Chapter 10.

John Stewart hung up the phone and looked across at Rachel.

"Lets only hope that your boyfriend loves you enough to back off now," He told her in a chilly voice. "Eric take her through to our other guest, they may as well keep each other company," The other man standing at the door came over and roughly grabbed her arm pulling her up from the seat.

Rachel hoped that Steve understood the clue she had given him. She couldn't be too obvious. She also knew that there was no way that they intended to let her go, they had made no attempt to hide themselves from her nor to Steve either. They would keep her alive long enough to make sure that Steve co-operated with them, then they would kill both of them. She was pushed into a small room that was lit by a single light bulb dangling from the centre of the room, sitting at the table in the middle of the room appearing to be colouring was a child, no more than maybe seven or eight. She looked up at Rachel and gave a shy smile.

"Hi, I'm Mollie Stewart. Who are you?" She asked her. Rachel gave a start when she heard the child's name. Her mind reeled, what was going on? Though it did explain Jack's behaviour.

"Hi," She said back. "My names Rachel Warner," The child smiled again and held up the picture that she had been colouring when she had entered.

"Here do you like my picture?" She asked. Rachel stepped closer to her and looked at the picture.

"Yes it's lovely," She said. The girl put the picture back down on the table and continued to draw.

"It's for daddy," She told her.

"I'm sure that Jack will love it," The little girl's eyes lit up and smiled more broadly.

"You know my daddy?" She asked excitedly. Rachel nodded.

"I'm a doctor to," She said to her; "we work at the same hospital," The smile on the girl's face faded.

"Uncle John won't let daddy take me home;" She said it broken-heartedly. Rachel moved forward to the girl and put her arm around her.

"I'm sure that your daddy and his friends will come for us soon," She said with a reassuring smile. "Then you'll be able to go home,"

"I hope so," She said in a small voice. Rachel looked down at her and thought so do I.

Steve sat on the deck of the beach house looking out at the view but not really seeing it. Not far from him Jesse stood watching him, he was about to go to his friend but Mark came forward and stopped him,

"No Jesse I'll go," He said softly. Jesse nodded and made his way back inside. He knew that both Mark and Steve needed the time alone to try and make up for the past few weeks. Mark sighed he felt like he had let Steve down in some way, if only he had picked up on some of the things that his son had tried to say. Now he could think of plenty of times that his son had tried to warn him that something wasn't right about Jack's return.

"No you haven't," Steve said, without turning around. He knew that his father had come out on the deck and knew what he was thinking. "I'm at fault as well," He sighed. "If I had gone against Masters and told you perhaps none of this would have happened," Mark looked at his son and put his arm around him.

"I doubt it," He told him. " Stewart is desperate. I seriously doubt that it would have made any difference," Steve sighed again, and his hands gripped the railings.

"I got her into this, I'll find some way to get her out," and Mark gave his son a small smile.

"We'll find a way," He said with determination. Steve looked at his father and gave a grim smile, and pulled himself together. Then as one they turned back towards the house.

Jesse had watched them from the doorway and sighed with relief as the two men turned back to the house, glad that things were getting slowly back to normal. He turned back to the table and had just sat down when they entered.

"Right !" Mark said determination in his voice, "The first order of business is to find out if they actually have Rachel and Mollie in that building," He sat down at the table and Amanda brought in a drink of coffee and gave one to him and Steve. "Just because we know that she is being held in a warehouse it doesn't mean that its that warehouse,"

"How do we find out for sure?" Amanda asked. Giving a drink to Jack and Jesse and sitting down herself. Steve looked at Jack his face thoughtful.

"You said that you've seen Mollie since you've been here?" Jack nodded.

"About three times," Cheryl looked at her partner.

"What you got in mind Steve?" She asked. Steve held up his hand for a moment.

"Have any of those times been at your instigation?" He asked his friend. Mark gave a wry grin as he realised where his son was going.

"Once," He answered. "Where you going with this?"

"Their hardly likely to keep them separate, so where Mollie is Rachel should be," Cheryl shook her head.

"Its risky Steve," She said. "We've no guarantee that they are together,"

"I know," Steve said." But right now it's all we've got to work on," He turned back to Jack, "did they search you?"

"No," He told him. Steve leaned back in his chair, all faces turned towards him, he sighed.

"I can't force you to do this," He said. Jack looked straight at him clearly meeting his eyes.

"Steve if I had told you from the start what was happening then none of this would have happened," He sighed. "I was an idiot not to. If John wants me to kill a witness to his crimes its hardly likely that he would want me around after as a witness, is it ?" Steve nodded.

" Our main problem is still that we don't know who the leak is any move we make could be betrayed," Cheryl said. "We're going to need help but just asking could cause problems,"

"We can trust Newman and Masters," Steve told her.

"But!" She protested. Steve again held up his hand.

"If we couldn't," He said and looked at his father. "I wouldn't be alive now," Mark's face paled as he looked at his son.

"What!" He gasped. His grip tighten on the mug that was in his hand. Cheryl's eyebrow raised up and there was a questioning look on her face.

"The undercover job that I had just before Rachel and I met. Was the job that made us find Stedman," Steve rubbed the back of his neck. "He makes a better witness than me though,"

"That's why Masters talked to Rachel on the day you where hurt," Amanda said.

"They were making the arrangements for her protection," Steve nodded.

"They weren't totally sure whom they were trying to kill," Steve told them. He turned to Cheryl. "Do you think you'll be able to get what we need without raising suspicion?"

"Don't see why not," She answered. "And there are some people at the station that I know we will be able to trust," Steve nodded.

"Get what we need and come back here," Steve looked at Jack, "Then it will be time for you to call your uncle," Jack nodded.

"Best to wait until Cheryl gets back," Mark said. "We don't know how long it will take for Stewart to pick Jack up;" Cheryl stood and turned to go.

"Tell Newman what we know, but he's to leave it to us for now," Steve told her. She nodded and left. Steve gave a sigh. There was no going back now.

Two hours later Jack had phoned his uncle and was now on his way to the warehouse. Luckily when he had called John Stewart had been just about to call him to tell him he had wanted to see him. He just prayed that the tracker he had on him now was working okay and it was leading Steve and trusted colleagues right to where Mollie and Rachel where.

Steve was driving a safe distance behind the truck that had just picked Jack up. So far the tracker was working okay and for the moment things where going to plan. In the truck with him and Cheryl were his father and Jesse, Steve had tried to object when they had insisted on coming along. But his father had won the argument with one line.

"If anyone gets hurt it would be best if we where there," He said firmly. Steve had cottoned on to what he was talking about straight away. His hands gripped the steering wheel, getting them out alive was going to be difficult and the presence of the two doctors could prove to be a godsend.

Jack was finally let out of the box and was taken to see his uncle first.

"Good your here at last," He looked at Jack, "How easy would it be for you get to do an operation on someone?" Jack pretended to think about it for a moment.

"It would all depend on what sort of operation it was," He told him. "If its a general thing no problem, but if its a specialist job then it wouldn't be possible,"

"There's a man by the name of Stedman coming into the hospital tomorrow;" He said his eye studying Jack. "I want you to check what he's having done and get to be his surgeon," Jack knew what he wanted, but he still had to ask.

"What do you want me to do then?" He asked. John Stewart gave a cold smile.

"Well all kind of things can go wrong in operations and the recovery afterwards," He sneered. It made Jack feel sick.

"You want me to kill him?" He said. Shock was in his voice, even though he already knew what he wanted him to do it still came as a shock to him that he was so cold blooded about it. He knew then that if Steve hadn't come to him as he had and done exactly what he had been told then there was no two ways he would have killed him and Rachel, and he and Mollie would have followed.

"Just some form of complication," He said. "After all surgery is risky after all,"

Jack bowed his head.

"All right," He muttered. John's grin grew broader.

"I knew that you would see it my way,"

"Could I see Mollie before I go?" He asked. He tried to make it sound casual, but he knew that his was the most important thing of all, this was the reason he was here.

" I don't see why not," John conceded. Jack sighed with relief. "Eric would you go and fetch her. Another man who Jack had barely noticed nodded and left them. John Stewart stood.

"I've got things to do," He said so I'll leave you alone with your daughter," Jack had to resist the urge to grin if he was alone with her then he could ask if Rachel was with her. A few minutes later the door opened and his daughter ran in and into her fathers arms, he lifted her of the floor and cuddled her tightly.

"You all right sweetheart?" He asked. The little girl nodded. Jack looked around at the man who had brought his daughter in and noticed he was preoccupied with the daily paper. "Listen," He muttered. "Is there anyone else with you?" Mollie's eyes widened and nodded.

"Yes," She whispered to him, liking the new game that her daddy had thought of. "Her names Rachel and she's real pretty," Jack nodded. He glanced again at the man near the door.

"Listen honey, this is real important," He said. "Tell her to be prepared, Help is on the way," She nodded. "But not until you're alone okay?" Again she nodded. The man at the door folded away his newspaper.

"Okay that's long enough," Jack gave Mollie a quick kiss.

"I'll see you again soon," Mollie nodded and waved from the doorway.

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A/N

A big thanks to those who have reviewed the story so far, especially Alf.

I'm still trying to make up my mind as to whether to keep Jack around, please review and let me know,

Alison.