There's been an idea in my head since I started this story that I couldn't do anything with until I saw the finale. I hope I can still work it in here and be at least partially believable. We'll see…and it won't be in this chapter but coming soon perhaps.

monkeytoez17: Oh they'll get back to the same place again. I don't know when or how yet but it's coming. ;)

rococoms: I'll admit it's getting a bit dark but I think you'll be happy with the outcome. Whenever that may be. Haha. But don't worry…I won't let her get hurt too badly. :)

By noon that day, Griffin had his plane fueled up and ready to go. Brenda could tell he hadn't slept at all and was in worse of a mood than he had been in when she saw him the night before. His face darkened by his disposition and by the thickened scruff he didn't bother shaving. The whites of his eyes were fire red and brooding.

Brenda wanted to try and at least see Sharon one more time before she left but she couldn't risk it. She couldn't put Sharon in any further danger than she already had. Swallowing her regret, she pulled the sleeve of her grey blouse down covering the bruises on her wrist that were getting darker and darker as she climbed the narrow steps of the private jet.

The flight was relatively smooth and quiet. Griff finally fell asleep a few hours after takeoff. Brenda, on the other hand, was wide awake. She unconsciously rubbed her bruised wrist. Before she realized it, she saw Henry watching her. She saw his eyes shift over to the sleeping Griff.

Henry silently stood up and motioned for her to join him in the back of the plane. She hesitated only slightly. By the time she joined him he had already started running the hot water in the bar sink and was bent over looking underneath the cabinet. Finally he emerged with a bottle of vinegar. Pouring a bit in a glass he filled the rest with the warm running water. Dipping the end of a cloth into the mixture he waited until it was fully saturated. He held out his huge hand and inclined his head. Henry was silently asking Brenda permission to her bruised wrist. She took a breath, pulled back her sleeve and offered him her hand. Gently applying the cloth over her skin he held her so softly.

His tenderness shocked her.

"This will help the bruising." He whispered. His voice not so gruff anymore but like he was talking to a child. Maybe he felt sorry for her? She didn't know. There was a lot of more of this story that she didn't know. Didn't know if she'd ever know. G. R. Hawthorne ran a tight ship. And he didn't let just anybody into his circle. And he certainly didn't just let anybody out either.

Brenda checked to make sure Griff was still asleep. The loud snoring indicated he was.

"Be careful, Miss Steele." Henry cautioned her before returning to his seat.

After a short nap of her own, Brenda woke to the pilot announcing their final decent into Heathrow Airport. She couldn't wait to get back to her flat and unwind herself from the trip to LA. Griff and Henry, grudgingly, dropped her off at her building.

As soon as she walked in her front door she sensed immediately that someone had been there. Her senses were on high alert. Brenda Leigh knew once she'd left her flat for any length of time, G. R. Hawthorne would have it bugged. He was a very smart man, she couldn't deny him that. And she was expecting in.

But with the smugglers getting caught in LA and now with her home being bugged, she'd have to set her next plan into motion quicker than she wanted. Hopefully it wouldn't be too late.

A week later, Brenda was thinking about every move she made before she made it. She hoped that old saying about paranoia didn't ring true. Because being paranoid was one thing. Being cautious was another.

Every night she laid in her bed in the pitch black darkness trying to see any kind of reflection or light to indicate the surveillance that she knew was there. But so far her efforts had been fruitless.

Turning over, she put her arm over the extra pillow beside her and hugged it tightly. She'd forgotten how lonely undercover work was. Closing her eyes the first vision that appeared in her mind was that of the most sophisticated woman she knew stepping into that ladies room at the Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf with first, a look of total confusion and finally, a look of pure happiness on her beautiful face.

Sharon Raydor wasn't one to show her emotions lightly. It took a long time for Brenda Leigh to be able to read the tiniest of reactions on the captain's face and body. And she was sure she was the only one who was able to. Captain Raydor was a unique creature.

Her breathing quickened remembering the feel of Sharon's arms around her. She still couldn't believe they'd let their guards down but something had changed between them in the year she'd been away. A closeness created through distance and time.

The feelings she had confused her. They were all so sudden and unexpected. She'd never thought about loving another woman. She didn't have a problem with it, it just never occurred to her. There had only been 3 men in her life that she truly loved: her father, Fritz and Will. So she wasn't that experienced in the whole "giving her heart to someone else" game whether it be men or women or both.

But when she thought about Sharon Raydor, she got the same feelings in the pit of her stomach that she got when she was falling in love with Fritz.

Brenda Leigh's eyes flew open as the throbbing between her legs pulled her attention from her thoughts. She hadn't been with anyone since Fritz and hadn't really thought about it. Work took precedence then and now.

Biting her lower lip, she couldn't turn off her reactions. The more she tried the stronger they got. Her hardening nipples ached underneath the white tank top she slept in. Suddenly the room became overwhelmingly hot.

In the complete darkness, she couldn't see an inch in front of her face but in one fast movement she yanked off the shirt. The cool air in the room did little to squelch the heat radiating from her body. Covering her exposed breasts with her hands only caused her body to ache more. She didn't realize how much she desired the touch of another person.

Turning from one side to the other she couldn't get comfortable. She had to satisfy her need.

"Oh for heaven's sake." Brenda exhaled into the pillow she had been clutching. Squeezing her breasts she felt the hard nipples rasp against her palms. The littlest touch felt so good. Blood was pounding in her ears as she worked her hands over her soft, sensitive body. Clamping her eyes shut again, her hands turned into Sharon's and it was then she was able to finally relax her muscles and let her body take over.

She watched with her mind's eye as Sharon's fingers brushed feather-light touches down her arms. Her belly quivered as those nimble fingers burned a trail along her hip. Just imagining another woman…this woman touching her brought every sensation to the surface. Rolling onto her side again and as one hand flicked the tip of her nipple back and forth her other slid along the band of her grey boy shorts.

Just as Sharon's hand was inching closer to her center, another cold hand pressed into her back. With all thoughts of Sharon flying out of her mind, Brenda tried leaping to the other side of the bed but her legs got tangled in the sheets.

Someone else was in her room. She could feel their presence but couldn't see them. The cold hands grabbed for her again, this time clutching both her wrists. Squinting her eyes she tried to see them. The body, heavy and strong, forced her onto her back with her hands captured above her head.

As he kneelt over her, she smelled him. It was Griff.

"I had a feeling you needed some company." He whispered in her ear. His scruffy face grated across her cheek.

She realized then that he had been watching her and watching her from somewhere close enough to get to her within minutes. Her fantasy hadn't been that long. Her heart was pounding.

"I've been wanting this for a long time." Griff drug his opened mouth across her throat.

Any and all sexual desire she had been feeling a few moments ago were gone.

"Let me go, Griff." She breathed.

Tightening his grip, she felt her already bruised wrist start to ache again. "No! You are mine." He thrust his hard length into her leg sharply to show his control. She knew this day would come but didn't imagine it like this.

He was far too strong and she was pinned down just enough that she couldn't fend him off. Think, Brenda Leigh, think!

Just as he grazed his teeth along the top of her breast, she thought of something. "Wait! Griff, wait. Please." She struggled beneath him and felt him lift off her a bit. "Wait. I…I don't want our…our first time to be like this. Not…not like this. Please." She was begging softly. "I've been wanting this for a long…long time too but…please. Not this way." She lied.

Griff released her hands and rolled off of her. She still couldn't see him very well in the dark. "My house tomorrow night." He ordered.

She didn't let out the breath she had been holding until she heard him zip his pants and close the door behind him as he left.

Pulling the covers to her chin, she sat shaking for a long time as the tears flowed down her face. If this had happened in LA she could have run to someone who would have helped her.

But now there was no one.