Disclaimer: I don't own any of the CSI characters nor did I dream them up. I wished they were but, what will I do with them?

A/N- hello… Thank you for the reviews! Hope you enjoy this chapter! Thanks ulit… (it means again in Filipino)

CHAPTER NINE

~~~~~~

"Hey Sara." came a greeting from behind. Sara turned around and saw Christianna and Shane coming towards her. They were still in crutches.

"Hey." She greeted. "What are you doing here? Its late." She said. They were inside a 24 hour coffee house.

"Nothing, we're just buying coffee. For me. Hot chocolate for Chris." Shane replied.

"Mom and dad aren't home and we ran out of food." Chris added as she hobbled towards Sara.

"You ran out of food?" Sara asked Christianna, amused.

"Junkfood. Shane ate them with the dogs." Christianna answered. They chatted as Shane paid for the food they bought.

AFTER A FEW MINUTES

"You look irritated." Shane said to Sara as he handed Chris her hot chocolate. Sara was stirring her coffee with an annoyed look on her face.

"It's nothing." Sara replied

"I think she saw LVPD's most meddlesome friend." Christianna said with a harsh tone. Shane peered at the window and saw a pretty blonde woman in a black leather jacket.

"Rachael Stein?" he asked. He liked the reporter as a person but not her job and it's oftentimes callousness.

"You very well know that we can't run away from her if she thinks of ambush-interviewing us. Sara, maybe, but not us." His twin commented.

"It's ok. Just ignore her." Sara said, joining their conversation

They went out of the coffee shop, with Sara leading, followed by Christianna. Shane was the last to come out of the store. True enough, LVPD's nosiest friend hurried towards them. But Sara was already to her car and Christianna to theirs, only Shane was in her way.

"Good Evening, I'm Rachael Stein of the Las Vegas Sun. I would like to---" she didn't finish what she was saying because she was interrupted by loud screeching of tires. The screeching car stopped in front of the shop and four men emerged carrying big guns. Rachael Stein screamed.

Three shots were heard.

***

Sara, after hearing the gunshots and seeing Shane fall down, ran towards him. She was reaching out for her cellular phone when somebody grabbed her from behind and took her phone away from her. He flung it towards Sara's car and started dragging Sara towards their car. Sara was fighting him but the guy was a lot stronger than her. A cloth was placed over her nose and she blacked out.

***

Christianna rushed towards her brother. She was halfway to their car when the screeching occurred. Shane was shot and she needs to help him. 'My brother needs me…' Christianna frantically thought. She didn't notice that the pain in her leg and ran, ran towards Shane. She was almost there when something hard hit her in the head.

***

Grissom was with Catherine on the break room, when his cell phone rang.

"Griss, we have some problems." Brass said over the phone

***

They left their emotions and fears inside their lockers.

"Oh man, look at this." Nick said as they arrived in the coffee shop. The windows were broken; the parked cars have holes in them. And everybody looked afraid.

"Nick, Warrick, you check the area near the cars. Catherine and Greg will be inside. Let's work fast. Three lives are at stake here." Grissom ordered. He went with Brass towards the ambulance. Shane was barely alive. But the masked men thought he was dead. He tried to speak but the paramedics lifted him off the ground. He was pushed inside the ambulance and was carried off to the hospital.

"That was one lucky young man. The bullets missed his heart with just two inches." The paramedic, who was left, said.

"What are his chances?" Brass asked.

"He's a fighter, he'll live." The paramedic replied.

Brass shook his head. "I say it's Jason Thorne." He whispered to Grissom.

"Maybe, I just hope he really is behind this." Gil replied.

(Meanwhile)

"Hey look at this." Nick said to Warrick. He was holding Sara's cell phone. The screen was cracked but it was working fine. Warrick walked towards him to take a look. Nick checked her calls.

"Her last call was to Brass." Nick said. Warrick took a peek inside Sara's much damaged car.

"What do you think caused this?" Warrick asked, pointing to the dent. It was really weird, like it was caused by a head or something.

"Looks like a… butt of a gun?" Nick asked. "Sara's going to be pissed. Look at the car, its so… bullet infested." He continued.

Warrick knew that Nick was trying hard to control his fear. But Nick was so damn afraid. Sara's with those people, who has the power to kill the three of them. 'She's going to be back with everything in place.' Nick told himself. Over and over again.

AN HOUR LATER

"Hey… Greg's seething with anger." Catherine told Grissom. He was crouched on the ground, looking at something.

"Whatcha got?" Catherine asked.

"Cigarette butt. It's still fresh." Grissom answered as he took it and bagged it. He stood up and looked at her.

"You okay?" Grissom asked. Everybody has a connection with this girl. They also want Sara to come back alive with everything intact. They stared at each other.

'Yeah. It's just that…" Catherine stopped.

"They're going to be fine. I guess…" Grissom told her. It's a bit of a hopeless comfort. 'I guess?' he thought.

"The shopkeeper said that Shane was lagging behind, apparently because he can't walk with the crutches. They thought he was dead when he fell down the ground." She said.

"He's alive. He's going to live." Grissom replied. "Are you done? Reporters are streaming in…" he continued.

"Yes. Greg's just finishing up." She replied. Grissom gave her a weak smile and they walked together towards their respective cars.

~~~~~~~~~

Sara woke up in a cold, damp, musty place. It was a bit dark and cramped. Her arm was bleeding but it was tied to her back. Her feet were also bounded by a rope. She groaned in pain.

"Hey, you're awake… are you okay?" asked a whispery voice.

It took her a few minutes to recognize the voice.

"Chris? Yeah I'm okay… where are we?" she asked quietly as she tried to adjust her eyes to the dark.

"I don't know but it's damn chilly." She replied. "Ms. Stein is still unconscious." She added. She was trying to break free from the ropes. After a few minutes, she gave up. The ropes were tied too tight. At the same time, their other companion woke up.

"Huh?! Where am I?' she asked to no one in particular.

"We don't know, so don't ask us. Lower down your voice." Sara replied to her.

"Fine. Is that a window?" she asked. Both Sara and Chris looked to where she was looking.

"I think so…" Sara replied. She was nearer to where Rachael was sitting.

"I see the moon…" Chris said.

With this 'discovery', their hope of escaping or being rescued rose. But with the sense of independence in these women, they rather try escaping than be rescued.

"Dammit, boy's scouts knot." Rachael said a few minutes after seeing the window. She was trying to break free from the knots. She was squirming when she suddenly stiffened. She was near the door and she heard something. Or someone.

"Shush, somebody's coming." Both Sara and Chris stopped squirming and conditioned themselves so that they'll not be afraid. They can now hear the thudding of the footsteps.

The door opened.

A man of great height with hands like garbage can lids stood on the doorway. He took one look at them and told to an unseen man that they were awake.

"What do we do with them?" He asked.

"Nothing. Boss wants to take care of them himself. Personal business." The unseen man replied.

The giant took one last look at them, closed the door and locked it. The three of them sighed with relief.

"Oh my God. I thought we were already going to die." Rachael said. "We need to get out of here." She continued, this time, the panic was heard in her voice.

"Don't panic. The last thing we need to do is panic" Sara replied to her. Then, they started sniping at each other.

"Can you please settle down?" Christianna asked a few seconds after listening to Sara and Rachael's bickering.

"I've undone my rope. Have you undone yours?" Christianna asked, whispering. She knew that both of them hadn't, since they were too busy bickering. Just then, she felt something vibrating in her chest. It was her cellular phone.

"Wait, my phone's ringing." She said, again, in whispers. She took out her phone, which was hidden under her shirt. It was smaller than her palm, given that her hands were bigger than most women, and the phone was blinking like crazy.

"Hello?" she asked in a low voice.

***

"Chris?! Oh my God! Are you okay? Where are you?" Greg asked. Shane told him that Chris was using his phone because he was using hers. The cellular phone was so small it can be hidden when the fist is clench. Nick, Warrick, Catherine, Grissom and Brass were now all scrambling towards Greg, eager to find out where the missing women are.

"You don't know??? A warehouse??? Its cold???" Greg said. He was looking at his colleagues like 'Yes, they're alive!'

"Sara and Rachael Stein? They're awake?" Greg said again. Nick was mouthing if every one, particularly Sara, was alright

"You can see the moon when you look out of the window? That's not very helpful. Yes, we know that." Greg said, after listening to Chris say that there are about 10 abandoned warehouses in this county.

"Low battery? You? Yes, yes, will be there." He said as he ended the call.

"There are 10 abandoned warehouses in this county, according to my dear cousin. They can see the moon from the window and that the place is cold, musty. What warehouse exhibits those qualities?!"

"Excuse me, but Mr. Thorne owns five warehouses in Vegas. Two of them, in this county." A voice from outside said. It was Deia Reynolds and she went in the room to give Grissom the papers. It was the DNA results of the cigarette butts and a list of Jason Thorne's properties.

"Both warehouses are currently empty, but that doesn't mean that they are being kept in this county." She informed them.

"Thank you." Grissom said as he took the papers from her. Brass was talking at his phone, asking that he be supplied search warrants for all of Jason Thorne's warehouses.

~~~~~~~

"What in hell are these doing here?" Rachael asked. She was holding a tranq gun.

"Maybe 'the Boss' is going to tranq us then drown us in acid when we're asleep." Chris replied.

"Morbid… you have a morbid sense of humour." She replied to Chris. They exited through the window after they were free of their ropes. It took them a long time to slip out quietly but, the goons haven't noticed their disappearance in the cell.

"That's what they say. Come on…" Chris said. They were creeping out of the warehouse, though Chris was having a difficult time due to her leg. There were on their way out, but saw three men blocking their way. They haven't noticed the three women but they were on alert for any weird sounds.

"Give the tranq to me." Chris ordered Rachael, in a low voice. They were 30 feet away from the goons. Rachael gave her the tranquilizing gun.

"Do you know how to use that?" Sara whispered.

Christianna shot the three men with the tranquilizers swiftly and accurately. The three goons didn't know what hit them and they all slumped in their seats. Sara was amazed.

"Where did you learn that?" Rachael asked.

"Somewhere out there." Chris replied. And they proceeded on to the gates. But they froze when they saw the remaining men with their boss. It was Jason Thorne. They quickly hid behind the tall piles of rubbish.

"Are you sure that the boy is dead?" Jason Thorne asked.

"Yes. Jeremy shot him. He fell down quickly. We didn't shoot the girl, though. You told us that you wished to get even, so we took her and her companions." Elliot Mc Mann said. They were still alive and free.

"That bastard." Sara said viciously. (Still in whispers…).

"Where are they now?" Thorne asked.

"We locked them in the storage room. Piled them up, actually." Elliot replied.

Thorne laughed. It wasn't what we can call an evil laugh, but it can pass. "Take me to them. Do you have a shotgun?" he asked.

Sara, Rachael and Christianna looked at each other. Shotgun? This is one twisted guy. Christianna automatically checked the darts in the tranquilizing gun. It had three left. Exactly the number of people who are on their way to the now empty storage room. If she uses this now, they will have no choice but to use real guns if ever there are others outside. She quickly made up her mind and moved to get a clear view of Jason Thorne, Elliot Mc Mann and Jason Thorne's bodyguard. Jeremy Ericsson was nowhere to be found.

Christianna took the three shots and successfully made the three of them sleep.

"That was quick. Really, where in the world did you learn that?" Sara asked.

"Just a skill I have. Can I not elaborate?" Chris replied. Where she learned her sharp shooting skills, she doesn't want her friends to know. It might freak them out a bit.

"What if there are others outside?" Rachael asked.

"Let's worry about those six first. Let's tie them up, then put a gag on their mouths" Sara replied.

"Yeah and hang them upside down. Let them bleed to death from their noses." Christianna added. She hobbled towards the unconscious men and took the guns away from them. She also took Jason Thorne's cellular phone.

"Here, in case we need to call someone again." Chris said as she gave it to Rachael.

They all tied the hands of them men behind their backs. They also tied their feet together. Just to be sure, they linked all of them together and chained the ropes to the metal bars. There is no way that the bounded men are to escape, unless one of them is the reincarnated Houdini.

"You know, I don't really understand why a tranquilizer gun was lying around here. It's a warehouse." Rachael said as they went out of the building.

"Can you please stop asking that inane question? It's starting to annoy me." Sara said. She really thought that Rachael Stein was an intelligent woman. But now…

"Hey, I think I know where we are…" Chris said suddenly. She was so glad that she can at last breathe fresh air. She was a bit of a claustrophobic. Sara and Rachael breathed out a sigh of relief.

"Will we need to call up Brass?" Sara asked. Her arms hurt.

Just then, she saw another goon of Jason Thorne. He raised his hand and started to shoot at them

A/N- Hello. Hope you liked the story… the next chapter's going to be the last… I think…