Chapter 2

The Terror Reaches Out Again

Gage knew exactly who Derek Shaw was. When Sydney had told him about her X-boyfriend he had made it his business to know who this man was that had hurt her so badly.

"Syd, come sit down," he coaxed his arm going tightly around her shoulder. Slowly Sydney slid back into her seat her hands going back to Gage's and holding on tight.

"We can skip this Honey grab something and go back to the office…"

"Gage no I'm sorry I didn't mean to go to pieces… I just wasn't expecting to hear his voice ever again."

"What did he want Hon?"

Syd sat silent Derek's words coming to her mind again a tear escaped her eye and ran down her cheek. The waitress brought the food to the table and Syd quickly wiped the back of her hand across her face.

"Everything all right?" the waitress asked as she set the plates down.

"Fine," Syd snapped turning her head away.

"Everything looks good," Gage smiled up at the waitress as she shrugged and hurried off to look after another table.

"He said he we were going to be together and you weren't going to stand in the way. Oh God Gage I think I'm going to be sick," she cried running for the restroom.

Getting the waitress' attention Gage had her wrap the food for take out and paid the tab, a moment later Syd appeared. "Lets get out of here," he whispered and she didn't argue.

Across the Street…

Derek Shaw stood across the street from the café watching Sydney Cooke it had been a long time since he had last seen her. She looked the same today as the first day he had seen her. He watched as her husband put his arm around her clenching and unclenching his own fist as he watched

"I know you don't love him Sydney, I know that I'm the only man you ever cared about. I'll make you see that, you'll forget all about him, I'll make sure you forget all about him…"

He stood watching as Gage opened the door for Sydney then went around and got in himself. As Gage pulled the car away from the curb Derek walked off too.

~~~~~

"Feeling any better Syd?" Gage asked reaching out and taking her hand.

"I'm really sorry about everything… I just wanted to have a nice little celebration lunch."

"We'll celebrate a little later," he smiled lifting an eyebrow at the same time. "You feel up to running a few of these names down?" Gage asked indicating the list of names the warden had supplied him with.

"Yeah lets do so we can get back to the office and see if we can find out anything on Derek," her resolve determined.

"Syd I don't want you having to deal with him," Gage began to say.

"What are you going to do pull rank on me?" she snapped back. "I'm sorry Gage that wasn't called for. It's just this is one fight I can't walk away from no matter what or he wins."

"I'll make a concession with you."

"What?"

"You don't deal with him alone I'll be there to back you all right?"

"I wouldn't have it any other way," she told him glad to have him in her corner.

Glancing across the seat at his wife he caught her profile as she stared out the window at nothing in particular. When she had first told him about Derek Shaw he had found it hard to believe she was ever helpless against anybody. Looking at her now he knew it was true. All the old fear she had buried so deep was coming back was flooding to the surface once again. It was as if she had forgotten who she was now and the power this man welded over her was taking over again.

~~~~~

The partners had systematically gone down the list of names that the warden had given Gage. After questioning each of them and warning them to stay clear of Annabelle McMurtrie both came away from each feeling none of these guys even knew who they were talking about.

"You think Blake was just making things up for a way to get at Anna B?" Gage asked his partner as he pulled up to there last stop.

"Maybe," but I really think there is something going on with Hunter. "I just don't think he would call unless he had the upper hand." Syd had opened the car door and waited for Gage to come to her side before they proceeded in.

"Ken Rankin open up Texas Rangers," Gage banged loudly on the apartment door as he barked out who they were. They could hear scrambling inside and glass breaking, pulling their service weapons and standing back Gage gave one good kick knocking the door wide.

Both were inside in a flash, two were heading out the patio doors and Gage gave chase. One had made a dash for the bathroom and was dumping the white powdered contents of a bag into the toilet.

"Stop right there," Syd shouted as the man kept dumping. "Now," she shouted again using her foot to bowl the man backwards the powder flying in his face and on his shirt. The bag and what was left of the contents had come to a rest in the bathtub.

Quickly she had the prisoner lay face down snapping the cuffs on him before hauling him to his feet. Gage was just coming back in with his two as she finished calling it in. Taking one look at his partner's prisoner he couldn't resist asking, "Is that what they mean by a 'snowman'?"

"I see your jokes haven't got any better," Syd chided him as he grinned back at her.

Turning back to the three sitting on the couch Gage asked, "Which one of you is Hunter Blake's pal Ken Rankin?"

All three sat mute so Gage continued, "You know all this could have been avoided my partner and I weren't even here because of a drug related charge. We just wanted to make sure that Ken wasn't harassing anyone."

"Way to go Rankin," one of the ones Gage had brought back piped up.

"Shut up," Sydney's snowman shouted.

"You shut up," the first one bellowed, "You've put us in enough trouble Rankin."

"All right all of you shut up," Syd interrupted grabbing Rankin's arm and hauling him up once more. By now the transport had got there and Gage followed to the kitchen where she had taken Rankin. "He says he doesn't know our friend Hunter," she told her partner.

"Once we clean him up a bit and compare his face to the ones on the tape at Huntsville…

"Okay I know Hunter," Rankin admitted.

"That's a start Rankin are you going to tell us the rest or do we have to drag it out of you?" Syd asked.

"I heard you weren't that tough Ranger Cooke," Rankin taunted her. "In fact I heard you used to get beat up on a regular basis."

Sydney stood ridged staring at Rankin his words paralyzing her.

Gage immediately intervened, "She's a lot tougher then you are. That is you wearing the handcuffs isn't it? And if it is your pal Hunter telling you that tale then I can see he didn't learn anything after his last encounter with Ranger Cooke." Gage punctuated his comments with a slap to the side of Rankin's head. "Now again," he continued "what did you tell your pal Hunter you would do for him?"

"All right it's not that important any way," Rankin mumbled. "He just wanted me to keep tabs on his girlfriend Annabelle let him know if she started dating anyone else."

"For starts Rankin Annabelle McMurtrie isn't Hunter's girlfriend and second your spy days are officially over," Gage informed him before releasing him for transport.

"Hey Rankin," Syd called walking over to the man before he was led out. "Who told you I used to get beat up on a regular basis?"

"Your old man, Derek Shaw," he smirked at her.

"Get him out of here," Gage ordered before anything else could be said.

Sydney was leaning against a wall gasping for breath when Gage turned back to her. He placed his hands on her shoulders and she flung them off turning away from him ashamed to face him. Standing his ground he waited patiently for his partner to get her bearings.

"I'm… I'm," Syd began to stutter out.

"Shh… someone is trying to rattle you and my guess is that there is a connection between Blake and Shaw somehow," Gage tried to soothe.

"I've got to put a stop to this Gage, I can't live this way again."

"Sydney like we told Anna B you don't have to do this alone you always have me. Everyone at headquarters…"

"No, no Gage I don't want everyone at work knowing…"

"That you aren't as strong as they may think and you have a vulnerable side," his arms were around her and he held her close.

Headquarters

An hour later the partners returned to headquarters. "Trivette," Gage called, "you and Sumner got a few minutes?"

"Sure Gage come on in, what's up?" Trivette asked as Sydney and Sumner followed Gage into his office.

Giving a quick look to Sydney he let her begin as he moved behind her resting his hand on her shoulder. Slowly she let the story unravel ending with the fact that they thought that there was a connection between Blake and Shaw.

"Think this Shaw is stalking you Syd?" Trivette asked.

"I don't know Jimmy it's been such a long time…" Syd began.

"I think we have to treat it that way," Gage interrupted.

"I think you're right, you two all right to bring him in?" Trivette asked.

"Yeah, we need to bring him in I need to let him know he is not going to waltz back into my life where he's not welcome," Syd firmly stated.

"Okay Sydney why don't you and Sumner find out where Shaw is suppose to be while Gage and I see if we can find out anything about the drugs Rankin and his buddies were dealing," Trivette was instructing.

Sydney nodded her head and her and Sumner got to work while Gage and Trivette headed for interrogation B. Once they were out of earshot Trivette asked, "Sydney all right?"

Gage slowed his pace stopping to lean against the wall. "I've never seen her so scared," he admitted to their friend. "This all happened long before she thought of being a ranger or a cop for that matter. I read the police reports the… he almost beat her to death with his fists…" his voice trailed off and Trivette waited until he was able to finish. "She needs to face him and know he can't beat her."

"Think she can handle it?" Was Trivette's next question.

"Yes," Gage answered without hesitation, "and I intend to be by her side."

~~~~~

A couple hours later Gage and Trivette made their way back into the office. Syd immediately looked up at her partner wanting to know what he and Trivette had found out.

"Find anything out?" Gage asked.

"Only that Derek is suppose to be in Corpus Christi not in Dallas," Syd retorted, "You?"

"That Rankin met Shaw in jail and that he hooked him up with Blake to keep an eye on Anna B," Trivette informed them.

"Come on Syd there is nothing that can't wait until tomorrow," Gage told her.

"There is one lead here…" she began feeling a little more relaxed then earlier.

"Hey I can pull rank on you Cooke," Gage teased, "Get your jacket and lets go."

"You want pulling rank," she nattered on her way out in front of him, "then wait until I get you home."

"This is one mean low life," Sumner commented handing the file to his partner to read as the Gages disappeared out the door. "If I was Gage I'd want to kill him."

Trivette took the report from Sumner nodding his head in agreement as he opened the folder.

Sydney and Gage's

It hadn't taken Sydney long to get dinner on the table once they had picked up the kids and got home. She had told the children about Daddy's big promotion and they were all having the celebration that she and Gage had missed at lunch.

"So you can actually tell Mom what to do and she has to do it?" Chris asked his eyes wide open.

"I suppose that I could but I'm just not that sure if that would be in my best interests," his father replied grinning at his wife at the same time.

"Mommy," Piper began, "Cat and I met a friend of yours today."

"A friend of mine who was it?" Syd absently asked.

"Cat and I were playing out back at the HOPE center and he called us over to the fence said he knew you for a long, long time and you were best friends," she continued with the story.

Piper had both her father and mother's attention now. "Did he tell you what his name was?" Sydney asked almost in a whisper as the fear began to grip her.

"Derek," Cat piped up not wanting to be left out of the story.

"Oh my God," Syd said her voice still a whisper to repeat it a little louder a few seconds later. She was out of her chair grasping her daughters to her firing questions at them. "Are you all right? Did he touch you? Did he try and make you go with him? What did he ask you? What did you tell him?"

"Mommy you're squeezing me too tight," Cat cried out.

"I'm sorry Honey," Syd retorted easing up her tight hold on the girls trying hard to hold it together.

Gage was behind her and helping her to her feet. "Can you give us a few minutes guys and we'll talk about this," he said to the children before guiding Syd out of the dining room.

"He was after our children," Syd choked out hysterically even before Gage could get the door to their room closed. "We have to stop him Gage."

Taking her in his arms he quietly calmly spoke, "We will stop him Syd. One way or another we'll stop him."

TBC...