Kneeling next to the set, Max placed a hand on it wishing he could calm her fears. His were mounting by the second.

“Please, Max... Help me.” Gorman’s mocking voice squeaked.

Janet’s attention focused on the right of the camera. Max heard a door open and the sound of footsteps descending wooden stairs. She attempted to back away, but the chains restricted her movement.

“You!” she said to Gorman when he approached.

Max moved away from the set and leveled his gun, desperate to put a hole in the man who appeared on screen.

“You picked the wrong patient, Miss O’Brien. You really should be more careful about the strays you take home.”

Gorman reached out and cupped her chin, she jerked away, but he captured her head again, this time Max saw his fingers biting into her skin. “I see why you wanted her.”

“Leave her!”

Gorman moved in closer. Janet’s eyes, wide with fear, watched his every move. “I’m going to enjoy her, Ritter. And you will watch while I make her mine.”

Max needed to get to her. His mind raced to stall Gorman so he had a fighting chance. “I’m surprised, Gorman. It’s rather chicken shit of you, doing this through a camera. I see why it is you haven’t elevated in your ranks.”

Gorman’s arm tensed, his eyes swayed to the camera focused on him.

Max kept talking. “Then again, it’s like you to keep your enemies far away. We wouldn’t want your men to see how inept you are in a fight... Would we?”

He dropped her chin and walked toward the camera. “You want to be close enough to smell her fear?” One cheek lifted in a leering smile. “That can be arranged. First, you need to call off your dogs. Starting with your brother parked across the street.”

Max did his best to keep his surprise at bay. “And?”

“Once I know you’re not being followed I will call you.”

“How do I know you won’t harm her?”

Gorman turned to his prey, his back to the camera. Max watched as the bastard walked straight up to Janet and raked his hand across her breast. “Oh, I’ll harm her, Ritter. If you’re lucky I’ll wait until you can stand as witness. When I’m done, she’ll be my bitch. Not yours.”

“Hurry!” Janet pleaded.

“Tick, tock... The sun is setting. Run along now and do as I said.”

****

“Don’t follow me,” Max demanded, doing his best to hide the gnawing fear in his gut.

“It’s a set up and you know it,” Richard argued.

“Gorman wants to get to me. If I can hold him off until I get there I have a chance of saving her.”

Richard glared at his brother. “Call me when he gives you an address.”

“Have the others track when the moon rises.” Max turned to leave.

“I hate this!” Richard yelled after him.

Instead of turning around and adding a comment. Max ran to his car and took off.

Before long a dark non-descript four-door sedan followed Max’s trail. His phone rang.

“Let’s see how well you follow directions, Ritter.”

He listened while Gorman gave him a set of directions and an address.

Grateful to have something, Max breathed a small sigh of relief before turning onto the freeway and hitting the gas.

“One more thing,” Gorman said before hanging up.

“What?”

“Toss your phone out the window. Make sure my man can see you or the deal is off.”

Shit! Max slowed down until Gorman’s goon practically kissed the bumper of the Ferrari. He rolled down the window, waved his arm on the outside of it, and then dropped the cell to the pavement.

Once he was cut off from Gorman, Max opened up the Italian sports car and sped to his destination.

He only had an hour.

****

Racking her brain to find the hidden meaning in the words that were said, Janet clung to the chains that bound her to the wall.

Gorman paced the room, somewhat oblivious of her presence. His demeanor reminded her of every psych patient she had ever taken care of. His eyes twitched, his hands shook and the mumbling of meaningless phrases that escaped his lips kept Janet’s mouth shut. The last thing she needed was for him to go off.

Even his clothing was crazy. A three-piece, pin-striped suit stood out of place in the filthy room. It reminded her of every bad mafia movie she’d ever seen. The only thing missing was a horrible accent and an Italian name.

Max knew this man. They were enemies with a score to settle and somehow she was caught in the middle of their feud.

He should have told her the danger she was in. Then again, maybe Max had used her to bait Gorman. She tried to change her thoughts, tried to believe Max incapable of such a horrible deed. But she couldn’t.

Janet wanted to weep with the injustice of her position. She had trusted Max, in less than two days found comfort in his arms with a desire to stay with him. If she didn’t know any better, she would swear she had let a small portion of her heart love him. Now her foolish behavior had her chained to a wall, her life threatened by the man pacing the room.

Stupid! I’m so damned stupid.

Gorman suddenly stopped and stared out the small window. Tremors spiked up her spine.

The sun was low on the horizon that brought a new fear to the surface. Once darkness fell, the basement would be pitch black. Janet remembered the full moon and was thankful that at least the glow of it would illuminate some of the space.

“He’s here,” said Gorman.

How he knew, Janet couldn’t tell. She saw and heard nothing.

He swung at her and bent close to her ear, his breath, foul. “I think I’ll give you two a minute to talk.” Gorman disappeared up the stairs.

The sound of skidding tires outside caught her attention. She heard her name yelled.

Max. Her shoulders slumped in relief despite her earlier thoughts. He was her only hope.

“In here,” she screamed. “I’m in the basement!”

The sound of wood splintering as Max barged in the house above wracked her head. Her heart pounded and her breath was once again difficult to control. She knew Gorman watched and wouldn’t let them walk away. But perhaps Max could break her free of the chains and give her a chance to escape.

Tears streamed down her face when Max appeared at the top of the stairs. He bounded down them in two leaps before coming to her side.

“Get me out of here,” she pleaded.

Max lifted his hand to her cheek and wiped at her tears. “Oh, Janet. I’m so sorry.”