Bracken guarded the laptop with his life all the way to his car. Of course, it was Senate issued and property of the U.S. government but he thought of it as his own. He clutched the laptop case as if his life depended on it. As he sat inside his large Cadillac SUV he thought he noticed something unusual. He was just about to start his SUV inside the garage when he thought he saw a shadow move by the garage window to his right. He concentrates on the window and for the next minute sees nothing. Thinking it was just his imagination he starts the car and pushes the remote button to raise the door to leave.

"Delta to 2-2 this is Bravo 1 do you copy?"

"Affirm Bravo 1."

"Get into position. The target is on the move."

"Roger." The sniper responds and starts to look through his scope.

The takedown team from the FBI's New York field office has been sitting here just East of Bracken's Scarsdale home for the last 8 hours waiting for this moment. They have been extremely careful as to not be seen by anyone and it seems like their hard work has paid off.

"Alpha 7-7 target is moving down the driveway. Get ready to intercept one mile away from the house at the designated takedown point."

"Alpha 7-7 copies. In position now will advise when takedown is complete and the target is secured."

The Alpha 7-7 team leader sits in a new black Chevy Suburban and inches out the nose of the SUV out to get a good look at the roadway. He waits for about ten seconds and once he sees the target vehicle, he backs the SUV back behind the trees so he is not seen. Once the SUV is back in position and behind the trees, six heavily armed agents with automatic weapons and full body armor get out of the SUV and step onto the running boards three on each side of the vehicle ready to jump into action. They are all set to move when the last agent grabs onto the grab handle bolted to the roof and at that second the takedown is in full swing.

Bracken checked to make sure that his briefcase with the laptop in it was still on the passenger seat next to him. He never sees the black Suburban to his left that's just hanging out behind tall Arbor Vitae trees. The second he passes the FBI's SUV it pulls in at a safe distance behind him waiting for their time to strike.

Bracken is so oblivious to his surroundings that he never looks into the rearview mirror to see the SUV carrying six men behind him. His priority is getting to his meeting point with his hired assassin. He has plans that will take care of the writer and he needs to put his plan in motion before it's too late.

"Bravo 1 commencing takedown now."

"Affirmative Alpha 7-7. Keep me updated."

The FBI's SUV has no issue moving faster down the road to come up quickly behind the target's vehicle within seconds. The agents on the outside of the SUV are making final checks of their weapons and gear to ensure that nothing goes wrong.

Just by chance Bracken looks into the rearview mirror and sees the SUV barreling down behind him. His first glance is to the laptop sitting next to him to make sure it's still there and then his mind concentrates on the road in front of him. Fight or flight has taken over and he opts for flight. He mashes the gas pedal to the floor and the Cadillac Escalade immediately responds. Within seconds he's hitting speeds of over 100 miles an hour.

The FBI's team leader had expected Bracken to run. He had done extensive research into the man and knew this was going to be his reaction when they pulled up behind them. But what Bracken didn't realize was that the FBI had a little surprise in store for him. The team leader lowered the driver's side window, stuck his hand out, and tapped the agent closest to him. Knowing that this was a possibility the agent pulls out an air rifle. He steadies his aim and the rifle which is loaded not with ordnance but with a small round electrical disc fires at Bracken's Cadillac. The result is instant. The black disc searches out its target and it attaches itself to the rear tailgate of the Cadillac. Once secured the agent pushes a button and activates the disc. The second the disc is activated it is shorting out the entire electrical system of Bracken's SUV and comes to a complete and safe stop. The agents hop off the side of their SUV and surround the Cadillac with weapons raised.

He never noticed the very large black SUV pull in behind him, but once he finally saw it, he knew that it was only a matter of time before he was stopped. He had quickly decided to see if there was an alternate route out of this mess but before he could even think about doing that the Cadillac stopped running and he had no power under his foot any longer. The first and only time he looks into his rearview mirror he sees one of the agents lowering what looks to be like a very small rifle. Knowing that the end is near he pulls out his cell phone and makes one short brief text. He hits send and the deed is done. While he was going to meet with his assassin to finalize the last of the contracts for taking out the writer and the 12th's captain, and that bitch cop Beckett he just eliminated the threat by placing one simple text. Once the text was acknowledged then the transfer between accounts would be done automatically and the assassin would be well on his way. Now all he had to do was sit back and deny everything.

Hunt had been tapped into the frequency that the NY field office was using over his computer. He had heard everything from the time Bracken left his house until the takedown was complete. But there was something very wrong about the way Bracken simply raised his hands and was placed under arrest. It was too simple from his point of view. It was like he knew he was going to be caught. Of course, like any criminal being arrested and read his rights he instantly denied any wrongdoing. And used his pull as United States Senator to act appalled at what was happening to him. Jackson knew that something was wrong. Just didn't know what it was yet.

Even though she went to bed at 1:20 in the morning, sleep never came to her. She could only think about her mistake by asking him to leave her place under the guise that she needed space. She realizes that she was wrong earlier and now looking at the clock it is 4:15 am and realizes that she can't get to sleep because she can't stop thinking about him. Knowing that he is still asleep at the loft she squashes the urge to pick up her phone and call him.

She wants to apologize to him but she doesn't want to come off as being needy. She is a strong independent woman and she is sure that once they get together they can sit down and talk out all their problems. But then the guilt sets in and she realizes that if she doesn't call him he might get the wrong idea. So with her mind made up she will be calling him once he's had his first cup of coffee. In the meantime, it is close to five am so she puts on a pair of Nike Dri-FIT camo leggings, her favorite pair of running shoes, a tee shirt and a tank top, and her arm holder for her iPhone so she can listen to her playlist as she runs. By the time she gets back two hours later, she has run twice what she usually runs during her normal routine. She's exhausted but she's rejuvenated at the same time. She is back in her apartment peeling off her yoga pants, t-shirt, tank top, sneakers, and socks and throws them into the hamper. She walks into her bathroom, sets the temperature of the water to almost scalding, pulls out a new bra and pair of panties, and places them on the countertop across from the shower.

After she gets out of the shower she moisturizes her skin with shea butter and Eucalyptus lotion. The aroma the lotion has is something that she loves. But as she finishes applying the lotion her mind goes back to how thoughtless she was towards Rick. And now she has to have the conversation that she needs to have with him. She takes her time getting dressed in very casual clothes because she has the day off. She checks her watch and sees that it's close to 8:30. She knows that if she is up then he certainly is too. She pulls out her cell phone, brings up his contact information and hits send.

Rick had one of the worst nights imaginable. He knew that she was mad at him but he hoped she would at least let him explain why he did what he did. All he needs is that phone call from her and then they can work on their partnership. He tried to sleep but ended up staying up working on his latest wee hours of the morning we're very productive for him because he finished the second Nikki Heat book. Now all he has to do is edit it and send it to Gina. By the time he actually made it to bed, it was close to 4:30 in the morning. He thought that a quick power nap rather than sleeping the morning away would be a better plan. He wonders how we could be such a fool and think that she wouldn't be upset by what he had told her. He has the compassion of a rock sometimes. He throws the comforter off his boxer clad body and gets out of bed. Coffee is what he needs right now so he throws on his robe and heads to the kitchen to start a pot brewing.

Just as he's about to take the milk from the fridge for his coffee the phone rings.

"Hello?"

Rick is met with a dead line. Nobody is talking on the other end and he takes a phone away from his ear to make sure the call that was coming in is connected. Once he confirms that it was he puts the cell phone back up to his ear and repeats what he just said.

"Hello? Is anyone there?"

Just by hearing his voice, she knew that he was still half asleep, so she decided to wait without saying anything. But after the silence goes on too long and he asks if she's there again so she speaks up.

"Rick it's Kate. Listen I know that I acted a bit prematurely but your news was a heavy blow to me. I screwed up. I should have never kicked you out of my apartment and instead, we should have talked things over. So I was wondering if I could come over to the loft around lunchtime? If you want I'll bring Burgers from Remy's."

Rick wonders if this is some sort of joke. He never expected her to call so soon let alone the next day. For the first time in his life, he's at a loss for words. But he needs to say something before she hangs up.

"Remy's would be fine. I'll see you here around noon?"

"Noon it is. I'll see you later." She replies.

He's left holding a dead cell phone because she hung up. This put a totally different spin on the way his day was going to go now. He needed to get ready for their lunch meeting and maybe they might be able to work through this.

Bracken sits alone in a room with only one entry door. There's no table, only one chair, and he can see a drain in the middle of the room. He was expecting three chairs, a table, cameras, overhead lights, a two-way mirror, and other assorted items that are associated with a police interrogation room. But what he finds is nothing he expected.

The floor has recently been painted and he can see specks of blood around the drain. He has his hands still handcuffed and in front of him. Now he feels a little uneasy about why and where he is. But he is a U.S. Senator and he knows that he can't be interrogated without a lawyer present. So now he sits and waits for someone to tell him what's going on.

Jackson watched Bracken on the video screen in front of him. He was able to Get to New York in record time thanks to the agency's Learjet. But now he stands there watching Bracken acting all cocky thinking he knows no one can touch him without an attorney present. In this instance he is ignorant. It's like he can read the man's mind because, in this reality, Jackson can be judge, jury, and executioner all rolled into one with the stroke of a pen. But he'll play his little game, and see where it leads to.

Promptly at noon, there is a knock on his door. He was on pins and needles the entire time since her call ended hours ago. He moves to answer the door and before he can fully open it Kate is rushing in and smothering in a full body hug. He sees the Remy's bag hit the floor and can do nothing but return her gesture.

TBC