Author's Note: Please be warned that this chapter includes smut and behaviour that could be seen as indecent and salacious, including words or insinuations of a dubious, unseemly or suggestive nature!

One a more serious note; there are also scenes that some readers may find somewhat disturbing.

Friday afternoon
Safehouse C, New York City

Reluctantly, I decided that we needed to get dressed.

We had one more destination to visit in New York before we would be catching our train back to Chicago. That destination would be a real test of my nerves and I was both, looking forward to it, as well as dreading it, both at the same time! Dave had promised that he would stay with me, to support me, just as I had with him.

We headed out, towards Queens.

Northern Queens

We moved slowly between the rows and rows of graves.

I was very apprehensive, as we got closer and closer to a certain part of the Cemetery where there were two graves, side by side; however, they both shared the same gravestone.

In Loving Memory

Kathleen Macready
Died 3rd November 1997
Loving Wife and Mother

Damon Macready
Died 25th September 2009
Devoted Father

I had avoided that place, like the damned plague. I had never wanted to see the grave of my Mother; I had always hated her for taking what I saw, as the easy way out. I bitterly missed not having had a Mother. I could never draw myself to visit the grave of my Father, either, partly because he shared it with my Mother; yeah, I could be a cast iron bitch. Daddy had tried in vain to get me to visit the grave. Marcus had tried, after Daddy had died, but I could not do it.

Now, though, I was older and I had Dave.

..._...

I had tears running down my cheek; the emotions running through me were mixed and very new to me.

"I've been a pretty awful daughter, haven't I?"

"Why?"

"It's taken me seventeen years to turn up to see my Mother and six years to see my Father..."

"You had other things on your mind, so I'm sure they would understand."

Dave always knew what to say, when I did not.

"Hi, Mom, I'd like you to meet Dave; he's my fiancé..."

"Did you feel that?" Dave suddenly asked.

"Feel what?"

"I'm sure I felt Damon turning in his grave!" Dave quipped.

"That is not funny, Lizewski!"

It was kind of, though. I had no idea what Daddy would think about my current predicament. Marriage was an enormous step.

"Sorry, future Mrs Lizewski!"

I grinned.

"Daddy liked you; you know that!" I retorted.

"Yeah, like a Rottweiler likes a juicy steak!"

"You're probably right," I replied.

"However, I am certain that both of them would be very proud of their daughter, right now," Dave said. "I am."

Forty minutes later, we headed back towards the City.

The intention was to retrieve some items from Safehouse C and then head directly to the train station. However, we seemed to have acquired a tail, so once close to a secluded part of the street we were in, I span around.

The unfortunate tail was rapidly pinned against the wall of a building while Dave stood overwatch. I was rather shocked to find that it was a girl, about my age, that I had pinned to the wall with my lower arm across her throat. I was even more shocked to recognise the face that tried to smile at me. I quickly released my arm from her throat.

"Err, hi, err, Mindy..."

"Brooke!"

Dave's head span around at that name.

"Brooke, as in, that complete bitch who made your life hell?" Dave asked.

"Yeah!" I replied and then my eyes went wide as I saw a shape appear behind Dave and then I felt somebody behind me, immediately followed by a sharp pain in my neck.

Then I lost consciousness.

I had felt myself being moved around.

Everything was very hazy and I could not make sense of where I was in my mind. I could hear voices, but not what was being said. I tried to move my right arm, but it would not move. I tried my other arm; it was the same, as were both of my legs.

I opened my eyes but initially only saw blackness, until my eyes focussed and I started to see shadows and then I felt something on my face; I was wearing a hood. Then it started to come back to me – Brooke!

That bitch was pure poison; last time I was involved with her, I was humiliated and then I was grounded, which in turn led to my being unable to help Dave when his Dad was arrested, which then meant his Dad had been murdered on the orders of Chris D'Amico.

Had the bitch distracted me on purpose? Was this her way of getting back at me? Where was Dave? Did Brooke know that I was more than just Mindy Macready? Was my pistol still in the holster on my back?

So far, I had kept my head down where it had been resting on my chest. To anybody looking I would still be unconscious. I kept my ears open, listening for anything and everything. I would need to know as much as possible before I dared to act.

I also had a decision to make for when I 'regained' consciousness. Would I play the frightened teenager, or the hardened Hit Girl?

So many decisions.

A short while later, I heard footsteps, then the scraping of metal as a bolt was pulled back.

Seconds later, my hood was pulled off and I squinted in the bright illumination that came from industrial light fittings mounted high above. I looked around above me and saw that I was in a warehouse of sorts. I looked to my left and was very relieved to see a rapidly blinking Dave tied to a chair beside me. Neither of us had been gagged.

"Brings back some fond memories this!" He quipped quietly and I grinned.

"First for me!" I responded.

I looked to my right and saw Brooke, but ignored her. There were five men, all wearing masks of sorts. One man stepped forward, addressing Dave.

"This girl yours?" He said, indicating me.

I left Dave to do the talking.

"Maybe," Dave responded with a neutral expression.

The man smirked.

"You fucking her?"

"Maybe."

"She good in the sack?"

"Maybe."

The man seemed to be getting annoyed, so without warning he lashed out, slapping me across the face, and I allowed a scream to leave my lips.

"You like your girl getting beaten?"

"She enjoys it," Dave commented.

..._...

Brooke was borderline hysterical and gibbering away in her chair. The slap had hurt, but I had had worse and as Dave said, I kind of enjoyed it; I was not a normal girl! The men laughed and all five left the room, shutting a metal door behind them and I heard a bolt shoved into place.

I studied my bindings. My wrists were bound with thick plastic cable ties, as were Dave's and Brookes. I had to admit that Brooke looked to be the victim here, but I did not trust the girl; I had no reason to.

"Wh- what's happening?" Brooke mumbled through her tears.

"I might ask you, bitch!" I growled back and Brooke just looked at me blankly.

"Oh for fuck's sake!"

I studied Dave's ankles, as I could not see mine; cable ties, again. I could feel my pistol in the small of my back, not that it was of any fucking use right now! However...

..._...

"This is going to hurt!" I commented and pushed myself backwards, crashing down to the concrete floor.

"You okay?" Dave asked, grinning down at me.

"I'll survive!" I grumbled lying on my back with my legs in the air. "Brooke, I need you to reach into my right boot and grab my Balisong."

Brooke just stared at me, blankly.

"Brooke!" I hissed urgently, to get her attention.

Brooke focussed and nodded.

"Reach into my boot and pull out the knife," I instructed gently and watched as Brooke eased it out of my boot. "Good!"

Brooke smiled.

"Now, unlock the knife by flicking off the catch at the base... Good... Carefully, flick open the handle to expose the blade... Good... Now, trying not to touch the blade, flick the handle over and then roll the knife over, bring the handles together and there we go!"

"Not bad, Brooke!" Dave commented and Brooke smiled, weakly.

"Now, without cutting my foot off, cut the tie..."

Brooke, despite her obvious faults, actually managed to slice the tie that bound my ankle and not my skin! Now that I could get a foot down, I pulled myself forwards so that my wrist was beside my Balisong.

"Okay, Brooke, I know we've had our differences, but please don't slit my fucking wrist!" I growled and Brooke produced a warped giggle.

A minute later, we were all unbound, with my arteries intact!

I flipped my Balisong closed and stowed it back in my boot. Then I drew my pistol, as did Dave.

"What the fuck are you two doing with those?" Broke exclaimed as I racked back the slide on my pistol, chambering a round.

I checked my front pocket and found that my cell was missing. As were Dave's and Brooke's cells. It was a miracle that the idiots had not found the pistols.

..._...

I made for the door; it was solid and did not budge an inch as I shoved it. There was no way out of the windowless room where we were being held. We had no choice but to await the return of the men. I also had a conundrum: if it were just Dave and me, things would be easy; but we had Brooke to protect and to get to safety, which would complicate things.

For now, I did not answer Brooke's comment.

Just as I was mulling things over, I heard voices and footsteps followed by the rasping of the bolt being pulled back. I nodded to Dave and pushed, or rather shoved, Brooke back against the wall and out of the potential line of fire.

The door was pulled open and a man stepped through with his back to me; he was chatting with his pals. He stopped talking and froze the moment that he caught sight of me, and the pistol that I had aimed at his head. He started to call out a warning, so I blew his head apart with a single shot. Brooke screamed, but I ignored her. Before the body had hit the floor, I had moved and engaged the remaining four men who were standing in the doorway.

..._...

My pistol held only thirteen, nine-millimetre rounds, as did Dave's and neither of us carried a spare magazine. We had to make each round count, so I dropped the first two men with a single shot in the chest, each. Dave caught a third man in the head with another single shot. The fourth man dived off to one side and returned fire with what sounded like a .45-calibre pistol.

Brooke was still screaming and staring at the spreading pool of blood. Dave and I had not returned fire, conserving our rounds. I edged towards the door but could not see anything useful from my position and I was not about to stick my head out and get it blown the fuck off! I turned to Brooke and slapped her hard around the face, just once. She stopped screaming and seemed to pull herself together.

"That felt good!" I muttered and Dave smiled.

..._...

"I have a confession to make," Brooke said quietly, rubbing her cheek and I saw her eyes change with understanding.

I stared at Brooke, who looked a little embarrassed.

"They are after Daddy; his company has things that people want," Brooke continued. "I – they – they will use me to get to Daddy."

"That makes sense," Dave said after a few seconds consideration.

"Yeah. So why drag us into it, wise ass?" I demanded.

"I saw you on the street and well, I wanted to talk to you. I've changed since that day – I'm not that self-centred bitch, not anymore," Brooke explained. "I now know who you two really are and well, I'm glad I have you two to protect me, despite our differences. I also know that you have changed since then, too. I've seen the news reports from Chicago; you both fight for good."

"Quite a speech, Queen Bee!" I commented grudgingly.

All gunfire had ceased, but I could still hear movement from outside the door.

We had seconds to come to a decision on our next actions, before our kidnappers sorted themselves out first and mounted a counter-attack. Dave picked up a chair and threw it through the doorway. There was an instant barrage of gunfire from the single man and I distinctly heard the final bullet zing through the doorway and then silence followed by the sound of a magazine being ejected.

I sprang up and rolled through the doorway, coming up and sending a pair of bullets dead centre into the man's forehead. I span around covering a full three-sixty-degree view; I saw nobody else.

"Clear!" I called to Dave.

West Ridge, Chicago

"Shouldn't we have heard from Dave and Mindy, by now?"

"Maybe," Chloe replied dreamily. "Maybe they're having fun, like we are!"

"You are insatiable, girl!" I laughed as Chloe ran her hands across my naked nether regions. "You're going to wear it out and have nothing left for when we're married."

Chloe took a moment to look at me.

"Why would I let a tosser like you, marry me?"

"Who the fuck else would put up with you?"

"Good point!" Chloe admitted and took me into her mouth.

New York City

We checked out our surroundings.

We were in some sort of warehouse. There were racks of all sorts of stuff in neat lines. The building was enormous and seemed to extend in all directions. I checked my watch; it was past nine at night and we had been there for hours.

Dave grabbed up a pair of pistols from the dead men. They seemed like hired muscle and only two of them had been armed. They did not seem very professional, at all. I had an idea that they had been hired to keep us busy, while the professionals sat back out of the way.

Dave proceeded two aisles over and moved parallel to Brooke and me. We had only moved about twenty metres when I heard something to my right followed by a bellow from Dave and gunshots.

"Run!"

Then all went black again.

When I regained consciousness, I could hear screaming.

That was bad, but nowhere near as bad as the fact that I could feel my jeans sliding down over my hips! That fact brought me immediately awake and I opened my eyes to see a man above me, upside down and pinning my arms above my head. My legs were pinned, too, by another man who was intent on removing my jeans.

I was not going to be fucking raped, no fucking chance!

I prepared myself to move. The man's face was just inches from me, so I head-butted him hard in the face, breaking his nose and I felt his warm blood on my face; this galvanised me into action. As soon as the man released my arms, I seized the man's head and twisted it sharply to the side, snapping his neck. The man collapsed behind me and the man who was pulling down my jeans stopped and looked up from staring down at my crotch. One of the last things in life he saw was my fist, driving into his face and he screamed as more blood flew, and then the man seemed to fly backwards, and he was thrown bodily against the concrete wall, leaving a vivid red smear.

..._...

I looked up and for a moment went all fan-girl as I saw Dave standing over me. He was madder than hell and his expression while turning me on, also scared me.

"You getting up or what?" He growled yanking me to my feet. God he was strong!

Focus, Mindy, focus!

There was a pistol on the ground beside me; it was mine! I grabbed it up and walked over to the man crumpled at the base of the wall; he was groaning in pain. I sent three bullets into the man's groin, followed by another into his head.

Dave had moved so fast that the man currently astride the screaming, half-naked Brooke had not actually noticed anything until I had fired the four bullets. Then he had jumped up, his trousers and shorts around his ankles. He was ready for action in every way, so he was dispatched in the same manner as his friend, the slide locking back on the empty magazine.

..._...

Brooke screamed as the man's warm blood sprayed across her bare skin and the emasculated body collapsed on top of her. I ran over and dragged the dead body off her. Brooke was completely exposed from her neck, down to her knees and she was trembling. I helped her up from the concrete floor.

"He had his hands all over me; it was horrible..."

"Did he?" I asked, not wanting to say it.

Brooke closed her eyes and simply shook her head as I helped her to sort her clothes out and looked over at Dave.

"We need to get the fuck outta here!" I growled.