Chapter 6

Alex and Greg both left the apartment at the same time, Greg to go to work and Alex to go get Greg's dad. Greg stretched and yawned right before he got in the car. He hadn't gotten much sleep that day, especially because he didn't know he'd be going in that night. Alex felt somewhat refreshed. The evening had gone well and further strengthened her belief in her and Greg's relationship.

Alex and Ed had decided to check out a local piano bar. She had jokingly tried to convince him to go to one of Vegas' famous strip clubs, but he didn't bite. He wanted to go somewhere where they could talk. He was as interested in talking to her as she was in talking to him.

They'd been sitting at their booth, sipping their drinks for about an hour. Alex told Ed about her grandmother's death, her own kidnapping and how it was all related. Ed regaled her with stories of Greg as a child and things he remembered from Elizabeth's letters.

Alex felt the familiar vibration of her cell phone and pulled it out. She was a little surprised that it was Gil. "Hey Gil," she answered.

"Is Greg with you?" he responded, not even returning her greeting.

"No," Alex slowly responded. "He was going in to the lab." She looked at her watch. "He should've been there an hour ago."

"That's just it, he didn't show up," Gil informed her.

Alex furrowed her brow. "Did you try his cell?" The words escaped her mouth before she realized what a silly question that was. Of course he'd tried Greg's cell.

"It went directly to his voice mail," Gil replied. "This isn't like him."

Alex's concern was growing. It wasn't like him. If there's one thing he was meticulous about, it was being on time. "Have you checked with the police to see if there was an accident?"

"I was trying you first," Gil stated. "I was hoping maybe you two had just fallen asleep."

She shook her head, forgetting he couldn't see her. "Well, why don't you call the police and I'll start calling hospitals—just in case."

"Will do," Gil responded and hung up.

Alex put her phone down and that's when she remembered Ed sitting across from her. By this time, his concern was evident on his face. He'd only heard Alex's half of the conversation, but that was enough to know something was wrong.

"What's going on?" Ed asked.

Alex took a deep breath. She didn't like breaking bad news to people. "Greg never made it to work."

An expression of shock came over Ed. "Wh-what?"

"That was Gil. Greg never made it to work," Alex repeated, placing her hand on his. "I need to call around to some of the hospitals to see if maybe he was in a car wreck or something. Is it alright if we go?"

Ed nodded slowly and he slid out of the booth. He dazedly followed Alex out to the car. He couldn't believe what he had heard. And it scared him.

They sat in the car Alex called around to emergency rooms. There hadn't been any accident victims matching Greg's description brought in recently.

As Alex called around, she was too consumed with worry to notice what Ed was doing. Ed pulled out his own phone and noticed it was off so he turned it back on. Once it came to life, he noticed he had a voice mail message. He called his voicemail and listened to the message.

After it was over, his jaw hung low. He touched Alex's arm and shook his head, trying to tell her she wasn't going to find Greg at a hospital.

"What Ed?" She asked, horrified by the look on his face.

He hit the button to replay the voice mail message and handed the phone to Alex. She put the phone up to her ear and listened.

"Dad, I'm ok," it was Greg's voice, but somewhat strained. "Don't listen—" he was cut off by what sounded like someone hitting him.

Another voice could be heard, "I have your son. If you and the girl want to see him again, alive and in one piece, it'll cost you. The price and the place are to come. No cops. No FBI. No CSIs. Go back to their apartment and wait for further instructions."

Alex hung up the phone. Her jaw was set square instead of dropping; she was trying not to cry. She looked at Ed, and their eyes said it all. She put the key in the ignition and started the car.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Greg could feel the trickle of blood coming from the side of his mouth. He'd been hit pretty hard. He spat a wad of blood and spit.

"You picked the wrong guy to kidnap," Greg told the man in the ski mask.

The man laughed and then ordered Greg, "Shut the fuck up."

"I don't know what you want, but they aren't going to give you a damn thing," Greg replied, masking his fear with cockiness.

"They'll give me what I want," the man responded. "Because I have what they want."

"Do you not read the papers? This is an old plot. Did you not hear what happened to the last guy to kidnap a CSI?" Greg asked. "He died…was blown up!"

The man turned his eyes towards Greg. "I know the story. I also know the man did it for revenge and that he killed himself. Me, I'm in it for the money and have no plans to die."

Now it was Greg's turn to laugh. "Money? Please! They don't have any money."

The guy squinted his eyes. "Your father and wife obviously have some things they need to tell you."

"She's my fiancé," Greg replied, but the look on his face must have given him away. Greg wondered how the man could possibly know.

The man laughed again. "That's right. I know. And obviously I know a lot more than you."