PLEASE review, and tell me if I should keep going!
VVVVVVV
After "Too Late"
"Your part of the case is finished."
"Wait, what?"
Lisbon glanced over at Jane, who had objected. Hightower crossed her arms and leaned back against her desk, addressing Jane.
"You heard me."
Jane raised his eyebrows and gestured in exasperation.
"The killer is right there—sitting right there, and we're not sure yet what he's planning and you're taking us off the case?"
"Yes," Hightower shot back. "Because we do know what he's planning—he said so. He wants the money by tomorrow noon, and if anyone tries to break in, he'll blow the building. It's a hostage situation with explosives set throughout a building. That calls for a SWAT team and a bomb squad, not an analyst."
Lisbon closed her eyes hard, then opened them. She winced. She was beginning to get a migraine. It had to be past midnight. She felt Hightower's gaze on her and drew herself up.
"Lisbon," Hightower said. "You guys can go home and get some rest. You'll get a call if anything happens."
"Okay. Thanks." Normally, Lisbon would have fought it. But her whole back ached and she could barely keep her eyes open. She turned and pushed through the office door and trailed out into the hall.
"Hey. Where are you going?" Jane trotted up beside her. Her brow furrowed.
"Um, home."
"What? You're seriously going to give up that easily?"
Lisbon frowned up at him. His blue eyes looked just as bright as ever, and not one blonde hair was out of place. Man, he was irritating.
"I'm not giving up," she retorted. "But in case you haven't noticed, we've all been awake for seventy-two hours. If I don't get some sleep soon I'm just gonna collapse, okay?"
"Okay, okay," he backed up, holding up his hands, his eyes twinkling. He started to head back toward his couch area. She stopped walking.
"Hey, where are you going?"
He spun back around, looking innocent.
"Oh, I'm just going to hang out here in the office for a while."
Lisbon narrowed her eyes.
"You're going to stay in the office?"
"Yeah," he said easily. "Lie on the couch, get some thinking done." He grinned at her as he started walking again. "Have fun sleeping."
Lisbon rolled her eyes and moaned, then dragged herself to the elevator. She was amazed at herself, but she eventually did make it back home and into her bed. She didn't even remember her head hitting the pillow.
VVVVVVVVVV
Lisbon jerked awake, heart pounding, and slapped her hand down on her ringing cell phone. She flipped it open and put it to her ear while squinting at the glowing red numbers on her clock. It was three in the morning.
"What? What is it?" she gasped into the phone, pushing her hair out of her face.
"Lisbon! You're awake." Jane said, as cheerful as if he was ready for afternoon tea.
"I was not awake," she growled. "Don't you know what time—"
"Sorry, wasn't paying attention. I did actually get some thinking done."
Lisbon sighed and leaned her head back, closing her eyes.
"And?"
"And I'm heading over there."
She opened her eyes.
"Over here?"
"No, over to the warehouse."
Lisbon straightened, realizing that she heard road noise in the background.
"Why?" she demanded. "Jamison said he'd blow up the building if anyone attempted to break in."
"I don't believe him," Jane said. "He's reckless and greedy but not suicidal. He'll have a back door. And I know exactly what to do to lay a trap outside that door."
"And you're willing to bet your life on that," Lisbon said flatly.
"There's no betting involved. It's a sure thing. Just get everybody ready and I'll hand him to you on a silver platter."
She sighed.
"I'll make a call."
"Thanks."
"Oh, and by the way—"
"Yeah?"
"I hate you."
"You hate me?" The surprise in Jane's voice rang in her ear.
"Yes," she stated. "Do you ever consider anyone besides yourself?"
"What? What do you mean?"
"Hightower told you not to do anything—she told you to get some rest. And I was actually getting rest for the first time in weeks, and you call me up in the middle of the night to make me do a job that is meant for a SWAT team. Do you have any concept of how difficult you make my life?"
"Sorry you feel that way," Jane said lightly. "Here's my exit. See you soon."
She hung up on him. Then she threw the phone across the room, tossed off her covers and angrily put her clothes back on.
VVVVVVVVVVV
"Okay, what's the situation?" Lisbon muttered to a SWAT member guarding the perimeter of the warehouse. The old, abandoned warehouse stood on a field of weed-ridden gravel. Its walls were rusty and its windows covered. But it was a big, menacing building, and eerie in the gray morning light. Lisbon stood with the SWAT member in the shadows of the tall trees that surrounded the gravel field.
"The rest of our team is positioned all the way around the gravel, and we're waiting for the negotiator to get here," the SWAT member answered through his helmet. Lisbon nodded, studying the building.
Foliage crunched behind her and she turned. Cho, dark circles under his eyes, approached and nodded at her.
"Anybody got a twenty on Jane?" Lisbon asked him. Cho shook his head.
"No. Nobody's seen him. But his car was found parked about half a mile south of here, and—" Cho stopped as his phone buzzed. He put it to his ear. His eyes flashed.
"Jane?"
Lisbon stepped closer to him. Cho's brow darkened.
"You're an idiot," Cho said.
"What?" Lisbon asked. Cho didn't look at her.
"Did you take anybody with you in there?" he asked Jane.
Lisbon's chest tightened.
"He's in there?"
"Why didn't you?" Cho asked him. "You've got an entire SWAT team out…No, everybody's here. No, we're not doing anything, we're waiting for—"
"Let me talk to him—" Lisbon reached out for the phone.
"Lisbon wants to talk to you. Yes, I told her your car—"
She didn't know how she knew. Long years in law enforcement, perhaps. But the back of her neck tingled, and she whirled around just in time—
To see the warehouse explode.
The blinding flash dazzled her vision just an instant before the hammering thunder of the blast crushed her in the chest and sent her reeling backward. She fell to the ground and threw her arms over her head.
Her pulse pounded in her ears, but she could hear nothing else. Leaves and twigs scratched her face. Haze smothered her. A gloved hand grabbed her arm and hauled her to her feet. She blinked hard, over and over, until her eyes cleared enough to see the roiling, wicked flames and pitch black smoke billowing into the air.
"Jane?" she rasped. Her voice clawed her throat. The SWAT member who had dragged her to her feet guided her to a tree, then raced off. Every sound still slurred. Her head spun. She leaned her hands against the rough bark of the tree, staring at the tumbling pieces of hot metal and the laughing flames.
She began to shake, and felt as if she might be sick. She blinked, her thoughts blank. Her lips moved of their own accord.
"Jane…"
TBC