A beast of a man came forward and easily took a large step over the still moaning Larry pinned down by an unconscious Curly. He went right for Cade, but before she could take a swing at him, the last of the triplets came at her. He stood easily at six feet and was nothing but hulking muscle.

"Get her, but just hold her. I want to have this pleasure." Trevor Gaylen stepped forward into the room. He was handsome in a dangerous way in his black suit, his red hair slicked back, but it was the cold of his eyes that worried her.

Annie had seen enough to know she was in trouble. She didn't dare take her eyes off of them, but heard Cade in a battle with Doug the Beast. She tightened her grip on the wood bat. Her slick palms slid over the smooth wood as she brought the bat up and swung with all she had at one huge, s.h.i.+ny, bald head.

It was a great swing. She felt it arching through the air, the momentum of the bat twisting her body. Suddenly she was yanked off her feet. The bat had made contact, but not with his head as she had hoped. He had grabbed the bat with his bare hand and jerked it forward. She was powerless to stop herself from falling forward as he pulled the bat towards him. She lost her balance and fell forward, right into his muscle-bound chest. Strong arms wrapped around her, crus.h.i.+ng her to the point of not being able to even shout to Cade. One of the vices called an arm moved from around her back to grip her hair as she was thrown to the ground.

"Annie!" Cade screamed. She heard the smack of a punch hitting the mark and then Cade cursing.

"Well, now we get to be properly introduced. My name is Trevor Gaylen, and I will be your executioner tonight," he purred in his Scottish brogue. He pulled out a knife from behind his back.

Annie fought for all she had. She pulled until she felt her hair tearing out of her scalp. She tried to kick, punch, bite, anything, but was held unmercifully by Baldy. Pain shot down her shoulder as he kept her on her knees. Trevor walked forward, the knife held casually and confidently at his side until he stood before her.

Annie couldn't hear Cade struggling to get free as the cold knife blade was brought to her neck. It tickled as he slowly ran it along her throat, the hot blood warming the blade as it trickled from the shallow cut across her throat.

"No need to look so terrified, at least not yet. That was just me saying h.e.l.lo," Gaylen laughed as he wiped the bloodied blade across her white t-s.h.i.+rt.

Her head swam as her stomach flipped. Her heart was beating loudly, blocking out almost all other sound. All other sound except heavy panting? She strained her ears to block out Gaylen's threats. There! She heard it again, this time accompanied with a low growl. It was coming from the corner of the room behind her. The sound of large paws running across the hardwood reached her as she saw Gaylen's eyes widen.

She pulled with all her strength against Baldy. He held tight and twisted his hand around her hair, tightening it even more and pulling her to her feet. She was jerked back against him and spotted Cade for one brief moment. He was pinned on the ground by the Beast, fighting to get free. She may just be able to save him yet.

The growl that came from behind her was now near. Baldy finally noticed it and twisted around, sending her cras.h.i.+ng to the floor. Her head was yanked violently back as Baldy raised his arms to s.h.i.+eld off the imminent attack. Justin, teeth bared, purple bow bobbing, leapt into the air. His hairy jowls were pulled back to show an impressive amount of teeth, his hair flowing behind him as he sailed through the air.

Annie felt the moment Baldy released her hair. His arms came up defensively as Justin bit down on his arm. His momentum sent Baldy sprawling to the ground, screaming as Justin continued his a.s.sault. Annie didn't waste any time. She vaulted forward and tackled Gaylen in the midsection.

The knife flew out of his hand and slid along the floor until it bounced off the baseboard as they crashed into the door and landed on the floor. Annie fought to gain the upper hand, but Gaylen beat her to it. She clawed at anything she could and was rewarded with cursing in Gaelic when she raked her nails down the side of his face. The sound only motivated her to continue fighting.

She kicked, bit, and hit anything she could. He managed to roll her so he was straddling her. She felt his full weight on her hips as he brought back his hand to punch her. She lifted her bottom off the floor as fast as she could. It wasn't enough to toss Gaylen off of her, but it was enough to cause him to fall forward. She wrapped her arms around his chest and rolled to her left until they rolled into the wall, neither of them willing to give up control.

She was aware of noise behind her but didn't have time to focus on it. Arms were tangled and legs were intertwined as they fought. Annie felt his breath on her neck and the smooth material of his suit on her legs as she tried to get on top of him.

Suddenly she was free, warm hands were under her arms pulling her off the ground. Baldy! She lashed out with her legs and connected with his knee. "Ow, I'm trying to save you here."

"Cade!" Annie finally let the blinding rage die down and took a look around the room that was now filled with people.

Noodle was cuffing a battered and b.l.o.o.d.y Gaylen. EMT's were seeing to Larry, Moe, Curly and one of the steroidasaurus men. Justin was lying on the bed, his back legs stretched behind him, his head resting on his front paws, his purple bow dangling off to the side of his head as he watched the action going on around the room.

Annie looked around and found that Baldy was backed in the corner, begging d.i.n.ky to get him away from that dog. Justin raised his head and c.o.c.ked it to one side. "Woof!"

"That's it. I'll tell you whatever you want, just get me out of here safely. That dog is the devil!" Justin grinned, his pink tongue licking his lips before laying his head back down on his paws.

"Where's that beast of a man you were fighting with?"

"He's already loaded up in the cruiser. He was very conveniently tossed through a window. Landed right in front of my SUV," Cole said as he strutted into the room wearing his navy blue FBI jacket and black cowboy hat.

"Agent Parker? This isn't your jurisdiction, is it?" Annie asked. She felt her feathers become ruffled at the idea of him moving in on her case.

"No, I'm just helping out the Sheriff's department. The Sheriff is down with a kidney stone so when the 9-1-1 call came in, the switchboard operator called her grandmother Edith, who called Miss Lily who lives next door, who then called Marcy, who in turn called Paige, who told me to get over here, or she'd make the incident with the vacuum cleaner seem like a piece of cake.

"Oh, um, okay?" She had no idea about the vacuum cleaner, but Cade was nodding and clearly understanding the situation. At least he wasn't trying to take her case away from her.

"Excuse me," Cole said as his cell phone rang. He opened it and strode across the room. "Parker. Yes, sir. The FBI will be more than happy to provide any back-up you may need. Sure, I will tell them. Call if there is anything else you need." Cole shut off his phone and turned to the room. "Okay, men, all prisoners are to be read their rights and transported to the DEA offices in Lexington. There is to be no radio communication about this and no phone calls given. Ask for Special Agent in Charge Romero when you transfer the prisoners."

The Miranda warning started to echo throughout the room as the prisoners were cuffed and hauled off to various cruisers downstairs. "Miss Hill, if you don't mind getting dressed, I have been asked to escort you and Cade to the DEA's office as well." Cole looked over to Cade and grinned. "Now, aren't those cute boxers? A big smiling dog face right on your...wait! Is that a tail on the backside?" Cole laughed as a red faced Cade pulled on a pair of jeans.

"Oh shut up or I'll tell my sister you are thinking of giving her an iron for Christmas." The remaining men in the room gasped and Cole went white.

"That's not funny. Get in the car, Davies."

Cade stood next to Romero and some federal prosecutor who thought way too much of himself. He looked through the two-way mirrored gla.s.s at a very calm and collected Trevor Gaylen who was chained to a gray metal table. The door opened and Annie walked in. Cade got a lot of pleasure seeing the confusion on Gaylen's face.

"h.e.l.lo, Trevor. It's nice to see you again. We were so busy the last time we saw each other that I didn't get to properly introduce myself. I am Agent Blake with the DEA's office."

"Agent? Well, b.u.g.g.e.r me."

"No thanks, I think I'll just send you to jail and let someone else have that pleasure."

Annie walked in and took a seat across from him. She was all confidence and Cade couldn't take his eyes off of her. She came to life in the interrogation room. "Strangest thing, Trevor, Devon Ross was found in a diabetic coma in his cell a little while ago. Luckily he was able to pull through. He told us a lot, Trevor. Funny thing, he wasn't cooperating until you all decided to try to kill him."

"What does this have to do with me?"

"I'm glad you asked. See, he told us who tried to kill him. We talked to him, and he gave up one of the men arrested with you tonight. Seems Jeremy was the guy holding me down so you could kill me. I talked to him for a bit, and he told me quite a story about you and your boss."

"I want a lawyer." Trevor didn't look so calm anymore. Sweat was beading on his forehead, and he had turned a ghostly shade of white. Annie, on the other hand, practically glowed.

"That's fine. You don't have to talk. I'll do all the talking. You just sit back and listen while I tell you a story. It's a story of an immigrant who is wanted for murder in his home country. Even though his home country hasn't had an execution since the 1960's, apparently he managed to p.i.s.s off all the major gangs and has basically signed his own death certificate if he goes back home. Of course, committing such a crime in the U.S. could result in his deportation if it were brought to the Scottish Amba.s.sador's attention."

"In this story, what does the poor immigrant need to do to stay out of his home country?" Cade watched as she slowly smiled as if she were a cat who had just eaten the canary.

"I'm so glad you asked! You're a perfect listener. If the immigrant writes down everything he knows about all the players in his organization, especially his boss, and agrees to testify, we can see about keeping him on American soil."

"But as you pointed out, the homeland doesn't have the death penalty, but you all do."

"We'll take it off the table if and when he chooses to cooperate. The offer expires in thirty minutes." Annie placed a pad and a pen in front of him as she got up from her chair. "I'll see you in thirty minutes, and if that pad isn't full, I'll call the emba.s.sy myself." Annie stood up straight and walked out the door.

"I don't think I'm going to send her back to Miami. I think I'll keep her," Romero joked.

"I think I will too." Cade smiled.

Annie read over the statement one more time. d.a.m.n, d.a.m.n, d.a.m.n. He didn't know the ident.i.ty of the boss. He did give up the entire organization though and all the other major and minor players across the country. He gave her drop dates and times, dealers, middlemen and even explained that the boss used the teenagers as guinea pigs.

"This doesn't make sense. He wasn't at the games and neither were any of his people," Annie told Romero and Cade.

"Then the boss must have been at the game." Cade saw Annie look to Romero whose brow creased in concentration.

"He's right. Agent Jones!" Romero yelled into the cubicles outside his office. "Call a judge, any judge and get us a warrant for additional surveillance equipment to be put up in and around Commonwealth Stadium. Then call Commonwealth and get this set up. The boss will be there, and we need a picture of every single person who goes in or out. Also, we need everyone held for 48 hours. No paperwork on them, no phone calls. Get the judge to sign off on that too."

Annie watched as Romero went over to his desk and shuffled through the file. "Good job, you two. Go home. Get some rest. Good luck at that game tomorrow, Coach."

"Thank you. I a.s.sume the 9-1-1 call should be covered up?" Cade asked.

"I've already taken care of it."

"No disrespect, sir, but gossip travels at an amazing rate in Keeneston. It will take more than the DEA's office threatening the local cops to quiet this down."

"I know. I called John Wolfe as soon as I got the call. He's helping us out with a cover story."

"That's, well, that's just brilliant." Annie was in awe. She would never have thought about that.

"I'm from Paris, Kentucky. It's just a little bigger than Keeneston so I know the ropes of small town gossip." Romero actually cracked a smile as he pointed them out the door.

"Come on, let's go home."

Annie's heart warmed at the thought. She was becoming part of a town with the old guard looking out for her, a man who loved her, and a dog that had saved her.

"Sounds great. But, let's pick up a burger for Justin. I think he deserves it." They headed out to the parking lot and to the car waiting to take them home.

Chapter Twenty-Two.

Annie was sure she had never felt such pain. Ow! There it was again. She had been trying to casually check out everyone in attendance, but it was proving to be very difficult with so many people there.

"Did you see that? I have never seen Trey or Austin so in tune with each other!" Paige hit her arm again and Annie cringed. She had been bruised before the first quarter was over. Now that the game was almost over, she was pretty sure one more hit would snap her arm in two.

"They are playing really well," Annie said absently as she looked around again.

"Playing well? What's the matter with you? They have led this team to beat the top school in Louisville with an unstoppable offense," Paige squealed as she hit Annie's arm again.

The game had been close until the third quarter, but then Trey and Austin had found their groove and never looked back. The Keeneston crowd gave the team a standing ovation as the clock reached zero.

Cade shook the hand of the opposing coach and headed for the locker room to celebrate with his team. He looked into the stands and caught Annie's eye. She shook her head slightly and he grimaced. They hadn't found anything yet. It would be a long night for Annie, but he'd be waiting for her when she got home.

Annie paced the small, dark control room in frustration. They had been in there for three hours looking over security footage. By now she could name every person in the town who had showed up to the game. None of them shouted "Drug Kingpin." They were all the guy or girl next door.

"These are all my neighbors. It's none of them. This is pointless," she growled in frustration.

"I think you may be right. It's time to ruffle his feathers. Book the goons, put Gaylen in protective custody, and see if we can't get the boss to feel a little desperate knowing his organization is all in jail," Romero ordered. "Go home, Blake. Keep me posted."

Annie pulled into St. Frances' parking lot and found two trucks parked in front of her house. Warm light lit up her porch as she climbed the steps. She recognized Cade's farm truck, but the other truck was not known to her.

She cautiously opened the door and stuck her head into her house. She took a whiff and started to drool a little. It smelled warm and yummy. Cade was sitting on the couch with his dad, watching SportsCenter. She looked around her small house and found Marcy in the kitchen. She was pulling the ca.s.serole out of the oven and Annie's stomach rumbled. There was the source of the great smell.

"Welcome home, dear! Cade said you had a meeting that would run late. I also know you don't cook, so I thought I would bring this chicken pot pie over so you have something good to eat before bed." Annie bit the inside of her cheek to prevent from tearing up. No one had ever thought to make sure she had a good meal before bed.

"Thank you, Marcy. Maybe someday I will learn to cook that. It smells great."

"Well, to each her own. If you don't like cooking, then don't. Cooking is made with love after all."

"It's not that I don't like it. I just don't know how. I never had anyone to teach me," she said quietly.

"Well! Why didn't you say so? I'll teach you. Now, it's late and you need your rest. Jake! It's time to go." Marcy leaned forward and gave her a motherly kiss on the cheek and a squeeze of her hand before herding her husband out the door.

Cade came to stand beside her and slipped his arm around her waist. "I take it, it didn't go well?"

"No, we got nowhere. I knew every person there and have no reason to suspect any of them. So, we booked the ones we're holding and will just hope that the boss will get nervous and slip up. But, your mom's cooking is making me feel better." She walked into the kitchen and got down a plate. "I must admit. I'm getting spoiled being around her. It gives me a feeling of family I never had."

"You could have the family you want now." Annie thought about what he said as she ate a late dinner. Could she have it all?

Annie sat at her home computer and stared at the old email. Cade was at practice at Commonwealth Stadium for the champions.h.i.+p game Sat.u.r.day evening, and here she was, sitting alone at home on a Sunday night. She forced her thoughts back to the old email from her cousin Chrystal. Cade and his family were stirring up feelings she never knew she had or wanted. All she could think about was wanting to share the love and closeness the Davies shared. But, was Keeneston just one more stop in a life of constant moves and let-downs?

She hit reply and typed a short message to her cousin. She did not agree to meet, but it was enough that the feeling of being alone in the world abated. The knock at the door brought her out of her thoughts.

"Hiya!" Paige pushed her way through the door with bags of food, heading straight for the kitchen.

"h.e.l.lo, dear. We're here to teach you how to cook. I brought all the makings for Cade's favorite and easy dinner. And," Marcy pulled out a white box with a green ribbon tied on it and handed it to her, "this is for you. Every cook needs one."

Annie opened the box and pulled out a light-green ap.r.o.n lined with a white ribbon. Her name was embroidered across the chest. It was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. "Thank you so much. This is lovely." It was also a sign. She was putting down roots. She had love and friends.h.i.+p. This wasn't just another stopover. This was home.

Annie smiled and asked old Mr. Fowler how his hip was doing as she walked with him to the cafeteria for lunch. Mrs. Bentley waved h.e.l.lo as she hurried to her next cla.s.s. Ms. Lopez stood by the big double doors waiting for their lunch date. Ever since yesterday when Paige and Marcy spent the afternoon with her, she realized how much she had become integrated into Keeneston in the months since her arrival.

"Nervous about tonight?"

"You know I am, Margaret," Annie told her friend as she sat at one of the teacher tables in the brightly lit cafeteria.

"There's always a first time and it's always the worst. But, I promise, it does get better."

"Really?"

"Sure. I remember the first meal I cooked Randy and it was horrible. I had to throw out the pan. Now I can cook a meal for ten with my eyes closed."

"That makes me feel better. I'm going to leave a little early and get fresh groceries for dinner. Cade's coming over at seven, or whenever practice in Lexington ends. I'm going to need all the time I can get in case I ruin it the first time and have to start over."

"Call me if you need anything and good luck!"

"Thanks, I'll need it." Annie tossed her garbage into the trash can and headed back to her office to look over the recipe just one more time.

Cade ran his finger down the column and checked it off. Austin's grades were improving. He had three more tests to grade, and then he could head over to Commonwealth Stadium. School had let out, and everyone was on their way to Lexington for practice. He wanted them to get used to the stadium and the facilities so nothing would take their focus away on the big day.