Kat awoke early the next morning in the comfortable double bed of the Schiller’s spare bedroom. She leisurely stretched out her limbs relieved not to find them full of kinks as she did from the night before on the sofa. With a pitying thought, she considered Haley’s predicament on the merciless couch.

The tall, dark-haired Canadian had been more than willing to sleep on the sofa for another night if it weren’t for Haley’s convincing argument. The young novelist, who seemed always up for a challenge, decided to come up with a winning argument as to why Kat should have the comfortable bed in the spare room. Top on her list of arguments was the fact that no matter where she slept, her ribs were going to make it difficult for her to sleep. There was no sense in the both of them being tired and since Kat was the stronger of the two of them, Haley argued that it only made sense that Kat be well rested for both their sakes.

Despite her protests and failed attempts of denial, Kat’s weary body quickly caved in to Haley’s line of thinking as it rebelled and cried out to the tempting thought of a comfortable bed.

Kat remembered that she must have asked Haley about a dozen times if that was what she really wanted. With an insistent ‘git’ and a few lightly tossed pillows from the sofa, Haley assured Kat it was all right. “And besides,” Haley pointed out, “those bags under your eyes aren’t getting any smaller.”

Kat snorted at this remark, but offered no retort. She knew there was no way she could have argued that point. Since this whole fiasco had started, she’d barely gotten a full night sleep and her body was beginning to feel the effects from the lack of sleep.

Finally she finished getting dressed in a short, business-like burgundy skirt with matching blazer and white blouse, Kat was ready for the coming day. Stepping into the hallway, Kat began tying back her long, dark hair into a tight braid as she made her way out to the living room to wake the slumbering novelist.

Finishing up the braid and beginning to twirl it up into a bun at the back of her head, Kat stopped at the end of the hallway as her eyes settled on Haley with a pang of guilt. Lying obviously quite uncomfortably on the sofa, was Haley with one arm and one leg each dangling over the side of the sofa. The light blanket that was draped over Haley’s body was recklessly strewn about her. Half of the blanket barely covered her legs, while the rest of it lay on the floor next to the sofa.

‘She probably got no rest at all last night.’ Kat thought pitifully as she watched Haley’s head toss slightly from side to side with a pained look on her face.

‘Pop.’

Kat stopped suddenly at the unexpected noise coming from the kitchen. Her muscles tensed reflexively and her senses suddenly became acutely aware of everything around her. However, the very next minute she heard the familiar sounds of Karine moving around in the kitchen. Letting out a slow breath, she calmly relaxed her body as she made a detour and headed for the kitchen. ‘Relax.' Kat mentally told herself as she entered the kitchen.

“Ah, Guten morgen Kätzchen.” Karine said in a hushed voice as she motioned for Kat to sit down to eat some toast she had just placed in the center of the kitchen table.

“Guten morgen Karine, wo ist Rolf?” Kat asked of Rolf’s whereabouts as she grabbed a slice of buttered toast.

“Rolf wille auf sein bald. Jetzt aufessen!” Karine almost commanded as she pushed Kat down and placed a tall glass of orange juice in front of her and a plate of freshly sliced fruit.

Kat glanced over at Haley for a moment and decided that Haley could use the extra few minutes of sleep while she ate.

Just as Kat was finishing up the orange slices, kiwi and some cantaloupe, she heard the basement door open.

“Danke schön fur der frühstück Karine.” Kat thanked the older woman as she pushed her chair away from the table to meet Rolf.

Karine accepted Kat’s ‘thank you’ with a gentle smile. Now, Karine knew, was time for Kat and her husband to work. Quietly, Karine went about clearing Kat’s plate and glass from the table and began preparing more slices of fruit for Haley before they left to catch their plane. She turned her head towards the sleeping novelist as she heard a low grunt.

With a quick glance towards her husband and the dark-haired woman she considered a daughter, she noticed they both had gone back downstairs into the basement. ‘Probably to discuss some new device or other.’ She thought with concern in her native language. She didn’t want to know what they were talking about, especially after experiencing part of her husband’s job the day before after so many years of relative peace.

Rolf’s job had crashed into their home lives more than once over the many years. Perhaps more so since she had been a nurse and was very good at her job. However, her many encounters with her husband’s career only made her more concerned for him and wanted to know as little as possible about his going on’s.

Karine noticed Haley slowly trying to sit up with some difficulty. From past experience, the retired nurse knew cracked ribs could be painful and quickly made her way to Haley’s side. Though Karine’s English was very poor, the helping hand and the soft smile she offered Haley communicated her intentions well enough.

The sleepy eyes of the novelist softened in appreciation for the help. “Thank you.” Haley offered, unsure of whether or not the older woman would understand.

However, with a knowing smile, Karine replied. “Bitte schön.”

An hour later, Haley was finished eating her breakfast and getting dressed when she and Kat were finally ready to leave and catch their flight. Despite not knowing the Schiller’s for very long, Haley already found herself missing them as Karine and Rolf each gave Kat and then herself a farewell hug. She made a silent vow to herself that if she got through this whole mess alive she would have to properly thank Rolf and Karine for their kindness and help. They put themselves in harm’s way by protecting her, and Haley will never forget that kind of selfless giving.

“I can’t believe we’re finally going back home.” Haley whispered to Kat after an anxious sigh as they walked through the gate on their way to board their airplane after a five-hour delay. The general public wasn’t told what the delay was about, but Kat had found out that it was due to a faulty brake flap. One of the bolts had somehow fallen out and they were waiting for another plane to take its place. Unconsciously, Haley’s hand ran through her short hair and gave Kat a questioning look.

Kat bent down closer to Haley’s ear so that only she would hear her. “It’ll fool them ‘Janice’.” She said, using Haley’s assumed name. “Trust me.”

Seeing Kat flash her one of those dazzling smiles filled her with renewed confidence that their charade would work. Haley took another deep breath, glanced at the open airplane door before them and then back at Kat with a more confidant smile. ‘I can do this!’ Haley told herself as they stepped onto the plane.

Haley forced herself to breath normally as she assumed a natural face to greet the stewardess as she took the ticket.

After looking over the ticket, the stewardess directed Haley to her seat with a courteous smile. “13c, down the aisle on your right ma’am.”

“Thank you.” Haley returned the smile as she retrieved her ticket and waited a moment to make sure Kat was right behind her. She pretended to adjust the large shoulder bag she carried, which also contained her laptop, as she waited. A gentle nudge at her elbow from behind spurred her back into motion.

As was habit, Haley casually glanced at the faces that were all ready seated while making her way down the aisle. For some reason, she found that by doing this, it helped relax her for the coming flight. Seeing how calm everybody seemed to be always lent her a sense of peace. ‘If they weren’t worried about flying, why should I be?’ She continuously argued with herself.

Sitting in the third row, next to the window to her left however was not a calm face. The brunette looked up, as if sensing eyes on her, and locked her sad eyes with those of Haley’s. The young novelist gasped in surprise as recognition dawned on her. The drawn, colorless face of the woman staring back at her was her sister!

Haley felt herself freeze as her chest constricted with barely contained emotions. This woman staring back at her was only a shadow of her jubilant, older sister. Haley’s heart broke at the sight of her sister, knowing full well it was because of her Liz was in this broken state.

The young novelist’s heart and body screamed to reach out to Liz and hold her and tell her she was all right. That she wasn’t dead. She felt her body beginning to act on its own compulsion when suddenly, from behind, she felt something heavy bump into her. She stumbled several steps forward, almost losing her balance, but managed to catch herself by grasping the back of one of the seats as she fought back the pain from her ribs. Composing herself, and avoiding the casual stares thrown her way, she cast an annoyed glance behind her to see who the idiot was that was doing all the pushing.

“Sorry Janice, ah must’ve tripped over mah bags.” Replied the dark haired woman behind her in a sophisticated Southern accent. She grabbed at her blazer, which she was carrying, just as it began sliding from her arm to the floor of the plane. She quickly snatched it up and dropped her purse in the process. “Ah can be so clumsy sometimes.” She added with a look of embarrassment as she rolled her eyes and pushed a pair of black-rimmed glasses back up her nose. Finally, everything was securely back in her grasp, which brought her particularly close to Haley’s ear. “Keep moving.” She added in hushed tones.

Gathering up her fallen shoulder bag, Haley stole a final glance back towards her sister as Kat began a long conversation, mostly with herself about archeology and all the fabulous finds in the last few years in her rich Southern accent. None of it penetrated through to Haley as she noticed, already Liz had forgotten the stranger and focused her eyes back on her idle hands resting on her lap. A slight slap to the shoulder brought her back.

“Are you listening ta me Janice?” Kat asked with exasperation, still using her Southern accent.

“Uh, sure Melinda. I heard every word you said.” Haley answered dully with a forced smile.

“Good. Oh, here are our seats.” Kat said in character as she put her purse and blazer in the storage compartment above their seats and quickly took her seat to let the other passengers behind them pass.

‘Melinda’ quickly resumed her story of the fabulous find of the remains of a young Inca sacrifice found high in the Andes as she took her aisle seat. Under normal circumstances, Haley would have found this tale quite fascinating. However, her mind was

elsewhere and Haley found it hard to look interested, even if the story was just to keep up Kat's character appearance. So, Haley did her best to look intrigued and keep in character herself.

Slowly, Melinda’s story of the young Inca girl was drowned out by the rising hum of the engines as it warmed up for take-off. Reaching their peek, the constant whining of the engines masked Kat and Haley’s conversation.

“What the hell were you thinking of back there?” Kat demanded in a forced whisper, all the while keeping up the façade of pleasantness.

“I-I don’t know…I guess seeing Liz kind of threw me off for second. I’m sorry.” Haley stammered.

“Well you could have blown it for us right there, damnit!” Scolded Kat as she inconspicuously glanced around to make sure no one was listening to them.

Feeling the sting of Kat’s harsh tone, Haley suddenly felt very conscience-stricken as all words of apology left her.

Noticing the sudden down trodden look, Kat amended her tone. “Haley, next time, please keep your mind here, with me. Ok?” She said more gently.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean…” Haley stopped as she lowered her eyes to stare at her hands as they fidgeted in her lap.

“Don’t be sorry, just learn from your mistakes.” Kat said with a touch of softness in her voice as she placed a reassuring hand on Haley’s shoulder.

“I will.” Haley nodded with a small smile, which Kat returned.

After a three-hour stop over in Frankfurt, Germany, Haley and Kat finally arrived in the early morning darkness of Toronto. Haley let out an inconspicuous sigh of relief when the plane touched down without incident. Kat seemed not to notice. Instead, she led the young novelist through the large terminal at a casual pace, seemingly oblivious to their surroundings. Haley knew it was the contrary. ‘That woman has the eyes of a hawk. Nothing escapes her.’ Haley thought with a sense of security as they gathered their things and headed out of the airport and into the parking lot.

“Um, Melinda, where are we going?” Haley asked curiously.

“Patience my dear.” Kat smiled, still using her character’s accent as she playfully slapped Haley’s shoulder, her eyes discreetly taking in their surroundings.

Haley let herself be lead through the rows of cars all of different makes, sizes, shapes and colors until finally she was lead to a silver Dodge Intrepid. Without asking any questions, Haley simply watched in silence as Kat took another quick glance around and then bent down in front of the car. She reached a hand under the flaring at the bottom of the car and slid her hand along its underside. After a second or so of fishing her hand around, she retracted her hand with a satisfied look on her face. With a grin and a quick wink, Kat flashed the car keys in front of Haley.

“Now, to get you somewhere safe.”

Finally back on the road, under the early morning streetlights, Haley had to ask. “Where are we going?”

“I’m going to have to leave you for a little while, so I’m taking you to one of our safe houses for safe keeping.” Kat answered without looking at her.

“Shouldn’t I stay with you? I mean, I can’t think of anyplace safer than being with you.” Haley said, trying to keep her misgivings out of her voice about being separated from Kat.

“Don’t worry Haley,” Kat said, turning her head to regard Haley as they stopped at a red light. “You’ll be safe. I’m going to get some information on those encryption codes from the very people who made them. Then, I’ll be back for you and we’ll be back in business.”

“Why don’t we just give the disk to one of CSIS’s agents to crack?” Haley inquired as the car started rolling once again through the wet glistening streets.

“Because whoever was leaking information to the Kynak to begin with may get his or her hands on that disk and that I won’t allow.” Kat stated firmly.

Haley nodded a silent agreement with Kat’s sensible plans. After reviewing everything over in her mind for a little bit, one persistent thought jumped to the front of her mind making Haley uneasy. “Kat, what if this same informant also knows about CSIS’s safe houses? For all we know, they could be waiting for us.”

“Don’t worry. I thought about that all ready. Where I’m bringing you isn’t one of CSIS’s normal safe houses. It has no connection with CSIS except me, and that’s well hidden.” Kat explained without hesitation.

“You’ve thought of everything haven’t you?” Replied Haley feeling somewhat less anxious than a few minutes earlier.

“I hope so.” Came Kat’s serious answer. “I warn you though, the place is, um, a little unconventional.”

“What do you mean ‘unconventional’?” Haley inquired skeptically.

“Hold that thought. I gotta find someplace to stop and change out of these clothes. I’d stick out like a sore thumb there.”

After a quick stop at a small gas station, Kat changed out of the stuffy clothes she wore on their flight over, opting for comfort now. Her nylons and skirt were replaced for a worn pair of comfortable blue jeans. The blouse and jacket were tossed, while a tight fitting black t-shirt took its place. A pair of comfortable loafer’s now adorned her feet as her long silky hair now flowed freely about her shoulders. Now she could go where she needed to go.

They drove for another few minutes before Haley turned worried eyes to Kat. “Where are you taking me?” Haley asked as she eyed the surrounding buildings. Everywhere she looked there were pornography stores, strip joints and other such places.

Kat had a faint grin on her face. “Trust me.” Was all she offered as an explanation as she turned onto a side street and brought the car to a stop at the side entrance of a brick building with a small neon sign hanging over the top of the door that read ‘Tops’.

“Let’s go.” Kat told Haley as she opened her door and started towards the door. She stopped for a moment when she noticed Haley had not even opened her door. Had this been another time and place, she might have laughed out loud at the shocked expression on Haley’s face. But this wasn’t a night on the town or any other such event. This was business.

Within two long strides, Kat was next to the car opening the passenger side door. “Come on, we don’t have time for this.” She said as she reached in and gently hauled Haley out of the car. With Haley now standing next to her, Kat reached into the car one more time and hauled out the novelist’s laptop case and handed it to Haley. “Keep this with you. Don’t let it out of your sight.” Kat turned back towards the dull steel door and rapped on it three times then waited. “Just follow my lead.” Kat whispered to Haley seconds before a small slit in the door flew open.

“Who sent you?” A deep voice rumbled from the other side of the door.

“Mother sent me.” Kat said simply.

The small slit suddenly slammed shut.

They waited a moment before Haley finally nudged Kat. “Is he going to let us…” Haley’s sentence drifted off as they heard a bolt sliding from its place, quickly followed by the slow squeak of the heavy door being eased open.

Haley looked into the darkness beyond the doorway questioningly for a second before falling into step behind the tall confident woman. She quickly looked around the small room she found herself in. It was a very plain, very dark box Haley thought. Nothing distinguishing stood out except for the sounds of muffled music drifting to her ears. Suddenly, she was brought to an abrupt halt as a huge muscled forearm shot out in front of her nose, blocking her way.

“Stand back.” The tall black man ordered as he gently pushed Haley back away from Kat.

“You know the drill Kat.” The large man stated.

The only thing Kat did to acknowledge that she ‘knew the drill’ was that she held her arms out to her side at shoulder height and widened her stance. The big man quickly and efficiently frisked the well-toned body from head to toe and gave her a curt nod. Kat lowered her arms and resumed a normal stance as she reached out for Haley to give her the laptop case.

“Who’s she Kat?” The tall black man asked with a nod of his baldhead as he stood towering over the smaller woman with his huge arms crossed over his chest.

“She’s with me Zeus.” Kat said in low tones. “She’s clean.”

He took a step closer to Haley. “Well?” He questioned her with a hint of annoyance as he stood in front of her.

Haley shot Kat an uncertain look as she watched the towering man stand in front of her impatiently with his massive arms hanging at his side. A barely perceptible nod came from Kat. Haley held her head high and imitated the stance Kat had used only a few moments earlier.

Just as she watched the big man frisk Kat only moments before, he now did the same to her. She felt the embarrassing heat rise in her face as she felt the man’s huge hands quickly brush over her breasts as they started down her sides. He worked his way to her legs, patting each one thoroughly bringing his hands embarrassingly close to her crotch. She swallowed hard at the intrusion and sent a quick glance towards Kat. Kat’s eyes remained steely and almost unreadable, but she caught the slightest movement of the dark head, which indicated that she remain calm.

Before she knew it, he was done. Zeus walked back over to Kat and pointed a bulky finger out cautiously at the laptop case she now carried. Haley also noticed that the dark hand furthest from her simultaneously reached back behind him to the small of his back.

She tried to see what he was reaching for without looking too obvious but could barely see anything under the black light of the small room. Her thoughts however, suggested to her that he was most likely reaching for a gun. The younger woman wasn’t sure if Kat had caught the movement or not. It was more than likely that Kat had seen the movement and obviously wasn’t worried. Haley’s body still tensed in anticipation just incase.

“Open it.” Zeus commanded in his deep voice.

Without protest, Kat did as the taller man ordered and opened the case.

Suddenly the hand behind his back came back around with something in it. Haley jumped slightly as the brightness of a flashlight suddenly turned on and lit up the contents of the case. He glanced over at Haley for a brief second and then returned his attention to the case.

After a few moments of examining the case, the large man finally gave a grunt of satisfaction and reached his arm past Kat. A crack of light suddenly formed the outline of a doorway and grew as Zeus opened the hidden door further and ushered the two women through into the noisy room.

Haley shuffled closer to Kat as the muffled music heard earlier suddenly burst to life with the opening of the door. A thriving nightclub met their eyes as they walked into the dimly lit club.

“Stay close to me.” Kat said bending down to Haley’s ear level to be heard over the din of exotic music and the whistles and catcalls coming from the patrons of the full club. Haley quickly nodded her understanding as they pushed their way through the crowd to the bar.

On their way to the bar, Haley’s curious eyes wandered down over the balcony they were on to take in the scene below them. Her eyes went wide at the scene which greeted her. From what she could see of the dimly lit club, it was decorated almost entirely in brass, bronze and chrome. There was a large chrome diamond plated stage with very provocative women in various stages of unclothing danced for the pleasure of both their male and female patrons.

Each woman made their way down the runways of glass with flashing lights shining up from under them. All three runways merged onto the main stage where three brass poles waited for them. The three poles, all equally spaced, extended up from the stage to the high ceiling of the club. Haley gasped in awe as she watched one of the women grab the middle pole, climbed up with the agility of a cat and spun around the pole, her feet never touching the ground. Suddenly she thrust her legs up into the air and wrapped them around the pole as her hands let go. Her legs held her in place while she dangled upside down, moving her body in ways Haley never would have dreamt of. The other two women closed in on the inverted woman and began dancing sensually around her.

Haley’s hand shot out and grabbed Kat’s black t-shirt. “You’re hiding me in a strip club!” Haley whispered hoarsely when she had Kat’s attention.

“Trust me.” Kat repeated evenly as she motioned Haley forward towards some vacant stools at the bar.

Kat took a seat on the black velvety cushioned seat and signaled the bartender over. With an air of mystery, Kat leaned over to the middle-aged bartender and began saying something in hushed tones. Well, as hushed as the crowded club would allow. No sooner had Haley took her seat next to the raven-haired woman did unwanted offers start.

“Hi there beautiful.” One blond haired man with fair skin and a flashy smile said as he slid himself in close to Haley. Uncomfortably close. His devilish grin screamed out his intentions as his hand slowly snaked up her thigh. Haley backed away from the offensive hand, her back bumping into Kat’s side. Just as she was about to tell the young man ‘hands off’, she heard another voice behind her pipe in.

“Back off.” Haley heard the protective voice say. “She’s with me.” She felt an arm drape protectively over her shoulder as she felt Kat’s body lean in closer to hers. Haley quickly threw the man’s hand off of her thigh.

Not backing off, the man’s eyes lit up with hopeful desire as he eyed the two women appreciatively. “Not a problem.” He smiled lasciviously. “The more the merrier.”

Kat’s voice narrowed dangerously impatient. “Not interested.” She spoke purposely as she led Haley off of the stools and away from the young man. She kept her arm around Haley as they made their way through the crowd with the persistent man still on their tail.

“Don’t turn your back on me when I’m talking to you.” The man called out to them sounding annoyed as he grabbed Kat’s shoulder and spun her around.

Kat relaxed her grip on Haley as she let herself be spun around. With a practiced ease, the painful elbow she delivered to the annoying man’s gut looked like nothing more than an accidental slip from being spun around so quickly. She watched with satisfaction as he doubled over onto the floor.

“Oh I’m sorry. Did you say something?” Kat asked looking down at the man as he struggled to his feet.

“I said, you clumsy bitch,” he gasped, “…not to turn your back on me!” He hissed over the loud crowd as he worked his way back to his feet despite the occasional snicker directed his way.

Kat took a step closer to the man, which brought her body within inches of the man’s body. The man was easily her height and of a slightly larger build. He glowered at Kat as he daringly grabbed her upper arm in a forceful grip. Kat calmly looked at the intruding hand and then leveled a steely, cold blue gaze on the man.

“Now you listen to me.” She said in a low growl as her hand suddenly shot out from nowhere and locked onto the man’s genitals with a grip that made the mans face turn white. “You have very poor manners. When a girl says ‘not interested’, she means ‘not interested’. Ya got that?” She said evenly, her vice-like grip leading the man away on his tiptoes. “Do yourself a favor, be smart and leave.” Kat’s hands gave the flesh in her grip another warning squeeze to emphasize her point.

Even in the dimly lit area, Kat could make out the man’s face turning varying shades of red as his eyes rolled back in his head as he nodded his understanding vigorously.

“Good.” Kat finished as she pushed him away and returned to Haley.

“Come on, Gino is waiting.” Was all Kat said as she replaced her protective arm around Haley and led her to a black door.

Blocking everybody’s way through the door stood a well-dressed Italian. The clean-shaven, dark-haired man watched as Kat and Haley approached him from the crowd. He watched them dubiously until he finally recognized Kat. With a neutral face, he gave Kat a slight nod of his head as he stepped to the side of the door and permitted the two women through the door that led to his boss’s office upstairs.

Without a word, Kat led Haley up the very plain looking, brightly lit stairway, which stood out in sharp contrast to the elaborately decorated club, almost made Haley laugh. ‘They must have been trying to save money.’ She mused to herself moments before they reached the top of the stairs and were ushered through the door by another, well dressed man. However, upon entering the office, her earlier thoughts about them trying to save money flew out the window.

Quietly, Haley descended the three marble steps to the main office floor, which was also completely covered in expensive marble. Haley tried very hard to keep her jaw from dropping to the floor as she took in her surroundings. In the corners of the large room were large, intricately carved white marble pillars. Against the far wall opposite her, stood a beautiful private bar with dozens of bottles on the wall behind the counter. A large rack above the bar held the kind of wine, champagne and other such glasses that usually made you nervous to walk around in a store because they were so expensive.

In the middle of the room was an overly large glass oval coffee table with a large black leather couch and chairs surrounding it comfortably. Sitting at the table were four suited men all with dark hair except one with peppered colored hair whom all glanced up at them with suspicious eyes as they entered. Haley’s eyes quickly glanced to her right, away from the intimidating men’s looks and noticed a grandiose picture window overlooking the entire club. Its shady smoky coloring probably meant that it was a one-way window; they could see out, but nobody could see in.

Haley quickly snapped out of her stupor as a very lean, very handsome man sitting behind an oversized desk off to her left made his way towards them.

"As well as can be expected. And you Gino?" Kat responded with a smile as she motioned for Haley to take a seat in one of the two cushiony chairs in front of the desk as Gino clasped Kat’s upper arms and kissed her once on each cheek in greeting.

"Good, good. And who is your little friend?" He asked as they parted, motioning for Kat to take a seat next to the young blond woman as he seated himself on the corner of the desk made of expensive Birds Eye Maple wood.

Kat graciously accepted the proffered seat, placing the small case on the floor next to the cushiony leather chair before sitting down leisurely, crossing her long legs smoothly.

“Gino, this is my friend Haley Connors.” Kat introduced and then turned to Haley and indicated to Gino. “Haley, this is Gino Rosetti, an old friend of mine from way back.”

With a suaveness seen mostly in movies, Gino swept himself over to Haley, bent low and gently took her hand into his as he brought his lips down and gently kissed her soft hands. “I am pleased to meet you Haley Connors.” He said with a disarming smile.

Then returning to sit on the edge of his desk, he returned his attention to Kat. “And what is it that I can do for you Kat? Your infrequent visits are rarely for pleasure, which is a shame I might add.” He said giving Kat a flirtatious smile.

“Maybe another time.” She smiled quickly before adopting her business face. “Actually Gino, I need to ask you a favor.”

“Name it my friend.” He replied without hesitation.

“We have some trouble on our tails and I need a safe place to hide Haley for a short time.”

Gino’s dark brows furrowed in concern as he studied Kat’s stoic face and then to Haley’s. “You know I will do whatever I can. My men and I are at your disposal.”

“Thanks Gino. I knew I could count on you. I’m sorry I can’t stay longer, but there are still some things I have to take care of.” Kat stood up from her seat and shook Gino’s hand and held it firmly and lowered her voice seriously. “Under no circumstances is anybody to know about Haley being here. No one comes to see her except me, and no one leaves with her except me. Understood?”

“Kat…” Gino drawled with a barely noticeable note of insult. “You know me better than that.”

“I know Gino, but I just had to make that clear.” She said, resuming her normal tone. “Everything should be relatively quiet anyway. Well, that is if she doesn’t talk your ear off.” She said with a wink towards Haley who protested the remark with a defiant look, which quickly turned into a shy smile.

“Ah, a lovely lady who can keep up her end of the conversation as we enjoy a relaxing drink!” Gino smirked with a playful look in his eyes, which Kat didn’t miss.

“And Gino,” Kat said as she gently grabbed his chin with her fingers and turned his attention back to her. “You behave yourself or you deal with me.” Her smile did little to hide the warning tone in her voice.

“Kat, I was only trying to make her feel comfortable!” He protested with an innocent look.

“Uh-huh.” Kat said disbelievingly. “Behave.” She bent down, grabbed the laptop case and whispered a reassurance to Haley. “Don’t worry, he’s really a good person. He just likes to joke a lot with good looking women.”

“But what if…” Haley trailed off as Kat broke in with a gentle hand on her shoulder.

“I’ll be back before you know it.” Kat replied confidently, bolstering Haley’s spirits.

With a slight nod of her head, Haley relaxed. “You be careful.”

With a knowing smile, Kat straightened and was escorted to the door by Gino.

“Maybe after this is done, I could interest you in a drink or maybe a night on the town?” Gino asked hopefully.

Kat simply looked at him with a lop-sided grin and shook her head ‘no’.

“How about a nightcap?” He added with a sly grin.

“In your dreams.” She smirked as she opened the door to leave.

“Admit it Kat, you can’t resist me for much longer.” He added with a wink and a smile.

Kat simply shook her head as she made her way down the stairs.

After finally arriving at her high-rise apartment building, Kat trudged on into the elevators and punched the 12th floor button. Rubbing her tired eyes, Kat opened her door and walked into an empty living room. The bag she carried with her from the airport was dropped unceremoniously on the floor at the door as she walked across the tiled floor to the single piece of furniture in her living room: her computer desk.

Stifling a yawn, she slumped lazily onto the well-used seat of the tall back chair at her computer. A small smile found its way to her lips as she heard the familiar squeak of the chair as it adjusted to the new weight. ‘I really should buy a new chair.’ She thought to herself as she relaxed in the comfortable chair that once belonged to her father before he passed away. Another yawn reminded her that the sleep she got the night before was barely enough for her tired body and mind and she could just hear Haley’s chastising voice in her head. ‘You’re no good to anybody without sleep, now git!’

“I’ll get some sleep when I get the addresses of the defectors.” Kat said out loud to her empty apartment.

She looked over her computer desk and saw that all of her state-of-the-art computer system and accessories were as she left them. She reached over to the tower and was about to turn it on when a thought hit her. ‘The Kynak know I’m involved, which means they might also know where I live.’

“Stupid!” Kat spat out loud as she hauled her hand away from the ‘on’ button. “The whole damn placed could have been rigged and me blown to pieces! Jesus Kat, you’re losing it.”

Kat pushed herself out of her chair and began searching her small apartment meticulously for any traps, bugs and anything else that shouldn’t be there. Thankfully, after a little over an hour of searching and tearing things apart, she came up with nothing unusual. That could be due in part to the fact that every few months or so she makes it a point to find a new apartment. This way, it makes it a little more difficult for anyone to pinpoint her home and set traps. Thus, the sparse furnishings, the less she has to move, the better it is for her. Just the necessities.

She resumed her seat at the computer and turned it on. Once her computer was up and running, she immediately hooked up to CSIS’s computer systems and entered all the necessary passwords given to her by the head of CSIS himself; Samuel Quesnel.

His faith in her was so much so, that he gave Kat almost unlimited access to whatever it was she needed. All she had to do was ask. And ask she did, she just couldn’t bring herself to trust anybody else with the job.

Typing in all the pertinent information, Kat was rewarded with a complete profile on the defectors, including a current photograph along with their current whereabouts. “Bingo.” Within a short span of time, Kat had studied their profiles and pictures over and over again until they were all committed to memory before signing off. First thing in the morning, she was going to be paying Mohammad Kirandeep a little visit.

‘Time for some shut eye.’ She told herself as she dragged her feet up the stairs to her bedroom, which overlooked her living room and kitchen. By the time she reached the top of the stairs she managed to kick off her shoes and was already stripped down to her bra and panties. Her bed was such an inviting sight that she simply let herself fall into the cozy sheets. She forced her brain to ‘keep the noise down’ while she grabbed a couple of hours of shuteye.

Morning had arrived much too early for Kat who had only managed to sleep a little over three hours. By the time nine o’clock rolled around, she was already up and on her way with the disk and laptop to Oshawa, which was about an hours drive North East from Toronto. She’d been to the city a few times in the past and so didn’t have to waste very much time searching for the quaint little subdivision she was looking for.

Driving up to the small brick house she knew Mohammad was being kept in under the watchful eyes of CSIS agents, she suddenly slowed her car as she saw someone emerging from the front door.

She squinted into the morning sunlight to get a good look at the dark figure walking out of the house when he suddenly looked to his left and right suspiciously. Kat was starting to see more details as she brought her car to a halt in the shade of a house and watched. She saw his lithe form cockily strut across the lawn as his short, white hair stuck in her mind as an image hit her. “What the hell…Seth?” She whispered in disbelief as she watched her supposedly dead friend casually stop and tie his shoelace very much alive and well.

Without missing a beat, she quickly re-adjusted her gun holster at the small of her back and cautiously stepped out of the car. She brought herself to her full height and stood behind the car door momentarily, long enough for Seth to knowingly turn and notice her.

“Kat…” He drawled with a pleasant smile. “…Long time no see, hmm?” Seth slowly continued walking towards the street, purposefully keeping his dark eyes on Kat.

With an uneasy look, Kat slowly mirrored his movements and made her way towards him as her muscles tensed for any surprises. “What’s going on Seth?” She asked with a neutral look. “Thought you were suppose to be dead.” She added almost casually.

“Can’t slip anything past you huh?” He sneered as a black Sedan suddenly pulled up to the curb in front of Seth with a small screech as it came to a stop.

Quickly, Kat reached back and hauled out her gun as she sprinted towards Seth who was just slipping into the Sedan. She was closing the distance between them, but not fast enough.

The dark skinned man even paused as he stood partway in the car. “Sorry Kat can’t chat. I’ve got a hot date with a certain blond or should I say brunette now.” He taunted as he jumped into the car.

“Seth!” Kat yelled after him as the Sedan lurched into motion with another squeal and headed straight for her.

The determined woman stood her ground on the deserted street as the Sedan all too quickly raced for her. She managed to fire off two direct shots to the windshield, which its apparent bulletproof glass deflected harmlessly. Seeing her shots weren’t doing any good, she managed to leap away from harm as the car narrowly missed her. She ignored the quick jabbing pain in her shoulder as it hit the pavement in her roll. Spinning back around, she tried to catch a license plate number to no avail.

“Son of a bitch!” She slammed her fist down hard against the road as she cursed her rotten luck upon noticing that the car’s plates had been removed. Her head shook with noticeable disgust as she stared off after the departed Sedan and then a sudden dread filled her being. ‘Could he really have Haley?’ Came the question, which she all ready knew the answer to. “Shit!” She cursed again. ‘The only ones who knew about Tops were Marcus and…’ She felt her heart sink. “No.” Came the soft word of denial.

Hurriedly, Kat picked herself up off of the street and started to turn towards her car when she glanced back at the brick house she had seen Seth leaving. She was torn between running to Haley’s rescue and checking out the house. ‘They’re probably already dead.’ She reasoned with herself, already knowing what she had to do.

Setting her jaw, she quickly ran to the house and pushed open the unlocked door. The smell of blood reached her sensitive nose just as she expected. The living room was off to her immediate right, which became her first stop.

An eye catching splattering of blood on the wall behind the sofa met her eyes, but there was no body. She walked further into the living room and noticed a pool of blood soaked into the lush beige carpets with a trail of thick red blood leading away from it. She followed the trail of blood with her eyes as they led to the adjoining kitchen. Cautiously, with her gun still drawn, she made her way into the kitchen.

Walking through the archway that separated the two rooms, she suddenly knew what happened to the bodies. There, sitting at the kitchen table were three men. The two who each sat at the ends of the table were unknown to her, she assumed they were CSIS’s men. The third however, she recognized as the man she had come in search of, sporting a new hole in his head.

“You sick bastard.” She spat with hatred as she looked at Seth’s handiwork. All three men sat slumped at the kitchen table with an empty plate in front of them, an unopened bottle of beer in their hands and a lit cigarette in their mouths. All except Mohammad who had taken a nose-dive into his plate.

There was nothing more she could do here. Her thoughts centered solely on Haley now. She thought only of how to get Haley out of this mess. Thoughts of any guilt on her part were quickly pushed out of her mind as she quickly rushed out of the house.

She made sure to leave the house exactly as she found it. When she closed the door she made sure not to touch the door handle swinging it shut with her foot instead.

‘If that son of a bitch so much as harms a hair on her head I’ll…’ Her face began to redden. ‘…I’ll make him wish he had stayed dead.’ She thought dangerously as she jumped into her car and sped off back to Toronto for Haley.

Well on her way speeding down the busy highway, Kat grabbed her cell phone and alerted the proper authorities to the scene she had just left.

By the time Kat pulled up to Tops it was just past noon. She dashed out of the car with her gun in hand, not even bothering to close her door as she ran up to the club’s side door. She knocked once and then twice receiving no answer. ‘There’s always somebody here.’ Impatiently, she began to pound on the door when she felt a sudden give to the door. Eyeing the door suspiciously, Kat quickly holstered her gun and took a step back.

With a determined look, she kicked the door with a powerful leg and watched as it eased open enough for her to squeeze through. She pushed on the door as she forced her way through and noticed an opposing force against the door fighting with her. With a powerful heave, she threw the door open wider letting in the sunlight of the mid-morning sun.

With the sunlight shining partially in, Kat noticed legs crumpled up behind the door. Slowly she moved the door aside to get a better look at the body and wasn’t overly surprised to see that it was Zeus. She bent down and retrieved the flashlight she knew Zeus always carried in his back pocket.

She flashed the light on his face and saw a single bullet shot to the head. She checked the muscles in his neck and jaw and found them already fully stiffened. Looking over the rest of his body, she noted that much of the larger muscles had grown rather stiff as well. Rigor mortis still hadn’t fully set in she noticed. ‘Everything must have went down about eight hours ago.’ She observed with a growing sense of dread. ‘Not long after I left.’

Quickly she stood back up and rushed through the hidden door that led into the club. The atmosphere in the club was completely different from the loud, dark nightclub she and Haley had initially entered. All the lights on the bar floor were lit, everything was quiet and peaceful. Not a soul roamed through the empty club. This bothered Kat more than she would admit as she quickly rushed over to the stairs going up to Gino’s office.

Kat noticed the pool of congealing blood peeking out from around the corner of the bar before she saw the dead guard. With a renewed sense of urgency, Kat quickly but carefully avoided stepping in the blood and ran up the stairs.

A waterfall trail of blood marked the stairs as Kat ascended them. She barely spared it and the prone body at the top of the stairs a glance as she threw open the office door. The solid door slammed against the wall with a loud crash and then went silent. Kat took in the broken state of the office as her nose crinkled disagreeably with the scene.

The bottles behind the bar were all shattered. Blood and bodies were strewn all over the room giving the guise of a slaughterhouse. Her eyes frantically searched the room for Haley. She saw the four men guards at the coffee table from the night before all sprawled out on the ground at awkward angles, two of them with their guns not far from their dead hands.

She walked down the three stairs into the main office and ignored everybody else as she went straight for the dark-haired man sitting at the large desk. She knew immediately that Gino was dead by the long dagger sticking out of his chest with a note up near the hilt to avoid being soaked beyond comprehension.

With a sense of sorrow, Kat reached out and tore the blood stained paper from his chest. “Oh Gino…I’m so sorry.” She whispered softly, pained that she had brought him into all of this. But there was no time to grieve for her dead friend while there was still a chance that Haley was alive. She concentrated her attention to the piece of paper.

She hauled out a lighter in her pocket and brought a flame to life. Slowly, she put it to one end of the paper and held it for a moment as she watched the paper blacken and burn. The mesmerizing effects of the flame brought back an old memory of the needless death of an innocent.

The letter was now completely burned and lay in ashes in the glass ashtray on the bloody desk. ‘No tricks.’ Was Seth’s warning to Kat by reminding her of the dead woman from her past.

“No tricks.” She whispered solemnly out loud.

Before leaving for the meeting place, Kat had one stop to make.

The ferry trip to Centre Island was relatively uneventful. The cries of a young baby being cradled in her father’s arms pierced the air. Rambunctious children ran past her and all over the deck with their mothers screaming after them, finally catching them and scolding the children to ‘be good’. A younger couple sat by themselves quietly arguing, while a young girl had her index finger digging up through her nose as she wiped her findings on a passing by old woman. None of these things escaped her attention as she stood observantly against the ships railings looking expectantly through the crowd. Of course, the people she was looking for were nowhere to be seen.

Kat’s eyes fell to her watch and then looked up at the sky, which still held the blueness of the beautiful day as it slowly began to wane. Unconsciously, she fingered the laptop case, which also contained the disk that would save Haley’s life.

Within no time at all the ferry pulled up into dock and the passengers all disembarked. Some made their way into the tourist center, while others chose their destination and started on their way. Kat chose the walking trail, which was unusually bare, and made her way down it with a purposeful stride all the while eyeing her surroundings and the sky.

Kat walked down the worn trail for nearly fifteen minutes. Had this been under different circumstances, she would have enjoyed the walk under the canopy of trees and fields. The sudden chirping of a bird in a nearby poplar tree distracted her as it drew her eyes to it for a split moment. The small brown bird chirped again as she walked by the tree it was nested in and then went quiet. No sooner had she returned her gaze to the road ahead, did she hear a noise further up the trail behind a stand of trees. Her gut told her it was Seth.

Outwardly, Kat appeared calm and collected while the fire of seething rage coursing through her body burned just below the surface. Dangerously close. She continued walking until she was about ten feet away from the area where she had heard the noise. “Show yourself.” She said with a neutral voice, seemingly to no one in particular.

“As sharp as ever I see.” A man said as he stepped out from behind the trees and bushes. “Guess that’s why I’ve always liked you.” Seth said with a slight grin.

Kat looked around and noticed that nobody else accompanied him. Not any of his men nor the young novelist who had begun to grow on her more than she cared to admit. A quick glance around told her that they were alone as the sun began its descent.

“So,” Seth began confidently as he anxiously rubbed his hands together. “Let’s see what little treats you have for me.”

“Not so fast.” Kat said holding her ground. “Where’s Haley?”

“Ah yes, your little friend.” Seth hesitated somewhat as he scratched his brow in thought. “You see I did keep my word, she is alive. But you have to understand I couldn’t risk you coming after me once we’ve made the trade, so I had to come up with an alternate plan.”

Kat’s eyes drew together tightly as she glared dangerously at Seth’s grinning face. The corner of her mouth twitched as she growled at him. “What did you do?” She demanded angrily, trying very hard to keep her cool.

“You know, I really out-did myself this time Kat.” Seth grinned self-appreciatively as he glanced down at his watch. “In about twenty minutes, you’ll be able to find your friend all over the island.” He watched with satisfaction as Kat’s eyes registered alarm. “Of course, it’s not terribly original but I do so love fireworks this time of year.”

Kat took several threateningly steps closer to Seth before he stopped her with a wave of his hand. “Now now, let’s not be too rash. You rough me up and you’ll never find her alive. Not to mention all those tourists that will more than likely be around.”

Her movements suddenly stopped.

“You know, every mission we were ever on things just had to be done your way. Well this time, you’re going to do things my way. Won’t that be a nice change?”

“Get on with it.” Kat snarled.

“Show me the disk.” Seth’s face turned unnaturally stern as he motioned with his outstretched hand for her to hand it over. “Come on. The faster we do this, the more time you have to save your friend.”

Kat looked at him with a barely perceptible look of suspicion.

“Don’t try to call my bluff. You know me better than that.” He had read her faint expression correctly. After working with Kat for nearly eight years, he was able to read some of her body language and expressions.

Kat tossed the laptop case at him. “It’s in there.”

“I trust it’s not a fake.” Seth asked seriously as he carefully unzipped the canvas case.

“Check for yourself.” She said impatiently.

Keeping one eye on Kat and one on his work was one thing Kat had taught him: never trust anyone. He threw the carrying case aside as he balanced the small computer in his hands. Glancing up at Kat periodically, he could tell she was getting fidgety and anxious. This made him smile as he popped the small disk into the driver and brought its contents up on the screen.

A few keystrokes later, he smiled and closed the computer. “Fifteen minutes left Kat. What’re you doing here chatting with me? Thought you wanted to get her away from that bomb in the amusement parks generator room.”

“I’ll find you.” Was Kat’s promise as she wasted no more time with Seth and began running down the trail towards the amusement park.

As she ran down the dirt trail, Kat was thankful she had worn her sneakers this day because it was going to be close. It took her fifteen minutes just to reach this point walking. To get to the amusement park was at least another fifteen-minute walk away. She was going to have to push herself hard if she wanted to get to Haley on time. ‘This is not open for debate.’ She thought to herself with determination as she forced her legs to pump faster. ‘You will get there on time!’

All her concentration was centered on Haley. Her anger towards Seth for his betrayal was converted into energy. Seeing Haley alive and joking around with her once again fueled her strength. She will not let her friend down.

The giant Ferris wheel came into view and thankfully there were not a lot of people around as the sun began its descent. She spared a quick glance at the time and saw that she had only four minutes remaining. A new spurt of energy burst through her energized body to close the gap as quickly as possible.

Dodging a handful of remaining people she frantically searched for the building. She spied a security officer walking the streets and grabbed him roughly by the front of his uniform. “Where’s the generator station?” She panted slightly.

“Now listen here miss…” The young man started before being shaken vigorously by the desperate woman.

“There’s a bomb there. So if you don’t me what I want to know, we’re all going to blow sky high!” She hissed dangerously.

The man looked at her with a stunned expression. “WHERE?” She yelled impatiently.

“T-two buildings down this street to your left. It’ll be the small building behind.” He stammered clumsily as she pushed her way past him before he finished his sentence.

“Get the remaining people out of here!” She yelled over her shoulder, not slowing down noticing that she had only three minutes left.

She reached the small building and turned the knob with no luck. It was locked. Cursing her lack of foresight, she ran back to the security officer who was passing near her area, hustling a younger couple away. Again, Kat’s hand shot out and grabbed him by the scruff of the neck. “The key!” She demanded with an outstretched hand.

He searched with shaky hands over his key belt with a terrified look in his brown eyes.

“The key now god damnit!”

“H-here…” He stammered as he handed her his whole key belt holding up the proper key.

Wasting no more time, she sped back down the hallway, and punched in the key frantically. It worked. She burst through the door and found herself in the main generator room for the amusement park. Off to her left, in a corner, she saw Haley tied and gagged with duct tape at the base of an electrical console, struggling to free herself. There, next to her, sat the bomb.

Faster than humanly possible, Kat was at Haley’s side reaching for the bomb as the numbers slowly ticked by…3…2…1.

“NO!” Kat yelled as she threw herself over Haley as the timer reached zero.

The seconds ticked by silently as both Haley and Kat thought their hearts were ready to burst from their chests. Nothing happened. Kat cracked open a cautious eye as she tried to calm her ragged breath. Slowly she lifted her head and looked around them. Everything was still intact. They were both alive. Cautiously she dared a look at the bomb, its timer continually flashing four zeros.

Wiping away sweat from her forehead and face, Kat carefully checked all the connections to the bomb and soon discovered it had been a dud all along. Too tired to be pissed off, she simply turned it over and found a small note on the bottom.

Kat knew this message was from Seth.

Suddenly, her attention was brought back to the writhing, whimpering form beside her. Haley’s nostrils flared as they tried to compensate for the deep gasping breaths that had overtaken her during her moment of extreme stress as her mouth was covered with duct tape.

“This might hurt.” Kat said softly as she lifted a corner of the duct tape and tore it free of Haley’s mouth with a quick zip sound.

“Ow!” Haley couldn’t keep from saying at the sudden stinging sensation, her hand shooting out to rub over the area the tape covered.

Rubbing her mouth, Haley’s eyes were automatically drawn to Kat’s azure eyes. The wild, panicked look in the young woman’s green eyes soon quieted as they held onto Kat’s, whose eyes alone seemed to lend strength to the novelist. No words were exchanged, just a knowing look.

Kat suddenly felt very tired as her body began to slump down to the floor next to Haley as a tear trickled down the novelist’s cheek.

Strong arms suddenly hugged Haley to her and held her tightly, her hand stroking Haley’s short hair reassuringly. Everything was going to be all right now.

Several weeks after everything in Haley’s life began returning to normal, Kat made another one of her frequent stops to visit her and make sure her friend was doing well. Haley was still kept in hiding until such time that they felt she was safe from all the threats from the Kynak. This time however, Kat kept Haley at her apartment under her watchful eye. Here, Haley learned that Kat had made a copy of the disk she gave to Seth and used it to ultimately bring about the downfall of the Kynak.

Through locations, contacts, members and sellers that were all found on the disk, CSIS was able to effectively eliminate the threat of the Kynak through a joint effort with other government agencies. There was only one snag…Viktor Petrenko remained at large. His whereabouts were unknown.

With most of the threats of the Kynak out of the way, Haley was free to resume her normal life. A joyous reunion with her family and friends ensued. Her muse returned to her setting her on the path of a best seller. But still something was missing in her life. Her life seemed dull. She ended up doing something that had never crossed her mind before all of this happened. She signed up with CSIS.

While Haley recuperated from her injuries, Kat had made a passing suggestion about how CSIS could use more good agents and that Haley herself had great potential. That had gotten the ball rolling.

Since then, she was accepted into CSIS’s training program and passed with honors. A recommendation came down from the big guns high up in the chain of command urging Haley on into their special training in the field. Again, she passed with flying colors. And then the most surprising thing happened. She met her new partner: Katherine McGregor.

Haley later found out that Kat had refused to be partnered in the past but now readily accepted her new partner with a smile. She had to admit, with Kat’s brawn and skills coupled with Haley’s technical mind and quick wit, they were meant to be together. With Kat by her side, she felt they could do anything. Two short missions later, they proved it.

Her friends and family knew little of her secret ‘spy’ life with CSIS if they knew anything at all. But whether or not they knew, they all agreed that there was a new Haley Connors among them. Sure all the old traits and characteristics were there, but a new confidence and strength were also silently present.

With the setting of the sun on Mexico City, a lone figure secretly snuck into a grungy, rat hole of an apartment unnoticed by anyone who cared to look. Despite the bulkiness of the intruder’s body, he moved like a jungle cat on the prowl, his footfalls making not a single sound.

The uncomfortably small, dark apartment was bare save for a single torn sofa against the wall. A quick look around the cramped interior turned up no living creature except for some cockroaches scurrying about. Good. Just as the intruder hoped.

He sat himself on the sofa brandishing a 9mm with a silencer on the end and waited. It had taken the large man several months to track down Seth Kasselman and this time, he wasn’t getting away. He patiently waited.

Barely an hour passed by before he heard the knob of the door turning. With patience honed to near perfection through past experiences, the man waited for his prey to come to him.

A sliver of light from the hallway barely penetrated into the windowless room as Seth walked into his apartment. With eyes that had already adjusted to the lightless room, the stranger watched as Seth closed the door and reached for the light switch. It flicked once, then twice without producing any light. And then the stranger spoke.

“I told you I’d find you.” He said in a low, emotionless voice.

Seth froze and gulped nervously. “Viktor?”

A single bullet to the head and it was all over before Seth had time to react. Viktor Petrenko stood up from the sofa and walked over to the motionless body on the floor by the door. He looked down at it with no emotion as he aimed his gun once again and fired four more silent shots into Seth’s head before walking out as stealthily as he entered.

Epilogue

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