"I'm positive that once your people take a look at what's on these videos they will pay whatever I desire. After all, you wouldn't want these falling into the wrong hands now, would you?" asked Dean.

"Certainly not!" laughed AJ. "Wouldn't be too wonderful for that clean cut, teeny-bopper image would it?"

"YOU have a clean cut image?" said Dean, quizically, looking AJ up and down.

"Hey boss!" Two of the other men came into the bedroom. "Johnny and Steve are sleeping and we are starving. Can we run out and get some supplies? Is everything under control here?"

Dean turned to look at the men. AJ seized his moment. He slowly moved his arm behind him, grabbed the gun, and slid it into his waistband in one fluid motion. He looked at the ceiling.

"Thank you, Lord! I owe you about whatever you want to ask for!"

"Yes, I can handle this one and the rest are still securely fastened, I trust?

The men nodded.

"She's certainly no trouble." Dean nodded his head in Aileen's direction. "Just be quick about it."

The men left the room. AJ heard the van start up and move down the driveway. It was now or never time.

Dean motioned to him, "Let's go, time for you to join your buddies again." AJ stood up, and, holding his hands behind his back, walked over to Dean.

"Whatever you say, sir."

In the next instant, he pulled the gun out of his waistband and smashed it into Dean's skull.

"How does that feel, you bastard!" AJ asked Dean's unconscious form.

As much as AJ wanted to empty all the bullets from the gun into this man's body, he knew he had to keep quiet. He had to release the others and take care of the sleeping gunmen before the others returned.

"AJ!" Brian hollered. "What are you doing with a gun?"

"How..." Howie started.

"Quiet, guys! We need to go find some more weapons and get the other two guys tied up before they wake up."

He worked quickly to untie Brian. As soon as he was free, he moved to release Howie and Brian worked on Nicks restraints.

"Howie, go tie up that asshole in the bedroom." AJ tossed him some rope. "I don't think he's going anywhere, but do it anyway."

Brian returned from the kitchen with four guns. "These were on the table, I think they're loaded."

"They'll do." AJ said. "Let's go tie the others up."

They returned from successfully restraining the sleeping men and frantically searched for a phone.

"I didn't really think we'd find one." Howie said. "Things were running a little too smoothly here."

"Okay, we're gonna have to leave Aileen and Kevin here while we get to a phone."

"We can't!" Brian argued. "What if the others come back?"

"We can't move them." Howie said "Especially not Kevin."

They hadn't let Brian into the room to see his cousin. They both knew Brian would definitely refuse to leave him alone if he had seen him.

"Brian, you can be a lookout outside the house. Howie, you stay with Brian. Nick and I will go call police and an ambulance. If they get back and try anything - well, you've got the guns."

Brian and Howie moved out onto the porch.

"C'mon Nick, let's move! Times a'wasting and we don't have much of it in the first place!"

Nick hadn't moved from the chair he had been tied to. His head still hung down to the floor, blond hair covering his face.

"Nick?" questioned AJ "Don't tell me you want to stay here, don't tell me you don't want Aileen and Kevin to get help!"

"KEVIN'S DEAD!" Nick screamed. "IT'S MY FAULT!"

Then quietly, "Give me the gun, J. I can't face anybody after this. I wanna die."

"No, Nick, you don't want to kill yourself. Nobody blames you for what happened in there."

In a lighting quick movement Nick stood up and grabbed the gun from AJ.

"I BLAME ME!"

Nick screamed again and pointed the barrel of the gun to his head, tears streaming down his face.

"You were free and look what you managed! I was free and all I did was rape one of my best friends and let my big brother get shot! I'm surprised you can stand the sight of me. Bye J, tell everyone that I loved them."

"NO!"

AJ leaped over to Nick just as the gun went off and Nicks body collapsed to the floor.