Slipping Into Darkness
A/N: As always I make Danny suffer a little, but he's not the only one who gets to suffer in this chapter. So, don't get mad if it's a little darker than other chapters. I just want some justice for poor Danny who's in for a world of trouble in the next chapter. Anyway, as always, thanks for the reviews and support that I've received with this story.
Disclaimer: I do not own Without A Trace or any of its character. They belong to Jerry Bruckheimer and company, so please don't sue.
Chapter 14
Jeff was on his way to interrogate Ritchie's gunman in Interview Room One, when his phone rang and Jack gave him news that caused him to become violently ill with both rage and anguish.
"Hello? Hey, Jack, what's going on? How's Sam?" Jeff said urgently into the phone but what Jack told him caused his heart and lungs to constrict as his stomach began convulsing. "What? You can't be serious. I'm going to kill him. I'm going to kill that son of a bitch." Jeff said furiously as he shook and held his stomach as tears stained his face.
He couldn't believe what Jack was telling him, but it was going to stop. One way, legally or otherwise, he was going to find out where Ritchie and the rest of his miserable butchers were. And he was going to kill Ritchie for hurting his family, his coworkers and for taking away the one person he truly ever loved.
"No, Jack! This stops now! Just keep an eye on Danny and the others until I find out once and for all where that son of a bitch Ritchie is." Jeff cried angrily through gritted teeth and then hung up the phone as Jack continued trying to talk to him.
As soon as he ended the call, Jeff ran to the bathroom and became violently ill four times. He fell to his knees shaking violently and held his stomach as tears stained his face. But then just as quickly, rage and anguish took over and he abruptly stopped crying. Jeff stood up from the floor and cleaned himself up.
"I swear to you that I'll make that damn animal pay for what he did to you and the others. I swear on my life." Jeff said through gritted teeth as he looked up and then he turned around and headed toward Interview Room One after he got a file from atop his desk.
BACK AT THE HOSPITAL…
Jack sat at Danny's bedside and took a hold of Danny's cold lifeless hand as tubes and wires filled every crevice of Danny's body. Tears escaped his eyes as he sat there holding on to Danny tightly. How could he possibly tell Danny what had happened? There's no way that Danny would ever forgive himself. But he had a right to know what had happened to Sam. He had to understand that he wasn't responsible. He wasn't responsible for anything that that animal Ritchie had done.
Jack must have nodded off because when he woke up again, he found that Danny was weakly squeezing his hand and wore a fearful look on his face.
"Danny. Hey, how are you feeling?" Jack said as he tightened his hold a little on Danny's hand but noticed how Danny looked fearfully towards Martin and Viv. "Shhh. Calm down, okay? Don't worry about anything, Danny. Remember that Sean gave Martin a sedative which is why he's still sleeping. And Dr. Foster gave Viv some drugs for her headache, okay. Just get some sleep. Everything is going to be okay. I promise." Jack said caringly as he tried to smile but he knew that Danny didn't believe him.
"Stop lying to me, Jack. What happened?" Danny said weakly from all the drugs as tears escaped his eyes and he swallowed hard.
"There's nothing going on, Danny. Just get some sleep. Everything will be okay, I promise. You're safe and no one knows that you're here, except for Sean, his father and your nurse." Jack said as he sighed heavily but he wouldn't look at Danny's face, instead, he continued to stare as he held Danny's lifeless looking hand.
"Damn it. Stop lying to me and look at me. Tell me the truth right now." Danny cried weakly but angrily out of frustration and fear.
Jack's heart sank to the floor at the fear that he would have to tell Danny the truth about Sam. But thankfully, at that exact moment, Sean showed up in the room.
"Sean." Danny cried weakly as he tried to get up from bed. "I want to know what the hell Jack's hiding from me. Tell me right now. I have a right to know." He weakly cried angrily, causing Jack to move aside as tears escaped his eyes and Sean took a hold of Danny's hand.
"Shhh. Calm down. Calm down, kiddo. There is something that's going on and I'm going to tell you, but I'm going to need you to calm down, okay? Can you do that for me?" Sean said very gently but caringly as his voice shook a little and he tightly held Danny's hand in his own.
"Tell me. I have a right to know." Danny cried weakly but upset, causing him to cry more when Sean held his hand tighter and tears escaped his eyes. "Please." He weakly pled crying.
Sean took a shaky breath. He couldn't believe the hurt that he had to cause Danny just now, but Danny had every right to know what was going on. Still, it was very difficult for him and he tried to avoid it as he squeezed Danny's hand and soothed his head like a child.
"Sean, please, just tell me." Danny pled crying emotionally but weakly as he too squeezed Sean's hand.
"Kiddo, I need you to stay calm, okay because we're going to do everything we can to make everything, okay again. I promise. But you have a right to know what's going on and what happened." Sean explained very gently as tears escaped his eyes and he continued soothing Danny's head and face like a child.
"What happened?" Danny weakly cried very emotionally but almost like a child.
"I have to be honest with you, kiddo and this isn't easy for me because I know that I what I'm going to tell you is going to hurt you. But I need you to be strong because what I have to tell you has to do with Sam." Sean explained gently, causing Danny to immediately cry weakly but fearfully.
"What happened to her?" Danny weakly cried fearfully and upset.
"Kiddo, Sam was…Sam was attacked at the office. She was brought here and me and dad are personally taking care of her. We're doing everything that we can, to make her better again." Sean explained very gently as he sniffled and gently wiped away Danny's tears like a child.
"I want to see her. Please. Sean, please, I want to see Sam." Danny weakly cried fearfully and terribly upset as he shook. "This is all my fault. This is all my fault." He weakly cried terribly upset, causing Sean to cry softly and embrace him protectively but carefully as he shook his head and repeatedly soothed and kissed Danny's head like a child.
"Shhh. No, don't say that, munchkin. None of this is your fault. The only one to blame for any of this is that son of bitch Ritchie. And we're going to find him, I promise. And when we do, I'll make him pay for everything that's he's done to you—to both of us. I'll make him pay for torturing you and your team and I'll make him suffer what he made us suffer all these years when we both thought that the other was dead. I swear. Do you understand me?" Sean cried softly but with conviction as he continued embracing Danny protectively.
"No. This is all my fault. None of this would've happened, if I hadn't opened my damn mouth. I should've just kept my mouth shut. Now, let me see her. I want to see Sam. Please." Danny weakly cried terribly upset as he shook but Sean shook his head as he soothed and kissed Danny's head again.
"No. I'm sorry, kiddo, but I can't let you see her in that condition right now. Sam's in the ICU, so she can't have any visitors except for me, dad and Nurse Vicky. But I promise you that we're doing everything to keep her safe and stable. We have her hooked up to IV's and we already started giving her blood. Now, she's going to be in the ICU for a few days, okay? And then I'm going to bring her up here with you, okay?" Sean softly cried soothingly but with conviction as he sniffled and soothed Danny's head like a child again.
"No. I want to see her, Sean. I want to see Sam. It's my fault she's hurt. It's all my fault that everybody's hurt. Damn it. I should've just let him kill me when he had the chance and none of this would've ever happened." Danny cried weakly as he shook and began weakly rocking back and forth and tried sucking his thumb, causing Danny's vitals to become unstable a bit.
"Danny? Danny, no. No. I'm not going to let you do this. I know that you're scared but I'm not going to lose you. You're not dying and I'm not letting you black out again. That's not the damn answer just because you're scared." Sean cried sternly but caringly as he filled a syringe with Ativan, a sedative.
"What the hell are you doing? What the hell is that?" Jack said gruffly out of fear as he carefully held Danny to the bed when he tried to get up.
"Let…me…go!" Danny cried weakly but he seemed lost as he continued rocking and tried to get up.
"Damn it. I'm giving him Ativan and putting him to sleep. He's starting to panic again and his heart can't take that right now. He's still too weak." Sean cried sternly out of fear as he prepared a syringe and slowly injected him with Ativan, causing Danny to weakly cry angrily and try to hit Sean but both Sean and Jack carefully grabbed his hands.
"Danny, calm down." Jack said sternly out of concern.
"Don't let him go." Sean said gruffly as he put soft restraints on Danny's wrists and ankles, causing Danny to weakly cry angrily and very emotionally as he couldn't struggle anymore to move.
"You asshole, how the hell could you do this to me? Let me go. I hate you." Danny cried angrily but weakly out of fearfully but Sean just soothed his face with a wet washcloth.
"Shhh. I know that you don't mean that, kiddo. You're just scared. But I'm going to take care of you and I'm going to make Ritchie pay even if he begs for his life. Now, stop fighting and get some rest. You're not going anywhere." Sean said sternly but caringly as he soothed Danny's head.
"No. Let me go. I want to…see…her." Danny cried weakly but angrily as he struggled to remain awake.
"I said no, Danny. Now, get some sleep." Sean said sternly but caringly, causing Danny to weakly cry angrily until complete darkness took over.
BACK AT FBI HEADQUARTERS…
Jeff was so distressed when Jack told him that Sam had flatlined, that he didn't allow Jack to finish telling him that Sean and Dr. Foster had been able to revive her after shocking her three times. Instead, he hung up and left Jack yelling at himself. So, now he was at the office, thinking that Sam was dead and he was going to do whatever he had to, to make sure Ritchie paid with his life for taking hers. And that was very bad news for Ritchie's gunman because Jeff was filled with rage and anguish.
Jeff entered Interview Room One at FBI Headquarters with a file on hand as he bore a cold and callous expression on his face. In the room, was an FBI agent keeping a watchful eye on Ritchie's gunman. He put the file on the desk and began whispering to the other agent, causing the other agent to glare viciously at the gunman.
"Is there anything you need me to do, Sir--Anything at all?" Agent Devon Meyers said as he glared viciously at the gunman.
"Yeah, there is. Go outside and cut the feed and sound to this room. And get the others out of here." Jeff said calmly as he gave the gunman a cold stare that sent chills down his heartless spine as Jeff read his file, causing the gunman to swallow hard and squirm.
"You're not going anywhere Nate Cavenaugh." Jeff said coldly but calmly as he read over the gunman's file. We're going to have some fun first like you did with my friend Viv and my little brother Danny, at the hospital. You remember how much fun we had, don't you? And we're also going to have an excellent time for what you and your friends did to my friend Agent Spade, the female agent that was here." Jeff said with a callous smile as he squeezed Cavenaugh's shoulder, causing him to flinch fearfully as Jeff's smile grew wider.
"Sir, I'm going to leave now. I'll be back to escort him to central booking." Agent Meyers said seriously.
"Give us thirty minutes to have some fun, Devon and then you can take him to central booking." Jeff said smiling evilly.
"Yes, Sir." Agent Meyers said seriously as he glared at Cavenaugh and then left the room.
"So…" Jeff said calmly but callously as he read through the file. "Nate Cavenaugh, arrested for aggravated assault and battery, kidnapping, grand theft and attempted murder of federal officers, the list goes on and on. And we're going to have a hell of a time tonight, Nate. Because neither of us is going to be leaving here until you tell me everything I want to know about Cesar Ricardo Escobar and the rest of his miserable gang. You're going to tell me everything about them—locations, how many there are, weapons, everything. Otherwise, you won't be leaving this room and no one anywhere will ever know or remember that Nate Cavenaugh existed in this world. And I'm a federal agent. I can make that happen very easily. Do you understand me?" Jeff sneered with an evil smile as he squeezed the Cavenaugh's shoulders.
"I don't know what you're talking about?" Cavenaugh tried to say coldly but fear was all too evident in his voice, causing him to flinch fearfully when the phone rang inside the room and Jeff answered it.
"Yeah, Devon. Okay, that's good. Great. Now, don't let anyone near this room for half an hour and call before you come in. All right." Jeff said calmly and then ended the call, causing Cavenaugh to immediately look at him fearfully.
"Now it's time for us to have some fun, Nate. Because, it's time for you to tell me everything you know about Ritchie and his scumbag accomplices. And don't tell me that you know anything because we both know that that's not true. You're going to tell me every last detail. But I can guarantee you, Nate that you, Ritchie and all your friends are going to pay hell for what you did to Danny and to the rest of my family." Jeff said through gritted teeth as he cracked his knuckles and fingers, causing him to grab Cavenaugh by the hair, like he'd done to Danny, when Cavenaugh squirmed and tried to get up from his chair.
"You're not going anywhere. Are fun is just beginning, Nate. Now, you're going to tell me what damn warehouse Ritchie's been torturing Danny at and who his accomplices are aside from your dumb ass. You're going to tell me exactly where that son of a bitch is. And you're going to tell me the locations and assignments of all his accomplices. You will not lie to me, Nate. You will tell me everything I want to know. Do you understand me? Otherwise, like I told you before, you won't be leaving this room or building again." Jeff said callously through gritted teeth as he unholstered his gun and aimed it at Cavenaugh's head as he pulled his hair tightly, causing Jeff to sneer evilly when Cavenaugh screamed pained.
"What, aren't you having fun? You were having fun at the hospital when you tried to kill Danny and pulled his and then tried to shoot him in the head. I'm just doing the same thing to you, you piece of shit. But I'm not going to let you die so easily. First, you're going to tell me what I want to know and then I'll decide whether I'm going to let you live or whether to kill you myself for hurting my family. Because death is what a miserable garbage like you deserves. Now, where the hell is the warehouse where Ritchie kept Danny? Tell me right now." Jeff seethed through gritted teeth as he cocked his gun and pulled Cavenaugh's hair tighter.
"No! You can't do this!" Cavenaugh said terrified, causing him to scream in agonizing pain and hold his injured leg when Jeff threw him on the floor and kicked him repeatedly. "Aaaaagh!" He screamed in agonizing pain. "Stop! I'll tell you!" He screamed in agony.
"Where the hell is that warehouse?" Jeff seethed as he grabbed Cavenaugh by the collar and roughly sat him up on the floor as he shook and cried like a scared animal.
"It's an abandoned fishing warehouse over at the marina in front of Dock 13." Cavenaugh cried fearfully and in agonizing pain, causing him to scream more when Jeff picked him up roughly and sat him back on the chair.
"Who the hell, besides you, is working for Ritchie, you piece of filth? I want names, assignments and locations and they better be the truth or you're not going to live to regret it. And if you think that I'm playing games with you, you son of a bitch, you better think again. You never should've come after my family. Now, you're all going to regret it the rest of your miserable lives, you bastard. So, start writing." Jeff seethed as he slammed a pen and notepad on the table as he once again held Cavenaugh's hair tightly and aimed the gun at his head.
"Start writing—names, aliases, location, assignments, numbers. Now." Jeff said viciously, causing Cavenaugh to snivel fearfully and start writing.
After ten minutes, Cavenaugh finally finished writing down phone numbers, addresses and aliases. He wrote down all of the information that the team needed to find where all of Ritchie's accomplices were and how, when and where Jack and the others were to be attacked.
"I gave you what you wanted. Now, let me go." Cavenaugh said angrily as he shook out of pain but fear was clearly evident in his voice, causing Jeff to scoff.
"Don't be stupid. Do you actually think that I'm going to let you go? Think again. You're going to spend the rest of your miserable life in prison. But first you're going to tell me where Ritchie is and you're going to tell me now." Jeff said vicariously as he grabbed Cavenaugh's jaw with one hand and dug his nails into his face.
"No, I can't do that. Ritchie's going to kill me if he finds out I talked to you." Cavenaugh said terrified as his eyes widened in terror, causing Jeff to suddenly laugh sadistically and release his face then walk away.
Jeff began laughing sadistically, which only instilled more terror into the suspect. But Cavenaugh wasn't expecting was happened next, although he should have. Jeff was laughing, but out of rage and anguish, not only because of what had been done to his friends, but also because he believed that Sam was dead. Which is why he suddenly felt infuriated by Cavenaugh's words.
When Cavenaugh wasn't expecting it, Jeff decided to strike and strike hard. Jeff punched him twice across the face with the backs of his hands. Knowing that Cavenaugh was still shocked by the assault, Jeff picked him up by the collar and slammed him hard against the wall as blood gushed from his nose and mouth.
"Ritchie's going to kill you?! You fucking asshole! You killed one of my agents, you come after my family and their families, and you torture Danny and cover for that twisted bastard! Who the hell do you think you should be more afraid of?! Tell me! Tell me right now where Ritchie is or going to put a bullet in your brain right now!" Jeff seethed as he threw Cavenaugh to the floor on his knees.
"I didn't kill anybody! What the hell are you talking about?!" Cavenaugh yelled angrily out of fear.
"You and your damn accomplices killed Agent Spade right here in this office and unless you tell me right now where the hell Ritchie is, you're going to die right here and now!" Jeff seethed viciously as he cocked the cocked the gun, aimed it at Cavenaugh and put his finger on the trigger as Cavenaugh continued kneeling on the floor.
Cavenaugh's eyes bugged out in terror as he began crying and shaking like a coward.
"No! Please, don't kill me! I'll tell you what you want to know but please don't kill me!" Cavenaugh pled like a terrified coward as he wet himself, causing Jeff to sneer evilly.
"You didn't show Danny any compassion. You tortured him and tried to kill him at the hospital until stopped you. Why the hell shouldn't I kill you? You deserve it, you filthy animal." Jeff seethed viciously as he continued
"Please don't kill me! I'll tell you where Ritchie's at right now at this moment!" Cavenaugh cried and shook like a fearful coward.
"Start talking or you're going to eat a bullet in less than thirty seconds." Jeff seethed viciously, causing Cavenaugh to wet himself again and whimper terrified when Jeff put the gun closer.
"All right, I'll tell you but please don't shoot me! Ritchie's at the hospital now. He's been there since they took Danny over there. He already got to Danny once but that stupid orderly wouldn't leave him alone with Danny. But it doesn't matter. Ritchie's not going to stop until he's dead. Ritchie's going to kill him for killing his little brother in cold blood. And just like Danny killed Sebastian, Ritchie's going to kill his partner first and make him watch." Cavenaugh shook and cried terrified, causing Jeff to lose it and shriek violently.
"Aaaaaaaagh! You, son of a bitch!" Jeff shrieked wrathfully and was about to pull the trigger when the door burst open, it was Agent Chuck and Agent Meyers.
"Jeff, no! Don't do it! He's not worth it! Look, just put the gun away and come with me to the hospital!" Agent Chuck said urgently and sternly out of fear.
"Like hell I am! Don't you get it?! He killed Sam and he tried to kill Danny and Viv!" Jeff seethed violently as he continued aiming his gun at Cavenaugh.
"Damn it, Jeff, you're wrong! Why the hell do you think you I'm here? Jack told me that you didn't let him finish talking. Sam flatlined when they were taking her up but Dr. Novak fought like hell and got her back after he shocked her a few times. So, give me the gun and let Devon take this piece of shit to central booking with another agent. Look, give it to me or I'll have to do what Jack told me and kick and drag your sorry ass down to that hospital. Now, give your gun and let's go get that son of a bitch before he hurts our boys. Let's go." Agent Chuck said sternly but caringly as he held out his hand for the gun, causing Jeff to shriek violently again but then hand over his gun.
"Get this filthy maggot out of myself before I kill him." Jeff said as he kicked Cavenaugh one last time, causing Agent Chuck to grab a hold of him and drag him of the room after he put Jeff's gun on his waist.
"Don't you dare lie to me, Chuck. Is Sam still really alive?" Jeff said through gritted teeth as his lips and jaw quivered violently, causing Chuck to sigh heavily and grab him by the arm as he led him into the elevator.
"I wouldn't lie to you about something like that, Jeff. Remember, I was there. You told me to stay with her and I did. I was there when she flatlined and when Sean fought like hell to bring her back and he did. But now, we have to go make sure we find whoever's after Danny." Agent Chuck said a bit sternly but compassionately as they made their way to the car, causing him to sigh heavily when Jeff quietly cried furiously out of fear for everything that had happened. "Does she even know, Jeff? Sam, I mean." He said softly.
"No. And I'm never going to tell her, so just forget that you know. The only thing that matters is that we get Ritchie before he can get to Danny and Martin. But I swear that if I get my hands on him I'm going to kill him myself." Jeff quietly cried angrily as he tried to calm down.
"Don't worry. We'll get him and we'll make him pay for everything." Agent Chuck said with conviction as he drove toward the hospital where a deadly game of cat and mouse was about to ensue.
TBC?