“Brian!” I cried, beating my fist against the door, tears of frustration and despair slipping down my cheeks. “Dammit Lizz, hold it together.” I swore to myself. I took a deep breath and made myself take a step back and think rationally. I had to find out where Brady was taking Brian. I pressed my ear up against the door and listened. The footsteps sounded off to the right. Okay, at least I know what direction I am going. I looked around the room, but there was nothing in here that was going to help me break the door down. As if I had the strength to do that anyway. How else was I going to get out of here? I had a sickening feeling that if I didn’t get to Brian soon, he would end up in AJ’s condition, or worse.

Frantically I scanned the room again, my eyes falling on the window. I rushed over to it as and looked outside. The sun was rising so I could see pretty well. There was a ledge that ran several feet below the window. It was about as wide as a curb, but it ran around the whole side of the building. When I realized what I was going to have to do, my heart started pounding. I wasn’t afraid of heights, but I did have terrible balance. Nick and I had had many arguments on who was more of a klutz. Just the thought of him heightened my desperation to get moving. Time was running out for Brian and Nick was on his way here.

I grabbed the thin sheet that had been laying in a crumpled heap on the floor and balled as much of it as I could around my hand. Then I balled up my fist, reached back and shot it through the window. It shattered and I felt the sting of glass shards go into my knuckles. The worry that someone could have heard me was more prevalent on my mind so I focused my attention on climbing out of the window. The ledge felt a lot skinnier with me standing on it than when I had looked at it. I shut my eyes, panic welling up in my chest. Think of Nick. Think of Brian. Take it slow. Inch by inch I eased my body along the ledge. The first window was only a few feet away. When I got to in and looked inside, it was empty. I was almost relieved because I wasn’t sure what I was going to find, but then again, I wasn’t going to last much longer on this ledge.

“What the hell?” Brady’s attention was directed towards the ringing of a cell phone. It was coming from a room that had been unoccupied for the last few days. Brady knew this because the guy that had been staying there had been killed in a street fight. He shot a warning look to Brian before walking over to the door. It was cracked open so he pushed it the rest of the way. Brady took a step into the room and didn’t see the fist in time. It connected with the side of his face with a crunch. Brady reeled back, stunned by the blow.

Brian stared in shock as Brady nearly plowed into him. Nick suddenly came into view. “Brian, run!” He yelled, ready to lunge at Brady again. He was ready to do whatever it took to keep Brady away from Brian. Unfortunately, Brady had the same idea and got to Brian first.

“Don’t move. I’ll snap his fuckin neck.” Brady snarled, angered that that little punk had managed to knock one of his teeth out. He had one massive arm wrapped around Brian’s neck, tight enough to make Brian gag for air. His other hand had a firm grip on Brian’s hair, showing Nick what little effort it would take to make good on his threat.

“Don’t!” Nick begged. “Let him go! I’ll surrender myself, whatever you want. Let him go, please!”

Brady turned his head to the side and spit out the bloody tooth. “You are going to pay for that, boy. Start walking.” He gestured down the hall with his chin.

Not wanting to provoke Brady into causing anymore harm to Brian, Nick obeyed. Brady followed behind, dragging Brian with him. “Third door on the right. Open it.”

“No! Nick don’t! They’re going to kill you!” Brian cried.

“I’m going to kill you if you don’t shut up.” Brady hissed, his patience growing thin.

Nick swallowed hard. He knew that what was on the other side of that door could very likely mean his death. On the other hand, what was to guarantee that they weren’t going to kill Brian as well. And where was Lizz? Where was AJ? He turned around slowly.

“You have me.” He said softly. “Please let Brian go. I’ll do whatever you say, just please let my friends go.”

Brady stared at Nick thoughtfully. “You’d do anything to save your friends wouldn’t you?”

Nick was filled with a glimmer of hope. “Yes, I would. D-does this mean you’ll let them go?”

Brady continued to stare at Nick a moment longer before busting out in cruel laughter. “No, it just means that this will be so much more entertaining!”

“You bastard!” Nick yelled, starting to move towards Brady.

“Ah ah, I wouldn’t.” Brady warned, clamping a fierce hand around the back of Brian’s neck. “Now go in the fucking room.”

After the fifth window I was feeling beyond desperate and I felt like every part of my body was shaking with exertion and nerves. Then I heard the faint sound of a door being slammed. A lot of loud voices followed and I knew my the next window belonged to the room Brian was in. As quickly as I dared, I inched over to the window and peered in. The horror of the scene in front of me almost caused me to lose my balance. It wasn’t just Brian in there with our kidnappers, but Nick too! He was here?! The window was filthy so it was hard to tell what was going on. They were all in there, I could tell that much. Terri sat stiffly in her wheelchair, pointing an accusatory finger at Nick. Vinnie was standing a little too close for comfort to the window I was hanging outside of. Agnes was standing in front of Nick, hands on hips, yelling at him. Brady had a firm grip on Brian and appeared to be enjoying every minute of it. I could see Nick’s face and he looked absolutely horrified. I couldn’t see Brian’s face, but it looked like Nick’s horror was directed at him. I squinted harder, trying to figure out what was going on. That’s when I saw it.

Brady was holding a gun to Brian. He was going to use it.

With an animalistic cry, I threw my fist into the window. Six shocked heads jerked in my direction. I didn’t even have time to notice as the ledge beneath me crumbled under my feet and I started to fall.

Anything that could go wrong had and was at this very moment I decided as I glanced around the room. Here was my best friend standing in front of me, fear etched on his face. The huge black man named Brady, stood next to Brian - a little too close for my satisfaction - grinning from ear to ear despite the missing tooth, compliments of me actually making contact with the man's face. And then there was the collection of family freaks, Agnes and Terri.

Terri.

I narrowed my eyes as I stared at her face. This woman brought more pain and suffering than what anyone could ever imagine. Granted she was in a wheel chair and the events that put her there would have humbled the meanest soul, but there she was, still yelling and blaming me for everything that had happened to her and her family.

Agnes was just a bitter old woman and looked for blame to place for the way her family had turned out. I was her perfect scapegoat and she kept insisting that I was to suffer for all the wrongdoings I had made happened to her Terri and her Marcus.

"You'll get what you deserve, Nick Carter, I will make you regret the day you were born. You will watch your friends slowly suffer. I had to watch my Terri being punished and suffer because of you!"

"Please, let them go," my voice croaked. "I-I'll do anything you ask me to, just let my friends go."

"We'll let them go Carter, after we're done with them, we'll let them go," Vinnie sneered and then laughed.

"Brady, take Brian and work him over like you did with that skinny tatooed runt!" Agnes commanded as she waved her boney finger towards Brian.

"This will be fun," Brady smirked.

"No! Please!" I begged. I knew I had to think of something fast, some type of diversion or something to stall for time. "Just keep on doing what you want to him but only do it to me, it's me you're angry at, not Brian!"

"No my dear friend, the whole point of this is to put you through hell and there's not a damn thing you can do about it!" Vinnie cackled.

"Nick, no! Just let them get this overwith," Brian pleaded.

All eyes were focused on Brian as he bravely was waiting for the punishment to begin. Suddenly, before I could argue, the sounds of breaking glass penetraited the air. Everyone jerked their heads towards the direction of the dirty window.

"LIZZ!" Brian and I yelled at the same time.

Vinnie jumped and quickly reached out through the broken window and grabbed Lizz's arm preventing her from falling off the crumbling ledge. She was screaming from fear and from the pain of Vincent's firm grip.

I didn't hesitate and ignored Agnes and Brady's commands that I didn't move from my spot as I rushed towards the window to help Vinnie pull Lizz into the room.

"Back off Carter," Vinnie grunted through clenched teeth.

I pushed him off to one side as I grabbed onto the arm that he was hanging onto. "You'll drop her!"

Vinnie started to push me with his body. "NO I WON'T! BACK OFF FREAK!"

My eyes locked onto Lizz's. She knew how to read my mind and through tear streamed eyes, she managed to read what I was thinking and slightly nodded her acknowledgement.

Tightening my grip on her arm, I threw all my weight against Vinnie, pressing him against the wall, causing him to release his hand on her arm. I quickly reached out with my other hand. "Grab it!"

"I... I can't," Lizz cried pitifully.

"Yes you can," I encouraged. I gasped when I saw the amount of blood that was pouring out of the gash on her forearm. I pushed the thought of passing out away. "Come on, take my hand!"

"Let her go so she can just die!" Terri wailed.

"Lizz! Don't let them win, come on, take my hand dammit!"

After a few feeble attempts, Lizz connected and my hand met hers. Putting a foot against the wall under the window for leverage, I pulled Lizz up and through the window, both of us falling onto the floor in a heap.

"Isn't that just fucking sweet," Terri mocked. "You should have let her fall because what we have planned for her now would make falling to her death more pleasant than being slowly tortured until she begs to die!"

"Don't you touch her, just take me, let them go!" I begged as I looked at Agnes and Vinnie.

Vinnie was slowly pulling himself up from the corner, anger was evident in his face. "I'm gonna have so much fun doing her."

I narrowed my eyes at Vinnie.

"There's nothing you can do Carter, so don't you even think about it, we have this all planned out."

I noticed out the corner of my eye how the blood from Lizz's gash was pooling onto the wood floor. I tore off my shirt and quickly fashioned it into a tourniquet to slow the bleeding down. As I helped Lizz up to her feet, I could feel her shaking, her legs wobbly.

"Just let my friends go and you can do anything you want with me, just let them go," I begged.

Agnes clicked the trigger on her gun and gestured for Lizz and me to move towards her. I kept trying to think of some quick move to save us from this mess, but my mind was a jumbled mess of worry and I couldn't think clearly.

"Hands behind your backs," Agnes commanded in a stern voice.

"Lizz is hurt she can't---"

"Put your hands behind your back, Carter," Brady snarled.

Vinnie grabbed his gun and held it against Brian's head. "Do like we say and I won't have to blow his head open!"

I quickly followed the orders and winced when I heard Lizz quietly yelp when her arms were drawn back.

"Couldn't you at least put the cuffs in front of her since she's cut and bleeding?" My eyes met with Vinnie's and I glanced at Brian's ashen face. Vinnie didn't look like he was going to budge, almost as if he was getting off on the hurt he was causing us. "Please for god sakes, show a little compassion, you are human aren't you?"

Vinnie roughly grabbed Brian's hair and jerked his head backwards. "Yeah, I guess or you'll just keep on whining, won't you asshole?" After he let Brian's head go, he nodded towards Brady to undo Lizz and put her hands in front. The blood was already seeping through the tourniquet, not much but enough to let me know that the bleeding hadn't stopped.

We were led towards a windowless wall, far away from where Lizz was dragged in. Brady pushed down on both of our shoulders until we sat down on the floor. Vinnie took his place alongside us. Brian stood in the center of the room and Brady started walking around him, like a lion ready to pounce on it's prey.

"Do Littrell like you did that skinny runt," Vinnie snickered.

Brady grinned and rubbed his hands together. Brian stood still, staring at his agressor, waiting for the punishment that they deemed was necessary.

Before I could beg for more mercy again, Brady delivered the first punch, his fist flying directly into Brian's stomach, emptying all the air from his lungs, causing him to crumble to ground in a coughing fit. I leaned forward to get up but was quickly put back into place by a swift kick from Vinnie into my shoulder.

Brady reached down and pulled Brian back up to his feet by his shirt and punched him in the stomach in four rapid blows.

"STOP!"

Brady let go of him when I yelled and Brian fell down to his knees again. Instead of quitting, the huge black man started kicking Brian any place his feet would land - stomach, legs, chest, back. Brian only cried out once or twice but it was an eerie cry, like he was trying to keep his suffering to himself, almost as if to protect us from worry.

Brady picked Brian up by the shirt again and grinned when he could see that his victim was barely conscious on his feet. He curled his fist up again, ready to deliver more blows when Agnes stopped him.

"That's enough, you can't kill him just yet!"

The smile faded from Brady's face and he let go of Brian's shirt and watched as he fell down to his hands and knees. Brian started coughing so hard that he got sick. I wanted to go to him so badly, but Vinnie pointed his gun towards Lizz so I knew it was better that I stayed in my place. My heart was aching for Brian, I prayed he wasn't hurt as badly as he looked.

"Now the fun begins with pretty girly here," Vinnie mocked as he rubbed the gun across Lizz's cheek.

"God, please just let them go, please!" I begged as the fear of what was about to happen screamed out in my mind.

"Nah, I'm gonna do this for Marcus, he wanted her and he was denied her pleasure, so me and Brady are gonna do this for Marcus," Vinnie grinned. "The best part is y'all get to watch."

"Count me out you sick perv," Terri huffed as she wheeled her chair around and directed it towards the door. "I'll be in the kitchen, let me know when you're done. Momma are you going to watch?"

Agnes sighed in disgust. "Good lord no, I'm going with you. Remember what we discussed boys, and if you're really smart, you should rough Carter up a little bit before you start so his reflexes won't be quick in case he decides to help his little girl out."