was still wearing his heavy coat. They got him out of there and out to a car. Mac was shivering even more now but they had the heat on. "Where did Bailey go?" Chief Blackhawk asked.

"I don't know," Mac said. "They left earlier. He came in and told me this was not over and then just left me in there."

"He must have known we were coming." Chief Blackhawk considered that. "How did he know?"

Danny looked at him. "Maybe you have a snitch in the police department," he said. "I don't know how else he could have known."

"They were told soon enough to be able to get out of here before we got here."

"It had to be someone who was there when we got the plans together or someone who was there when you contacted the state police…it could be anyone."

"Or they knew Doctor Livingston was going to betray them," Chief Blackhawk suggested. He walked over to the doctor. "Did you say anything to them about turning them in?"

"No," Livingston replied. "I was afraid to do that. I didn't know what they might do."

"Smart. Somehow they knew we were coming."

An officer came over to Chief Blackhawk. "We found some tracks over there leading out the other way," he said. "They must have escaped that way."

Chief Blackhawk looked at Livingston. "You said you had been his physician for a while," he said. "Have you been to any other places to doctor him?"

"No," Dr. Livingston said. "This is the only place I have been to."

"Let's get Detective Taylor and these other men to the hospital and we'll come up with another plan."

Mac was glad when they were moving. He remembered what Bailey had said. He knew the man had no intention of hanging around and being captured. He intended for them to fight again. Mac closed his eyes…he did not care right now. He knew Bailey was in no shape to fight right now any more than he was. He was cold and wanted to go back to New York. It was cold there, but not this cold.

When they got to the hospital, Mac was awake, but very drowsy. However, he walked into the hospital to be checked out by a doctor there. He barely knew when they examined him. He was just too sleepy to stay awake.

Danny stayed there to make sure Mac was okay, although he knew he was. He was tired and this situation was over for them now that Mac was out of danger. He just wanted to go home…or to Lindsay's father's house and go to bed. He did not intend to go to the grocery store alone again. He hoped those other men were okay too. They were cold just like Mac had been. Danny thought they had taken the firewood from the prisoners and had let the fires die out. In cold like this, one could freeze to death fast even if they did have coats on.

The next morning, Mac was out of the hospital. Lindsay was there and took him to her father's house. "Oh, it's nice and warm here," Mac said as he walked in the door.

Danny was sitting on the couch with Lucy when Mac came in. Lucy ran to Mac and hugged him and then Danny came over to him. "I thank you for what you did," Danny said. "I don't know how to really thank you for that."

"You're welcome," Mac replied.

Danny hugged Mac and then Lindsay hugged him too. "Don't ever do anything like that again," Danny said.

"I would do it again," Mac said.

"You got all beat up."

"I'll be alright."

"How about some breakfast?" Lindsay asked.

"Sounds good," Mac said. "I didn't eat breakfast at the hospital."

"Good. We're just about to eat."

Just as they were about to go into the kitchen, Mac's phone rang. He had left it in Mr. Munroe's truck when he left it for Danny. "Taylor," he answered.

"Hi, Taylor," Bailey said.

Mac frowned. "Bailey."

"You recovering well, Taylor?"

"I am."

"Good. I hope you'll be ready when we meet again."

"Why don't you give this up?"

"No way, Taylor. I'll see you in New York. You better be looking over your shoulder."

"Are you afraid to come face to face? Do you have to sneak up on me?"

"Don't worry. You'll know I'm there."

The call ended. Mac looked at his phone and then put it away. He would not tell Danny and Lindsay about this. He would just keep it to himself. It was something he had to deal with himself anyway.