Sorry for the delay in chapters. I got the idea for my other story, What He Couldn't Know, and that plot bunny would not leave me alone until it was done. So thanks for sticking with me, and hopefully they'll be less of a wait next time.

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Booth slammed the door to his hotel room and immediately whipped out his cell phone, dialling Walt's number. The other agent picked up and Booth jumped down his throat.

"Where the hell were you tonight? They took her Walt! Those sons of bitches took her!"

"Whoa Seely, slow down buddy! Who took who?"

"Whoever has been threatening the boxers, they took Bones!"
"Bones?"
"I mean Brennan, Dr. Brennan, my partner! They said that if I didn't fight they'd do something to her, but I said I would, and she's gone! They drugged us, so where the hell were you?"

"Drugged you? I didn't even see you man. Nolan hauled my ass out back during the girl fight and said if I didn't shape up I was in trouble. When I got back in, you and your partner were gone."

"What the hell do I do Walt? They're watching me, whoever the hell they are, and if I involve the feds, I blow my cover, and then what? My cover gets blown and they'll…" Booth couldn't finish, the thought was to horrific.

"K…here's what we're gonna do. I'll get my guys who've been working with me to step up, work double time to find your partner. I'll work my sources underground and get back to you ok? You, you need to stay calm, wait for the call."
"Have they done this before? Do you know of any other family or friends being threatened?"
"I've heard stories, but they usually end with the person being alright, returned the night of the fight. You're an asset to Nick, or whoever is running this Booth, they'll bring her back to you."
"I want to believe you…but this is all my fault…" he collapsed onto the bed, head in his hands.

"She'll be alright Booth, we'll get her back."

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Her groggy mind wanted to succumb to the blackness of before, but Brennan fought hard against it, desperately trying to work at the ropes binding her hands behind her. As she rubbed her wrists together, the rough rope tore at her wrists, and she winced in pain, feeling them chafe at the friction. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she realized her situation was bleak, there was no way she could untie herself, and even if she did, she had no idea where she was, or if there was anyone watching her location.

Booth will come, was the chant that echoed through her mind. Hodgins had called it faith, and so she labelled it that. She had faith he would find her, even though her rational mind told her the odds were slim that Booth had any idea where she was.

"Ah, Roxie, glad to see that you're awake," a male voice boomed through the darkness, cutting into her thoughts.

Roxie? Who's Roxie? Brennan thought, trying to place the name, knowing it sounded familiar. Her mind was still to intoxicated from whatever she had been drugged with to remember details.

"I'm sorry to keep a pretty girl like you tied up, well maybe I'm not," a hand snaked down her shoulder, the owner still behind her, "but you and your man brought this upon yourselves you know."

She recoiled from his touch, murmuring warning sounds through her gag.

"Oh, feisty, aren't we? I like that," his voice was low and smooth, "We usually don't get the pleasure of having such a beautiful woman in our possession. Most of our fighters don't refuse our offers, and their family members, they're not like you at all."

Again she tried to move away as his hand ran the length of her arm, and she twisted her neck to try and see who was touching her.

The man made tsk-ing sounds at her, "You're not going anywhere right now Roxie, so I would suggest you save that energy."

This man thinks I'm Roxie…she thought, and then it hit her. The case! She had been undercover, she was Roxie, at least to whoever stood behind her. She would have to play the role, but for how long?

"Now, I'm going to take that gag from your mouth, and when I do you can't scream. If you scream, it's only going to get you in trouble," he spoke slowly, as if to a little kid, "Besides, there's no reason to scream. No one is going to hear you."

The man finally emerged from behind her. It was Nick from the gym, and somehow, she wasn't surprised. He reached around behind her head and slowly un-did the knot of fabric. He pulled it away, but it wasn't fast enough for her, she spat it out, gagging and breathing in air. Then she launched her verbal attack;

"What the hell do you want, you bastard?! Tony said he would fight, so what could you possibly want with me and where is Tony?!"

"We have a real fire cracker on our hands boys," Nick chuckled in response, and somewhere from behind her, people laughed. He turned his attention back to her, and his face went from mocking to dead serious. He grabbed her chin, forcing her face towards his, "Don't play stupid with me Roxie. Sure Tony agreed to fight, but he did something else, with your help, that has really displeased me."

"Go to hell," she hissed at him.

Suddenly, her head and neck were whipped to the side as Nick delivered a heavy handed slap across her face. She felt her lip split and tasted blood.

He stepped back as if to admire his work, "I didn't want to do that to you, but unless you choose to co-operate from now on, I'm going to have to be rough."

She glared at him.

"Now think Roxie, what could you and Tony have done to displease me? Maybe I should give you a hint: my guys, they've been tailing you. So what did you and Army do that you didn't think we'd see?"

"Why don't you tell me?" she answered sarcastically in her Jersey accent.

He hit her again, harder this time, and she fought to stay conscious through the pain.

"You're bringing this upon yourself doll. The more you mouth off to me, the more you get hurt. And I can dish out a lot of hurt if you want to keep being a bitch."

Brennan stayed quiet this time, thinking hard about what Nick wanted her to say. If his men had been following her and Booth, what had they seen? And how long had they been following them for? Despite the pain, her mind was becoming less foggy now and the less clouded it became, the more furious she got at being held hostage. She wanted to mouth off to Nick again, but decided to keep her mouth shut in order to buy more time to think, and avoid another jaw crushing slap. Again, her mind turned to Booth, where was he?

"If you're being a smart ass, or playing dumb, you need to drop that act now. I know you know what you did," he taunted her, standing menacingly in her personal space, "And it was the stupidest thing either of you could have done."

She stared him down, trying to read him like Booth could read other criminals. As mad as she was, she didn't think she could be even more worried about her partner.

"Where's Tony?" she demanded, never breaking eye contact with Nick. Brennan prepared herself for the next hit, but it never came.

Instead, Nick backed off a little, seeming to think about her question, "That's not exactly what I wanted to hear Roxie, but I knew the question was coming. The answer is," he leaned in close, "None of your business right now," he leered, "You have not earned the answer."

She forced herself not to cry, wondering if they had hurt him, if someone else was torturing Booth as well. So she switched tactics and whispered, "Please," in her best pleading tone she could muster. She wanted Nick to think she was giving up, giving in to his scare tactics. She batted her eyelashes at him for effect, trying to work up the defenceless woman act that she planned to put into effect.

"I don't know what you want me to say, but please, just tell me if Tony's ok," she added.

He sneered in pleasure at her sudden submission, "That's what I like to hear Roxie, you begging me for something instead of fighting. Believe me, it will get you a lot further than being a bitch, and hurt less," he brushed his finger along her jaw line and she fought the urge to bite him, "Your Tony, he'll be just fine if he co-operates, and something tells me, with you here, he'll do whatever we ask," his fingers ran down her neck, caressing, "You honestly don't know why you're here Roxie? Really?"

He grabbed her shoulders forcing her forward, "You went to the cops you bitch! With Tony! We saw you! That's why you're here!" Nick screamed in her face, then roughly shoved her to the side. Her chair toppled over and as she lay on the ground, Nick stood over her screaming, "If you want to save your own life here, you will tell me what you told the cops, then you will tell Tony to call them off! Don't think you can pull that innocent crap on me!"

Brennan's mind reeled. When had they gone to the cops? What was Nick talking about? She gasped when it hit her. Whoever had been following them had seen her and Booth go to the FBI building. She began to panic because she had no idea what she would tell Nick without blowing her and Booth's cover. But she didn't have time to think. Nick hauled her chair onto it's back, shoving his hand at her throat, and she couldn't breathe. He was strangling her, staring her down while he did so. She rocked the chair the best she could, but it was useless. He was straddling her and his body weight held her in place.

And as quickly as it began, it stopped. He grabbed her arms and pulled her chair back into it's upright position.

Brennan coughed, gasping for breath, her face a bright red, tears streaming down her cheeks.

Panting, Nick said, "Now, you're going to stop being a manipulative little bitch and tell us what you told the cops, or I swear I will kill you with my bear hands."

To be continued…