A/N: So far I'm keeping my promise for one update a week minimum. I really wish I could post new chapters more often, especially considering how supportive you all are, but real life gets in the way sometimes. I hope you enjoy this one.

Chapter 13

"Mom, I have to be going to class."

"Okay Alex. Remember, we are moving to our new place today."

"Yes, you haven't let me forget it. My stuff is packed and ready. I'll be over to help as soon as I can."

"Take your time, sweetie."

"Sure thing, Mom. By the way, I told my boyfriend about the move and he offered to help. It'll score him some brownie points with Dad, don't you think?"

"It won't hurt," Kathleen chuckled. "John is a fair man. If your boyfriend is on the up and up, your father is bound to warm up to him."

"I'll bring lunch from the diner. What's the new address again?"

"1837 Franklin Street," Kathleen replied. "I'll text you the bus routes."

"No need, Mom. I booked the services of my personal chauffeur for the day."

"Have it your way, Alex."

"Thanks." She was on the way to the door when her father came from the storeroom lugging some boxes. "Hi Dad, love you Dad, bye Dad," she said cheerfully and ran outside.

"We've raised a good kid, Kath."

"Uh-huh. She said she'll bring us all lunch from the diner after she's done at school. Oh, I almost forgot. She also said that she'll be bringing someone else to help."

*grunt* (One of her friends to help her decide how to decorate her room, no doubt)

"Close, but no cigar, Sugar Bear." Kathleen had learned to correctly decipher Casey's grunts a long time ago, even before they'd gotten married in fact. "We'll finally get to meet her boyfriend."

"Alex has a boyfriend? Since when?"

"Apparently they met just before the holidays and hit it off instantly – her words. From what she says, he's a very nice young man. Trust me when I say you'll like him. I have yet to meet him, but I like him already."

"I see. Well, the last of the stuff we have in the storeroom is ready to go."

"We still have time until the movers show up. And I have a pretty good idea on how to pass it, Sugar Bear." She started towards the bedroom. "Are you coming?"

His reply was to sweep her off her feet and carry her to the room.

-o-

"I must say, Ms. Walker, we've never had that kind of an offer before, so I can't give you an answer right now. I'll have to run it through the executive board."

"Truth be told, you come highly recommended as the group with the best understanding of the Korean War. I contacted no other organization before coming to you."

"Frankly, I think the board will jump at the offer. We need good publicity to attract more members."

"You'll get it. My boss has also authorized me to negotiate the payment for your services, or any other form of compensation you want."

"We are a nonprofit organization, Ms. Walker."

Sarah nodded in agreement. "I browsed your website. I believe we can make a donation to your group, as well as handle the catering for the people you'll have at the store, should you agree to my proposal, plus provide a sponsorship for your calendar. The game developer also wants to hand out free games to those who will participate."

"All told, I think it's a most attractive offer," the reenactment group president said. "The board will agree with me and then we're in business. In fact, I the board will convene for an emergency session later today. I'll call you as soon as I have news."

"This is my card. You'll find my home number on the back as well. Don't hesitate to call me at any time." She rose to leave. "Thank you for your time and have a nice evening."

"You're most welcome and I'd like to thank you, too. Our members are going to love the whole deal."

Sarah left the reenactment group's offices, feeling good. Earlier the same day she'd had more good news: the movie she had ordered for Casey would be delivered at her office soon. She already had a bottle of good whiskey gift wrapped in a desk drawer back at work and waiting for the DVD set to join it.

She was heading back to her car, fully intending to go to Chuck's before he got home and cook for him, so that he would find dinner ready when he returned. Her plans, however, were to be disrupted. She was about to get her keys when a black van screeched to a halt next to her and three masked men jumped out, making straight for her. As one of them reached to grab her, she reacted instinctively, flipping him on to the pavement with a flawlessly executed judo move. Another one grabbed her around the waist, but she stomped on his instep with her high heeled boot. The man howled in pain and let go just as she elbowed him right in the face, breaking his nose, and then on the ribs. The first man was getting up and got the pointed toe of her boot in the balls, putting him out of commission. As she turned to look for the third man, Sarah felt a sharp pain in the back of her head and her world went black.

-o-

Mary and Stephen were about to call it a day and go home when the phone rang. Stephen picked it up immediately.

"Hello?" He listened to the person on the other end of the line and his expression turned grim. "I understand. Thank you for letting us know. Keep us appraised of the situation and anything you need from us we'll provide."

"Stephen, what's wrong?"

"We need to talk to Charles. It's an emergency."

"Tell me what happened! I'm getting worried here."

"It was the police. Sarah's been kidnapped."

"WHAT?"

"They called us because they found her briefcase at the scene."

"I'll call Chuck. It must be related to the work she did with him in Europe."

"Or it may be about her career as a thief," Stephen added. "Either way, our son must know. Maybe he can help."

As expected, Chuck went ballistic when he learned the news. "Mom, Dad, I have never killed anyone, but if they harm even one hair on Sarah's head, all bets are off," he ground out through clenched teeth. "Right now I have to recall my team and inform Graham. If it's related to our operation… I may need to bring Casey in as well. Do you have the name of the detective that called you?"

"Um, yes. It's a detective White, LAPD."

"I may have to go federal agent on her. I'll be in my office." He about-faced and left.

"I pity the stupid fools who took Sarah," Mary said to her husband. He just nodded. They had never seen their son so angry.

Meanwhile, Chuck was explaining the situation to Langston Graham, who was none too happy with the news. He offered to contact General Beckman and have her assign Casey to assist Chuck and his team. "Have you informed her family?" Graham finally asked.

"Not yet, sir. But I am going to call her sister as soon as we're done here."

"Handle the matter any way you see fit. If there is a connection to the Zurich operation we may have a leak. I'm giving you a full internal affairs investigation warrant, just in case. By the way, there is another agent in LA, visiting family."

"Really Boss? Who?"

"Evelyn Nichols. She used to be one of the best field agents before she was seriously wounded in the line of duty. Now, pending recertification after rehabilitation, she's an instructor at the Farm."

"I know Eve. She's good. Send me her contact details, in case her services are required." Chuck ended the connection and sighed. He wasn't looking forward to letting Carina know, but he had to do it.

"What did you just say?" Carina exploded when he explained the situation to her. "Have they made any demands yet?"

"It's too early. We only know because a witness saw the whole thing and called the cops."

"Chuckles, I want you to be honest with me. Does this have anything to do with whatever you hired her for in Europe?"

"The possibility is being considered, along with every other scenario. It could just as easily be because she's your sister, or it could be due to the fact that she has done work for the Orion security systems division, participating in the sale of a couple of high end packages. Or maybe a ransom demand will be made to your parents. You should inform them of this, by the way."

"OK. But I want in on the investigation, too."

"Sure. Right now, I'm going to lean on the lead detective. I want to see what the cops have so far."

-o-

Detective Alexis White was pissed. The victim had been fortunate enough to have her kidnapping witnessed, and a camera on a nearby building had captured the scene on video, but running the van's plates through the system yielded no results. Plus, a high profile case like the one she had right now was not the best thing, coming in the wake of the entire precinct being under IA scrutiny after a senior detective, a Lieutenant Mauser, was caught neck deep in several illegal ventures.

"Dammit! This is going nowhere," she muttered. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a uniformed cop point someone to her desk. The young man approached her in a confident manner.

"Detective White?"

"Yes?"

"Special Agent Carmichael, CIA," he said, showing her his badge and politely holding out his hand.

She returned his firm grip. "What can I do for you?"

"I'd like to talk to you about the kidnapping you're investigating. Ms. Walker was briefly employed by the CIA recently, and we are quite concerned that it might be related to the case she helped us on."

"I understand, but the CIA is not supposed to operate on US soil."

"That's why I have an internal affairs warrant."

"So far we've got bupkes. We ran the license plate of the kidnappers' van through the system, but they must be fakes, as we got no hits. She did put up a fight, though." White played Chuck the video. "One of them has a broken nose and maybe ribs, while another will be singing soprano for a while."

Chuck laughed. He knew how proficient Sarah was at martial arts. "Did you collect evidence at the scene? Fibers, DNA, anything?"

"Nothing that helps."

"I can have the license plate number of the van run through our own system. I'm not really optimistic, as they can be fakes, as you said, but we'd be remiss if we didn't try."

"Knock yourself out," Alexis said with a tight smile, handing him a note with the number on it.

He thanked her and went to call Morgan. The results were not long in coming. There was a good reason for the plates not being in the LAPD's system. Following a quick call to Graham explaining the situation, Chuck again sought out Alexis.

"We got 'em. Unfortunately, I am not at liberty to explain, but the CIA and the NSA will be taking over the case, Detective."

Alexis was no fool. "So it's either internal affairs or intelligence stuff."

"Something like that," Chuck replied vaguely.

"If you need any extra help, don't hesitate to call." She gave him her card. "Oh, and my people are going over traffic camera footage to see if we can trace the van's route. I'll keep you posted."

"Thank you for everything, Detective White." Then he left to rejoin his team and Casey. Carina should have told her parents by now and he'd advised her to stay with them, just in case a ransom demand was made.

-o-

The movers had just delivered the last boxes to the Casey family's new apartment when Chuck called with the news of the kidnapping. Naturally, Casey told him that he was in all the way, as he wasn't about to pass up the opportunity for some gunplay. It also served as a distraction from the revelation of his daughter's boyfriend's identity. This situation would be dealt with later. He had another reason for participating in this mission. He hadn't shown it outwardly, but he liked Sarah Walker. She'd made a good impression on him from their first meeting and she had been a great help with the Zurich assignment. Right now, he, Bryce, Morgan and a woman introduced to him as Eve Shaw – Nichols was her maiden name – were waiting for Chuck in a little visited area of a federal building downtown that served as a reception area for intelligence agents returning from overseas assignments. Chuck and Carina joined them not long later. Casey was surprised to see the DEA agent and even more surprised to learn she was Sarah's big sister.

"Time is of the essence, so let's get right down to business," Chuck said. "The cops had no luck tracing the kidnappers' van license plates, but as it turned out the vehicle is one of ours, stolen from a training facility in Nevada last week. The whole deal stinks of an inside job, but I don't know why."

"It's got to be the Zurich mission," commented Casey.

"I know. But who would be interested in it and why would they take Sarah? She was only an outside contractor. We, the CIA and the NSA, are in possession of the juicy stuff we recovered during the course of the mission."

"Um, Chuck?" Morgan asked as he looked up from a computer. Seeing his friend nod, he continued. "I don't know if it's of any use, but I got the police report on the crime scene and I'm printing it now."

"Thanks little buddy." Chuck moved to the printer and snatched the pages as the machine spewed them out. "Interesting," he muttered after going through a list. "It says here that Sarah's cell phone was recovered, but there is no mention of the second one she had, the one issued to her by the company. Excuse me a moment." He ran to another room and called his father. He wanted to know if Orion phones could be traced. The answer was quite heartening, as it was doable. Stephen would give it a try.

-o-

As Sarah regained consciousness, she became aware that she was in a moving vehicle, trussed up but thankfully not gagged. She could hear voices, so she pretended to be still out. Opening one eye into a slit, she saw the backs of four men. Taking stock of herself, she noted with relief that only her head hurt, in addition to some cramping caused by her uncomfortable position. Not daring to move in order not to give away the fact that she was wide awake, she started formulating a plan. She needed to buy time until Chuck found her. She caught enough bits and pieces of the conversation between her captors to know something about what they wanted. But she had Chuck. Chuck would do everything in his power and then some to get her back safe.

"Come on, open the damn door," the driver called to someone outside the van.

"The damn motor's stuck! We have to do it manually. Gimme a hand, will ya?"

"OK, everybody out. Let's get this motherfucker open."

It was the opportunity Sarah was waiting for. While scheming, she had felt the Orion phone in her back pocket. Fortunately, her hands were bound behind her back and she could get to it. She pulled it out and pressed one on the speed dial.

"Hello?" Chuck's voice was terse and she could detect his anger in it.

"Chuck," she whispered, twisting her body into an even more uncomfortable position in order to bring the phone as close to her mouth as possible. "I can't talk much, but they think I'm still out. We're dealing with at least five and it has something to do with the Rome job. Trace the call. I'll keep the line open to make it easier. I have a plan to buy some more time."

"Just don't do anything stupid, Sarah. I'm coming for you."

"See you soon." She shoved the phone back in her pocket, but heard what Chuck said in reply.

"I love you Sarah."

She smiled. She knew from the start that there was more to their intimate relationship than just an extension of their friendship. She began to feel sorry for the men who'd taken her. A few minutes later, she was tied to a chair and someone broke a capsule of smelling salts under her nose. She coughed and blinked, shaking her head from side to side, pretending to try to clear it.

A man slapped her on both cheeks. "Wake up, sleeping beauty. We need to have a little chat."

She decided to feign both disorientation and fear. "What's going on? Who are you?"

"More important is that we know who you are, Ms. Walker, so I'll just cut to the chase. Before the holidays, you broke into an office in Rome and stole something very valuable; this to be precise." The masked man showed her a photo of a model car.

Sarah squinted at the photo. "Doesn't look familiar. My Dad collected model cars, but from what the display base says it's a 1927 Lancia Airway. I'm more familiar with models from almost a decade later. Wait, you say I stole it?"

"Yes, in Rome. Care to tell us what you did with it?"

"But I've never been to Rome. I want to go someday, but… And what was I supposed to be doing there?"

"You worked for F & S Global. But you are also a thief."

"I'm not a thief!" Sarah protested vehemently. "And I certainly don't work for the outfit you mentioned. I-" Her interrogator punched her in the gut.

"Stop lying to us," he barked as she coughed and wheezed, trying to catch her breath.

"I'm not lying," she cried. I should get an Academy Award for this, she thought. "I work for MCG Construction and Real Estate."

"She's lying!" Another man moved to hit her again, but the lead interrogator stopped him. "What?"

"She did work for MCG… four years ago."

"Four years?" Sarah echoed. "You mean it's 2012?"

"You idiot! You hit her too hard and caused amnesia!"

"You mean she can't remember the last four years?"

"We'll find out if she's telling the truth." He turned to Sarah. "You better be, because I'll rip out your toenails one by one – for starters." He motioned to another man, who removed Sarah's boots.

She still played the part of the intimidated and panicking female to perfection. "But I told you, I don't know anything! You have to believe me!"

"I say we hook the bitch to the leads of the van's battery and gun the engine," another man suggested. "It'll serve her right for breaking my nose."

"I'd go with ripping all her nails out," someone else said. "Thanks to her I'll be walking lopsided for a week and I wanna see her suffer."

"I'll keep it under advisement," the one who was obviously calling the shots said. "Too bad we couldn't get any of those exotic truth drugs normally used in cases like this one. It would have made our lives easier, but we couldn't afford to leave a trail. So we'll do it the old fashioned way. Ms. Walker, you heard what my associates are inclined to do to you. For your sake, I hope you're not faking amnesia. We'll find out, you know. How painless it will be is up to you. Think about it for a few minutes and try to remember. We'll be back to check on you soon." He turned to the others. "Let's get that nose of yours checked out. And you get an ice pack for your poor cojones."

The five men came back, this time without wearing their masks. Sarah noted with grim satisfaction the mess she had made of one's face and the awkward and obviously painful gait of another. Not hiding their faces also meant that they fully intended to kill her when it was all over. She wasn't worried, as she had absolute faith in Chuck. He would come in time to save her.

"Well, Ms. Walker, do you have anything to tell us?"

"Give me a break, will you? I just lost four years of my life, not to mention your claim about me being a thief. It's a bit too much to take in one go."

"Alas, we can't afford to give you a break. There's too much at stake and we are pressed for time. So, I'm going to ask you nicely just one more time: What did you do with the model?"

"Why on earth would I be interested in stealing it in the first place, assuming I indeed stole it? I can go to a store and buy one any time I want." Chuck was most certainly listening in and she wanted him to know what the fuss was all about.

"This one is special. It was made by a Lancia craftsman who worked on the prototype of the actual car in the twenties. Its value as an antique is measured in tens of thousands of dollars, but we are more interested in what's in it."

"We're done playing nice," one of the men growled. "We have ways of making you talk, but you won't like them. And remember… everyone talks."

"Hold your horses, Danny Boy." The older man took the one he called Danny aside. "It's your fault this is happening. I have some reservations, but it looks like she's telling the truth. Very few are so good actors."

Meanwhile, outside, Chuck and his team were preparing to storm the warehouse. Stephen had managed to trace Sarah's cell phone signal. A scan with a thermal imager confirmed the presence of six people inside. Sarah had been right when she told him that five men were involved in the kidnapping. Casey approached Chuck. Like everyone else, he was in black assault gear, with full body armor and heavily armed.

"We're ready. Detective White and the SWAT team have secured the area."

"OK. We'll go in through the side entrance. Remember, the objective is to get Sarah out of there alive and well."

"Let's do it. I'm point."

"Leave one or two for us," Bryce joked. Casey just grinned as he locked and loaded his weapon.

TO BE CONTINUED