A/N: I am SO sorry for the long silence! I hope this chapter is good enough for you amazing people…

I still don't own them though.

Chapter 5

Nicholas needed a plan. It was clear that as long as they thought he was Benji, they needed him alive. But it would only help to win some time. He needed to break out. He had to escape while he was still in shape for that.

"So," a chirpy voice from the door made him look up, as his heartbeat peaked. "Agent Dunn. Benjamin, if you will," the use of the name made Nicholas swallow. He'd be absolutely happy without knowing what his brother had gotten himself into this time. But now he was in this himself. He wondered if Benji even knew about this at all. And then his mind travelled to the place he now called home. Sandford, his police station, his friends. Danny. Danny Butterman, who always made complicated things look simple. Who was so far from all this spy madness that he seemed to live in an entirely different universe from where Nicholas was now. He might never see him again… As well as his brother. And all the others. He gritted his teeth. No way he would let it happen.

"So, are you still not being collaborative?"

Nicholas looked around him feverishly, a crazy idea crossing his mind. You'd think that after riding into a town full of armed serial murderers on a white horse and proceeding to fight them all you wouldn't be able to call any idea crazy but sometimes life just proves us wrong about everything. Now he needed to wrap it up realistically…

"So what are you offering if I agree to help you?" he asked timidly.

"Depends on how much you help us…" the man smirked. "You can make sure that your death will be quick and painless… Or we could form a more… long-term partnership… and you can stay with us, be one of us… It's really your choice to make".

Nicholas sighed deeply.

"I don't want to die," he muttered just loudly enough to be heard. Well, that at least was not a lie.

"I understand that sentiment, Benj," the man patted Nicholas' shoulder, making the police officer cringe. "However, just as a sign of your… eagerness, you need to help us here…"

Nicholas swallowed, trying to be as convincing as possible.

"Can't really help you with these on," he shook his arms a bit, showing that his wrists were still cuffed to a pole behind his head.

The man smirked.

"Sorry," he said with a bit too much friendliness in his tone for it to be genuine. "I can't just let you go, can I?"

He reached towards the pole and Nicholas heard something behind his head click. He felt that he now could lower his arms, but the handcuffs were still on his wrists. It was a part of the pole that had opened. His legs were soon released, too, enabling him to stand normally.

"And now if you will follow me…" the man smiled with an obviously fake smile and turned his back to his captive for a split second, which was more than enough for him to react. In a heartbeat there was a chain of the handcuffs digging into the captor's skin on his neck.

Nicholas knew this was probably his only chance. He knew where to push to block the oxygen. His biggest concern was the possible noise the man could make. And, he felt deep down inside, the possible death he could be causing with his actions.

Once he was sure his captor was unconscious, the inspector lowered him to the floor silently, checking for a pulse as he did so and nodding to himself when he felt it. Much to his disappointment, he noted that the man didn't have a gun. Cursing under his breath, he ran to the door and stealthily slipped through it.

He had to freeze as he saw Bill Riley, a mobster he knew, walking towards him. Hiding behind the door and letting him walk by, Nicholas made his move once Riley stopped to peer inside the room the captive had been previously kept in. The inspector hoped that a hard hit in the back of the head would knock his opponent out, but the handcuffs made it harder to deliver a good strike, and it backfired, as the man turned around and yelled out before another punch from Nicholas finally sent him falling to the floor.

Knowing that his chances were dropping lower, Nicholas turned around to try and make a run for it, but was met with the sight of two more mobsters and was barely fast enough to avoid two simultaneous hits. He wasn't willing to give up, preparing himself for a fight, but suddenly there was a loud bang, and he felt fiery pain in his thigh. Unable to stand on his legs anymore, he fell down, letting out a cry of agony. Being stabbed seemed to be losing its status of the single most painful experience of his life…

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

"Please tell me we have a plan," Brandt was looking at Ethan as if it was his last hope in life. The team leader merely shook his head.

"They were good at keeping everything secret this time," he sighed. "Our agents suggested we could find some leads to the policemen we need by contacting the ones who worked with Benji's brother".

"You mean…" the technician looked like he had trouble processing that information, "… you mean we're going to go to Sandford?"

"I'm afraid yes".