MOSCOW : ONE MONTH AGO

The party was going like most. Chrissie's arm was tightly wrapped around Ryan's, her pet on a leash. She was making contacts, networking, doing what she was good at. He looked up when the maid came up with a drink for Chrissie. She said something. Chrissie looked up at Ryan, then nodded and let his arm go. She disappeared into the crowd, chasing down someone. The maid motioned him in the direction she wanted him to go. Ryan started walking.

They were passing a door under the stairs when suddenly she grabbed the back of his jacket and swung him toward the stairs. He was expecting the wall, but instead the door was open and he flew inside. She slammed the door shut, pushing him against the wall. Before he could speak, she was pulling a gas mask on his head. She pulled one on her own, looking into his eyes.

"We wait," she told him. She reached under a stair above their heads and pulled out a pistol.

She reached under a stair above their heads and pulled out a pistol. Fire alarms suddenly blared and quickly smoke filled the closet. She turned, aiming a gun when the door opened. Two men dressed like firefighters were waiting with uniforms. Anja handed a pair to Ryan.

"Hurry. Dress."

Ryan did as she told him and they headed for the door. One of the men hefted a body over his shoulder, an unconscious young woman that was light enough for him to carry. One followed along on his other side, just slightly ahead of him. The four walked out, right past Chrissie who was staring wide-eyed at the flat, crying.

A paramedic came forward and took the woman, then one of the men grabbed Ryan's arm and led him behind the equipment to a Hummer with tinted windows. The four got in and the driver pulled away. Ryan ripped off his gas mask, hit with a cold realization.

"She's going to come after me," Ryan whispered, then gasped back a sob.

"Yes. We need her to."

Ryan looked at Anja. She was pulling off the firefighter uniform. She looked at him.

"Who are you? Are you a competitor?"

"No, Ryan, she's not," the driver said.

Ryan's head jerked up. He knew that voice. And when they passed a light, he knew that red hair. Ryan lunged forward, leaning on the seat so he could see Horatio's face. He started shaking and the harder he tried not to cry, the harder he cried.

"Horatio!" Ryan wanted to hug him.

Horatio held up his free hand and Ryan took it. Suddenly he pushed his hand up, pulling Ryan's head to his shoulder. Ryan wasn't the only one who didn't want to let go for fear sleep would end and this dream would be over.

Ryan broke into sobs. He wrapped an arm around Horatio.

"You will be safe, Ryan. You just have to do as Anja asks. She will protect you, we all will. They need you to help arrest Chrissie. Will you help them?"

"God, yes!"

The man patted Ryan's neck, silently reassuring him of his safety. Ryan glanced back when Anja took his hand. She smiled, holding on tight.

"You will be safe. I promise."

"It was just a smoke bomb," the firefighter told Chrissie, holding up the canister.

Chrissie snatched it from his hand. She suddenly threw it and turned to her men.

"Find Ryan! And that bitch Anja."

They searched, but the two had vanished. The party had ended the minute the fire alarms went off, which was a good thing for the partygoers. Finding Ryan missing, and realizing the woman she'd hired to keep him in check had taken him, enraged Chrissie. She started breaking things in her rage, and then beat one of the other maids to death in Anja's place.

Exhausted from murder, she fell into a chair, oblivious to the blood covering her.

The phone rang and she let one of the maids answer it. The woman timidly approached Chrissie, holding it out to her.

"For you, ma'am."

Chrissie snatched it way, sending the maid scurrying away with a hateful sneer.

"Hello?" Chrissie snapped.

"I want to meet," Anja said.

"Where is he? Where is my husband?"

"He's safe. For now. In the morning a letter will arrive with an address. You will go there. Bring your list of vendors and dealers."

"If you hurt him, I will kill you."

"I have no doubt." Anja hung up.

Chrissie looked at the bloody body on the floor. "Get rid of that!" she screamed at her staff.

A limousine drove along the dirt road toward the abandon ore refinery. In the back, Chrissie glared at the building.

The limousine stopped outside of the building and she climbed out, scanning the roofs for her snipers. She didn't see them, but they were good at their job, so she didn't really expect to. She didn't know that her snipers had bee caught on the way to their positions, and if they weren't arrested, they were killed.

Chrissie straightened her coat and headed inside with her two bodyguards. Sitting in the open sat Ryan on a chair with his hands tied behind him. Next to him stood Chrissie's ex-maid Anja with a gun in hand.

"That's close enough," Anja said.

"What do you want?"

"Show me the list."

Chrissie smiled. "I'm the top dealer here. You are not going to run me out of town?"

Anja smiled. "Yes. I am." She aimed the gun at Ryan's head. "The list."

Chrissie pulled a CD from her pocket. "They're all on here."

Anja walked forward, holding out her hand. Chrissie gave her the CD and then she backed up, handing the CD to Ryan.

"Is it the list, Ryan?"

Ryan's hands dropped from behind him and h picked up a laptop from under the chair. Chrissie couldn't hide how much his betrayal shocked her. She took a step forward and Anja aimed her gun at her. Ryan took the CD and checked the contents.

"Yes. These are all of her vendors and dealers. It's complete."

"What are you doing?" Chrissie asked Ran.

He looked up at her. "Getting revenge. You didn't really think I wouldn't turn on you, did you, Chrissie?"

"You love me!" she screamed.

"I wish you were dead!" Ryan screamed back.

From hiding police and soldiers swarmed out. Chrissie pulled a gun and aimed it at her own head. Anja shot her in the leg and ran up, stomping down on Chrissie's wrist. She aimed at her head.

"I help you do that," Anja told Chrissie, and then shot her in the forehead.

Ryan stood up, staring. Anja looked back at him.

"I promised you be safe. I keep promise always." Anja turned and disappeared into the swarm of people.

Ryan was numb. He wasn't sure if what Anja just did was a blessing or a curse. For too long he'd lived Chrissie's prisoner that part of him was angry and upset at Anja for killing her. Part of him was so lost it couldn't really grasp the freedom Chrissie's death brought. That part would always be searching for her, expecting to see her behind every shadow, in every closet, under every staircase.

Ryan didn't feel Delko's hand on his shoulder, or notice Horatio stand on his opposite side.

"Let's go home, Ryan."

Ryan let them guide him because home wasn't a concept he fully grasped any more.