A/N: I'd like to thank my beta, Lieutenant Caine for his feedback and assistance in presenting a chapter worthy of my readers. Thank you so much for your assistance!

Chapter Nine

The car glided as if it were traveling on air, the steady but quiet hum of the engine the only sound between them. The late hour assured them no interruptions in traffic or otherwise, the deserted streets of Miami conceding to the wills of the early morning hours. Far from the glow of Ocean Boulevard, Miami resembled a ghost town; the locals knew that the night belonged to the underbelly of the thriving metropolis and knew fully to retreat behind the safety of their locked homes, minimizing the risks of becoming another victim to the streets. At this hour, Horatio functioned at his fullest capacity. He preferred to operate without the distraction of too many witnesses that came in the form of nosey tourists' intent on soaking up the sun. The cover of darkness gave him confidence and sharpened his focus, something he was relying on heavily for what he was about to do. He ached for retribution for Max's death and his determination would not allow him to rest until he found it. On his life, he was going to rectify the problem of Giancarlo Reyes before he escalated in his attempts to destroy him through his weaknesses. At the moment, Horatio recognized fully that the one weakness that remained was Calleigh and he wasn't entirely sure that Reyes hadn't found out about their relationship. It simply wasn't a risk he was willing to take. He had to strike first.

Brought out of his musings by a gentle touch, Horatio glanced to the passenger seat and exhaled heavily, regarding her concerned expression with a slight nod. Years of loyalty and surviving one hell after another had confirmed her allegiance to him on more than one occasion. Many often questioned his decision to make a woman his second in command but to Horatio, the choice of Natalia Boa Vista was a no brainer. Dangerously misperceived, Natalia possessed a cold and calculating mind hidden under the guise of the warmth of her alluring chocolate brown eyes, giving her a certain advantage over most. Where men used their brawn to overpower, Natalia merely had to smile. Her beguiling beauty was disarming, the mischievous glint in her eyes cloaking the cold deception that ran through her veins like hot lava. If he hadn't known her intimately, Horatio would've been reticent to trust her. A true enigma, no one would ever see her coming and that was exactly what Horatio was counting on. Her abilities far exceeded just her physical beauty; she was proficient in hand to hand combat and any firearm known to man. To take her beauty for granted was the first and last mistake anyone would ever make. She was fierce in every sense of the word, and Horatio wouldn't trade his friendship with her for anything in the world.

"You want to tell me why you pulled me out of the best sleep I've gotten in years, H?" she asked quietly, her tone revealing a small smile. In the years she'd known the red head, she'd been privy to what most would crave – to know the man that resided beneath the cold exterior. Time and circumstance had, just like for her, skewered his perception of life. Like anyone, they both had the same chance to walk the straight and narrow but they both quickly found that survival on the mean streets predicated on smarts, not good morals.

Arching her brow, she waited for him to answer and then shook her head, a small chuckle leaving her lips, "So…we're going to play the silent game. Am I supposed to figure this out for myself, then?" Again, silence. Turning to face him completely, Natalia frowned as she shifted her glance to the window and then back to him, "What are you up to, Horatio?"

Her questions hadn't gone unheard and with every word spoken, he gripped the wheel, his thoughts stringently focused on what lain ahead. Of course, he was going to tell her what was going down but he first had to gather himself. If it was one thing that Natalia despised more than being ignored it was walking into a situation cold. Chancing a glance toward her, he knew he was courting her wrath but he had to temper his words. So many emotions were swirling within him and he had to be mindful of what he divulged. Natalia only knew the black and white of the situation; Calleigh was a cop and cops did not engage in illicit love affairs with the criminal element. As much as he trusted Nat, he knew she wouldn't understand. Her loyalties, and he feared, her feelings would blind her. The situation was precarious which is why he had to tread lightly.

After a moment longer of tense silence, Horatio gripped the wheel and formed the words, willing them to come, ever hopeful that his voice would not betray the conflict that resided deeply within him. Clearing his throat, he spoke quietly, "I know this seems…crazy, Nat, but there's business to attend to. I've called the crew together and they should be there. You couldn't imagine how hard it was to get Ryan up and going…"

Crossing her arms about her chest, Natalia exhaled heavily, "You're stalling, H, something big is about to happen, isn't it?"

Horatio chuckled at her ability to see through his bullshit and relaxed more, trusting the relationship that they had. Reaching to scratch his forehead he relented, "Max is dead, Nat. He was found this evening at the warehouse. Reyes…is responsible."

The shock registered only for a second before Natalia narrowed her gaze at him, "Why didn't you call me, Horatio? We could've had this done by now…"

"I didn't call because I was busy…"

"Busy with your mystery woman?" Nat asked bitingly. Realizing her tone, she amended quickly, "Sorry, H but this seems shot from the hip. Max is killed and you spend your evening just…what? He didn't mean anything to you? Is that how you feel about all of us, H?"

Offended by even the insinuation of the lack of compassion of her words, Horatio exploded, "Max meant the world to me; you of all people should know that, Natalia! You all mean the world to me, you're…you're my family!" Shooting her deadly glare, he bit out, "After all we've been through and you question my loyalty to my family?"

Natalia knew she had rattled his cage and brought her accusatory tone down, slipping a stray strand of hair behind her ear as she turned to face the windshield more, "I'm sorry, Horatio. I know how much family means to you but can you blame me? Lately it seems like you're not all here. You go off on your own; you don't call to check in…everything you do is in the shadows now."

"It's how we live our lives, Natalia."

"Yeah, but it's not how we do things, Horatio," she countered defensively. Casting a forlorn gaze to him, she added, "I never had to guess with you. What's changed? What are you hiding?"

Lapsing into a thoughtful silence, Horatio stared out into the inky darkness that he drove headlong into. Natalia was right; his relationship with Calleigh was skewering his path of life and his focus. He was a fool to think that she would be able to snatch him from the nefarious clutches of the street life he so willingly immersed himself within. The truth was staring him in the face; the problem was if he was ready to acknowledge it.

Feeling her silent prodding, he finally answered, "I've been distracted, but no longer, Nat. Max paid the price for me and now I'm going to rectify this situation. Reyes is the problem and we're going to solve it. Tonight."

Natalia could hear the staunch determination in his voice and absently brushed her hand against the firearm that was nestled just within her jacket pocket. Business was now the focus and as he drove more, she could see clearly that whatever was distracting his perspective had been dismissed. The coldness that she'd seen in his eyes when dispatching his troubles was now evident and she shivered slightly, knowing that this was only the beginning. Horatio wouldn't stop until his job was done. She suddenly had pity for Reyes for he truly did not know what was coming.

Little did the two of them know, the same was about to befall them as well.

/Twisted/

Rounding the corner of the darkened pier, Calleigh shut her lights off completely and brought the vehicle to a complete stop, killing the engine. Her calls to Horatio had gone unanswered and that only furthered her anxiety. As dire as the situation was, however, she could not afford to go into this blindly. She had to be smart and focused. Her life hinged on the outcome of what was about to go down.

With only minutes to spare, they found their perch, able to see the entire expanse of the warehouse. Despite the yellow crime scene tape that crisscrossed the building, several cars pulled up and emptied out, the darkened figures disregarding the boundaries. Some were left behind to move the cars and instead of the lights coming on as she thought they would have, the warehouse remained ensconced within the deceptive darkness. Something just wasn't right and as she sat back and exhaled heavily, the knot of anxiety in her gut tightened perceptibly. There was no way of knowing that Horatio was about to be hit, but she couldn't take the chances, not when his life was at stake. She'd long confirmed that her relationship was worth more than anything to her and she was going to do anything and everything to preserve it- including watching his back.

"How do you know who's who, Cal?" Tim asked as he stared at the darkened warehouse. His voice shattered the anxious silence that had filtered between them and as he looked to her, he shook his head and sighed, seeing the fear etched upon her face. Reaching to touch her, he reminded her, "Breathe, Calleigh. You're going to be no good to him if you fall to pieces, you know that."

Breaking her gaze with the warehouse, she regarded him with a small smile, "I know…it's just that I can't help thinking that this is wrong. If these were Caine's men, they wouldn't be sneaking into the place. I have a feeling that Horatio's walking into a trap."

"You don't know that, Calleigh. Since when have you known criminals to play by the rules?" Shifting his gaze to the warehouse, he continued sullenly, "We're wasting our time…" The sound of Calleigh's door opening caught his attention and he frowned, "Calleigh, what are you doing? Get back in here."

Calleigh slipped out of the car gracefully and then bent to look back into the car, her tone unmistakable, "Speed, if there's a way I can warn him, I'm going to take it. Why else are we here?"

"Because you're insane, that's why, Cal." Holding her gaze, he relented after only a second longer before moving to get out, "And I'm crazy to go along with you." Standing fully and slamming the door, he watched her cross in front of the car, "You owe me big time, Cal."

"Consider it done, Speed. Now," she retorted as she came to rest next to him, "let's find Horatio and let him know that he has a rat problem." As they began to walk, Calleigh moved her hair out of her eyes, somewhat relishing the cool breeze as it blew across the Atlantic. The serenity of the night worked against her anxious energy and she found herself at odds. In order to keep herself focused, she would have to distract her mind from the numerous possibilities.

"Speed," she questioned in the attempts to break up the nerve wracking silence, "who's prints were found on those weapons? You know he has only a select few that are in his inner circle."

"Yeah, I ran them against the gamut of his known associates. You'd never guess who came up," Tim responded, turning his attention toward the towering building. He noticed movement in the shadows and heard a few voices as well as the sounds of car doors slamming. Holding his hand out to stave her forward movement, he motioned to the dumpster a few feet ahead of them as the voices grew. Placing his finger to his lips to quiet her, Tim then pushed her further in the shadows at the group moved toward them more. When they passed, Tim checked to see if the coast was clear and then stood fully in time enough to see the lights come on in the warehouse.

With his heart beating rapidly, he exasperated, "Now that was close. Calleigh…I think we may be in over our heads here."

The sound of a hammer being cocked right behind them stopped her heart and as she glanced to Tim, she could feel the adrenaline pumping through her veins. In an attempt to address their captor, Calleigh turned slightly, raising her hands.

And then the silence shattered as gunfire filled the air.

TBC…