Tristan hurried after Emily as she ran down the damp sidewalk to her house. He’d been surprised by how quickly she’d leapt from the car after James had parked, not even waiting for him to turn the engine off. On the short ride over, he’d tried to take her hand, to offer comfort and support, to let her know she wasn’t alone, but she’d pulled away as though she’d been touched by a live wire, fixing her gaze intently out the window. He tried to shake the disappointment he felt, understanding she had to be in turmoil over her friend’s disappearance. Still, the feeling clung to him like cobwebs.

He finally caught up with her as she stood, stunned, a few feet inside the front door. He took a hesitant step forward, unsure how to proceed, just as James and Markus walked in.

James: “Anything?”
Emily: “No. I don’t know where she could possibly be.”
Markus: “Andy will be here soon; I’m sure he’ll have some ideas. In the mean time, you should try to stay calm. Let Tristan make you some tea.”
Emily: “I don’t—“
Markus: “If something did happen to Mary, and I’m not saying it did, she’ll need you to keep a level head. Now take a deep breath, and have a seat on the couch. James will find you something to watch on television.”

Without question, Tristan went to the kitchen and filled a kettle with water. Markus joined him, quietly retrieving a mug from one of the cabinets. He didn’t need to speak; his expression said everything he needed to. They’d all seen the haphazard way Mary’s art supplies had been left; coupled with her car still being in the studio’s lot, it looked like it wasn’t going to be a simple case of her just going on a snack run.

He’d just found the tea stash when the front door opened.

Emily was out of the living room in a flash, slowing only slightly when she saw it wasn’t Mary who’d come in the door. Tristan felt a stab of frustration as she practically threw herself into Andrew’s arms, and was held tightly in return.

Emily: "She’s not here."
Andy: "I'm sure everything's fine, Angel. Now why don’t you explain to me again what exactly happened."
Emily: “Mary was working up in her studio, finishing some paintings for one of your clients. She was supposed to drive me home when I was done with the shoot, but she wasn’t there. I wouldn’t be freaking out so bad, but her car was still in the parking lot!”
Andy: “Did you try calling her?”
Emily: “Yes, here and on her cell. She didn’t answer either. What if something terrible’s happened to her? What am I supposed to do?”

James: “Markus left notes in both studios, in case she just went for a walk or something. In the mean time, I think you should stay here at the house in case Mary comes back. We can drive around the neighborhood and see if we can’t find her. There’s no reason to completely panic, Kitten.”
Markus: “James is right. I bet she’ll be back even before we are, and we’ll all feel silly and have a good laugh.”
Emily: “I don’t want to be here alone.”
Andy: “I’ll wait here with you.”

Tristan gritted his teeth as Andrew wiped a stray tear from Emily’s face.

Emily: “Thank you.”
Andy: “Excuse me for just a moment, I've got a call coming in."

The room went silent as Andrew flipped open a sleek, expensive looking cell phone.

Andy: "Andrew Stone... yes, who is this? How did you get this number…? Is this some kind of sick joke? You expect me to be able to gather that sort of cash in eight hours, even though it’s the middle of the night? …You're out of your goddamned mind! I'm calling the police… Do you really think you’ll get away with this? I promise you that you’ll regret ever trying to cross me."

Tristan watched in anticipation as Andy snapped the phone shut. He stood with his back to them for a few seconds, take a deep breath before turning and taking Emily’s hands in his own.

Andy: "Emily, my god. I'm so sorry. He took her... that bastard took her."
Emily: "What are you saying?"
Andy: "Mary's been kidnapped."
Emily: "That's not funny, Andy."
Andy: "I wish I was joking. I feel responsible for this; neither of you would be in this situation if it weren't for me. We'll take care of this, we'll get her back. It's going to be ok."

Tristan dropped his gaze to the floor as Andrew once again took Emily in his arms, giving her a quick embrace before turning.

Andy: "Mary’s being held for ransom, and I’ve been told to leave the police out of it. Quite frankly, I’m not going to give him a single cent. I’m going to get in touch with some people I know who will make him wish I’d involved the police. Hopefully they’ll be able to make it out here within a few hours. Truth be told, I’d rather be able to get on this right away if it were at all possible.”
James: “What about us?”
Andy: “You boys are welcome to stick around, if Emily doesn’t mind.”
James: “I mean what about if we’re the ones who go on the rescue mission?”

Tristan raised an eyebrow at James, unsure of his motives but grateful he’d volunteered them. Anything would be better than sitting around useless.

Andy: “You understand this is a very serious situation, right? Not only could one of you get injured or killed, but Mary’s at risk as well.”
Tristan: “We’re well aware, but you should know you're not the only one in town with contacts, and we won't sit around doing nothing.”

Tristan waited while Andrew paused, seemingly weighing his options.

Andy: “I think it would probably be for the best if we all worked together in this.”
James: “Agreed.”
Andy: “OK let's start brainstorming, people. I need to hear some ideas so we can get this rescue underway."
James: "I always wondered what a super hero board meeting would be like."

To Tristan, the world seemed to be spinning into absurdity; things like this were only supposed to happen in melodramatic television shows and pulp novels, not in real life. The pain written across Emily’s face drove home that this was really happening.

Andy: “Any thoughts?”
James: "Hey Markus, wasn't your grandmother Jamaican? Maybe you could find some sort of, I don't know, voodoo spell that can help us find out where they're hiding."
Markus: "You're trippin'."
Andy: "Obviously the first step is to gather as much information as possible: who did this, where they’re keeping her, and so on. I know a lot of people in this town; I'll check with my contacts right away. Once we find out where she is, we’ll need to have a plan.”

Markus: "To be perfectly honest, I'm still not one hundred percent clear on why we're not calling the cops."
Andy: "The kidnapper told me he'd kill Mary on the spot if he saw any police. I have to believe he'd do it. And to put it bluntly, I don’t have much faith in the ability of the Deception Pass Police Department to handle a situation like this.”
James: “We’re more than willing to help out, too. It’s almost like getting to be in our own little action-adventure movie.”
Markus: “This isn’t a movie, James; Mary’s life is at stake. Any mistakes could have serious consequences.”
Tristan: “I don’t know about James, but I’m very much aware of that. But if we can help in any way, I don’t see why we shouldn’t.”

Markus: “You know how we can best help? By involving professionals. I’m sorry, guys, but this is absurd. I’m calling the cops.”
Andy: “If you think that’s the best course of actions, I won’t stop you.”
Markus: “I do, yes. Now if you’ll all excuse me for just a few minutes…”

Tristan watched with a surreal curiosity as Markus rose from the table and retrieved the phone from the front hallway, dialing a seven-digit number he got from the well-organized corkboard with little hesitation.

Markus: “I’d like to report a possible kidnapping… Yes, that’s correct. From 614 Junction Street, some time between seven fifteen and— No, ma’am, this isn’t a joke, and I’d appreciate it if you took your job a little more seriously…”

Out of the corner of his eye, Tristan noticed Emily flinch.

Markus: “Excuse me? This is a very serious matter, not some bored kid’s ‘prank call.’ Now if you could just put me through to your— Hello? Oh you have got to be fucking kidding me.”

Markus slammed the phone back into its cradle, glaring at it for a full ten seconds before returning to the table.

Markus: “Needless to say, the police don’t seem to want to be of any help until there’s a dead body.”
Andy: “I’m not sure they’re much interested even then.”
Emily: "Can't you just give him what he wants? He'd have to let her go if you just paid him the ransom."
James: "If the hours I've wasted watching cop dramas have taught me anything, it's that paying the ransom just encourages them, Sugarbun. Besides, anyone who has the mentality to kidnap someone probably isn’t very interested in following ‘rules.’"

Andy: “We need to work fast. If we can put our plan into motion in the first few hours, we stand a better chance of succeeding. I’m going to go make some phone calls; it may take me several hours to track down the information I need. In the mean time, I want you three to come up with a rescue plan. I’m fairly certain Harry’s Army Surplus is open until eleven, in case you need supplies. I’ll put a call into the store to let them know to expect you. You shouldn’t have to pay for anything. Once you’ve gotten everything you need, meet back here.”
Emily: “What about me?”
Andy: “Try to stay calm, maybe draw yourself a hot bath. I’ll be here if you need me.”

Tristan didn’t wait around to hear anymore. Without a word, he calmly stood up from the table and headed out the door.