Disclaimer: I do not own Without a Trace or any of its characters. I only own the characters that I've created myself. So, do not attempt to sue me as this story is for entertainment purposes only.
Chapter Six- Nightmare
"Agent Taylor, you have to calm down. We don't know for certain that Vicky's the person that we found. We haven't confirmed the victim's identity yet." Jason said compassionately.
"Tell me where she is right now. I want to see her." Danny cried furiously.
"You're not driving anywhere in that condition, Danny. I'll take you to the scene but you're not getting out of the car. Do I make myself clear? I'll identify whether it's Vicky's body or not. If it is her, you don't need that to be your last memory of Vicky." Martin said sternly as his voice cracked with emotion and he and Jack continued holding on to him.
"He's not going anywhere until he calms down. Look, I know what you're going through but you need to keep it together. You're reacting like this without having any confirmation that the victim really is Vicky or if she's at all connected to this case." Gabriel said harshly but Danny wouldn't listen to reason as he tried to get free from Jack and Martin's grips. "That's enough, Danny. Either get your crap together or I'll go above Malone and make sure you're taken into protective custody and away from this case. Is that what you want? Tell me," Gabriel said harshly as he grabbed Danny by the collar of his shirt, but then took a breath to cool his temper.
"I don't want to take you off this case, Danny. But even though this guy's behaving like a prick right now, he's right. You need to keep it together for Vicky. If she still is alive, we know that she doesn't have long before Cervantes' kills her." Jack warned seriously and Danny lowered his head, dejectedly.
"Let's go." Martin said compassionately fifteen minutes later after they managed to calm Danny and drove toward the scene.
The team arrived at Pier 25 twenty minutes later, making Danny even more upset as he saw the scene before him. The pier was closed off by yellow crime scene tape, dozens of law enforcement officers and FBI agents, crime scene investigators, the county coroner and his least favorite people, reporters. What caused his heart to leap out of his chest, however, was the large NYPD crime scene tent twenty feet away and the body that laid underneath it covered in a yellow tarp.
"Stay in the car." Martin said sternly as he got out of the car. "Watch him." He said seriously as he walked away with Gabriel and Jason, and Jack and Viv remained guarding the doors.
Danny watched helplessly from the car as Martin talked with the other officers and agents already at the scene. How had all this happened? He went from happily planning a proposal to possibly losing the love of his life at the hands of a sadistic lunatic who'd stalked, kidnapped and tortured her mercilessly. Was the woman lying underneath that yellow tarp his love Vicky? Just as that thought left his mind, Gabriel and Jason stood holding a white sheet, obstructing his view of the victim as Martin crouched on the ground.
Martin did this all the time. He was used to seeing the bodies of the victims and suspects that he and his colleagues couldn't save. It was also difficult when he had to notify a victim's family about what had occurred to their loved one. It was a difficult situation but he did his job and did what needed to be done without becoming emotional about it. But this was different. According to the other officers, the victim, who was terribly beaten, bruised, and missing her hands, bore a striking resemblance to Vicky's picture.
Martin's heart tightened in his chest. He didn't want the woman underneath that tarp to be Vicky. Vicky was his best friend's girlfriend and the only woman who'd truly ever made Danny happy. Sweet, beautiful Vicky had become a part of their family and he didn't want to see her haunting dead eyes staring back at him when he raised that yellow tarp. But he had a job to do. Just as he'd told Danny earlier, if this was Vicky, he didn't want to Danny to see her like this. If it was Vicky and Danny saw her, he knew that his friend would never recover.
"Martin, do you want us to…" Jason said gently but Martin shook his head as he took a shaky breath and took a hold of the yellow tarp with shaking hands.
Danny, Jack, and Viv watched anxiously from the car as Martin disappeared behind the sheet that Gabriel and Jason held open. A moment later, their hearts stopped beating momentarily when they saw the reaction of Gabriel, Jason, and several nearby officers as they covered their mouths with their arms and another officer threw up. As soon as they saw that, Jack held Danny's hand tightly in a brotherhood grip and Viv embraced him.
"Is it her? Tell me, damn it." Danny cried fearfully when Martin arrived at the car several minutes later.
"Calm down and breathe, brother. It's not her. It's not Vicky." Martin said with a shaky voice and then gripped Danny's face and head and forced Danny to look at him. "I told you that it's not her. It's not her, brother. So, breathe." He said sternly.
"I don't believe you, damn it. I want to see her myself." Danny cried angrily.
"There's nothing to see, alright. It's not Vicky. It's someone else. The victim has a huge tattoo of a tiger on her back and a scar on her right cheek. Vicky doesn't have tattoos or a scar on her face, does she? I know what Vicky looks like, Danny, we all do. Do you think that I'd lie to you right now if that was Vicky? What good would that do anyone? What I am going to tell you is that if we have any chance of bringing Vicky back home alive, we need the real FBI Agent, Danny Taylor, back. You're not helping Vicky or anyone else by behaving like this." Martin said sternly.
"If it wasn't Vicky, why then did all you react that way? Why did that cop throw up like he did?" Danny said angrily as he tried to calm down.
"It's not Vicky, Agent Taylor. The reason we reacted like that and why that rookie cop threw up, was because of the victim's condition. She was badly beaten, bruised, her hands and feet have been dismembered." Jason said and then motioned to Gabriel with his head.
"The victim wasn't Vicky, but we do believe that Cervantes or someone working for him, killed her. She had the words 'Say goodbye to sweet Vicky' carved into her chest and abdomen." Gabriel said seriously. "Taylor, this is our last chance to find and save Vicky. Get your act together or you're going to be responsible for us not getting her back alive. Is that what you want?" Gabriel said harshly. "Instead of sitting here with our thumb of our butts trying to calm you down and get you to do your job, we need to be out there looking for Cervantes' men. Cervantes is smart and he's not going to leave Vicky. But he will send accomplices to do his dirty work and if we can get them, we'll get Cervantes." Gabriel said seriously frustrated.
"Gabriel is right. If we can't get to him then we need to go after his men. We have to find them and make them talk." Jason said bothered.
"What do you say, Danny? Are you ready to end this once and for all? Are you ready to do your job and be the best damn agent we all know that you are?" Viv said sternly but compassionately as she held Danny's face in her hands.
"I swear to you that if we find Cervantes in time, you can do to him whatever the hell you want and nobody will get in your way. So, what do you say, Agent Taylor?" Jason said seriously but before Danny could answer his question, Jack's phone rang.
"Malone," Jack barked into the phone. "What? Where? Alright, I want you to take a team with you and pick him up. Don't let him get away. Do I make myself clear? If he does, it's your ass on the line. Right. Call me as soon as he's in custody." He said with a no-nonsense attitude and then ended the call, causing everyone to look at him expectantly.
"Who was that, Jack? What did they say?" Viv said concerned as she continued holding Danny.
"That was Chuck on the phone. Apparently, our homeless witness Teddy flagged down an NYPD officer and told him that a guy with a gun dragged a young woman into a nearby motel. He also told the officer that the same guy was wanted in connection with the kidnapped nurse that's all over the news." He said seriously but hopeful.
"Let's go. What are we still doing here?" Danny said irately.
"We're not going anywhere except back to headquarters. Chuck and Jeff are already on their way to the motel that the suspect is hold up in and there are also unmarked NYPD already there waiting for them.
"I want to talk to him." Danny said with determination as he gritted his teeth and fisted his hands.
"You'll get your chance but you won't be alone. I'm going in there to make sure you don't do something stupid like kill the bastard before he tells us where Cervantes is holding Vicky." Jack said with a no-nonsense tone that told Danny not to insist any further, and they headed back to headquarters as Gabriel and Jason followed behind in their patrol car.
Once at headquarters, Jack addressed the other agents and told them that Jeff and other agents were bringing in one of the suspects in Vicky's kidnapping. Jack was getting ready to assign the agents their tasks when all hell suddenly broke loose.
All of a sudden, the alarms began blaring and lights flashed throughout FBI headquarters. Unbeknownst to Jack and the other agents on the 12th floor, chaos was ensuing in the lobby; chaos that could tear the team apart forever. As soon as the alarms went off, Chuck's voice came through the radios frantically pleading for help in the lobby just as gunfire erupted. That was enough to send to send Jack, the rest of the team, and other agents running down the stairs with guns drawn.
When they arrived downstairs, it looked a war zone as several agents, including Jeff, lay bloodied on the ground.
"What the hell happened here?" Jack yelled harshly when he saw Jeff laying on the ground covered in a large pool of his own blood.
"Jeff's been shot and so have Ryder and Fletcher!" Chuck said urgently and fearfully of the other agents on his team. "We were transporting the suspect upstairs when he managed to grab Jeff's gun and shot him and the others. We already called for multiple ambulances. ETA less than 5 minutes." Chuck said urgently as he applied pressure to Jeff's chest.
"Jeff! Jeff, stay with me! We're not going to let you go, alright!" Jason said fearfully as he tightly held his cousin's hand, causing his eyes to widen in terror when he saw blood seeping from Jeff's belly and right leg. "Damn it! He's been hit in his chest, abdomen, and right leg!" He said fearfully and Jack and Martin began applying pressure to his wounds.
"Jas…" Jeff croaked, barely audible as he struggled to take a breath.
"Shhh. Don't talk, buddy. Save your strength. The ambulance is on its way to take you to the hospital where they can make you better. Then, once you're better, you're going to hit on all the pretty nurses that take care of you." Jason tried to sound confident but lost his cool when Jeff's eyes closed and his head lolled lifelessly to the side. "Jeff! Jeff!" He yelled horrified as tears stained his face.
"He's not breathing and I can't find a pulse!" Chuck said urgently as he and Gabriel began doing CPR over several tense minutes until paramedics arrived at the scene.
Several ambulances arrived at FBI Headquarters and began treating Jeff, Agent Ryder, and Agent Fletcher. All three were transported to St. Luke's Hospital in critical condition; but it was Jeff for whom the paramedics didn't hold out any hope of survival. When they left headquarters, he was lifeless even after being shocked several times to try to get him back. They arrived at the hospital fifteen minutes later.
"What do we have, people?" Dr. Wes said seriously as he and his colleague Dr. Michael Cox took over Jeff's care.
"Federal agent, multiple GSWs to the chest, abdomen, and right leg. We've shocked him several times, finally got him back, only to lose him again. He's been down at least twenty minutes." The paramedic said urgently as they laid Jeff on a hospital stretcher.
"Wait a minute. We know this guy, Adam. He's a friend of Vicky's and her boyfriend. This is the guy that was here investigating when Vicky's locker was vandalized." Dr. Cox said urgently as they shocked Jeff twice and injected him with medications.
"Let me the hell go before I arrest your ass! That's my cousin in my there and nobody's going to keep me from being with him!" Jason yelled furiously as he ran into the treatment area. "Jeff!" He yelled fearfully.
"You need to leave this room now, Officer. You can't be in here right now." Dr. Wes said sternly.
"Like hell I'm leaving! I'm not going anywhere until I know that he's okay." Jason yelled angrily as he shook and tears stained his face.
Knowing that they weren't going to get rid of Jason, they left him alone and continued working on Jeff another ten minutes until they shocked him again. Just when the doctors were about to call time of death, the monitors began beeping slowly.
"Come on, Jeff. Come on. Wake up. You can do it. I know you can." Jason cried fearfully as he tightly held Jason's hand and the monitors began beeping stronger until there was a steady rhythm.
"He's back!" Dr. Cox said shocked and with a heavy sigh and Jason cried shaken. "I hate to say this but don't start celebrating just yet. He's in critical condition and it's still too early to know if he's going to make it." He warned seriously.
"Dr. Wes, they're ready for him upstairs." Nurse Rebecca Hill said respectfully as she got off the phone.
"What's going on? Where are you taking him?" Jason cried upset, he couldn't lose his cousin.
"We're taking him upstairs to surgery. We need to repair the damage caused by the gunshot wounds. Look, if you really want to help your cousin, we're going to need blood. He's lost nearly all the blood in his body. Go with Nurse Hill so that you can get tested and see if you're a match. He's O-positive." Dr. Wes said compassionately as they began wheeling Jason away.
"I'll start making some calls and let the other agents in the waiting room know what's going on. Please save him." Jason said with a heavy sigh as he soothed Jeff's hair and let go of his hand.
"We'll do everything we can and I'll let you know as soon as we know more about his condition. I promise." Dr. Cox said kindly as he gently squeezed Jason's shoulder. "Becky, stay with him, and while you're at it, get him some clean scrubs to change out of those bloody clothes."
After changing his clothes and giving blood, Nurse Hill led Jason back to the waiting room. When they arrived at the waiting room, Jason was taken aback because there were dozens of police officers and agents waiting for news.
"What's going on here?" Jason said shocked as tears rolled down his cheeks and Chuck embraced him tightly.
"I know that Jeff and the others lost a lot of blood and are probably going to need some. So, I made a call to headquarters. I also talked to Gabriel and he started calling in other officers. He says that there are more officers and agents coming over here soon and that he'll be here after they interrogate the suspect." Chuck said kindly but couldn't continue when Sam and Viv came running into the emergency room.
"Chuck, how is Jeff doing?" Viv said concerned.
"What about Ryder and Fletcher? How are they?" Sam asked concerned.
"They got Jeff back but the doctor doesn't know if he's going to make it. He was lifeless for over twenty minutes and he lost nearly all the blood in his body. He's in surgery right now but they need blood for him." Jason cried terribly upset as he held his head and Viv embraced him. "I can't believe this happening. I can't lose him."
"I know how bad things are but you can't give up on Jeff. He's strong and he's going to be okay. You'll see. Soon, he's going to be awake, hitting on all the good-looking nurses in the hospital." Viv said with conviction as she continued holding him.
"What about Ryder and Fletcher? Do you know anything about their conditions?" Sam asked gently of the agents from Chuck's team who were injured in the shooting.
"If you're referring to the other two agents who came in, they're upstairs in the ICU in serious but stable conditions. They need blood as well but the hospital's running low. So, if others can donate their blood it would be tremendous help to them." Nurse Hill said kindly and then turned to Jason. "I'm going to go upstairs to the operating room. If you need me for anything at all, let the young lady at front desk know and she'll find me. Excuse me." She said kindly as she gently squeezed Jason's arm and left.
FBI Headquarters…
"What do we know about this filthy maggot?" Jack said angrily as he looked into the interrogation room through the two-way mirror. He wanted nothing more than to give this guy what we deserved but he knew that it wouldn't do anything to get Vicky back safely.
"Suspect's name is Mitchell Solis. He's been charged with aggravated murder, human and drug trafficking, kidnapping, witness intimidation, drug possession, aggravated sexual abuse, the list just goes on and on." Martin said seriously and then looked at Danny harshly when he growled furiously and fisted his hands. "Cut the crap, Danny. We all want nothing better than to kill the damn bastard for what he did to our guys and Vicky. But killing him isn't going to turn back time. Right now, he's our only chance of finding Vicky." He said harshly and Danny glared ferociously at him.
"I want a minute alone with him." Danny said calmly but angrily as he gritted his teeth and his lips twitched.
"Like hell you're going in there alone. I'm going in there with you and if you try anything stupid, I'll lock you up myself, in a holding cell. Let's go." Jack warned Danny as he held Danny by his collar, released him, and then they went into the interrogation room.
As soon as he saw Danny, Mitchell Solis began laughing sadistically and making obscene gestures to him.
"Do you know how much you're trouble in, Mitchell? You're looking at the death penalty for shooting those agents and kidnapping that teenage girl. We also have witnesses who'll testify in court that you're involved in the kidnapping of Vicky Rodriguez." Jack said eerily calm but the suspect only looked at Danny and smiled amused.
"What the hell are you smiling at?" Danny said heatedly as he got in Solis' face but moved back when Jack glared at him.
"How does it feel to know that it's your fault you'll never see your girlfriend alive again? It's your fault, Danny-boy. You're the one who put her in that cab with a killer." Solis sneered evilly. He was enjoying the look of guilt and agony in the agent's face. "Say goodbye to your little girlfriend, you filthy pig. She's as good as dead when I don't get back to the boss. You're never going to kiss those luscious lips again or hold that tight little body in your arms again." Solis spat viciously and with an evil sneer as he licked his lips. "You should hear squeal like the whore she is, begging the boss to kill her, every time he beats her. He won't kill her fast, though. He's going to enjoy every second he keeps her alive. Then, when he gets bored of her, he'll gladly give her what she so desperately wants." Solis said evilly as he enjoyed the look of horror on Danny's face.
Suddenly, Danny jumped on Mitchell Solis, began punching him in the face and kicking him as he let all the pain, anger and fear he felt for these animals boil over. He couldn't stop himself. All he wanted to do was kill this man and anyone who'd helped Cervantes ruin his life. First, they'd stalked and kidnapped his girlfriend and now had shot one of his best friends.
Jeff was rushed away by paramedics but they didn't hold out much hope for his survival. He'd been shot dead center in the chest, lost too much blood, and had no signs of life. That meant bad news for this animal. If his beloved girlfriend and his friend didn't have a chance, then he didn't deserve to live either. But before he managed to do more harm, Gabriel and Martin ran into the room and helped Jack to drag Danny off Solis.
Although in pain, Solis began laughing at Danny's reaction. But that laughter died soon enough, however, when he saw Gabriel. When he saw Gabriel, his eyes widened in terror as if he were looking at the devil himself.
"What's the matter, Mitch? Didn't think you'd ever see my face again?" Gabriel said calmly but viciously as he released Danny.
"How do you know this worthless animal?" Jack questioned seriously as he cuffed Danny's arms behind his back and Martin led him out of the room.
"This piece of garbage was one of the animals that brutally tortured my wife. He was serving life but escaped with Cervantes." Gabriel said seriously and then turned to Solis with a look of fury on his face. "I want you to give me five minutes with this guy." He said calmly and it sent a chill down Jack's spine.
"You've got five minutes. Get us what we need." Jack said kindly and then turned to leave the room but stopped when Solis yelled out to him.
"Stop! You can't leave me alone with this psychopath! That's illegal and you know it," Solis yelled angrily out of terror and his words caused Jack to chuckle incredulously.
"Illegal? Not only did you just shoot several of my agents, you also kidnapped an agent's girlfriend and murdered his wife. You think I give a crap what he wants to do to you? You deserve whatever you got coming," Jack spat angrily as he grabbed Solis by the collar.
"Give me five minutes and while you're at it, get rid of the camera." Gabriel said eerily calm as he stood face to face with his wife's torturer, causing Solis to shake uncontrollably and soil himself when Jack left the room.
Gabriel paced the room back and forth for a minute until the surveillance camera's recording light turned off. Once he knew the camera was off, Gabriel began cracking his knuckles, removing his uniform shirt and his belt.
"What the hell are you doing?" Solis yelled fearfully and angrily.
"I don't want to get my uniform dirty when I get you talking. Because, Mitchell, you're going to talk. You're going to tell me everything I want to know, starting with where Cervantes is holding Vicky. You're going to tell me the location he's hold up in, the weapons he has, what his plans are, and more importantly, you're going to tell me whether Vicky is alive or dead. For your sake, though, she better still be alive or they'll never find your body again. Do you understand me? Start talking. Now!" Gabriel suddenly bellowed out in a deafening yell as he got in the suspect's face.
"Are you out of damn mind? I can't tell you anything! If Teo finds out I talked to you, he's going to kill me!" He yelled angrily and then coward in fear when Gabriel flipped over the table and held him by the throat.
"It's not Cervantes you have to be afraid of. It's me. So, start talking or I'm going to blow your damn brains out all over this room. You helped that son of a bitch torture and kill my wife and unborn child. Do you think you I give a damn about this badge? All I care about is justice, an eye for an eye. You've got ten seconds to tell me everything I want to know." Gabriel said full of venom as he cocked his gun and put it to Mitchell Solis' head. "10…9…8...7…6…5…4…3…"
"Stop! Please don't kill me! I'll tell you everything you want to know but please don't kill me!" Solis cried terribly frightened as he soiled himself again.
Jack and Martin had been watching the entire exchange through the mirror and were unsettled by Gabriel's behavior. At first, they were sure that he was only trying to scare the suspect into telling them about Cervantes' whereabouts but now they were starting to have their doubts.
"Why should I let you live even if you tell me what I want to know? Did you listen to my wife when she begged for her life and our unborn baby's life? No, you didn't. Well, you don't deserve mercy. You're a worthless excuse for a human being who ruins everyone's life who comes near you," Gabriel said furiously as tears escaped his eyes.
As soon they saw him, Jack and Martin ran into the room.
"Gabriel, what do you think you're doing? Put the gun down. He already agreed to talk." Martin said sternly and concerned. He tried to get near him but that led Solis to scream and cry muffled but in terror when Gabriel shoved the cocked gun in his mouth. "Stop, what the hell are you doing? You can't kill him, Gabriel. If you kill him, you'll be exactly like Cervantes. Do you really want to give everything up for him?" He said harshly.
"He doesn't deserve to live after what he did to them." Gabriel cried through gritted teeth.
"I know how you feel but it's not up to you whether he lives or dies. That's up to our justice system to decide." Jack said sternly but with compassionate undertones. "If you don't want to think about everything you'd be losing, think about your wife. What would she want? Do you think she'd want you to do this? Do you think she'd want you to ruin your life by killing him? This piece of filth deserves to rot in prison for the rest of his life, being someone's girlfriend. That's what's going to happen when the other prisoners find out what he did to a baby." Jack said compassionately but Gabriel growled violently.
"Gabriel, stop! If you kill him before he talks, we're never going to find Vicky or Cervantes. You said that you were going to do what it took to get her back to me. Are you going to be a coward and go back on your word? I'm the only one here who can understand what you're going through. But finding Vicky and that damn animal is the only thing I care about right now. Let him live and when Vicky's safe, you can do whatever the hell you want to Cervantes. I swear on my life. Please, please let him go, Gabriel." Danny pled crying as he stood handcuffed near the door. Danny didn't give a damn whether Solis lived or died, but right now, he was the only one who knew where the love of his life was being held.
"Start talking! Now!" Gabriel growled as he removed the gun the suspect's mouth, causing Solis to spew his guts all over the floor and cry uncontrollably as he nodded.
"Alright, I'll talk! I swear!" Solis cried badly shaken as he gave away Cervantes' location, his accomplices and detailed the large arsenal of weapons and explosives in his possession. "You don't have much time. The part about the ransom was just a ruse. He's going to kill your girlfriend just like he killed the other girl we tossed in the Hudson." He cried shaking.
"If we don't make it to her on time, you won't live to regret it." Gabriel warned as he tightly held him by the hair and then released him.
"That's enough. Let's go." Jack said sternly as he and Martin dragged Gabriel and Danny out of the room.
"I'm going with you, Jack. You can lock me up or fire me later, after I know that Vicky's safe." Danny said with determination as he stared Jack down.
"The only place you're going is a damn holding cell, downstairs. I warned you not to do anything stupid and you nearly killed the bastard." Jack warned harshly as he dragged Danny to the bullpen and began addressing the other agents. "Alright, listen up. The suspect confessed and gave up our kidnapper's location." He said loudly and gave everyone their orders.
"Take these damn cuffs off me, Jack! I'm going!" Danny yelled angrily as he struggled to get free.
"Come on, Malone. Take the cuffs off. Danny has every right to try to save his girlfriend and capture that murderer." Gabriel said with conviction but couldn't continue when Jack's phone rang."
"Malone." Jack said gruffly and then his face paled as he listened intently to the person on the other end. "Right. We already have Cervantes' and Vicky's location. You stay there for now and let me know when you know something else." He said with a heavy sigh as he ended the call.
"Who is that? What happened now?" Martin asked concerned as he got a sick feeling in his stomach.
"That was Chuck. Jeff is…" Jack sighed heavily and couldn't continue as he held his head.