Seems like the first chapter of this fic was missing in action for a bit. I apologize for that. Hopefully the internet gurus on the fanfiction site have it all ironed out now. :-)

"Please, my arms really hurt." Gillian added an extra hitch to her voice.

She could sense indecision hanging in the air. The man with the baritone voice had slipped out leaving his partner alone.

"I don't think that's a good idea Dr. Foster."

"What do you think I'm going to do? I have no idea where I am, you have my partner and I'll be damned if I'm going anywhere without him. My purse and phone are locked in my desk at the office." She cleared her throat. "Please." They really did ache from the awkward angle and it felt like her wrists were chafing so she wasn't being completely disingenuous.

The man let out a sigh as he made his choice. "I can't risk you pulling off the blindfold. It would be way too dangerous for both of us but I'll try to make you a tiny bit more comfortable." He moved away for several moments and she could hear him open a door, root around in what she presumed was a closet. There was the sound of ripping cloth before he returned to her side. She inwardly gasped when she heard him flick out a knife but her bindings were quickly cut and the weapon folded and put away. Gillian automatically rubbed her wrists, wincing from the sting and feeling a tiny bit of wetness. "I'm sorry but I still need to tie you." One hand was placed on the arm of her chair and he quickly secured it with some kind of cloth before repeating with the other hand. "Hopefully that's a little better."

It was. Marginally. At least she could sit back into the cushion. "Thank you." She bit her lip, wondering how far she could push. "Is Lightman tied?"

There was a grunt of acknowledgement.

"Do you think you could do him the same courtesy?" This was the guy that had hit her and she was asking him for favors. What the hell? "What did you give him anyway?" Wouldn't hurt to try again.

"To be honest, I don't know what he used. I just know that our orders are for your boss to remain subdued."

Gillian swallowed as her heart started to race again. There were too many possibilities. Hopefully the other guy knew what he was doing because it wouldn't be hard for them to inadvertently kill Cal. "You're just going to keep him unconscious?"

"More or less."

"You realize that if you dose him too much, you could kill him."

"You can trust Ber-" He stopped himself. "He's had training."

Why didn't she feel any better?

"Look, I'll cut the plastic ties and use the cloth shreds on him too, 'kay?"

(BREAK)

There were voices but they all seemed full of mud, very much like his head. He tried to lift it just a little but couldn't. It was amazingly heavy.

Other parts of his body seemed just as heavy and he wasn't even sure where his arms went. They had to be around here someplace.

Movement. A bit of rough handling and he could suddenly feel them dangling at the ends of his shoulders right where they should have been. Silly things must have been hiding. Through the mud, he could feel the tingle of restoring circulation. God, he hated that.

He tried to part his eyes open and he thought that he was successful but all he saw was darkness. Three things: nighttime, a cave or dark room or he'd somehow gone blind. When did that happen? Could he really be blind? Did blind people just see total darkness or were there gradations? Maybe he should read up on it. Wait a minute. If he was blind, he wouldn't be reading up on anything. He'd have to learn Braille. Shit, he was too old for that.

Someone was pulling at his arms again. They hurt and he tried to resist but he seemed to have the strength of a newborn. Ah hell.

His arms were yanked again. Someone was tying them. Shit.

"Fucckkoffff." His voice gargled through the mud but he was pretty sure that it could be heard on dry land. He tried to roll away but his body didn't want to have anything to do with him.

"Sorry man." The apology sounded gruff, voice unfamiliar.

"Cal?" Another voice. This one he knew. He felt a little flutter in his chest.

"Uhhhh…" Well, that was articulate. Let's try this again. "Zaajjilll…?"

"Yes, I'm here…fortunately or unfortunately depending on your point of view." She seemed relieved but was there some fear there? His head was so thick it was impossible to tell.

Gillian's heart jumped in her chest when she heard him swear. He sounded completely zonked but that single oath was reassuring in such a profound way. He was, in fact, there with her. Up to this point, she only had her ears and the word of her captors. She almost felt like crying in relief but quickly veered away. She needed to be strong and mindful.

Gregory was feeling indecisive again. Maybe he shouldn't have taken the plastic bindings off. But then again, what the woman said was true. Seriously. What were they going to do? Especially Lightman. He couldn't even sit up. It would be okay. Berk would be back soon with some supplies and then they could all tuck in for the next couple of days. Maybe it would be best for all concerned if he kept his distance from Dr. Foster. He got the feeling that she may not be above manipulation and he'd be damned if he'd let her get the drop on him. Yeah. Best to ignore her when possible…as hard as it might be. Shit. Berk would take some of the heat off when he got back. Hopefully he'd come bearing beer. That would be a very good thing. He moved out of the tiny living room and plopped onto a dining room chair. He could see them both just fine from there.

"Cal?"

"Uhhhh…?"

"Just checking if you're still awake."

"Uh."

(BREAK)

Finnley Bainbridge Senior saw it coming together perfectly. Once the case was thrown out (and he was now extremely confident that it would be), Finnley Junior would be on the first flight out of the states. That's how it needed to be. The kid was a little shit, guilty on all counts but unfortunately, his only son. A one way ticket to Brazil and he could take all his questionable tendencies with him and senior Finn could finish up damage control here. Without the lie expert, the prosecution's case was circumstantial. Lightman doesn't show and suddenly there's no one to walk the jury through all of his idiot son's fabrications. Case closed. Senior Finn could have had the man killed, but detained would work just fine. Discredited would be a nice bonus too if all went according to plan. Yeah, Finnley Senior wasn't a killer. Puppet master maybe. Killer, no.

(BREAK)

Berkley was currently in a world of indecision. All in all, he considered himself a pretty good guy. He did his job well. Stayed professional and fair. Kept a calm head. Had studied hard in medical school. That's why he was having such a problem. He owed the old man a hell of a lot and loved him like a father. But then there was Finn. Finn was 'requesting' different plans and Berk didn't like them. Not at all. Finn was also a fucking loon behind smiling eyes...who was offering so much more. Enough that Berk could buy his own ticket. But it pretty much meant selling his soul and stepping over lines that he'd never crossed before. It was a hell of a quandary.

He slammed the door to the truck and went around to pull grocery bags from the back. He'd purchased enough for four days. Hopefully he could come to some kind of decision before then.

Once inside, he stopped, narrowing his eyes. Lightman was now awake. Not completely but was gradually becoming cognizant. He kept shifting on the old couch, his voice drunken and thick. Berk could barely understand him. It sounded like gibberish. Of course the accent didn't help.

Dr. Foster quieted, obviously listening for any shred of information they might supply her. He silently wished her good luck with that.

Greg was on his feet, grabbing at one of the bags. "I'd just about kill for a beer."

"Help yourself."

He did, the pop and fizz quickly following.

"Seems like one of our guests has awakened."

"More or less. Did tell me to fuck off though."

Berk smiled and a chuckle followed. "Probably be back to night night land for him soon."

"Is that really necessary?" Dr. Foster turned her head in the direction of their voices.

"Yes it is."

Gillian opened her mouth to contest, shut it, opened it again. "I'll talk to him. I'll get him to behave himself."

"Please don't take offense but I doubt he'd listen to you. Please know that we have done our homework and this is just part of the job."

"Who the hell's that?" Cal's voice was still thick but Berk could actually understand the question now.

"No one of consequence sir."

"Bollocks." The mud was dispelling as anger slowly replaced it. Flickering memories were adding a clarifying element. "I'm on your shit list. I get that but why take Dr. Foster? I doubt she has anythin' to do with this."

"She doesn't. Just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time."

Cal digested that, feeling nauseous. "She hasn't seen you. Let her go."

"Sorry. We can't do that."

Gillian could hear the desperate quality starting to establish itself in Cal's voice. He was terrified, but not for himself. For her. The realization made her insides clench.

"Look, you let her go and I'll be the perfect hostage. No mind games. No smart comments. Won't try anythin'."

"Oh, we know you won't."

The implication hung above them. Nothing Cal could say would change a single thing. "Sorry Gill." The two words were heavy with misery.

She wanted to reach out and touch him and of course couldn't despite the fact that he was only a couple of feet to her right.

"Okay, this is what we're going to do." Berk sounded jovial. "You'll even be happy to hear it."

"That's likely." Cal returned dryly.

"You might be surprised." Berk lowered himself onto one of the dining room chairs just on the other side of the couch. "Can't just keep you tied and blindfolded for the next couple of days. That would just be cruel. So you're going to be locked in one of the upstairs bedrooms. I'm thinking that this is a bit of a kindness on our part so I trust you won't do anything to mess it up. Right Dr. Foster?"

Frowning, she cleared her throat. "Of course. What do you really think I might do?"

"Not sure. Just know that Dr. Lightman here won't be up for any kind of traveling." The baritone had lost its friendly edge.

Cal's lip curled up in anger but he didn't say anything.

"I understand." The prospect of being untied and having the damned blindfold off was, admittedly, pretty appealing. Hopefully, at that point, she could figure out a way to get them the hell out of there.

There was the rustle of a bag. "Now. Who's up for sandwiches?" The forced friendliness was back.