Saving Sabrina Ch. 01

"What was it, hon?"

"There was a picture of me taped to the outside of the window. There was a red slash across my throat. It said 'Are you ready to die, Bitch?' When it hit me that they found me here, I screamed."

"Call the police and explain the situation. Tell them that my people will be there in less than two hours. They'll keep you safe until I can get there. I won't let anything happen to you." He said as he grabbed his suitcase and headed for the garage.

"Andy, I'm really scared. Why are they doing this?" Sabrina asked.

"I don't know, but I'm going to find out. Is there another phone or do you need to hang up and call the cops?" He asked.

"Sasha ran downstairs to use the house phone."

"Then I'll stay on the line until they get there." He said, tossing his back into the back seat of his car. He added his laptop case and a small range bag with ammo and other essentials before getting in and starting the engine.

"Can you tell me about everything that's been going on? Or would you rather wait until I get there?" He asked as his phone connected to the car's stereo systems so he could talk hands free while drove.

"I think I'd rather wait. I know I'm going to have to tell the whole story to the police when they get here." She replied. He could hear Sasha in the background talking to them.

"I understand, hon. It can wait for a bit."

To keep her distracted and talking while they waited for police to arrive, he asked her questions about her background. Her parents, her sister, high school, college, anything except New York and the stalker. He even told her some funny stories about Cassie when she was a kid. Sabrina never laughed, but he could tell she was relaxing a bit by the tone of her voice.

When the cops finally showed up, Sabrina was reluctant to end the call, but he told her to explain things to them and then try to get some rest until he could get there. Once she finally hung up, he pointed his car west and headed for Kentucky.

+++++

Sabrina was sitting at her sister's dining room table with a detective from the Louisville Metro Police Department, sipping coffee and explaining everything that had been happening to her. The detective seemed to be taking the situation more seriously than the NYPD had, even calling in an evidence collection team to retrieve the picture and whatever other clues they could find.

Sasha was in the kitchen, making another pot of coffee and keeping an eye on her sister. It was clear that three weeks of constant torment was starting to wear on her. The fact that in the week that she'd been here, Sabrina hadn't once broken down and cried was very worrying. In Sasha's mind, it was one thing to be strong, but another to repress everything the way her sister seemed to be.

As she poured a cup of coffee for herself, she heard the ding of her phone receiving a message. Glancing at it, she saw it was from Andy. It contained the names of the people on their way to protect Sabrina and their pictures.

"Brin, Andy just sent the information and pictures of his people. He said they should be here within the hour. I guess he works for something called the Hunter Agency." She said as she entered the dining room.

"That's very good news, ma'am. I'm familiar with that firm and it's considered one of the best in the country." Detective Matthew Cross replied as Sabrina was writing a timeline of the events she'd suffered. "How exactly did you two get connected to them?"

"My big sister in our sorority at college. Andy is her brother, he works for them out in Virginia. He made the arrangements and is on his way here now." Sabrina replied, as she handed the paper over to Detective Cross.

As he was reviewing it, one of the evidence techs opened the back door and asked for him. When he walked out to join them, Sasha sat down next to Sabrina and started gently rubbing her shoulder.

"Once the bodyguards get here, you should try to get some sleep. You know you are going to have to go over all of this again when Andy gets here." She said, unable to hide the worry in her voice.

The two sisters were very close and always had been, even though there was a five year difference in their ages. Their father had worked long hours at a factory and their mother went back to work as a receptionist for a doctor's office when Sabrina was very young. The girls had always shared everything and supported each other without fail throughout their lives. Sasha's marriage to Gary Anderson, a welder who was currently working in the Bakken oil fields in North Dakota hadn't seperated the sisters, neither had Sabrina's time at college or her move to New York.

"I know, sis, and I could really use the sleep. It's just that every time I close my eyes, I see all of the stuff I've been sent. I sleep for maybe an hour and then wake up terrified."

"You said you got some sleeping pills from your doctor? Do those help?" Sasha asked.

"They help me get to sleep and stay asleep, but they don't stop the nightmares." She replied.

When Detective Cross rejoined them moments later, he didn't seem to have much good news.

"Our team has collected all of the evidence they could find. Shoe prints in the dirt below the window and impressions they believe are from the ladder they used. They took down the picture itself and dusted every surface they thought might have been touched, but the couldn't find any prints. It's likely that whoever did this wore gloves."

"Thank you, Detective. I'm glad that your department is looking into this. At least you seem to believe there is an actual threat here." Sabrina said, her voice bitter.

"We take this very seriously, ma'am. The fact that whoever did this followed you all this way from New York tells me that this real. We don't need anything more than that to take this as a credible threat. I need to get back to the station, but I'm leaving a couple patrol officers here until your security arrives."

He handed each of them a card with his name, rank, and phone number on it.

"When your friend makes it here, please have him call me. I'm sure he's going to want whatever information we have."

The ladies thanked the detective again, said their goodbyes, and settled in the living room to wait for the cavalry. About thirty minutes later, one of the officers knocked on the door to let them know they had company. After looking over the pictures that Sasha had received from Andy and examining the identifications of the two bodyguards, the police allowed them in and turned over the protection detail.

Sean Martin and Gavin Spencer were both tall, muscular, and obviously armed. Sean was clearly the older of the two, but neither of the sisters doubted he was a force to be reckoned with. The two guards introduced themselves and Gavin returned outside to walk the perimeter of the house. Sean joined the ladies in the living room and accepted the offer of a cup of coffee from Sabrina. Once she returned, he brought them up to date on the Agency's efforts.

"I called Andy as soon as we arrived. He's making good time, but it's still going to be hours before he gets here. Our boss was able to get some of our people to your apartment. They found a note slipped under your door. I don't know what it says, but a private forensic lab who consults for several federal agencies is examining it. Last I heard, John is trying to get our people up there access to the NYPD investigation."

"I'm so glad your people are willing to help us, Mr. Martin. I know this has been very difficult for my sister. I am curious about one thing, though." Sasha said, looking their guest in the eyes.

"What is that, ma'am?" Sean asked.

"There hasn't been any mention of how much this is going to cost us."

"Sasha! This isn't your problem and you and Gary aren't paying for it. I've made plenty the last couple years and whatever the bill is, I'll take care of it!" Sabrina was torn between embarassment and relief. Although her sister was much more blunt in asking than she would have been, Sabrina had been wondering about the cost herself. Private security doesn't come cheap and from the sounds of it, the agency had people in several states working on her case. That was a lot of billable hours and a lot of money.

"If I may, ladies, when Andy called our boss to get this started, it was made very clear that this is what we call a family matter. I'm not sure how you two are connected to him, but that doesn't matter. The agency takes care of the family and friends of all employees in times of crisis. There won't be a bill."

"Wait! Are you telling me that because my sister was friends with Andy's sister in college, your agency is willing to spend God knows much to help her without asking anything in return?" Sasha continued, not put off in the least by Sabrina's outburst.

"Yes, ma'am. I'm guessing that Sabrina called Andy's sister and told her what was going on, his sister called him, and he asked John for permission to help. Obviously, John agreed, and here we are. That's enough for us."

"No business I've ever heard of works that way, Mr. Martin. What about expenses, man hours, equipment costs. There's no telling what this will end up costing the Agency. Are you saying your boss is willing to eat that loss just to help us?"

"Yes, he is. I didn't use the term 'family matter' lightly. It is one of our core principles and has been since long before I joined the agency. We have a seperate fund set aside for situations like this and a percentage of everything the agency makes from our standard clients going into that fund. This isn't the first time it's been used and I'm sure it won't be the last." Sean replied, smiling at the sisters.

"Keep in mind that a large portion of our clients are politicians, celebrities, corporations, and the wealthy. They pay very well for our services and we have an excellent reputation among those circles. In return, we are able to use what we make from those clients to offer some of our services at little or no charge to those without that level of financial means. And on occasion, like now, we have a situation where a friend or family member of one of our people needs help. In those cases, no expense is spared and the entire agency is on standby to help."

"What do you mean, the entire agency is on standby?" Sabrina asked, almost appalled at the idea of the all that effort being for her.

"After John arranged for Gavin and I to come down here, he sent out a priority message to every office and employee we have. It explained that we were working on a family matter and that all resources are to be made available to Andy for the duration of the situation. Until he gets here and takes over, I'm the point of contact. I've already heard from most of our offices and they are ready to help in any way they can."

"How many offices is that?" Sasha wondered.

"Our regional offices in Los Angeles, Seattle, Dallas, St. Louis, Atlanta, Indy, New York City, and Washington D.C. have already responded. Each of those has several smaller offices reporting to it, and that doesn't include the individuals and small teams we have all across the country. We also have arrangements with other agencies and some international assets we can call on if needs be."

"That seems like a lot of trouble to go to just for me." Sabrina said in a small voice.

"Not at all, ma'am. We would do the same if it was anyone connected to one of our people. To give you an example, the seventeen year old daughter of one of our investigators decided to run off with her boyfriend about five months ago. That was the last time the family matter system was used. By the time we found them in a motel in Savannah, Georgia, there were more than fifty of our people on the ground actively searching for them. Lucky for us, we had a couple in Tybee on their honeymoon at the time and they caught up with her."

"They interrupted their honeymoon to help out?" Sasha asked, smiling slightly.

"Yeah, but John made it up to them. He gave them an extra week off and extended their stay in Tybee. I'm pretty sure the daughter they will be having in the near future was conceived that week." Sean replied, sharing a laugh with the sisters.

Sean had done a good job of putting their concerns about the agency to rest. Over the next hour, Sasha managed to convince her sister to try and sleep and Sabrina settled on the couch with a pillow and blanket. Sasha sat in a nearby chair, keeping an eye on her, when she wasn't taking coffee and snacks to the guards. Sean and Gavin took turns patroling the outside of the house and sitting inside. While Sabrina slept fitfully, waking up several times as her nightmares overwhelmed her, everyone else was waiting for Andy to arrive.

+++++

After a very long morning of driving, Andy finally pulled up outside Sasha Anderson's two-story house around three in the afternoon. He sent a message to Sean to meet him outside, so he could get a sense of the situation before he spoke to Sabrina. Sean brought him a cup of coffee courtesy of Sasha and the news that Sabrina had just woken up and was taking a shower.

Andy blamed it on the lack of sleep and the fact that Sabrina had been in his thoughts the entire drive, but the news of her current location sent his imagination into a decidedly erotic overdrive. Shaking off the images of a wet and naked Sabrina that his mind painted, he followed Sean inside where he was introduced to Sasha for the first time.

Like her sister, Sasha Anderson was a tall, slender blonde who was right about Andy's age. She had a very pretty face, with enough to similarities to what he remembered of Sabrina to instantly identify them as sisters.

"You must be Andy?" She asked, meeting them at the door and offering him her hand.

"And you must be Sasha. You have a very nice home here. It's nice to meet you, although I wish it was under better circumstances. Sabrina told me a bit about you on the phone when I last talked to her." Andy replied, shaking her hand.

As Sasha led them to the living room, Sean handed Andy the cellphone he had been using to keep in contact with John and the regional offices. He also offered him the card of a Detective Cross from the Louisville police department and mentioned the sisters had given it to him on his arrival. As Andy and Sasha sat down, Sean went to join Gavin outside.

"Andy, if Sabrina told you anything about me, she probably mentioned that I am very blunt. Can you help my sister?" She asked, once the pleasantries were finished.

"I can, and I will, Sasha. I liked your sister a lot when I met her a few years ago, and she's been a great friend to Cassie. We are going to do everything in our power to keep her safe, find whoever is doing this, and turn them over to the proper authorities." Andy replied.

"Sean and Gavin have spent hours telling me how good the agency is. I guess I just needed some reassurance that Sabrina will be okay. She's my best friend as well as my sister."

"Sean mentioned that he explained what a family matter means to us, Sasha, so you know I have the full resources and support of the agency behind me. If it takes dozens of people to guard Sabrina and hundreds to find her stalker, I can make that happen."

"It's still amazing to me how you guys have this organized. I've never imagined something like that, let alone that we would need it." She said.

"It actually goes back to the founding of the agency. From day one, John's grandfather set aside money from every client they had into an emergency fund. It was meant to help his people with medical bills and expenses if they were ever hurt, but it wasn't ever really used. Not long after John's father, Mark, took over, one of his best friends from childhood came to him for help."

"His youngest daughter had been kidnapped and the police were clueless. Mark knew that his friend couldn't afford to hire the agency, so he tapped the emergency fund to cover everything while the agency worked the case. After she was rescued, Mark put the family matter clause into writing and designated the emergency fund to pay for those cases."

As Andy was telling the story, they heard footsteps on the stairs and turned. The moment that Sabrina, fresh from the shower and dressed in designer jeans and simple green top, came into view, Andy felt like he'd been hit by a train.

For the entire drive to Kentucky, he'd been reliving his interactions with Sabrina during her visit to his parent's house and he thought he'd remembered her pretty well. Obviously time and his memory had conspired to trick him.

The pretty college girl he'd spent time with had blossomed into an incredibly gorgeous woman. Her blonde hair was darker now, almost the color of honey, and was longer. It seemed to flow around her shoulders as she moved. She was looking down as she descended the stairs and he could read the tension in her posture, but not even that could detract from the beauty he saw before him.

The outfit she wore gave a tantalizing hint of the body beneath as the top hugged her torso, highlighting the shape of her breasts, which also seemed larger than he remembered. Her jeans seemed tight, but not in that trashy way, and made her legs look incredibly long. He could only imagine what they were doing for her butt, which he remembered being very nice as well.

All of this flashed through his mind in the blink of an eye as he stared at her. In that moment, he barely remembered that her sister was only a few feet away from him, waiting for him to finish his story. His every sense was centered on the incredible vision that just walked down the stairs. As she reached the bottom, he unconsciously took a step towards her. The urge to reach out to her shocked him, but he stopped himself, waiting for her to notice them.

+++++

Sabrina had woken from nap and taken a quick shower, knowing that Andy would be here soon. Though she was terrified of the situation, she felt in her bones that he would be able to help. From everything Cassie had told her and the bits that Sean had shared last night before she went to sleep, it seemed that he was very good at what he did. If anyone had the answers to her problem, it was be Andy.

Once she was dried off and dressed, she headed downstairs to wait for his arrival. As she walked, her mind drifted back three years and she wondered if he had changed from the tall, fit, former Marine she remembered. Many times in the years since they'd met, she had wondered what would have happened if she'd made a move that summer. All throughout high school and college, she had been considered a beauty and had attracted a lot of attention from guys, but she'd never been comfortable with it. She'd only had two serious boyfriends in her life, one in high school, and one her sophmore year of college. Even they had never drew her attention the way Andy did.

She heard voices speaking as she made her way down the stairs, but she was lost in thought and paid little attention. It wasn't until she reached the bottom and turned towards the living room that the voice speaking started to penetrate her consciousness.

"Sabrina?"

That voice got her attention and her head snapped up, eyes locking onto his face. He was finally here, standing just across the living room from her. His amber eyes seemed to bore into her, staring out from the same face she had pictured just moments ago. His hair had grown out of the military cut he wore before but it was still short. The suit he was wearing seemed to barely contain the powerful musculature beneath it and was a far cry from old jeans and t-shirt he wore the last time she'd seen him.

"Andy, you finally made it!" She said, a sudden surge of emotion coloring her voice. The stress of the last three weeks, the fear and anxiety of it all warred with the relief she felt that he was here and it hit her all once. She always considered herself a strong woman and she'd managed to avoid breaking down over this mess, but a few stray tears escaped her eyes now as she stared at him.