Disclaimer: I'm not S. Meyer.

A/N: My god, you guys, I really didn't intend this to take so long. I'm so slow, it's not funny- I'm really sorry for the delay, but... here goes, anyway. Hopefully this is coherent. Lol.

Rosalie could hear the door opening but she couldn't even move to see who it was. Her body was an agony of fire and pain, and it was all she could do keep her eyes open. She could see Becca on the ground beside her and the sight would have been enough to make her vomit, were she human. The woman's veins were prominent; dark ropes under her skin, throbbing and pulsing and the wound at her wrist where Rosalie had bitten her was an angry red mark, smudged with blood and venom.

Through her own pain, Rosalie could tell that the venom was doing something, but whether there was enough to turn her, Rose couldn't tell. It had been a long time since she'd seen a normal turning- both Emmett and Bella had been grievously wounded when they'd been turned and so their change was both slower and more painful than normal as their bodies fought to die even as the venom tried to change them. But Becca… she'd been hungry, sure, and she'd been ready to die, it seemed, but she hadn't been hurt or damaged. Rose just couldn't tell.

The Italian vampires at the door- she didn't know their names- spoke quietly to one another. She thought they sounded confused and annoyed, but she didn't understand the words. It didn't take long, though, for them to turn their attention to her, speaking English in clipped, tense tones.

"What have you done? Don't try to lie; you cannot lie to me." The vampire- tall, wiry, with dark hair and eyes- turned her head to face him and she met his stare.

"I did what you wanted." Her voice was a croak and she had never felt so powerless. "I drank."

"What did you do to yourself, stupido?" He wrenched her head again, pulling her by the hair and the movement sent a jolt of agony up her spine; she couldn't hold back a yelp and the Italian almost smiled before repeating the motion.

Her cries were weak- she had barely any strength left, as it was, and the blood she'd taken from Becca had done nothing to nourish her, only hurt.

"I did nothing." She struggled for air as he clenched her throat in one fist. "Your people did something. You put something in her blood." Her eyes rolled closed, so she didn't see the confusion marring his flawless face and the throbbing in her head masked whatever words the two spoke. If she could have passed out, she would have- but as a Vampire, the closest she could come was to retreat inside herself. They seemed to be arguing, but whatever was happening, neither of them was happy.

It dragged for long minutes, until finally the man snapped and spun back to her. She barely noticed when he hauled her across the floor and out the door, dragging her by the hair. The cold, bare ground under her and the bright lights above would be uncomfortable, normally, but she could barely feel any of it.

When her eyes opened again, she was propped on a table. Shiny, dark wood beneath her skin and something soft under her head. They hadn't bothered to restrain her and that rankled, but there was nothing she could do, weak as she was. There were more of them- five, this time- and two of the scents she recognized. Alec and Jane, the ones who had captured her. Rose didn't think she'd ever hated anyone as much as she hated them, now. She doubted that she would ever hate someone else so much again. Even if they let her go, she couldn't leave; she couldn't even stand.

She noticed the second they hauled Emmett into the room and she could tell by scent alone that he was starving. His voice washed over her and her heart ached, realizing how much she had missed him. He was screaming and calling her name but all she could do was whisper his in return and hope that he could hear her.

He was behind her, somewhere, caught between at least two of the guards- maybe three. She could hear him begging them to let her go; to let her up. He must not have been able to see her; see that she was free to move, if she could move. Her eyes, fluttering open, (when had they closed again?) told her that there was another Italian standing by her table. The one from her cell and he was grinning at Emmett. Rosalie wished she could punch him; spit in his face and pound him into the ground.

"You drink, and we will let her go." Another scent floated past; scared and human and male. "Your service in exchange for her life." She knew without thinking that Emmett would do it. Of course he would- he wouldn't want to, but he would do it all the same. She knew because she would have done the same in his place. All the same, she had to try and stop him but her voice betrayed her and she couldn't even croak out the No that was lodged in her throat. No. No. Not Emmett. You can't have Emmett. Her eyes closed and she almost welcomed the darkness as she listened to the sound of teeth sinking into flesh and the last sobbing screams of a dead man.

It was over quickly.

"Tear it apart and dump it. That blood-sack will never be one of us." She heard ripping and tearing and squeezed her eyes shut tighter, as if that could block the sound. Then there was silence, save for Emmett's whispered words. She couldn't hear what he was saying, but she pretended he was talking to her, telling her that he loved her and that everything would be okay.

"So. What shall we do with you now, hmm?" The slightest movement of air told her that the Italian had moved from her side.

"Do whatever you want. Just let Rose go." Only one of the Cullens would have recognized the despair and self-loathing in Emmett's voice. To others he would sound calm, almost collected. The blood must have given him strength, she realized and her heart swelled with hope. If Emmett could get away- if she knew that he was okay and that he would be fine, then she could die. It would be okay if she died knowing that.

The other vampire laughed, and he was joined by his fellows- even Alec and Jane laughed, though the sound was more... sadistic than amused.

"Let me have him. Please, Gio." Gio sighed, a mockery of disappointment and Jane giggled.

"I'm afraid not, my sweet."

Emmett had been staring at Rose, but his gaze snapped back to Gio. The Italian stood in front of him, smirking, and the blood in Emmett's stomach roiled. He felt as though he could be sick. What was wrong with Rose? What had they done to her?

"Hold him still. Watch carefully, Mr. Cullen." In a movement that only another Vampire could track, Gio was back at Rose's side. His eyes remained on Emmett, staring and anticipating. With a grin, he reached out to her, running his fingers through her hair almost gently. And then he reached down, gripped her head with one hand and braced his other on her neck and he pulled and Rosalie Hale died.

As flames engulfed the table- her funeral pyre, Emmett thought idly- Gio returned to his side.

"Get him out of here. He is no use to us now." And he was dragged away, not even protesting, with the scent of burning clinging to his skin as his last reminder of Rose.

And somewhere in the depths of whatever hell she'd been trapped in, Becca Black lay on the hard, cold ground, dying; changing; forgotten.

Leah felt the tension in the back of her head release with a rush; around her, the boys all relaxed marginally. There was no body in the alley, but there was blood and belongings and they were Becca's. Mike was chanting something; repeating the lyrics to a song in his head over and over to distract himself from the scent of blood. Any other time it would have been irritating, because Mike only knew one line from the chorus and even his mental voice was off-key. But they could all see through his eyes; could see the cops lingering in the alleyway and smell the tension rising from Jared and Sam.

The Quileutes were exiled from the alleyway but they could hear every word that was spoken- and none of it was positive. Even knowing that there was a whole other (Volturi) factor to Becca's kidnapping, hearing the police say that they thought she was dead was really difficult. Jake withdrew into himself, pulling his emotions back inside himself so that the others wouldn't feel his panic and pain. Leah tried to do the same herself, though she wasn't sure how successful she was- she forced herself to concentrate on Mike's singing, chanting the words along with him, even though she'd never even heard the song. It seemed to work; some of the fear ebbed and the rising panic was averted.

Mike, can you trace it any further? She asked, quietly. Sometimes, it was possible to be quiet in the Pack.

No. There's nothing. Wherever they took her from here, it was in a van or a car or something. And there was only the barest of hints of Vampire scent and it was nothing they could follow.

Okay, cool. Good work anyway. Get out of there and we'll regroup.

Jake had filled everyone in on the plan, such that it was. No-one was thrilled with the prospect of trusting Diana with anything, but Jake's conviction that she could, and would, teach them was enough to convince the others. There was something to be said for the unshakable influence of the Alpha.

Mike followed Jared back to the hotel, leaving Sam with the cops and Tony watching him from across the street. The buddy system was being firmly employed, with the Crows warned to watch out for Embry, on pain of plucking and roasting. Jo had laughed at the threat; Charlotte hadn't even cracked a smile. Leah had taken it as proof that the sense of humour was genetic to the Quileutes and that the Crows were naturally humourless. Charlotte hadn't thought that was funny, either.

The day wore on and the Pack grew restless. The boys prowled Seattle, scenting for Vampire along the docks; in the industrial districts; anywhere they could think of that the Volturi might settle inside the city. They all knew it was unlikely that they were still in Seattle, or even Washington state, but they had to keep busy somehow and there was nothing else they could do in the city with no money and no interest. They ate, they walked and they sniped at one another. Embry felt bad, later, for actually enjoying himself despite the circumstances- the three Uley children had dinner together, swapping stories and getting to know one another and when Embry phased in afterward, everyone knew how much it had meant to him. Sam, even later still, was quieter on the subject but there was a thread of contentment in him that Leah couldn't ever remember feeling before.

It was nice, to see something growing in the midst of catastrophe, even if that something was part of a larger, more worrying whole.

Leah felt as though she spent the day waiting. First, for news from Seattle and then for Diana's arrival. There was nothing anyone could do to get her there any faster, though Jake had suggested sending Edward to fetch her. He could probably make the trip faster than any car journey, though maybe not as quickly as the Crows could fly.

But Diana was driving because it was difficult to use a cell phone while flying, which Leah could appreciate- especially as Diana was on the phone, running down every lead she could to narrow the search for the Volturi. They'd had no word, yet, of anything that might be a anything but she didn't find it to surprising- even the Crows didn't have people in every small town on the continental US. They were doing what they could and she couldn't ask for anything more than that. The Cullens… well- she could ask for a hell of a lot more from them, seeing as they hadn't shown the slightest interest in finding Becca. They hadn't even seemed too bothered that the Volturi were in the US again, though surely that was something that should worry them? Leah wondered, briefly, how confident they all were of Bella's blocking ability and if it was making them careless. She thought that maybe she was being too harsh- grief was overwhelming, especially to a family of Immortals who really weren't expecting it. Not that there was ever any expecting to death and grief.

Still, Emmett was the only one she could really forgive. He'd been there; he'd watched her die and he'd been cast off by the Volturi afterwards (or escaped, whatever). And Emmett, of them all, had been the only one to notice Jake's grief and worry about Becca; he'd forced himself to relive it all, searching his memory for any clues about the human. Edward and Jasper had relived it with him; one seeing everything and one feeling the pain. It was difficult, watching them through Jake's memory.

She supposed it was comforting, sort of, that at least the Cullens were calling in backup, though they were referring to it as a funeral. Emmett said Rosalie had been burned to ash, already, so perhaps memorial would be closer to truth. In her harsh moments, Leah thought the whole thing was just another excuse for Alice to play dress up and decorate, but even she knew she was being too cruel with that one. Alice was grieving, same as the rest, and mourning the loss of trust in her visions at the same time. Whatever the Volturi had or hadn't done, they had certainly learned a way around Alice. It made Leah wary of trusting any of the Vamp's gifts- if Alice could be bypassed, then surely the others could be bypassed, too? She couldn't help but wonder, especially when it came to Bella. Alice's visions had been trusted for years- centuries, maybe, for all Leah knew- and Bella had far less experience.

Jake had agreed with Leah when she'd suggested that kidnapping Rose and Emmett was actually a test of whatever block the Volturi had, now. The thought was not comforting because obviously, the Volturi had passed with flying colours and the good guys were left chasing their tails. Once again, it seemed like their only advantage against their enemies was going to be the Crows and relying on someone else to not know something was a flimsy plan at best. But the Crows had superior numbers and were helping- so Leah wasn't going to complain until Becca was back home, safe and sound. And then she'd happily never see another Crow on the Rez. Ever. The thought of being reliant on them made her skin crawl, even though she knew- rationally, when she could pause for rationality- that they could be trusted.

She watched through Jake's eyes as Diana's car made its way toward the reservation and took her cue to phase back to human and get dressed. She met the Crow elder at the meeting hall- Jake's decision; something about it being more formal, or something. He was on his way; she could feel his approach as if someone were tickling her spine. Diana wasn't alone, which she hadn't quite anticipated. The guy with her was nervous; twitchy, almost, and looking around him as though he was expecting an attack. He was Native, but aside from being pretty sure he wasn't Quileute, Leah couldn't I.D his tribe. He was around Daniel's height, close to Sam's age and skinny- almost emaciated, really. She guessed he was Crow, because he seemed to be deferring to Diana. Sort of. He was hiding behind the Crow leader, folded in on himself, and Leah wasn't sure what to think about that.

"Leah, I wish I could say it was a pleasure to see you again." Cordial, cool and collected, as ever, but Leah had spent enough time with the Crows to hear the tremble of something in the other woman's voice.

"Likewise." She nodded toward the stranger. "Who's your friend?" The man had yet to even look at her.

"This is Nicky. He's one of mine." She glanced back at him but he didn't seem to notice. "Or he was, until today. He's your responsibility now." Leah scowled but said nothing. She should have guessed that the Crow would snatch at the first opportunity she could to get a foot in the door. "Nicky, get your gear. We have work to do." The guy nodded (almost) and trotted back to the car, returning with several cases and a large box. Leah didn't even ask- she was sick of asking Diana for answers that she knew she wouldn't get. Or worse, that she wouldn't understand. She led them inside, through the meeting hall and into Jake's office at the back. Nicky, she noticed, seemed to relax when he was inside, tension ebbing from his body with every step. He didn't say a word, though, just moved Jake's things off the desk and opened up his bags, setting out his laptop and making himself comfortable in Jake's chair.

"What are you doing? Does he talk? Do you talk?" Leah would forgive herself later for being slightly incoherent.

"Of course." He didn't offer anything else, though, turning his attention to the computer screen and his back to her.

"Nicky is a computer wizard- he's got a search running, filtering news reports to track the Italians." Leah was pretty sure that, if questioned, Diana wouldn't really know what that meant but she was going to let it slide. If it worked, it would help them to find Becca, right? Twitchy or not, Nicky suddenly sounded like a handy guy to have around. Leah couldn't help but wonder, then, why Diana would be sending him away.

"Why's he here, then? Why does he need to be?" She didn't even bother addressing the man- he had headphones on, now, and she could hear electro-pop blaring from across the room. She wasn't sure he if he could hear her or not. Given the look of concentration on his face as he flicked from page to page on his web browser, she guessed that he didn't want to, even if he could.

"He's very good with computers, Leah. So good, in fact, that he is currently on the F.B.I watch-list." Diana frowned, clearly unhappy. "He doesn't like crowds and he doesn't like being away from his laptop for any length of time. He won't speak unless he is spoken to and he only shifts form if he absolutely has to." Diana glanced over at him, her expression fond. "He is also my husband's nephew, so it goes without saying that I expect him to be treated well here." Leah heard what she wasn't saying, too, the implicit warning in her silent stare.

"He's ours now, Diana. You have no say anymore." Jake's voice was so deep it was almost more grumble than voice and Leah was pleased to hear it. Even Nicky looked over, startled. None of them had heard Jake approaching, though Leah had felt him drawing closer. "Kid, come with me. Lee, there's coffee in the next room if you're interested." To her surprise, Nicky bounced out of his chair and followed Jake- Leah guessed that the shock on Diana's face was a mirror of her own.

"I hate it when he does that."

"Does what? I've never seen Nick do that with anyone." Leah grinned, enjoying the moment.

"He's using the Alpha whammy. It's very effective." The, uh, whammy had been named by Kim when she first saw it in action- the gravitational force that Jake exerted over the Pack, seemingly without effort. Leah hadn't expected the new guy to be so quickly affected. "Has Nick got some Quileute blood somewhere in his family tree, d'ya think?" Diana shook her head slowly, something gleaming in her eyes that Leah couldn't decipher. "Okay then- let's get down to work. Jake won't be long and if you have any news, now would be the time to share it."

Diana agreed easily, turning to her bag and retrieving both her cell phone and an address book. Leah, in the momentary distraction, took her chance to take a deep breath and settle her nerves. Jake was making their first payment, then and there in the meeting centre, and she could only hope that their new Pack member was always so agreeable. Dimly, she hoped that he possessed at least some common sense- they didn't have time for drama.

Well. Any more drama.

"Come on. Let's get coffee and get to work. You've had a long drive and I've had a long week and the sooner we get caught up, the sooner I can sleep some." It wasn't likely, but she could hope, right?

Jake hadn't been sure what he was supposed to do and how he was supposed to react to his new… Pack member? Charge? Prisoner? He'd followed Diana's car into La Push, racking his brains to remember everything he'd ever heard about accepting someone new onto the Reservation. It wasn't like he could just become Quileute, right? But he was Native and he was a Shifter, so Jake was willing to assume that there was a difference; that there could be a difference. Maybe.

Whatever- he just needed to know that the kid (who was older than him, sure, but a kid nonetheless) would listen to him and do what he was told, just like the others. The council had rules and regulations for joining the tribe, but Jake wasn't familiar with them- it wasn't as though there were dozens of applicants waiting to join. There were federal guidelines, too, but somewhere in his gut he was sure that the Ancestors couldn't care less about what the federal government thought. The rest of the Pack were spectacularly unhelpful- no-one knew anything and no-one had thought to approach Old Quil and, you know, ask. There was too much going on and too much at stake.

He watched from a distance as Leah led the Crows inside and he phased at the edge of the woods and got dressed- barefoot, again, but at least the shorts he was wearing were somewhat clean and he actually had a shirt, for once. He thought the shirt might originally have been Paul's, but it still counted. He wasn't trying to be quiet when he opened the door and made his way down the hallway- but they didn't notice him straight away, Leah and Diana both watching as the Crow man set out his computers. Up close, he looked less like a man and more like a kid- underfed, with bags under his eyes and a twitchiness that Jake didn't like. His scent was weak, washed out by Leah's and Diana's and it was difficult to pinpoint the Crow; the scent of feathers that always burned his nose with the others.

He wasn't sure how to make this stranger his family, though he could see for himself that there was something the other man needed; something he wasn't getting where he was and Jake almost wished the answer was something as obvious as food. He was only standing in the doorway for a moment, the briefest snapshot of what was going on, before he could feel something building at the back of his neck and across his shoulders; a kind of pressure, as if someone were holding him down, or pushing him forward.

"He's ours now, Diana. You have no say anymore." She jumped a little, startled, but Jake's eyes were on Nick, who met his stare, unflinching. The tension on his shoulders eased, pulsing out. Leah raised her eyebrows in question, but he ignored her, concentrating; holding Nick's stare. He'd explain later. Hell, he'd explain when he understood it himself, maybe. "Kid, come with me. Lee, there's coffee in the next room if you're interested." She wouldn't be happy, being left to deal with Diana alone, but there was something niggling in the back of his brain, telling him what he needed to do and he needed Diana out of the way.

She'd given the boy away; she couldn't interfere with him any longer. Nick looked away first, bouncing out of his seat and across the room with a speed that Jake wouldn't have thought him capable of- certainly faster than the Pack could move; faster than he'd seen even Jo move. He followed, sticking close by Jake as he led him down the hallway and out the back door to where he could see the forest. They didn't go any further- Jake had things he needed to do and so did Nick. He wouldn't forget that finding Becca was his priority, regardless of whatever else needed to be done. The scent of pine and salt in the air relaxed him some, like always.

"What brings you to La Push, Nicky?" Outside, he seemed paler. Ill, almost, and Jake couldn't help but wonder. What could make a shifter look so sick?

"I can't be a Crow anymore, Diana says." Nick's eyes darted away, glancing to the forest. He took a few deep breaths and Jake just watched him, waiting. "I frighten her, I think." He licked his lips, tasting salt.

"Why?" He couldn't risk Will around someone who might be dangerous. Nick's eyes were on the sky and his cheeks had flushed.

"Because when I change, I don't want to come back. I change and I… forget what I'm not." With his eyes on the skies and standing with his whole body twitching, Jake could see it, the eagerness. The longing. "So I stay inside." He seemed to force a shudder, pull his gaze back to Jake and the younger man was briefly stunned.

"Okay. Wow. Okay… thank you. For telling me." The feeling in his stomach was changing; shifting toward dread and apprehension- Jake was many things, but psychotherapist he was decidedly not. "I'll be honest- I don't know what Diana expects me to do with that, but we'll manage. You're one of mine now so if you need anything then you ask, alright?" The tension on his shoulders eased and Nicky nodded and even offered a small smile.

"Sure thing, boss." Jake rolled his eyes, huffed a laugh and Nicky's smile widened a fraction. "I'm not going to be trouble, I swear. I just… I can't stay there any more. They're not… it's too hard." He sounded exhausted, and there was an underlying something. He looked amazed, too, to hear himself speak but Jake ignored that- he'd learn, pretty quickly, that it was difficult to hold anything back from the Pack Alphas.

"Just give me some warning if the Feds are going to turn up, demanding I turn you over, okay?" He didn't even want to know what someone had to be capable of to be on the watch-list. Some pretty serious shit, he was willing to bet. Nick nodded, his grin fading, and he ducked his head and Jake frowned. "I don't know what else to say. We haven't had anyone join the tribe in years, so… welcome, I guess? Good to have you." He said it with a wide grin, clasping one hand around Nick's shoulder and with the words, the pressure on his shoulders eased completely, as if it was never there. "Come on, we've got work to do."

With one last glance at the sky and taking a deep breath, Nicky turned and walked inside. Jake followed, wondering what the hell he was getting himself into.

Nick led the way back to Jake's office and the Alpha wasn't too surprised to find that Diana had tacked a large map to one way and was busy marking it with little red stickers. On closer inspection, he noticed a scattering of little black markers, too, but there were far fewer of those. If there was a pattern yet, he couldn't see it.

"What have we got?" Leah was propped against the desk, coffee mug in hand. She looked tired. And sad, he thought, though she seemed to be trying to hide it. He crossed the room to sit by her side, sliding one arm behind her back to hold himself up- that he simultaneously pulled her closer to him was a happy coincidence. She dropped her head to his shoulder briefly and he buried his nose in her hair; kissing the top of her head and pressing into her. The closeness was nice; he could feel himself relaxing a little more, just knowing she was there with him.

He'd never admit it to the Pack, of course, but all she had to do was be there and he'd feel better, mostly.

"If you're finished, we do have work to do?" The Crow Elder's voice was shrill and abrasive and Jake had to bite back a snarl. She was here to help. He had to keep reminding himself of that. She was actually kind of his friend. Undoubtedly a bitch, true, but there were some people who'd happily remind him that he seemed to like bitches.

"Why don't you fill us in, then?" Leah snapped, not holding back the bite in her own voice and Jake grinned into her hair before lifting his head and turning his attention to the Crow. She fake-smiled and turned back to the map on the wall.

"These are all the instances of violent death across the country in the past month. Black means multiple bodies; red means just one." Oh god… there were dozens, scattered across the country. His shock must have shown on his face, because Diana's smile became gentler. "Don't worry- not all of them are even remotely what we're looking for. Nick has been very thorough." Her smile gentled even further as she spoke to her nephew and he reddened a little, embarrassed. "We've got it narrowed down, I think, to this area." She brandished a marker in a rough circle, covering about half of Washington and most of Idaho. "We have people with the Coeur d'Alene tribe in Worley," She jabbed her marker at the northernmost tip of Idaho, "and they're mobilizing now. The Coeur d'Alene is a big tribe, as far as we go these days, but they don't know much about shifting and even less about Cold Ones." She sounded equal parts sad and dismissive.

"They're that close?" He was surprised his voice wasn't shaking. He'd expected them to be further away. Much, much further away. Not… Idaho. Idaho was close; Idaho was next door. He was suddenly, savagely, glad that Embry was in Seattle.

"How'd you work that out?" Diana and Nick shared a glance and she gestured to him to talk.

"It's simple, really, if you know what you're looking for." He was staring at his computer screen again, shoulders hunched forward. "I've cross-referenced the reports of violent deaths with vehicle thefts; sightings and missing person's reports. In the past month, there's been a rise in the number of reported break-ins and thefts in Northwest Idaho; North East Washington and some of the Southern Canadian territories." He shrugged, dismissing the work as nothing impressive though Jake couldn't begin to imagine how it was done. "Not a huge increase, but enough that it paints a picture." He coughed once, almost nervous, and kept talking. "A hardware store reports a break-in and all that was stolen were some lengths of chain; a builder's yard is missing a cement mixer; a furniture outlet reporting a fire…"

"Someone's setting up home base." Leah guessed. She sounded confident, but her face had paled. "Any idea where?"

Nick's shoulders hunched forward even more and Jake could read the tension in his back- he really didn't like to talk. Luckily for Nick, Diana was only too ready to take up the slack.

"We're starting the search across the Coeur d'Alene reservation, but it's a big place- lots of space to hide and lots of places to hide someone. Your Vampire friend, he remembers being underground, so we're starting with abandoned mines and cave systems." Diana's confidence made him feel a little better, somehow. Normally, it was frustrating when she acted as if she knew better than him, but today he kind of appreciated it. "They let him go somewhere in Colorado and he couldn't remember how long he'd been driving around for, so we don't know for sure but… this is Nick's best guess and he's the best I have." Their best was doing his best to climb inside the computer screen and was, probably, batshit insane. Jake chose to ignore that.

"What makes you so sure, Nicky?" Leah, it seemed, wasn't going to take it at face value though. He actually turned to look at her, eyes narrowed.

"They've left a trail. Kidnappings; dead people- across the country for days and days." He even stood, moving to the map and joining the dots from New Mexico to Idaho with a steady hand. "Plus, it's an Indian Reservation." His tone implied duh.

"Isn't that a bit obvious?" She was skeptical, and Jake couldn't blame her. It sounded too… easy. Too clean.

"Maybe they want to be obvious; maybe, they want to be found."

Jake couldn't stop the shiver that crept down his spine at that.