Disclaimer: I do not own JA or any of the characters. Warning: this chapter could be classed as R rated.

Chapter 26: Threats

Amy got back to her chambers, prepared just to grab her stuff and leave, but a note was stuck to the glass on her door. Not again, when is he going to give? She ripped the note off her door and almost didn't read it, but a feeling of foreboding begged her to open it.

Hi Judge Gray
Ready to make a ruling yet?
Hope you don't regret it,
Lets just say, if you ignore it
We'll make it worth your while!

DH

Amy gasped and quickly stuffed the note into her pocket; she opened her door and rushed in locking it behind her. Somebody knocked.

"Judge Gray, are you ok?"

"Bruce..." Amy opened the door and pulled him inside, she threw the note at him before she began pacing. "I don't need this, I really don't need this. I mean after everything that is complicating my life, I just really don't need this!"

Bruce read the note through several times before he approached Amy. She fell into his arms and he held her.

"Don't worry Judge Gray, you will be fine. Call the police and they will set up some protection for you!"

"Fat lot of good that did last time." Amy shuddered as she remembered the last stalker. The fear that had been instilled in her, even now she looked over her shoulder constantly.

"Judge Gray you still need protection, you have to tell someone."

"I told you..."

"You still need to tell the police. Maybe they will be better this time!" Amy shook her head. "I'm not leaving you till you phone them!"

"Well I guess you're staying then!"

"Judge Gray come on..."

"Bruce you know I'm not going to call them so you may as well give up!" She pushed him away, grabbed her stuff and stormed out of her office. "Come on, I gotta go collect Lauren and you need to be out of my chambers before I lock it!"

Bruce quickly followed and they proceeded to walk to their cars.

"I don't need an escort,"

"Yes you do, and unless you phone the police, I will be your escort, at least to your car!" Amy smiled as she unlocked her car and sat down.

"Thank you."

Neither of them noticed the man who had followed them out of the courthouse and into the car park. The fact that he got into his car and followed Amy to Laurens school then followed her home. Amy had no idea how much danger she was going to be in once she made her ruling. If she stuck to her instincts and ignored the threat, that is.
"Mom, what does this mean. I don't understand." Lauren walked up to Amy who was in the middle of taking a mouthful of coffee. She took the note that Lauren handed her and almost choked.

"Where did you get this Lauren?"

"I got it..."

"Where did you get it!"

"Give me a chance, I found it on the floor by the front door." Lauren who had started to look scared was now getting angry.

"I'm sorry sweetie, I'm sorry it just...it made me jump,"

"A note made you jump?"

"Well not exactly jump, just...stop asking questions!"

"But mom what does it mean?"

"Lauren Cassidy, I do not have to explain everything to you, now go to your room until you learn how to obey an adults ruling."

"I am not in your courtroom mom, you can't just make a ruling"

"Yes I can, I am your mother and I make the rules, now go to your room!" Lauren had a comeback but decided it was best just to leave her mother when she was in this kind of mood; it just wasn't worth it.

Amy read the note again,

Hi Judge Gray
I know when you are alone
So watch your back

DH

The next day Amy made her ruling. Dominic was sentenced for a minimum of 5 years in a young offenders institute, where he was to receive counselling and attend anger management classes. Dominic smiled all the way through Amy's speech, which kept almost putting her off, but she stuck with it and managed to carry it off without making a mistake.

"Bullying somebody is taking away their lives, sometimes ending in tragedy. And in this case it has, what you and your gang did, not only affected the lives of those you bullied and killed, you affected their families too. Their mothers, fathers, brothers and sisters. Just because you belong to a gang, which isn't scared of anything, it doesn't give you some special right to hunt down others that are weaker than you, you will be punished for your actions. There are consequences to what you do, and the choices you make. You need to learn to make the right choices in life. I wish you all the best with that. I hope you learn from this Mr Hill. You have all your life ahead of you. Don't end it because you get angry at some people. It isn't clever to run after people who can't defend themselves. It doesn't make you big and strong. It shows that you are a coward, only willing to fight battles you know you can win. You need to understand that what you have done is wrong, and many people have been hurt by your actions, you need to learn that the world is not yours for the taking, respect is something you have to earn, being feared is not being respected."

Amy glanced up at Dominic who mouthed 'You'll regret this, you really will.'

Amy found that for the rest of the day it was hard to concentrate on anything and eventually she ended up going home slightly early. Luckily Lauren was going to a friends house so she didn't have to worry about her. After drinking half a bottle of wine Amy began to feel slightly better, she decided that to clear her head she would go for a run.

Stepping out of the house she almost walked straight into David.

"Amy I need to speak to you,"

"David as you can see I am not home!"

"But I have you right in front of me!"

"But I am not at home, I am going out,"

"Where?"

"It's none of your business!"

"Have you been drinking?"

"No I haven't!"

"But..."

"Ok so I have, what is your point?"

"You're not driving are you?"

"No, I am going for a run, so now you know what I am doing and where I am going."

"That's not what I came here to speak about."

"David... I have a lot on my mind right now, it is just not worth it." Amy started to jog away from David who called after her.

"Amy, I just might join you," At this Amy quickened her pace, trying to get out of sight so that she could loose him. The wine had caused her to feel slightly out of it and she was finding it hard to keep up a pace. Finally she reached a group of trees and thought happily to herself how she had managed to get away from David. Suddenly she felt a hand on her shoulder, and she stifled a scream as she turned around.

"David!" She stood there not knowing what else to say to him

"You thought you could get away did you?" Although he didn't mean it, his tone of voice was scaring Amy. "You really should learn some short cuts, I've been here waiting for you!"

"David don't...please look, it's just" The fear in her eyes was evident and David stepped towards her.

"Amy I didn't mean to scare you."

"Well you did!" Amy turned quickly and sprinted away from him, dodging through the trees until she crashed headlong into somebody. "Sorry, sorry." The person she had bumped into helped her up.

"That's ok. I've been waiting for you." Amy's eyes widened in terror and she screamed. The man put his arms around her and although Amy struggled the wine she had drunk stopped her from being at full strength. She felt herself being dragged as she screamed; through the trees to the road where she was thrown into the trunk of the car.

David slowly followed Amy as she sprinted off, knowing that at the pace she was going she would soon have to stop. He smiled to reassure himself that he could salvage their relationship. He heard Amy scream and quickened his pace, thinking that maybe she had fallen over and hurt herself. But her screaming sounded more of somebody who was scared, he began to run as her screams intensified. Finally he reached the road as a car screeched away from the curb. David recognised the car but he couldn't think of where from. He refused to believe that Amy had been taken and went to search for her in the trees and found her trainer. His blood turned cold as he sank to his knees staring at it. 'Why me? Why are you doing this to me? Why is every woman I lo...' David was shocked at what he had been about to say, and then he collapsed into a heap and cried.

Concerned neighbours had called the police and when they arrived they found David still hunched into a ball holding Amy's trainer sobbing. They tried to get him to stand but eventually had to call an ambulance because he wasn't responding to them.

While all this had been going on, a man dressed in black had been watching. He had come to get Amy, but it seemed he wasn't the only one after her and he respected that. So he left.

Amy completely exhausted, gave up on banging on the trunk, and just lay there. After a short journey, which seemed like an eternity she felt her body being lifted out of the trunk, carried up some stairs and into an apartment. She felt her wrists being tied up and her feet thrown apart and tied also. She couldn't even muster up the energy to open her eyes. She wouldn't have seen anything even if she had because the room had been plunged into total darkness, as the windows had been blacked out and a seal placed around the door. She tried to block out all thoughts as she felt herself being violated and she cringed as her body was caressed. She clenched her eyes trying her hardest not to think about what was happening to her. She was completely and utterly helpless.