| Lying in a hospital bed dressed in a hospital gown, Ethan has visible bruises about his neck, and his voice is somewhat horse as he tries to talk to Emmett. �Em, please you�ve got to believe me. I need your help, Justin needs you!� �You honestly expect me to believe that my brother could be some kind of spy and that any one these people could be out to him?� �I know what I heard. Em, have I ever lied to you?� �I think your brain was robbed of oxygen when that man put that strangle hold on you that�s what I think. My brother teaches French and Spanish to government employees and makes a decent living at it.� �Then why would she have these!� Ethan hands Emmett two identification cards that he has kept hidden. �I through Justin�s coat and found these.� �You went snooping through Justin�s coat!� Emmett starts to look through the ID�S. The first card is Justin�s NSA identification. The second is a fake driver�s License with his picture on it that give him a different name and an address in Miami, Florida. �Damn, Justin�s got a fake licence?� �Look, I�m going to try and do whatever I can to help him, but I can�t do it without help. Em, I can�t walk out of this hospital until morning without arousing suspicion, and I need help I can trust.� �Ethan...� �I figure these terrorists, or whatever, are holding Justin somewhere nearby. If they wanted to him they simply would have killed him, but I think they are trying to use him to get a man named Brian,� Ethan explains. �Who the fuck is Brian?� �I don�t know!� �Look, Ethan, I�m just a farm boy from Kansas, but I not stupid. What is Justin mixed up in that he�d be lying to me? I�m family!� �I think he was forced to lie to his family. They were keeping him under some kind of protective custody.� �Who the hell are they?� �Not even Justin knew for sure.� �If Justin said not to trust anybody then I think I can believe that. I�ve seen some of these assholes up close and it frightens me to think they�re the ones taking care of our country.� �Alright. Don�t say anything to anyone, but I�ve got a tracker signal on my Trans Am in case it was ever stolen. A real high tech gadget.� �Damn, and you think the guy who took him would still have your car nearby?� Emmett questions. �It�s possible. Anyway, we�ve got to try, don�t we?� �You honestly expect me to sneak around and put together some kind of rescue party. People I�ve known all my life, excuse me, but would you mind getting yourself killed so I can try and play hero and rescue my brother?� �No, I just want you to get Kyle Peterson.� �Don�t get me wrong I like Kyle and all, but how�s busted up rodeo jock going to help us?� �It�s wild, I keep seeing his face in my mind. I�ve talked with him on served occasions, and I know he served in Desert Storm. He was a Marine. I checked him out when he first came thru town a year ago.� �I don�t know if I could shot someone like Justin did, but something tells me Kyle could,� Emmett confesses. �If he�s still out at the motel, I could talk to him for you.� �He�d have to know he could get himself killed.� �We could all get killed.� *** A soft alarm from the motion sensor awakens Brian who jolts himself into full consciousness. Brian finding himself on the motel room floor gets up and grabs a revolver. He looks over at his computer to see how intruders he is dealing with when there is a soft knock on the door. �Kyle, Kyle, hey man, wake up.� Brian places his revolver in the back waist of his jeans and steps outside his room closing the door behind him. �Not unless you want an education, son.� �You�re not alone?� �Ya, I got me some company, but they are sound asleep.� Brian stretching and lets out yawn. �Why the fire alarm?� �Ethan sent me. I had FBI guys followed me over to Daphne�s apartment. Hell, I had to shimmy down the drain pipe and cut across a yard on my hands and knees just to loss them.� Emmett catches his breath then continues, �Ethan and I really need your help.� Checking out the deserted parking lot and surrounding area before motioning to his pickup truck. He pulls out a box of cigarette from his back pant�s pocket before sitting down on the trucks front bumper. �Whoa there, Em, damn! FBI? Drain pipes?� He yawns again. �Sounds like you�re into some really deep shit. You�d better start at the beginning and tell me everything.� He lights a cigarette. Emmett sits down beside Brian. �I wouldn�t mind having one of those cancer sticks.� Brian hands over a cigarette and offers a light to Emmett who trouble holding his hands steady long enough to draw in the flame. *** With his IV bag almost empty, Craig regains consciousness and is startled by his surroundings. he checks out the hospital admission wrist band that is about his wrist and feel the bandages about his head. He finds the button to ring for nurse and does so. *** Emmett is helping Kyle,Brian, load Jesse, the buckskin stallion, into the back of Kyle�s horse trailer. The horse trailer is double with storage compartments in the front. In the other stall covered by a saddle blanket is Brian�s motorcycle. �I�m telling you, Em, this guy would rather stay nestled down in your pasture with those mares, but I never been much for letting the grass grow under my feet.� Emmett can see a four door sedan parked near the end of his drive way. There is two men watching them sitting in the sedan. �Maybe you just need to find yourself a good wife.� �I found one once, but he deserved a hell of a lot more than me,� Brian says without thinking. Emmett gasps for a moment. He haven�t realize that Kyle was gay. Brian says quietly to himself, �You�re doing fine.� �Well, is everyone gay these days? I mean what happen to all the straight people?" Brian ignores him. �Adios amigo. And all my best to your father. I�ll be praying they find your brother. It�s just a damn crazy world, ain�t it ? No place on earth is as safe as it could be.� He extends his hand for a handshake and Emmett is slowly accepts it. �Well, till we meet again.� �'Til we meet again.� Brain climbs into his pickup truck. |