Chapter 17

'Are you ready to go?' Starsky asked at about a quarter past midnight. The disco was still pounding out the music and there were still plenty of couples on the dance floor and although Gina looked tired, she shook her head.

'No, I'm fine. I want to stay a while' she said, with an odd look in her eyes.

Starsky shrugged his shoulders. 'You're the boss' he grinned. 'But I ought to warn ya, I should've turned into a pumpkin 15 minutes ago.'

Gina giggled briefly. '….and instead you seem to have acquired a parsnip' she said gazing at the bulge in the brunet's pants.

He snorted. 'You fault. One look at the most beautiful woman in the world and I turn to stone. What's a guy to do huh? Wanna go back to my place and take care of it honey?'

The woman froze. On her last visit to the ladies bathroom, Ramsey had once again been waiting for her. He'd grabbed her once more and had hissed that he wanted her to bring the cop back to the apartment – he felt in the need for a diversion. Gina had tried to refuse, but the lawyer calmly took out a roll of negatives and waved them at her, reminding her of what was at stake if she didn't comply and meekly, she'd nodded. So now, this was it and she heard herself say 'Let's go back to mine. It's a bigger bed.'

Starsky nodded appreciatively. 'Ok, your place it is. Wait there while I get your coat.' As the brunet threaded his way across the dance floor Gina looked around desperately for her boss, but Ramsey was nowhere to be seen. With a sigh, she smiled at her man as Starsky returned, put her jacket around her shoulders and followed as the brunet led the way outside. She got into the car with a mixture of dread and self loathing that she wasn't strong enough to just tell Ramsey where to drop off, so that he'd leave her, and Starsky alone. But she was weak, and weakness, in Ramsey's eyes, equated to sport. But tonight, Gina vowed to herself, would be the very last time he ever did this. She'd hire a private detective, or…. or….

The drive back to her apartment was quiet. Starsky seemed happy to be invited back and as he pulled into the parking lot and switched off the engine, he took a hold of Gina's hand and kissed it.

'I love you Gina Bianchi' he whispered as his lips grazed the back of her hand. She smiled back at him, but the smile didn't light up her eyes.

'I love you too Dave. We should get inside. I feel a little chilly.'

The two walked through the deserted lot and got into the elevator up to the penthouse suite and as the door whooshed open with a whisper, Gina walked out of the small car, followed by the curly haired cop. As she put the key in the lock and pushed the door open, she thought she saw a movement from inside and as Starsky walked into the apartment and closed the door behind him, the light came on and swift as a flash, Ian Ramsey came out of the shadows and grabbed Gina by the arm, pulling her to him and wedging a Colt pistol into the crook of her neck.

Gina screamed as Starsky reached reflexively for his gun, coming up empty handed a second later. Who in their right mind would wear his piece to a night out at the disco with his girl? Even Hutch, who he'd once famously said wouldn't visit his mother without his gun had been without it that evening. Gina screamed again and the brunet glared angrily at Ramsey

'What the fuck are you doin' man?'

'Protecting my interests, and maybe having a little fun along the way.'

'Just let her go. We can talk about this. Just put the gun down and let her go huh?' Starsky said slowly and softly.

'That's right cop. All the right moves from "hostage taking 101" huh? Talk nicely to the gun wielding maniac and try to make him see sense? The thing is, that only works when the gun wielding maniac is a maniac. I'm not. I'm perfectly sane an' I know just what I'm doin'.'

'Hey, you got the gun buddy. You're callin' the shots. I just wanted to find out why' Starsky muttered, his hands now at shoulder height showing that he wasn't armed.

'You're dead right there. I do call all the shots. As for why? You were getting too close.'

Starsky's eyebrows arched in question. 'Too close? To you? What the…. The studio? It was you behind those films?'

Ramsey's eyes showed confusion but his hand didn't waiver from Gina's neck. 'Films? What the hell are you talking about?' He shook the woman in his arms 'You little tramp. You said you wouldn't tell him.'

Gina screamed again, tears streaming down her face. 'I didn't. I swear I didn't. Ian, please believe me, I wouldn't. I wouldn't want Dave to know.'

'Know about what?' the brunet asked, confused. He was looking for the guy who made the snuff films, but obviously Ramsey was talking about something else completely.

'Maybe we should let the detective see what we're talking about huh? Shall we give him a private showing darling?' Ramsey asked. He motioned Starsky further into the apartment with a nod of his head and indicated a hard, wooden, ladder backed chair, sitting on its own and obviously placed carefully in the middle of the room.

'Sit down David, make yourself comfortable.' Ramsey walked Gina into the living room behind Starsky and as the cop sat down carefully on the chair, Ramsey took out a length of thin rope from his pocket and handed it to the woman.

'Tie his hands to the chair and make it good. I'll be testing the knots.'

Gina lurched forward and fell to her knees by the chair, fumbling with the rope. 'I'm sorry' she whispered as she took a hold of Starsky's right wrist and started to tie it to the back of the chair. 'He made me. He's been blackmailing me. I didn't want to…. I just…. Oh God!' she turned from her task 'Ian, please don't do this…. Don't make me do this.'

Ramsey grinned at her. 'Too late for that now darling. Carry on with your job and we can give Detective Starsky a show.' He stood back as reluctantly Gina bound her boyfriend's other wrist to the chair, shuffling to one side as Ramsey tested the bonds. All were tight and Starsky could already feel pins and needles in his hands.

'Dave, listen to me. I never meant to hurt you, honest I didn't. Ian made me. Before you watch…. he made me and I'm so sorry. I love you Dave, I love you so much! It was….. I was angry at you and he took advantage, it's no excuse but…..'

The lawyer grabbed hold of Gina's hair and hauled her to her feet where she stood sobbing.

'Save your breath you silly little girl' Ramsey snapped. 'He has no idea what you're talking about, have you cop? You weren't to know that your little slut of a girlfriend turns out to be a real hot little porn star.'

A moment later, the gun was back in place at the side of her neck and he pulled her over so that he could reach the button on the VCR. As the woman gave a strangled cry, the images on the blank, white wall opposite jumped to life and Starsky watched in open mouthed horror as he saw himself and his girl on the big bed in the apartment.

'You sick bastard' the brunet yelled, struggling in his chair as Ramsey crossed the room slowly and whipped the pistol across the cop's temple. Blood started to seep from the cut and the breath whistled through Starsky's teeth. He forced his ringing head up to stare Ramsey in the eyes.

'Shudup cop. Watch and enjoy huh?' Ramsey snarled as he held Gina by the throat.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

'Its nothing I can't handle. I just….. Hutch I know you love Dave, almost as much as I do. Just be there for him huh? Keep close tonight, and don't let him out of your sight……don't let him out of your sight……don't let him out of your sight.' Gina's words echoed round and round Hutch's dream until finally he shook himself awake and sat bolt upright in his bed. "Don't let him out of your sight", and what had he done? He'd gone home to sweet Alice and her comfort and left the brunet alone. Something in Gina's voice came back to haunt him now and Hutch flung back the sheet and swung his legs to the floor, grabbing for the telephone. Almost automatically the blond dialed Starsky's telephone number and waited, the receiver jammed to his ear as he counted the rings…. Three….four……five. Shit. Starsky always picked up by now!

With his heart in his mouth, Hutch fumbled through the bits of paper he kept in some loose kind of order in his address book and found the number for Gina's apartment. Sending up a silent prayer, he dialed that number and closed his eyes willing someone to pick up, but once again, his prayers went unanswered and the ring tone continued for some time before automatically disconnecting itself.

Now officially worried, the blond got himself out of bed and dressed quickly, tiptoeing from the room so as not to disturb Alice. The woman slumbered on regardless and a moment later, Hutch was outside and in the cool night air and getting into his car. He had a fair idea where he'd find Starsky and his girl, but as to what condition he'd find them in? Hutch cursed long and hard as he drove. Why hadn't he just listened more carefully to what Gina had said? Why hadn't he just offered to wait and go home with his partner? Why had he allowed his feelings of jealousy towards Gina and her ready access to Starsky's body to interfere with his gut feelings? Shit! Now those feelings were kicking in. and they weren't good feeling either. They were the feelings the blond always got when his partner was in trouble.

In his rush to get to Starsky, Hutch took a wrong turn, cursed again long and hard and reversed out of the narrow side street back onto the main highway speeding up to make up for lost time until he pulled up outside the apartment block. Getting out, Hutch checked his gun as he ran for the elevator and punched the button for the top floor. He leaned against the wall, hands braced against the cool, shiny metal as he waited for the car to take him up to the top floor. It seemed to take an age – too long, too long. Hutch could almost feel the anxiety rising like a damp, suffocating blanket up his chest and into his throat until he felt he could breathe no more.

The car stopped and the doors opened into the tiny landing with a door opposite. Gently, his gun at the ready, Hutch pushed the door open and walked in. The room was brightly lit and he stopped as he saw the living room door ajar, his partner tied to a chair and Ian Ramsey standing with a gun drilling into Gina's neck.