While the guys went to Jemma Brady's home, Liz and Isabel stayed behind in the casino to see what they could find out about Frank Deluca. *-*-*-*-*-*-* They guys stood outside the apartment building, Alex scanned the names and pressed the buzzer next to Jemma's name. They waited for an answer. Michael sighed in frustration and elbowed Alex out the way. He pushed the buzzer hard keeping his finger on it. "WHAT!??" Michael snatched his hand away from the buzzer, Jim scowled at him. Michael shrugged in innocence. "Hello? Is anyone there??" "Yeah sorry. My name's Jim Valenti, can I ask you some questions?" "About what?" "Joe Caldwell." "SOD OFF!!" They heard the click of the intercom as it switched off. "Hello? Miss Brady?" Jim pressed the buzzer a couple of more times but didn't get an answer, he cursed. "Shit, I guess that means she doesn't want to talk." "So we're giving up? No way, I'm not leaving until she talks to us." "Michael, I'm not saying we're giving up, I'm just saying....hell I don't know what I'm saying, but I'm not giving up." Max walked to the door, he put his hand over the lock, he heard the latch click and pushed open the door. "Umm, guys." The others looked over at Max, seeing the door open they went to enter, as Michael passed Max he mussed his hair. "Good thinking 'Batman'." "No problem 'Robin'." They laughed, Jim and Alex looked at them then at each other they raised their eyebrows and mimicked them. "You ready 'Superman'?" "You bet 'Superman'." Max and Michael, looked at each other and shrugged their shoulders. "What the hell was that about?" "I have no idea." Max indicated his hand that he thought they were crazy, Michael nodded his head, they followed Alex and Jim up the stairs to Jemma's apartment. *-*-*-*-*-*-* Isabel and Liz walked around the casino, trying not to look too out of place. They moved from table to table, once or twice they stopped and while talking to each other mentioned Frank Deluca's name loud enough so that people would hear, hoping someone would talk to them. After almost two hours they still hadn't gotten any information. Liz sighed. "This is getting us nowhere, why don't we try one of the other casino's?" "You're probably right, wait over there. Isn't that the waiter from this morning?" "Yeah." "Right well he was full of information this morning, maybe he's remembered something else." The girls made their way over to the waiter but stopped half way there when they saw the guy who had come over their table, Craig. "I think maybe we should go to the other casino first." "I think you might be right there Liz, no point in attracting attention to ourselves, besides maybe the guys are having better luck than us. Come on let's go." Craig had seen Isabel and Liz suddenly turn when they had spotted him, he followed after them, he needed to know if they were here for Maria. He swore under his breath when he looked at the entrance..... *-*-*-*-*-*-* Jim rapped on Jemma's door, she opened it cautiously, keeping the chain on. "Can I help you?" "Yeah, I'm Jim Valenti." Jemma quickly tried to shut the door again, Jim put his foot on the doorway preventing her from shutting it. He rummaged around in his pocket and pulled out his sheriff badge, he showed it to her. "Please, I'm not going to hurt you, I only want to ask you some questions." Jemma stared at the badge he was holding. "You're a cop?" "Yes." "Well why didn't you say so sooner?" "I didn't think you'd speak to me." "If you move your foot I'll take off the chain." Jim moved his foot, she closed the door, they heard the scrape of the chain as it was pulled back. The door was opened fully, Jemma stood and looked at him. "So you're a sheriff, aren't these a little young to be deputies?" "Yeah well, you could say they're in training." "Mm hm, so are you going to stand there all day or would you like to come in?" They followed her into the apartment, she motioned for them to sit. Michael screwed his nose up at the smell in the apartment, this place made his home look like a palace. "Would you like a drink?" Alex put his hand up, Jim shook his head and Alex slowly put it down again. "This isn't a social visit, like I said I'd like to ask some questions." Jemma sat down on a bare covered chair. "So you want to know about that scuzz ball Joe Caldwell?" "Is that any way to talk about your boyfriend?" Jemma burst out laughing. "My boyfriend? That's a load of crap. I'm afraid your information is a little out of date, I have dated him in months, at least not since he became obsessed with this little blonde chit. Actually I feel sorry for her, she has no idea what a sick bastard he is." "Meaning?" "Let's just say he likes it rough, or should I say he likes to play rough." "I don't understand, what do you mean rough?" "Do I have to spell it out?" She looked at their faces, especially the three young faces, innocent faces. "I guess I do. When I say rough, I mean he likes to cause pain while he's screwing. Is that clear enough for you? No? Okay how about this." She lifted the hem of her t-shirt and pulled it up to reveal her back, there were scars that looked like whip marks and cigarette burns. Michael recoiled in horror, he imagined that he was looking at Maria. He stood quickly and almost ran out the apartment, Alex followed him out. Jemma pushed her t-shirt back down, she looked at Jim and Max apologetically. "Sorry I didn't mean....I know it's not a pretty sight....look what do you want to ask me?" "Do you know where Caldwell is now?" "I don't know where he's been, but I know where he's going." "Where?" "He's on his way back here, to Vegas." "How do you know?" "A friend of mine works at the hotel, actually she's his secretary, she's the one that told me about the blonde girl, she saw her picture. She also told me that Caldwell is coming back, something to do with Frank, he's a guy that died last night at one of his casino's." Jim stood, he put his hand out to Jemma, she shook it. When she pulled away she looked at the piece of paper, it was money. "I don't need this." Jim looked around the apartment. "Yeah you do." He touched her arm and gently patted it. The kind gesture brought tears to her eyes. Jim and Max made to leave, her voice stopped them. "This isn't how I used to live, I used to have a pretty good life. I guess the visible scars aren't the only ones I've got." Jim turned to leave, Max stopped him. "Go down and tell Michael and Alex what she told us." "What are you going to do Max?" "Just go down." Jim left, Max shut the door and went back to Jemma, she was startled when she saw him and backed up a little. Max put his hands up to show her he wasn't going to hurt her. "I want to help you." "How?" "I need you to trust me, I need you to never tell anyone what I'm about to do. I promise I won't hurt you. I only want to help." Jemma looked at him puzzled, what she saw in his face reassured her he was telling the truth. Max walked behind her. "You'll need to take your t-shirt off." He saw her body tense up. She lifted the hem of her t-shirt, not pulling it off completely. "Jemma all the way off." She gave a broken sob, but pulled it off, covering her breasts with the t-shirt. Max closed his eyes, he took a deep breath. He felt the power coursing through his body out of his fingertips, the room was bathed in a soft glow. Jemma closed her eyes to the brightness, she gasped when she felt the warmth rush through her body. She stood in that same spot a few minutes when she opened her eyes, the brightness had gone, she looked behind her. Max was gone too. She ran to the bathroom and to the mirror, she turned her head to look at the reflection of her back. She couldn't believe what she was seeing, she dropped the t-shirt and touched her skin, her beautiful, pale, smooth skin. She gasped at what she was looking at. "Oh my god." She collapsed on the floor and burst into tears of joy. Max came down the stairs to the others, he looked exhausted. Jim went to him. "Max? You look shattered, what happened up there?" "I was just saying thank you." Michael didn't know what had happened up there but with what Jim had told them he was getting impatient to face the guy who had taken his Maria. "So what now?" Jim looked at him. "We go back to the casino and wait for Caldwell to turn up." Michael wasn't the only one itching to get his hands on Caldwell, he wanted a piece of him too. "What then?" Michael flagged down a cab, he opened the door. "That's easy, we get Maria back." *-*-*-*-*-*-* Isabel and Liz were on their way out of the casino, when they noticed a commotion a the entrance. They stared at the man who walked in the doors, he had an air about him. They watched him speak to that Craig guy, then turn to someone behind him, they gasped when they saw who it was, they couldn't believe it.....MARIA!! TBC

Part 17