Things were swinging into action at the hideout. Katherine had told Bryan to go into the other room and hold Mac while Julie gave him a sedative. "NO!" Mac yelled. He could not struggle much however and they gave it to him anyway.
Katherine drew her weapon and shot Bryan as he was turning. He fell against the wall and slid down to sitting. "You didn't think I would risk you alerting anyone, did you?" she asked.
Julie and Katherine went into the other room. Mac was not asleep yet. He got off the bed and got over to Bryan. "I'm sorry," Bryan said.
Mac looked at the wound which was bleeding badly. He stared at Bryan knowing that he could do nothing to help him. "It's alright," Bryan said. "I hope you…" He did not finish that sentence.
Mac frowned and then he was starting to get sleepy. He got back over to the bed and lay down. He knew he was going to fall asleep no matter what. Before he fell asleep completely, Katherine and Julie were back. Katherine looked at Bryan's body. "Well, at least that is one less problem," she said.
Julie looked away. "Let's just get this done," she said.
They got Mac into a wheelchair and pushed him out to a car and got him into the back seat. He wanted to try and get away but he could not. "Just take him out there and dump him," Katherine said, "and then go to the rendezvous point."
"I'll see you there," Julie replied.
Don was heading for the drop off point along with Jo and Danny. "You two will have to wait while I do this," Jo said. "If we all go, she will get nervous."
"We want to get her this time," Don said.
"She already said if we try to follow them, Mac is dead. They will leave him somewhere. I don't want to do anything to jeopardize his life any worse. We might never find him."
Don had to admit that sounded right but he could not believe they were going to let that woman get away with two million dollars of Sid's money. They arrived at the old warehouse where they were supposed to drop the money. "You sure you want to go in there alone?" Don asked.
"Yes," Jo replied. "I'm going to just take it in there and leave it and then we will watch what happens."
Jo got out of the car and walked over to the warehouse and tried the door. It was unlocked so she went in. The warehouse looked like it was full of junk but there was a trail through it. She found a note beside an old trunk. "Just leave the money in the trunk" the note said. Jo lifted the lid and put the case of money into the trunk. She just hoped the woman did not know how to disable a tracking device. She looked around her and then walked out of the warehouse.
Don, Jo and Danny waited to see if the tracking device started moving. "Come on," Jo said anxiously.
Katherine was already inside the warehouse and had seen Jo deliver the money. She got down to the trunk and took the case out. She had a scanner to pick up tracking devices. She scanned the money and found both of them. She dropped the tracking devices into the trunk and then took the money to the car that she had waiting in the warehouse. It was on the other side of the warehouse from where Jo and the others were.
Katherine got into the car and drove out the back of the warehouse and left in the opposite direction so that they would not see her. "Why isn't she taking it?" Jo asked.
"Looks like she would do it quick," Danny remarked.
"She seemed to be in a hurry. Let's get in there!"
They got out of the car and went into the warehouse. Of course, the tracker was picking up the signal from the tracking devices that were still inside the old trunk. Jo lifted the lid and saw that the case was gone. "Oh no," she said. They found the tracking devices in the trunk. "She got away with it!"
They ran back out to the car and alerted all units that the woman had gotten away with the case of money and that they had not seen any cars. They would have a hard time finding her now…
Julie was dropping Mac off in the worst part of Brooklyn at about the time that Katherine was taking the case of money. She pulled Mac out of the back seat and let him fall onto the concrete. They were in an alley so it was unlikely that anyone would see her doing it. "Don't leave me here," Mac said as he tried to get up. He was still sedated however.
"Good bye!" Julie said and got into the car and sped away.
Mac looked around him. He was still groggy but he knew he had to get up from here. He was out here in an alley wearing nothing but a robe. He looked up at the old building that he was beside. It looked like an old apartment building. He made his way down to the corner of the alley and looked around to make sure no one was out there. He got around the corner and found the door to the old apartment building. He got inside and looked around. It looked like it had just been abandoned but there was a lot of trash in the place so he figured other people were coming here and staying. He went up the stairs to the floor above. He tried the knob on the first door. It was not locked so he pushed the door open.
"Hey! Don't you know how to knock?" someone asked. "Get out!"
"Sorry," Mac said. He closed the door and moved on down the hall. He went around the corner and down to the end of the next hall. He knocked on that door but no one said anything so he went in. There did not appear to be anyone in there so he looked around a moment and found that it was empty. It did not look like it was always empty. He locked the door and went on into the apartment. There was a sofa there and a bed as well. Mac wondered how many people had been on that bed and what had gone on on it, but right now, he had to lie down. He lay down on the bed and felt relieved. Then he felt like he had to go to the bathroom.
Mac wondered if there was still water in this building so he went into the bathroom and turned the faucet on. There was water alright. He flipped the light switch and there was even power in the building, although one of the light bulbs shot and broke because it had not been used in so long, but the other one kept burning. He leaned on the sink a moment and then he inspected the toilet to make sure there were no spiders around it. There were none, so it was okay.
When Mac had that done, he went back to the bed. He hated being sick but he was sure there were no telephones in this building, although he could not believe there was water and power. He was soon asleep…
Jo and the others were trying to locate the car that Katherine had obviously escaped in. Adam was examining surveillance footage to see if anything had caught that car coming from there. "We need something!" Jo said.
"I don't see anything," Adam replied. "I think they knew where cameras could see and where they couldn't."
"She can't get away with this!"
Don felt helpless. There was no way they could know which car she had left in or which way she went. They went down to the next block and found that there was a factory close to the warehouse they had been in. "Let's see if there's anyone in there and if they saw anything," Jo said.
They found that the factory was not in operation at the time so there was no one there. They had lost the money and possibly lost Mac too. "How did she find the tracking devices?" Jo asked. "She had to have a scanner."
"That's the only way," Danny said. "She was prepared for everything. I guess her friend the security guard helped her prepare for all that."
Mac woke up during the night when he heard someone kick the door to the apartment open. He sat up wondering who was coming in there. He saw a flashlight shining around there, and he hoped it was a policeman. Mac stood beside the wall and waited as he heard footsteps getting closer. Then he felt like he had to go to the bathroom again, but he stood there.
Soon, the light shined into the bedroom, and a woman came in there. She gasped when the light passed over Mac. "What are you doing in here?" she asked. "This is my place!"
"I didn't know," Mac said. "I was looking for a place to stay until morning. Somebody threw me out here and I didn't know where else to go."
"What do you mean, threw you out?"
Mac did not know if he wanted to tell her that he was a police officer or not. "Somebody threw me out here. They were holding me captive for several days for ransom."
The woman stared at him a moment. "And they threw you out here?" she asked.
"Yes."
"Well, you can stay on the sofa."
Mac nodded. "I'm sorry." He left the bedroom and went to the sofa. He did not feel well.
"What did they do, take your clothes?" the woman asked.
"Yes."
"I think I can find you something. You don't want to be going around here dressed like that."
Mac waited while the woman rummaged through a pile of clothes that she had in the closet. She came out with a man's shirt and jeans. "These should fit you," she said.
"Thanks," Mac said. He went into the other room and got into the clothes.
The woman came in there with a pair of shoes. "These are size ten," she said.
"Perfect."
"My name is Janet."
"Mac."
"Mac?" Janet considered that a moment. "And you were kidnapped? Seems like I've heard that name."
"Maybe you have," Mac said.
"They were holding you for ransom? You must be important if they were asking for a ransom."
Mac frowned. "I wouldn't say I'm so important," he said. "I need to get in touch with someone. I'm sure there is no phone here so where is the closest one?"
Janet sniffed. "Nowhere that we can get to tonight," she said. "Just get some rest."
Mac looked toward the door. "Is it locked?" he asked.
"Yes, but the chain doesn't work anymore."
Mac lay down on the sofa. It was stuffy in the apartment and dusty. He was glad he at least did not have to sleep on the street tonight…
It was a tumultuous night for Mac's team as they tried to find Katherine and her accomplices. They could not find anything that would lead to them but they had APB's out on all three. Jo had to go home and get some rest but Don was still at the precinct and Sheldon was still at the lab along with Adam. They had not received any word on the suspects.
When morning came, Mac had to rush to the bathroom again. He hated being there with a stranger but he had no choice right now. At least he knew he could get some help when he got out of this place. As he exited the bathroom, he heard Janet talking to someone. "What are you doing here?" she asked.
"Have you got a man hid in there?" someone asked.
"So what if I have? It is none of your business, now get out!"
"Oh, you don't know what to do with a man."
Mac frowned at that comment and listened to see what they would say. "Angela, he is not yours," Janet said.
"He will be," Angela replied.
Mac was alarmed. He did not know if he had the strength to fight anyone off, but he would sure try. No one was going to take him captive again if he could help it. He waited to see what would happen next and he heard footsteps. "Leave him alone, Angela," Janet said. "He's sick anyway."
"What do you mean, sick?" Angela asked.
"I don't know. He was held captive for a few days, he said."
"That doesn't mean he's sick."
Mac heard them coming toward the room and he waited. Soon, Janet came in along with another woman who had wild brown hair and wild looking blue eyes. She stopped as she saw Mac and looked him up and down with lustful eyes. "Janet, you have never had anything in here that looked that good," she said as she walked a little closer to Mac.
Mac backed up a little. "What are you talking about?" he asked.
"She carries Viagra around with her," Janet said with disgust. "She captures men and feeds it to them until she gets tired of them and then finds another one."
Mac could not believe what he heard. "You're crazy," he said.
"I'm not crazy," Angela said as she was still looking him over.
"You stay away from me."
"That's what they all say but they enjoy it after a while."
Janet pushed Angela into the wall. "Come on!" she yelled.
Mac went with her and they got out of that apartment and down the stairs. Mac felt his stomach cramping with all that running but he kept going. They got outside and went around into another alley. "Come on," Janet said as she was pulling Mac along.
They soon got far enough away and stopped. Mac knew he was not completely well now because his stomach was cramping. "This running is not doing me any good," he said. "Get me to a phone."
"I will," Janet said. "I can find a bathroom if you need one."
"That would be good."
Janet led him around to a restaurant. "They have a bathroom in there," she said.
Mac was not sure he wanted to go in there but he went anyway. He did not have a choice. When he was done in the bathroom, he went up to the front of the restaurant and asked to use the phone. "We don't have any public phones here," the man at the counter said.
"Please," Mac said. "My name is Mac Taylor. I…"
"Hey, you're that cop that was missing." The man got the phone. "Sorry man."
Mac got the phone and dialed Christine's number…although he thought he should have called Don first…
Christine was sitting in the kitchen of the restaurant when her phone rang. "Hello," she answered.
"Christine," Mac said.
Christine gasped. "Mac?"
"Yes. I'm okay. I'm over in Brooklyn at a restaurant called Lenny's Café."
"Okay. I'll come and get you!"
"No. I just wanted you to know that I'm okay. I'll get Don to come and get me."
"Why?"
"I don't want you to come over here."
"Is it dangerous?"
"Yes."
"Okay. Just let me know when I can see you."
"I will. I love you."
"I love you too."
Mac ended that call and then called Don. Don was at his desk propping on his hand. He felt like he was doing his job in his sleep, but he could not sleep knowing that Mac was out there somewhere and they could not find him. Needless to say, Katherine had not kept her word to call and let them know where to find him, and they had not had any luck at finding her and her accomplices.
Don's phone rang. He yawned and answered, "Flack."
"Don," Mac said.
Don's eyes widened. "Mac?"
"Yes. Don I'm over in Brooklyn at Lenny's Café."
"I'll be there as soon as I can! Do you need an ambulance?"
"You can take me to the hospital."
"Okay."
Don ended the call and called Jo while he was running out the door. He told her what was going on. "Does Christine know?" Jo asked.
"I don't know!" Don said. "I'm on my way to get him now."
"Just let us know where you take him."
"I will."
Jo sent a text to all the team to let them know that Mac had been found and that Don was taking him to the hospital when he picked him up. She called Christine to let her know but found that she already knew. Jo thought she should have known that Mac would call her.
Mac was sitting at a table in the restaurant. He had told Janet that he would wait here for Don to come and get him and thanked her for her help. He was so sleepy he thought he could lie over on the table and sleep. He had slept last night but he supposed when a person was sick, they just felt sleepier than normal. Soon, Don arrived and hurried into the café. He saw Mac sitting at the table and he was so relieved he thought maybe he would be able to sleep tonight. Mac stood up and stumbled just a bit.
"Hey, are you alright?" Don asked.
"Just get me out of here," Mac said.
Don got Mac out to the car and headed for the hospital. Mac was relieved too and he thought he would fall asleep. "What happened, Mac?" Don asked.
"I don't know," Mac replied. "Julie took me out and dumped me. They probably thought I would be killed out there. Katherine was going to do something…I don't know. She killed Bryan, that security guard from my apartment building. I suppose you guys figured all that out."
"Yeah, but it didn't help us any. Do you have any idea where you were?"
Mac shook his head. "I was asleep part of the time that we were going out there and when she was bringing me out. I don't know."
Don could see Mac was tired. "Well, you can rest now." He did not want to tell Mac that Katherine got away with Sid's money.
Mac looked at Don. "They got away, didn't they?" he asked.
Don nodded. "Yeah. We have not been able to get any leads except there was an abandoned car outside the city and there were some fingerprints in it from Julie Lolar."
"Bryan Gorey didn't really want to be in that but he had already got in it and couldn't get out."
"It's over now until we can find them."
Don got Mac back over to Manhattan and to a hospital. He was slightly dehydrated and of course, he was hungry and the cut was slightly infected, but they would give him something for that. The cut was not deep enough to have cut any arteries, but it had been enough to bleed. "I tell you," Don said. "When you get out of here, I will take you and buy you anything you want to eat."
Mac felt so sleepy, he thought he just wanted to go home and get in his bed. "I don't know what I want," he said. "I think I still have to be careful."
It was not long until Christine came in. She hugged Mac. "Oh, I'm so glad you're alright," she said.
"I'm glad to see you," Mac said. "Don't kiss me. I've been sick."
Christine smiled. "What did the doctor say?"
"I'll be alright. I just had that stomach virus."
"Oh, you poor thing. I'll nurse you back to health."
Mac smiled. "That ought to cure me real fast."
"You rest now."
Mac nodded. He thought he could rest now. The doctor decided to keep him over night to watch that oozing cut across his mid-section which had to have stitches after it was cleaned, but he would most likely go home the next day.
"I'll stay with him," Christine said to Don. "You should go home and get some rest."
"I need it," Don replied. "I know you'll take care of him."
"I will."
Mac was soon in a room but Jo was there to see him. "Mac, I'm so glad to see you here," she said. "Well, not here, but…"
"I know what you mean," Mac said. He was glad he was in the hospital and would have someone to take care of him all night. He was just tired.
Jo hugged him. "I will get out of here and let you rest but I just had to see you," she said.
Mac nodded. "I'm glad to be here even if it is in the hospital."
"Good night."
Jo left and Christine sat down on the side of the bed. "You have great friends," she said. "They worked around the clock trying to find you."
"I knew they were," Mac said.
"Now, maybe we can start planning our wedding."
"Oh, when do you want it to be?"
"Soon. I don't want a long engagement." She looked at the ring on her finger that they had picked out together. "I want that other ring."
Mac smiled. "Is that all you want?" he asked.
Christine leaned over him. "Oh no. I want much more than that."
"Now don't start talking to me like that. I've been sick, you know."
Christine laughed. "You get some rest and we will talk about this tomorrow."
Mac thought about that. He did not think he wanted to have a long engagement either. He just wanted to get married and live happily ever after…