Vivian jumped out of the car as soon as Jack arrived. She walked quickly towards her boss. "I just wanted to call you", she said then she noticed Andy Banks standing behind Jack.

"Have we heard anything from the guy?"

Vivian shook her head. "No, not since the last time we spoke. And I didn't want to contact him unless Jack said so. What are we gonna do, Jack?" She turned her attention to her boss again.

Jack furrowed his brow. "He has Danny's radio, right? So we can talk to him."

"Yes." Vivian handed Jack her radio and he spoke into it: "Mr Donald, this is Special Agent Jack Malone. Mr Donald, can you hear me?"

………………

The radio was lying on the table and Danny immediately tensed up at the sound of Jack's voice. He looked at the man, sitting on the filthy sofa, and said: "You gotta answer that."

"No."

"Mr…? What is your name? I couldn't quite hear."

"What?"

"Your name", Danny repeated. "I want to know your name." He cursed himself. Why hadn't he asked before? For over ten minutes he had just sat there by the window, frozen and silent, but hearing Jack's voice had brought him back to his senses.

"Can't tell you."

"Why – my people have found it out by now, anyway", Danny said but there was no answer. "Look, I think I need to call you something…"

"Call me Greg", the man said in a raised voice. He got up from the couch and walked over to where Danny was but made sure he kept a certain distance between himself and the FBI Agent. Looking down at the young man he suddenly spat: "But I don't want to talk to you, anyway. Or to them." He motioned towards the radio.

"You need to", Danny tried to insist. "Or they'll come in here."

"They won't."

"Sooner or later they'll find a way."

Again there was no answer.

Greg went back to the couch and sat down again. Danny watched him, thinking frantically but was interrupted when he heard Jack's voice again. "Mr Donald. I need to speak with you."

Knowing that it was useless to try and make the man answer Danny still tried. "Speak to them. We'll have to end this. You can't remain in here forever."

"Don't you think I know that?" Greg raised his voice again. "I just haven't figured out what to do, yet. So shut the hell up!"

But Danny had no intention of doing so. "Is this where you live, Greg?" he asked, his fear not quite forgotten, but with more confidence now. "Or do you just keep the girls in here?"

Silence.

"You know what?" Danny continued. "I don't think you live here. This place is so dirty no one could live here."

"This is my house."

"Yes, but I guess you live in the city. I guess, you're just taking the girls out here to…" he stopped, unable to go on.

Greg remained silent.

"Where are they, Greg?"

No answer.

"The girls, Greg, where are they?"

"Shut up!" Greg rose from the couch again and came closer. This gave Danny an idea. If only he could get the guy to come close enough… Danny's left hand was still cuffed to the radiator but his right hand was free. If only he could get Greg to come close enough so he could grab him. The man was unarmed right know and Danny had seen him put the keys for the hand-cuffs into his pocket earlier. And that had been stupid of him! All Danny would have to do was to provoke him so he would lose control and wouldn't think clearly so he would come close and give the agent a chance to overpower him.

"You can't tell me there aren't here? I'm pretty sure my people will find them in the cellar when they come in here. Probably dead."

"Stop…"

"Because I think you murdered them…"

"Shut the hell up." With two quick steps Greg came close enough to slap Danny hard across the face.

It hurt but still Danny reacted quickly. He grabbed the other man's arm and pulled him down. It wasn't difficult since slapping him had unbalanced him for a moment – and in addition to that Danny had the advantage of surprise. Greg crashed into the radiator with such a force he lost his glasses in the process and that gave another advantage to Danny and he kicked the glasses away.

But Greg wasn't going to give in. He was slightly dazed after the collision and he tried to crawl away – out of Danny's reach.

But Danny managed to grab him by his shirt and pulled him back. They struggled for what seemed like five minutes but couldn't have been more than one minute and eventually Danny managed to knock the other man unconscious. He reached for the keys and freed himself. His left wrist hurt and he moved his hand, trying to regain sensation in it.

When he got up from the ground he felt dizzy for a moment and he reached for the radiator to steady himself.

………………

Jack paced up and down the street, cursing quietly every now and then or barking an order at somebody. Agents had surrounded the house but so far Jack hadn't given them the green light to try and storm it. He was still waiting for Donald to reply.

"It's no use", he finally said to Vivian. "He won't negotiate. We will have to go in."

"Jack, we can't. He said he would kill Danny." Vivian seemed totally calm and Jack had often asked himself how she did it. No matter how bad the situation seemed she almost never lost her composure – it was one of the reasons Jack appreciated having her on the team. Of course he knew that she wasn't really as unaffected as she seemed.

"I don't think he will kill him. He probably just…"

"What? Bluffed? I don't think so. I really don't."

Jack groaned. "But what the hell are we going to do then?"

"I don't know but I tell you one thing – if you go in there I won't be behind you."

Surprised, Jack looked at Vivian. This was very unlike her. Maybe the situation was affecting her more than he had thought. But Jack would do what he had to do and he was about to give the order to storm the house when he heard the radio crackle and then… Danny's voice: "Vivian?"

Forgetting that they weren't on first-name terms – since Jack hadn't offered that to Danny, yet – Jack almost shouted back: "Danny? Are you alright?"

TBC

Author's notes: So… I'm nice and I've freed Danny from his uncomfortable position quite quickly, haven't I? Although I have to admit I kinda like the idea of having Danny cuffed to something… like naked to my bed, for example; that would be okay… ;-)

Now… d'you think that's perverted…?