by Kathleen Hillcrest
(You were expecting...??)

A few notes before we get started:
CATEGORY: Romance and, hopefully, a little action (get your minds out of the gutter!) and adventure.
RATING: PG-13
WARNINGS: Profanity, violence, and adult situations.
NOTES: 194K or 46 (Word) pages long.
DISCLAIMER (THIS IS IMPORTANT!!  READ THIS!): Same as always...they're not mine.  I don't own them...except the stuff not directly related to Sons of Thunder and Walker, Texas Ranger.  I do own my ideas.  Shoot, (No!  Not REALLY!), the bank owns most everything else.  I'm not making any money: blah, blah, blah, yackety-smackety.  I just like to take them out and play with them a little.  Hey, I'm too old for Barbies, and girls just wanna have fun.  However, you know it WOULD be cool if someone would come out with SOT action figures!  Life size!  LOL!!  This story may contain small parts and big words.
COMMENTS: Hm...let's see.  Well, actually, the characters of Amy and Kelly were introduced in For What It's Worth, so if you haven't read that epic (which, I really never meant for it to be so long!  LOL!)  then you maybe a little lost.  Ah, but heck, read this story anyway!  It won't be as long.  I promise.  No, my fingers aren't crossed, why do you ask?  Hope you like it!
 
  

                             "All right!" Carlos exclaimed.  He closed the back hatch to his Durango and looked around.  "Got everything loaded up, is everyone ready?"
       The replies came back, "Yes!  Definitely!"
        In eager anticipation, he rubbed his hands together.  With a grin, the Cuban climbed in behind the steering wheel while his passengers situated themselves.  They were one short from the last time the rest of them had made a trip to the mountains, although this time they weren't really going as far as the mountains, but to the area known as the Texas Hill Country.  Tawana wasn't much into hiking and fishing, and neither was Kim.  Although they'd both been invited, they'd opted to stay in Dallas.  That only left himself, Trent, Amy, and Kelly.  Carlos wasn't too surprised when Trent and Amy claimed the back seat for their own, sitting awfully close to each other.  Not that he particularly minded having Kelly in the front seat beside him.  After all, she was cute, she was fun, and they got along well.
        Trent eased his arm around Amy's shoulders as his partner cranked the engine on the SUV, pulling her across the bench seat close to him.  Smiling, he looked down at her, pleased to find that she looked so relaxed and yet thrilled to be getting started on this trip.  The last time she'd tried to get away for the weekend, Luis Ortega had spoiled her fun.  Spoiled all their fun.
        That wouldn't happen this time.  Luis was gone for good and his brother Manuel was safely behind bars.  In addition, and perhaps more importantly, this time Trent could hold the engineer and kiss her like he'd wanted so badly on that last excursion but not been in the position to do.  Enough time had been wasted already just thinking about it, so he bent his head and kissed her softly on the lips.  Until the driver interrupted them.
        "Hey!  Hey!" Carlos said. "None of that in my back seat.  Unless it's me," he added with a mutter.
        Trent looked up into his partner's eyes peering at him in the rear view mirror.  He flashed a smile then pressed his lips to Amy's temple and pulled her head down onto his shoulder.  "Jealous, Carlos?"
        "Don't even go there, Trent," the Cuban answered.
        After all the years they'd known each other, Carlos couldn't believe that his stodgy friend was finally having better luck in the romance department than he was.  Ever since he'd gotten burned by Angela, he'd gone back to his old habits.  He dated plenty of women, one after the other, but none had struck him as particularly endearing.  Recently he'd even been in a sort of a dry spell, not that he would ever tell his partner about that.  Instead, he pretended to be playing the field.
        Unfortunately, as he wound through the streets of Dallas, Carlos got caught in Friday afternoon rush hour traffic.  Of course, in a big city like this, the gridlock usually lasted more than an hour.  But today, thankfully, cars were moving at least, though not as fast as he would have liked.  Eventually, he approached the outskirts of Dallas.  The traffic picked up and Carlos was able merge with the faster moving lanes and make up for some lost time.  He was as anxious as everyone else to get to the cabin they'd rented on the banks of the Frio River.  There promised to be some good fishing for himself and Trent, and the girls had expressed an interest in exploring the many hiking trails and caves nearby.
       By early that evening they'd reached their their destination.  After stopping at the rental agency office to check in and pick up the keys, Carlos pulled his Durango up in front of the rustic log cabin.  The four passengers climbed out of the vehicle and stretched their legs, which were rather stiff after the long drive.  Immediately afterward, Trent and Carlos walked around to the back of the SUV and began unloading the bags and other equipment.  Other than a few pieces of luggage, the bulk of the cargo was fishing and camping equipment: rods, reels, tackle boxes, and coolers.  While the two men picked up the heavier items, Kelly and Amy grabbed the smaller duffel bags.
        Leading the way, Trent unlocked the front door and walked into the small two-bedroom cabin.  The door opened to a single, large open gathering room with a kitchen toward the back, an eating area in the middle, and a couch and chairs up front.  The furnishings were well worn but clean, and decorations were sparse.  The air smelled of mustiness, probably from being closed up.  However it wasn't overpowering, and there was also a faint woodsy scent: pine, moss, river water, and maybe even a slight fishiness.
        Trent found it pleasant, much better than the smog and pollution of the city, and just the way a rustic cabin should smell, but he wondered what the women would think about it.  They probably wouldn't appreciate it as much, and he turned back to them as they walked in, waiting to see if they wrinkled up their noses.
        Amy sniffed at the air like a small forest creature scouting new territory when she came in.  Her piercing green eyes scanned the room, but she didn't look displeased with the accommodations.  Kelly looked around curiously, much the same as her partner.  When Amy finally noticed that Trent was watching her carefully, her eyes came to rest on his, wide and inquisitive.
        "What?" she asked.  He was staring at her.  Had she done something wrong like tracked in mud in or something?  Quickly, she inspected her feet.
        "Nothing," Trent replied.  He smiled at her and motioned around the place with his head.  "Is this okay?"
        "Yeah, it's fine!" Amy said, moving past him further into the cabin.  Actually, it was nicer than she'd expected, and it did have indoor plumbing after all.  She looked back to find that he was still watching her like he expected her to run out ranting and raving.  "Trent," she said with a small giggle, "uh...we've lived in worse places than this."
        Behind the blond, Kelly laughed aloud and he turned his head to look at her.  "Much worse," Kelly agreed.
        With a sharp intake of breath, Trent realized that he'd temporarily forgotten about the experiences that the two women had in the Peace Corp.  Except for perhaps Alex Cahill, who from her association with Walker had learned to appreciate the great outdoors, he was accustomed to meeting city girls in Dallas, whose idea of roughing it was a Winnebago.  Which was probably why, other than the assistant district attorney, and his little sister when he was younger, he'd never been camping with another woman.  Not that this was exactly camping out under the stars, but it was more remote than the other women he'd dated would have ever wanted to experience.  He smiled and shook his head, glad that he wouldn't have to listen to the cabin's shortcomings all weekend and glad that the two engineers had suggested the getaway in the first place.  The very fact that Amy and Kelly had been the ones to come up with the idea of renting a cabin should have told him that they weren't the squeamish types, but old preconceptions die hard.
        "So which bedroom is ours?" Carlos stood just inside the doorway, weighted down with bags and gear.
        Their attention shifted to the dilemma of sleeping arrangements, Amy and Kelly looked at each other and shrugged.  It really didn't matter much to them as both bedrooms were practically identical, each containing a single, queen-size bed.  Plus, since there was only the one bathroom, they'd all have to share that anyway.
        "Pick one," Kelly said with a smile.  When he merely raised his right eyebrow at her and headed into the nearest one, she laughed, then pointed toward the other bedroom.  "I'm going to unpack."
        "Sounds good," Amy agreed.  First she stopped to give Trent a kiss, her eyes twinkling with humor.  He'd been so worried about her and Kelly's reaction to the cabin.  She herself didn't understand what the big deal was.  However, when she reflected on it more, she supposed that not all women would have been so laissez-faire about the whole affair.  Look at Tawana and Kim; they didn't even want to come.  Oh well, their loss; they didn't know what they were missing.
        Trent caught the sparkle of amusement in Amy's eyes, and he smiled just before he bent his head to press his lips to hers.  Reaching up, she met him halfway and when he felt her mouth soft and warm against his he had a hard time holding back while he kissed her.  Just a few light kisses was all he dared give her right now, and she seemed to understand that, even feel the same herself as he looked deeply into her eyes afterward.  Then she smiled enigmatically and followed her partner.  Trent took a deep breath to calm his rapidly beating heart then headed into the bedroom he was sharing with Carlos.
        After all the unpacking was done, and the fishing and hiking gear stowed near the back door where it would be easily accessible, the four friends found themselves in the kitchen rummaging for something to eat.  Luckily the girls had thought to pack luncheon meat, cheese, and bread, and they decided on sandwiches since no one really felt like cooking.  Both Carlos' and Trent's sandwiches rather looked like something Shaggy and Scooby-doo would have made, and Amy wondered how they'd fit it all in their mouths as she settled down next to the blond with her plate on her lap.  Like most people these days, they'd skipped over the table in favor of eating on the couch even though there was no TV, a fact about which none of them lamented.
        "So," Trent said, shifting the bulk of the food in his mouth to the side to make it easier to talk.  He chewed a minute more and swallowed before he continued.  "What do you want to do after we eat?" he asked, taking another bite of his monstrous sandwich creation.
        "Go to bed," Amy replied quickly even as she put her own meal on hold to marvel at how he could eat that whole thing so fast.
        Trent felt an immediate sense of disappointment at her words and at Kelly's nod of agreement since he'd noticed, without saying anything, that they'd both brought their guitars on this trip, and he'd hoped that they'd consent to entertaining them for a little while.  Other than in church, which he'd talked Amy into attending with him again the past few weeks, and those few snippets long ago, he'd not heard her sing, and since that over the rest of the congregation, Trent was eager to enjoy her voice.  Maybe tomorrow night, he consoled himself and listened to the rest of what Amy was saying.
        "I'm tired," Amy continued, and again her partner nodded in agreement.  "Besides, I'd like to get up early tomorrow and enjoy the day."
        That was some logic with which Trent couldn't argue since he was eager to spend the day fishing and relaxing, and he knew that Carlos was also.  Finishing off his food, Trent wiped his mouth with a paper napkin and leaned back.  Unwinding, he threw his arm around his girlfriend.  His girlfriend: that made him smile inwardly, washing away his momentary regret as he watched her consume her sandwich.  His disappointment was further alleviated when, despite what she'd said, Amy didn't get up right away to go to bed.  Instead, the four of them sat there talking for a while longer, and she scooted closer to him, resting her head down on his shoulder and draping her arm across him.  He squeezed her shoulder gently and pressed his lips to her head, catching the light fragrance of her hair and involuntarily, he breathed deeper.  He loved the way her hair smelled like coconuts, and he loved the thick, silky feel of it.  His hand slid up under the weight of her hair, caressing the base of her skull as the soft strands tickled the back of his hand.
        As Trent began to stroke the delicate, sensitive skin behind her ear, Amy began to feel warm and restless.  Then her mouth watered, her stomach tingled, and she had an incredible urge to run her hands up under his shirt, but she could just imagine Carlos' and Kelly's reaction if she actually did!  Closing her eyes briefly, she wondered if he realized what he was doing to her.
        "I think you're putting her to sleep, Trent," Kelly said, and he bent his head to check for himself.
        "No, I'm still awake," Amy said, immediately reopening her eyes.  Taking a deep breath, she sighed and tried to squelch the feelings Trent was inducing in her as she rejoined the conversation.  Eventually though, she began to yawn in earnest and decided that it was time to hit the sack, and the others agreed.
        Then, after disposing of the trash and stacking the dishes in the sink to be washed in the morning, they all headed off to bed, but not before Trent and Amy shared one last warm, satisfying goodnight kiss.
 
 
 

                    The next morning, Trent awoke to the sounds of birds chirping outside his open window and the distinctive smell of freshly brewed coffee.  Feeling like he'd been transported into a Folger's commercial, he rolled out of bed, stretching and yawning.  As his hand brushed his jaw when he rubbed the sleep from his eyes, he made a mental note to himself that he needed a shave.  He really shouldn't worry about it; they *were* supposed to be on vacation, but he didn't want to leave Amy with rug burn when he kissed her.  Speaking of kissing her, he wondered how bad his breath was and he felt around the inside of his mouth with his tongue.  Maybe a quick once over with the toothbrush couldn't hurt, but...in order to get to the bathroom, he had to walk out of the bedroom.  Then Amy would surely see him if she was up, which he was pretty certain that she was, and she'd probably wonder why he was ignoring her.  Of course it wasn't like he'd never kissed her first thing in the morning before.  So Trent decided to risk it and wandered out into the gathering room in his t-shirt and shorts, leaving Carlos still snoring in the bed.
        He was right; Amy was already awake, and by the looks of it, ready to go: dressed in jeans and a colorfully striped t-shirt.  Her hair was pulled back in a ponytail, and when he got closer, he noticed that she wasn't wearing any makeup.  Neither was Kelly, who was sitting opposite her as they sipped their coffee, and spread out on the table around them were various maps and literature they'd picked up from the rental agency when they'd checked into the cabin yesterday.
        "Good morning," they greeted him cheerily, both with smiles, but it was only the younger engineer's greeting which really lifted his heart.
        "Good morning," Trent replied.  Bending down to kiss Amy, he was struck again how pretty she was au-naturel.  Makeup only enhanced her wholesome beauty, and he was rather glad that she never wore very much anyway since she simply didn't need it in Trent's opinion.  Her lips tasted of the brew sweetened with cream and sugar that she was drinking, reminding him of a piece of coffee-flavored candy.  "Do I smell fresh coffee?" he asked after he'd kissed her lightly.
        "Nah, we didn't make coffee," Amy answered facetiously, lifting her mug to her lips as she kept her eyes locked with his.  She loved the way he looked at her; looking into Trent's eyes was like falling into the deep indigo expanse of the universe and having all the mysteries thereof revealed.  He made her feel pretty no matter what she was wearing, and she could just gaze into those limpid blue pools forever.
        "I don't even drink coffee.  It's not good for you," Kelly chimed in, continuing the charade.  "Do you, Am?"
        "Never," Amy stated, swallowing.  "I don't know anyone who does, do you Kel?"  Although the question was directed at the brunette, her eyes never left the blond man beside her, and they danced and sparked with mischief.
        "Okay, okay," Trent said, grinning as he held up his hands in a gesture of surrender.  "Sorry I asked," he shot back at her good-naturedly.  Grasping Amy's shoulders warmly as he passed, he planted a kiss on top of her head.  Then he walked into the kitchen area to pour himself some coffee before he rejoined the two women at the table.  He'd just taken a seat when his own partner stumbled into the room, pausing to yawn and stretch in the doorway.  "Carlos!" Trent called, "Good morning!"
        "Good morning, Carlos," the engineers greeted him in unison, their voices taking on a singsong quality.
        "Oh...good morning," the Cuban mumbled, trying to rid his mouth of the pasty film which covered it.  Looking blearily in their general direction, he nodded his head as if making up his mind about something and walked over to the coffeepot, scratching his stomach.  There was a lull in the conversation as all three of the others silently watched him pour himself a mug, and he turned around expectantly when he was finished.  "What?" he asked, oblivious to the source of their humor: his clearly unshaven face and mussed hair.
        Their smiles grew bigger as they each began to shake their head.  "Nothing, buddy," Trent said, being the most successful to quickly suppress his grin.  However, the Cuban still eyed him mistrustfully as he took a seat at the table, easing the legs of his flannel pajama pants up as he sat down.  "So, what do you want to do today?" Trent asked Amy, reaching his hand out to stroke up and down her back.
        Like a cat being petted, Amy leaned into the luxurious feeling, savoring his every touch.  "I thought you guys were going fishing?" she purred lazily.
        "Well...yeah..." he stammered, looking in surprise across the table at Carlos, but his partner was no help; he only looked back at the blond unresponsively, still trying to wake up it seemed.  Sure, Trent thought, they'd wanted to do that sometime, but he didn't just want to abandon her or make her feel excluded either.
        "Kelly and I were gonna go for a hike," Amy relayed to him inconsequentially before he could say anything further.
        Okay, so they already had plans.  That didn't bother him, but he still didn't want her to feel like he was ignoring her.  "We could come with you," Trent offered.  "Protect you from the mountain lions," he added with a boyish grin and a gleam in his eye.
        "Mountain lions?  What mountain lions?" Amy questioned as she narrowed her eyes suspiciously.
        "The ones that hiking guide warns about," he answered knowledgeably, nodding toward a pamphlet on the table.
        Her eyes skimmed over to the brochure Trent had indicated and when she looked back at the blond, there was a distinct note of merriment in his serene blue eyes.  "When did you read that?" Amy asked, still not quite convinced of his newfound expertise on the subject.
        "Last night, after you went to bed," Trent responded, meeting her gaze with a self-satisfied smirk.  "It says that the reports of mountain lion sightings has just about doubled this year."  He paused to take a sip of coffee but only got the mug as far as his lips.  "Read it if you don't believe me!" he added with a chuckle.  No, the danger of cougar attack wasn't great; in fact, it stated that you were much more likely to be struck by lightning, but still Trent thought it was amusing that Amy didn't believe him.  She was so intelligent that he enjoyed it whenever he actually got the better of her; not that she didn't easily concede when she knew she was wrong, but Trent relished their good-natured verbal sparring and he knew that she did too.
        "Uh-huh," Amy said slowly as she thoughtfully fingered the pamphlet.  "Well...I think we'll be all right," she said as she cleared her throat and glanced across the table at Kelly who nodded in agreement.  "Unless you just have some strange, manly urge to wrestle a mountain lion with your bare hands?"  Amy winked at Trent while the question dangled in the air and a wide, playful smile spread across her face as he stopped stroking her back to grasp her shoulder good-humoredly.  "Carlos?" she asked, turning to look at him.
        "Hm?  Oh, no thanks," he replied drowsily, dragging his hand down across his face as he fought to open his eyes a little wider.  He seemed oblivious to the other's soft laughter at his answer while he took another deep drink of his coffee.
        "Besides," Amy continued, now turning her attention back to Trent.  "We wouldn't want you to miss entertaining the fish," she added teasingly.
        "Whoa.  What exactly is that supposed to mean?" Carlos asked, setting his mug down on the table with a soft thud.  His battle with sleep practically won, he was alert enough now to raise his right eyebrow, and he took offense...not much, but a little, mind you...at the insinuation that he and Trent were not proficient fishermen.
        Each wearing a mischievous grin, the two women glanced across the table at each other again as if communicating silently in some secret code, and Trent watched them with a feeling that he knew where this was leading.  "Just be sure you guys take along enough bait," Kelly said.  "We wouldn't want any poor little fishies to go hungry."
        Clasping his hands together on the table, Trent shot each engineer a quick glance out of the corner of his eyes before he looked across at his partner.  The fish weren't the only ones being baited.  "You know, Carlos," he said, a note of challenge in his voice, "I get the feeling they don't think we can catch anything."
        "Sure we do!" Amy immediately disagreed, patting his forearm.  However, the smile on her face told Trent another story, and he waited for the rest of it while she took another sip of coffee, devilish green eyes glinting at him over the rim of the mug.  "I'm sure you can catch something like..."
        "...A cold!" the two women finished in unison, then broke into raucous laughter.
        While Trent nodded his head, pursing his lips while he waited patiently for their merriment to die down, he made eye contact with Carlos, and a deal was born.  "All right," he said slowly, deliberately,  "You wanna make a bet?"
        Muffling her giggles as best she could, Amy rested her elbow on the table and propped her chin up in her hand.  "What kind of a bet?" she asked.  Her interest in a wager and her continued amusement at the guys' expense was completely undisguised.
        The blond glanced across at his partner again.  Not even a nod of approval passed between them, only another meaningful look and Trent knew to proceed.  He looked deliberately back at Amy.  "Whatever we catch, you have to cook," he suggested.
        "And clean," Carlos added coolly.
        "I'm not chopping off any fish heads," Kelly immediately dissented and Amy started giggling again.  Of course, she didn't really want to do that either, but it was the way Kel had said it and the expression on her face that made the younger engineer laugh.
        "*We'll* clean the fish," Trent amended, mollifying Kelly.  Then he purposefully looked back at Amy.  "BUT..." he said, pointing an index finger at her.  "You have to cook it, and serve it to us, AND do the dishes afterward."
        Amy cast a glance back over at her partner with a facetious grin.  "They'll probably catch some old boot or something," she said with a wink.  Chuckling in spite of himself, Trent reached over and tickled her side playfully, and she bent over laughing as she grasped at his hand to make him stop.
        "What would that kind of fish be?" Kelly asked, a droll smile playing about the corners of her mouth as she tried not to snicker.  "Filet of sole?"  The bright, sunny sound of high-pitched feminine laughter filled the cabin for a few minutes.
        "That's right," Carlos said, waving his hand as the noise died down.  "Laugh now, while you can.  We'll see who's laughing later," he said, drinking his coffee sedately.
        "Yeah...sure," Amy drawled, glancing over her shoulder at Carlos since she still held on to Trent's hand to prevent him from tickling her more.  "And when you guys come back empty-handed," she said, pausing dramatically while Trent shot her a dirty look, "*YOU* can cook the steaks we brought."
       "AND serve them to us and do the dishes afterward," Kelly added and Amy nodded and smiled at her in agreement.
        "Deal," the team of private investigators agreed simultaneously.
       Trent gazed at Amy, amusement making his blue eyes glitter crisply.  "I hope you like fish," he said, his tone dry, though his mouth curved into a teasing grin.  She merely grinned back at him mischievously, a distinct note of skepticism in her expression.  Threading his fingers through hers, he rested their two hands on the table while they finished drinking their coffee.
        After eating a light breakfast, each person fending for themselves, the two men packed up their fishing gear, ready to head down to the banks of the river not far from the cabin door.  Meanwhile, the two women packed a few provisions in their small backpacks and perused a local map to find a good hiking trail.  Before they left, Trent pulled Amy up against him.  Letting his hands roam up and down over the curves of her body, his mouth closed over hers hungrily, and she responded in kind: two starving vagabonds who'd found sustenance.
 
 
 

                    Carlos dropped his tackle box down on the ground, leaned his fishing rod against a tree, and turned to look at his friend following directly behind him.  "This looks like a good spot," he said, jerking his head toward the river in front of them.  The clear, fresh water tumbled easily over smooth rocks on a gentle downhill slope at a bend in the river.  Even from a few feet away they could see a wealth of black bass swimming around.
        "Fine with me," Trent replied, setting his own gear down momentarily.  Perching on a fallen tree near the bank, he proceeded to rummage through his paraphernalia for the perfect lure.  He was going to make sure they didn't go back empty-handed.  That would teach Amy to laugh at him, he thought with a smile.
Carlos caught his pensive grin.  "What's so funny?" he asked.
        "Oh, nothing," Trent said, giving his head a shake.  He looked up at his partner.  "I was just thinking of the expressions on Amy's and Kelly's faces when we come back with a creel full of fish."
        Carlos chuckled heartily.  Yeah, he couldn't wait to see that himself.  In addition, fresh fish was sure going to be good for dinner tonight, especially since he wouldn't have to cook it.  "So...things are really good between you and Amy?" he asked.

        "Couldn't be better," Trent answered, rising to his feet.  A smile flashed on his face as the engineer came to mind.  "I know it's only been a few weeks, Carlos...which is longer than any of your relationships have lasted..." 

    "The map says there's a trail up ahead on the left," Kelly said, pointing up the road.
        "Okay," Amy replied.  Slowing down Carlos' Durango which they had borrowed to drive to the hiking trails, she prepared to pull off the single lane road.  The beginning of the trail was clearly marked with a wooden sign, also denoting the trail's length and direction.  Amy parked near the entrance and the two women climbed out, grabbing their backpacks from the back seat, and locking the doors behind them.
        It was a clearly defined path, wide and easy to navigate for the first several hundred yards.  When it started to slope upward, getting more into the hilly, mountainous terrain, at points it became narrower and they were forced to walk single file, alternating taking the lead.  The heavily wooded countryside was serenely peaceful with the gentle sounds of nature as they walked; chitchatting mostly about girl stuff interspersed with some business talk.
        They hadn't left the cabin until midmorning, and taking into account the time it took to drive to the site, it wasn't long before it was time to stop for lunch.  Sitting on some boulders and a fallen tree trunk near a sparkling stream, they pulled out the sandwiches and canteens of water they'd packed before leaving the cabin.
        "So, how are you and Trent doing?" Kelly asked, taking a bite of her sandwich.
        "We're doing fine," Amy mumbled.  She washed down her food with a swig from her canteen and grinned slyly at her partner.
        Grinning back, the brunette observed her friend for just a second while she considered what to say next.  "Just fine?"
        Amy laughed quietly and set her canteen down on the ground by her feet.  "Yes," she replied with a nod of her head.
        "I just wondered," Kelly remarked casually.  "Because from what I've seen, I'd say better than fine."
        "So, what are you saying, Kel?" Amy asked, looking at her askance though she had a feeling that she knew where this was leading.
        "Oh, come on, Amy!  You're glowing like a June bride!" Kelly exclaimed, slapping her friend's knee.
        The younger engineer couldn't help laughing aloud then, the sound rippling through the relative quiet of the forest air.  "Well," she began but then stopped and picked at the crust of her bread.
        What could she say?  Yes, she was having the time of her life and was happier than she could remember being in quite a long time.  The way Trent smiled at her and held her hand or put his arm around her, he made her feel like the only woman on the face of the earth.  It could easily develop into something very serious for her, and it seemed like Trent felt the same way, but it was still so early in the relationship and that made an unreasonable feeling of panic rise in her chest.  Of course, there was the time just last week when he'd told her he thought he was really falling for her, she tried to calm herself...but what was that supposed to mean anyway?  He thought?  It meant he wasn't sure, that's what and what if he changed his mind?  That could happen, you know.  Another couple weeks down the road and, ‘Whoops, sorry, I guess I made a mistake.  I'm not falling for you after all.'  Then what would she do?
        "So, are you in love?" Kelly asked bluntly after Amy had fallen silent long enough.  From the look on her face, her partner was thinking too much, overanalyzing as she had a tendency to do sometimes, and it wasn't good for her.
        "I don't know if it's love," Amy replied with a quiet, modest chuckle.  "Lust, definitely!" she added with a big smile, and Kelly coughed as she tried not to choke on her food from laughter.  "I don't know...it's...it's too soon to say if it's love," Amy continued more solemnly.  Love was...love was supposed to be forever, and she didn't know yet if this would be forever.  "But...uh..." Amy looked up at her friend, searching for the right words, but she didn't even have to say them.
        "Never mind," Kelly said, waving her off with her hand.  "I get it."
        Smiling, Amy took another bite of her sandwich; relieved that she hadn't had to struggle further to say what she could quite put into words.  It was nice to have a friend who understood you so well.  Exhaling a sigh of relief, Amy looked around at the surrounding bounty of nature.
        The stream beside them babbled soothingly, birds chirped nearby, and even a squirrel scampered through the trees.  She looked up as she chewed, idly trying to pinpoint the source of the rustling from above.  Then it seemed that she heard something else, another rustling sound, but on the ground and from somewhere quite near them, heavier than the sound a squirrel or chipmunk would make.  Amy turned her head, looking over her shoulder in both directions.
        "Did you hear something?" she asked her partner.
        "Like what?" Kelly asked curiously.  Other than the typical forest sounds, she hadn't heard anything out of the ordinary, but then...Amy did have that supersonic hearing at times.
        "I don't know," Amy said, shaking her head.  "Just thought I heard something weird.  Must be my imagination."
        They finished eating their lunch and packed up the remnants, but when Amy stood and slung her backpack over her shoulder, she stopped suddenly, hit by an eerie feeling that they were being watched.

     "Woo!  Got another one!" Carlos yelled over his shoulder as he pulled back on his rod.  It bent in an arc from the strain against whatever was on the hook and he alternately reeled in and let out the line, tiring out the feisty rascal he was eager to net.
        Trent looked up with a satisfied grin from where he was crouching down in front of the bucket into which he'd just thrown a fairly good sized spotted bass himself.  "Don't it let get away!" he called, rising to his feet as he watched his partner struggle.  "Looks like you got a big one!"  He stood on the shore with his hands on his hips, watching with excitement as Carlos continued to wrestle with his catch.  At length the Cuban reeled in a large bream and carefully waded to the shore with his trophy on the hook.     "Good one," Trent observed as Carlos held it up for him to admire.
       Slipping the hook from its mouth, Carlos added it to the creel with the other fish.  They had several fish in there already, and he wondered if maybe they should have brought a bigger pail.  Trent had caught a couple bass, the spotted he'd just put in, and a largemouth bass earlier.  This was Carlos' second catch of the morning as well.
        "What do you say we take a break?" Carlos asked, slightly out of breath from his struggle of a moment ago.
        "Sounds good," Trent agreed.  "Hungry?"
        "Yeah.  What time is it anyway?" he asked as he looked over his partner's shoulder while Trent dug out their lunch.
        "No watch," the blond said with a grin, gesturing to his left arm.  Then he looked up and took in the sun's position in the cloudless blue sky.  "About noon, I'd say."
        "How long do you want to stay out?" he asked, taking the sandwich and drink Trent held out.  He turned away and sat down against a pile of rocks.
        Shaking his head thoughtfully, Trent pulled out a sandwich and drink for himself out of the small cooler they'd brought along.  "I don't know," he said.  Taking a seat on the ground, he leaned back against a tree.  "The girls are gone hiking.  They probably won't be back until late this afternoon," he said.
        Carlos nodded, chewing a mouthful of food.  Then his right eyebrow shot up and he looked down at the sandwich in his hand quizzically.  "What *is* this?  Pastrami?  I *hate* pastrami," he said with a grimace.
        Trent snickered at him and pointed to the cooler.  "Kelly and Amy made them, but I think there's a ham and cheese in there."
        With a nod and taking a second to wash the taste out of his mouth, Carlos got up and walked over to the cooler.  Re-wrapping the offending sandwich, he rifled through the contents, careful to check what he had gotten before he resumed his seat.
 
 
 

                    "So how far did you want to walk?" Kelly asked curiously as she strolled along the trail with her old friend.
        "I don't know," Amy replied casually.  She shrugged her shoulders as she stopped a moment to think.  "I guess we just keep going until it's time to turn around and go back," she said.
        Kelly giggled softly, joined almost immediately by Amy.  Neither one of them had really taken the time to note if there were any special landmarks or sights to see up this trail before they'd set off.  They'd both simply been anxious to get out and enjoy the sunny weather and fresh air.  "I guess so," she agreed, and they recommenced their leisurely walk.
        A twig snapped somewhere behind them and Amy's head spun around curiously.  An animal, perhaps?  It sounded too loud to have been something small like a chipmunk but there was other wildlife in the area.  Maybe a deer then, she thought to herself as she nearly stumbled over an exposed tree root from not watching where she was going.  She'd better keep her eyes ahead of her, Amy reminded herself, but as she turned back around she again felt strangely like they were being followed.  She looked behind them again, trying to peer through the dense foliage as if the forest had secrets to hide.  There was nothing there that shouldn't be and she shook her head.  All that stuff with Luis Ortega must be coming back to haunt her and her imagination was acting up again.  Still...she'd turned out to be right that time and she stopped again.
        "Something wrong, Am?" Kelly asked.  She'd stopped just a few steps ahead of her partner, waiting for her to catch up and she noticed Amy looking around strangely.
        "Nah," Amy said, shaking her head though she still didn't quite have herself convinced.  Slowly, she caught up with her hiking companion.
        Kelly waited until they were side-by-side again.  "Talk to me.  What's up?" she asked as Amy passed her.
        Glancing back over her shoulder, Amy noticed that Kelly hadn't moved.  "Nothing," she said, shaking her head again.  "I..." she stopped, closing her mouth with a heavy sigh.  "I thought I heard something."
        "Like what?"
        "I don't know," Amy said, brushing it off.  "A twig snapping or something...probably just a dangerous wild animal," she said with a wry grin.  "Maybe one of Trent's mountain lions!"
        Kelly chuckled.  "Great!  What have you got me into this time?" she asked facetiously as she threw her hands up into the air.  A few steps later, she was even with her partner.
        "Me?"
        "The Peace Corp was all you're fault," Kelly said, pointing an accusing finger at the younger woman.
        "Not even!" Amy protested.  "No one told you to join."
        "I couldn't let you have all the fun," Kelly said.  Throwing her arm over her friend, they started up the path again.  Another thirty minutes later they came to a stream crossing and decided to refill their canteens.
        "I wonder how Trent and Carlos are faring?" Kelly asked as she squatted next to the clear, running water.  Dipping her hand down into the cool stream, she held the mouth of her canteen against the current.
        "They'll probably run into town and *buy* fish just to make it look like they caught something!" Amy joked as she dropped her backpack to the ground.
        "You are so bad!" Kelly said with a shake of her head.  Standing up, she replaced the cap on her canteen while Amy moved to take her place.  "Hey, I'll be right back," she said gesturing with her head into the trees.  "Nature calls!"
        "All right," Amy replied with a chuckle.  "Don't use all the leaves!"  She could hear Kelly's laugh as she disappeared behind a thick growth of bushes.  After she'd finished filling her canteen, she stood and waited for her partner to reappear as she replaced the cap, screwing it on securely.  Kelly must have really had to go, because she seemed to be taking a long time.
        "Yo!  Kel!" Amy called into the bushes.  "You about done?"  She waited a few minutes, but there was no reply, not even a rustling sound to indicate that Kelly was on her way out of the overgrowth.  "Kel?" she called out again as she meandered over to spot she'd seen the brunette disappear.  Still no answer.
        She replaced the canteen in its holder, slung her backpack up on her shoulder, and pushed some of the brush aside so that she could peer through the leaves but there was no sign of her friend.  A footstep sounded on the forest floor behind her and she turned, filled with relief.  "What are you trying to do...." her words were cut off when a large, rough hand closed over her mouth.  Before she could react, she felt a crashing blow against her skull, and all she could think as her vision blacked out was, "Not again."

        Stepping carefully, Trent made his way a little further upstream alone.  Carlos had advanced downstream earlier and now the blond had lost sight of him around a bend in the river.  The rocks on the river bottom were slippery and Trent had to be careful not to fall.  He didn't exactly feel like going for a swim right now, although it would feel good.  The air was hot in the middle of the day, despite all the shade from the trees bordering the water.  Maybe the heat was the reason why the fish weren't biting any longer.  Since they'd taken a break to eat lunch, he hadn't had much luck catching anything.  Still, between him and Carlos, they already had a good bounty so it wasn't like they'd be going back empty-handed...and he wouldn't have to cook dinner tonight.  But...he was in no hurry to get back to the cabin; Amy wouldn't be there anyway, so he might as well enjoy the fishing while he was out here and try a different spot. This was the way fishing was supposed to be: quiet and relaxing.
        The water gurgled and swirled around Trent's feet as he took a seat on a large boulder in the middle of a small eddy, and his thoughts drifted to Amy again.  As he dug a fresh lure from his fishing vest, he couldn't help feeling a little guilty about not going with her today, but she'd seemed pretty okay with the idea of just her and Kelly being alone.  Besides, they would all be driving back to Dallas tomorrow, they only had the cabin for the weekend, and so this was really the only time that he'd have to fish.  However, as he cast his line into the rushing water, he was struck again by a strange, urgent feeling that he really should have gone along with them.  He couldn't help looking over his shoulder as though he expected to see an apparition of the auburn-haired engineer standing on the shore.
        Of course she wasn't there; she was hiking with Kelly.  What was bothering him?  After all, what could happen to them?  Shaking his head, he went back to his fishing.  Several times he reeled in his line and recast, but he couldn't shake the feeling he had, that she needed him.  What if there'd been an accident and she'd broken her leg or something?  He'd have a hard time forgiving himself if she was hurt while he was out here having fun.  One last time he reeled his line back in then disassembled his pole to make it easier to carry.  Carlos would probably laugh at him, not to mention how irked he'd be when they discovered the engineers were fine, but Trent had to check, just to ease his worried mind.
        Once he got back to their original starting point, where they'd left the bulk of their gear, he propped his fishing rod against a tree and struck out downstream in search of his partner.  He found him not too far away, walking back toward their small camp with another string of fish.
        "Hey!" Carlos called out when he saw his buddy, holding up his plunder to show off.  "What do you think?  Are we having fish tonight?" he asked with a self-satisfied grin.
        Trent cracked an amused smile as he stopped and waited for Carlos to meet up with him.  "Yes, it looks like we are," he agreed heartily.
        "No luck?" Carlos asked when he noticed that the blond didn't have his pole.
        "No," Trent answered.  His eyes skimmed the water and he squinted against the glare of the sun reflecting off the surface.  Then he took a breath.  "I was thinking about heading back to the cabin," he announced, looking back at his partner.
        "Why?  Are you ready to quit already?" Carlos asked.  Or was it something else, he wondered?  Like...maybe he was hoping a certain engineer would be back early?  "You know, Amy won't be back yet," he reminded him with a sardonic chuckle.
        Trent laughed dryly at the insinuation.  Actually, he wasn't far off the mark though.  "Yeah, I know, Carlos," he replied lamely, then shrugged his shoulders.  "I don't know.  I just have a funny feeling about her."
        The Cuban regarded his partner thoughtfully for a moment.  "What do you mean?  Funny as in bad?" he asked, although he could already tell from the look on his friend's face that was exactly what he meant.  "You think something's wrong?" he inquired, his voice full of concern.
        Shaking his head with a frown, Trent shrugged his shoulders helplessly again.  "I don't know.  Maybe I just feel guilty about not going with her."
        "She didn't exactly invite you along," Carlos remarked.  However, there was no sense standing there talking if Trent had a bad feeling.  He was much like Walker in that respect, although the blond had no Cherokee in his blood like his mentor, as least none of which Carlos knew.  Nevertheless, Trent's hunches were often correct.
        "True," Trent agreed, nodding his head absently like he was deep in speculation.
        "Look, why don't you go call them with your cell phone," Carlos urged him, gesturing upstream with his head.  "I'm sure everything's fine.  Then you can come back out and do some more fishing," he added, and Carlos hefted up his catch again and started walking, pausing just long enough to glance over his shoulder at the blond.  What a piece of work his friend was.  If he wasn't careful, Amy would have him wrapped around her little finger in no time.
 
 
 

                Trent stomped his feet on the back porch of the cabin, trying to knock loose some of the pungent river mud that clung to his boots, looking back once more to the river where his partner still fished.  Taking a seat on one of the Adirondack chairs, the blond pulled the rubber waders off his feet and padded inside in his socks where he went straight for his and Carlos' bedroom to dig his cell phone out of his bag.  He was glad he'd brought it now, despite Amy's protests that the weekend was supposed to be tech-free: no phones, no TV, and no computers.  Fortunately for him, her own partner, Kelly had sided with him and had even brought her own mobile phone along, though Amy refused to carry one.  It wasn't just on this trip either, Amy refused to even own a cell phone, maintaining that nothing was so important that people needed to call her in the car.  Even still, Amy had threatened to back out of the trip and the only way Trent had been able to mollify her was to promise it would only come out for an emergency.  He wasn't quite sure if this qualified as one, but what was she going to do?
        He punched in the numbers to Kelly's mobile and waited throughout all the connecting clicks until the phone began to ring.  Immediately, he began to feel better and his shoulders slumped in relief as he wandered out of the bedroom.  Unfortunately, his moment of relief didn't last long, and tension began to tighten in his shoulders again.  There was no answer on Kelly's end and then an electronic-sounding voice came on stating that the cellular customer was out of reach.  Damn!  He slammed the phone down on the table.  Either Kelly hadn't taken her phone with them or it was turned off.  He wondered...
        Trent strode purposefully in the bedroom which the engineers were sharing.  Without disturbing too much, he rifled quickly through Kelly's belongings looking for her cell phone.  Not finding it, he decided that she must have taken it with her.  Okay, so that meant it was either in the car or turned off.  Still not much better than he'd been a moment ago.
        Slowly, Trent strolled back into the main great room.  A strange sense of foreboding still pricked at the back of his brain and his eyes roamed the room as if looking for an answer there.  The map.  Although they'd taken a map with them, Trent had another just like the one at which they'd been looking earlier.  Spreading it out on the table, he poured over the hiking trails highlighted in blue.  His mind searched methodically through his memories like a computer digging through its RAM.  He remembered overhearing them discuss heading West and his finger traced the road in that direction.
        Carlos cast his line out into the river again, enjoying the dappled sunlight playing on the water and he wondered what was taking Trent so long.  While his partner had gone up to the cabin on Carlos' urging, he himself was standing in a cool shady spot he'd found after dumping his latest catch into the creel.  Just a touch of a breeze floated against the back of his neck.  The area where he'd cast his bait was shady too.  Oh yeah, the fish would like that spot at this time of day, he thought to himself.
        His finger stopped.  For some reason, that area rang a bell, and Trent bent closer to the map as he racked his brain to remember why it gave him pause.  That was it!  Upon further examination, he remembered that Amy and Kelly had decided to head toward that direction; there were quite a few trails that way, and it wasn't too far from the cabin.  Slapping his hand down on the table, Trent quickly grabbed his tennis shoes from the bedroom.  He pulled them on as he stumbled toward the front door, then he stopped, one foot still up in the air.  What good would it do?  The Durango was gone, the girls had taken it, and he had no way of going to look for them.
        He finished pulling his second shoe on his foot and put his leg down, standing with his hands on his hips staring at the front door while he decided what to do next.  Trent shook his head, he couldn't think straight, and before long he was pacing back and forth, slamming one hand into the other as his mind continued to draw a blank.  Still he came up with nothing, and finally he realized that there was nothing he could do at the moment and therefore he decided to go back down to the river's edge.  Maybe Carlos would have an idea or it would at least take his mind off this feeling of misgiving.
        Nah, this spot wasn't as good as he'd hoped and Carlos waded carefully through the water.  The fish just weren't biting this afternoon like they had been this morning.  Maybe they were all taking naps after lunch.  Actually, a nap sounded like a good idea right about now, and the tall, dark-haired man stopped to stretch and yawn lazily.  He idly wondered again what was taking Trent so long and looked back up the shoreline toward their camp.  Ah...there he was.  He was back.  Good, maybe now they could get back to some serious fishing and try a couple spots further downstream.  However, Trent didn't look as if he was ready to continue fishing; he didn't have on his waders and he was squatting down close to the water's edge just staring out over the river.  Great.  Carlos waded up river, his long normally long strides shortened against the current and the slippery bottom.  It wasn't until he was within a few feet of his partner that the blond finally looked up at him.
        "So?" Carlos asked, regretting the question even before it was out of his mouth.  He could tell just from the look on his friend's face, the answer wouldn't be good.
        Frowning, Trent shook his head.  "No answer," he replied as he rose to his feet.  "They could be out of reach or Kelly doesn't have her cell phone turned on, or she just didn't take it with her," he continued more thinking aloud than for Carlos' benefit.
        "Well, I'm sure they're fine," Carlos said.  Though he'd certainly not meant for it to happen, his remark came across to Trent as a little insensitive, and the blond stood with his hands on his hips, merely shaking his head again while he drifted back deep in thought.  He didn't seem to notice at that Carlos kept looking at him strangely.  "Trent...they're FINE," he reiterated more firmly.  At last the blond gave a nod of affirmation in his direction, but by the expression on his face, Carlos could tell he wasn't quite convinced.  "Oh, come on, Trent," Carlos exclaimed, becoming more than a little exasperated at his partner's change of mood from this morning.
        "What?" Trent asked.
        "Nothing," Carlos said with a sigh.  He REALLY didn't want to get into an argument with his best friend, but...he was throwing such a damper on the weekend, and unnecessarily so, it seemed to the Cuban.  "It's just, you know, we came out here to do some fishing and you want to drop everything to run after Amy," he complained.
        "Carlos, I have a feeling," Trent gritted out through his teeth.
        "I know, Trent, I know," Carlos nodded, holding up his hand.  "But...I'm warning you, buddy.  Girls like it when you play hard to get.  You keep chasing after her, and she's going to lose interest."
        A wry grin split Trent's face as he had no choice but to find humor in his friend's advice.  "What's this?  Pearls of wisdom from the king of the three-day relationship?"
        "Okay, joke if you want to...but you'll be sorry," Carlos warned.
        Still grinning, Trent shook his head again.  He had more common sense than to take Carlos' advice on women.  Maybe for someone else it would be good counsel, but not for him.  They were two different people, him and his partner, and each looking for something different in a relationship.  Whereas Carlos was content, even happy to play the field, that life style had never appealed to Trent.  Trent knew what he wanted, a serious, committed relationship, and he already knew he'd found the right woman for it.

        Giving her head a small shake, Kelly licked her dry lips and sputtered, trying to dislodge the cobwebs that seemed to be in her mouth.  Why did her head hurt so much?  Her neck was stiff too, and when she attempted to reach up and rub it, she discovered that her hands were tied together in front of her.  She in turn was tied to tree, seated on the ground next to Amy.  What the hell?  The last thing she remembered was zipping her jeans after relieving herself.  What had happened?  Quickly she searched the immediate vicinity, but there was no one about except the two engineers, and the contents of their backpacks were strewn around the ground at their feet along with the packs themselves.  How did they end up in this predicament, Kelly wondered and immediately decided that she'd better check on the welfare of her partner.
        "Am...Am," Kelly called urgently, but not too loudly just in case they were being observed from a distance.  Was this someone's sick joke?  The younger engineer's head was lobbed strangely to one side and she didn't immediately respond to Kelly's summons.  Luckily her feet were not tied together, and the brunette struck quickly at her friend's leg with the side of her foot.  The younger woman's head bobbed and Kelly watched it loll to the opposite side where her eyes cracked open a slit and Amy peered at her partner blearily.
        "Are you okay?" Kelly asked anxiously.  After all that Amy had been through lately, Kelly wasn't sure how much more she could take, and even now, her eyes appeared strained and bloodshot.
        "I've been better," Amy replied.  Taking a deep breath, she squeezed her eyes shut briefly and reopened them, a bit wider this time.  Nope, didn't work, Amy thought sarcastically.  She still had a splitting headache and they were still tied to a tree in the middle of the forest.  "How about you?" she asked the brunette with a nod in her direction.
        However, before Kelly could answer, the brush and leaves directly in front of them moved with a loud rustling noise, and suddenly a man, or a half-man, half-beast as it seemed leapt out.  Crouching in front of them on all fours, he seemed to examine the two women, dancing back and forth in some strange animalistic way as he did, but what really disturbed Amy was that she couldn't tell if he was looking at them as food or something else.  Even his clothing, if you could call it that, reeked of the wilderness both in sight and smell.  He looked like he was covered in animal skins, and Amy was quite sure they were real.  He darted at them, sniffed, then backed away with panther-like quickness and in his eyes burned an eerie intensity that threatened to send shivers down both the women's spines.
 
 
 

                    Kelly and Amy watched apprehensively as the strange being in front of them drew a long, curved-blade knife from behind his back.  What, exactly, did he intend to do with that?  Instinctively, their heads jerked back as he approached them, but he only reached in between them, neatly cutting the rope that held them to the tree.
        "Up!  Up!  Get up!" he commanded them brusquely, speaking for the first time as he stood upright.  Still in shock, the engineers watched him replace the knife somewhere within the folds of his garment.
        The very fact that he could speak English, intelligible English at that, somewhat surprised the two engineers since they'd almost expected to hear only strange, guttural sounds out of him and they exchanged a quick, surprised glance.  "Who are you?" Amy asked prudently as she struggled to follow his instruction.
        "Who am I?" he repeated her question, impatiently yanking her to her feet by her arm.  "Who am I?" he repeated again, licking his lips as he circled her once she was standing, as if sizing her up for some unknown purpose.  "You'll find out.  Soon enough.  You'll find out," he chanted, nodding his head as if in approval.
        Amy's head followed him in one direction as far as it could, then whipped around to her other side.  His perusal of his captive in turn gave her much needed time to inspect him as well.  Once he was closer, she could see that he was younger than she'd have first guessed: mid-thirties maybe, but a full, bushy beard and sun and wind burned lines on his face made him look older.  His haircut, or rather lack of one, didn't help either.  He wasn't much taller than Amy, maybe five-foot nine, and beneath the shapeless animal hides he wore, his body looked fairly lean.  He came to a stop in front of her and stared dead into her eyes.
        He must have been able to read the revulsion and loathing reflected there, for he hissed a warning at her.  "And don't even think about trying to get away," he sneered, reaching up a dirty, callused hand to touch her cheek.  Amy couldn't suppress the impulse that made her draw back from his touch, and he dropped his hand angrily.  Then he reached behind a nearby tree and pulled out an old-fashioned rifle, brandishing it under her nose but this time Amy refused to flinch.  Either amused by or pleased with her nerve, his mouth contorted into a vulgar smirk that obviously hadn't seen a toothbrush in quite some time.  When he abruptly turned his attention to Kelly, Amy stood to the side, frantically working at the bonds around her wrists.
        Jerking the brunette to her feet, he inspected her the same as he'd done her partner.  "What do you want from us?" Kelly asked he stopped in front of her.  Only he didn't answer so much in words as in the lewd grin on his face.
        "Look," Amy spoke up, "If it's money you want..."
        "Money?" he sneered disdainfully, lurching wildly toward the younger engineer who involuntarily took a step back.  "Why would I need money?" he asked, spreading his arms as to indicate the surrounding trees were enough for him.  Then he cackled maniacally, and his look raked over her lasciviously.  "I don't need money," he said, his voice oddly quiet.  "But I do have need of companionship."
        The two engineers exchanged a look that spoke volumes without uttering a word.  Neither of them cared for the looks he was directing at them at all, and neither had any intention of being any sort of ‘companion' to him, but they needed more information; they had to get him talking, find out what they were up against.  While Amy and Kelly were silently guessing each other's thoughts, he took a length of the rope that had held them to the tree and tied one woman's bound hands to the next.  Holding a lead rope, he dragged them unwillingly behind him as he marched off through the trees.
        After awhile, Kelly bravely spoke up.  "What's your name?" she asked, sounding sweetly innocent and naïve.  Damn, Kelly was good at that, Amy thought.  She'd never be able to pull it off.
        The wild man stopped and looked at them suspiciously.  "What do you care?"
        "Well, don't you think...that if we're...going to...be around each other, then we ought to know each other's names," Kelly explained haltingly.  "My name's Kelly and this is my friend, Amy," she introduced themselves.  Amy forced a friendly smile to her lips and prayed that he couldn't see through it.
        Beady hazel eyes regarded them warily from beneath surprisingly thin eyebrows, which Amy thought looked strange because compared with the all the rest of the hair on his head, they seemed completely out of place.  "Bo," he said cryptically.  "You can call me Bo."  He turned slowly to continue on his trek when he looked back once more.  "Bo was my dog's name," he said softly.  The expression around his eyes suggested he was reminiscing of a happy time with his dog for just a moment.  Then his face twisted in anger as he seemed to remember something else and he turned abruptly, giving the rope leading the two women another harsh yank to force them into line.  Kelly and Amy shot each other another look.
        After a few more minutes, Amy decided to follow Kelly's lead and try to get him to talk.  "So...do you live up here alone, Bo?" Amy asked.  She figured she may as well try something.  At this point, what did they have to lose?  And maybe...just maybe...he would let some information slip that would prove useful to them later.
        "Yes," he said, nodding his head over his shoulder without stopping this time.  Then he turned his head more until they were able to see his face and its vulgar, contorted appearance.  "But not anymore," Bo leered.
        The women shrank back against his expression and when he turned abruptly and yanked on the rope, they walked a little further in silence.  Their original plan didn't seem to be working and judging by the looks Bo had been giving them, they had to come up with something else quick.
        "One of us needs to try to make a break for it," Amy whispered to Kelly.
        "He's got a gun, Am," Kelly whispered back fearfully.
        "So, what are we going to do?  Wait around for him to shoot us?" she asked smartly.
        "We don't know what he's going to do," Kelly argued reasonably.
        "I don't want to find out," Amy said, looking at her friend meaningfully.  "Look, I'll find a way to distract him, and you run."
        "I'm not leaving you!" Kelly objected.
        "You have to Kel.  You have to get help," Amy said with a fire and resolve in her eyes that left no room for argument.
        A lump caught in Kelly's throat as she glanced sideways at her friend who turned to stared determinedly ahead, the wheels in her head already spinning through the possibilities of how they would accomplish their goal.  The brunette didn't like the thought of leaving Amy.  In some way, it felt as if she were deserting her partner, though Kelly knew that wasn't the case, but still...she hadn't been there once before and had always felt a little guilty for the pain that Amy had endured while she was free.  Maybe this was her chance to redeem herself in some small way, though Kelly knew that Amy would never have believed that she needed a reason for redemption.  The elder engineer couldn't help her best friend when they were in South America, but she could help her now, and when Amy told her to run, by God she would run.  She would run like the hounds of hell were at her heels.
        Their chance came when Bo decided to let them rest for a moment.  Kelly had pretended to twist her ankle slightly and begged to stop.  Reluctantly, the wild man had acquiesced.  While he surveyed the area, making sure they weren't being followed Amy presumed, she and her partner sat on an outcropping of rock and caught their breath briefly.  He hadn't strayed far and so much conversation between the two engineers wasn't possible, but neither were they in need of it as significant eye contact sufficed.  Their first problem was to free themselves of the rope which bound them together.
        "Could I use the bathroom?" Amy said as the idea came to her from out of the blue.  Bo looked at her suspiciously again, and she continued quickly before he could say no.  "Look, she went earlier," Amy said, indicating her partner with her head, "But I didn't.  I really need to go."  She pulled her face into a strain, biting her bottom lip, and made it look as though it were a particularly urgent matter, also crossing her legs and jiggling them for maximum effect.  Although Bo looked slightly disgusted and cross with the increased delay, he untied the rope which bound the two engineers together, but to her surprise, he then tied Kelly's hands to a tree.  That wasn't exactly what she was hoping for, but Amy had no choice in the matter.  "Um..." she trailed off, tentatively holding her tied hands out in front of her.  "I'm going to need to get my pants down," she explained, and once again he surprised her by untying them, but not before leaving her with a warning.
        "Don't try anything," he growled.  "Or your friend will be sorry."
        With one last furtive glance at her partner, Amy rose to her feet as if to head into the bushes.  When he started to follow her, she stopped.  "Could I have some privacy, please?"  The way he sneered at her request made Amy considerably uncomfortable, but at least he turned away and in that split second, she saw her chance.
        Eyeing the knife strapped to the back of his waist, she lunged and pulled it out before he had the chance to turn around completely.  Without a thought about her own safety, Amy tossed it toward Kelly where it landed at her feet.  "Go, Kelly!" Amy shouted.  "Run!  Get help!" she instructed her friend and she tackled Bo, wrapping her arms around his legs and dropping him to the ground with a thud.
       Though she didn't like leaving her friend at the mercy of that madman, deep inside Kelly knew that Amy was the stronger of the two women and that she would be better able to deal with whatever he had in store.  She managed to reach the knife where it lay on the ground, and in a matter of moments had cut her bonds.  The last Kelly saw, Amy was still grappling with their captor on the ground, and then she turned and took off running through the forest.

        Another thirty minutes had passed when Trent rose from his spot on the shore to stretch his legs.  Carlos turned around as the shadow his partner cast fell across the water.  The Cuban had stayed up near the small campsite and continued to fish although the martial artist hadn't rejoined him.  "Going somewhere?" he asked casually.
        "Yeah.  I think I'm going to run back up to the cabin and get my cell phone," Trent said, "Just in case Kelly or Amy tries to call."
        The look on Carlos' face nearly said it all, but that didn't stop him from putting his thoughts into words.  "They're hiking, Trent.  Why are they going to call?  To ask you to come rescue a kitten out of tree?"
        The blond grimaced at his partner's attempt at sarcasm, but he still had a nagging feeling at the back of his mind that he couldn't ignore.  Carlos could scoff all he wanted; something wasn't right.  It only took a few minutes for Trent to reach the back door of the cabin, and as he pulled on the doorknob, he heard the distinctive electronic ring of his cell phone.  A sick feeling in his stomach, he dashed into the cabin at the same time hoping that maybe they were just calling to say they were on their way back, and Trent picked up his cell phone from where he'd left it on the table.  "Hello?"
        "Trent!" Kelly exclaimed breathlessly on the other end.  "Thank God you're there!"  Switching the small black plastic handset to her other ear, her fingers fumbled to get the keys in the ignition, dropping the phone in the process.
        "Kelly!"  Trent responded.  Something was wrong; he could tell by the tone of her voice, but mysteriously there was no immediate answer and in the background, he heard the sound of an engine starting.  "Kelly?" he yelled into the mobile.  "Are you there?  What's wrong?" he asked.
       Kelly retrieved her cellular phone from the floorboard of the Durango near her feet and answered him at the same time she shifted into gear and jammed her foot down on the gas pedal.  "There's some...maniac up in the woods," she explained, huffing, still out of breath from her mad race to the vehicle.  "He's got Amy."
        The sick feeling in Trent's stomach intensified, twisting itself into a knot, but he forced himself to remain calm.  "Where are you now?"
        "I'm on my way there."
        "Good girl," Trent said approvingly.  "Carlos and I will meet you out front...and Kelly?  Drive carefully," he added.  The last thing they needed right now was for her to get into an accident.  He didn't wait for her to answer and slapped the cell phone shut with a vehemence that seemed incongruous with the calm tone of voice he'd used with Kelly.
        "Carlos!" Trent yelled as he approached the river's edge.  He'd run at top speed back down to their fishing spot and before his partner even turned around, the blond was motioning him out of the water.  "Come on!  We have to go!"
        "Why?  What's going on?" Carlos asked as he slowly reeling his line back in, in no particular hurry himself.
        "Kelly just called.  She's on her way.  Come on, we have to go," Trent explained cryptically, and he jerked his head impatiently toward the cabin.
        The look on his partner's face told the Cuban that this was no joke and he made his way to the shore as quickly as he could encumbered by his heavy wading boots.  Once on dry land, he was a little slower than the blond in running up to the cabin, but again he had the boots to blame for that and he pulled them off as soon as he reached the back porch.  Trent was already dropping his tennis shoes at his feet while he relayed what Kelly had told him on the phone, and Carlos had just pulled them on when they heard the crunch of a vehicle pulling up on the gravel out front.  The private investigators raced through the cabin and out the front door, their cache of fish completely forgotten, and Carlos slid behind the steering wheel as Kelly scooted across the seat to make room for him while Trent slid into the backseat.