"Captain Benson…" the sound of her name floats her into consciousness softly, the pain at the back of her skull kicking in belatedly. She winces as she struggles to open her eyes.
"Olivia…" her name sing-songing in a voice she's sure she knows. She frowns, finally manages to open her eyes enough to find Richard Wheatley sitting next to her.
"There she is." Wheatley sounds entirely too happy. She tries to sit up, the room swaying nauseatingly around her before she sinks back again.
"Take it easy now. You've had a little bit of a rough go." He tells her with a mock gentleness. She's dimly aware that her hands are tied to the bed with leather cuffs, laying next to her hips. She's half upright, leaning against something soft and as she finally manages to open her eyes she realizes it's a bed, pillows propping her up. Wheatley perches at the edge of the mattress, inches from where her left hand lays. He's done up in his usual impeccable suit, one leg crossed over the other. He rests an elbow over his crossed legs, his chin propped against the fist. He practically batting his lashes at her, a sickeningly sweet smile on his lips.
"I'm glad you've finally rejoined us. Really I did ask them to be gentle, but you know how some of these mercenaries are." He tsks quietly.
Her circumstances are finally settling on top of her and she feels sick, her empty stomach protesting queasily.
"Ok, ok." Wheatley placates as he notices. "I won't be touching you. Certainly won't do anything as perverse to you as what you've already experienced."
She manages to clamp down on the nausea, unwilling to give him a reaction to the taunt he's dangling in front of her and turns a glare on him instead.
"No, nothing as terrible as that. I just thought stirring some memories up may be helpful for what comes later." He gets up smoothly from the bed, idly checking his watch. "Mmmm I figure we have a few hours, just us." He winks. "Before loverboy makes his way here, that is."
Olivia squints at him, and he laughs. "Really, Olivia? Are we going to play this stupid little game?" She glares at him, silently.
"Ughhhhhhh…..Fine, fine. Have it your way." He flails like a little boy, mid-tantrum. "We have a few hours before Detective Stabler arrives." He whines.
Olivia gives a harsh sort of laugh, breaking her silence. "You think Elliot's coming here? He's not stupid, Wheatley."
"Ohhhhh Detective Stabler is a fine officer, sharp in the line of duty, blah blah blah. But when it comes to you? Oh he's stupid. What smart man would leave you?" His voice lowers appreciatively.
Olivia ignores the comment, "Why don't you do yourself a favor, and just let me go. You don't want to be holding an NYPD captain."
Wheatley scoffs, unconcerned with the threat, moving on to more important things. "Of course, he wasn't the first to leave you and he certainly wasn't the last. What do you think it is Olivia? I'm sure you're worried you're unlovable, but I don't think that's it. My money is on you're too good, too much for them to handle." He pauses and considers, "Or maybe you've been holding onto an unrequited love? The one who got away?"
Olivia leans her head back, closes her eyes in response.
"Ok, you're right. I'm getting ahead of myself, playing the game out of order. Let's see...let's see." He paces in front of the bed, fingers tapping against his chin.
"Maybe I should give you the parameters first. Obviously you know that this is about Detective Stabler and all the trouble he's been giving me. I thought taking care of his wife would solve it." Olivia looks at him stonily and Wheatley shrugs. "The problem, it turns out, is that I didn't know about you." He pauses, the challenge on his face and Olivia just waits him out. He huffs, a noise of frustration, clearly eager to get a rise out of her. Wheatley waves his hand, "We'll get back to that later. But I suppose it's only fair to let you know that my interests in you are all about Detective Stabler. So no need to worry about your child, or his innumerable ones. They're all perfectly safe."
He pauses again and turns to face her. "I tell you this, Liv, because I hope that it will make you more...cooperative. You see, neither of you are getting out of here alive. But I promise I will make things quick and painless for you, physically that is and I won't harm a hair on your adorable little boy's head." Wheatley crosses an x over his heart with a finger, pouts. "Unless you give me a reason to."
He waits, expecting her to say anything and sighs with forced patience while she remains silent. "Have it your way. But eventually you'll be talking." Wheatley shakes a scolding finger at her and walks out.
"The call came from a burner," Ayanna sounds frustrated as she says this to Elliot, stabbing the end call button on her phone.
Elliot presses his hand against his eyes and tries to stay calm. "So it wasn't a witness who made the call."
Ayanna shakes her head. "Wheatley's trying to bait you."
"Except he has her." Elliot grits out.
"Hey, you don't know that." Ayanna attempts a reassuring tone.
"We both know it!" His voice is a little too loud and he has to force it back down to a normal volume. "Her nanny hasn't heard from her. She left her meeting with the ADA an hour ago and her phone has dropped it's signal." With every word Elliot's voice grows dangerously angrier.
Ayanna sighs, knowing his concern is well placed. "Ok, fine. But she can handle herself-"
"She shouldn't have to!" Heads turn in his direction but Elliot doesn't care about the officers checking the suspicious tire tracks outside the ADA's office, or the ADA himself as he talks quietly with Fin.
He turns and paces away anyways, Ayanna following him. "I put her in this position." He says quietly, regretfully, as he turns back to face her. His eyes are red and Ayanna nods sympathetically.
"We will find her." And Elliot knows he can trust his partner, knows all the people who will not rest until Liv is back safe. But he also knows that when Wheatley eventually calls on him, he'll risk everything, no matter how dangerous.
He doesn't have to wait long. The message appears on his phone two hours later. Two torturous hours of chasing four false leads, Elliot hearing Wheatley's mocking laugh ringing in his ears the entire fucking time.
30 minutes. Ashburg & Daughters Cold Storage, Hunt's Point. Think about bringing back up and she's dead.
He knows he's walking into a trap, but he doesn't care. He manages to slip away and Wheatley's waiting with four gun-wielding men who seem happy to knock him around a few times before they tie his hands and drop a hood over his head.
He's only half-conscious from the beating, but it doesn't seem to take long before they've reached their destination and they're dragging him from the van and his feet are struggling to keep pace with their movement.
Then he's being pushed into a chair, his arms and legs secured to it before the hood is whipped off.
Elliot squints against the light in the room and when his eyes adjust he's looking at Wheatley holding the hood in his hand and grinning at him smugly. He notices the same four men from the pickup, scattered around the room, guns at the ready. Wheatley moves away and Elliot sees her then, her eyes taking in the bruises and blood. He stops himself from saying her name, stops himself from allowing Wheatley the satisfaction. But the man knows Elliot too well, it seems, because he sits down on the bed where Liv lays and looks at her looking at Elliot.
"Stay away from her," Elliot growls on instinct, the vein in his jaw popping from the tension.
"Awwww," Richard coos, his eyes drifting across Olivia. "So sweet. There he is, all tied up, gun to his head and he's worried about you." He skims a finger along her cheekbone and though Olivia barely flinches, Elliot struggles so hard the chair scrapes against the floor.
Richard doesn't flick his eyes over, just smirks at Olivia, a grating, 'told you so' smile.
He clears his throat and stands, adjusting his suit jacket in the movement. "Relax before you hurt yourself, Detective Stabler." He sighs dramatically. "After all, it's more fun if I hurt you."
Elliot wants to ignore this pathetic display, but Wheatley isn't having it.
"The Captain and I have been getting to know each other while we've been waiting for you. Far more personal than the research I belatedly did on her." Wheatley informs him. Elliot's gaze drags away from Olivia's wide eyes to where Wheatley paces. "I really should have done that sooner. She's truly quite remarkable. Really. I mean I can see how you couldn't help falling in love with her. How many others has she had that effect on?" Wheatley seems to be in conversation with himself, not quite speaking to Elliot, though the words are quite clearly meant to rile him. He grits his teeth against his rage.
"Oh," Wheatley snaps his fingers, swiveling back to Olivia. "This was one of those things for us to discuss." He looks at Olivia, who looks back at him with a tried patience. "I mean, I assume you always knew. It seems like it was obvious enough to most people. Gone ten years and even then half the NYPD knows this piece of gossip." He looks over at Elliot, smirks at the red creeping up his neck, the glare the detective has fixed on him. "How did I phrase it the other day, Elliot?" He waits a beat, then rolls his eyes at the silence. "Hmmm," Wheatley furrows his brow, closing his eyes momentarily before they snap open, "Yes! The one true love of his life. That's you, you know."
Olivia looks unimpressed and Wheatley nods sagely, "Yes, I always figured you would know. Maybe we should talk about something you don't know?" He crosses back to the bed, enjoying the peripheral view of Stabler squirming in his chair as he sits once more next to Olivia. "You know who I told about you being Stabler's true love? My ex-wife." Richard nods to himself, picks an imaginary thread from his suit. "See she fell for your dear ex-partner - as one does after they kill the detective's wife - and was on a successful path to seducing him before he found out the dirty truth." His voice drops into a slimy snarl.
He looks at Olivia expectantly and finally she takes a breath, "This is a lot of drama, Richard. Too much build up for no payoff."
"Mmm." Richard sighs, but seems to lack any real disappointment. "Is that what you two discussed at dinner the other night? Is that what you were fighting about?"
Olivia tilts her head, annoyed. "You sure you weren't fighting about anything else? I mean, God, the man leaves after thirteen years of partnership without so much as a goodbye, let alone an explanation? I'm sure he fed you some line. Something like he couldn't walk away if he saw you. Weak." Richard glances over at Elliot, whose jaw is clenching rhythmically.
His eyes drift back to Olivia's, "Of course, the letter helped, I suppose." He reaches into his suit jacket and pulls out a worn envelope. "I had no idea this existed until we picked up the Captain this evening." He turns towards Elliot, "Found it in her jacket pocket. Sweet isn't it? The way she's carrying it around with her?"
Elliot frowns hard at the invasion while Wheatley beams with pride.
"Now, I've already taken some time with it. But what do you say, shall we crack it open? Have a group read?"