"Shouldn't we wait for the cover of nightfall?"Stone asked as the team sat in a black van a block away from a mid-sized cottage.

"In a perfect world, yes,"Peter replied as he double checked their supplies,"But Suzie's been in their long enough. It's time to take her home."

Gabrielle approached the two from the front of the van and handed Peter a stack of freshly developed surveillance photos. "As far as JJ and I can tell there's only five guards. Three outside and two inside."

"Sounds like he's a little over confident."Stone replied as he peered over Peter's shoulder at the pictures. "Doesn't look like much electronic security either."

"In this neighborhood laser guns and guard towers would draw attention."Peter quipped as he sifted through the stack.

Stone threw Gabrielle a smile. "And the armed guards don't?"

"Some people only notice things they want to."Gabrielle replied as she glanced at Peter. "So what's our first move?"

Sinclair glanced back out the window at the cottage. "Brenner's not going to give her up easily. One of us has to distract his attention while the other two take out the guards and locate Suzie."

Stone stood and grabbed a small black backpack. "Piece of cake, Pete. So who's gets to go up the middle?"

"I am."Sinclair replied as he stood. "There are a few questions I'd like to ask Luke's long lost brother."

********

Suzanne Addington glared at her Ian as he turned away from the computer screen. "My father won't give you anything until he knows I'm safe."

Ian smirked as he grabbed her right wrist and pulled her into his arms. "He has my word and that will have to be good enough for the great Alexander Addngton."
Suzie pulled away from his touch. "Luke wouldn't have wanted this. Doing this in his name only tarnishes a good man's memory."

Ian looked away from her briefly at the mention of Luke's name. "I never had the chance to know my brother and that is your father's fault."

Suzanne shook her head. "No, it's not. Luke worked for my father because he wanted to. He was aware of the risks, everyone was. The reason you never knew your brother was because your father separated you."

A brown haired man in his late teens poked his head into the small bedroom. "Hey boss, we got trouble. Should I tell the others to take care of it?"

"No, let them come in then we'll take care of them."Ian replied as he roughly shoved Suzanne back into the wooden chair and began the task of retying her.

"Don't hurt them, Ian."Suzanne pleaded knowing who the rescue team had to be. "They're Luke's friends."

Ian placed the gag around her mouth before replying. "They work for Alexander Addington, for that bad choice they will pay."

*******

Gabrielle stood next to a tree and directly behind one of the guards. Stone was a few feet ahead of her taking care of another guard.

The blonde woman reached forward and taped the young black man on the shoulder causing him to jump and whirl around gun drawn.

"I'm afraid I'm lost."Gabrielle began in her best damsel in distress voice. "If you could just let me use your phone."

The guard lowered his weapon as he glanced back at the cottage. "I'm afraid we don't have a phon....."

As soon as the guard turned his head Gabby brought her gun upwards and hit him solidly across the temple sending him to the ground in a heap.

"That's two down."Gabrielle stated quietly as she scurried to catch up with Stone.

******

Peter stepped through the back door of the small cottage with his gun drawn. But before he could raise it fully Peter found himself staring down the barrel of Brenner's gun.
/You're getting rusty, Sinclair./Peter chided himself angrily as his weapon was removed by one of Brenner's men.

Ian just shook his head in disgust as his men shoved Peter farther into the living room. "And to think this is the great Peter Sinclair......you disappoint me."

"Where is Suzy?"Peter demanded not giving into Ian's bait.

Brenner grinned. "Right to the point I see. No wonder you got along with my brother so well."

Peter's eyes narrowed sharply. "You didn't answer my question."

"I know."Brenner replied as he leaned against the fireplace mantle.

Sinclair took a step forward but stopped when he heard Brenner's men click the safeties off their weapons.

"You will have no chance in hell of getting out of here alive if something's happened to her."Peter growled as his blue eyes flickered over Brenner's shoulder to the front window. Where the hell were Gabby and Stone?

"You are in no position to make threats, Mr. Sinclair."Ian replied as he stepped forward. "From the information I've gathered you were the last person to see my brother alive. I think you and I have quite a bit to talk about."

******

Stone knocked out the two perimeter guards on the left side of the cottage and was coming around the corner when he felt a presence behind him. The ex-navy seal whirled around with his gun drawn.

"Damn it, Gabby!"Stone exclaimed angrily as he lowered his weapon. "I could've shot your head off. I thought you knew better than to sneak up on a man with a gun."

Gabrielle glared at her friend as she came to stand next to him. "I didn't sneak....I took out the two guards on the other side....I just happened to be going the same way you were."

A shadow crossed the pane of a nearby window and Stone instantly grabbed Gabby by the elbow pulling her down with him so they were below the window sill.

"If you have a brilliant plan, Stone, now would be the time to share."Gabrielle whispered as they watched Brenner hold Peter at gunpoint.

"We'll pull Brenner's trump card out of the deck."Stone replied with a grin as he motioned to a cellar door a few feet away. "Come on, let's get Suzy out of this nuthouse."

Go on to the next part