Shelby Willet slowly came into consciousness and whipped her head around the place she had found herself. Half of her head ached so much she thought she had hit it against a hard object. She stared down at the cold floor and jerked when she saw spatters of blood. She swiftly placed her fingers on her head. She touched something watery. It had a light feel. Blood? But how?

She brought her fingers to her eyes and confirmed it was blood. She was bleeding. Shelby tried to recall anything that had happened before she ended up there. She remembered talking with Terry and Dan about Ethan, and how he'd tricked her into believing he was on her side and taken off abruptly. Then she ended the call and instructed for a car from her bureau.

She remembered also being attacked by a gunman wearing a ski mask. How did she end up here? And where was here?

Trying to solve the mystery, she lifted herself from where she was sitting, sensing pain in her head. Shelby was certain she had taken a blow there. Which explained why it throbbed a lot. At least she was glad she wasn't bound to anything. Her movement wasn't restricted.

She staggered to a chair, slumped in it, and spent the next minutes catching her breath, which she stopped when a device began to vibrate. Shelby rose from the chair. Passing across the empty room and searching for the device was hell, because every step she took, meant another moment to endure pain in her body.

She managed to shake the pain off temporarily and found the cell phone lying on the only table in the room. She picked it, answered the call, and said, "Hello! Who's this?"

"Shelby Willet. You're awake. It's good to know that."

The sound of his voice shocked her to the core. Stifling the urge to yell at him, she muttered, "What did you do to me, Clinton?"

"Let's say I had you kidnapped."

Her heart racing, Shelby started running across the room from window to window, desperately looking for a way out. She stopped behind a square-shaped opening, peered yearningly out, and into a port where large containers had been arranged. She saw a couple of uniformed men unloading cargo. She shifted her eyes eastward. A white minivan was parked close to the pier.

Returning to her caller, she said, "My disappearance will rouse interest. The bureau will search for me if they don't find me in the next seven hours."

"Which is why in the next seven hours your body will be discovered in your house. It'd look like a robbery gone bad. Nobody will suspect a foul play and because I'm the Attorney General, I'll make sure the news doesn't make a headline."

Shelby could hardly believe her ears. She chewed on Clinton's diabolic plan to end her life. After everything registered, she knew she had to escape.

"My men were instructed to give you a swift death. No pain. It's to show you how merciful I can be. I should be unleashing my wrath on you for betraying your country and assisting the enemy."

"The only thing I did was to save an innocent man you framed from death row. If you had a problem with that, we could have settled it nicely like civilized people. You didn't need to abduct me."

In a snarky tone, she said, "You're a coward. You can't even face a woman."

"I'd rather save my energy for pressing matters than go after a misguided director. Your misdeed is what put you in this situation. Ethan Willows is a threat and I'm sad you still can't see that."

She laughed. "He's a threat to you because you're afraid he might expose you and Admiral Peterson. I know all about your criminal activities. Your cup is off."

"Unfortunately for you, you're not going to live to witness the plan you put into motion. By sundown, everything's going to end. Ethan will be dead and you'll no longer be a threat to me, Shelby Willet."

She pondered on what he meant. Shelby knew he wasn't bluffing. Thinking hard, it dawned on her that Clinton was up to something evil again.

He rudely interrupted her thoughts and said, "I have to go, Shelby." Then he clicked off and she stood stock still in the room, looking blankly at the screen.

I need to get out of here. She thought to herself and replaced the phone on the desk. When she heard footsteps, she started formulating a plan.

The two men Clinton had hired to kill Shelby were fierce looking. Both had acquired long-term criminal records within the course of six years in South Carolina. If you needed someone to take care of your dirty work, then the Miller twin were your guys.

They were known for their ruthless killing of targets. They were also skillful in making the bodies disappear for good without a trace. South Carolina law enforcement organizations had been searching for the Miller twin for years now but each time, they'd eluded them and gotten away. Clinton had contacted them through an associate he knew in the black market.

After his source in the FBI had sent him the information on Agent McConaughey, he had dispatched one of his assets on the field to his house and the killer had brutally assaulted the agent till he divulged information he shouldn't. Luckily for him, a neighbor came rushing into his house after she heard the disturbance and found him on the floor gasping for air. She administered CPR, called the ambulance which arrived moments later and hurried him to the hospital.

When Clinton learned Shelby was the unknown enemy, he ordered the Miller twin to kidnap her and wait for further instructions. The Millers brought Shelby to one of their hideouts in South Carolina and patiently waited as their boss had told them until he called again minutes later. His command had been very specific-kill the hostage.

Armed to the teeth, the twin stomped to the room they'd locked Shelby in the trailer. They entered simultaneously. The hostage was lying on the floor as they had left her. The older walked to the section she lay, crouched over her, said, "Wake up, sleepyhead," and slapped her on the face. There was no movement.

They shared a tense look, then he returned to the hostage. He touched her neck and checked for a pulse. Shelby flickered one eye open. Slowly she moved her left hand to his waistband and in the blink of an eye, snatched his gun. She sprang up, kicked the man who staggered wildly, and pointed the gun at the other man reaching for his weapon.

He took it out and was about to pull the trigger when Shelby cocked hers immediately and said, "Drop it!"

The younger brother let go of the gun.

Rising from the floor, she added, "Kick it away."

He hesitated, then complied.

She aimed the gun at them. "The keys."

None of them was ready to hand it over. Shelby darted her eyes between the two brothers and guessing the older one had the keys, she walked briskly toward him and grabbed his shirt after sticking the gun to his temple. Shaking him violently, she yelled, "The keys!"

He glared at her. Shelby pressed the gun hard on his temple. He put his hand into his back pocket and took them out. Shelby stuck out her palm and he deposited the keys into it.

With a hard look at both of them, she backstepped to the door. She'd have wanted nothing more than to have the nearest Police Department take them into custody, but that would consume time. Clinton had said something about ending everything by sundown and she wouldn't take it very lightly.

She reached the door, kicked it open, and ran out of the room. Certain they wouldn't stand down, she raced down the trailer floor to the door. When she was out, a breeze was blowing. She felt it across her face. The uniformed men she'd seen earlier had left.

Tucking her swaying hair behind both ears, she ran to the van, unlocked it, and hopped inside. The Miller twin stormed out of the trailer and opened fire. Shelby shoved the keys in the ignition. She dodged a bullet before she slammed the accelerator, then veered the van in the opposite direction leading to the nearest road while bullets chased at her.

#. #. #

By sundown, darkness had engulfed the park. A couple was taking a long stroll at the edge, chatting and laughing. Ethan sat in the stolen car with Terry. He drove the car at a uniform speed while surveying the surrounding.

Terry was looking inside the lens of binoculars, trying to spot any sniper Clinton might have purposefully staged at hidden positions. She brought down the device, looked at Ethan, and said, "I don't see anyone, but I've got a feeling there's a sniper somewhere."

Terry stared into the still park and extended her eyes to places that served as underground spots for Clinton's men, but she saw nothing.

She turned to Ethan and he said, "I'm also certain there're men somewhere."

He stared deep into her eyes and saw fear in them. When she had announced her plan to help him get Ronnie back, he'd been surprised and didn't want to bring her to the park. But her plan was clever because Clinton wouldn't expect to see her at his mercy. He prayed the element of surprise would overwhelm Clinton for him to make mistakes.

"There's still time to abort this."

She placed the binoculars on the dashboard. "No, Ethan. I'm your best shot. If you go out there without me, Clinton will kill you instantly."

Although she was right, he still wasn't convinced getting her involved was a wise idea. He had already inflicted pain on her and he didn't want to add more. But then, he thought to himself it was her decision to come along with him. Which he considered very generous of her to sacrifice everything for a child she had never met.

The guilt that had been eating him up was back again. After all the harm he had caused her, she was still willing to help him. His thoughts were interrupted when she said, "Someone's very early."

Ethan stared out through the windowpane. A black sedan was sitting on the vast park. Placing the owner to be Clinton, he stepped on the pedals and accelerated. Distance to the car, he stopped.

"Time to play the scene," Terry said, sticking out his gun to him.

Ethan hesitated. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

"I'm not sure, Ethan. But your son's life is at stake. And right now it's all that matters."

She silenced him with her words. Ethan sighed, took the gun, and gently placed the muzzle on her temple. His mind raced back to the morning he had broken into her house in Charleston. When their eyes had met, he had seen fear in them, but right now none of those were visible. All he saw was a demure woman determined to get his son back at all costs.

For the first time, his hand wavered around a pistol. In the navy, he had been taught how not to lose control of his weapons because the enemy would use that to kill him first. But right now, he had lost control. He didn't feel in charge even with a gun.

He fought back the urge to cancel the mission and focused on what was at stake. The gun stuck to her head, Terry stepped out and Ethan followed, his other hand gripping a folder. Clinton was standing by his car, leaning against the door. His eyes widened as Ethan pushed Terry forward.

"Where's my son?"

Clinton, taken by surprise, blinked rapidly, the scene in front of him too incredulous to contain. He tried not to distract himself as he conferred with one of his assets in the car. A militaristic-looking woman in a dark suit held Dorine who was carrying Ronnie in her arms at gunpoint. At his father's sight, he started whimpering. "Daddy! I wanna go to Daddy!" Dorine restrained his wild movements by sweet talking him.

Seeing his son unscathed, Ethan was satisfied. He took in a deep breath and focused on how to proceed. They weren't the only faction with the element of surprise. Clinton too had his own. Ethan didn't think he'd go along with the trade.

"This is how we'll do it," Ethan said, "you'll let my son and his nanny go and I won't kill Terry." He held up the folder. "I've got the evidence too."

"Mr. Willows," he said, "I must admit you're so full of surprises. Terry's got nothing to do with this. Let her go."

"No. My son and his nanny first. I don't care about Terry. But you do. I will kill her if you don't comply with my terms."

His trick worked because Clinton didn't say anything to refute his statement. He was too smart to expose himself in front of Terry.

Terry cried. "Clinton, please help me. He's crazy. He reappeared at my house and shot Eddie. Please! Clinton! You've got to help me."

"All right, Terry. He wouldn't hurt you. I've got his son."

"Just give him what he wants. I'm begging you." She let the tears which had welled up in her eyes fall slowly.

While Clinton conferred again with the woman, Ethan's phone rang. He got it from his pocket and put it to his ear. "Hello. Who-"

The person cut him off. "Ethan, abort whatever you're doing. It's a trap."

"Shelby?"

She said, panting, "I don't have time to explain. I was captured. Clinton. You can't trust him. Dan's told me everything. I'll be minutes late. Abort it!"

"Got it." He stuffed the phone in his pocket and whispered to Terry. "We need to go. It's a trap. I'll explain in the car."

Clinton glanced at them. "Mr. Willows, I had no intention of trading with you. Goodbye!"

Then several activities happened in the blink of an eye. Clinton snapped his fingers and got inside the sedan with his hostages and asset. He lurched the car from where he had parked and hit the road.

The missile was projected from somewhere. Ethan heard the sound as it traveled across the dark sky to the target.

"Run!" he yelled.

The bomb hit the car. The blast was maddening. It knocked down Terry before she could jump. The concussive impact threw her backward. She flew high, then landed on the ground, and hit her head against a boulder. The explosion spread like wildfire and soon, there was an inferno.