A/N When I wrote Grissom's Heart, I never expected to write a sequel to it. My Muse had different ideas on the matter and this is the result. It may help to read Grissom's Heart, if you've not done so, as there are references back to events in that story. It certainly wouldn't be possible without the amazing JellybeanChiChi, as beta her help and suggestions are invaluable.

Prologue

The two uniformed police officers stood with their arms folded as they took up residence in the small back office of a Mesquite, Nevada, gas station. They reviewed black and white CCTV footage of the station gas pumps.

Car after car came into view. One in particular caught their attention. It was clear the car wasn't in too good a shape; there was a dent in the bodywork, above the right front tire and another dent on the driver's door.

But seeing the car made one of the officers stand up straighter. "Hey. Go back to a few seconds. I want to check out the car at pump 2."

The gas station attendant complied, rewinding the video until the battered sedan entered the forecourt. The driver turned to face his passenger, and then looked into the back seat, before exiting the car, and then filling the car up with gas.

"Pause it right there."

The officer peered closer to the monitor as if he could physically climb inside and get a better look at the driver and the passenger. He frowned, concentrating on the driver's face. "That's gotta be a kid in the back seat."

His partner was now becoming intrigued by whatever had piqued his partner's interest. "Could be. What's got you so rattled?"

The officer ignored him, as he busily wrote down the Utah licence plate — C68 D83. He turned to the employee. "Do you remember this guy?" he asked pointing to the man on the screen. "Maybe notice his passenger; a young girl perhaps?"

The employee shook his head. "I didn't take much notice, he paid by cash and left without causing any trouble. He did seem in a hurry though."

"Happen to notice which why they headed?"

"Toward I-15," the employee said.

While a tour on that major highway could lead to many places, the officer had a singular hunch. "Vegas," he said thoughtfully, before grabbing his radio and calling his captain. He offered a quick synopsis of what happened.

"Are you sure it was them?" the captain asked.

The officer answered in the positive.

"I'll contact Seattle PD," the captain reported. "Out of professional courtesy, I'll inform LVPD, too. They've got a good head start on us, but maybe their luck is about to run out."