Gripping the blanket that had been draped over her, Callie recalled the strong arm around her waist, the damp cloth and the smell of chloroform. She cursed herself for falling right into a trap – the headlights on Frank’s car had been turned on for the sole purpose of luring her out of the cabin. She gasped, suddenly remembering the Gray Man’s remark about the young woman who had initially stolen Frank’s laptop.

Knowing without a doubt she had been kidnapped by the people who had killed the desperate young woman – the same people who had tried to kill Frank and Joe - she clutched the blanket even tighter as if it could offer her some protection from them.

"You’re awake."

Callie jumped at the sound of a voice, having thought she was alone in the room. She craned her neck slightly in the general direction of the speaker and saw a young man seated in an easy chair, watching her. He folded up the newspaper he’d been reading and tossed it on the floor. Rising from the chair, he crossed the room and sat cross-legged on the floor next to the couch.

"Are you warm enough?" he asked, seeming genuinely concerned.

Callie nodded once in response as she pushed herself up and looked around. Aside from the couch she was sitting on and the chair her ‘guard’ was using, all the other furniture was covered, as if the occupants were going away for an extended period of time. Glancing out a window, Callie saw it was still pitch dark outside. The soft glow from the fire and the dim light near the chair provided the only light in the room.

Pulling her legs into her chest, Callie wrapped her arms around her knees and huddled into the corner of the couch, staring at the young man. "Who are you? And why did you kidnap me?" she demanded, hoping she sounded braver than she felt.

A smile danced in his hazel eyes, as if he found Callie’s false bravado rather endearing. "Tom," he replied. "And you are…"

"You go around kidnapping people and you don’t even know who they are?" Callie snapped, feeling a little indignant that this man didn’t even bother to learn her name before grabbing her. "How do you know you’ve got the right person if you don’t know who I am?" she challenged him.

"I know you’re Mrs. Frank Hardy," Tom replied. "Which means you are very important to him."

"He doesn’t have it," Callie told him. "That file that’s so important to you, you’ll kill people for it. He doesn’t have it anymore. The government sent someone to pick it up – so you’ve kidnapped me for nothing. Frank can’t help you."

Tom smiled, deciding he liked this young woman’s spunk and wondered if Frank Hardy appreciated it as much as he did.

"I know he doesn’t have it anymore. But I’m gambling that he loves you enough to get it back," Tom explained. "Once he does, we set up a meeting, he gives me the file, I let you go and everybody goes home happy."

Callie couldn’t help but roll her eyes in disgust. "That only works if you honestly think we’re stupid enough to believe you’ll just let us walk away."

‘Pretty and smart,’ Tom thought appreciatively. ‘How come I can’t find someone like her…’

"You already tried to kill Frank once, when you thought you had what you wanted. Joe, too. Committing murder to get rid of witnesses obviously doesn’t bother you…so why would you suddenly decide to let us go?" Callie pushed.

Tom stood and shrugged, giving her half a grin. "There’s a first time for everything. Go back to sleep. We’ll give Frank a call in the morning." Tom returned to the chair, picked up the newspaper and resumed his reading.

*****

Sunlight streamed in through the windows, the partially closed curtains ineffective against its bright reflection off the snow. Frank squeezed his eyes shut even tighter, hoping to block out the strong rays of sunshine that seemed to easily penetrate his closed eyelids.

"Oooh…ow…" he mumbled into the bedspread. A mild but relentless pounding had started in his head sometime during the night, and showed no signs of letting up just because morning had arrived.

Reaching out, Frank patted the spot next to him, frowning when he felt nothing. Stretching a little farther, he groped around for a few more seconds. Feeling nothing but an empty bed, Frank lifted his head and looked around.

"Callie?"

Sitting up, he glanced into the bathroom and saw it was empty. Looking down at himself, he saw he was wearing the same clothes he’d had on the day before. They were now wrinkled and disheveled, having been slept in. A bolt of fear seemed to reach up and grab him around the throat as realization washed over him. Callie had never made it up to the bedroom!

‘You idiot!’ Frank cursed himself. Something had happened to Callie, he was certain of that. ‘She was in trouble and you slept right through it!’

He bolted from the bed and lunged for the door, intending to wake Joe and mount a search for his missing wife, when he was stopped by the ringing of his cell phone. With one hand on the doorknob he hesitated, staring at the phone as it rang a second and third time. If he answered it, would it be good news or bad? Would it be Callie herself, or someone who knew what had happened to her? Or, God forbid, the police regretfully telling Frank they had found a body…

Crossing the room in two strides he grabbed the phone and snapped it open.

"Hello?"

"Frank?"

The voice was slightly familiar but in his current state of mild panic, Frank couldn’t think clearly enough to place it.

"Yes. Who are you?" he demanded.

The man chuckled slightly. "I’m the person who’s keeping your wife company."

Frank closed his eyes, feeling his self-control slowly starting to slip away. ‘Don’t panic. Find out what he wants. Don’t upset him. Don’t give him any reason to hurt her.’

"Frank? You still there?" the voice asked.

"Yes, I’m here," Frank replied, startled to hear the slight tremor in his voice. "What do you want?" he asked, although he was certain he knew the answer.

"The file," came the simple reply.

"I don’t have the file anymore," Frank responded, cursing the Gray Man. Why hadn’t he leaked the information as promised?

"Yes, I know that."

The reply surprised Frank. ‘He did leak the information…so what does this guy think I can do for him now?!’

"But you know where it is," the man continued calmly. "I suggest you contact your visitor from last night and impress upon him how important it is that he give the file back to you."

"How am I supposed to do that?" Frank asked, his voice rising slightly. The Gray Man would never agree to give up the file for Callie, Frank would bet his life on that.

"I don’t know, but I’m sure you’ll think of something. Because if you don’t, you’ll never see your wife alive again."

Frank’s heart skipped a beat and a few beads of sweat popped out on his forehead.

"I’ll call you back at two o’clock. If you don’t have it by then, your wife dies," the man said coldly.

"Let me talk to her!" Frank cried out desperately. "How do I know you haven’t killed her already?"

"Why would I do that?" the man chuckled. "She’s been very cooperative and without her, I have no leverage against you. And she’s quite charming…"

"Let me talk to her," Frank repeated through gritted teeth.

"Of course," the man replied agreeably.

Seconds passed, feeling like an eternity to Frank. Finally he heard Callie’s voice, shaky but strong. "Frank?"

"Baby, are you all right? Did they hurt you?" Frank clutched the phone tightly.

"I’m fine, Frank. They haven’t hurt me," Callie assured him, hearing the fear in his voice.

"Listen, don’t worry, okay? I’ll do whatever they want. We’ll be back together before you know it," Frank tried to reassure her. He heard a muffled voice in the background telling Callie to say goodbye.

"I love you," Callie said softly.

"I love you, too, Baby," he replied. He heard the shuffling of the phone from hand to hand and Callie’s kidnapper was back.

"See, I told you she was fine. And she’ll stay that way – as long as you do as you’re told," he promised.

"I will. Where do you want me to deliver the file?" Frank asked.

"I’ll tell you once I know you have it," came the response. "I’m sure you know the drill but just in case – no cops, no feds…not even your brother. No one but you or she dies."