DISCLAIMER

Everything recognizable belongs to CBS, USA, Chuck Norris, and Jaimi. Anything else is mine. I only have wordpad right now, so if anything's spelled wrong, I apologize.

At Thunder Investigations, Carlos looked over his case file and frowned. Their client, Regina Wilcox had come to them and asked them to trail her husband, whom she suspected was cheating. When they had first taken on the case, they had figured it'd be open and shut. However, it had proven to be anything but. He blew out a breath.

"What's the matter, man?" a voice asked. Carlos turned his head to see Trent.

"This case. It's driving me nuts. I mean, Mrs. Wilcox has so many holes in her story, it's like swiss cheese," Carlos responded.

"Yeah, I know what you mean," Trent stated.

"Hey, I got coffee," Kim called.

"Kim, you're a lifesaver," Carlos breathed gratefully, taking a cup.

"Well, I've certainly been called worse," Kim joked. Trent laughed. Kim watched as the boys drank the beverage. Suddenly, the lights went out.

"Uh-oh," Trent said.

"Uh, okay. I'm sure we didn't forget to pay the bills," Carlos quipped, trying to quell his unease.

"I'm not sure I like this," Kim added. Then, they heard them. Cold, calculating footsteps. With dread, Carlos stood up. He knew those steps. He had heard them for years as a kid. And they had haunted him for years after in his nightmares.

"Kim...go," he said, his voice shaking.

"But---" Kim began to protest.

"Go!" Carlos interrupted. The woman made no further objections and ran off. However, she was intercepted. The boys turned around at their friend's scream.

"No one's goin' anywhere," the man warned, holding a struggling Kim by the arm.

"Let me go," the woman demanded.

"Shut up," the man sneered.

"Hey, come on, man. Leave her out of this," Carlos said.

"Don't talk unless spoken to. Remember that, boy?" a voice sharply scolded. Trent watched as Carlos shrank within himself. The private investigator knew that there was only one person who could affect Carlos that way.

"Leroy," the man stated as the older man came into view. In his hand was a gun.

"Okay, Carlos. Let's go," he said, waving the weapon.

"Carlos, don't do it," Kim warned.

"Shut it," her captor threatened, shaking her.

"Leave her alone!" Carlos cried. Leroy let out a shot.

"Shut up, Carlos," the man sneered. "Now...let's go," he continued.

"Yeah. Okay, Leroy," Carlos agreed softly. Leroy smirked as his stepson walked up to him.

"What about her?" Leroy's partner questioned, leering at Kim.

"Leroy. Please," Carlos hoarsely interjected.

"Bring her along," Leroy responded.

"No," Carlos said. He lunged at his stepfather, but was pushed to the floor.

"Don't do that again, boy," Leroy snarled. "Now...let's go," he reported. Helplessly, Trent watched as the small group left the building.

AUTHOR'S NOTE

Well, this is a surprise. This isn't what I had originally planned. But I hope you like it. I know I didn't explain where Leroy's backup came from and I apologize. This is just how it came out. And since Leroy used fear to make Carlos go with him, it is basically kidnapping.