Nancy woke up with a groan, her head pounding and her stomach roiling with nausea. She tried to raise her hand to feel her throbbing head, but found herself unable to move. Blinking to clear the daze from her mind, she realized that she was trussed up like a chicken. Further, she noticed that she was gagged as well. The horrifying events at the airfield came rushing back. As she remembered the pitched battle and the images of the unmoving agents by her side, she closed her eyes again in pain and frustration.

How in the world had they known what to expect? Was it a slipup on our part, or had someone sold us out? She wondered, anger beginning to overtake the other emotions. They lost good agents for nothing. The whole operation had been a complete failure. They had walked right into a clever setup, and not only had they not captured Giovanni but she had gotten captured as well. And heading to God knows where, she thought, recognizing the low hum of airplane engines and vibrations under the floor she was resting on. She hoped that Adam, Daniel and the rest had gotten out unscathed.

"Well, well, look who's finally awake," came a greasy voice, one that she recognized and was beginning to loathe. Gritting her teeth, she opened her eyes and looked right into Giovanni's pudgy face. He looked maniacally cheerful and was practically bouncing on the balls of his feet, as he looked her over from head to toe. "Though you don't look quite as delectable as you did last evening, my dear Miss Mallard," he cackled, rubbing his palms in glee.

She made no comment, not that she could through the gag, but the contempt and loathing in her eyes must have made an impression, because he lost the smile, which was instead replaced by an ugly look. "Or should I call you Miss Drew, instead?" he asked, with a dangerous glint that morphed into a triumphant smile when she couldn't stop the slight widening of her eyes. "A pity you turned out to be a government agent, or we could have had so much fun together. But where we are going, government agents don't come to a very nice end." His humour restored by that sally, he turned to the man who just entered the cabin from the cockpit. "When are we expected to reach, Francis?"

"We will be landing shortly, in 15 minutes," came the reply. At the sound of the voice though, Nancy's heart started to pound. It was strangely familiar, though deeper and rougher than she seemed to remember. She turned her head sharply, and immediately regretted it as shards of pain lanced through her skull. When the spots cleared and she looked again, the man had disappeared and it was only Carlos and Giovanni in the cabin. It can't be, she thought dazedly. I must be imagining things, because there is no way in hell it could be... And while she never made the mistake of ignoring her instincts the idea seemed too farfetched and unbelievable for her to fathom, that he of all people...

Presently, the increased roar of the engines brought her out of her troubled thoughts before she felt the bump that signified that they had landed. As the door of the plane opened and she was pushed roughly outside, she caught a brief glimpse of clouds, tall mountain ranges and lush forests before she was blindfolded. She had no idea where she was, but she felt it safe to assume that she was no longer in Florida. The buzzing sound of insects and raucous calls of birds, the humid tropical air, the faint sound of rushing water and absolute lack of the noises of civilization brought about the thought that maybe she wasn't in the US itself. Oh, this is so not good, she groaned silently, as she stumbled her way through a rock-strewn path.

After nearly half an hour of walking and numerous falls later, she heard the sound of voices and bustling activity growing closer. From what she could hear, they seemed to have made it to some sort of clearing and she could feel gravel under her feet. There were sounds of men and machinery all around her, and orders being shouted in Spanish. Are we actually at his supposed hideout in Mexico? She wondered silently.

They were at the base of his operations, she realized with a thrill. Her mind was busy turning gears trying to figure out where they were exactly and how to get word out when she felt a sharp jab in her back and nearly fell after tripping on some stairs. She clambered up the steps through a set of double doors. Well Drew, better plan on getting out of here first, she thought ruefully.

After what seemed to be a maze of corridors, she finally stumbled into a small room of some kind. Another sharp jab into her back and she fell sprawling on the floor. While she was still catching her breath from the fall, she felt the blindfold being removed. Room in obviously too kind a description, she realized, as she took in the bare walls, the single cot in the corner covered by a stained, threadbare blanket and the cracked commode in the corner which looked like it hadn't been cleaned in years. She turned back to look at her captors and again caught the beady, cruel eyes of Carlos.

Suppressing a shudder, she turned towards Giovanni, who looked preoccupied and distracted. When he felt her eyes on him though, the oily smirk made a comeback and he leered at her, "Well, Miss Drew, how do you like your new quarters? I hope they are to your liking, because you will be here for quite a while. Of course, the quality of your stay will depend on you co-operation, so let's all be nice, shall we?" Turning to his henchmen he said, "Carlos, come untie Miss Drew, we can't have her complaining that we aren't hospitable now, can we?" With that remark and chuckling at his own wit, he turned and walked out the door of the cell.

She kept absolutely still when Carlos was untying her, but couldn't stop a shiver of disgust when his hands brushed against her ass in the process. Another squeeze later and she knew he was deliberately copping a feel. Raising her head to glare at him, she felt bile rise in her throat when she realized that his usually expressionless eyes were now filled with lust. He ripped out the gag in one painful swipe and before she could more than let out a cry of pain, she felt his foot crashing into her stomach. Winded by the suddenness of the attack and gasping in agony, she could do nothing when he pulled her up by the hair and smashed his lips onto hers. However, the smell of his breath and the repulsion of his touch went a long way towards clearing up the pain.

Before he could do more and before she could tense her muscles to kick out at him they heard Giovanni's voice calling for him. He raised his head looking disappointed. Bending down, he whispered in her ear, "Until next time, Miss Drew," and walked out the door. She dimly heard the clanging of the cell door and the turn of the lock before she allowed the increased pounding of her head and the sharp throbbing in her stomach to lead her into unconsciousness.

Author's Note :

Sorry for the late update, again! I've been pretty busy with work, traveling, flu... You name it! To those of you patiently waiting however, hope you enjoyed the new chapter! In response to one of my reviewers, yes, Frank will play a major role in this story and will soon make an appearance. Thanks for the lovely reviews! Cheers! :)