Title: Nothing's as it Seems… Chapter 6 - Heart of Darkness
"Thanks." Jade mumbled softly to the hotel physician. She didn't feel like going to the hospital since she was so tired and this was no big emergency.
"You really should report this attempted mugging to the police young lady. You got off quite lucky." Said the old man with a note of concern in his voice.
"Yeah I guess I should. But they got what they came for so I guess it was not that bad." She said jumping off his examining table and getting ready to leave.
"And what did they get?" He asked curiously.
"A royal ass kicking." She laughed and walked out the door, leaving him to shake his head and watch her go.
She slowly walked back to the elevators and up to her hotel room. It had been too long a day, and she was worn out. She reflected on finally being able to tell Steve the truth. It felt good to be able to finally open up and share her pain with someone special. She also remembered that for one short instance Carmen had her at her mercy. How could she have been so stupid? How could she have just rushed into the room without thinking or checking it first? I was worried about Steve she reasoned with herself. Yeah and that almost got us both killed. Yeah great! She reached her room and cautiously opened the door. Now she has me afraid to open my own hotel room door. "This has to end soon." She said aloud. She locked the door and leaned against it and sighed aloud. "I'll not live in fear of her. This will end very soon." She breathed as she closed the door and started to unwind. She shed her clothes and grabbed her pj's and headed for bed. She had forgotten about the picture of Steve by the dresser and drew a sharp breath when she saw it again. She quickly jumped out of bed and put the torturous picture in her bag. It was now evidence. In fact so was her hotel room. She closed her eyes and thought of Steve. A smiled slowly spread across her face and she was soon breathing heavily off in dreamland, trying to forget the day's almost tragic events.
********
"Are you sure it will work Carmen? Everything our group is planning is resting on this idea of yours." Said a male voice into the telephone receiver.
"Trust me Richard. Everything is working out perfectly. Have I ever failed you before?" She purred into the phone.
"No," he said after she hung up, "but there is a first time for everything." He sighed and lit his cigar.
********
"Morning son, how did you sleep?" Asked Mark walking into the living room and spying Steve on the couch.
"Better than I thought I would. Must have been those sweet dreams." He smiled lazily.
"Yeah I'll bet." Mark laughed as he walked into the kitchen. "So what is the plan for today?" He called.
"Well Jade is going to be bringing some files over to the hospital so that we, together with Shane can help them go over the information they have so far and see if we can't see something they're missing." Steve said folding up his bedding. "You know I was really worried that Carmen was going to kill her last night." Steve walking into the kitchen. He sat down on a stool and just stared out the window. "And the worst part is I was totally unable to help her. In fact I feel that I was somehow responsible for it in some way." He sighed and put his head down.
"Now son, you can't blame yourself. It was just bad timing." Mark started.
"Bad timing? It seems that's all I ever have lately is bad timing." Steve interrupted.
"Don't worry about it too much Steve, when the time is right you'll be there for Jade when she needs you the most. You'll see." Mark smiled warmly at his son. "Why not go have a shower and I'll start breakfast." He said patting Steve on the back. Mark just watched his son get up and head downstairs. He was worried about him, but he was even more worried about Carmen. What was she planning? Jade was right, now that she had a small taste of a seeming victory she wouldn't give up. But when she made her move would they be ready?
"Good idea." Steve said getting up and walked slowly downstairs. Jade has saved my life twice now, he thought. I need to show her that I can be there for her when she needs me. I need her to know that she can count on me no matter what. I have to justify the faith I hope she has in me. He sighed and turned on the hot water.
********
"What the hell happened to you?" Asked Shane in shock as Jade walked into his room carrying a box of files.
"Oh this? Cut myself shaving." She laughed sarcastically.
"Yeah, ha ha, very funny. Seriously what happened last night?" He said sitting up.
"You know for a second there my life almost ended in her hands." She sighed as she hung up her coat. "I again walked into a serious situation without even thinking, hence the bruise on my eye. I mean if Mark hadn't shown up I would be dead and so would Steve probably be, or worse." She paused, thinking of the alternative. She sat down on the chair beside Shane and looked at him, "I have to go back to New York." She said flatly.
"What? Why? Tell me what else happened. What happened to the rest of you?" He asked in a panic. Jade was losing her edge and he could tell. She would never up and leave in the middle of a case if she felt that she had failed at something.
"Oh this?" She said pointing to her lip, "just a friendly kiss is all." She grimaced.
"Yeah the kiss of death." Shane said dryly. "Tell me what is the problem. Why do you want to leave all of a sudden?" He asked seriously.
"Because I think I am not thinking clearly." She said. He stared at her and crossed his arms waiting for an explanation and she knew that he was waiting for a full synopsis of the past nights events. "Okay fine." She resigned, "Carmen had somehow snuck into Steve's room, after she lured Mark away I might add. She had him cuffed to the bed. She gagged him so he was unable to warn me that she was waiting behind the door. But he was shaking his head no. Warning me not to come in. And I ignored it. I was in such a hurry to free him that I didn't even stop to think that he might have been giving me a warning. He is a cop after all. He does know how to remain calm and think in panic situations. But I ignored it. And it nearly cost me two or maybe even three lives. I just can't live with that. Not any more. I need to leave. Can't you see that?" She said almost in tears.
"You run and she wins. Can't you see that? So okay you need to be a bit more careful, but don't give up now, not now, we're too close to the end. She'll slip up, she has to. And when she does our timing will be perfect." He said in a gentle voice to her. "Besides it seems to me that you like Steve. Do you really want to throw away your new beginning before it's even had a chance to really begin?" He reasoned. She hated when he was right. Which was quite often. "Just keep your wits about you a bit more."
"That's the problem Shane, I never had trouble keeping them before." She sighed.
"Actually, yes you did." He said smiling.
"What? No way! Not me, I have never lost my wits. Nice try." She said angrily.
"Oh really? What about that time you rushed into the burning building because you thought that Dean was in the small room in the back, but all the while I was telling you that he was already in the ambulance. If you had only checked then you wouldn't have ended up in the hospital for one week, due to smoke inhalation." He said triumphantly. "And what about the time you jumped out that two story building because you thought you saw Dean jump off the ledge, but upon further inspection you already had evidence that it was a holographic projection…"
"Okay already. Shesh!" She said hitting his arm.
"Jade, you like Steve. It's natural to be worried about him. It was the same way with Dean in the beginning. But after you got over the insecure fear stage, life was grand. Do you really want to end it with Steve before it can get to the grand stage?" He laughed.
"No I guess I don't." She sighed and leaned back in the chair.
"Good. Then just take it one day at a time and don't run. Besides you can't leave me here by myself." He smiled leaning back. "So what is the file box for? Plan on putting me in there?" He laughed.
"I just might if you keep up your sarcasm." She laughed. "Actually I brought it over so that when Steve and Mark come we can all look through the files and perhaps they can see something that we might have missed. Is that okay?"
"Fine by me. Amanda is bringing me breakfast this morning, so perhaps she can help also." He smiled.
"Amanda? Oh really?" Jade mocked.
"Yeah, what's wrong with that?" He asked in a hurt voice.
"Oh nothing." She laughed.
"Well I see someone is in good spirits today." Amanda said walking into the room. "What happened to you?" She asked in shock as she looked at Jade.
"Had a small run in with Ali last night." She laughed.
"Are you okay?"
"Yes I am fine thanks. And thanks for taking good care of Shane." Jade smiled warmly at Amanda.
"It was no trouble. I did bring him breakfast. I am sorry I would have brought more if I had known you were joining him." She said in a hurt tone as she set out his food.
"Oh please don't worry I ate before I came. So don't mind me. Besides after hurricane Shane here finishes there won't be enough left to feed a mouse." She laughed as she watched her partner dive into the food.
"Very funny." Shane said with a mouthful of food.
"Well I'll be back shortly. I have some things to finish up in the lab. See you soon." Amanda called as she headed for the door.
"Hurry back." Shane said cheerily. Amanda turned winked at him and smiled while Jade just rolled her eyes at her partner.
"Well I see I am the late one here." Steve said walking into the room saying hi to Amanda as they passed.
"Yes I beat you to it." Jade said as she stood up and walked over to him. He pulled her into his arms for a quick hug and then noticed the cuts on her face that were not there when she left him. "What happened?" He asked softly.
"Just a couple of guys in the wrong place at the wrong time. No big deal." She said looking up at him.
"Yeah glad your both okay." Shane said sheepishly. They ignored him. He sighed.
"Are you sure you're okay?" Steve asked as she pulled away. Shane just rolled his eyes.
"Trust me, it is no big deal. But thanks for your concern. It's nice to know you really care." She smiled warmly at him. She took his hand and led him to the empty chair beside hers. Every time he saw her, Jade took his breath away. She was an amazing woman. She wore a pair of Levi's, a white sweater and her hair was pulled back into a high ponytail which made her look like she was still in high school.
"Hey Shane, how are you feeling today?" Steve asked as he patted him on the shoulder.
"Just fine thanks. I'm really glad that you're both okay though." He said.
They sat for a bit in silence with Steve finally breaking it. "So did you bring the files?"
"Yes as a matter of fact I did." Jade said getting up and grabbing the file box. "And here it is." She laughed.
"Wow. All that on Carmen?" Steve asked as he helped her removed the files and oraganize them into piles on the table and the bed.
"Yup. And this is a small profile. You should see some of them." She sighed. "Well shall we get to it?" She asked.
Jade handed Steve a pile of older files, ones they had already milked to death and his job was to question everything that didn't belong.
"So this is the calling card huh?" Steve asked as he read the personal note that Carmen left at every site:
'if Revenge is a dish best served cold, then put on your Sunday finest and prepare to feast!'
"And you figured out it was her when she killed Dean, right?" Steve asked.
"Yes that is correct. We finally were able to match her handwriting." Shane answered.
"And what is the message supposed to mean?" Steve asked again.
"It means that she takes her murdering very seriously." Jade answered dryly.
"O-okay." Steve said slowly. He continued to ponder the message. There has to be a clue here, he told himself, but we are just not seeing it.
"Hey guys how's everyone this morning?" Asked Jesse as he walked into the room about an hour later.
"Just fine. How are you?" Asked Shane when no one answered.
"Good. Hey Steve, hey Jade." He put some files into Shane's bed tray and changed his fluid bag.
"Got any hidden BBQ with you buddy?" Asked Shane greedily.
"Nope, but I can bring some by later, that is if you live that long." He laughed and motioned to Jade who was making a mocking killing of him.
"Yeah tell me about it." Shane sighed and rolled his eyes.
"Well I have some rounds to finish up, but see you guys a bit later." He called as he left. Mark walked in. "Hey Mark."
"Hey Jesse." He said walking into the room. "Good morning Shane, how are you feeling today?"
"Good enough to leave." He said. Jade rolled her eyes. "Big surprise," she muttered under her breath.
"Well perhaps we can arrange that for tomorrow." Mark smiled. Shane threw his arms in the air and said, "YES!"
"Mark you're just playing into his hands." Jade laughed and turned to face him. He spied the fresh marks on her face and was suddenly very concerned, "what happened?" He asked as he bent to examine them.
"No big deal Mark, trust me I am okay." She smiled and patted his hand. "But thanks."
"So what are we doing here? Looks like a library exploded." He laughed.
"Going through the case history, pull up a chair and join us." Suggested Jade. Mark did. He loved this part of the case. The going over the old clues to find new ones. Steve shared the calling card clue with his dad and Mark also spent some time trying to guess at what it means.
They continued for several hours with short breaks for some rest and some lunch and Amanda dropped by every once and awhile to bring some food for Shane and deliver messages to Mark. There had been a big accident and she had some work to finish up with that.
"So no one ever figured out what '217' means?" Asked a weary Mark.
"At this point it's anyone guess," sighed Jade, "it could mean a number, a code, a combination to a lock or lock box or even how many victims there will be. We haven't come across anything significant with those numbers in them. And we have checked every office in New York to see if anyone has those numbers displayed in their office for any reason. Nothing." She said rubbing her eyes. She was tired of staring at files. She needed a break from the monotony of the day that was making her eyes almost cross from reading so much. And soon she got one.
"Well maybe it's…" was all that Mark got out when an officer came into the room.
"Agent Marshall?" He asked into the room, not sure who it was.
"Yes, I'm Agent Marshall. Is there a problem?" Jade asked getting up with three pairs of eyes watching intently.
"Actually yes, can I speak to you in private?" He asked rather nervously.
"This is my partner Agent Philips, Detective Sloan and Dr. Sloan so what you have to say to me you can say in front of them." She said flatly.
"Okay well I have a message from a Mr. White," he said reading the note, "and he said that only you were to answer the call." He said putting down the paper.
"Okay thanks." She said as she took the paper from the officer and he left. She exchanged worried looks with Shane. "Be right back." She sighed.
"What is that all about? Who is Mr. White?" Asked Steve and Mark almost together.
"Mr. White is the code name for our one and only trusted informant so far at FBI headquarters in Washington. We cannot use his real name in public. But when he calls, it is usually bad news," Shane sighed looking out the window, "very bad news." He added softly. They waited in silence until she returned. "I'll fill you both in about him later."
Jade walked back into the room and the look on her face had confirmed Shane's words, it was bad news.
"What is it?" Shane asked softly.
"Another body." She sighed as she grabbed her jacket. "I have to go."
"Not by yourself." Steve said getting up. "I'm backing you up on this one."
"You don't have to do that you know. The crime scenes are usually pretty gruesome. Are you sure you don't want to spare yourself?" She asked softly.
"Nope I want to come." He said putting on his coat over his grey sweater.
"Okay then." She resigned. There was no point in arguing.
"Yeah I'm coming too." Shane said trying to get up.
"Uh nice try young man." Said Mark stopping him. "You need at least one more day to rest."
Shane sighed and slumped back, this was a fight he wouldn't win and he knew it.
"I'll call you as soon as I get there." She promised. He sighed knowing she'd probably forget as usual. With that Jade and Steve rushed out of the room, into the elevators and down to his car.
"In fact I'm going to talk to Jesse and see if we can't work on getting you out of here tomorrow." Said Mark as he got up to leave. Amanda walked back into the room. "See you soon Amanda." Mark called.
"Bye Mark." She answered. She walked up to Shane's bed and sat down in the chair beside him. He was beaming. "So how are you feeling today? I haven't had much time to just sit and talk to you yet today." She said.
"Actually pretty okay. Still waiting on that home cooked meal though. And tomorrow I might even be able to make a house call." He said in mock seriousness. "That is," he paused and placed his hand on hers, "if you can suggest one that has better company than the food." He smiled.
"I think that can be arranged." She smiled back. They sat in silence for a bit longer just happy to be in the same room together. "So what are all the files for?" She asked breaking the silence.
"Let me show you." He said grabbing some.
********
"I'll drive." Steve said opening the doors. She didn't argue. She gave him the address, he turned on the lights and they sped away into the heart of LA.
"Are you sure this is the place?" Steve asked hesitatingly as the pulled into an old abandoned construction site. Some parts had been gutted with fire. There were blackened boards and pipes laying about and hanging from the exposed rafters. The roof had rotted through in most places and there were several dead trees with new grass growing around them scattered throughout the site.
"This is the address, or at least was." She paused looking around from her window. "But my contact is never wrong," she said getting out of the car, "at least not yet." She said seriously. She pulled her gun and started to walk very cautiously towards one entrance to the ruined building. Steve also drew his gun and followed her.
"Careful." She said quietly as she gestured that he goes in through the other entrance.
Jade carefully picked her way through the messed up tangle of boards and pipes along with garbage of all sorts. The entrance was light but it darkened towards the back of the building. But no body, she thought. Probably towards the back.
"Anything?" She called to Steve.
"Nope. Nothing that resembles a body anyways." He sighed.
Jade was about to turn and tell Steve something when out of the corner of her eye she caught movement. "Up there." She called as she turned and ran towards the destroyed staircase that led to what was left of a small overhang.
"I see it, wait, Jade." Called Steve as he carefully ran after her. She ignored him and kept going. She was trained for this.
"Hold it right there." Jade shouted as she crouched near the bottom of the stairs with her gun in the air. The assailant didn't listen but instead fired off a shot that struck the earth next to her left foot. "Take cover Steve." She called. Jade didn't have time to wait for Steve to catch up and wasn't listening to his protests for her not climb the stairs. This was the kind of situation she was trained for; this was her turf now and adrenaline was the only thing feeding her brain. She carefully made her way up to the top. The assailant had just finished pouring some gas on some old tarps when she reached him, which she was unaware of. She thought he was about to start pouring the gas.
"I said hold it right there!" She commanded. The assailant turned to face her with a match in one hand a can of gas in the other. "Drop those."
"Are you sure you want me to drop them right here?" He laughed. He stood about her height, was Asian and had a scar on his left cheek that reached his eye, which when he smiled made him even more sinister looking.
"Put them down slowly and walk towards me." She said angrily.
"Always a pleasure." He laughed. With that he quickly lit the match, dropped it and the can of gas and jumped off the old wooden platform. Jade watched in slow motion as the match met the gas and a large explosion ignited the dark warehouse. The blast threw her back a bit and she rolled down several stairs. But she was up and quickly on her feet towards the perpetrator. The assailant was slow to get up from his jump and Jade was soon able to catch up to him. Steve who had been just behind Jade when the blast hit them was slow to get up and join her. When he did she was engaged in a battle of two master martial artists. He could only watch with an impressed look and cover her with his gun.
"You're under arrest!" She yelled as she tackled him. He laughed and countered with a chop to her arm that sent her gun flying. Jade was soon back up with a swing kick to his stomach that sent him back a bit. He smiled again.
"Okay black belt Barbie, let's see what you really have." He mocked as he assumed the typical kung-fu stance.
"You're gonna pay for that remark." She countered with the same stance.
Steve just watched as they countered each others move back and forth, neither giving in and neither giving up. It was a battle to see who was the best. For only the winner would survive this one.
The assailant sent a kick that took out Jade's legs from under her. She countered with a swing of her legs and he was soon on the ground beside her. She added a leg to his stomach and he buckled under the meeting. He grabbed her leg and swung her through to the other side of him. She landed with a thud on her back, ignoring the pain from a piece of glass that embedded itself into her top left shoulder. She grabbed his arms and flung him up into the air and rolled out of the way as he came crashing back down. He landed on his stomach, but was soon up with a swift push of his arms. He landed a fist to her chin and she countered with a chop to his neck. Her cut lip opened with the fresh hit and soon blood was trickling down her mouth and chin. She swung her right elbow and caught him in the mouth and he cried out in pain as his lip cut and blood filled his mouth. She spied her gun and dove for it. He was on top of her with lightening speed. They rolled around in the dirt for a bit and Jade cried out in pain as she felt the piece of glass cut deeper into the top of her left shoulder. The assailant just laughed. Steve tried to aim his gun at the assailant but because they were too fast he couldn't shoot as he might end up hitting Jade. But he did have her covered. The assailant would not win this round.
She kicked back and he staggered a bit. She grabbed her gun and used the butt end to hit him in the left temple. He grabbed his head in pain and half fell back. He grabbed a gun from his boot and lifted it into the air aiming for her head, only to be met in the face with Jade's gun. Jade swung her gun into the air to catch the assailant in the face when he came back to face her, but instead found herself eye to eye with his gun. Time seemed to stand still as they stood locked in each other's stare, guns poised for the kill of the other. They slowly circled each other, neither speaking, neither blinking, neither caring of the fire burning behind them. For one small mistake would mean the their life.
"You are surrounded. Drop your weapon." Jade finally said as she saw Steve coming up behind the assailant. "You cannot win."
"It is you who will not win Agent Marshall." He laughed. And before Jade or Steve could react he pulled his gun back and shot himself in the head. His body slumped to the ground, as the shot seemed to echo for eternity in the abandoned warehouse.
"NO!" Jade screamed as she watched him die. The lead and the evidence just died with him. Steve rushed to her side. Both seemed to forget the fire burning in the back of the warehouse.
"Jade!" Steve said as he rushed to her. "Are you okay?" He asked in a pained voice as he looked at her injured state.
"Yes. But our lead just died." She moaned. She turned to head to the back of the warehouse, where the fire was starting to grow. She was so caught up in the moment that she also forgot about the piece of glass wedged into her shoulder. Adrenaline made her forget the pain.
"Wait." Steve called as he caught up to her.
"Steve, we still have to check the back of the building. There might be something there we can still use from all of this. Please don't try to stop me." She warned.
"Actually hold still for a second. I'm going to take this piece of glass out." He said turning her around to pull out the small piece of glass in her shoulder. "Brace, yourself, this will hurt." She did as he pulled out the glass.
"OW!" She said out loud angrily. "Thanks." She then said softly as she held his bloody hand for a brief moment.
"Okay let's go." He said. Jade just stared at him and then followed. Yup Steve never ceased to amaze her.
"The only thing up there were tarps and gas, which is pretty much destroyed. You check that corner and I'll check over here, quickly." She suggested as they walked past the now wrecked staircase and into the back of the building parallel to the fire.
He complied. He started to walk to the section of the warehouse where there was no fire yet. "Hey Jade, what do you think…what the hell?" was all he managed before he stopped short and caught his breath.
"Steve? What's the matter?" Called Jade in a panic as she ran to catch up to him. She stopped where he was and followed his gaze upwards. There hanging from the rafters was the body of a man hanging from his neck. He was obviously dead and from the looks of him had taken quite a bad beating before his death.
"Oh man." Was all she managed softly. "Can we get him down?" She asked him as they walked closer.
"Not sure. How good a shot are you?" He motioned for her to shoot the rope.
"Well lets just see shall we." She said as she raised her gun and fired off a shot. It hit the rope and frayed the outside edge. Another shot would bring it down. And that proved to be the case. The rope broke with the second shot and the body slammed into the ground below, at their feet.
"Do you recognize who it is?" Steve asked as they rolled him over face up.
"Hmm sort of, but his face is pretty beaten up. So it will be up to Amanda run a full check on him and then we'll know for sure." She said putting her gun back into her arm holster. Neither checked the body very carefully.
"Come on we have to get this body out of here before it burns along with everything else." She said as Steve bent to
pick it up and carry it out. Shane is going to be pretty ticked off that I didn't call him, she sighed as they headed out of the burning building.
Once outside she leaned against the car as Steve dropped the body on the ground beside the car. He walked over to her and leaned beside her. The sky had turned grey and was threatening to rain, which in this case would be a welcomed blessing.
"You know you fight pretty good." He smiled. "For a girl." He teased.
"Ha Ha, very funny. Our assailant was pretty good. Must have been a company hire, although I have never seen him before." She said.
"Company hire? As in the FBI hired a hit man to kill this guy and burn the building? Why do you think that?" He questioned in astonishment.
"Because he was a trained fighter, trained in the same fighting techniques as I am. And unless he was trained in a Shaolin Temple in China, then he is a company man. They are the only ones who can afford training like ours." She stopped and looked at him, "and he knew my name." She said as she opened the car door sat down and made the phone to call it in.
"He what?" Asked Steve in disbelief as he opened the door and got in the car beside her. He waited for her to make the call and they decided to stay and wait with the body. They couldn't move it anymore and they couldn't just leave it out in the open by itself. They had to wait.
They both sat in the car in silence each lost in the remark she just made. If the assailant did know who she was this was a whole new playing field. But the question that still needed to be answered is, who is calling the shots and why?
"Are you okay? You took some pretty bad hits back there." Steve said softly looking at her breaking the silence.
"Yes, I am fine." She replied not looking at him but lost in thought.
"Why do you do this all the time Jade?" He questioned her.
"Do what?" She responded in harsh.
"Pretend that you are some type of superwoman who takes a lickin' and keeps on tickin'. Someone who is afraid to show pain or emotion. You're not a robot; you don't have superhuman powers and your not invulnerable to pain. So why do you put on such a brave face when I can tell that you are hurting right now? Are you afraid that I won't think you're as tough as you claim? That I won't believe that you're the best at what you do? Hell I have seen that already, more than once. I don't need further proof. I won't think less of you if you show pain, in fact I'd feel better." He said calming down.
"Feel better if I show pain? What kind of twisted thinking is that?" She half yelled. But before Steve could answer Jade jumped out of the car and walked to the front of it. Steve got out of his seat and followed her.
"Twisted? What does that mean? Do you not want me to show any kind of compassion or concern towards you?" He said grabbing her arm and stopping her from pacing.
"No of course not, but you don't understand, the minute I show any weakness she wins." She yelled jerking her arm free. "And if she wins more people die. I can't afford to do that. I can't afford to let her win."
"And if you continue to shut me out, she has already won." He said softly. She turned back to him. "What are you really afraid of?" He asked.
"That she will win. That she'll somehow take you from me. Take everything from me." Jade said fighting back tears. "For the first time in my life I finally feel like I truly belong. Even back home, I never felt the belonging that I feel here. And I am terrified that she'll somehow make me slip up and take you from me permanently. I just couldn't live with myself if I let that happen." She paused between silent sobs. "My whole life has been dictated by sense and reason. Not feeling or emotion. Then I meet you and all of a sudden all my life long ideals fade."
"Then just let them fade. Don't rely so much on sense and reason." Steve said.
"I have no choice." She replied.
"Then I think you are being tricked by sense and reason." Steve countered.
"I am beaten down by them." She said harshly turning back to him. "And that is the problem. I can't see the way past them." She said stopping a few feet from him.
"Then let me show you how to see past them. Let me be your guide." He said taking her in his arms and holding her gently. She looked up as a few stray tears were brushed away with his hand. They stood locked in each other's arms for what seemed like eternity. Then a few drops started to hit them. Jade looked up to see rain starting to fall. She smiled. To an onlooker it was a strange site. A somewhat battered couple standing in the rain, looking lovingly at each other, a dead body beside them, a burning building in the background, and the sound of sirens in the distance. But to Steve and Jade it was almost natural.
"Why do you continue to put up with me?" She softly laughed.
"Because I care about you. And nothing is going to change that now." He said softly into her ear.
"I have to go back to New York Steve." Jade said after a few minutes of silence.
"What? Why?" He asked almost in a panic.
"I don't have a contact here that I can trust, and I need to try to piece this together from the inside. I have to end it as soon as I can." She said softly as she rested her head on his chest. "Or there really will be no hope for us."
"Is there no one out here you can work with? Can't your inside contact recommend someone here you can trust?" He eagerly suggested.
"I'll see." She said. "But now…" was all she got out as she pulled his head down for a quick kiss. He grabbed her close and she felt a surge of pain at his touch on her injured shoulder. She cried out in pain.
"Oh god, Jade. I am so stupid." He said in a panic as she pulled back. "Come on let's wait in the car." He said as he guided her to her side of the car.
"Thanks." She said softly as she got in. She rested her head against the cold window and contemplated the tough situation she was now facing. Should she go back to New York, or listen to Steve's suggestion and work with a contact here in LA? She would discuss it with Shane when she got back to the hospital.
"I'll talk to them." Steve said as the local police and ambulance approached, followed by the fire trucks. Jade just watched him make all the arrangements to get the body transferred to community general. I can't lose him, she told herself. Not now; not ever.
********
"Why is it every time you leave here you manage to injure yourself in new and wonderful ways?" Shane asked half laughing as Jade walked into his room with her cuts tended to and a fresh bandage on her left shoulder. Her face had most of the smudge marks removed but she smelt of smoke and was covered with dirt. Steve however didn't look too worse for wear.
"Because this way you'll have something more to say 'I told you so' about." She laughed as she slowly walked up to his bed and sat down.
"I'm going to make sure Amanda does the work on the body we just brought in. See you back here in awhile." Said Steve as he walked back out of the room and towards the path lab. "Uh Jade, do you want to have dinner with me tonight? I will do the cooking, that was the deal remember." He stopped at the door to ask her.
"That sounds wonderful. Come back and get me when you're done." She smiled at him.
"See you soon." He said almost too eagerly, which earned him a chuckle from Shane. Steve smiled happily to himself as he walked down the hall to see Amanda. I'll check in on dad also, he told himself.
"So what happened this time?" Asked Shane putting down his files. "No body?" He half laughed. She managed a small smile.
"Actually there were two." She said causing him to arch a brow. "Two?" He asked.
"Yes one already dead, and one who killed himself in front of us after he personally mocked me." She sighed.
"Personally? As in he knew you by name?" Shane asked in shock. Jade nodded yes. "How is that possible?"
"I don't know, but I think we need to start looking at this from the inside out. Do we have a contact here we can trust?" She asked him.
"Here as in LA?" He asked.
"Yes." She answered.
"Not that I know of, but why don't we call Mr. White and see if he can point us in the direction of one that is friendly, if you know what I mean." Shane suggested.
"What? You're not going to ask me why I want a name here? You're not going to suggest that I go back home and work from there? You're not going to argue with me like you normally do in a situation like this?" She asked as Shane laughed. "Okay who are you and what have you done with my partner?" She said sarcastically.
"First of all. It's the drugs, they are working just fine." He Laughed. Then in a serious tone he continued, "I don't have to ask your reasons for wanting a name here. Carmen is here. She can't leave LA, so that means she must have someone here who is friendly, helping her. So there is no point in going home right now, when the leads are right under our noses, we just need to find them. Plus if you really wanted to go home you wouldn't have broached that subject in the first place. Besides you want to stay here, it's obvious. And I'm sure Steve wants you to stay also." He paused.
"Actually it was his idea." She interjected. He smiled.
"And I don't always argue with you in these situations, because you haven't been in this kind of situation for some time now." He said.
"What? We have been chasing Carmen for nearly three years, how can you say this situation is rare?" She questioned somewhat angrily.
"Well how many Steve Sloan's have you let into your life in the past few years?" He laughed.
"Oh that way." She said softly looking past him out the window. "Is it that obvious?" She asked softly.
"If it wasn't then you'd really have something to be worried about." He smiled at her.
"So…" he started.
"So…" she started.
"So why not call Mr. White and see if we can't get a name of someone here." He suggested.
"Good idea." She said grabbing the phone.
"FBI Washington how can I help you?" Came a male voice on the other end of the phone. Jade put it on speaker and closed the door to Shane's room.
"Hey Mr. White it is Jade calling."
"Jade?" He asked somewhat surprised. "Did you get there in time?" He asked quickly.
"No. I was too late, but there was a hitman already there when we arrived. He knew me by name." She said softly.
"What? My informant assured me our timing would be good. Are you okay?" Came his surprised voice again.
"Who is the dead guy Mr. White?" She asked quickly ignoring his question for her concern.
"Judge Derek Moore." He said softly.
"What?" Jade practically screamed into the phone. "I thought he looked somewhat familiar. But I thought he was vacationing in the Dominican." She said in a panic.
"Yeah our Intel told us that as well. However, my trusted informant, told me otherwise. Seems it was a ruse so he could visit a mistress there in LA, well just outside to be exact. So much for military intelligence." He said sarcastically. "Anyways my informant told me of a meeting between the Judge and someone he didn't get the name of. I guess it was a bad meeting. My informant didn't know any other details. But I'm working on find them out right now." He paused. "Are you okay?" Mr. White asked again
"Yes thanks, just a few scrapes and bruises." She paused. "Mr. White are you yet in a position to revel your source to us? We need someone in the field we can trust. We are running out of options here." She said desperately.
"Jade when the time is right all will be revealed to you, I give you my word on that. For now we just have to content with the leads he does provide us. If he is this close to Carmen we have to give him the chance to bring her out into the open. Once that happens it's game over." He explained.
Jade slumped back in her chair in disappointment. She really wanted the name of his informant. They needed all the help they could get.
"There is one more thing that I would ask of you, however." She started.
"And what is that?" He asked as if he almost knew what she was going to ask, and smiled to himself when she did.
"We need the name of a trusted Agent here in LA. If Carmen is here right now, we need someone on the inside here we can trust and turn to. Do you have any names for us?" She asked looking at Shane. He just nodded in agreement.
"Hold on a minute." They heard him flipping through pages of what Jade guessed was his contact list. "Okay here is one that I use from time to time. He is a low profile Agent, but has not failed me when I needed him the most. His name is Arthur Block. He should be able to point you in the right direction. Give you the help you need. Got that?" He paused waiting for her to answer.
"Yes. I'll go and see him tomorrow. Thanks for your help again. We'll be in touch I'm sure."
"Take care of yourself Agent Marshall." He said and hung up the phone.
Both her and Shane sat in silence for a while.
Then Jade broke the silence, "I can't believe Judge Moore is dead. Now we need to find another friendly judge to issue all the last minute warrants we need. Well I'll check with Amanda later and see if it is indeed Carmen's handiwork. See if she left us the usual love notes. So What do you think of the contact Mr. White gave us?" She asked him.
"I guess we'll find out tomorrow, when we go visit him." He answered.
"Actually I'm going by myself tomorrow. No you and no Steve tagging along. I don't want to show all my cards just yet." She explained to his cross face.
"Jade, you can't just throw me away on this case like this you know. We are still partners. Remember?" He asked angrily.
"I'm not forgetting that. However, I don't want anyone in the Bureau to know that you are mobile just yet. It could work to our advantage. Is that okay?" She asked him smiling.
"Yeah I guess so. And what if this guy turns out to be a dead end? What if he won't help us?" He pondered out loud.
"Then God help us, for no one else here will be able to." She sighed.
"Well then I suggest you get some rest for your journey tomorrow." He said seriously.
"Journey? Where exactly do you think I am going?" She asked in an amused tone.
"Why straight into 'the lions den' my dear." He said in an un-amused tone. She just stared at him and a worried look began to cross her face.
********
"FBI Washington how can I help you?" Came an all too familiar voice.
"She seemed to escape our attempts once again!" Came the angry voice of the man who dialled the number.
"Don't worry after tomorrow, Agent Jade Marshall will no longer be a threat to us." Said the voice dialled in Washington.
"And why is that? How can you be so sure, has she just decided to drop the case?" Asked the anxious caller.
"Well not yet, but I'm sure you can persuade her to do so." Said the Washington Agent.
"And why is that?"
"Because she is coming to see you."
"Well this is good news. Thank you Mr. White. Always a pleasure." Said the voice and hung up.
Mr. White smiled a wicked smile and stared out his window in the cold Washington night. "The pleasure," he paused, "is all mine."
ß let me know how the story is going so far, shall I continue?à
