A/N: I am sorry for the long wait between updates again. Trust me, I really hate doing it. I would really like to update at least once a month. Anyway, please enjoy this chapter. :)

Chapter Fourteen

Sam awoke to the dark again inside her small cell. She was getting tired of the dark, it seemed like that was all she ever saw anymore. Caleb had one of his minions, the younger one who had told her his name was Corey, bring her back to the cell after he was done with his little experiments. She's been in here ever since not knowing how long it's been, but it felt like days. Corey would come in every so often with some food and water. It was never a lot, just enough to put off starvation and it was always bland.

Sitting up, Sam swung her legs over the edge of the cot and that's when she saw the tray on the floor. Six stale crackers sat on top of it with a half-filled glass of water. Corey must have brought it in when she was sleeping. She pushed the tray away with her foot, not feeling very hungry. It made a loud scuffing sound, slicing through the silence, causing Sam to flinch.

"Sam?"

Sam turned to look at the door, thinking the whisper probably belonged to Corey. But the way her heart started beating faster, she knew it wasn't him. Sam stood up and walked over to the door to peer out the barred window. The hallway was empty, so Sam didn't know where the voice had come from until she heard it again.

"Sam,"

The voice came from straight ahead and when she looked, there was a door opposite hers. A familiar face was watching her from the barred window.

"Jake," Sam breathed. "Are you alright?"

"I should be asking you that question," Jake said, and Sam could hear the relief in his voice. "I don't have long, they'll be back soon to take you out."

"Out? Take me where?" Sam asked, her stomach clenching nervously.

"I don't know, that's all Corey would tell me," Jake admitted. He shifted and looked like he was about to reach out to her, but something stopped him.

"So, you've talked to Corey, too?"

"He seems to have a guilty conscience, makes it easy to get him to talk," Jake said. Hm, I wish all guys were that easy to get to talk, Sam smiled to herself, then she looked back Jake, who was still speaking. "Sam, I need you to listen to me and do what I say. Alright, Sam?"

When she nodded, Jake continued, "The first chance you get, Sam, you have to run. Do not hesitate, just run. Keep running until you get someplace safe."

"What about you? You'll still be trapped here. And my brother, Jake, what about Cody?" Sam protested. She was ready to be free of this place, but not at the expense of her baby brother and Jake.

"Sam, I don't think Cody is here. Caleb hasn't mentioned him and Corey hasn't seen him." Jake said, grimly. "And don't worry about me. I can handle Caleb. I just have to know that you're safe. If you're safe, then I'll be fine."

Panic gripped Sam like a vice as she clutched the bars so tight her knuckles turned white. "But Jake, if I escape he'll have no reason to keep you alive. He'll—he'll-" Sam couldn't get the words out, she couldn't accept that would be Jake's fate.

Jake gave a slight nod of his head; he'd already thought it through. He was giving himself up to save her. "Please Sam, just do this one thing for me."

"No!" The shout broke from Sam before she could stop it. "No, you can't do that! I'm not going to leave you to die. No!" Jake was lucky that they were locked in separate cells because she really wanted to shake some sense into him. They both were quiet after that, their gazes locked, hoping the other would see reason.

Footsteps echoed down the corridor and Sam sprang backward into her cell until her legs hit the edge of the cot and she collapsed down on top of it. The person was coming closer and then they stopped right in front of her door. Sam could just make out the top of a blonde head through the door. The door opened and Corey stepped into the cell.

He wore a grim expression as he came toward her. "It's time to go, Sam." he said. He carried a hanker-chief in one hand, but Sam's gaze flickered to the other one, where a set of silver keys dangled from his hand.

Sam sat very still, not daring to move. This was her chance. Sam curled her hand into a fist, and, when Corey reached out to her, she pulled back her arm and punched him as hard as she could in the face. Taken by surprise, Corey fell to the floor. Sam didn't hesitate; she jumped up, scooped up the keys that had fallen to the floor and ran for Jake's cell. She didn't even make it out of her own cell, however, when Corey seized her ankle, causing her to fall. Her face smacked roughly on the stone floor and Corey dragged her backward towards him.

He pulled her half up off the floor and held her against him as he tied the hanker-chief over her eyes. "I'm so sorry," he whispered hoarsely in her ear. Sam shivered involuntarily, not out of fear, but from the regret that filled his words. Corey hauled Sam to her feet and hustled her out of the cell.

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Sam didn't know where she was. She did know she was moving, not consciously moving her legs, but inside a car. And she was alone. Sam sat up and pulled the blindfold from her eyes. She could now she that she was in the back of a large van. It was empty, with the exception of one empty soda bottle and no windows.

Muffled voices came from the front of the van, though she couldn't hear what they were saying. Sam banged on the side of the van with her fist. "Let me out of here! Please, just let me go!" she yelled.

There was a bang from up front and then an unfamiliar voice. "Be quiet back there!" he yelled back to her.

"Don't worry, sweetie, you'll see your daddy soon," Caleb added with a laugh. Sam suppressed a growl, but she couldn't stop herself from punching the side of the van again. She regretted it immediately, however, when her hand started throbbing.

Sam slumped against the wall, cradling her right hand. Her eyes burned with unshed tears at the sting in her left cheek. It still felt raw from when she grappled with Corey and fell on the stone floor back in the tunnels. Just thinking about that made her think about Jake, still trapped in the cell. What would happen to him now? Sam feared the worse.

They traveled for a half hour or so and then the van stopped abruptly, pitching Sam forward. The car doors opened and a second later slammed closed again. Footsteps came around to the back of the van and then both back doors swung open. Bright sunlight filtered into the van, making Sam squint against the intensity. All Sam could see were two shadows blocking her only way of escape.

"Go secure the perimeter, make sure no cops get within a hundred feet of the school," Caleb ordered the other shadow. "I'll take care of our girl." The other man left with the click of a gun, leaving her alone with Caleb.

School? Sam thought. Were they at Dalton High school? She could barely see outside the van, but she thought she saw the basketball courts. Why were they here?

"Are you going to come out by yourself or am I going to have to come in there and get you myself?" Caleb asked, in a nauseatingly sweet tone.

Hesitantly, Sam slid to the back of the van, towards Caleb. She was ready for anything, but Caleb grabbed her wrist before she could try anything. He quickly bound her wrists together and reached inside the van to pick up the hanker-chief she had taken off. Sam scooted to the edge of the van, letting her legs dangle off the end. Caleb stepped in front of her.

"I'm sorry, sweetie, but I can't take any chances," Caleb mock apologized. He wrapped the blindfold around her eyes, jerking her head back by her hair only when Sam tried to move away.

Sam was in the dark again as Caleb led her away from the van to what she thought was the school. They went through a set of doors and kept walking down what seemed like an endless hallway until Caleb steered her right. A moment later, he pushed Sam down into a desk.

"Where's the child?" came Caleb's gruff voice. Sam heard movement from across the room, like someone getting up and the sound of a stroller being pushed.

Cody, Sam thought. Cody is here.

"Excellent," Caleb said, the smile evident in his voice. "Let the games begin." Sam shivered at his words. What was Caleb planning? Sam turned towards the door when it sounded like somebody new came into the classroom.

"He's here," the new voice said.

Footsteps approached Sam and then Caleb's voice was in her ear. "Daddy's here, Sammy, ready to go see him?" Without waiting for an answer, Caleb hauled her to her feet.

As they walked, Caleb kept one hand on the back of her neck and the other pressed the barrel of a gun against her spine. They may have walked through the whole building, that's what it felt like to Sam, until they went through a set of heavy doors. Stepping outside, Sam could feel the fresh air on her skin and the sun burned red at the edges of the blindfold. Caleb jerked her to a stop and Sam heard a small gasp come from somewhere in front of her.

"Hello, Wyatt," Caleb greeted. Hope fluttered in Sam's stomach. Her father was here! "As you can see, I've kept my end of the bargain, both of your children are unharmed."

There was no reply, but Caleb just kept talking anyway. "But you haven't," he went on. "You've brought you're second wife along. And no doubt the police are lurking around here somewhere." Caleb tisked and then grinned sardonically. "No matter, this won't take that long."

"This is over, Caleb!" Wyatt shouted. He didn't sound close, but he didn't sound that far away either. "Hand over my children now!"

"Now, Wyatt, have we forgotten?" Caleb chided. "You're only leaving here with one. Which one have you chosen?"

"You're not going to get away with this, Caleb," Wyatt said. It sounded to Sam like he was trying to restrain himself from running over here and grabbing her and Cody. "You can make it easy for yourself, and hand them both over right now."

Caleb's hand tightened on the back of Sam's neck; he was getting impatient. "Pick one," he seethed. Then, as fast as lightning, Caleb hooked an arm around Sam's neck and pressed the gun to her temple, clicking the bullet into place. "Or your daughter dies right here." Sam couldn't stop the whimper that escaped her lips.

There was a tense moment of silence. Sam's legs were wobbly and her heart was pounding like crazy. She kept waiting for her father to say something or the police to do something. But nobody did. It was like they were suspended in time, the silence was deafening. Sam flinched when Caleb let out a guffaw of laughter.

"I know, it's a tough decision," Caleb said, the gun falling from its' place at Sam's temple. "So, I'll make it for you." Caleb whispered something to one of his men and then Sam heard the sound of the stroller being shoved forward. "Now, you have a son to inherit your ranch." Sam's heart plummeted.

Suddenly, Caleb must have given some kind of signal, gunfire broke out. It sounded like it was coming from all around Sam. Then, she was dragged back through the doors, away from her family. Sam tried to scream, but a hand promptly covered her mouth, cutting it off. It was fruitless, no one would have been able to hear her over the gunfire anyway.

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As soon as the shooting ceased, Brynna scrambled out of Wyatt's grasp from where he had pulled her to the ground to avoid getting shot. While the police and Wyatt surged toward the school's entrance, Brynna hurried to the stroller, where her son was lying. Nothing else mattered, all Brynna wanted was to look at her son and see that he was okay. But when she pulled back the blanket covering the baby that wasn't what she found. Her heart nearly stopped at the sight.

"NOOO!"

Wyatt ran back to his wife at her scream of angst. With shaking hands, Brynna picked up the doll from the stroller for Wyatt to see. He stopped in his tracks. There was a piece of paper tucked into the baby doll's cloth diaper. Wyatt plucked the paper from the doll and read it.

You didn't think I'd make it this easy, did you?

Wyatt turned the paper over and saw a name printed on the underside.

Sylvie Roberts

The paper crumpled in Wyatt's hand as the doll let out a monotone cry verging on a laugh.

A/N: Muhahaha! If you would like to find out what happens to Sam and Cody(and Jake) next, please just send a review. I love hearing what you all have to say. Please, review! :)