Chapter 5

Nursing a sleeping pill hangover, Frank Donovan dragged himself out of bed and managed to arrive at work on time. In fact, he was early. With a pang, he noticed both Ashcroft's and Lily's cars were there as well. He was hoping for a bit of solitude this morning. He wasn't quite ready to interact with either of them. Perhaps they would be somewhere else for a few minutes, at least until he could get himself together properly.

As he walked down the long corridor leading to their suite of offices, he barely noticed others passing by him, staring at his appearance. Normally when he came in, he made sure he tied his hair back. Today, he didn't care what it looked like. The instant he rolled out of bed, he ran a comb through it and left it at that. If anyone wanted to complain, he had a few choice words for them. Besides, everyone knew he worked in the UC division, so perhaps no one would become mouthy. At least, he hoped not.

Ashcroft was not in his office this morning. He stood in the conference room trying to contain his anger and bitter disappointment at finding out Rachel had called Donovan last night. His office was next to Donovan's and he didn't want to see him when he came in. Not yet. This morning, he left Rachel in bed. He couldn't confront her about the phone call yet. He needed to hear it from Donovan's lips. As far as he knew, Rachel didn't know Donovan very well. He could probably count on one hand the times they had spoken to each other. They were never together at functions, so he didn't see the connection.

An indignant slam brought him out of his funk. Lily had come into the room with her usual armload of files and information. She must have seen him in here and decided that they were having another meeting. Perhaps they needed to, especially since he knew Nona Pope would attend Aspen's memorial service. The last couple of days, she seemed on edge and agitated. There must be some strife in her blooming romance with Frank Donovan.

"What crawled up your ass and died," Ashcroft asked casually after taking a long gulp from his coffee mug.

Lily, at first, didn't pay him any attention. She was momentarily drawn into her own little world. After a moment, his comment sunk in. "Screw you, Jack," she said with a sigh.

He smiled sardonically her way, taking note she was dressed smartly in black slacks and a bright blue turtle neck sweater made from some fuzzy material he couldn't identify. She seemed more like a college coed than a fellow agent. She looked much younger than her years. "Sorry. Both of us must be having a bitch of a day."

She shrugged nonchalantly and made her way over to the coffee urn in the corner of the room. She prepared her own coffee and carried her mug back to the table. She pulled out a chair and dropped into it. "Where's Frank?"

This time, Ashcroft shrugged. "Don't you know?"

His question grated her nerves. How would she know? Their impromptu date had been interrupted by work, and Donovan hadn't mentioned going out again. She wouldn't say how much that hurt to anyone, especially not Jack Ashcroft. It was none of his business. "Jack, I shouldn't even say this to you, but there is nothing going on between Frank and me."

Under his breath, he said, "Frank gets around."

"What does that mean?"

Ashcroft looked up at Lily. She was an attractive woman. She was smart, efficient, and tough when it was warranted. He respected her as much as any other colleague in the business. "Nothing," he said distractedly. "You should ignore me."

Lily took a drink of her coffee and nodded. "Done. Before I do, though, I would like to know one thing."

He met her gaze, giving her a look that said 'what.' "Go ahead."

"What are we doing in here today? Another strategy session?"

"Yeah. There has been a hitch with Nona Pope. I'll go into it further when Donovan gets here."

Donovan walked by the open door of the conference room mere seconds after Ashcroft made his statement. He glanced in and saw both Lily and Ashcroft inside. He was hoping for a few minutes in his office to prepare himself for the day, but it didn't look like that would happen any time soon. Instead of entering his office, he came into the conference room, immediately heading toward the coffee. Although he couldn't see them, he knew Lily and Ashcroft were looking at him. Unless out in the field, they were not accustomed to seeing him with his hair down. Lily noticed that he looked like hell warmed over. Ashcroft saw something else. He saw a man who was tormented, a man who had evidentially been speaking to a woman he wasn't supposed to know.

He turned to approach the conference table and noticed how his team members were looking at him. He decided to ignore their glances. Donovan took a seat one down from Lily across from Ashcroft. He knew what was about to happen today, but he couldn't be the first to bring it up. After all, Rachel had promised to share her information with Ashcroft. He hoped like hell she had. Otherwise, Ashcroft might think he was becoming psychic.

Donovan casually sipped at his coffee. He set the mug down carefully and folded his hands before him. "What brings us to strategy today?"

Ashcroft looked from Lily to Donovan back to Lily again. Her eyes were focused on Donovan. Yes, he looked like death warmed over. He could see the concern in Lily's eyes. If this was how he wanted to play the game this morning, he was all for it. They could speak about Rachel later. Something in him killed that idea. "You don't know," Ashcroft asked, a question he had just parroted to Lily earlier in a different context.

Donovan looked at Ashcroft as if he had lost his mind. "How would I know, Jack? I thought we were going to meet later today to discuss Aspen Greene's memorial."

He was slick. He was slick and Ashcroft actually hated him for that. It could wait. He would bring it up, but it didn't need to be in front of Lily. "Never mind," Ashcroft said, waving a dismissive hand. "Rachel Sloane, Aspen Greene's legal counsel, has informed me that Nona Pope was friends with Aspen. Her people called Rachel's office and informed her that Nona would be attending the memorial."

Donovan didn't react, but Lily did. She took in a shocked breath. "What the hell? This is like that stupid game Six Degrees of Separation."

"That's right," Ashcroft agreed. "It is. So our presence at this function will be needed more than it was needed before. The affair is by invitation only, but we don't know the guest list at this point."

"When is this supposed to happen?"

Ashcroft glanced at Donovan. He still wasn't the slightest bit unnerved. He focused his eyes on Lily to answer her question. "The day after tomorrow."

"Terrific," Lily said blandly. "Are we done?"

"Yeah," Ashcroft said. "You go on Lily. I need to speak to Donovan for a minute."

At that, Donovan looked up and gave Ashcroft a strange look. Lily didn't like the sound of it or the look plastered on Donovan's face. She glanced at Ashcroft. His lips were pressed in a tiny little line. She had seen this before. He was pissed about something. Lily was curious, but there was no way she would stick around for it.

She stood and gathered her things. "If you need me, you know where to find me."

The two men waited for her to leave the room. As soon as she did, Ashcroft got up and closed the doors to the conference room. The others leading to the offices of Hurtz and Lockwood were already closed. He went back to the table. Instead of taking his seat, he approached the area where Donovan sat and pushed the chairs aside. He hopped up onto the table about half a foot away from Donovan.

Ashcroft watched as his friend slid back from the table, pushing his chair off to the side. He wouldn't hop up onto the table, but he damned well was not going to sit straight beside him. He wanted to look him in the eye. He had no clue what Ashcroft needed to speak to him about without Lily present. Whatever it was, he knew he wasn't going to like it. And he was right.

"What is this?" Donovan asked, immediately crossing his arms before him. He knew what the action meant to interrogators, but he didn't give a shit.

Ashcroft didn't know how to approach the subject without sounding pissy, but there seemed to be no other way. "Why did Rachel call you last night?"

Donovan was surprised at the question, not as surprised as he would have been if he hadn't known Rachel. Did he want to take the coward's way out and lie? Did he want to open a can of worms and tell the truth? He thought about it for a long moment. He wanted nothing to do with this conversation. He decided to go another way. "Perhaps you should ask her."

Ashcroft laughed bitterly. "Man, I certainly expected that. I'm not speaking to Rachel right now, I'm speaking to you. Why did she call you?"

"I don't think we should waste our time talking about this, Jack," Donovan said. He grabbed his mug and took a long swallow of coffee. What he wouldn't have given for a shot of whiskey.

"What is it, Donovan? Why did she call you? I didn't think the two of you knew each other. Apparently you do."

Donovan sighed heavily. It was hard to call in sick as a UC. Today, if he had had any other job, he certainly would have called in. This moment was one he dreaded. "It's something neither of us expected to come to surface. Several years ago, Rachel and I were involved."

Ashcroft swallowed a lump in his throat. "Involved? Involved? What does that mean?"

"I knew her before she met you, Jack. We met in college. She called me because after Aspen died, I made contact with her. I knew Aspen was her friend." Donovan watched as the other man rubbed his chin. "There is nothing going on now. I assure you."

"Of course not," he said smartly. "You have been trying to get into Lily's pants the last week or so." He hopped down off the table. "We're done with this for now. We need to prepare for the memorial."

Without another word, Ashcroft left the room. Donovan lifted his mug and drained it. After that, he slammed down the mug with enough force to crack it. He had not wanted any complications, but here they were. The words were out, his past with Rachel was out in the open. He didn't know what type of conversation had gone down between him and Rachel, but he hoped it wasn't like this. He knew it would do more harm than good, but he had the greatest urge to call Rachel. If she didn't know about this now, she would need a warning beforehand. However, he did not know if he was ready to speak to her now, even if it meant warning her that Ashcroft was on the war path.

After a few minutes, Donovan stood and tossed the cracked mug into the garbage pail beside the front door. He stepped out of the conference room and slowly made his way to his own office. He was surprised to note that Lily was there, waiting for him. He closed the door behind him and gazed down at her. He said nothing. He knew he owed her an apology for starting something he didn't finish. It wasn't fair to her. None of this was.

"I think I know why you're here," Donovan began awkwardly. Instead of going over to his desk, he chose to sit beside her. He reached over and took her hand. "I'm really sorry about putting everything on the back burners."

Lily was more than pleased when he took her hand in his. It felt nice, she felt connected to him. "You don't have to apologize. I know how things around here can get."

"I will make it up to you. Although it is a work thing, would you like to accompany me to the memorial?"

She laughed flirtatiously. "As your date? I'd love to."

"Good," he said. "If you'd like, I could cook for you tonight."

Her heart hammered in her chest. When their date was interrupted by the news of Nona Pope's arrival, she didn't think she would have another chance like this again. "I'd like that." Although she didn't want to, she released his hand. "I should get back to my office."

He stood and walked her to the door. Just before she exited the office, he grabbed her arm, turned her to face him, and planted a deep kiss on her awaiting mouth. It was something she didn't expect. It was something he didn't expect to do. It just happened. Just like that. Without a word, she pulled away and left his office. The moment she was gone, he went to his desk, sat down, and buried his face into his hands. What just happened didn't feel right. It felt fake. He was compelled by the simple fact that he must drive Rachel Sloane out of his mind by any means necessary.

Rachel had a light day in court. She had planned her schedule this way to go over the plans for Aspen's memorial. She kept busy so she didn't have to think about the other half of the equation. Frank Donovan. He would be there. She would be there. It was bound to be a mess.

Jack had left before she got out of bed this morning. She thought they would get together and discuss what had happened last night. Never in a thousand life times would she guess that he had seen her phone. He had seen who her last call had been made to, and further, he was as pissed as hell.

She arrived home by four and was surprised to see Jack's car in the driveway. This was the first time he had been home before her since his new case had started to become more involved. She didn't like that at all. Shrugging her premonition aside, she grabbed her briefcase and headed for the door. He had left it unlocked, which was something else he never did. She pushed through the door, walked past the photo tribute wall, and set her case down next to her chair. She didn't see Jack in the living room, so she guessed he might be sitting in the den. She was right. When she entered, he sat in the room alone. The TV was silent, as was the radio. He never came in here without turning on one of the two. Something was wrong. Something was very wrong.

"Hey, babe. What are you doing home so early?"

He didn't look at her. He shook his head and smiled. The smile was bitter, hard, one she hadn't seen before. "Everyone left early today. Donovan and Lily paired up and disappeared, so I thought I should do the same. We have some heavy work to do, so we're sowing our recreational oats while we can."

His words didn't make much sense to her. However, she did feel a pang of jealousy when he mentioned that Donovan had gone off with the female member of their team. She shook it away. "Is there anything in particular you want to do tonight? I thought we could go out to Dionne's, have dinner, and dance a little."

"No, babe. Not tonight."

She could tell he was preoccupied. She sat in the chair beside his and turned in her seat to look at him. Something was definitely wrong. He would not turn down a night at Dionne's for anything, especially if he had time. She placed her hand on top of his, and he recoiled. She sat back, hurt and confused. What was going on here? He had never given her such a cold reception before.

"Jack, what's wrong?"

"You lied to me last night, Rachel," he began. He looked at her, saw her beautiful confused face, and for a moment, he wanted to slap her. He resisted the urge greatly. "You weren't talking to Marielle or Shelby. I called them both. They haven't heard from you in days." This latter statement was a blatant lie. He didn't like either of them, they were busybodies, but he needed fuel in case she wanted to deny his words. "I didn't want to do it, Rachel, but I looked at your phone. You were talking to Frank Donovan."

She felt two emotions at once: anger and guilt. She was angry with him for invading her privacy, but she also felt guilty at being caught. "Why would you do that? I thought we trusted each other."

He laughed. "Oh, trust. You mention trust. Why didn't you bother to tell me you were Donovan's woman during your checkered past? Why didn't you tell me any of this?" He stood up and thrust a sheaf of papers toward her. "I checked you out. I have friends, too, Rachel. Friends in very high places. These friends told me you were in the fucking CIA with Frank Donovan. So you were sleeping with the guy and working UC in the CIA. Why didn't you feel the need to tell me any of this?"

"What does it matter now," she asked. "It was in the past. He means nothing to me."

He approached her, leaned down, and propped his hands on the arms of her chair. "If he means nothing to you, then why did you call him!"

His face was mere inches from hers. He had never shouted at her like this. He was supremely pissed, his nostrils flared, and his jaws were clenched tightly. "I," she sputtered.

"And don't tell me you don't know," he demanded.

"It was a bad relationship, Jack. I called him because I knew he would be around me. I didn't want him around me," she cried.

"You know what that sounds like to me? It sounds like you still have feelings for him. Is that it? You want him?"

"No," she cried again, horrified. "There is nothing between us anymore, Jack. Nothing but animosity and bitterness."

Her answer was too close to Donovan's for comfort. He didn't like that. Ashcroft pulled away from her. He ran his hand through his hair. Shaking his head, smiling bitterly all the while, he said, "We'll see, won't we? Rachel, you shouldn't have lied to me. I thought we were different, you know? Different than other couples out there. But I suppose I was being naïve. Whatever the case, I need to be alone for a while."

"I'll go, if that's what you want," she said softly.

"No need, babe. I think I'll go."

Donovan awoke with a start. He wasn't sure what it was, but something surely brought him out of a sound sleep. Beside him, Lily hadn't moved. He sat up on the side of the bed and grabbed his robe. Standing, he slipped into the robe and belted it tightly around him. He glanced back at Lily once before leaving her in bed. He entered the small kitchen and saw that it was a mess. After cooking dinner for them, they ate, drank wine, talked, and wound up in bed. It was nice. Lily was fetching. He was simply not fetched. It was wrong, but he couldn't help it. He never knew what awaited him if he didn't take a chance. Wasn't that something he had been told all his life?

He approached the stove. It resembled a disaster area. He was a good cook, albeit a messy one. It could wait until later, but he couldn't sleep. He rolled up the sleeves of his robe and grimly set about cleaning up. He didn't think he would awaken Lily. If he did, it might seem a bit callous leaving her in bed all alone on their first night together. While the sink filled up with water, he wondered vaguely if this made them a couple now. If so, maybe Ashcroft wouldn't seem so threatened. He wanted to know exactly what happened between Ashcroft and Rachel. Despite his curiosity, he wouldn't ask. After all, it did not concern him anymore.

Slowly, he began stacking pots and pans into the sudsy water. He grabbed a sponge out of a nearby soap dish and began the task of scrubbing the dishes within. It would give him time to think, and possibly make him tired enough to go to bed. He didn't want Lily waking up in the morning without him there. When the bedroom door creaked open, he realized it was too late. She was already awake.

He watched as Lily padded slowly toward him. She had donned his discarded shirt. She looked young, fresh, and absolutely adorable. "Don't tell me you're a neat freak too?"

Donovan smiled at her. "It was driving me crazy, so I had to do something about it."

She stood beside him and took a healthy hand full of his left buttock, squeezing heartily. "I can see that."

Her perfume was light and airy, it reminded him of a flower that he could not name right away. "I had a bout of insomnia. I didn't meant to leave you in there alone."

"That's okay. You want some help?"

He handed her another sponge. "If you don't mind."

She laughed out loud. "I don't." She began scrubbing alongside him. "I never imagined my first night with you would involve washing dishes."

"Neither did I," he said. "When we're finished, I will make it up to you."

Later on, as promised, he did.

There was major press with Nona Pope's arrival in Miami for the memorial and the concert. Donovan, Hurtz, Lockwood, and Ashcroft met her at the airport and escorted her to her hotel. They waited in the lobby while she readied herself for the memorial. They were aware of everything and everyone.

It was awkward standing with Ashcroft after their conversation the other day. In fact, neither Donovan nor Ashcroft spoke two words to each other the entire time they were at the hotel. Part of it was hyper vigilance, the other was even easier to see. They didn't know what to say to each other. It was okay with both men. They needed to stay focused on other things right now. They could fall out later. Right now, the life of Nona Pope was more important than their bullshit argument over Rachel.

Nona Pope came out of her hotel room surrounded by her entourage. The normally outlandish singer was dressed simply in a black dress, her eyes covered by black sunglasses. Quietly, the four men followed her out of the hotel and into an awaiting limousine for the trip to Rachel Sloane's house.

Rachel stood amongst a group of friends and acquaintances of Aspen Greene. She had been told to expect Nona Pope to arrive shortly. Most of the people in her home were folks she had never met in her life. Some were from her law firm. A few members of Aspen's family were present. Rachel located their small group and joined them. She chatted with them nervously. Her mind was elsewhere. Since her fight with Jack, they hadn't spoken much to each other. They knew Frank Donovan would also be here today, and that caused an uneven mood to the event. Rachel tried to keep everything in line with their true purpose here. They were here for Aspen Greene. No one else. If she kept telling herself that, she would be okay.

She hoped that once the agents arrived with Nona, Rachel would have a few minutes to at least apologize to Jack. He had a right to be angry, but she absolutely hated the discourse that had erupted in their relationship.

At another location in town, other plans were being made by other people. At the last minute, Lincoln and Holly met at their apartment. After a violent lovemaking session, they set out plans. They knew Nona Pope's every move. They would launch a plan to separate her from her guard dogs. They knew just exactly how to do it as well.

Rachel looked up as Nona Pope made her entrance. Behind her came Donovan, Ashcroft, Hurtz, and Lockwood. Nona's entourage entered after them. Behind them entered a tall woman with short blonde hair. Rachel didn't know her, but was certain she was with the gaggle of FBI agents in her home. When the girl approached Donovan and took his arm, Rachel looked away quickly. She watched Jack pass by her and immediately he approached the open bar. He didn't order anything heavy, as he was on duty, but he needed something for his dry throat.

Moving through the throngs of people gathered around, Rachel approached Jack where he stood drinking a club soda. "Are we okay?"

He cut his eyes in her direction without actually looking her way. "I don't know. Are we?"

She sighed heavily. "Jack, I'm sorry. I don't know what else to say."

He finished off his virgin drink in one gulp. "We don't have time for this. We have a job to do. Later."

Ashcroft walked away from her and approached the other agents. None of them were letting Nona Pope out of their sights. He noticed that Donovan's eyes were scanning the crowd. What he was scanning for still was yet to be known. Was he scanning the crowd for suspicious people? Was he scanning for Rachel? Ashcroft didn't know and he didn't want to ask. They all watched when Nona Pope approached Rachel at the bar. The two women spoke briefly, then embraced the way strangers will when a mutual friend has died.

After that, Rachel made her way toward the agents. For the most part, she knew they were to be included in Nona's inner circle. No one else, as far as Rachel knew, understood that they were actually with the FBI.

"What do I need to do," she asked.

She didn't know who she was directing her question to, but she hoped someone would answer. All of them looked her way, but no one had yet to open their mouths.

"If you see anyone you don't recognize, approach them, and tap their shoulders," Ashcroft finally said. "You don't need to do anything else. Just that."

"Okay."

Lily, who stood next to Donovan, immediately sensed how his body tensed up when Rachel approached. It was something she didn't understand, but knew she had to ask about. She tugged on his arm, indicating that they needed to move through the crowd in the house. They could see Nona Pope at any vantage point in the room. They wanted to blend in with the crowd, but were having a piss poor time at it. Everything was weird now. Lily understood none of it.

Lincoln and Holly stood in the room filled with people. This Sloane chick had a nice house. Each of them took turns gazing at her celebrity wall. Hot damn. More potential victims. Hell, looking at Rachel Sloane, she fit their mold well, didn't she? She was just too old, though. Wasn't she? Ignoring her for the time being, Lincoln moved away from Holly and moved around the room. Nona Pope stood with another female and a grizzly bear looking guy. If either of them could somehow draw her away from them, they would have her in their grasp. They wanted to get her before her show. This was one bird who would never sing again.

Lana and Max moved away from Nona to hit the bar. They never knew their friend was in any danger. It gave the TSK team a chance to move in toward their target.

"Anyone here you don't know," Heath Hurtz asked Rachel.

She saw that Donovan, Ashcroft, and Lily were no where in sight. She glanced up at the young agent. "Lots," she said, annoyed. "No one who is here doesn't belong, though. They're either with Nona or you or Aspen's family."

"Keep watching," he reminded her, as if she would forget.

"I absolutely love your music."

Nona looked up to acknowledge the handsome young man standing before her. Hadn't she been introduced to him before? Shrugging the thought away, she smiled. This was something she heard on a daily basis. "Thanks," she said. "You are?"

"Lincoln."

His gaze made her uneasy. He must have been one of those guys who like to bore their eyes into someone's soul. "Nice to meet you."

He extended his hand toward her. Reluctantly, she put her hand in his. Immediately, she felt a prick at the skin on her palm. Did he have a pin in his hand or something? "What was that?"

"Not sure what you mean, Ms. Pope," he said with a smile.

Nona left the leering weirdo and moved toward the bathroom. She couldn't see the agents from her vantage point, but that was okay. After all, they didn't need to watch her going to the bathroom. She went into the bathroom to look at her hand. There was a small hole in her palm. It hurt like fuck. And the weird thing about it was this odd feeling coming over her. She felt woozy, numb. Nona was stunned when the bathroom door came open. Hadn't she remembered to lock it? She was relieved to see that it was a woman, not that leering asshole who obviously stuck something in her hand.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know anyone was in here," she said.

"You could have tried knocking, sweetheart," Nona said sharply.

"I'm sorry, Ms. Pope. Are you okay?"

"Actually, I'm not. Some dude stuck me with something."

Nona turned to look at the woman. She had closed the door behind her, locking it for good measure. She didn't like this situation. And again, she was certain she had met this woman somewhere already.

"What did you just do," Nona asked.

The woman shrugged. "Nothing. I'm just trying to help you."

"Do what?" Nona was feeling more woozy by the minute. The other woman's face was starting to blur and swirl around.

The woman stepped in just as Nona was passing out. She grabbed her just before she hit the cold linoleum floor. "It's okay," the woman whispered. "I'm going to take good care of you. My name is Holly."

Rachel looked from person to person at her memorial service for Aspen Greene. She couldn't see Nona anywhere. Donovan, Jack, and the other two FBI goons were milling through the crowd. The female agent came from the rear of the room. She was cutting through the crowd as well, looking for Nona. Rachel made out the faces of Nona's girlfriend, her publicist, and a few others that she didn't know. There was, however, no Nona Pope. Her heart banged in her chest, sweat trickled down her back. She would never forgive herself if anything happened to Nona Pope. Not after Aspen. She prayed that Nona had simply just gotten lost. Hers and Jack's house wasn't enormous, but the bathrooms were a bitch to locate.

"Rachel," a voice called.

She identified it as Frank Donovan. She slowly made her way toward him. "Where is she," she hissed.

"Her girlfriend said she went to the bathroom. Lily checked already. She's not there."

Fuck! Surely no one had been able to abduct a heavily guarded rock star from her home? "She can't have left. I was watching her, not her every move, but well enough."

He squeezed her forearm gently, reassuringly. "We'll find her."

After effectively drugging her with a neurotoxin, Lincoln dressed her in a waiter's outfit that Holly had stolen earlier. Holly had taken a pair of enormous shears and chopped off Nona's long hair. Without her flowing locks and dressed as she was, no one would know it was really Nona Pope. Holly helped him load her into the back of their SUV. There, she was tied up, gagged, and covered with a blanket. The SUV had tented windows and was soundproof. No one would hear her screams if the drugs wore off before they could leave.

Lily trotted up to where Donovan and Rachel stood. "She's not outside," she told them.

"She has not been abducted," Rachel insisted stubbornly. "Weren't you watching her? Wasn't this the reason you insisted on coming?"

"Rachel, calm down," Donovan said evenly. He put his arm around her and moved her away from the crowd. "You need to get a drink and calm down. We'll find her."

Lily stood in one corner of the room watching Donovan and Rachel jealously. She didn't like how he was touching her. In another corner stood Jack Ashcroft. He saw the way Donovan touched her. Inside, he fumed. From across the room, Lily's and Ashcroft's eyes met.

At some point later in the evening, Nona's eyes opened and she realized she was gagged. When she tried to move, she saw she was bound as well. What the fuck? She tried to spit out the gag, but it was no use. It was lodged deeply in her mouth and covered with layers of duct tape. She was in a SUV. It was moving, but she didn't know where she was going to be taken.

Some sound made her look around and she saw the woman from the bathroom. She moaned against the gag, trying to plead with the other woman to help her out of this situation.

"No use, honey," the woman said. "We're in this together." Nona's eyes opened wide in terror as she watched the woman dig out a pair of scissors. In her other hand, she held what was once Nona's prized jet black hair. "I'm going to keep your hair for a bit," she said. "I think Lincoln wants your vocal cords. Relax. Soon your pain will end and you will be in Heaven."

Earlier before the scene in the SUV went down, the FBI agents were on edge. Without raising any suspicions amongst the crowd, no one said Nona Pope was missing. Donovan sent Lily, Ashcroft, Hurtz, and Lockwood outside to search. His internal homing system found Rachel. She was gnawing her lip and working out the wrinkles in her modest black dress. Unable to wait any longer, he approached her.

"Rachel, it's okay. We'll find her."

His words didn't comfort her. He had been repeating them over and over. No matter what he said at this point, it wouldn't ease the terror building up inside her. "I don't know about that," she said shakily. "She's missing Frank. It's as simple as that. She was taken from my own home. My home. I don't want any of your negotiator bullshit, either. She's going to die. It's all my fault!"

Not caring about the consequences of his actions, he took her in his arms and held her. "It's not your fault. She may have just left. It's going to be okay."

Donovan and Rachel were being watched. The two people watching them looked at each other from across the room.