/N: Thanks again for all the reviews as always! I appreciate every single one of them. I'm sorry for keeping you waiting so long after that big cliffhanger at the end of the last chapter, so like I promised, here is the next one. :)

Chapter Seventeen

Taking Action

As soon as Rebecca disappeared inside the house, both Ty and Caleb leaned in close to Ty's cell phone to hear what was going on inside. They could only hear muffled voices, but it was enough to identify Adam's gruff voice. There didn't seem to be any arguing, but that didn't set their minds at ease. They knew all to easy how Adam can flip the switch and hurt someone. Even at the slightest inclination, Ty and Caleb were going in. It was around that time when the phone clicked off, the call disconnecting.

Ty and Caleb shared an alarmed look, both trying not to think the worse. "It could be nothing," Caleb tried to reason. "She could have accidentally hit something."

"And what if Adam hit her instead?" Ty questioned, his hand on the door handle. The door clicked opened as his body was poised to jump out of the truck.

"Now, hold on," Caleb stopped him. "Let's just wait...a few minutes. We don't want to rush into anything."

Ty sighed loudly as he sat back against the seat. The two of them sat and stared at the house, searching for anything out of the ordinary, anything that would sound the alarm. The house was silent, not giving any clue to what was going on inside. Both guys sat on pins and needles, anxious, but cautious. In the next few minutes, the afternoon turned to evening, the sky tinged with pinks and oranges.

"Ok, that's long enough," Ty said, yanking open the door again and this time, jumping out of the truck. Caleb didn't try to stop him this time, instead he was right behind his friend. They ran across the street and slowed as they neared the house. "We'll split up, I'll take this side of the house and you go around the other side. Try to get a sense of what's going on inside and then we'll meet up back in the front."

Caleb nodded and set off toward the far left side of the house. The lawn was overgrown, especially the side yard, which was filled with tangled weeds and soft moss underfoot. Caleb treaded carefully, keeping close to the house. He jerked back suddenly, though, when he heard a small squeak. He looked down in time to see a small mouse scamper underneath the house. Caleb shuddered just thinking about AJ living in a filth-ridden house like this. He could only imagine what the inside looked like if the outside was this bad.

The first window Caleb came to, he could hear a small voice inside. He was almost afraid to look for fear of what he would find, but he had to. The room was bare with the exception of a few scattered toys in the middle of the room and the toddler playing with them. Something inside him released at the sight of the little boy unharmed. Caleb didn't waste another second, he started to jiggle the window open, but it was either stuck or locked. Either way, the window wasn't budging.

AJ heard his efforts and stopped his playing to look up at the window. A huge smile split AJ's face and he scrambled to his feet. Caleb immediately put his finger to his lips, telling the toddler to stay quiet. AJ mimicked him, giggling quietly. It reminded Caleb of the time they played hide-and-seek with Rebecca. The two of them had been crouched in the small closet of the apartment, watching Rebecca walk back and forth. Every time she did, AJ would let out a giggle so loud, Rebecca had to have heard it. The toddler was never one to stay quiet for too long, when he was excited. So, even though he didn't want to, Caleb moved away from the window back around to the front of the house, to find Ty.

Ty was just coming around the side of the house when Caleb made it back to the front, looking grim. He shook his head and said, "Nothing, they might be in a back room somewhere." Almost as soon as he said it, Ty balled his hands into fist, probably thinking of what could be going on inside.

"I have a small bit of good news," Caleb replied, and Ty looked at him curiously. "I found AJ."

"Really, where?" Ty asked.

"The front room over there," Caleb answered, pointing to where he'd just been. "He's fine, no cuts or bruises as far as I could see." Again, Caleb felt the relief in his words as he said them. Without another word, Caleb started walking to the front door of the house.

"Whoa, whoa, wait a minute!" Ty called, hurrying to catch up to his friend. He stopped in front of him right before the porch steps.

"Ty, I'm not going to let my son stay that in house a second longer with that psycho," Caleb said, trying to get past him.

"I know, I'm just saying we should call the police now for backup, just in case." Ty replied.

"Fine," Caleb relented. "Just make it quick." Keeping an eye on his friend to make sure he didn't make a break for the door, Ty pulled out his phone to dial 911.

~OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO~

AJ didn't know much of what was going on, just that the man who brought him here, keeps saying that mommy was coming soon. He had given AJ some food when he was hungry and some toys to play with, so AJ liked him. He had been playing with the little cars and trains when he heard something at the window. When he looked up, he saw Caleb.

Now, AJ understood. It was a game and he was it. As soon as Caleb was gone, AJ ran to the door of the small room he was in. He knew how to open doors, he was a master of getting out of his bedroom when his mommy wasn't looking. AJ stood on the very edge of his tiptoes to reach the doorknob, his tongue slipping out of his mouth in concentration. When the door swung open, AJ stumbled down to his knees, but quickly picked himself up again.

"I find you, daddy," AJ said, slyly.

Though AJ didn't know where to go, he started walking down the longer hallway, toward the back of the house. There were voices coming from down there and AJ's grin got bigger. When he got to the end, he stopped. There was another hallway on his one side, this one filled with bright sunlight. But on his other side was another door and that's where the voices were coming from.

"Find you," AJ whispered as he crept toward the door.

When the door clicked open, it wasn't what AJ expected to find. Someone lay on the floor in front of the bed and the man who'd brought him here, stood over her. The man turned around, though, when the door opened.

"Mommy!" AJ exclaimed.

AJ ran to Rebecca, who caught him in her arms. Rebecca couldn't help the swell of emotions that welled up inside her at having her son back in her arms. She sniffed back the tears, not wanting AJ to see them and get scared. She held him close to her, breathing in his sweet scent.

"Mommy missed you," Rebecca muttered into his hair.

"I told you he was fine," Adam said, his voice soft. "Our son is quite adaptable."

Rebecca ignored him as she checked AJ over herself, wanting to be sure that he was okay. Meanwhile, AJ was looking up at her like he had a secret and was just bursting to let it out. She smoothed back his messy, brown hair as she looked at him carefully.

"What's the matter, AJ?" Rebecca asked him.

AJ giggled. "I see daddy," he told her.

Rebecca drew in a sharp intake of breath, looking up quickly at Adam. His face was blank, making it hard for her to tell what he was thinking. "Are you sure? Where?" she asked, looking back down at AJ.

"Outside," AJ answered, playing with the zipper on Rebecca's leather jacket.

"Excellent," Adam spoke up. Rebecca looked up at him, a spike of fear going down her spine at his sniping tone. Adam smirked at her and she caught the gleam of a knife appear in his hand.

~OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO~

Ty and Caleb were not going to wait for the police. That was a fact and an unspoken agreement between the two of them. As soon as Ty got off the phone, they climbed the porch steps and Ty picked the lock on the front door. The house was dark and silent when they entered, the living room looking like it hadn't been lived in for years. The only thing that looked to be moved recently was a cracked lamp with its' lampshade missing that lay in the middle of the floor. Ty and Caleb shared a look, their expressions grim.

Silently, they decided to separate, Ty going through to the kitchen and Caleb going down the hallway off to the left of the living room. Right away, Caleb saw the first bedroom door at the end of the hallway and anxiousness filled him. AJ was in there, he remembered from the outside layout of the house. It was only when he was a few feet away from the door that he realized it was open slightly. Caleb yanked the door open all the way and hurried inside.

The room was empty, save for the toys that lay abandoned on the hardwood floor. There was no evidence of a struggle, but it didn't stop the sudden hammering inside his chest. It didn't mean anything, AJ could have left the room on his own. Not wasting another second, Caleb left the room and continued down the L-shaped hallway. He met Ty at the end, where he was just coming down the other hallway from the kitchen.

"Anything?" Ty asked him.

Caleb shook his head.

Then, at the same time, they looked over at the door they were standing near and glanced back at each other. Nodding at each other, they both took up posts on either side of the door as Ty reached toward the doorknob. The door swung open silently, revealing the struggling victim on the bed.

Rebecca sat at the head of the four-poster bed, her hands tied to the bed post and her mouth gagged. She had a large cut on her face, the blood mixing with the tears that were sliding down her face. Her legs were thrashing as she tried to wriggle free of her bonds. As soon as Rebecca saw them, she started to shake her head and a string of garbled words came out of her gagged mouth. Ty and Caleb rushed over to her, Ty going to free her hands as Caleb took the gag out.

"You have to get out of here!" Rebecca gasped. "Adam's still he..."

She broke off when the door slammed closed. They all turned around just as Ty got Rebecca's hands free and she was able to slide off the bed. Adam stood in front of the door clutching AJ with one arm and holding a knife in the other hand. The toddler's eyes were wide and fear-stricken as he took in everyone's anxious expressions.

"The game's over, Adam," Ty was the first one to speak. "No one has to get hurt here, just let AJ go. The police are already on their way."

"No, you don't get to make demands! " Adam said vehemently, flashing the knife at Ty. "As far as I can see it, I'm the one in control here." AJ let out a small whimper.

"Adam, please, he's scared. Can't you see that?" Rebecca replied, pushing past Ty and Caleb, reaching for AJ. "He needs his mother, please."

"Don't take another step," Adam warned, his voice low, full of mirth. "Besides, he's fine. We're already starting to warm up toward each other." Adam smiled reassuringly down at AJ.

"Adam, I just want to hold my little boy, please," Rebecca pleaded with him. "I haven't seen him in days, just let me hold him."

"So, you can take him away from me again?" Adam threw at her. "Run away and raise my son with him. No way. AJ is my son."

"He hasn't been your son since you abandoned him at the hospital, you remember that day?" Caleb shot out, anger fueling his words. Rebecca held up a hand, stopping him from going any farther.

"Adam, I let you back into AJ's life," Rebecca reminded him. "I thought I had to make things right with you. Everybody told me how crazy I was for doing so, but I thought I could trust you. And now, I'm standing here realizing just how stupid and foolish I was."

Adam shook his head. "You weren't stupid, Becky, it's them," he said, gesturing toward Ty and Caleb. "Everybody at that ranch has got you brainwashed, thinking I'm the bad guy. Becky, we're a family, that's the way it was always supposed to be."

Rebecca took a deep breath. "Okay, ok," she replied, stepping forward. She felt someone grab a hold of the back of her jacket, but she brushed them away. "You're right. Can I hold him now?" Rebecca reached her arms out again.

Adam hesitated, glancing over at Ty and Caleb. "Wait," he said. Then, he pointed to the far wall. "You two stand over there."

"What makes you think we're going to do anything you say?" Ty asked him.

"Because if you don't, I will be forced to do something I don't want to do," Adam told him, twirling the knife in his free hand. Panicked, Rebecca turned to look at Ty and Caleb, her eyes pleading with them to do as Adam says. This was a precarious situation and until AJ was safe in Rebecca's arms, Adam had all the control right now.

Reluctantly, both guys moved to the other end of the bedroom, neither one of them looked very happy about that. Satisfied, Adam slipped the knife into his pocket and walked over to Rebecca. AJ started squirming in his arms when they got close, whimpering for his mommy. Rebecca all but grabbed AJ from Adam, holding him tight against her. AJ let out a small cry as she kissed his temple. All the while, Adam watched them, a possessive smile on his face.

Rebecca risked a glance over Adam's shoulder and that's when Ty and Caleb lunged. But Adam was faster. He spun around, pulling out a small, black handgun as he did.

"Not so fast, boys," Adam said. Everybody froze, the silence in the room became palpable, weighing on all of them.

"Adam, what are you doing?" Rebecca gasped, keeping AJ facing her and not the gun.

"I'm sorry, Becky, but I think it's time these two go home," Adam spoke to her, but his eyes were on Ty and Caleb.

"If you think we're just going to leave Rebecca here with you, you're even more delusional than I thought," Ty told him,

"I don't remember giving you permission to speak," Adam said, annoyance trickling into his voice. He pointed the gun to the door. "Shall we?"

"You're not going to get away with this," Ty replied as he stepped toward the door. "The police will be here any minute."

"I believe you mentioned that already," Adam said, and stretched his arms out wide. "And yet, I don't see them anywhere. Let's go."

So, seeing no other option and with a gun pointed at their backs, Ty and Caleb walked out of the bedroom and down the hallway. Rebecca followed behind Adam with AJ's little arms wrapped securely around her neck. From her vantage point, Rebecca couldn't see either guys' faces, whether they were about to do something or not. Her heart hammered with fear, but mostly from surprise. Adam had never been one to associate himself with guns, not that he didn't like them, it was just unsettling to see him looking steady and calm while holding one. That was why she wanted to stay close for when the opportunity presented itself.

They stopped when they reached the front door and that's when Adam clicked off the safety on the gun. The sound seemed to reverberate through the walls, echoing through Rebecca, causing her to shudder.

"Adam?!"

"This is the way it has to be, Rebecca," Adam said, his eyes staring straight ahead at Ty and Caleb, his finger poised over the trigger. "There's no way they're going to leave us alone. They have to die."

"Adam, you don't have to do this," Rebecca tried to reason with him, walking around so that she was facing him. Ty and Caleb turned around too.

"Rebecca, take AJ to his room, I don't want him to see this," Adam replied.

"No," Rebecca said sharply.

Adam didn't flinch though. "Becky, please," he sounded almost pleadingly.

"Adam, listen to me," Rebecca continued. "You'll be throwing your life away if you pull that trigger. Put the gun down."

"Rebecca's right," Ty added. "You don't want to do this."

Adam's eyes flicked between all three of them and his hand, the one holding the gun, started to waver. Time seemed to be in suspension as they all waited for Adam's next move. The only sound was AJ's small whimpers, his face still pressed to Rebecca's shoulder.

Then, a lone siren pierced the still air. Adam's gaze flicked toward the door for only a second, but it was long enough for Ty to react. He lunged toward Adam, his objective being to take possession of the gun. The two hit the floor hard, but Ty never stopped in his advancements. Rebecca could see the first hint of strobe lights out the far window, until Caleb blocked her view.

"You need to get out of here," Caleb told her, taking her by the shoulders and steering her to the door. "Tell the police everything that's happened."

"No, I'm not leaving you two in here with him," Rebecca protested just as AJ started to cry from all the fighting. She shushed him and bounced him a little.

"You need to take care of AJ," Caleb said, his hand hovering over AJ's back. "Go, now!"

But before Rebecca could even move, a gunshot exploded through the air, silencing everything. When Rebecca looked past Caleb, all she saw was red.

A/N: I know, another cliffhanger, but I promise I won't make you wait long this time. I will be posting regularly now. Please review! :)