Disclaimer: The characters of Sarah and Samantha Baker and all villians are mine. All others are the property of Chuck and Aaron Norris and TopKick Productions.

"C'mon, Trent. We're going to be late!" Samantha was waiting by the door with the car keys in her hand.

"I'm coming. The plane doesn't land for another half an hour."

"I know, but I don't want her to have to wait for us." Sam was excited. Her sister was coming to spend New Year's in Texas with her and her friends. "I don't think I realized how much I missed her until she said she was coming down."

Trent just smiled. He and Sam had had some rough spots, especially after her sister found out about her attack from Trent, but now things were great.

"Sam!" Sarah ran to meet her sister and nearly knocked her over. "It's great to see you!"

"How are you Sarah?" Sam stood back and looked at her sister. She had the same small build, brown hair and blue eyes. There was little doubt that they were sisters. "How was your flight?"

"Okay. So, where is he? Do I look for a Cowboy hat?" Sarah was looking around the terminal.

"Actually, he is probably one of the few who isn't wearing one." Sam said, laughing. "There he is." Trent was waiting by the baggage carousel. He smiled when he saw them.

"Hi, Sarah. Welcome to Dallas." He gave her a hug and she turned to Sam. Sarah mouthed the word 'WOW' silently to her sister.

Sarah, I'd like you to meet Trent Malloy." None of them noticed the man standing behind them at the baggage carousel, listening to their conversation. They collected the luggage and headed out to Trent's car.

"Nice car! Can we go get something to eat? Airplane food is the worst and I am starving," Sarah asked.

"Do you want to go to Uppercuts, Sam?" Trent asked.

"Sure. We can swing by the office and introduce her to Kim."

"When do I get to meet the other half?" Sarah asked, smiling at Sam.

"How about never?"

"Oh, come on Sam. I want to have some fun while I'm here."

"Yes, but who said that had to include Carlos?" She looked at Trent. He just shrugged and laughed.

"Let me meet him and I'll let you know."

"You don't know what you're getting yourself into." Sam turned to Trent. "Where is he, anyway?"

"I'll give him a call." He picked up his cell phone and dialed a number. "Hey buddy. We're just heading over to Uppercuts....Okay, we'll meet you in the bar....See you then." Trent hung up the phone and pulled the car out of the parking lot, into traffic. No one noticed the car pull out behind them.

"Why don't you take her up to meet Kim and I'll get a table in the bar?" Trent suggested.

"Okay. C'mon Sarah." The two women headed up the stairs to the 2nd floor office of Thunder Investigations. Trent entered the sports bar below.

"Hey, Carlos, Butch." A lot had changed since Trent and Sam had first met. Carlos had left the Dallas P.D. and he and Trent had formed Thunder Investigations. They had set up shop above Butch's bar Uppercuts.

"Hey, Trent. Where are the girls?" Carlos asked.

"Upstairs, meeting Kim. I've got to talk to you."

"That sounds ominous," Butch said.

"Yeah, well, Sam wants me to make sure you are on your best behaviour. Sarah is a nice kid and cute too. Be nice to her but not too nice. Sam told me to tell you she'll rip your lungs out if you try anything." Butch laughed at the shocked look on Carlos' face.

"Geez, what do you think I am?" Carlos tried to sound offended. "By the way, how old is she?"

"Twenty-one."

"Really?" Carlos' eyes lit up.

"Remember, rip your lungs out!" Trent said, smiling.

"And I think Trent would help," Butch said, laughing.

"C'mon guys. You know me."

"Yes, and that's the problem."

"What did I ever do?" Carlos tried to look innocent.

"Where do you want me to start," Trent asked.

"A guy gets a reputation for nothing around here."

"Yeah, what kind of reputation?" Carlos turned at the sound of the voice. He instantly recognized the blue eyes, familiar but not quite.

"You must be Sarah."

"And you would have to be Carlos."

"At your service." He offered her his hand and she took it.

"Down boy." It was Sam. Carlos didn't know it but Sam had given Sarah a similar talk upstairs. "Butch, this is my sister, Sarah." Sarah let go of Carlos' hand and shook Butch's.

"Pleased to meet you, little lady. What can I get for y'all?" Dinner was ordered and conversation was made.

After dinner, Sam made an announcement. "Now for the bad news, Sarah." Sam said. "I know I am supposed to be on vacation but I've got to go to the Dallas Stars game tonight. The school has set up a program where the students get to give post-game massages to the players. They didn't have anyone to supervise so they asked me. Will you be okay with these two?" Sarah laughed.

"Gee, I don't know. Alone with two handsome men. Can a girl suffer a worse fate?"

"Okay. I know you'll be in good hands." As she got up to leave, she whispered to Trent, "Don't let them out of your sight." Trent just laughed. He got up to walk her out.

"She'll be fine, Sam." He kissed her tenderly. "And don't massage too many men, Okay?" It was Sam's turn to laugh. She waved and left for the arena. She never noticed the car that had followed them from the airport was still parked outside the bar.

The large stocky man got out of the car and looked at the sign on the upstairs window. Thunder Investigations. Trent Malloy and Carlos Sandoval. He made a mental note of the names and pulled the cowboy hat lower over his face. He entered the bar and found a dark corner where he could look around unnoticed. He spotted them by the bar. Sarah was there with the blond guy from the airport. Malloy, he thought. That was the name they had used at the airport. The dark haired one he hadn't seen before. Sandoval, he wondered? He'd find out.

"Can I get you something, sir?" The waitress was looking at him, waiting for his answer.

"Draft, please." His thoughts drifted back to Canada.

"I don't want to see you anymore, Ken. Can't you get that through your head? If you keep this up, I'll get a restraining order." Sarah's voice was hard with anger.

"Sarah, I love you. And I think you love me."

"That's just it, Ken. I don't. Now please just leave me alone." Sarah turned and started to walk away. He grabbed her arm and pulled her back.

"You are wrong and you're making a big mistake." The look in his eyes scared Sarah. She tried not to show it

"Let me go. Don't ever call me again." Sarah pulled her arm free and

she was gone. He stood watching her go, the rage building. She couldn't stop him. No one could. He had called her repeatedly but she wouldn't talk to him. Her roommates always said she wasn't home but he knew better. He had followed her to the travel agency and gone in after she left. He told the agent he was her brother who wanted to surprise her on her vacation. He booked a spot on the same flight to Dallas. Sarah had mentioned she had a sister there. He knew there was probably another guy. Now here she was with two of them. He had grown the beard and that and the hat provided all the disguise he would need. He would wait for the right moment and then he would let her know what he thought of it all.

"In the sewer? Really? Yuck!"

"Yeah, that's the exciting life of a P.I." Carlos flashed his smile and Sarah was smitten. There was absolutely nothing Trent could do about it.

"So what do you two want to do tonight? How about a movie? I've heard "The Mummy" is good."

"That sounds good, Trent." Carlos said. Sarah nodded. "I just have to go back to my place and change." Just then, Trent's phone began to ring.

"Trent Malloy...Oh, hi Mom....What?....Is she okay?....Yeah, I'll meet you at the hospital...Bye."

"Is everything okay, Trent?" Carlos asked.

"Tandy broke her arm." He explained to Sarah, "She's my sister. Mom is taking her to the hospital. I gotta go. Guess you'll have to do the movie without me." He looked at Carlos and made a ripping noise. "Remember..."

"Go. Sarah will be fine with me." Trent hurried out the door.

"What was that about?" Sarah wanted to know.

"Just Trent's subtle way of reminding me that your sister threatened to rip my lungs out if I tried anything with you," Carlos said, smiling.

"Funny, I think I got a similar threat upstairs." They both laughed.

"C'mon. Let's go back to my place. I'll change and then we can head out to that movie." Both Carlos and Sarah were glad to be able to spend some time alone to get to know each other. As they left, they didn't notice the man get up and follow them out, a scowl on his face.

"It isn't much but it's home."

"It's interesting, Carlos. I've never seen apartments set up in an old warehouse before." Sam wandered around while Carlos went to change. There were pictures on a book shelf that caught Sarah's eye. Pictures of Carlos and Trent; two young boys, dirty and smiling for the camera; Carlos and a young women. Carlos had come back into the room. He saw the picture Sarah was looking at.

"That's my old partner, Teresa. She was killed a few months back." A sad look came into his eye as he remembered Teresa's death at the hands of a madman.

"I'm sorry, Carlos." Carlos pointed to another picture.

"That's me and Trent when we were about twelve," Carlos said with a smile. "We were pretty inseparable."

"Just like now?"

"Yeah, I guess." Another smile. "I checked and the movie doesn't start for another hour. Would you like a glass of wine while we wait?"

"Mr. Sandoval, are you trying to get me drunk?" Sarah asked slyly.

"Yes. I really want to have my lungs ripped out." Sarah laughed heartily as she remembered Sam's threat. Carlos went to the stereo and put on a Tragically Hip CD and then went to the kitchen for the wine.

"I see Sam is teaching you the finer points of Canadian music, eh?" Sarah called to Carlos.

"She actually let me borrow these CD's," Carlos said as he put the glasses of wine on the coffee table.

"You know, I wouldn't let Sam rip your lungs out." Sarah said.

"I know but, you can't stay in Texas forever. She'd get me." Carlos was laughing. "So what do you do for a living?"

"I am a student. I'm about 8 months away from being a veterinarian."

"Wow. Brains, too." They sat together on the couch and talked.

Outside, there had been shadows on the windows. He could hear the music playing and laughter. His mind was filled with what they must be doing. A rage filled him. He got out of his car and walked over to the Durango in the parking lot. He carefully looked around and then pulled a knife from his jacket. He savagely slashed all four tires and then carved the word 'slut' in the passenger side door.

"Oh my gosh! Look at the time. We better get going," Sarah said as she looked at her watch. She grabbed her purse while Carlos got his car keys. They were laughing as they came outside, then stopped cold.

"Carlos, your truck." Sarah was dumbfounded.

"I see." He walked around and surveyed the damage. Sarah caught her breath when she saw the carving in the paint. "We better call the police." Neither had noticed the car parked across the street.

"Ryan, I have no idea why. I think it must be random or someone just got the wrong car.....Okay, that's fine." Carlos was on the phone and Sarah paced. Her mind was racing. Could Ken have followed her here? Everything about it pointed to his type of behaviour but surely he wouldn't have come to Dallas. How could he have known she was coming here? "Are you okay, Sarah?" Carlos' voice made her jump.

"Yes," she said quickly.

"Don't worry. These things don't happen very often around here. I'm worried more about explaining why we'll be late to your sister." He smiled and it made Sarah feel better. "I'm going to call Trent to come and get you when he's done, okay?"

"Sure."

Carlos called Trent. "How's Tandy?"

"She's tough. They've just set her arm and are casting it. What's up?" Trent asked.

"Can you swing by my place and pick up Sarah? Someone trashed my truck."

"Sure. It might be late. What happened?" Trent was concerned.

"They slashed the tires and carved 'slut' on the side."

"Well, I've heard you called a lot of things, my friend, but slut was never one of them."

"I know. That's why I think they got the wrong truck. What time does Sam get home?"

"About midnight. I'll call and leave a message. I'll be over to your place a soon as I can. Bye."

"See you then, Trent." Carlos turned to Sarah. "Trent will be here as soon as he can to take you home. It might be late."

"I can just stay here tonight," she said.

"You really want your sister to rip my lungs out, don't you?" He said with a smile.

"I'm sure Sam would understand," Sarah said with a laugh. "She's not completely unreasonable." There was a knock on the door and Sarah jumped. It was a uniformed police officer Carlos knew.

"Hi Danny."

"Hi Carlos. I heard there was a problem with your car."

"Yeah." Carlos turned to Sarah. "Wait here. I'm just going to show them the car so they can file a report for the insurance. Let's go Danny."

While they were gone, Sarah's thoughts turned to Ken once again. Surely, he wouldn't have known Carlos or even that she was in Texas. Don't be silly, she told herself. It's just your imagination.

At eleven-thirty, Trent arrived at Carlos' apartment. Sarah was asleep on the couch.

"She can stay here, Trent. There's no sense waking her."

"Do you want to tell Sam?" Trent asked with a smile.

"I think she'd understand."

"Yeah, I know. I'm just bustin' you. They really did a number on the Durango." Trent had taken a look at it before he came up.

"No kidding. It's the 'slut' part I don't get.

"Yeah, that is weird. I mean it's not like a lot of women drive trucks that size." Just then Sarah stirred and awoke with a start.

"Sarah?" She looked around the apartment.

"I'm sorry. I just forgot where I was for a minute. Hi Trent. Come to take me home?"

"If you want to."

"Yes. I've got to talk to Sam. I just had a horrible dream and want to make sure she's okay." Trent and Carlos looked at each other.

"Why wouldn't she be okay?" Trent asked.

"I think what happened to your truck is my fault, Carlos."

"How could it be your fault? You were with me." Carlos was perplexed.

"I think it was my ex-boyfriend. He started getting very weird on me, like when I would talk to other men. It went so far as my threatening to get a restraining order. Even that didn't stop him. He kept calling and wouldn't take no for answer. I thought if I came down to Texas it would sort of calm things down." Sarah was getting more and more upset.

"You think he followed you down here?" Trent asked.

"At first no, but now I'm not sure. I mean if he did and saw me with the two of you and then saw me leave with Carlos and come here..." She let the words trail off. "This is definitely something he would do. I just want to make sure that Sam is okay." She was worried about everyone, not just Sam. She wasn't sure what Ken was capable of.

"Okay, let's go. Carlos, do you want to come? You can stay on the couch."

"Okay. I want to hear more about this guy." Carlos threw a few things into his gym bag and they headed over to Sam and Trent's apartment.

Sam had just gotten home a few minutes before the others arrived. "You decided to move the party here, eh? Did you guys have fun tonight?" It was obvious that Sam hadn't yet checked the messages on the machine.

"Actually, Sarah wanted to make sure that you were okay," Trent told her.

Sam was taken aback. "Me? Why?" Carlos, Trent and Sarah told her the story of their evenings. "Do you really think it was Ken? You didn't tell me he was still stalking you, Sarah."

"I thought if I came down here he would just leave things alone. But now, it seems he followed me. I just have a really bad feeling about this." Sarah didn't know what to do. Trent went and put his arm around her.

"Look, it's late. Why don't we all get some sleep and we'll worry about this in the morning. Sam has set up the spare room for you, Sarah. Carlos, I'll get some sheets for the pullout." Before long, the lights were out but it took awhile for anyone to sleep.

"Good Morning." Carlos was sitting at the table reading the morning paper as Sarah came into the kitchen. "Coffee's on," he said as he pointed to the full coffee-maker on the counter.

"Thanks. Is everyone still sleeping?"

"Just Sam. Trent's already gone." He pointed to a note on the fridge door. 'Be back by 11:00, T.' "He's got an early karate class today."

Sarah sat beside Carlos. "So what are you doing today?" she asked.

"Calling insurance people."

"Sorry."

"Hey, it's not your fault. Can you drive me back to my place? There is no sense waking Sam."

"Sure, just let me get dressed." Sarah was back in a few minutes. She wrote a note just below Trent's and grabbed Sam's keys. "Let's go."

"Thanks Sarah," Carlos said as they reached his place. "Are you okay getting home?"

"Yes, I can backtrack from here pretty easily. I'll call you if I get lost." Carlos thanked her again and watched Sarah pull out of the parking lot. He turned and headed in and up to his apartment. The last thing he remembered was the sight of his apartment, completely trashed, before someone hit him and the world went black.

Ken walked over to the mirror and wrote "Stay away from her" with soap. As he walked past Carlos, he gave him a savage kick to the ribs. If he didn't stay away, he'd kill him and Sarah both. He silently left the apartment.

Oh, thought Sarah, Carlos forgot his gym bag. She quickly turned the car around and headed back to Carlos' place. She smiled and wondered whether he had forgotten it on purpose.

She parked Sam's car and started into Carlos' building with his gym bag in her hand. She reached the apartment and was about to knock when she noticed the door was slightly ajar. She pushed it open and saw Carlos lying on the floor.

"Oh my God! Carlos!" She dropped the bag and ran over to him. He was beginning to regain consciousness. Sarah saw the ugly gash at his hairline.

"My cell phone. Get it," he said. He had rolled over and was trying to shake the cobwebs out. Sarah helped him to sit up after she got the phone from the gym bag. His head felt like it was going to explode. As his eyes slowly focused, he punched in a number. "Detective Ryan, please."

Ten minutes later, the police arrived, led by Detective Ryan. He was a small man with a big ego and no tact. Carlos was sitting on the sofa with a cloth to his head. "You look like hell, Sandoval." He looked around the room and saw the message on the mirror. "You sleeping with someone's wife?" Carlos looked over at Sarah.

"No." Sarah came over to the sofa to see if the bleeding had stopped on Carlos's head. Ryan seemed to notice her for the first time.

"Or is it you? Why do you look familiar to me?" He looked her up and down.

"This is Sarah Baker. She's Trent's girlfriend's sister."

"So, is it you the message is referring to?" Ryan asked again.

"I think so." With Carlos' urging, she told about her ex-boyfriend.

"Is anything missing?" Ryan asked.

"My spare gun." Carlos had checked the closet before the police had arrived.

"So let me get this straight. I got some psycho Canadian running around Dallas, with a stolen gun, threatening people. But you don't even know for sure. Let me guess Sandoval, you never saw him."

"I got hit from behind, Ryan. It's pretty hard to see when you are unconscious."

"Alright, I'll file a report but I can't do nothing without proof. You should get that checked out," he said, pointing to Carlos' head. With that, he turned and left.

"Carlos, I am so sorry. Your head, your place...." Sarah was on the verge of tears.

"Well, the last thing you have to worry about is his head." She turned toward the voice and saw Trent standing in the doorway. "You okay, man?"

"Yeah."

"Carlos, this bleeding isn't stopping. I think you should go to the hospital for stitches." Sarah had checked the wound.

"No, I'm okay."

"Then at least let me stitch it. I've got surgical thread in my purse." She went to get a small sewing kit from her purse.

"You aren't actually going to sew my head, are you?"

"I'm a vet student, remember? I sew up animals all the time."

Trent laughed. "You should be perfect for sewing up Carlos then."

"I'll just pretend you are a dog," Sarah said with a smile.

"Who has to pretend?" Trent put in.

"I'm glad you two think that me getting hit in the head is funny. Oww!" Carlos pulled away as Sarah started cleaning the wound.

"This might hurt a bit," she said.

"Owww!!! A bit?"

"Look, sit still or it will hurt more. Get a bullet from your gun and bite it or something." Sarah had finished cleaning the wound and had threaded the needle. As she was about to start stitching, Trent started to look around the room. He didn't mind blood but watching people getting stitches was something else. He looked at the message on the mirror.

"I don't like this guys. I think he's serious and it's going to get worse. You two stay here. I am going to go get Sam and we'll help you clean this place up." Trent headed out the door.

"Are you done yet?" Carlos asked through gritted teeth.

"All done." Sarah cut the thread. "Let me get an ice pack for it to keep the swelling down." She got the pack from the freezer and put it on the wound.

"Tell me something, Dr. Dolittle. Do you always carry surgical thread in your purse?"

"Yes. I get it from the school because I'm just too lazy to go out and buy real thread." She smiled. Carlos noted how her eyes lit up when she did. She had the same beautiful blue eyes as her sister and they captivated Carlos. He pulled her to him and kissed her tenderly.

"Thanks for the stitches," he said. Sarah was breathless.

"Wow." She leaned over and kissed him back, a little longer this time. Finally, Carlos pulled away. "What's wrong?" Sarah asked. Her every nerve was tingling.

"I was just thinking about my lungs." Sarah laughed.

"She'd understand. She'll be happy."

"I'm not so sure."

"Are you sure about this?" Sarah kissed him again on his forehead, his cheek, his lips.

"Oh, yeah." Carlos blood was rushing in his veins. He stood and carried her into his bedroom.

As Carlos was putting his shirt back on, Sarah noticed the deep bruise on his side. "Does that hurt?" she asked.

"Not as much as my head. We better get going." He leaned over and kissed her. "Thank you, Miss Baker." Sarah smiled at him

"Your welcome, Mr. Sandoval." She headed into the kitchen to start cleaning up.

As Carlos followed her, he thought, "I'm a dead man."

"Hey Sarah. Carlos, are you alright?" Sam walked over and gave him a hug.

"I'm okay. Your sister sewed me up." Carlos showed Sam the stitches, smiling.

"Do you think you should get x-rays or something?" Sam asked.

"I'm okay. Really. But Trent and I have some investigating to do. We have got to find this guy before he comes back. If you two don't mind finishing the clean-up we'll head over to the office. We'll bring back some lunch. Ryan said they would send around a patrol so I don't think we have to worry about him coming back anytime soon."

"I don't know if I like the thought of leaving you two here," Trent said.

"They can bolt the door from the inside. Besides with the cops here this morning, I'll bet he lays low. Any problems you can call us and we'll be here ASAP."

"Go on, Trent. We'll be fine." Sam kissed him. "Just bring us back a pizza for lunch." Reluctantly, Trent left with Carlos. Sam turned to her sister.

"Are you okay?"

"Yes. I am just sorry Carlos had to get involved with all this. I'll finish cleaning the kitchen." Sarah couldn't look Sam in the eye. Sam knew there was something else, and followed her sister into the kitchen.

"Sarah. Did something happen between you two?"

"Do you have radar or something? Nothing happened that I didn't want to happen." Sarah was staring intently at her own shoes.

"Sarah! I asked you not to do this." Sam was angry.

"No, you told me not to."

"Oh, so because I told you not to, you run right out and get involved with him? I'm just trying to protect you."

"I'm a grown women, Sam. Besides, you never thought about protecting me when you left for Texas." Sarah's anger was coming out now.

"What?"

"It was always you and me against the world. Then you left. There was no one there to help me anymore. I know it was hard for you because you and Mom don't get along and because of Roger being always around." Roger was Sam's ex-husband. "But when you left, it became doubly difficult for me." Sam sat down on a kitchen chair.

"Sarah, I had no idea things were so bad after I left."

"Well, I had to be your one defender. That didn't help me win points with any of them."

"I'm sorry, Sarah. But how does Carlos fit into this?"

"I guess it started because you didn't want me to get involved but Sam there is just something about him. He's a wonderful guy."

"And one of my best friends. Where is this going to go? You're in Canada and he's here. Do you expect to carry on a long distance relationship?"

"No, I am not stupid, Sam. But who's to say I might not move down here after I graduate? I'd leave tomorrow if I could." Sam was shocked.

"Really? I'd love to have you move down here with me. But that's almost a year away."

"And if it is meant to be it is meant to be. Look, I'll be careful, but you have to trust me on this." Sam looked at her sister.

"Okay, but if you hurt him, I will never forgive you, Sarah." Sam was serious.

"I won't."

"You did what?"

"It just sort of happened." Carlos was staring intently at his shoes.

"That doesn't just happen, Carlos." Kim turned at the sound of Trent's voice.

"Let me guess, You and Sarah right? I knew it as soon as Sam told you guys not to." Trent and Carlos just looked at each other. Kim smiled.

"Look, forget I told you, okay?"

"Told me what, Carlos? Self-preservation is very important to me," Trent said with a laugh. Kim noticed Carlos' head for the first time.

"Sam didn't do that, did she?" Kim asked.

"No. She doesn't know yet. He'll look worse when she does." Trent said with a laugh.

"Alright guys. Let it go. This is serious. Sarah thinks she is being stalked by this ex-boyfriend. He's the one who whacked me in the head. Can you pull up some data for us, Kim?"

"Wow. He must be nuts."

"He trashed my Durango, my apartment and my head. I am not very happy about any of it."

"What do you want me to do?" Kim asked as she sat down at the computer.

"Can you check airlines to see if he used his real name when he flew down here, and then check hotels?" Trent asked.

"Name?"

"Ken McPherson. Canadian citizen, DOB is Jan 29, 1972."

"Okay. I'll start with the airlines." Kim began checking databases and calling. After about half and hour she hit pay dirt. "I've got a K. McPherson flying into Dallas yesterday at 2:15 on Air Canada flight 210 from Toronto."

"That was Sarah's flight," Trent recalled. "He must have flown down with her and had a car waiting at the airport to follow us."

"Do you think he followed us here and then back to my place?" Carlos asked, trying to piece it all together.

"He must have. Otherwise, how would he have known where you live. Even if he knew Sam and possibly me, how would he know you?"

"He might have gotten a phone book and a map. Your names are on the door, guys," Kim reminded them.

"Kim's right. Let's try the car rental places," Trent suggested. After about another half hour, they had determined he was driving a dark blue 1998 Ford Taurus. "It's a start," said Trent, "Even though there must be thousands of them in Dallas. Now let's try hotels. How about those within a 2 mile radius of here and Carlos' place. I'm betting he wouldn't stray too far."

After an hour, the hotel search was going nowhere fast. Trent looked at his watch. "I better call Sam and let them know that we'll still be awhile." He pulled out his cell phone and dialed. "Hey, babe. How's the cleanup?....We're still going to be awhile...We know he came in on the same flight as Sarah and he is driving a dark blue '98 Taurus......Why don't you two order in a pizza? But don't go anywhere, okay?.....Alright, love you....Carlos? Yeah he's here, just a minute." Trent handed the phone to Carlos. "Sam wants to talk to you."

"Why?" Carlos' face went pale.

"I don't know. Just take the phone." Reluctantly, Carlos took the phone.

"Hi, Sam."

"I'll tell you the same thing I told her. If you hurt her I will never forgive you. Understand?.....Alright, give Trent a kiss for me." Sam laughed. "Bye."

Sam had been in the bedroom and walked out into the living room with the phone in her hand. Sarah was trying to clean Carlos' blood off the carpet.

"That was Trent. They're going to be awhile still. Want some lunch?"

"Sure," Sarah said, "What and where?"

"They want us to say put. How about pizza?"

"I don't think it would hurt if we went out for drive thru. I'm getting a little stir crazy looking at this mess," Sarah said, looking at the blood.

"Well, I know there is a burger joint just a couple of blocks over. We could hit the drive-thru and they'd never know we were gone." Sam was also starting to get stir crazy herself. Let's go!" Sarah went to wash up while Sam got her purse and keys.

"Nothing. He's not in any hotel." Kim was frustrated.

"Damn," said Carlos, pacing angrily. Trent was thinking quietly.

"Didn't Sarah say this guy's father was some big business man in Canada? What if they have property here? A warehouse maybe. I think the business was some kind of shipping or importing business." Kim started typing.

"Do you know the name?"

"It was McPherson something. Shipping, maybe." Kim's fingers flew across the keyboard as Carlos and Trent looked over her shoulder.

"Okay, I've got McPherson Trucking, but that looks local. How about McPherson Imports? Their head office is ....Toronto, Ontario, Canada. That's it."

"Great, Kim. Now let's check and see if they have any property here in Dallas." Trent was beginning to feel like they were close.

"I'm really sorry about this, sis. I had no idea he would follow me." Sarah was feeling very guilty for involving everyone in her problem, especially Sam after all she had been through since moving to Dallas.

"It's okay, Kiddo. Besides, with Trent and Carlos, everything will be fine. They'll find this guy." She unlocked the doors to the car automatically and they both got in. She turned to put her purse on the back seat and came face to face with the muzzle of a gun.

"Hi Sarah. This must be your sister, Samantha. Pleased to meet you." Sarah screamed and tried to get out, but Ken had grabbed her hair. "Sit down or I'll blow your sister's brains all over the car." Sarah sat still, terrified. "Now, do up your seatbelts. You," he motioned to Sam, "start the car. We're going for a little trip."

"Nothing. How about subsidiaries?" Trent was sure there had to be some property or place that McPherson was staying. They just had to find it. Carlos' phone rang.

"Sandoval." It was Detective Ryan.

"Just got a little info on our friend McPherson. I called a friend in Toronto and called in a favour. You owe me one, Sandoval."

"What did he say?"

"He is one bad cat, peanut. He was charged with beating up an old girlfriend. Dad's some big important guy, so they got the charges dropped. There was also another girlfriend who went missing after filing a restraining order against this guy. They never found her and they couldn't prove anything. Tell your friend to be careful and you guys watch your back."

"Why, I'd almost think you cared, Ryan," Carlos said with a laugh.

"I just don't need anymore homicides on my desk." There was a dial tone in Carlos' ear. He quickly relayed the info from Ryan. "We have to find him and soon."

"I'm going to call Sam back and let her know. Kim, keep looking."

"Answer it." The cell phone in Sam's purse was ringing. McPherson held it up for her.

"Hello?"

"Hi Sam. Is everything okay?" It was Trent.

"Hi Carlos. We're fine. We just decided to go out for lunch." Instantly, Trent knew there was something wrong.

"Is he with you?" Carlos and Kim looked up immediately.

"Yeah, we thought maybe the McDonald's."

"The one on Houston?" Trent was trying to figure out where they were.

"Yes." The connection was broken.

"I'm not stupid. I saw the McDonald's back there." Ken had thrown her phone out the window. "Doesn't matter. They'll never find you. At least not in time." Sam and Sarah looked at each, terror in their eyes.

"Dammit! He's got them. They are in Sam's car and they were passing the McDonald's on Houston. Then the connection was broken." Trent tried dialing Sam's phone again but there was no answer. "We got to find something." Trent started pacing behind Kim as Carlos' called Ryan.

"It is a burgundy '96 Chevy cavalier with Texas plates. 546 KW7.....He's with them....Thanks, Ryan." He looked at Trent. "They are putting out an APB on her car."

"Bingo. The subsidiaries are Texports and Houston Imports." Kim said, excitedly.

"Okay, now look for properties."

"Now, that should hold you." Sam was handcuffed to an overhanging pipe in the middle of a warehouse. There were boxes piled all around and it was obvious they had closed for the holiday. "As for you, Sarah..." McPherson had tied her to a chair about 20 ft from Sam, facing her. "I've got a few questions for you."

"Ken, stop this, now," Sarah pleaded.

"So you think you can run away to Texas, eh? It's kind of ironic that you picked Dallas. Did I forget to tell you that my dear old Dad owns this place?" He paced around Sarah's chair. "Did you really think I would just let you go? So you could come down here and be with other guys? I had another girlfriend do that, and you know what? They still haven't found her body." He laughed maniacally and Sarah cringed. "I should have killed your Mexican friend when I had the chance." He turned quickly and slapped Sarah hard. "I thought you had better taste than him." Another slap. Sarah's head swam.

"Leave her alone," Sam yelled. "They are my friends, not hers." McPherson walked over to her.

"Oh, so you're responsible for introducing him to her?" McPherson looked her in the eye as he punched her in the stomach. "Thanks." Sam's knees buckled, but the pipe held her up.

"Oh, big man," she said, gasping for air. "Punching a women who's tied up. Bet that makes you feel big, eh?" She raised her head and looked at him. She could see the rage building in his eyes. She pulled herself up on the pipe and kicked him in the stomach, doubling him over. He let out a groan and picked himself up.

"You just made a big mistake." He pulled out Carlos' gun and pointed it at her. "Do that again and you're dead." He let loose a punch and hit Sam in the nose. Sarah heard the crunch of Sam's nose breaking and saw the blood flowing.

"Stop it! Leave her alone! Oh Sam!" She could see her sister crumple from the blow. McPherson walked over to Sarah, tucking the gun back in his waistband.

"Your sister's got a big mouth." He lifted Sarah's chin to look at him. "Now, are you going to come back to Canada with me? You love me, don't you?" Sarah didn't answer. "I asked if you loved me!" His hand tightened on her chin.

"Yes," Sarah whispered, trying to calm him down. The slap was hard and fast.

"Liar! You love him don't you?"

"What do you want?" Sarah sobbed.

"Did you sleep with him?" Sarah cried harder. "I knew it." He slapped her again. "I should teach you a lesson. Show you what a real man is like."

"Where would you find a real man?" The voice was Sam's. She thought she had seen something and tried to divert McPherson's attention. It had worked.

"SHUT UP!!!" He ran at Sam, pulling the gun as he went. He hit her in the side of the head, and Sam's world swam before her eyes.

"STOP! I'll do whatever you want. Just leave her alone." McPherson walked back over to Sarah and undid the ropes holding her to the chair. He pulled her to her feet and headed toward the exit. There was a flash of metal and a 'thunk' sound as a shirikin hit the wall inches from his head. McPherson raised the gun to Sarah's head.

"Show yourself or she's dead." Slowly, a figure appeared from behind a crate. A smile crept over McPherson's face. "Oh, I'm going to enjoy this." Standing there was Carlos, his gun raised.

"Let her go," he said evenly.

"So you can have her? I don't think so. Looks like we have a standoff." McPherson stared at Carlos. "You're going to let me walk out that door."

"Not with her, you're not."

"I'll shoot her."

"And I'll shoot you." McPherson smiled again.

"You really want her? Here!" He pushed Sarah directly at Carlos, knocking the gun out of his hand. As McPherson turned the gun to shoot Carlos another shirikin imbedded itself in his upper arm. The gun fell to the floor and Carlos dove for McPherson.

"I'm going to enjoy this," said Carlos, punching McPherson in the face. McPherson took a swing at Carlos and missed. Carlos landed more blows, quickly rendering the Canadian unconscious.

"Get the handcuff keys off of him," Sarah shouted to Carlos. Trent was already beside Sam. He lifted her and supported her, while Carlos threw the keys to Sarah. Within seconds, Sam was lowered to the floor. She was covered in blood from her broken nose.

"Oh, Sam," cried Sarah, "This is all my fault."

"I was thinking of getting a nose job anyway," she said, trying to laugh. Sarah smiled at her sister as Carlos called Detective Ryan.

"Go on, Trent" said Carlos. "You've got to get her to a hospital. Sarah and I will wait for Ryan."

"10 - 9 - 8 - 7 - 6 - 5 - 4 - 3 - 2 - 1 - HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!" Cheers erupted at Uppercuts as everyone began to sing "Auld Lang Syne". Champagne flowed.

"Happy New Year, Raccoon." Trent laughed as he held Sam closely. The bandage was still on her nose and her eyes were black. He kissed her tenderly. "I love you."

"Happy New Year, Trent. Here's to better times ahead." They raised their glasses of champagne and toasted. "And here's hoping things work out okay for those two." They both turned to look at Sarah and Carlos, dancing together on the dance floor.

"Happy New Year, Miss Baker."

"Happy New Year, Mr. Sandoval."

Home