Luke usually loved Christmas. It signified family, hope and love.
But now as he trudged through the freshly fallen snow, he felt mocked by the elaborate Brooklyn department store window displays, towering Christmas trees and wreaths hanging from nearly every street light.
How dare the city be excited about the coming holiday season when Noah's life was in such peril?
This thought struck home even more when he and Det. Marco approached the theatre. The building appeared bleak and depressing in comparison to its neighbors. With everything that had happened, nobody had been around to decorate the old movie house for the season.
Luke didn't want to be there. He wanted to go with Reid and the surveillance team. But Marco wouldn't allow it. He insisted Luke go with him to the theatre to check on Maddie.
Luke had agreed to go since he simply couldn't sit around waiting to hear whether Reid had been successful.
At least if he went to the theatre and spoke to Maddie; and maybe even had a look around himself; he would feel like he was doing something to help.
"I'm so sorry Maddie." he said as she wrapped her arms around him.
"God, Luke, what for?"
"I feel like…" He shook his head. "I feel like I somehow set this all in motion."
"That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard. You're the reason why Noah's still alive at all!"
A confused Luke frowned at her.
"Don't you see?" She gripped his arms. "Things were already set in motion. Juliet still would have died. The will would have been read; and Greg still would have set out to eliminate Noah. You are not responsible for any of this."
He nodded. Deep down he knew she was right.
"It was only because you found out about Greg hiring that hit man that we stopped it."
"But that's just the thing. We didn't stop it." His shoulders sagged with the weight of his fear. "Greg managed to get to Noah in the end, didn't he?"
Maddie's face was filled with concern and sympathy.
"Luke," she said, rubbing his arm. "Don't give up, okay? You may just be Noah's salvation a second time."
"How?"
"Greg doesn't know you made peace with Reid." She told him. "He doesn't know Reid's working with the cops. Keep that in mind."
Luke smiled at her. "I can see why Noah likes you so much."
"Thanks. The feeling's mutual."
They gave each other another comforting hug ending with Luke wiping away tears.
"Uhm…" Luke cleared his throat. "So what exactly happened?"
Maddie took him by the hand and led him out of the ticket office while Marco was being briefed by the investigating officer.
"Greg used my phone to text Noah, telling him to come here."
Luke sighed. "So Noah would think you needed help?"
She nodded.
"What about you?" Luke asked. "Are you okay? Greg didn't hurt you, did he?"
She shook her head.
"Last thing I remember was struggling against an awful smelly cloth he held over my mouth and nose. The paramedic who looked me over thought perhaps it could have been chloroform."
"God, Maddie! You must have been terrified."
"That's for sure! But not half as terrified as when I found Noah's bag and jacket down here!"
Luke thought for a moment.
"Can you show me where you woke up?"
"Why?"
"I don't know." Luke shrugged. "I just feel like I need to be doing something."
She smiled and pulled him by the hand once more. They climbed the metal staircase to the top platform and Luke examined the space.
The projector hadn't been disturbed. Maddie showed him the spot where she woke up. Nothing. Not a clue.
Then Luke walked to the end of the platform and behind a shelf containing old metal film canisters. A ladder was pulled out leading up to an opened trap door in the ceiling.
"Maddie, what's up there?"
"What do you mean?" she asked, coming around the shelf to join him. She gasped. "I have no idea. I didn't even know there was a room up there!"
Luke stared at her. "Are you telling me this ladder isn't usually here?" He didn't wait to see her nod. He had already climbed halfway up.
"Noah!" He yelled into the loft.
As soon as his feet reached the wooden floor, he took off past the rows of mannequins, mirrors and other theatre paraphernalia.
His heart was thumping. Was this the place? Was Noah here?
He came out to a cleared section at the back of the loft and spun around in his desperate search. It was empty.
He bent over and gripped his knees in disappointment, before standing back upright and running his hands over his head.
"Luke?"
Maddie caught up with him. Luke shook his head at her.
"Nothing."
The flash of hope in her eyes died just as quickly as his had done. Luke turned to make his way back to the trap door, when he heard Maddie cry out.
When he looked back at the horror on her face, he followed her gaze to the wooden floor and a small pool of blood.
...
Still bound and gagged, Noah had managed to move over and lie on his side on the floor of the dirty, cold motel room. To take his mind off of the pain and discomfort, Noah had started counting hours ago.
He was approaching the 3,500 mark, when he heard the key turn in the lock.
He quickly sat up and shifted backward to lean against the wall.
It was difficult to control the panic when the only way to get air was to breathe through his nose.
He tried to focus on that as he watched the door fling open. He froze in horror when, instead of Greg, he came face to face with his Uncle Reid.
Reid betrayed nothing as he focused on Noah with Greg following two steps behind him.
Greg closed the door and pulled Reid back against it before pressing their lips together in a frenzied kiss.
"Reid's in on it?" a shocked Noah thought.
As the two men broke apart, Greg nodded toward Noah and turned back to Reid.
"Like your present?" he proudly smirked.
Noah felt overwhelming revulsion as his uncle walked over and crouched down in front of him. Reid seemed to be studying every part of Noah, all the way up from his feet to his head.
The younger man flinched as a stone-faced Reid leaned forward to press a finger under Noah's ear, lingering there for a few seconds.
Noah tried to move his head away but couldn't. So he simply glared at the man.
"You want to play with it?" Greg offered.
Noah immediately stiffened.
Reid stood and took a moment before turning to face Greg.
"I'd rather play with you."
"With pleasure!" Greg smiled. "Come here baby."
Noah squeezed his eyes shut. If only his hands weren't bound, then he could cover his ears.
He wanted to cry.
But to his relief, it appeared sex wasn't on the cards.
"So… what's the plan?" asked Reid.
"You call Snyder. Tell him if he wants the boy toy back, it'll cost him $20 million deposited in an overseas bank account." Greg twisted Reid's wrist to check the time. "…by 8 tonight." He pushed a slip of paper with the account number into the doctor's hand. "If Snyder refuses to pay up or brings in the cops, the love of his life will be swimming with the fishes by midnight."
Noah's eyes shot open.
...
From a quick visual assessment, Reid determined Noah had no broken bones. He did notice how a slow trickle of blood, apparently from the gunshot wound, had stained his thin T-shirt, mixing with dried vomit.
Noah wasn't in the greatest shape physically. But his pulse appeared strong and Reid figured he'd live.
The captive's mental health was a different story, according to the doctor. Reid could feel the hate radiating from the kid. He couldn't exactly blame Noah.
Meanwhile, kissing Greg was like kissing a month-old rotting fish. It took all of Reid's strength not to hurl at tasting Greg on his mouth. But staying in character as Greg's lover was the only way to win his trust. He had to sell it if he wanted to get Noah and himself out of there alive.
...
Reid held his phone in his hand, listened to Greg's ransom demands; and called Luke.
The NYPD police cruiser carrying Luke and Detective Marco snaked through rush hour traffic toward the stakeout at the hotel. Some five blocks away from their destination, Luke's cell phone buzzed.
"Reid!" a desperate Luke answered.
Marco quickly leaned in to listen and to silently motion to Luke to remain as calm as he could. At the same time, he had their driver silence the car's police siren.
"Hello Luke."
"Is Noah there? Is he okay?"
Marco shoved his notebook in Luke's face. "Chilton's probably listening," he'd written.
Luke nodded.
"Yes. Everything is fine." Reid calmly said.
A relieved Luke slumped down.
"We need to discuss demands." Reid continued.
"Let me talk to Noah first." Luke gasped.
"Just listen right now."
Luke released a long breath.
"Okay Reid. I'm listening."
"We have Noah."
Tears spilled out the corners of Luke's eyes as Reid paused to give Greg the impression he was waiting for Luke's reaction.
"Noah will not be harmed as long as you deposit $20 million into an offshore bank account. I'll text you the account details after this phone call. This has to be done within two hours, Luke, if you want to see Noah again. Is that understood?"
"Yes… yes. Now let me talk to Noah?" Luke begged.
"Hold on."
He held his breath as he heard Reid moving about. He could hear Greg muttering as he removed Noah's gag.
"Luke?" Noah's voice sounded weak and terribly fearful. But it was him. "Is that you?"
"Hey bubby…"
"Luke, Maddie?"
"She's safe." Luke heard Noah sigh with relief. "How about you? Has he hurt you?"
"I'm okay. I just want to come home to you."
"I know. I'm working on that. Reid told-"
"Luke?" It was Reid. "People always get what's coming to them."
Luke released a sob at the sudden disconnection from Noah. "Look out for him. Please Reid."
"I will. Now don't waste any more time."
...
Hearing Luke's voice shattered Noah's emotional wall and the tears began to flow. He was surely going to die and those words were the last he'd ever hear from Luke. He didn't even get a chance to tell Luke one last time that he loved him.
He hated Reid; almost as much as he hated Greg.
Greg retied the gag making it even tighter this time.
"Mmm," Noah moaned in pain from it.
"Shut up!" Greg yelled from the bed, where he and Reid lay kissing and stroking one another; celebrating their success.
"What do you say we check that account?" Reid suggested.
Greg leapt off the bed and dashed over to the table where his laptop sat waiting. He clicked at the mouse a few times as Reid come up behind him; peering around his shoulder at the screen.
"Holy FUCK!" Greg yelled. "It's there! Woohoo! Twenty big ones!"
Reid turned and made his way toward Noah. "You did it," he called back to Greg. "You got the cash."
For a moment, Noah remained focused totally on Reid, trying to slide down the wall away from him. He didn't see Greg come up behind Reid.
It was a flash of silver that drew Noah's attention back to Greg, just in time to see the mad man plunge a knife into Reid's side.
Sucking in a loaded breath, Reid expelled a cry of agony. "Aaaaaah!"
He dropped to his knees with a look of utmost shock. His thumb and forefinger encircled the blade where it pierced deeply through his skin and he fell backward onto the carpet.
Noah's mouth dropped open as Uncle and nephew shared a long, panicky stare.