There was a knock at the door. Jess peered through the peephole and smiled. Opening the door, she exclaimed, "Ah, pizza!" She took the pizzas in one hand and closed the door again.
Ray stood in front of Jess' door stunned. Ben was at his side. Before he had time to revive himself, Jess reopened the door and laughed. "Come on in Ray, Ben."
"Hello, Jess. Please excuse Ray. He hasn't quite recovered yet."
"Recovered from what?" Stan entered the dining room.
"She pretended that I was the pizza delivery boy...and to think that I went out of my way to get them!"
"Well, Ray, I would hardly say that you went out of your way..."
"Benny!"
"Understood, Ray."
By this time, Jess and Stan were laughing hard.
"Oh, Ray. You should have seen your face..." She laughed harder and before long, Ben and Ray joined them.
It was several minutes later when the laughter finally subsided. Jess retrieved some plates and they each grabbed a slice of pizza.
"So, Ben, you still haven't told me how you managed to land yourself in Chicago."
"I first came to Chicago on the trail of the killers of my father, and for reasons that don't need exploring at this juncture I've remained..."
"...Attached as liaison with the Canadian Consulate." Stan and Ray finished in complete unison. They looked at each other then burst into laughter. Ben and Jess couldn't help but laugh with them.
After dinner, they all settled in the lounged room, each with a cup of the hot chocolate Jess had made. It was early fall but the weather had cooled considerably since summer ended. Jess pulled out her laptop once again as they arranged Jess' protection for the next day. Once the task was completed, Stan left with Ben for the evening and Ray situated himself on the couch where Stan had been the night before.
"Quite comfy there, Ray?"
"Yeah, thanks, Jess. For a couch, you sure do have a more comfortable one than most I've slept on."
"I'm glad, Ray." She sat in the armchair next to the couch, "I sure hope this thing will be over soon. I don't know how much more I can take."
"Look, Jess, you are handling this situation far better than a lot of people would." He reached over and took hold of one of her hands, "I know you're afraid and I feel privileged that you tell me your concerns. I can see how you do your best to hold it together. I think it takes an awfully strong willed person to do that. I admire you for that."
Jess smiled. "Thanks, Ray. Hey, about last night...I think I should tell you what happened."
Ray raised an eyebrow. "Okay, shoot."
"It's not a long story but I can just about guess what's going through that mind of yours so I thought I'd better tell you. I had a nightmare, about the attack, only I didn't have my car key with me. I woke up screaming. Or rather, I was screaming and Ray woke me up. I can't think about what I did to his eardrums. I felt guilty this morning because, well, I disturbed what little sleep any of us could have gotten and he spent the rest of the night in my bed. Not in that way, Ray." She added disapprovingly when she received a glance from Ray. "Anyway, I'd better get some of that sleep that I missed out on this morning. Good night, Ray."
"Good night, Jess." She stood and went to her room, closing the door behind her.
Moments later, she heard a loud bang and a gunshot. She rushed out to see what was going on. She was shocked to see the door kicked off its hinges and Ray sprawled out on the floor, blood flowing onto the carpet.
"Ray!" She screamed as two men rushed towards her. One grabbed her and held her struggling form whilst the other clamped a cloth over her mouth. She inhaled. Damn, chloroform was her last thought before she lost consciousness.
Her body went limp and the two men carried her out the door. They left in the elevator.
Ray wasn't sure how long he had been out. He only knew that his side hurt like hell and he had to call Stan. He picked up the phone and dialled his cell phone number.
After two rings, Stan answered, "Kowalski."
"Kowalski, get your ass back here, now! Jess is gone."
"I'm on my way. You don't sound too good, Vecchio, are you okay?"
"I got shot. It's no big deal, I'll live. We've got to find Jess!"
"I'll be there in five." Stan hung up the phone.
He turned to Ben and passed him the phone, "Call for an ambulance to go to Jess' place. Ray's been shot. Jess has been kidnapped."
Ben did as he was bid ignoring the fact that Stan was speeding and had managed to run three red lights since he had turned around.
Minutes later, they arrived at Jess' apartment. They ran through the doorway to find Ray sitting on the couch with his head in his hands. He ignored his blood soaked shirt and the slowly spreading blood.
"Ray, are you okay? An ambulance is on its way."
Ben went in search of some towels as Stan applied pressure to the wound.
"I should have been paying more attention." He said solemnly. "It's my fault she's gone."
"Don't be stupid, Vecchio. We knew this had to happen. It could have been any one of us with her and you had no way of knowing that they would have a gun. Don't go blaming yourself for this. It is not your fault. We'll find her...together."
Jess woke to find herself clad in a low-cut, black, velvet dress. She was bound by the wrists hanging from the ceiling, her toes barely touching the ground. She raised her head to find that she was in an empty room. There were no windows, only a mirror that made up one wall. It's probably a two-way mirror she thought. Those thoughts were confirmed when the door opened and a man walked in. She looked at his face. It wasn't her attacker and she doubted it was her abductor. Oh my God. Could it be?
"Hello, Jessica."
"What is the meaning of this, Michael?" she asked in the steadiest voice she could muster.
"It's been too long, Jessica." He slowly advanced towards her.
"What do you mean 'too long'? We just spoke to each other at lunch time." The look in his eyes told her that she should be wary.
"No, we've been friends too long."
"What's wrong with that? Good friends are hard to find, you know." She was frightened. She didn't like that look in his eyes and she knew what he was leading to.
"You never took any notice of me. I was just an old friend to you. I want to be so much more, Jessica. I want to love you like Andy and Peter did. What I would give to hold you in my arms, to kiss your tender lips..."he trailed off.
Jess shuddered at the words emitted from Michael's mouth. The Michael she had known most her life was now replaced by this demon, demanding and unrelenting.
She built up her courage once more to say, "Couldn't you have told me that, Michael? Why has it come to this?"
"As if you would have listened to me if I had told you. You would have laughed in my face. It's easier this way. We can be together...forever." He walked over to her and caressed her cheek. Jess froze. Forever? Dear Lord, help me. His hand lingered on her chin and tilted her head up to his. He kissed her hard on the mouth. When she didn't respond he pulled away. "Kiss me!" He yelled causing Jess to flinch, shocked. She closed her eyes. She felt him coming towards her again. Their lips met. Michael forced his tongue into Jess' mouth as he deepened the kiss. An arm snaked around her waist as he drew her closer to him. His other hand held her head. She could feel herself suffocating. She cried out in distress.