Week 11
It was a gorgeous sunny day. Jane and James sat on a park bench in Boston Common. James was for once silent, as Jane people watched.
Two teenagers just off to her right were tossing a Frisbee. Dashing about the green space, arms outstretched as they failed miserably to accurately throw and catch the obscenely bright yellow disc. A couple strolled arm in arm through the trees. The shade providing relief from the burning sun. Not really paying attention to anything or anyone, just looking at one another. A handful of people were out walking their dogs.
Jane spared a thought for Joe Friday. She'd given her back to Korsak when her life had taken a turn for the worse. She hadn't been able to take care of herself, looking after a dog had been close to impossible. She missed her.
The brunette's eyes were drawn to another passing couple, and Jane's thoughts were drawn back to why she was here. James must have been watching her while she was looking at everyone else, as he asked if she was okay.
"Yeah, yeah. I'm good. Just-" Jane's eyes went wide. A flashy Toyota convertible pulled up by the edge of the park. Jumping to her feet, the expected nervousness started taking hold of her. Running a hand through her hair, Jane looked over to her friend. "Here she comes! Please try not to embarrass me, okay?"
James looked over as Maura stepped out of her car. Her well toned legs on full display thanks to her short designer dress. She looked like a million bucks. He let out a low wolf whistle.
Jane glared at him. "Hey! Show some respect."
"Don't worry. I will." He whispered under his breath. "You never said she was so…"
"Shut. Up."
"What?" He asked innocently. Winking at her.
Jane just glared again. Wanting nothing more than to punch him in the arm at that moment.
Approaching with an unsettling air of confidence, Maura looked stunning in her no doubt custom fit baby blue dress. As she neared the bench, Maura lifted her designer sunglasses to rest atop her perfect wavy hair.
Jane fidgeted from foot to foot, as she stood to greet her former friend.
"Thank you for coming for coming, Maura."
"Jane." Maura nodded at her, and looked askance towards her partner.
Clearing her throat, Jane made the introductions. "James, this is Doctor Maura Isles. Maura, this is James."
She watched as he stuck out his hand. Mega-Watt smiled aimed squarely at Maura. Openly admiring her.
"I'm Jane's partner. It's a real pleasure to meet you."
Maura shook his hand, but frowned a little. Jane jumped in, wanting to clarify. "He means we're working together."
Maura smiled mechanically in her direction, and Jane groaned internally. Not what she was frowning at dumbass!
Struggling to recover from her faux-pas, Jane nodded towards the handsome man still sat in Maura's car. "Who's he?"
"Doctor Karl Benton, and he's none of your business."
Jane let it drop. Ignoring the slow burn of jealousy creeping through her.
Maura took a seat at the bench, and Jane joined her. She got straight down to business.
"You were correct. My family does own the building. However, we've had no direct dealing with it." She pulled out a piece of paper detailing the buildings information. "It's controlled through a management company. It was rented up until six weeks ago."
James reached forward, snatching the paper from Maura's hands just as Jane was about to take it.
Ignoring the look he was being given, his eyes scanned quickly over the page. "Timing's right."
Jane could only nod in agreement.
Maura continued on. "It was leased to a company called Crown-Merrick Holding here in Boston. That's all I have."
Jane and James stood up. "Thanks, Maura. I mean it."
Walking away, she was pulled up short by a questioning voice.
"Wait a moment…"
Jane could feel the panic setting in. Her gut crawling, as theories she didn't want to think about became a whole lot more real. She wanted to run. Avoid Maura's coming questions.
"…What's going on? What's this all about?"
"It's nothing, Maura. I told you. It's just a case I'm working on."
Maura grew angry. Reaching out and pulling on Jane's arm to stop her hasty retreat. "I checked, Jane. You're not a private investigator. You have no licence. Would I be right in thinking your "partner" here isn't one either?"
Jane's own anger flared up in response. What the hell did it matter to Maura anyway? She had no interest in her life anymore.
"Maura…" The warning was clear in her voice. Back off. She spun around, getting right in her face.
The smaller woman did not back down. "No. If something is going on relating to my family or my families property, I have a right to know.
You waltz back into my life after almost a year asking for a favour. You owe me an explanation. You owe me that much!"
"No. I don't. I owe you nothing, Maura!"
All the fight left both women at that point.
James stood awkwardly off to the side. Much like those scattered around the park nearby, he did his best to ignore the screaming match right in front of him.
"How… How can you say that?" Maura looked tired in that moment. For the first time since Jane had walked back into her life, she seemed like she wasn't 100% okay.
"I can say that because you walked away… Goodbye, Maura."
They had left James' van a block away from the park. Walking back, Jane was seriously regretting bringing the agrravating man with her. She wasn't entirely sure why she had. The best she could come up with was that having someone else there meant she'd have to focus on the case, and not the history she shared with the woman she was meeting. It hadn't worked out so well, and now James just kept on talking.
"Smooth moves, Rizzoli. Really. I'm impressed. That how you get all the ladies? You have quite the way with words. Want to double date sometime?"
Jane just glared. "What was I supposed to do? We have an extremely dangerous international gang making a move on Boston. We'll be lucky if they can identify our bodies once Intergang figure out we're on to them. I'm okay with that. It's my risk to take, but I'm sure as hell not putting Maura in their sights."
Stopping outside their van/HQ, James turned and narrowed his eyes. "Ahhh. Ignore what I said. I should have known."
"Known what?"
"That you still love her."
Jane let out a frustrated sigh. Wondering how her annoying friend always managed to push her buttons. "Just drop it, okay. This has nothing to do with love. I just don't want to be responsible for hurting her again. I've done enough there. I can't be responsible for anyone else's pain anymore."
Opening the rear van door, James stepped inside and started rifling through a box of files stacked atop a mountain of others. "For someone so young, you sure pack a lot of guilt."
"That's my cross to bare."
"Oh, please."
Even though his back was turned Jane could picture the eye roll, and it pissed her off. "What did you say?"
He ignored her. Continuing to rifle through the boxes. Jane slammed her fist into the van. "I said… What did you just-"
"Oh, calm down Jane. You heard me. What happened with Maura, you've got to let it go. It'll eat you alive. They'll be nothing left of you. Trust me. I've seen it before…" He looked up at her. Eyes kind. "…You don't deserve that."
Jane didn't want to hear it. She didn't want forgiveness. Voice raising again. "You don't know anything about-"
James tossed a file at her. Her name printed in bold across the front.
"Doctor Maura Isles. Boston's Chief Medical Examiner. Adopted by Constance and William Isles. Biological daughter of Patrick "Paddy" Doyle, head of one of the most notorious Irish Crime families. Last winter Doyle killed fire fighter Kevin Flynn to protect Maura. FBI agent Gabriel Dean, having followed you to the warehouse where the shooting took place, shot him. Doyle returned fire, hitting agent Dean. Then raised his gun at your partner Detective Barry Frost. You shot Paddy Doyle, who lost his balance and fell through a rotted wooden barrier on a raised platform. He later died from the internal injuries caused by the fall. Maura, in her grief, and realising she had lost any hope of finding her biological mother blamed you. Ending your intense three year friendship."
His voice softened. "An FBI agent was shot. A weapon was aimed at your partner, and you did what any trained officer would do. And that's why you hate yourself, Jane Rizzoli… because you did the right thing."
Jane clutched the file to her aching chest. Sinking down to sit on the van floor. Silent tears falling as she hung her head.
Jane paced back and forth outside the van. James had been searching boxes of files for nearly an hour now.
"Got them!"
She looked round to see an arm with a fist full of photo's sticking out the side of the van.
"Crown-Merrick Holding. A subsidiary of HSC International banking. HSC is Intergang's spearhead. One of their legit fronts they establish to move into new territory. Part research and development, part human resources."
"It disturbs me that gangs have R & D."
James smirked at her. "I know right? They have 401K's these days. Just as happy to kill you in the boardroom as in a dingy back alley. HSC is run by a former agent of a home grown unnamed terrorist cell." He points to the top picture. A statuesque woman with long flowing red hair. Most people would consider her a knockout. All Jane could see were her cold dead eyes. She could tell this wasn't a woman you crossed.
"This woman is known simply as Scarlet. Aside from her previous affiliation, nothing else is known about her. She travels with a bodyguard…" He shuffled to the second picture. A very familiar hulk of a man scowled back at her. "…She used to have two, but you killed his brother. Anthony and Nikolas, last name unknown. You took out Anthony." He flipped to the next picture. That's Nikolas' ugly mug staring back at you. If they're both here it's proof alone that Intergang has targeted Boston."
"So we confirm they're here. Look for proof they're moving in people and equipment."
James smiled. "Exactly, my friend."
"What're you so happy about? How do we do any of that?"
"Same way I get most of my questions answered. Breaking and entering."
Jane wasn't surprised. She shook her head, laughing.
Parked by the entrance to the lot, out of sight of the two friends, sat Maura. Waiting.
They were currently outside the offices for Crown-Merrick Holding. James was working on the electrics, trying to bypass security and open the doors. Jane was on lookout. So far, she was actually kind of enjoying herself. She thought being on this side of the law would be problematic for her (no matter how honourable and good their intentions were), but mostly she was just curious and wanting answers.
The doors swung open. Both held their breath waiting to see if the alarm would start to sound. After a tense few moments of nothing happening, Jane smiled over at her partner. "Nice job. I'm impressed."
"Thanks. Cameras?"
"No problem. I got it." Jane snuck along the wall. Keeping to the rooms blind spots. Reaching up she sprayed the lens, blacking out the camera.
James pointed to the doors on the opposite side of the room. Then lifted a finger to his lips.
Silently they approached. Voices coming through.
"Phase two is ahead of schedule, and the teams are picked to arm them."
"Excellent! We're expecting another shipment from the Congo within the month."
"Grrrrr."
Jane spun around at the sound of the dog growling behind her. Unfortunately it wasn't just a guard dog. Standing beside it was Nikolas. Every bit as much muscle machine as his brother.
The dog jumps at Jane as Nikolas charges at James. Grabbed round the throat, she sees James' body used as a battling ram, busting down the doors they were listening at. She doesn't see much else as the huge dog lands on her, knocking the wind out of her as she sails through the empty doorway just after him.
As the dog scrambles and bares its teeth, a shrill whistle sounds and the dog backs off.
Nikolas' meaty hands grip both Jane and James' necks, and his smell is overpowering.
"Ever thought of taking a bath? Ugkk."
His hand squeezes tighter, and Jane thinks to herself, throwing insults right now may not be the smartest move.
"So… Who do we have here?"
Nikolas drags them both closer to the silky smooth female voice.
"Ah, James. What a surprise. Always sticking your nose where it doesn't belong."
Something about her voice makes Jane's skin crawl. Then the woman is behind her. Pressing in close. She bends closer to Nikolas. Trying uselessly to inch away from the woman invading her personal space. She sees flaming red hair out of the corner of her eye. Scarlet.
"You… You I don't know." All at once Scarlet's pressed right up against her, leaning in close. Running her tongue over her cheek.
"Ugh." Jane can't withhold the sound of disgust as she's unable to move anywhere, and right now all she wants to do is wipe her face.
Scarlet's laughing. "What's your name?"
"Ch-Charlize Theron." It's barely more than a squeak, her throat's being squeezed so hard.
Scarlet turns to Nikolas and points at James. "Break his neck."
"No!" Wait… It's Jane. Jane Rizzoli."
"That wasn't so hard now, was it?" She smiles at them. At least Jane assumes it's a smile. It was coming across more as a sneer. "It was nice to meet you… Nikolas?"
"Yes?"
"Kill them."
The two captives eyes grow wide simultaneously.
"Wait!" James sounds as desperate as Jane feels. "You don't even know why we're here. What we know. Who we've told."
"The fact you know anything is enough."
Scarlet strode through the busted down doors, calling over her shoulder. "Have at it, Nikolas." Then she was gone.
The revolting mountain of muscle turned his grim smile on them, and Jane shared a look with James. This wasn't going to be fun, and it was definitely going to be painful. She closed her eyes in acceptance, then braced for the pain.
James started making choking sounds. Looking over she could see Nikolas tightening his monster grip. He charged forward and they both scrambled to stay upright. When they reached the far wall, he forced her back into it. The back of her head connecting painfully with the solid wall. She slumped to the ground, momentarily seeing stars, and with disorientated eyes watched as he laid into James.
It took a couple of minutes, but as soon as her head cleared, Jane charged forward. Driving her body into the wall of muscle.
They all staggered to their feet, and just as it looked as if things were about to get painful again, a clear familiar voice rang out.
"FREEZE!"
All three spun around, surprise showing on everyone's faces as they took in the sight of a petite honey-blonde pointing a gun towards them.
Jane grinned. "Game over, Nikolas."
James spat a mouthful of blood at their adversaries feet, then moved towards the exit. Jane, disorientated still from the blow to her head, moved a little slower. As she drew level with Maura, she eased the gun from her hand, keeping it trained on the man in front of them. Nodding to the exit, Maura took Jane's cue and left the room.
Jane stood there. Weapon aimed at the man who had attempted to kill them. Seriously asking herself if she could shoot the asshole. Knowing she couldn't, and that she could no longer arrest him, she did the next best thing. Striding forwards, gun raised, she pistol whipped him on the side of the head. He crashed to the ground with a solid thump.
Running back out to their van, she saw Maura standing next to her vehicle. Changing course slightly, Jane approached.
They stood there looking at each other. Maura seemingly silently assessing Jane's injuries.
"You followed me." It wasn't a question.
"I did."
Jane simply nodded. Then handed Maura her weapon. "Thank you."
It was Maura's turn to nod.
They looked at each other a second longer, then both got in their respective vehicles without another word.
James got behind the wheel in the van. "I think she likes you."
"Shut. Up."
