Chapter 37: I Told Ya

Despite weeks of surveillance, they were getting nowhere. The most you would tell was that the club was popular with the usual short-skirted, long haired, beautiful set that most clubs in the city with velvet ropes were. Most of the patrons looked like they could be call girls, but so did most girls out clubbing on any given night.

Gus felt she had lost most of the feeling in her hind-end and was quickly running out of things to talk about with Doyle that weren't more personal than either of them were willing to delve into. They were well aware their partnership was temporary and neither were looking for a new best friend.

It didn't help that her old team was riding high on the wave of having closed several potentially high profile cases. She culled most of this knowledge from brief phone calls, but was feeling very out of the loop with the old team.

Gus desperately craved a night off, but she wasn't sure that was going to happen anytime soon. She was pleasantly surprised to be sprung a couple of nights later, and was quickly debating the merits of bubble bath then ice cream or ice cream then bubble bath. Gus had been about to combine the two when her phone rang.

"Oh come on!" she cried, and then felt bad when she saw it was Reed. "Hey cuz", she replied, hoping nothing was wrong. Gus took in the wave of words Reed threw at her, which is what happened when you didn't talk to the boy in a few weeks, and realized he was asking her to some CD release party for one of his favorite bands.

"A club? Are you seriously asking me to go to a club on my night off?"

Reed hesitated, "Er, yeah, Gus, I just know you like them and stuff and I got on the guest list so..."

Gus laughed, "It's not you, it's just this case, I've been doing a lot of...oh never mind. If I can wear jean and chucks, I'm in."

"Cool, see you at nine then," Reed said, already tuned out.

Gus was pulling on her shoes, though she had decided on something other than tattered sneakers, when Reed knocked on her door. "It's open," she called, throwing things into a smaller purse.

"Don't you know this is the big city?" Reed said walking in and giving her a hug.

Gus rolled her eyes and hugged him back."I just buzzed you in, you dork, and besides, I could have shot you if you weren't you."

Why, why the hell would he take 42nd?" Gus hissed at Reed as the cabbie got caught in traffic.

"I thought you might want to see crazy party on billboard, every Friday night, miss," the heavily accented cab driver replied. Gus blushed, not realizing he had heard her.

Gus looked at Reed who shrugged, "I am shocked they are still doing it after the martini mix murder."

"The what?" Gus asked.

"Aren't you reading my blog?" Reed looked downtrodden.

"Er, when I have time," Gus replied sheepishly.

"It got a ton of hits", Reed sniffed, "and Stella cleared it, right around the time Mac solved that kidnapping case with the doctor's brother."

Gus stared at him blankly until Reed rolled his eyes in exasperation. "Jesus, I am out of it," she replied with a sigh, "but I really could care less, can we just get out of this mess, please?"

The cabbie nodded, wheeling it up 6th Ave, where the traffic was noticeably lighter. They arrived to the club shortly after, and Gus was happy that she had also worn some semblance of clothing, because so many of the girls stood shivering in the November night air.

"Hellooo, New York, in the North," Reed snipped beside her taking in the shivering women.

"I really do love you sometimes, Reed," she laughed, "so how is the City Desk going?"

Reed looked downtrodden, "Bo-ring, which is why I think I want to blow it off and go blog full-time."

"Do you plan on starving the rest of your life?" Gus teased.

Reed got an excited gleam in his eyes, "I just want to feel like I am actually doing something, not just bringing reporters coffee. Besides, blogging is the future, newspapers are practically dinosaurs. Plus, between you and Mac, I kind of have an in."

Gus narrowed her eyes, "an in? Have you talked to Mac about this, does he even know what you are doing?"

Before Reed could answer, a voice came from behind them. "Uh, Gus?"

Gus turned slowly, wondering who would be at some gritty little club in Hell's Kitchen that she would know, other than her cousin.

She smiled, realizing it wasn't such a shock that he was here. "Hey, Adam!" she greeted brightly, waving him over to join them in line. "You remember Reed, don't you?"

Adam reached out a hand to shake Reed's, "hey man, good to see you." Reed looked Adam up and down carefully before nodding back.

Gus furrowed her brow, wondering what that was all about. "So...are you here with anyone?" Gus asked at the same time Adam said, "I didn't know you liked them."

Reed made a face and turned his attention to his phone, where he was busy texting.

"Reed's friends with the drummer or something, and we hadn't hung out in a while," Gus explained.

Adam nodded, trying not to stare at the glimpse of flesh showing between her shirt and her jeans as she gestured. He looked around at the crowd behind them. "I hope I'm not going to get my ass kicked for cutting in line."

Gus laughed heartily."Adam, honey, you work for NYPD, I'm a cop, the only thing that will happen is they won't let us in fearing we are narcs." She slipped him a smile, "besides, I got your back."

Adam blushed slightly, before pulling out his buzzing phone.

Gus took in the cloud that passed over his eyes. "called in?" she inquired.

Adam shook his head, his curls bouncing slightly. "Nah, it's just-" he paused, unsure if he wanted to continue, "I was supposed to meet Kendall here, apparently she got a better offer." His jaw tightened beneath his beard.

Gus fought the urge to hug him, wondering why he wasted his time with such flighty women. "In that case, first drink is on me," Gus offered, sunnily.

"It's an open bar," Reed interjected, somewhat bemused, but also confused, he felt like he had a lot of catching up to do with his cousin.

"Reed, sugar, we need to hang out more often,"Gus observed as the doors to the club opened.

"I didn't think I was going to get to come tonight," Adam said taking a gulp of his drink, and wondering why it was so hot in the club.

"Lab backed up again?" Gus asked, sipping on her vodka cranberry. Adam studied her for a moment, slightly surprised. "What?" she asked self-consciously, touching her face.

Adam ran a hand through his hair, "just, you know, the puzzles, and Mac and Chicago."

Gus shook her head, her blond hair ripping around her. "I know Mac and Chicago, but what about puzzles?"

Just then the opening act stormed the stage, the club turning black and noise blocking out Adam's response. "What?" Gus called out.

Adam leaned in, yelling back, "just a lab rat, but putting together puzzles, like a six-year-old and he flies off to Chicago!"

Gus shook her head and looked around, spotting a staircase behind the bar. She grabbed at Adam's arm, dragging him upstairs before he could respond.

"I mean, okay, but I'm not really sure, and Flack and-" Adam stuttered as Gus pushed him down to a low slung sofa on the third floor of the club. The music drowned out to a low throb below.

"What?" Gus asked, towering over him, a hand on her hip.

"It's just, I mean, you are really, really pretty and all and smart and wicked cool, but Flack is like a big guy."

"Adam!" Gus trilled.

"Huh?"

"Shut up and tell me what is going on!"

Adam gaped at her for a moment before wrinkling his forehead, "I can't do both."

"Can't do what?" Gus patience was wearing thin and Mac was not answering his phone.

"Shut up and tell you what is going on, I mean I suppose I could write it down or something and that would keep me quiet."

Gus clenched her jaw. "Adam, I don't want to hit you, but I will." Adam swallowed noisily.

Gus took a deep breath and sat beside him, "I have no clue what you are talking about, so could you start from the beginning?"

Adam nodded before telling her about Stella and the puzzle left on her car, the missing puzzle pieces, the additional crime scenes, the second and third puzzles and Mac figuring out that someone was luring him to Chicago.

He ended with, "so I guess you aren't talking much to him anymore?"

Gus raised her eyebrows and snorted lightly. "Something like that. Actually, I haven't really talked to anyone on the team for more than two minutes in the last couple of weeks," she calculated in her mind, "maybe longer."

"You must really like it over there in Special Victims, huh?" Adam asked.

Gus paused before answering. "I don't know, I haven't really done much more than sit on my ass watching a stupid club. Intelligence collecting requires very little actual intelligence it seems."

She smiled wryly, "but I suppose I deserve being off in Siberia, I did kind of ask for it."

Adam looked at her with wide a serious eyes, "why did you, ask for it, I mean?"

"I needed a break, from the team, from homicide, from..." she trailed off.

"From Flack?" Adam ventured.

A sharp intake of breath stabbed at her lungs, Gus hated being so transparent, hating having got involved with her partner in the first place, hated being vulnerable and human.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you," Adam tried to back peddle, feeling suddenly trapped.

"No harm done", Gus said with a small smile, "so why don't you tell me what else has been going on with the team?"

"What makes you think anyone tells me anything?"

"Come off it, Adam, you are far more than the adorkable lab rat."

"Adorkable?" he teased, raising his eyebrows.

"Just spill," Gus growled.

Gus listened intently as Adam filled her in on the latest Danny and Lindsay drama, Stella's burgeoning relationship with Drew, Kendall's flighty nature, Sid's creepy adventures, Hawkes' cracking of the murdered groom in Central Park, and just about everything except the continued flirtations he had seen between Flack and Angell.

He felt the need to protect Gus from that knowledge, even though it was quickly becoming department gossip. Adam was sure Gus would get wind of it soon, if she hadn't already, but he just could not bring himself to say Flack's name again. He couldn't stand to see the light go out of her eyes like it had minutes before.

"See, I knew you would know all of what's been going on," Gus said, punching him lightly on the shoulder, "now how about we go catch the headliner before Reed thinks I am ditching him."

Chapter 38: Trouble

Gus was out for hated but needed morning jog when she spotted a familiar face walking out of 1 PP. Knowing there was nothing the commissioner would ever want with her, she started to jog past.

"Detective Broussard", his voice boomed by her.

"Sir," Gus said, stopping in her tracks, trying to not pant.

"I've received some very interesting early morning phone calls. I don't suppose you know anything about them do you?"

"About the prostitution club case, we have a briefing later today, but I'm just collecting intelligence, sir, I am sure Lieutenant Fields could fill you in better," Gus shifted her weight from foot to foot.

"About your uncle, flying to Chicago", the commissioner replied shortly.

"Did he charge it to the department?" Gus asked, not wanting to give anything away, especially when she knew so little in the first place. Though she had to admit that she was a bit miffed that Mac had been oh so concerned about her lately, but wasn't telling her a damn thing about what was going on in his life, when he was the one with the stalker.

The commissioner looked her up and down. "Not as far as I know."

"Well then, I assume it is personal business. I am sure Stella Bonasera can fill you in on anything relating to the crime lab. Now if you don't have anything else, I would like to finish my run." Gus didn't give him a chance to respond before bounding off Uptown.

Gus looked at her phone in disgust before heading into SVD's weekly briefing. It had gone to Mac's voice mail for what seemed like the hundredth time. An annoyance made worse by the fact that she knew Mac's phone was on, that he was just rejecting her calls.

"Sometimes I really hate you!" she snarled at it.

"Technology problems?" a bemused voice asked, coming out of the precinct.

"Something like that", Gus said with a smirk, taking in the tall figure and his overnight bag. "Going somewhere, Don?"

Flack shrugged, "heard the Windy City was nice this time of year."

"Yeah right," Gus cocked her head, "Commissioner?"

"Sinclair. You have any clue what is going on?"

Gus shrugged. Flack caught the look of concern and dread in her eyes. He stepped down a couple of steps so he wasn't towering over her any more than usual.

Flack fought the urge to reach out and touch her face. "Mac will be fine, he probably just has some loose ends up there or something."

Gus set her jaw, "Mac hasn't lived in Chicago for a very long time, you and I both know he has no loose ends up there. Besides Adam filled me in on the latest 333 stuff and the puzzles and what not."

"Adam Ross, Adam?" Flack wanted to reel the words back in as soon as they came out of his mouth given the flashing in Gus' eyes.

"I'm sorry, am I not allowed to talk to members of the team anymore? Y'all washed your hands of me since I have been working with SVD?" Gus felt anger flood through her faster than she could keep it in check.

"Whoa, calm down, Gus." Flack gripped her shoulders, she struggled for a moment before sighing heavily.

"I'm sorry, I'm just worried about Mac and..." she didn't finish her sentence, not wanting to pour everything filling her head and heart out on the steps in front of her work.

Flack hooked a finger under her chin, "I'll take care of Mac, you take care of yourself. And maybe don't take any subways today."

"Subways?" Gus asked, squirming out from his touch.

Flack grinned, his dimples flashing, "ask the team, Gus."

It would be a good while before she was able to get up to the lab to ask anyone anything. Lieutenant Fields had them compiling all the intelligence they had gathered at the club, the club owners' houses, and a few other sites around town. Things were coming together, and the case was heating up with the missing persons report filed on one of the co-eds who had stopped coming to class after attending a 'private party' at the club.

"White slavery?" Doyle asked, stretching in his chair.

Fields shook her head, "we don't know for sure, none of the regulars that have been questioned will admit to anything more than really liking the club. The owners get nothing but glowing reviews, and other than a clean IRS audit, we can't seem to pin anything on them."

"Well that is just frigging great, we have film on a popular Manhattan club showing nothing but pretty girls coming and going. We got jack shit after how many hours of sitting on our asses when we could have been solving how many cases?" Ramirez slammed his fist on the table hard enough to make it vibrate. Silence filled the room, they all knew he was right.

Fields drew a sharp breath, "Detective Ramirez makes a good point, he could have made it a little quieter though." They all shifted nervously. Fields cleared her throat, "his good point is why we need someone on the inside."

Gus felt her heart drop to her stomach when she realized everyone in the room was looking at her.

"What?" Gus snapped into her phone as she answered it without looking at the caller id.

She didn't really care who was calling her, she just knew that the call had come only three hours after she had shut her eyes after debriefing with Fields and breakfast with Doyle planning for the next club visit. Gus had thought she had a break from all the round the clock phone calls when she took a break from homicide.

"Gus?" Stella asked, her voice full of alarm.

"Stella, what's going on?" she said, shooting out of bed, terrified at the tone of Stella's voice. She quickly reached for clothes scattered around her room.

"Mac's been kidnapped."

Gus was dressed and in the lab in record time. She literally ran into Flack as he was charging up the hallway and stumbled.

"Gus", he said catching her before she could fall.

"What's going on? Where is Mac? How did this happen, Stella couldn't-", she wavered slightly, feeling dizzy.

"Take a breath", Flack ordered, not letting go of her shoulders.

Gus did, nodding. "Thanks", she said finally.

"No problem. We are still working out the detail, but we flew back from Chicago after Mac and Stella put together that the 333 guys was Drew Bedford. We staged a raid of his restaurant, somehow in the cellar, Drew got Mac and took off in an underground tunnel. Everyone is in A/V trying to go through whatever evidence Drew left behind. And I gotta go meet with Drew's brother who just touched down in New York." Flack took a long breath of his own.

"Drew's brother?" Gus felt dumbfounded.

"I'll explain later, just go find Stella," Flack turned to leave, and then turned back. "Sunshine?" Gus also turned around, her heart pounding. "Mac will be fine, I promise."

Gus nodded before heading to A/V.

"Mac's been kidnapped and y'all are listening to blues?" Gus yelped, bursting into the lab. Danny, Adam and Stella all turned to look at her.

"You know this?" Adam asked. Gus nodded, opening her mouth at the same time Danny spurt out, "Train to Nowhere, Savoy Brown."

"Last blues band in the UK", Gus replied looking from face to face, "but what does this have to do with Mac?"

"That," Stella said pointing at the track list Adam had brought up, "number 6."

"The 6 train?" Danny interjected. Stella nodded before taking off to the lab next door. Gus followed behind the trio, feeling lost and shaky and hating both.

Stella tapped her foot, impatiently waiting for the blueprints from MTA to load. Adam quickly tried to fill Gus in, while Danny went to grab Lindsay and Hawkes.

Gus tried to absorb everything going on around her, when Adam said, "we figure Drew wants one of us dead to make up for losing his brother. One of his family."

"Then why isn't he coming after me alone?" Gus choked out.

"Maybe Drew doesn't know you are related to Mac, you haven't been around as much," Lindsay said from behind them.

"He seems more knowledgeable than that," Hawkes countered.

Stella cut in, drawing their attention to the map of the 6th line, explaining how much further the track extended than what was used, including an abandoned stop.

"So Drew is keeping Mac there?" Lindsay inquired.

"Most likely," Stella answered.

Hawkes studied the plans for a long moment, committing them to memory, "he's methodical, but we might be able to have an advantage on him, if we know where he is but he doesn't know we know."

Gus also surveyed the blueprints, edging toward the door as she did.

Danny sighed, rubbing his neck. "Yeah, but he wants one of us dead no matter what, and I don't know anyone who is going to be able to talk sense into this guy."

Gus' means of escape were suddenly cut off by Flack and an unknown man filling the doorway. "He can," Flack replied to Danny. The man stepped into the room, introducing himself as Jimmy, Drew's brother.

Gus took the moment of confusion and introduction as a chance to slip out the door. She was about to sigh with relief as the elevator doors closed, when Flack's shoe stopped them from closing. He slipped into the car, letting the doors close behind him.

"Going somewhere, sunshine?" Flack asked, glowering at her. "

Fresh air," Gus replied, chewing on her lip.

"Not a lot of fresh air down at the old City Hall station," Flack countered.

A look of surprise crossed her face.

"I had a nice long chat with Jimmy, plus I heard what Stella was saying before we walked in. So what were you going to do, offer to trade places with Mac, figure Drew would take you in trade? Are you still trying to get yourself killed Gus?" Flack's voice rose as he spoke.

Gus involuntarily cowered in the corner. "I just thought maybe I could-", Gus started, pulling herself up to full height.

Flack put his hands on his hips, not even trying to conceal his anger. "Could what? Be a hero? Doesn't do you a damn bit of good if you are dead. Stop looking for trouble! You seen that headshrinker of yours lately, sunshine, because I think you could use a little bit of talking to."

Gus reared back, stabbing at Flack in the chest. "It is not crazy to want to save my uncle, Flack, and don't talk to me about being a hero, because you don't know how to be anything but! And what the hell do you care if I am around anymore anyways, seems like you have found a perfectly good replacement partner!"

Flack stumbled back, out of the elevator as the doors opened. Gus caught sight of the crowd staring open-mouthed at them, having just exited the other car.

Stella looked from Flack to Gus, waving the others off. "Flack, get your vest and come on. Gus get your ass back on the elevator and head back up to the lab or I will handcuff you to a desk."

Reluctantly, Gus stabbed the button to the 36th floor, knowing better than to mess with Stella in rampage mode.

It felt like an eternity to Gus before she received any word on Mac. Adam was pretty sure she had worn a hole in the floor of the hallway. Lindsay repeated a slew of soothing words, but Gus kept blowing her off.

A few members made their way over from Special Vics, marking the first time some of them had even been to the lab. Doyle brought her coffee and food, practically sitting on her in the break room until she ate it. Adam watched over the pair like a hawk.

Doyle smirked, "What's his deal?"

"Who?" Gus asked, drumming her fingers on the table top.

Doyle jerked his chin, "The spazzy one."

"Adam? I don't know, he's high strung a lot."

Doyle looked at her for a long beat. "Hmm. Well, do you want to push back the time line on the club?"

Gus shook her head vehemently, "No, no, I am sure things will be fine."

"Just say the word, and I'll handle Fields. Take care, Gus."

"Thanks, Jimmy", Gus said, waving him off.

When the dust had settled, and Mac had been cleared from his incident debriefing, he found Gus waiting in his office. Fire filled her eyes as she jumped up off his couch.

"What the hell, Mac!" Gus wasn't even sure where to begin.

"Sit down, calm down, and we'll talk", Mac demanded, heading behind his desk and sitting wearily down.

"I'm sorry, are you alright?" Gus asked, after collecting herself.

"Just the past catching up to me, I suppose. The past has a way of doing that, you know, Augusta." Mac gave her a long look.

"Please do not turn your kidnapping into a life lesson for me, Uncle Mac", Gus pleaded. She sat back and took in the twisted story from her uncle's youth.

"Drew is one sick puppy. Poor Stella, can't catch a break on men, can she?" Gus said wryly.

Mac gave her the smallest of grins, "It would appear that way."

Gus walked over and leaned to hug him as he sat in his desk chair. "I'm glad you're okay, Mac, and I'm sorry I didn't know about things sooner."

Mac patted her shoulder briefly. "There was nothing you could have done anyways. Now what about you, I hear you are in the middle of an interesting case."

"You have eyes and ears everywhere, don't you?"

"When it comes to you, Gussie, would you expect anything else?"