Reese had not expected an answer. Instinctively she knew that it wouldnt be her words, but her constancy, that would eventually convince Tory of the truth of her love. She had spoken because she needed to, and as she said the words, something shifted inside of her. She felt peaceful in a way she never had before. She settled Tory even closer into the curves of her body, her hands gliding the length of Torys back to her buttocks.

"Reese, youre not going to get any sleep tonight if you keep touching me like that," Tory murmured, wanting nothing more at that moment than their closeness.

"Thats okay," Reese laughed contentedly, continuing her caresses. "I dont have to work tomorrow."


Chapter Twenty

Tory reconciled herself to Reeses nightly sojourns through the dunes. She even managed some restless sleep waiting for her to slip into bed beside her in the dark. Reese wasnt due to return to work for a few more days, so she had simply stayed on at Torys. Neither of them discussed exactly what that meant.

Reese had only been back an hour one night when they were awakened by the phone. Tory reached for it with a sigh, thinking how much harder it was going to be to leave her bed with Reese asleep beside her. She didnt want to think about what it would be like when Reese returned to her own home. Reese had fast become a part of her life.

"Dr. King," she answered.

"Doctor," an unfamiliar male voice said apologetically, "this is Officer Jeff Lyons. Sorry to bother you, maam, but Im trying to locate Sheriff Conlon. Ive got a girl on the other line - shes hysterical, and she says she wont talk to anyone except Reese."

"Of course," Tory replied with concern, "shes right here."

"Conlon," Reese said tersely. As she listened to the call patched through to her, her body tensed. "Where are you now? .....Where were you supposed to meet?.....Go home. Ill call you as soon as I find her. I will - I promise you."

Reese replaced the receiver as she climbed out of bed. It was two in the morning.

"What is it?" Tory asked anxiously as Reese began to pull on her uniform, her face tight.

"Briannas missing," Reese said as she checked her revolver. "She and Caroline had a date to meet in the dunes. Brianna didnt show. That was two hours ago. ...What are you doing?"

As Reese spoke, Tory had started hastily dressing. "Im going with you. Well find her faster with two of us looking. And if shes hurt, youre going to need me."

"Right," Reese replied, formulating plans. "Get your Jeep, your medical equipment, and your portable phone. Well keep in touch that way. If we havent found her in an hour, Im going to have to call Nelson. Im hoping it doesnt come to that."

"Where should I look?"

"Im going out to Herring Cove where they were supposed to meet. Why dont you drive down Commercial, then out 6A and circle back to the beach on 6. Look for her motorbike. Maybe she was just late, missed Caroline, and shes hanging out somewhere in town."

Tory could tell by the set of her jaw that Reese did not believe that. "Reese, promise me if theres trouble that youll call for back-up. Your wound isnt healed yet. Your reaction time will be slowed. I cant worry about both of you."

To Torys relief, Reese nodded agreement. "I will. Call me every five minutes with your location." Then, unexpectedly, Reese grasped her shoulders and kissed her with bruising intensity. "Be careful. I dont want you hurt."

As Tory followed Reese downstairs, she knew from the rigid set of her lover's back and the tight expression on her face that Reese was more than a little worried. Reese's attention was already elsewhere as she focused completely on her mission. Tory knew with utter certainty that this single-minded determination was the essence of the woman she loved. To love Reese Conlon meant she must accept what that dedication demanded of Reese, emotionally and physically. Tory doubted she would ever grow accustomed to the danger, but she knew she would have to live with it - because she knew it was no longer possible to stop loving Reese.

Tory drove the length of Commercial Street, slowly canvassing the narrow lanes and alleys intersecting it. Several times she stopped to glance into the few bars and late night hangouts still open. Bri was no where to be found. She circled around past the jetty to Long Point, remembering her own perilous journey out onto the rocks, and the way Reese had suddenly appeared at her side- offering assistance and security as only Reese could. She remembered how great her pain was that night, and the sight of Reese bending over her, administering to her bruised and swollen leg. That was the night she had fallen in love with Reese Conlon.

She was nearing the Provincetown limits when her portable phone rang. "King," she responded tersely.

"Its Reese. Take six west toward Herring Cove. Look for my cruiser on the side of the road. Im about a hundred yards in along the dune trail."

"Have you got her?" Tory asked, thinking that Reeses voice seemed strangely hollow.

"Yes - on the double, Tory."

Reese was waiting at the roadside, hastily stringing yellow tape across the mouth of a narrow path in the sand. Briannas motorbike lay on its side in the scrub by the side of the road. The front was twisted and dented. Torys stomach clenched when she saw it, and what Reese was doing.

"My god, Reese - is she alive?" Tory called as she approached.

"Yes, for now," Reese replied grimly, as she helped Tory slide the portable stretcher from the back of her Jeep. "Follow me - keep to the trail. I dont want to contaminate the scene any more than we have to."

Tory stared at her in astonishment. This is Bri for Gods sake! Doesnt she have any feelings!

Reese saw the question in her eyes, and read the silent criticism. It hurt, but she didnt have the time or the inclination to explain. "You tend to her body, Doctor, thats your job. Mine is to catch the bastard that did this to her," Reese stated flatly, a dangerous fire in her eyes.

Tory nodded, "Of course - lead the way."

Brianna was lying unconscious in a shallow cleft between two brush covered dunes. When Tory lifted the blanket Reese had laid over her, she recoiled from the sight of the torn shirt and the jeans yanked down around Bri's ankles. For an agonizing moment, all she could imagine was Bri's terror. A soft touch on Tory's shoulder jerked her back to the present, and her responsibility.

"Tory - we need to move her. Is her spine secure?" Reese asked evenly.

Tory knelt, making a quick assessment of Bri's vital signs. Her airway was clear, and her pulse strong and steady. Her face was badly battered, both eyes discolored. There was a stream of blood from her left nostril, and a hematoma forming over the right side of her jaw. Even in the dim light from Reeses flashlight she could make out bruises on her throat. Blood crusted in patches over her neck and chest.

"She fought hard," Tory murmured, barely aware of speaking aloud as she continued her assessment of the battered girl.

"Yes. She would."

Tory glanced up at Reese, who stood staring down at Briannas violated body, her eyes so cold that Tory shivered. Tory slipped a soft restraining collar behind Bri's neck, immobilizing her cervical spine. She ran her hands over Bris extremities, noting no obvious deformities. The rest of the exam would have to wait until they moved her.

"Shes okay to transport. Just get your forearms behind her neck and under her shoulders when we lift. Keep her head midline and dont flex it," Tory ordered, her mind already busy planning what else needed to be done.

"Have you notified Nelson?" Tory asked as they maneuvered slowly through the sand.

"Lyons is on his way here to secure the scene," Reese replied. "Ill radio the Chief on route to your place. I didnt want him to see her like this."

Tory nodded, wondering how she could have questioned Reeses sensitivity, regretting her initial reaction. Reese was only doing what she was trained and sworn to do. "Reese, Im sorry about earlier. I didnt think about what you needed to do out there-"

"Its okay - why should you," Reese responded evenly.

"No, its not okay." Because I know you better than that, and because I love you

Tory needed to tell her that, but now was not the time. Instead, she followed the flashing lights of Reeses patrol car as they led her through the dark.

**********

"What the hell is going on, Conlon?" Nelson Parker demanded as he shoved through the door of Torys clinic. "I heard on the scanner that you ordered Lyons and Jameson to block off a section of six. Youre not even on duty!" He got a good look at his Deputy Chiefs face and he stopped short, his stomach churning. There was something deadly in her eyes, and something so gentle in her hand on his arm that he was suddenly afraid. Hed seen that look in cops eyes before, when it was something bad. He steeled himself to hear it.

"Tell me," he said softly.

"Its Bri - shes alive, but shes seriously hurt. Tory is with her now."

Nelson steadied himself with a hand against the wall. There seemed to be something wrong with his vision - he could hardly see her face. He heard his words, but didn't feel himself speak. "Did she crash her motorbike?"

"Someone beat her, Nelson."

He felt like he was gut shot. "I dont understand - why? How did you find her?"

"Caroline Clark called me. She told me Bri was missing and I went to look for her. I found her in the dunes."

Nelson looked at her in confusion. "Caroline? Why did she call you? Whats going on?"

Reese returned his questioning gaze steadily. "Bri and Caroline are lovers. Theyve been trysting in the dunes. My guess is that someone followed Bri, forced her off the road, and dragged her up into the scrub."