Setting the tray down on the deck table, Kevin scanned the backyard for his wife. Finding her sitting in the grass, a book on her lap he covered the tray of food and headed down the stairs to her.

Alec jumped when the shadow crossed her page and she slowly looked up, her look of surprise disappearing as she laid eyes on her husband. "You startled me." she said breathlessly.

"Didn't mean to." he explained, moving beside her. "The locksmith finally left, I paid him and decided to make a late lunch and surprise you. What are you up to?"

"Catching up on a little reading."

"Anything good?"

"Just something I found laying around in the den." she leaned back on her elbows. "You mentioned food."

"Its up on the deck."

She nodded. "Want to bring it down here?"

"Picnic?"

"Be kinda nice."

He nodded in agreement. "It would at that. Be right back."

*****

Sitting in his car across the TransCon parking lot, he drank his now cold coffee and looked up at the building. Big Lou had to leave the building sometime, and when he did he'd be right there behind him. Hearing the car door open he jumped as someone slid in the passenger seat. "Jeeze!! Give me a damn heart attack why don't ya?"

David grinned. "Sorry, but you shouldn't leave your door unlocked." he glanced at the building. "He do anything?"

"Not that I know of." he studied David who was staring intently at the building. "What are you doing here by the way?"

He held up a bag, "Well I brought you a couple coffees."

"Thanks. I could use a hot one."

"Figured."

"Sorry 'bout calling you before."

"S'ok."

"Any news?" Sam asked, opening one of the coffees.

"Nothing. Still digging."

Sam nodded, glancing towards the building. "Hey isn't that our man now?"

David leaned forward, "Yeah that's Lou. Stay on him, I want to know where he's going and who he's seeing."

"You wanna tag along?" Sam asked, starting the engine.

"That okay with you?"

"Yeah...where's your car?"

"Office. I had my secretary drop me off here. Figured you'd still be around TransCon."

*****

Lou set his briefcase on top of the hood and unlocked the door to his car as he scanned the parking lot. Take a deep breath and calm down he told himself, he was just paranoid. With everything that was going on it was to be expected, he rationalized. He was simply seeing things that weren't there. Pulling out of the parking lot he glanced in the rear view seeing a car slowly pulling out of a stall. Nothing to worry about, just another employee heading off somewhere. With that thought in mind he turned the radio on and headed into Orlando traffic.

*****

"How's Kev?" Lis asked, roaming around her kitchen. It felt good to finally be home. Part of her never ever wanted to see that beachhouse as long as she lived.

Alec smiled into the phone, "He's good." she answered, looking out the window where he sat on the deck, asleep on one of the deck chairs.

"That's good to know." Lis hopped up on the counter. "I can't believe you're still at the beachhouse."

"Yeah well since the contracts appeared Kevin hasn't exactly been too eager to leave."

"Since what showed up?" she asked confused.

"You didn't know?"

"Know what?"

"Someone put the four unsigned contracts here..."

Lis stayed silent, it felt like someone had knocked the wind out of her. "How did they get in?" she asked finally regaining her voice.

"We're not sure...we had a locksmith come by earlier and change all the locks."

She sighed, "This never ends does it?"

"Never ending circle." Alec agreed, "But Kev may have a way out."

"Which is what?"

"Signing."

*****

Nick watched as Lis entered the bathroom. "I want this to end Nick." she said, pulling the razor out of his hand.

"It will."

"No, now!!!"

He noticed her shaking and pulled her in front of him, pinning her between him and the counter. "What is it?"

"Lou had someone in the beachhouse...they put the contracts there. Nick I can't live like this...I don't want to come home and find someone in here, I'm tired of being scared..."

He cupped her face in his hands. "What do you want me to do? Sign with him?"

She searched his eyes. "Then what? He's still here...in our lives...controlling you..."

"But you wouldn't worry..."

"I still would. He's crazy what if he hurts you?"

"I'd care more about him hurting you somehow...he tried to drive us apart before Lis with those pictures, I don't want him using you against me...that's the only way he'd win...if he threatened you I'd do anything to protect you."

*****

Sam slowed the car to a stop as they watched Lou get out of his vehicle and hand the keys over to a parking attendant. "What the hell..."

David had an equally confused expression on his face. "This is a surprise."

A plane flew low overhead. "He can't be going far." Sam reasoned. "He didn't have a suitcase."

"He has enough money he could buy what he needed." was David's comeback as he leaned back against the seat.

"Shit."

"My thoughts too." his eyes narrowed as he watched Lou walk across the parking lot to another building. "Maybe he isn't going away...maybe he just has a meeting." he said.

"Well we'll just sit here and wait and see what happens."

Five minutes later Lou was back in his car and heading back towards Orlando, David and Sam a few cars behind.

*****

Nick parked his car in Brian's driveway and jogged towards the door. Ringing the bell he stepped back and stared at the house. He had to be home, the only ones at the beachhouse were Alec and Kevin and he wasn't about to go there alone.

"Nick!" Shan said in surprise.

"Bri home?"

"Out back in the hammock." she waved him inside, "You look flustered."

He shrugged, "Lotta stuff on my mind. Mind if I..."

"Go ahead."

*****

Taking a deep breath Brian stopped pacing his yard. "So these contracts..." he started, turning around to face his friend.

"Appeared out of nowhere apparently. Lis didn't do a lot of questioning. She was in too much shock I think..."

"Shit!! Why the hell didn't he call us??"

"Because he's contemplating signing his."

"WHAT????" Brian yelled, his voice echoing through the yard.

Nick winced at the loudness of his friend's voice. "Uh huh. That's what Alec told Lis."

"My cousin's lost his mind hasn't he?"

"I'd say he's getting close."

*****

Using her spare key Shan let herself into Nick and Lis' house and shut the door behind her. "Hello??" she called. Lis' car had been in the driveway so she should of been home.

"Shan?" Lis asked, coming down the stairs. "What are you doing here?"

"Brought food." she held up the pizza box. "And since I figure you can explain why your husband and mine went tearing out of my house about an hour ago here I am."

She sighed. "I only know a little."

"Well right now that's more than I do. Time to eat and talk."

*****

Bri and Nick had Kevin backed up against the wall. "Just what in the hell are you thinking?" Bri practically yelled, hitting him in the chest with the contract.

Kevin took a deep breath. "That this nightmare has run its course, gone on long enough. I don't want to put Alec through this anymore."

"So you're going to sign with Lou??????" Nick asked in disbelief. "Come on Kev, you've been the most adamant about this..."

"I don't have to explain myself to you...we're not a group anymore remember?"

Brian watched as Nick backed off at his words, "You know what though, we all still thought we were brothers."

Nick tried to control his anger. It felt like he could fly across the room and hit Kev a few times, trying to get the old Kevin...the sane, rational Kevin back.

Kevin glared at his cousin, "AJ signed..."

"Oh yeah AJ signed...big whoop. Hello he had his reasons..."

"And I have mine."

"AJ signed so he could try and get some information out of Lou..."

"Oh that worked well didn't it?" Kevin yelled bitterly.

Nick shook his head, "Fine do what you want...sign that paper, be Lou's new best friend...hell let him adopt you for all I care but I never want to have another thing to do with you as long as I live."

*****

Alec cringed as the shouting grew louder and she slipped out the back door onto the deck. Pulling her cell phone out of its holder she hit speed dial and waited for someone to answer.

*****

Howie set his stack of papers down and stared at the table. "I know I heard a cell phone." he said, moving a few papers around.

Jenn shrugged. "I turned mine off." she answered, not looking up from her stack of notes.

Hearing the ring again, Howie lifted up an overturned storage box and found the ringing phone. "Knew I heard one." he said, "Hello?"

"D?"

"Alec?"

"Why are you using Ty's phone?" she asked.

"I didn't know who's it was when I answered."

"Well can I talk to your wife."

"Course you can." he leaned back in his chair so he could have a clear view of the kitchen. "Give me a minute, she's using the fax machine."

*****

E sat behind David's desk, typing away on the computer while waiting for the fax to come in. Drumming her nails on the desk, she moved the chair back and stood up slowly. Having spent most of the day there her entire body began to ache. Picking up her half empty coffee cup she left and went down the hall to the small kitchen and poured herself a fresh cup. "E?"

She turned around to find David's secretary there. "Hey...any news from David?"

"Nothing yet. He said he'd call if he found anything relevant. You could go on home if you want, he has your cell number."

"I'm waiting on a couple faxes." she rubbed her neck tiredly. "You're here awful late."

"Doing the filing."

E followed her down the hallway. "Can you do me a favor?"

"Sure."

"I have a stack of papers that need to be sorted...David made notes on some of them and I can't read some of the writing..."

"Course. Give me about ten minutes and I'll be free to help."

*****

"What are you doing right now?"

Alec glanced inside the beachhouse. "Nothing."

"Wanna come over? You can explain some things to us."

"Us?"

"Me and Shan." Lis explained. "We've got pizza...I'm gonna run out and get some wine...we can get nice and drunk if we want."

Checking her watch Alec sighed. "Give me half an hour. I'll bring the wine on my way over."

"You sure?"

"Yeah. I need to get out of here."

*****

Sitting out on the boat Nick stared out at the water, hoping it would calm him in some way. Shutting his eyes he leaned back against the bench and lost himself in thought. What had happened to all of them? He wasn't sure he even recognized them any more, or even himself. The Kevin he knew half his life wouldn't ever sign with Lou. Unless he was scared. But they all were, hell they'd been scared since he first reappeared in their lives with the envelopes...when he'd proposed breaking the group up to save themselves and their families.

*****

"What do we do now?" Sam asked, his eyes still on the hotel.

"Well one of us should go in."

"We both could."

"Has he seen you?" David asked, slowly opening the door.

"No...I've stayed far enough back when I'm tailing him."

"All right if he does recognize you I can always get someone else to tail him. Come on."

*****

Walking through the lobby they scanned the area for Lou not seeing him anywhere. "He could of gone up to meet whoever."

"Might have. But I say check the bar and restaurant." David said, heading towards the bar.

Both men stopped in the doorway as they saw Lou at the bar talking animatedly with a woman. "Whoa."

"Lou with a woman?"

"Stranger things have happened." David commented. "Lets go in."

They moved to a table in the corner and ordered a drink while they watched Lou and the woman move to a table in the opposite corner. "What do you think he's up to?"

"Not a clue. At least he isn't meeting with Paul. That's a good thing."

*****

"Still here?" David said in surprise as he shrugged his jacket off.

"Yep." E answered, glancing up from the fax machine. "I've been working with Ty and Jenn half the day, going back and forth over the fax."

"I have a better idea, why don't you all work out of here this week like you wanted?"

"Perfect. I'll call everyone and let them know."

"Conference room is all yours..."

"How was your errand?"

"Uneventful." he sunk into the chair across from the desk. "Turned out he just had a business meeting across town. Not Paul. I stuck around to see who left the building after Lou did."

*****

Kevin woke up slowly on the couch, after Brian and Nick had left their screaming match he'd found Alec outside and told her he was going to grab a nap on the couch. Given the house was now dark and silent he figured he'd been out a lot longer then he'd expected. Slowly getting to his feet he made his way to the hallway and turned on the hallway lights, heading upstairs. He felt the need for a long, hot shower to soak the pain out from his muscles and then he'd go about finding his wife. Making his way through their room into the bathroom he found a piece of paper taped to the mirror with his wife's familiar handwriting: Went to see Lis...be back late.

*****

Pouring another glass of wine Alec walked around the patio and stared out at the water. "The boat's gone." she said, turning to glance at her friend.

Lis shrugged. "Nick probably parked near the dock. There's a back road in he uses sometimes when he wants to be alone."

"Hmmm." she leaned on the railing.

Shan put the last piece of pizza on her plate. "So they had a pretty good shouting match?"

"More then pretty good. One of the worst I think they've had."

"And that's saying a lot. They've had some good ones lately." Lis commented.

"They're afraid...of everything...hell of each other."

*****

AJ flipped the switch and light flooded his bedroom as he walked in and collasped on the bed. "Damn who knew paperwork could be that tiring." he muttered, his fingers rubbing his tired eyes.

"Well when you're reading everything over fifty times trying to spot something meaningful..." Jenn said as she fell into bed beside him.

"There has to be something somewhere though right? I mean Lou couldn't have covered his tracks this perfectly?"

"Maybe we're just not looking in the right stuff."

He sighed, his arm reaching out and pulling her against him. "If we don't find something soon maybe I'll go have another chat."

"That'll work well."

"What? I can't be persuasive?"

She leaned her head on his chest. "No its just Lou might be wise to what you're up to."

*****

Nick threw his clothes across the room, waking Lis up with the sound of his mutterings. "What happened?"

He turned to her, "He is so infuriating!!!!"

"That's not new...Kev's been infuriating since I met him."

He fell into bed beside her. "He's going to sign."

"What?"

"He and Alec have discussed it I guess. He thinks its the best move for their future." he rubbed his eyes tiredly. "Lou's getting us all where he wants us."