A/N: Hey everyone! I hope you're doing great and you're enjoying the first days of spring! I'm very sorry for the long delay, but I have so much work to do for uni, I don't have the time to write. I still hope some of you are enjoying this story. Thanks so much for the reviews for the last chapter! It's really nice of you guys :)
Thanks to Idan for betaing!

I hope you enjoy.

(13)

It turned out luxurylines was an abandoned office building which hadn't seen any sort of office workers in a long time. A call from Fischer confirmed that the building was supposed to be torn down be the end of next week. Luxurylines only existed as a website on the internet and the people who ran the site were giving Wylie a hard time in tracking them down. The young man did the best he could though.

Jane'd been silent the whole drive there. While Pike was close to a breakdown, he tried to keep it together for Lisbon's sake. He had to think clearly, he had to find her. Breakdowns wouldn't do any good at the moment.

"Any thoughts?" Cho asked him, while Fischer was busy giving Pike a pep-talk. Jane shook his head.

"Maybe we should go back to the hospital and ask Annie if she can remember anything that could help us."

"Annie's been through enough," Jane declared. "If she remembers something she'll tell Tommy and he'll call. Until then… we have to wait."

"Do you think Carmen will contact us?"

"He's a psychopath. He lives off people's fear and their knowledge that they can't do anything." Cho just nodded, trying to calm his inner anger and sorrow about his friend with an emotionless mask. Jane couldn't blame him. He liked to think that if he'd been there, he could have prevented it all. If he'd been honest with her from the beginning, they wouldn't be in Chicago in the first place.

Carmen had her and there was nothing he could do. This bastard had taken her, had shot Annie and God only knew what he was about to do to Lisbon.

The ride back to the precinct went by in a blur. Jane was lost in thought; Cho was even less talkative than usual. When they arrived, Wylie called to tell them he'd found another recording of the traffic cams around the city with the limousine. They were heading north.

"That doesn't really narrow it down," Jane mumbled, before he took the phone from Cho. "I'm wondering… How did Carmen pull it off? He was a therapist, he made some money, but his assets are frozen. How'd he escape from the mental health facility?How did he manage to dig so deep into Lisbon's past to find all these people? Annie said there was more then one man when they abducted Lisbon. He must have had help."

"Do you want me to check the prison out?" Wylie asked through the phone. "Maybe his old cell mate has enough money to support him."

"I like your thinking out of the box Wylie. Check his contacts in prison, see if anyone has a connection to him or the former CBI team." He hung up.

"California State Prison is full of people our team brought down, Jane."

"Yes, but only a few could have the money and the contacts to pull this off. It's a start. We don't have anything else at the moment. I'm sure he's made a mistake somewhere; we just have to find it."

Being back in their conference room, they met Pike, Fischer and the captain of the precinct. Pike looked even worse than before. He really cared for Lisbon, believing her disappearance was his own fault. Jane swallowed. He wondered if he'd let Lisbon out of his sight on their wedding day. Dismissing the wistful thought, the consultant walked over to Fischer, who was pulling up a map on her computer with the last location of the limousine.

"Chicago PD has every detective and officer on this case," Captain Hobbs reassured him. "Abbott is taking the next plane up here to support the investigation," Fischer added. She projected the image on her computer to the wall monitor. "The last time the limousine was seen was here near Arlington." A red circle showed the location on the map.

"It's probably heading north to Milwaukee or northwest to hit the 43. But this was three hours ago."

"So he's headed to Wisconsin?" Pike asked.

"He's probably already there," Jane mumbled. He took a look at his watch. It was almost 6 pm. The bastard had had her for a little more than six hours now.

A knock at the door made everyone turn around. A young officer entered the room, standing straight in her blue uniform. "Sir, we got a call from a local sheriff near Janesville. A farmer reported a burning limousine on the side of the road."

Their heads shot up.

"How far is Janesville from here?" Jane wanted to know.

"A little more than two and a half hours," the captain answered.

Jane tried to control his breathing. A burning limousine in Janesville? Was this a coincidence? No. There is no such thing as coincidence. It was a message for him. He just hoped… "Was there anyone inside the car?" he dared to ask the officer.

"When the sheriff called it in, he told me the firemen were still trying to extinguish the fire. Our BOLO on the car must have arrived just in time; that's why he called it in."

"How fast can they bring the car here?" Fischer asked.

"Why bring it here, we have to go up there, maybe Teresa is there somewhere! Maybe she escaped," Pike said.

"He wanted us to find the car. He's toying with us. They probably switched vehicles," Cho stated. Jane nodded. If they drove up there, they would lose precious time, but on the other hand, maybe there were clues. Maybe Lisbon had managed to leave them a clue, telling him she was alive, telling him where they were headed.

Jane locked eyes with Cho, who said, "Jane and I are going up there."

"Cho, it's almost dark. What do you expect to find there in the darkness?" Fischer answered.

"I don't know. It's worth a try. If we don't find anything, we'll continue the search in the morning. At least we're doing something instead of just sitting around." Cho got up and picked up the keys, giving Jane a short nod.

"I'll go with you," Pike said.

Fischer shook her head. "I don't think that's a good idea. I need another agent here with me to handle things. I have no use for Jane, but your help would be very much appreciated if another lead turns up."

Pike considered Fischer's arguments for a moment, before he admitted they made sense. "Fine. I'll stay here. But if the two of you find a clue that will lead us to Teresa, youcall us."

"We will," Cho promised before he and Jane left.

Xxxxx

The ride up to Janesville was long and quiet. Although Jane didn't believe in any kind of God, he really hoped Lisbon's prayers would be heard by someone. She was a good person, the best person he knew. His heart still ached when he remembered their conversation yesterday afternoon. She'd said she couldn't give him one last chance, but if Annie was speaking the truth, she'd changed her mind.

How far could you believe Annie, who'd just been shot, had surgery and was under the influence of heavy pain medicine? Had Lisbon really wanted to call the wedding off? What if she'd gone to his apartment, finding him gone? He hadn't planned on leaving any hints on where he was going and as soon as he arrived at the airport, he'd have gotten rid of his phone.

Would she have tracked him down? Would she have asked him to come back? He would have. He always had a problem staying away from her. It was hard to let go of the things you love, but he'd have done it for her. He'd have stayed away from her so she could be happy.

If… no when he found her and she still wanted him, he'd spend his whole life making it up to her. She would only have to raise her little finger and he would give her anything she asked for. He'd already taken his ring off for her. There was no other person in the world he'd have taken it off for. She meant everything to him. She connected his past, his present and hopefully his future, too.

Perhaps… perhaps she would even agree to fill the blank space on his ring finger with a new one – if she really wanted to be with him after everything was over.

Jane swallowed hard. They had to find her.

It took them a little less than three hours to get to Janesville because of the heavy traffic around the Chicago area. When they arrived at the crime scene, the sheriff was already waiting for them. He guided them toward the burnt limousine, explaining they had found human remains in the back of the car.

Jane held his breath until the sheriff told them they were male. Relief flooded him. Lisbon wasn't inside the car, which meant she was being kept alive somewhere else.

Cho took it upon him to talk to the sheriff and the farmer who'd found the limousine while Jane inspected the vehicle. Most of the inside was burnt and black from the smoke.

In his head, he reconstructed the course of action. They dumped the car here. Either there was another one waiting already or one stopped on the side of the road. No, it must have stopped close to them when they arrived here, otherwise the farmer would have noticed the unfamiliar car on the side of the road.

The second car stopped and they loaded Lisbon inside. There must have been at least three people involved; the driver, Carmen and the driver of the other car. One of the drivers was dead. Hopefully they'd get an ID soon. They shot the limousine driver and put his body inside the limousine, then they lit the car, probably with gas. Now where would they go from here?

Jane sat down on the side of the road. He had to think because time was running out. Who knew what Carmen would do to Lisbon?

It was Cho who decided they would spend the night in Janesville and head back to Chicago early in the morning. The agent was exhaustedtoo and needed a few hours of sleep. Jane disliked his decision but there was not much he could do about it, so they rode back to the sheriff's station to tie things up with the local police before they stopped for take out at a fast food restaurant.

"We will head back to Chicago at six. Call me if anything comes up," Cho ordered before he headed to his motel room. Jane nodded and did the same, knowing he wouldn't be able to sleep tonight.

Xxxxx

She was still freezing. Her throat hurt, as did her head. It was still dark and no one had answered her cries for help. Would someone come to tell her why she was here, or would she be left here to starve to death? No, she'd die of thirst rather than hunger, she remembered. A human could go about two weeks without eating but barely three days without drinking. If she was lucky, she would die of hypothermia before the thirst became unbearable.

Stop it, she told herself while holding Jane's cool wedding ring with three fingers, they will find me. Jane will not give up. They will find me and everything will be okay. Lisbon closed her eyes once again. She knew she should get up and walk around to keep warm, but she still felt too weak from the drugs they must have given her.

All of a sudden the lights in the basement came on. She blinked against the brightness, her head hurting even more. A groan escaped her and her heartbeat increased. "Hello?" she whispered, carefully trying to adjust her eyes to the lit room.

The door opened with a creak. "Well, well, look at you. We've come a long way, Agent Lisbon."

The creaky voice made her shudder. Carmen. Knowing he was the one behind all these murders was one thing; seeing him was completely different.

Finally Lisbon was able to open her eyes and stare up at the man who was pointing a gun at her. "You," she said with an unsteady voice.

"Yes, it's me. Surprise, surprise. I must say I was really sad I did not get an invitation to the wedding. With all the history we share…"

She raised an eyebrow, but he just smiled. "I just wanted to say hello and make sure you are comfortable here. You must be rather thirsty…" He threw a bottle of water toward her, which landed a few feet next to her. It took all her willpower to not grip it and drink it all while Carmen was watching her. "Drink the water. We want you to be in your best shape when we begin. I'll come and get you later."

"Why now? Why me? Why kill all those innocent people, Carmen?" Lisbon asked weakly.

His eyes darkened. "You ruined my life, Agent Lisbon, and now I finally have the power to get payback for everything you did."

"You framed me for murder. It was not my fault."

"It's your fault all those people died. You'll pay for what you did to me and others. I cannot wait to tell him you're right where we want you."

She started to shiver. Who was he talking about? "Who… who is he? Is it Red John?"

Carmen just smiled. "Not everything is about Red John, Agent Lisbon. He was weak. He could not finish what he started because he did not have the power, no. There are others who want to see you dead. This, my dear Teresa, is about you and no one else." He left the room and locked the door behind him.

The light went out soon after, so Lisbon was once again surrounded by complete darkness. Carefully, she crawled over to the water bottle. Even though her thirst was almost unbearable, she forced herself to take slow sips of the cool liquid. Her throat hurt, but she was so thankful for the water, she drank more than half of the bottle before feeling the numbness set in again. Why was she suddenly feeling so weak once again? She barely managed to hold her eyes open in the darkness.

A thought jumped to her mind. The water, something must be wrong with the water. "Oh God," she whispered, fighting against the drugs which were clouding her mind. "I must stay awake… must… stay… awake."

She didn't.

Xxxxx

The next time she woke up, she was sitting on a chair, her hands cuffed behind her back and each foot bound to one leg of the chair. The wooden room was empty except for a table with a silver briefcase and a camera on a tripod. No windows, just one door, and, thankfully, light. Her head hurt hard from the drugs. She tried to take a few deep breaths, hoping her blurry vision would become clearer. The room was made out of wood which suggested she was in some kind of cabin. Even though she knew it was hopeless, she tried to struggle out of her cuffs, but they were too tight. What did Carmen want? What was the camera for and even worse, what was inside the briefcase?

"I see you're awake. That's good. We have been waiting for you to wake up."

Lisbon flinched when a hand touched her bare shoulder. She tried to shrug it off, but Carmen's grip on her skin increased. In a heartbeat, she turned her head, biting into one finger. He yelped, pulling his hand away.

"You bitch!" The blow with his fist into her face was expected but hurt. Something cracked and by the feeling of pain shooting through her face combined with the stars blurring her vision, she was sure her nose must be broken. It took her a moment to fight unconsciousness.

When she looked up again, Carmen was standing in front of her with a long sharp knife. If he wanted to kill her, he better make it quick. Instead, he stepped closer, resting the tip of the knife right on top of the neckline of her dress between her breasts. He smiled, applying pressure to the knife which glided though the fabric of the dirty wedding dress and parts of her skin like it was slicing a piece of cake.

She bit her lip to keep herself from crying out in pain when tiny drop of blood started running down her torso. Her upper corsage sprang open, exposing her breasts, while the blood from the cut soaked into the white fabric.

Carmen went back to the table, picking the camera up from the tripod.

"You're sick!" Lisbon managed to say. "You're a sick perverted bastard and you will not get away with this."

The man didn't say anything, just smiled while focusing the camera on her exposed upper body with her heaving breasts and the long cut he made. Then he put the camera back on its stand before taking an injection out of the briefcase, filled with a light green solution.

"What's in there? Poison?" Lisbon demanded.

"If you must know, Agent Lisbon, it's a neurotoxin. It has never been tested on humans before, so I'm really looking forward to the outcome. He will really like to see how it all turned out."

"Who is he? What's the video for? Let me go, Carmen. If you're quick, you'll have crossed the Canadian boarder before my team comes and gets me."

"I'll take my chances, Agent Lisbon. Now let's see what this little green elixir can do." He came closer. Lisbon tried to move away, but she was not able to do much because of being tied to the chair.

"Please don't. Don't do this, Carmen. Please…"

Carmen smiled coolly. "That's what he likes best; when you start begging." With this, he injected the solution into her upper arm.

Xxxxx

Jane couldn't sleep. He was so worried; the thoughts of what Carmen might be doing to Lisbon drove him crazy. A sudden knock on his door made him jump up from the bed. He opened the door, surprised Cho was standing right in front of him, his cell phone in his hands.

"What's wrong?" Jane demanded.

"Wylie's got something." He put the phone on speaker, while Jane closed the door behind him. It was long after 2 am, so Jane was more than surprised Cho'd gotten a call from Wylie in the middle of the night. On the other hand it made him feel better because it showed him how much the team cared about Lisbon.

"Hey, Jane," Wylie greeted him though the phone. "My computer finished checking all the suspects from the CBI and FBI cases you worked on and the possible connection they might have with Carmen."

"Cut to the chase, Wylie," Cho answered.

"Three months before Carmen was supposed to be transferred to the mental health facility, someone else was transferred to the California State Prison."

Jane looked at Cho. "Who?"

"Tommy Volker."

"What? Volker is behind this?" Cho asked, worried.

"It explains how Carmen was able to pull it off. Volker still has contacts, he has money. If Carmen works for Volker, then we know where Lisbon might be kept," Jane figured. "Wylie, check…"

"Already on it. I'm checking all the properties Volker and his companies own within a 300 miles radius. There's nothing more I can do at the moment."

"You helped us a lot, thank you, Wylie," Cho said before he hung up. His gaze locked with Jane's. "We need to talk to Volker."

"He won't tell us anything. He wants us to waste time and go talk to him. I can't risk flying to California and hitting a dead end." Jane wiped a hand over his face.

"I'm not talking about us. I'll call Rigsby and Van Pelt." He gave Jane a small smile before he dialed their friends in California. They had a lead. He just hoped they wouldn't be too late.