"Help me lift her," Jesse said. "Take her legs." He picked up Amanda under her shoulders and kept up his worried expression. To his relief Scarlett only hesitated a moment before tucking the gun into her waistband and lifting Amanda up. They were almost at the stairs when Mitch appeared.

"What the hell are you doing?" he said with a raised voice.

"She's sick," Jesse said. "I need to lie her down on a bed, and get some medication from the cabinet."

"No way," spat Mitch. "She can lie on the sofa. Bring her in here," he directed at Scarlett.

"It's too warm in there!" Jesse said, adding a large dose of desperation into his voice. "The sun's coming straight in the window. I need to get her somewhere cool. If you endanger her life by not allowing me to give her basic treatment, then we are not going to want to cooperate with you. Let me treat her, and then we'll help you all we can."

Mitch scowled. "Scarlett, you keep a close on eye on him. I don't trust him." He turned and went back into the living room.

Jesse sighed with relief and quickly carried Amanda up the stairs before Mitch could change his mind. He felt pretty pleased with his negotiations with Mitch and made a mental note to tell Steve. Who needs training? he thought wildly. He and Scarlett laid Amanda on Mark's bed. Jesse pretended to examine her again. "Oh my god, she's burning up!" he said in panic. "I think she's about to have a fit! Quick, I really need that ice from downstairs. I'll get some medication from the cabinet. Oh Amanda, please don't die!" he wailed for good effect.

Jesse's panic seemed to be contagious, and Scarlett didn't appear to doubt him. She raced off downstairs. Amanda opened her eyes. "Quick, the phone!" she said. "I'll see if there's anything in the cabinet that might be useful." Mark kept a large stock of drugs and medication at home just in case. She hurried off to the bathroom.

Jesse picked up the phone beside the bed and quickly dialled the number for the police station, a direct line to Steve's department where everyone knew him and he would be able to say just a few words to get help on the way. The phone dialled. Each tone seemed to last an age. Hurry up! thought Jesse. Answer!

X X X

"What's happened to her?" Mark was asking worriedly. "You ought to let me look. Jesse is an excellent doctor but he may need my help."

"Not a chance," sneered Mitch. "You are lucky we're letting her get any treatment at all. If you want it to continue like that, you will have to give us some reason to be nice. Now let's talk about the money."

"Do you look a lot like your brother?" Steve asked. Mitch seemed taken aback by this change of subject and nodded slightly. "I thought so. You're the brother of Raymond Pledge, aren't you?"

"Well done, cop," Mitch sneered. "Your deductive skills are supreme. Maybe now you've satisfied your curiosity you can concentrate on the task in hand!" His voice rose to a shout as he said the last few words.

Steve thought back to Raymond Pledge. It wasn't really all that long ago, perhaps a couple of years? Pledge had robbed an off-licence with a sawn-off shotgun. It had gone wrong for him when an assistant had appeared from the back room at the same time as an innocent customer had walked through the door. Panicking, Pledge had shot the customer out of the way as he ran for the door. He was later tracked down by using CCTV footage. He had had an accomplice, who had escaped and was never found. Strange, but Steve hadn't come across a brother during the investigation. However, there was no denying the likeness. Pledge certainly hadn't served ten years already.

"Your brother's still in jail!" Steve said. "I would know if he'd been up for parole. He's not served anywhere near his time yet."

"So I lied," Mitch said casually. "Still, the orders come from him. He wants revenge and a nice little nest egg waiting for when he comes out."

"I wondered why he'd been coward enough to send his little brother instead of coming himself," Steve couldn't help retorting.

A second later he knew he'd gone too far. Mitch looked furious, and Steve could almost see his anger building. But then he frowned as he heard a noise from the kitchen. He strode over and opened the door. "Scarlett! What the hell are you doing down here?"

Scarlett continued to grab more ice from the freezer. "He said she's going to die!" she panted.

"Stupid bitch! Finn, get up there! Get them both down here! Drag them down by their hair if you have to!" he growled as Finn sprinted up the stairs.

"What's going on?" demanded Steve.

Mitch was dragging Scarlett back into the living room.

Suddenly, amongst the commotion, there came the indistinguishable sound of a gunshot from upstairs.

Steve and Mark exchanged an agonised expression as they both jumped to their feet. Scarlett seemed to get a grip on herself and she pointed her gun at Mark, and Mitch pointed his at Steve to warn them to move no further.

"Sit down," said Mitch forcefully.

The father and son sat down again slowly, not daring to think what could have happened. Their captors said nothing but watched them closely as they listened to a series of bumps and thumps from above, but no reassuring voices of their friends.

Eventually they heard footsteps coming down the stairs, and then the door opened and Finn came in, holding Amanda tightly by the arm. She looked distraught. Finn let her go and she fell into Mark's arms as he got up and stepped towards her.

Steve was examining Finn's face for any clues as to what had happened. "Jesse?" Mark asked Amanda softly.

"Oh Mark," she said, almost crying. "He locked me in the bathroom as he came past, then went into the bedroom. Jesse was trying to phone… He wouldn't let me go and look at him!"

"Did you shoot him?" Steve asked in a dangerously level voice.

"Yep," said Finn, looking pleased with himself. "Now he shouldn't have tried to do such a stupid thing should he? I'm sure you've got more sense if you want the pretty lady to stay alive as well."

"Is he dead?" Steve said in an almost whisper.

"Well now, I don't know. There was such a lot of blood, it wouldn't surprise me. But once we get the money, you can go and see him. If you're quick, you might even be able to save him."

Steve gave a bellow of rage and hurled himself at Finn, taking him by surprise and knocking him to the floor. He gave him several good punches before managing to grab his gun. Triumphantly he aimed it at Finn, only to feel two barrels pushed very hard into the back of his head. His anger had led him to forget the other two criminals. He silently cursed his own stupidity.

"Not very clever," smirked Mitch. "Drop it."

Steve hesitated, trying to see if there was anything he could do, but his father obviously knew what he was thinking and could see no way out, for he said "Steve…" with a note of warning in his voice. Steve dropped the gun and sat back in his chair.

"You stupid fool," snarled Mitch. "Scarlett, go outside and cut the phone lines. We don't want them pulling another stunt like that!" She obeyed.

"Now you've got that out of your system, let's talk about the money," Mitch said, as Finn got to his feet nursing his face and glaring at Steve.