Sam screamed and backpedaled as she tried to gain her footing. The men came at her and she called to Casey.

"Casey! Run!" Casey was still groggy but managed to stumble to her feet. Sam turned to face the men. "C'mon guys," she said, taking her attack stance that Trent had taught her. "Not here, not again," she told them.

The first man sprang at Sam. She was ready and gave him a kick to the midsection, sending him flying into the man behind him. "Run, Casey," she yelled as the men came at her a second time. This time it was a spin kick, and a punch to the midsection. She was holding her ground until, as she turned to react to a sound behind her, the world went black.

**

"Sam was beating them?" Jessie asked, astonished. She had just returned after serving a new customer at the end of the bar

"Sam was a damn good martial artist," Carlos told her.

"She had a damn good teacher, " Trent said as he smiled and raised the beer bottle to his lips. "I finally figured out where she had been. Of course when I got there, she was gone. I never thought she would have gone back there, but somehow, I knew that's where she was."

"In some way, I think she was confronting her fears, Trent." The psychologist in Jessie had kicked in.

"Yeah, I think so too. Everything was still pretty fresh for her. But her main concern was Casey."

**

"Are you okay, Casey?" Sam asked. She was tied to a chair, with Casey tied behind her. Sam instantly knew they were back at Gentlemen's Cove.

"Yes, Sam. I'm so sorry I got you into this."

"Don't worry about me. Just play along with me, okay?"

Casey was confused but she trusted Sam's judgment.

The door opened and Carter stepped in. "Hello, Casey. How are you feeling?" He had a smile on his lips as he showed her a needle. "I'll bet you are just dying for a fix aren't you?"

"Fight it, Casey!"

"Who knows about this?" Carter held the needle a centimeter from Casey's face.

"I called the cops. They are on their way. They'll find you," Sam yelled.

"Is that true, Casey? Did she call anyone?"

Casey never took her eyes off the needle, wanting it, yet fearing it. "I never saw her calling anyone and she never left the apartment."

"Casey!" Sam yelled. "I left while you were sleeping. They are coming."

Carter smiled. "Nice bluff, Samantha but somehow I doubt it." He dropped the needle on the floor in front of Casey. "I'll be back to take care of you two later."

**

"They found her before we did," Carlos was telling his Captain. "But we do know that a buy is going down tonight. Our concern now is getting the two women out alive. We can't go in with guns blazing."

"Okay. You go in and scope this place out. We'll be set up outside waiting for your word."

"Trent will be with me."

"No, he won't. He is a civilian..."

"Who just happens to know the people involved. He has contacts in there and will be invaluable." Carlos knew he had stretched the truth a bit, but he also knew nothing would keep Trent away from Gentlemen's Cove that night.

**

"Oh Sam, I want that needle," Casey moaned.

"Fight it, Casey. Help me with these ropes." As they tried to untie the ropes between them, Casey kept looking at the needle on the floor. "Focus, Casey. You don't need that. You are better than that." Slowly, Casey took her attention off the needle and put it on the matter of untying the ropes. Within half an hour, they had them untied. As her hands slipped out of the ropes, Casey dove for the needle.

Instantly, Sam was beside her. "Casey, you don't need that. If you take it, you are as good as dead and so am I. I need you Casey. I need you here and now. You need to think clearly to help get us out of here. The decision is yours. What's it going to be?"

Casey looked up at Sam and then back to the needle. Looking at Sam again, she flung the needle against the wall. Sam smiled.

"I knew you had the strength, Casey. Now, let's figure a way out."

**

"Look, Carlos. Something is going down around back. Call in the Rangers. I'm going to head out the other way."

"Trent, Wait!" But Trent was gone before Carlos could stop him. Pulling his jacket collar up, Carlos said, "It's time, Gentlemen." and headed around the bar.

**

"Stay close, Casey," Sam told her. She was walking along the same wall they had walked earlier. However, Sam heard the noise of the Rangers entering the other side of the bar. "Casey, I think the Rangers are here!" In that moment, Sam had let her guard down and now she stood face to face with Eric Carter.

"Hi girls," he said, raising a gun chest level with Sam. "Going somewhere?"

It took Sam a minute to regain her composure. "It's all over, Carter. The Rangers are here."

"Yes, but without you two, they have no real evidence, do they? I don't know what your business is, Sam but you will both pay dearly. But you first, Casey." In one fluid moment, Carter pointed the gun and fired at Casey.

"NOOO!" Sam yelled, trying to hold Casey up as the blood spread across her friend's shirt.

Carter then trained the gun on Sam. As he pulled the trigger, a ferocious kick hit his hand, sending the bullet wide of its mark. The next kick sent the gun flying across the room, followed by Carter himself. Trent then went over, picked Carter up and gave him the beating of his life. When he was finally unconscious, he went to Sam and Casey.

"Go get an ambulance, Trent", Sam said as she tried to stop the blood flow. "Hang on Casey. Hang on."

  Part 6

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