Previously:

While the Highwind Resort's Casino Night fundraiser proved a success, the party was crashed by Dominick and Ava D'Amato, common criminals and former friends of Kerrigan's brother, Miles. After Dominick's failed attempts to collect on the debt Miles owed his family, his slightly unhinged sister took matters into her own hands, kidnapping Kerri from the fundraiser at sea. She then informed Miles that he'd better come up with the money if he wanted his sister returned to him. Miles turned to Beau for help, knowing things had spiraled out of his control.

Erin suffered a mental breakdown and attacked her friends, Misty and Sonya. Afraid she would lose her daughter if anyone discovered what she'd done, Erin immediately fled from St. Laurent with Summer in tow. When Charlie Guthrie arrived at Sonya's house searching for his wife, he found the place inexplicably surrounded by squad cars. He had no idea what his wife had done...

 

The Marina - Docks

Ava D'Amato was pleased with herself.

She walked down the docks, staring at the water's serene surface. All was calm now that the guests had trickled their way from the Highwind fundraiser. And now that she had Miles under control.

The second he found out Kerrigan was in danger, he'd suddenly become a lot more cooperative. She knew he'd do whatever she asked of him. He wouldn't let anything happen to his sister.

Nothing to do now but wait.

Ava reached the far end of the docks, the darker area of the marina where she and Dominick had a boat of their own stationed. Once on board, she headed below deck where Dom was supposed to be keeping Kerri.

Dominick was hunched over on the floor. Their prisoner, on the other hand, was nowhere to be found.

"Dominick! What the hell is going on here?" Ava said, frantic as she raced to his side to help him.

He looked up to her, his face fiery red. Tears streamed down his cheeks from his burning eyes. "She pepper sprayed me! She got away!"

Ava gave him a slap across the back of his head. Sweat and tears went flying forward at the impact. He fell to his knees. "You're completely worthless! You're going to ruin everything!" she hissed. "How long ago? How long ago did she get away from you?"

"Just a few minutes! Didn't you see her outside?" Dominick said, struggling to stand up.

"If I'd seen her, don't you think I would have done something about it?"

Ava slapped her brother again for his idiocy, then raced from the boat in pursuit of Kerrigan. She couldn't have made it very far. There was still time to salvage this.

 

Near the Marina

Kerri's heart pounded in her chest. She wasn't sure if it was the fear or the adrenaline that had her so worked up, but her legs were shaking so violently they could barely support her. Once she'd run far enough from the docks -- once she'd reached the cover of forestry nearby -- she leaned against a thick maple tree and tried to regain her composure.

It wasn't just her legs. Her entire body was shaking with anxiety and nervous energy. She hadn't been feeling up to par all night. Being kidnapped hadn't exactly helped the situation.

She tried to slow her heavy breathing, tried to tell herself she was safe now, but for how long? She looked down at her wrists, still bound together. The rope wasn't very tight. The knots were sloppily tied. She tried to wriggle her hands free from their restraints.

Kerri stopped when she heard some leaves crunching nearby. Footsteps or a wild animal? She held her breath, hoping the noise would go away.

After a minute that seemed like an hour, the air was silent once again. Feeling safer now, Kerri finished worming her aching wrists free, and the ropes fell to the ground in front of her. She held up her hands, examining them.

Her wrists were raw and sore, but that didn't matter. That one-eyed bitch had taken her engagement ring. And that was the thing that really pissed her off...

I've got to keep running. Get some help, Kerri thought, eyeing her surroundings. She could run deeper into the forested area. She'd be harder to find, but she ran the risk of getting lost. Maybe if she went down the road a bit, she could flag down a car...

Kerri slipped out from behind the tree and tried to make her way back to the streets. When she made it to the edge of the clearing, however, she stopped in her tracks.

"There you are," a humorless voice announced.

Kerri saw the gun pointed at her and felt her heart sink. Ava had found her.

Aruba - Several Years Earlier...

Miles pulled open the door to his sister's house, a cozy but well-maintained cottage by the beach. "What are you doing here?" "I followed you," Dominick D'Amato said matter-of-factly. "How was your sister's wedding?" He looked past Miles's shoulder and into the living room. "Is this her place? Not bad." Miles was housesitting for Kerrigan. She had married Charlie Guthrie earlier that afternoon in a small ceremony, and they were staying at the resort where the wedding was held. Tomorrow, they would take Miles's houseboat and leave for their honeymoon at sea. "I'm sure she won't mind you having a visitor." Dominick's lips curled into a grin as he wrapped his arms around Miles's waist. "Dom. Stop." Miles cast a worried look out to the street before pulling Dominick into the house. He closed the door after the two of them. "It's been a long day, okay." He gave a heavy sigh. "Why are you here? If it has anything to do with your father, I don't want to hear about it." "He's pissed," Dominick said, suddenly serious. "I said I didn't want to get into this. Not today. Come on! It's my sister's wedding day. Can't I have a day of peace?" "He gave you an extra week, man. He doesn't care what day it is or what you have penciled into your day planner." "You don't think I know that?" Miles said, feeling like a rat caught in a trap. "Why are you toying with me like this? You act like we're best friends ... like we're more than friends ... and then you come here and tell me that your father's out to get me like it's no big deal! Are you sadistic or what? Does it turn you on or something?" "Miles..." "I'm serious! Sometimes, I think you enjoy having this to hold over me. I know I fucked up, but I can't live like this anymore." "I'm sorry." Dominick looked at him with sympathy. "We'll fix things. Somehow, we'll fix it. You know I don't want to see you like this. I don't like seeing you so upset." He reached out to him. Miles reluctantly allowed Dominick to wrap his arms around him, but he couldn't return the affection. Instead, he tried to fight off tears of frustration. Dom reached out, smoothed Miles's soft curls through his fingertips. "I don't want it to be like this. But I didn't come here to threaten you, regardless of what you might think." Miles looked up at him, embarrassed and angry with himself for the few tears that escaped him. "I came to warn you about something. Something my father's planning." "What are you talking about?" Miles asked. He pulled away, Dom's words commanding full attention at the moment. "He's sending Ava to trash your boat tonight. He wants to teach you a lesson. For being late again." "What? My boat? I live on that boat! It's the only thing I have left! I can't lose it!" "I know!" he said. "That's why I'm telling you now! You might still have time to stop them if you can get something together." "What am I supposed to do?" Miles panicked. "I can't just come up with that kind of money at the drop of a hat!" The destruction of his boat -- his home -- was unimaginable to him. Losing everything he'd worked so hard for... "Why didn't you tell me this sooner?" "I didn't know until just now! Ava must've known I would tell you, if I found out what they were planning..." Dominick trailed off. "We've got to get to the pier. I have to do something. I have to take the boat out before your father or Ava can get to it!" "They can't find out that I told you about this, Miles. I don't know how much time we have. We've gotta hurry if we're going to do this," Dominick nodded, following Miles out the door.

The Highwind Resort - Vault

Beau Ormand flipped through a stack of cash, counting the money to himself. This certainly wasn't the way he'd expected the night of his engagement to turn out. He was supposed to be with Kerri, not digging through the Highwind's vault to borrow money for her ransom! His stomach churned at the thought of what she must be going through, but he pressed on, collecting the amount he needed.

Miles was with him. He tried to explain to Beau the history of his involvement with the D'Amatos en route to the Highwind. Or at least the condensed version. Beau wondered how Miles could have been stupid enough to think that working for a common criminal was a good idea. Borrowing money from one was even more idiotic, but Beau couldn't help feeling bad for the kid, in spite of his anger at what had happened to Kerrigan because of it.

"So, what exactly was the deal with Dominick ... and you, I mean?" Beau asked. "It's just ... from the way you were talking about him. The way you described things when he came to see you that day..." he looked to Miles but trailed off, wondering if he'd misinterpreted things between the two of them.

Miles seemed uncertain how to answer. Maybe he didn't really know the answer. "We were friends at first, but he started getting weird around me. Like he had a thing for me or something. I don't know. I never knew if he was serious, or if it was all just an act. He said he cared about me and wanted to help me out, but maybe that was part of the plan. Make me dependent on him and draw me in even further."

Beau weighed his response, but didn't press the issue. "If he does have some sort of ... feelings for you, then he wouldn't hurt Kerri, would he? He wouldn't do something like that, right?"

"I don't think he would hurt anyone," Miles said, shaking his head. "I don't think he wanted things to end up like this. It's Ava I'm worried about. She doesn't care what happens to anyone as long as she gets what she wants. I can't let this happen again."

Beau stuffed the money into a briefcase and turned to Miles. He looked like he'd been stepped on. Already defeated. But he needed Miles to believe things would turn out different this time. They would give these people what they were asking for, and they would get Kerri back.

"It wasn't your fault, Miles. Not the way you think it is. You did all you could do, right? You tried to stop them."

"I couldn't stop them in time."

"No, you couldn't," he agreed. "But this time you're not alone. This time you've got help," he said, hoping that would be enough to make the difference.

 

St. Laurent Community Hospital

It was after midnight, but the hospital operated on its neverending time clock, bright and fluorescent and harsh as ever. Time seemed to have no meaning in the midst of this building, especially in its windowless halls, one of which Charlie Guthrie sat in at that moment. He'd lost track of time altogether. Ever since he left the party. Back when this evening was still simple...

Now, he was sitting alone on an uncomfortable bench outside a hospital room, waiting to hear something -- anything -- that would explain what had happened at Sonya Cortes's house that evening.

He knew Erin had been on her way there to pick up Summer, but both Charlie's wife and daughter were missing, and now Sonya and Misty Bradley were here in the hospital, clinging to life. And nobody had an explanation for any of it.

Charlie's frustration battled his normally rational brain. He could barely keep from putting his fist through the wall. If someone hurt his wife again, after everything Erin had been through ... there would be hell to pay.

But he had to keep it cool. He had to put his anger, his own fears aside for the time being. He looked over to another bench, where Tisha and Benton Bradley sat together. He couldn't see her face. It was buried in her husband's shoulder. They were waiting for an update on their daughter's condition. They were waiting for someone to tell them everything would be okay. For one of these two victims to come to her senses and offer some sort of explanation. Who would have done something like this to them?

Tisha looked up, tried to regain her composure. Her puffy eyes met Charlie's, and for a second he thought she was about to say something to him. Her lips parted, then closed again as if it were too much an effort to form the words she'd intended to speak. She didn't bother to try and instead retreated to the comfort of Benton's arms.

The agony of being kept in the dark was too much for Charlie. Nobody had seen or heard anything from Erin or Summer. He stood up, paced back and forth a few steps, and turned to Benton. "Can I get you anything? Something to drink?" he asked, a feeble attempt to reach out to his friend.

Both of the Bradleys shook their heads.

He looked back to his seat, but his nervous energy wouldn't permit him to sit back down.

As he walked around the corner toward the restrooms, he spied Jasper Kent lingering around the area. "Jasper," Charlie said, his voice raspy with exhaustion. "When did you get here? What have you heard? Anything new?"

"Nothing. I've called around and talked to the station, but I haven't heard anything. All they know is that someone must have entered Sonya's house and attacked her ... and Misty," he said, a hollow, disbelieving quality to his words.

Charlie knew Jasper was trying to be as professional as possible, even if he wasn't on duty. Jasper was close to Sonya and the Bradleys, Charlie knew. This must be killing him as much as it was the rest of them. "The Bradleys are here," Charlie said, trying to comfort Jasper. "Just around the corner. If you want someone to talk to, I think they could stand a friendly face right about now."

"Oh," Jasper said, his eyes drifting down the hall then back again. "Maybe they need some time, you know? I don't know that they'd want to see me -- to talk to anyone right now..."

"It might help," Charlie shrugged, pulling out his phone. He had to try to get in contact with Erin again. He waited as the number dialed. "Why isn't she answering her phone? If I could just hear her voice and know that she and Summer are okay..." He let it ring, awaiting a response.

"Try not to worry too much until we know for sure," Jasper said, clapping a hand to Charlie's arm in support. "Have you called any of her other friends or family? See if they've heard anything? For all we know, she might've picked up Summer at the house and left before the attack ever occurred. She could be at home waiting for you right now. You never know."

But Charlie had already called the house several times with no response. And the longer he went without hearing from his wife, the worse the scenario that played out in his overactive and increasingly disturbing imagination.

Aruba - Several Years Earlier...

Miles ran for the shore as fast as he could. He ran for his life, so fast he left Dominick far in his wake. He didn't stop running until he saw it for his own eyes. His houseboat, still standing, unharmed and anchored at a pier off in the distance. It was late afternoon, the sun low on the horizon. As far as Miles could see, a warm, red-orange glow washed the landscape. Dominick caught up to him, slowing to a stop at his side on the deserted beachfront. He rested his hands on his knees, breathing heavy, before squinting back up and across the sand. "You've still got time. You made it. Ava must be waiting until later tonight. The darkness." Miles scanned his empty surroundings. Just the two of them, as far as the eye could see. He started walking toward the boat, stopped, and turned back. "What?" Dominick asked. "What are you waiting for?" "What am I doing?" he replied. Miles's brain was on overdrive. All he was focused on was getting to the boat in time, but now that he was here... "Where am I going to go?" He hadn't thought any of this through. He knew he could take the boat -- sail out on the water and disappear for a few days -- but that wouldn't stop the D'Amatos from coming after him. That wouldn't stop them from planning the exact same thing if he returned. Unless he came up with the money, Miles would never truly be rid of them. He could never truly be with-- "You've gotta do something." Worry lined Dominick's expression. He seemed just as anxious as Miles. "My dad's given you as much time as he's going to give. You have to go somewhere safe..." "Come with me," Miles said without thinking. The thought popped into his head and before he knew it, he'd blurted it out. But Dom only smiled, his dark eyes softening. "I don't wanna leave without you," Miles confessed. He didn't know what he was hoping for. He didn't know what he wanted -- what it was that drew him to Dominick. In the time they'd known each other, there was never an attempt to explain or vocalize his feelings for him. All he knew was that he'd never felt this kind of connection, such a fascination for any person, man or woman. The space separating the two of them faded away then was gone completely, Dominick's lips on his own. It wasn't the first time it had happened, but this was different. He welcomed the demanding kiss, the forceful exploration of affection. If he left now, would it be their last? When Miles finally dared to break free, he looked to Dom for an answer. "We could both just leave," he breathed. "We could go right now, and nobody would ever--" A deafening blast drowned him out. And as they turned to see, his boat became a ball of flames, fire on the water, the setting sun as its backdrop.

The Marina - Docks

Below the deck of Ava and Dominick's unassuming boat, Ava tied Kerri's arms behind her back, knotting them together much tighter than her brother had. Kerri winced as the ropes bit into her already-tender wrists. Ava yanked on them one last time, then finished up, convinced there was no wiggle room left for Kerri to exploit.

When Ava left for the deck, Dominick followed, leaving Kerri down below by herself. "What are we going to do with her now?" he asked his sister.

"The same thing we were going to do with her before you decided to let her escape." Ava paced the deck, frustrated. "I can't believe you let her get away like that. I can't believe she overpowered you. You're such a pansy. Let me guess, when you were with Miles, you were the 'girl' in the relationship?"

Dom sneered. "Fuck off, before I throw you overboard."

"Try it. I guarantee you I'm tougher than Kerrigan. If you can't handle her, you don't stand a chance against me. I never should have expected you to handle a woman. It's not exactly a task you're familiar with..."

She walked away from him, flipping open Kerri's cell phone and dialing Miles. Several rings later, he answered. She toyed with a strand of her blonde hair as she spoke, "Your sister's become quite the handful. She tried to run from me. I think she wants to go home, Miles. Now tell me, what are we going to do about that?"

Miles's response was quick. "Don't you hurt her. Please, don't do anything to her. I've got the money. All of it!"

Finally, Ava thought. "That's all I wanted to hear. Here's what we're gonna do..."

 

St. Laurent Community Hospital

When Charlie returned from the hospital café with a cup of black coffee, he found Jasper engaged in conversation with a uniformed police officer. As much as he wanted to interrupt the duo, he stood back, watching as Jasper's gaze continually wandered down the corridor to eye the Bradleys with concern.

As he waited for Jasper to finish talking, to hopefully come to him with some new bit of news or information, he returned to Benton and Tisha's side. "Have you heard anything more?" he asked them. "Have they said anything about Misty or Sonya?"

Benton shook his head. "Nobody's said much of anything. I'm going to burst into that room if they don't tell us something soon." His patience was clearly wearing thin, his daughter being in such a precarious condition.

Benton caught Jasper's eye, and Charlie saw Jasper look away sharply. "Does he know anything?" Benton asked Charlie.

Charlie sensed a coldness, something amiss in the way the Bradleys and Jasper were interacting -- or not interacting, to be more specific -- but he didn't know the reason for their hostility. He didn't know of Misty and Jasper's connection. As far as he knew, they were all simply on edge and nearing their breaking points, himself included. "He only knows as much as the rest of us--"

"What if she's not okay?" Tisha interrupted softly, suddenly, as if it were the first time the possibility had occurred to her. She'd been practically silent and withdrawn into herself since their arrival at the hospital, so it was a surprise when they heard her voice. "She was so angry with us the last time we saw her."

The words seemed to settle over them all ominously.

The last time we saw her...

"What if that's the last memory I have of her? My last conversation with my baby," Tisha whimpered.

"Don't talk like that," Benton snapped.

"Try to stay positive. For her," Charlie said, taking her hand. He cast a sympathetic eye to Benton.

At that moment, a doctor familiar to Tisha came out to the hall, stopping in front of them.

"Wilt! Is she okay?" Tisha asked, anxious to hear from her co-worker.

Tisha and Benton leapt to their feet, standing next to Charlie as the three confronted Dr. Wilton Hart, one of the hospital's senior staff members. Charlie felt Tisha latch onto him and Benton, her shaking hands nearly crushing their own for support.

"Is she okay?" Tisha wondered, repeating her question with urgency.

Charlie looked from the Bradleys to the doctor. His expression was an answer in itself, before he even had a chance to voice the words...

"I'm so sorry," Dr. Hart said softly. "She didn't make it."