Chapter 10

Erica awoke to find both her hands handcuffed to a closet bar, In what looked to be a large closet, obviously. She wished she could see her watch, because she wanted to know what time it was. Apparently, the kidnappers were either too dumb to put a blindfold on her, or didn't feel she needed one. But evidently she needed a gag of duct tape. Her detective mind went to work. She observed every possible opening, and escape route. But she still didn't know how to get out of the handcuffs. She looked up at them. Her handcuffs were chained to the closet bar very tightly, with a thick chain. There was no possible way to get out of it.

Unless… She didn't have time to finish her thought. Her captor came in with another man trailing behind him. It was quite dark, so she couldn't recognize the second man. The kidnapper came over and removed the duct tape. Just then the second man stepped out of the shadows. There was no mistaking the hatred and the anger in his emerald green eyes. Her suspicions were confirmed, Derek Dupree was behind all of this.

"Hello, Erica. I hope you're comfortable."

Erica looked straight into him, but did not say anything.

"Oh, cat got your tongue?" He reached out and grabbed the sides of her face with his hand.

"C'mon, don't I at least get a hello? We used to date, if you remember."

"Used to," she replied angrily.

"Ahhh! So she speaks. Now that we've got you talking, maybe you can answer a few questions for us, hmm? First question, Why did you dump me?" He looked at her with a look that could pop a soccer ball.

"Was I not good enough for you? Was I not rich enough?"

Erica didn't utter a sound.

"ANSWER ME!" he roared in her face.

"You hit me. That's why I dumped you. Guys don't hit girls. Ever."

"So that's what this is about, eh? Just from a petty slap on the cheek?"

"Derek, you gave me a bruise! You're also a moron and a freak! Let me go, now!"

"How would you like another one?!" He said threateningly, close to her ear.

"Bring it on, Blondie." She said unwaveringly as she stared menacingly into his green eyes.

"And what makes you think you can win?"

"The fact that I kicked your ass once, and I can and will do it again."

"Fine then. I guess we'll just have to see who wins. Dan, uncuff her."

The other guy removed her handcuffs and stood back a ways.

"On three, we fight." Derek said. He got to one, and Erica lunged at him. They were in a full out battle now. He tried to punch her in the stomach, but she blocked it. She counterattacked with a well-aimed kick, but it was blocked as well. They fought their way over to the door, which Derek and Dan ran out of, closed it in her face, then locked it. Erica was too tough to give in now, though. She rammed her shoulder against the door several times.

This isn't working. I need another approach. Wait, I got it!

Bobby looked at all the files on the computer desperately searching for answers. Where was his sweet angel? Was she ok? Was she even alive? Then he found what he was looking for. A 1965 Black Mustang GT owned by a Dan Dupree. The picture of Dan looked exactly like the Derek Bobby had met earlier that week. He showed it to Alex, and they got a small search party together. They had all the info they needed, now they just needed to find the car.

Erica stepped back and Karate kicked the door. Nothing Happened.

What in the world? She was about to do it again, when the door opened, and Derek ran in. Before she knew what had happened, Erica was pinned to the ground, a knife pointed at her heart.

"Now who's kicking who? If you try ANYTHING, I will stab you so fast, you won't even be able to scream."

Erica could only squeak out a small whisper of a scream at that point.

"You know, I murdered your mom, because I wanted to get back at you. I was planning on getting just you, but I decided this would be more fun. Your mom was worthless. A pitiful speck on the face of the earth. She couldn't even keep her husband to herself."

"Shut-up! That's not true! She was worth more than you will ever be!!!" Erica screamed at him.

"No, YOU shut-up!" Derek said, as he dragged the knife cross her arm hard enough to draw blood. It was just a minor cut, but it seemed like a fatal wound to her.

"And this Goren character, the police-detective guy, he's your dad, isn't he?"

Erica didn't say a word.

"ISN'T HE?!" Derek roared.

"Yes! Yes, he is!! Don't hurt me again!!"

"Yeah, some cop he is. If he was a real detective, he would have found you already. He's just as worthless as your mother. He probably doesn't even care that I have you!"

"NO!! That's not true, either! You don't know what you're talking about" Erica just then had an instant boost of adrenaline, and flung Derek to the back of the closet. She ran out the door into the closed restaurant. She had the knife in her hand. Derek soon followed. He dove for her feet, and she went down. She wrestled herself free, and stood up. She jumped onto the table behind her. Derek aimed a punch at her head, and she flipped back off it using a move she learned in Karate. The knife went flying towards his head, but he ducked, much to Erica's disappointment. They got into a heated fight, Erica kicking this way, and Derek punching that way. By this time both of them were dirty and bloody. Erica was slowly fighting him towards the wall, she had a plan. They got nearer and nearer to the wall, and they were so involved that they didn't hear the police come in. Erica then punched him hard in the face, just enough to subdue him. Then she did a high kick, pinning his neck to the wall with her foot. She stared into his eyes. A look of pure terror came over his eyes, but he wasn't looking at her. He was looking at something just above her head. The barrel of Bobby Goren's pistol.

"Derek Dupree, you are under arrest!" Bobby told him with the scariest voice Erica had ever heard. Erica unpinned him from the wall, and some officers cuffed him and took him away. All traces of the adrenaline rush she had vanished from her body, and she passed out into Bobby's arms. He carried her light figure over to the paramedics, who bandaged her, and dismissed her as free to go as soon as she woke up. Alex appeared at Bobby's side.

"She has her dad's spirit in her, that much is obvious. I wonder if she could teach me to do that. Anyway, I hope she'll be ok. What did the paramedic say?"
"He said she'll be just fine when she wakes up." Just then Erica stirred. She opened her eyes and looked around frantically. She then spotted Bobby sitting on the edge of the ambulance, and started to get out of the little bed. Bobby heard this and rushed over to hug her. He engulfed her in a huge bear hug, leaving only her appendages and lower body sticking out. She looked like a tiny doll in his arms.

"Oh, sweetheart, I'm so glad you're ok."

"It was so scary! Daddy! It was so scary!" She said between sobs.

"It's ok. Don't worry, that boy will be in prison for a very long time. He won't be able to get near you ever again. I'll make sure of that."

Alex watched this touching scene from outside the ambulance. She was amazed at what a change a sweet little girl could bring about in a tough, hardened detective in such short time. Bobby wasn't the most social person she knew. Heck, he was probably the most Anti-social person she knew. But Erica brought out a whole other side of Bobby that Alex had never seen before, a sort of soft side. Maybe it was because Erica was one of the very few who weren't truly afraid of him. He was intense and unconventional in his investigation methods, and just all-around frightening to most people. He was definitely an acquired taste. Or maybe it was because Bobby's father had left his mom, him, and his brother when he was five, and he was just now getting, and giving, the kind of love he missed as a child. He was obviously trying so hard not to follow his father's path, and he was doing a great job of it.

Epilogue

Erica was taken back to Bobby's house to retrieve her things, and as Bobby's window was indisposed, he spent the remaining few hours of night in Erica's guestroom.

James came over immediately the next day to make sure that Erica was alright, and the two set up Erica's Christmas stuff.

Alex and Bobby worked on getting Derek arraigned, and then moved on to the next case.

Enzo is still M.I.A somewhere in Canada, and Erica doesn't really care.

Will James and Erica stay together? Will Erica ever get a job at the police station? (C'mon, you know you wanted her to!) What happened to Derek's twin brother?

Tune in next time to find out!

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Notes: The fight scene is SOOOO much cooler if you listen to 'We will rock you!' by Queen as you read it. Even more so if you can work out the guitar to come in just as Derek sees Bobby's pistol.

The thing about Bobby's father is TRUE! I heard it on an episode of CI! I'm not making it up!

I watch Law and Order: CI waaay too much!

Oh, hey what do you know? That's the end!! I hope you enjoyed it!

Pssst! I started a sequel!