Authors note: Yet again, you guys are fantastic reviewers! Thank you so much! No Kai in this chapter, sorry guys! But he´ll be in the next, promise! Anyways, Tala tries to focus on the case, but McGregor gets in his way. Tempers flare! Sorry about the cliffhanger! ;)
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PLEASE PLEASE REVIEW, I´ll write super fast if you do! XD
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VAMPIRExXxROSE: Thank you so much for a great review! As always it totally made my day! Fantastic that you liked Tala´s impulsive moment, I was seriously unsure about how appropriate it was, so that is a relief! It is so funny about Johnny as a character, I actually think most people see him as an asshole, I always hated him because he beat Kai, but still, even if you ignore that he is a bit of a jerk :) As for Tala I totally get you, and whichever way one portrays him I think he is a great character! :) Anyway, thanks again!
Skyressshun: Thank for another fantastic review! XD Yeah, I know, a few unexpected surprises, rest assured there are more coming! That word, whether, is seriously my nightmare. I am gonna try and get it right from no on, but I always forget! Thanks for pointing it out though! I am super flattered that you consider adding this to your private list, that really means a lot! Hope you´ll like this chapter as well. As for the height issue I think I´ll keep it as it is. Somehow I always visualised Kai to be the tallest ;) Anyway, thanks again!
Lyson: Woop! Another great review, thank you so much! Fab that you liked the chapter, and that you didn´t see the moving in thing coming. I also hope you didn´t think it was to rash, but I sort of felt like it would create an interesting vacuum between the two. Like you said; they are getting closer without getting closer XD I know what you mean, I still haven´t decided who´s gonna be top/bottom yet, and I also think there is a difference between making one of them the "female" in the relationship, and a dom/sum pairing. Rest assured, more about Kai will be revealed, especially in the next chapter :) Hope you´ll like this one also! And thanks again!
Minij Akane: Thank you so much for another awesome review! Great that you liked the chapter, and Tala´s little moment! I have actually been thinking a bit about how to let Tala know, like you said he will find out eventually. I do have an idea in mind though. I mean Kai can´t keep it a secret for ever :) Yeah, it is kind of a shame, it really means a lot as far inspiration goes, at least for me. Anyway, thanks again, it really means a lot!:D
Darkness-Phoenix: Thank you so much for another review! Fantastic that you liked the chapter, and also the quite sudden twist of them moving in and all that. I was thinking the same thing, it opens for a lot of interesting possibilities. And drama of course ;) Thanks again!:)
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When the world goes dark
Chapter 11
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-Normal POV-
Tyson yawned, for once remembering the alarm code as he unlocked the door leading to his unit´s office. In the beginning he had always made a point of never arriving first. Being notoriously bad with numbers, passwords and the like he simply hadn´t dared taking the chance. No way was he risking his reputation on an access code! Luckily things had improved, and now he actually remembered!
Ha! Bryan should have seen him now, all correct and professional!
He strolled down the dark corridor with a certain swagger in his step, grinning as he went despite the early hour. Although he hated being up early like this he also felt like he had something to prove. Tomorrow Ivanov would have to make a final decision whether to keep him on or not, and he felt determined to make every moment count. Arriving first at work seemed like a promising start.
It was so strange being here this early; all the lights were off, not a single person in sight. Part of him felt tempted to snatch another one of Bryan´s pretzels, now that he was not present. Even if they tasted terrible he was still hungry, and the satisfaction of eating them while in Bryan´s chair would probably make up for their lack of taste.
Dared he do it?
Bryan was so superior all the time, acting as if Tyson was merely a piece of dirt he would scrape off his booth. Yeah, maybe he should do it, just to show him who was boss around here. He grinned mischievously, taking a left at the next intersection and sneaking silently down the corridor where Bryan and Ivanov had their offices.
Ha! He couldn´t wait.
Just then he saw something, a movement, the bleak stream of yellow light from a mobile-phone or a flash light, probably the latter. Tyson froze were he was, standing completely still in the darkness of the corridor, straining his senses. What the fuck was this? The building had been locked, the alarm on. If any of the members of his units had been here the lights would be on and the alarm disabled. In addition to the fact that they wouldn´t be lurking around in the dark with a flashlight at this hour.
He crouched down low, moving closer. The person was in Ivanov´s office Tyson realized, deciding that instance that something was way off here. The chief inspector would certainly have turned on his own light wouldn´t he? And besides he always made a point of leaving the door open for the rest of them when he arrived first.
Tyson considered it for a few moments, before making his decision. He had to apprehend the individual, something was clearly not right here. Secretly he hoped it would score him a few extra points as well. He could already visualize it, Tyson Granger, the hero of the day, catching someone breaking into the FBI!
With that he drew his weapon, an FBI issue Glock 22, sneaking a few more steps. He pressed himself as close to the far wall as he dared, step by step closing in on the door leading to Ivanov´s office. It was open, and although the blinds were partly shut inside he could glimpse the outlines of the person with the flashlight. In typical office style all walls were made from glass, which was a major advantage here. Already he felt pretty certain that the assailant was male, and he steeled himself, before moving as fast as he could, entering the office guns blazing, or as close as he could get without firing.
"Freeze!" He barked, both hands resolutely on the Glock as he pointed it at the back of the persons head.
An exasperated sigh was heard, but otherwise no reaction.
"You have got to be kidding me!" The person exclaimed, sighting again.
Tyson felt mildly offended, both by the lack of reaction and the way the stranger had spoken. Definitely a man though, judging by the deep, overbearing voice. Tyson noted that he had an accent, Scottish maybe? The stranger moved a step to the right without permission, and Tyson reacted immediately.
"Hands were I can see them!" He insisted, tightening his grip on the Glock.
The guy froze, slowly stretching both hands out to the side. One was holding the flashlight, while the other was closed around a file of some sort.
"I don´t know who you are", he said, sounding surprisingly bored the situation considered.
"But seeing as I work here you are making a bloody mistake pointing a gun at me".
Tyson tried to think clearly. Although he had learned a lot over the last year this was an entirely new scenario.
"This is chief inspector Ivanov´s office, and you are not him", he stated, not backing down.
Another exasperated sigh was heard, as the other slowly proceeded to turn around.
"No shit Sherlock. Look, just let me get my badge and then you can put that thing away".
"Fine", Tyson agreed, not lowering the Glock, not even an inch.
Moments later something was slid over the floor towards him, and even in the scarce light he could tell that it was an FBI badge. Shit! He had just threatened a fellow officer. He studied the identification on the floor. A Johnny McGregor by the looks of it. Tyson had never heard about him, but lowered his gun nonetheless. Oh man, just when he thought things couldn´t get any worse, and then he managed to mistake a colleague for a criminal!
He moved to turn on the light, securing the Glock and returning it to its holster.
"Look, man I am real sorry about this, I never meant to…." Tyson began, before the other broke him off.
"No biggie, lets just keep this little incident to ourselves."
Tyson looked at him, feeling both surprised and relieved.
Otherwise it might get embarrassing don´t you think?" The stranger said, voice coming off as slightly condescending.
Tyson frowned, not liking the tone of the other. He looked perfectly decent, reddish-brown hair, cool but alert eyes, dressed in jeans, a sweater and a beige west. Still, there was something off about him, about the entire situation. Tyson wasn´t stupid after all. This Johnny McGregor character was here without Ivanov´s knowledge, of that he felt certain, and now he was trying to blackmail Tyson into not mentioning his little visit.
"Hey! Wait!" He shouted, grabbing the other by the shoulder as he roughly brushed past him.
He was still holding onto that file, how strange.
"You can´t just take that, it belongs to chief inspector Ivanov!"
Johnny McGregor turned abruptly, glaring at Tyson with all he had. Tyson stared levelly back, not giving in. He had to do this, stick up for his unit. Besides he didn´t really care much for this McGregor character, whoever he was. What an absolute asshole! Just then footsteps and voices were heard further down the corridor, and McGregor suddenly let go of the file, giving Tyson one last, nasty look.
"Fine, have it your way, I already read it anyway".
With that he disappeared down the corridor, in the opposite direction of the approaching officers. Tyson was left feeling positively crestfallen, not sure what would be the adequate course of action. Should he follow him? No, maybe not, he was an officer after all. Instead he slowly bent down to pick up the file, recognizing it instantly. He had actually written some of it himself. It was a compilation of what they new about Emily York, and he had delivered it on Tala´s desk only hours before McKenzie was shot yesterday.
Something was very wrong with this picture he thought, looking around uncertainly. Just then the lights in the corridor suddenly went on, and he recognized Tala and Bryan´s voices close by, as they were having some discussion in Russian. Oh no. Oh no. What should he do? He could hide? No, they would see him, and besides he felt as though Tala should know about this.
Shit!
Tala sent Bryan a pleased look, chuckling when the other glared. He had been teased about his good mood, but when he asked Bryan if he himself had gotten any action the answer had been no. Ha! So much for trying to lure out the details. To his surprise the door to his office was open, and he and Bryan exchanged a set of suspicious glances. What was this? A break in? To his confusion a guilty looking Tyson stepped out about two seconds before he walked through the open door, almost crashing into him.
"Granger?" Tala questioned, eyes narrowing.
They stared at each other. Tala could easily visualize Bryan´s evil grin behind him at the prospect of a reprimand, and supressed a heavy sigh.
"Explain", he said shortly, voice clipped.
Tyson looked at him, and Tala noticed that he was holding something, a file.
"Someone broke into your office", he said, handing Tala said file.
"He was FBI so I let him go, but he tried to take this".
Bryan looked at him, eyes narrowing.
"That is the file we delivered yesterday right? On Emily York?"
Tyson nodded eagerly. He and Bryan had worked on it together. Their most successful partnership so far, Tyson reflected with a hint of pride.
Tala knew, even before Tyson said it, who the intruder had been. It had to be, and he should have foreseen that this would happen the moment he kicked Johnny McGregor out of his apartment. Fucking shit! That little prick was probably already on his way over to Emily York´s residence, intent on stirring the pot and causing problems for Tala. Gahh! What had he done to deserve this?
"His badge identified him as a Johnny McGregor", Tyson said innocently, looking at the both of them for an explanation of some sort.
"McGregor is back?" Bryan asked loudly, not looking pleased about it.
"Please don´t tell me he is joining the case!"
Tala refrained from answering, although his grave expression was all the answer Bryan needed. He looked like he died a little inside at the news, predictably enough. Their last run in with McGregor had been two years back, about a week after Bryan joined the unit. At the time it had been him, Tala, Rey, Mariah and Max. Kenny had been appointed a year later, and now Tyson two months ago. It had been a drug-case, high-profile and with lots of loose threads. Sensing the PR-potential McGregor had swooped in unannounced, much like today, and joined the team, fighting Tala´s authority at every turn. In the end the case had been solved, but Max was shot in the shoulder due to unnecessary risks taken by McGregor, and a witness had died.
Needless to say it was not the unit´s finest hour in Tala´s opinion, and not something he liked dwelling on. However McGregor´s presence here represented a major risk, and then especially considering what had happened last time. This case was even bigger, and of a more serious nature. A fuck up here would be as close to disaster as they could get.
What to do.
Fuck! He had arranged an appointment with Emily York today, now he remembered. That was why the file had still been on his desk and not locked away. If he remembered correctly there had been an orange post-it note on the binder, stating date, time and place. Oh no! Just his luck. There was no way McGregor had not seen it.
"Tyson, call Rey", he said, voice cold.
"Have him change our interview with miss York. Tell him to inform her that something came up, and that we will be conducting it here, at the office. Make sure no one, and I mean no one, outside the unit knows about it".
Tyson nodded profusely.
"Got it?"
"Chief inspector", Tyson confirmed, giving him a mock salute before turning and marching down the hall towards the common room.
Tala sighted, Bryan snickered, winking before he followed Tyson, presumably to prepare the interrogation room.
McGregor, what a fucking jerk! Sometimes Tala wondered what drove him, how he had ended up becoming such an absolute asshole. Because he wasn´t a bad agent, far from it. Had it not been for the arrogance and the bad attitude Tala would have considered adding him to the unit. Then again there was no chance of that happening. Not after Max had been shot, and definitely not after the whole thing in the kitchen with Kai this morning.
Especially not after that.
The way he had been looking at Kai, like he was actually interested. Tala didn´t like it, not one bit. Not that Kai had seemed very concerned, but then again he did not know McGregor the way Tala did. The scot was sly, cunning, and always operating with his own selfish motives in mind. He didn´t want him anywhere near Kai again, who seemed completely unaware of what McGregor was actually capable of.
Speaking of Kai…..Tala couldn´t wait, he really couldn´t. They had agreed that he would try and move most of his things today, so Tala had given him his keys. Apparently he had a job-interview of some sorts in the early afternoon, and then he would start packing afterwards. He felt the butterflies again, and found that he was unable to supress a slight smile. When he and Spencer had moved in with each other he had mostly felt indifferent, the excitement that was so evident now was unlike anything he had felt previously to this. He checked the time. The interview was at ten, and he decided to call as soon as he was done with Emily York, in the meantime he would cross his fingers.
Miss York was due to arrive at 9, and he ventured downstairs to the interrogation room a quarter to 9. Most of the team was already there, with the exception of Kenny. According to Mariah he was down working with the guys in tech, trying to make sense of McKenzie´s computer.
"Are they making any progress?" Tala asked, not feeling very optimistic.
Mariah shrugged, pulling her hair into a ponytail while she spoke.
"Not much. Kenny mentioned something about hacking his e-mail account though".
"Sounds like progress to me", Bryan said, flashing Mariah a big smile.
She merely raised an eyebrow at him, unimpressed. Tala tried to hide his smile.
"They are here", Max announced moments later, poking his head inside for about two seconds before he disappeared.
They were in what Mariah called the mirror room. Actually it was merely the room next to the interrogation room, were the walls were a one-way window. They could observe the interrogation undisturbed while the people being interrogated couldn´t see a thing. There was audio as well, and Tala often left the questioning to one of the others, preferably Rey, while he watched, trying to make sense of the person in question.
Today things would be different. Max would greet Emily York and start the interrogation, giving her the impression that this was nothing serious, merely a routine thing. And then, when she was comfortable, he and Rey would take over abruptly, giving the impression that something had just happened that made things more serious. He had no idea if it would work or not, it probably wouldn´t, but it would give him an unique opportunity to understand Emily on a personal level, which was key if he wanted to apprehend her later on. She was smart, the fact that they now had no evidence against her proved that in spades.
As far as Tala knew she had been on the drug-scene the last 5 years, making loads of money, although no illegal activity could be traced back to her. It was every FBI agents nightmare. A criminal smart enough to be involved in everything lucrative that was on the dark side of the law, but still nothing could be traced back to her, although everyone new.
"Wow", Tyson exclaimed upon Emily´s arrival, his eyes almost falling out of his head as she entered the interrogation room.
Tala sighted, leaning heavily back in his chair. Both Bryan and Tyson were pressed up against the one-way window in a matter of seconds, partly obscuring his view. Apparently they hadn´t looked at the case file photo. Not that he was particularly bothered. She had nothing on Kai.
"Kinda hot for a drug-lord, don´t you think?" Bryan questioned, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.
"You bet!" Tyson agreed.
Mariah pursed her lips in distaste, and she and Tala exchanged a look of silent suffering. Emily York had almost blown Max of his feet when she entered, wearing huge sunglasses and a fur coat that was bigger than Bryan. Tala supposed she could have been pretty, could have, had it not been for all the makeup and the jewellery. She had a feminine, heart shaped face with pink, pouty lips and long lashes. Her boobs were huge, Tala suspected that was the reason for Bryan and Tyson´s sudden interest. Either way their great interview plan crashed and burned the very moment Miss York opened her mouth and placed her expertly manicured hand on Max´s arm. Her nails reminded Tala about sharpened claws.
"Mr. Tate, I understand that you are just trying to do your job, but it is obvious that you are not in charge here. So, unless you bring your superior I am leaving right now", she said, barely acknowledging Max as she spoke.
Mariah bared her teeth without smiling, looking sourly at Tala.
"She is a fucking bitch!"
So much for their master plan. The only thing missing now was McGregor he thought, sighing for what had to be the thousandth time.
Trying not to dwell on that thought Tala got to his feet, quickly stalking out into the corridor and entering the interrogation room from that end. Not that he was looking forward to this, but Miss York hadn´t given him much of a choice. That being said this was merely a formality, an opportunity to rile her up a bit. He didn´t have even close to enough to charge her, but he was hoping for a slip up somewhere in the future now that she was under pressure.
"Miss York", he greeted her, opening with what he hoped was a charming smile.
He couldn´t see her eyes because of the sunglasses, but he assumed she was looking at him. Much due to the fact that she did not look pleased.
"I apologize for the delay. Please sit, I am chief inspector Ivanov".
He offered her his hand, which she accepted a few seconds too late. Tala then played nice by pilling out a chair for her and sitting down on the other side of the table. To his surprise she had come alone, but he supposed that was part of who she was. Somehow he suspected that Emily York was hard as nails, in other words not one to be messed with.
"So chief inspector Ivanov, will you please tell me what this us about?" She asked, surprising him by removing her sunglasses to look him right in the eyes.
Straight down to business, Tala thought. Interesting.
He smiled reassuringly at her.
"You were about to get indicted, correct?"
She pursed her lips in distaste, clearly not liking where this was going.
"Not anymore", she said, flashing him another smile.
She was all sugar and candy-dust, as false as they came. However she was smart, she had to be, to manage a life like hers.
"Well, that might change", Tala said, smiling just as sweetly.
"As a matter of fact we just got in six bodies. The five witnesses in your case, and the prosecutor".
He paused to take in her reaction, which was nothing but another one of those disgusting smiles. Her hands were tightening slightly around her purse though, knuckles whitening. Unfortunately that wasn´t an indication of anything other than that she was tense, nothing substantial. Not that his expectations had been up.
"Is that so", Emily York responded, eyebrows raised fractionally.
"Very convenient for you, no?" Tala innocently wondered.
He could tell that she was starting to get angry. Good. Very good.
He was just about to push her even further when the door was suddenly torn open, effectively slamming Max into the wall with an uncomfortable crunch. Johnny McGregor was standing in the door opening, and he was not looking happy, actually he looked furious.
Great timing as per usual, Tala thought somewhat ruefully.
Fuck!...