Here is another chapter. Hope you like it. I tried to capture the essence of Finch and the pure evilness of Quinn as I tried to write down the possible conversation they would have. I hope it worked.
I'd Come For You
Alonzo Quinn pulled on the metal gate guarding his prison cell. It wasn't right that he should be locked up like an animal or a common criminal when he he had done nothing wrong. He knew the law and what he was entitled to, and this was not it!
"Hello?! I want out of here!" he shouted, his voice bounced off the empty walls of the library. Desperate, he pulled harder on the gate. "Did you hear me? I want out of here!"
"I heard you, Mr. Quinn," Finch replied in his usual monotone. The sound of his uneven footsteps came down the hall, followed by the click clack of Bear's nails on the tile.
"I want out of here. You can't hold me against my will. I have rights."
Finch placed the tray on the cart. "The only right you have is to a trial by a jury of your peers." He pulled the key chain out of his tailored slacks pocket and inserted it into the lock. "It's not too late, though, for justice to be served."
He turned his head and spoke to Bear. Instantly the canine was in guard mode. Baring his teeth menacingly, he eyed the prisoner with caution. Quinn took three steps back as Finch opened the gate and Bear entered first.
Finch placed the tray on the table. "Here is your breakfast. I wasn't sure what your dietary needs are, but I think you'll enjoy it."
"I don't want to eat," Quinn shot back defiantly. "I want out."
Finch narrowed his eyes. "Unfortunately, we can't always get what we want."
"At least tell me where my daughter is," Quinn begged, his tone turned from angry to pleading. For a moment Finch was moved by the depth of feeling Quinn had for his daughter. Then he remembered the night he watched as his friends were gunned down in cold blood on the street like dogs. And he hardened his heart.
"I don't know." Finch steeled himself as he met Quinn's eyes in a battle of wills.
"You do."
"Even if I did know," Finch conceded without any warmth in his words, "there is no way that I would tell you."
"Can you at least tell me if she's safe?"
"No." Finch turned around and walked out of the room. With a quick twist of his wrist he secured the gate's lock.
"I'm her father; I have a right to know if she's alright."
"Your daughter is being protected by my friends – the same friends you decided needed to die because they were getting in the way of your criminal ways. And now, the same people you were in bed with feel the same way."
"What do you mean?"
"Apparently you made enemies all over the city," Finch replied dryly. "And they decided that if they couldn't get you and the money you stole from them, they would take it out on your daughter."
"Did they-?" He didn't want to entertain the thought of the worst case scenario.
"What do you care?"
"Dammit! I am her father! She's my daughter!" Alonzo Quinn was an expert at keeping his temper under control, but his captor was slowly pushing each button with such finesse that it was almost impossible to hold on to his emotions.
"No. She's a pawn in this pathetic game you put into play a long time ago."
"That's not fair. You have no idea what I feel!"
"What's not fair is the way everyone who has been associated with you has met with a grisly end. As for where she is, even if it were a matter of life or death, I wouldn't tell you. It would risk her life and everyone involved."
"That's more than enough reason to let me out," Quinn stated logically. "I can find her."
"And lead the men who want you dead to her? That would go against every instinct I have."
"Are you a parent?" Quinn demanded.
"What exactly is your point, Mr. Quinn?"
"Do you have children?" At Finch's pause, Quinn jumped on it. "I am going to say that you don't. So you can't understand what it's like to be forced to sit back and be helpless as your flesh and blood is used as a pawn against you." Quinn looked down at the floor and tried to gather his emotions. When he spoke again, his voice quavered.
"You'll never understand the pain of having your heart ripped out as you stand by helpless knowing you could have helped them but were stopped."
Finch's eyes narrowed dangerously and he took a step forward. Even Bear seemed to sense the change in his master's demeanor. He moved closer to Finch.
"You are correct, Mr. Quinn," Finch replied, his voice lower than usual but not any less meaningful, "I don't have any children, but that doesn't mean that I don't know how to love and appreciate the people who have been put in my life. I have loved and lost and stood on the sidelines helpless in preventing bad things from happening, so there I feel your anguish. But as for the love a parent feels for a child...?" Finch took a moment to choose his words carefully.
"The man who you chose to assassinate is the closest I will ever come to having a son. Maybe we don't share the same blood or flesh, but that doesn't make what I feel for him any less." Finch unconsciously balled his hands into fists. "And Detective Carter, too. You don't have to create life to appreciate it, but considering your track record, Mr. Quinn, I believe you have no concept of what love really is. You assassinated your godson, you assassinated Detective Szymanski in cold blood, and you ordered the hit on two people who wanted nothing more than to end corruption in the city they swore an oath to protect.
"You stand there with crocodile tears in your eyes and tell me how much you love your daughter and that she means the world to you." Finch took another step so he was eye to eye with his nemesis. "You are nothing but a liar and a killer in a cheap, polyester suit who spouts off meaningless platitudes to ease his conscience. But I wonder, do you have a conscience? After all you did to innocent people and this city – the city you claimed to love, do you have the ability to feel any remorse?"
"How dare you question my devotion and loyalty," Quinn spat back in response. "I called the shots – that is true, but I did it because I cared. From what I see, you are just as much of a puppet master. You stand there in your expensive suit and lecture me? The things I did protected this city. You have some vigilante zealot working as your conscience to right wrongs and save people; you pay him to do your dirty work, while at the same time employing a holier than thou Homicide detective and an alcoholic sewer rat. So as far as I can see, there isn't much difference between you and me," he declared with sardonic satisfaction.
"Maybe, Mr. Quinn, but I'm willing to die for the people I love. Are you?" Finch kept his eyes locked with Quinn's.
"Goddamn it!" Growling with anger, Quinn grabbed the food cart and threw it as hard as he could against the wall. The platter of food exploded and landed to coat the floor, desk, and every available surface. The metal cart broke in half and fell to the floor with a sharp thud. Shaking with anger, he turned to face Finch.
Finch eyed the destruction with a stoic expression. Distressed by the outburst, Bear pushed himself against Finch's leg and whimpered.
"Thank you for proving my point, Mr. Quinn," Finch remarked dryly. "I'll bring you a pail and cleaning rags for you to clean this up." With that, Finch turned on his heel and limped away. The canine stayed close beside him.
"Goddamn it!" Quinn swore again under his breath. But this time there was no anger in his tone.
*****
"Any news on our mutual friends?" Fusco asked into the phone. He tried to keep his voice low he was aware of the ears that could overhearing his conversation.
"I will text it to you. Be assured that Mr. Reese found them in time."
"So, they're okay?" His heart beat painfully at the thought of Joss being hurt again by the thugs they swore to take down. Was it ever going to end?
"I am positive that word will be getting to the precinct that Detective Carter failed to show up to the safe-house."
"Which means they will be knocking on her mother's door," Fusco finished the thought. "That woman has been thru enough." He looked at his watch. "I'm sure that I can get over there and assure her that everything is alright, but I need to know the truth: Is Joss alright?"
"She'll live," Finch confirmed.
"How is the prisoner?"
"Not happy."
"Considering how he escaped justice the first time, I'm not surprised that he wants nothing to do with being incarcerated."
"He'll be let out soon enough."
"We need to find out who is putting the hit on Carter and Quinn's daughter."
"Any ideas?"
Fusco looked around the bullpen and caught Womack looking intently at him. The hair on the back of his neck suddenly stood straight up. His gut started doing flip-flops.
"Yeah," he breathed. "One or two. But I can't tell you here."
"I understand."
"I'll go talk with Mrs. Kelly, then I'll meet up with you."
"I look forward to it, Detective."
Fusco closed his phone and shoved it in his coat pocket. He shot a defiant look toward the Captain who crooked his finger and motioned for Fusco to come to his office.
With heavy feet, Fusco did as he was directed.
"You wanted to talk to me, Captain?"
"Who were you talking to?"
"With all due respect, none of your business."
"I wasn't asking who you were talking to," Womack threw back, "I was ordering you to tell me."
"And I will tell you again that it's none of your business, sir."
"You have developed a smart mouth since you and your partner took down HR," Womack pointed out.
"We didn't take down all of HR, but we're working on it." Fusco's tone was borderline cheeky.
"I can suspend you for insubordination," Womack threatened darkly.
"You could," Fusco agreed with a nod, "and it wouldn't be my first suspension. In fact, I would love for you to do it so I can go in front of the IAB and tell them all about how you have your fingers in the newest corruption scandal."
"Are you threatening me, Detective?" Doubt followed by fear flashed momentarily in the captain's eyes.
Smug with defiance, Fusco crossed his arms over his chest. "If it's true, it's not a threat. But for the record, I don't make threats – unlike you – I make promises."
"I will have your badge."
"And I will make sure that someone more worthy has your office. Call off the dogs."
"I don't know what you are talking about," Womack replied vaguely.
"The dogs that chased after Carter. Call them off. Or else."
"Is that a promise?" Womack sneered.
"No," Fusco replied, "that is a threat."
"You think you're so smart because you escaped the hammer that came down on your HR buddies. You think that you are the hero in all of this because you arrested Simmons." Womack stepped up until he was practically nose to nose with the man he couldn't give two shits about. "You are nothing but a sewer rat, Fusco. A snake crawling on his belly, loyal to no one and striking out to save his own skin."
Fusco felt the white hot heat of anger rush thru him. It was all he could do not to reach for his service weapon and put the precinct out of Womack's misery. He wouldn't be held accountable for doing the right thing, he reasoned. In fact, he might even get a promotion.
But what about Lee?
The fight went out of Fusco. His son deserved a better father, and wasn't that what he was striving to become? He couldn't set two standards. He had to be the better man.
"If anything happens to my friends, I will see you in hell," Fusco declared.
"You don't have it in you."
"Ask Simmons if that is true. Now, if you don't mind, I have criminals to get off the street." Fusco turned on his heel and walked out of the office. Turning the corner, he opened his phone and pressed the app in the lower right hand corner. He held his breath as the circle spun around.
PAIRING SUCCESSFUL!
Fusco smiled. "Now I got you, you son of a bitch," he said happily under his breath. He was pretty sure Finch would be able to jack into Womack's line too and retrieve important information. They needed to take the rest of HR down before anyone else got killed. But first he had to go warn Joss's mother before the bad guys got to her.