Chapter Five

Needing Each Other

The phone rang and Piper jumped, this sitting here not being able to call Marcus and find out what was going on was killing her. She knew her mom and dad had every right to be mad but this was pure torture.

Just when she thought she could endure no more there was a soft rap on her door. "Squirt, Marcus is on the phone," Chris called sticking his head in at the same time.

"I'm grounded remember," she answered fighting to keep from grabbing up the receiver.

"I'll give you fifteen minutes if you give Cody his bath, I've got an English paper I'm working on," Chris smiled watching Pipe snatch up the phone.

"Marcus," she cried breathlessly into the phone as Chris slowly closed the door his grin getting bigger. True his sister and their friends had taken things into their own hands when they should have counted on their parents but Chris couldn't help thinking of when it had happened before. Heck if it hadn't been for his and Piper's detective work when Cat and their Dad had been kidnapped... He smiled at the recollection of course they wouldn't have put everyone in danger if they had confided in their mom. Calling out to his sister he said, "I'm timing you." Again he grinned bounding down the stairs to where Cat and Cody were.

"Oh Marcus I didn't mean to tell you must think I'm just awful that I can't keep a secret, you're never ever going to be able to trust me ever again," Piper gasped out all in one breath.

"Pipe..."

"Truly Marcus I never meant to tell. It's just Dad was going to arrest me and... and..."

"Piper I'm glad you told the secret was killing me we never should have made that silly pact," Marcus cut in when suddenly her words sunk in. "You're dad was going to arrest you?"

"Um hmm," she murmured.

"He wouldn't have really would he?"

"I don't know he was pretty mad..."

"You did the right thing telling Piper, if you hadn't have told I was going to tell my dad tonight," Marcus confessed to her.

"I just hope we aren't too late," Pipe answered with a small sigh of regret.

The Walker Ranch

Alex wheeled her car into the lane of the ranch, it had been a very long and taxing day. She looked so forward to relaxing and putting her feet up for a minute before she began the task of making supper. Her hopes of solitude were soon dashed with the appearance of Angela on the front porch.

Not waiting for her mother's car to stop she had come racing down the steps two at a time to meet her.

"Mom, Mom is Danny with you?" she gasped out.

"No he is suppose to be here getting to the chores your father laid out for him," Alex replied fear mounting inside of her.

"He's not here I haven't seen him since breakfast," Angela told her mother a look of fright on her face.

"Angela what is it?"

"Danny got this phone call not more then ten minutes ago, some guy wanting to speak to him I didn't recognize the voice. When I said he wasn't here the guy said he had a message for him," she went on hardly stopping to take a breath. "He said that if Danny didn't cough up the stuff or the money then the same thing that happened to his girlfriend was going to happen to him."

"Did you call your father?" Alex anxiously asked.

"I heard your car coming in the driveway and came running to meet you," Angela cried.

"Okay Honey," Alex tried to soothe as she dialled Walker's number, Angela reaching for her mother's brief case, files and folders followed Alex into the house.

"Walker Danny didn't come home and somebody has called here looking for him," Alex cried hearing Walker's voice come on the line.

"Slow down Alex," Walker calmly replied trying to keep his wife calm so he could get the details of what she was trying to tell him.

"I just got here," Alex began to explain telling him word for word what Angela had told her.

"Alex you and Angela get inside I'm sending a couple of officers out there to keep watch. Sydney and Gage just came in the door, Trivette and Sumner are here we'll find Danny and who ever is threatening him and Rebecca," Walker told his frantic wife.

"Walker..." Alex paused the words constricting in her throat.

"Alex we'll find him, I'll find him and bring him home safe," he promised his hand gripping tighter to the phone his own heart racing.

Ranger Headquarters

Pausing to look out into the office Walker took a deep breath as if bracing himself for the next hours that were ahead of him. Seeing the Gages come in the door he moved into action. "Gage Sydney what did you find out?" Walker anxiously questioned.

"Not much only that Mrs. Whelan thinks that Piper is a drama queen and a bad influence over Becky. Also that Chloe is supposedly at her father's in Houston," Gage answered noting something seemed to be up with their boss.

"What is it?" he asked. Trivette and Sumner both getting the same vibes as the Gages were had come from behind their desks to join the group.

"One minute," Walker retorted picking up the phone and dialling at the same time as he began giving the explanation. As the phone connected he began barking out orders, "This is Captain Walker I need a car sent to my ranch for protection for my wife ADA Alex Walker and our daughter."

Hearing Walker both Gage and Trivette went to their phones ordering the same protection for their families.

"Sumner are you ready to go in undercover as of now?" Walker was questioning the junior ranger.

"Any time you need me," Sumner replied.

"I'm going to check with David Whelan and see if Chloe really is in Houston or not," Syd told her partner going to her phone to make the call.

Nodding his okay Gage watched her for a moment before he turned his attention back to Walker who was instructing what he wanted done. "Gage you and Sydney get back over to the Whelans take a search warrant if you need it but see if you can find out where Rebecca is then join us at The Lone Canteen. Sumner go get fitted for a wire.

Joining her colleagues Syd confirmed what she suspected, "Neither Chloe or Rebecca have been to Houston in months and they aren't there now."

"Gage push Mrs. Whelan a little for answers, they've all ready threatened my family and we can't find Danny, Piper or Marcus could be next," Walker's voice had softened his worry for his son heard in his voice.

Grabbing up phones Syd and Trivette began calling their families while Gage spoke a few minutes more with Walker. Together the Gages headed downstairs to return to the Whelan home.

Jeannie Whelan's Home

Once again Gage pulled the car up in front of the Whelan home neither partner moving their eyes playing over every inch of the immediate area. Seeing nothing out of the ordinary Syd sucked in a deep breath. "Are they in there?" she asked as much of Gage as herself.

"That's what we need to find out," Gage answered. "You go round back Shorty and I'll knock on the front door."

Nodding slightly the pair opened their doors and got out. Hanging back a minute Gage gave his wife a moment to get in position before mounting the stairs to the front door. Standing to the side Gage pounded loudly on door calling out, "Mrs Whelan it's Ranger Gage we need to talk."

He was answered with the blast of a shotgun and splintering wood as a shot came through the front door. Gun drawn Gage pulled himself tight against the outside wall, gripping tight to his weapon he spun kicking what was left of the door open doing a quick visual sweep of the entrance. On the living room floor Jeannie and Becky lay bound and gagged but Gage had no time to help them. From the back of the house he could hear Sydney shout, "Texas Rangers stop where you are," just before the play of gunfire.

Creeping down the hallway towards the kitchen Gage fought the urge to call out to Sydney another round of gunfire going off accompanied a man's voice cussing and exclaiming, "She hit me!"

Gage stopped and took a stance his gun aimed at Tommy Slick who grasped his arm and his cohort who was trying to help him the same time firing back at Syd. "Hold it right there," Gage shouted.

Tommy's partner began to comply but not Tommy who swung around firing wildly at Gage only to have the gun knocked from his hand by a bullet from Gage's gun.

"Yeow," Tommy cried out watching his partner raise one hand and lower the shotgun to the floor with the other.

"Syd?" Gage called relieved to see his wife come into the kitchen her gun poised to fire.

"Maybe we can work a deal here Gage," Tommy was all ready turning coat thinking of nothing but saving his own skin.

"Depends what have you got to tell us Tommy," Syd stated her gun still levelled at him.

TBC