Chapter 53

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Nola slipped out of Danny's room and found Don standing there. "He's going to be all right Donnie. Give him a chance to rest, come back in a couple of hours."

"I really need to see him, please."

"He's sleeping Donnie."

Don let out his breath in a puff. "I'm going to be tied up for a while, so when he wakes up let him know that…"

"What?" Nola asked.

"That I love him." Don said blushing.

"It's okay to say that. You're brothers after all."

"I cared about him before I, ah we knew that."

Nola nodded in understanding.

Don smiled a little. "Thanks Aunt Nola."

"You're welcome sweetheart."

Don walked down the hallway to tell the rest of the team what he and Logan had planned.

"You two be careful we already have one of the team in here." Stella said.

"We will I promise, Stel." Don replied.

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Eric walked through the door into the receiving area after being released from jail. "So dude, who do I have to thank for getting out of this hell hole?" He asked the guard who had escorted him out.

"It obviously wasn't anyone at the crime lab." The guard grunted.

"Like I didn't have that figured out for myself jackass." Eric said angrily.

"Whatever." The guard said. "By the way that's who you are looking for." He said pointing in the general direction of several people standing there talking.

Eric walked over in that direction. "Excuse me I'm looking for the person who posted my bail?"

"That would be me." A young woman in a suit said.

"Hi there." Eric said smiling at her. "You know my name, but I don't know yours."

"I'm Vicky Harris." She said holding out her hand.

"It's nice to meet you Vicky." He said taking her hand and smiling at her in his best sexy look. "How did you know I was here."

"Oh, I'm sorry I work for Mr. Reed."

But he agreed to let me sit in jail."

"Well, ah yes, but someone else needed you out of jail so here I am."

"Okay, but my next questions is still who else do I have to thank about getting me out."

"I have orders to take you to see him."

"So I know him?"

"He knows who you are?"

"Okay then let's go. I would like to meet my supporter." Eric said walking toward the door that would lead him to freedom.

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"Hey Mac, where's Logan?" Don asked as the two men met in the hallway.

"She's on her way to meet Josh Wright. She said that she would call when it was time for the two of you to meet."

"Oh Okay, well then maybe I'll go to the police station and see who got Eric Thomas out of jail."

"Wait someone bailed Eric out of jail?" Mac asked surprised.

"Yeah." Don nodded. "But we don't know who. Tommy was going to try to find out for Logan. But since I have a little bit of time on my hands maybe I'll give it a shot."

"Are you sure you don't want to wait and see Danny?" Both men looked down the hall at the closed door that leaded to the one person who was about to unite the team into a true family.

"I really do want to talk to him, but Nola said to give him a couple of hours to rest and recuperate."

Mac nods slowly. "I need to go to the station myself."

"Why?"

"It seems that Joey's job maybe on the line."

"For WHAT?" Don said loudly.

"Following orders." Mac said with a little laugh.

"That sounds like the old man."

"I'm not going to let Joey be fired because he followed orders from a superior officer."

"I know that's not going to happen, but we both know that someone is going to lose their job. So it not Joey then who? You? Logan?"

"I'm going to make a deal with your dad." Mac said decisively.

"Which is?"

"I'm going to request that he wait until after these cases are solved and if at that time he feels that by us withholding that information was damaging to the investigation of Danny's case, then we will decide who if anyone gets fired."

"The thing is I can't help but wonder if Eric hadn't leaked the information about Danny's parentage if Ricky would still be alive today?" Don wondered out loud.

"I have a feeling he still would have been killed but that is why we need to solve these cases."

"So you're thinking that Ricky would still have been killed at some point and that it wasn't crucial when or if that info was leaked."

"I don't think Danny was the intended first victim. He just happened to at the wrong place at the wrong time."

Don glanced at his watch. "I need to get going here. I want to try to have an answer for Logan when we meet for lunch."

"Okay, I'm going to head over and talk to Joey and let him in on what I'm hoping is going to happen."

Don nodded that he understood. "Want a ride?"

"Yeah that would be nice. Let's go and tell the team what we have planned and to let Danny know that we will be by to see him as soon as we can."

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A young woman with short blond hair a big floppy hat and dark sunglasses sat in central park people watching, something she had loved to do since she was younger. A bag and a newspaper laid on the blanket beside her.

"Excuse me Miss?" A breaded guy interrupted her thoughts.

"Can I help you?"

"I believe in recycling and saving the planet and all. I was wondering if you were done reading your paper if I could maybe, like buy it from you for half price?"

"How's about I just give it to you." She said looking up at him and smiling.

"Are you sure you don't want me to pay you?" He asked kneeling down along side of her dropping his jacket on the ground.

"I'm sure, the little amount of money you are offering me won't affect my retirement funds any." She said with a giggle. "Besides I would rather you give a donation to your favorite charity."

"Boy talking about saving the planet."

"We each have to do our part."

"That's true, but would you at least except a thank you." He said picking up the newspaper.

"You're welcome." She said handing him his jacket.

The gentleman smiled at her as he stood up. "I hope you have a nice afternoon."

"You too." She said picking up her bag.

"May I help you?" He asked taking her bag and offering his hand.

"Thank you." She said accepting his hand and standing up. He smiled handing her the bag and helping pick up the blanket and stuffing it in the bag.

"I don't want to sound cliché or anything, but do you come here often?"

"No I'm afraid not." She smiled. "My work keeps me busy, but maybe we'll see each other again sometime."

"Yeah maybe." He said giving a finally wave and walking away with a smile of his own on his face.

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Eric slowly began to become aware of his surroundings and he soon discovered that he was sitting in a chair and his hands where tied behind him."

"I'm still not sure why you guys got me out of jail?" Eric asked trying to figure out what had happened between the jail and now.

"We need you to help us bring back the Tanglewood Boys."

"Why me?"

"We heard you said you had the connections to do so."

"I did, but the guy that I had a deal with got himself killed."

"Oh yeah who was that?"

"Ricky Miro." Eric said looking around at the people surrounding him.

The three younger guys all began to laugh. "There's no way that wuss could have brought back a gang like the T-boys."

"Maybe not on his own, but he had help." Eric said.

"So we heard his brother-in-law is a Sassone."

"Yeah, yeah. That's right, that's right." Eric said getting nervous. "Ricky figured that since he was a 'member' of the Sassone family no one would question his involvement with the Boys."

"Well what if we told you that we have an actual Sassone."

"Ah I know for a fact that there isn't an 'actual' Sassone who wants to be involved in the Tanglewood Boys."

"You think. But seriously if you want to be part of the new T-boys you best join up now."

"And if I don't?" Eric asked.

"Then don't bother. Because by the time you and everyone else realize that the T-boys are back in town, we would have made such an impact on this city. No one and I mean no one will be able to touch us."

"You sure are one arrogant son of a bitch."

"Yeah I am, but as you will see I have every right."

"I still don't know your names."

"I guess we can at least do that." One young man said. "I'm Mark. This is Paul and finally Gary."

"I wish I could say I was happy to meet you, but under the circumstances.." Eric said indicating his hands still tied behind him.

"Okay untie him." Mark told Paul.

"So who's this Sassone you where telling me about."

"You like everyone else will find out when the time is right, but first…." Mark said pulling out something wrapped in a cloth. "There is something you can finish for us."

"What is that?" Eric asked unwrapping the package and when he realized it was a gun he looked up shocked at Mark.

"Take out Messer or Flack. Whatever you want to call him."

"You want me to shoot Danny Messer?" Eric asked suddenly paling as he realized…. "With his own gun." ….looking down at the gun he now held in his hands.

"Yeah, sweet isn't it."

"Yeah sweet." Eric said pasting a fake smile on his face.

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