"Just our luck," Lassiter said in disgust, glaring at the tire sitting on the pavement. Air slowly leaked around a nail that had embedded itself into the rubber. He felt like kicking the worthless thing across the state. "Of all the times I roll over a nail, it's now."

Gus turned from the trunk, having deposited the jack back in its place. Not to be caught slacking, Lassiter leaned over and picked up the tire, shifting its weight as he stood. After placing it in the back of the vehicle, he slammed the trunk shut. "Guster, get in the car."

The other man didn't argue with him, hurrying to take his seat as Lassiter made his way to the driver's side. Shutting his own door with more force than necessary, the detective soon had the car on the road again.

Sol Hayden had long since disappeared, and all three were silently hoping that they hadn't lost him for good. The empty expanse of asphalt stretched ahead of them, and Newport was long since gone behind. It was easy to imagine any one of numerous possibilities that could happen if they didn't catch up in time.

It had seemed to take longer than necessary to change the tire, but it seemed to be taking even longer to catch up to their target. They had driven for ten minutes before Lassiter finally hit the brakes.

"This is insane. We must have missed a turnoff somewhere."

Juliet shook her head in slight confusion. "We were watching pretty closely, Carlton."

"But it doesn't make sense!" Lassiter rubbed his forehead. "He couldn't have gotten this far in the time we were stopped. And he didn't just disappear into thin air; he had to have turned off somewhere."

At his partner's nod, he spun the car around. The tires squealed as he floored the accelerator, abandoning stealth for speed.

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Shawn swallowed against the lump in his throat. "No, not really," he replied.

"Aw," Sarcasm played at Sol's voice. "Sorry. You don't get to choose." His eye caught sight of the phone lying a few feet from where Shawn now sat. "What in the – Where'd you get that?"

Sol didn't stop to hear an answer, stalking over and scooping up the device. As he leaned over, a thin chain that had been hanging around his neck slipped down, the ring through which it was threaded falling from under his shirt. It dangled down across his mouth, bouncing slightly until he swiped it away.

Watching as the other man tucked the ring back into its place, Shawn's mind's eye raced back to months before when they were still investigating the robberies …

Sol noticed a change in Shawn's expression, and he paused in mid-stride. "Something on your mind?"

His eyes narrowing slightly, Shawn returned the man's gaze. "They weren't after the money."

"What?" Sol's tone was confusion laced with nervousness.

"The robbers. They weren't actually robbing the Masters. You sent them after Gus and me, didn't you?"

"What are you talking about?" Sol crossed his arms, but Shawn didn't miss the uneasiness that flickered through the other man's eyes.

"Beverly and Louis weren't supposed to get hurt. You'd realized that Gus and I were onto you, that it was only a matter of time before we alerted the police and you were arrested." Shawn was on a roll now. "You sent your crew to take care of us, only you didn't know where we were. They tracked us there, only they didn't realize that we were at the home of your former fiancée."

Sol's expression changed to one of shocked anger. "How do you know that?"

"That ring, the one that you wear around your neck. It's the same one that Beverly was wearing in her college photos. Your crew didn't steal anything from the Masters' house, so if you have it, she gave it to you. Did your crew know –"

He was cut off mid-sentence as Sol closed the distance between them, closing a hand around Shawn's neck.

"I think it's time to finish our game now."

Behind his back, Shawn's hands involuntarily began grabbing for a hold, as if he could put a stop to the darkness that was beginning to close in. His chest heaved as he gasped for air, and the room slowly began to grow fuzzy.

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They nearly missed the turn the second time; the trail was so light from the little use it received. It was only due to the squirrel that scampered across the road that Juliet even looked closely enough to see the turn off.

But once they noticed the fresh tire tracks, Lassiter determinedly turned his vehicle onto the road. The trail was slightly rutted, causing the passengers to bounce around on the seats.

Gus gritted his teeth as they continued down the road. "I hope it's not too much farther."

As if in answer to his remark, they rounded a corner and a black car came into view. More interesting than the car, however, was the small building next to which the car was parked. The outside, though slightly rundown with boarded windows, was still quite sturdy.

"Guster, stay in the car," Lassiter ordered as he and Juliet quietly opened their doors.

"But –"

"That's an order." Checking his weapon, Lassiter turned back to face the other man. "We don't need to be worrying about you."

"Lassiter, Shawn might be in there!" Gus objected.

"All the more reason for you to stay put. If there's a hostage situation, you'll just be in the way."

Gus crossed his arms in annoyance as the detectives made their way towards the entrance. He agreed with their logic, but he still wanted to be with them. He wasn't sure he could wait long enough to find out what was going on inside.

He watched as Lassiter and Juliet flanked the doors. Lassiter counted off on his fingers, then they sprang into action, kicking open the door and charging inside.