AN- Thanks to everyone for the reviews, You want update .. I can update! I have tried real hard not to make it a cliiffie – well kinda! But the next chapter will be up real soon.

 ***

"Nice wheels."

The youth lounging menacingly against the drivers door looked over the Mercedes in a way that made Tessa's flesh crawl.

"Yeah," Richie agreed. "Belongs to my employer. Big guy. Lotsa muscles. He only ever drives it to the boxing gym."

"Then he won't miss it much, will he?" Vinnie smirked.

"C'mon Vinnie," Richie tried. "You don't want a car like this. Its vintage man. Way too flashy to be a good score. Where are you gonna find the parts?"

"He's right, Vin," One of the other kids spoke up. "That things way outta our league."

Tessa felt a flare of hope, but Richie sank slightly lower in his seat as Vinnie's face crumpled into fury. As he turned away to confront the other boy, Tessa was surprised to feel Richie press something into her right hand. Her eyes widened when she identified its smooth, slim shape, as a knife.

"Insurance." Richie spoke softly.

Tessa nodded dumbly, slightly shocked to find that the easy going teen she knew, would have such a thing in his possession..

"You questioning me?" Vinnie was yelling as he grabbed the other boy by his shirt front and pulled him up on his toes.

"No, man. I'm just saying is all." The other kid gibbered.

"Well, don't."

Vinnie dropped him like a stone and turned his attention back to the two occupants of the car.

"Alright, Slick, outta the car," He leered at Tessa. "You, pretty lady, you can ride along with me."

"She's French," Richie cut in quickly. "You gotta speak French to her."

"You think I'm stupid, Slick?" Vinnie scowled at Richie. "You don't speak no French."

Richie just shrugged.

Vinnie frowned.

"She don't look foreign. What's your name, sweetheart?"

Tessa looked at Richie with something close to panic.

He shook his head, slightly. If Vinnie figured he couldn't make any headway with her, he'd quickly loose interest. He liked to manipulate and intimidate, gorgeous as she was, Richie knew Tessa would be far less interesting and attractive to him, if he thought she didn't speak any English.

Taking a step closer to the car, Vinnie pushed Tessa's hair back from her face with his fingers. The sent of blood and lust was almost overpowering. She stiffened, but tried not to flich.

"Here's the deal, sweetheart, you tell me your name, or pretty boy Slick here gets cut. Real bad."

Taking a deep breath, Tessa gambled that they would be in even greater danger if this boy realised that Richie had lied to him. Praying that she was right, she opened her mouth and emitted a stream of flawless French.

"What about Spanish?" Vinnie tried the only other language he knew. "You speak Spanish?"

Tessa gave him her very best blank look and most Gaelic shrug.

"Alright," Vinnie snapped, loosing face and patience in front of his gang. "Out of the car. Both of you."

"You know him?" Tessa hissed, when they were standing on the sidewalk. "How do you know such a person?"

"Kindergarten. He used to steal all the other kids trucks." Richie shrugged. "Give me your purse,"

"What?"

"Quick, while they are arguing over who's gonna drive the Merc."

Dumbly, Tessa complied, watching as Richie expertly sorted through the contents, hiding credit cards and other valuables in his various pockets.

"What if he checks." Tessa worried, as he passed her back the almost empty purse.

"He won't," Richie shook his head. "Not until he's a long way from here."

"How can you be sure?"

"Because its what I'd do."

Tessa gawped at him, of course, she knew what Richie was, what he had been, she hastily amended, embarrassed to think badly of him, even in her own mind, but to see him acting with sure smooth confidence was .. un nerving.

"Alright, give me your purse." Vinnie's out stretched hand made his meaning unmistakable. Still Tessa looked at Richie. What if he was wrong?

"Tell her," Vinnie scowled at Richie.

"Um. Champignon." Richie encouraged. "Roquefort. Vin Rouge." He nodded at her, dredging up the few French words he knew. Tessa hastily handed it over.

"And those rings and that bracelet too." Vinnie demanded, gesturing.

Tessa hesitated for just a second, Duncan had bought her that bracelet their first Christmas together, then she hastily stripped off the jewellery, only to see it disappear into Vinnie's inside jacket pocket.

"Alright, Slick," Vinnie turned to Richie with a smug grin. "What did you bring to the party?"

"Yeah right," Richie scoffed. "What do you want first? My gold Rolex or my platinum American Express? Maybe my designer sneakers?" To make his point he wiggled his toe through the end of the worn shoes that he'd put on in preparation for his time in the salt mines with Tessa.

"Used to be you knew how things worked around here," Vinnie took a step closer,  running a thumb lightly down his blade.

"Aw, c'mon man," Richie seemed to be edging away from him. "Have a heart. I don't got nothing here. All you're gonna do is ruin a good shirt."

"I can get another shirt." Vinnie hissed.

"I meant mine," Richie circled. "Yours looks like dog vomit."

"You little shit .." Vinnie launched himself at Richie, landing a vicious slice across one cheek

"Richie!" Tessa put her hand to her mouth in horror.

"Shut up, Lady." Vinnie hissed. He glowered at Richie. "Make her shut her mouth, or I'll shut it for her."

"Tess, la voiture,"  Richie hollered, as if he was telling her to be quiet. For a second she didn't quite comprehend what he had actually said, until he tipped his head towards the car, she nodded her understanding and started to edge back towards the Mercedes, even as the other boys crowned in on the fight, yelling encouragement to their leader. "Cut him … Slice him … Make him pay, man."

All at once, Vinnie utter a guttural, animal, cry and fall to the ground, writhing in such agony that she stood there, mesmerised. Startled, she realised that Richie had kicked him in a very vulnerable place.

"Tess, c'mon willya!" Suddenly, Richie gripped her wrist and pulled her towards the car.

"But we don't have the keys." Tessa protested, even as she complied. Looking back over her shoulder, she saw the rest of the gang crowding around Vinnie's prone body on the sidewalk.

"Don't need 'em," Richie proved his point by reaching under the dash and pulling out a handful of wires, grunting softly as the power surged as he completed the circuit, and the engine roared into life.

"How did you do that?" Tessa blinked.

"Practise." Richie accelerated, pressing his foot as flat to the floor, keeping a wary eye on the rear view mirror.

"You're bleeding."

Richie reached up and scrubbed at the cut on his face, as if he had forgotten about it.

"You'll get germs in it." Tessa reminded him with a smile.

"Yeah," Richie didn't take his eyes off the road. "Well, I'll live."

"What were you thinking?" Tessa scolded, her fear giving way to relief. "Provoking him like that?"

"How else was I gonna get him close enough?"

"Close enough for what?"

 Richie took his right hand off the wheel and dug around inside his jacket. "Here." He dropped something in her lap.

"My jewellery?" She blinked in realisation. "You picked his pocket?"

"Well, I thought about asking him nicely .." Richie gave her a scornful glance.

Oh, Richie, I am not angry with you," She was touched that he would have done such a thing. "But it is insured. You should not have taken such a risk."

"You love that bracelet," Richie gave an awkward shrug. "Mac gave it to you your first Christmas together."

"You remembered that?"

Richie didn't reply.

"Mac, will be so proud of you, you know." Tessa vowed, sincerely.

Richie looked away. Of course she was gonna tell Mac about this. How could she not?

"Richie?" Tessa's voice asked softly.

Suddenly, the car made a strange, knocking, sound, before coasting, slowly, to a halt.

 "Damn," Richie pounded his fist in frustration on the steering wheel, glancing behind him anxiously.

"What is it?" Tessa worried.

"We're gonna have to ditch the car that's what."

"But we just got it back!" Tessa protested. "You are supposed to be good with cars. Surely, you can fix it?"

"Tessa. We're out of gas."

"Oh, no!" Tessa put her hand to her mouth. "I meant to fill up when I went to the Market, yesterday, but then I met Linda and we got talking about the new project at the museum. I must have forgotten."

"Hold on. You've got a can in the truck, right?" Richie knew that Mac always made sure that the cars had a full emergency kit..

"Ah," Tessa blushed. "Not exactly."

"What do you mean? "Not exactly?"

"I meant to fill that up too," Tessa admitted. "I used it the last time I ran out."

"Oh great, just great," Richie shook his head.

"What are we going to do?" Tessa asked helplessly.

Richie thought for a moment.

"We'll have to walk. There's a phone booth about three blocks south of here. We can call the breakdown company and they can come and pick up the car."

"And, Mac will be home by then, so he can come and pick us up." Tessa nodded her agreement.

"Just give me a sec, OK?"

Tessa watched in bemusement as he went around the car removed all the hubcaps, took off the license plates, all the chrome fittings, and carefully removed the stereo, these he stored in the truck, before he let the air out of all the tyres, and dismantled the dash. Lastly, he popped the hood and pulled out the alternator, which he slipped into his pocket.

"Its not foolproof," he frowned at the seemingly abandoned car. "But it's the best I can do at short notice."

"Is that why they call you Slick?" Tessa asked. "Because you are the smooth operator?"

Richie turned a blank, hollow, expression on her that she had never seen before.

"No." he said shortly.

He pulled out a dark bandana from his pocket, which, although it did little to make him look harder, or older, did stop the light from the streetlights from glinting off the red highlights in his blond curls.

"Can you walk alright in those shoes?" He gestured at her feet.

"These shoes cost me over $200," Tessa sniffed determinedly. "They had better be good for something."

She'd only gone a few yards when she felt the first tell tale burn of a blister forming. Setting her teeth against the inevitable pain she forced herself onwards. After all, it was only a few blocks. She had walked miles last time her and Duncan had gone away on that romantic country weekend.

Of course, Mac had made sure she had some proper walking shoes.

She sighed.

***

Across town, Duncan Macleod frowned into the telephone. "No, Ms Harper, I'm sure that she didn't just forget about your appointment. Yes, I'm positive she knows just how busy you are. No, she hasn't tried to call me. Yes, I'll be in touch, if I hear anything. Good night."

Putting the phone down Duncan quickly dialled the gallery. After several minutes of nothing but the ringing tone he finally admitted defeat and put the phone down.

In her present mood, even Richie's charm was unlikely to have convinced Tessa to down tools and take him out for ice cream or pizza. And, in any case, it was most unlike her to simply forget such an important appointment.

Which meant that they were in some kind of trouble.

Duncan had no doubt that Richie would do whatever it took, to keep Tessa safe. He just wasn't convinced that the lad would care half as much for his own safety.

He paced uneasily for several minutes, until, driven by the need to do something, he picked up his car keys, shrugged into his jacket and made his way down the stairs.

A few minutes later the phone began to ring.