Chapter 34

Voight left his office and headed downstairs. Platt motioned to the bench with her head. Voight headed for the bench. "Nicole?" he asked as he approached her.

She practically jumped off of the bench and started for him. "Hank," she said in relief. "I hope I'm worried for nothing," she started as she reached him and gave him a hug.

Voight hugged her back, surprised that she would be so forward with him. He suspected it had something to do with her getting shot and almost dying. He took a step back. "Worried about what, Nicole? Jeremy is in lockup. He's not going anywhere. He can't hurt you again."

"No, not Jeremy. Jess. I haven't heard from her for two days. Her phone goes straight to voice mail. This isn't like her. I'm worried about her."

"She's fine, Nicole," he lied. He didn't know for sure, but he didn't want to upset Nicole. "I'll have her call you."

"Please do. I'm worried."

"No need to worry. She's fine."

"I appreciate it. Thanks for hearing me out."

"How are you feeling?" he asked.

"Still not great, but getting there."

"If we can help, just let us know."

"I will. Thanks for seeing me, Hank."

"Anytime, Nicole. I'll walk you to your car."

"That's not necessary. I'm fine."

Jess unlocked her office door and stepped inside. Office hours would give her time to correct midterms. She made a mental note to stop at the store and pick up some groceries, then head to her place and pick up more clothes once office hours were over.

She sat down at her desk and booted up her computer. She glanced over at her phone and noticed the voice mail blinking. She dialed in while waiting for the computer to do its thing. Six voice mails total. Three were from Nicole, the other three from Hank. She deleted them all and called Nicole's cell. After telling Nicole she was fine, and yes, they needed to get together for drinks as soon as Nicole was off of the pain killers, she hung up. She brought up her email and started to read. She answered a few, then gave up. She couldn't concentrate. She hated to admit it, but she missed Hank. She didn't miss him being an ass, but she missed him. She got up from the desk and walked over to her coffee pot. She made coffee, and brought a cup to her desk. She reached into her desk and brought out the midterms and started to grade.

An hour later, she had made her way through half of the stack, and her phone had rung approximately 20 times. She had set the phone to roll straight to voice mail. She checked her watch and decided to call it a day. She stuffed the tests into her tote bag, and locked up her office.

Hank watched Jess approach the building. She said something to the doorman and he opened the door for her. He checked his watch. 7:40 PM. He stared at the outside of the building. Three minutes later, the lights on the top floor turned on. His intel had been correct. She was staying at Dewey, Screwem and Howe's corporate place.

At 8:00, he left the car and crossed the street. He flashed his badge to the doorman who opened the door. He strode into the lobby and made his way to the desk.

"Help you?"

"The penthouse. How do I gain access?" Voight asked.

"You don't."

"Excuse me?"

"I said you don't. The penthouse is privately owned and unless you have a key or permission from Mr. Reed, Mr. Stephenson, or Mrs. Voight, you don't get in.

Hank suppressed the urge to reach across the desk and grab the smug little brat by the collar. "I need permission from Mrs. Voight?" he echoed.

"Yes, Sir. She's senior partner. Senior partners are the only ones who can grant permission."

Voight stared at him and felt like he had been kicked in the stomach. Jess had made senior partner and hadn't bothered to tell him. He started to wonder what else she hadn't told him. "Mrs. Voight is my wife," he said evenly. "Now, how do I get access to the penthouse?"

He was handed the elevator key. Voight took it and started for the elevator.