No.
Malcolm tasted bile in the back of his mouth and tried to swallow it down. His head was humming. In his nightmares, the vision of Dani had been far gorier, but the reality of seeing her actual blood was even worse. She was still panting, trying to catch her breath. Her cheeks were blushed, and slightly swollen.
They hit her. That explains the blood.
Malcolm's head never moved, but his eyes shifted down to Bennet's arm pinning him. His knuckles were a bright red.
He hit her.
Luca had finally calmed down and was cleaning his face. With Luca's anger in check, Damian walked over and picked up the plastic bag that was on the floor in front of Dani.
He tortured her.
Malcolm wasn't even conscious of the fact that he was making a list. But he was nonetheless.
Dani was staring back at him, both shocked and saddened by his presence.
"Malcolm?"
A small sigh of relief escaped him. In the back of his mind, he was expecting her to say one of the lines from his nightmares.
"Hey," he replied.
Bennet removed his arm from Malcolm's chest, and backed away, "How touching." He walked to the other chair in the room and retrieved his suit jacket. Once he'd put it on, he brought the chair back with him and sat it six feet in front of Dani, then motioned for Malcolm to take the seat. Begrudgingly, Malcolm complied. Just like he had for Dani, Damian connected Malcolm's restraints to the chair.
Dani's eyes were wide, afraid. He was scared too, but he refused to frighten Dani further by letting her see it. If beating and suffocating her was Bennet's opening act, Malcolm was terrified of what else he had in store.
Bennet paced back and forth next to them, while Damian and Luca waited in the wings. "Let's play a little game."
Wonderful, Malcolm thought.
Bennet stopped and turned to face them, "I'm going to ask you a few questions. Failure to respond, or false responses will earn punishment. Answer truthfully… and the pain will be far less severe.
"If you're still going to hurt us, why would we tell you anything?" Malcolm's response exited before he had the chance to filter it.
Bennet walked over to Malcolm, stared him down for a few seconds, and smirked. Then he took two steps toward Dani, and backhanded her. Her head flew to the side and she held it there for a moment, waiting for the pain to pass.
Malcolm jerked in his chair, pulling at the ties on his wrists. Bennet turned back to him, answering his previous question, "Rest assured. I will motivate you, Mr. Bright."
Malcolm clenched and unclenched his fists, attempting to subdue the surge of anger that ran through him. He bit the inside of his cheek, stopping himself from saying something that would result in Dani getting hurt again, and glared at Bennet through partially squinted eyes.
Gil was pacing the conference room of the precinct. It had been an hour since they entered the club and found no one. An hour since Bright completely dropped off of the radar in a matter of minutes. An hour and a half since anyone had last seen or heard from Dani. His team, no... his children, were out there. Alone. Their lives in danger. He'd fought the urge to break down multiple times already. Leaders weren't permitted the breakdown until after the situation was over. Every minute they were gone the statistics for their safe recovery diminished drastically. And they were no closer to finding them now then they had been when they got to the club.
One witness claimed to have seen a white delivery van speeding down the back alley, but she hadn't seen the license plate. The NYPD had immediate access to the city's CCTV cameras and had been searching for possible white vans. With regular deliveries in and out of back alleys on a daily basis, though, they were swimming in a sea of white vans. They'd only just gotten access to the security cameras of the buildings surrounding the club. And they needed at least a partial plate if they had any hope of figuring out where Bright had gone.
J.T. was standing over the shoulder of another officer who was combing through the footage on a laptop. "There!" he said, pointing at the screen. "Go back a few frames." Gil rushed around to their side of the table to join them. "There! Can you zoom in on the plate?"
"What is that, and eight?" Gil asked, "Maybe a B?"
"It's definitely a B the left side is flat," the officer chimed in.
"B9X- anyone got the next one?"
No one responded.
"That's a start," J.T. said, rushing out to the bullpen, handing the partial plate information to another officer for him to run.
Gil straightened back up and directed his instructions to the officer behind the laptop, "Okay, with that partial, let's see if we can track the van through the CCTV traffic cams."
J.T. returned to the room, "I've got three people checking BMV and title records for properties and vehicles owned by Bennet, known Niners, and associates."
Gil nodded, "Good." J.T. opened his mouth as though he was going to speak, then closed it again. Gil raised an eyebrow in question, "What is it?"
He sighed, "There's something you should know, boss."
Gil swallowed; J.T. rarely struggled to tell him anything. "Okay. So, tell me."
The detective looked down at the floor for a moment before continuing, "Bright skipped out on lunch with us Sunday, because Dani called him. Bennet caught her in his office. She managed to get the drive back to him cleanly, but when it started to error…"
Gil's stomach churned, "What, J.T.?"
"Bennet attacked Dani. He choked her, almost to the point of blacking out. Then he hit her. Hard enough that Bright's doc had to liquid stitch her head."
"And no one told me this, why?!" he yelled. It was hard for him to check the anger in his response.
"They were afraid you'd call the op if you knew." J.T. looked away, contrite.
Gil threw his arms up in frustration, "You're damn right I would have called the op! Now, not only is Dani missing, she's missing, with a concussion, with the guy who almost killed her two days ago!" He rubbed his forehead, then took a deep breath, calming his temper. "Did you see her? Is she okay?"
"She was banged up, nasty bruises on her neck from Bennet's hands. But she said she was okay."
Gil huffed, "Of course she did. She's Dani."
"Yeah," J.T. smiled.
"Anything else I should know?" Gil's stare was unrelenting, watching as his teammate shifted uncomfortably. "J.T.?"
"It's not work related, per se," he replied.
The lieutenant crossed his arms, "Is it something I should know?"
"No. Yes. I don't know. I don't even know if they know," the detective was rambling.
"They, who? Bright and Dani?"
J.T. nodded, "Dani was there when I went to drop off your gun. I was definitely getting vibes from both of them."
"Vibes?" he shook his head confused.
"Like there's-something-going-on vibes."
Gil's eyebrows shot up, "Dani and Bright? As in together?"
"It felt like they didn't exactly have an answer for that yet. But definitely something going on there."
"No kidding? Huh." Gil glanced around the conference room, trying to figure out where the conversation should go now. "Okay so, let me know what they find with properties and titles. I'll look into bank records and see if there's anything there that might lead us to a location."
"Got it," J.T. nodded as he left to go check what the officers had found.
Gil sipped his coffee.
Bright and Dani? He mused, a smile creeping across his face. Good for them.
He started flipping through Bennet's bank records. His mood instantly shifted, the gravity of the situation returning in full force. None of this mattered if they didn't locate them soon. His team, these kids, were all he had.
He would do whatever it takes to reunite his family.
Malcolm gazed into Dani's eyes. Neither of them spoke, but once again, they had a full conversation in complete silence.
Bennet broke the spell, "Let's get started shall we?" He continued pacing next to them. "Dani," her eyes shifted to him as he spoke, "I'm assuming you knew Malcolm prior to this little undercover foray. Is that true?"
Malcolm was relieved at the simplicity of the question, although he wasn't foolish enough to believe they would all be so easy.
"Yes," Dani replied shortly.
"Malcolm: We know Dani is a detective with the NYPD. You're on this op, yet your name isn't anywhere on the documents I received. Why is that?"
"If my name isn't on the documents, then how do you know I'm Bright and not Walker?" Malcolm countered.
Bennet merely smiled, knowingly, the smile morphing into a sadistic grin as he nodded to his number two. Luca happily obliged. He strode quickly over to Malcolm and put all of his weight into a cross that connected with the unbruised side of Malcolm's face.
The sound of Luca's fist connecting echoed throughout Malcolm's head. He squinted and blinked rapidly, as his eyes suddenly became hypersensitive to the light in the room. Before he could fully regain his bearings, Luca hit him again, this time the ribs. The ribs that, as of this morning, were already painted black and blue from chest to navel.
"Mmmmph." Malcolm held in as much of the sound as he possibly could. Then, hissed away the rest of the exhale. He only managed to inhale about half way before the searing pain started.
If it wasn't broken before, it is now.
Luca pulled his arm back again.
"Wait!" Dani interrupted, "He's not a cop." Malcolm looked up at her, grateful, but concerned at how far she intended to take the explanation.
"Really?" Bennet turned from her to him, "then what is he?" When neither of them answered Bennet grabbed a fist full of Dani's hair and pulled her head backward, motioning Damian to resume what he had started before Malcolm came in.
"No!" Malcolm yelled, lunging forward in his chair, the ties cutting into his wrists. "I'm a profiler," he admitted.
Bennet released Dani's hair and tilted his head to the side, staring at Malcolm. "You're a fed?" He spat the last word, as though it were poison on his tongue and walked toward him.
"Consultant," Malcolm winced whenever he inhaled. "Ex fed. The Bureau and I had a bit of a falling out. I profile killers for the NYPD."
"So, you've been profiling me. Tell me, Mr. Bright, what did you come up with?"
Malcolm knew better than to fall into that trap. No matter what he said, Bennet would get angry and either he or Dani would end up on the other end of that animosity. However, he also knew that if he didn't say something, it would happen anyway. Malcolm decided to go generic and pray Bennet didn't press for more.
"You like to be in control. You have contingencies for your contingencies, and therefore you're rarely surprised by anything."
"Go on."
"Even though you run a large operation, you only truly trust a select few. Even within your inner circle, there are some who you don't fully trust." Malcolm looked up at Luca and Damian for emphasis.
Bennet grinned again, "You are good at your job, Mr. Bright." Then he directed his gaze back to Dani. "Detective Powell, you admitted to knowing Mr. Bright prior to this op, that you work together on a regular basis."
She furrowed her brows, confused at the repeat question, "Yes. He consults with my team."
"So… were you fucking him before you started working at my club?"
Malcolm couldn't help but roll his eyes.
Seriously?
Dani replied honestly, "No."
"But you are now," Bennet pried.
She looked to Malcolm for guidance. He hesitated. Not because he cared if Bennet knew they'd slept together, but because acknowledging their relationship gave him leverage over them. An arsenal of leverage.
They paused for too long. Bennet glared at Malcolm and reached for his neck. Instead of feeling the pressure he was expecting, Malcolm felt his tie loosen as Bennet removed it. Then he returned to Dani, walked behind her, and wrapped it around her neck, pulling it tight.
"No! Stop!" Malcolm begged, as Dani was once again gasping for air. "Yes! The answer is yes!"
Bennet released the tie slowly and dropped it to the floor. He snapped his fingers and opened his palm expectantly. Luca responded by pulling Malcolm's gun from behind his back and placing it in Bennet's open hand. Malcolm's pulse lurched.
Not her. Not her. Me.
Malcolm's heart sank as Bennet remained behind Dani. He examined the weapon closely, not looking up as he spoke.
"Mr. Bright, was my office the first time the two of you were together?"
"No."
"You hadn't slept together before the op, but the first time you met on the op wasn't your first time? That doesn't add up."
Malcolm responded instantly, fearful of what Bennet intended with Gil's gun. "No. I mean we didn't have sex in your office. We faked it to get the drive."
Bennet laughed, "Clever. But I have a hard time believing that everything I watched on that footage was faked." He leaned down, resting his head on Dani's right shoulder and purposefully putting the hand holding the Glock on her other one. "Dani, am I wrong?"
She lowered her head, embarrassed, "No."
"Ahh, so my office was the catalyst? The spark that lit the fire." Neither of them answered, but this time Bennet didn't punish their silence. He simply took it as confirmation. His tone shifted and he completely changed the subject. "Malcolm, you planned the ammunition exchange for Saturday. Do you actually have the cartridges or was it a farce?"
Shit.
Malcolm tried to run through the outcomes of both possible answers as quickly as he could. Either way this question wasn't going to end well.
"Malcolm!" Bennet was growing impatient.
He chose honesty as the less likely course of violence, "Yes we have the cartridges, from a bust at the port a month ago."
Bennet pondered for a moment. Dani was questioning Malcolm's plan with wide eyes. He responded by shaking his head almost imperceptibly.
Without warning, Bennet strode quickly over to Malcolm, "You're going to get me those cartridges. Today."
Panic hit Malcolm like a tidal wave. "There's no way," he explained, "our boss has to sign a release of evidence for anyone to get them out of the vault."
"Figure it out." He huffed, turning away from Malcolm.
"Bennet, it's impossible. They know we've been taken. They'll be on high alert. There's no way anyone is getting that ammo out."
Bennet turned angrily around, "Well, that's unfortunate." He cocked the gun and strode over to Dani, pointing it at her temple.
"Wait! Wait! Wait!" Malcolm begged, trying to stand while tethered to the chair. Luca slammed him back down into his seat.
"Shut up!" Bennet spat, taking a deep breath. He moved closer to Dani, pressing the barrel of the gun against her head, as she closed her eyes. "Malcolm, you're in love with this woman, are you not?"
Malcolm jerked his head back, surprised by the question. Dani's eyes flew back open.
"What?" he replied.
"It's not exactly difficult to tell," Bennet retorted, pushing Dani's head with the gun. "Yes or no?"
Malcolm's mouth went dry and he tried to swallow. She was staring at him, awaiting his answer. He met her gaze and held it while responding to Bennet, "Yes."
Dani couldn't help but smile, a small tear falling from the corner of her eye as she blinked.
Bennet's voice shattered the moment, "Then I'm assuming watching me put a hole in her head would be a painful experience for you."
"Please," Malcolm implored. His breathing was shaky, terrified.
Bennet nodded to Luca, who bent down behind Malcolm and cut his wrists free. "Get me those cartridges by midnight Mr. Bright, or Dani dies."
