Another Threat

"What do you mean you're taking on this case?" Dean shook his head, standing in the office where Punk had gotten in, telling Dean all about the night he'd had and the obligations he felt he needed to take with the eleven year old boy who had been put in a coma.

"I was there. I saw it happen. I feel… responsible for the case." Punk told him.

"Maybe I remind you we got a big break here with this Milwaukee news." Dean shook his head, "And now you wanna… take on a local case?"

"The kid is in hospital." Punk said, "In a coma."

"Yeah and that's a shame, I'm not saying anything about that. But you don't need to look into it. We've finally got something to go on here."

"How do you know that?" Punk said, "Seth probably won't find anything useful for us and we'll have yet another dead end." He said.

"Then we'll keep looking in other directions." Dean said, "Don't you wanna find out who did this? Who took AJ?"

"Of course I do." Punk said, "I can still… look at both cases."

"We all know that never goes to plan." Dean said, "You got that kid the help he needed, now let someone else look over it." He said as Punk sighed and nodded, running his hand over his face, "I know, it's tedious and… we don't seem to be making waves but… something has gotta give, at this point." Dean rolled his eyes just as there was a knock at the door, "What?" Dean asked as they watched Seth walk into the office.

"Oh, hey." Punk forced a fake smile as did Dean.

"Hi." Seth looked at them both, holding his laptop. He was pretty much a genius hacker for the police department, in the most legal way they could use him.

"You got something?" Dean wondered.

"Yeah." Seth nodded, sitting his laptop down on the desk as Dean and Punk crowded him, "So basically I got a track from a gas station he used, I've wrote down the address." He said, sitting down the piece of paper with his notes on it, "There's also a track on a strip cub, didn't really surprise me." He rolled his eyes, "But what I found strange was… straight after his business in Milwaukee, he booked flight tickets to Hawaii for him and his wife and kids." He shook his head as Dean and Punk looked at one another, "So… I done more digging, and he had the flights booked for the same day Sofia died. But of course the cops got onto him before he got the chance."

"Fuck." Punk raised his eyebrows, "Why didn't anyone pick up on that before?"

"Well because he cancelled his card. Smart. But… I am also smart." He smiled at them both as Punk and Dean just raised a brow, "Anyway." He shook his head, "Seems to me like a lot of plotting went down in Milwaukee. This guy is definitely the mastermind behind all of this, no matter what he says." Seth nodded.

"You're good, kid." Dean nodded, impressed, "These are the addresses?" He asked, picking up the notes.

"Yeah." Seth said, "I just think these bastards need to be stopped." He said, "They've gotten away with it long enough."

"Yeah, too right they have." Punk nodded, "So… this guy plans a trip to Milwaukee with his guys. They plan to murder Sofia there?" He shook his head.

"Clearly at this point they were having the loan problems with the family." Dean nodded, "Maybe that's where our guys are from." He shrugged, "So Mark goes and has a meeting with them and makes sure he's got a quick getaway. Seems all very fitting." He said as Punk nodded.

"Y'all need to hit up Milwaukee then." Seth nodded, closing his laptop over and tucking it under his arm as Dean turned to him and stared at him, "What?"

"You wanna come along? We could use your brain." He said as Seth looked at both of them back and forth.

"I… I don't know anything about this, not really." He said.

"We'll fill you in." Punk said, "Your slimy hacking skills might be something we need when we're there."

"Slimy?" Seth raised a brow.

"I meant amazing." Punk shook his head as Seth nodded slowly, "Let us figure out some shit, when we're going, and then we'll let you know."

"I feel used a little." Seth admitted.

"You should be so damn lucky." Dean said as Seth rolled his eyes, "Go on then, go back to your basement."

"I have a desk." Seth shook his head.

"Mhm." Dean just nodded.

"We'll keep you updated." Punk nodded to him, "Thanks for this."

"Yeah, no problems." Seth scoffed, walking off out of the office as Punk turned to Dean.

"He could be useful." Punk nodded.

"Yeah, he's quick and smart." Dean said, "When you planning on going then?"

"I uh… I wanna just talk to some people about this little boys case." Punk said, "So… why don't we go first thing tomorrow morning, make it back by night?" He asked as Dean nodded.

"Alright, fine with me." Dean nodded, sitting down at the desk.

Punk headed to AJ's after his shift where he spoke to the investigators and the cops working on finding the hit and run vehicle. It was just on his mind, more so because he saw it in front of him. It seemed so bizarre to him and so cruel.

"Hey… did you go to the hairdressers?" Punk asked, noticing AJ's hair had been levelled, walking into the kitchen where she was making dinner.

"Uh no… Jack, my hairdresser, he came around and did it." AJ nodded "It was just annoying me." She shook her head as he smiled and nodded.

"You look beautiful." He told her, walking over to her and leaning down for a kiss as she kissed back.

"How are you? Any word on that little boy?" AJ asked him.

"He's doing ok. Still in coma. There's a lot of people working around it so… I'm just trying to focus on Sofia's case, getting those bastards." Punk said as AJ nodded, "We got a break through today, one of the tech guys we have managed to get tracks on an old credit card Mark had. So we've got ourselves some addresses for Milwaukee." He said, "Oh and we found out he then bought plane tickets, leaving on the day that Sofia was murdered."

"Really?" AJ shook her head.

"Yeah." Punk said, "Weird, huh? Looks like he really was the one giving the orders out and these guys are just… clearly insane to do it." He shook his head, walking over to the kitchen table. It was almost surreal how natural it felt just to be around her now. She was becoming a part of his life which he wasn't sure what he'd do without.

"So you're going to Milwaukee?" AJ asked him, turning the food down and turning around to him.

"Tomorrow morning." Punk nodded, "But I'll be back by night time." He told her as she nodded, "How you been feeling?" He asked her. He didn't want to sound repetitive and be on her case constantly, but he cared about her and worried about her.

"I'm doing fine." AJ assured him, "A lot better." She nodded, "I do think I need to start moving forward. Even if it's just little steps." She said, "I know what I've been through isn't something I can just brush aside, I know that." She said, "But… I have to start somewhere." She said.

"As long as it's at your pace. When you're ready." He nodded as she smiled, walking towards him.

"So… when are we… going on this date?" She asked him with a smile as he smiled back and nodded.

"What do you say tomorrow night, when I get back?" Punk asked her, "I'd say it's long overdue." He said as she smiled and nodded.

"Yeah I think so." AJ nodded, "Sounds good to me. Where are you taking me?" She asked him.

"Wherever you wanna go." Punk nodded to her.

"Well… how about you make it a surprise then. I've not… I've never been on a date before." She admitted, "So… I won't have any standards." She teased as he smiled.

"I better make it special then." He nodded. He felt like, with her, he could separate everything going on in his brain with work, and the case, to where his only focus was her. No one had ever had that impact on him like that.

"You better." AJ smiled, leaning up and pressing a kiss on his lips softly as he kissed back, picking her up off the ground as she giggled, "What about dinner?" She asked as he trailed his kiss down her neck and sat her on the table.

"Fuck the dinner." Punk whispered, kissing her neck and lifting up her t-shirt over her head. He already felt like they'd been dating forever. Their bond was so different and special, and it felt like whatever was going on, nothing could ever come in between them.

"She's been so difficult lately." Dean said, holding Eva in his arms, bouncing her up and down as the baby girl cried.

"She's not used to you." Lia told him, running her hand over her hair, sitting at the kitchen table whilst Dean bounced the baby in his arms. It was hard balancing a family life with his job as it was so constant and chaotic at times, and sometimes he did feel bad for missing out on a lot.

"Don't say it like that." Dean frowned a little.

"Well it's true. You barely ever put her to bed." Lia said, fidgeting with her hands as Dean looked down at her. They'd been dating for a very long time. She was his councillor at a time where he was fighting a lot of demons, and for some reason she just became the most important person to him.

"I get caught up, you know that." Dean said, "Maybe she's coming down with something." He said, looking down at the baby girl in his arms, listening to her cries turning into whimpers the more he bounced and soothed her.

"No, sometimes she's just like that." Lia said as Dean nodded.

"You ok?" Dean asked her as she nodded, not convincing him all that much, "Hey, what's up?" He asked, sitting down at the table with her as she just shook her head, "Something is wrong, Lianne. I can see it in your face." He said. He'd only just got home and he could tell his girlfriend was acting strange for some reason.

"This." Lia stood up, opening up a kitchen drawer and pulling out a piece of paper, "This was posted through the door tonight." She told him, taking a seat back at the table.

He passed Eva across to her in exchange for the letter, opening it up and looking at the scribbled note which read:

Don't do it. Stay away. The car won't miss the next time. That boys blood is on your hands. Your friend has received the same later. If you keep looking. If you keep digging. You're going to lose. You're not going to get the answers you want. Leave things alone whilst no one else is dead.

Dean looked up at Lia who looked back at him and shook her head with worry.

"You're bringing this home." Lia said, "And now I'm scared." She admitted as Dean looked down at the letter, reading it again and shaking his head. It felt like everything always came down to this case, for example, the hit and run which had somehow found a connection with the case. It was becoming larger than life to them, and something had to be done.