**Thanks to everyone who reviewed. I really appreciated your thoughts and your comments helped me focus this disaster. I will not be writing like this ever again. There is too much of who I am involved in this story to continue with very little encouragement. It was an experience I have enjoyed and despised. Thank you all for letting me play and showing me that I need to keep this all in my head from now on.**

I woke from a short nap when the door opened. He stood there watching me. I turned my head to the wall and convinced myself that he would go away if I ignored him. The heavy footfalls told me that he first went to the dresser and then over to the overstuffed chair. I heard his shoes drop to the floor one at a time before I heard the whisper of cloth that was his shirt being removed.

"My flower, let me in. Please?" I didn't answer. "You want me to punish you, is that it?" His large hands squeezed my shoulders and started to travel up my neck.

"Hideo, stop. You're scaring me."

"Be a good girl and I won't need to scare you."

"Please, let me go."

"So you can run away again? No. You belong with me. You are the last piece to my puzzle and now father will step aside, giving me control of everything. You will be my queen and soon you will give me the little prince I need to cement my hold over the west. Your child will be more powerful than I. Before we die our family will have built an empire of the entire country. So you will be happy with me now!"

My only response to his wild dream was to cry. This was more terrible than I had imagined, for now it was clear to me that Hideo was insane. Insane with a need for power and control he could never have. Hideo began to rub my back and then noticed I was still fully dressed.

"Watashi tachi wa beddo ni wa fuku o gōi shi ta ga, naze anata wa mada fuku o ki te iru to kangae ?"

I had to translate what he asked before answering in halting and most likely faulty Japanese, "Anata wa, sono riyū ga watashi ni shibara re."

"Blaming me for everything won't work forever, my flower. Tonight I forgive you. Let's try to sleep now."

Translation

I thought we agreed no clothes in bed, so why are you still dressed?

You tied me down, that is why.

I couldn't sleep. The man who had murdered five of my colleagues, for no other reason then that they were men I worked with, was wrapped around my restrained body. How was I to get myself out of this? I couldn't do anything until Hideo was ready to leave so I spent the night praying, not for myself but for Bobby and Steph. I prayed that they would not blame themselves for me acting selfish and stupid, that they would avoid becoming causalities if or when Hideo came after Rangeman.

Hideo spent the next day alternately arranging for us to fly back to Washington and convincing himself that he was seducing me.

"My flower, I have a gift for you."

"Yes, Hideo." I had learned, painfully, to answer him no matter what he said. My arms would bear the marks of my lessons for quite sometime and I was not sure if I would ever be able to use my left hand again.

"I saw this and knew you would love it. Then again, you love everything I give you." He pulled out what looked like a necklace. "Let me put this on you." I didn't have much choice as I was bound, hand and foot, to a chair. Hideo slipped the solid metal around my neck and instead of quickly closing a clasp he pulled a small bottle out of his pocket. "The epoxy makes it so you can never take the collar off, my flower. This way too, everyone will see you belong to me." He closed the screw closure on the collar and kissed me. "I have special plans for you and this collar after we are married." He kissed me once more and then walked out of the room.

I started making plans again. When Hideo released me from the chair I would follow him until we got out of the house and then run as far as I could. I would rather be killed than go anywhere with him. I mentally berated myself once again for being stupid and getting myself abducted. I needed to get out of the situation quickly.

The door opened and I spoke without looking at who entered. "Hideo, can we go for a walk?"

"Hideo? Is that the guy behind this?" My eyes snapped open at the sound of his voice and locked on to his.

"Are you really here?"

"Yes." He released me from the chair and helped me to my feet before leading me from the house. We walked quickly and quietly to the waiting SUV where he broke out his kit and started bandaging the worst of my injuries.

"Bobby, why did you leave without answering my question?"

"Johanna, I've only known you a few days, yet I feel as if we have spent a lifetime together. I left because I didn't want to loose control and have sex with you then."

"I know how you feel, I feel the same way. Maybe, after this is over for good, we can take a chance and see where our feelings will take us."

"I would love too."