The sun began its daily assent and bathed the desolate Arizona landscape in soft, golden hues. At this early hour, it was pleasantly warm. In just a few short hours that would change. Taking advantage of the cool morning temperatures, the two riders kept their horses moving at a quick pace. The elderly man and young boy had been traveling since the early dawn hours. Covert actions were best committed under cover of night. The unconscious woman being carried by the older man had been snatched from a sure and certain death at the hands of a madman.  

"What do you think the evil one will do when he finds out my lady isn't in that old cistern he threw her into," the boy asked. 

 "I believe he will be surprised and then very angry," Johonaa'ei said. 

 "I think he liked hurting her, Popi," young Moon Dancer told his grandfather. "He laughed at her when she was scared and trapped down there." 

 "The brave one is safe now," he said when he saw the child's eyes tear up. "We will make her well again." 

 "He won't stop looking for her," Moon Dancer said. "She didn't tell him what he wanted to know." He remembered how strong she had sounded when she said she would never tell Lewis about Adam. 

 "No, he won't." The older man's face suddenly looked grim. "Did she ever tell you who this Adam was?" 

 "No, Popi. She called me Adam," he said with a confused look. "But then the evil one was talking to her about a baby." 

 "Whoever he is, he is important enough for her to suffer greatly rather than speak of him. Do you know her name, Moon Dancer?" 

 "He called her Samantha," the boy replied. 

 She stirred at the sound of her name and mumbled incoherently before quieting again. 

 "He made it sound like a bad word." 

 They dropped into an uneasy silence as they continued along the trail that would lead them higher into the mountains. They rode until the trail grew too narrow to be traversed by horses and then they dismounted. Johonaa'ei gently lay the injured woman down. 

 "See if you can get her to drink some water while I make a travel sling," he told the boy. 

 Moon Dancer sat down beside Samantha and carefully considered the situation. Because of her back injuries, Popi had her lying on her stomach. It would be impossible for her to drink in that position. He opened his canteen close to her face and dribbled some water across her lips. Nothing. 

 "You have to drink this or you'll get sicker," he told her. She moaned but still didn't drink when he tried the dribbling method again. He took an edge of the blanket she was wrapped in and wiped her mouth. Sam immediately began sucking on the wet cloth. 

 "Hey, that's good," Moon Dancer laughed as he poured more of the cool water on the piece of cloth until she'd gotten her fill. 

 Using skills that had been learned at his own grandfather's knee, Johonaa'ei fashioned a stretcher he could pull behind them on the rest of their journey. As soon as he finished, he walked over and crouched down next to his grandson. 

 "Did you get her to drink?" 

 Grinning, Moon Dancer quickly described his methods. Johonaa'ei congratulated the boy while he gently opened the blanket he'd wrapped Sam in earlier. He examined the broken wrist he had bound after they pulled her from the hole. Her eyes fluttered open at his touch. 

 "Hurts," she moaned and than started coughing. 

 "I know," Johonaa'ei said. "I can make you much more comfortable as soon as we get to our final destination." 

 "Home?" 

 She was actually smiling as she drifted off again. 

 "For now," he said as he felt her forehead. She was still running a high fever. He wrapped her up again in the soft blanket before placing her on the blanket he lashed between the sturdy saplings he'd cut. Lifting the rope harness he'd fashioned at the top, Johonaa'ei began to pull the makeshift stretcher behind him as they started on the final leg of their journey. 

"What do you mean, she's gone?" 

 Triana had raced from the house when she heard Lewis screaming that pig's name. 

 "Gone, vanished, how the hell many ways to I have to put it before it sinks in!" 

 "But she was in no condition to climb out of there," Triana said. "She was half dead the last time I doused her. Are you sure . . ." 

 She actually took a few steps backward when Lewis suddenly whirled around to face her. Her mouth went dry. 

 "She's . . . not . . . there." 

 Lewis was quickly losing his hard fought battle to contain his raging fury. How had Samantha managed to get away from him again? 

 "Have you seen anyone sniffing around here while I left to drive into town?" 

 "No," she said quickly. "I would have told you, Lewis." 

 He paced back and forth in front of the hole. He opened his mind to see what he could pick up. Nothing! No, that couldn't be. His perceptive powers had never failed him. He crouched down and looked carefully at the dirt below his feet. It was smooth. No sign of anyone passing over it. What hadn't been wiped clean by the winds that blew down from the mountains had been brushed away. 

 "Whoever took her had enough presence of mind to wipe their tracks," he said aloud. "But how the hell did they find her here in the first place?" 

 "You don't think that Parker bitch is behind this, do you?" 

 "Sloan?" 

 He hadn't considered that. But no, she never could have traced him here this fast. He didn't think that Tom could either. 

 "No, her and her puppy-dog Tom will never find this place." 

 Or had they? Lewis looked off in the direction of Phoenix and began to wonder who could have helped Samantha. She didn't leave this place alone, on that he was sure. 

Jeff jolted awake at the sound of the eighteen-wheeler rumbling by. He blinked and looked around in confusion. 

 "Damn, I must have been sleeping for hours," he said when he saw the sun was up. He had pulled over during the night just to rest for a moment and now he had lost more precious hours Sam couldn't afford. 

 "Gotta check in," he mumbled as he started up the truck. Jeff flipped open his cellular and keyed in Sloan's number. Damn, his battery was dead! He punched open his glove compartment and began rummaging around for his spare battery. After several wasted minutes, he was in business. 

 "We were beginning to think you'd disappeared off the face of the earth," Sloan cried when he got through. "God, you had us worried, Jeff." 

 "Sorry about that." he said. He quickly explained what happened. "Do you have any good news for me?" 

 "We struck out everywhere," she told him. He could hear the strain in her voice. "Tom and I have four places left to check out today." 

 "I've got three. I'm heading to the first one right now." 

 "Keep in touch, okay?" 

 "Will do," he said before disconnecting. 

 Jeff picked up the crumpled map from the seat next to him and gave it a quick look. He could be at the first house on his portion of the list within the half-hour. He pulled back onto the two-lane road and hit the gas. 

It was almost noon when they arrived at the well-concealed entrance to the place the boy called Sanctuary. They had been coming up here ever since Moon Dancer had come to stay with him. It was here that his grandson learned the ways of his people. 

 "Spread a blanket over there," Johonaa'ei said as he pointed toward the natural alcove in the far wall. 

 Samantha groaned as he lifted her up into his arms. He could feel the heat pouring off of her body through the thick blanket. He had to get that fever down fast! 

 "Moon Dancer, take one of the buckets and bring me back some water from the creek. You will also need to lay a fire." 

 The boy raced over to the supplies he and his grandfather kept stocked in the cave. Numerous buckets, blankets and other survival equipment were kept under a large tarp at the back of the cave. 

 After the boy left, Johonaa'ei put Sam down. Pulling out the short length of rawhide from his own braid, he tied back the woman's filthy and blood-matted hair to keep it out of his way. He then removed the blanket he wrapped her in. Her eyes flew open at his first touch. She started to whimper and push at his hands as soon as he began to try and remove her clothing. 

 "Don't," she moaned as she curled away from his touch. 

 "It is all right, little one, " he told her. "I am not going to hurt you. I am just trying to take care of you." 

 But his gentle words obviously didn't get through to the part of her that had been so ill-treated because she continued to struggle. Johonnaa'ei realized that, to her, any physical contact just meant more suffering. But he had to begin treating her, so he tried another method. Pulling out the knife from the leather sheath on his belt, he quickly slit her shirt down the back from collar to tail. When she felt the pieces fall away from her, Sam went limp with defeat. She cried softly as he took the shirt the rest of the way off. The old man nearly wept himself when he saw the evidence of the savage beating she had endured. 

 "What kind of animal could have done such a thing to you, child," he murmured as he examined her mutilated back. 

 "His spirit was very black," Moon Dancer said softly as he slipped to his knees next to the old man. 

 Johonaa'ei started. He hadn't heard the boy come back into the cave. 

 "Start the fire now and heat up that water," he told the boy. "I have to clean her up and then wash out these wounds before the infection get any worse. The flies have already gotten to her." 

 While the boy set about building the small fire, Johonaa'ei collected his medicine pouches from the things the boy had gotten from the house. A short time later he was ready to begin. 

 "Can I help you, Popi?" 

 "It would be best if you go outside, Moon Dancer," he told the boy. "I will call you in when I'm finished." 

 As soon as the boy had left, Johonaa'ei returned to Samantha's side. She had curled into the fetal position and was rocking and mumbling to herself. Her tears flowed unchecked. 

 "It is all right, child, I am here to help you," he said as he began to remove the rest of Samantha's clothing. He wrung out the thick piece of cloth and then began to wash off the blood and dirt that had dried and crusted on her slim frame. She cried harder as he moved the soapy cloth over her body. Finally he finished the front side of her body and he turned her back over onto her stomach. He finished quickly. It was now time to clean out the wounds on her back. 

 "This is going to hurt, brave one," he said before he started. He dipped the cloth back into the soapy water and then wrung it out over her back. She flinched but then stilled as he continued to rinse off the combination of dirt and blood. Finally, he was able to get a clearer picture of just how badly the infection had set in. There were five lash marks crisscrossing her narrow back and at least two of them appeared to be badly infected. The creatures of the earth had settled in the wounds. Johonaa'ei set out his medicines on a small cloth beside him and began mixing ingredients in a large wooden bowl. Once he had added everything, he mixed it with water and began to pour a portion of the contents of the bowl over Sam's back. She screamed in agony as the liquid began to hiss and bubble in her wounds. Johonaa'ei braced his hands on her neck and lower back to keep Sam flat as the medicine began to eat away at the infection and creatures. 

 "What happened, Popi," Moon Dancer cried as he came racing back into the cave. 

 "It is all right, boy." Johonaa'ei had to raise his voice considerably to get over the sounds of Sam's continuing cries of pain. "You must go back outside until I am through." 

 Finally Sam's cries faded to weak moans as the medicine's effects wore off. Johonaa'ei removed his hands and reached for the soapy cloth once again. 

 "I am going to wash off you back again now, child," he said as he gently patted the mixture of medicine and what had drained out of the wounds so far from her back. He gave her a few minutes to rest and then repeated the process. This time she buried her head in the blanket beneath her. Her muffled screams faded quickly and Johonaa'ei saw that she had passed out. He went through the cleansing and cleaning process three more times until he felt as though he'd gotten all of the infection and the maggots out. He decided to set her wrist while she was unconscious to keep her from suffering more pain. She moaned as he maneuvered the bone back in place and then placed her wrist on a short length of bark and then re-wrapped it. Sam was just starting to come around again when he began spreading a thick, cool salve on the wounds. 

 "It is done for now," he told her. "Let me see if we can get that temperature down." 

 He set aside the pot of water he had used to cleanse her and poured some of the now tepid water from the bucket into another bowl. He mixed in another batch of different herbs and roots into the pot. He then soaked another cloth and began rubbing the mixture over Sam's fever wracked body. Working down her left side and then up the right, he continued to spread the cooling liquid over her arms, legs and torso. Once he was finished, he spread out another dry blanket and transferred her to it. Johonaa'ei braced a rolled blanket against her bottom. He gently turned her more onto her side and then placed another rolled blanket against her stomach. He then took a third blanket and covered her. She would have to sweat the fever out. 

 "Tired," she mumbled as she began to drift off to a well-deserved sleep. 

 "Just one more little wipe," he said as he moved the cloth over her flushed face. 

 "Now, if you just take some of this to drink, I will let you sleep." 

 He tilted her head and helped her drink from the canteen. Her eyes were almost closed when he lowered her head back to the floor. 

 "Come back in, Moon Dancer," he called softly to the boy.  

"Is my lady okay now," the child asked as he moved over to stand by Samantha. 

 "She is beginning to mend," Johonaa'ei said with a smile. "The little brave one fought very hard against the evil one. Now we make a small fire next to her with some eucalyptus leaves tossed in. It will help ease her coughing." 

 Once they had done this, the man and his grandson moved toward the front of the cave and began to talk quietly. 

Nothing. 

 "It's as if she simply vanished in the proverbial puff of smoke," Lewis said as he stormed back into the house. He had spent the last half-hour in a fruitless search of the area in hopes of finding something that would tell him how she had escaped. 

 Triana remained silent as he continued to rant and rave. She had spoken up during one of his earlier tirades and earned a vicious blow to the face. Her left eye was nearly swollen shut. 

 "How the hell did she get out," he asked for what may have been the twentieth time since he'd found Samantha gone. "She was so out of it she could barely stand." 

 Suddenly he snatched up his keys from the kitchen table and started walking toward the door. 

 "If someone took her the first thing they'd do would be to get her to a hospital. I'm going into Phoenix." 

 This time Triana couldn't hold her tongue. 

 "What the hell is happening to you, Lewis," she cried. "You're forgetting everything you ever taught me!" 

 He stopped and slowly turned back toward her. The fury in his eyes made her blood run cold. But she was determined to stop this self-destructive behavior of his. 

 "You compromised our agenda when you went after that little slut Parker in order to get back at Tom. That little fiasco nearly cost you your freedom. And now you are panting after this whore and acting as if her bastard was your only chance at procreation. There are legions of human females out there that will provide your progeny. What is so important about this one insignificant little bitch?" 

 "I chose her to be my breeder. Samantha belongs to me." 

 "And she was idiotic enough to refuse that honor not once but twice," Triana cried. "Why do you insist on pursuing this?" 

 "She is mine." 

 "She is going to be your downfall. What will you do if you find her in some hospital in Phoenix? Waltz in there and drag her back here? They will be waiting there to throw a net over you, Lewis." 

 "While I'm gone, clean up this place and be prepared to leave as soon as we return," he said as if she hadn't spoken. "It's time we moved on now." 

 With that, he turned and walked out. Triana heard the sound of his car starting and then driving off. She couldn't shake the feeling that she had just seen Lewis for the last time.  

"We have one more place to check out." 

 Jeff drummed his fingers on the steering wheel while he waited for Sloan to give him the details during her latest phone call. 

 "We're not holding out much hope on this one, Jeff," she explained. "It looks like it's no more than an old dilapidated shack." 

 "I'm heading out to the last place on my list too," he told her. "If we don't find Samantha here, I'm totally out of ideas where to search next." 

 "We're going to find her, Jeff," Sloan said quietly. 

 "I'm beginning to wonder," he admitted. "He could have taken her anywhere." 

 "Check out your last spot. You may hit pay dirt." 

 "You'll be the first to know." 

 "Exactly," she said. "We agreed to call each other if something looked like it was going to pan out, right? No heroics?" 

 "I agreed," he snapped. He hadn't wanted to and she knew it. But he'd given his word and that was something he would never go back on. He hung up shortly after that and drove the short distance to his last stop. 

 Jeff could feel a difference as soon as he pulled over to the side of the road. He'd stayed far enough away to avoid raising any suspicions. But even from that distance, he could tell that this particular cabin was occupied. He nearly grinned when he saw the tall, statuesque woman come sauntering out of the doorway. She looked enough out of place to be almost comical. However, laughter was the last thing on his mind. He knew he should call Sloan. But he wanted to make sure he wasn't grabbing onto straws first. Jeff shut off the motor and stepped out of the truck as soon as she went back inside. He lifted the hood and made a couple of adjustments before moving on. 

 "Now let's just see what you're doing way out here, city girl," he muttered as he made his way toward the small house. 

 "I don't have a phone," she was telling him a few minutes later. 

 "Damn. The stupid thing just up and quite on me, ma'am," he said effecting a heavy twang. 

 "I'm sorry," she said, sounding annoyed, " but, as I said, I don't have a phone." 

 "Could you spare a glass of water? It's going to be a long, hot walk to find someplace I can call from." 

 "Wait there." 

 She turned and moved back inside. Jeff was two steps behind her and quickly slammed the door shut behind him. 

 "What the hell do you think you're doing?" 

 "That depends on you," he said. "We could just sit here and talk if you'd like. Of course, if I don't like what I'm hearing, things could get a little messy." 

 "Look, cowboy, I don't have the time or the inclination to deal with the likes of you right now. So, just point your boots toward the door and take a hike." 

 "Not just yet," he said slowly. "We haven't had our talk." 

 "And we're not going to anytime soon. Get the hell out of my house!" 

 Jeff had to hand it to her. She never even flinched when the gun suddenly appeared in his hand. He gestured with the barrel toward the nearest chair. She glared at him as she took a seat. 

 "Okay, now that I have your attention, I have a few questions I'd like answered." 

 She continued to glare at him. 

 "Where's Samantha?" 

 "What happened, cowboy? Did you go and lose your little sweetheart?" 

 It shouldn't have felt so good to hit a woman, but it did. Jeff waited until she righted herself on the chair and then continued. 

 "Want to try this again?" 

 "You get off on hitting women, cowboy?" She asked as she wiped the blood from her chin. 

 "Try me." 

 "I don't know what you're talking about." 

 She was a bit slower getting up this time. 

 "It's a simple question," he said. "Seems like it shouldn't be that hard for you to come up with the right answer." 

 "She's not here. She was," she added when she saw him raise the gun. "But she's gone now." 

 "Where did Lewis keep her." 

 He saw the flicker of surprise in her pale blue eyes when he mentioned Lewis' name but she masked it quickly. 

 "Back there at first." 

 Jeff stood. He grabbed a fistful of her thick blond hair and forced her to her feet. They moved over to the doorway she had indicated together. 

 "Open it." 

 Triana turned the handle and then pushed the door open. Jeff shoved her inside and quickly looked around the room. His eyes honed in on the bloody sheets on the cot that was pushed up against the far wall and his heart constricted. 

 "What happened to Sam?" 

 "Oh, the bitch bled like a stuck pig after Lewis used his belt on her," Triana said when she saw where he was looking. She laughed. "Such a weak, pathetic little creature." 

 Jeff grabbed her and slammed her up against the nearby wall. 

 "Where is she?" 

 "I told you, she's gone." The smile never left her face. 

 "Did he kill her?" Jeff demanded. 

 "Why would he do that," she said with another laugh. "We were having too much fun with her to put her out of her misery." 

 At that moment, Jeff was closer to killing than he had been since his last tour in 'Nam had ended. If his cellular hadn't rung at that precise moment, he would have taken her out. 

 "What," he practically screamed into the phone. 

 "What's wrong?" Sloan's voice slowly penetrated the red haze that had clouded his vision. He stood over the unconscious woman and couldn't remember how she had come to end up crumpled at his feet. 

 "Jeff, what the hell is going on." This time it was Tom's voice buzzing in his ear. 

 "I found Sam, or at least I found the place she was being held," he said slowly. "I think you'd better get over here now. I'm not sure if I can refrain from killing this worthless piece of shit." 

 He snapped the phone closed even as Tom's voice was yelling at him to explain. Jeff nudged the woman over onto her back with his boot. Crouching down, he felt for her pulse. It beat steady and slow beneath his trembling fingers. He dragged her back into the kitchen and threw her into a chair. After a few hard slaps to her face, she moaned and opened her eyes. 

 "Bastard," she muttered as she glared at him. 

 "What happened to Sam? Where did Lewis take her?" 

 "To hell and back," she told him. "He's an excellent tour guide." 

 "Lady, you'd better start giving me some straight answers here or you're going to start losing body parts." 

 As he talked, Jeff reached down to his belt and unsheathed his hunting knife. He moved around behind her. She was still in too much pain to defend herself when he grabbed hold of her hair again and pulled her up straighter in the chair. He lay the edge of the knife just below her left ear. 

 "Now, for the last time, what did Lewis do with Sam?" 

 She didn't speak until she felt her own blood begin dripping down her neck. She gasped at the hot flash of pain as his knife sliced off her earlobe. 

 "Down the hole," she gasped. "He threw her down the hole and left her there to rot." 

 "Where is it?" 

 "Out in the back." 

 Jeff dragged her along with him as he rushed outside. But when he peered down into the old cistern he saw that it was empty. 

 "I told you she was gone," Triana said as he brought the knife toward her again. "When Lewis came out to get her this morning she was gone. He's looking for her now." 

 Jeff looked closely at the woman and knew she was telling the truth. "Did you enjoy watching her suffer," Jeff asked Triana. "Did you stand there and listen to Sam scream as he beat her?" 

 "She could have ended it anytime she wanted," Triana answered with a sneer on her lips. "If she didn't enjoy the pain she should have just told Lewis what he wanted to know." 

 "You think she enjoyed it?" 

 "Some of your kind get a high from pain." 

 Only then did Triana see the madness that hovered just behind his eyes. By then it was too late. She barely had time to scream as Jeff picked her up and threw her into the hole. 

 "Let's see how much you enjoy the experience," he called down to her before he turned and walked away. 

 When Triana landed, she felt her ankle snap. Nevertheless, she stood up and braced herself against the wall of the cistern. 

 "I'll kill you . . . you son of a bitch! I'll rip your heart out with my bare hands and feed it to the dogs! You'll be sorry for the day that you met Triana Edwards. Mark my word, you bastard, you don't know what suffering is!" 

 She continued to yell threats up at him as her anger over being bested by the inferior human grew. The thought of being in the same predicament as Lewis' little slut was galling. 

 "You're never going to have your precious Samantha," she taunted him. "Lewis will find her and haul her skinny ass back here any time now. Maybe I'll let you watch him breed with her again before I kill you. Would you like that, cowboy?" 

 Triana was so busy screaming at Jeff that she didn't hear the creature that fell into the cistern behind her. It wasn't until a few seconds later that she felt a presence and knew she wasn't alone. She turned around slowly and faced a snake, a sidewinder, poised to strike. Her movement caused the snake to strike. The sidewinder darted forward and sunk its fangs into her shin. Just as the first scream left her throat, it struck again and then again. Her legs gave way and she slumped to the dirt-covered floor. The sidewinder, excited now, buried its fangs into her stomach as it crawled onto her. 

 "Cowboy! Cowboy! Help!" 

 Her desperate screams shattered the silence. 

 Jeff stopped his search and raced back outside when he heard the woman's horrified cries. By the time he reached the hole, Triana was almost dead. She lay flat on her back. The huge sidewinder lay stretched across her stomach. Her face was a mask of terror as it began to slither beneath her hiked up shirt. She couldn't move! She screamed again as it sunk its fangs into her breast. 

 "Shit," he yelled as he looked down into the hole. 

 There was not a damn thing he could do for her. Jeff turned and walked away. The sound of her weakening screams followed him as he walked out to the road to wait for Sloan and Tom to arrive.  

Lewis was furious. He'd already checked out several hospitals and clinics in the downtown area. Samantha Wexford had not been treated or checked into any of them. He was now moving on to the smaller clinics and outpatient facilities. 

 "Who the hell found you," he said as he pulled into the parking area of the dingy looking clinic, "and where did that take you?" He had his temper under control and efficient look firmly in place on his face by the time he walked through the door. She never noticed him locking it behind him. 

 "I'm sorry, sir, but we have no one by that name registered as a patient." 

 The vacant looking receptionist had accepted his cover story without even asking to see any credentials. As far as the little bimbo was concerned, he was a field investigator with Phoenix Public Health Services. 

 "Could she have been treated here and then released?" 

 "No, I would have remembered," she gushed as she continued to stare at him. "Samantha has always been one of my favorites names. It's so much more interesting than Karen." 

 Lewis could see the desire in her eyes. He thought of Sam's friend Amanda and how easy it had been to manipulate her. 

 "I think Karen is a lovely name," he said. He locked his eyes on hers and then slowly smiled. "Are you here all by yourself today?" 

 "Yes," she said with an exaggerated pout. "The doctors run out of here as soon as their last patient is finished. They never stop to think about poor little old me who has to stay here and enter all this information into the main computer." 

 "Is it difficult," he asked. 

 "Oh, no," she giggled. "Actually, all I have to do is enter the patient's name and add the new information once their file pops up. I . . . could show you, if you'd like." 

 He was behind the counter the minute the release buzzer sounded. 

 "What does this button do," he asked. He brushed up against her from behind and felt her shudder. Her hand was actually trembling as she reached toward the keyboard. 

 "It's how I access the record database," she said. 

 "Like this?" 

 He reached out and placed his hand over hers as she struck the key. 

 "And what would happen if I keyed in the name of the woman I asked you about?"  

"Oh, I couldn't . . ." 

 Lewis slowly began to undo the buttons on the front her uniform. He slipped his hand inside and caressed her though the lacy wisp of a bra she was wearing. She struggled to concentrate on keying in Samantha's name. 

 "What's next," he whispered in her ear. 

 "I could really get into trouble . . . oh, God," she cried as he swiftly moved his hand down lower on her body. 

 "What?" 

 She slammed her hand down on the Enter key and then fell back against him when her knees went limp. Lewis' face was a cold mask of indifference as he quickly snapped her neck. Now that she had fulfilled her purpose he had no further use of her. He shoved her lifeless body out of the way and kept his eyes trained on the data scrolling across the computer screen. If Samantha had been treated anywhere in the damn city, he would soon know. When he left the office twenty minutes later, he was no closer to finding Samantha then before. It was time he went back to pick up Triana and start widening their search.  

"Why isn't she getting any better, Popi?" 

 Moon Dancer sat watching Sam as she tossed and turned beneath the thick blanket his grandfather had used to cover her. It had been hours since his grandfather had started his healing rituals. They had begun praying to the spirits right after they had taken turns cleansing themselves in the nearby creek. 

 "She was very weak from her great struggles against the evil one," Johonaa'ei told the boy. "Her own spirit was greatly damaged. It will take time." 

 Although his words comforted the boy, Johonaa'ei was very concerned. She should have been responding better to the treatment by now. Her fever continued to rage in spite of his continued treatments. Perhaps he hadn't gotten all of the infection out of the wounds. 

 "Go fetch another bucket of water, Moon Dancer. I am going to clean her back one more time." 

 Once again the elder sent the boy outside while he worked on the injured woman. He suspected that one of the wounds still carried some traces of infection in it. He removed the blanket he'd rolled in front of her and gently turned her back onto her stomach. It was growing dark with the coming of the night and he lifted one of the lanterns the boy had lit up closer to her back. 

 "Why are you still so feverish," he murmured as he reexamined each lash mark carefully. A short time later he found the maggot that had wormed its way deep beneath the wound that ended nearly at her left hip. It was going to hurt when he dug it out. He wasn't sure if she could hear him. She seemed to drift in and out. But he explained each step of what he was about to do just in case. 

 "I will try to be as gentle as possible, little one," he said as he stroked her cheek. "You have suffered greatly under that man's cruel hand and I do not wish to add to your pain. But if I do not get this final bit of infection out of you, I fear you will never recover." 

 He cut a piece off one of his clean cloths and rolled it up into a tight tube shape. He inserted the cloth in her mouth to give her something to bite down on when the pain hit. Next he held the blade of his knife in the fire to sterilize it. He moved the lantern closer so that he could see the wound clearly. He made two swift cuts that crisscrossed the edge of the original wound. Black blood mixed with stringy ropes of yellowish infection immediately came gushing out. Johonaa'ei checked on Sam as the wound continued to drain. Her face was slack and the cloth hung half out of her mouth. She had thankfully passed out. 

 "May the spirits gently rock you in a long blissful sleep as I tend to you," he said. "And may they guide you back to us safely when you are ready to wake." 

 He irrigated the incision he'd made until he was satisfied that he'd gotten all of the infection out. He made a poultice, which he placed directly onto the wound and then he taped a bandage over it to keep it in place. As soon as he was finished, Johonaa'ei repositioned the rolled blankets around Sam. After taking a final look at her back, the healer drew the thick blanket back over her. 

 "You have to fight now, child. I know you are frightened and in terrible pain, but you have to fight your way back to us. I will keep you safe." 

 He called the boy back in and for the next hour they kept a close eye on Sam. She moaned out fretfully several times and either Johonaa'ei or the boy would stroke her face or try and get her to drink some water. Moon Dancer's eyes grew heavy and he curled up next to Sam. He captured her hand in his and fell asleep with it tucked beneath his cheek. Johonaa'ei saw her stiffen and weakly try and pull away from the physical contact but then she quieted down again. Seeing that both of his charges were quiet for the moment, Johonaa'ei slipped outside to catch a cool night breeze. He had barely had time to ponder the beauty of the evening sky when Moon Dancer's panicked voice sent him racing back inside. 

 "Popi, something's wrong!" 

 Johonaa'ei smiled with relief when he saw the woman's sweat soaked skin. 

 "This is a good sign, Moon Dancer," he told the frightened child. "Her fever has finally broken." 

 "Are you sure?" 

 He placed his hand on the child's thin shoulder. 

 "I am the healer in our tribe, boy. I am sure." 

 "I was so scared when I woke up and she was all wet," Moon Dancer whispered. "I thought she was dying." 

 "No, she is going to be waking up more and more now," Johonaa'ei told him. "She will be in pain for awhile and we will have to do what we can to help her get through it." 

 "I'll do whatever I can to help her," the boy promised. 

 "I know you will, Moon Dancer. She is very lucky that it was you who found her." 

 The exhausted child drifted back to sleep almost immediately. Johonaa'ei made Sam as comfortable as he could and then stretched out on his own bedroll. He slept lightly and woke several times during the night to check on his patient. She had started on her journey back to them. 

"She's over there," Jeff said when Sloan and Tom pulled up a while later. "Down in the cistern. She's dead." 

 While Tom took off at a trot to check things out, Sloan took hold of Jeff's arm and led him back toward the house.  

"This is where he was holding Sam," Jeff said as he walked her over to the back room. 

 Sloan gasped when she saw the bloody sheets. Jeff told her what the woman had said and how she had laughed about it. 

 "Is that why you killed her?" 

 "Kill her? I didn't kill her," he said. "Don't get me wrong. I damn sure wanted too but I knew you and Tom, especially Tom, needed to talk to her." 

 "Then what happened here today?" 

 "She ticked me off one time too many. I tossed her down into that filthy pit they'd kept Sam in. The snake did the rest." 

 "Did she tell you what happened to Sam?" 

 "That's the crazy part, Sloan," Jeff said. "She said that Sam had escaped earlier today. That's why Lewis is no where to be found. He's off looking for her." 

 "Escaped? But… How? I mean, from what she told you, it sounds like Sam was in pretty bad shape." 

 "I know, but I don't think she was lying. I had given her some rather painful incentives to tell the truth." 

 "Did you see any rope around here while you were checking the place out," Tom asked as he came through the doorway. "I'd like to go down there and check a couple of things out." 

 "I hadn't really gotten too far in my search before I want out to see why she was screaming," Jeff replied. 

 With the three of them looking, it didn't take long to locate the rope and wood ladder Lewis had made. This time when Tom went back out, Sloan and Jeff tagged along. 

 Tom quickly dispatched the sidewinder with a well placed shot before he stepped off the last rung of the makeshift ladder. 

 "Looks like that snake had himself a feast," he called up to them as he examined Triana's lifeless body. "I count at least five strikes on her legs, several on her chest and one on her neck." 

 "Must have been a nice, slow death," Jeff muttered. "Just about what she deserved." 

 "It would've been better if we could've talked to her," Sloan said quietly. 

 "She wouldn't have told us any thing more than she already had," Jeff said. "Neither her or Lewis have the slightest idea where Sam is now." His shoulders drooped in defeat. "Unfortunately, neither do we."  

Lewis spotted the car and the truck before he pulled onto the dirt road that led to the house. 

 "What the hell's going on now?" he said out loud. 

 He pulled his car to the side of the road under a Mesquite tree. He got out and made his way to the end of the pull off. He crouched down in the tall dead weeds where he wouldn't be noticed and pulled out a small pair of binoculars. 

 "God-dammit, how did they find this place," he muttered as Tom Daniels and another man came into focus. The two had just finished pulling Triana from the cistern. At first he thought she was merely unconscious, but on closer inspection Lewis could tell that the woman was dead. Sloan Parker joined them as they stood staring down at Triana's body. 

 Lewis felt the anger swell up inside him as he watched the trio. He had no idea what the three had done to the woman who meant much more to him than the fact that she had been his first student. But he knew he would return it in kind. 

 "They'll pay for this, Triana," Lewis whispered. "They will suffer for what they did to you. I will see every one of them suffer the torments of hell before I'm done. Your death will be revenged." 

 He jammed the binoculars back into his pocket and then eased back up to a standing position. He made his way back to his car and then drove off. His quest to find Samantha now had a twofold purpose. Once she was back in his hands, he would use her to draw Sloan and the others to him. Once he'd lured them into his trap, he would force Samantha to watch as he sent them back to their maker. Perhaps he would save Sloan for last. He smiled at the thought of using the Parker woman to try and force Samantha into revealing his son's whereabouts. If she wouldn't talk to spare herself, perhaps Sloan's pleas for mercy would do the trick. Yes, Sloan's torturous death could be just the catalysts to finally loosen Samantha's tongue. All he had to do now was find Samantha and he could set his plan in motion. 

Sam slowly opened her eyes and stared at the old Indian sitting watching her. 

 "It is good that you are awake," Johonaa'ei said softly. He knew Moon Dancer would be pleased when he returned from his wood gathering. 

 Sam jerked back when he reached out toward her. She immediately cried out as the agonizing pain ripped though her. 

 "Lay still, Samantha," he said. "You have to lay still." 

 In spite of his words, Sam struggled to get up. Who was this man? How did he know her name? Where was Lewis? 

 "I have to get away," she moaned as she got to her knees. Oh God, she was naked. He'd taken her clothes. She reached to pull the blanket around her and pitched over onto her side. 

 "You do not have to go anywhere. You are safe here." 

 He was lying. She wasn't safe. She would never be safe.  

"Where is he," she asked as she finally managed to cover herself. "Where's Lewis?" 

 "The evil one is far away from here." 

 "You're lying," she cried. She frantically looked around the large cave "I would not lie to you," Johonaa'ei told her. "We stole you away from the man who did these terrible things to you. You have my word that he will never touch you again." 

 Suddenly Sam laughed and it was a horrible sound. Johonaa'ei watched as somehow she managed to stagger to her feet. She was deathly pale and looked as though she would fall over any second. But her eyes burned with hatred and he realized that's what was keeping her on her feet. 

 "I don't believe you. Lewis would never let me go." She shivered as another thought reared its ugly head. "Did he hand me over to you? Is it your turn to try and break me now? " 

 Johonaa'ei saw the terror jump into her eyes as she tried to back away from him. 

 "Sit down, little one, before you do more harm to yourself." 

 "Are you afraid you won't get your chance to torture me," she cried with false bravado. "I've already been raped over and over again, beaten, whipped and thrown into a pit and left to die. Unfortunately, I seem to be a survivor. I'm sure I'll be able to hold on long enough to enjoy whatever you have planned for me. " 

 No longer able to stand on her rapidly weakening legs, Sam fell to her knees and then hugged the blanket to her. She slowly began rocking back and forth. Her face was quickly covered with tears as she gave into her overwhelming despair. Johonaa'ei crouched down before her and tilted her chin up so that he could look into her eyes when he spoke. 

 "My name is Johonaa'ei. I am a Navajo healer. My grandson Moon Dancer found you two days ago in the hole where the man called Lewis kept you. By the time we got you out of there, you were very ill. I have done what I can to treat your injuries." 

 Sam stared at him. His voice was filled with concern. His face, lined and creased with age, held no trace of guile. But it was his eyes that she was drawn to. They met her's without sliding away from her close scrutiny. They were warm and full of compassion. 

 "If I trust you and I'm wrong, it will destroy me." 

 "I will take your trust and place it in the deepest corner of my heart." He reached out and took hold of her good hand. Johonaa'ei felt her stiffen at his touch but she let him press her hand to his chest. "I will protect it and you with my life." 

 Sam stared at him for several moments and then she offered him a sad little smile that nearly broke his heart. 

 "I'm so tired of fighting him and trying to be brave." 

 Johonaa'ei reached out to steady her when she suddenly began listing to the her left. 

 "You need to lay down," he said. 

 When she nodded, he helped her to her feet. The short distance felt like a mile to her and Sam was near collapse as Johonaa'ei helped her lay back down. He had just finished covering her when Moon Dancer came racing back into the cave. 

 "Is she awake, Popi," he cried.  

"For just a little while," his grandfather replied. "You may talk to her for just a minute and then Samantha must rest again." 

 Moon Dancer sat down close to her and just stared. The blanket had slipped a bit off of her shoulders when she tried to find a more comfortable position. His eyes teared up when he saw the angry looking marks on her back again. 

 "Does it hurt really bad," he whispered. 

 "Not as bad as before," she lied. In truth, she hurt so much that she wanted to scream. She couldn't even say that one part of her body-hurt worse then the another. Every inch of her pained like an exposed nerve. 

 "Popi is the healer in our tribe," he said proudly. "He will make you better." 

 "I want to thank you for saving my life," Sam said. "I don't think I would have lasted another night in that hole." 

 "I wish I could have seen the evil one's face when he found you were gone," Moon Dancer said with a cocky grin. "I bet he was madder than a wet cat! 

 Sam laughed and then bit down hard to keep from moaning when the sudden movement triggered another flare-up of the pain in her back. 

 "That's enough for now, boy," Johonaa'ei said quickly. He knelt down and held out a battered tin cup toward her. "Drink some of this, it will help ease the pain." 

 Sam let him help her sit up enough to drink the rather foul smelling purplish liquid he'd prepared for her. She took as deep a breath as her sore ribs would allow and drank down nearly two thirds of it in one gulp. It tasted worse than it smelled. She gasped and then fought to keep it down. 

 "Breath through your mouth," Johonaa'ei said when he noted her greenish pallor. 

 She did as he said and finally the sick feeling passed. Within minutes, her eyes looked glassy and then Sam drifted into a deep sleep. 

"So what do we do now?" 

 They sat around the table in the house. 

 "I'm going to notify Dr. Attwood about what's been going on here," Sloan said. "I'm sure he'll want to take Triana's body back to the lab for further study. I'm going to advise him that I'm also asking Ed and Ray to join up with us in Phoenix." 

 "I'm going to sit tight and wait until Lewis returns," Jeff told them. "Either he'll have Sam with him or he'll have a lead as to where she is." 

 "I don't think we should split up at this point," Sloan said quickly. 

 "I'm not leaving here. We can keep in touch by cell phone." 

 He caught the quick look Sloan and Tom exchanged. 

 "There's one more thing you should know about Lewis," Tom said. "His mental abilities far surpass any that me or others of my kind have. If you confront him, Jeff, you must keep your mind free of thoughts about Sam. Otherwise, he'll hone in on them and destroy you to get to her." 

 "If anyone gets destroyed, it'll be him. I'm going to make him pay for every time he so much as laid a finger on Sam." 

 Sloan saw the look of cold fury fall across Jeff's face. You could almost feel the black hatred that he held in tight control. No, she wouldn't want to be on the receiving end when all of the pent-up emotion came flooding out. Perhaps their meeting would be much less of a miss match than she first imagined. 

 Sloan and Tom left soon after but not before Sloan had a final word with him. 

 "Be careful, Jeff. Sam is going to need you when she's finally found. You can't let anything get in the way of being there for her." 

 "I won't jeopardize that," he said with a grim smile. "I'm just going to make sure that Lewis never gets his hands on her again." 

 She gave him a quick hug and then ran out to where Tom was waiting for her in their car. 

 They drove off quickly and Jeff found himself alone in the place where Sam had suffered untold misery at the hands of that mutant madman. Almost against his will, he found himself returning to the room where Triana had so coldly dismissed the bloody sheets he'd discovered there. 

 "He'll pay for what he did to you, Sam," Jeff vowed. "His own mother, if he ever had one, won't recognize him when I'm through." 

 His anger momentarily spent, Jeff headed back into the kitchen and slumped down into a chair. He had to find her. 

 "Please God, let her be safe," he prayed aloud. "Let whoever helped Sam get away be someone who will take care of her until I can find her." 

 Someone had aided her in her escape. There was no way she could have gotten out of that cistern without help. Even Triana, Lewis' so called superior partner, couldn't get out alone. 

 Filled with despair, Jeff pulled out his cell phone and began to dial. He was making a long overdue call to his sister. 

 "Jeff, is that you?" 

 "Yeah, Molly," he said. "Sorry it's taken me so long to get back in touch." 

 "What's going on?" She asked.  

That was Molly, Jeff thought with a weary grin. No frills for her, just straight to the facts. 

 "We still haven't found Sam." He quickly filled her in on what had happened since they'd left his ranch several days ago. 

 "My God, Jeff, where could she be?" 

 "Hopefully with someone who will take care of her better than I did." 

 "Come on, little brother, get off the guilt trip. There's no way you could have known that madman was coming after Sam. Right now you have to concentrate on getting her back." 

 Among other things, he thought as another black wave of rage swept over him. He would not be content until he had Sam back and Lewis was dead. 

 "I'm working on it, Molly."  

He told her about his plans to wait at the house for Lewis to return. Her sudden silence let him know that she knew what he was thinking about. Her quiet warning a few seconds later confirmed it. 

 "You won't be of much use to Sam if you land in jail, Jeff." 

 "Taking this guy out is more in the line of performing my civic duty," he said with a humorless laugh. "I wouldn't be surprised if they tried to stick a few more metals on my chest." 

 "I remember how you were when you came back," she said. "Don't let this drag you back into that madness, Jeff." 

 "It's one man, Molly, one situation. As soon as it's resolved, I'm going to bring Sam up there to your place and reunite her with her son. After that, I'm going to bring them both back to the ranch until Sam is healed and ready to reclaim her life." 

 "She's not going to recognize Adam," Molly said with relief. "He's growing like the proverbial weed." 

 "I don't know how long all of this is going to take, sis," Jeff said slowly. "I'm sorry I just kind of pushed this whole thing on you without even asking." 

 "When you find Sam, she's going to need to hear that her baby is safe and making sure of that is the least I can do under the circumstances. You know, Jeff, you're not the only one Patty's death effected. I think all of us realize the importance of being there for each other now. I'll keep Adam for as long as it takes." 

 "You're the best, Molly, in spite of what Bridgie says." 

 His attempt to lighten the mood brought about the desired response. 

 "And you're still a pain in the ass, Jeffrey," she laughed. 

 They spoke for a few minutes more and then Jeff hung up. He sat hunched over the kitchen table with a detailed street map of Phoenix and the surrounding area for the next hour. 

 He stared at it until the lines began to blur.
 

Sam slept for almost two hours and then the pain in her back woke her. She moaned as she tried to shift into a more comfortable position. It was impossible. No matter which way she tried to move, the stabbing pain in her back would force her to stop. Finally, Sam just buried her head in the blanket she lay on and cried. 

 "What is wrong, little one?" 

 Sam struggled to compose herself before she turned and lifted her head slightly in order to see him.  

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake you." 

 "It is alright. Are you in pain?" 

 Sam hated to be such trouble but there was no sense in lying. 

 "It's pretty bad again," she admitted. 

 "Let me take a look," Johonaa'ei said. 

 Sam was grateful for the gentleness he displayed as he rearranged the bedding so that she lay on her stomach once again. His hands were cool as they moved over her back. 

 "The wounds look clean," he told her. "But so much tearing took place that it will take a few more days of healing before you will begin to feel any extended relief from the pain. For now, I will just strengthen the medication I had you drink before." 

 Sam felt the tears well up again. Once again she heard the sound of Lewis' belt and remembered the unbelievable agony as it tore across her back, opening her flesh five separate times. 

 "He enjoyed it," she sobbed. "He ripped me open and then laughed when he threw me down that hole like so much trash." 

 "You were strong, child. Stronger than the evil that drove him to harm you." 

 "No, I was weak. I let him do all those terrible things to me," Sam cried. "For months and months I just let him hurt me over and over again." 

 "You must not talk like that," Johonaa'ei said. He remembered the things she'd said had been done to her by Lewis. "You did not let him do anything. You fought hard, little one. Fought against an enemy that was much more powerful than you. Your injuries, both old and new, are clear evidence of that." 

 "He's still out there," Sam said. "Looking for me. He won't stop, you know. He'll never stop until I give him what he wants." 

 Johonaa'ei knew that the one called Adam had something to do with all of this but he would wait until she spoke of these things herself. If she had been willing to suffer as she did to protect this secret than it would be up to her to make the decision to share it. 

 "Let me help you sit up," Johonaa'ei said when he finished mixing the medicine that would help ease her pain. 

 Sam weakly nodded her head as he gently pulled her into a half-sitting position. She leaned against him as he helped her drink. 

 "Soon you will begin to feel better and you will be able to sleep again." 

 Sam lifted her head so that she could look up at him. 

 "Thank you. Just don't move now though or I'll fall right over." 

 He smiled at her small attempt at humor. 

 "You weigh little more than Moon Dancer," he told her. "It is no trouble to hold you upright. You will be getting stronger every day and soon will not need this old man." 

 Sam sighed and let her had drop back onto his shoulder. 

 "I will never be able to thank you enough for coming back for me," she murmured. Her voice was already beginning to slur. "I owe you my life." 

 "A life can not be given or taken. It is simply meant to be lived to the best of our abilities. You have a long journey ahead of you, little one. I am honored to have some small part in helping you along the way." 

 Sam was smiling as her eyes slowly closed. Johonaa'ei held her in his arms long after she feel asleep. He sang to her of his ancestors. He lifted his eyes upwards and called on the Great Spirit to guide him in choosing a Navajo name for this brave child. Finally, he gently laid her down and then slept himself. 

Lewis found a small motel on the outskirts of Phoenix to hole up in. Four of his followers were called in and rented rooms next to his. The motel wasn't in the best part of town and rather shabby, but it would serve his purpose. It was a place where questions weren't asked. The five of them were seated around a table in Lewis' room pouring over a map of Phoenix. 

 "This is where the house is located," Lewis advised them. "I figure whoever helped Samantha has to live somewhere in the area. I'm going to have to stay out of sight as much as possible with Tom and Sloan in the area. I want you to comb this area and find out what you can." 

 Lewis stood up. 

 "Harry, I want you to find out what they did with Triana's body. I want you to get her back. I have a feeling that Sloan's precious Dr. Attwood is salivating at the chance to get Triana's body back to his lab to dissect and study it. I won't allow her remains to suffer that final indignity. Get on it right away." 

 The tall, red-haired man stood and stepped away from the table. 

 "I'll find her Lewis. Leave it to me," he assured his leader as he headed for the door. 

 "Jake, you and Mike head out to the house and start looking around. Find out what you can but be discreet. We don't need any of the local badges getting interested in us." 

 After the two men had left, Lewis sat down at the table once again. He turned so that he was facing Steve Morris. The young man with the hawk like features lounged back in his chair appearing as if the whole affair was none of his concern. Lewis knew better. His young protege rivaled Lewis himself in projecting a cool, calm image. Steve lit a cigarette and blew out a puff of smoke. The two men stared at each other for a moment. The younger man finally broke the silence. 

 "I know you will miss her. I never expected something like this to happen to Triana when she left us several days ago. She was excited about joining you." Steve took another drag. "What can I do to help?" 

 Lewis reached out for the bottle of Scotch sitting on the table and poured himself a drink. He drained the double shot in one short gulp. 

 "I want you to personally check out some of the smaller hotels in Phoenix to see if Tom and Sloan are registered there. I'm going to stay here and make some calls to the larger chains and check them out. If we don't find them, we'll start on the motels." 

 Steve rose and smashed his cigarette in the ashtray. 

 "Is there anything I can bring you," he asked Lewis. 

 "Yes, some good news." 

The cell phone ringing near his ear jolted Jeff awake. 

 "What?" 

 "Jeff, it's Sloan. I just wanted to let you know that we're picking up Ed and Ray at the airport at nine and then we'll be coming there." 

 Jeff groaned as he gingerly straightened up. Evidently he had simply slumped across the kitchen table sometime during the wee hours of the morning while checking his maps. 

 "Okay." 

 "You sound a bit rough this morning. Is everything okay?" 

 "Just didn't sleep too well is all, Sloan. Wondering who has Sam now is driving me nuts." 

 "Once the five of us put our heads together I'm sure we'll come up with a workable plan," she assured him. "The most important thing is to get to her before Lewis has a chance to even the odds by bringing in more of his people." 

 Jeff thought that Sloan was just a tad naive if she thought that Lewis had not already done that. The guy was obsessed with getting to his son through Sam and he wouldn't stop until he did so. 

 "We'll talk more about that when you get here, Sloan. I'll see you in about ninety minutes then." 

 Once she'd hung up, Jeff lurched up from the table on stiff legs and made his way over to the sink. Coffee, nice strong black coffee is what he needed. That, and the members of his old squad backing him up. It was going to take a whole lot of kick-ass manpower to keep ahead of Lewis and his goons. But that wasn't going to happen. When he had finally walked out of the jungle and freed himself from Uncle Sam's clutches, he had only one buddy from his original team with him. And there was no way that he was going to drag Bo Turner into this mess. No, he was going to have to rely on his own skills and those of Tom and the people they were bringing in. Hell, if Sam had managed to outwit the guy not once but twice, it was a sign that he wasn't infallible. And it was a sure bet that the fact that she had done so preyed on Lewis' mind. Desperate men made mistakes. Jeff just had to be sure that he didn't let his own emotions get in the way. Nothing and no one could interfere with his mission to get Sam back. He hadn't been certain of a lot of things about his life since starting over after the war, but he was sure of this. If he had anything to say about it, his future was going to include one very special woman and her son. He'd be damned if he'd let that bastard ruin what he knew was his one chance at happiness. 

 "I'm going to find you, Sam. And we're going to have the life we both deserve." 

 By the time Sloan and the others arrived, Jeff was feeling much more under control. In fact, for the first time since the whole thing started, he was beginning to think they had a chance. One look at Ray Peterson and Ed Tate let him know that the odds had tilted just a little more in their direction. 

 "Ed, Ray, this is Jeff Faraday," Sloan said as the men sized each other up. She had filled them in on all the specifics on their way from the airport. 

 "Good to meet you," Ed said as he offered his hand. 

 Jeff took it and appreciated the firm grip the doctor had. He'd feared Sloan was going to saddle him with some lab geek but that was far from the case. Yeah, Tate had what looked like a laptop clutched under his arm, but he had fire in his eyes. 

 Ray Peterson was a bull of a man whose body language cried cop with a capital "C". Jeff met his calculating stare with one of his own. 

 "Faraday." 

 "Peterson." 

 Both men grinned as they recognized each other's similarities. 

 "I take it that Lewis was a no show?" 

 Jeff turned to Tom and shook his head. "I thought for sure he'd be heading back here" 

 "I'm not so sure that he didn't," Tom said slowly. "I just think that he chose not to confront us at this time. I'm sure he's holed up someplace gathering his troops and plotting his next move as we speak." 

 So Tom and him were on the same page after all. Jeff was glad that he wasn't going to have to waste time bringing Sloan and her people up to snuff. 

 "We've talked," Sloan said, "and we've come to the conclusion that this is the last place that Lewis is going to come now." 

 "But he's not going to stray far from here," Ed added as they moved into the house. He quickly set-up his laptop. He looked over the markings on the maps Jeff had left spread out on the table. "Looks like you'd already come up with that scenario." 

 Jeff shrugged. 

 "It's the most logical plan. He will start back in Phoenix but then gradually widen the search area." 

 "So where do we begin?" Sloan joined them at the table. "Head to Phoenix or work from here?" 

 The four men looked at each other. 

 "Phoenix," Jeff said as the others nodded in agreement. "We can split up from there and cover a much larger area." 

 After one final look around the place to make sure they hadn't missed anything, the five headed back to their vehicles and quickly drove off. No one noticed the two men observing them from within the ramshackle house a ways down the road. After the two vehicles passed by, Jake punched in a number on his cell phone as he and Mike raced toward their car. 

 "We have them, Lewis. Parker, Tate, Daniels and Peterson just met with another man who was already at the house. They just all took off in two separate vehicles." 

 "Follow them." 

The sun was streaming into the cave when Sam opened her eyes again. 

 "Good morning." 

 She turned her head and found Moon Dancer sitting watching her. He sat munching on what looked like some kind of a fluffy pastry. 

 "It does look like a good morning, doesn't it," she said with a smile. She caught a whiff of whatever it was he was eating and suddenly she was ravenous. "What's that you have there?" 

 "Supapea and honey. Would you like some?" 

 "If you don't mind sharing," Sam replied. She turned over a bit more onto her right hip and then waited for the pain to ease before accepting the tidbit of food from the boy. 

 "Maybe it would be better if I fed you," he offered. 

 Sam couldn't maneuver her injured hand enough to get the food into her mouth and her right hand was busy keeping her balanced. 

 "Yes, I think that would be a good idea," she said with a grin. "Otherwise I'm going to end up with this Supapea and honey stuck all over my face and still starving." 

 When Johonaa'ei heard his grandson's laughter he left his boiling pots and came back into the cave. He smiled when he saw the boy dunking pieces the sweet fried batter into the honey and then popping it into Samantha's mouth. It was like watching a mama bird feeding her young only with the roles reversed. Evidently the little one had woken up hungry. That was a very good sign. 

 "It looks like I will have to make some more, the way you two are stuffing your faces." 

 "Samantha was starving," Moon Dancer told him. "I only got two bites." 

 "I think it's been days since I had anything to eat," Sam admitted as she continued to chew. 

 Having seen her ribs poking out rather prominently beneath her pale skin, Johonaa'ei agreed that it had probably been quite some time since she had last eaten any solid food. When he said this out loud, Samantha suddenly blushed and lowered her eyes. Johonaa'ei motioned for the boy to go outside for a moment and then he sat down next to Samantha. 

 "I am sorry that I had to take certain liberties, little one. But there was no one else to tend to you." 

 "I know," she said softly. "It's just that . . . I wasn't . . . he used to . . ." 

 "You do not have to speak of this, child, if it distresses you to remember." 

 "No. No, I have to talk about it. If I keep it all inside it will just keep festering." She took a breath and then slowly began talking. "If I tried to fight back when he raped me, Lewis would punish me by taking my clothes. He would force me to lay there naked with my hands and feet tied to the bed. Sometimes it would be days before he would let me cover myself again. I felt so damn helpless. When you spoke about seeing me naked it just bought all those feeling back." 

 "All of these things were done to break your spirit, my child. He needed to make you feel small and worthless in order to maintain his control over you." 

 "He was certainly into control," Sam said. "And pain. He enjoyed inflicting pain." 

 Johonaa'ei reached out and gently touched the slightly misshapen fingers on her left hand. 

 "Did he do this?" 

 "Yes," she sighed. "Another punishment for trying to resist him. I imagine the scars on my body are a testament to just how far he was willing to go to get to me." 

 Not only physical scars, Johonaa'ei thought. Lewis had almost destroyed her spirit in his quest to dominate her. Those scars would not be as easily healed. 

 "I have cleaned your clothing all except for your shirt which was too badly damaged. Would you like me to help you dress?" 

 Sam could have hugged him for being so sensitive to her needs.  

"Yes, that would be wonderful." 

 "I do not think you would be able to tolerate anything touching your back yet, but perhaps we can work on something that would make you feel more comfortable." 

 It took almost forty-five minutes but Sam was finally dressed and feeling more like herself. Johonaa'ei had fashioned a top for her that tied around her neck and then loosely around her hips with nothing touching her injured back. By the time they were done, Sam was exhausted. Johonaa'ei was right in the middle of talking to her when she fell asleep. 

 "Rest easy, little one, and gather your strength. I fear your fight it not yet over." 

"He's nearby." 

 Tom stood staring out the window of one of the three motel rooms they had rented. 

 Sloan lay stretched out on one of the double beds catching a short nap. Ed was bent over his laptop typing furiously. Ray sat next to him and went over the data as it scrolled across the screen. Jeff was pacing up and down and now moved over to stand next to Tom. 

 "In the general area or down the street?" 

 "Close," Tom said with a slight grin. "You can't fine tune this ability, Jeff." 

 "Yeah, you already told me that," Jeff said. He quickly lowered his voice when Sloan groaned and tossed restlessly onto her side. 

 "She is pushing herself too much," Tom said with a worried look in her direction. "She's tormented by the thought that this whole thing is her fault." 

 "Why the hell does she think that?" 

 Tom gave Jeff a thumbnail sketch of Sloan's association with Lewis.  

"And she actually thinks Sam is taking her place in all of this?" 

 "Yes, and unfortunately, I think she's right. Lewis took great pains to let her know his plans for holding another mentoring session in that cave in Mexico. He also made sure Sloan wouldn't be able to get there in time. That wasn't coincidence, Jeff. He was letting her know that whatever happened there was her fault." 

 "And I thought I was carrying around some guilt. I want this guy so bad I can taste it." 

 "Stand in line," Tom said. "Lewis has destroyed many lives and created many enemies." 

 "Are you among them?" 

 "Oh, yes," he said but didn't offer any explanation. 

 Jeff recognized the cold gleam of hatred in Tom's eyes. He had seen the same look in his own reflection that morning as he shaved. 

 "Do you honestly think we have a prayer of getting Samantha back?" 

 "I wouldn't be here if I didn't," Tom assured him. "We'll get her safely away and then we will go after Lewis and destroy him once and for all." 

 Jeff smiled. Had Sloan been awake, she would have shuddered at his similarity to Lewis at that moment. 

"I found them." 

 Steve Morris sat slouched down in the front seat of his battered dark blue van. He'd spent the better part of two days calling and visiting every mom and pop hotel in the greater Phoenix area. He'd finally struck pay dirt at a place called The Rainbow Lodge. Its name was much grander than the twenty-unit motel called for. Even the small pool they proudly advertised looked worn out and grungy. 

 "Is it still just the five of them," Lewis asked quickly. 

 "She's not with them." Steve knew without asking just whom the boss was talking about. Their effort to locate Samantha Wexford had gone nowhere. Obviously her friends weren't having any more success in finding her than they were. 

 "Okay, stay there and see what you can find out about their movements." 

 "Do you want me to try and make contact? No one will recognize me. Daniels was long gone before I began my training sessions." 

 "If the opportunity arises," Lewis said slowly. "Perhaps you can use your charms on Ms. Parker." 

 Steve heard the sarcasm in his boss's voice and imaged the cold sneer on his face. Sloan Parker had been a thorn in Lewis' side for nearly eight months now. He would enjoy destroying Sloan almost as much as Samantha. If Steve had his way, both women would be dispatched once each had served their purpose. 

 "I'll sit tight and get back to you as soon as I have anything to report." 

 Steve slid down a little more in his seat and pulled out a bottle of water from his cooler. This damn Arizona weather was going to be the death of him. The sooner he got back to his nice cabin up in the cool Pocono Mountains in Pennsylvania the better. He'd just popped the top on his bottle when the motel door opened and the aforementioned Ms. Parker came walking out. Unfortunately, her entourage joined her almost immediately. He'd have to pick his moment in order to get her alone. But Steve was a patient man. He would simply wait until the opportunity presented itself. 

Every day Sam healed a little more. With Johonaa'ei's help she had begun to come outside for short periods of time and basted in the fresh air and sun. At the moment, Sam was seated in front of Johonaa'ie as the elder prepared to use his knife to cut her hair. 

 "Are you sure you want me to do this, little one?" 

 "I can't stand it anymore," she told him. "It's just too filthy and knotted to even begin to try and comb it out. Once you cut it, I'll be able to wash it with you and Moon Dancer's help." 

 Johonaa'ie cut off the rawhide strip he'd bound it up with and began slicing off long tendrils of her thick, black curly hair. As they fell to the ground around her, Sam felt a momentary need to shut her eyes before she cried out for him to stop. But then she remembered how Lewis had played with her long hair and washed it when he'd bathed her. Afterwards, he had forced her to sit unclothed in front of a mirror. Sam knew that she would never be able to forget the sight of him fondling her with one hand while he'd brushed out her hair with the other. "Are you alright," Johonaa'ei asked quickly when he notice her suddenly go quite pale. When she opened her eyes to look at him, he saw the glimmer of unshed tears clinging to her dark lashes. 

 "Just some old memories," she sighed. "They come back at the oddest moments and just totally wipe me out." 

 "They are only that, child. They can not hurt you. 

 "Oh, but they do, Johonaa'ei," she said softly. "They do." 

 When he finished a short time later, Johonaa'ei moved around so that he could see her face. 

 "You can not change what happened to you. It was something that no one should have been made to suffer. But if you do not get past it, this man Lewis will have won." 

 "He did win. He took everything from me." 

 "Are you talking about Adam?" 

 Sam gasped when he spoke the name of her son out loud. 

 "How do you know about Adam," she cried as she pulled away from him. Suddenly all of her fears came slamming back into her. She wrapped her arms about her and bowed over almost as if she was in physical pain. "I never told you about him. I never told anyone. Even after everything Lewis did to me, I never spoke his name out loud." 

 Sam staggered to her feet and began looking wildly about her for a way to escape. 

 "You lied to me. All this time, you've been lying about wanting to help me. You just wanted to trick me into talking about Adam!" "No, Samantha, you're wrong. My grandfather is a good man," Moon Dancer cried. 

 But she was beyond hearing what the boy said. Sam pushed past him and started moving as fast as she could down the rocky trail. 

 She had been a fool to trust him. The one lesson she should have learned by now was that she could trust no one. Sam continued moving as fast as she could on the narrow pathway. Unfortunately, it wasn't too long before every step she took was a struggle. But she pushed on even when she began to stumble almost every other step. She had just caught sight of the creek when she went down again. This time she simply couldn't get up. Sam was still laying there when Johonaa'ei and the boy found her a short time later. 

 Without a word, Johonaa'ei helped her get to her feet. She offered no resistance as he took hold of her arm and started heading back to the cave. Sam silently walked between him and the boy with her head down. She was beaten. She would no longer fight against whatever they had in store for her. Hopefully she would die before the pain became unbearable. 

 When they reached the cave, Johonaa'ei guided her back to the stool she had vacated when she took off. Sam sat. When he placed his hand on her shoulder she flinched violently but still did not speak. 

 "When Moon Dancer first found you, you called him Adam. This is how I knew the name."  

He could feel her trembling beneath his hand but she still would not speak. 

 "He heard you speak to Lewis about a child." 

 "There is no child," she said. Although her voice sounded dead, he could feel her trembling increase and knew that she was lying. 

 "If that were true, you would not be fighting so hard to protect him." 

 Sam's head snapped up and her eyes were full of hated and pain as she glared at him. 

 "I will tell you what I told Lewis over and over again. His baby is dead. I killed it." 

 Moon Dancer gasped. Sam couldn't bring herself to look at him. 

 "You would have died yourself before you injured your child," Johonaa'ei said. "You nearly did trying to protect him." He watched as her tightly held control finally slipped. 

 "Oh God, I couldn't do it," she sobbed. "I wanted to. Lewis raped me until he impregnated me and then he forced me to carry his child. When I escaped, I vowed I would kill the baby as soon as he was born. But once I saw him, I just couldn't do it. Adam was mine." 

 "And now Lewis wants him." 

 "Yes, and I won't let that happen. I tried to convince him that I had kept my word, that I'd killed his son, but he didn't believe me." 

 "Where is Adam now?" 

 Sam had forgotten that the boy was there. She shouldn't have spoken so freely in front of him. 

 "He's safe," she said. "A man named Jeff Faraday found us both wandering in the woods down in Mexico soon after I gave birth. He bought us back to his home in Whispering Ranch and cared for us both." 

 Moon Dancer reached out and took hold of her hand.  

"You must miss Adam very much." 

 "I just want this all to be over," she cried. "I'm so tired of being afraid. I want my baby. I want to hold my son and never let him go. I want to take him home. But I can't do that. I can never go to him until Lewis is dead." 

 Sam gave into the despair that had become such an overwhelming force in her life. She fell into Johonaa'ei's outstretched arms and cried until she thought she had no more tears and still she continued to sob. Moon Dancer kept her hand clutched tightly in his own. 

 The sun had nearly set by the time Sam's heartbroken sobs had stilled. 

 "I will go down the mountain tomorrow morning and make contact with this Jeff Faraday," Johonaa'ei told her. "He needs to know that you are safe and being cared for. I will also find out how your child is faring. Perhaps that will bring you some small measure of comfort." 

 "Thank you," Sam said as she moved out of the warm comfort of his arms. "I said before that I had lost everything. I was wrong. I have you and I have Moon Dancer." 

 "And one day soon, you will have Adam back," he told her. "I pledge this to you." 

"I think it's time you joined me." 

 Lewis sat up in his bed and smiled. 

 "I have been waiting to hear those words for three days now, Steve," he said. "I will be there within the hour." 

 "By tonight Sloan Parker will be ours." 

 "Mine," Lewis said with a smile. He still remembered the taste and scent of her. The few short moments they had shared before he escaped from the prison she had help send him too hadn't been nearly enough. He wondered if she still wore the pendant that he'd placed around her neck. He wondered if she knew what it meant. 

 "I'll call ahead and make sure Jake and Mike have everything prepared at our new place," he told Steve. 

 "Have you heard anything from Harry yet?" 

 "He found Triana's remains in Attwood's lab just as I expected. He removed them and her body is now on its way back to her hometown. I arranged for her to be buried alongside her mother and her two siblings." 

 "I'll make a point to visit Conroe before heading back home," Steve said. "I've always liked Texas." 

 "And Triana's remaining womb sister Milar if what I hear is true." 

 Lewis found it pleasing to blindside Steve every once in a while with information the younger man thought was not general knowledge. The trainee was entirely too sure of himself sometimes. 

 "I'm sure she will need comforting now that she is the sole remaining Edwards offspring," Steve said with a false note of bravado in his voice. It was obvious to Lewis that he was struggling to regain his equilibrium. Yes, it was important to keep Morris a little off balance every now and then. It would keep him sharp. 

 After making sure that Steve had all the necessary supplies to complete their operation, Lewis hung up and quickly pulled on some clothes. Moments later he left his hotel room and headed for his car. As previously arranged, he parked his car a couple of blocks away from the motel where Sloan and the others were holed up. He made his way to Steve's van and slipped inside unnoticed. 

 "Sloan and the unidentified man they've been traveling with left a short time ago. It's the first time she's been out of the room with only one escort. I thought it was our best chance to grab her." 

 Lewis had been wondering just who the forth man in their group was. Perhaps it was fortunate that he would be swept up along with Sloan. 

 "You did right to call me," he told Steve. "By this evening we should be able to start our plan in motion. Samantha will be back among us before too long and this time she'll tell me where my son is." 

"No, I'm sure absolutely sure these things have no nutritional value," Sloan laughed. 

 "Well, maybe not," Jeff argued as he popped another cheese puff into his mouth. "But damn, they taste good." 

 The two had just completed a supply run to the local food store and were on their way back to their motel. Sloan had been feeling restless and since Tom was involved in something with Ed and Ray, Jeff volunteered to go with her to the store. Jeff had teased her mercilessly about her total lack of junk food savvy as they moved up and down the aisles. 

 "Let me taste another one. Maybe I was too hasty in my judgement," Sloan said as she held out her hand. 

 Jeff smiled as he placed one of the orange puffs on the palm of her small hand. She popped it into her mouth and slowly began to chew. 

 "Well, I guess you could grow used to this kind of greasy, crunchy flavor." 

 "Slug them down with a nice cold beer and you have your own little piece of heaven." He just laughed when she rolled her eyes. 

 In reply, she held out her hand for more puffs. Jeff obliged her new found vice and they traveled along in comfortable silence. 

 "How much longer are we going to waste searching in and around Phoenix proper for Sam," he suddenly asked. "We both know that she isn't here." 

 "I think Tom and Ed are going to talk to us about that when we get back," Sloan told him. "We've just about finished here I think." 

 "So where do we go now?" 

 "Back to where we started I think," she said slowly. 

 "To Camelback?" 

 "Yes. I think we should take a look at those Indians you told us about. If they found Sam they may be hiding her up in the mountains." 

 "It makes sense when you think about it," Jeff said slowly. "She would have needed treatment and we know for a fact that she wasn't seen in any of the hospitals here. The Navajo's take care of their own. They have great faith in their healers." 

 "Then as soon as we get back I think I'll push a little for a quick departure." 

 They pulled into the nearly deserted motel parking lot a few minutes later. Jeff headed back to the trunk while Sloan gathered up the newspapers they'd bought from the front seat. 

 "Hey having some trouble back there," she laughed when she heard him drop one of the bags. An apple came rolling out from behind one of the rear tires. Sloan scooped it up and then walked to the back of the car. She was just about to scream when she felt a burning sting at the base of her neck. As she slowly fell to the ground she had one last moment of total clarity. Jeff lay sprawled half in and half out of the trunk. A man was hauling him up and dragging him toward a nearby van. As she dropped to her knees, Sloan looked up at the man who suddenly came around in front of her. 

 "Lewis?" 

 His cruel smile was the last thing she saw before the blackness overtook her.