PART 7

Lee watched uneasily as his old rival reentered the piano bar and made his way over to Paula, leaning down to say something in her ear. Lee's eyes narrowed and he pushed himself away from the wall, and headed down the hallway Don had just exited. There, he found entrances, not only to the ladies and the mens rooms, but also to the kitchen area. There was also a hidden side exit from the building.

Grabbing the arm of a waitress headed toward the kitchen, Lee explained that his date had gone in the restroom a few minutes ago to wipe off her skirt and asked if she would go and check on her. With a shrug, the waitress did as requested, only to return a moment later to inform him that the ladies room was empty.

Looking at the exit door, Lee saw that it was an emergency exit with an alarm on it, which meant that Amanda couldn't have left that way without setting off the alarm. He knew she hadn't come past him, which left only the kitchen area. Pushing open the door, he entered the area to look around, ignoring the various protests that he couldn't be in there. Amanda was nowhere to be seen. Suddenly, he spotted the waiter who had served them earlier.

"Hey, kid . . . uh, David?" he called.

David looked up from where he was placing prepared plates onto a tray. "Yeah?"

"Have you seen Mrs. King?" Lee asked, feeling the eyes of several workers focused on him. He felt fairly stupid asking the question. Like customers regularly waltzed through the kitchen, but where else could she have gone? Maybe he missed another exit in the hallway. He was halfway out the door before the waiter's short answer of 'yup' registered in his mind, causing him to whip back around to confront the kid.

"You've seen her? Recently?" he questioned, pinning David with his eyes.

"Yeah, sure," the waiter answered. "She came through here just a short while ago, some guy who said he was a doctor, practically carrying her. She wasn't feeling very well, so he took her outside for some air." He motioned to an open door that led outside.

Lee quickly crossed the kitchen, almost colliding with a waitress carrying a loaded tray. "Sorry," he muttered as he skirted around her to take a look out the back door. "Where is she then?" he questioned, his concern evident in his voice.

David came over and looked out the door. "That's funny," he told Lee. "I helped the Doctor place her inside a white limo. He said it was cooler there and would help her to feel better. I'm sure he said he was going to go fetch her date, and that would be you." David was clearly as stumped as Lee.

"Did the limo have a driver in it?" Lee asked, his agitation showing.

David raked his fingers through his hair, trying to remember. "Yeah, I'm sure it did," he informed Lee. "Is there a problem? Has something happened to Mrs. King?" he asked, looking worried for the first time.

"It better not have!" was Lee's staccato reply as he turned on his heel and abruptly left the kitchen area, a slight tick beating in his jaw. He headed directly for the piano bar, only to find that Don wasn't there anymore. Turning, he pushed through the people in the entrance area and banged the door open with his palms. Exiting the building, he looked around trying to find Creager's hiding spot. If he was true to form, he would be lying-in-wait somewhere to witness the devastation of this latest escapade. Lee knew it had to be Don. The look on his face earlier was a dead giveaway. "You'd think the guy would have grown up over time," he grumbled under his breath.

Taking a deep breath to calm himself, Lee once again began searching the area slowly with his eyes, taking special care to seek out every crack and crevice where a man might tuck himself away. Suddenly, he spotted his nemesis standing in a darkened doorway across the street, a look of pure glee on his face. The glee turned to gloating as he saw Lee making his way across the street. "What did you do with Amanda?" The venom in Lee's voice along with the rage in his eyes should have warned the other man to tread warily, but it didn't.

"Oh, I just sent her on a little ride in the country!" Don said, smirking at Lee. "Same as you did me that time in Istanbul. Only, I told the driver to bring her back in a couple of hours, which is more than you did for me. I spent three days trying to get back to the city!" he reminded Lee.

Lee just stared at the other man, not sure he had heard correctly. With no warning, his hands shot out and grabbed the other man by the shirt, shoving him up against the door. "You did what?" The quiet rage in his voice, finally got through to the other man, who lost his smirk rather quickly.

"Hey, come on pal, it was only a little joke." Don tried to pacify Lee. "I owed you one for that last time. The time you ended up with Paula. You did recognize her tonight, didn't you? Tall, green eyes, red hair . . . my fiancee."

Lee had the grace to look slightly ashamed at his previous behavior. The whole thing with Paula had just been a game. A game which she had been delighted to play at the time. Their affair had lasted for about two weeks, then some new guy had caught her attention and she had flitted off in that direction with Lee's hearty approval.

"That was more than ten years ago, old pal," Lee gritted each word through his clenched teeth. "It had absolutely nothing to do with Amanda. Now where did you take her?" He accented each word in his last sentence by slamming Don against the doorway.

"Hey, ease up, man! I told you I had the driver take her on a little scenic tour, that's all. I swear. He'll bring her back in a couple of hours."

"And you expect me to sit here and wait around hoping that he brings her back, old buddy? No dice, now where exactly is this scenic tour taking place?" Lee gritted.

"Come on, Lee stop pounding me against the wall . . .Skyline Drive! Okay? He took her for a drive up on Skyline Drive. He'll bring her back!" Don was trying to shove Lee away, but Lee's hold wasn't budging. "Hey, come on, let go! I told you what you wanted to know!"

"That was only for starters, chum! Now you're gonna tell me what you gave her to make her go with you. I know Amanda, and she wouldn't have gone without a fight. The waiter inside said you were almost carrying her . . . so what did you give her, buddy!" Lee spit out the last word as if it were totally repulsive to him. And it was, he couldn't believe that he used to be friends with this jerk.

"Geez, nothing that would hurt her, and I didn't even give her a full dose."

Lee was barely hanging onto the little bit of patience he had left. He was half a second from pounding the Neanderthal into the pavement. "What did you give her?" he repeated the question with barely leashed rage, slamming Don up against the door again and then leaning his body on him.

"Ease up, man! It was just a little experimental pill I picked up over in Europe. You use it like knockout drops, usually dissolving a couple in a drink. I just placed a half of one in her mouth and held onto her until it dissolved. It just made her a bit groggy before she passed out. She won't even remember when she wakes up. It won't hurt her."

"You frightened and manhandled her, you gave her an experimental drug, and then you put her in a car and let it drive away? And you expect me to ease up?" By now Lee's voice was hard and filled with more anger than his former friend had ever heard.

Seeing the dangerous glint in Lee's eyes, Don swallowed convulsively, "I don't know why you're getting so mad, it's the same thing you did to me, right before you sent me on that one-way trip to nowhere."

"I repeat, that was more than ten years ago. It was between you, Paula and me. Amanda didn't have anything to do with it. If anything happens to her, I'm gonna hunt you down and even your own mother won't recognize you when I'm through. Now tell me about the car she's in!"

After getting the information he needed, Lee started to loosen his hold on the other man, and then changed his mind. Hanging onto the other mans shirt with one hand, he delivered a solid punch to Don's jaw. Then, lifting him up off the ground, threw him across the sidewalk as hard as he could. It wasn't the same as beating the tar out of the guy, but it helped ease a little of his frustration. Turning, he strode toward where he had left his car parked.

As he swung his car onto the turnoff that would put him on Skyline Drive, Lee was still fuming. The white limo Don had told him about had quite a lead on him. And there was always the possibility that the driver hadn't followed his instructions, considering Don had only rented the car for the evening. As soon as he hit a long stretch of road, he gunned it, hoping there were no cops around. The road was deserted as far as he could tell with not another car in sight. He couldn't help but be worried. Of all the stupid stunts for a grown man to pull, this had to take the cake.

He was beginning to think that the driver hadn't followed instructions or had turned off on one of the side roads when he saw a tiny flicker of what could possibly be taillights up ahead of him. As he got a bit closer, he sighed in relief. It was a white limo. How many white limos would be cruising the area at this time of night, or any time for that matter? Then he noticed that the other car was slowing down to turn off into a side road. This wasn't part of the assignment given to the driver and Lee felt his adrenaline begin to pump even faster as several possibilities for the change in plans sped through his mind.

As he neared the spot where the white car had turned off, he slowed down. Turning off his lights, he prayed that it wasn't so dark that he wouldn't be able to see where to drive. He coasted past the entrance to the road so he could look down it. Just as he had feared, the driver had only traveled about 200 feet down the road, before pulling the car to a stop. Lee could see the taillights. Turning off his dome light, he opened his door as silently as he could and slid out, closing it quietly. Keeping to the side of the road, he stealthily began to make his way toward the other car. He had traveled only a few feet when the limo door opened and the driver hauled himself out. Taking time to adjust his clothing a bit, he then sauntered back to open the door to the passengers' area.

Lee was quietly edging his way closer when he saw the man suddenly bend down to peer more closely into the passenger compartment, then stand back up, looking over the top of the car. A slight noise, like the skittering of stones, could be heard in the bushes bordering the road. Uttering an expletive, the man scowled, before slamming the door shut and marching around the back of the car to the other side.

Lee smiled as he realized that the door on the opposite side of the car was hanging open. 'Good job, Amanda,' he thought as he realized that she had somehow managed to get out of the car and hide herself in the brush. Lee hoped that he could get to the man before she was found. He also hoped that she wasn't so disoriented by the drug that she managed to get lost in the woods herself.

He could hear the man moving about in the brush, cursing and calling out. One minute he was telling her he was going to help her and the next telling her what he was going to do when he found her. Lee figured it would be fairly easy to track the guy with all the noise he was making.

He was directly behind the car, when a movement on the driver's side caught his attention, and he saw Amanda roll out from under the car. Changing his direction, he headed straight for her, trying not to startle her. She was crouched beside the driver's seat, checking the vehicle for keys, when Lee reached her. He must have made some sort of sound, or perhaps she sensed his presence, because she whirled around, almost falling over due to her precarious position.

Her eyes were wide with fright and if Lee hadn't reached out and quickly put his hand over her mouth she would have screamed. "Amanda, it's Lee," he told her in a whisper. She nodded her understanding, relaxing against his hand. Removing his hand, he crouched down beside her, so they were both hidden by the car, should the driver look in that direction. "Are you okay?" he asked quietly, looking her over intently in the glow the dome light was emitting.

"I think so," she whispered, her voice rather shaky and slow from the combined effects of the drug and her fright. "The keys are gone!" she told him with concern.

"It doesn't matter," he assured her taking hold of her hand. "My car is just down the road. Come on," he urged, feeling the need to get her away from the area even though the other man's voice was still moving away from them.

"Just a minute," Amanda tugged her hand loose and edged her way to the back tire, fumbling with the air cap. Lee grinned at her ingenuity, and quickly bent to help her, realizing that letting the air out of the tire would take a bit more coordination than she had at the moment.

Using the car as cover, they then slipped just far enough into the woods on their side that they couldn't be easily seen should the driver decide to come back to his car. Her white skirt would have been like a flag giving away her location otherwise. They had to move slowly, Lee helping Amanda who was unsteady on her feet. It only took a few minutes for Lee to get her back to the car and help her in.  

He gave a moments thought to heading back to thrash the driver to within an inch of his life for what he had obviously intended to do, but decided against it. Should anything happen to him, Amanda would be left to cope with the situation alone. While under ordinary circumstances, he would back her ability to outwit the driver any day, he wasn't willing to take any chances with her safety considering her current condition.

They headed back toward D.C., Lee casting concerned glances at Amanda, wishing he had put a few more bruises on Don. She hadn't spoken since he had helped her into the car and she kept giving her head a little shake as if trying to throw off the effects of the drug. He pulled into the drive-thru of the first fast food restaurant he saw and ordered her some coffee, hoping the caffeine would help. Parking the car in a corner of the restaurant lot, he opened the coffee and handed it to her. "Here, see if this helps," he told her quietly.

Her hands were shaking so badly that she was having trouble holding the cup, so he reached over and cupped his hands over hers to help her. She lifted grateful eyes to his. "Thanks," she whispered before taking a sip of the hot coffee, letting its warmth run through her. She took a couple more small sips before pushing it back toward him. He took the cup and placed it out of harms way.

"What happened? Why would someone do this?" she asked him the last thing he wanted to answer. How did he tell someone like Amanda about what a jerk he use to be? How the excitement and thrill of the chase had just been a game with the winner being the one who got the girl? In her world, people were real, they had feelings and dreams that were important and you didn't play games with their emotions.

Little by little over the past couple of years, she had drawn him into her world and around to her way of thinking. He saw so many things differently now. He noticed so many more little nuances in the behavior of the people around him. They had become real to him. He had become real. All in all, it made him much better at his job. But how did he explain to Amanda that she had been caught up in a childish game of one-upmanship? What if exposing this part of himself caused her to lose faith in him? He had come to realize how important to him her unwavering faith was when he had accidentally slapped her during a case, months ago.

At that moment, seeing the look in her eyes, he hadn't cared if he blew the entire case, as long as he regained her trust.

She had forgiven him then, and once again last night she had forgiven him for his callous treatment of her this past week, but would this be the proverbial straw. She had been grabbed and drugged, shanghaied out of town and who knew what would have happened if he hadn't been able to find her. Would the explanation prove too much, even for her unbelievable capacity to understand and forgive?

"Lee?" her softly questioning voice drew his attention away from his thoughts.

The outside lights cast a soft illuminating glow around the interior of the car, and he looked her over carefully. Her voice was sounding steadier and he could see that her eyes had lost that hazy drugged look. Reaching out, he ran the back of his finger gently down the side of her face, before reaching down to draw one of her hands into his. She was so incredibly beautiful. He wanted to kiss her right then and there, but knew that this was neither the time nor the place. "How much do you remember?" he asked her, drinking in the sight of her as if it were the last time he would be allowed to do so.

Amanda tilted her head upward and bit her lip, trying to remember. "Not much," she finally admitted, looking at him in bewilderment. "One minute I was on my way out of the ladies room, and the next someone was pushing me back inside, shoving something in my mouth and holding it there. I think it was that guy you used to work with, but I'm not sure . . . my mind just seems to be a big fog from there."

She shrugged her shoulders delicately, looking at him with gently beseeching eyes as if he could confirm the details for her. "The next thing I remember is being in that car right before it pulled to a stop." Her confusion was evident, her eyes imploring him to fill in the missing parts of her memory.

Taking a deep breath and praying for the right words, Lee started to slowly fill in the gaps for her. At least the ones he knew. He apologized in almost every other sentence for what she had been through. He was able to assure her that nothing disastrous had happened to her person during the time she had been blacked out, because David had escorted her and Don to the car, and he himself had been on the road fairly soon after that. The distance the car had traveled before Lee could catch up with it proved that it had been moving until the time the driver pulled off, which Amanda remembered.

She hadn't spoken a word while he explained things. A multitude of emotions had crossed her face, although, the last of which was relief. And somewhere during his discourse she had gently disengaged her hand from his. "If you want, we can press charges against both Don and the driver," he informed her when he was finished. He knew that regardless of her decision he was going to file a formal complaint with Don's superiors. He was also going to ensure that the limo driver's license was pulled and that he never drove in the DC area again.

"Can I think about that?" she asked, sounding tired of the whole situation. "I don't want them to get away with something like this, but right now I really just want to go home and pretend it never happened," she confessed honestly.

Lee felt as if his heart had stopped beating and time stood still while he searched her eyes, fearing the worst. "The whole evening?" he questioned hesitantly, "or just this last part?" If he lost Amanda through this, then there wouldn't be any place on the planet where Creager would be safe from his wrath.

Amanda looked at him, sensing his uncertainty. The evening had certainly been full of a lot of twists and surprises, but the most surprising of all to her were the glimpses of insecurity that she had witnessed in Lee. He was always so self-possessed, so sure of himself and where he stood with everyone that it startled her to realize that he felt unsure of their relationship.

She, herself, was struggling with the current standing of their relationship. They seemed to have taken a step toward something more than friendship, but she wasn't sure. Was it possible that Lee was as unsure of her as she was of him?

She looked his face over carefully, searching for some sign of his feelings. The only conclusion she could come up with was that he was afraid this evening's stunt had somehow damaged their relationship, whatever that might now be.

"Just this last part, Lee," she reassured him, "And maybe a few other parts as well," she added honestly. "But the time we spent together, I wouldn't change. It was beautiful ... " She was trying to remember the words he had used earlier that evening. "It was really special!" she concluded softly, smiling up into his eyes. "And stop blaming yourself for what Don did. It wasn't your fault. We all did stupid things when we were younger. But we grew up and are hopefully not only older, but wiser. It's not your fault that he never matured . . . so quit blaming yourself, okay?"

She reached over and caressed his arm, "Lee . . . you're one of the best friends I have ever had, and nothing is going to change that. Not a stupid stunt someone else pulled and certainly not something you did years ago. We're not the same people we were back then, but we wouldn't be the people we are today without our past experiences and . . . I really like who you are today. You're a good friend and a very special man. I feel as if I have been blessed by being able to know you." She smiled inside as she watched the uncertainty fade from his eyes to be replaced by a warm glow.

Lee found himself marveling at the woman beside him. She was incredible. Bringing up his hand, he allowed himself to caress the side of her face. "Amanda King, you can't possibly be as blessed as I am," he returned the compliment, leaning toward her, searching her eyes for any signs of rejection.

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