Mitch was only a few minutes along the country road into the city when his stomach cramps began. Soon he could bear it no more and pulled over by some trees. He pulled Amanda from the car and forced her to get into the boot/trunk. She protested mildly but Mitch was wild with urgency and poked the gun into her until she obeyed. Then he locked the boot and she heard him run towards the trees. When she had added the medication to the coffee she hadn't planned to be away from the house when it took effect. It looked like her plan of providing a distraction might backfire.

It seemed an age before she heard him return to the car, stuck in the boot that stank of car fumes and provided little room to move. She flinched as a loud clang echoed right beside her head, and surmised that Mitch had kicked the car. "You bitch!" he yelled. "Think you're clever, putting something in my drink? Think I can't work it out! Well, you'll be sorry, and your friends will be too. I'm going to make an example of you!" He kicked the car again but left her locked in the boot. The car started up and jolted back onto the road. Amanda was bounced around, knocking her head on the side painfully. She tried to brace herself better as Mitch drive the car furiously. Suddenly it screeched to a halt and she heard footsteps coming to the rear.

The boot was opened and Amanda saw Mitch's furious face. He grabbed her arm and fairly yanked her out of the car and dragged her towards the house. Amanda saw that they were back at the beach house. Mitch held the gun to her head as he unlocked the front door. Amanda dare not try anything as she was sure she was not strong enough, especially with Mitch in the rage that he was.

Mitch shoved her through the door, still at gunpoint, and then the pair of them stopped. In the middle of the hallway lay Jesse, covered in blood and lying at an odd angle. "Huh, how'd he get free?" grunted Mitch.

Amanda gasped. "Oh no, Jesse!" she cried.

"Shut up," Mitch said in a low voice. He pushed Amanda onwards, more cautiously now, towards the door where he had left the captives. He opened the door and pushed Amanda through. A horrific sight met their eyes. Mark and Steve both lay on the floor, covered in blood like Jesse had been. They weren't moving. Amanda sank down on the sofa in horror.

"What the hell happened here!" exclaimed Mitch. "Finn! Scarlett! Where the hell are you?"

Amanda was unable to tear her eyes away from the horrible sight of her friends in front of her. She felt too numb for tears. She looked at the fallen body of Mark. His face looked stricken, as if he had died in pain. But then, as she looked, Mark's eyes blinked open and he winked at her. Then they shut again. Amanda was utterly astonished and delighted at the same time. She hoped that this meant that the others were okay too, and part of the plan. She glanced at Mitch and composed her face, glad that he had not been watching her as she was sure her relief had shown clearly.

Mitch was angry at the absence of his accomplices. Judging Amanda to be too distraught to try anything, he went into the kitchen looking for Finn and Scarlett. As he left, Steve silently rose from his position on the floor, smiling at Amanda as he met her eye, and took up a place beside the kitchen door. Mitch returned to the living room, and didn't see Steve until it was too late. Steve swung a heavy fist at him and knocked him to the floor. Before he could move Steve was sitting on top of him and Mark was there with washing line to tie him up with.

"I'll teach you to mess with the Sloans!" Steve growled.

Mark called, "Jesse!" and the younger doctor came bounding in through the door, his front stained with fake blood.

"That worked a treat!" he said.

Amanda rushed to him and hugged him hard. "Are you really okay?" she asked, hardly daring to believe it.

"Whoa, steady on!" Jesse gasped, barely able to breath. "I'm fine, don't worry, just a little scratched and bruised. Are you?"

"Yes," said Amanda. "Where are the others?"

"Oh, they're tied up nice and tight in a cupboard in the hall," laughed Jesse.

Steve went and fetched them, dragging them through one at a time. Mitch gave Finn a murderous look but said nothing, knowing when he was beaten. Steve found a cell phone and called the police to come and collect the criminals, and Mark sank into the sofa in relief.

"I've spent most of the last few hours on this sofa, but it's amazing how much more relaxing it is when you're not being forced to stay here," he smiled. Amanda smiled back and sat down beside him. He put a friendly arm around her.

Steve placed a hand on Jesse's shoulder. "You have no idea how glad I am to see you are alright," he said. "These goons told us that you were bleeding to death and we couldn't help you until they had got the money."

Jesse shrugged. "Nah, I'm so small I'm hard to hit!"

The four sat down on the sofas, Steve keeping his gun pointed at their captives in case they had any ideas of escaping. But it didn't seem so; all three looked thoroughly beaten. Wearily, the four friends smiled round at each other, no words required, each thinking how lucky they were to come out of their ordeal relatively unscathed. In the distance, sirens could be heard approaching.

Hope you enjoyed it! Reviews welcome. I'm working on another story that I'll start to put up soon!