Shelby drove straight to Dan's house after leaving Gabby with her father. Dan opened the door for her at the first knock and invited her in. As they walked into the living, she said, "How's he?"

"Terrible. He couldn't sleep. He kept saying he killed her. He's not himself. When he asked for tea at 2:00 A.M., I spiked it. He passed out and hasn't woken up since." He narrated how he had drugged the reluctant Ethan last night to sleep.

Shelby sighed. "I've got a plan to get Ronnie back."

"Good, because right now that's the only thing that would calm him down. How did Terry's husband take the news?"

She walked to a couch and told him Eddie's reaction upon hearing his wife was dead. "He handled it quite well, didn't say much. I'm sure he was overwhelmed."

Dan said, "I still can't believe she's-"

"Me neither." She swallowed hard, then said, "Terry's death should teach all of us a lesson. Clinton and Admiral Peterson are very dangerous. Without a proper plan, people will die. I told him that but he didn't listen."

"Ethan is stubborn. He never listens. What's your plan?"

Shelby leaned forward and walked him through her plan.

#. #. #

In the dense garden, Dan lay on his stomach on the floor, looking into the lens of his binoculars. The panoramic windows of the penthouse were transparent and from his stance, he saw Clinton speaking with someone on the phone. After Shelby had told him her plan, they had formulated it and blueprinted Clinton's penthouse. Then they shared the parts each would play and left Ethan asleep to execute it.

Clinton was moving close to the windows and staring into the manicured lawn. He seemed concerned with whatever the person on the line was telling him. Ten minutes later, he was emerging from the front door, holding a briefcase. Dan said into the listening bug in his ear, "He's on the move."

"Copy," Shelby said.

Clinton talked to the guard on the porch, then walked a distance to his SUV shining in the rays of the sun. He directed his keys toward the rear and hit a button. Pushing the briefcase into his left hand, he used the right hand to open the door, stepped inside the passenger seat, and unbuckled the seat belt.

He hadn't shoved the keys into the ignition when his eyes caught the reflection of someone supposed to be dead.

"Surprised to see me?"

His eyes widened. Swiftly, he jerked his hand into the glove compartment and hastily pulled out his gun. He didn't get time to ready it for use when he felt the muzzle of a firearm on his head. Shelby cocked her pistol, said, "Drop it," and moved forward from the back seat.

Taken by shock, Clinton blinked it off and let go of the gun. Boastfully he said, "You can't kill me. If I die Ethan will never find-"

She hit the butt across his head so hard he passed out in seconds.

"You talk too much," she muttered, unbuckled him, and shoved him into the other seat. Then she jumped into the driver's seat.

Clinton woke up hours later with a jarring pain affecting half of his head. He tried to move but couldn't. That was when he knew he had been bound. Struggling to free himself would be futile so instead, he sat still for the next minutes, trying to contain his breathing in the hood. He saw darkness, then he heard footsteps. Someone pulled off the hood violently and his head went spinning.

His vision was a little blurry. He blinked hard to see. Different faces were staring at him. Stern faces. It felt like a nightmare. One that he hadn't expected to have.

"Hello, Clinton. It's nice to finally meet you in person," Dan said and planted a punch in his face. "This is for killing Terry." He landed another punch that reddened his cheek "This one is for framing my best friend."

Shelby neared him. "This is how we shall do it. You give us Ethan's son and we'll let you leave."

Clinton put on a frown. For the first time, he felt vulnerable and powerless. He hadn't expected the Miller twin to let him down like this. After he had instructed them to kill Shelby, they called to confirm the kill. He had asked for proof. The older brother had said, "The target was a troublemaker. We had a very tough time with her. She tried to run. I shot her and she fell into the sea."

Clinton had believed him because his associate had assured him about the Miller twin. He had handsomely paid them only to discover they had lied to his face. He felt the betrayal. He wondered if that was how Terry had felt all this while when he had blatantly lied to her face several times.

"What guarantees me you're not going to shoot me immediately after I have the kid released?"

"Because it's a trade. Unlike you, we stick to trade. We don't double-cross."

Clinton looked blankly at Shelby. "You're supposed to be dead. How?"

Shelby smirked. "Let's say the men you hired to kill me were useless."

The insult hit him but he restrained himself. "So I'm supposed to trust you to let me go after I release Ronnie?"

They didn't hear the footsteps in the background.

"You don't have a choice."

"You've got the chance. Why don't you just kill me and end this? I know that's all you want to do."

After he had ended his statement, a gun was placed on his head. He darted his eyes to look at the person holding the weapon.

"I was wondering when you'd show up, Mr. Willows." He guffawed, then said, "Kill me and let's end this."

Ethan cocked the gun. Alarmed, Shelby and Dan looked at him.

"Come on, kill me. That's all you want to do. I know deep within your heart." He wanted to debilitate him emotionally. He knew that little by little he'd succumb to the temptation.

"Terry's death is on you. You kidnapped the poor woman from her house, tortured her, and killed her in the end. I wonder how you'd live with that. Kill me and end it."

His fingers curled up around the trigger, he kept lingering, tears welling up.

"Ethan, don't pay attention to him. He's crazy. Remember this isn't about revenge. You know better than that."

He snapped, "What if I don't?"

"If you pull the trigger, you'll never know where he's hiding your son. Think about it, Ethan. He's got your son. He has the leverage."

He looked at Shelby. "What happens if I get Ronnie back?" He paused, then said, "he gets away with all the crimes he's committed now that we have no way of proving he's involved with the Russian Mafia."

Shelby sighed. "It's a win-win deal. You get your son back, he gets his freedom." She frowned at Clinton.

Ethan gritted his teeth. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't kill him?"

"Because you're not a murderer. You're a good man, and I know you'll do the right thing," Shelby said.

Ethan took the gun off his head. "You got lucky."

Shelby pulled out her cell phone from the back pocket. "Time to make the call."

Clinton looked grudgingly at her, recited a number which she punched hastily, and waited for a receiver. A female voice came through the line. She put it on loudspeaker.

"Mr. Clinton."

"Rayna, it's me. I've been captured."

"What! Tell me where you are."

Clinton went silent and stared hard at them. "No, Rayna. We're making a trade."

"Are you under coercion?"

"Sort of. The fugitive's son for me."

"Sir, you don't have-"

"It's a good deal. I have to."

Shelby whispered the time and place for the trade and he relayed it to Rayna. Shelby said to the receiver, "Any mistake and he's dead. Don't try anything stupid. We're just doing a trade." Then she hung up and put the phone back.

"Time for you to take a nap." She clenched her fist and punched his temple. Clinton fell back, his head tilted to his right and he passed out.

"Damn it, Shelby!" Dan said, furious.

"What?"

"I wanted to do that."

She smirked at him, said, "Maybe some other time," and walked to the kitchen. Dan and Ethan followed her.

Ethan said skeptically, "Do you think he bought it?"

"Well," Dan sighed, "I did. Damn, you're good."

Ethan folded his arms. "I swear, I wanted to pull the trigger and blow his head off."

Shelby remarked. "You did great and I was impressed. Clinton thinks the evidence was destroyed in the blast which gives us another element of surprise.

"If the trade goes successfully, we should get Ronnie back and you'll give the evidence to your journalist friend Jane. Tomorrow by this time, Clinton and Peterson should be in police custody."

Ethan couldn't believe they were finally closing in on this case. He walked to the window, pulled back the drapes, and inhaled the crisp morning air. Yesterday, he had a hard time sleeping. Each time he closed his eyes, he'd seen Terry's face, and the brief moments they'd shared had dominated his mind. He still couldn't believe she died when only the day before, he had rescued her from the men Clinton sent to kill her. He failed Terry. And he couldn't forgive himself.

Running a hand through his hair, he said, "What happens to me now?"

"Nothing," Shelby replied.

"I kidnapped a judge, broke into people's homes, scared them, and even stole cars." He remembered all the fiascos.

"I will put in a good word for you, tell the President you assisted in exposing Clinton, and his accomplice and I'm sure he'll cut you some slack."

"Thanks for everything. I should have listened to you from the very start and perhaps Terry would still be here with us."

She sensed he was still feeling qualms about Terry's death. "What you did was stupid, but you got us evidence to expose Clinton and Peterson and even a crime syndicate that has been in operation for years. The Russian Mafia. After this, a formal investigation will be opened on them."

"It caused an innocent woman's life."

"Yes it did, but you have to know Terry died a heroine. Her death is the main reason you're still here. If you'd gone alone, Clinton would have made sure you died on that spot."

"I know."

"Then stop beating yourself over her death. You didn't kill her. Clinton did. Always know that."