Shay awoke disoriented and in unfamiliar surroundings.  She tried to bring a hand to rub her aching head but it would not obey her command.  She turned her head slightly...tied to the bedpost.  The memory of being hit by the taser returned and she glanced around the room, but didn't see anyone in the dark room.  A noise coming through the wall behind the bed caught her attention and she saw movement from the corner of her eye. 

She heard the flick of a light switch and closed her eyes at the sudden invasion of light.  Opening her eyelids slightly she could see a figure approaching the bed and as he got closer Shay's eyes widened with recognition.

"Ta-Tony?" Shay whispered unbelievingly. 

---

Speeding in and out of traffic, Frank headed for the motel.  Jesus, he hoped he was wrong, but when Cody mentioned the name of the motel...it was owned by his aunt and ran by his cousin, Tony Jarrett. 

Tony...they had been like brothers growing up.  Frank's father was in the military and they moved from Air Force base to Air Force base when the transfer orders warranted.  His earlier childhood was spent in the Middle East when his father was stationed there, and when they returned to the United States, they were stationed at Elgin Air Force Base near Valparaiso, Florida.  That is when he and Tony had formed more of a family bond.

Why...why would Tony be doing this? 

That's not so hard to figure out, Donovan, just think about it! the little voice in the back of his head screamed.  Nessa...Nessa was the beginning.  Shay will be the end.  Tony had caught them—the evening of the Prom.  Aunt Mary owned a motel in Valparaiso and Frank had taken the keys to an unoccupied room in the nearly deserted part of the motel.  He was no different than any normal teenage boy whose mind did not travel far from urge to feed the monster between his legs...and Nessa was going to be his first. 

At the time, he had not known Tony had a major crush on Nessa, but when he stormed into the room while he and Nessa were getting 'down and dirty', as Shay would say, Frank soon found out how his cousin felt about the Prom Queen.  From that point on, he and Tony had grown apart...Tony had never forgiven him for "stealing" the girl he loved.

Now, if he was right, Tony had Shay.  He knew Tony had a thing for Shay; he had never really tried to hide it.  Shay had told him he was being silly and reading far too much into the hugs and touches that his cousin gave his wife.  That was part of the reason Frank did not go along with Shay to see his aunt as often as he should have.  The last time, he had been on the verge of ripping Tony a new one before Shay had pulled him aside and begged him to calm down.

He took a right turn, tires squealing into the parking lot of the motel and headed for the rear building.  If his hunch paid off, he would find them in room 822...the same room number that Tony had found him with Nessa. 

___

"Shhhh," he insisted, placing his forefinger over her lips.  "Yes, it's me."  He leaned over and clamped his lips down on hers.

Shay struggled but made little movement with her hands and feet bound tightly to the bed and she could feel the ropes digging into her skin.  The feel of his mouth and tongue on her closed lips caused her stomach to churn in revulsion.  When he managed to push his tongue into her mouth she bit down hard causing him to cry out and pull away from her.

"Damn you, Shay...you will love me!" He screamed and brought the knife into view.

"Never!" she screamed back at him even as the sight of the knife caused her skin to crawl with fear.  "No matter what you do...I will NEVER love you."

"How can you say that...you know you love me...it will always be me," he insisted softly while slicing her blouse down the front and ripping it open before moving down to slice her skirt down it's length and toss it open.  His eyes gazed heatedly down her body, nearly nude in her skimpy bra and panties.

"Frank," she whispered through her terror of the thought of another man touching her.  "Frank is the only man I have EVER loved." 

He backhanded her across the face, splitting her cheek open just below her eye.  "Don't say that.  He doesn't know what love is...he only knows how to cause pain."

"No," she whispered.  "He knows love intense and everlasting.  Love that's pure and unassuming." 


"SHUT UP!" Tony screamed.  He reached for the duct tape beside the bed.  He had hoped she would be different; would know just how much he loved her and she loved him, but he could not listen to her lies any longer.