A shout out to Idabrat, who has not only been writing an awesome new story, but has helped get me through some icky writer's block. DeansDirtyDeeds is not only a terrific writer, but another person who has helped me work through the writer's block that plagued me for some time. Thank you ladies for your help!


Jon pulled off on the shoulder of the road. He pulled Denise's bag from the back and sat it next to the vehicle. He tucked her under his arm and kissed her forehead. "Everything will be okay."

"I think you are more worried than I am."

Jon's head shot up and peered down the road. Before long a car came into view. Thankfully, Colby was driving and Joe was in the passenger seat. Lexi and Kadien were in the back. As soon as the car rolled to a stop, all four people bailed out. "Are you okay?"

"What happened?"

"Where have you been?"

"What is the plan?"

"Have you figured anything out?"

"Where are you going to go?"

"What are you thinking about doing?"

"You aren't planning revenge are you?"

"Do you have any idea who is behind this?"

"If you are planning revenge, count us in."

A shrill whistle stunned the group into silence. "That is so sexy." Jon smirked at Denise. She shook her head. He looked at their friends and continued to speak. "We don't know who it is…yet. But Denise and I are going to continue putting our heads together and figure this out. To do this, we are going to need to go silent." He grasped her hand as she got ready to argue. "You are the key, the…What did you call her? Linchpin?" He glanced towards Lexi for confirmation. Denise snorted. "Like it or not, whatever is going on involves you and we've got to have you figure out what it is that these bastards want. What is their motivation? How do we stop them?" Jon grasped her shoulders firmly. "I know you want to storm off and face them. So do I. But we have to approach this with caution."

"So against his nature." Joe said with a slight smile.

"Ha Ha."

"What are we going to do?" Denise sighed. Jon knew she had capitulated.

"We brought copies of the files." Lexi said.

"And clothes and food." Kadien said, gesturing towards the trunk.

"There is also a tent, blankets, sleeping bag, camp stove, and other things that you might need." Colby added. "There are several burner phones that we picked up at several locations. If you call one of us…"

"Got it. Our phones will be off for the foreseeable future." Jon said.

Lexi handed Denise one phone. "Leave this one on. I have this number and this one only. Do not make any calls with it. If something goes wrong, this is the number that I will call to reach you to give you a heads-up. This is your life-line. We won't know where you are or what you are doing. Jon is going to keep you safe until this is over."

"It's really that bad?" Denise whispered.

"Seems so." Joe said, gathering her in for a hug. "Don't you worry, we're gonna catch this S.O.B." Each of the others took a turn hugging Denise and Jon as they emptied the car of their supplies, then Colby and Kade took Denise's jeep and drove away. Joe and Lexi took the car and headed off.

"It's just the two of us, sweet cheeks." Jon said with a wicked laugh.

"Ha Ha." Denise raised an eyebrow. "What's your plan, oh wise one?"

"I know a place in the hills. My, um, my quiet place." Jon seemed reserved, almost shy. Denise realized that he was sharing something that he didn't let anyone else see. She realized that this was special and risky for him. She touched his arm and pressed her cheek to his shoulder. "We'll carry this stuff and I'll clear our tracks. Even our friends won't know where to look. A general area, but not exactly. We should be okay for a while." Denise wasn't sure now who he was trying to convince. She kissed his shoulder and reached for a bag.

Together they sorted the best way to move their supplies, getting everything in one trip. Jon led the way and Denise followed, trying to stay as close to his tracks as possible. Periodically Jon would stop and clear their tracks before beginning again. About two and a half miles off of the road, Jon stopped. He set his load down. "Here we are." He proclaimed. He stood at the base of three hills, each with a rocky outcrop. One seemed to have split colors, one was slightly larger, and the other just seemed a little 'off' to Denise. "I see what draws you to this place." she said with a smile, looking at the hills and the surrounding area.

"Let's get our gear stowed away and the tent set up. I'd like to start looking through the evidence again before nightfall." Jon said, careful not to make it sound like an order. Denise nodded and followed him to the area he had chosen. They worked together to set up the tent and hang the sleeping bag. Then they both raided the food and prepared a dinner that was edible, since neither of them really knew how to use the camp stove.

Denise wanted to, in her words, 'wipe down before doing anything else' so Jon agreed to clean up the mess from dinner. Denise took the bag of clothes Kadien packed into the tent and looked for something to wear besides her yoga pants and short tee that she'd put on last night and again this morning. Opening the bag, she rolled her eyes at the racey, lacy undergarments and thongs that she'd never wear. Digging down farther, she found a pair of jeans. That has potential. There were a few t-shirts. None of which covered her navel. How in the blazes am I supposed to wear any of these in the scorching desert heat? My mid-section is going to fry! She pulled out the rest of the items that Kade packed. Socks, sneakers, a t-shirt that was full-length…Hallelujah! And a long, black…What the hell?! "Jon? Do Colby or Kade have horses?"

"No. Why?" he asked, confusion evident in his voice.

"Um…."

He stuck his head into the opening of the tent. "I just found out way more about our friends than I ever wanted to!" Denise muttered, dropping the riding crop back into the bag. She grabbed the racy lingerie and dumped them on top of it.

"What are you doing?"

"We are NOT using that thing and I don't know where this stuff has been! I'll go commando before I wear another woman's panties." she shuttered.

"Is that a promise?" Jon waggled his brows. "I see so much potential…"

"Ass." she muttered.

Jon grabbed her hand and pulled her out of the tent. "Let's go through this stuff one time tonight. Then we'll discuss your panties, or lack of them. I find that idea most intriguing. Tantalizing." Jon palmed her ass. "A quick run through, because I want to take my time with this…" he said, pulling her close and dropping a searing kiss on her open mouth. Once they were both panting, Jon pulled away. "Are you sure about that cro…" Denise slapped his ass as she marched pasted him and grabbed the bag with evidence copies. Jon's saucy laugh echoed in her ears. "Gotcha hot and bothered, huh, babe?"