"All right…take another deep breath….that's it."
Rudy listened to Laurie's chest, then nodded. "Okay, Missy, breathe out….good girl."
As she relaxed in her husband's arms, the doctor took Laurie's pulse again, then smiled.
"It took a little longer this time, but you're back to normal, honey. Do you remember seeing anything, hearing anything?"
She shook her head, then gasped, staring at a picture on their dresser. "Chrissy…"
Instantly Rick was on alert. "What about her, sweetheart? Did you see something?"
"She's in danger…I don't know what from…but…we have to find her." Laurie told them emotionally.
A sudden beeping interrupted them, and Rick saw his watch light up. "It's Dad." He said, and switched on his transmitter. "It's Rick, Dad."
"Help….Chrissy…she's been taken….call Steve." The pain-filled voice of Oscar Goldman sounded faint.
At once Laurie reached for her transmitter and tried to reach the senior Austin, as Rick calmly asked, "Dad…where are you? I'm coming."
"Near the highway..hurry, he took her away."
"Darlin'…stay here, I'll go find Dad." Rick said firmly. Rudy grabbed his bag as Laurie replied, "I'll be alright…get going. Steve?"
As Rick and their friend bolted from the house, Steve frantically spoke with Laurie as he rushed through their home in Phoenix. "What time did they leave? Did Oscar say it was Calla?"
"Chrissy and Jack left about 9….just a minute ago Dad called…he's been hurt..he said that she was taken and he was near the highway." She explained, trying to be calm.
"I'll be there in about 20 minutes, honey. I'll call Jaime and have her come to the house." Steve replied.
"Rick and Rudy will meet you….they'll find her." Laurie reassured him.
Minutes later the big man screeched off the shoulder of the road to where an ambulance was parked. Ahead of him he saw Oscar being loaded onto a gurney, with Rudy holding the distraught man's hand.
"Steve!" Rick waved him over and it took all Steve's self-control not to run at bionic speed to his friend's side. As he reached the older man, Oscar opened his eyes, blood streaming down his face.
"I'm..sorry..couldn't stop him. That Calla…he had Chrissy in his arms, said she passed out. I think he drugged her, but she opened her eyes, then begged me to help her. I saw…" he took a deep breath, "he'd tied her wrists, and I said, "wait a minute.." He put her down, then …I think he hit me. When I came to..they were gone, he left his horse..there."
Steve followed his shaking finger as it pointed at Brickboy, tied to a tree just off the shoulder of the highway.
"He must have had a car stashed here, seeing he drove to the ranch in his convertible." Rick said angrily, then controlled himself as they watched Oscar being loaded into the ambulance. Rudy told him, "I'll go with him to the hospital, son. Let me know what you find…"
"Thanks, Rudy. Just take care of him." Steve said evenly, then looked at his former boss.
"I'll make him pay, Oscar…he won't get away with hurting you or my daughter."
The older man closed his eyes, then opened them. "Just find Chrissy…." He rasped, then the paramedic shut the door.
As the ambulance drove away, a sheriff's car pulled up and Steve was heartened to see Robbie Simon climb out.
"Pop, Uncle Steve…Mom said Chrissy's been kidnapped and the guy hurt Uncle Oscar?" he asked, taking in the scene. Both men hugged him, then Steve explained, "I guess your mom had a premonition and while Rudy was examining her, she said that Chrissy was in danger. Just then Oscar called on his transmitter and told us he was driving to the ranch and spotted this Jack Calla carrying her. When he stopped to see what happened, Chrissy …begged him to help her, then Calla attacked him."
Robbie swallowed hard, then told him, "I've already put out an APB…Uncle Oscar gave a brief description of the pick up truck this guy was driving. I understand he left a red convertible at the house."
"Yeah, maybe we can get some clues out of that." Rick nodded. Steve felt more hopeful when Robbie added, "Mom gave me the license plate when she called, we're running it now, and Ron's going to the stables where this guy worked. Maybe he won't know Uncle Oscar's raised the alarm."
Deciding to leave processing the scene to his son, Rick rode Bricksboy to the ranch as Steve went ahead. Reaching the ranch house, he found Jaime and Laurie in the living room, with Laurie trying to comfort her friend.
"I knew there was something about him, Sis. He was so familiar…but" Jaime stopped as her husband came in the room, then her face crumbled as he opened his arms and she rushed to him.
"That Jack…he's not Jack Calla, he's Jack Callahan…Peggy's son…it's all my fault." She wept.
"No, sweetheart, no… not your fault. You didn't do anything to her..I chose you, not her. I didn't even know she felt that way." Steve comforted her, his emotions on edge. "She must have had this Jack a few months after we married, but …why use him to take our daughter?"
"Isn't she still in jail, Steve? Maybe he took her to get his mother out." Jaime looked up at him, then let him wipe her eyes with a handkerchief.
"I'll call Ron back…he's the one who told us who Calla was..." Laurie said, then vanished into the kitchen to give Steve and Jaime some privacy. "Jaime, we're going to find her…he doesn't have much of a head start, and with the APB out on him…"
"I know, Steve…what would we do without our friends…but Oscar, what if?" she worried, then the big man sat down on the couch and pulled her back into his arms.
"Shhh, don't, honey. Oscar's tough..he's going to be all right. He was more worried about Chrissy then himself. He delayed that jerk enough…."
As if in answer to his words, the phone rang. Rick was just coming into the house from stabling Brickboy, and picked the extension up.
"Simon residence."
"I want to talk to Colonel Austin." Rick flushed red with anger as he recognized the voice.
"Callahan…where is she, where's Chrystal?"
"She's safe for now, but I want Colonel Austin." Came the cold reply. Without a word Steve stood up and took the receiver, as Jaime listened intently.
"This is Colonel Austin. Where's my daughter…what did you do to her?"
"Nothing sir, she's unhurt. And she'll stay that way as long as you follow instructions. If not, you'll never see her again."
Swallowing his anger, Steve calmly replied, "If you touch my daughter, you'll wish you were dead, and so will your mother. Now, what do you want?"
"You, sir. I want you, no police, no back up. Come to the horse barns at the fairgrounds at 6pm. Park in the owners lot, then walk to the show barn and wait in front of the door. If you come alone, I'll let Chrystal go." Callahan told him.
"How do I know she's all right? I want to talk to her, now." Steve matched his authoritative voice.
There was a rustling sound, then the kidnapper spoke from a distance. "Talk to your father, no tricks." After a moment, a shaky voice was heard.
"Dad?"
"Chrissy? Honey, are you all right? Did he hurt you?" Steve asked gently. He listened as she spoke in a wobbly voice, "Noo, but I'm scared, like that time you took me to the carnival..I want to go home."
Ready to break down himself, he tried to comfort her. "It's all right, Chrissy, I'm coming…just hold on for me and Mom, okay?"
"Yes, Daddy." Now Steve was really upset, she must be terribly frightened. Suddenly a muffled cry sounded, and he called out, "Chrissy, Chrissy!"
"You see she's okay, now be there at 6pm. Or else."
As a dial tone sounded, Steve furiously slammed the phone down, then caught himself. "Rick…I'm sorry…"
"It's all right, Pal. I'm pretty angry too. That bastard…." Rick started, then Jaime interrupted them. "Steve, I heard what Chrissy said….I know where he's got our daughter!"