The minutes passed by like seconds, and before Ronnie knew it, she was sitting at the breakroom table with Kyle, laughing together and sharing stupid stories with each other. She knew better than to waste so much time on the job, but she did her best to justify it to herself. They were both cops; she had nothing to do until the team got back.

And she wasn't flirting with Kyle, she was just networking with a cooperating colleague.

"...And then my idiot partner tackled the guy, throwing them both, full-body, into the ball pit at McDonald's." Kyle closed his eyes, chortling at the memory.

Ronnie laughed along, only happy to have found someone who was perfectly happy exchanging tackle stories rather than discussing the legal procedures that their cases were going through. The last time she'd made polite conversation with another officer, all she could talk about were the politics.

Ronnie didn't know the politics.

All she knew for sure were threats to her team, and that was all she cared to bother herself with.

"What about you?" Kyle wondered. "You ever get stuck with any dud partners?"

That gave Ronnie pause. She'd never had a dud partner. She'd gone through schooling and training for the CBI, and the people she'd worked besides had their own issues, but she'd only ever had Cho. "No, actually," She responded. "My partner is--"

Her partner was suffering from a burning of the ears, apparently.

"Masters," Cho appeared in the doorway of the breakroom, and hesitated when he saw her sitting and chatting with a stranger.

She turned, feeling caught. "Yep?"

He wasn't looking at her anymore, rather staring flatly at Kyle. "Aren't you supposed to be out with the search party?" He leaned on the door frame, gaze not shifting at all even when Ronnie got up to toss her empty coffee cup in the sink.

Kyle straightened in discomfort. "Um, kind of—I mean, I took a double shift out there this--"

"They found Nicole Gilbert." Cho interrupted, and finally turned to Ronnie. "Lisbon and Jane are going to the hospital with her and then they'll be back here afterwards." Without waiting for her to respond, or even to face him in acknowledgement, he left the doorway of the breakroom and disappeared back down the hall.

Kyle dumped his own coffee mug in the sink and adjusted his glasses. "I'd better get to the hospital before I get myself in trouble," He gave another sweet smile. "But it was really nice meeting you, Ronnie. It was great talking to you."

She smiled back. "You too. I'll see you, probably." Before she made her way out the door, she heard him say her name.

"I really hope I see you again."

THE MENTALIST

"What's got you all zip-lipped?" Ronnie settled into her previously claimed chair where she and Cho were set up with the computers. She crossed her legs and tapped her fingers against the tabletop.

Cho was throwing himself down in a chair, lips pursed a little. He only looked slightly more upset than usual, but Ronnie could see it in the tightening of his shoulders.

Cho shot her a quick look and then went back to staring around the office. "I'm not."

"I mean, you always are, but you seem perturbed now." She leaned forward, inching closer to him.

The gruff agent met her eyes. He held her gaze for a long second, as though reading something in her expression. Finally, like he'd found the information he was looking for, he turned away again. "I guess Jane won the bet, huh?"

The bet.

Ronni stared into space, totally lost.

What bet?

A cop, a gym member, or a suspect. One of them hits on her, winner takes her to dinner.

That bet.

Ronnie scoffed in protest. "He was not hitting on me. We were just talking." She planted her elbows on the table. "I don't flirt with people, Cho, you know how I am about talking to strangers."

Cho shrugged. "Okay."

Matter settled, Ronnie leaned back in her chair and breathed deep, wondering when they would hear about Nicole Gilbert.

When it became apparent that, unlike Rigsby, Ronnie didn't spill her heart out in a moment of guilty silence, Cho decided to change his interrogation techniques. Abandoning all attempts at appearing uninterested, Cho turned his chair towards her and crossed his arms thoughtfully. "You like him, don't you."

Before she could save herself, she felt a blush heat her face. Nevertheless, she gave denial her best effort. "No? I just met him, Cho, I don't even know his last name."

He didn't break his stare. "I think it's good. You need to experience a normal human relationship."

She didn't like the way he said that. Gesturing indignantly, she completely forgot the embarrassment over Kyle. "What do you call yourself?" Ronnie punched his arm lightly, teasing him.

He actually looked a little surprised. "Definitely not a normal human relationship."

Ronnie nodded agreeably. "You're right, there's nothing normal, human, or relationship about you."

Cho went back to scanning the office. "I can do relationships. You need more attention."

She felt like she'd been hit in the head with a bat. "What does that mean?"

Cho didn't catch the defensive tone in her voice. "You have a bad background, bad experience with relationships. You need more attention."

Ronnie had never heard him say anything like that to her before. She never knew he felt that way, and it hit her like a ton of bricks. "I don't need a babysitter, Cho."

The man didn't even hesitate. "Yeah, that's why you're always around me."

Her glare burned into his profile as though she could melt his face. She did spend all of her work time with Cho, and she did isolate herself from other people, but it wasn't because she needed attention. She liked Cho. He saved her life, preserved her future, and helped her get through the schooling for CBI. Quickly after he became part of her life, she tasked herself with being his shield.

No matter how many times he went crazy and said something like that to her—so far only that once—she'd do what she could to keep him alive.

THE MENTALIST

"Alibi's solid. Several people saw Jason passed out at the bar." Cho explained to Lisbon, showing the video he'd downloaded from the camera.

Jane leaned in curiously. "Damn. Nelson was right."

From behind him, Ronnie stared over his shoulder to find out what he was realizing.

"About what?" Cho asked, also wondering. He never looked away from the tape. Ronnie wished he would hurry up and figure out what was bothering him so he could tell her why he went relatively postal on her.

"Look at Jason's camera work. He's torn between Nicole and Kara." Jane pointed at the screen, where the two girls were drunk and hanging off of each other, and the camera took turns focusing intimately on both of them.

Cho shrugged. "So he had a thing for Kara. It's no proof of motive unless Nicole knew about it."

"And it doesn't look like they're feuding over him, does it?" Jane remarked, watching the girls giggle together.

Lisbon leaned in, suddenly catching sight of something. "Wait. Stop right there. Run it back." She waited a second, watching the tape fly backwards in rewind. "There. The guy at the bar staring at Kara, in the baseball cap."

With the focus on the creepy guy at the bar, they found that his uniform belonged to a company called Earthly Pure, which sold most of the cosmetics left in Kara's abandoned car. Cho and Van Pelt set to tracking him down.

Rigsby called Lisbon, reporting no sign that Nicole Gilbert was ever held in any of the buildings along the river. She had him come back to the station to regroup. When she turned, Lisbon found Ronnie zoned out, staring at the back of Cho's head.

THE MENTALIST

Ronnie hadn't said a word on the way to the Tavern, even when Rigsby asked her why she was staring a hole in the window. At her unrelenting silence, Cho's eyes flashed to hers in the rearview mirror, and for the first time, he actually looked a little guilty, but he didn't say anything. Ronnie went back to staring a hole through the window.

Cho and Rigsby took point entering the Tavern, scanning for the truck driver. Ronnie and Van Pelt hung back a little, watching. They were directed to the men's room, which Cho and Rigsby entered alone.

A few minutes went by in silence.

"Are you and Cho okay?" Van Pelt asked quietly.

Ronnie stared at her, silent.

Van Pelt backpedaled. "You just seem off, is all."

"He's a hormonal brat sometimes." Ronnie answered simply, and left it at that.

Loud banging and grunting sounded from the men's room. Van Pelt shot Ronnie a look, eyes wide.

The older agent shrugged, disinterested. "Go ahead."

THE MENTALIST

"So, how is it you know Kara Palmer?" Cho sat next to Van Pelt, across from Rulon the truck driver at the sheriff's office.

The guy was a heavy-set man with a dirty-looking pony tail under a greasy Earthly Pure baseball cap. He gave an indifferent shrug. "This town's on my regular route, and I stopped here to eat. Huntin' store is next door to the diner. One day I walk in there, and a tight little pair of buns caught my eye." He smirked at Van Pelt, and then grossly licked his lips at Ronnie. "Boy meets girl. So I walk over, and I start up a conversation."

Ronnie rolled her eyes at his lewd expressions, and then began folding up her black blouse sleeves. Her forearms could shut off any semblance of attraction faster than anything.

Cho's joined hands tightened on the tabletop in front of him. "What did you talk about?"

"Offered her ten dollars to sit in my lap. She said no, but she said no in that kind of way like I was lowballing her. Not no, like, in the general principle." Rulon answered smugly.

Ronnie met Lisbon's eyes, both of them repulsed by his brazenness.

"So I guess you could say I've been courting her. I'm through town, I stop by, I give her some free stuff."

In the back, Jane was digging through an evidence box. Ronnie glanced his way once, but was mostly concerned with watching Van Pelt. The sweet new girl was shrinking away from the revolting man with every word, doing everything she could to keep from holding his attention.

Ronnie waited for her cue to jump in. The moment the girl seemed to be pushed too far, Ronnie would step in and keep Rulon as far from her as possible.

"What did you expect from Kara in return for the free stuff?" Van Pelt asked tersely.

Cho glanced at Ronnie, who deliberately ignored him.

"I gave her a lot of stuff, so I'm thinking eventually...some form of sexual congress." Rulon smirked again.

"And what did you get?" Van Pelt demanded.

"I disgust you, don't I?" The trucker guessed.

Van Pelt all but snarled. "A little, yeah."

"You're cuter than your friend here," He remarked, gesturing to Ronnie. "How's your lipstick supply?"

Lisbon rolled her eyes and scoffed while Van Pelt stared at him, somewhat horrified. Meanwhile, Cho leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms over his chest.

Ronnie merely smirked.

"You beautiful people got no idea what unattractive guys go through. Don't I have a heart? Don't I long to be held, to be loved, to be cherished? Yes, I Do. So I gotta pay for a little human contact every now and then. Shoot me. It's not my fault I look like this."

"It is, actually. With a low-carb diet and exercise, you could look very different." Cho returned flatly.

Lisbon laughed softly, and Ronnie thought it was funny, but she refused to react. Cho still hadn't told her why he went off on her, and she wouldn't be feeling very courteous towards him until he did.

"I got a glandular problem." Rulon shot back.

Jane leaned in then, earbud wires trailing from his ears. "Uh, how heavy are you, exactly?"

The truck driver hesitated and looked uncomfortable for the first time all evening. "245. I...I've lost a lot of weight in the last year."

"You expected sexual favors from Kara. What did you get?" Van Pelt snapped.

"She was a beautiful woman. There's nothing more beautiful than a beautiful woman, is there?"

Cho wasn't thrilled with his yammering. "What did you get from Kara?"

"Nothing at all. In France, they'd have called her a coquette. I always held out high hopes. I mean, there's always hope."

"Sure is," Jane glanced at Ronnie. He shot a look at Cho, then back to Ronnie, raising his eyebrows.

She shook her head at him before he could say anything frustrating.

Convinced that the team had the smarmy man' interview under control, Ronnie pushed herself off the wall she'd been leaning against and left the office. The skeezy truck driver didn't seem the type to kill Kara or abduct Nicole, and her head was too busy thinking about Cho to get any valuable work done. She was trying with all her will powerto convince herself that he hadn't meant those words—that he'd just reached the height of frustration and took it out on her.

She couldn't bear the thought of him meaning those words.

Ronnie threw the exterior door open and stepped into the evening California sun, leaning against the outer wall of the building.

If Cho meant those words, she'd have to work hard to even be around him. No more gym, no more runs, no more carpooling. Professional interactions only. If he thought she needed a lot of attention and a baby sitter, she'd be more than happy to prove to him otherwise.

She dropped her head back, sighing deeply.

Past the anger and indignation she felt towards him, Ronnie only felt saddened. She loved Cho deeply. He'd saved her, protected her, and looked out for her. She'd thought they were friends. She'd thought they understood each other.

"Hey there."

The soft, gentle voice pulled her back from the brink of tears. Ronnie opened her eyes to find Kyle standing next to her, staring down at her with some concern and holding out a cup of coffee.

"You take it black, right?" He nodded to the coffee, and, once she took it, leaned against the wall beside her. "Is everything alright? They found Nicole, it's all looking up, right?"

She nodded, taking a long drink from the coffee. "Yeah, the scary part is over. It's all about finding the perp now." He grimaced, an attempt at a smile, and stared back into the sky, trying to count the colors as evening fell.

"Not having much luck?" Kyle guessed.

Wary of openly discussing case details, Ronnie shrugged. "It's just a tedious process, that's all."

Kyle was watching her closely. "You sure you're okay?"

Ronnie met his eyes, her gaze tracing his handsome, sharply featured face. "I'm alright," She said softly. "I'm just in the middle of an argument or...something with a friend." She took another long drink.

Kyle touched her shoulder, squeezing gently. "I'm sure it will be okay."

Before she could feel uncomfortable with him touching her, Ronnie went unshakably lightheaded. She wavered, dropping the cup. Kyle's hand felt hot on her shoulder as her legs staggered beneath her, head dipping.

"Ronnie?" Kyle simpered teasingly. "Are you sick?"

Her vision went dark as her knees buckled.

THE MENTALIST

She woke up laying in the dirt. Her head pounded and she could feel rope tightly tied around her wrists behind her back. The more she moved, the more she could feel something like glass digging into her knees. It wasn't until she had to struggle to swallow that she realized there was a gag in her mouth.

"Oh, you're awake." Someone crouched in front of her, a hand stroking the side of her face.

She twisted her shoulders beneath her until she could see that it was Kyle looming over her. Trying her best to spit the gag out, Ronnie growled as eloquently as she could manage.

"I was wondering when you'd come around." Kyle gave her a push so she was laying on her back, on top of her hands. "I've been waiting and waiting and waiting for," He paused and checked his watch. "About two hours now."

Ronnie was kicking herself. How could she have fallen for something so obvious? Of course, Kyle was terrible, he'd flirted with her. No one flirts with her. And his name was Kyle, for goodness' sake. He never had a chance.

"I'm sure you're wondering what's going on." He leaned back a little, smirking down at her. Gone was the sweet smile. He looked nothing like the kind, pretty man she'd met that morning.

There wasn't a single light on in the cabin or wherever they were, but she still managed to glare up at him with all the fire she could scrape up in her drugged, sluggish body.

Kyle laughed like she'd spit at him. "You're awfully naïve for someone of your history, you know. I mean, have you seen yourself?" He shook his head, looked away, and laughed. "You're not my type; or any man's, for that matter. Way too butch, Ronnie. Should probably consider switching teams, if you know what I mean."

She wished she could kick him.

If he didn't frisk her too thoroughly, she should still have a multitool under her belt.

Kyle leaned in close. "Your mother says hello."

Ronnie's blood ran cold.

He raised his eyebrows. "Oh, where's the tough girl gone now? Uh, oh, does Mommy dearest scare you? Well, she should scare you, Ronnie, because guess what?" He stopped then, and pulled out his phone as it began buzzing. "We'll continue this later. Agent Lisbon needs my help." He winked at her and left the room.

As soon as he was gone, she pushed herself over on her stomach and forced her fingers under her belt, searching for the multitool. She heard his truck pull out, and realization struck her.

That truck; it had to be the one that left tracks on that dirt road. He'd killed Kara Palmer and kidnapped Nicole Gilbert.

Ronnie felt like crying. She was so stupid.

She needed to call Cho.

At last, her fingertips found purchase on the warm stainless of her multitool, and she pulled it from her under-belt pocket. It took only a second of prying to get the knife blade unfolded, and then she was gingerly sawing through her ropes.

The moment she was upright, her pounding head swam and she dropped like a rock to her knees.

How could she be so stupid?

How could she look a murderer in the face and blush ignorantly?

Ronnie was sick of herself.

She waited for the actual nausea to pass and then crawled to the closest table. Empty. She needed her phone and her gun.

Her search of the dirt-floor cabin yielded neither.

Kyle must have thrown them out along the way.

Deciding her only option was to follow the road, she headed for the door, only to find it chained. Ronnie lifted the padlock in her palm, growling to herself. If her mom had sent Kyle after her, then she would have more men around somewhere as backup.

Ronnie had to get out of dodge fast.

She dropped the padlock and turned away from it, looking for rotted boards in the walls of the old cabin. When she found a weak section in the wood, Ronnie set to breaking the boards down. She'd learned how to kick doors down as a teenager.

The key was to aim for a spot two inches behind the door.

A board splintered beneath her boot.

Worked every time.

Once she'd torn her way out of the cabin like a wild animal, Ronnie headed for the road and started running.

THE MENTALIST

Cho found her a mile away from the cabin. The headlights of his car rounded a bend in the road and basked her in the blinding light, bringing her to a skidding halt. Ronnie shielded her eyes with a hand as the car stopped and the driver's side door opened.

She was braced for a fight when Cho came running towards her.

"Masters!"

Finally recognizing him, she dropped her fists and stepped back, panting from her run. "Cho," She coughed into the dark. "Call Lisbon."

He reached her then, grabbing her arms in relief, but she pushed him back,

"Call Lisbon. It's Kyle—she's with him right now; he killed Kara Palmer." She was getting her breath back, but the terror still made knots in her head, scratching at her brain.

"We know," He tried to get close to her again, but she kept backing up. "We know—Jane figured it out. She and Rigsby took him into custody. They're okay, Masters."

Ronnie pressed her palms to her eyes, all but howling in relief. She'd been picturing Lisbon's body left in the woods for the past hour.

"Masters," Cho tried again.

Ronnie turned away from him, lungs heaving with emotion. She'd thought Lisbon would die; her mother got to her, and she did it exactly as she always did: find a vulnerability in the armor and then jam a knife through it; and on top of that, she couldn't shake the feeling that Carla Masters' eyes were on her."

"Masters," Cho's voice was low and calm. "I'm sorry. I...I didn't mean it." When she didn't face him, he went on. "I was paranoid about your mom and I saw Kyle getting your attention, and I got angry. I felt like you weren't taking the threat seriously."

Still no reaction.

"I thought that if you started seeing Kyle, that I was wasting my time trying to figure out how to keep you safe." He saw her shoulders begin to shake, and he frowned with worry. "I never believed any of what I said to you. I'm sorry." He approached from behind her again, and that time, when he touched her arm, she didn't move away from him.

He turned her around, and found her face streaked with tears. In the light of his car, her watery green eye shimmered strikingly.

Cho's hand held her arms at her biceps. "I've been looking for you for four hours, Ronnie. I thought I was gonna find your body." His eyes checked her up and down, looking for injuries.

Crying, overwhelmed with stress and fear, Ronnie wordlessly accepted his apology. "You were right. Kyle, he—"

Cho edged her fractionally closer.

"Kyle was sent by my mom." Ronnie choked, tears falling. "She got to me, Cho. She's everywhere."

Cho wiped her tears. "Breathe," He told her.

She closed her eyes and felt his forehead against her own.

"It's going to be okay, Ronnie, I promise."

[ end of chapter five ]