Title: Till Death do us Part
Chapter 11 – Racing the Clock


As they near the precinct, Erin can't help but wonder if she indeed is overreacting? What if he's buying something for…but then her brain starts to ponder Matt's revelation about the serious warning from Agent Ward…

'He said if he ever saw someone following him then to call her first…' yeah call her first as if! Erin's mind inwardly growls as she pictures Alex in her mind's eye and then feels her fingers automatically tighten around the steering wheel; a silent action not lost on the person next to her.

"Keep telling myself I'm overreacting," Erin admits as they near the precinct. "Never been a wife before."

"Kelly's the same…he's never been a husband before," Matt tosses back with a small smile before his expression turns serious once more. "But he doesn't play games. He said he wanted to buy a surprise for you but he…he'd answer me but he could be distracted. I don't know. This Agent Ward…she sounds like bad news."

"Oh she is that and not just because she flirted with him," Erin tosses back offhandedly. "But still seems odd to me that she'd give him that warning after one call and report."

"I'm just going to run in and check with Mouse on where Kelly might be and then…" she pauses as she stops in front of the precinct. "I don't want to cause a scene for nothing."

"I'll wait here."

"Okay."

Erin pushes herself from the car and hurries inside, hoping to just talk to their electronics expert and then slip back out.

"Thought you had the day off?" Voight asks, instantly foiling her plan and making her turn to him with a small frown.

"Just had to get something," she replies as she hurries past.

"Erin."

"Gotta meet Kelly."

She hurries up the stairs, her mind focused on one thing but knowing that he wants to talk about something else – her talking to a department shrink about Nadia's death.

"Hey…need your help, now," she intercept's Mouse as he tries to pass, grabbing him by this shirt sleeve and turning him around to face back toward his desk.

"Ok-ay," he huffs as he looks down into the bottom of his coffee cup. "More stuff on Agent Ward?" Mouse asks in an undertone.

"No. I…okay so I know this will sound silly but um…I need to know where Kelly is right now."

"Ok-ay," he repeats as Erin's lips purse. "You uh…think he's cheating?" He asks in a soft whisper.

"No, that I could figure out on my own. I think…I don't know what to think but I just need to know where he is."

"Sure," he nods as he plunks himself back down at his computer. "So…cell number?"

Erin's impatience starts to gain momentum as she waits for Mouse to trace Kelly's cell number, praying that she was just overreacting and Kelly was in some adult shop or some jewelry shop that…adult came before jewelry….her mind pauses to inwardly jeer before it continues. But in any case she just hopes that he's okay and it's nothing.

"Okay so found him and he's…well he's parked…"

"Where is…can you zoom in on that…" Erin requests as she leans in closer. But as soon as she sees the area, her curiosity skyrockets. "But that's…nowhere."

"Does he have a side job?" Mouse asks weakly. "That kind of an industrial area. The phone is active. Do you want me to call him?"

"No I'm just…okay thanks," Erin states in haste as scribbles down the address and then hurries back toward the exit, Voight coming into Mouse's view.

"What's going on?" Voight asks with a stare that makes Mouse silently feel intimidated.

"She was wondering where…Kelly was."

Voight nods and then pulls away with a frown; his mind wondering if there was something brewing, Erin was just being paranoid or if Kelly was giving her cause.

"Did you find Kelly?" Matt asks in as soon as Erin gets back in the car.

"I…think so."

XXXXXXXX

The air was colder than he had expected or anticipated, coupled with the ensuing silence told him they were out of the city limits. But where?

Before Kelly's mind could start to formulate any kind of location identification, each captor grabbed an arm, bodily hauled him out of the trunk of the car and let his captive frame fall to the cold, hard ground.

"Thought you could snoop around our operation!" One of them shouts as he delivers a hard kick to Kelly's vulnerable mid-section.

"Thought you could rat us out!" The other shouts as he delivers the next blow to Kelly's already throbbing mid-section.

Oh God…Kelly's mind groans as he tries to roll away from their attack. But not being able to see or use his arms or legs to defend himself against them, was dealing him a world of hurt that he couldn't even imagine.

'One got killed…the other ended up paralyzed for life…'

After about the sixth blow to his chest, his brain tells him that he's sure something snapped inside and he could only hope that by now Erin would figure out he's missing and maybe trace his phone? Go see Matt? But then what? Would they find him out here? In time? Wherever the hell here was?

This time his cold lips painfully grunt as he's picked up by his aching arms and dragged toward…where? His nose picks up the faint traces of gasoline or diesel or…where the hell am I? No city sound or familiar smells except the gasoline and that was more than disconcerting to him. Garage? Waste yard….WHERE!

But the next thing his body feels throws his head into a downward tailspin…stairs…where…an office? But there are no sounds…house in the woods? Where the hell…

His body instantly stops to shiver as soon as he's dragged inside and then once again dropped to the floor. His lips utter another painful grunt into the thick gag as he connects oddly with the floor and then hears footsteps heading away from him.

Kelly strains his ears to hear what his two captors are saying in hushed tones, but is unable. Ah damn…where….ahhhhhhh his mind inwardly yells as he tries as he tries to shift to a better position but then is reminded to remain put with another swift blow, this one to his back.

"Told you to stay put snitch!"

Snitch? What the hell! Kelly's mind yells as he tries to grumble no into the gag as he shakes his head no.

"Mess with us! We mess with you!"

And once again before he can react, the two men each take a hold of an arm and start to drag Kelly toward a small door and then before he can brace himself on well…anything, finds himself tumbling down a set of rickety old wooden stairs until he lands on another patch of cold, dirt floor, crying out in pain.

The door is then slammed shut and Kelly's despair sinks further into the darkness. Erin…come on baby…you gotta find me.

XXXXXXXX

"Okay I see his car but…"

"What's that on the back of it?" Matt instantly notices as Erin's car comes to a stop and he jumps out to inspect it.

"What is it?"

"Someone's just wrapped a big chain around…" Matt states as Erin hurries to the front seat and opens the door. "This makes no sense."

"Oh no," she whispers in dread as Matt's head pokes out from behind the back of Kelly's car and looks up. She holds up Kelly's phone and then looks around in haste. "I'm going to call Jay and then…we gotta check these buildings to see if he's in one," her voice pauses as Matt nears her. "What if…she warned him and…then. Okay we need to find him before we jump to any conclusions."

"Okay so I won't say this is good but…okay let's go check the area," Matt changes verbal course as panic starts to cross his face.

"What if she…"

"We don't know it's her yet."

"I'm almost hoping it's not."

"Why not?" Matt asks as they hurry toward the cluster of industrial buildings.

"Much easier to cover up the murder of an ordinary person," she retorts dryly as a brief look of amusement flashes across Matt's face. "Kelly…" she whispers as she pauses and then looks at the empty and quiet buildings before them. "We…we'll each take one. We need to cover more ground until the team arrives."

"Copy," Matt replies as they both pull away and each take the nearest building and race toward it.

"Come on Kelly…maybe it was just a mugging or…he heard someone in distress or…" Erin's voice trails off in a panic as she nears the entrance to the first building with her gun raised. She had wanted to tell Matt to stay and wait for Jay to show up with a weapon but if Kelly was hurt then Matt's skills would be invaluable.

She knows if Kelly were able, he'd come out or call out or…find a way to get some kind of signal to them. Something's wrong…her mind ponders as she blinks a few seconds to let her eyes adjust to the dim lighting before her in the empty, open warehouse.

"KELLY!" She calls out in a panic as she races toward the back area of the warehouse. "KELLY! ARE YOU IN HERE?"

But at the same time she hears Matt calling her beloved husband's name and her heart race starts to race a bit faster. "Come on Kelly…come on where are you?" She mutters as she reaches the end of the large, open warehouse; the only sound are her footsteps echoing off the walls and her heart beat pounding in her ears. "Can't lose him…can't…I l…" she starts as her brain comes to the silent conclusion. I love him…no no it's too soon…but…

However, her brain pushes that aside as she hears some shuffling behind her and whirls around with her gun trained and ready.

"Whoa! Whoa! It's me…" Matt holds up his hands as Erin quickly drops her gun. "First one is empty."

"This one too," she slightly huffs as they both race back toward the entrance. "What the hell happened?"

"I don't know…ambushed for something, but why?" Matt ponders as they near the exit to the building and then emerge back outside.

Erin hears the sirens in the distance but knows they have to keep looking. "Keep going."

"Yup," Matt agrees as they both split up again and hurry toward the other buildings. This time their search is aided by the intelligence squad from 21; Jay spying Matt and heading for him while Voight and Antonio head toward the building Erin just disappeared into.

Erin hears Voight shouting to the rest of the team to fan out and check any surrounding buildings and then report back as soon as possible.

"Erin!" Voight calls out seconds after he hears her calling for Kelly.

She turns just in time to see Voight hurrying toward her with a worried expression. "Kelly is missing. She has him and…"

"Wait slow down," Voight urges as Erin turns to move past but he blocks her move. "Who is she?"

You don't know for sure…her brain reminds her in haste. "I don't…I don't know. I just…Kelly's missing. We were supposed to meet and…can you call DHS and see if Alex Ward is…"

"What?" Voight interjects as they hear footsteps and watch as Jay approaches.

"What's going on?" Jay asks in wonder.

"I don't know. Kelly's been kidnapped but…"

"What does DHS have to do with this?" Voight inquires.

"You think Alex Ward is behind this?" Jay counters as Voight looks from Erin to Jay.

"Okay someone better tell me right now what's going on and what the hell DHS has to do with it."

"Kelly did some work for them but we don't know all the details," Matt's voice is heard as he enters the room. "He signed a form for Alex Ward today and she…"

"She's been after Kelly and has…" careful….you don't want to get Mouse in trouble. "I don't know for sure. It's just a feeling."

"Jealous because she came on to your husband?" Voight asks pointedly as Erin's lips purse. "Personal feelings aside do you have any real reason to suspect her?"

"She…" Erin starts as she looks at Jay and then Matt and then back at Voight and nods. "She has used other civilians in the past to help with other cases. One of them died and the other ended up paralyzed for life. But…that wasn't it. She has also been known to use two men to help her…shall we say cement her case at any cost."

"And instead of targeting the person heading up the investigation these guys or whoever target…a civilian?"

"They work for her!" Erin snaps as Jay looks at her squarely. "I think."

"And you think she's used these two guys to kidnap Kelly?"

"I don't know," Erin replies with a strained expression. "I don't know for sure it's her," she quickly regains. "These guys…there are no names on file and…"

"Lemme guess…Mouse is looking for them now?"

"Don't get mad at him, blame me," she offers in haste as Voight exhales heavily. "Kelly was hesitant to sign the form and said her case was kind of weak and….and if she keeps to her MO she might have used these two guys to help make her case."

"So they kidnap Kelly to send the message that whoever snoops into their business will pay the price?" Jay ponders as Erin nods in misery.

"Erin…"

"I know," she interjects as she looks at Voight in sorrow. "I have no proof. Just a hunch. But we need to find Kelly and fast. We need…to find my husband before…we need to find him."

She looks at Voight as her brain orders her emotions to remain in check. Kelly needs you to be strong for him right now…

"We need to find him."

"And right now…she's our only lead," Erin adds to Matt's impassioned plea.

Hold on Kelly…please just hold on.

"You heard her fan out and search the entire surrounding area," Voight directs but then takes Erin by the arm. "You…need to tell me everything and right now."

XXXXXXXX

Despite being manhandled and pulled up the stairs, Kelly's brain instantly feels a bit of warmth from whatever heat source was in whatever room he was now deposited into. The shivers start to lessen but the throbbing in his frame doesn't lessen quite as fast.

"Don't get too used to it snitch!"

Wood smoke inside…gasoline outside…and…what else? Kelly's brain takes advantage of the brief heat reprieve to try to focus on anything in his surroundings that smell or sound familiar.

"Pretty soon…you won't have to worry about anything," one states with a snicker.

Smells like…fertilizer and…are they making another bomb? This…isn't good.

He listens as the two sets of footsteps stomp away from him and then the outside door closes and then silence. Kelly hears muffled voices on the other side of the door and knows they are talking about him or….or to the person calling the shots about him.

But he uses that time to rub his face against the rough floor, not caring that he was scraping the side of his face in his attempts to remove the blindfold. It finally slides down enough for him to be able to see around the room he's in.

He rapidly blinks away the dusty particles his actions have mustered and then does a quick survey. He spies the small wood burning fireplace a few meters in the distance. He spies the materials for making a homemade explosive device. Panic starts to build in his heated core as he hears his two captors open the door and then stop back into the room.

Kelly's eyes try to latch onto one of them and get at least some kind of facial picture in his mind's eye as they near but as soon as he sees the large, wooden baseball bat in one of the captor's hands, he knows his world is about to turn a lot more painful.

"Shouldn't have removed that blindfold. Now…you'll pay for it."


A/N: uh oh….well obviously we knew Alex was bad hehe but hmm now Erin has the whole team alerted but how will they be able to find who the two guys really are in time? What else will they find? And if they find something on Alex what consequences will it bring? and will they find Kelly in time? Please do review before you go and thanks so much!