Goren stared down the barrel of his brother's Ruger and swallowed. "What the fuck...?"
"Back up, little brother. Tell your girlfriend to back off."
"She's not here, Bill."
"Bullshit. She's always with you."
Goren shook his head, slowly backing into the living room. "No, she's not."
"Go sit down over there. And keep your hands away from your belt."
Goren walked over to the couch and sat down. Bill looked around the room. Sure enough, no one was there. "Where are you, sweetheart?" he called out.
"I told you, she's not here, Bill."
He was grateful Alex had taken the hint and gone into hiding. He wasn't sure where she was, but for the moment she was safe. That was all he cared about, that she was safe. Bill looked uncertain. "Where is she?"
"Why does that matter to you? She's not part of this, Bill. This is between you and me."
Bill shook his head, waving the gun in the air. "My badass little brother. You learned how to fight, and that's fine and dandy. I'm not getting in striking range of you again. But I know you're not bullet-proof."
As soon as she saw Goren's reaction at the door, Eames had taken off to the bedroom. She waited by the door, gun in hand, listening to the voices from the living room. She wasn't sure what Bill wanted, other than his father's book, which was sitting in here on the filing cabinet. She tried to calm her pounding heart. If she called in an 'officer needs assistance' call, the area would be swarming with cops in no time, and Bobby would be dead. She was ready to back up her partner, but if she headed down the hall now, Bill would see her and again, Bobby would be dead, and her as well perhaps. She pulled out her phone and dialed.
Goren didn't react to his brother's statement. "What do you want, Bill?"
"You double-crossed me, you little bastard."
Goren shook his head. "No. I left the damn book for you. And then you filed charges on Eames and me. What the hell was up with that?"
Bill shrugged non-chalantly. "Just wanted you to know I was thinking about you and your girlfriend."
"She's my partner, Bill."
"Whatever." His eyes narrowed. "I want Dad's book and Mom's location. Now."
"Go to hell."
Bill laughed that wicked laugh of his and shook his head. "You're not the little bastard I messed with forty years ago."
Goren shook his head. "No. I outgrew you, Bill. You should have asked me for what you wanted that day at the bar. You stepped way over the line when you kidnapped my partner."
"I asked you where Mom was."
"And I won't tell you. Period. I'm not going there. But I would have given you the book. And if you're anything like Dad, that's what would have mattered most to you."
"Yeah, well, you know what I want now?"
"What?"
"Her."
"In your dreams."
"No, little brother. In your nightmares. Call her."
"Fuck you."
In response, Bill engaged the slide on his gun. Eames heard it, and her heart leapt into her throat. Would Bill really shoot his brother, or was he trying to be intimidating? How could he know it was impossible to intimidate Bobby? She was torn. If she headed into the living room, Bobby was likely to do something stupid, to keep her safe. She fidgeted impatiently, listening for a knock at the door. It was coming...she hoped it wouldn't be too late.
Bill pointed the gun at his brother, but Bobby didn't flinch. "Call her, you little prick."
Goren shook his head. "You're not going to intimidate me by trying to draw me back into the past. She's beyond your reach, Bill, and she's going to stay there."
Bill paced back and forth in front of the door, gun trained on his brother, who didn't look nervous in the least, and that irritated him. "She's a sweet piece of ass. What's it like to screw her, Bobby?"
There it was. A reaction. Bill knew he'd hit a nerve. "Partner, my ass. I know you better than that. I could see it in your eyes and I heard it in your voice. I saw it, Bobby, in the panic in your face when you thought I was going to hurt her out on the pier. And I see it now. Give me your phone."
Goren folded his arms across his chest, face calm once again, eyes cooly regarding Bill, who was getting increasingly agitated. Keeping the gun pointed at his brother's head, he headed for the dining area, grabbing the phone from its base. "She's important to you. More important than anyone else. Speed dial one? Oh, wait..that's voicemail. Speed dial two."
He hit the button. Goren flinched. God, he hoped Eames was listening or this was going to turn really ugly, really fast.
In the bedroom, Eames swore softly. She hurried to the bed and shoved her phone between the mattress and the box spring, sitting on top of it. She could hear the muted ring, but it didn't carry out of the room. Shit, that was close...
Bill threw the phone at the wall, crossing back to stand in front of his brother. "Why won't she answer your call?"
Goren shrugged. "How should I know. I'm not with her. She has her own life, you know."
Bill's increasing agitation was dangerous, but Goren wasn't about to give anything away. So far, his partner continued to be safe. He studied Bill carefully. He wasn't sure just how he was going to disarm him, but he was thinking. He could see the fury in his brother's eyes, but he felt strangely calm. Thirty-five years ago, that look would have sent him scampering for a place to hide. A lot had changed in thirty-five years.
Bill jumped when someone pounded on the apartment door. Goren saw the look in his brother's eyes, almost heard the snap as he lost it. He quickly rolled to the left as the gun in his brother's hand went off. Fire exploded in his side and he heard the front door splinter. Another gunshot rang out, then another...The room began to spin toward darkness, and he heard voices. Eames...and Logan? The last thing he remembered was Eames, her hands on his face and a gentle kiss pressed against his temple.