Disclaimer: I don't own anything except the storyline.

"Cooper, I need you to track a cell phone," Ryan said as he entered the man's cluttered lab.

"Sure," Cooper replied. "What's the number?"

Ryan gave him the number. "Alexx's," Cooper breathed, recognizing it immediately.

Ryan nodded. "It's a long shot, but worth a try."

Cooper inputted the number, then sat back and waited as the computer tried to locate the signal. After several hopeful moments spent in silence, the signal was found.

Ryan was immediately on his phone, calling Horatio. "We have a signal on Alexx's phone," he informed the older man hurriedly as soon as the phone was answered. "They're headed toward the river."

Horatio was already running toward the hummer, with Calleigh and Eric following close behind. Natalia ran to the phone to call the police for backup.

"Where are they?" Horatio asked as he sped out of the parking lot.

"They're on Thompson Road," Ryan replied. "Now they're turning onto Independence Lane."

Horatio drove quickly, lights and sirens blazing. As he turned onto Thompson Road Ryan said, "They've turned onto Shadow Road now, running parallel to the river." After a few seconds he shouted, "It's gone! The signal's gone!"

"Mr. Wolfe, I need that signal," Horatio said, his stress coming through in his voice.

"I don't know what happened," Ryan replied, his voice breaking. "The phone just stopped giving off a signal."

"Where was the last place you saw it?"

"On Shadow Road," Ryan answered, "running north along the river."

"Alright, we'll catch them," Horatio assured him before hanging up.

A few minutes later he turned onto Shadow Road. He stepped on the gas and had soon caught up with the car ahead of them. He pulled up behind it and within a few minutes the car had pulled over. Horatio, Calleigh, and Eric climbed out of the Hummer and ran to the car with their guns drawn.

"Get out of the car, nice and slow," Horatio said to the only man in the vehicle. "Keep your hands where I can see them."

The man obeyed, silently cursing himself for pulling over. He glanced over at Calleigh, who was searching through the vehicle for any signs that Alexx had been there, then at Eric, who was attempting to open the trunk.

"Can I help you?" he asked, his hands still raised.

"Yes, I believe you can," Horatio answered. "What's your name?"

"Howard Greenhill," the trembling man replied.

"That's an interesting tattoo you have there, Howard," Horatio said, referring to the snake wrapped around the man's upper arm.

"Uh, thanks," Howard mumbled. "It's one of a kind. No one else has one just like it. It identifies me as part of the Viper's club."

"Yes, well, it also identifies you as one of the men who kidnapped my friend. You said yourself; it's one of a kind. Now turn around and put your hands on the car."

"Wait a minute! What are you talking about? Kidnapped!?" the man exclaimed.

"Yes, kidnapped," Horatio replied and pointed at Howard's tattoo. "That tattoo was on the arm of the man in the security video in our lab, the man that kidnapped my friend. Now turn around and put your hands on the car. You're under arrest."

Howard finally did as he was told, realizing his mistake, and Horatio handcuffed him. Within minutes a police car arrived and Howard was taken away in it.

"Hey, H," Eric said as Horatio watched the police car drive away. He had opened the trunk and was holding up something he had found in it. As Horatio came closer he saw that it was a hair. "It looks like Alexx's."

"Good, Eric," Horatio commended him. "Bag it and we'll get it to the lab. Before we go, though, dust the trunk inside and out. Let's see whose fingerprints we find."

xxxxxxx

"The only fingerprints we found on the outside of the trunk were Howard's," Eric informed Horatio. "And all of the prints inside belonged to one person. They're Alexx's. The hair we found was also a match to Alexx."

Horatio turned and stared out the tall window in front of him at the city that lay before him. Somewhere out there, he knew, Alexx was alone and scared, waiting for them to save her. "So we know Alexx was in the trunk of that car," Horatio thought aloud. "That should be enough for a warrant to search Howard's house. Maybe we can find something there."

There you go, chapter 4. Two chapters in one week! Yay! Please R&R. And keep criticizing constructively. Thanks.

Ok, it was brought to my attention that some of the dividing symbols I put between my scenes didn't transfer to fanfiction, so several of the scenes ran together, making it look like I'm a horrible author (I'm really not quite that bad). I've attempted to remedy to problem. Let me know if there are any more problems. Sorry I haven't had a chance to update yet. School has started back. I'll get another chapter up as soon as I can.