Hi! First, I'd like to thank you all the readers and followers for taking your time and spending it on my story. I'm also grateful for the review I got. Today I'm giving you the second chapter with tiny hope that you'll like it too.

Chapter 2

Juliet went straight to the study. She became deeply worried about Magnum's state, it was unusual for him to get sick so suddenly and she had a feeling something bad was happening. While her mind was occupied with her worries, she didn't notice that three armed men entered the house silently. She finally reached the study and when she was about to pick up the blanket, she suddenly felt someone's presence behind her. She was more than sure that it wasn't Magnum because he wouldn't be able to get there so all her senses went on high alert at once. Her instinct kicked in and she focused on using her defending skills.

She spun around knowing from experience that attack was the best form of defense. She wasn't surprised when she saw a man dressed in black, wearing a ski mask and holding a gun. Her plan worked. He definitely wasn't expecting such course of action. He didn't even have time to react as Juliet knocked his gun out of his hand in one swift motion and then gave a very painful kick to his stomach. He stumbled and with Juliet's hard blow to his jaw, he knocked over an antique vase, fell backwards and hit his head on the floor. For a moment, he seemed quite groggy.

Juliet got to the man, who was lying there, grunting in pain. She deliberately leaned on his stomach, making it hurt even worse.

"Who are you and what are you doing here?" She asked, her tone of voice sounded unemotional and authoritative.

The man cried out in pain but didn't say anything. Just as she wanted to try to get the information out of him once again, she found herself being grabbed by the arms and hauled to her feet. She turned and saw that another man came in. He looked just like the first one, but this one had visibly more weight and as she was about to find out, he was a bit more experienced in a fight. Not wanting to lose any second, she wriggled and stamped the heel of her shoe right on the attacker's foot. He hissed in pain and slightly loosened his grip on her. That was all she needed. She made a move to swing at him but it turned out that he was faster – he ducked and her fist didn't reach its target. Immediately, she made another attempt – she kicked him with all her strength and this time she succeeded pretty well. For a moment, the man was dazed and she didn't wait any longer to punch him right on his nose. She felt and heard a loud crack and at the same time an agonized cry escaped his mouth. He grabbed his nose and doubled over in pain.

Just as Juliet thought it was over, she heard a well-know click somewhere to her left. When she looked there, she saw a third man pointing a gun at her. At that moment, she realized that the chances of her winning in that situation were very slim so she was forced to change the tactics and instead of fighting the intruders, she tried to get information from them.

"All right, guys. Now that the lady here beat you so easily, let's get it over with, shall we?" Said the third man who seemed to be their leader.

"Who are you?" Juliet tried again, she hoped that this man would give her the answers she wanted so much.

Unfortunately, something completely unexpected happened. First, one of the remaining men caught her by the arms again and held her tight. A few seconds later, she felt a needle being plunged into her right arm and a liquid that was inside the syringe quickly pushed into her.

Blood rushed to her head. Now, she knew she didn't have much time left.

"What do you want?" She asked as she felt her legs started trembling and were just about to give way.

"That's not the kind of question you should be asking now, miss Higgins." The leader replied. "The correct one is – Who do we want?" He was laughing menacingly.

At that time, her whole body became extremely heavy and she was desperately fighting to stay awake. The last thought she had was that Thomas was out there, in no condition to fight those men. She hoped he was already asleep on the couch where she had left him and they wouldn't target him. Then she finally gave in and everything faded to black.

Magnum has just fallen asleep when a strange sound woke him up. At first, he wasn't sure if he even heard anything, it might as well be something in his dreams and just as his eyes started closing again, he heard it once more. This time it was louder. He couldn't quite place it – it wasn't the dogs barking or a phone ringing. His mind was still working rather slowly but when he heard it for the third time, he suddenly realized what it was – the sound of fighting. His first thought was that something happened to Higgins and she might need his help.

He knew what he had to do. Not waiting any longer, he sat up and two seconds later he wished he hadn't done that so quickly. If the circumstances were different, he would probably have to give himself some time before he moved from that couch. Unfortunately, the situation called for desperate measures and he didn't have time to rest so he gave it another try and stood up heavily. Initially, he swayed a bit and his first steps were unsteady but his mind screamed that Juliet may need him there and he couldn't think about himself.

Leaning on the furniture and walls to steady himself and trying to be as quiet as possible, he crept towards the study. He wished he had his gun on him. He was aware of his current state and the fact that he didn't stand much chance if he had to fight someone but if his partner's life depended on him, he wouldn't hesitate even for a second.

He reached the room just as Juliet lost her consciousness, collapsing to the floor. In this short moment, he noticed three masked attackers who obviously came prepared and were armed. With that number, he knew his fight would be futile but he tried anyway.

He swung at one of the men but he swiftly managed to avoid the blow and delivered Magnum a powerful punch in the stomach. The PI fell backwards but surprisingly he didn't find himself on the floor like he should have after such a blow but he was stopped when he crashed into the second man. That one grabbed Thomas's arms and twisted them behind his back.

"Hey guys, don't you think it's a little rude to break into someone's home? So, unless you're Santa's elves, it's better you left at once or you'll be sorry." Magnum stated through gritted teeth, despite the excruciating pain he was feeling.

"Don't make me laugh." The third intruder snickered. "The lady here is out," he pointed to Higgins lying on the floor, "and from what I can see here, you're in no shape to fight all of us."

"Then, I guess you don't know me yet." Thomas murmured.

He lurched forward, surprising the man who was holding him. He aimed his sudden attack at the one who he has been speaking to just a moment ago and since he still wasn't able to free his hands completely, the PI struck his opponent with his head.

For a few seconds, Magnum's vision became dark, then lots of stars appeared and he felt he was being drawn away by the man behind him. He also heard heavy swearing, probably coming from the victim of his attack, which proved he was successful, at least partly. He knew he owed it to Higgy, he was more than sure that she didn't go down without fighting. Now, he was certain that the consequences of his action would arise soon and unfortunately he was right.

When the injured man recovered, he sent Magnum a look full of hatred and pure evil. Thomas braced himself for the worst. The first punch was delivered to his jaw and was followed by a couple of other powerful ones to his stomach and chest.

"Let me give you some advice, pal." The attacker whispered moving so close to Thomas that he could feel his breath on his cheek. "Next time, don't be so sure of yourself."

Magnum smiled. "Thanks, I'll remember that." He replied with sarcasm and then noticed the man nodding to the one holding him and he felt a needle stuck into his neck.

Suddenly, he became heavy, lacking energy as if someone pulled the plug. He managed to turn and notice Juliet's body being lifted from the floor.

"Higgy," he whispered before he passed out.

"All right now. Let's get moving." The man who seemed to be the leader spoke up. "Burt, take her to the car but remember to be careful, the boss specifically instructed us that no harm came to her."

"Okay, Nick. I'll treat her like a queen." The man, who was holding Juliet's unconscious body, said with sarcasm.

He quickly carried her outside, opened the sliding door and placed her not so gently in the back of the van. He knew that she got quite a big dose of anesthetic and should be out for a long time but he didn't want to risk the situation when she would wake up while they were driving so he found a rope and tied her hands and legs. Only then he felt calm and safe.

He touched his nose, the bleeding had finally stopped but it was still quite sore. He looked at Juliet, lying there oblivious to the world around her. If it wasn't for their boss's orders, that fight would turn out completely different. He knew he couldn't hurt the woman and he let her punch him on the nose. He hoped though that after the boss got what he wanted from her, he would gladly get even with her. That would be his perfect Christmas present. He closed the door with a loud thud, went around the car and climbed behind the wheel, waiting for the rest of his crew to come.

"What are we going to do with him? The boss wanted us to bring only the woman. Nothing was said about this man."

"You're right, Tony. Mr. Magnum here wasn't taken into consideration according to our plan but now that he's so conveniently here, it would be a shame not to seize this opportunity and just leave him behind."

"Won't the boss be angry that we mess with his plan?" Tony asked.

"Don't worry about him. Who knows? Maybe Magnum's presence will turn out to be useful. She obviously cares about him so she'll do everything to save her partner. Come on, let's pick him up and take him to the van. It's high time we took our guests for a ride to the jungle." Nick stated and they both carried Thomas outside. They tossed him in the back, tied him and then climbed inside and finally left, heading for their hiding place where no one would find them.

A few hours later, Juliet finally started to come round. Very slowly, her consciousness was coming back and the first thing she noticed was a strong feeling of cold that was quite overwhelming. She groggily opened her eyes and was met with total darkness. For a moment there, she wasn't sure whether she had her eyes opened or closed. She got surprised even more when she tried to move her hand and she painfully found out at once that her hands and legs were tightly bound.

Where am I? She thought. All she knew was that she was lying on the hard floor, in a dark place who knows where. What happened? She tried to recall all the previous events but found it unusually difficult to do so. Her mind seemed sleepy and was working so slow, she felt a little like she had drunk a lot but that wasn't the case, was it?

She kept trying and finally remembered being in La Mariana, having fun with her friends, then coming back home. Magnum wasn't feeling well so she helped him inside and then some masked men appeared and attacked her. She was doing her best but one of them put a needle in her arm and now as she recalled, before she lost consciousness, her last thoughts had been of Magnum.

Magnum. She thought. Did they attack him too? At once her heart started to race and she felt panic running through her veins.

"Magnum?" She hissed. When there was no response, she made another attempt, this time a little louder. "Magnum, are you there?"

With each passing second of quietness, her level of anxiety was rising. She wanted to move but found out she couldn't do so because of the tight bounds on her hands and legs as well as the fact that it made her limbs go numb. It turned out that even sitting up was quite a challenge, almost like climbing Mount Kilimanjaro. However, after focusing her whole strength on this seemingly impossible task, she finally managed to sit. Juliet still couldn't see anything but since luckily her hands were tied in front of her and not behind her back, at least she was able to feel her way and try to find her partner.

She started moving very slowly, inch by inch she crawled on her knees. She didn't know how big this room was and which way she should go. She had no idea how much time it took her but suddenly she stopped when she felt something soft on the floor in front of her. It seemed she finally found Thomas.

"Oh, God. Magnum, is that you? Are you okay?" She said with hope but she knew very well that she couldn't breathe a sigh of relief, at least not yet.

Please, let him be all right. She thought while she was frantically trying to find his neck and check for pulse.

He was alive. She didn't know though whether his state was caused by this mysterious illness he suffered from after their evening in La Mariana or their three uninvited guests did something to him. On the one hand, she was glad she wasn't on her own in this tough situation and the two of them would have a better chance if it came to fighting. However, on the other hand she wished he wasn't here because she was afraid that their situation may bring up some traumatic memories.

Gently, she moved her hand up to his face, tracing his lips and felt a soft flow of air coming from his nostrils. Good, he was breathing. Now, all she had to do was to make him wake up. She caressed his cheek and then lightly stroked his head. While doing so, Juliet leaned forward and whispered to his ear.

"Magnum, I know you can hear me. You have to wake up. I really need your help here, partner. It doesn't look good, you know? We'll probably need every pair of hands if we are to get out of this in one piece. Please, just open your eyes." She said, more like begged him but there was no response so after a moment, she moved away and just sat there thinking what her next step should be.

"Wow, I wish I had a voice recorder right now. Juliet Higgins has just asked for my help. What a day. I think I'll mark it in my calendar."

Juliet got startled when suddenly in the silence of the room they were being held in, Thomas spoke up. His voice wasn't strong, which was quite understandable after what he had gone through lately, but at least he was still himself. Although it was easy for her to imagine that cocky smile appearing on his face.

"Magnum, you're back. I'm so glad, I was extremely worried about you." The woman blurted out at once and got closer to his side, bumping into him.

The same moment he felt her touch, a sudden jolt went through his body and he hissed involuntarily. It meant only one thing – his ribs weren't in such a good condition.

"Thomas, what's wrong? Are you all right?"

After she witnessed his sudden reaction, he was sure he has just added to her worries and that was something he was definitely trying to avoid so he decided to act casually.

"Yeah, it's nothing." He replied, hoping she'll drop the subject, although there was a very slim chance for it. "So, what happened?" Maybe focusing on telling him the events from her perspective would make her stop asking him those questions.

"Well, after I went to the study, a masked man appeared. I fought with him and when I thought it was over, another one came out of nowhere and the situation repeated itself. After that, it turned out there was a third attacker, pointing a gun at me. Before I knew it, they drugged me with something and soon I lost consciousness." Juliet stated.

"Do you know who they are and what they want from us?" Thomas asked, wondering if they were pros.

"No, at one point I tried to get some information out of them, but unfortunately, they didn't say anything." She sighed and then she remembered something. "The only thing I managed to obtain was that they knew my name and I think they were after one of us or both."

"So all of this was planned." Magnum concluded. "Maybe it's something connected to one of our cases. What could that be?"

Juliet shook her head. "No, that's not very likely. Our last cases weren't much dangerous – only skipping bail or cheating spouses. Well, beside our last client's husband whose fist landed on your face but somehow I don't think he would go this far to take revenge on us."

Thomas chuckled at her words. "Yeah, you don't need to remind me of that. However, to me that situation is nothing compared to the one we're currently in." He said and silence filled the room for a moment as both partners started pondering.

Because of the complete darkness, it seemed so strange to Magnum when he couldn't see her face. Over the years he had known and worked with her, he got familiar with all her mimics, body language and reactions, and these days he usually was able to read her like an open book. He really was a good observer which he proved many times, not only when they were aboard T.R. Belle. Unfortunately, at this moment he couldn't take advantage of his ability anyway.

Suddenly, he heard her say, "Maybe it's about you?"

"What? Me? Why do you think so?" He asked, having a feeling where this was heading.

"Perhaps it's the White Knight those men are after. Tell me, did you even see them? What happened after I passed out?" Juliet had a feeling there was something her partner wasn't telling her and she wanted him to share it with her.

"All right but there's not much to tell." He started, deciding to spare her the unnecessary details concerning his condition. "I don't even know when I fell asleep and I guess at some point I heard a sound that caught my attention. Luckily, I managed to move off the couch and went to check on you. When I got there, you had just been drugged and I tried to fight those men. Unfortunately, they were wearing masks so I couldn't see their faces. The only thing I know is that there were three of them." The PI stated.

"What happened next?" Juliet asked but didn't get the answer at once. "Magnum? Can you tell me what was next?" She didn't see him but she could swear she heard a long sigh coming from her partner.

"Well, the usual thing, you know? We talked a little but it turned out our guests weren't very talkative and actually they preferred to use body language rather than words." He finally said. "Soon after that, they drugged me and I woke up here, finding myself lying on the hard floor with you stroking my head and whispering something in my ear."

She chuckled at that. She had to admit, even in grave situations such as this one, Thomas Magnum always stayed true to himself. However, she pushed his humor aside as there was one thing that was on her mind and which she worried about the most. She felt she had to ask this question and she wanted to get an honest answer but she knew him quite well now and actually she wouldn't be surprised if he avoided it. She swallowed hard before speaking.

"Magnum?"

"Yes?"

"Did they hurt you a lot?"

He felt that was coming and that was the thing he was trying to avoid. Now he was glad she couldn't see his face because she would notice his desperate attempt at diminishing what happened to him.

"We fought, you remember that I wasn't at my best at that time so obviously I didn't win." He said and instantly felt she placed her bound hands on his and gave him a little squeeze. She instantly noticed that he was still very cold.

"Hey, don't worry about me. It was nothing grave." Magnum told her, doing his best to reassure her. "I'm so sorry, Juliet." He whispered, surprising her a lot.

"What for?"

"If it's the White Knight they're after, then it's my fault you were dragged into all of this." He stated, his voice filled with deep remorse.

"Thomas, it's definitely not you who should be sorry. It's those men who attacked us. And if it makes any difference, I'm sorry that you're hurt."

He smiled a little. "Thanks but I told you, it's not that bad." He tried to calm her but at the same moment a strange feeling came over him and it was spreading fast, starting from his limbs and then reaching his chest.

He was getting colder with each passing minute. He got nervous, never in his life did he experience something like this. Of course, he didn't share it with Juliet, why worry her even more? However, his partner wasn't much convinced by his statement which she was sure was far beyond the truth but decided to let it be, at least for the time being.

"Now that we've gathered all the information we have on our unwanted guests, which unfortunately isn't much by the way, we can try to guess what this place is." Juliet said but they didn't have a chance to discuss this issue because suddenly the light was turned on and for a moment there, they were both blinded by the intense brightness.

That's it for today. I'll be very happy if you review (the feeling when you know someone is actually reacting to your hard work is incredible). Thank you.