“...When someone said count your blessings now 'fore they're long gone. I guess I just didn't know how. I was all wrong…they

knew better Still you said forever …” Who Knew-Pink

Present Day.... 6:30 am

Somewhere in Little Creek.

The sound of her ringing phone abruptly broke her fitful sleep. She knew who it was. She didn‟t want to answer the phone, but she didn‟t have a choice. She‟d gone back to the police station only to be turned away again because the cops thought she was delusional. She could see it in their eyes that they thought she‟s insane. She‟d tried Kendra and her parents again to no avail and she‟d finally gotten through to Storm but he couldn‟t talk to her for long because he was in the middle of a case briefing. “What do you want? Calling to gloat?” she whispered crossly as she answered the phone.

“Today is the day Victoria. Aren‟t you curious who it‟s going to be? Kendra? Your parents? Storm Chace? I would be if I were you. Aren‟t you even more curious to know how they‟re to die?” her caller taunted.

“The FBI will stop you. Storm is going to stop you. You don‟ know him. He saved me once,‟ she cried helplessly. She knew she was reaching, but hey, maybe mentioning the FBI would scare off the evil swine.

“You are more stupid than I thought! Do you really think the FBI is going to save your friends? Silly little cow! Time‟s up!”

Part 1

Just over three months ago...

St. Peter’s Cemetery (Somewhere in Statham Island)

For a long time she stood over his grave crying, trying to understand how things could have gone so horribly wrong. Why? Why Julian? Why couldn‟t you stay away from her? What did she have that got you killed? She asked these questions in her mind again and again. No matter how hard she tried to believe what the media said about Julian‟s death she couldn‟t.

They said he killed himself because he felt cornered by SWAT and the FBI, they denounced the FBI of all blame and responsibility and neatly placed it on Julian‟s door step. They said it was no one‟s fault, there was no one to blame. But she knew...She knew someone had to take responsibility for this hot mess, and that someone would be very, very sorry!

In that silence, filled with rage, hate and grief, in that lonely awful place, she made a vow; she would avenge Julian‟s death. Julian was the love of her life. He was everything to her and now she had nothing. She would make whoever was responsible for this mess pay. An eye for an eye; it was only fair!

Five weeks ago...the day Victoria left

Well here I am, Victoria thought to herself as she got out of her car and looked up at her family‟s vacation home in the small town of Little Creek. It was great to finally see something old and familiar, something comforting. She‟s been driving for the past six hours and she was exhausted. Her stomach growled loudly, reminding her she hasn‟t eaten since the night before. She closed her eyes, breathed in the fresh air and tried to block out memories of her fight with Storm last night. You‟ve done the right thing; you would have destroyed each other if you‟d stayed! She told herself over and over, trying to convince herself she was right

Storm’s penthouse

Storm paced the length of his kitchen. It took a lot of self control not to hurl his cell phone across the room as he listened to the annoying notification for what seemed to be the hundredth time “The number you have dialed does not exist! Please check the number and dial again!” It seemed Victoria has taken out her sim card or changed her number, which would explain why Josh was not able to trace her whereabouts earlier.

Victoria where the hell are you? He screamed at the empty room. He wished for the millionth time he could take back every horrible thing he‟d said and done to her. He was worried about her. She wasn‟t fully recovered and she was upset. He had to find her before something horrible happened...

Dean and Storm’s childhood home

“Hi, can I help you?” Kendra greeted the strange woman standing outside her front door.

“Hello. I‟m Jade. I‟m your new neighbor. I moved in last night and I thought I should come around and introduce myself,” the red-haired smiled sweetly at Kendra, taking a peek inside the mansion‟s entrance.

“Oh...I thought I saw a moving van last night and I wondered who was moving out or moving in. It‟s nice to meet you Jade, I‟m Kendra. Come on in,” Kendra smiled broadly as she invited her new neighbor inside.

“Is everything okay?” Jade asked. She was an intuitive woman and she noticed the way Kendra wringed her hands on her lap. She appeared nervous and upset. They‟d been chatting for the past hour or so.

“Is it that obvious? I‟m sorry. It‟s just that...” Kendra started to say, but changed her mind. She didn‟t know this woman and she couldn‟t exactly start pouring her heart out to her.

“What is it?” Jade probed casually. She sensed something juicy coming up and she loved drama. And so Kendra proceeded to tell her about the Victoria and Storm saga…

“Oh? How awful!” Jade murmured, hoping she didn‟t look too pleased at this piece of information. She knew who Storm Chace is. Hello, he‟s Statham Island‟s most eligible widower and all the females went crazy every time his photo landed in the newspapers. Which woman wouldn‟t give her soul to spend the night in Storm‟s arms? Hello, the man oozed charm and sex appeal, not to mention he had a fat bank account. With that damsel in distress, Victoria, out of the way her plan might just work like a charm.

“Anyway, I think it‟s better this way. He and Victoria need a break from each other...” Kendra continued startling Jade out of her fantasy.

“I absolutely agree. Love shouldn‟t be difficult and complicated,” Jade added her two cent‟s worth, hoping she wasn‟t too off the mark, after all, she missed half of what Kendra said earlier.

Storm and Dean’s childhood home

“What the hell is wrong with you? You can‟t come here and demand to know Victoria‟s whereabouts! You are not her father you know!” Kendra yelled. It was two days after Victoria left Storm and he wasn‟t taking it very well.

“I love her and I need to bring her home. Why can‟t you understand that?” Storm screamed back; he was back at his childhood home and having a messy argument with Kendra. Dean was sitting quietly a few feet away at the dining table, trying not to get drawn into their argument.

“I‟m sorry. The door was open and I thought I heard...I can come back later,” Jade murmured, walking into Dean and Kendra‟s dining room and interrupting what seemed to be World War Three. Three pairs or eyes turned to her. Storm and Kendra stopped glaring at each other for a moment or or so.

“Hey...Come on in. We were just having a little disagreement about the wedding,” Kendra lied. She forgot Jade was coming over for breakfast.

“So, that‟s Storm Chace. My, isn‟t he something?” Jade gushed dreamily. She and Kendra were now in the kitchen and she sat watching her neighbour turn the bacon and eggs on the stove.

“Yep. My charming soon to be brother in law,” Kendra said, her voice dripping with irritation. She didn‟t know who she was most irritated with, Storm or her new neighbour Jade? She didn‟t like the way Jade drooled over Storm like that and she didn‟t like the way Storm budged in and demanded to know where Victoria was.

“Wow, the things I could do to that man if given a chance,” Jade murmured wickedly.

“Sweetie, I‟d stay away from him if I were you. Look at how he treated Victoria,” Kendra warned, turning around briefly to look at her.

“Maybe your friend didn‟t know how to handle a cowboy like Storm,” Jade countered. Storm was her kind of guy and she knew how to handle men like him.

“You‟re kidding right? You seriously want me to spy on my fiancé?” Dean asked incredulously, unable to suppress the laugh bubbling in his throat.

“Not exactly! I just want you to get Victoria‟s new phone number. She must have been in contact with Kendra. I need Kendra‟s most dialed numbers in the past two days and I‟ll narrow it down from there,” Storm answered, his heart filling with hope.

“No way man! That‟s wrong! Kendra would never forgive me for this. No, I can‟t help you!” Dean cried. He couldn‟t believe Storm was asking him to do this. The way he saw it, Storm and Victoria were just bad for each other and the sooner his older brother accepted it, the better!

“Who said Kendra has to find out?” Storm asked sensibly. He honestly didn‟t see anything wrong with what he was asking; it wasn‟t a crime to look at someone‟s most dialed numbers. He would do it for Dean.

“I don‟t know...Maybe you need to back off Storm, just for a little while. Maybe she‟ll call you in a few days,” Dean said trying to convince his brother to back off.

“I can‟t! I need to find her. Please help me. I‟ve never asked you for anything before. If it was Kendra, I‟d help you!” Storm cried harshly.

“Fine. I‟ll see what I can do,” Dean relented; he couldn‟t bear to see his older brother so troubled. The challenge now was to get his hands on Kendra‟s cell phone.

Somewhere in Little Creek

Victoria woke up feeling disoriented. For a second or so she couldn't remember where she was, and then it hit her! She left Storm and came to her parents' vacation home in Little Creek. She couldn't remember how long ago that was; the last thing she remembered was dumping her bag somewhere inside the house and taking two valium tablets to help her sleep. Gingerly she got out of bed to call Kendra and let her know she's okay.

“Thank heavens you‟re alive! I was worried about you when you didn‟t phone. What happened to you?” Kendra screeched on her end of the phone.

“What do you mean? I‟ve been here. I slept for a couple of hours,” Victoria replied, still feeling groggy from her sleep.

“It‟s more like two days. The last time I spoke with you was two days ago when you left. We‟ve all been worried about you. Storm‟s been hounding me for your whereabouts. I don‟t know if I can hold him off for much longer Toria. Just call him and let him know you are okay so he can stop pestering me,” Kendra continued, her voice rising with agitation.

“No! I can‟t tell him where I am. I just need to rest for a little while Kendra. Maybe in a few days I‟ll let him know. You mean I‟ve been sleeping for the past two days?” Victoria asked incredulously, damn she must have been really tired or that valium worked like a charm.

Statham Island’s BAU

Storm’s office (Four days after Victoria left)

“You owe me big for this,” Dean mumbled begrudgingly as he handed Storm the small piece of paper with Kendra‟s most dialled numbers.

“I knew you‟d come through for me,” Storm snatched the piece of paper from him. He couldn‟t wait to rush over to Josh so he could perform his magic and check where Victoria is. “Any word yet on Victoria? Did you speak to her?”

“Kendra‟s constantly on the phone and I‟m assuming with her, but no, I haven‟t spoken to her yet. Storm what are you going to do when you find out where she is?” his younger brother asked curiously. This Storm/Victoria saga was getting more and more intriguing.

"Let me worry about that. Thanks for this. You're right, I owe you big. To repay the favor I'll be your best man," Storm said, a small smile forming on his lips. Suddenly things looked much better.

"You were my best man anyway, so you still owe me! Promise me you'll treat her right this time when you find her. Stop messing with her feelings. It hurts Kendra to see Victoria miserable and I hurt when Kendra hurts, so please do us all a favor and get your act together!" Dean snapped, his tone suddenly serious and Storm could only nod. He felt like a real ass now.

Four weeks ago

“Victoria, it‟s Storm, again. Can you please pick up? I know you are there! I just...I thought maybe we could talk. Please pick up or call me back. I really need to talk to you,” Storm begged, willing Victoria to pick up her phone. He‟d been phoning her for the past week and each time her answering machine picked up.

Victoria sat on her kitchen counter, listening to Storm‟s voice through her answering machine. A huge part of her wanted to grab the phone and talk to him, but another part was still so angry.

“...Please pick up. I love you! I need you! Please come home...” Storm continued, not wanting to hang up, and then his eyes widened in shock as her sweet voice came over the phone.

“What do you want from me Storm?” she asked, her voice quivering slightly. “It‟s over! Please stop phoning me and stop harassing Kendra. We are done!”

“I love you and you love me. I know you do. Why don‟t you come home and we can talk about this. I need you!” he begged, ignoring her harsh tone.

“No. We are done. Move on with your life and I‟ll do the same. You were right; you have nothing to offer me. If you phone me again I‟ll get a restraining order against you. I can‟t move on with my life if you keep doing this,” Victoria whispered, tears filling her eyes.

“Can‟t we talk about it? Please. I‟ll come and see you. Just hear me out. No pressure, no strings. Let me explain. You owe me that much at least,” Storm replied, sounding slightly fired up now.

“There‟s nothing to talk about. I‟m hanging up now and I don‟t expect to hear from you again. Bye Storm. I hope you find peace and closure!” with that Victoria hung up

Part 2

Somewhere in Statham Island... (Three weeks ago)

“I‟ll have whatever he‟s having,” the red-haired snapped her fingers at the bartender as she slid into the seat next to Storm. Was this her lucky night or what? Her evening was turning out better than she‟d hoped. She came into CRYPTO Nightclub to choose a bed mate to share this cold night with and now, it looked like she‟s found the perfect specimen.

“Is this seat taken?” she asked flirtatiously, knowing full well it wasn‟t.

Storm looked up from his half empty or half full glass depending on your outlook on life, well; today the glass was half empty. Life sucked! Everything sucked! And he wanted Victoria. “Now it is,” he mumbled, taking another swig from the glass.

“Long day?” the red haired asked, not dissuaded by his grumpiness.

“I‟ve seen you before,” Storm said, ignoring her question. He never forgot a face. She looked familiar and he‟s still racking his brain and trying to remember where he knew her from when she told him.

“I‟m Jade McNamara, Kendra‟s neighbour. We met a couple of weeks ago. I thought you‟d forgotten me,” she answered, sidling closer to him. Damn, he smelt so good.

“I never forget a face,” Storm replied, looking miserably at his now empty glass.

“Do you want to talk about it?” she asked. She could see he was troubled and she liked nothing more than to take care of vulnerable lonely men.

“She left me! She packed her things and left. I‟ve called her, begged her, pleaded but she‟s not coming back. She told me it‟s over. But I love her. I can‟t let her go,” he moaned sadly, not caring he‟s pouring his heart out to a total stranger. How he could he let get away?

“I‟m sorry. Break ups are always hard. Maybe you need this time apart, just for a little while, to figure things out and maybe you‟ll get back together,” Jade told him, not meaning a word she said. Inwardly she was celebrating Storm‟s single status. Oh no, he will not get back together with Victoria-damsel-in-distress, not if she had anything to do with it!

Storm‟s cell phone buzzed somewhere in his pocket. He excused himself to take the call, hoping it was Victoria.

“Storm, we need you right away. There‟s been another fire,” Special Agent Melissa Swanson‟s voice sobered him up immediately. He knew what that meant; this was the third fire in nine days.

“I‟m on my way,” Storm answered. He was about to rush out when Jade accosted him.

“Leaving so soon?” she purred, a little disappointed.

“Work! There‟s been an emergency. It‟s great seeing you again Jade,” he answered politely, not knowing what else to say.

“I hope we can see more of each other...Call me sometime,” She told him, slipping a piece of paper in his hand.

BAU’s conference room

“Two bodies have been found at the Kenilworth‟s house, the third crime scene. At this stage there‟s no positive identification for both victims, but Statham Island‟s Police Department (SI PD) believes the victims are Sarah and John Kenilworth. SI PD suspects the victims were drugged just like the two other victims; which explains why they didn‟t leave the house when the fire broke out. We are still waiting for all the case files from SI PD, but it looks like we have a serial arsonist on the loose...” Melissa Swanson finished off the briefing session.

“Why does the SI PD think these fires are related? The victimology is different. The first victim was a single, 38 year old white male, successful career as a head of marketing for an export business in Downtown. The second victim was a Hispanic female, 27 years old and an elementary school teacher and our last victims were a middle aged, white couple. The victims don‟t seem to have anything in common and these fires appear to be random,” Special Agent Pete Charlton‟s voice broke the silence in the conference room.

“But the MO is the same. All four victims appear to have been drugged. They were all sleeping when the fire broke out. The same type of accelerant was found on the first two crimes scenes. The victims appear to be randomly chosen, but the fact that they were drugged suggests otherwise. It seems like the unsub watches his victims, learns their patterns and habits and gets close to them.

He‟s someone the victims knew and trusted because there were no signs of forced entry in all three crime scenes, so they must have invited him in. This unsub has above average intelligence and he‟s highly organized; he didn‟t leave any trace of his DNA at the crime scenes. With the type of accelerant used and they way the fires were contained at the points of origins suggests someone who is knowledgeable in Chemistry, he might work in a lab...” Storm pointed out.

“We are looking for a pyromaniac. Our unsub has an impulse to deliberately start fires to relieve tension or possibly for sexual gratification. He doesn‟t have motives for setting the fires, hence the different victimology. Pyromania in adults can be linked to substance abuse, obsessive –compulsive disorder, anxiety disorders and mood disorders!” Special Agent Lynn Lane added. Her specialty is psychotic disorders.

“The first fire was nine days ago, the second fire was three days ago and the last one today, suggests his impulse is escalating and he‟s in a frenzy. Our unsub may have been arrested in the past for similar crimes or he may have been treated for some form of psychotic disorder. We need to cross reference SI PD‟s database for similar crimes and also check with Statham Island‟s pysch ward for any patience that may have been released recently...” Marcelle piped in.

“I‟ll get on it right away,” Josh told his colleagues, already leaving the briefing room to get down to his research.

“I take it we are ready to release a preliminary profile of the unsub?” Melissa asked the team.

“Yes, we are. Please set up a briefing session with SI PD for tomorrow morning,” Special Agent Ron Richardson replied.

Two weeks ago

Jade’s house, somewhere in Statham Island

“I didn‟t think you‟d show up, but I guess you are full of surprises Mr. Chace,” Jade greeted Storm, batting her eyes at him in a „come hither look”.

“It‟s been long week and I could use some cheerful company and well, I‟ve never been one to resist a home cooked meal,” he answered, following her into her living room.

He couldn‟t help but notice how impersonal her place was. Normally people have artwork, pictures or objects that hint at who they are decorating their living spaces, but this woman had none. Her place was cold, aloof, distant, highly polished and so impersonal; it was almost as if she wasn‟t planning on staying long, which was strange because she just moved in. But then again, he could be wrong. He hated his job sometimes because he ended up profiling anyone and everyone he met.

“Long week you say? Mind telling me about it?” she asked, pouring him a drink and leading him to the sofa.

“I can‟t really get into detail, but it‟s related to the three arson homicides over the past two weeks. I can happily say the BAU helped catch another sicko!” Storm smiled, closed his eyes and allowed himself to relax a little. Wow, it felt great to have someone to talk to at the end of a long day, something he‟d never allowed himself to do with Victoria, something he wished he‟d done.

“Oh yes, I saw the news. Who would have known that the janitor at that pharmaceutical company would know so much about chemistry and fires huh? I‟m glad you helped put him away!” Jade cried, stroking his ego. She knew how men liked to feel important and appreciated!

After dinner, they slipped back to the couch and talked about their jobs and love lives; Storm found himself having fun. For the first time in a long time he let down his guard and spoke candidly about Emma. Again he noticed how he couldn‟t open up to Victoria about Emma and yet he found it so easy to talk to Jade. He wondered what it meant. Jade asked a lot of questions, especially about Victoria. It was almost as if she had a crush on Victoria.

“Can we talk about something else?” he finally asked, annoyed with her for keep bringing up Victoria into their conversation. His heart still ached over their break up. He still loved her so much and he couldn‟t get over her or forget her. Sometimes he wondered if he really wanted to get over her.

“I‟m sorry. I didn‟t realize I upset you when we talk about your ex,” Jade mumbled defensively. She was annoyed with herself for thinking he was over Victoria, annoyed with him for not being over Victoria and annoyed with Victoria for spoiling it for the rest of the female population.

One week ago

“Hello Victoria! Do you want to play a game?” The mechanical voice breathed into the phone harshly.

“Who is this? Can I help you? How did you get this number?” Victoria asked frantically, her mind spinning in different directions. Something about the freaky voice made her flash back to Julian and she closed her eyes to block off his image. He‟s dead. He can‟t hurt you anymore. He‟s gone! She told herself over and over again.

“You took something away from me, something very dear to me and now, please, let me return the favor!” the caller hissed.

“I don‟t know what you are talking about. Who are you? What do you want from me?” Victoria asked again, her voice barely audible.

“Who I am is irrelevant. Be warned, an eye for an eye Victoria! A week from now, I‟ll take away something that is very dear to your heart. It might be your best friend Kendra; it might be your parents. Who knows, it might even be Special Agent Storm Chace. The choice is yours Victoria,” the caller taunted.

“Please, leave them alone. I‟ll do anything you want. Just leave all of them alone,” Victoria begged.

“How charming. Sacrificing yourself for the ones you love! But I‟m afraid your offer does not appeal to me. I want to watch you suffer. Every week, starting one week from now, I‟ll take everything you love, one by one. You need to decide who I should start with,” the voice rasped.

“Is this some kind of a joke? Leave me alone! And don‟t ever phone here again!” She screamed, suddenly feeling angry and violated, like she had when Julian held her hostage. She was tired of being victimised and it ended right here, right now!

“In a couple of days I‟ll phone you again. If you can‟t make a decision I‟ll make it for you and believe me, you won‟t like it!” The voice continued, sending chills down her spine.

“Go to hell! Kill everyone! Kill all of them and see if I care! You think I‟m afraid of you? Do you? Do you?” Victoria yelled, tears of anger and frustration filling her eyes.

“Oh your wish will be granted Victoria. Be prepared. An eye for an eye. And you have nothing to fear from me, but your loved ones do!” the voice rasped one last time before cutting the call.

She stood frozen, holding the receiver in her hand and crying uncontrollably. Maybe she should tell the cops, or maybe Storm? Or maybe it was a prank call and she had nothing to worry about. But prank callers don‟t make such explicit threats.

Without wasting any more time, she grabbed her car keys and drove to Little Creek‟s police station. She had to tell someone!

Two days later (18:06 pm)

“Hello?” Victoria answered the phone nervously. She‟d gone to the police to report the malicious caller, and like she‟d known they won‟t help her, they didn‟t. They told her they were understaffed and didn‟t have the resources to chase after what they all thought was a prank caller. So she‟d gone back home and agonized over this phone call.

“It‟s time. Have you decided?” the now familiar mechanical voice asked.

“Go to hell!” Victoria hissed, trying to keep the emotions from her voice.

“I‟ll save a seat for you right beside me!” her tormenter fired back. “Who is it going to be? Kendra? Your parents? Storm? Who do you love the most Victoria? Whose life will you spare?”

“I‟m not going to make this easy for you. I won‟t choose anyone. Leave them alone. Please?” She cried helplessly.

“Too late. I‟ll choose for you then. And my Victoria you don‟t know how you‟ve just changed the whole game play!” the voice answered before disconnecting the line

Petrified, her whole body shook with anger and unshed tears, she dialled Kendra‟s number.

“Kendra, thank god. Please you need to be careful, someone‟s after you...”

“Toria? Honey are you okay?” Kendra asked, unable to focus on what her friend was saying because Dean was doing all sorts of nicely weird things to her. “I‟ll call you back in an hour or so. Calm down. Don‟t worry, everything‟s great!” Without thinking twice, Kendra pressed the disconnect button on her cell phone and turned her attention to her fiancé.

"Mom...please ring me back urgently! I need to talk you guys! Please?" Victoria let out a frustrated sigh; her parents were not at home, again, Kendra hung up on her and she was a mess. She couldn't stop the tears!

Jade glanced at Storm‟s home phone as it rang and wondered if she should answer it. They just came from a night out on the town and Jade was sure she was definitely getting laid tonight. Storm was upstairs, checking an e-mail from work and his phone was really starting to annoy her. Impulsively she picked up the receiver.

"Storm, I'm so glad you answered. It's Victoria. I need you, please come and get me. Someone's after you! Please...Hello? Why aren't saying anything?" Victoria shrieked rapidly as soon as Storm's phone was answered.

Jade's whole body froze. Should she say something? Should she call Storm and let him know his crazy ex's on the phone? On second thought, no, she'll handle this!

"Hello?" she answered, putting on her 'just had sex' voice. "Who is this? Is Storm there? I need to speak with him," Victoria replied, shocked to hear a very sexy sounding female voice answer Storm's home phone.

"He's taking a shower. I can pass on a message if you want," Jade offered.

"Who are you? What are you doing there?" Victoria asked again, jealousy ripping her to shreds.

"I'm Jade, Storm's girlfriend. You must be the crazy ex Storm's told me so much about..." Jade answered sweetly. Serves that tramp right, this will teach her not phone Storm again, she thought, an evil smile on her lips.

Sick to her stomach, Victoria hung up without leaving a message for Storm.

"Who was on the phone?" Storm asked as he came downstairs. He heard the phone ring and thought he'd let his answering machine pick it up, but Jade answered it and he didn't like the way she was feeling so at home!

"It was just a wrong number. They wanted a Mrs. Michaels," she lied, moving closer to him.

"I should take you home," Storm answered, moving away from her. He should have taken her straight home from Londoste, but Melissa had phoned and insisted he check his e-mail for a briefing session at BAU in two hours. It looked like they'd been wrong about the janitor at the pharmaceutical company being the serial arsonist. BAU received a call from someone claiming to have information about the fires and something much, much bigger!

"Spoil spot," Jade pouted, but followed Storm to his car.

Part 3 Present Day: 10:30 am Somewhere in Statham Island

Storm was running late; he should have been at work an hour ago. Suddenly he remembered Victoria???s phone call the week before. He was glad when she phoned, but he couldn't talk for long because he was in the middle of a briefing with SI PD. He remembered the way she'd kept crying over and over again "You should stay with your girlfriend, you are not safe on your own!" It didn't make sense to him then and even now. He was trying to understand what she meant by that, but he couldn't. He didn't have a girlfriend. And why wasn't he safe on his own? Unless maybe she was talking about someone else. He knew it would drive him crazy the whole day, so rather he phone her and deal with it now. He dialled her number and waited for her phone to ring, but he got a busy signal. He told himself he'll try phoning her later. With dread, he made his way to his car.

“Honey, we are going to be late!” Dean called out to his fiancé, he glanced at his watch. They had an appointment with the owner of the guest lodge where they wanted to have their wedding. Kendra insisted on having the wedding at that particular guest lodge.

“Okay, okay. Will you stop all the screaming already?” Kendra cried, her lips twisting into a small pout.

“Let‟s go,” Dean said, rushing her to the parked car in their driveway.

Somewhere in Bella Donna Cove

“I love you Alejandro. I wish Vickie can meet a man as good as you,” Laurien kissed her husband gently. Alejandro was taking her on a weeklong cruise for their 30th anniversary.

“Now, Mrs. Mendez, if we don‟t hurry up, we might just miss our embarking time,” he answered, untangling himself from her and moving toward their car to stuff the last of his wife‟s luggage bags into the boot. Laurien got into the passenger seat and waited patiently for her husband. She made a mental note to phone Victoria as soon as they were on board; she should have called her back a few days ago, but it had slipped her mind . A few seconds later Alejandro slipped into the driver‟s seat and started the car.

10:37 am

Somewhere in Statham Island and Belladonna Cove

Storm got into his car, adjusted his rear-view mirror and shifted the car into gear. Dean turned to Kendra and gazed at her for a long time, admiring her beauty; gently he reached for her seat belt and adjusted it over her. With a smile still on his face he started the car. Laurien got into the passenger seat and waited patiently for her husband; seconds later Alejandro slipped into the driver‟s seat and started the car. In that exact moment, when everyone Victoria cared about started their cars and began what they all hoped would be a fruitful day, the most devastating, most horrific catastrophe to ever hit Victoria was set in motion.

The explosion felt like an earthquake, or at least that‟s how the eye witnesses described it as. The loud thundering sound shattered the neighborhood‟s quiet peace. A fiery, red hot, gigantic blast rocked the quiet streets. Pieces of debris and human flesh, glass, metal, screams, agony, flew in every direction.

10:39am

Victoria‟s heart stopped, as she heard the explosion, still clutching the phone. The crazy, hateful caller had phoned back and wanted her to hear when he killed someone she loved.

“Now, Victoria, who do you think it was?” were the last words Victoria heard as she sank into darkness...