"Thank you for joining us, Detective Powell."

Dani's heart sank, she'd been hoping that they had taken her to get to Malcolm, that his was the only cover blown. She was wrong. And that meant that this was going to be even more unpleasant than she'd originally thought. Despite the realization of what was inevitably to come, Dani refused to show her captors any fear.

Bennet crouched in front of her. She met his gaze stubbornly and squinted. "I have to be honest Dani, you surprised me. Given Malcolm's behavior and skill set, I wasn't altogether shocked to learn who he really was. But you- you snuck in under my radar, not an easy feat to accomplish." He reached up and brushed a wayward curl out of her face and Dani jerked away from him.

He continued, "Although, it does explain the drive erroring. That's why you were in my office that morning wasn't it? You were bringing the drive back."

She refused to respond to him and simply blinked, straight faced.

"I'm curious, were you fucking Malcolm before? Or was that just a happy byproduct of your little operation?"

She blushed involuntarily, the embarrassment quickly shifting to concern.

Malcolm.

Even if he hadn't figured out her three-letter text, he would have gotten to the club and noticed her absence. At this point, whether or not Malcolm knew she was in trouble wasn't what scared her anymore.

What were they doing to him?

At that thought, she broke her silence, "Where is he?"

Dani was sure that Bennet would have had men waiting for Malcolm's arrival at the club. Once he realized she was missing, there was no telling what he would do.

Bennet grinned, "Ah, so it's not just a fling. You care for him." She glared at him through squinted eyes. "How quickly you forgot our conversation. I tried to warn you Dani. You can't deny that."

"Malcolm Walker is expendable… when his services are no longer required…"

"Where is he?!" The ties on her wrists dug into her skin as she pulled at them and tried to stand. Bennet grabbed her shoulders and slammed her back down onto the chair. "What did you do?" she demanded.

Again Bennet smiled, a lion toying with its prey. He slowly strode around the chair until he was behind her. Then he leaned in next to her ear and whispered, "What's happening to Malcolm is nothing compared to what's about to happen to you."


Luca bent over and picked up Malcolm's gun. He pulled the slide back, checking to see if there had actually been a bullet prepped for him. When it popped out, he caught it and put it in his pocket, while storing the gun in his back waistband.

"You weren't fucking around, were you?" he laughed. "Too bad you didn't have the balls to pull the trigger."

Malcolm stared daggers at Luca, his arms still raised. "Don't confuse you having information I need for my lacking the conviction to shoot you."

Another chuckle escaped Luca while he motioned for one of the other men to come over. Malcolm watched as the man pulled zip ties from his pocket while walking toward him.

So, this was all a part of it. They know about Dani too. The thought sent a cold chill through him.

Luca's assistant grabbed his arms and twisted them behind his back, pulling the ties snuggly. Malcolm's mind was racing:

Gil and J.T. are en route. Minutes away.

Luca is Bennet's number two. He knows where Dani is.

If they take Luca in there's no way he's talking.

Dani will be in the wind. Alone. With Bennet.

You have to get to her. Now.

Gil is going to kill me.

Malcolm didn't give his plan a second thought. It was the only way to get to Dani quickly. He took a deep breath, "Luca, the cops are on their way. They're probably less than five minutes out."

"What?" He straightened up, looking at the entry door.

"That's who I was talking to on the phone a few minutes ago. If you don't want to be here when they completely raid this place, we need to leave. Now."

"You're lying."

"No, I'm not."

Luca stepped closer to him, staring into Malcolm's eyes as though the truth was written on his pupils. "Why would you warn us about that? What's your play?"

"Well, we can stand here and talk about it some more, and when the cops arrive you can continue speculating with them, or we can get the hell out of here and not get all of you arrested. Your call."

Luca took a second to weigh their options, "Let's go. Everyone out the back. Nick, grab the van," he tossed a set of keys to one man who ran to the storage door. "You two take him," he pointed at Malcolm.

Another man stepped up to Malcolm and took him by the arm. He jerked his arm away. "I'm going willingly. I can walk myself." The cluster of men rushed to the storage room and out the back delivery door. As they exited a white van pulled up. Luca jumped in the front passenger seat, while four men and Malcolm hopped into the back. Luca rolled down the window and barked orders to the remaining men, who split into different directions.

He threw a black cloth into the back of the van, "Cover him."

One of the men pulled the hood down over Malcolm's head and the van sped away.


Gil didn't even bother grabbing the keys from the ignition. As soon as his car was in park, he and J.T. flew out and headed toward the door to Diablo, an ESU TAC team on their heels. Once the door was breached the Lieutenant took the lead. "Back room!" he ordered pointing at the storage entrance. A few of the TAC team members broke off and headed in that direction.

J.T. pointed up, "Boss, office." Some of them pointed their weapons at the tinted glass, while others kept theirs forward.

Gil scanned the walls beneath the windows, "Entrance?"

"Here!" a TAC officer yelled, from behind a booth in the VIP section.

"Go!" Gil ordered, rushing to catch up to them. J.T. followed. By the time they climbed the stairs the team had already busted the office door open.

"Clear!" the team leader called.

"Storage and back alley all clear," a voice chimed in on their ear pieces.

"Bright said he was here," J.T. holstered his weapon, frustrated, "not ten minutes ago. Where the hell did they go?"

Gil holstered his also and slammed his palm on Bennet's desk, "DAMN IT!"

J.T. and the team were watching him, awaiting their next orders. "Canvass the area for any possible witnesses. Check CCTV and security cameras for anyone in or out and possible vehicles. They were here less than 10 minutes ago, people. It's midday in Manhattan, they can't have gone far."

Where are you, Bright?


Bennet sauntered back around in front of Dani. "I'm torn, Detective," the last word was oozing with disgust and animosity. "Typically I have a firm 'no hitting females' policy. But given the current situation," he removed his suit jacket and hung it on the back of another chair across the room, "I feel like I'm permitted a brief hiatus from my principles." Bennet proceeded to unbutton his cuffs and roll his sleeves up to the elbows.

Dani closed her eyes and took a deep, cleansing breath.

You can do this, she coached herself. You've trained for this. Disassociate. Happy place.

Malcolm's face immediately appeared in her mind. The rhythm of his breaths as she lay on his chest. How he always subtly positioned himself to be closer to her when she entered a room.

Bennet's fist connected with her cheek, ripping the thoughts of Malcolm violently away from her. Her head whipped to the side, as dots, tiny white fireflies, invaded her eyesight. Dani blinked multiple times trying focus. A second cross from Bennet hit the opposite cheek. The white lights exploded across her field of vision once more. Dani tasted copper in her mouth, and spat blood.

Damian's entrance halted Bennet's blows momentarily. Her vision was blurry, but Dani could tell he had some kind of material in his hand. She knew it wasn't cloth, it was too stiff and made too much noise. As Damian approached Bennet, she figured it out.

Plastic.

"Perfect," Bennet was opening and closing his fists, uncomfortably.

At least it hurts him a little.

"Go ahead," Bennet directed Damian, who walked behind Dani. She craned her neck to see him. The plastic sheet he was holding was actually a large, thick bag.

Oh no.

Bennet crouched down in front of her again and she turned toward him. "If I execute cops I don't even know, Dani, just imagine what I'll do to one who's wronged me." He nodded to Damian.

The bag was over her head in an instant, before she could take a breath. Damian pulled the opening tight under her chin, jerking her head backward. He twisted the excess plastic in his hand removing any spare pockets of air.

Dani knew not to panic, that doing so would only cause her to use what little oxygen she had too quickly. But rational thought faded fast, as the one breath that was available inside the bag ran out. Her heart was pounding, the sound echoing in her ears. She could feel her pulse in her throat, thumping. She opened her mouth to gasp for air, but there was none to be found. Instead she sucked the plastic over her face into her mouth. Her lungs were shrieking, desperate for any molecule of oxygen they could get. Her body started jerking involuntarily; a blackness began creeping inward from the edges of her vision.

"Off," Bennet ordered.

When the plastic left her face, Dani gasped. It was painful to refill her lungs after that long without air. Regardless, she gulped as much of it as she could, certain that it was only a matter of time before the bag returned. She was right. At Bennet's command, Damian shoved the bag back over her face and tightened it again. This time she tried to fight back, pulling and jerking against Damian's grip on the plastic. He wasn't prepared for that response and he lost his hold on the bag for a moment. Bennet assisted with another punch that brought more blood. With nowhere to go, the blood pooled inside her mouth. When she ran out of oxygen and fruitlessly gasped within the plastic, she got the blood instead. Unable to get any air to help expel the liquid, Dani was choking.

She vaguely heard the door to the room open again. But that wasn't a priority. Again, her body was shaking violently, against her will. Her vision was fading away completely.

"Dani? DANI?!"

Somewhere in her subconscious, she recognized Malcolm's voice. There was a scuffle and the bag on her head loosened.

"Dani!"

She leaned forward and shook off the plastic, coughing up blood onto the floor between her legs. She tried to take a breath but struggled to get air. Too much liquid was in her throat with no way to expel it. Dani leaned as far over as she could with her arms tied to the chair, praying gravity would help. After a few attempts, she was able to properly cough. When she did, the remaining blood in her throat cleared.

Dani turned her head, still leaning forward, and saw him. Malcolm was in the room with her.

Luca was holding his nose, blood dripping through his fingers, while simultaneously being held back by Damian.

Bennet had Malcolm pinned against the wall by the door. A small trail of blood ran down the side of Malcolm's face. He was staring at her, horrified.


The back of the van opened and someone snatched the hood from his head. Just as he had left the club, Malcolm willingly left the van, following Luca. It was only a few steps from the van to the door of the building. The surroundings were obscured by other vehicles and storage units.

Warehouse? He sniffed. Water... Docks. A marina maybe?

The building was relatively bare. A hallway with multiple rooms, but only the concrete flooring. Luca stopped at a door and waited. Malcolm strained his ears; no one was talking, but there were definite sounds of movement. Luca opened the door and Malcolm peeked over his shoulder.

Malcolm's legs almost gave out. He opened his mouth to yell, but he couldn't find his voice.

Dani.

Damian had a plastic bag wrapped tightly over her head; she couldn't breathe. Malcolm's hands mirrored the tremors running through her body, as rage helped him find his voice.

"Dani?" He rushed toward the door, his hands still tied behind him. "DANI?!" Luca stopped him, stepping in front of the door. Malcolm thrust his neck forward and head-butted Luca as hard as he could. He stumbled backward and Malcolm ran into the room. "Dani!"

Bennet grabbed him and threw him against the wall, his forearm against Malcolm's chest. Luca's hands were covered in the blood that was rushing from his nose. He started toward Malcolm when Damian got to him, holding him back. Malcolm didn't even try to fight back against Bennet. His entire body ran cold as he watched Dani lean over and cough a substantial amount of blood onto the floor.

"I needed you."

Dani turned her head and looked up at him, a trail of crimson running down her chin. Malcolm exhaled in a stunned huff at the sight of his nightmare come to life.