Tuesday, 10:30 p.m.
It had been a normal day for Special Agent Don Eppes. Normal, of course, meant catching a high profile case, running down leads, and getting shot at; but, in the end, they had caught the bad guy, which meant Don could go home and relax. He'd already sent his team home and was now heading for the car park underneath the FBI building in L.A.
They had been on a role lately. Out of six cases in the past month, they had solid evidence for convictions in five. The sixth was more frustrating, but Don sensed a break was coming. The Director had just told him that morning that commendations would be added to the files of all of Don's team members. Don hadn't told them yet, but he really couldn't have been more proud of them and was planning a celebratory dinner in their honor. He'd called his father during the day to ask for suggestions and was assured that Alan Eppes would take care of everything - which was pretty much what Don had been hoping for, to be honest. He was good at his job, but when it came to planning parties, his skills were somewhat lacking.
For once, everything seemed to be falling into place. Work was going well, he was on a solid foundation with his father, and he and Charlie had been getting along better than ever. Things were even going well with Liz, though she was out of town for the week at a conference. Life was good.
So when he felt the cold muzzle of a gun pressed into the back of his neck after getting into his SUV, he was understandably upset.
"Who the hell are you?" He chanced a glance into the rearview mirror, but whoever was behind him was well hidden in shadows.
They took no pains, however, to disguise their voice. "I'm the one with a gun to your head."
It was a woman. He was being held at gunpoint by a woman. Her voice was flat and emotionless, with only a slight Southern accent, but it was definitely a woman.
He was never going to live this down.
"Point taken. What do you want?"
"Pull your service weapon and your back-up piece. Move slowly." The gun was removed from his neck, which was both good and bad. Good because it told Don that he wasn't going to be killed just yet. Bad because it meant he couldn't try anything if he didn't know where the gun was. Whoever this woman was, she clearly had some experience.
Don pulled his gun from its holster, and then removed his back-up from his ankle. "What do you want me to do with them?"
"Out the window."
Don dropped the guns as gently as he could, keeping his hands visible. "Look, we can talk about this. You can still walk away."
"Not really, no. Buckle up, and then put your hands on the wheel."
The gun hadn't made a reappearance, but Don had no doubt that it was still there. He did as directed. "What do you want?"
"There will be plenty of time for questions later, Special Agent Eppes."
Not good. This definitely wasn't random.
"I'm going to show you some pictures. Sit still, and keep your hands on the wheel." Don tried not to squirm as a gloved hand reached in front of him with a picture. The world came into sharp focus as he recognized his brother's house, his father figuring prominently as he worked in the yard.
The next picture was of Charlie. He was standing in front of a class, gesturing animatedly as he explained impossibly complex formulas. The picture had been taken through a window from a sniper's perspective, crosshairs superimposed over his brother's head.
"You stay away from them!" Don started to turn his head and was rewarded with the return of the muzzle behind his ear.
"Calm down." More pictures followed. Megan Reeves getting into her car, David Sinclair talking on his cell phone, Colby Granger on his morning jog. Liz at her conference.
"I know I'm missing a few people, including Drs. Fleinhart and Ramanujan, but I just got into town a day ago. Didn't have time for a full tour of your social life. Just be aware that I can get to them if I need to."
"I get it," Don grated out. "What do you want?"
"An end to war, democratic elections in China, a new flavor at Baskin Robbins. I want a lot of things, Agent Eppes, but the only thing I need right now is already in my possession. Now, you're going to do exactly as I tell you, or baby brother bites it first. I have associates watching him now. He spends a lot of time in that garage, doesn't he? And once they're done with baby bro, well … not that difficult to get to Daddy. Understand?"
Don could only nod, everything he wanted to say likely to get someone he loved killed.
"Good. Now, you're going to make a couple of phone calls. Here's your script for the first one." A paper floated in front of him. "Get out your cell and dial up your brother's house. You will say what is on the paper, and only what is on the paper, or I make a call of my own."
Don pulled out his cell phone and tried to concentrate on the paper in front of him as he waited for someone to pick up. "What if it's the answering machine?"
"Doesn't matter. Just read."
"You've reached the Eppes residence. Leave a message."
"Dad, Charlie, it's Don. I'm sorry, but I had to do this to protect you. I went a little too far this time. A number divided by zero is always zero, and that's where I ended up. I love you both."
He hung up, fighting back tears of rage. "Why are you doing this?"
"I had a bad childhood. I'll give you a minute to calm down."
That didn't make Don feel much better, but he took advantage of the silence to regain control of his emotions.
A second sheet of paper appeared before him. "When you're ready, make a decision. Reeves, Sinclair, or Granger – your choice."
Yet another surprise. Since when did the bad guys (or girls) give you a choice about anything? He hit number four on his speed dial.
"Reeves."
"Megan, it's Don. Don't interrupt, just listen, okay? I've been kidnapped and…and will be executed within the next twelve hours." Don swallowed down the fear. "There are no demands to be met, no last minute reprieves to be expected. Don't blame yourself. I should have minded my own business."
"Don? Don, what's going on?"
The panic in her voice was plain, and it sent a surge of anger through Don. He couldn't just leave it there. He scrabbled for his seat belt as he tried to lunge into the passenger seat. "Megan, you have to protect my dad and Charlie! She's gonna go after them-" He felt a sharp prick in his neck and cried out, his strength fading fast. "Megan. prom'se me y'loo af'er 'em."
He collapsed, dropping the phone onto the floor. He could hear Megan calling his name frantically, and the last thing he saw was a pair of eyes staring sadly down at him.
xXxXx
Tuesday, 10:40 p.m.
"Don! Don, what happened? Where are you?!" Megan stared at her phone as it disconnected, cutting off the struggle she had heard in the last few seconds of Don's call. "No!"
There was no time to waste. She dialed the direct line for the IT guys at the office. "This is Special Agent Megan Reeves declaring a Code Black Emergency regarding Special Agent Don Eppes. Run a trace on his phone immediately." She hung up and immediately called David. Technically, her next call should have been to the Director, but Don's plea rang loudly in her head.
"Sinclair."
"David, someone's taken Don, and they've threatened Alan and Charlie. I need you to get to the Eppes' home now and secure it. I'll pull some agents from the night rotation, but get moving! Keep me posted."
Megan felt bad about hanging up on him, but there was no time to waste. She was running to her car as she called Colby.
"Yeah, Granger."
"Colby, get to the office. Don's been taken, Code Black, and we've got a deadline."
She was immensely grateful that Colby didn't ask questions, just uttered a short expletive and then told her he'd meet her there.
Just one more call to make.
"Director, this is Megan Reeves. We have a Code Black Emergency concerning Agent Eppes. He's been abducted."
xXxXx
Tuesday, 11:20 p.m.
David Sinclair had always prided himself on being a rational, careful man who always thought before he took any action. As he drove toward the Eppes home, though, the only thing running through his head was a string of expletives. Based on Megan's brief but panicked call, there were a dozen scenarios playing themselves out in his mind, none of them guaranteeing a happy ending.
He dialed the phone again, dividing his attention between driving at an incredibly high speed and trying again to reach the Eppes family. Once again, the answering machine picked up, and David closed his phone forcefully. He took a deep breath, and then dialed Megan.
"David, give me some good news."
"I'm ten minutes out, but they're still not answering."
"I rolled two more units, they should be there about five minutes after you."
"Any news on Don?" He heard Colby's voice in the background shouting.
"The trace puts his cell phone in the parking garage. We're still working on the SUV. We're going down now, call me when you get to Charlie's."
For the second time that night, Megan had hung up on David, but he didn't mind. The news about the trace had lodged a knot of worry in the pit of his stomach. If the cell phone was in the garage, then Don had never made it home, had probably been taken from FBI Headquarters – one of the most secure buildings in Los Angeles.
He pulled into the driveway of the Craftsman home owned by Don's brother a few minutes later and killed the engine. There was nothing to indicate that anyone was home, no lights in the windows and no sounds from the garage. David drew his weapon and checked the exterior before trying the front door. It was locked, which eased David's fears a bit. He pulled his keys from his pocket, selected the correct one (a remnant of the Russian mafia case), and unlocked the door. There was no sign of forced entry, but David took no chances, shining his flashlight into the corners and checking windows and the back door.
There was no one home.
xXxXx
Tuesday, 11:40 p.m.
Megan wasn't having much luck on her end, either.
They had located the phone next to Don's usual parking space, his service weapon and back-up next to it. His SUV was gone, but in its place was a pile of photographs, each depicting a member of the team or Don's family. It was a clear message.
"That has to be how they got him. He wouldn't go along with them unless he thought his family was in danger."
Megan smiled sadly. "Give yourself some credit, Granger. He's trying to protect all of us."
"What's going on, Megan? We haven't had a specific threat made against any of us in months."
"None of this makes sense."
"Agent Reeves?" Megan turned to see one of the security technicians waving her over. He had a surveillance camera in his hands.
"What did you find out?"
"When we went to check the surveillance video, we discovered that there was no footage for this camera from approximately 1830 hours on. There's no problem with the camera itself, so I'm thinking the camera's signal was blocked by something. That kind of tech would be expensive and very hard to get."
"Okay, thanks Cooper." Megan ran a hand through her hair in frustration as she walked back to Colby. "We're getting nowhere. How does someone get in here, steal one of our guys, and get out without being seen?"
Colby's answer was cut off by the ringing of Megan's cell phone.
"Reeves."
"Alan and Charlie just pulled in. What do you want me to tell them?"
Megan sighed. "Tell them Don's missing, and then bring them here. Maybe Charlie can work some of his magic to help us figure out what the hell is going on."
Tuesday, 11:50 p.m.
Alan wasn't expecting three FBI agents and a dozen police officers to be waiting in his living room when he got home. It was enough to set him on edge, and he held back a little as Charlie moved further into the house.
"David? What's going on?" Charlie's tone had a forced cheer to it. His expression, though, was one of suspicion.
"Alan. Charlie." David hesitated, and Alan felt a jolt of fear stab into his heart. He sank into the nearest chair, his voice faint as he asked the dreaded question.
"What's happened to Donnie?"
David sat across from him. "We're not sure."
"What do you mean, 'not sure'? Tell us what's going on!" Charlie tucked his arms around his middle in an effort to keep control.
"Megan got a call about an hour ago from Don. He told her that he'd been kidnapped, and that whoever had him also threatened you two. We're doing everything we can to find him, but we need to get both of you to a more secure location. Charlie, we're hoping you can help us, so for now, we want to get you into the office."
Alan closed his eyes, trying to hold back the tears that threatened to spill down his cheeks. There was no time for a breakdown, so he pulled himself to his feet, and headed for the door. Charlie started to follow, but then paused.
"Charlie, we need to get moving." David seemed very anxious to go, which Alan supposed was understandable, but his fatherly instincts were kicking in, and he sensed there was more David knew that he wasn't telling.
"What else is going on?"
David froze, looking trapped. He looked from Charlie to Alan before heaving a sigh. "Don told Megan that his kidnappers were planning to execute him in twelve hours."
Alan felt his control waver, but stiffened his resolve. "Then we're running out of time. Charlie, let's go." Charlie had been staring at the hall table, and Alan wasn't sure his youngest had heard anything of the previous exchange. "Charlie!"
"There's a message."
Alan looked at the table again and saw what Charlie had been staring at. The light on the answering machine was blinking.
Charlie took a deep breath and then pushed the 'Play' button. After a long moment, Don's voice came through the speaker.
"Dad, Charlie, it's Don. I'm sorry, but I had to do this to protect you. I went a little too far this time. A number divided by zero is always zero, and that's where I ended up. I love you both."
