Once Luke and Sebastian made their way around the block, they spied a tall series of squares indicative of a self-storage facility. They walked toward the office, seemingly to inquire about using a unit, but when they asked to view the facilities, the desk clerk balked.

“Well, we're doing some construction right now,” he lisped in a rich Hispanic accent.

Instead of conceding defeat, Sebastian switched to Spanish.

“No necesitamos ver a todo.”

“Yes,” Luciano continued in his mother tongue. “Can you just show us a single unit so we can figure out the size. We have some,” he glanced surreptitiously at Sebastian, “sensitive materials that we need to find a place for – just for a few days. We will pay you well.” Luciano pulled out a couple of hundreds and waved them in front of the man.

“Just a look?” the man queried.

“Just a look. We need a private place to store our stuff.”

Grabbing the bills, the man shrugged his agreement. “This is the only unit in the front, and I can let you see inside.”

The man yanked up the door and switched on a light, and dank, fetid air rushed from within.

Sebastian looked skeptical. “Is this what all your units look like? I’m thinking we might need something a little…cleaner.

“Nah, man,” the attendant offered in English. “This one is the cheapest. Nothing we keep in here is too important. If it is, maybe it needed to rot.” The man laughed at his own private joke, and Luke threw Sebastian a knowing look. “We have bigger units and refrigerator units in the back.”

Instead of thanking the man and walking away, Sebastian got an idea, and he headed toward the giant doorway of the unit. “What exactly are these walls made of?” he wondered, standing where he could eye both the inner and outer surface of the bay. He closed one eye as if in examination of the covering and depth. When the young man did the same, Sebastian moved to the exterior western wall of the unit, tapping on it as if it would reveal the world's secrets. He saw Luciano slip around to the eastern side, and Bash moved his examination of the unit to the ground, peering at the intersection of ground and wall as if it would unlock the great enigmas of the universe. The attendant followed Sebastian closely, pausing to tap on the wall for a second before locking his eyes on his guest.

“Are these soundproof?” Sebastian queried.

“Are you crazy or something?” the young man inquired, his eyes squinted suspiciously.

“No way,” Sebastian laughed, “though I guess I wouldn't know if I was, and I probably wouldn't tell you if I knew it.”

“Are you guys done out there?” called Luciano from inside the unit. “There’s nothing too exciting in here.”

“Yeah? Well, I think you and your friend have been here long enough,” the worker asserted.

Sebastian inched farther along the exterior, still tapping as he went. “Could be fiberglass,” he commented. “That would do well for collecting heat, or maybe just aluminum and sheetrock.”

“Stop it!” the young man commanded, obviously growing suspicious. “It's time for you to turn around.”

When the man reached for something in his pocket, Sebastian heard the sudden whisk of a hard substance against cloth.

“Don't do it,” Luke suddenly spoke from behind them both, jerking the attendant's head around in an instant. In Luke's right hand rested a large pistol, the one he had worn at his belt from the moment they had left his house. “I just want to store something. I don't want any trouble.”

The attendant raised his hands, one of which held a shank of some sort, and backed away from the cold metal pointed at his head. “No trouble,” he agreed, and he stood completely still as Luke and Sebastian made their retreat.

“That was outstanding, Sebastian,” Luke grinned once they reached the corner and headed back toward Piper's Accord. “That's exactly how I used to keep you safe when you were little – misdirection.”

“So, what did you find out?” Sebastian deferred the praise.

“Nothing, really, except that Piper isn't in there anymore. No sign of human life currently, though I recognized the hallmarks of recent captivity.”

“Captivity?” Sebastian hissed.

“A large number of people. Sad to believe it could happen so close to a little kids' school.”

“So,” Sebastian wondered, pressing the button to unlock the car, “when that guy talked about things needing to rot, he was talking about people?” The thought sickened him more than he wanted to admit. “And the smell.”

“Well, the smell was not death. That's good at least. It was, though, the smell of human waste and dirt and body odor all mixed together. With some rotten food, as well. I’ll let my C.O. know about this place. Maybe they won’t clean it out before he can check on it.”

Sebastian lowered himself into the car. On the bright side, Luke thought Piper had left. On the dark side, though, Sebastian didn't really want to consider the possibilities. By the time they reached the library, Piper's rental had disappeared, and they could not imagine where next to go.

+++++++++++

Even though she had not found Molly in the storage facility, Piper felt certain that her friend had slept on the property. There were more than enough places to hide and catch some slumber. A few times around the block revealed nothing until, at last, Piper headed back to the library.

She considered the situation: if Molly had sent the message nine hours before, she could have gone anywhere. Still, wouldn’t she have found another library or something and messaged Piper? If she hadn’t, surely she had stayed close to where she had told Piper to look. Not the storage facility, not the library. The only other building nearby was the school. Well, Molly wouldn’t put kids in danger if she could help it.

Glancing around the parking lot, Piper stared at the treeline that ran along the east side of the parking lot. Would Molly hide out there? She thought about getting out of the car, but the thought of the kidnappers held her back. Instead, she drove slowly along the edge of the trees, peering carefully among them.

Without warning, a blond figure stepped out from the copse and moved to stand in front of her. “Molly,” Piper whispered, placing the car in park. As soon as it had appeared, though, the figure turned and looked toward the school then began to sprint away from Piper and toward the library. Piper turned to follow Molly.

Before Piper reached the intersection, her plan changed. From behind some nearby trees, two men emerged, swaggering back and forth with the cockiness of young delinquents. Unbeknownst to Molly, they stepped out along her path, approaching her from either side.

Without thinking, Piper stepped on the gas, driving directly into the path of the young men. Sebastian watched in horror as he suddenly recognized the situation, the worst possible scenario beginning to play out before him.

“She's insane!” he sputtered, and Luke quickly spun to take in what Sebastian had seen. The situation seemed clear. Molly, disheveled and unkempt, shuffled with uncharacteristic humility toward the rental. From an unknown location, Piper had recognized her friend and headed her direction. When Piper had spotted the men closing in on Molly, Piper had thrown herself in harm's way to save her friend.

“Hope all your training will pay off here,” Luke riveted his gaze on Sebastian for a split second, and in that moment, Sebastian comprehended the message.

“Let's go,” he agreed, and he slammed the car into park before sliding out onto the pavement. “Hey,” he yelled, “over here!”

When she saw the two goons' eyes look beyond her, Piper turned to determine why. To her left stood Molly in the middle of the street, completely bewildered by the unfolding events. Beyond her, Bash and Luke had risen from the Accord, and Piper froze in indecision. If Molly did not respond quickly, either the unknown men or Luke and Bash would get to her quickly. Piper rolled down the window, willing it to move faster by pushing the button harder.

“Molly!” she screamed as soon as it had cracked a few inches. “Get in the car! Quick!”

Molly turned toward the familiar voice, amazed and confused as she processed the reality behind her. Until that moment, she had not seen the two strangers approaching her, and she began to panic at the thought that they might decide to go after Piper.

“Come on!” Piper commanded, and Molly shook herself into action, lurching toward the car and ripping open the back door. Before it slammed shut, Piper had shifted the car into drive and pushed the car forward and out from between the two sets of men. Her tires squealed as she swerved down the street and out of harm's way.

Apparently, the men had not shifted their attention fully from the woman they had intended to apprehend, because rather than go after Luke and Sebastian, the men spun and peered at the retreating vehicle. In an instant, one had pulled out a pistol and unloaded a shot into the back of the car. He did not get off a second, because Luke slammed into him like a Mack truck, and the man's head struck the pavement with a sickening thunk.

Nearby, children and teachers screamed and ran for cover, and the man's companion reached to his belt. Sebastian saw the movement coming, and he threw a kick with blurring speed to connect with the man's hand, an impact that sent the gun hurtling through the air. Surprised, the man spun on Sebastian, but Luke had recovered and delivered a painful kick to the man's knee, following it with a punch to the ribs that forced him toward the pavement. Once the man had dropped to the ground, Sebastian scrambled for the loose gun, and Luke stepped over to the first man who now lolled in significant pain on the pavement. Luke retrieved the weapon which lay inches from the man's fingers and nodded toward the Accord. Without hesitation, Sebastian sped to the driver's side and urged the car forward until Luke could hop into the passenger seat.

“Now I'll definitely have to contact Isaac,” Luke commented as the car hurried after the girls. “And I'll have to give him at least one of these guns.”

“Just one?” Sebastian inquired.

“No need to leave you weaponless – not if Isaac is ignorant about the gun.”

Sebastian raised his eyebrows but said nothing. Even with tacit approval from a CIA operative, Sebastian did not quite feel comfortable carrying without a license. He had worked too hard to leave the “thug” label behind him, and he preferred to dot every “i” and cross every “t.” Still, if he continued to come up against the same type of criminal...

“I don't suppose you have the authority to grant me a temporary gun license?” he wondered to his cousin, glancing both ways in search of Piper's rental.

“Nope. But if you get caught, I'll deny any knowledge of the weapon,” he deadpanned. “I think I saw the girls turn right down there.”

Sebastian whipped the car to the right. “Well, you can keep the gun yourself, then.”

“I do have the authority to bestow upon a citizen temporary powers for the purpose of national security.”

“This is hardly a situation of national import,” Sebastian countered, swinging onto the major thoroughfare that Piper had entered.

“Meh,” Luke disagreed. “Those men back there were gang members, and if their tattoos meant anything, they're members of an international gang. Now we're talking national import.”

“So, you’re going to deputize me,” Sebastian finally grinned.

“You are officially deputized,” Luke smirked back. “Now, catch those girls.”

With a sudden thrill, Sebastian pressed the gas toward the floor obediently. “You got it, sir.”

As soon as she had driven away, Piper had questioned her judgment. Behind her, Luke and Bash had jumped directly into a fight with the two men who had targeted Molly, even intervening when someone shot toward the retreating car. Molly's scream had ricochet through the small interior, and Piper had swerved violently as if she could dodge the bullet.

That was when she had seen them: Sebastian kicking violently at one attacker while Luke grappled with another. Part of her wanted to go back and help them, but part of her still didn’t trust them. Sebastian played a role that was somehow unnatural on him, and that dissonance drew her skepticism. If she hadn’t so thoroughly liked him, she wouldn’t have worried so much. But knowing that her own tendency would lead her to vulnerability, she had to act as if he posed a threat.

Still, she didn't know. She had no reason to believe them on her side any more than a stranger on the street. And with Jennie's words fresh in Piper's mind, she had double confirmation. Pip, Jennie had commented, you trust everyone. She had trusted the Prados, and they had shoved her into this horrible situation. Now, Piper had left her sister to babysit an unknown child while Piper herself babysat a traumatized young woman.

“Molly?” Piper ventured as she settled into a comfortable speed on the highway. She did not know exactly where she would go, but she did not plan on heading back to her sister's. Maybe she could find a nice, quiet place where she could take Molly and figure out what to do next.

“I can't believe you did that!” Molly scoffed. “Did you and Bash plan that?”

Piper bit her lip, not exactly sure how to explain what happened. In fact, she did not exactly understand what had happened or how Luke and Bash had found her. Her first instinct told her that their presence at Molly's captivity made sense – because they had come to help. Unfortunately, she was thoroughly disoriented by everything in her life at the moment. Her usual ignorant state of universal trust had evaporated with the email from the Prados.

“Actually, no,” Piper offered vaguely. “I haven't talked to them since early this morning.”

“Hmmm,” Molly noised absentmindedly. When Piper glanced at her friend in the mirror, Molly had leaned her chin into her hand and stared silently out at the passing city.

“Are you okay, Molly? Did anyone hurt you?”

As if jerked from reverie, the usually talkative Molly glanced at Piper in the reflection. “What? Oh, nothing major. A few bumps and bruises from trying to kick the hell out of the guy who nabbed me. They didn't touch me once they had stuck me in the back of that truck.”

Molly spoke the words so matter-of-factly that Piper wondered if the experience had affected her at all. You’re just holding it inside, she chastised silently. In confirmation of Piper's thoughts, Molly offered nothing more, instead reverting to her previous posture. Piper would not press her friend until after the girl had a shower and some time to process what had happened. Still, curiosity had nearly eaten a hole in Piper's resolve by the time she turned off onto Garden State Parkway. She had no idea where to go, but she soon struck down a charming street and began to notice several signs for bed-and-breakfasts.

Perfect, she sighed, grateful that providence had led her to such an ideal location. Pulling out her phone, she searched the street name for a place to stay, and soon she had found several possibilities. Fortunately, the map showed her that a beach lay less than two blocks from their current location, and if she found herself forced to stay for more than a night with Molly, perhaps the wind and waves would provide some healing for her friend.

“So, you have an opening for three nights, and I can add a night as long as it's unclaimed?”

When Piper heard the affirmative, she eased the car forward to the little American boxhouse with its cozy porch and warm lighting. Since the sun had mostly set, Piper flipped on her lights to check the address.

“This is it,” she informed the silent Molly.

“This is what?” Molly wondered.

Piper sighed. “Look, we don't have time to make it back to Providence tonight, so I found us a place to stay.”

When Molly peered into the dusk around her, she seemed satisfied with the solution, and she unbuckled her seat-belt before Piper had shifted to park. “Let me get us checked in,” Piper began, “and then I'll let you decide what's next. We can go get some food, maybe get us some new clothes, order in – whatever.”

Molly stood and peered at the comfortable-looking cottage. When Piper did the same, Molly sighed. “I always knew you were a good friend,” Molly smiled with a far-off look in her eye, “but I forgot how kind you are.” When Piper said nothing, Molly looked at her friend, gliding around the front of the car to join her. “I would like to do absolutely nothing. Just order us pizza.”

“Done,” Piper nodded, grabbing Molly by the hand and leading her inside.