Rick was almost spooked by how normal things went the next few hours. Entering the van from the back door, Rick and Laurie stayed down as Rob and Oscar drove out of the property in a hurry. Changing cars in Silver Rock, they left Rob with Rex at his place, then drove to A.J.'s condo where Oscar dropped Rick and Laurie off.

"I'm going to pick up Rudy at the airport, then I'll be back." He promised, then Laurie hugged him.

"Thank you, Dad for protecting Rick and I, and straightening me out. I love you ."

"I love you too, Baby. Besides, how often does a father get to bawl out his grown daughter." he smiled.

"No, I'm alive, don't leave me..", Rick woke up, then saw Laurie with her face buried in her pillow, moaning, "No."

"Damn." He thought, then gently touched her hair. "Laurie, sweetheart."

Slowly she turned to face him, "Rick,...oh I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake you." He kissed her, then cuddled her to him.

"My love, it's going to be all right. I'm here." He whispered, then felt her kisses on his neck.

"I love you, darling. I'm okay, but….I need to ask you something." She said quietly, then put her arms around him as he kissed the tears from her eyes..

"Rick, if….if something happens to me, if I'm in an accident or someone takes me away and you can't find me, would you," she swallowed hard and Rick put his hand on her face, caressing it gently. "What, Angel?"

"Would you keep looking for me, I mean, if you don't see me…die, would you promise to keep searching until you know …otherwise? I mean if you and Steve can't reach me or read me?" she managed.

Rick took a deep breath, "Darlin', of course I'd keep looking, I'll never give up on you, but I'm not going to let anything happen to my love. Did you have a bad dream, sweetheart?"

She nodded, and Rick immediately sighed with relief. "Laurie, I promise." He took her hand and kissed her palm, then put it on his heart. "I won't ever let you go, you're stuck with your obstinate, stubborn, …"

"Loving, caring, gentle, very much loved." She kissed him, " husband."

Just then a knock at the door reminded them that the toughest part of the day was ahead of them.

As the police cruiser stopped at the rear of the courthouse, Ron opened the door, then handed Laurie out to Oscar, who rushed her inside. Rick and A.J. got out next, then the chief detective spoke to the driver.

"Robbie, you stay inside, don't go anywhere. You see any trouble, hit the panic button."

"I will, Ron, call me when it's time to come back around." The younger Simon answered.

As the Judge entered the courtroom, the chief detective signaled to the prosecutor that everything was in order, and the hearing began.

After everyone was seated, the Judge looked at the DA. "Mr. Lopez, I don't see the witnesses for the prosecution. Are they present?"

Across the aisle at the defendant's table, Martin Patrone grinned nastily until his attorney elbowed him with the quiet warning, "show respect."

The DA stood. "Yes, your Honor, they are present." He nodded to the bailiffs at each door, who then ushered in first Laurie and Oscar, then a stone-faced A.J. and Rick.

As they took their seats, naked surprise appeared on Patrone's face, then the defense attorney stood.

"Your Honor, we had received information that the prosecution witnesses were unavailable for this hearing….."

Rick wanted to smirk, "you think?" he whispered to A.J.. Laurie reached over and touched his hand.

Judge Mason glared at the attorney. "Mr. Travers, I think your information is obviously incorrect. Are you ready to defend your client?"

Flushing with embarrassment, Travers cleared his throat. "Not at this time, your Honor. I beg the court's indulgence until tomorrow."

Frowning, Judge Mason shook his head. "This is merely an preliminary hearing. In light of the events surrounding the victim and witnesses in this case, I deny your request."

Ashen-faced, the defense attorney weakly sat down, then Patrone scowled at him. "You messed up big time!"

"You're out of order, Mr. Patrone. Any more outbursts and you will be removed from the hearing." Mason growled.

Due to little or no interference brooked by the jurist, Rick was all ready through with his testimony at the lunch break.

"We will recess until 2:00 PM, Mr. Lopez, please have Mrs. Simon ready to go when we come back." Judge Mason instructed. He then turned to Rick, and quietly told him, "There's a private area set up behind my chambers, you and your family are welcome to rest there."

Surprised at his thoughtfulness, Rick nodded, then Laurie held out her hand. "Thank you, your Honor. We appreciate it."

Rick saw a reluctant smile cross the older man's face. "You're welcome, ma'am." He replied, taking her hand in his, then looking over her shoulder at Oscar.

"Now I know why you call her daughter, Mr. Goldman. She is someone to be proud of."

Oscar thanked him as Laurie and Rick followed Ron and A.J. to the Judge's chambers then to a back sitting room. As the door closed behind them, Laurie enveloped her husband in a hug. "I was so proud of you, that creep kept trying to rattle you, but you were wonderful."

"All I had to do was tell the truth, sweetheart." Rick said, then sat down and pulled Laurie into his lap. As none of them had much appetite, the four of them split a sandwich.

"Dad, Judge Mason is very nice, but how did he know you adopted me?" Laurie asked, curious. As Rick passed her some iced tea, Oscar reached over and stroked her hair.

"He's the one who signed the order of adoption, honey. He was curious about you, and why I wanted to adopt you. He's very methodical about the law, but he's a good man."

"Well, I'm surrounded by good men." She smiled, then tensed at a knock on the door.

Oscar went to the door, his hand ready to grasp his weapon. "Who's there?"

"Sergeant James, sir. His Honor sent me to bring you and Mrs. Simon in."

Oscar let out a breath, then cracking the door to verify the identity of the officer, replied, "one moment."

"Rick, you and A.J. wait a minute, then Ron'll come for you." Oscar reminded them, taking Laurie by the arm.

"See you in there, guys." Laurie kissed them each on the cheek, then Rick gave her a peck "for the road."

As the door closed behind them, Rick let out a deep breath. "Almost done, Rick." A.J. told him, putting his suit jacket on. A moment later he saw a panicked look on his face.

"Rick?"

Suddenly gunshots sounded, and the brothers bolted for the door, only to find it locked. Rick pulled out his gun, then blew the lock off. Wrenching open the door, they tumbled out into the corridor, then heard a scream. "Dad! No!"

"Laurie!" Rick yelled, then ran towards the courtroom.

As they turned the corner, both Simons almost froze. There before them on the floor was Oscar, bleeding profusely from his head, trying to get up. Ron was next to him holding him down, then he looked up.

"Patrone and one of his men grabbed Laurie, go after him, quick!"

As Rick and A.J. ran after the escapee, Laurie was being carried through the back garage over the shoulder of one of Patrone's men, her wrists bound with rope and a gag in her mouth.. As they approached a waiting police car, she saw the trunk was open and frantically "called" to Rick, "Hurry, please, darling! They're putting me in the trunk of a car!"

"We're coming, sweetheart, hang on!" she "heard" back, then as the man holding her started to lower her into the enclosed space, she panicked and struggled with him.

"Help!" she let out a muffled cry, then Patrone turned back toward her, then grabbed her by the shoulders, "Not another sound or you're dead!" and forced her into the trunk.

As Rick and A.J. ran toward the entrance of the parking garage, he called on his transmitter to his son "Robbie, get to the Greenside entrance, your uncle and I are at the back entry, we'll stop them here!"

Scarcely had he spoken when the screeching of tires signaled a speeding car. Instantly he pulled his gun and with A.J. taking the side angle, he stepped into the path of the oncoming vehicle and yelled, "Stop!"

Abruptly the car veered towards him, and he only had time to squeeze off one shot before he had to jump out of the way. Careful not to hit the trunk area, A.J. fired into the car, only to have to dive to the pavement to avoid the return fire.

Crestfallen, both Simons saw the car dart around a car at the entrance then vanish onto the street. As he called for back up to follow the cruiser, Rick suddenly saw his watch light up, and he immediately "called", "Laurie, you got your transmitter on, good girl!"

"Rick, I love you. Whatever happens." He felt how afraid she was and tried to reassure her as A.J. called on his transmitter to Ron. "Patrone got away in a police cruiser with Laurie in the trunk, put out an APB, quick!"

"All ready got one going, what's the license plate?" came the reply, and A.J. gave him the number. Within seconds Robbie rolled up alongside them and the two brothers got in.

"I've got Mom's general coordinates, Pop, she's being taken toward the outskirts of town, Patrone Sr. has a place next to the old Sedona Vineyards. I bet sonny boy is taking Mom there!" he explained.

As they drove, Rick kept reaching toward his wife, sending his assurance that they were coming. A.J. glanced at him, then put his hand on his arm.

"Tell my sis we'll find her."

Rick nodded, then caught his son's look in the rear view mirror.

"I'm letting her know all three of us are coming after her."

At once Ron's voice came over A.J.'s transmitter. "Rick, I've got a copter in the air up ahead, there's been a crash on the interstate so you need to jump off and take the old road up to the Foothill pass."

"Ron, any word on Oscar? Is he going to be all right?" Rick asked, not wanting to think about his reaction to Laurie's being taken.

"He's at the hospital with Rudy. He's still going in and out of consciousness; but Dr. Allen thinks he'll pull through. He had to have 17 stitches from the blow he took to the head; apparently he tried to stop one of Patrone's men from grabbing Laurie and was pistol whipped. I guess they would have shot him, except…" Ron let out a frustrated breath, "Laurie threw herself in front of him so they dragged her away instead."

Rick swore, then saw his son's neck stiffen. "Ron, keep us posted on his condition, also, have Rudy get a hold of Steve, would you? Can you can get us some air support before dusk?"

"I'll try, but watch out for the dust storms in the foothills, the visibility is down to 30 feet right now." Ron warned, then added, "Rudy already called Steve, he and Jaime are on their way."

Within half an hour the detective's warning came true, as cars and trucks were blown over in several spots on the highway. Soon the road ahead was visible only a block at a time, and Robbie was forced to reduce speed to a crawl.

"Keep an eye out for that turn off, son, oh here it is." Rick said, seeing through the dust a state highway sigh. As Robbie swung onto the two lane road, he suddenly yelled, "hold on" and screeched to a stop.

"Whoa, what was that, Robbie…." Rick began, only to realize that his son's quick action saved them from plowing into a jack-knifed truck sitting across both lanes of the road.

"Good work, Robbie." A.J. gasped, then he got on the radio to the Highway Patrol to report the accident.

Immediately the engine of an aircraft sounded overhead, then through the blowing debris they saw a man climb out of the cab of the truck and come toward them.

Suddenly Rick had a bad feeling. "A.J., be ready, something's wrong here."

He got out of the cruiser, then saw the trucker stop in his tracks. "Need some help?" Rick asked politely.

"No, so turn back around and go back to where you came from. This is private land." The rough-looking man snarled.

"I don't think so, mister. We've got a sheriff there who says otherwise, and the Highway Patrol is watching us from above." Rick replied nonchalantly.

"Yeah, right. Now move it or go home in pieces!" the trucker yelled.

Abruptly a loudspeaker sounded from the car, and bright lights beamed directly into the face of the man.

"This is the sheriff, move that truck or face arrest!"

All of a sudden the trucker wilted. "I can't move it, it's stuck!"

"Move it or go to jail, that's an order!" the authoritative voice spoke again.

At once the man backed off, then going back to the truck, started it up then straightened it out and went down the slope to the wider turn out on the main highway. Just then a Highway Patrol car arrived, and after getting information on the now cowed drive, an officer strode over to Robbie.

"Deputy Simon, I'm Officer Baker, Captain Ron sent me. Seems our guy here has a lengthy record, including convictions in several of the Patrone family cases. I have orders to take him in for obstruction and threatening a peace officer.:

"Thanks, Baker. I've got a warrant to serve and, my mother to find." Robbie answered, then thanked the officer again and went back to the cruiser.

Just as the patrol car left, a heavy blast of wind nearly overturned the police car, and with no road in sight, Rick reluctantly decided they had to pull off the road until it cleared up some.

As he found a safe spot to park, Rick turned up his transmitter, thinking he heard voices.

"Rick, listen!" A.J. quietly said.

"Father, I thought you were in town, I'd better make tracks." Martin Patrone's voice sounded muffled, then a creaking noise signaled that the trunk was being opened.

"So you took her, well son, bring her in, you can put Mrs. Simon in the basement while we plan your next move." Rick knew that voice. Randolph Patrone.

"While we plan…I thought you weren't going to help me, Father." The younger man sarcastically replied, then Rick heard his wife being picked up then a rustling sound indicating she was being carried.

"Well, since you've proven that you can get yourself out of a tough situation, the least I can do for my successor is lend a helping hand." A.J. groaned, "Like father, like son."

"You won't regret turning over the business to me." Martin Patrone sounded boastful, then the sound of a door opening then footsteps told them Laurie had been taken inside.

"Sweetheart." Rick "called" to his wife, then felt fear in her thoughts as she answered, "Rick, I'm in a storage room of some kind, Mr. Patrone is here, he seems to be helping his son. I saw at least four other men here, love. Don't try to come in by yourselves, please."

"It's all right, Laurie, we'll come get you when it's safe." He assured her, then listened as Patrone started advising his son.

"Mrs. Simon will be secure here, Martin, until we get you settled in Mexico. If anyone starts sniffing around the operation, we'll just let them know she's dead if there's any interference."

"Operation, you mean I can run things from down there, like I planned? What made you change your mind?" Martin's tone was suspicious, then the old man sounded conciliatory.

"I've never liked change, son. If it wasn't broken, why fix it? But I thought about what you said, and I think you deserve a chance to try it your way. Why don't we go upstairs, and I can give you a list of the contacts you'll need in Calexico, when you cross the border."

"What about her." Rick tensed as the younger Patrone's voice sounded louder, then knew they were next to Laurie.

"She's not going anywhere, go ahead and tie her to the chair. She'll stay put until we decide what happens next." Randolph Patrone replied.

Within a few minutes the two men's voices faded, then Rick whispered, "Laurie, are you all right?"

"Rick. I'm so tired, I haven't the strength to get loose." She "answered".

"It's all right." Rick tried to keep his emotions under control. "Just rest, darlin'. When the storm lets up we'll come get you, okay? Just hold on for me a little bit longer."

"Yes, love." He heard her sniff then "tell" him, "I love you, Rick. Stay safe for me, and tell my Robbie and A.J. it'll be okay."

As the hours passed, the three Simons took turns monitoring the radio and the weather. Occasionally the wind became so violent Rick feared the cruiser would blow over, so he and Robbie sat on opposite ends of the car to try to balance their weight.

As light appeared in the sky, the wind died down, then Rick and A.J. got out and cleared a mound of sand from under the tires. As they got back into the car, Rick was startled by the sound of footsteps echoing off his transmitter.

"Laurie? Wake up, darlin'" he "called".

"Rick? Someone's here, oh…." Rick felt her confusion, then heard a rustling noise .

"Mrs. Simon?" Randolph Patrone's voice.

"Drink this, my dear, just a sip. You'll feel better." At once he realized the man had removed her gag and was giving her water.

"Thank you." Laurie's voice was weak, then the elder Patrone spoke.

"I'm sorry this happened, Mrs. Simon. I'm going to take you to safety now. I promised your husband no harm would come to you, and I don't break my word. " A muffled sob came from his wife, and Rick fought back tears as Laurie saw that the man was serious.

"Please, just drop me at the nearest police station, no one has to know who had me…." She whispered, then Patrone interrupted her.

"No, I'm going to take you to your home. Just tell your husband …I will take care of the problem, you and your family will be safe."

"Robbie, let's go." Rick told his son, unable to believe his ears. Starting up the cruiser, they proceeded carefully up the hill.

Moments later, he listened as the older man untied Laurie then helped her out of her chair. As the two of them left the storage room, Ron came over the police radio.

"Rick, we can get air support up in five minutes, are you still at the foot of the turnoff?"

"No we're on our way up the hill, get over here quick." Rick told him of the senior Patrones' startling actions, then froze in mid-sentence as a familiar voice came over his transmitter.

"Where do you think you're taking her, Father?"

"No." A.J. leaned forward, dismay on his face as the three men heard Martin Patrone's sarcastic tone.

"I'm taking her home, my son. I've changed my mind, she's not at fault here, I am. You're free to go home to Mexico, but I'm done with you." Randolph Patrone quietly informed him.

"I don't think so, old man. I'm giving the orders here, and I say Mrs. Simon stays as my hostage. Now hand her over, NOW!" The last word was shouted, and Rick immediately "told" his wife, "Run, sweetheart, run! We're coming now!"

Laurie saw both men glaring at each other, then slipped her arm from Randolph's hand and darted toward the basement door. At once Martin Patrone yelled, "Stop or I'll shoot you!"

"Stupido, don't fire, there's flammable liquid all around here!" the older man shouted back.

Gunshots sounded, then the sounds of a struggle as Rick called frantically "Laurie!"

"Rick, I'm sending a copter now to your location, pull over!" Ron ordered, then Rick ignored him. "Robbie, keep going!"

Immediately Robbiecontinued up the road, only to find the pavement increasingly covered withlayers of dirt and debris.

While her rescuers were on their way, Laurie managed to get the door to the outside open, only to feel a bullet graze her leg as she ran outside. Blindly she limped toward the gated entrance, only to hear the sounds of alarms going off.

As she came to the edge of the landscaping, she heard a loud "boom",. then saw wood and brick and debris flying everywhere. Desperate to escape, she dashed though a gap in the ornamental fencing, then felt something hit her and she went down.

"Rick!" she screamed aloud, then everything went black.