Chapter 21
*keep in mind that besides Dilly and Cam the only other people in this chapter are in flashbacks or are guards*

!!!!!It does kinda get a bit risque... JUST A WARNING!!!!
***********************

He looked around the compound and could feel the bile rising in his throat. It was nothing short of a shrine to sexual perversity, torture, oddity and psychological mind games out the wazoo.

He felt light headed as he walked down the hall and forced himself to lean heavily against the cold stone wall.

�Woah there Cap, you okay?� Dillon asked as he caught up with the older more distinguished man.

�Yes, yes, I�m fine� I just--� he trailed off as he looked at their surroundings once more and shuddered.

The younger man nodded, as he understood how he felt.

This case had consumed both Cameron and his nephew and they had finally, FINALLY gotten the break they needed. Every dead end, cold lead and false hope had led to this moment. Every promising lead and fleeting feeling of hope�

And now�

Now this�.

Cole had finally made a fatal error.

Cameron looked up as two men, Steve and Mike -- recent hires with good instincts but not the greatest follow through-- both wearing black walked out of one of their assigned rooms looking rather pale. One was holding onto the door frame for balance while the other leaned against his partner, his head bowed into his crooked arm, trying to keep from passing out.

�Hey cap,� Steve called out weakly, his voice broken and strangled. He weakly cleared his throat and called out once more. �We�ve stumbled on something you may want to look at.�

Dillon touched Cameron�s arm as he pushed himself off the wall to walk towards the other two. �Hey Cap?� He asked quietly. Cameron turned and looked at him curiously. �Can I come too?� Under his boss/mentor/guardians ever watchful gaze Dillon became bashful. �Um, you know, for moral support� or whatever.� He added quickly.

Cameron smiled and nodded. The boy reminded him of lot of Luis in his younger years, before the doom and gloom had overtaken his life.

�Yes,� he answered, and Dillon perked up, smiling, and rushed to join him. Cameron put his arm around his shoulder. �You know Dillon, you�re a good kid.�

�Thanks Cap.� He smiled broadly, basking in his compliment.

�And I say that sincerely, because with a family like yours it an ever loving miracle that you are only this abnormal and not a sociopath.� He added dryly.

Dillon laughed. �Aw, Cap, that�s got to be the nicest thing anyone has EVER told me.� But in all truthfulness Dillon could see what he was doing. He was trying to keep the mood light, but it was almost impossible to stave off the feeling of impending doom that they all felt looming.

As they entered the room Cameron took note that like the other rooms its walls were stone and where there were-- or at least, where there should have been windows, stones had been cemented in to keep out even the faintest ray of natural light. The floors were hard cold and wooden, the ceiling�s high, but large thick wooden trellises ran from one wall to the other. But unlike the other rooms this room was colder. Literally the temperature dropped 10� to 15 � once they stepped inside the door. It also had large wooden book cases that appeared to hold basically everything but books. Not to mention the four or five metal safes that were by his guestimations 10x5 with security combinations as their only means of opening. It was by no stretch of his imagination a small room but because of the racks and racks of videos and other things he could only assume were there and the safe�s and the small uncomfortable bare cot in the corner as well as a small television, a large oak desk, and two chairs it almost felt cramped.

�We already checked it out Cap, the seats are okay to sit in.� Mike said as they stood in the doorway.

Cameron looked at them oddly. �Why?�

Steve cleared his throat. �Um, well, see, we think, at least, we are hypothesizing at this point that this room may have served as some kind of�. Gallery, a vault if you will.�

�For what??� He asked, as they sat.

Both men looked at Dillon, and then each other. �Are you sure you want the kid here?�

Cameron quirked an eyebrow, looked at his young charge, and then back at his men. �The kid has a name, it�s Dillon. And Dillon has every right to see what ever it is that I see and HAS seen everything I�ve seen since he came to live with me and he will continue to see everything I see until he requests otherwise.�

Both men gulped. �Okay then. Well, there are videos, mostly surveillance. There are also some stuff�� Mike scratched the back of his neck uncomfortably.

�For the love of God! Spit. It. Out MAN!�

�OKAY! OKAY!!� He threw his hands up in frustration. �Some of the videos were probably used as bait or as a means of coercion. Some are just surveillance, some are�.� he cleared his throat, �more sinister.�

Steve shifted uncomfortably. �There are also mounds and mounds of floppy disks, and photo�s�� He noted in attempted to swerve the discussion away from the videos.

�Do you have one of the tapes ready?� He asked.

They looked at each other. �We are SCREWED.� Their look said.

�What ARE you two doing?� He demanded.

�Um��

Cameron rolled his eyes and turned to Dillon. �Are you okay?�

Dillon nodded.

�See, he�s fine. If he has a problem, as a psychiatrist, more importantly as his psychiatrist I am more the capable of helping him�isn�t that right Dillon?�

�Yep. So far, I ain�t kilt no one.� He quipped, smiling toothily, inwardly though, his weak, and often times non-existent self-esteem swelled.

�Oookay. Don�t say we didn�t warn you.�

Steve shrugged. �This was the first tape we popped in.� He noted at he pushed play. He had seen the photos, and knew what was coming. If he had had HALF a brain he would have said something before hand. But in his excitement for the �big break� hadn�t thought out everything all the way.

�It speaks for itself.� He said and then turned away, hoping that they wouldn�t see how queezy it made him.

The screen was filled with a black and white picture of a partially nude boy on a bed, each hand restrained and tied against the head board.

�What the��

A man came into the picture and sat on the side of the bed. At first his hands were visible, but then they disappeared under the covers.

Cameron sat, paralyzed. His mouth opened to tell them to turn it off but no sound came out.

Just then the man leaned down and started too�

�TURN IT OFF!! FOR THE LOVE OF GOD! TURN IT OFF!!!� Dillon screamed. When Mike hesitated he jumped from his chair and did it himself.

He whirled around and looked at Cameron, his eyes were both panic stricken and wild. His chest heaved. He looked as though he were about to bolt.

�I�m� I�m sorry-- I-- I-- � he was at a loss for words and frustratedly raked his hands through his hair and let out an exasperated sigh.

�It�s okay Dillon---�

�NO! It�s NOT okay!�

Cameron stood and approached him carefully. It reminded Dillon of how it was the first few weeks after Cameron and Luis had rescued him. �I�m okay. I swear, cap.� He tried to reassure him, but was having problems convincing himself it was true.

�Dillon,� he intoned compassionately.

�I�m FINE!!�

Mike made the mistake of touching Dillon�s shoulder from behind.

It caused Dillon to jump out of his reach and bolt out of the room.

Cameron leveled him with his eyes.

�Consider your employ terminated.� He growled, then turned to the other man. �See to it that he is gone by the time I get back.� Steve nodded as Cameron took off after Dillon.

He turned to his friend and knocked him upside the back of his head.

�IDIOT!� He spat. �You KNOW better than to come up behind the kid! You know he�s jumpy!�

�I-- I forgot!!!�

�BULLSHIT! You forgot! Get out of my sight before I tell Raul and you know how protective he is about Dillon!!�

******************************

Cameron found Dillon leaning over the balcony of the second floor over looking the ocean with his face into the wind and his eyes closed as though he were trying to let the wind blow away the memories that he was trying not to relive out of his head.

�Does that help?� He asked from the doorway, just far enough for Dillon not to feel smothered, yet close enough for him to grab him before he did anything drastic.

Dillon let out a dry chuckle and opened his eyes as tears pooled in them before turning around to him. �You and your psycho babble.� He mused, sniffling. �Always trying to analyze everything.� He paused before asking. �Does it work?� He asked, his voice quivering.

�Sometimes more than others.� He answered. �It depends on the person and how open they are.�

Dillon nodded as he sunk down to the floor and pulled his knees to his chest. �Right now, I �feel� like an open book that can�t be closed, but NOT for it�s lack of trying. Because it REALLY wants to close it�s covers to the world so that once, just once it can have a secret.�

Cameron mentally filed that tidbit of knowledge away for another day as he tentatively approached him. �Would it help if I assured you that there are things about you that leave me in a quandary on a regular basis?�

Dillon looked up and snorted. �Whatever man.�

�May I?� He asked gesturing to the floor next to him.

�Sure, by all mean, pull up a slab a slice of heapen� hunk of marble rock.� He answered patting the ground affectionately.

He sat down with a groan and they both sat there for a quiet moment. But Cameron, being Cameron he had to at least try to help. �You don�t have too, but if you would like too, we can talk about �it�.� He offered tentatively.

Dillon rolled his eyes, but had to admit that the offer was nice. It would be nice to get it off his chest. He had never talked about it because no one had ever asked.

�You wouldn�t mind?� He asked as he scraped his finger along the marble tile his head bowed looking at Cameron out of the corner of his eye.

�Of course not. It�ll be another piece of the puzzle to the dichotomy that is Dillon.�

�Whatever man, I�m so an open book.�

Cameron nodded. �Perhaps, but I don�t read Swahili, or whatever language that particular book comes out in.� He added dryly.

Dillon rolled his eyes and shifted around a little before starting to speak in a very quiet whisper. �That day when I was six, wasn�t suppose to be any different than any other day in the life of a six year old.� He began.

�Mother trusted him! HELL, so did I! I mean, he seemed normal enough. He didn�t stare at me or anything.� He whispered as he closed his eyes, he didn�t want to see Cameron�s reaction, it would be to painful for him to bare if he saw pity in his �father figures� eyes.

�Things started out normal enough. Mother had another one of her business meetings and Pieter (French for Peter) had decided that I needed to get out of the hotel room and out into the park with the other kids. I got excited, ya know? Because I never really got to be around and interact with kids my own age, ya know.�

�So,� he cleared his throat, � we got into the car and left� except we went in the wrong direction. The closest park to the hotel was east, and we were going west. But I didn�t panic, after all, it was just Pieter. And Pieter was my friend, he wasn�t acting weird or anything. I thought maybe he knew of a better park. But we just kept on going and going and going.�

He took a deep breath and squeezed his eyes shut before continuing. �After a while I got hungry. And still thinking Pieter was my friend, I told him. And he slapped me.� He winced, as though he were reliving it. �Told me to keep my yap shut or he�d tape it shut. Threatened to throw me into the trunk if I said another word.�

�So I clammed up. After a while I got tired and fell asleep.� A shiver went down his spine. �Is it cold out here?� He asked opening his eyes and looking at Cameron for the first time since he started. �Or is it just me?� Absently he rubbed his arms for warmth.

It was about 80� on the patio but Cameron took off his Corduroy blazer-- one of his �signature� pieces of clothing-- and draped it over Dillon�s shoulders. �There you go.� He whispered, patting his shoulder reassuringly.

Dillon was tall, but not near as tall as Cameron-- who had about 5 inches on him. The blazer practically engulfed Dillon as Cameron had broad shoulders and Dillon hadn�t gone through all of his �growth spurts� yet. Cameron watched as Dillon pulled his arms through the sleeves and bunched up the ends in his fists.

Cameron didn�t mind though, he knew Dillon liked to bunch up his sleeves in his fists. It was a defense mechanism he had developed and while it did stretch out some of his jackets, he didn�t mind.

�Thanks,� He whispered, absently he leaned against Cameron�s shoulder, knowing that if anybody could help him it was his Cap who�d make him feel better.

�When I woke up he was carrying me through the lobby. At first I thought he was taking me back to me and mothers hotel suite, but then I peaked over m shoulder to see the front desk the front desk was different and I didn�t know what to think.�

�And then when he got to his room he sat me down on the bed and just watched me.� He paused for a second. �It was the single creepiest thing that I have ever experienced in my entire life. He just stood there for a while watched me while a faked being a sleep. Then he shook me real hard and yelled at me.�

�It freaked me out so bad that to this day I don�t know what he was yelling at me about. Then he tied me up and explained to me what he was doing and why he was doing it.� He looked up at Cameron. �Why did you tell me Cap? Why?�

Cameron considered the question very carefully before answering. �He probably wanted to scare you shitless. Did it work?� Dillon nodded. �Then he succeeded and had complete control over you.�

�Oh, I guess that makes since.� He said before falling silent.

�Do you remember everything?� Cameron asked cautiously. He had hoped he didn�t, but his gut told him he probably did.

�Unfortunately, it�s one of the few things I can�t forget.�

FlAsHbAcK

�I�m gonna sell your ass to the HIGHEST God damned bigger I can find! Oh, and I�ll be compensated handsomely for my troubles. Romancing your mother, getting close to her, becoming friends with you. Oh yeah, I�m gonna get exactly what I deserve for this over.� He snarled, rubbing his hands together greedily.

�And don�t think I mean �ass� in a proverbial sense, uh uh. I mean it in the most literal sense possible. The men I work for LIKE little boys like you.� He said as he lifted Dillon�s face for closer inspection.

�Let�s see. May need to shed a few pounds, but that�s why we�re here!�

Dillon let out a soft whimper and his captor smacked him so hard he almost fell off the bed.

�Don�t go feeling sorry for yourself now! THIS is a cakewalk! I�m going to beat you senseless and then lock you in the closet for about a week or two to get you nice and dependant on every little scrap I give you.�

�By the time I�m done with you I might not want to sell you!!� He laughed. �Hell, I might just keep you for ****s and grins JUST because I have you trained SO well!�

EnD FlAsHbAcK

�Two weeks of pure, unadulterated HELL .� He whispered with a sniffle. �I thought I was going to die.�

Cameron rubbed his shoulder as a tangible reminder that he was okay now.

�But you didn�t.� He reminded him.

�Yeah, but not for his lack of trying.� he countered, pulling away from Cameron he looked at him dead in the eye.

�That day, when he told me to strip and lay face down on the bed, was it. I would have pissed myself had I had anything in my stomach--�

FlAsHbAcK

Don�t you worry, you sorry piece of shit. I�m gonna teach you what this was ALL about. How you�ll be spending the rest of your like until you either die or they get nice and bored and KILL you.� He spoke calmly, as though this were a normal thing. As if this happened all the time.

Dillon laid on the bed naked on his stomach, his feet tied with rope around the bed posts, his hands handcuffed above his head to the headboard.

He couldn�t scream, but he wanted to. But the only sound that came out was a helpless whimper that only made his captor chuckle.

Pieter was unbuttoning his shirt as he slowly walked across the room toward the bed as Dillon watched helplessly. The anticipation of the pain was more than he could handle so he closed his eyes sand prayed to whatever God was closest for either a quick death or miracle. He would have rather had a miracle, but he�d take either one at the moment. He was desperate.

�Just relax�� His captor cooed, taking off his belt and unzipping his pants. �It�ll be over soon� maybe�� He chuckled.

He closed his eyes tightly and prayed. �Oh please, oh please� oh please��

Suddenly the door crashed in.

�FREEZE!!� Shouted a man in a well tailored suit.

Pieter turned and lunged at him in an attempt to get the gun away from the intruder. But the intruder got the upper hand and was able to quickly over power him enough to knock him unconscious with the butt of his gun.

Meanwhile another man came into the room and was stunned at what he was. After a moments shock he recovered and rushed to the bed.

�Oh please� oh please� oh please�� he could hear the little boy chanting through the gag over his mouth, his eyes were still shut tightly and his entire body trembled with fear.

He moved to get utility knife as he covered the boy with the bed spread, as he felt no need to further humiliate the poor lad. �Ssssh,� he cooed as he sawed the ropes around his ankles on post then the other. �It�s okay now, no ones going to hurt you now. You have my word.�

As soon as the ropes broke Dillon pulled his knees to his chest, but his hands were still restrained, hand cuffed above his head.

�Luis!� He called out over his shoulder.

�Oh please� oh please� oh please�� the words became more audible, but no less urgent.

�What?! I�ve got my hands full at the moment Uncle Cam.� He growled, kicking Pieter as he attempted to move whilst Luis hog tied him.

�Keys! Does he have any keys on his person!�

Luis groaned as he looked at the piece of vile filth on the floor. He quickly reached into his pant pocket and grabbed the keys and yanked his hand back out at feeling the mans hard on.

�Kinky.� Pieter muttered with a sick smirk.

Luis threw Cameron the keys and then head butted Pieter to shut him up.

�Oh please� oh please� oh please�� he voice began to sound scratchy and rough because of his state of dehydration.

As Cameron leaned over and uncuffed his hands from the frame he leaned down and started making a soft white noise-ish sound in Dillon�s ear to quiet whatever voices or hallucinations that were running rampant in his mind. First his facial muscles relaxed, then his eyes opened slowly, just a little, before closing again, but not as tightly as he had had them closed, then he stopped whispering until finally when his hands were released he curled up into a ball, his arms around his legs, and his hands shielding his head, his tiny hands clenched into fists, and then finally he fell asleep.

Cameron stopped making the white noise-ish sound once he was s ure that the voice he ws undoubtedly hearing were quieted, if not totally silenced. He then took off his jackot and wrapped it around him for extra warmth. Then, after securing the blanket around his body, he picked him p and cradled the frail diminutive framed body against his chest, resting the boys head over his heart.

�Not him is it?� Cameron asked absently as he rocked the child to keep him asleep.

�No.� he seethed, but looking at the toddler his demeanor softened. �But it�s the best false lead yet, I�d say.� He added solemnly.

~*~*~*~*~*~* EnD FlAsHbAcK ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Dillon couldn�t help but chuckle. �Yeah, the defining moment of my life and I sleep through it!� He snorted for effect.

Cameron chuckled as well but gave his forearm a supportive squeeze.

�You were traumatized, we didn�t exactly expect you to be taking notes for future reference.�

Dillon nodded, �After that I don�t really remember much.� He said, finding it curious that he could remember the rescue but nothing after that.

�Could be the whole �traumatized thing, Dillon. � Cameron reminded him .

�Yeah, I think so.� He paused, considering wether or not he should as the question that had been nagging at him for as long as he could remember.

�Can I ask you a question Cap?� He asked apprehensively.

Cameron raised a curious eyebrow. �I don�t see why not.�

�Okay, after you and Luis had me checked out at the hospital and reunited me with my mother, why did you two stick around for so long?�

Cameron frowned. �To be quite honest, I had thought Luis had lost his mind. Why else stay in France for so long?� Dillon looked away, hurt, but not wanting him to see it. �But don�t get me wrong. I was glad we did. Thinking about you made Luis obsess less about his own children. Not that anything could have made him forget about them, but it didn�t consume his every waking moment. It didn�t keep him up at night. He actually started acting like Luis Alcazar, my nephew. Not, Luis Alcazar, man driven to desperation by things that he had no control over.�

�He wanted to be sure that you got the care and attention that you needed.� He shook his head sadly. �Something which he could tell by the very first phone conversation he had with your mother after your rescue, that you weren�t getting.�

�How?� He asked, as he didn�t remember much of what happened because of being so traumatized.

�Well, you weren�t talking, but you were moving around. Her main complaint was that a) You weren�t eating b) you followed her around everywhere she went and whenever she tried to gi somewhere you became� I believe her exact word was �clingy�. and C) you would turn on every light in the hotel suite and would scream �bloody murder� if any were turned off.� Cameron looked at him with concern. He didn�t want him to take it the wrong way.

�Our main concern was that you get the medical and psychotical help that you needed to cope and have a routine at home--�

�-- None of which she could steadily provide--� he sighed heavily.

He nodded. �And when she called and said you have locked yourself in the closet and wouldn�t stop apologizing, Luis just about went through the hotel ceiling.�

�But Luis is always so calm.�

�Yes, and that�s when I became concerned. We had been visiting you and to be quite honest, we were both getting a bit attached to you.� He smiled warmly at the good memories that came out of something so traumatic. �Let�s not forget, you clung to my throat while the doctor examined your various wounds. �

Dillon nodded, he remembered that all to well.

�Still got the scars?�

Cameron nodded, rubbing the old familiar scars of where his longer that usual fingernails had dug into his throat as the �strange men� kept looking at him.

�Yes, quite the impression you made on me, or more aptly, the impression your fingers made on my neck.�

Dillon�s cheeks turned red. �Sorry about that.�

�Could have been worse I suppose.�

Dillon pulled the corduroy jacket around himself tighter. �Do you remember the day the two of you came and took me away from her?� He asked, his heart lodged directly in the middle of his throat..
�Oh yes, I remember it all to well. Tracy called Luis and begged him to come over and to bring me.� He recalled. �Something about you weren�t acting right or had shut down again or something. And When we got there--�

�--And I practically propelled myself from underneath the dining room table to your leg.� Dillon recalled with a dry chuckle.

Cameron smiled fondly. �We were more than happy to care of you, but at the same time more than a bit disconcerted that she only gave the situation three weeks before bailing.�

Dillon frowned. �I know that she loves me, Cap. But I was glad that she let me go to someone that didn�t treat me like a freak. Someone that could handle what I had gone through without being revolved by touching me or hugging me.� He fiddled with his shoelaces awkwardly.

�I mean, I lover her too and all� but she� well. every time I would catch her looking at me, I always got the feeling that she was embarrassed or ashamed of me. Whether it was because of being tricked by Pieter, or because how I came back or something else like the fact that I didn�t fight him and that I let him rough me up for two weeks and never screamed because I was afraid it would make him angrier and the pain worse.�

�Wnen you took me away,� he looked up at Cap, his admiration shining in his eyes mixed with tears, �And she gave you full uncontested custody of me, I felt an immense sense of relief. When I cried, it wasn�t because I was afraid, it was because I knew� I just knew, that I was going to be okay. �

Cameron caressed his hair his own eyes showing his devotion to the child that he felt as though he were his own flesh and blood. Raising Dillon brought him a sincere sense of gratitude and as he looked down upon the child that had been forced to grow up far far too soon he felt that gratitude swell a hundred thousand fold.

�Dillon, we were all to happy to assist you,� he whispered, his voice coarse with emotion. �We never regretted that decision, never.�

He looked away to dry his eyes but Cameron lifted his chin and smoothed away the tears with the pad of his thumb. Dillon didn�t think he�d understand how much that meant to him. Because sometimes he felt so worthless. As though he were nothing more than a nuisance that inhibited their search for Luis� biologicalk children. They never showed him their resentment, but he feared that deep down they despised him for always keeping them from doing their job. He worried about it all the time, he just never told anyone about his secret fears and worries.

It was one of the main reasons that when he was 14, as soon as he had graduated high school early-- thank God for tutors-- he had started to help out with the search. All he wanted, more than anything in the world, was help them, so that they never regretted taking him in. And staying on the yacht, and watching old classics, while they risked life and limb to find out information about the twins didn�t exactly seem like a fair trade.

He loved old movies.

But he loved his Cap and Luis more.

�Dillon.� Cameron said, bringing him out of his reverie, �Maybe now would be a good time to discuss your going to visit Luis and Brenda stateside. You two haven�t spent much time together since--� his voice trailed off.

�Since his business deal led him to Cole and Cole�s newest �plaything� ?� He quipped, but not rudely. He knew that Luis had sacrificed almost an entire year trying to save one woman from the perverse fantasies of not one, not two, but a handful of lunatics, in the deepest regard. He didn�t know how he did it without losing his mind along the way.

But they had been trying so hard to make Brenda�s pregnany as uneventful as possible that while still active in the search, they hadn�t seen each other in months besides the sporadic phone calls and e-mail updates. It just wasn�t the same as seeing him and Brenda face to face. He missed them, but he wasn�t entirely sure now would be a good time to visit them.

�Cap,� he whine, soundly all of his 16 years.

�Dillon.� He warned in a parental tone.

�It was just ONE incident.�

Cap gave him a withering look. �And the nightmares?�

�I haven�t had one in years !� He scoffed.

�Dillon.�

�Okay, so maybe that�s a lie�. But��

�But nothing,� he stonewalled as he reached into his slack pockets and drew out his key chain. �I want you to take my keys, and Raul, and go back to the yacht and watch a DVD or surf the net like a NORMAL teenager would.� Dillon groaned in protest, but Cameron held firm in his stance. �You need this. And I�ll be damned if this case sets off more bad memories for you.�

�But I *like* helping you guys! It makes me feel productive as opposed to feeling like I�m leeching off of your kindness and wasting your time!� He counterd angrily as yanked the keys out of his hand and pushed himself off the floor and headed towards the door.

�You can�t possibly think that�s true.� Cameron asked as he started to storm off. He stopped dead in his tracks upon hearing the sincerity in his voice.

He turned slowly, trying to keep his own emotions in check. �Yes,� he answered simply. �Sometimes.� He added quickly.

�Dillon,� he whispered softly, as he shook his head ruefully. �You are not a leach and you are most definitely not a distraction.�

�But don�t you think, you know, sometimes, that you would be better off---�

�Never,� he answered passionately.

�But--�

� NEVER !�

Dillon looked away, his inner demons retreating upon hearing his heart felt declaration.

�I want you to relax. Do you think you can do that?:

Dillon sighed heavily. �Honestly? I�m not sure, but I can try.�

�That�s all I ask for. Just try.� When Dillon looked up all he could see was Cameron�s smiling at him warmly. He wished he could just take it for what it was and not mangle it somehow. But he always did. But he was going to try harder this time.

As Dillon left Cameron allowed his head to fall back against the balconies railing. He closed his and said a silent prayer for his young charge. He had a feeling, he was going to need it.

After making the sign of the cross over his heart he pulled out his cell phone and considered calling Luis with the news. It was the one phone call that he dreaded the most. On one hand, it was good news. On the other-- look at what they had been put through.

And the question still remained.

Where were they now?

Had they survived?

Are they okay?

So many questions. So many possible answers. And so much to do to get there.

No one won this round.

No one.

Chapter 20 Chapter 22
index