A/N-Gasp! Can you believe he told her? I totally can't. Even though, you know, I wrote it and all. Cheers. Here's the next one, please r.e.v.i.e.w.!

Xx

4:00 PM

Sunday, December 24, 2006

Nolan glanced nervously at the cheerful man, the one from the phone, next to him, and the stranger driving. When the engine was started, the phone man stuck out a pair of handcuffs and waved them in Nolan's face.

Nolan shook his head. "No. No way am I putting those things on."

The man tossed his phone between his hands. "That's fine with me, if you want Rachel to die. I have the number to my guy in the café right here."

Nolan let himself be cuffed. Behind his back.

"Who are you?" Nolan grunted. "What's your name?"

He paused. "Rocher. Alec Rocher, Mr. Nolan."

"You look familiar."

Alec frowned. "Can't imagine why."

They drove in silence to a misty lake fifteen miles from the café. Alec unceremoniously dragged Nolan from the car and set him on the muddy soil. Nolan sat, an anxious anticipation constricting speech.

He finally croaked, "What are we doing? What do I have to do for Rachel?"

The driver got out, twisting a pistol between his fingers. Nolan stared at it.

"You're going to kill me?"

"Eventually, that is the plan," Alec nodded. "But not yet. I have some questions for you first, and I can assure you that if an honest answer—and I can tell—is not the first out of your mouth on each reply, Rachel and Christopher will die. I don't think I need to tell you how, but in Rachel's case, I will add this: the department has been waiting for an opportunity like this for a long, long time."

Nolan's stomach contorted, and he began trembling in the sand. "Just ask the questions."

"Rachel's ex-boyfriend, why did she love him?"

Nolan stared at him, dumbfounded. You're about to kill me and you ask how my niece's mind works? "I—I don't know. W-why?"

Alec kicked sand into his face, and Nolan howled as it burned his eyes and scratched his throat. "I wanted an answer, Mr. Nolan, as the politician you are I know you're fully capable of giving an intelligent one."

"His brain," he croaked. "She was always talking about his wit, how smart he was!"
"Hm," Alec thought. "Ok, then. Moving swiftly along. What's her weakness?"

"Weakness?"

Alec snapped his fingers irritably. "Yes, yes, her fears, her likes, dislikes, ambitions…"

"Well—I—she's afraid of pain--"

"That's a lie," Alec growled. "In the short time that I've known her, she's never cringed when I dole out punishments."

"Not physical," Nolan quickened, though his heart nearly stopped when the word 'punishment' slipped Alec's lips. "Emotional, like. She doesn't want to be hurt like she was when Dan died."

"Her boyfriend."

"Yes, her boyfriend."

"Likes? Dislikes?"

"Well—I—she likes literature, I suppose, and nature? She doesn't like…er…television."

Alec sighed, nodding to the gunman. He cocked the gun. Nolan shut his eyes. "Thank you, Mr. Nolan, for the valuable tidbits. I'm sure I'll use them wisely."

"Wise—what?" Nolan shrieked. "You're letting her go!"

The gunman approached, readied his pistol against Nolan's skull. Alec shook his head.

"He hasn't been entirely cooperative, Jonathan," Alec said. "Not the head. He doesn't deserve painless. The stomach."

Nolan winced as the gunman prepared the gun next to his waist. Alec kneeled.

"Any last words?"

"Why did you need to know that stuff about my niece?" he questioned through gritted teeth. Alec smirked at him.

"I'm going to be straight up with you, Fred—yes, all niceties are gone now—I've grown quite smitten with your niece. To be frank, I find her the most beautiful, intelligent, witty, sweet person I've ever met and she will be mine. Unfortunately, as you might imagine, she's not one of my biggest fans and that, my friend, was where the questions came in. Thank you for your assistance. Good bye."

Nolan struggled against his cuffs. "Leave her the hell alone! You promised, you gave me your word that you would let her go!"

Alec smiled, his teeth glinting in the dim light. "I never said that, sir. I said that my company would let her go. There was no mention of me."

He nodded and the shot was fired. Alec and his gunman left Nolan writhing and moaning quietly in the sand as he died a long, painful death.

Alec hopped in the car and let his guy drive as he pulled out his phone.

Before Jackson even spoke, Alec could hear Rachel yelling in the background. Shit, Jackson, what did you do? "It's me, Jackson. What's going on?"

"Oh, em…" Jackson paused, covering the phone and whispering something muffled to Rachel. There was a loud thud and then quiet. "I'll tell you when we meet. When we get back to the apartments, we really, really need to talk. I should have told you sooner."

Alec frowned, already feeling a tad bit guilty about what he'd just arranged with Nolan. "Uh…fine. I'll meet you back at the café. How's Rachel?"

"Upset. Angry. At the moment, sedated."

Alec sighed. "You sedated her?"

"I had to. She was attracting unwanted attention. We're in the car now. Hurry."