Angelique's entire world seemed to unravel at an alarming rate. How had she come to be in this state? After her parting words with John, she left the pier and called a taxi to bring her home. She felt empty. He didn't even try to stop her from leaving. He just stood there, watching her walk away.

Well, at least it was her that did the walking this time. She couldn't even count the number of times she'd seen his retreating figure. As the cab pulled up to her apartment building, she was glad to be home.

She needed to call the hospital. Mrs. Duncan had left a message on her phone. Her Father was to be prepped for surgery today. They left early this morning. She was ashamed of herself that she didn't see him yesterday and what made matters worse was the reason she didn't see him yesterday.

As she came in, she thought of knocking to see Mrs. Dolton and Rebecca, but figured it was still early and she would let them get their sleep, for it was only seven in the morning. After climbing the five flights of stairs, she was happy to be home, but as she opened her apartment door, she couldn't keep the emptiness that was threatening to consume her from coming.

She shut the door behind her and slid down the length of it, too exhausted to take another step. Huddling her knees close to her chest, she hoped that if she held on tight enough, she could keep her heart from breaking.

God, there has to be some good left in this world.

She tried as she might to hold on to that thought, it quickly left her. She felt like she could cry, but she had no more tears to shed. As she sat on the floor, she noticed a letter someone must have slipped under the door. There was no stamp or return address, it simply said ANGEL crudely written on the back.

A feeling of dread seeped into her bones as she turned the letter over and noticed what looked like blood staining the other side. Panic rose in her chest as Angelique opened the letter. Terror filled her heart when a lock of red hair fell into her palm.

Rebecca was in trouble.

Angelique knew she had to find her. She must. Angelique promised she'd keep Rebecca safe. She had failed, but it wasn't too late. It couldn't be too late.

Angelique flew down the stairs and jumped into her car. She started the engine, throwing it into reverse. As she turned to look behind her, someone had thrown their body against her passenger side window. Angelique screamed.

"Angelgirl! It's me! Michael! Open up!"

She opened the passenger door for him to get in.

"Michael," Angel started rambling before asking what he was doing here. "Michael, Rebecca is in trouble."

"I know," was Michael's surprising answer.

Angelique started driving, even though she wasn't sure where she was headed.

"Where have you been? I've been trying to reach you all night?" Michael said, buckling his seat belt.

"How do you know she's in trouble?" Angelique asked, changing the subject.

Angelique seen his missed calls, but when Michael did not leave a message, she assumed it wasn't an emergency. The guilt of where she was weighed heavily on her heart. She should have seen her father. She should have been here to protect Rebecca from harm. Instead, she was off making love to... no, she couldn't handle that right now. They had to help Rebecca.

"Tommy showed up at the shelter last night. He had seen something happen but is too traumatized to give us much information. Angelique, Rebecca was abducted from Heaven Sent."

"Where was Saint?" Angelique asked. Gabriel said that Rebecca never went anywhere without him. He would never let her come to harm.

Michael did not want to go into details right now. Angelique had a look of a woman on the brink and he wasn't sure how much she could handle. So he lied, "She was alone."

"I was to pick her up, but there was a fight that broke out over dinner at the shelter that delayed me. The police think the incidents were related. They said whoever did this must have been watching our movements for a while now and staged the fight to delay me on purpose. Trying to give themselves time to reach Rebecca. Angelique, I am so sorry."

"The police," Angelique said as if she was coming out of a fog. "We have to go to the police."

"I've already been to the police. They said that there isn't anything they can do unless the kidnappers contact us. We have no leads and Rebecca, being a street kid, doesn't give them much hope that the kidnappers will be in touch."

Angelique was driving like a madwoman and although they hadn't hit anything, Michael thought it was only a matter of time.

"Angelgirl, please slow down!" Michael said, making sure his seat belt was secure and bracing his himself with a hand on her dashboard as she took another turn. "You getting us killed will not bring Rebecca back."

"You don't understand," Angelique said as she swerved from hitting a double-parked truck.

"They have been in touch." Angelique tossed the envelope from her pocket onto Michael's lap.

"This is Rebecca's hair!" Michael said, looking at the envelope's content.

"Yes, it is!" Angel confirmed, "And I am almost certain I know who has her."

"Who?" Michael asked as they narrowly escaped being hit by oncoming traffic as she ran a light.

"Danny Caldwell," Angelique said his name as if she had spoken of something vile. As Angelique pulled up to the Station she quickly got out of her Beetle and ran up the front steps. Michael followed right behind her.

"I need to speak with Officer Reid. Please, it is of utmost importance!"

The woman behind the desk looked a little reluctant to help Angelique. Angelique looked as if she just escaped from an insane asylum. She pounded her fist on the desk.

"Didn't you hear me? I have to speak with Sergeant Reid, NOW!!!"

"Ma'am I'd like to help you but he's on patrol right now. Maybe, if you come back around five, he should be back at the precinct then."

"A girl's life is on the line and you are trying to tell me you can't reach your Sergeant?"

Angelique was now yelling at the top of her voice. All other commotion in the office had come to a halt. Michael was then at her side.

"Look, Officer... Ryan, is it?" Michael began as he read her nameplate. "My name is Deacon Michael McDougle. I was here yesterday filling out a missing person report on a runaway. We have more information that leads us to believe her life is in danger. We really need to reach your Officer Reid. I believe he is heading this investigation."

"Yeah, okay. Sure," the officer said, not taking her eyes off of Angelique, believing her capable of jumping the counter and causing physical harm at any moment.

"I'll make the call," she said, leaving momentarily.

Meanwhile, Michael tried to calm Angelique down with no effect. He had never seen her this way. If only he wished he knew how to calm her?

- - - - - - - -

John McDougle was furious. He couldn't believe the firm set him up, and why? They got what they wanted. They'll get St. Gabriel's and most likely Heaven Sent. So what was with Veronica's clothes being in his closet? He knew only his boss, Henry Caldwell, had a key to his boat because he enjoyed using it to go fly-fishing when on vacation.

Could Henry be behind all of this? He had a hard time believing that, but his son Daniel was an entirely different matter.

John knew he should have gone after Angelique. He should have found some way of convincing her he was telling the truth. He shouldn't have let never let her go.

You're right.

John looked around his cabin confused, but didn't see anyone.

Outside.

John climbed to the upper deck and, as he peered over the rail, he saw Gabriel Sinclair leaning against his convertible. It was impossible that the voice he heard could have been Gabriel's, but he was the only person around. He hadn't even realized he was speaking aloud, especially loud enough that someone else could hear him.

"What are you doing here?" John yelled to him.

Gabriel looked all business.

"Angel is in trouble. Finish getting dressed and I will fill you in on the details on the way."

"You're her lawyer why don't you help her?" John threw back at him, not particularly fond of being ordered around, and knowing Angel couldn't be in trouble, she just left. What trouble could she possibly be in?

"I would, gladly," Gabriel fired back, "but thanks to you she is now out of my reach."

It annoyed Gabriel, the time they were wasting. "Look, Angel may die if you don't come with me right NOW!" Gabriel said with a note of finality that John suddenly felt afraid to rebuke.

Once in the car, John had a million questions, but Gabriel knew this would go much faster if he could just explain.

"You said Angel's life may be in danger?"

"No! What I said was that she may die if you don't help her. Angel, never came home last night. I thought perhaps she went back to see her father as he is having surgery today. When I reached the floor, there was no sign of her. Mrs. Duncan said that she hadn't been by, but she left a message on her cell phone. Then she told me when Angelique called her father yesterday afternoon, she said she was with you."

"Yes. Angel was with me, yesterday all day AND last night," John confirmed "but that should end the mystery, shouldn't it? I didn't abduct her. She came here of her own free will," John added in case Gabriel was implying something else.

"Angelique is a strong-willed woman. I wouldn't think she would come to you any other way," Gabriel agreed, although the idea still gnawed at him.

"Well then, where's the danger?" John asked.

How? Gabriel thought. How did Angelique come to love this man will be a mystery Gabriel will spend the rest of eternity trying to understand, but he knew Angel must have seen some good in John.

Gabriel sighed. "If you'll let me explain, I will tell you. I needed to talk to her about how she planned on raising the funds to save Heaven Sent and the shelter. Her landlady said she was due back soon or so she believed and if I wanted to wait, she'd open Angelique's apartment for me."

John remembered the cool civility she greeted him with when he had asked of her whereabouts and felt immense jealousy toward the man behind the wheel.

"It's not about me," Gabriel glared at him, "will you please keep focused."

Can this guy read minds? John stared at Gabriel, stunned. He knew he said nothing. 

"I know a jealous look when I see one," Gabriel supplied. "Besides, she went to bed with you, not me. Remember?"

"How do you know that?" John asked. This guy was freaking him out.

"I assumed as much," Gabriel stated flatly. "She leaves with you and doesn't come home all night. I didn't think you were just chatting the night away and now you've confirmed it. May I continue?"

"Yes, I'm sorry. Go ahead," John said.

"I got a phone call while at Angel's apartment. Someone else trying to find Angel, a Deacon Michael McDougle. He said he helps Angelique run the shelter. Any relation?" Gabriel asked, even though he knew the answer.

"Yeah, he's my little brother."

"Odd," Gabriel said.

"What's odd?" John asked.

"I don't think I've ever met two brothers who are so... different, in personality. It's a shame he didn't pursue her."

"He did," John answered, not liking Gabriel's assessment or being reminded of it.

"Do I have to remind you of last night's events again? I really don't enjoy doing it. It makes me sick, honestly, but I would say she's made her choice. Besides, I grant you that your brother cares for her... a lot... but it's only a brotherly love if he led you to believe otherwise he was hoping to get a rise out of you."

John wondered at Gabriel's words. There could be some truth to them.

"What did my brother have to say?"

"He told me that some homeless kid showed up carrying Angel's dog."

"Buddy?" John asked.

"No, his name was Saint," Gabriel said.

"Same dog. What was wrong with him?" John asked.

"Someone shot him," Gabriel said. Now he knew he had John's undivided attention.

"Is he..."John couldn't bring himself to finish the question.

"Don't know," Gabriel said, "didn't ask. The dog was traveling with Rebecca, a girl Angel took under her wing a few weeks ago. She was running Heaven Sent while Angel was away. If the dog showed up shot, my concern is, where's the girl?"

John felt the panic building. "Where's Angel now?"

"Don't know," Gabriel said. "I told Michael I thought I knew where she was and would see if I couldn't grab her. Michael said he would wait at Angel's apartment to see if she turned up there." 

"I went to your apartment first. When you weren't there, your doorman told me about your boat. It took me some time to track you down. The guy in the rental office at the boathouse said, where I might find you."

"The look on your face when I saw you at the rail, told me Angel wasn't with you anymore. You mind telling me what happened?" Gabriel asked, although it sounded more like a demand.

At first, John felt compelled to explain, but then remembered who he was talking to and declined.

"Fine," Gabriel said, "have it your way. Angel protects those she loves. If she finds out what happened to Rebecca, she will go looking for her. What I'm afraid of is that's exactly what Danny Caldwell is counting on. He doesn't care what happens to Rebecca. It's Angel he wants to disappear."