~Chapter Five~

Exercising Old Demons

Memorial Hospital

The afternoon sunshine was pouring in the window as Anna B pushed open the door to Matt's room. He lay quietly with his eyes closed as she came inside the room and walked towards the bed. Licking his dry lips he softly spoke, "Anna B you're all right aren't you?"

"Me all right have you looked at yourself lately?" she asked. Not waiting for an answer she rattled on clutching hold of his hand, "You could have died," she cried softly. She always knew how bad it was when someone got hurt but this was so different she had thought he was going to die. If Matt had died she just would have died too.

"Hey what are the tears for the doctor assures me I'm going to be fine," he told her watching her wipe the back of her hand over her eye. "Besides wasn't it you telling me that you thought I was like Gage this morning hmm? I know that Gage is too tough to let a little bullet hole like this get him down. In fact Gage would be getting out of this bed by now to go after…"

"Matt Sumner don't you even think it. You are staying here safe with me for now have you got that," she firmly told him putting her fingers to his lips preventing him from saying any more.

"Well you can at least tell me if they got any leads on who was doing the shooting," Sumner coaxed.

"You're suppose to be resting Matt," she answered looking right at him. "Walker has placed a police guard on us…"

"Police guard," Matt cut back in. "Do they have any idea who's behind it?"

"What they know for sure is that who ever shot you took an earlier shot at Syd the bullets match up," she told him hesitating a moment before telling him who she thought was behind it. "Matt I really think it is my father."

Sumner lay silent for a few minutes holding her hand feeling his body tire before speaking to her again. "Honey I have to be honest with you your father is the first one to come to my mind too."

"Matt I'm so sorry I never meant this to happen to you…" tears were forming again in Anna B's eyes.

"It isn't anything that I planned for either," Matt teased her. "Every time I get up and go to work in the morning there is a chance that this might happen."

"I know Matt but this is my father who claims to love me…"

"Shh we are going to put an end to this," Sumner soothed her reaching up best he could to pull her down to him.

"I know you will," she answered taking small comfort in the fact.

John McMurtrie's Apartment

"You missed Ranger Cooke," McMurtrie accusingly pointed out to his pal Trask.

"How was I suppose to know she would drop the car keys," Trask lamented. "I'll get her next time," he jokingly laughed.

McMurtrie was on his feet instantly clutching Trask by the throat. "You don't seem to grasp the seriousness of the situation," he spit out. "These rangers took everything from me, they forced me to kill my wife and that is what turned my little girl away from me. All I wanted was better for Annabelle and me; it was just going to be her and me. We were going to start a new life together, I was going to teach her things be with her always, she was going to be mine no one else's…" McMurtrie recited a far away glazed look coming over his face as he spoke, loosening his grip on Trask."

Trask watched his friend go into what looked almost like a trance or something. "John, hey John you okay?"

"Yes fine. Damien we have to finish this I have to have my dear sweet Annabelle by my side. I need to hold her and protect her," he began catching himself before going off on another tangent of how he was going to replace his wife Annie with their daughter Annabelle.

"This is taking too long," he snapped, "You find a way to keep Rangers Cooke and Gage out of our way so we can get my Annabelle from them and out of the country. That's what I'm paying you for," he stressed.

"I'll take care of it John it's as good as done," Trask, answered his hand opening the door to leave.

With Trask gone McMurtrie let his mind begin to wander again as his feelings for Anna B. started to surface. Picking up her photograph of when she was a child he began speaking to it. "You won't be like your mother, you'll do as I tell you won't you Annabelle. Oh my darling I can feel your soft skin near me, I can taste your sweet lips," he prattled on crooning over the picture. "Soon my love, soon we will be together where no one will ever find us."

Headquarters

Gage had just told Sydney that he thought that they should check out the two leads on Millson, swing by the hospital and then head for home when Piper's frantic call came through.

"Piper you have to slow down now tell me again what's going on." Gage demanded of his daughter.

His face froze in fear for his family as Piper's words became audibly. "Piper where's Aunt Julie?"

Syd looked up from her desk to stare at her husband listening to the bits of conversation that he was having with their daughter. Her usually steady hand suddenly began to shake knowing something was very wrong.

"Pipe Mom and I are on our way lock the doors and make sure everyone stays inside," he shouted into the phone just before slamming it down. "Come on Syd that bastard Millson got in the house."

Both Rangers flew out the door their only thought to get to their children and make sure they were safe.

Gage made it home faster then he ever had before lights flashing sirens blaring. He hardly had the car in park that both he and Syd were out of the vehicle racing for the house guns drawn. Bursting through the door they were met by the sight of the kids sitting at the table with Julie who still had the fry pan in her hand. On the floor was Luke Millson wrapped like a Christmas present in duct tape going nowhere.

"Dad Mom," all three kids were shouting at once recounting the events of Millson's capture.

Gage hardly heard a word that was being said his eyes were fixed on Millson as he lay bound on the floor. Like Lillian he hadn't changed much over the years but like Lillian Gage knew that he was exercising an old ghost.

Walking over to Millson he stared down to where the man lay bound and gagged on the floor. Millson's cold steel grey eyes of hate staring up at him.

Julie walked over to stand slightly behind her brother. "I'm glad the kids were here," she confessed, "I may have beat him to death if they hadn't been."

Gage knew exactly what she meant it was all he could do to keep from raining his own attack on the man who had almost killed him so many years ago.

His mind was brought back to the present with a sharp rapping on the door. "Ranger Gage, Ranger Cooke Dallas PD," came the call from outside.

Going to the door Gage opened it to admit the officers. Taking Gage aside the first officer advised him that both officers who had been watching the house were dead. "He had to have help," he continued, "it was a calculated murder both officers shot in the back of the head."

Thanking the officer Gage walked back over to Millson and crouched down. Reaching out he ripped the tape from his mouth only to have the man spit at him. "You ungratefully little monster," Millson snarled. Even in his present situation he still tried to take control over Gage.

"Luke you kill those police officers?" Gage demanded an answer.

He looked Gage in the face answering, "I should have killed you and your brat sister when I had the chance."

"Julie can you take the kids in the next room?" Gage asked his eyes not leaving Millson.

"Dad," Chris began to protest getting a stern, "Christian," from his mother.

"Yeah Dad let the kid stay and really find out about life," Millson sneered.

Remaining silent as Julie ushered the children out Gage resisted the urge to drive the toe of his boot into Millson's gut. Reaching down he hauled the man to his feet bringing him face to face with himself. "You're going to start giving me some straight answers Luke and you're going to do it now."

"Or what Francis? What are you going to do about it?" he taunted.

"What I couldn't do all those years ago," Gage answered his hand going to Luke's throat slamming him against the wall his fingers pressing into the flesh."

"You ain't going to do nothing with a witness here," Millson laughed his eyes going to Syd.

Slowly drawing her gun Syd walked towards Millson, "That's where you're wrong Luke, that little girl that you dared put your filthy hands on was my little girl. Now you tell my partner what he wants to know or I'll kill you myself." With that she brought the gun up to Millson's temple.

"Your wife is finally where she belongs and that's where you are going too. The question is, are you going to death row for killing those two officers or not," Gage told him his eyes holding Millson's stare.

"We know that you had help getting in here and we know for a fact that who ever did it was under your orders. They were probably too scared of the consequences not to do what you wanted. We need to know who Luke and we aren't afraid of anything you may say or do," Syd added.

"Your reign of fear is about to come to an end," Gage told him squeezing tighter against his throat.

Finally there was a crack in Millson's armour. "Lillian's boy and my own two they were just supposed to disable them not kill em."

Syd all ready was dialling for an all points as Gage let Millson slide to the floor. Going to the door he called for transport letting Dallas PD take Luke into custody. He stood there staring after Millson as they put him in the car and drove away feeling as if a heavy burden had been lifted from his shoulders. "It's almost over," Syd softly spoke resting her hand gently on his shoulder.

Quickly he turned pulling her to him and holding her tight whispering to her, "Now we only have Anna B's demon to put to rest."

~~~~~

Across the street from the house in an old beat up Chevy truck Damien Trask sat watching the Gage house. He had just come from Memorial Hospital where he had learnt his second bullet hadn't been that successful either Ranger Sumner was still very much alive. McMurtrie was going to be furious with him and with the strange way he had been acting and talking… Unless he came up with someway to keep these two rangers out of the picture and get his daughter to him so they could escape together…

Trask was afraid of what McMurtrie might do his mind just wasn't balanced any more. Suddenly a smile came across his face as an idea hit him. He knew just exactly how he was going to finish this.

Memorial Hospital

Anna B lay back quietly in the chair she had pulled up beside Matt's bed her eyes closed. Her mind was wandering to when she was a little girl trying hard to decide when things had started going wrong for them.

It was right about the time she had turned twelve and she had been sent to stay with her grandmother for a while. That was the summer she had witnessed the shooting and had met Gage and Sydney.

She didn't remember exactly why she had been sent to her grandmother's she just remembered that her father had been showering a lot of attention on her, showing her a lot of interesting things with the computer. Then one night she had been alone with her father and her mother came in. They had got into a terrible fight, they had sent her to bed but she had still heard the screaming and yelling far into the night. In the end she had been sent to her grandmother's for the duration of the summer.

The events that happened over her stay with her grandmother were the beginning of it all she concluded in her own mind. When she had gone home it was as if she didn't exist any more for her father any attention she got was from her mother and that was minimal at best. She came to feel she was a burden to both of them until they got the project at "Houston Technical Labs". They seemed happy, happier then she could remember… until her mother was kidnapped and murdered.

"Anna B Honey you should go home and get some rest," Matt was speaking bringing her out of her thoughts.

"I'm fine. You're not trying to get rid of me are you?" she accused.

"No I'm not trying to get rid of you but you look exhausted you're falling asleep in the chair. Besides my Mom and Dad should be here any time and I know my Mom she is going to make a fuss…" Sumner was trying to explain. "I just thought it's been such a long day that you might want Gage to come take you home."

"Matt I just don't want to leave you…" she began to argue.

"Yeah well I want you to be well rested so you can take care of me when I get home. You know pamper my every whim," he teased.

"Oh I see," she smiled at him, "Now you are sounding like your partner Jimmy."

"Geez two slams in one day first Gage now Trivette," Summer whined making a face.

"That's what happens when you scare me to death," she replied getting up to sit close to him on the edge of the bed.

"I'm sorry Honey," he whispered pulling her towards him. "But nothing is going to happen to me here and as much as I want you to be able to crawl in this bed with me…" he left the sentence unfinished as her lips met his in a kiss.

"Tell you what I'll wait until your mother and father get here and then give Gage a call and see if I can spend the night with them. All right?" she asked kissing him again. "In the meantime I'm going to go grab a cold drink," she told him getting up. "I'll be right back.

"Don't take long I miss you all ready," Sumner was pouting.

"Oh you," she teased making a face at him as she pulled out of his embrace and walked to the door. She stopped long enough to blow him a kiss and scooted into the hallway.

Damien Trask immediately stood up watching Anna B come from Sumner's room. He hurriedly approached her calling her by name, "Miss McMurtrie."

"Yes," she answered hearing her name.

"Miss McMurtrie I'm detective Robert Manns. Ranger Cooke sent me up here to get you they just brought Ranger Gage in downstairs with a gunshot wound to the head it doesn't look good," Trask lied to her.

"Gage? Shot?" Anna B questioned unable to believe what she was being told.

"Ranger Cooke is downstairs I can take you to her."

"Yes please," Anna B answered not thinking twice stepping on to the elevator with Trask as the doors opened.

"Do you know what happened?" Anna B asked. "Do they know who was shooting?"

Trask remained silent instead he reached forward and hit the stop button.

"What are you doing?" Anna B cried a sickening feeling coming over her. "What do you want?"

"It's not me who wants anything it's your father," Trask smiled his arm going round her neck and a sickening sweet smelling cloth being brought over her nose and mouth.

"Nooo," Anna B cried out struggling with her attacker only to go slumping backward into Trask's arms. Reaching out Trask started the elevator heading them to the basement parking lot.

Sumner's Hospital Room

Sumner was beginning to fidget Anna B had said she would be right back thirty minutes ago and she still wasn't back. Slowly he pushed himself up and swung his legs over the side of the bed grasping his upper chest and shoulder where the bullet had passed through. Cursing to himself under his breath he wiggled closer to the edge of the bed so his feet would touch the floor.

"Umm," he moaned out trying to put one foot flat on the floor just as the door opened to admit his nurse.

"Ranger Sumner just what do you think you are doing?" she questioned raising her voice. Going to where he was she lifted his feet back in bed.

"I was just wanting to go and look for my fiancée," he grimaced as she pulled the sheet back over him.

"I'm sure she will be right back," she replied not being very helpful at all.

"Can you send the police guard in please?" Sumner requested.

"There's no police guard out there at least not since I came on duty," she replied totally unconcerned.

"Hand me the phone," Sumner told the woman.

"You are suppose to be resting," she started to say only to be cut off by Sumner once more.

"Hand me the damn phone," he barked out.

Looking blankly at him she picked up the phone and shoved it at him taking off like a scalded cat Sumner hardly noticing.

Quickly he began to dial mumbling, "Come on Gage pick up," as he waited for the line to connect. Without any sort of greeting Matt started talking the moment he heard his boss' voice, "Gage have you talked to Anna B in the last little while. She's disappeared and so has the police guard."

Gage quickly let Sumner know that he and Syd were on their way telling him they would inform Trivette and Walker. "Gage can you bring me some clothes?" Matt asked just before hanging up the phone.

Sumner lay back his chest throbbing he closed his eyes he knew that some how Anna B had gotten herself in trouble and here he lay not being able to do anything about it. Not yet anyway he thought to himself wishing Gage and Syd would hurry.

The door opened his eyes sprung open, "Anna B," he called out.

"No Matt it's us," came his mother's familiar voice a tear all ready flowing down her cheek.

"Mom don't cry I'm fine," he greeted her thinking to himself that his mother was the perfect person to invite to funerals and weddings she could cry on cue.

"I don't mind telling you we were pretty worried son when we got the call," Matt's father informed him.

"It's not that bad at all," Sumner tried to persuade them into believing his mother's concern for him showing on her face.

"So where is my almost daughter-in-law," Matt's father asked thinking he was lightening the mood. Both he and his wife thought Anna B was the perfect girl for their only child and welcomed her whole heartedly into their family.

Closing his eyes a moment Matt began to explain the situation starting with Anna B's father showing up to her disappearance.

He had just finished the explanation when Gage appeared at the door. "Mr. and Mrs. Sumner," he acknowledged them before looking to Matt asking, "Anything?"

"Nothing she just went for a cold drink," Sumner replied his chest pulling his hand going to it.

"Matt," his mother cried out.

"I'm fine mother," Sumner answered. "Gage did you bring the clothes?"

"Right here Matt," Gage told him watching the young ranger pull the IV from his arm and reach for the clothes.

"Syd's asking around to see if anyone saw anything and we are checking into what happened to your police guard," Gage was explaining his worry for Anna B beginning to intensify.

There was a rap on the door and Sydney entered followed by Walker and Trivette. "One of the nurses saw her get on the elevator with a blonde man with a goatee," Syd explained what she had learnt.

"Sounds like McMurtrie's friend from the other day," Trivette commented Sumner agreeing.

"I guess that's where we start," Walker started to say before a scream went up in the hallway.

All four rangers made for the hallway to find one of the nurses outside a supply closet screaming hysterically. She had found the missing police officer.

"Gage Trivette," Sumner gasped from the doorway of his room his father helping to hold him up.

"The missing police officer," Trivette answered him.

"We have to get to McMurtrie's," Sumner called out making his way slowly towards the rest of them.

"Matt please come back and lay down," his mother pleaded grasping to his arm.

"Mother I'm fine, I need to go, I need to find her and we're wasting time."

"Sumner's right we have to move on this," Gage urged just as anxious as the young ranger was.

"Trivette take Matt with you and see what you can find on this guy Anna B left with," Walker ordered taking charge once again, "Gage and Sydney you come with me."

"Walker…" Matt began to protest.

"Sumner that's an order," he told the young ranger adding, "I could always find someone to put you in restraints and leave you here."

Reluctantly agreeing Matt let Trivette come to his side and assist him while the Gages and Walker took off for John McMurtrie's apartment.

In the Back of a Truck in Route to Galveston

John McMurtrie sat silently drinking in every detail of his beautiful daughter Annabel as she lay sleeping on the tiny cot. She looked so angelic in sleep he thought dreamily to himself.

He had hardly been able to believe it when Trask had called telling him that he had his Annabelle and she was ready to leave the country with him. All those years he had spent in prison pining for her was behind him he was finally going to be with her and no one would be able to touch them.

Anna B stirred slightly in her sleep but didn't wake. Her father reached forward caressing her cheek his hand moving down her neck enjoying her soft skin. Leaning forward he moved towards her his intent to steal a kiss from her. He stopped instantly by the one word Anna B mumbled, "Matt." It was no more then a whisper but she still called out to him.

McMurtrie's blood ran cold this would never do. They would have words she would understand that she was never to utter that name again. She would understand she was not like her mother, she would know that no one could love her like he did.

He leaned back in his seat once more staring at his daughter unmoving as the truck took them closer to the first stop of their journey.

TBC