"Hunt."
"Peck," said Rita into the phone. It was their code word, as well as a joke; she hoped he was smiling on the other end. She certainly wasn't.
"What's up, babe?" said Jackson Hunt. "You're early, for a change."
Rita replayed the last conversation she'd had with Kate Beckett, without mentioning names. Jack was silent throughout, and for moments after.
"You have her location," he said.
"Of course I do. I can't babysit her, though, you know where I'm headed. I just thought you should know, in case you want to keep an eye on him."
There was a low chuckle on the other end of the call.
"She doesn't need babysitting," he told her. "My son, on the other hand – he's brilliant, but he needs a handler. They're a perfect match."
"Which is why this move concerns me. I thought telling her to be careful who she took with her would make her, I don't know, slow down? Leave it in my hands? I certainly didn't expect her to leave him. What is she thinking?"
"She's not thinking," said Jack. "She's relied on her guts for so long, and they've gone into overdrive. She'll come back, when she realizes that the Lone Ranger m.o. won't work for her any more."
"I hope you're right. He's been bouncing around between his loft, the PI office, and the 12th; it looks like he can't decide whether to chase her or let it lie."
"He's not the kind to let it lie. You know that by now."
"Takes after his dad," said Rita without rancor. "Well, two nights ago he left his bar, stinking drunk, and the cab he got into was totaled five blocks later. He survived; the cabbie did not. I couldn't find any data on the cabbie – unfortunately, he's collateral damage. Hit-and-run driver has not been identified. Himself is in the hospital with a collapsed lung and miscellaneous other non-fatal injuries."
"He's got more lives than a cat."
"Also like his dad."
"Meow," and they both laughed at the incongruous sound of it. Jack went on, "So this is just a sitrep? No action requested?"
"No action. Just a sitrep, with bonus venting. I'll keep my ear to the ground, as best I can from a distance."
"So will I. She'll be fine – it's him I worry about. If his mother were still living at the loft – but no, it's his daughter there now, and she's cautious, but not cautious enough. Is the device we bugged in place? I can't check from here."
"It's there, unopened. My people will let me know as soon as a signal activates."
"Copy that. Hey, I better go. Keep me close."
"You bet, babe."
A/N: Thank you kindly for your comments, follows, and faves. I don't usually reply to individual comments but I do read and appreciate them, and my PM box is always open if there's something about the story you'd like to discuss. Cheers.