Chapter 1

Jorge' Cruz winced as the little FM two-way radio screeched in his hand. He had bought four of them at a camping store to make coordination between his teams easier. He was beginning to wonder if cell phones would have worked better but shrugged off the idea. Cell phones didn't work well in this scenario. He would need to call each individual team with a cell phone and he needed to talk to all the teams at the same time. He could have got the expensive ones with the walkie-talkie feature but that would have exposed them to credit checks and signatures and other bread crumbs for law enforcement to track them. He just wished he could get the squelch set right.

The radio screeched again before saying "Ah, eagle one, ah, Jorge' I just saw the, ah ... Jorge', why can't I just talk to you? I don't know how to do this military stuff. I just saw the Rizzo woman and her daughter go in the hospital. How do I tell you that with all that military bullshit? Ah, over."

Jorge' ground his teeth in frustration. He really needed this operation to go smooth. There was no doubt in his mind that Carlos would carry out his threat and make him scream. His crazy cousin had killed his own sister and all she did was call Carlos an evil demon. But, the Rizzo woman, or more accurately, the Connor woman that belonged to Rizzo, was the prize that got away. Maybe he could redeem himself completely with Carlos if he could snatch the woman and her daughter. He could kill the body guard and the enforcer gringo that worked for Tony Rizzo instead of trying to capture them. Capturing the woman and her daughter would be a lot safer. Capturing the body guard or the enforcer would be very dangerous.

"Forget the military bullshit Ramon," Jorge' said after thinking furiously for a moment. "Pepe, you have the pictures of the two gringos. Stay where you are with two snipers. When you see the gringos, eliminate them. The rest of you, get to the cars. I want to be ready when the woman and her daughter come out. Ramon, what car did they arrive in? Where is it parked? Did they have an escort?"

"Ah, Em, so I don't have to call you Eagle one?" Ramon asked. A moment passed before the radio screeched again and Ramon said, "Over."

"No, just answer me you stupid son-of-a-bitch," Jorge' yelled back on the radio and almost had a coronary when part of his reply was drowned by squelch when Ramon said, "Over." "Where's their God Damn Car," he screamed.

"Ah, Okay," Ramon replied. "They parked in the east parking lot. They were in a Dodge Escalade but the woman wasn't driving. She had a driver. There was another Escalade with her."

Jorge' looked at his radio as if the electronics had somehow malfunctioned. Putting the radio back to his lips, Jorge' softly said, "An Escalade is a Cadillac. Is it a Cadillac or a Dodge? No, never mind. Is Sanchez with you?"

"Sanchez is sitting right here," Ramon answered.

"Good, give him the radio," Jorge' said through clenched teeth.

A moment later the radio came to life with a different voice. "Sanchez here," the gravelly voice said.

"What kind of car did the woman arrive in?" Jorge said briskly.

"It was a Cadillac Escalade Jorge'," Sanchez replied.

"Thank you. Now shoot Ramon. No, no, wait until we are someplace less conspicuous. Then shoot him," Jorge' instructed.

"Yes sir Jorge'," Sanchez replied calmly.

"Good," Jorge' continued. "Now, we know what direction she will take when they leave the hospital. They will probably head straight back to her grandfathers. Since we know the most direct route, here is what we are going to do..."

Max and Clevis both tensed when the door opened but Jonas just smiled. He had seen the green glow through a crack in the door and knew that whoever was coming wasn't a danger.

"Hi Pam," Jonas said in surprise when the girl stuck her head in the room.

"Hi Mr. Gianni," the girl replied with a little uncertainty. "We came down to see you. Can we visit?"

"Anytime," Jonas said smiling at the young teen. "Pretty girls are welcome to visit anytime."

Pam looked over her shoulder and said, "He must not have been hurt as bad as the doctors said mom. He's teasing me."

Mary Connor pushed the door open and walked around her daughter to enter the room. She smiled tentatively at Jonas but answered her daughter. "That's what men do when they want to show how macho they are honey. Usually, the harder they try, the worse they are hurt." Mary looked intently at Jonas when she asked, "Are you really going to be okay Mr. Gianni?"

"I'm fine," Jonas said smiling. "In fact, I should be getting out of here today."

Mary looked at him like he was nuts, maybe literally. "You got shot five times Mr. Gianni. I saw that car hit you. You really should stay put until the doctors release you. There is no reason for you to show how tough you are."

"I'm not trying to show how tough I am ma'am," Jonas replied with a shrug. "I'll leave when the doc releases me but, other than some bruises, I'm nearly as good as new."

Mary looked over at Max. The bruising on the side of his face had faded from the purple black of fresh bruises to the greenish yellow of bruises a couple of days old. His arm was still strapped to his side. "How about you Max. Are you as good as new too?"

"No ma'am," Max replied fervently. "Jonas heals a lot faster than I do. I am well and truly broke and I'll stay where ever the doctors tell me."

That reminded Jonas of what Ben was able to do with Han when Han was wounded. He wondered if he could do the same thing with Max.

"Joe, how about it? Can we help Max heal?" Jonas asked in his mind.

"I think we can do that," Joe said in Jonas's mind. Jonas thought he could hear the smile in the words. "After all, he was injured in My service. Ask him to sit beside the bed and I'll work through you."

"Max, you are looking a little worse for wear," Jonas said smiling at the big man. "Why don't you sit here by the bed? Maybe a friend of ours can help you a little. He suggested it."

Max's eyes got round as he stared at Jonas. Jonas nodded then nodded again towards the chair next to the bed.

Max sat in the chair next to the bed stiffly. He looked like he was bracing for a blow.

"Relax Max," Jonas said gently. "I heard people heal better when they are relaxed." He watched as the big bodyguard's shoulders slumped and his body rested against the back of the chair. Jonas felt Joe's presence intensify and he softly said, "Just think about your arm first. Think about what if feels like when it isn't damaged. That's it Max. Just feel the pain fade and the damage melt away." Jonas was aware of Clevis watching the two of them with eyes the size of saucers.

Pam's breath caught and she elbowed her mother in the ribs excitedly. She quietly asked, "Did you see it that time? It's almost like he glowed green. It was stronger than what I saw yesterday. Did you see it that time?"

"Maybe," Mary whispered slowly with a puzzled frown. Mary relaxed and continued in a near whisper, "I couldn't really see anything. It was more like ... I don't know honey. Not really a green glow but something green around his eyes. Maybe..."

Jonas looked up at the mother and daughter still standing beside the door. He clearly heard their whispered exchange. "Mrs. Connors, Pam, you are among friends here and there is nothing for you to fear. I would appreciate it if you didn't tell people about what you may see or hear." He hesitated a moment before saying, "Or what you think you see. It would interfere with my new job."

"I thought you worked for my grandfather," Mary said as she walked to the foot of the bed. Her raised eyebrows turned the statement into a question.

"I did until Sheila and Liz were taken," Jonas replied quietly. The memory of that night and the cry's of his wife and daughter seared through his mind for a moment before he was able to steady his emotions. He felt the peace he was used to feeling when he was in the garden. "Thank you Joe," he said in his mind. "Thanks for letting me lean on you." He didn't get a reply but he could almost see Joe's thin shoulders shrug in dismissal of the help and his enigmatic smile.

Mary could see the pain almost pulse across his face. Her heart went out to him. She hurt for him and felt ashamed for causing his pain to resurrect. Then she saw the pain fade and his face turned almost serene. "I'm sorry," she said softly. "Who do you work for now?"

Jonas smiled at her and said, "For now, why don't we just say my current employer is quite a bit farther up the food chain than your granddad. Can we leave it at that?"