As he watched them sitting at the table, drinking and talking, the man in the next booth began to laugh silently. He had recognized Griffin as soon as the ex-mercenary had entered the restaurant, but had never dreamed that he would be able to get close enough to him to overhear information as useful as this. He'd quickly picked up on the intensity of the conversation simply by observing the two men from across the room, half-hidden by a conveniently placed plant. Never one to pass up on a golden opportunity, he had chanced moving closer and closer until, still unnoticed, he'd ended up in the neighboring booth, separated from his enemy by no more than the tall, thin wall meant to provide 'privacy'. As the conversation continued, his long-suppressed desire for revenge bubbled back to the surface.

*******

Kermit Griffin was well aware that he was fast approaching his limit for alcoholic intake. 'Just as well,' he thought, 'we seem to be done here, at least with round one.'

He nodded his head, indicating his agreement with Matthew that they should both go home and take some time to process and come to terms with their now-confirmed father/son relationship. First, however, they both needed to share the news with the rest of the family.

'Funny how that doesn't sound strange to me,' he thought. 'I guess because I have actually considered Pete to be family for a while now, and his father just sorta fell into the package when he reappeared in the kid's life.' Still, Kermit couldn't hide the small grin of anticipation as he contemplated his nephew's reaction.

"We should get going, then. Peter said he was going to stop by his father's place after work, so he should be there by now."

Kermit laid down enough money on the table to cover the bill, plus a rather generous tip. A feather-light tickle of warning in the back of his mind caused him to turn, abruptly, to scan the room. Nothing. 'You're just being paranoid,' he told himself. 'Alcohol combined with stress will do it to you every time.'

Replacing his green-tinted shades, he resolved to stay alert for any signs of danger. The quote "just because I'm paranoid, doesn't mean they aren't following me" popped into mind.

That the ex-mercenary had remained unaware of the malignant gaze that silently tracked him as he walked out the door was a testament to the skill of his enemy. The man was obscurely flattered.

"So, you have more family than expected, eh, Griffin? Only these three aren't protected nearly as well as that sister of yours; I'd bet my life on it. In fact, I do believe I'll do just that." The nearly maniacal laughter sent shivers down the spines of the nearby patrons, who were just as glad to see it's owner disappear out into the dark night. ******

The trip to Kwai Chang Caine's apartment was spent in an almost-but-not-quite comfortable silence as priest and ex-merc contemplated the immediate future. Kermit flicked his gaze back and forth from the road to the rearview mirror but was unable to confirm his uneasy feeling that they were being followed. Hesitantly, he attributed it to the stress and tension of the past few days.

'Still,' he mused, 'mercenary instincts die hard. There is no sense in letting my guard go totally slack.'

As they neared the familiar building, Kermit spotted Peter standing out on the balcony. The young man immediately disappeared into the apartment, leaving Kermit with no doubt that they'd been spotted. The kid was standing at the open door, practically bouncing with anticipation, when he and Matthew reached the hall.

As they approached the door, Kermit looked at Matthew, who just shrugged, and turned back to grin at his impatient friend.

"Well, little nephew of mine," his grin spread as Peter's eyes grew impossibly wider, "it looks like it's official."

Peter grinned, triumphantly, and threw an arm around both his grandfather and his uncle. "Yes!"

"We are honored to welcome you to our family." The more subdued, yet still joy-filled voice materialized behind the detective in the form of Kwai Chang Caine. "Peter, perhaps you should let them come in?"

"Oops. Yeah, okay," he grimaced slightly, realizing that the three of them were still standing in the hall.

Kermit reached out and mussed the kid's hair. When Peter gave him a hard look, he successfully completed his first attempt at the "Caine shrug".

"You're my nephew now, kid. Isn't that what uncle's do?"

No longer able to keep up the facade of indignity, Peter just chuckled and smoothed his hair back into place.

******

Outside the apartment building, he smiled in anticipation. It had not been easy to avoid detection while following his enemy, but he had learned from the best. While he sat watching, he turned his attention to the building looming before him and contemplated his next coarse of action. The young man he'd seen out on the balcony just moments before would be the first, he decided. From what he'd overheard at the restaurant, he assumed the man was Detective Peter Caine, the hero cop he'd seen so much of on the local news. In his mind, the man's profession only served to make the target more appealing. He got back into his rented Ford Taurus and drove back to his loft to start planning.

******

The following morning, Kermit steeled himself for a whole lot of ribbing as he entered the precinct. Strangely enough, nobody said a word as he walked through the bullpen toward his office. Looking around, he caught the openly curious stares of his colleagues. He also noted the all to conspicuous absence of Peter Caine. Mary Margaret was the first to approach him, followed closely by Jody and Blake.

"So?"

"So, what?" he asked, slightly baffled by their apparent lack of knowledge. He didn't believe for one second that Peter would not have already spread the news to the entire precinct, if not to the whole city by now.

"So, are two of my top detectives related or not?" Captain Simms approached from behind. "And if you are, maybe you can tell me just where in the hell your nephew is?"

"He's not here?" Kermit's confusion was accompanied by a growing feeling of dread. He knew Peter well enough to know that nothing would have kept him from at least being present for this particular announcement, so long as he was able. Which left only one possibility: he was not able.

Karen watched the rapid play of emotions cross Kermit's face.

"What is it Kermit?"

"I'm not sure. I had a strange feeling last night, like I was being watched. It happened once while Matthew and I were talking at Chandler's, and again when we were on our way to Caine's place. I didn't see anything out of the ordinary, though, so I figured it was probably just due to the current situation. Now, I'm not so sure."

"What kind of strange feeling?" Mary Margaret asked, suddenly concerned for her partner's welfare.

"He is in danger." Kwai Chang Caine appeared at Mary Margaret's side, followed closely by Matthew. "I can feel his fear and his anger. Can you not sense it as well, brother?"

Kermit nodded slowly, carefully assessing his own emotions and discovering turmoil that should not be present. Softly, he cursed himself for not having trusted his instincts the previous evening. He had allowed himself to be lulled into a false sense of security and had pushed aside his intuitions of danger. Now it looked like the kid was going to be the one to pay for Kermit's error in judgement. The battle-hardened ex-merc sent a prayer to any and all deities who might be listening that this mistake did not turn out to be a fatal one.

Karen sighed and led the small troop into her office, beckoning Chief Strenlich to join them.

******

Peter woke up slowly, dragging his conscious mind unwillingly out from the darkness. The first thing he noticed was that he was hanging, suspended by his tethered wrists, from a low beam in the ceiling. This discovery was immediately followed by the knowledge that he was totally naked.

"Well, well, looks like nephew-boy is finally coming around." The cold, disembodied voice floated around him, seeping out from nowhere, and yet from everywhere. He twisted frantically, trying to discover its source, wincing at the sharp pain that sliced through his shoulders at the movement. The voice returned, this time filled with obvious amusement. "Yes, Detective, please do continue to struggle. Your pain, which I assure you is only beginning, my dear boy, is quite entertaining."

"Who the hell are you, what do you want from me?"

Insane laughter reached out from the blackness to caress him. Despite the relative warmth of the room, Peter shivered violently. When the soulless laughter finally paused to answer his question, two chilling words wrapped him in a blanket of unparalleled fear.

"Your screams."

End part 7

Part 8
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