Diego shut the door on MacKay, noticing a shudder that went down his spine as the door found the latch.

He sat down, glancing towards the door thoughtfully. That encounter was weirdly normal, in a strange way. Completely non threatening, so why…? Why was there a sense of foreboding running through him? That sense that something was not as it seemed, that something dangerous hung in the air around him.

Shaking it off would be a mistake, he realised. He crossed the room, and paused at the window, listening. Was it too quiet? Was something holding its breath? He crossed back to the table, and reached for the glass of lemonade.

Sipping it, he frowned. Something wasn't quite right, and holding it up to the light, he examined it. It was slightly discoloured, something wasn't quite right with the consistency. He took out a canteen of water, and drank a moderate amount, swirled it around in his mouth, and spat it out outside the window.

Then he crossed back to the table, and considered the facts before him. He had just poured the lemonade as MacKay had knocked on the door. He had turned to read the advert, giving the man the opportunity to add something to the lemonade. Something poisonous? Something was not right, anyway.

Diego paused, and scanned himself carefully. There was a sense of drowsiness that hadn't been there moments before. If he had drunk the liquid he would be passed out on the floor, he realised, unconscious at least. What was the meaning of that? MacKay with his hostage plans, of course…

Zzz

MacKay entered the office about ten minutes after he had left it. Diego was lying on the floor, completely still, the lemonade glass smashed into pieces from where it had dropped. MacKay beckoned his two offsiders to enter with him, and they considered the unconscious man in front of them.

"It's siesta, Jeff," MacKay said in a hoarse whisper. "We can take him without much trouble, load him into the cart, and cover him with that rug. No one will see us. Quickly though, you never know with these people."

With difficulty, the two men followed MacKay's orders, and Diego was heaved onto the cart, and covered up with a heavy, dusty blanket that had seen better days.

Diego made sure he didn't sneeze as dust rose up around him, knowing that any idea that he wasn't asleep would cause consternation among his captors. He thought of the note he had let fall as he had been roughly carried from the newspaper office. Hopefully it would not be discovered by an overcautious MacKay doing a second glance of the premises. The dagger inside his boot might come in handy for later, but curiosity made him play along for now.

"How do we know he isn't dead?"

"I only gave him a small dose of that mixture, he'll be fine," MacKay said softly, joining them in the cart. "He'll come to no real harm, if he does what he's told when he wakes."

Zzz

Victoria was half way across the street, walking towards the newspaper office when she noticed the cart. MacKay made the point of doffing his hat on seeing her, before the cart raced past her.

Strange that anyone was moving so fast at such a sleepy part of the afternoon, Victoria thought. She was going back to the newspaper office because she had forgotten to ask Diego something unrelated to romance and its troubles. She was sure he would give her the answer she needed, as it was more mathematical than anything.

The newspaper office was strangely silent. The door hung open, which was strange too. Diego liked it secured, either firmly closed, or attached by the hook to the wall. Not hanging swinging on its hinges. The building seemed abandoned.

"Diego?" She said, hesitating on the porch. A piece of paper fluttered on the floor on the threshold, and she bent to retrieve it. Diego's elegant handwriting scrawled across the page.

"MacKay seeks to take me hostage. Send help, Diego."

Victoria gasped a little, and glanced around wondering what to do. Who could she send to get help? If she hurried she could follow the cart, but if she waited too long, no one would know where Diego could have been taken.

She crossed the street to the alcalde's office. She banged loudly on the door, making Mendoza answer it hastily.

"You'll wake the entire garrison, Senorita," the sergeant warned her, in a harsh whisper.

"Don Diego has been kidnapped right under your noses," she shouted, pushing past him. "Alcalde! You must take action."

Ignatio emerged from his private quarters, yawning. "Senorita Escalante, what is the meaning of this intrusion?"

"I am not waiting for you to act, I thought you might like the opportunity to do your job," Victoria said, picking up her skirts and running to her tavern where her white mare was stabled.

She mounted up, and turned her horse towards the road out of town. Hopefully she could follow the cart from a distance. Hopefully Diego wouldn't antagonise his captors. Hopefully she would be joined by her hero in time to save her friend.

Zzz

Diego kept himself relaxed as the cart jolted and bumped in its haste along the barely passable roads outside Los Angeles. At times it was difficult, and he winced more than once being at the jarring movements of the cart. It was definitely not built for speed.

"Are you sure he isn't dead?"

MacKay lifted the rough blanket to glance down at his captive. Diego felt a hand at his pulse. He stirred as if disturbed in sleep, thinking perhaps he was pretending too well.

"Just a deep sleeper," MacKay's voice murmured. "I think we could slow down a little now. If anyone saw us in town, they'd think the devil himself was chasing us."

"Siesta in towns...We could rob that little bank there in Los Angeles, and no one would know for hours."

"We are lucky we pre arranged the kidnap with the alcalde. I doubt he'd be so lenient with attacks on the bank itself."

"What are we going to do with this guy?"

"We will swap him for Zorro, of course. The fox has rescued Don Alejandro from certain death more than once, I'm sure that the man's son is just as valuable, to his father, if not to anyone else," MacKay said, a little frustrated. "I did explain it all to you yesterday."

"Yeah, well, Jack wasn't there, boss. He was minding the cattle, remember?"

"I would have thought you would tell him what he missed, Liam."

Diego could feel sunlight warm him, and then shade as the blanket was replaced hurriedly. He listened intently, but only heard muffled murmurs as MacKay greeted someone else.

Be patient, he told himself. Keep breathing restfully. Wait for the right time. Surprise always had its benefits. He was straining to hear the conversation, trying to work out if there were more men to factor into the situation he would shortly have to deal with.

Zzz

Victoria guided her mare over the rough back roads, just barely keeping the cart in sight. She'd had to race to make up the time she had wasted with the soldiers. She shook her head slowly at herself, as soon as she could take a breath. She couldn't give herself away, or she'd lose the benefit of surprise, although what she could do against three men she didn't know.

Hopefully Zorro was aware of what was happening. She would be safe with him and together they would rescue Diego. Her friend meant so much to her, and to think he could die was not something she wanted to dwell on. She would prevent it anyway she could.