"New Horizons" PART SIX

She could have nearly cried if her body wasn't as weak from struggle. She could have fought back using the skills she treasured so much had it not been for the worry. She could have helped Carlos…had she not been overtaken by Wade Mahoney. As Katheryn woke to her surroundings, the memory of it all seemed to rush back to her. She smiled, remembering how she had stuck her foot in Mahoney's path and tripped him up. Mahoney's groans indicated he had not been hurt but a little bit. After a brief moment of quick thinking, Katheryn had slipped her arms up and over the back of the chair, bringing her still tied up wrists over her head and onto her lap. He wasn't out long enough for her to maneuver her way to Mahoney's knife and cut them both loose. But she did manage to loose the ropes some before Mahoney raised up to receive a kick in the face tendered by Carlos, buying Katheryn some time.

"Got it!" She whispered sharply and darted across the room for the knife as her ropes fell to the floor. Only a small scratch on her palm was evidence of the heated moment as precious time slipped away from them. Mahoney had come to about then. He rose back with a vengeance and aimed for Carlos. There had been no way for Katheryn to get a roundhouse or uppercut in edgewise as the two men struggled, falling over the sofa and crushing the only vase left that Mahoney's terror fit from earlier had not destroyed. And then it happened. Mahoney got the drop on Carlos with a puny four-cylinder. Carlos went in for the gun successfully only to have it go off as Mahoney fought back. Katheryn watched in terror as Carlos fell, hitting his head on the corner of the coffee table as he went down.

Wade Mahoney's victorious laugh had echoed back to her as she watched from where she stood a far off. The entrance was blocked, and there was no other way out. Except the windows of course, she thought as she peeked through the opening in the curtains.

Although everything within her wanted nothing more than to rush to Carlos' side, Katheryn held her ground as the goon made his way over to her. He had an angry glint in his eye that told her only silent prayer was the best thing she could offer Carlos right now. Please let him be alive, she cried over and over silently, remaining emotionless to the man before her.

Then Katheryn frowned, remembering Mahoney's grip upon her arm and how she felt her fingers grow numb as he dragged her to the bed. Afraid for her life but not willing to show it, Katheryn resisted the best she could without crying out. After all, hysterics and histrionics never won any battles.

Mahoney had spun her around and thrown her against the bed face down, grabbing her hands and forcing them behind her back. He muttered and yelled little threats here and there as he tightened the ropes around her wrists even tighter than the first time. Katheryn grimaced a bit under their grip as she eased onto her side once Mahoney had let go.

"Let's go!" Katheryn heard in her head. Was she still remembering…dreaming? "Let's go!" She heard again. But this time the voice was deeper. Angrier.

Katheryn opened her eyes finally to see a tall man towering above her. She tried pushing herself up on her own inside the dark linen closet that she had been tossed into some time ago. Had it been one hour? Maybe two? All she knew was the last thing that she remembered…Being slapped across the face and punched once or twice before and after she had been brought into the Mahoney mansion. She remembered how Mahoney led her to a closet in an unexplored corner of the bedroom apartment. She was surprised as it revealed a staircase. Its three short flights led to the base floor and a door right out into the open air completely away from anyone's view. It was all Katheryn could do to keep from utterly defying Mahoney and his pathetic hand that secured itself over her mouth to yell at the top of her lungs. Before she knew what had happened, they were in Mahoney's home…his bedroom. Mahoney was almost a different man as he showed her a picture of himself and Annie. Katheryn did everything short of spitting in Mahoney's face just at the thought of him having used Annie in unthinkable ways.

Then he switched and turned back into the monster he truly was and issued to her the bruises she currently lifted a hand to as pain seized her face while the man in front of her forcefully helped her to her feet.

"Wade wants to see you." The large man barked as he nearly dragged her across the room. But Katheryn tried with all her might to walk on her own.

Katheryn knew where they were headed. She knew it. Especially after hearing Annie's side of the story. She knew what Wade had in store for her. As she steadied her step upon the grand, winding staircase and climbed each step, a tear eased down her face along with an image of Carlos in her mind. The two were in sync, sending her into an emotional mess inside that she couldn't afford to be in right now. Therefore she blinked the tears away and swallowed hard. He's okay, she repeated mentally about twenty times to convince herself as they landed on the second floor. The body-built man continued to escort her quite roughly as they aimed for Wade Mahoney's bedroom quarters, arriving to see Mahoney there…waiting.

The twosome ceased walking at the bedroom's threshold. Katheryn didn't hesitate to look Mahoney in the eyes. She wasn't scared of him. He was only a man. A man that would soon meet a terrible fate no matter what he ever chose to do to her.

##

Trivette and Walker had left the "moving truck" and were inside the undercover mansion in less than ten minutes after they heard the shot fired from the third-floor bedroom apartment.

"Trent! Sydney!" Walker was the first to call out as they stopped at the foot of the grand foyer staircase.

"Maybe they were target practicing." Trivette tried to break a joke to his partner.

"Not likely." Walker threw over his shoulder and aimed for the elevator.

Trivette heeled him from behind and made it inside the box just in time before the doors closed.

"Walker!" Trent's jumped up from the sofa as Walker and Trivette emerged into the room.

Walker glanced over Trent's shoulder to see Sydney attending to Carlos. It appeared the worst was a small gash on his head that was being tending to by a fresh gauze from the first-aid kit.

"We heard the gunshot." Walker looked Trent over. "Are you alright?"

Trent nodded. "It was Mahoney."

Walker eased past Trent and stopped by Carlos. "Are you okay, Carlos?"

Carlos managed a nod, grimacing just a bit as Officer Cooke applied a bit of pressure to his head wound. "Yeah. I'll live." He politely asked Sydney to stop and stood to his feet, denying the slight spell of dizziness that overcame him. "Mahoney's got Kath."

Trivette followed Walker. "What happened?"

Carlos sighed angrily. "Kath came up on her own to get ready for tonight. I followed her a few minutes to later to see Mahoney holding a knife to her. I was unarmed." He shook his head at the thought. "If I would have only had a gun, Walker. He wouldn't have…" He let the statement go with a sigh. It was difficult to speak the words anyway.

Walker laid a hand on Carlos' shoulder. "We'll get her back."

"If it's not too late."

Trent returned to his best friend's side and glared at him. "Don't talk like that. We'll get her, Carlos. Have a little faith."

Officer Cooke approached Walker. "What should we do, Ranger Walker?"

Walker deliberated the situation for a few silent moments in his own mind as the others awaited his lead. "We'll have to go ahead and take Mahoney down."

Trent sighed. "But what about getting into his organization? If we bust him now, all the other smaller rings will scatter."

"I know." Walker nodded, wanting to trust his instincts instead of the logical. "But I think we should bust him now."

"Frankly, I'd have to agree with Walker, Trent." Carlos' forehead was creased with anger, remembering what Annie had told Katheryn and himself about Mahoney. They had to get Kath out of there.

"Let's go." Walker directed them all to the outside.

A crisp breeze swayed Officer Cooke's long black locks as she stopped short, a hand on Sandoval's arm. "Detective. Are you sure you shouldn't go home and rest? I'll can call you the moment something happens."

"What? And not be here to see Mahoney get what's coming to him?" Carlos snapped, regretting it immediately. "I'm sorry." Carlos closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose between his thumb and middle finger, willing away the stress.

"It's okay." Sydney gripped Carlos' shoulder and offered a smile. "Anyone can do things they regret when someone they love is in danger."

Carlos nodded. "Thanks."

Trent eased up behind Carlos as Sydney parted ways to prepare for the imminent bust. "She's right. You need to rest, buddy. That was a pretty nasty bump Mahoney gave you."

"Not you too?" Carlos stifled a grin and a half-rolled his eyes towards Trent. "I know. You're both right. And if it was anyone else, I'd take you up on that offer. But it's Kath, Trent."

Trent nodded. "I had a feeling you'd say that." He slapped Carlos on the back with a smile and continued forward to prepare with the Rangers to take down Mahoney once and for all.

The bust was successful and textbook. Eight men were taken down and arrested either by gunpoint or roundhouse kick. This left only Wade himself and his bodyguard. Trent was the first to dart after Mahoney's muscle man when the latter aimed for a basement and most likely a secret escape they had devised for such an occasion. But the big man wasn't so big once his face met the bottom of Trent's combat boot a couple of times. It was not an easy take down. But it did not take much time at all while Walker and Trivette had taken down the many guards.

Keeping himself out of combat, Carlos was the first to aim for the staircase, following a hunch regarding where they could be keeping Kath. Sydney had just issued a few choice words, kicks, and punches to a guard when she lifted her gaze to see the Detective in pursuit. She quickly slapped a pair of cuffs on the goon on the floor before hurrying forward and up the stairs after the Detective.

Carlos burst through the first set of double doors he came to, startling Mahoney as he hovered over the first button of Katheryn's blouse. Mahoney stood up and away from the bed as Carlos marched to where he was and took two…three…four good punches at his face.

Sydney arrived in the doorway and hurried to Katheryn's side, freeing her from the belts that held her to the bedposts by her wrists and ankles and turning to make sure Carlos had Mahoney under control. Katheryn hoisted herself off of the bed, rubbing unseen wrinkles out of her blouse as if she was wiping some sort of dirt off of herself.

Carlos continued to fight Mahoney, dodging the man's blows as best as he could. Mahoney nearly had him cornered against the wall when out of no where came a loud shout just before Mahoney fell to the floor unconscious, revealing Officer Cooke in fighting stance, her fists raised as she recovered from issuing a roundhouse kick to Mahoney's back.

Katheryn's smile turned into hints of tears of joy as she rushed over to Carlos. Carlos secured his arms around her in return, embracing her for as long as she would allow while she dared herself to let a few tears go. And a few did come, splashing gently against Carlos' leather jacket and slipping away. She wouldn't allow herself to cry anymore.

Meanwhile, Trivette and Walker were busy discovering all that Mahoney had been hiding in his grand house all these months.

"Hey, Walker. Take a look at this!" Trivette called from the room where they had discovered a stockpile of drugs.

Walker arrived a couple of seconds later and looked over Trivette's shoulder at the desk in front of them. It was your usual office desk. But it was what was on the desk that raised the red flags for Ranger Trivette.

Trivette pointed to a sheet of paper. "It's all in Spanish."

"Hmm…" Walker picked the paper up and flipped it over. Money to Sullivan as soon as the latest girls are shipped to you, was scribbled in normal pen ink. Walker showed the note to Trivette.

"Hmm." Trivette echoed. "Sullivan, huh? You don't think…?"

"Could be." Walker took a quick glance at the other pieces of paper on the table. "Looks like Mahoney's not the top guy after all."

"Who do you think is his boss?"

Walker carefully lifted a well-worn business card from the desk and handed it to Trivette. Clear as day, it read, David Sullivan, Head of Security, Texas State Governor.

##

"Well, so much for Carlos and Katie Santiago." Carlos led the way as Trent and Katheryn followed him into the Ranger Company B office the next day, still processing the events of the day before. It had been a close call. Too close, in fact, as Carlos thought back through how close he had been to losing Katheryn. He shook away the fearsome thought and pushed himself to focus on the present. Annie was indeed missing as Mahoney had threatened. Molly had called in slight panic that night from the H.O.P.E. center to let them know she was missing.

"Yeah." Trent frowned as he followed his friends across the room to where Walker and Trivette waited for them.

Trivette raised his eyes above his computer as the three young crime solvers stopped next to his desk. "You guys doing alright?"

Carlos nodded, turning to face Katheryn with concern in his eyes. "Yeah. I'm okay."

Katheryn swallowed, taking a deep breath as she tried to block the image of Wade Mahoney from her mind.

She made eye contact with Carlos briefly. "I'm doing okay. Truly," she turned back to Trivette. "I'm more worried about Annie far than I am myself."

"Have you guys got any leads on where she is?" Carlos inserted, nearing Walker's desk.

"Maybe." Walker stood and handed Carlos the business card that he and Trivette had taken from Mahoney's home the evening before. "Trivette and I found this in Mahoney's office yesterday."

Carlos reached out his hand and took the card, bringing it into his view as he read the words with a wrinkled forehead and narrowed eyes. Yet they didn't stay that way for long, growing wider as the words clicked with Carlos mentally. "Sullivan?" He spoke with a touch of surprise and handed the card off to Katheryn. "I thought he was in prison."

"So did we." Trivette eased out of his swivel chair and rounded the corner of his desk, handing Carlos a file. "As it turns out, Sullivan escaped from Huntsville several weeks ago and seemed to fall off the face of the earth."

"We're hoping that we can get Mahoney to talk and give us information about his boss and Sullivan if possible." Walker paused. "Mahoney's boss is most likely a leading drug lord."

Trent nodded. "What about Annie?"

"I have a feeling that if Mahoney is connected to Sullivan, then wherever Sullivan is headed to will be the same place Annie ends up." Walker turned to Carlos. "Would you like first try at Mahoney?"

Carlos stifled a growing grin, lifting his head. "Gladly."

##

Carlos leaned over the rectangular wooden table, his arms spread apart and his hands laid flat against its pale surface as he sighed sharply. He turned to view Mahoney's dirty face sheltered by the shadows of the dark room. Two hours had passed with nothing to show of it but a weary detective, an angry prisoner, and a friend who desperately desired to see Mahoney pay for what he had no doubt put Annie and many other young women through.

"Alright, Mahoney." Carlos sank into the second chair at the table, folding his hands on the table's surface sarcastically and leaning into the hardened criminal. "You're going away for a long time, Mahoney. Rape, drug dealing, money laundering—your rap sheet is quite long. No lawyer will be able to dig you out of the hole you've put yourself in. So why don't you tell us who your boss is? It wouldn't hurt, now would it? It may help."

Mahoney never flinched and simply stared straightforward with a smug grin.

Carlos waited a second before tearing himself away from the chair and pacing the room. Katheryn, Trent, and Ranger Trivette watched him from the next room as he paced back and forth next to the table. Trent worried for a moment who exactly was wearing whom down with this strategy. Mahoney seemed steadfast against giving anyone up…as was expected from a guy as low as him.

The door suddenly opened, revealing Walker as he neared Carlos and whispered something inaudible in his ear. Carlos grinned. It must have been something good.

"Good news, Mahoney." Carlos slapped the table as he sat back down. "Your bodyguard is taking a deal. Reduced sentence. Sounds good doesn't it?" Carlos feigned a broad grin before hiding it within his act. "Trouble is…the deal's only good for one of you. So you're plum out of luck, Mahoney."

"Now wait a minute!"

"He speaks." Carlos smiled to Walker.

Mahoney's rough-edged sigh filled the entire room just as it itself was filled with a depth of anger. "Alright…I'll talk."

"Who's your boss?" Carlos continued with no hesitation.

Mahoney grimaced. "I can't tell you that. Sullivan would kill me for sure."

"Who's Sullivan?" Carlos played along with the goon.

Mahoney realized his slip-up and was on the verge of turning a peculiar shade of red as he thought through a decent cover-up. Yet none quite suitable came to mind. "He, um, was a customer."

"A customer? What kind of customer?"

"He would give us our crack and meth stuff in exchange for…"

"For what?" Carlos pushed Mahoney to the edge with every syllable.

"Girls."

Carlos allowed for a moment of quiet as he leaned back in his chair. His look of disgust displayed his feeling for such a crime. It took a sick person to be involved in such an act. "Hmm…Trafficking. Nice addition to that rap sheet we were just discussing."

"Where's Sullivan now?" Walker broke in, striding up to the goon behind Carlos.

Mahoney was far beyond apprehensive as he realized the corner he had painted himself into…even if it had only been a ploy set up by Walker and Carlos. Good thing he didn't know that. "He—he was headed across the border last I heard. Mexico City. Now what about that deal?"

Carlos turned to Walker with a contented grin, ignoring the latter question from Mahoney. They finally had the lead they had worked so hard to get that afternoon.