"I'm coming!" She pulled a brush quickly trough her long hair, then ran down the stairs, where Dawn and Max were waiting impatiently. Liz eyes Dawn's ankle. "How bad is it?" Dawn looked down at the wrapped ankle and grimaced.

"It's broken. I hit it pretty hard when I landed on that cement. It sucks too, because if we have to run, I'm a dead person." She tried to make a joke of it, but Liz saw the worry cross her face. Max leaned over and whispered to her.

"We're not going to get caught. Don't worry." Liz felt a stab of jealousy, then shook it off. Come on Liz, she told herself. He's just trying to help her. Besides, she's your friend. She wouldn't do this to you. Liz tried to convince herself of it, but she felt something was wrong. You're just nervous. Stop acting stupid. She clapped her hands together, a signal that she was ready to go.

"Okay. Everybody ready?" They nodded and proceeded to stand up.

"Ow! Crap!" Dawn sank back onto the sofa, her blue eyes bright with pain. Liz rushed over to her, concern filling her eyes.

"What's wrong?" Max was getting worried. Is this just a plot? Is she going to kill us? Michael's words repeated in his head, but he shoved them out as fast as he could. He couldn't afford to have doubts now. Not when everyone's lives, including his, were at stake.

"My ankle," Dawn gasped. "I'm okay. Really." She rushed to assure them when she saw the looks on their faces. She smiled nervously. "Just put to much pressure on it, that's all." She put her hand on the arm of the sofa and pushed herself up. She reached for her crutches and made an effort to balance herself. She seemed to have trouble, but waved off any help they offered. "Okay. Let's go."

Where is she? Tess' brain was scrambled as she searched the town for Dawn. If I don't find her, Pierce will kill me. Worse than that. He'll tell Jonathan that I failed. Jonathan was unlike any guy Tess had ever known. He was tall and dark, like Max, but he liked to live dangerously, a quality Max lacked. She heard the roar of a motorcycle behind her and turned around. Jonathan was riding toward her, a smile spread across his handsome face. Tess felt herself melting at the sight of him. Then her eye caught something behind him. There they were! She ran over to Jonathan's motorcycle. "Hey babe." He leaned in for a kiss, but Tess shook him off and pointed to the jeep that was racing by them.

"Go!" Jonathan gunned the motorcycle and raced after them.

"They're right behind us!" Liz's frantic voice rang through the jeep. Max looked behind him and saw Tess and s guy on a motorcycle chasing the jeep. Dawn twisted her head around and muttered swears under her breath.

"Son of a…" She cut herself off and stared at the occupants on the motorcycle. Liz took a closer look at the guy and gasped.

"Wasn't that the guy at your house the other day?" She addressed the question to Dawn, who nodded.

"Yeah. Liz, meet Jonathan, my ex-boyfriend. He doesn't know what no means, and he's stalked me for months. We dated when I was seventeen and he was twenty-one. Which makes him twenty-three now. And Tess is how old?"

"Seventeen," Liz said miserably. Dawn whistled.

"Boy, he sure knows how to pick 'em, huh?" She turned to Max. "Don't turn here. He knows where I'm staying, so even if we detour, they'll be waiting for us. Just go straight there. Don't fool around with him. He knows what he's doing." She was scared for herself, but mainly for Max and Liz. She didn't want them to get hurt and she was going to do what she could to keep them safe. Max turned onto her street and screeched around the corner, Jonathan and Tess right behind him. He pulled into the driveway of her apartment building and she jumped out of the car, hobbling as fast as she could to the door. She heard footsteps behind her, followed by a cry of pain. She looked behind her and saw that Jonathan had grabbed Liz and was holding her with her arms twisted behind her back. Max had Tess in the same position. Dawn looked at the scene in horror. "Let Liz go, Jonathan." She said the words evenly, trying not to show her fear. Jonathan just smiled wickedly at her.

"Not until your boyfriend here lets Tess go." Dawn felt her temper flare.

"First of all, he's not my boyfriend, although he'd make a better one than you ever did. Second, he's got more than one reason to be pissed off at her. So just let Liz go and we'll all be okay." She knew that compromising with him wasn't going to work, but she had to stall so she could think of another plan. Jonathan's grin just grew wider.

"I don't think so babe." Dawn watched in horror as Jonathan pulled out a gun and held it to Liz's head. He's not fooling around. He's really serious. Liz's eyes were wide with fear and Dawn knew she had to act fast. Her attention was diverted when she saw Max loosening his hold on Tess.

"No! Don't let her go!" Max looked at her in surprise, but tightened his hold. "If you let her go, it won't change anything. I know Jonathan. He's not going to give up until he gets what he wants." Jonathan nodded.

"She's right. She knows me too well." He sneered horribly at Dawn and jabbed the barrel of the gun into Liz's temple. "Now, let Tess go and walk over here."

"No Max, don't do it." Dawn felt helpless, but she knew she had to do something. She would never forgive herself if she was responsible for their deaths. She stayed put, thinking fast. "What if I went with you? Would you leave them alone?" Jonathan nodded and pulled the gun away slightly. She took a deep breath and nodded her head. "Alright. I'll go." She turned to Max. "Let Tess go."

"Are you crazy?" Dawn shook her head.

"Jonathan's a maniac, he's not a liar. Just let her go." Max looked uncertain but he released Tess, who immediately ran over to Jonathan. Dawn turned to Jonathan. "Now let Liz go." Jonathan shook his head.