A/N: I hope you all are still with me. I know it's been another month and my updates have been ridiculously slow! But I never abandon a story so don't worry. Please enjoy this next chapter.

Hoyt's men had them line up in the hallway and get down on their knees. They were stripped of all their weapons and each of their hands was zip-tied behind their backs. The sound of the stairwell door got their attention and they all looked up. Jane's heart stopped when she saw who came through it. Hoyt.

A disgusting smile spread across the man's face as he slowly approached Jane and Paddy's crew.

Kill & Collect

Chapter 14

"Hi, Jane," Hoyt grinned as he stood a couple feet away from the brunette.

The brunette remained stoically silent as she eyed the man she despised most in the world. His white hair was a little longer than she remembered but he still held that sickly smug expression on his face. That was something that would never go away.

"I'm sure you figured out by now that the bomb was a ploy. I'm surprised you fell for it." He squat down to her level and their faces were about five inches apart. "I can't tell you how pleased I am to see you here, Jane. But I'm afraid the company you have brought is unnecessary."

Hoyt looked up at one of his men and nodded his head.

Three simultaneous gunshots rang out loudly in the hallway. Jane flinched and three dead bodies dropped to the tiled floor. Hoyt did not blink an eye.

Jane's eyes widened at the now lifeless men on the floor. "No! No! You son of a bitch!" Jane tried to push up from her knees but two of Hoyt's men were quick to hold her in place.

"Ah, ah, now Jane," Hoyt calmly stated. "I'm sure you barely knew these gentlemen. Of course, now it's their blood on your hands."

Jane's upper lip turned up into a snarl but she refused to break her resolve in front of this man. When she averted her eyes from his pointed stare, it was then she noticed one of Paddy's men had been spared. Jax was his name if she recalled. Hoyt smirked and stood to his feet. "Cut him loose."

The brunette frowned in confusion as the man's wrists were freed and he was allowed to stand. "Did you bring what I requested?" Hoyt asked him.

"Yes, sir." Jax reached in his pocket and pulled out a slip of paper. "The address to the cabin where Paddy has been hiding out."

"Excellent," Hoyt purred, taking the paper.

Anger boiled inside the brunette as she stewed in silence. One of Paddy's men had become a fucking traitor.

"Here's your payment," Hoyt said, handing him a thick envelope.

The man grinned and happily stuffed the money in his jacket.

"What the hell is this?" Jane growled.

Jax looked at her and shrugged. "Sorry, Jane. Hoyt had a better offer."

The brunette gave him the death glare before he moseyed to the stairwell door exit and left.

Hoyt snickered. "A little money can go a long way."

The betrayal Jane felt was causing her anger to boil over inside. She wanted to rip Jax up limb from limb and she would if she ever got her hands on him.

A smug smile was on Hoyt's face and he moved in front of Jane once more and got on his knees so they were eye level. "There's always one in the gang willing to stray. You would know all about that wouldn't you?"

Jane's jaw muscles tightened as she fought to restrain herself. She wanted to lash out, to scream, to break Hoyt's neck and feel that sweet release of his life slipping away in her hands, but she couldn't. Hoyt had her. Tricked her. She was pulled from her thoughts as Hoyt held up the piece up paper between them. "I'm going to enjoy what I have in store for you and your… girlfriend." He spoke the last word with bitterness.

"You lay a hand on her and I'll fucking kill you, you son of a bitch," Jane growled.

Hoyt raised his eyebrows with amusement. "I have always admired that fire inside of you, Jane." He slowly raised his pasty, wrinkled hand and brushed the back his fingers on her cheek. The brunette shrank back from the touch but the two men holding her restricted much of her movement. Jane's skin crawled at the faint touch and she wanted to puke at the horrible stench of Hoyt's breath. "Maura will be joining us soon and I'll do much more than lay a hand on her," he smiled.

Jane attempted to lunge at the man in front of her, but she was again restrained. Panic filled Jane's heart at the thought of Maura being hurt in any way.

Hoyt laughed heartily. "I knew you'd come looking for me. Your resilience is what makes you strong, but at the same time… weak. You broke code, Jane. Kill and Collect. All you had to do was kill her."

Jane met the man's gaze once more. Her face colored in anger. "Fuck you."

Hoyt shook his head. "Jane… Jane. You disappoint me so. Your failure comes with consequences and you will be punished."

Jane raised her chin defiantly and tightened her jaw muscles. Her eyes were steel and lacked emotion. Hoyt would not intimidate her.

"Goodnight, Jane."

Suddenly, a painful shock of electricity zapped her neck. Darkness.

Maura had just exited her bedroom when she heard the commotion downstairs. She walked down the corridor and looked over the stairs' railing from the second floor. She saw her father and Suzette standing by the door.

"Paddy, where you going?" Suzette asked, as Paddy and a few of his guys filed out the front door of the cabin.

"Boston. Something's happened. I haven't heard from my guys in hours and I feel something went wrong. Just tell Maura that…"

"Tell me what?" The blonde interjected.

Paddy and Suzette looked up, surprised to see the blonde there.

"Is something wrong? Is it Jane?" the blonde's hands gripped the wooden railing in front of her.

Paddy sighed. "I don't know what's happening. But we're going to make sure things didn't go sideways."

Maura quickly descended the steps and soon joined Paddy and Suzette by the door. "You haven't been able to reach Jane or your men at all?"

Paddy solemnly met her gaze and shook his head. "We'll get to the bottom of it, Maura."

"I want to come with you."

Paddy shook his head. "That's not happening."

"Why not? I can take care of myself and I want to make sure Jane is okay."

"I can't let you come, Maura. It's too dangerous." He reached in his jacket pocket and pulled out a cell phone. "Take this phone. It only has my number on it so you can reach me directly." He placed the phone in her hand and looked at both women.

"I'll handle this." He then turned and walked out the front door. One of his men closed it behind him.

Maura stood, staring at the front door in disbelief and worry. Her heart clenched at the thought of never seeing Jane again. "Oh, God…"

She was pulled out of her thoughts when gentle hands grasped the sides of her arms. "Come on, honey," Suzette said, guiding her away from the door. "Paddy will take care of it."

Worry was etched on the blonde face. "I have a bad feeling." Maura muttered.

"Jane is a strong woman, Maura. I'm sure Paddy will find her and his men safe and sound, God willing." She gently rubbed Maura's arm reassuringly but it did little to calm the blonde.

"I can only hope. But for people like me and Jane… things usually end badly."

"I'm not going to bullshit you, kid. I know exactly what you mean. I'm worried too, but we have to have faith things will work out."

Maura tried to feign a small smile but failed. She appreciated Suzette's attempt to help her but she knew deep down Jane was in trouble.

The taste of metallic was on Jane's tongue. She turned her head to the side and spit out the blood that had filled her mouth. It splattered on the concrete ground inches from a pair of steel-toed boots. Two of Hoyt's men stood in the cold darkened room with a solitary light bulb hanging above. They were done with their task. She sat in a chair with her arms and feet bond, leaving her completely immobile. Satisfied with the damage they had inflicted, Hoyt's men threw a blindfold over her eyes and then left the room.

The slamming of the heavy metal door left a brief ringing in the darkness. The long she sat in this room the closer the memories of her capture in Somalia. Jane tried to stop the images that filtered into her mind but it was inevitable. Horrid flashes of her torture, beatings, and inhumane treatment during her Special Forces years bombarded her head and shook her to the core. This situation felt too similar to how she felt back then. Not knowing whether she'd live or die; wondering when and if help would ever come; wanting it all to end… wanting life to end. Her thoughts went back to just hours before, remembering her last moments with Maura.

Jane sat on the bed with one foot up on the mattress as she tied the laces of her black combat boots. She was ready for her next mission. To take down Hoyt.

"Is it time?"

Jane looked up and saw Maura standing in the doorway of the bedroom. She eyed the blonde softly before giving the laces on her boot a final pull. "Yeah. It's time." She stood to her feet and walked over to the dresser.

Maura silently walked further into the room and stood near the bed. "How can you be so sure he's there?" Maura finally asked.

Jane pulled a handgun out of the dresser drawer and checked the chamber for bullets. "I just feel it in my gut. He's there."

"But you're not positive. What if it's a trap?"

Jane slid her handgun in the back waistband of her black cargo pants and then turned to the blonde. "There are always possibilities, but Hoyt doesn't know we're coming." The brunette walked over to her suitcase and retrieved her black leather jacket. It was silent for a few more moments.

"Jane, don't go," Maura's soft voice requested.

The brunette paused. Maura's voice sounded so vulnerable, Jane felt it deep in the recesses of her heart. She took a breath and looked up, meeting worried hazel eyes. "Maura, don't do this."

The blonde shook her head. "I don't feel good about this mission at all. Something's not right."

Jane sighed and walked over to the blonde standing in front of her. She gently placed her hands on Maura's arms and looked into her eyes reassuringly. "Maura, if I don't go now there may not be another chance to locate him. We can't keep waiting for him to find us. He always will."

"That may be true, but I just can't get over this feeling…"

"Maura, there's no other choice."

The blonde suddenly pushed Jane's hands away. "Of course there's a choice." The brunette watched Maura place distance between them before turning around and facing her. Maura's eyes were almost pleading. "Don't go. We'll figure out another way. Just not this way, not now."

Frustration began to build inside of the brunette and she clenched her jaw. "Then what do you suggest? We hideout in this cabin a couple days? Then, what? Wait for Hoyt's men to ambush us? Chase us out so we can hit the road and sleep in a car again? Yeah, that was fun."

Maura frowned at her. "Do you have no regard for how I feel about this?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I thought I knew exactly how you felt, but I guess not. I thought you were fine with this plan yesterday. You even wanted to go with me."

"Yes, I wanted to go. Then at least we'd be together if things went wrong. This is too risky."

Jane took a few steps closer. "Maura, sometimes you have to take risks to get things done. Now I'm going to Boston tonight, I'm gonna find Hoyt and I'm gonna kill him."

Maura lightly bit her lip, trying to hold back her tears. "Not if he kills you first."

"Why are you talking like this?" Jane threw her hands up in the air. "You don't think I can do this?"

"No, Jane that's not it." The blonde stated with indifference. "I have no doubt you can do it. You're a killer, right?!" Maura's anger finally flared. "It's what you do!"

"That's right!" Jane shouted back. "I'm a killer!" They stared at each other a moment and that's when Jane saw what was left of Maura's strong resolve crumble. "I'm a killer," Jane repeated softly. "And I'm tired of being hunted. I need to finish this."

A single tear rolled down Maura's cheek before she briskly turned and faced the bedroom window. "Fine, then finish it."

The brunette swallowed the lump in her throat as she stared at the other woman's back. "Maura," she gently spoke, but the blonde did not respond. The brunette stood there a moment and then let out a sigh. "I'll call you when it's done," she said, shrugging on her jacket. Still nothing. With a heavy heart Jane left the room and went downstairs.

Paddy met her on the front porch and Jane saw some of his men already standing by the vehicle. The older man held out his hand and Jane grabbed it giving it a shake. "You be in touch," Paddy said.

"Yes, sir."

Jane walked down the porch steps and headed for the black SUV. Each of the four men that she would be working with introduced themselves; Freddy, Leo, Mike and Jax. Jane sized each of them up and figured they all looked reliable enough. It was time to head out. She had just opened the passenger side door when…

"Jane!"

The brunette's head whipped around towards the voice. She saw Maura running down the porch steps and heading her way.

"Maura?" Jane stepped away from the car.

"Jane!"

The brunette jogged towards Maura and met her halfway. When they met, Maura's arms wrapped around her neck and Jane held onto the blonde for dear life. She closed her eyes and savored this feeling. Maura leaned back and cupped Jane's face before pressing her lips against the brunette's. Jane kissed her back without hesitation. She felt Maura's hands slide into her hair and deepen the kiss further. Their tongues wrestled with wild abandon as they tried to convey all the raw feelings that were lingering between them. Neither one of them meant any of the harsh words that were spoken between them just moments ago. The kiss came to an end and they rested their foreheads together. Maura's hand caressed Jane's cheek as they stood their together. Nothing existed in this moment but them. Hazel eyes soon met brown.

"You made me a promise," Maura said, running her thumb across the brunette's cheek.

Jane silently nodded.

"Keep it."

"I will."

Jane's breathing became more frantic as she attempted to calm herself and kept her tears at bay. Maura had been right. Hoyt had lured her right into a trap and here she was helpless and tied up in the darkness. She was hurting inside and out but she would not be broken again. From the right and left hooks she to the face and boots to the gut she stayed strong. She had to. Maura was counting for her. The woman she loved.

Maura's hand reached out for the towel on the rack and dabbed her wet face. When she lowered the towel, she locked eyes with her reflection in the bathroom mirror. An uneasy feeling was still churning in the pit of her stomach. Jane was in trouble, but there was nothing she could do.

The sound of power being drained throughout the house caused Maura to stand at attention. The lights were suddenly out. She whipped her head towards the bathroom doorway and noticed the entire house had gone into darkness. This did not feel like a simple power outage and Maura was instantly on heightened alert. She carefully moved into the connecting bedroom and removed the small handgun she had in the nightstand. She then grabbed the phone that her father had given her, just as a precaution.

She walked up to her closed bedroom door and listened for any movement on the other side. Nothing. Carefully and quietly she opened the door and leaned her head out. The barren corridor was bathed in darkness and an eerie silence hung in the air. In some comfy gray workout pants and a black tank top, Maura stepped out into the hall and moved two doors down where she knew Suzette's room was. Just as she was about to knock the sound of a floorboard creaking not three feet behind her perked up her ears and her eyes widened. Whipping her head around a man dressed all in black lunged for her, grabbing around her waist. Maura struggled with him for a moment until she snapped her head back, nailing the man in the mouth. He grunted, loosening his grip on her body. Maura then turned and clocked the man in the face with her handgun. He instantly fell to the floor, knocked out. Heavy footsteps could be heard ascending the staircase. Maura aimed her gun down the corridor. As soon as she saw a person and identified them as another intruder, she fired. The bullet penetrated his chest. With a howl of pain, the man grabbed at the fatal wound and fell to the floor. Maura quickly turned to her first attacker and began to search his unconscious body for weapons.

"Maura?!" Suzette hollered as she stepped out of her room in a panic.

"Suzette, stay in your room!" Maura commanded. She quickly moved over to the older woman and stood in front of her. The older woman saw the two men on the floor. "My God. What's going on?"

"Hoyt's men. Suzette, listen to me." She pushed the cell phone from her father into the woman's chest. "I need you to go back in your room, close the door, and call Paddy."

"But what about…"

"Suzette, do it now!"

The older woman vigorously nodded her head and fled back into her room. Maura proceeded down the hallway, gun at the ready. She looked over the railing of the stairs for any movement. It was dark and quiet but she was not completely satisfied. She carefully crept down the wooden stairs and soon made it to the ground floor. Maura looked down the darken corridor that led to Paddy's office. Not a soul was present. This worried the blonde because two of Paddy's men were left at the cabin with them to watch over her and Suzette. They were nowhere to be found. With her gun held tight to her chest, ready to shoot at any second, Maura moved out of the foyer and towards the den. As she rounded the corner she spotted a dark form on the floor where the kitchen connected to the dining area. A body. As she cautiously moved closer she noticed it was one of Paddy's men unconscious or dead lying on the ground. She got within arms length to check his pulse when…

"Omph!"

A large force out of nowhere tackled her and she fell to the carpeted floor of the den along with her attacker. The gun was knocked away from her hands and bounced a good five feet away from them.

Maura tussled with him on the carpet and struggled to reach for the weapon. She was on her stomach with the man's upper body on top of her, trying to restrain her arms. "Hold still, bitch!" The man growled as he tried to gain the upper-hand.

Maura's eyes frantically scanned her surroundings, then she spotted it. With much effort, her hand reached out was able to snatch up the glass ashtray on the coffee table. With swift movement, she turned and struck the man across the face.

"Urrgh! Fuck!" He yelled loosening his grip and holding his face. He rolled off the blonde and onto his back in pain.

Maura got to her feet and was able to move over to the gun. As soon as it was in her hands, movement in the corner of the room caught her eye. Another intruder made himself known. They both quickly raised their guns and trained their weapons on each other at the same time.

"Enough!" A booming voice shouted.

Maura looked up at the second floor and saw the man she had pistol whipped standing near the railing. Her eyes widened as she saw he had Suzette in a tight grip against his body. His hands were around her throat, holding her in an awkward angle. "Drop the gun or I'll snap her fucking neck!" He commanded.

Her eyes went from Suzette, to the man holding her at gunpoint, to the intruder on the floor who was now standing to his feet, holding his head. Maura's breath was frantic and her heart was beating in her ears. They wanted her alive. Otherwise these men would have killed her by now.

"Don't worry about me, Maura!" Suzette got out.

"Shut up!" The man yelled, jostling the older woman, causing her to flinch in pain.

"Okay! Okay!" Maura shouted. She held up her hands in surrender before slowly lowering the gun to the floor. "I'll do as you say. Just don't hurt her."

The man holding Suzette smirked. "Get her."

The two other men held Maura and the blonde did not put up a fight. They tied her hands behind her back.

"You're taking a little ride with us." The man holding Suzette sneered. "Hoyt has plans for you."

Maura swallowed the nervous lump in her throat, but stood stoically still. She then watched in horror as the man took out a stun gun and zapped the older woman.

"No!" Maura screamed as Suzette yelped in pain before falling to the ground, unconscious.

The men held her back as she struggled to get to the other woman. The man on the second floor leaned against the railing and smiled. "Relax. She'll wake up in a few hours. As will you."

Maura felt a sudden burn in her shoulder and jolts of electricity hit her body before closing her eyes and letting darkness take her.

A/N: I'd love to hear from you. It's been a long time.