Disclaimer - The Mentalist belongs to Bruno Heller and CBS. Not me. Obviously.

A/N - Well hello my wonderful readers! Sorry for the slight delay in getting this chapter out. I've been extremely busy lately (graduating from University will do that to you) but hopefully I'll have a bit more free time once everything calms down. For now though, hope you enjoy this newest instalment. I've had a bit of trouble with explaining why Jane was taken in the first place, so if it doesn't quite make sense, feel free to review or PM me and I'll try to explain in better in future chapters. Until then, enjoy and thanks for reading!

~ Chapter Four ~

Meeting the Goons

The door slammed open, jerking Jane out of the light doze he'd fallen into. He blinked rapidly at the sudden burst of light, only to be greeted with the silhouette of what seemed to be a giant standing firmly in the doorway.

"Patrick…?" Liam began sleepily.

"Hush, Liam," Jane said gently, his heart thudding in his chest and anxiousness spreading through his body like wildfire. "Everything's okay. Go back to sleep."

Jane kept his gaze fixed firmly on the figure in the doorway as he gently prised Liam from his side. The boy fought him slightly but seemed too exhausted to resist too much. Jane hoped he stayed that way, for the boy's own sake if nothing else, because he had a feeling that things were about to get a little more complicated.

"Get up," ordered the 'goon' in the doorway. Jane immediately jumped up, his heart thudding loudly in his chest. He swayed slightly from the dizziness no doubt left behind by the drugs, but he managed to stay on his feet at least. He groaned before he could stop himself though, and Liam began to stir at the sudden noise. Jane turned back to the doorway nervously.

"Just me, yes?" Jane said quietly, trying to make his voice sound carefree. He squinted at the figure in the doorway, trying to work out who he was dealing with. "We don't need to involve the boy in this…"

"Shut up," growled the huge man. He moved forward towards Jane, and Jane flinched back slightly.

"I just mean that we can talk man to man," Jane said, somewhat desperately, glancing over to Liam with slight panic. "Liam can stay here…"

"The boy can stay," the man said threateningly, and somehow Jane wasn't completely reassured. "The boss only wants to see you anyhow."

The way the goon had said that send tendrils of fear down Jane's spine, but he let out a breath of relief anyway. At least Liam would be relatively safe here. Scared, but safe. Somehow, Jane didn't think, wherever he was being taken, that the same could be said about him…

"Move," growled the man, jabbing Jane in the chest with a gun that he had only just noticed. Damn, he really needed to concentrate a bit better…

Shakily Jane staggered out of the door and into what looked to be a deserted office corridor. Where the hell was he…?

"Move," repeated the goon, and Jane took the hint and started to walk where he was directly. Jane gulped back his fear as best he could, but couldn't quite keep the panic from rising slightly in his chest. Questions pounded at his mind, adding to the dizziness that was already there. Not for the first time, he wished he had back up. Usually, Lisbon, Cho or Rigsby were waiting around the corner with their guns, ready to save him and arrest the culprit.

But when they rounded yet another corner, Jane saw no rescue. The place was like a maze of offices, and Jane wondered, not for the first time, where the hell they were. If this was an office building, a fact that was looking increasingly likely, where were all the office workers?

"In there," came the order from the man behind him. Jane hesitated slightly in front of the shut door, but a quick, hard shove from the goon quickly dispelled any brief doubt he'd had.

Taking a deep breath, Jane grasped the handle with shaky fingers and pulled open the door. The light in the room was brighter than it had been in the corridor and it took a few seconds for Jane's eyes to adjust. When they did, however, he saw nothing to ease his panic.

More goons. Wonderful.

Six of them, Jane counted in a glance, including the one who had brought him of course. Jane moved slowly into the room, wary of making himself a target but even more wary of the gun at his back.

His eyes darted around the room, desperately trying to gather every little bit of information he could about where he was and who had taken him. The six goons were all relatively similar in description; well-built, tall, thick and dumb. There was one other man, standing right in the centre of the room, however, who was different. He was short, fat, possibly of Italian descent, and though his narrow eyes spoke of cruelty and danger, there was also a hint of fear in his gaze. Fear of what, Jane wondered. Was it something he could use...?

"Sit," boomed the short, fat man in the centre of the room, his surprisingly deep voice loud and full of threat. Was he the leader then? Jane glanced behind him and quickly did as he was told, taking a seat in the wooden chair in the centre of the room. All the goons remained standing, and Jane gulped back his fear at the blatant attempt at intimidation as best he could.

"Hello, can I ask – ?"

"Shut up," interrupted one of the goons standing behind Jane. The others looked on dangerously, and Jane quickly followed the instruction.

"No," said the short, fat man who seemed to be in charge. He swiped at his sweaty brow and fixed his beady eyes on Jane. "Let him speak. I'd like to hear what he has to say."

"Oh," Jane began, not sure what to make of this development. He certainly seemed to be 'leader of the goons', but Jane was equally sure that the man was scared of something. Or someone…

"Well, what is it you were going to say?" the leader prompted.

"I was just going to ask who was in charge," Jane said, trying to inject his voice with confidence, "But I think I have my answer, don't you?"

"Oh, I'm sure you do," the man replied, eyebrow raised.

"Well, I'd say it was nice to meet you," Jane continued, "But we both know that isn't true."

"But we've been such good hosts, don't you think?"

"I have a few complaints," Jane shrugged bravely.

To his surprise, the short, fat man chuckled. It irked Jane, and for a moment, annoyance overtook fear in Jane's mind. It only took a brief glance around the room for reality to come crashing back though. Damn, he was in trouble here.

"So, what do I call you?" Jane continued shakily, trying his best to control the situation.

"You can call me Venom," the man replied, his expression hardening. Jane gulped but pressed on.

"Venom?" he frowned. "That's a bit of a silly name isn't it? Did your mother call you that – "

A fist struck his chest, knocking the air out of his lungs. Jane struggled to force his breaths in and out, the pain sharp and intense, and he managed to stay in the chair by pure will alone.

"What was that for?" Jane asked gasped, once he could breathe again.

"I deserve respect, don't you think?" the man said dangerously. "After all, your life is in my hands."

"Why am I here?" Jane asked hoarsely, half-afraid of the answer, but sensing that they were getting to the purpose of this little visit.

"A mistake," Venom replied bluntly, glancing to one of his men. "A stupid mistake."

"You weren't meant to take me then?" Jane tried to confirm, his heart beating loudly in his chest.

The leader rose his eyebrows in curiosity. "Is there a reason we should have targeted you?"

"I have money," Jane shrugged. He knew on instinct alone that mentioning his work at the CBI would be a very big mistake, and truthfully, he did have money. As much as he was ashamed of it now, scamming people had paid well.

"This isn't about ransom," Venom replied with a growl. "Or it wasn't supposed to be anyway..."

Once again, the man glared to one of his goons, and Jane wondered what was going on. Nothing was making any sense, and his head throbbed dangerously as he tried to work through it. They had been targeting the boy. They hadn't meant to take him, but for some reason, he was here anyway...

"What's this about then?" Jane asked desperately. "Why take the boy?"

"You care for him, do you?" Venom shot back, a smirk on his face. "I'd suggest you don't get too attached."

"Why?" Jane asked, dread filling his stomach.

"Little Liam has a very important daddy, you see," Venom replied nastily. "A judge. And Mr Big-shot judge seems to need a little…nudging in the right direction."

It all fell into place for Jane, at least with regards to Liam. That was why they had taken the kid. Liam's dad was a judge, probably working on a very high-profile case at this very moment. Bastards...

"You going to try to sway his decision?" Jane asked hoarsely.

"We're going to succeed in swaying his decision," corrected the man dangerously.

"Why me then?" Jane asked desperately. "Why take me? Why not just kill me like you killed the others."

"That is the question, isn't it," began Venom, glaring at his man. "Care to explain, Link?"

Jane's head darted around, following the Venom's gaze as it fixed on one of the goons.

Link gulped slightly, but raised his head definitely. "He's famous, I'm sure of it. I recognise him from somewhere, I swear it. There's got to be some cash there, ain't there boss?"

"I don't know, Link," Venom said, a glare aimed at Jane. "He sure doesn't look famous to me."

"He...he is," the man said desperately. "I'm sure...if I could just remember where from..."

"This is a lot to risk for some money," Jane commented before he could help himself.

"That's what you get for hiring outside help," muttered Venom angrily. "Everyone always thinks they can add their own little twists to the plan, and who has to clean it up? Me..."

"If it that much trouble, why are you keeping me then?" Jane asked.

"Are you asking us to kill you instead," the leader replied dangerously. "Because that can be arranged..."

"No…," Jane said quickly, his heart beat quickening. "Look I have money. I…can get it to you. If you let me and the boy go."

"The boy's going to be a bit busy, I'm afraid." Venom replied, sounding not the least bit sorry. "How much money?"

Jane hesitated, his mind working overtime. "A lot. He's right," he jerked his head over to the goon named Link. "I am famous. Or at least I was."

"Oh yeah?" the man replied. "Famous how?"

"Well...I'm a psychic."

A/N - So what did you think? I realise this might all be getting quite confusing, but hopefully the next chapter will clear things up a bit. I hope you're following okay so far though, and that you're enjoying it. Let me know if you've got a minute, but even if you don't, thanks for reading!