Chapter 4
"Remember, sweetheart, don't let anybody in except Robbie, until I call, comprende'?" Rick said, going out the door. "Si, comprende' ", Laurie replied, kissing him as he left for the office. With the weather unseasonably cold for October, she handed him a thermos of coffee and a couple of bacon sandwiches. "Hmm, thank you darlin'," he took a sip of the warm beverage, then kissed her back, suddenly reluctant to leave.
"It's ok, darling, the sooner you go, the sooner you can come back. Call me when you and Carlos get done with the police." she hugged him tightly. He waited to drive away until she was inside and the door was closed.
Arriving at the office ahead of A.J., Rick made his calls, first verifying that Captain Ron would be in, then speaking with Carlos's sisters, who lived with their mother. Both girls confirmed that their mother had been diagnosed with hypertension, and in turn were curious as to Rick's reason for calling. He passed off his re- kindling his Friendship with his old friend as for old times sake and promised to visit them in a few months.
Once his brother arrived, Rick filled him in and then helped greet their new client. When it was close to 9:30 am, Rick went downstairs and saw Carlos sitting in the passenger seat of his truck. As he approached, he saw his friend turn to look at him, then smile in relief.
Getting in the drivers side, Rick glanced at Carlos, then simply said, "Ok, let's get this show on the road." Suddenly another man opened the passenger door, and giving Rick a tight-lipped smile, leveled a gun in their direction. "Glad to see you joining us, Mr. Simon, I wasn't sure our friend here would come through. Go ahead and start the truck, and no surprise moves, or the friends I have watching your wife and children will have to pay a visit," he added, as Rick swore under his breath, then turned the engine over and drove out of the parking lot.
Up in their office, A.J. uttered the same cuss words as he watched his brother's dilemma from their window. Asking their client to return another day, he immediately called Oscar, then Captain Ron, alerting them to Rick's abduction.
A.J. waited until Captain Ron had put out an APB on his brother's truck, before calling his sister-in-law. Robbie had just left when the phone rang, and Laurie picked it up expecting Oscar or Rick to be on the other end.
"Honey, it's A.J. Is Robbie or Robin still there?" he asked. "Robbie just left, but Robin doesn't have class, so she's staying home today. Did Rick and Carlos go see Captain Ron?" she replied. "No, honey, I'm afraid something may have gone wrong. I saw Rick get into the truck with Carlos, then another man climbed in and they drove off. I'm afraid the smugglers may have taken Rick to force him to do work for them."
Laurie gasped, "Oh, no, A.J., no! Did you call Captain Ron and Oscar?" "Yes, Laurie, and an APB is out on Rick's truck, so don't worry, they'll find him. You just stay put and I'll keep you posted. Oscar's going to meet me at Captain Ron's office, we'll call you from there, ok?' he promised.
"All right, A.J., just be careful. Find him, please, I can't bear the thought of him being hurt or something." she pleaded.
"I'm not coming home without him, don't worry. Just stay inside and keep the door locked, I'll call later." he reassured her.
Once he got off the phone, the younger Simon grabbed the tape of Rick's conversation with Carlos, which he had forgotten on his desk, then took his jacket and transmitter. Looking at the picture of his brother and himself, from the previous weekend, he told it, "Hang in there, Rick, we'll find you."
While he was locking up the office, Rick found himself speeding toward the border town of Yuma, trying to pump his captor for information. He stole a glance at Carlos now and then, seeing the fear in his eyes. He figured they must have followed his friend then decided he had talked Rick into the job. The man with the gun, Rodriguez by name, acted like he had encountered Rick before, making snide remarks about being on the same team. Finally after an hour of driving, Rodriguez directed him to an industrial park about five miles from the border. Having him stop just outside a warehouse, he took Rick's keys from him, saying, "You won't need these for a while, I'll make sure your truck is safe here."
Leading both men inside, Rick saw a couple more heavies toting rifles, and a red-haired man in a suit at a desk, as if waiting for them.
"Welcome, Mr. Simon, I see you came around to our friend's way of thinking after all," the suit behind the desk grinned, getting up and extending his hand. Rick looked thru him, then snapped, "I didn't have much of a choice with a gun in my face. If I'd wanted to come, I'd have picked a less conspicuous way then leaving a client in the lurch. Who are you, anyway?"
"Temper, Mr. Simon, I'm Mr. Matthews to you. As for my method of bringing you here, I apologize if I cost you some bucks, but be assured, your work for me will more then make up for it," he smirked. "It's going to be a while before you and Carlos will be making your pick up, so until then, I want you to make yourself comfortable."
One of the two guards waved his weapon at the two men, indicating Rick and Carlos were to take a seat inside the caged storage area. Deciding to play along, Rick winked at his amigo, then went into the enclosure, plopping down on a well-worn sofa. The guard told them in broken English where the bathroom was, then opened a small fridge to show some canned drinks and sandwiches.
Heaving a mock sigh, Carlos joined Rick, then watched as the guard slid closed the gate and locked them in. As he walked away, the older Simon dropped his fake smile and turned to his friend. "Ok, Carlos, what gives, I thought we were going to Captain Ron?"
Carlos shook his head, "We were, Rick, I swear I didn't double cross you. I don't know how they tracked me down, I thought I gave them the slip last night." Rick frowned, "The only thing I can think of is they must have been watching me. If they were..." Suddenly he Remembered the tape of Carlos's call. If A.J. found that tape, maybe they could figure out from the background noise, no, that was too much to hope. He glanced over at his friend, only to find him staring at him. "Amigo, this is all my fault, I wouldn't have gotten you in trouble. Your wife is going to kill me, if Matthews doesn't."
God, Laurie. Rick had a sudden cold feeling in his stomach.
"Oscar, have you heard anything?" Laurie was on the line with her uncle, it had been almost three hours since A.J.'s phone call. "Yes, honey, we had a possible sighting of Rick's truck on the highway to Yuma, the Highway Patrol is checking it out now. I want you to stay calm now, we'll find him," his deep voice trying to reassure her. "I know, Oscar," she took a deep breath, then was startled by the beep of a horn outside their gate. "Just a minute, Oscar, someone's at the gate." she put the phone down. "Wait, Laurie," her uncle called. Not hearing him, Laurie looked out the window and saw Rick's truck, a figure with a hat gesturing at her. "Robin, I think it's your dad, pick up the receiver and tell Oscar I'm going to see if it's him!" She hit the remote to open the gate then ran outside. Her daughter picked up the extension, then heard Oscar calling her mother's name. "Uncle Oscar, somebody just drove up in Pop's truck, Mom went to see if it's him," she started to say, only for him to interrupt her. "Robin, listen, get your mother inside right now, it might be a trap!" he told her.
As Robin dropped the phone and raced to the door, Laurie had reached her husband's truck, "Rick, is that you? Darling,.." she called, seeing the driver's door open. Suddenly something was thrown over her head, and she felt her arms being pinned in back of her. "No!" Laurie tried to scream, but the material was choking her, then she heard Robin calling her name. "Go back!" she yelled, then she was lifted up and dropped onto the hard surface of the truck bed, knocking the wind out of her.
The truck started to move, then as it picked up speed Laurie realized it was a trap, dear God, Robin, don't take her too. The vehicle made a violent turn, slamming her into the side of the vehicle. Dizzy, she managed to move her hand to her watch and turn on the transmitter. With Steve in Europe, she knew she couldn't reach him, but maybe if she could get the speaker near her face....
As the truck drove away from the ranch, Robin reached the safety of the house, then caught sight of another car heading toward the gate. Getting a hold of the remote control, she closed the gate just as the vehicle tried to turn in. "Uncle Oscar, a man got out of Pop's truck and grabbed Mom, now someone's trying to break through the gate!", she cried into the phone.
"Hold on, Robin, I just called your brother, he'll be there in a few minutes. Go to your room and close the door; don't let anyone but Robbie or the sheriff in, ok? Take the extension with you, now!", he ordered. She did as he said, then heard a crash. Shots went off, then the sound of another car racing down the driveway. "Oscar, I hear gunfire, what should I do?", she felt panic rising up. "Stay down, Robbie's there now. It's ok, honey, your mom just put her transmitter on, she's trying to reach us.", he said, a beeping going off in the background.
"Robin!" She heard the front door open, then her brother calling her name. She flung the door open and he caught her in his arms as she burst into tears. Comforting her for a moment, Robbie sat her down and made sure she was unhurt, then picked up the phone. "Uncle Oscar, she's all right. Did you reach Mom?"
"I'm trying now, her transmitter's on, I'm going to hit the receiver. Turn your radio to 175.1, see if you can pick up your Mom's signal. Take Robin with you and meet me at the parking lot of your Uncle A.J.'s office.", he added.
As the dizziness passed, Laurie heard something, then realized a voice was coming from her watch. "Oscar,", she whispered, then got her wrist up to her right ear. "Laurie, honey, can you hear me?", her uncle was calling. "Oscar," she sniffed, "I'm sorry, it was a trap. I think they're taking me to Rick, I can't believe I was so stupid."
"Baby, it's all right, I'm on my way. Rob and Robin are safe, they're coming with Rudy. Did they hurt you?" she heard the fear in his voice. "Just dizzy, I'm in the back of the truck and I keep banging into the sides. Please hurry, I'm scared they'll force Rick to go across the border by threatening me." she worried.
"It's ok, honey, we'll get there in time, just stay calm. As soon as they take you to Rick, tell him we're coming and to stand by, we'll come in to get you.", he reassured her.
Talking to her as the miles passed, Oscar then A.J. kept Laurie abreast of where they were, reassuring her, then as they came to the outskirts of the border town, she felt cold fear coming from her husband. "Rick, darling," she closed her eyes, trying to reach out to him.
"Something's happened to my wife, Carlos!" Rick gasped, feeling her like a faint presence in his thoughts. Just then their guard came and unlocked the gate, then motioned for them to come out. As the two friends walked back into the main warehouse, they saw Rick's truck just outside, and something being lifted out.
Matthews came into view, then motioning toward someone outside, turned back to Rick and said, "Just in case you have any ideas of turning me down, Mr. Simon, I thought a little incentive might be in order." Rick watched as Rodriquez stepped forward, carrying something in a large sack, then dropping it abruptly on to the concrete flooring.
"No!" he shouted with disbelief, as a muffled cry came from the sack. Rick rushed to the now moving bundle and opening it, found Laurie dazed and tear- streaked staring up at him.
"Sweetheart, are you all right, did they hurt you?" he managed, carefully lifting her in his arms and pulling her free of the coarse material. She shook her head, "No, Rick, just dizzy, I got bumped around in the truck pretty good. Oh, darling, I was terrified they had done something to you." Laurie clung to him as he carried her to a chair, whispering, "Oscar, A.J. and Robbie will be outside in a few minutes, you need to let me know when they should come in." A faint smile crossed his face when he set her down, God bless the cavalry. "When they get here, let me know, darlin." he murmured in her ear. She nodded, then looked over his shoulder at the face of the little boy from the hotel, standing in the doorway of the warehouse. Rick only got a glimpse of him, and then he was gone.
"All right, Simon, cut the love talk, You see what's at stake, do we have a deal?" Matthews demanded, his gun drawn and pointed at the Simons. Turning to face the smuggler, Rick furiously replied, "You manhandle my wife, blackmail my friend and you think I'm going to help you?" Carlos stared at him, then quickly he moved toward Rick, standing in between him and Matthews. Rick grabbed him as if in anger, then told him in a low voice, "Wait for my signal, then grab his gun."
Throwing him back at the feet of the smuggler, he snarled at Carlos, "You already chose sides, don't lie to me!"
Suddenly Laurie squeezed his arm, letting him know that Oscar and Robbie and A.J. were in place. He clasped her hand, then looked at his amigo and nodded. Instantly Carlos raised up and grabbed the weapon out of Matthews grasp, then knocked him into Rodriquez, sending him sprawling. Rick pushed Laurie behind some boxes, then crawling around the other side of the barrels caught the gun as his friend slid it towards him. He sighted Goldman and his son on each side of the entrance, firing at the other two men, then saw Matthews aiming for Carlos. "Carlos!" he yelled, then squeezing off two shots, caught the smuggler in the shoulder and arm, sending him to the cement. "Pop, where's Mom?" he heard Robbie yell, and jerked his head to the boxes on the left side of him. The deputy snaked his way past the empty containers, then reached the area where Laurie was hiding.
Abruptly, he heard A.J. call out, "Behind you, Rick!" then turned to find himself facing the pistol of Rodriquez. "Ok, one move, Simon, and you're dead." he snarled. Rick raised his hands, then out of the corner of his eye saw Laurie start to emerge from her hiding place. "Laurie, stay there!" he whispered, knowing she was trying to decoy Rodriguez. He saw his son push her back down, then leveling his weapon, shout, "Drop the weapon, or you're the one who's dead." Rodriguez hesitated, then looking past Rick, lowered his gun, then surrendered it to Robbie. Rick told Carlos to cover the others, then went and picked Laurie off the floor. "It's ok, sweetheart, it's over," he comforted her, feeling her whole body shake in his arms. He stroked her face, then felt her relaxing against him, as he watched Oscar call his agents in and have the smugglers led away.
"Better, Darlin'?", he asked. "Yes, Rick, but I was so scared, he was going to shoot you in front of me.", she hiccupped. "Laurie, he wouldn't have had a chance, not with Robbie there. Thank God you listened to me, he was after both of us because we could have fingered him for the robbery last week." he told her. "That's why he surrendered, I saw that little boy here, Rick, the one from the hotel, maybe Rodriguez didn't want to bring shame to Peter.", she replied, kissing his hand.
Oscar walked over to the Simons, then giving a stern look to his niece, embraced her. "Laurie Simon, if you ever scare me like that again, ...", he muttered, then kissed her forehead. She looked up at her uncle, "Thank God you kept talking to me; you came and saved Robin, too."
"What! What happened to Robin, darlin', is she all right?" her husband gasped, shocked. Oscar laughed from pure relief, "Rick, calm down, she's safe with Rudy outside. Matthews had a man watching the ranch, he saw Robin run outside when they took Laurie and was going to make sure she didn't call the police. I heard Robin on the phone, and got hold of Rob. He got there in time to stop the killer, and brought Robin along to protect her."
Robbie came over to give his mother a kiss, then hugged his father. "Pop, you gave me a scare, how did you and Carlos pull that stunt?" Rick looked at his old friend, standing in the background, then gave a half-smile. "A long time ago we worked out a signal that a nod meant make your move, I'm glad it worked one last time." Carlos gave a resigned grin, knowing from Rick's expression he meant what it said, one last time.
As he turned to go with Oscar's men, A.J. watched him, then seeing the regret in his brother's eyes, went and embraced Rick. "Thank God you're safe, I'm sorry he was involved in this." "Don't be, little brother, I trusted him one too many times. Never would I put my family in danger, and that's what he is now, danger," he said firmly, ruffling A.J.'s hair. Looking over at Laurie, he saw her wearily put a hand to her now bruised forehead, so he scooped his wife up in his arms, saying, "Time for Rudy to take a look at that, sweetheart." Laurie put her head against his shoulder, "I'm all right, darling, just hold me." "Don't worry, I'm never going to let you go," he kissed her as he carried her out of the building,
As the others followed, Rob grinned and told his uncle, "I sure have a lot to live up to when I get married!" A.J. patted him on the shoulder and laughed, "Don't even try, Robbie, I'm afraid when they made your Mom and Pop, they broke the mold! Still," he glanced at his brother lifting Laurie into Rudy's van, "it's something to work for, son. Someday, you'll feel that strong about someone, and then, heaven help you!"
"Remember, sweetheart, don't let anybody in except Robbie, until I call, comprende'?" Rick said, going out the door. "Si, comprende' ", Laurie replied, kissing him as he left for the office. With the weather unseasonably cold for October, she handed him a thermos of coffee and a couple of bacon sandwiches. "Hmm, thank you darlin'," he took a sip of the warm beverage, then kissed her back, suddenly reluctant to leave.
"It's ok, darling, the sooner you go, the sooner you can come back. Call me when you and Carlos get done with the police." she hugged him tightly. He waited to drive away until she was inside and the door was closed.
Arriving at the office ahead of A.J., Rick made his calls, first verifying that Captain Ron would be in, then speaking with Carlos's sisters, who lived with their mother. Both girls confirmed that their mother had been diagnosed with hypertension, and in turn were curious as to Rick's reason for calling. He passed off his re- kindling his Friendship with his old friend as for old times sake and promised to visit them in a few months.
Once his brother arrived, Rick filled him in and then helped greet their new client. When it was close to 9:30 am, Rick went downstairs and saw Carlos sitting in the passenger seat of his truck. As he approached, he saw his friend turn to look at him, then smile in relief.
Getting in the drivers side, Rick glanced at Carlos, then simply said, "Ok, let's get this show on the road." Suddenly another man opened the passenger door, and giving Rick a tight-lipped smile, leveled a gun in their direction. "Glad to see you joining us, Mr. Simon, I wasn't sure our friend here would come through. Go ahead and start the truck, and no surprise moves, or the friends I have watching your wife and children will have to pay a visit," he added, as Rick swore under his breath, then turned the engine over and drove out of the parking lot.
Up in their office, A.J. uttered the same cuss words as he watched his brother's dilemma from their window. Asking their client to return another day, he immediately called Oscar, then Captain Ron, alerting them to Rick's abduction.
A.J. waited until Captain Ron had put out an APB on his brother's truck, before calling his sister-in-law. Robbie had just left when the phone rang, and Laurie picked it up expecting Oscar or Rick to be on the other end.
"Honey, it's A.J. Is Robbie or Robin still there?" he asked. "Robbie just left, but Robin doesn't have class, so she's staying home today. Did Rick and Carlos go see Captain Ron?" she replied. "No, honey, I'm afraid something may have gone wrong. I saw Rick get into the truck with Carlos, then another man climbed in and they drove off. I'm afraid the smugglers may have taken Rick to force him to do work for them."
Laurie gasped, "Oh, no, A.J., no! Did you call Captain Ron and Oscar?" "Yes, Laurie, and an APB is out on Rick's truck, so don't worry, they'll find him. You just stay put and I'll keep you posted. Oscar's going to meet me at Captain Ron's office, we'll call you from there, ok?' he promised.
"All right, A.J., just be careful. Find him, please, I can't bear the thought of him being hurt or something." she pleaded.
"I'm not coming home without him, don't worry. Just stay inside and keep the door locked, I'll call later." he reassured her.
Once he got off the phone, the younger Simon grabbed the tape of Rick's conversation with Carlos, which he had forgotten on his desk, then took his jacket and transmitter. Looking at the picture of his brother and himself, from the previous weekend, he told it, "Hang in there, Rick, we'll find you."
While he was locking up the office, Rick found himself speeding toward the border town of Yuma, trying to pump his captor for information. He stole a glance at Carlos now and then, seeing the fear in his eyes. He figured they must have followed his friend then decided he had talked Rick into the job. The man with the gun, Rodriguez by name, acted like he had encountered Rick before, making snide remarks about being on the same team. Finally after an hour of driving, Rodriguez directed him to an industrial park about five miles from the border. Having him stop just outside a warehouse, he took Rick's keys from him, saying, "You won't need these for a while, I'll make sure your truck is safe here."
Leading both men inside, Rick saw a couple more heavies toting rifles, and a red-haired man in a suit at a desk, as if waiting for them.
"Welcome, Mr. Simon, I see you came around to our friend's way of thinking after all," the suit behind the desk grinned, getting up and extending his hand. Rick looked thru him, then snapped, "I didn't have much of a choice with a gun in my face. If I'd wanted to come, I'd have picked a less conspicuous way then leaving a client in the lurch. Who are you, anyway?"
"Temper, Mr. Simon, I'm Mr. Matthews to you. As for my method of bringing you here, I apologize if I cost you some bucks, but be assured, your work for me will more then make up for it," he smirked. "It's going to be a while before you and Carlos will be making your pick up, so until then, I want you to make yourself comfortable."
One of the two guards waved his weapon at the two men, indicating Rick and Carlos were to take a seat inside the caged storage area. Deciding to play along, Rick winked at his amigo, then went into the enclosure, plopping down on a well-worn sofa. The guard told them in broken English where the bathroom was, then opened a small fridge to show some canned drinks and sandwiches.
Heaving a mock sigh, Carlos joined Rick, then watched as the guard slid closed the gate and locked them in. As he walked away, the older Simon dropped his fake smile and turned to his friend. "Ok, Carlos, what gives, I thought we were going to Captain Ron?"
Carlos shook his head, "We were, Rick, I swear I didn't double cross you. I don't know how they tracked me down, I thought I gave them the slip last night." Rick frowned, "The only thing I can think of is they must have been watching me. If they were..." Suddenly he Remembered the tape of Carlos's call. If A.J. found that tape, maybe they could figure out from the background noise, no, that was too much to hope. He glanced over at his friend, only to find him staring at him. "Amigo, this is all my fault, I wouldn't have gotten you in trouble. Your wife is going to kill me, if Matthews doesn't."
God, Laurie. Rick had a sudden cold feeling in his stomach.
"Oscar, have you heard anything?" Laurie was on the line with her uncle, it had been almost three hours since A.J.'s phone call. "Yes, honey, we had a possible sighting of Rick's truck on the highway to Yuma, the Highway Patrol is checking it out now. I want you to stay calm now, we'll find him," his deep voice trying to reassure her. "I know, Oscar," she took a deep breath, then was startled by the beep of a horn outside their gate. "Just a minute, Oscar, someone's at the gate." she put the phone down. "Wait, Laurie," her uncle called. Not hearing him, Laurie looked out the window and saw Rick's truck, a figure with a hat gesturing at her. "Robin, I think it's your dad, pick up the receiver and tell Oscar I'm going to see if it's him!" She hit the remote to open the gate then ran outside. Her daughter picked up the extension, then heard Oscar calling her mother's name. "Uncle Oscar, somebody just drove up in Pop's truck, Mom went to see if it's him," she started to say, only for him to interrupt her. "Robin, listen, get your mother inside right now, it might be a trap!" he told her.
As Robin dropped the phone and raced to the door, Laurie had reached her husband's truck, "Rick, is that you? Darling,.." she called, seeing the driver's door open. Suddenly something was thrown over her head, and she felt her arms being pinned in back of her. "No!" Laurie tried to scream, but the material was choking her, then she heard Robin calling her name. "Go back!" she yelled, then she was lifted up and dropped onto the hard surface of the truck bed, knocking the wind out of her.
The truck started to move, then as it picked up speed Laurie realized it was a trap, dear God, Robin, don't take her too. The vehicle made a violent turn, slamming her into the side of the vehicle. Dizzy, she managed to move her hand to her watch and turn on the transmitter. With Steve in Europe, she knew she couldn't reach him, but maybe if she could get the speaker near her face....
As the truck drove away from the ranch, Robin reached the safety of the house, then caught sight of another car heading toward the gate. Getting a hold of the remote control, she closed the gate just as the vehicle tried to turn in. "Uncle Oscar, a man got out of Pop's truck and grabbed Mom, now someone's trying to break through the gate!", she cried into the phone.
"Hold on, Robin, I just called your brother, he'll be there in a few minutes. Go to your room and close the door; don't let anyone but Robbie or the sheriff in, ok? Take the extension with you, now!", he ordered. She did as he said, then heard a crash. Shots went off, then the sound of another car racing down the driveway. "Oscar, I hear gunfire, what should I do?", she felt panic rising up. "Stay down, Robbie's there now. It's ok, honey, your mom just put her transmitter on, she's trying to reach us.", he said, a beeping going off in the background.
"Robin!" She heard the front door open, then her brother calling her name. She flung the door open and he caught her in his arms as she burst into tears. Comforting her for a moment, Robbie sat her down and made sure she was unhurt, then picked up the phone. "Uncle Oscar, she's all right. Did you reach Mom?"
"I'm trying now, her transmitter's on, I'm going to hit the receiver. Turn your radio to 175.1, see if you can pick up your Mom's signal. Take Robin with you and meet me at the parking lot of your Uncle A.J.'s office.", he added.
As the dizziness passed, Laurie heard something, then realized a voice was coming from her watch. "Oscar,", she whispered, then got her wrist up to her right ear. "Laurie, honey, can you hear me?", her uncle was calling. "Oscar," she sniffed, "I'm sorry, it was a trap. I think they're taking me to Rick, I can't believe I was so stupid."
"Baby, it's all right, I'm on my way. Rob and Robin are safe, they're coming with Rudy. Did they hurt you?" she heard the fear in his voice. "Just dizzy, I'm in the back of the truck and I keep banging into the sides. Please hurry, I'm scared they'll force Rick to go across the border by threatening me." she worried.
"It's ok, honey, we'll get there in time, just stay calm. As soon as they take you to Rick, tell him we're coming and to stand by, we'll come in to get you.", he reassured her.
Talking to her as the miles passed, Oscar then A.J. kept Laurie abreast of where they were, reassuring her, then as they came to the outskirts of the border town, she felt cold fear coming from her husband. "Rick, darling," she closed her eyes, trying to reach out to him.
"Something's happened to my wife, Carlos!" Rick gasped, feeling her like a faint presence in his thoughts. Just then their guard came and unlocked the gate, then motioned for them to come out. As the two friends walked back into the main warehouse, they saw Rick's truck just outside, and something being lifted out.
Matthews came into view, then motioning toward someone outside, turned back to Rick and said, "Just in case you have any ideas of turning me down, Mr. Simon, I thought a little incentive might be in order." Rick watched as Rodriquez stepped forward, carrying something in a large sack, then dropping it abruptly on to the concrete flooring.
"No!" he shouted with disbelief, as a muffled cry came from the sack. Rick rushed to the now moving bundle and opening it, found Laurie dazed and tear- streaked staring up at him.
"Sweetheart, are you all right, did they hurt you?" he managed, carefully lifting her in his arms and pulling her free of the coarse material. She shook her head, "No, Rick, just dizzy, I got bumped around in the truck pretty good. Oh, darling, I was terrified they had done something to you." Laurie clung to him as he carried her to a chair, whispering, "Oscar, A.J. and Robbie will be outside in a few minutes, you need to let me know when they should come in." A faint smile crossed his face when he set her down, God bless the cavalry. "When they get here, let me know, darlin." he murmured in her ear. She nodded, then looked over his shoulder at the face of the little boy from the hotel, standing in the doorway of the warehouse. Rick only got a glimpse of him, and then he was gone.
"All right, Simon, cut the love talk, You see what's at stake, do we have a deal?" Matthews demanded, his gun drawn and pointed at the Simons. Turning to face the smuggler, Rick furiously replied, "You manhandle my wife, blackmail my friend and you think I'm going to help you?" Carlos stared at him, then quickly he moved toward Rick, standing in between him and Matthews. Rick grabbed him as if in anger, then told him in a low voice, "Wait for my signal, then grab his gun."
Throwing him back at the feet of the smuggler, he snarled at Carlos, "You already chose sides, don't lie to me!"
Suddenly Laurie squeezed his arm, letting him know that Oscar and Robbie and A.J. were in place. He clasped her hand, then looked at his amigo and nodded. Instantly Carlos raised up and grabbed the weapon out of Matthews grasp, then knocked him into Rodriquez, sending him sprawling. Rick pushed Laurie behind some boxes, then crawling around the other side of the barrels caught the gun as his friend slid it towards him. He sighted Goldman and his son on each side of the entrance, firing at the other two men, then saw Matthews aiming for Carlos. "Carlos!" he yelled, then squeezing off two shots, caught the smuggler in the shoulder and arm, sending him to the cement. "Pop, where's Mom?" he heard Robbie yell, and jerked his head to the boxes on the left side of him. The deputy snaked his way past the empty containers, then reached the area where Laurie was hiding.
Abruptly, he heard A.J. call out, "Behind you, Rick!" then turned to find himself facing the pistol of Rodriquez. "Ok, one move, Simon, and you're dead." he snarled. Rick raised his hands, then out of the corner of his eye saw Laurie start to emerge from her hiding place. "Laurie, stay there!" he whispered, knowing she was trying to decoy Rodriguez. He saw his son push her back down, then leveling his weapon, shout, "Drop the weapon, or you're the one who's dead." Rodriguez hesitated, then looking past Rick, lowered his gun, then surrendered it to Robbie. Rick told Carlos to cover the others, then went and picked Laurie off the floor. "It's ok, sweetheart, it's over," he comforted her, feeling her whole body shake in his arms. He stroked her face, then felt her relaxing against him, as he watched Oscar call his agents in and have the smugglers led away.
"Better, Darlin'?", he asked. "Yes, Rick, but I was so scared, he was going to shoot you in front of me.", she hiccupped. "Laurie, he wouldn't have had a chance, not with Robbie there. Thank God you listened to me, he was after both of us because we could have fingered him for the robbery last week." he told her. "That's why he surrendered, I saw that little boy here, Rick, the one from the hotel, maybe Rodriguez didn't want to bring shame to Peter.", she replied, kissing his hand.
Oscar walked over to the Simons, then giving a stern look to his niece, embraced her. "Laurie Simon, if you ever scare me like that again, ...", he muttered, then kissed her forehead. She looked up at her uncle, "Thank God you kept talking to me; you came and saved Robin, too."
"What! What happened to Robin, darlin', is she all right?" her husband gasped, shocked. Oscar laughed from pure relief, "Rick, calm down, she's safe with Rudy outside. Matthews had a man watching the ranch, he saw Robin run outside when they took Laurie and was going to make sure she didn't call the police. I heard Robin on the phone, and got hold of Rob. He got there in time to stop the killer, and brought Robin along to protect her."
Robbie came over to give his mother a kiss, then hugged his father. "Pop, you gave me a scare, how did you and Carlos pull that stunt?" Rick looked at his old friend, standing in the background, then gave a half-smile. "A long time ago we worked out a signal that a nod meant make your move, I'm glad it worked one last time." Carlos gave a resigned grin, knowing from Rick's expression he meant what it said, one last time.
As he turned to go with Oscar's men, A.J. watched him, then seeing the regret in his brother's eyes, went and embraced Rick. "Thank God you're safe, I'm sorry he was involved in this." "Don't be, little brother, I trusted him one too many times. Never would I put my family in danger, and that's what he is now, danger," he said firmly, ruffling A.J.'s hair. Looking over at Laurie, he saw her wearily put a hand to her now bruised forehead, so he scooped his wife up in his arms, saying, "Time for Rudy to take a look at that, sweetheart." Laurie put her head against his shoulder, "I'm all right, darling, just hold me." "Don't worry, I'm never going to let you go," he kissed her as he carried her out of the building,
As the others followed, Rob grinned and told his uncle, "I sure have a lot to live up to when I get married!" A.J. patted him on the shoulder and laughed, "Don't even try, Robbie, I'm afraid when they made your Mom and Pop, they broke the mold! Still," he glanced at his brother lifting Laurie into Rudy's van, "it's something to work for, son. Someday, you'll feel that strong about someone, and then, heaven help you!"