White sandy beaches and warm sunshine helped John and Evangeline ease the physical and emotional strain of their ordeal. Three weeks had passed since they arrived in Puerto Vallarta and Evangeline was still reeling from the nightmare Keesha had put them through. "We have to come up with a plan of action!" she insisted, as they sunbathed on the patio of their bungalow.

"I know," John agreed feeling the same anger. "But let's discuss it later. Right now, I just want to eat, lay in the sun and make love to you. Of course, not in that order."

"Okay, John," she complied, leaning her head on his shoulder. "We'll do it your way, for now."

*********************************************************************************

"What are you doing?" Lorraine huffed with pure indignation, as Victor leaned in for a kiss in the back of the limousine. "I know damn well you don't think something's going to happen, any time soon, after what you put me through? I still can't believe you had T-Mack kill Malcolm in cold blood right before my eyes! And don't think this new mink coat I'm wearing makes up for anything!"

"A man can always hope," Victor shrugged, easing back in the seat and sipping a glass of champagne. "Besides, I'd say we're even."

"Even! You really are a psychotic, arrogant, controlling sonofabitch!" she said rolling her eyes in contempt.

"And you're a self-absorbed, murdering, adulteress!" he shot back raising his glass in a toast. "That's way we're made for each other."

Lorriane decided to distract herself and watch the view, before things escalated. "I thought we were on our way to the airport?" she inquired, as they pulled up in front of black iron gates, which opened up to a winding tree lined driveway.

"We'll be on our way soon," Victor assured her. "We just need to make this one stop. I promise it won't take long."

As the limousine reached the top of the driveway, Lorraine was amazed at the sight of the large mansion. It looked like something out of a gothic novel. The well-manicured hedges and tall pine trees surrounded the grounds as far as the eye could see.

Lorraine followed Victor into the lobby of the mansion. "What is this place?" she asked, as they continued down a long mirrored hallway.

"You'll see," he smiled, as they reached the metal door at the end of the hallway. Lorraine watched as Victor keyed in a numeric code on the wall keypad.

As they entered the room, Lorraine gasped. "Oh my God!"

************************************************************************

After an exquisite seafood dinner at La Hacienda in the downtown district and a romantic moonlit walk along the beach, John and Evangeline decided to return to their bungalow and end the evening with passionate lovemaking.

"If you don't hurry and unlock the door, I'm going to take you right here and now!" Evangeline whispered, nibbling on his ear.

"Promises, promises," John laughed, finally unlocking the door. "Now where were we?"

"I think the two of you were about to get busy."

"Who was that!" they shouted turning on the lights.

"Surprise!" Keesha shouted.

*********************************************************************************

"What….who is that!" Lorraine exclaimed looking at the disfigured man, restrained in the hospital bed on the other side of the glass wall.

Victor looked at Lorraine with a sinister smile. "Lorraine, surely you recognize Malcolm."

Lorraine looked from Victor, to the disfigured man, back to Victor. "That's not Malcolm!" she stuttered. "I saw T-Mack shoot him. I saw the fucking blood!"

"Oh Malcolm was shot, but those were only flesh wounds," Victor replied.

"I don't understand," Lorraine said. "T-Mack killed Malcolm, didn't he?"

"My sweet Lorraine," Victor said shaking his head. "Killing Malcolm was never the plan. Besides that's so predictable. Now making him suffer, that's the ultimate revenge."

"But how did he end up like that!" she cringed. "Where are we?"

"The initial plan was to ruin him publicly and financially. But when I found out what he had planned for you, something more drastic had to happen. The 'shooting' was staged to send both of you a warning," he replied.

"Well it worked for me," she emphasized.

"Unfortunately, T-Mack decided to have a little fun," Victor continued. "Instead of getting Malcolm to a hospital, he decided to stop at some drug house in the obscure part of town. By the time Malcolm regained consciousness and figured out what was happening, T-Mack decided to slip him some heroin."

"What!"

"Apparently Malcolm started hallucinating, found a piece of glass and began cutting his face to shreds," he said. "T-Mack called me freaked out, so I had him bring Malcolm here. The doctors did the best they could. Unfortunately, after seeing his reflection in the mirror, he went off the deep end. The restraints have to be used, to prevent him from committing suicide."

"But what is this place!" she repeated, turning away from the beautiful man that was once Malcolm Winters.

"This is Willowbrook Asylum," he replied. "Malcolm's new home."

*********************************************************************************

"What the hell are you doing here?" Evangeline yelled. "Haven't you done enough?"

Before Keesha could answer, Jason appeared from the patio with two muscular bodyguards. "To answer your question, no I haven't," she replied. "I realized from our little conversation, that you really don't take me seriously."

"You figured that out all by yourself," Evangeline retorted.

John assessed their situation, while Evangeline and Keesha exchanged barbs. Although he had a black belt in karate, the chance of them making it out of the bungalow unharmed was slim. But he would protect Evangeline at all cost, even it if meant his life.

"You still see me as that naive girl you so easily befriended and betrayed," Keesha stated. "I told you back at the condo that I was a force to be reckoned with. All the two of you had to do was go on with your lives and consider your ordeal a lesson learned."

"I think you're asking too much," John replied. "What happened to you was an unfortunate accident, Keesha. How long do you intend on making us pay for it."

"Until you get the message," Jason interjected. "My wife almost died because of your little plan. But despite everything, she still had the compassion to let you be together. Of course, instead of you being grateful, you two start plotting revenge."

"What!" Evangeline stuttered realizing their conversations had been recorded. "You've been listening to us all this time?"

"Stay one step ahead of the enemy, isn't that what you always told me?" Keesha smugly replied.

"Damn you!"

"So now what?" John asked annoyed by this cat and mouse game. "Are you going to kill us this time?" The look on Jason and Keesha's face sent chills up John's spine.

"We have no intentions of killing you," they both smiled. "But the District Attorney may see things differently, after all kidnapping and murder is a capital offense."

<