Chapter 10: Leverage
A/N: Yay over 100 reviews before chapter 10. Thanks to all yall who constantly review! PeterPeter- Tbag? Really lol We're only halfway through season 2 (epi after he rips his hand off the heater!), but I do find myself rooting for him lol. Anyways, back to the story . . .
Alex rocked with the motion of the van as it sped along the highways. She had been transferred from the back seat of a sedan into the back of a white van about a half mile outside of the city. She sat against the side of the van with her knees pulled in close to her body. Her hands were held behind her back and wrapped with duct tape, and so were her ankles. A single strip of the tape kept her mouth stuck together.
She eyed the man that sat grinning in front of her. This was not the suit that grabbed her, but some low level punk who eyed her greedily. She did not give into the fear that threatened the surface; instead, she had fought back and had thus ended up duct taped. Nevertheless, Alexandra wasn't going to be the one threatened, she knew her detective, her girlfriend would come through; and once she did, they would be the ones sorry.
*-*/*-*/*-*/*-*/
Olivia called Elliot from the courthouse. She had looked through all the rooms and offices located in the building only to confirm Josie's suspicions- Alexandra Cabot had been kidnapped. "Elliot, we have a situation . . ." Olivia panted as she raced down the courthouse steps back to her car.
"Woah, woah, calm down and tell me what's going on." Elliot said over the phone. He was already on his way back from his chat with Nate.
"I think Dean's men kidnapped Alex." Olivia climbed into her squad car and flipped on her lights. There was no way traffic was going to slow her down. She peeled off from the curb and headed back to the squad room to hash this out.
"Nate is speaking with Harris right now; maybe we'll have some information from him after the interview."
"Alex is in danger and it's my fault." Olivia said feeling guilty about everything.
"He's going to know something is up if both you and Nate show up at his doorstep. And, how is this your fault?"
"I should have warned her, I saw a man standing outside of my apartment this morning watching us. I didn't think too much about it at the time, but he must be the one that took Alex." Olivia said.
"Wait, she stayed at your apartment last night?" Elliot asked.
"Ugh, yes El; but I don't have time to explain that right now," Olivia said still frantically driving down the busy streets of New York. Then she came to a sudden halt and turned her car around. "I'm going to see Dean."
"Olivia, first of all, you have nothing to 'explain', but if you go to see Dean, you could jeopardize the arrangements that Kendall is trying to connect."
"Then call him off. I'm going to see Dean, and I will get some answers."
"Would you at least wait for backup? I can meet you in twenty minutes."
"I can't wait Elliot. I'll call you when I know more." Without waiting for a response, Olivia hung up her phone and began dialing the number she had for Dean.
*-*/*-*/*-*/*-*/
"Do I know you?" Harris asked as he was led into a visiting room where Nate sat. The guards cuffed Harris to the table and then left the two in the room.
Nate leaned in casually, "No, but you'll want to."
"Why is that?" Harris growled.
"Because," Nate's voice remained steadfast and sure of himself, "I have something you want."
Lowell's jaw jutted off to the side. He looked around the small room and then leaned into the table. "And what is it you want from me?"
"I want in on your little side business. I know you have the contacts, so don't bullshit me."
Harris leaned back in his chair, cocky and full of himself, "And what is it I get in return?"
"That depends," Nate said, "how high do your contacts go?"
"That depends," Harris retorted, "you gonna break me outta here or something?"
Nate smiled, keeping the tension high, "No," he finally said. "Get me the contact for your partner and you will be shipped to a low security prison with a window in your cell and a longer time in the yard. If you want, I can even get you a stint with PI."
"You have the arrogance of a cop and the stupidity of a court appointed lawyer. What assurances do I have that you can be trusted?" Harris drew out the 's' and it made a hissing sound across his tongue.
"I have the transfer on order." Kendall said, "Either you take the deal, or you get nothin'."
Harris licked his lips, he could taste the "freedom" that a lower security prison would offer, and the benefits that would come from having a job within Prison Industries. "I can't get you to my partner, but you can have the lieutenant."
Kendall slapped down a writing pad and pushed a pen in his direction. When Harris started writing, Nate got up from his position and walked around toward Harris. He leaned over his shoulder and threatened, "And if your sources are wrong . . . you can bet your ass will end up back here and you won't be able to sit for a week you'll be so fucked up."
Harris slid over the paper and stared forward, not wanting to look Nate in the eye, "It's all there," He said.
Nate motioned for the guards, when they came in and uncuffed Harris he turned to them and said, "His transfer is going through, effective immediately."
Kendall leisurely strolled to his car, the easy part was taken care of, now on to the hard part. After he made the call to the number that Harris gave him, he dumped his cell and went on his way.
As he was driving off, a sound rang out from the cell phone in the trash- it was Elliot.
*-*/*-*/*-*/*-*/
The van came to a rolling stop outside of an abandoned warehouse. Roy, the driver of the van came around back and opened the back door. Curtis, the man who sat in the back watching Alex grabbed her by one elbow and pulled her to the edge of the van.
When Alex was sitting at the edge, Roy brought out a switchblade. Alex began to thrash, trying to back up, but Curtis had her tight.
Roy grabbed her face in his hand and held the knife to her throat. "Relax white bread," a cruel smile crossed his face as he saw the panic in her eyes. He laughed and cut the tape that bound her feet. "You're gonna walk with us." He held the knife back up to her throat and gave her a once over. He slid the knife delicately over her skin, down her neck to the top of her shirt between her breast. "And, if you don't behave, we'll have a little fun of our own before the boss arrives."
Alex sat there stoically, defiantly. When they started walking, she walked with them. She took the only chance she might have and looked around the area. The old warehouse was fully fenced in; it looked like only one gate lead out to the main dirt road. As far as she could see, the rest of the warehouse was surrounded by trees. Two outbuildings sat slightly to the right of the warehouse, each was tumbling apart, its bricks beginning to fall to the ground as ivy climbed its walls. The main warehouse was only one story tall, several windows had been boarded up, letting no light into the enclosed spaces.
Alex was lead through a side entrance, a garage door with graffiti slowly grinded its way up as the three walked inside. A few overhead industrial lights flickered as they walked her through the open warehouse that hosted old machining equipment and to a back hallway. They threw her inside the aged locker room and she fell to the floor.
Roy bent down and cut the tape off her wrists.
Alex brought her hand up immediately to the tape across her mouth and ripped it off. "I want to speak to your supervisor at once."
Roy chuckled again, "Settle down there missy." He got up and walked to the door, "He'll be here soon enough."
The door slammed behind him and Alex sat on the floor in the locker room. She rubbed her wrists and glanced about the room. The light was minimal, but enough to see. She got up and began to explore the small area.
*-*/*-*/*-*/*-*/
Olivia stomped into Dean's office. He was in the very back of the one story building at the FBI unit. His office was large, especially compared to the tiny cubicles she passed on her way there. She knocked on his door and waited patiently as he took his time answering it.
He hung up his phone and discreetly placed it back in his pocket. "Olivia, come on in."
Liv walked into his office but didn't sit. Instead she lightly paced and waited for him to shut the door. "I need to know what info you have on the case Dean."
Dean walked up to Olivia, casually glancing down at her. "Here, have a seat." He pulled out a chair at his desk and ushered her to sit.
Reluctantly she did as he said. She sat back as she ran her hand over her forehead and back through her hair.
He walked around his desk and slowly took his seat, watching her every agitated move.
When he said nothing, Olivia began, "Look, I know we have our differences, but I need in on this. Someone has kidnapped Alex, and I'm pretty sure it has to do with the case."
Dean looked down at his desk, contemplating his next move. He sighed, "You know I want to, but it's above your clearance level. Why don't you tell me what you know and we'll do everything possible to get Alex back safely."
Olivia stared him down, still not trusting him, but what choice did she have. Everything she had lead directly to him. It was better to try to keep squeezing him for info before she let him in on what she knew. "I don't have any new information since yesterday. All I know is in the file handed over to you."
He picked up the file and opened it, "Yet," he said flipping through it, "we both know you have more than this. The question is how much more and what does it have to do with Alex."
"Nothing I know has to do with Alex. Do you know who took her or not? If you don't then I'm wasting my time here." She moved to get up, a bluff she hoped she wasn't going to have to go through with.
Dean cleared his throat. "We have a suspect lined up. My guys are questioning him now."
"Who's your suspect?" She asked.
Dean looked at her, his eyes unwavering, not dauntingly, but they looked like a man who'd lost something, someone.
Olivia knew he still had feelings for her, even if he had said they didn't matter. She chose her next words carefully; wanting to appeal to that side of him that still liked her without pushing past the boundaries. "I need to know Dean, do this for me."
He sighed and looked down at his desk. He kept his eyes trained down so as not to give too many secrets away, "His name is Donnie Lombardi. He's an Italian immigrant raised in New York. We have his weapon in custody. The striations on the bullets match those found in our victims. Plus, Shelly positively ID'd him as the man who shot Lisa Maria."
Olivia sank back into her chair. All the evidence pointed to this man, "So what could they want with Alex?"
Dean shrugged, "I don't know, perhaps some leverage." He looked her dead in the eye, "Now, I need to know what you know so that we can work together to get Alex back . . ."
A/N: I hope this chapter wasn't too much of a filler, there is a lot that needs to play out and I need to make sure that it is set up right. So, let me know what yall think. Is Dean telling the whole truth, a part truth, or a complete lie? And is it Dean's men who took Alex or someone completely different? And, how will Nate's roll in the story pan out?