'What is it Wells?'

'Oats?'

'You had your hand up. Did you want to add anything to what I have already said?'

Jacob didn't want to look dumbfounded but the involuntary hand movement had been a reflex action. His mind did not process what it meant but in a split second, while Oats was talking, he felt his mother's distress.

'No Sir, I think your plan of action is the best way to go. I have nothing further to add,' he compromised keeping an easy relaxed look on his face.

The meeting between the Director and a young new defender had gone well. In many ways the young man reminded Jacob of himself. Oats was more kindly in his approach than he had been with Jacob in those first months. Position, prestige and understanding had softened the senior defender. Jacob's presence at the review meeting helped to stabilize the conversation. He was also able to provide honest feedback, both to the nervous man seated at the far end of the table, and his boss.

He listened with one part of his incredible mind to Oats completing a series of directions for the young defender while keeping his mind open to his mother's plight. Jacob's ability to see the event would only work if his mother was thinking about him. She was not and her tightly controlled demeanour in time of trouble would deter any communication. Instead, Jacob could sense his father's disquiet. Turning to the one person whose every action was accessible, it became clear that Cathy had also sensed something. Even as the thought crossed his mind, the swiftness of their conversation was hardly more than a drawn breath. He could see her put on a coat and leave the centre.

'Do you need to attend to something Wells?'

'I believe there is a situation developing. Events may be under control but I am not sure that won't change.'

The defender, who didn't understand the look which passed between his boss and the highly efficient assistant, wondered if he had blundered in his presentation. He was puzzled.

'It's nothing to do with you Trey,' Jacob said looking at the anxious face. 'I have a personal matter pending.'

Rather than relaxing, Trey looked more anxious. He hadn't said anything and wondered how Jacob could know what was going on in his mind.

'Body language. You telegraphed your thoughts in your body language. If you can't control it, any movement or facial expression will give you away when you are meeting clients or working at court. Keep that in mind.' Jacob nodded at Trey before turning to his boss.

'Oats, if you are finished, I'll go and check on things?'

'Sure, we are done here.'

Jacob didn't stop to wonder what his abrupt comment and sudden departure would do to Trey. Oats would understand and he fully expected to see his boss enter the small office not far behind. Jacob sat down heavily in his chair, waiting for a moment, trying to capture an elusive series of events. His mother had a busy morning. Her time with the Governor and with Patrick had been largely uneventful although he knew from his GPS connection with the van that she left the condo later than planned.

He immediately put in a call to Rob.

'Yeah she spent a lot of time with the Attorney General. She seemed happy when she came out.'

Rob replied quickly and efficiently to the questions put to him. His clipped speech indicated that he had kept a journal. Jacob murmured a quick okay before asking about his mother's current whereabouts.

'She's till in there. I saw some of the folks come out who normally go to this thing but your mother is usually late leaving. She didn't send me any signal. Is something wrong? Should I go up?'

'No Rob, stay put and stay in the van! If there is a problem, they will try to distract you or make you believe she is in trouble. Don't open the door or come out until you see my mother with my father or Cathy or me.'

'You sure?'

'Very!'

Jacob rang off just as Oats entered the office. He said nothing, just looking expectantly, knowing that there was a problem.

'It's my mother. She's at a meeting with Palermo's wife. There has been some physical activity. I don't think my mother is hurt but she is in danger. I know her. She'll try to keep a cool head, making it difficult for any of us to read the situation.'

Jacob halted. He could sense a rapid heartbeat and knew that his father had left the tunnels and was on his way uptown. Even with extraordinary speed, he would not make it in less than 30 minutes. Cathy was closer but he didn't want his wife to be caught up in this either. Her kidnapping at the hands of the lion clan members left an indelible mark on her. With the Diosa revelation, Jacob knew that she had extraordinary power but like his mother, no strength. Would they be a match for Susanna? Who knew how many men waited in hidden corners?

Jacob didn't feel fear but he did feel the energetic rise of the Star of the Bear Clan and knew that Susanna, in her role as matriarch, intended to harm his mother.

'Does she have a cell phone? Can she call?' Oats asked unable to hide his anxiety for a woman he greatly admired.

Jacob didn't hesitate. 'She and Rob have a signal device that no one else can operate.'

'What do you need Jacob? I can arrange a quick ride to wherever she is.'

'No, I can get there faster on foot.'

Oats raised his eyebrows but didn't contradict. Manhattan could be a busy place to negotiate at any time of day. He didn't need to know any more details of Jacob's skills.

'Get your coat and leave. We're done here.'

When Jacob seemed to waver, the gruff but kindly bully came out ready to do battle.

'Go on! Get outta here! Anyway, leaving for legitimate issues is part of our grand bargain.'

Jacob grabbed his coat and spared one second for a quick hug of thanks. He didn't take the elevator down but headed up to the roof. It was late afternoon on a dull winter day. In New York City, no one would find it unusual to see a man walking along the roof tops of the numerous skyscrapers dotting the horizon. He slipped out of the building through a little used roof top access. There he was able to survey the surrounding area and pinpoint exactly where his father, wife and mother were located. Taking a deep breath, he powered up his legs and made the leap towards a line of buildings which would land him exactly where the meeting was being held. Susanna's behaviour was going to be revealed for what it was. No one knew how that would play out, perhaps not even Susanna herself.

…..

Cathy couldn't have said for sure exactly what brought her up short. The lady sitting comfortably in her office at the women's centre was rambling on about the unfairness of life. She had changed neither her tone nor argument for over an hour. Despite being lulled into a state of semi awareness by the droning voice, a change in her personal atmosphere and sensibility shifted without any warning. Unused to experiencing emotional shifts which had previous occurred only in dreams, she sat up abruptly and halted the ongoing tale of woe.

'Listen LaDee. We have been talking about this for some time and I don't see change in your actions or expectations. In order to move forward, change has to happen. Only you can do that.'

Cathy raised a hand to halt any more confidences. The bulky matronly woman looked crushed. If allowed, she could talk all day but the raised hand soon touched a shoulder and she subsided in her chair holding down her head mumbling at the floor.

'I know Cathy. You are so good to me. You….'

Cathy felt an inner urgency and moved to help LaDee get up before she launched into another long story.

'Just think a little about our plan of action and see how you feel. It's time to move forward. Come and see me next week, ok?'

The middle-aged, former prostitute was soon out the door. Cathy sat at her desk and immediately tried to pinpoint exactly what she was feeling. The sense of oppression which came over her body was a familiar one. Intimidation immediately came to mind. Someone was subduing, not Jacob or Vincent, but Catherine. Horrified she opened her channel to Jacob and created the visual remote viewing contact which would allow them to communicate. She offered immediate reassurance but soon moved into the persona which took no direction from anyone but her guides.

'It's not me but your mother. I am going to her. Meet me there.'

Cathy had no idea where 'there' was exactly but her feet followed some intuitive part of her mind. She waved a goodbye to Erin before letting herself out, moving with a speed which was new to her. Even in high heels, her feet hit the pavement in rapid succession weaving in and out of much slower pedestrians.

...

Rob, who had been disconcerted by the call from Jacob, kept his eyes peeled looking left and right. Inaction was not his forte especially if his charge was at risk. He checked his weapon, ensuring that it was easily accessible. When the tap on the window came he was prepared. Rolling it down slightly, he listened to the shivering dark haired man, standing at the door. The thin body, showing at the neckline of his coat did not inspire confidence. Rob quickly sized up his potential as a combatant and dismissed it. The accent was thick.

'Your Missis asks you to come.'

'She'll call me when she's ready.'

'She ready now.'

'I'll wait for her call.' Rob rolled the window back up. The surprised lackey frowned. He seemed unable to formulate another thought. Clearly he was cold and frustrated. Rob turned his head forward and waited. Eventually the man left. Rob wondered if a call would come through. Doubts plagued him but he reviewed Jacob's words and stayed put.

Upstairs, Susanna held her gun steady, pointed at the woman she perceived as the enemy. An intermittent vibration pulled her attention away as she dug into her purse for the childishly decorated cell phone.

'Why not?' she shouted into the small mouthpiece.

A quick glance at her captive explained the reason for the call.

'Call your man or I will have him killed.'

'Call him and tell him what?'

'What ever you need to tell him, to bring him here...and don't let me ask you again.'

The gun waved menacingly.

'He will not come here if that's what you want. He has his instructions and he won't deviate from them no matter what I say.'

'How will he feel when I drop your dead body at his feet?'

'Then there's no need for him to come up here.'

For some reason Catherine had the emotional upperhand. She watched as Susanna seemed increasingly distracted. She wondered if drugs were an issue. The behaviour behind the gun was odd. In her heart she didn't believe that Susanna had the nerve to actually pull the trigger but under pressure of being exposed she might be capable of anything. Catherine chose not to expand on her words. She stayed silent, waiting.

'I thought I was a bitch but I could learn from you. You are a cold hearted woman.' The statement had a purpose. Catherine continued to hold her thoughts.

'Is that how you were when you pulled the trigger and killed my father?'

This was the crux of Susanna's angst. Catherine could sympathize about the loss of a father but her captor had already been very vocal about his shady character. Who was this father whose loss was expressed in the same breath as a voice filled with disgust for the man he was?

'Susanna, I need more information. I can't tell you what I don't remember. Give me some clue as to who he was and how I came to confront him with a gun?'

The sincerity in the voice was unmistakeable. She hoped Susanna would respond. The blonde stood erect, attempting, with difficulty, to do some body movements which did not apprear sexual but performed instead to ease aching muscles. She winced once or twice before directing her attention to Catherine.

'In my part of the world, women were nothing. My mother was a young girl when she was seduced by a man travelling through the far east looking for children to sell. He cared nothing for her, nothing at all. Instead of protecting her and me when I came along, he forced her to leave me with my grandfather and took her away. He trained her and kept her in emotional bondage so that she would attend to his needs. He didn't love her but she did as she was told, too scared to fight back.'

Catherine nodded. She didn't want to say anything to deter the confidence. She kept her eyes wide open, focussed on Susanna hoping the narrative would give a clue as to her parentage.

'I stayed with my grandfather who used and abused me. I had no protector. He was the village elder, a much respected man. My mother returned home when I was thirteen. She was a shadow. I would not have known her. She didn't talk much but at night in her sleep, she would scream and scream. Only then did she tell me of the cruelty of my father, not always to her but everyone else. The stories of his cruelty made her sick and me too.'

Susanna paused to take a deep breath. Catherine wondered if she had ever revealed this story to anyone. Nodding she encouraged the distracted woman to continue.

'My mother's return was the end of my grandfather's attentions but my mother sucked the life from me with her madness. Her depression dominated my life until the day my grandfather brought home another child from one of his concubines. He handed the child to my mother and told her to care for it. She freaked and smothered the baby almost immediately.'

Catherine could not help but gasp at the words. The woman must have been deeply disturbed. She wondered what could have caused her to perpetuate such a drastic act.

'Oh yes, you shake your head but... you... you...you.'

'I what...?' Catherine raised her hands in frustration. 'I still can't connect myself to your mother or father.'

Catherine braced herself for another blow but none came. Susanna stared hard at her captive before pacing the room. In that moment it became clear that beneath that cold exterior was a very hurt inner child. The story telling was not as easy as she made out. The impact was clearly horrendous.

'My grandfather was furious. He repeatedly struck my mother until she was senseless. When he had gone, she asked me to get something out of her purse. I gave her a bottle of pills and before I could stop her, she swallowed them all.'

It was hard for Catherine to suppress her natural feeling of sympathy or dismiss the effect of loss. She knew all too well what it meant to lose someone. If Susanna wanted the upper hand, this was the way to breakdown any barriers remaining in Catherine's mind. The narrative continued with a voice becoming increasingly agitated.

'Before she drew her last breath my mother told me that my father had a son who he loved more than anything. He had confined the mother until she gave birth then he tried to kill her. The mother of that child survived. She eventually came back with the police to kill him for taking her child. My mother told me that he tried to kill the child. Imagine! My father realized that he could not win and preferred to kill rather than give up. When I was able to investigate what happened, I found out it was you who came back to kill him and my brother.'

Catherine inhaled a deep breath. She understood that the mind of a child assimilated a story from the lips of a dying woman. Susanna's muddled version of the event was way off the mark but she had no other source of truth. Surprised to learn the real history of the nurse whose detached care helped to keep her alive, Catherine now understood her blind obedience to Gabriel. If she had not seen the videos of her time in confinement she wouldn't have known what was in Susanna's mind but the details and Susanna's preoccupation with Catherine meant one thing. Gabriel had been Susanna's father. His nurse had been her mother. There was a serious vendetta underway!

Trying hard to avoid angering the already agitated woman, Catherine sought about in her mind for something that would distract her. Another nagging thought plagued her mind but she couldn't put the pieces together. Her main goal was to diffuse the anger of the woman in front of her and mollify the inner child.

Susanna must have noted the loss of colour from Catherine's face even before she uttered the words of recognition.

'Susanna, there is another version of that story. Let me explain.'

'Oh so now you admit that you pulled the trigger? I knew it. I knew it! I cared nothing for that monster but if he lived, my mother would have called me to come to her. I would have lived a better life instead of being sold to the highest bidder by my grandfather, a man I despised. I can only thank that disgusting man for making me good at what I do. He was hard to please. My power over men came from that understanding.'

Susanna pulled herself up, preening. The movements which had earlier been done to ease an ache now evolved into the sexual mannerisms which cheapened her. Catherine was aware of the passage of time but her senses were on fire. She could not imagine that after all these years the spectre of Gabriel again loomed large. Who was this child of his and what did she want? Catherine waited knowing there was more.

'So you relaxed in your mountain spa for years, hiding from the world. What a great life you had.'

Susanna had put down the gun when she started pacing but soon picked it up and shoved the barrel into Catherine's forehead.

'You do know the truth,' Susanna stated unnecessarily. 'Did you kill my father?'

'I didn't Susanna. I was hurt and couldn't walk. There was no mountain retreat. It was rehab. I could not have gone back to find him. If you check out your facts you will know that I was not capable of killing him.'

Susanna had that puzzled puppy dog look again. Her demeanour had changed significantly. She seemed open to persuasion. Catherine couldn't trust her but waited to see exactly what she would do. Clearly she had some concerns in her mind. Catherine did not press her advantage. Her eyes narrowed before she shoved her face in front of Catherine.

So easy to just pull the trigger and feel the splatter of your blood on my face. How sweet that would be. Any last words before you die?'

'I can prove that I did not kill him.'

'Not good enough! Who cares now?'

'The baby, your brother...he is alive and well.' Catherine almost choked on the words.

Susanna rose up like a snake uncoiling. The comment elicited yet another blow. Catherine seated in a chair was unable to deflect contact with her face. She was stunned by it but her thoughts ran to her son. Please forgive me Jacob she thought.

'Julian. He lives? How is that possible? My mother said he was killed.' Pulling on Catherine's hair, Susanna tilted the head back. Eyes blazing she whispered in a deceptively quiet voice, 'summon him here. I need to speak with him.'

When Catherine didn't flinch, she shouted. 'Do it! Do it now! Then I will kill you both.'