I'm Out

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Ch11: One of Their Own

Sara raced around the lab checking every room, office, and closet for Nick. Brass had put out an APB out for Nick's truck and was looking for the security guard of the parking garage, Jeffery Melendez. Greg was on his way to Nick's house.

At first no one was really worried but then after a second thought everyone was fear stricken. Nick won't have just left his phone even if he was upset. The missing security guard only added to their worry. However it wasn't until they saw a few blood drops on the ground and a mixture of spit and blood.

Sara felt the most terrible knot in her stomach as she checked around and couldn't find Nick anywhere. Sara must have called DB twenty times getting his voicemail each time.

"Sara, where's the fire?" Catherine asked as Sara hurried pass her. "I came to say goodbye to you guys before my flight... Left." Catherine said sensing something was really wrong.

"We can't find Nick." Sara said rubbing her face completely overwhelmed.

"What do you mean you can't find Nick?" Catherine said emotionally taken back. Sara unloaded everything and Catherine felt her face fall. "I'll get the surveillance videos and go over them with Archie."

"Nick's not home." Sara said disappointed getting a text from Greg. "What about your flight?" Sara asked as her phone started to ring.

"Believe me I'm in no hurry back to DC. So what's everyone doing?"

"Greg is going to Nick's girlfriend's to see if he's there. Brass is putting out an APB. Finn is processing the... The scene. DB is calling me."

"Pick it up and then meet me in the AV Lab... We will find him." Catherine said not to convinced at her own words.

"Sidle."

"It's Russell, sorry my phone was dead. What's up?" he says quiet nonchalantly.

"Nick's missing." Sara says being straight forward. "Greg checked his house he's not there. He's on his way to Lauren's now."

"He's not there."

"How do you know?"

"She said she hadn't heard from him in hours so I told her when she her from him to call me and vice versa." DB said as he sighed. "I'm on my way."

Nick stared out the window seeing desert all around them. Nick looked at his hands as they were numb and cuffed to the handle above his head. He saw the scab on his knuckles from punching McKeen and smirked to himself. He didn't know where they were or where they were going. He had been blind folded for the majority of the car ride.

"Where are we going?" Nick asked seeing the guard and Garcia talking.

"You will see soon enough." the guard said.

"Shut up, Jeffery!" Garcia said as she pushed Jeffery in the car. Nick looked around trying to see any identifying marks in the desert. All Nick saw was past crime scenes and swallowed.

"Don't worry about it. We've got big plans for you." Garcia said winking at Jeffery.

"You mean McKeen does." Nick says under his breath. He heard Garcia curse in Spanish.

"That's the sign for hit him, you fool." Garcia exclaimed, Jeffery looked down ashamed. "Hit him!" Jeffery turned so he could see Nick sitting in the back and punched Nick. Nick was able to move and was hit in the elbow which seemed to have hurt Jeffery more.

"Ouch! Son of a bitch!" Jeffery said shaking his hand. Garcia rolled her eyes.

"Usted es una pieza de trabajo. Será mejor que se reúnen o no lo va a ser un coche a casa largo viaje." 'You are a piece of work. You better get it together or it's going to be a long car ride home.' Garcia said looking at Jeffery with disgust and disappointment. Nick listened, trying not to let on he understood them.

"Lo siento." 'I'm sorry.' Jeffery cried ashamed and embarrassed again.

"cállate, Jeffery. Tú eras débil, entonces y ahora" 'just shut up, Jeffery. You were weak then and are now.' Garcia said still feeling disgusted. Her anger reminded Nick of Maria Mendoza, his parents' maid and the woman that practically raised Nick's siblings and himself.

Maria was from Puerto Rico, her English was rough but manageable and she taught all the Stokes children Spanish. Something that was proving to be very beneficial right knows. Nick was thinking maybe he should move to Puerto Rico, anything from Vegas would be fine. New place, new name, and a fresh start. Nick did decide he would stay in Vegas but that was before this. How much could he withstand before his luck finally did run out?

McKeen didn't have his number, the great city of Las Vegas had his number from the moment he shook Grissom's hand to initiate his first shift. That was like selling his soul and Nick doesn't regret that choice anymore. He has learned so many skills that he knows he wouldn't have learned anywhere else.

The car comes to an abrupt stop and Nick jerks forward. He sees Garcia with a devilish smirk on her face. She opens the glove box and pulls out her weapon. Nick felt goose bumps break out across his skin.

"Let's go." she said loading her gun.

Everyone huddled into AV Lab as they were getting ready to watch the security footage. Archie felt the pressure as the entire team, department, and FBI watched him as he worked. After several agonizing seconds Archie loaded the video from the closest camera to Nick's parking space.

They watched as Nick walked but then slowed as he looked at his phone and smiled. Then all of a sudden Nick falls to the ground and they see the security guard jump on top of Nick. Then the camera was pushed up. Everyone made a mixture of gasps and sighs.

"Let me try and bring up another camera." Archie said fearing a riot would break out in his small office. The closest camera that could see in the same area was a good distance away and everyone's faces were to blurry to make out. However they were able to see Nick struggle with the guard and get free only to be held at gunpoint by an unidentified woman. The guard handcuffed Nick and shoved him in Nick's car and they all watched as the gun took off. The entire ordeal only lasting about three minutes.

"Is this the best picture you can get?" DB asked as Archie worked clearing up the photo. It was clearer but still unrecognizable.

"I can do a biometric scan but it's going to take some time." Archie said upset that he couldn't do more.

"Get it done. Greg, help him with the videos." DB said leaving. Greg wasn't the AV guy or even the backup and as technologically confused Nick was he knew the AV lab in and out. As DB walked into his office with Sara and Catherine on his heels to see Finn in his office already.

"I have the results from the parking garage." Finn said holding up the Manila folder. "The bloody spit came back to Nick and the other blood came back to an unidentified man. I think Nick got a hit in I found nose hairs in the second blood sample."

"That a boy, Nicky." Catherine whispered.

"Do we have any suspects?" Finn asked hiding her own anger. She was fuming. She wanted to be able to do more, Nick had done so much for her on coincidence alone and she felt like she hasn't done anything.

"No." DB said, Finn nodded and left. She walked to the locker room and looked at her open locker too tired to move anything. Nick's locker was right next to hers. She sees all the wear and tear on the lockers and sees the dents in Nick's locker from punches, kicks, and slams from his tougher cases over the years.

"Are you alright?" Finn heard from the doorway. She realizes she had tears strolling down her cheeks. "Are you alright?" Mandy asks again sitting on the bench next to Finn.

"This just sucks." Finn says quickly rubbing her eyes and cheeks. "Nick, saved my life and her I am sitting here like a chump." she says slamming her locker shut and buried her head in her hands until she heard clutter fall from a locker at the end closer to Finn. The other locker had opened from the top Finn looked at Mandy confused and Finn opened her locker and slammed it again and the locker door flew open and a couple pictures fall along with some clothes. They both stand and Finn starts to put the clothes back in the locker.

"Oh this is the ballistic tech's locker. I think her name is…"

"Garcia... Xiomara Garcia." Finn said as Mandy handed her one of the pictures that fell. It was the security guard and Garcia together. Finn took off into a sprint to the AV lab.

"I got 742 matches that I have to eliminate manually this is going to take some time." Archie said cutting her off.

"Compare it to this face." Finn said showing the photo.

"This is Xiomara... She's one of us." Archie said taken back.

"Look who she's with!" Finn exclaimed causing the team to flood back into Archie's office. Archie started the biometric scale and it came back to a match.

"I want an APB alert out!" Brass shouted.

"I want to know everything about these two and how they are connected and if they are connected to McKeen." Catherine said to the younger agents who were here helping her.

"Let's go to her house and search everything. Something is going to tell us where she's taking Nick." DB instructed to his team.

Get ready for a twist! Please Review!