This is a bit dark, so please be forewarned. The bad guys are really bad…

My heartfelt thanks to all the reviewers and readers! This writing has been a lot of fun to produce. Too bad I don't own any of the characters, except for Julie and Michele. They are entirely fictitious and not related to anyone living or dead that I know of (and I am thankful for that!)

Chapter 6

"I want to speed things up a little bit, detective, and having to shoot you with your partner guarding you is just slowing down the process." Starsky could feel himself being lifted. He guessed he had asked a question, but maybe this guy was talking to himself. He was unsure of himself and where he was. Almost as an afterthought, he felt a tightening around his right arm. Somebody rubbed it and lightly hit his arm inside the elbow. He felt a needle dive into his arm. Starsky tried to jerk away, and succeeded in earning a cuff to the head.

"Now, now. You know you want this." Starsky rolled his eyes towards the voice, but nothing would come into focus. "Wait…" but it was too late. He felt a warm flush and an exquisite feeling of floating. He forgot his fear of the needle and the man behind it as the drug worked its way through his body.

"He's not feeling a thing."

"No, but it is getting to him now. He needs it more and more often." Robert looked at Starsky with disgust. He had so enjoyed how Forest had used the drug to pressure this cop's partner into giving up that stupid girl, Jennie. Monk was sure he would not give, but Forest had pushed and gotten what he wanted. Monk. If he hadn't be so caught up in daydreaming about how he was going to try the drugs out on another guy that had roused his anger, Hutchinson would not have gotten away. Monk would still be alive. The only reason Robert was not behind bars with Conley and Forest was because Monk had beaten him senseless and left him for dead. Conley had helped. He had awakened in a hospital on the Southside. Nobody that mattered knew that he had lived. But Monk. Monk had found him again even after his death. He would not leave him alone. Robert was certain Monk would be satisfied after he had finished with this hunt. He would finally be vindicated and Monk would leave him alone.

Cops were thoughtless jerks. Selfish, thoughtless jerks. They deserved this. They had to be brought down a notch or two. And he had learned how to do it. He had been able to shoot him up five or six times since Julie's sister had lured him out. The little brat had taken off after he had taken the detective. When she returned he would have to punish her. He looked forward to that. He controlled her with his punishments. Her fear served his purposes.

He liked that, and so did Julie. She was such a twisted little sadist. She did not care what he did to her sister. He was coming to appreciate her icy will. It added just the right amount of thrill to the chase. Lately she had started helping him by teasing his subjects with a promise of freedom before they faced him for the final hunt. She could be so warm and the next moment so heartless.

She was the one who suggested that instead of going after Hutchinson immediately, he go after his partner. She had observed them closely while they drove her to the "safe house" and almost instinctively she figured that by hurting his partner, Robert could make his vengeance against Hutchinson that much sweeter. Though he would never let her know, he appreciated that insight. He would have simply shot them both once they were trapped in the valley. Playing with them like he had his other subjects was immensely satisfying. Yes, Julie had been very helpful. She had even provided her sister to supply the distraction he needed. A little heavy physical persuasion had convinced her that she was doing the right thing leading the detectives here. With Julie's support, Michele had no choice but to do what he wanted her to do.

He looked at Julie studying Starsky on the ground.

"No, he's not feeling anything. Not yet. But he will."

Julie smiled.

"I was watching Hutchinson. He's pretty pissed."

"He'll be frantic before long. After this next dose he can have his partner back. Once I am done with him, he will be begging for more. When Starsky doesn't get his fix in time, he'll be crawling up the wall. And maybe, if Hutchinson is lucky, I'll let him be the one to sooth his partner's tattered nerves with the needle. Maybe Hutchinson will want the needle for himself." Robert walked over to where the object of his attention lay. A faint bruise could be seen on his jaw. "I watched his buddy punch him. It was quite … satisfying."

Julie knew Robert found it more than satisfying. He rarely talked about his subjects during the hunt. This was his drug, making others suffer. She liked it when he got high like this. She liked the ways he could make his subjects squirm, beg and plead. Robert had honed his skill to perfection, and sometimes he allowed her to come along for the ride. Practice made perfect. She now realized that these guys were different though. When she saw that he had planned to shoot the two instead of drugging them and playing with them, she had to think quickly. She convinced Robert that shooting up Starsky would have devastating psychological effects on Hutch. Especially after he had told her about the first time he had worked over Hutchinson. Then she had brought out her tranquilizer darts. A little modification and it accommodated the heroin quite nicely.

She loved the look of horror on Starsky's face when he was fighting off his partner.

Robert rarely took on two, and bringing the guy in to mainline the drugs was a new twist. She found it intensely sensual. They locked eyes and in the next moment he had forced her head back and was kissing her with crushing force. She tasted blood. Her heartbeat began to race. When he finally released her hair, she took a deep breath, looked at Robert and smiled. Her eyes burned her desire.

The guy Robert had just shot up moaned. His trip was taking him down some ugly roads. "Let's make sure he'll be here for his next dose." Julie took a strip of rope and tied Starsky's hands to his feet. He was so high he wouldn't be able to untie the simplest of knots. She said as much to Robert.

"Baby, I have learned you never underestimate your subject. Do it right the first time, or you might lose it all." Julie smiled as she saw the hard look of anger flash in Roberts's eyes. She tied a couple of surgeon's knots and yanked each one tight. She would probably have to cut the ropes off. "For you, I'll always do it right."

She found herself in yet another crushing embrace. Robert meant for her to feel his strength, and she gave as good as she got. Robert was a vicious lover, and just as sadistic in his loving as when he was playing with his subjects. She rode the waves of pain into her own ecstasy. She knew Robert would find his own satisfaction in her.