Hawke's eyes hadn't moved from John. The leader was glued to the front window waiting for the helicopter he had demanded. He had taken another call once the demand call had finished and it had seemed to upset him. Hawke figured that something had gone wrong with their plans and he was betting money that Caitlin had something to do with it.

He glanced over at Michael. The former spy had his gaze fixed on Marella; hers was fixed on Michael. It was a helluva way for them to spend the morning of their wedding, Hawke mused. His head tilted suddenly, his sensitive ears catching the sound of the helicopter.

'Get ready.' Hawke muttered nudging Michael.

'I can't let them take her, Hawke.' Michael whispered his face white with tension.

Hawke sighed. 'I know.' He just hoped they all made it out of the impending confrontation alive.

John grinned. 'That's our ride.'

'About time.' One of his men said.

'Let's get this show on the road.' John ordered. 'I want everyone but the ten we discussed ready to move out of the inner door in ten minutes. The other should wait by the outer door.' He pointed at the locked patio doors. 'I have a call to make.'

Hawke and Michael were ushered to their feet.

'Wait!' Michael said shrugging off one of the men. 'I want to change places with her.' He gestured at Marella.

'Michael, it's OK.' Marella said trying to reassure him. 'I'll be fine.'

'Get moving!' The gunman stuck the point of his weapon into Michael's side.

'Please.' Michael insisted ignoring the feel of the harsh steel. 'Let me go in her place.'

'What's going on here?' John asked coming to see what was causing the delay.

'He wants to take the broad's place.' His man told him smirking. 'Ain't that sweet.'

John sighed and looked at Michael. 'Do as you're told and you'll both live to see your wedding.'

'Take me instead of her.' Michael tried again.

John gave a half-grimace. His hand shot out unexpectedly and Michael went reeling. Marella ignored the gun being pointed at her to move to his side. It was Hawke who reacted slamming his fist into John's face. The sound of the guns all rising into place to shoot him had him freezing.

John tested his jaw. 'Nice right hook.'

Hawke saw the punch coming. His head jerked back but he remained standing.

'Now I suggest you take the groom and get in line.' John instructed. 'Or I'll shoot her.' His gun pointed directly at Marella's head.

'Just go, Michael.' Marella whispered. 'I love you.'

'I love you.' Michael said softly.

Hawke helped him to his feet and handed him his cane. He helped him over to the line of men that waited by the inner door. They looked back at Marella who was ushered to her place by the outer one. As the inner door swung open and they started to file out, Michael held her gaze for as long as he could before he found himself in the foyer of the club house.

Caitlin wrapped her arms around Hawke briefly before she handed him an Airwolf uniform. 'I'll explain the plan on the way.' She said quietly.

'I'm coming too.' Michael said forcefully.

'They're making their move across the lawn, Chief!' The officer's yell had them all turning in the direction of the front door briefly.

'I'm sorry, Michael.' Caitlin reached over and squeezed his arm.

'They've got Marella.' Michael said desperately. 'I'm coming.'

'No, you're staying.' Saint John's hand landed heavily on Michael's shoulder. 'And so am I.' He met Michael's furious gaze head on. 'They're the best at what they do, Michael. Trust them.'

'We'll bring her back, Michael.' Hawke said firmly. 'I promise.'

Michael struggled against his urge to argue, to insist they take him with them. His gaze met Hawke's and the resolute determination in the pilot's eyes. Hawke had promised him and Hawke always kept his promises. He nodded jerkily.

Hawke reached out and patted Michael's shoulder before he spun away. He and Caitlin raced behind the club house to where Airwolf had been moved. It took them only a few minutes before Hawke took his place in the commander seat, Mike beside him and Caitlin at her place at the engineer's console.

'System's ready, Hawke.' Caitlin said crisply. 'That chopper is clear and headed South.'

'Let's get airborne.' He ordered. 'We're going to track them from a high altitude.'

'Got it.' Mike said.

Airwolf ascended into the sky and Hawke pulled back sharply on the stick taking up so rapidly most people on the ground missed seeing her at all.

'Are you sure this plan is going to work, Cait?' Hawke asked as he settled into a hover above the cloud cover.

'I sure hope so.' Caitlin said. 'But if you have something better?'

'I just want to keep my promise to Michael.' Hawke said.

'You will.' She assured him.

Hawke glanced back and met her reassuring blue-green eyes before he turned back to the blue sky. 'What's the status? Are you picking anything up from Marella's glasses still?'

'Yeah. It's all going as planned. They've transferred the money from the briefcase to their rucksacks.' Caitlin noted with satisfaction. 'It looks like they're going to dump the briefcase.'

Mike frowned. 'But that means it's definitely…'

'Yep.' Caitlin sighed. 'I hate it when I'm right.'

Hawke and Mike exchanged a look.

'What?' Caitlin demanded seeing it.

'You love being right.' Hawke pointed out dryly.

'OK, so I love being right.' Caitlin allowed. 'But this time I sure wish I was wrong. There goes the briefcase.'

'Good thing I placed a tracer on the chopper when everyone was distracted, huh?' Mike said cheerfully.

They tracked the helicopter for another ten minutes. It eventually headed for a beach on the East of the island, not far from the club house. Hawke landed behind some trees and he and Caitlin got out. They moved forward stealthily on foot, their guns in their hands, ready.

The helicopter containing the gang had landed by the surf. The pilot had opted to stay inside it; the others had gotten out along with Marella.

Hawke signalled for his wife to go left as he went to the right as a car pulled up.

Marella's dark eyes widened at the sight of the man approaching the gang. 'Chief Sumni!' She shook her head. 'I can't believe it's you! My father's your friend!'

'I'm sorry, Marella. I really am.' Sumni grimaced. 'It wasn't meant to go down like this but you did insist on putting yourself in the middle.'

'So what?' Marella demanded. 'You're just going to shoot me?'

'That's the plan.' Sumni nodded at John who began to raise his gun.

A shot rang out and caught John in the shoulder; he flew backwards landing on the ground. Sumni whirled around his gun drawn.

'Drop the guns!' Hawke ordered from his position behind a rock near the tree-line. He trained his gun on a second man.

Caitlin backed him up from her position across the beach behind a tree, her gun steady as a rock.

Sumni glared at her but didn't drop his weapon. 'You weren't supposed to be here. The tracer was in the briefcase.'

'I lied.' Caitlin called out.

'Why?' Marella demanded. 'You owe me that much!'

'I just wanted some cash for more retirement.' Sumni said sharply. 'It wasn't meant to go this way.'

'I said drop the guns.' Hawke ordered again.

'There are more of us than of you.' The Chief noted.

'We're not here alone.' Caitlin said.

Sumni smiled suddenly. 'Neither am I.'

'Drop it!' Strickland's voice behind her had Caitlin freezing in position. She slowly held her gun up in a gesture of surrender and moved forward a couple of steps as he pushed her out from behind her cover.

'As you can see your cavalry is actually mine.' Sumni said smiling broadly. He gestured at Hawke. 'I would really surrender now.'

'I don't think so.' Hawke said coldly. His eyes were flints of ice glinting in the morning sunlight. 'He's not our cavalry.'

Airwolf suddenly bounded over the trees, a strafe of gunfire peppering the sand as Zebra Squad ran out from the tree-line to take up defensive positions around them. Marella launched herself at Sumni as Hawke took out another gunman. The other two ran for the chopper.

Caitlin whirled, her leg shooting out in a perfectly executed kick to disarm the detective behind her. He tried to hit her and she blocked it. Her own punch landed and he went down unconscious at her feet. 'You are so under arrest.' She muttered.

Marella stood over Sumni, his gun in her hand pointed at his belly. Her dark eyes glittered dangerously. 'Give me one good reason why I shouldn't shoot you like the rat you are.'

Sumni glared up at her silently daring her to take the shot.

She lowered her aim and pulled the trigger. The bullet landed two inches from his crotch in the sand. A spreading urine stain provided the humiliating evidence that he had wet his pants. Her eyes dismissed him with contempt. 'You're not worth it.' She gestured for the commander of Zebra Squad to come over. 'Take him into custody.'

Caitlin pushed her own handcuffed captive over to stand next to the struggling Sumni. The two women watched as Hawke clambered into Airwolf and the helicopter took off after the escaping chopper. The sound of approaching sirens heralded the arrival of the local police.

'How did you know it was both of us?' Strickland demanded.

'You faked the phone record of the guard's call to Sumni. I'd already traced all the calls in and out of the club.' Caitlin said succinctly. 'But Sumni was the only one present when we decided Marella would go in. He was the only one who could have tipped the gang off. You both had to be in on it.' Her eyes flickered to Sumni. 'I wasn't certain about you, Chief. I hoped I was wrong.'

'So when you called to tell me you had tracked the chopper and Sumni…' Strickland began.

'I knew you'd come to help your partner in crime despite the fact you were supposed to be misdirecting the police search.' Caitlin confirmed.

'And you trapped me with the whole briefcase story.' Sumni noted in a disgusted tone.

'It wasn't a story.' Caitlin said. 'The case did have a tracer.' She paused for a beat. 'But it wasn't the only one.'

Sumni scowled.

'Get them out of my sight.' Marella instructed coldly.

Zebra Squad walked the dirty cops over to the police cars; the head of Internal Affairs got out of the first vehicle to take them into custody. She sighed at the abandoned rucksacks on the ground and the body of John. 'This is a mess. It's going to take all day to clear it up.'

'Nonsense.' Caitlin said briskly. 'We'll give our statements. Hand them over the video and other evidence we have in Airwolf and we'll still have plenty of time for the wedding.'

'You think?' Marella said hopefully.

'I know.' Caitlin said. 'I've been right so far this trip, haven't I?'

'Yes you have.' Marella said solemnly. 'Thank you.'

Caitlin stepped forward and hugged her. 'Hey, what else are matron-of-honours for?'

They shielded their eyes as Airwolf descended and Hawke climbed out. He ran over to them.

'What happened?' Marella asked after he'd given her a brief hug.

'Chopper ran into a missile.' Hawke said shortly.

'Less mess.' Caitlin quipped.

Marella smiled at her.

'I made Michael a promise.' Hawke said an arm around each of their shoulders. 'Let's get you home.'

Marella's smile widened and they headed for Airwolf together.