Hello again. I hope I am still headed in the right direction. Let me know if this is dragging on, or if you like it. Thanks. :) NsCvIuS is the best!

Chapter 13

"When can I get them?" he asked into the phone.

"You are so impatient, Peter."

"Come on, already!"

"Alright, but remember. I need them alive. And I don't want that male Marshal. If he is with them you can get rid of him. I don't care."

"So do you think it will work?" Mary asked Marshall as the three of them walked to the car.

"It's perfect! Are you sure you came up with that by yourself?" he smirked.

"Yes. I. Did. Get in the damn car before I leave your stupid ass here," she finished with a glare.

"I know you did," he said sincere.

"We will need to stop at the store to get Cheri the prescription the doctor gave her. Then we are going to stop by the house quick."

The drive to the store was a quiet one. Cheri was thinking about the plan Mary had come up with. It was brilliant, really, but she was scared about seeing her father again. They pulled into the parking lot before the silence was broken.

"I'll run in and get it; you go over what you want Cheri to do again, alright?" Marshall asked her.

"Okay, but try to hurry."

Marshall got out and shut the door. Mary unbuckled her seat belt and turned around to face Cheri.

"You remember what you need to do?"

She nodded, but then added, "We should go over it again, though."

"Alright, here is what is going to happen…"

The black SUV pulled into the parking lot. It parked in the spot next to Mary's vehicle. She noticed it was a black car, like the one that had followed them, but figured it wasn't the same one. What were the chances?

The driver of the SUV got out and walked around to the drivers side of Mary's car. He knocked on the glass of the window. She studied him for a few seconds. He was good looking, in his early thirties, had dark brown hair and piercing green eyes. She rolled the window down a few inches and waited for him to talk.

"Can you help me? I have no idea where the restaurant is that I'm meeting my wife at. I have a map of the area on my car."

"I can try, but I'm new here. Which one are you looking for?"

"Um, I think it's called Sally's Diner. I'll get my map."

She opened the door and then looked at the younger girl.

"I'll be right back, okay?"

"'K," Cheri replied.

Mary got out and walked to the driver's seat of the car where the man was digging around on the floor to find the map.

"Can you find it," she asked, growing uneasy.

He turned around and smiled an unkind smile.

"I don't have a map. And I'm not eating at any diner with my wife that I don't have."

The man was easily bigger than her, and, even with her training, could take her down.

"That's what I was afraid of," she said as she whirled around, not having her gun, to get away.

She fell to the ground with a thud as she was hit with a bat.

"Cheri," she managed before blacking out.

The man bound her hands with duct tape and through her in the back seat. Then he waited.

Cheri, not knowing what was taking so long for both Mary and Marshall, got out to find Mary. She called Mary's name and got no answer. Walking around both cars, she screamed as she saw the man raise the bat.

Marshall was waiting for the woman in front of him to stop arguing with the physician about the medication she was purchasing when he heard the scream. Thankfully the pharmacy was right next to the door. Without a second thought he ran from the store into the parking lot, where he quickly swept the parking lot for the source. As he glanced down the row he was parked in, he saw Cheri being thrown into the SUV. He ran towards it full speed, but did not make it before the man got in and started backing out. Marshall could have reached out and touched the vehicle that contained the woman he cared deeply for and the child that severely needed his and Mary's help when its tires squealed and it started for the exit.

He jumped into his car, and followed, though it was far in front of him. The traffic grew heavy and Marshall slowly lost the car. In his frustration, he drove around for hours trying to find it.

Mary awoke to find herself once again in the scariest position of her life. She had no control over what was happening to her. She saw Cheri lying on her side on the cement, still knocked out. Thinking and thinking fast, she realized they were in some type of warehouse, without windows, and they were alone. Both she and Cheri had duct tape around their hands and feet with their hands behind their backs. Her head was pounding from the area where the bat made contact with her skin. Cheri appeared to have been hit on the head as well, as her hair was red with blood.

The girl began to stir, and eventually opened her eyes. The fear was obvious and Mary hoped her eyes were not confirming the fear they both felt was real and necessary. Mary slowly went over to Cheri, trying to comfort her.

"We will be okay, don't worry. Marshall will find us."

"How? How will he know what to do?" she asked still very scared.

And that is how the story began. Mary broke the rules and told her what both she and Marshall were. Cheri slowly began to understand and felt some of the fear leave her, knowing a Marshal was looking for them. And Mary hoped she was doing the right thing.

Marshall did the only thing he could think of as he drove around in search for the two. Taking out his phone he dialed the familiar numbers and waited for an answer, praying there would be one.

"Stan," he answered

"It's Marshall. Mary's in trouble and I need some help."