Feedback: As always, the right thing to do.

Disclaimer: I make no money from this. Starsky and Hutch do not belong to me, I just borrow them, and promise to return them in the same condition I found them in. My characters do belong to me, and I can use them as I see fit, until they start fighting back.

Author's Notes: Thanks to Brook, Jan and Eli for all their help. They knew this was a difficult week for me and were there for me. This chapter may not have happened without Brook's help. I had a hard time concentrating and she talked me through it.

Warning: This chapter has some bad language (a lot). It is not meant to offend anyone.

Chapter 14

Hutch turned towards his friend. "Aw, Starsk, I'm sorry." He gave his condolences. Hutch knew that his partner and that girl had gone through some stuff together before he got here, what it was, he wasn't sure, but he knew it had affected him. It was hard to move with both hands tied behind him.

"It's okay." He whispered.

"You alright?"

"Fine." He snorted as he blinked to clear his eyes.

There was something in his voice, something off, way off. Hutch sensed it. He had seen his partner have a tough time dealing with certain things before. But he always felt he still had a grasp on reality, a hold on the situation, but this time was different. Hutch got an eerie feeling about his partner this time…

"Starsk?"

"She had no one, Hutch…" Starsky spoke, still cradling Sandy as best he could. "No one to love her, no one to fight for her, to protect her…" He rested his chin on the top of her head.

"She had you partner, when she needed it most, she had you." Hutch did his best to console his friend, but his words had little effect.

"You okay, Blondie?" Starsky finally asked.

"Me?…Yeah, I'm fine." He lied, the truth was he felt like his head was going to explode any second.

Starsky leaned, one last time, into Sandy, giving her one final 'hug'. He blinked quickly, and took a deep breath, rolling away from her lifeless form. He came to rest on his back, staring at the ceiling, sighing heavily, trying to adjust his hands to get them into a more comfortable position.

"Okay, what's your plan?" Starsky asked.

"My plan?" Hutch turned to look at the brunet. "I was kinda hopin' you had something in mind."

"T'riffic." Starsky growled as he turned towards his partner.

"Jeez, Starsk." Hutch exclaimed when he saw the new bruise on the side of his face. "Look at you."

"What? You don't think it adds character?"

"Well Gordo, lets just hope they don't go addin' any more character, 'kay?"

"Hutch?" Starsky called to him.

"Yeah, buddy."

"I made a promise to her, you know? I can't let Martins do this to anyone else."

"And?" Hutch knew there was more.

"I plan on keepin' that promise."

"Let's hope you do."

They heard the heavy footsteps coming down the hallway…They heard the lock disengage as the door slowly opened. Tommy entered first, followed by Ricky and Joey, in that order. Starsky felt a certain amount of satisfaction seeing Joey's battered face.

Tommy moved towards Hutch, while Ricky approached Starsky, both still brandishing their weapons. Joey knelt by Sandy's side, he felt for a pulse in her neck and didn't find one. He looked up at Ricky.

"She's dead." He sounded disappointed. "We missed it." He looked down at Starsky who was staring him in the eye with pure and utter hatred. "Did you get to enjoy it?"

"Fuck you." The dark haired detective cursed.

"The whore died like a whore, on her back…" Joey taunted Starsky. "I hear she was quite good, too bad you didn't get to find out…" He looked up at Ricky and smiled, then looked back down at the restrained brunet. "…it's not too late, we can untie you, if you'd still like to take a shot at her…"

"You sick bastard!" Hutch shouted out.

"Take them to the living room." Joey ordered Tommy and Ricky. "Put them in the chairs. It's time to have a little fun."

Ricky jerked Starsky to his feet, as Tommy grabbed Hutch and pulled him up. The sudden movement, caused Hutch's head to spin and pound. He closed his eyes to keep from getting sick. Joey rose and led them out of the room, Starsky took one final look back at Sandy's body, remembering what had happened. Joey watched the detective as he reflected.

"Miss her?" He quipped as they entered the living room.

"Shut up." Starsky shot back, earning him a heavy shove, as he again landed on his injured ankle.

Tommy placed the gun against Starsky's temple, pressing hard against his skull. "Sit!" He commanded the brunet. Hutch followed willingly, still feeling too woozy to resist with any real force.

Starsky watched his partner being tied to the chair. He began to physically push against Tommy, struggling to keep himself free.

"You sons of bitches won't get away with this!" He argued.

He was roughly placed in the chair, his eyes locked on Joeys', as Tommy tied his arms to the back of the chair, pure defiance piercing the deep brown orbs staring back at him.

"Get rid of her, like we did the others." Joey instructed Ricky and Tommy, who obediently headed to the room to recover Sandy's body.

Joey turned back around to the two detectives. Starsky was staring at the empty chair that sat beside him, between he and Hutch. He thought about Sandy being tied there, whipped there, and the sacrifice she made there. Volunteering herself, to keep Starsky and Hutch from being harmed. His heart jumped to his throat, and almost found it's way out of his mouth, before the brunet swallowed it back down into place.

"Ah, you really miss the slut, don't ya? I'm havin' my boys take care of her in a fittin' manner…" Starsky locked eyes, once again with Joey, looking up through his eyebrows at the sinister man. "They're gonna throw her out with the trash, right where she belongs."

Hutch watched curiously as Joey continued to taunt Starsky, trying to get a reaction, any reaction, from him.

"She died like she lived, worthless garbage. You see, I owned that bitch, just like I'm gonna own you!" Joey seethed, bring his face close to Starsky's.

Hutch could see his partners' temper rise, his breathing increase, his face start to flush. "Starsk?" He tried to warn his friend. That one word spoke volumes, Stay calm, don't do anything, please buddy, do it for me?

"Up yours!" Starsky cursed.

"I own you pig…Now say it!" Joey prodded.

"Fuck you!" He replied, receiving a backhand across his mouth. He felt Joey's knuckles connect with his teeth on the inside of his mouth. The fresh copper taste of blood filled his senses.

"Starsk!" Hutch raised his voice, begging his partner to bite his tongue, not wanting him to keep antagonizing the psychotic man in front of them.

"You know, if you listened to your partner, you may live a little longer." Joey warned. "But not much…" He brought his hand back the other direction, snapping the dark haired mans' head back. He lowered his head, a thick strand of blood dripped from Starsky's mouth. He rolled up his tongue and spat at Joey's feet.

Joey looked up and saw Ricky and Tommy carrying Sandy's vacant body towards the door. They ran her into the wall, not watching where they were going.

"Careful." Starsky said out of reflex, hating to see her being treated with such disrespect.

"You think she really cares?" Tommy looked at Starsky, than back at Ricky as they both burst out laughing.

Ricky dropped Sandy's legs to the ground and walked over to Joey. He reached in the back of his waistband and retrieved Hutch's Magnum, handing it over to Joey.

"Here, you might need this." Ricky commented, than looked back at Tommy, "I don't think she's gonna put up much of a fight." He smiled at Starsky and returned to his task of removing the body.

Joey went into the kitchen as Sandy was taken out of the house. Starsky and Hutch both paid their silent respects as she disappeared out of sight. They loaded her into the van, and Starsky and Hutch heard the engine start and the vehicle drive away. Both detectives looked up to see Joey return with both hands occupied. In one hand he held the wire cable, still stained with Sandy's blood. In the other hand, a hunting knife.

"Who wants to be next?" He hissed, walking in between the two.

Both Starsky and Hutch looked at each other, than back at Joey.

"You don't want to do this…Do you have any idea what the penalty is for killing a cop?" Hutch tried desperately to reason with the insane man as Joey responded in a fit of laughter.

"Are you volunteering?" Joey asked, causing Starsky to sit up straight. He knew what happened the last time someone 'volunteered'.

"Don't touch him." Starsky tried to sound threatening.

Joey drew his arm up high, bringing the whip down across Starsky's back, causing the man to yell out grudgingly. The cable tore through his thin shirt and ripped open the tender skin across his shoulders. Starsky's head fell to his chest.

"Stop it!" Hutch pled.

Joey ignored the blond man, obviously having to much fun with the darker man.

"I own you…Now say it!" Joey demanded.

Starsky bit his bottom lip, "Fuck you." He growled.

"Say it!" He ordered as he hit Starsky across the jaw again, with his fist.

Starsky's head snapped back quickly, just in time for the wire to slice across his chest.

"Jesus Christ! Just say it, partner. Please, say it!" Hutch implored his friend.

"You're real brave, when it comes to beating up women, and people that are tied up. Why don't you untie me? You chicken?" Starsky taunted.

Joey looked at the man in front of him.

"That's it ain't it? You're afraid." Starsky goaded, he could tell by the look in Joey's eyes, he had hit a nerve. Perhaps he was bullied in school…maybe by an older brother? Either way, there was some reason why being afraid or showing fear was unacceptable behavior for him.

"Stop it." Hutch whispered to his friend, but Starsky couldn't hear him. Starsky couldn't hear anything but his own anger.

"You aren't shit. I'm not 'fraid of no one." Joey rebutted.

"Prove it! Untie me…"

Joey looked around, Ricky and Tommy were gone, it was just him. No one to contest his actions, and from the looks of things, no one to contest the kill. Starsky was in no condition to be much of a match for Joey, and Joey would love to be able to enjoy this kill to himself.

He set the cable down beside the chair. Looking over at Hutch, he moved behind Starsky's chair.

"I hope you're going to enjoy watching your friend die…" He seethed.

"Starsky, don't do this, buddy." Hutch said, knowing that he was going to do it anyway.

Joey used the knife to cut the ropes that bound Starsky to the chair. Using the hilt of the knife, he brought it down against the base of the brunet's skull, knocking him off balance and throwing him forward to the floor. He quickly moved his way around the chair and grabbed the injured man by the hair, pulling him closer to him. Hutch sat watching helplessly.

Joey looked over at Hutch, catching his gaze, than looking back to the man on the ground in front of him.

"Come on tough guy, show me what you've got." Joey fumed as he threw Starsky's head into the drywall, the force, putting a hole in it. Starsky pulled his head back, the blood from his temple immediately flowing down his face and into his eyes. He blinked rapidly, one to get the blood out of his vision and two, trying to stop the room from spinning. Joey reached down to pull the detective to his feet. Starsky used his hands, and the wall to climb up, leave blood smeared on the Navajo White wall.

"Looks like your girlfriend lasted longer than you're gonna." Joey said as he gave the man an upper cut, sending him retreating to the ground. He followed that with a kick to his gut.

"Stop this! Take me instead, you bastard!" Hutch cried out. He was watching Starsky die, right in front of his eyes.

Starsky found himself on the ground, spitting and breathing hard, he saw nothing except the fireworks and flashes of red before him. He's not sure where it came from. He felt it begin as a small sensation, slowly growing into a wave of hatred and strength he didn't know he had left inside him. As it metastasized and increased he couldn't control it. He leapt from the ground, screaming out, but not hearing his own voice. He grabbed the seething, pathetic excuse of a human being in front of him, around the neck and tackled him to the ground.

Before he knew it, he was straddling Joey's upper body, pounding him in the head, the chest, the neck…Anywhere. He didn't even see look on the man's face turn, from a look of triumph, to one of pure terror. Even if he had seen it, it probably wouldn't have mattered.

Starsky couldn't hear the voice of his partner, his best friend, begging him to stop. He noticed his hands were moist and warm, they were red, he wasn't sure whether it was his blood, or Joey's. He felt nothing. Nothing but rage.

To Be Continued