Hunting Grounds

Chapter 27

"This case gets weirder and weirder. Now we're in an abandoned tenement building going to a room that actually has electricity." Rick was absolutely sure that being a SEAL was easier.

"Yeah, the electric company said this room was the only one with power. Someone wired it up illegally and that they got lucky and saw it." Kate took out her weapon because if their killer was in this room, then she wanted a gun versus his sword.

"Rick." Kate saw a line in the wall and pushed. A part of the wall spun, revealing a lot of swords.

Rick pulled out his weapon. "This is definitely the right place."

"Beckett, we got a guy on the fire escape heading your way," Espo warned her over the radio she was carrying.

"NYPD! Don't move!" Kate shouted after he entered. "I wouldn't do that. There are officers downstairs, and you can't outrun a bullet." He gave single nod and stopped. "Now, very carefully take off the mask." Kate watched him do it. Only… "Officer Hastings!" Kate didn't see that coming. She liked Hastings. Ann had a real future in the NYPD. What the fuck did she think she was doing?

[_] /\ [_]

"Ann didn't kill him," Kate told Rick as they both headed for the murder board.

"How do you know? She's perfect for it," Rick insisted.

"Because… I just know, alright?" God, Ann reminded her of herself so damn much. Ann with her dead father and Kate with her own dead mother.

"Say I believe you. That means we have another Lone Vengeance that dresses in the very same costume, and you can't buy those things in a store," Rick reminded her. "So, what are we missing?"

Kate had a new theory to work with. "Someone who pointed us in the direction in the first place. Go back to the first guy. The one who started us down this path to get us off his."

[_] /\ [_]

"Thanks, Detective Beckett." Ann signed for her personal effects.

"Ann, you're a good cop. Don't be so driven by the past that you throw away your future," Kate urged her.

"Are you living by those words, Detective?" Anne countered.

[_] /\ [_]

"Did Gates just grow a heart?" Rick asked Kate after what Gates had just said.

"Nope. She's afraid of what the press would do if they found out that there was a Lone Vengeance who was one of our own. She's just saving her own ass. We can still hate her."

"Thank God!" Rick glanced heavenward and didn't see Kate smile at him.

"I really don't want to do this but… Can we go see Rosie now? I want those bugs gone so I can make love to you and know someone isn't listening, recording, or playing it over and over again. That's just sick."

"Lanie isn't going to kill you. She's your best friend. She just wants to protect you, Kate," Rick said gently.

"And delve deep into my personal life, but you're right. I'll keep Lanie busy while you talk to Rosie. But we need to stop and get a lot of wine first. I'm going to need it." Kate needed something to kill the pain that was coming her way.

[_] /\ [_]

Lanie answered her door. "Kate! And…guest?" She had actually brought him with her! Lanie was suddenly looking forward to this visit.

"We come bearing gifts." Kate held up her two bottles of wine, and Rick held up his two bottles.

"Four? This promises to be good. Please, come in. I'll get the corkscrew while you get the glasses." Lanie retreated to the kitchen with Kate while Rick followed them and set his two bottles beside the other two.

"Hey, Lanie. I need the laptop I left you," Rick told her.

"Over there," Lanie pointed to a small dining table, and then poured three glasses of wine. She went over to the sofa while Kate took a bottle over to Rick who was sitting far enough away that neither of them would know what he was doing. Kate left him with a full glass, kissed his head, and joined Lanie.

"So tell me, how is it with Mister Hunk over there?" Lanie wasn't blind. Rick was handsome, in incredible shape, and Kate obviously cared about him.

"Pretty good." Kate sighed since she knew she had to give Lanie something. "Richard Alexander Rodgers. Born in New York City. His mother still lives here and no, my dad hasn't met him yet. He's a US Navy SEAL."

"Really?" Lanie looked over at Rick; he was busy with the laptop. "Then I've been looking at all the wrong places." She had never considered an active military man, not till now.

"Rick told me once that women who could cope with their boyfriends or husbands being deployed for up to 6 months were hard to find. That dealing with the almost overwhelming worry that their men might not come back was difficult and he said those women were few and far between." Kate looked at him. She knew she was one of those women. Oh, she wouldn't like it, but she would wait, faithfully.

"And are you one of these women?" Lanie questioned her.

"Yes, I am." Kate finished her glass and reached for the bottle; she emptied it. Good thing its replacement was right there along with the corkscrew.

Kate confided in her. "I love him, Lanie, I really do. I've never felt like this about anyone before. Not even Will."

"Well, that's a start. Have you told him that yet?" Lanie knew her. Kate didn't expose herself to anyone, sometimes not even her.

"Not exactly. I've told him that I'm falling in love with him, but not that I was actually in love with him." Kate looked at him as he typed. She really needed to tell him that. She needed to just jump in with both feet and risk it.

"So what's holding you back?" Lanie asked her since she was ready for Kate to just get up, walk over there, and tell him right here and now.

"Me mostly. So much has happened in such a short time and I can't seem to get the words to come out," Kate admitted. "And we have a problem. Our apartment is bugged." Kate might need her help with that one day soon.

Lanie heard the word OUR loud and clear. "Does this have anything to do with Montgomery going missing?" She was an ME and not really connected to the NYPD.

"A lot, actually." Kate lowered her voice. "The FBI has Roy and his family. He knows someone. He knows who killed my mom."

Lanie's eyes opened wide. "NO! Roy? But he's… I mean, you looked up to him. He's why you made it to detective." Lanie knew her story. If it wasn't for Roy she might not even be in the NYPD anymore.

"I know, and he's been lying to me this whole time. Now I may never know, especially if the FBI can't get him. Did you know Roy warned us that this man had the power to have Rick's orders changed? Orders signed by the Secretary of Defense?"

"Doesn't he mostly only answer to the President?" Lanie watched as Kate nodded. As far as Kate understood it, that was the truth. She didn't know much about the military, but it made sense to her, and Rick hadn't corrected her.

"Then who bugged your place? Him? Whoever he is." Lanie drained her glass and opened the next bottle.

"We don't know. It could be anyone, but he's at the top of the list. It could be the FBI or the Navy since they don't understand how Rick got from where he was to the-middle-of-nowhere Maine. Hell, even we don't know how we got there." That was mostly the truth. Who did it to them was known, exactly how they did it wasn't.

"Let alone how I went from being surrounded by SWAT and ended up in the middle of nowhere. We've got trouble, Lanie," Kate disclosed.

"How can I help?" Lanie asked, and she immediately saw the look on her face. "I am helping, so forget it. I'm betting even Kevin and Javi would help if you let them. You have friends, Kate. This is what friends do if you'll let them." Lanie knew Kate was a do-it-all-alone type of person. But it sounded like she was in over her head.

"There's one additional complication." Kate drained her glass and refilled it. "Our new captain hates me, hates Rick, pretty much hates all cops. We're all dirty until we prove that we're not. Rick thinks Gates might be a willing or maybe unknown patsy for this person." Kate was probably telling her too much, but she needed to understand what she was volunteering for and getting herself into.

"That's not good. Bugs and a spy while you work. You really think she is?" Lanie didn't see what she could do about that, but she did know a few people.

"She degrades and insults me almost constantly, and she literally tried to get Rick thrown out. She even went so far as to call in a favor, but that didn't work out for her." Kate shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe not directly involved but willing to do a favor for whoever this person might be is possible." Kate drained her glass and between the two of them, emptied bottle number two. So bottle number three got opened.

"You need a refill, babe?" Kate called out to Rick.

Rick raised his still half-full glass. "I'm good."

"Babe?" Lanie heard that word loud and clear.

"What?" Kate didn't understand what Lanie was talking about.

"You just called him babe, Kate," Lanie informed her.

"No, I didn't. Did I?" If she had, she hadn't noticed and watched Lanie nod her head.

"You better tell him. You brought him over to me, called him babe, it's OUR apartment. Better tell him, Kate. We're going to need the fourth bottle soon." Lanie got up, went into her kitchen to get it, and took her time doing it.

Kate got up and went over to Rick. "Anything?" He had been talking to Rosie all this time.

"Yeah, she has a few ideas," Rick told her. "I'm making a list of the parts we'll need. I hope I'm good with a soldering gun. This is going to be homemade."

Kate leaned down and kissed his cheek. "Tell Rosie I said hi. And Rick," Kate waited till he turned his head to look at her, "I love you. I truly love you. And we need to talk before we get home tonight." She had something to tell him.

"Good, I love you, too." Rick gave her a quick kiss and went back to writing down parts that Rosie was sending to him.

Kate went over to sit with Lanie again and that fourth bottle was soon open.

"What can I do to help?" Lanie asked her.

"I don't know yet. Rick wants to be proactive with all of this. I'm thinking it's his SEAL training that's saying that. So far, we're just reacting to what's happening, and admittedly neither of us like it."

"So, tell me, is he good?" Lanie was ready to ask just how big he was if Kate clammed up on her again.

Kate smiled and even began to blush. "He's better than good. I don't know why he's still single. Those women are missing out, but that's great for me."

"Good, that's all I wanted to hear. Just don't do something stupid, Kate. Don't let your stubborn streak or your mother's case get in the way," Lanie urged her. "He sounds like a keeper."

"I plan to stop somewhere on the way home and talk to him about that. That won't be easy for me, but I'll try and come clean with him. I want to keep him, Lanie, I do," Kate confessed. It was maybe more than she had planned to tell her.

"Good, and if you need to use my bedroom some night, I can up and disappear. So you can get away from the bugs. They're actually in your bedroom?" Lanie watched her nod. "That is just some sort of sick. Damn perverts!"

[_] /\ [_]

"Rick, it's been a privilege. Kate, remember what I told you. Any time, any place, any where," Lanie told both of them.

"Thanks, Lanie." Kate hugged her, and they finally left her apartment.

"What did she mean?" Rick asked as they walked out of the building.

Kate was willing to tell him part of what Lanie said. "She offered to let us use her bedroom and make herself scarce."

"Did she now? If this thing doesn't work, I might have you take her up on that offer. I'm addicted to you, so shoot me."

Kate giggled and got up on tiptoe to kiss him quickly. "I do love you." She found it was easier to tell him again after telling him the first time. "Is this thing going to work?" Yes, it came from Rosie but would it?

"Rosie says we'll know if I can get it working correctly."

"On the way home, we need to find a decent bar that's loud. I have something I want to talk to you about." Kate had reached a conclusion and thought she was ready to bare her soul to him.

"Alright." Rick didn't get it, but okay.

[_] /\ [_]

"Beer, Rick, or we're both going to have a hangover in the morning," Kate warned him and was planning to have only one herself.

"What are we talking about?" They had their beers, so they shouldn't get interrupted, and it was a little loud. If anyone wanted to hear them, they were going to have to try very hard.

"Me," Kate told him. "Just listen and try not to interrupt." She took a deep breath in an attempt to calm herself. "First, I love you. I really love you. I know I probably took too long to tell you. I've always had problems with relationships. I just couldn't open up.

"Another thing I wanted to tell you is that I think I am that kind of girl. I won't like it when you up and leave because you've been deployed, but I can do it. I'll miss you terribly, but I can manage.

"Are...are you crying?" Kate thought sure she saw tears.

"I told you once that women like that are few and far between. I know of a couple that thought they could do it, but ultimately they couldn't. I like my job. I like working for my country. I don't plan to die for my country. It's just a risk I live with." Rick brushed away his tears with his hand.

"I know Dad's worried that I'll get killed doing my job, but I like to think that I'm being careful. If he can risk losing me, I can risk losing you." Kate reached across to take his hand into hers.

"One more thing, and this has been the hardest of all." Kate needed to find her strength for this. "Ann Hastings said something during interrogation. She lost her dad and became Lone Vengeance, but she just didn't kill anyone doing it. I lost my mom and became a cop because of it.

"If Roy's right, this man is so powerful that I can't reach him. I need to let go. This isn't going to be easy for me, but I want to focus on us. I love you, and I want to learn all I can about you. I want to try and open up so you can learn all you can about me. I promise to try if you will." Kate squeezed his hand with hers. "Are those more tears?" She was learning something already.

"You really are extraordinary, Kate. I thought I saw that when we first met during that very first dog attack. Ask me anything you like. Maybe a lot more dates? Plan a vacation together?" Rick squeezed her hand this time.

"I would like that very much." Kate laced her fingers with his. "So, will Rosie's device actually work?" She was done baring her soul to him for now.

"She says it will. I just have to not screw up the construction. I have a list of parts and where to find them. That and we can't lose power."

"What does it do?" She was curious. This thing had to work so she could make love to him again. If they couldn't do that, she was going to lose her mind.

"Ever heard of white noise? That's all they'll hear. However, this thing is audio only. If they switch to video cameras, all bets are off again."

"How long is that going to take you?" Kate asked and watched him shrug a shoulder.

"Days, a week or more, two weeks maybe." Rick didn't know. He had never done anything like this before. But he knew enough to at least try.

"Oh, God!" Kate let her forehead hit the table top. She was thinking two weeks with no sex. She was going to die. Kate sat back up. "I'm warning you now, we will be using Lanie's bed if it takes you more than a couple of days."

Rick chuckled. "I'll do my best, I promise. Tomorrow, I'm finally going to the 54th. I've been putting it off, but I really need to do it. I don't need the Navy changing their minds about me being here, or I'll be assigned to a team and end up deployed a lot sooner than either of us want."

"That's okay, I know you'll come home to me. I just wish I could go with you. Anything to get away from Gates," Kate sighed and sank into her bench seat.

"Then put in for a transfer. Do you need to be at the 12th?"

"With Roy gone, I suppose it's possible. It's just Kevin and Javi are there. And if I move, I may move out of Lanie's area and could end up with a different ME. She can be a challenge sometimes, but she's also my best friend." Kate wasn't ready to think about that yet.

"Just a thought. Ready to go home?"

"Go home to the bugs where I have to be careful what I say about anything. Can I say no?" Kate joked with him. Still, she got up; she was ready to go home. "Maybe we can turn the movie up good and loud and get the neighbors to call the police." Kate started laughing. There wasn't anything else to do about the situation they were both in.