A/N: Many thanks to wolfmusic218 for the beta and the cheerleadin'-like-she's-gettin'-paid-to-do-it. :)
"Shoot." Carter searched in vain through the weaponry in the glove compartment and closed it before picking her purse up from the floorboard to rifle through again. "I probably left it at home on the counter."
Reese turned his head briefly as he drove. "You want to go back and get it?"
"No, it's okay."
"You sure? We just left."
"No. I'll give it to her later."
Letting the issue drop, Reese continued driving. They were en route to Carter's mother's house for a small birthday gathering, and apparently they'd forgotten the earrings she'd gotten for her mother as a gift.
The sun was setting rapidly as they drove through relatively light traffic. Always aware of his surroundings, Reese found himself spending more and more time looking in the rear view mirror the further he drove. He wasn't entirely sure yet but there was a dark sedan—probably a Buick—that appeared to be going to the same place they were. It happened often enough. Coincidences, nothing more. But he and coincidences weren't really good friends.
Even though they needed to go straight through the upcoming light, Reese hit the turn signal to make a left and steered the car into the turn lane.
"What are you doing?" Carter dropped her purse back to the floor and turned to him.
The car turned with them. There were definitely two males in the front, and since he didn't get along well with coincidences, Reese put himself on alert, tightening his grip on the steering wheel and plotting his next move. "It looks like a couple of guys want to invite themselves to your mother's party."
She followed his line of sight to the rear view mirror and instinctively turned around in her seat to look out the back window. "That Buick?"
Reese again looked at the rear view mirror. "Yes."
"Damn," Carter sighed. This was definitely not the time. Definitely not the place. Who the hell was after John now? What was he working on? Whenever something like this went down, she always questioned her decision to be with him. She wasn't proud of it but it was what it was; she couldn't always control her thoughts. But, they were a unit now, stuck together, bonded for life.
They came upon a strip of storefronts with on-street parking. Reese pulled the vehicle over and they both watched as the suspicious car pulled over four or five cars back. He silently cursed the darkness for hindering his ability to see into the vehicle and determine how many people he was dealing with. No matter. He'd know soon enough.
He unbuckled his seatbelt and leaned across Carter to get a gun from the glove compartment. He leaned forward in his seat and placed the weapon at the small of his back underneath his polo shirt. "I'm going to go say 'hi.'" He added unnecessarily, "Stay here."
Carter watched as he got out of the car and rounded it, walking casually into the coffee shop. She looked into the side mirror to see where John would come out and her heart began racing. Immediately, two figures exited the vehicle on opposite sides and started heading her way. Shit. She reached into the glove box and retrieved the other small handgun. Her considered options rapidly expanded before quickly dwindling. She had one gun and two armed men closing in on each side of her car. Pedestrian activity was light but these guys obviously didn't care that there were still people around. Her decision made, she climbed into the driver's seat, the motor still running, and looked into the rear view mirror again. John was probably just making it out the back of the shop but her time was up. She took the car out of park and peeled off.
"Dammit!" She thought she'd have more of a head start if they had to run back to their car to come after her. But the car they'd abandoned had a driver behind the wheel and quickly pulled out of its spot, stopping to pick up the other two, before coming after her. So, not only was she dealing with at least three people, they clearly wanted her and not John. The traffic light ahead of her was red and she cursed again. Coming up behind two vehicles stopped at the light, she slowed. She was going to have to drive on the wrong side of the road to get around them and run the light. She went for it, darting between traffic crossing in front of her. Jesus, why now?
Her hands gripping the steering wheel tightly, she needed to concentrate on weaving through traffic. Her cell phone was in her bag on the floorboard and she cursed John in her mind for deciding to take this car where her bluetooth was not connected. She was going too fast to take her eyes off the road to get it, and she didn't have time to think about why she was being targeted. She just needed to get away and not get into a wreck. She swerved and made a hard right, taking swift glances into the rear view mirror at the vehicle still pursuing her.
John turned the corner in time to hear tires wailing and fast-moving tail lights in the distance. The Buick was gone. He jogged a few feet, already knowing what else wasn't where he'd left it moments before. His heart clenched in his chest and his face turned glacial as he switched into operative mode, his second skin. He wouldn't panic. He never panicked. He stepped to the closest parked car while taking his phone out of his pocket. A single swipe and press of a button had him calling Joss. Finding the door unlocked, he quickly got inside, putting the phone on speaker before tossing it onto the passenger seat and pulling down the plastic cover beneath the steering wheel. The phone just rang, mocking him, while he hotwired the car. He was pulling away from the curb in seconds.
Carter heard her phone ringing incessantly. It frazzled her nerves and she tried to reach for it, jerking back up when she heard gunshots. No. No no no no no. They rang out, ricocheting off the car's metal frame. "Go! Move out of the way!" she yelled helplessly, pointlessly at the cars blocking her path. She clipped a car as she maneuvered around it, barely avoiding sideswiping another as she ran through an intersection. This wasn't working. She couldn't shake them and they were shooting at the car. She couldn't have a wreck at this speed. She couldn't have them shooting into the car.
One hand on the steering wheel, Reese drove with little direction while he held his phone in front of him, speaker still on, and waited for Finch to answer. His eyes searched in front of him, down every intersection he passed. He wouldn't panic. He would not panic. "Finch. Track Carter's phone. Now."
Finch immediately sat up from his couch, on alert instantly.
"Someone's after her and I lost her. She was driving south on Delway." He tried to wait patiently, knowing the computer whiz would get him what he needed as soon as was humanly possible.
His laptop on his coffee table, always on, Finch moved the mouse and went to work without preamble. He found Carter's location as well as Reese's. "Okay, John. Sending her coordinates to your phone now." A couple of keystrokes and a click of the mouse and it was done. "Her phone is no longer moving. Three minutes should get you there."
John looked at the map on his phone and listened to the verbal instructions being given. She was stopped somewhere and she'd gotten far fast. His heart rate was beginning to crescendo out of his control. But he could not panic. He couldn't.
Carter heard more gunfire and realized they were shooting at the tires, not into the car. They weren't trying to kill her, not yet anyway. They wanted something from her. She made another wild right, backtracking and going in circles a bit, trying not to get too far from where she'd left John because she knew he was coming. But, again, her time was up. Horns blared as she ran yet another intersection. This was it. She couldn't risk it any longer. They only wanted her. Another right took her down an alley. A single streetlamp at the outlet lit the path and she stopped the vehicle. Ten seconds later, the other car screamed into the alley behind her and two of the men jumped out.
Not wanting to give them any reason to open fire, she opened the driver's side door and stepped out slowly, hands up and in plain sight. She tried to move toward them, not wanting them to approach the car. But one of them was on her in seconds, yelling at her not to move, and slamming her against the car, immobilizing her while zip tying her hands. Her heart dropped when the other approached the opposite side of her car, gun drawn.
"Shit! There's a baby in the backseat."
Please. Please no. Carter pleaded internally. She felt herself being shoved toward their vehicle, anguish written on her face. She almost cried when the man hauling her spoke to his partner. "Leave it. Let's go." Relief flowed through her even while she was being kidnapped. John would find him soon. Her baby would be okay.
Reese pulled into the abandoned alley and immediately saw his car. He was out of his borrowed transportation in seconds, gun in hand as he approached the driver's side, the door open. He refused to panic even as his body shook with adrenaline and fear. He felt tears burning in the back of his eyes, angry at himself for panicking and terrified at what he would find. Gun drawn, he rounded the trunk and tried to force himself to breathe.
He took in the scene and emotion bludgeoned him before he got himself back under control. A mixture of relief and horror. She was gone. He didn't see any blood, but Joss was gone. Her purse was still on the floorboard and he was sure he'd find her phone inside. A gun was on the front passenger seat and he knew in an instant she'd given herself up to protect their son. He felt his heart breaking before he tucked his gun back into his pants, opened the back door, and climbed into the backseat. He was wound so tightly, he couldn't allow himself to touch the baby's cheek. His touch wouldn't bring comfort. Only bringing his mother back would. In the darkness, he could see the whites of the infant's wide eyes as they searched for his face. He was quiet, though. Quiet and safe.
Reese quickly climbed out of the backseat and into the driver's seat. He put the running vehicle in drive and slowly drove out of the alley, digging his phone out of his pocket. He swallowed the bile in his throat. "Finch. Meet me at the library. She's gone."