Disclaimer not mine. Sorry for delay in updating. Real life got a bit hectic.
Her father's child.
"These Redbacks." Catherine started as she tried to untie Ros' wrists. "Think they're God's gift."
"Are you hurt?" Ros asked quietly. "In any way?"
"No. Well, my neck is burning but that's where the thug that brought me here tasered me." Catherine hissed, clearly angry. "I was only letting Scarlet out for a wee. You?"
"I was run off the road." Ros glared at the memory. "They dragged me from my car and tasered me. It seems they like their tasers." Ros rubbed her wrists as she spoke, relieved that Catherine had been able to free them.
"Bloody idiots." Catherine smiled slightly. "They don't know what they've done."
"What I want to know is how this ties up with your ex and Anderson."
"My ex was a major mistake." Catherine got to her feet and started pacing the room. Ros resisted the urge to compare the woman in front of her to her father. It seemed when worried about anything the Pearce's paced. Ros got to her feet, almost stumbling but keeping her balance long enough to remove the ties from around her ankles. Her feet burned as the circulation returned.
"We all make mistakes where men are concerned."
"Really? Who was your big mistake?"
"Catherine." Ros glanced over her shoulder. "That is something you are too young to know about."
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Ruth pushed herself away from the computer and headed towards Harry's office just as his phone connected with the far wall.
"Harry."
"How? How can someone be taken from a house that is under constant surveillance? Tell me Ruth. How does that happen?"
"I just spoke with the police. Two men were found dead in a car less than two hundred feet from our front door. They got Catherine because they had already murdered the guards." She watched as the colour drained from his face. "And it is how Graham is currently in med bay. Terri has taken Nick and the children to the canteen."
"She's good for him." Harry sighed as he remembered the young Cypriot ex-nun that his son was engaged to. It seemed an unlikely combination but it worked. "Is he ok? Oh God. I barely spoke with him."
"He's battered bruised and feeling incredibly guilty. You know how close he and Catherine are. Look I've done some digging."
"As I knew you would." He watched as she blushed a little.
"Anderson was never really a religious man. He knew that abusing people's perception of religion could make a lot of money for him. As Tariq always says, follow the money. So I did."
"And where did it lead you?" Harry watched as she became more and more enthusiastic about her argument.
"To a cousin of Boscard. It seemed Anderson knew his wife went to school with me when we were young children. So, he blackmailed her into meeting with me. Then he and his french woman would abduct me and sell me on, in the same way Zaf was."
"Ruth." He ran a hand over his face.
"Something went wrong. I dunno, maybe Hannah refused to play along. He murdered her and Margarete posed as her to kidnap me. Then when Harris got involved his plan fell through. I don't think Anderson was expecting Harris to contact Catherine."
"And now?" Harry crossed the room to her. Ruth looked at the floor.
"They've taken Catherine because they knew she was your daughter." She held Harry's gaze. "Ros? Probably because a senior intelligence officer like her is worth so much more financially than an analyst like me." Harry paused as he took in her words. Ruth held his gaze, horrified by what she had just said. "We will find them." She looked at Harry. "We will find them both."
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Lucas stared out over the city. The noise of the traffic below the only sound as he tried to order his thoughts. Ros was probably the strongest person he had ever met. The thought she was in the hands of the Redbacks made him feel physically sick.
"Lucas." He turned slightly as he heard his name.
"Zaf."
"Beth and Erin are off to see an asset that may be useful. Dimitri and Alec are reinterviewing Harris. He has to know more than he told us previously. Tariq and Zoe are going through every financial record of Spence, Harris and Anderson. They will find something."
"Yeah." Lucas nodded. "You escaped the Redbacks."
"Yeah." Zaf came to stand next to him. "I got lucky. Incredibly lucky."
"How?" Lucas knew it was painful for his friend to talk about but he had to know if there was a chance Ros could get away from the men that tortured spooks for fun.
"I was semi conscious but I knew they were going to sell me on. There was talk of an AQ cell in Pakistan being interested in me. Not me personally, just what they thought I knew."
"Zaf." Lucas frowned slightly.
"Anyway, they threw me in the back of this van. It stank. Really stank." Zaf paused at the memory. "And it must have been a pretty crap van. It broke down. I was thrown from the back of the van after what felt like hours. They thought I was dead." Zaf looked at the floor. "Then I made my way from there to South America. You know the rest." Lucas nodded remembering his time when he had gone looking for the errant spooks.
"What if."
"Ros is not dead. The Redbacks can be stopped." Zaf's voice took on a menacing tone Lucas wasn't sure he had heard him use before. "I'm going to back to where Ruth was found. Adam and I are going to take another look at it. The Redbacks are not exactly known for being original."
"True." Lucas nodded. "Zaf?"
"Yeah?"
"Thanks."
"Calum is in there, freaking out. Look after him." Zaf stated as he turned and left the roof. Lucas closed his eyes. Sometimes he got sick of all the danger and intrigue that surrounded them. He looked up at the sky and sighed, making a silent promise that he would bring Ros home.
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"This is stupid." Catherine hissed as she tried to listen to what was going on the other side of the door. Ros raised an eyebrow.
"Keep your nerve. Last thing we need is screaming hysterics." Ros hissed. Catherine shot her a look before stepping away and screaming as though she wa being murdered.
"HELP! WE NEED SOME HELP IN HERE! PLEASE! OH GOD, OH GOD!" She yelled as Ros stared at her.
"What the Hell?" Ros hissed.
"Do you want to go home? We can't exactly open the door by ourselves." Ros smiled as the younger woman started screaming again. Ros laid on the floor next to Catherine, keeping her eyes open and her body limp. The sound of boots pounding concrete came nearer as Catherine continued to scream. The door to the cell burst open to allow a burly, heavily tattooed man to walk in.
"Shut up."
"She's dead. Oh my God I think she's dead."
"Nah." The man rolled Ros onto her back.
"She was shaking and then she stopped. I mean really shaking, like she was having a fit. I think she bit her tounge or something. Help her. I don't care what you do to me. Help her." Catherine cried as the man leaned away from her and over Ros' prone body. Seconds later Ros brought her knee up into the man's stomach as Catherine pushed him to the side, essentially freeing Ros. He grunted in pain before launching himself at Ros. She was already on her feet and swept his ankle away from him causing him to fall to the ground with a sickening thud. Catherine looked back as the man fell but was bundled out the door by an equally angry Ros.
"You deserve an Oscar for that. Now keep moving."
"Three years in the West Bank and Israel help." Catherine jogged in front of her.
"You really are Harry's daughter." Ros gasped. Catherine smiled broadly.
"That is the nicest thing you've ever said." The younger woman looked on as Ros raised an eyebrow.
"Move."
"Ok, ok." Catherine hissed as the shadows of two men crossed their paths. The sound of rain pelting the flat roof of the building startled her for a moment. Ros pressed herself tight against the wall. Men shouting a few feet away came nearer and nearer.
"I think they've worked out we're not in our room." Catherine smirked.
"Yeah, looks like." Ros ushered her along the corridor, keep to put some space between the men and themselves. "Keep moving."
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"I hate this weather." Lucas stated. He had insisted on accompanying Zaf and Adam when they checked the disused building where Ruth had been found. Adam rolled his eyes.
"Calum?" Zaf touched his earpiece. "Slow down mate. No we haven't found them. What?"
Back on the Grid Calum ran a hand over his face, angry and exhausted. Malcolm looked on, clearly concerned by the behaviour of the younger man.
"Catherine agreed to test out a new tracer. It's on the inside of her engagement ring. It activates off GPS. Not sure about the radius it'll pick up on. It's only a prototype."
"So, if we are in the same area as her there is a chance we'll find her?" Lucas asked as Adam nodded.
"Sounds like." Adam agreed.
"Yeah." Calum's voice came through the comms. "It'll flash on your phone."
"Like this?" Zaf picked up his smart phone.
"Yeah." Adam nodded.
"I think that means we can take the girls home." Zaf nodded before opening the car door.
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Catherine pressed her self into the side of the building as much as she physically could. Ros was less than a meter behind her when the noise began to deafen them.
"What?" Catherine's eyes snapped to Ros.
"Fire Alarm. They're hardly going to look for us when they think it's their own behind on the line."
"True." Catherine smirked. "Let's go home."
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A/N Is it that easy to escape? Is Ruth right? Was she the intended target? Please review