The first ambulance, driven by Theresa Cialino, turned right onto the main road, forcing traffic to one side while the second emergency vehicle, driven by her cousin, James Fox, hesitated just long enough for the trailing sheriff's car to appear in his rear view mirror. When it did, he accelerated into traffic, turning left.

Brandy watched the scene from the back of the first van as she removed her EMT's garb. "That was fun. I've never been a fugitive before."

"Accomplice, lass, I'm the fugitive." Angus winced as he removed the IV from his arm. "Theresa, how much farther?"

"Two minutes, hang on." Theresa cut the siren, then pulled off the main road into an industrial park. Slowing to traverse the speed bumps, she followed an alleyway back to a row of self-store garages.

Reaching into her jacket pocket, she removed a garage door opener and activated it.

The second to the last garage door rolled open, revealing a silver 2004 Audi TT Roadster.

Angus, now dressed in a black Nike sweat suit and sunglasses, climbed down from the back of the ambulance. "Well done, team. Brandy, ye're wi' me. Theresa an' Francesca, ye ken whit tae dae."

The nurse reached up and kissed Angus passionately on the lips. "Don't worry about us, we'll be fine."

Angus swatted her playfully on the behind. "Indeed ye will, but another kiss like that, an' I'll really end up in the hospital."

Loch Ness

True MacDonald's eyes grew wide as a thousand feet of umbilical cord quickly disappeared below the surface. "Zachary, can ye hear me? Zachary, come in!"

As the last of the slack was taken up, the floating aluminum barrel suddenly shot across the surface, moving at fifteen knots as it sped toward the eastern shore.

"Shyte!" True hurried into the wheelhouse and started the twin engines, racing the trawler yacht after the barrel.

The aluminum tank struck the embankment with a resounding, bong, spun around three times, then was forcibly yanked underwater.

"Gee-zus!" True cut the engines and waited for the barrel to reappear. When it didn't, he gunned the motor, heading south toward Aldourie Pier. "I warned him an' warned him, but did he bloody listen? "Course not!"

True reversed the engines and drifted in to the pier, tossing the bow-line to his father. "Tie that off, will ye, Pop?"

Alban complied. "Whit happened?"

"Ye ken whit happened. The monster took him."

"Then he's deid."

"He's no' deid!" True rummaged through a wooden crate, grabbing a flashlight and the two remaining underwater charges. Climbing over the starboard rail, he jumped down to the pier and double-timed it toward shore, his father in tow.

"Whit are ye gonnae dae now then, laddie?"

"Rescue Zack."

"Ye cannae! The lair's off-limits, ye ken that."

"I dinnae care aboot breakin' the blood oath," he said, hurrying up the grassy acreage to Aldourie Castle. "Zachary's my best friend."

"Son, listen tae me… if the creature took him, ye ken it's a'ready too late."