Well, this one is a little small comparted to usual. But i would rather like the ending to be worth the title ending. So this preview chapter is shorter.

I think you will like it, and i hope that you will review. Cause of course you will :-D

Booth had less than a day.

Hours to get his life back.

It just wasn't enough time.

He slipped into the back of the bar- ignoring the shady customers that watched him as he came through.

They didn't give him much credence- he looked like one of them.

Nevertheless, most of these criminal-types had a sixth sense about cops- Seeley Booth was a cop through and through.

He sidled up to the bar.

"What can I get you?" The barkeep growled.

"Information. I need to know about a man named Jonas."

The bartended took a closer look at the young man, standing sitting in his bar.

"Seeley? Is that you?"

Booth stirred uncomfortably.

"Hello Sid."

Sid smiled- rubbing a hand along the top of his spotless bar.

"It's been a long time friend. Where's the good doctor?"

Booth turned flat eyes on the bigger man.

"That's why I'm looking for Jonas."
Sid- ignoring the query eyed his friend.

"Why do you look like you just shook hands with the devil? I didn't know the FBI allowed casual dress."

"I'm on leave." Seeley pulled back his jacket to reveal the empty space where his badge should be.

Sid looked surprised.

"You're going off on your own? Seeley- never knew you were a rule-breaking type. At least not like this."

Booth frowned.

"This time is different."

Sid nodded-

"All I know- is that if you're looking for somebody who knows something about everyone, go here. Ask for Kal."

Booth nodded- staring down at the black writing on the napkin that suddenly pressed into his hand.

"Thank you." He replied shortly. "I owe you."

Sid shook his head.

"We're friends. That's on the house."

Booth was out the door as soon as he finished speaking, heading back out into the sun.

Temperance Brennan woke up again. Her captor was asleep across the room. She wished that she could go over and beat the living crap out of him.

But she was heavily handcuffed to her cot. There was no getting out.

What made it even worse was the fact that she knew it was a trap.

If Booth came to save her, this Jonas, would kill him in cold blood.

In her heart, Temperance knew that he knew that, but she also knew that he would come. Come hell or high water. Booth would come to rescue her.

She was going to kill him.

A tear seeped out of her eyelids.

This happened too much for them.

They would throw whatever they were feeling to the backs of their minds, up until something happened, one of their lives would be threatened. Then it would all start up again.

This was going to continue until one of them moved on- that had always been the only future that she could predict for the two of them.

Temperance Brennan knew that whichever one moved on first- it would break the other's heart.

She shook her head. Maybe moving on wasn't the only option.

Max Keenan opened his door to the rough visage of his daughter's closest friend.

"Hello Booth-"

Booth pushed past his father-in-law. Closing the door swiftly behind him,

"Bones- Temperance has been kidnapped." The word tasted coppery on his tongue. He was still in shock. "I need your help."

Max stood- leaning up against the wall. Booth noticed that he looked suddenly old.

"Why?"

Booth looked defeated.

"To get to me."

Nevertheless, Max understood.

"It's happened before. What are the demands?"

Booth sighed.

"He wants me to meet him Thursday night at the Jeffersonian. No one else is supposed to know."

"Thank you for telling me."

Booth nodded.

"Yeah well- you're the only non-squint guy that I trust with this."

If Max was surprised- he didn't let it show.

"You know this guy is just going to kill you as soon as he gets you in sights."

"Yeah, I know."

Booth had passed the test- Max Keenan slipped back into his apartment- opening drawers and then false backs to drawers- pulling out a beautiful handgun and enough cash to supply him for the rest of his life.

Booth eyed it with interest.

"Do I want to know?" He asked

Bones' father shrugged.

"Probably not."

"I can understand that."

"Do you have any leads?"

They were outside- climbing into Max's small car.

"All I know is, the guy calls himself Jonas. He has something to do with the Disimar case, and he has a beef with me. A friend of mine gave me this name- and a Kal to look for." He handed the napkin over. "The squints are working on the evidence. Nothing yet."

Max read it carefully- he whistled appreciatively.

"Your man knows the underworld. If the guy has talked to anyone- Kal will know."

Booth allowed himself a small smile.

"Sid knows everything."

"You know Sid?" Max asked

Booth turned to look at Max, who was driving out of his driveway.

"You know Sid?"

Max laughed,

"Of course I know Sid, anybody who's anybody knows Sid."

"I thought I was the only one that knew Sid." Booth complained

Max coasted onto the freeway, and then kicked it into fast driving mode.

"Booth, Sid knows everybody."

Kal looked afraid, and not the afraid that comes when you have just seen a scary movie and you're creeped out to walk to your car... or the bathroom.

No, it was more like the fear that you get when you look into the eyes of someone who really has not really a thing to lose.

Max Keenan had eyes like that.

Kal had heard that this guy was scary.

But you didn't know scary until you'd looked into the eyes of the legendary figure.

"Do you know anything about a man named Jonas?"

It wasn't Max that was speaking, it was the man who had come in with him.

Now this guy, he reeked of cop or law enforcement something.

Not that he was a lightweight or anything- the cop stood stolidly behind the career criminal. He was equally as terrifying; Kal could see the cop's hands twitching.

Kal wondered why the officer didn't have a gun- Since he obviously knew how to use one.

The fingers jabbing into Kal's larynx caused his mind to move back to the task.

"Jonas?" He coughed, the pressure relaxed slightly. "No, I haven't heard that name recently?"

Max turned to his quiet partner.

"What do you think Booth?"

The cop's eyes darkened and he shook his head.

Kal found it suddenly difficult to breathe.

"Jonas," Max repeated- a slight smile gracing his cold face. "I have been told that you are the man to go to when it comes to finding people. Sid told me that you were the man." The smile widened. "You wouldn't want to make Sid a liar now would you?"
Kal's eyes bulged slightly (as bad guy's eyes tend to do).

"Sid?"
"The man himself- it seems that Booth here is a close personal friend of his."

Kal eyed Booth suspiciously.

Max pulled Kal's attention back to him.

"And Booth is also a very close friend of mine. So... what do you have to say?"

Kal gulped, and thought very desperately.

"Jonas.... Jonas... There was a man here- said that he was looking for a certain FBI guy and some scientist? A forest-ensic anto-pologist. His name might have been Jonas."

Max turned around, and Booth raised his eyebrows

"And?"
Kal looked worried.

"And what? You're not exactly paying me."
Max was suddenly pushed aside, and Kal found himself in a army-style choke hold, his neck was violently twisted to one side. The pain was intense and stabbing.

"You are going to tell us everything you know. Or else I'm going to snap your neck and tell God that I found you that way." Booth's grin held no mirth or joy, only death. "And you can ask Max- I'm a religious guy."

Max figured that this was what the man must have been like when he was with the Rangers. The career criminal couldn't help being impressed by the display of force. And for some reason, he had a feeling that Booth would do exactly what he said.

Max shrugged.

"If he can't tell us anything. That it would be easier just to leave no witnesses."

Booth flashed a brief, deadly smile- and twisted just a bit harder.

The informer let out a scream of pain.

"Ok- OK- I'll tell you!"

Booth released him and threw him forward with an angry grunt.

Kal rubbed his neck,

"Not much is known about this guy, he only got to town about two weeks ago, supposedly he's been in or around Vegas for the past few years, and he's been hanging out by the place called Julian's. It is a Russian restaurant. He has a thing for Russian food" Kal frowned. "And sharp knives. He's been asking around for a antique weapons dealer at least twice."
Booth felt his blood go cold at the thought of this lunatic with knives. Around Bones.

Max nodded and turned to go.

Booth stopped though, as soon as Keenan was out of the room.

Kal found himself pressed up against the wall- his own gun out of his waistband and stuck into the base of his chin.

Booth's eyes were dead looking.

"If you tell anyone that we were looking for him. I will find you."

Then the cop-guy was gone- and so was Kal's gun.

"Thought I lost you back there for a second."
Max had been waiting, his car humming gently.

Booth shrugged and climbed in.

"I was... covering up our trail."

Max pulled into traffic, heading toward the Russian restaurant.

"You made sure that there was no evidence right?"
"I didn't kill him."

Bones' father eyed Booth with an impressed glance.

"But you would've?"
Booth didn't look at him.

"Murder is my skill set. They would have never known I was there."
Max Keenan nodded approvingly.

"Good man."

Jonas slipped out of Julian's.

There was something rather fulfilling about knowing that you were going to exact revenge on someone that you hated within the week.

He breathed in the air with a fresh and happy sigh.

The doggy bag was under his arm for the good doctor.

She was hungry. She had to be. She had refused any food that he had offered her for the past day now.

And feeding at least two now, she couldn't be comfortable.

That is when he saw the man.

The man that he hated more than anyone else on this planet.

Special Agent Seeley Booth.

He was slipping into his restaurant.

A smaller, older man followed him close behind. A memory twanged at the back of his mind.

This guy wasn't a cop. Of that, Jonas was sure.

Booth spoke tersely to the man at the counter, Jonas' hand reached for one of his many knives. He could kill the man that had ruined his life so easily.

No.

Now was not the time. He wanted to make Booth pay- And killing him right now would not make him pay.

Jonas smiled widely and walked back inside.

Booth watched as Max Keenan interrogated the man at the counter, he smiled and spoke barely a word and then was ushered off to a back room where the Bank robber would most likely speak to the underworld owner of Julian's

The deskman eyed Booth with major suspicion.
Seeley couldn't help it- he oozed good guy.

Booth stayed in the lobby.

A tall blonde man slipped in.

He smiled congenially at the Agent and Booth gave the cursory smile back.

They spoke awkwardly.

"So what brings you to Julian's?"
Booth was irritated with the man's need for small talk- but he was a people person at heart so he bore with him.

"Waiting for a friend."

"Oh- I came to get dinner for a friend. She can't get out right now. A little tied up with work and stuff."

Booth nodded.

Jonas grabbed another bag from the man at the counter- Max suddenly appeared from a back door.

"Booth- we have something."
Booth's phone went off at the exact time- the tall man brushed by on his way out.

"Booth-"

"Seeley we have dust." Cam- her voice was dead serious, and he could hear the rest of the squints talking in the background.

"What kind of dust?"

"Iron dust- Hodgins says that it's the kind that is given off at iron smelting factories."
"There are a lot of those Camille."

"He also says that the dust is from an ore that hasn't been mined in 40 years."
Booth smiled and nodded,

"Good! That is what I wanted to hear. I'll be there in 25."

He hung up the phone.

"What did Julian say?"
"His name is Boris actually."

Booth narrowed his eyes, but resisted the urge to comment.

"And?"
"Well, he said that there has been a guy coming in here everyday for the past week,"

"And?"
"They don't have a name for him. This place is known for not asking questions."
Booth sighed in exasperation.

"This is impossible-"

"Phone?"
He looked down, without seeing the silver phone in his hand.

"Oh. The squint's called, they have dust,"
Max nodded,

"Let's go."
A ringing sound filled the air as they moved to the car for the fourth time that day.

"Your phone's going off."

Booth frowned, and then looked down at his phone. It was dark, but the ringing sound kept on.

He followed the noise, his jacket pocket lit with inner light.

He pulled out a cheap, disposable cell- the caller was registered as Jonas, but the number was unknown.

"Hello?"
The voice that replied was distorted

"Hello Agent Booth."
"Who is this?"

"Jonas."

"What do you want?"
"Justice, simply Justice my friend."
"Let her go. And you can have me."
"No can do. You see- just like the villains of old, I rather enjoy having the upper hand."
"I will find you."

"Of course you will- and just so you know. That little infraction of the rules that i gave you is going to cost her."

"What infraction?"
"The man you were with. I told you to keep this sort of thing under the table."

Booth searched his mind for a time that Jonas could have seen Max,

The Man in the restaurant.

Booth's thoughts were interrupted by a slight scream.

"Oh, by the way, Temperance says hi."

The line went dead.

Brennan felt the icy blade slide down her face, separating her skin as it went along the pale epidermis.

Jonas smiled with glee as her face began to bleed.

The cut was a line, leading from about an inch below her eye down to the base of her chin- her science told her that she would have a scar for the rest of her life.

"Your Special Agent should have played by the rules, and then I wouldn't have to mark up your pretty face."
Brennan would have spoken, but she was tightly gagged- although now she wanted to gag- as he rubbed his finger down the side of her chin.

"But he has to learn."

The neurosis in his eyes cleared suddenly- he moved away- pulling out a digital camera.

"Let's see how he feels after this."

Booth leaned against the metal table in the center of the Jeffersonian.

Hodgins looked tired and pale- and was trying to explain something to Max Keenan who was nodding as if he understood.

"How are you holding up Booth?"

Angela's smile was fleeting. Her face showed bruising and discoloration.

"You should still be in the hospital."
She watched him, he didn't look at her while he spoke.

It seemed like the Booth that she had seen up until a few days ago was a swallowed up by a man with no ability to interact with other human beings.

"I was fine. They were just walking in and staring at me... alot" She pulled several brown cartons out of her purse.

"I brought you pudding." She said hopefully.

"Um... thanks."

"Seeley. You have to focus on something other than finding her." She took his hand in hers, finding it cold and clammy. "You have to sleep."

"Not while he has her." He said, turning to look at her- relinquishing her hand. "I can't let her get hurt."
"Like the gravedigger?"

And all the others. He thought, as the past four years passed through his mind.

Every success had brought them enemies, and with his partner's lack of fear towards the underworld it had been up to Booth to keep her safe. Something that he knew he was made to do.

Paladin

Cullen had called him, protector of the lost and defenseless.

However, even in that he had failed, and with her.

He couldn't lose her.

"Like the gravedigger." He replied, and frowned. It was better this way, if Angela knew, the rest of the lab would know within hours.

"But you killing yourself is not going to help anyone."
"He's going after her because of me."

Angela blinked, watching her friends' face crumple with guilt. Nobody knew why she had been kidnapped; only that she was gone.

"I drew the picture." She said, and pulled the sketch into view. "But you're not gonna be happy. He looks like the most regular guy ever created.

Booth had turned back to staring at nothing,

"I know what he looks like."

"What?"

"He came. And talked to me. We exchanged pleasantries. Then he left. I never knew it was him un-"

The phone that had been dropped into his pocket buzzed lightly. Booth swore and fished the phone out of his pocket.

It was a text- A picture text.

There was Bones' face- colorless and fearful to his practiced gaze.

Through her left cheek was a bleeding cut. Her eyes were still defiant- but he could see that her will to fight was beginning to flag.

Then there was the caption.

Strike One

Booth's rage flared deeper than he had felt it in years, he turned and punched the table so hard that he dented the center.

Angela stepped back- eying the agent that she had known for four years in fear.

Max moved quickly over- placing a restraining hand on the angry man,

"Calm down Booth- you're making a scene."
"He hurt her."
Max's eyes darkened visibly.

"Is she still alive?"
"Yes. But he's hurting her- because I involved you."
Max swore violently, but kept his temper under control. That was something at least that he had learned, his age had brought a longer fuse to his temper.

"Hodgins says that he knows of five different smelting places that she could be being held at. But- you're supposed to meet him here in two hours. There is no way that we could search them all, without anyone else's help."
"So we meet him here." Booth replied numbly. "We meet him here and we end this."

Yeah, well- it's a bit wonky and upbrupt. Review and be happy, one more chapter, i'm about halfway thru the next one. Oh happy day- well if you're bored, i have another fic that's in progress- but it's not Bones, sadly enough.

:-P okay, i'll shut up now.