Here's the latest installment....sorry it took so long for me to get it posted...have not been in the writing mood but now I am. Thank you to Brown-Eyed Girl for betaing this for me. Thank you to everyone who put this story on their alerts and who reviewed. You guys mean a lot because it keeps me wanting to write this. You know what to do at the end....chocolate for whom ever can tell me who the special guest star is from. BTW I own who you don't recognize (meaning only Julia)
Pulling his SUV into a parking spot of his best friend's building, Don Flack killing the ignition and quickly got out and headed up the stairs.
As he was running up the stairs, he struggled to get into his pants pockets to pull out the set of keys that had Danny's house key on it. Two year before, just before the explosion that nearly took his life, Don and Danny had "exchanged" keys, "just in case."
"If anything ever happens to me, I want someone I trust going into my place. I trust you." Danny had said. Don trusted Danny too, more than anyone else in his life.
Don unlocked the apartment door and walked in calling his best friends name.
"Danny, Danny, where are you?" Don felt the panic begin to rise once again. Could Julia have stopped here and Danny was helping her hide? He didn't think Danny was that stupid but it could have been an impulsive move.
Don started to look for another note. He didn't hear the bedroom door open or see his friend standing, staring at him with a look or worry and interest in his face. Danny didn't know whether or not he should attempt to get Don's attention. Just as he was about to call out to the frantic man in front of him, Don turned around and saw Danny staring back at him.
"Holy shit, where were you?" Don asked, attempting to catch his breath. "I called you."
"I heard you. I was in the shower, I just got home. What's up with you?"
"You haven't heard from my sister have you?" Danny shook his head. "Damn it. Do you know any Tanglewood hideouts?"
"No, they change them every couple of years. Why?"
"She bailed," Flack explained. "All she left me was a fucking note and just took off. I don't know where she went or who is out there that could possibly help or hurt her. I am going out of my mind trying to figure out where she could have gone. My dad wants me to let Gerrard and Sinclair handle it but they are part of the problem. I thought maybe you could help." As he was talking, Don's arms were shaking and moving frantically.
Danny walked over to Don and stood in front of him. "Who says I can't help. Just because I may not know where some of the hideouts are, doesn't mean I am totally blind to where they hang out. Now, we can't go and beat down some doors but we can go look and do some investigating of our own. Let's go. Do you want me to drive?" Don nodded and handed his keys over to Danny.
The two men walked out to the SUV and headed out on their own search through the streets of New York for the most important person in both of their lives.
Julia walked off the subway into an unfamiliar area of New York. She kept telling herself that she was doing this to protect her family.
She slowly walked up the stairs to a run down looking apartment building. Pulling out a piece of paper with the number 14c written on it, she took a deep breath and followed the numbers until she found the one she was looking for.
Knocking on the door, a smile came to her face when she saw her oldest friend from high school answer.
"Took you long enough," the man said with a laugh.
"Well, Timmy. I figured I would take my time," Julia retorted.
Outside of her brother, Tim Speedle was Julia's best friend,. He was always there for her, even when it seemed as if everyone else had deserted her. He cared for her when no one else was capable of it.
"Well, don't just stand there. Come in and get comfortable. You still need to tell me what is going on," Tim closed the door and followed Julia into his small living room.
Julia realized that the inside of Speed's apartment looked better than the outside of the building itself. She could see little bits of his personality all over the place. There were pictures of his time in Miami including his friends there.
She sat down on the couch and put her head in her hands. Tim sat down beside her and rubbed her back as she began to cry. He wasn't sure what was going on in her life.
When his phone rang, Speed was surprised to hear the semi-frantic voice of his best friend. When she said she needed a place to stay and lay low, he had no problem offering up his spare room. She had given him her bed so many times during high school that he figured it was time he paid her back. In fact, it was just the thought of her needing him that made up his mind. Speed loved Julia but no in the conventional way. He would bend over backwards for her.
"I just don't know what to do now?" Julia's voice startled Tim out of his thoughts.
"Do about what?" Tim questioned.
Julia slowly began to explain the events of the last 24 hours to her friend. By the time she was done, she felt a little better.
"I don't know what to tell you. While you should go back and talk to them, your life is at risk if things are released. Have you talked to your dad yet?"
"No, but I'm sure Donnie already has. It would be like him to take the initiative to do that. But what if they can't figure things out?"
"Well, than you can stay here as long as you need to. I'm not going anywhere. And as long as your life is in danger, I am not letting you out of my sight."
Julia couldn't help but smile. Tim was always so protective of her when they were in high school. He always made she was taken care of.
Don and Danny drove to every spot they could think of to find Julia. Just as they were about to give up, Don's cellphone rang. He looked down at it and quickly answered it.
"Adam, what do you have?"
"I ran the credit card number you gave me and it's been inactive for months, maybe longer."
"What about the cell number?"
"I've triangulated the signal and its in New York but I can't get an exact spot. Now, since you called, she made one phone call. The only problem is, it is an unlisted number. I will keep trying but even the phone company won't give me the name. I promise to keep trying."
Don sighed and hung up his phone. He relayed all the information to Danny. He didn't think his sister knew anyone else who lived in New York. He knew of one person who used to live in New York but that person had died a few years ago. So now, he was playing worst-case scenario through his head. His cell began to ring again and he answered it without looking at the display.
"Julia?" He answered desperately.
"No, it's dad. I take it you haven't found her yet?" Sr. questioned.
"No," Jr. sighed. "All we know is that she is still in New York somewhere and with someone we don't know. We are driving around in circles trying to figure out what to do next but I don't know what to do anymore, dad. I'm at the end of my rope here. I just don't know what to do."
"Take a deep breath and calm down. The next thing you need to do is meet me at the precinct so that we can sit down with Taylor and the brass to figure out how to find her."
"NO," Jr. yelled. "They are the ones who caused her to run. They are the ones who don't care about her. She's just another witness to them." Don quickly hung up his phone without listening to his fathers answer
Danny looked over at his best friend and pulled the car over. He knew that Don was slowly breaking down. As he turned the car off, he felt a pair of eyes burning into the side of his head. He slowly turned to face Don.
"What are you doing? We need to find Julia before anyone else does!" Don yelled.
Danny took a deep breath and sighed. "I know we do. But at the same time, to be honest, I don't think we are. And if we can't find her, I don't think anyone else is going to. Trust me, I want to find her just as bad as you do. But we might not."
Don closed his eyes and thought about what Danny said. "I know but what if she is in trouble?"
"I don't think she is. If something happens, she'll call. Why don't we head back to your place and relax."
Don nodded. Danny started the car, turned around and headed back to Queens. The only thought in his head was that he hoped he was right and Julia was safe.
