Title: A Darker Shade of Blue
Chapter 4 – Its in the Fine Print
A/N: For those that have alerted but not reviewed I do hope I'll hear from you soon as that would be much appreciated. I also want to thank everyone so far who has reviewed, it makes me know my time spent writing for you is worth while. Hope you all like this update.
It wasn't enough to send him for a trip to the hospital, but when the two men were done with Jamie and his body merely sags to the cold ground in the darkened alley, he was actually hoping an ambulance would stop by. Most of the hits were to his chest but a one caught him on the lip and the eye so there would be telltale signs of a struggle the following morning. Thankfully, though, nothing was broken or even cracked. They had yelled more threats than hurled punches, which in hindsight was a very good thing.
"Damn…it," Jamie curses as his left hand immediately wraps around his chest and his right tries to prop him up to a sitting position. He manages to get to his knees and then squints around the area, feeling his anxiety and fear start to rise. His gun was still in his inner pocket and nothing was taken. He had merely pissed them off a second time and they showed him they were angry about it, at least that's what Jamie tells himself as he tries to stand up.
"Ahhh…" Jamie's lips softly utter as he flops back down to a seated position. He crudely wipes his lip before his tongue can take in any more of the coppery sensation of his own blood, his stomach wanting to lurch from the taste. Despite the fact that his head was pounding and that he still needed the groceries, Jamie forces himself upright and slowly limps back to his car, getting inside and just sagging into the well worn front seat.
"Think he'll take the warning seriously?" One of his attackers asks the other from a discreet distance.
"Nope…and that's what 'he's' counting on," the other laughs as they drive away into the night.
Jamie finally starts up his car and then carefully heads for home, his stomach gnawing from hunger and his head pounding. Hopefully he could avoid his brother tomorrow as he knows Danny will probably go into overly protective mode which at times was stifling. Shoulda just walked away, his mind tries to reason. But he couldn't, it wasn't in his blood and the two men were counting on that.
Jamie reaches home, angry at himself for not pulling his gun and identifying himself before just barging in. How on earth could he handle an undercover assignment if he couldn't even handle a pair of street goons with a minor altercation.
"Oh damn," Jamie curses as he looks at his slightly battered and disheveled appearance in the mirror before reaching for a facecloth. He warms it and then gingerly starts to dab his eye and lip, not wanting to even look at the growing purple bruises on his smooth chest.
"Broke up a scuffle and I was outnumbered," Jamie mumbles to himself the excuse he'll hand his partner in the morning, telling himself to do anything and everything in his power to avoid his brother and the myriad of questions that might follow. He turns on the hot water for a shower and slowly starts to strip, finally daring to turn around and gaze with misery at the aftermath of his interference.
Jamie can only shake his head and grunt at his appearance before he steps under the hot streams of water, grumbling again as the searing liquid teases his tender skin. After his shower, he dries, changes and literally collapses in his bed, not getting up until the morning.
But just before he actually wakes up, his mind once again pulls him into a very surreal nightmare. He was undercover, in a club with Noble on one side and Danny on the other. Both were laughing at him before they each draw a gun and aim it at him.
"NO!" Jamie shouts just as he raises his hands to either side and they fire at him and he instantly wakes up. He slumps back down onto his bed in a heaving mass, his right hand resting on his damp forehead before slowly sliding downward to gingerly touch his black eye.
"Great," Jamie groans as he roughly rolls out of bed and heads for the kitchen, starting the coffee and then heading for the bathroom to survey the early morning damage. The swelling had gone down a little and his busted lip wasn't as angry looking as the night before. All in all it wasn't as bad as he had feared the night before.
"I can do this," Jamie gives himself a firm nod before he leaves to get dressed. "Just gotta avoid Danny today," he utters, knowing that'll be harder to do than he wants.
As soon as he enters the precinct, Jamie heads for Danny's area and carefully peers around the corner, hoping his brother wasn't in yet or if he was he was distracted. Nothing!
"Hey kid," Renzulli slaps Jamie on the back, forcing the youngest Reagan to jump before turning around. "Whoa…what's her name and what didn't you do last night?" Renzulli smirks as he points to Jamie's black eye.
"Tried to break up a scuffle and I was outnumbered."
"Was a girl involved?"
"No."
"Was it life or death?"
"No."
"Did you draw your gun or identify yourself?"
"No."
"Shall I give you the dumb ass badge now or later?" Renzulli huffs as he and Jamie head for roll-call.
"Later," Jamie groans. "It was no big deal. Wrong place at the wrong time," Jamie retorts as he slides into a chair beside his partner.
"Yeah, heard that before," Renzulli just shakes his head as he snatches the keys from Jamie's fingers. "Guess I'm drivin' today."
XXXXXXXX
"Hey Reagan, you even listening to me?" Jackie asks with a frown, making her partner nod but not look up from his file.
"Well I know you're not into porn," Jackie smirks as she stands up and then peers over Danny's shoulder to see what has his attention so distracted. "Who's Noble Sanfino?"
"Not sure yet," Danny closes the file and then looks up at her with a frown. "Maybe nothing."
"The Cappezari crime family isn't nothing," she folds her arms over her chest. "You involved in somethin' I should know about?"
"This isn't for me," Danny replies under his breath. "I…I honestly don't know yet. Just a name I came across and wanted to know who he is. As you can see…not much," Danny puts the file into a drawer and closes it.
"A closed drawer file is serious stuff for you Danny," Jackie calls him on it. "What aren't you telling me?"
"Honestly stuff I don't know myself," Danny confesses as he looks up at catches Jamie and Renzulli out of the corner of his eye. I wonder if Jamie heard from OCCB and got that back story yet? He sees Jamie offer a half turn and then narrows his gaze at what appears to be – a black eye? What the hell? A fight? When? Danny's mind races with questions as he slowly gets up and heads for his brother, his mind recalling that Jamie said he was going home right after they had finished with their father. Was he ambushed? Followed? Where was he attacked? Or was it all just a shadow?
"Jamie!" Danny calls out; only getting a small nod from the other side of his face before Jamie quickly darts outside and his opportunity is lost.
"What's goin' on?" Jackie inquires.
"Not sure," Danny turns back to her with a shrug.
"Danny?"
"Nah personal...family stuff. It's okay I'll call him after shift. Ready to roll?"
"I am."
XXXXXXXX
"Did you need to talk to Danny back there?" Renzulli queries as they get into their patrol car.
"Nah I can wait til later. I'm sure if it was urgent he woulda called on the phone," Jamie replies as he looks out the window.
"So what really happened last night?"
"Seriously Sarge it was a scuffle and that's it," Jamie concludes, not wanting to add that it was just two guys that caught him off guard. Danny woulda been able to take them both down, his brain laments. Maybe you need more time in the gym.
"Alright then," Renzulli knows to drop it, glancing over at Jamie once more before they hit their turf to patrol.
XXXXXXXX
"You sure your son is up for this?" Seasoned Gang Task force supervisor and lead Detective Wade Salter asks Frank mid-morning.
"You need a man to penetrate them and so far Jamie has had some success."
"Talking to one of their flunkies isn't the same as going up against Carlito Cappezari. Frank the man makes Al Pacino in Scarface look like an amateur."
"Trust me Wade, I know that," Frank replies with a sad sigh. "But what else can I do? Jamie has bumped into Noble Sanfino twice and each time convinced him that he's no threat."
"Unless last night comes back to bite him in the ass."
"Danny took precautions," Frank retorts.
"I get that and it's great that you think its all good. But you wanting me to prepare a whole back story and prep your son…he might never seen him again."
"Is he on your list to call?"
"Frank..."
"Wade tell me the truth," Frank insists.
"Yes, top of the list right now. But it imght never..."
"And he might see him again tonight. Make the story Wade, its not a request."
"And this has your blessing Frank?" Wade asks directly. "Sending your youngest up against one of the city's most ruthless leaders?"
"Let me know when it's done," Frank answers as he turns to leave. He wasn't about to sell his son's skills short but he wasn't about to give this dangerous endeavor his blessing either. He was now stuck and his hand was being forced – two things he hates most.
Frank heads back into his office and looks at a picture of Jamie and Danny taken on Jamie's graduation day. "I can't lose another…" Frank utters with a thick sigh as he picks up the phone and calls Danny.
"Did Jamie have another encounter?"
"Nope…at least not that he told me. He was actin' kinda skittish this morning and dashed off before I could talk to him. Why what's up?"
"Wade Salter's preparing a simple yet plausible and reliable back-story for Jamie just in case. If something more happens, we'll go from there."
"No goin' back now huh?"
"Danny…what can I do? OCCB knows the value of Jamie getting inside and Jamie hasn't said no," Frank frowns. "I can't make the decision for him or sway him with my…"
"Fatherly paranoia?"
"Concern," Frank corrects his eldest son with a small smile. "Besides…its just a precaution. I'll try to brief Jamie tonight. I left a message that he's to go straight home after his shift if he hasn't heard from Wade or myself on this matter so as not to run into Mr. Sanfino by accident."
"Okay. And me? Dad you know you can't send him into this blind," Danny reminds his father.
"I don't know how much pull I'll have over that but you kinda put yourself into it last night without checking with them first."
"Kinda didn't have a choice. Jamie was outta his league and I had to help," Danny retorts. "Want me to talk to Wade?"
"No. I'm going to wait and see what he comes up with for Jamie. But he knows about your involvement last night and I'm sure he'll consider that also."
"Who else is involved in this?"
Frank leans back in his chair and rubs the bridge of his nose with his right hand. "You are still wondering about Sonny's connection to the mob and also who at the top is pulling the strings. We both know he owed the mob money but we don't know yet which ones. I'm working on that."
"And Jamie?"
"The Cappezari crime family has been on the radar before Sonny came…I'm working on that," Frank corrects in haste. "We'll talk later."
"Okay got it."
Danny hangs up with his father and then glances over at Jackie who was busy filling out paperwork and then looks over at the clock. He dials Jamie's cell number again but only gets empty rings in return. Where are you? Why are you avoiding me?
"Reagan," Danny answers his phone, writing something down that pertains to his latest case before hanging up and gesturing to his partner it was time to get back outside. But he had already settled in his mind that as soon as he got back he'd search for his brother and if that failed then he'd go to Jamie's apartment.
XXXXXXXX
Despite the fact that his whole body was slightly aching for most of the day, Jamie had forced himself to bite back any painful surges that would make him a hindrance to his partner and slow his job in any way. However, his run-in with Noble Sanfino the night before and the two guys at the grocery store had forced his senses to be on overdrive so that by the time his shift is finished, his stomach is too tight to eat and he wants nothing more than to get home and just have a hot shower and unwind. His plan before running into Noble was to hit the gym after today's shift but thanks to the senseless altercation the night before his body wisely tells him to just take it easy and try again tomorrow night.
He had gotten a message from his father that Wade Salter of the OCCB was working on his backstory and to make sure he went straight home, not stopping for fear of running into Noble again with nothing credible set up. And that is what he intends to do.
Jamie quickly dresses out of his uniform and locks it just as he hears someone calling Danny's name. Leave before Danny sees you! His brain shouts in a panic, prompting Jamie to just mutter a quick goodbye and dash for the door.
Danny looks up from his conversation to see Jamie darting back outside and frowns. Something is up, Danny's brain ponders as he quickly excuses himself from the other Detective and rushes for the exit only to see Jamie hop in his car and drive away. He too had been given the same message from his father so wasn't surprised that Jamie just wanted to get into his car and head for home. But he had been quitter than usual all day and it was eating Danny inside. What if he is having second thoughts?
"Hey Renzulli."
"Hey Danny. Jamie leave already?"
"Yeah I think that poor kid just wants an early night you know. I mean after last night and all."
"Last night?" Danny asks in haste, wondering if Jamie had told Renzulli about the meeting with Sanfino. "What um…what did he tell you?" Danny's voice drops lower as he asks in an undertone.
"Hey it's no big deal. He's a big boy you know. It was just a scuffle. He did fine today."
"Scuffle?" Danny arches his brows in confusion. "Look what my brother told you stays with you okay?"
"Look Danny I know you worry and such but um…well he's you…you know Reagan. And that leap before you look stuff…well that's kinda known."
"Look before…what?"
"Just tell him to put some ice on that shiner."
"Shiner?" Danny's heart rate immediately rises.
"Yeah so you can't fault him right?" Renzulli smirks. "I mean uh…you woulda done the same thing. However, two guys I'm sure you woulda kicked their asses right?"
"Yeah…I woulda," Danny smirks in return as he mentally curses in frustrated anger. "Okay see you later."
"Yeah see you later," Renzulli tells Danny as he watches the eldest Reagan Detective turn and rush away. "Always somethin' urgent with them."
"Jackie I gotta see Jamie about somethin'. I'll see you tomorrow."
"Everything okay?"
"Not sure yet," Danny frowns as he grabs his coat. "Call me if you need anything."
Danny heads for his car with his mind spinning. Scuffle…shiner…two guys…rushing in…typical for Reagan's… "Damn it Jamie!" Danny curses as his fist hits the steering wheel. "What the hell happened?" Usually getting after other officers for using their police sirens in the pursuit of personal business, but he was willing to take the heat for this if he was called on it. But who would call him on it? His father?
Danny arrives at Jamie's and hurries inside, telling himself to slow his breathing and just remain calm until he hears all the facts. He nervously paces the elevator as it painfully climbs to Jamie's floor, his fingers fidgeting with the key ring in his pocket, something for his mind to do until he confronts his brother.
Jamie stares absently at the microwave as his less than gourmet meal continues to cook slowly, his body wanting to just slump down in front of the TV and wait for his father's call or just zone out in front of a mind numbing show. But a small knock pulls him from his thoughts and puts his panic in action.
He hurries to the door wondering by some small chance of fate if he had been found out by his mob target and he was in bigger trouble than the night before. He was right about one thing – it was trouble – but for him.
"Danny?" Jamie asks in shock as he looks at his brother standing in the doorway with a less than amused expression.
"What the hell happened to you?"
"Uh nothing."
"Nothing my ass," Danny growls as he pushes Jamie into his apartment and slams the door shut. "So that's why you were avoiding me today?"
"I was busy," Jamie sighs. "This…this is nothing," he insists as he heads for the kitchen.
"Yeah so why did I hafta hear about it from your partner? I thought we talked more now?"
"We…we do," Jamie turns back to Danny with a frown. "It was something stupid. Two guys were arguing. I had seen them earlier and….and it was nothing Danny really. They got the upper hand on me and…I'm okay really."
"Let's see that," Danny's fingers gently turn Jamie's face back to him so that he can see the black eye and small cut on his lip. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine really. I mean it was mostly my pride," Jamie answers in remorse. "I shoulda been able to take them."
"Your fighting skills are pretty good. What happened?"
"They got the upper hand. I rushed toward them and instead of them telling me what was going on, they had my arms and that was it. I'm okay really."
"Two guys and all you get is a small fat lip and one little shiner?"
"They weren't boxers."
"Even still two against one...lift your shirt."
"Danny…" Jamie groans.
"Now," Danny demands.
Jamie slowly lifts his shirt to show some of the ugly bruises on his chest and then lowers his shirt back down.
"Damn it," Danny curses.
"I was gonna hit the gym tonight but um…I'm okay, really."
"Maybe you do need a desk job," Danny states in concern.
"What?" Jamie counters with a nervous chuckle.
"Jamie you are considering going up against one of the most ruthless and violent crime families who love to hurt guys on purpose. Tonight might have been a wrong place wrong time thing but you goin' in..."
"Danny this was nothing. It was a mistake I swear. Those guys…it was nothing, trust me."
"And what happens when the next nothing turns out to be actually something?" Danny counters.
"You can say I told you so?" Jamie offers with a weak smile.
"Damn it kid, that's not funny."
"Danny I'm kidding. Trust me this was nothing. I will be okay," Jamie insists not realizing that at that very moment his undercover backstory was getting a final signature of approval for go ahead – with a few pertinent details left out; like the fact that he was being moved into a targeted position and by the same man that his father was secretly working to bring down – The Blue Templar.
Danny looks at his brother and frowns. Something inside was telling him this wasn't just nothing. Without telling Jamie of course he tells himself in that moment that no matter if Jamie did get the call to go undercover he was gonna be watching him a bit more closely. It could mean his life or death and that was something he wasn't willing to leave to fate.
A/N: Okay so we haven't actually been introduced to the head of the Cappezari crime family so I made that up (maybe this friday? woo hoo). If we get a name on Friday I'll either change the name or leave as it (depending on how much I have to change lol) Hope that's okay.
