"I have something I need to share with all of you," Karen said when everyone had gathered in the main room, exchanging nervous glances.
"James Heller is on his way to Las Vegas. It's likely that he's on his way here, to meet Richard Walsh."
"That's ridiculous," Jack muttered.
"He's the best lead we've got Jack," Bill said. "The pieces all fit."
"You must be wrong," Jack said.
"It's all right here," Nadia protested, pointing at her screen. "He'd have access to everything."
"That stuff can be faked."
"The information is real," Tony said. "Chloe and Nadia both looked at it. I'm sure if they keep looking, they'll find a link to Heller."
"It's been planted," Jack insisted. "I know Secretary Heller, he wouldn't do this."
"Senator Heller," Karen corrected.
"It's real," Chloe said firmly. "It hasn't been planted."
"Then he must not have known where the money was going. He must not know what he's doing. None of this makes any sense," Jack muttered.
"What about Audrey?" Chloe asked softly.
Jack stared at her. "What does she have to do with any of this?"
"What if he blames us for what happened to her?" Chloe continued.
"He wouldn't do something like this."
Kim watched her father. "If something happened to me, like what happened to Audrey, you wouldn't want to do something for the people you thought were responsible?"
"I wouldn't do something like this," Jack said.
"I know daddy."
"Keep looking," Jack instructed Chloe and Nadia. "There's got to be something else, something we're not seeing."
"Okay," Chloe said, sharing a long look with him. "We'll keep looking."
Kim inched closer to Tony. "I need to get out of here for awhile."
"I'll come with you."
"I'm just going to take a shower. Stay. I think my dad needs you. Do you really think Heller's behind everything?"
"I don't know. Probably."
She nodded. "I'll be back," she whispered before slipping out the door.
88888888888888888
Kim sighed as the hot water ran down her body. Knots had grown in her shoulders over the past few days, and it was a relief to finally be able to relax a little and take a breath. She knew that things weren't over yet; she knew that they were likely to come to an explosive head before this was done. But right then, at that moment, she didn't have to worry about anything.
That didn't keep her mind from wandering, however. Her thoughts drifted to Tony and what was happening between them. She couldn't deny that her feelings for him were growing, that she found a peace in his presence that she hadn't known in a long time. But things were more complicated than that. He was older than her, and her father's best friend. She feared that her dad would freak out if he discovered that they had been together. Kim had seen him in rages before when it came to his little girl, and it was never pretty.
She frowned as she thought she heard a sound behind her. Pausing, she waited to see if she would hear anything else, but there was nothing. She shrugged, figuring that Tony had come back to the room to catch a little rest before their next move – whatever that would be.
Without warning, the shower curtain was pulled to the side so hard that it ripped out of some of its rings. Kim gasped as she turned around to see two men standing before her, leering at her as they took in her naked, soapy body. She opened her mouth to scream, but one of them was already there, his hand muffling her cry and his other arm wrapping around her and dragging her out of the shower.
She struggled as hard as she could, but the two of them were too strong for her. One carrying her legs, and the other still clamping his hand over her mouth and his arm around her waist, they took her across the room to the bed, throwing her down upon the mattress so hard that she bounced. The bigger of the two climbed on top of her, hastily stuffing a rag into her mouth so that both of his hands were free.
Tears streamed down Kim's face as his hands began to wander, forcing her legs open and clamping her wrists down.
888888888888888888888888888888888
Tony knew that he should be listening to what was going on. But he was tired, and his brain was having trouble focusing on anything at the moment. His gaze drifted around the room as he idly wondered at the possibility that Senator Heller was behind this. His initial reaction was to reject it, but the more he thought about it, the more plausible it sounded.
He turned his head sharply as his ears picked up a faint noise to his right. His gaze bored into the door next to him, as though he could see into the rooms beyond. He strained to listen, but when no other sound came, he shook his head and tried to turn his attention back to the conversation at hand.
It was louder this time, and Tony was sure that he could hear a muffled cry after it. Tugging on Jack's sleeve to get his attention, he moved through the door into the next room slowly, his eyes narrowed and his gun out.
"Tony, what-"
He held up a hand to silence Jack. Realizing that something was wrong, Jack pulled his weapon out as well and they moved across the adjoining room. They looked around, but it was empty. Tony frowned in confusion, but then there was a crash from the room beyond – his and Kim's room.
Breaking into a run, he burst out into the hall and down to their door, frantically jiggling the handle. Fumbling and cursing, he fished his keycard out of his pocket and unlocked the door, running into the room.
Rage erupted somewhere inside him and rushed through his veins. His vision tunneled as he saw a large man lying atop a naked Kim, his hands in places they had no right to be. Without a moment's hesitation, he raised his gun and fired, the attacker jerking to the side as the bullet ripped through his temple.
Jack had rushed inside after him, his own anger roaring to the service as he saw the men attacking his daughter. As Tony took care of the one on top of Kim, he surged forward, bending low and tackling the second attacker. They toppled to the floor, each trying to gain the other hand. Jack slammed his fist into the man's face and stomach, intent on causing as much pain and injury as possible. As he continued his assault, the man beneath him suddenly landed a punch to his kidneys, causing Jack to groan and loosen his grip. The attacker rolled himself on top, wailing on the agent before pulling out a large hunting knife. Jack grabbed his wrist, bending it and then finally sinking his teeth into the man's flesh to get him to let go. Then he pushed the man's chin up and away from him, making it impossible for him to keep hitting him. Reaching up, Jack placed his other hand around the back of the man's head and then twisted, the snapping sound highly satisfying.
Pushing the limp body off of him, Jack sat up and looked around. At the sound of fighting, Chase and Bill had run into the room, and were now staring in shock at the two bodies lying on the floor. Kim had escaped into the bathroom and was now emerging slowly, clad in a fluffy white bathrobe. He watched as Tony approached her, a hand cautiously extended towards her. She looked at him for a moment before her tears overcame her and she launched herself into his arms. He held her closely, running his fingers through her hair and whispering soothing words in her ear.
"What the hell happened here?" Chase finally demanded.
Jack stood up, his anger slowly mounting again.
"They attacked Kim. They tried…they tried to hurt her."
"Are they both dead?" Bill asked.
Jack nodded, knowing that the other couldn't have survived Tony's shot to the head. Bending down, he rifled through the pockets of the man he had fought, pulling out his wallet and dumping the contents on the floor. Sifting through them, he found a white card with a phone number on it. He stood up again, handing the card to Bill.
"It's the same number that Karen found earlier." He paused, clenching his fists. "Richard Walsh sent these men."
"What do you want to do?" Chase asked.
Jack looked back at Kim, who was still wrapped in Tony's embrace. He wanted to comfort her, to be there for her, but he could tell that she was comfortable with Tony. And his anger called him to action. He walked over to her, gently placing a hand on her back. Kim pulled away from Tony slightly, looking up at her father. He kissed her forehead and gave her a small smile.
"Do you need me to stay?"
She shook her head, trying to return the smile. "I'm okay."
Jack turned to Tony. "You'll take care of her?"
"Always."
He nodded, frowning slightly at Tony's word choice. He kissed Kim and leaned down to whisper in her ear.
"I'm so glad you're alright, sweetheart. Don't worry. I'm going to take care of this."
She looked at him seriously. "Be careful."
He nodded. "I will." Turning, he walked back over to Chase and Bill, lowering his voice. "We'll take the bodies to the other room. See if we can find anything else on them."
"And then?"
"And then I'm going to pay a visit to Walsh."
888888888888888
Tony hugged Kim more tightly after Jack left the room.
She cried softly against his chest. "I'm sorry," she whispered.
"Shhh. It's okay."
"If you hadn't gotten here…"
"Don't think about that. It's okay. I'm right here, I won't let anyone hurt you, I won't let them touch you."
She kissed him softly. "I want you to touch me."
He frowned. "Right now?"
She nodded.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes," she whispered.
"I don't want to hurt you. I don't want to make things worse."
"You won't," she said, kissing him again, more urgently. Her fingers tangled in his hair as her tongue searched his mouth. She shifted, her body pressing against him.
He pulled away, his forehead resting on hers. "I don't know if I can keep doing this Kim."
"Did I do something wrong?"
He kept his arm firmly around her waist to keep her from running. "No."
"Then what changed?"
"I don't know," he admitted. "Everything."
"Tony…"
"Just listen to me. Hear me out."
"Fine," she said softly.
"I don't think I can keep doing this, having sex with you without knowing what it means."
"You want to stop?"
"I want to figure out what we're doing."
"Aren't I supposed to be the one who says that?"
Tony laughed. "I think you are."
"So…what are we doing?"
"I'm falling in love with you," he said, staring into her eyes.
"Really?"
"Yes," he answered simply.
"I think I'm falling in love with you too," she said, wrapping her arms around his neck.
8888888888888888888888888888888888888888
Chloe embraced Jack as he came striding back into the room, his eyes tired and his shoulders slumped. She held him tight, worried at the desperate way he hugged her back.
"Is everything all right?" she asked when they finally pulled back.
He shook his head, looking down at the floor.
"Two men…they broke into one of the rooms…they attacked Kim."
"Is she okay?" Chloe asked. When he didn't respond, she grabbed his face and forced him to look at her. "Is she okay, Jack?"
"They tried…they were about to rape her," he explained in a strangled whisper.
Chloe's eyes widened and her grip on his face tightened. "But you…you got there in time?"
He nodded. "Just barely."
"Where is she now?"
"Tony's taking care of her." He frowned. "They're closer than I realized."
Chloe let that pass, not wanting to voice her suspicions right then. "What about the two men?"
"Dead. We dragged them next door."
"Any idea who they are?" Nadia asked from the desk.
"Walsh's men. They had the same phone number on them as Karen's earlier attacker."
"So what are you going to do?" Chloe asked, her eyes narrowing.
He looked at her, his eyes pleading. "I can't let this pass, Chloe."
She bit her lip. "I know. But I don't want you putting yourself in danger."
"We're all in danger. Right now. All the time. I have to put an end to this."
"You're going to find Walsh." It wasn't even a question.
"He sent them. I can't ignore that. They tried to hurt my little girl."
"I don't want to lose you, Jack," Chloe whispered, her eyes filling with tears.
He leaned his forehead against hers, his thumbs running along her cheekbones.
"You won't. I'll come back to you. I always come back to you, Chloe."
"Promise?"
Jack leaned down and kissed her slowly, his tongue nudging her lips apart as she pulled herself closer to him. Finally, he pulled away and gave her a small smile.
"Promise."
888888888888888888888888888888888
Both Chase and Bill had protested loudly when he said that he wanted to do this alone. But he wore them down, telling them that they couldn't leave the women unprotected. Chloe, Nadia and Karen had all balked at this, but Jack gently pointed out that none of them had much field experience, and he didn't want to split the group up anymore. He told them to stay together and watch the monitor. If Walsh came out and he didn't, then they needed to finish the job.
As he moved down the stairwell, Jack felt his rage growing once again. He couldn't rid himself of the image of that man on top of Kim, touching her, hurting her. The pain in her eyes had struck him like a blow, and his eyes hardened as he thought of Walsh, ordering his men to come after his daughter.
By the time he was on the right floor, his pace had picked up and he was practically running down the hall. When he came to the right door, he didn't hesitate, slamming his whole body against the one thing standing between him and Walsh. It took a few hits, but then he was through, the door hanging off its hinges.
Jack walked into the room, his eyes immediately resting on Richard Walsh, a man he had believed to be dead for over ten years. He looked almost the same, although with a few more stress lines around his eyes and mouth. Their gazes locked, and they just stood there, neither entirely sure of what to do.
Then Jack remembered Kim, his little girl, being pawed at by a couple of thugs. His jaw clenched as he realized that he was staring at the man responsible for that attack. Without a word, he charge at Walsh, throwing him down to the ground. His knees on either side of him, Jack immediately began pummeling him, his fists mostly landing blows to the man's face. Walsh raised his arms, trying to fend off the attack, but Jack just stopped punching him and wrapped his hands around his neck and squeezing.
"You son of a bitch!" he yelled. "How dare you send them after my daughter? How could you order them to hurt her? To rape her? What the hell happened to you?"
"Jack!" Walsh tried to speak, but the pressure on his throat making it difficult. "Jack! I didn't tell them to go after Kim!"
Jack stared at him for a moment, his mouth curling in a sneer. Then he abruptly let go, standing up and dragging Walsh with him. With a disdainful glance, he threw the man into a chair by the bed. Then he took a seat on the bed across from him, still breathing heavily.
"Talk."
Walsh rubbed at his neck. "They weren't told to target any certain person. They were just supposed to take someone and bring them back here." He looked at Jack seriously. "I never told them to rape Kim."
"And that's supposed to make this all better? You've been tracking us down – killing us one by one! What the hell happened to you, Walsh? You used to be one of the good guys!"
"And I still am."
"What do you mean?"
"The rationale behind taking out CTU was sound. The agency has proved to be a liability instead of an asset. There are frequent leaks, leading to national and international crises that should have been avoided!"
"So you just decided to kill everyone that had ever worked there?"
Walsh shook his head. "We wanted to create such a panic over CTU that the White House would have no choice but to shut it down. With multiple agents dead, they would have no choice."
"But why chase us? Why not just kill those who were easier targets and let us go? They'd still probably shut us down."
"You and the ones you're with were on a special list. You were all tagged as agents who would make trouble, who wouldn't let it lie if there was an attempt made on your life. We were told you had to be killed at all costs."
"Told? By who?"
Walsh thought for a moment. "A secret committee was set up within the Senate. They told us that CTU was considered an immediate threat to national security and needed to be neutralized to the point of barely existing. The President would have no choice then but to shut you down."
"I want names."
"I don't know any."
"Liar."
"Fine. I won't tell you. I know what you're trained in, Jack. I know what you can do to a man. But I will not tell you who's behind this. I'm not a traitor."
"Close enough! You turned on the people you worked with." He paused. "I thought you were dead."
Walsh nodded. "So did I. But after you left me that night, somebody else showed up. They took me to a private hospital, nursed me back to health."
"And what? You've been doing covert ops for the government ever since?"
"Pretty much. My deceased status helped me go undetected in places that other agents couldn't gain access to."
"Who? Who saved you?"
"I don't know."
"How can you not know?"
He shrugged. "I was unconscious. I'd lost a lot of blood. By the time I woke up in the hospital, I was only told that everything was being paid for by somebody else. After I recovered, I was approached by a couple of high-ranking CIA agents. That's how I started doing black ops."
Jack shook his head, trying to take everything in. "You've twisted it all, Richard. You don't turn on an agency and people that you worked with. People you were friends with. You're not one of the good guys anymore."
"I'm sorry you can't see things my way, Jack. But what I'm doing is for the good of the country. You're a threat."
"We've saved this country countless times."
"And put it in more danger than it's ever been in."
"It's over, Walsh."
"I'm not letting you take me."
"You don't really have a choice," Jack sighed as he moved to stand up.
Only the glint of metal as the light hit it saved his life. Walsh lunged forward, a switchblade in his hands. Jack fell back onto the bed, catching the other man's hand as it came plunging down at his chest. They struggled, both trying wear down the other and move the knife. Jack grimaced as the blade moved closer to his skin, the point scrapping along his t-shirt before sinking down and drawing blood. He cried out, bringing one of his knees up sharply and catching Walsh between the legs. The older man grunted and his arm went lax. Jack took advantage of the distraction and rolled on top of him, turning the knife so that it pointed at Walsh. Placing both hands on the handle, Jack threw all his strength into it and felt the blade sink into the chest of the man beneath him. He watched in mingled horror and satisfaction as Walsh stared at him in surprise, the life slowly draining out of his eyes as blood seeped out of the wound and onto the bed. He moved his mouth as though to speak, but then his entire body went limp.