Chapter 9



Danny looked up when the door opened. "What is it, Nick?" He asked in a defeated voice.

"I'm going to find your son."

Danny just nodded his head, more as an acknowledgment of hearing him then as a sign that he believed him. "That's what Jack said."

"Danny, I'm not telling you this as a fellow agent." Danny's head came up at these words. "But as your friend. Sara's gonna help, but she can't get away from work yet. I will find him though."

"Thanks, Nick."

"How's she taking it?"

Danny looked down at his wife, who was sleeping in his arms. He shook his head. "Not good. She literally cried herself to sleep."

"I'll find him," Nick repeated as he walked to the door. Walking out of the hospital, he took out his cellphone and dialed a number. "Hey, Sam, did you find that address? Thanks. I'll call you if I find anything. Yeah, he's with his wife. Neither of them seem at their best. I can't believe he'd do this. Don't worry, we'll get him before it's too late."

He hung up the phone and climbed into his car. Pulling out of the parking lot, he headed for Speranza Drive.

*******

Renee looked up when Gabriel walked into the house. "What happened?" She asked.

"Enrique was taken from the hospital. Right from under their noses."

"Oh no." Renee couldn't say anymore. She remembered what it was like to have a son taken. "I should go see Caitlyn."

Gabriel stopped her. "Danny's with her. And she was sleeping when I left. He said Nick's out looking for him. I hope he finds him."

"He will Gabe. This man won't get away with what he did."

"I hope you're right, Renee. For their sake."

"I always am."

"Just keep convincing yourself of that."

She smiled at him and stood up from the couch. He wrapped his arms around her as her body started to tremble. "They will find him, Renee. They will."

She looked up at him with tears gathering in her eyes. "I just don't want Caitlyn going through what I did when Aidan-"

"When I what, Mommy?"

She silently cursed herself before turning around. They had never told their son what had happened when he was only a few months old. He stood in the kitchen doorway looking at them. "Come sit on the couch. I'll tell you." She slowly explained everything to him, answering all of his questions along the way. Well, almost everything. She left out the details of her almost attempted suicide. A six-year-old doesn't need to hear his mother almost shot herself.

"And Uncle Ian saved me?" He asked when she had finished.

"Yes, him and Sara."

"Did he kill anybody?"

"Yes, the man who took you."

"Cool!"

"Renee, I think he got your twisted interest in violence."

She turned her head and stared at him, her mouth hanging open. She couldn't decide whether to yell at him or laugh. Instead of doing either, she stood up and walked over to him. "That's not the only thing I have an interest in," she said in almost a purr.

Gabriel grinned at her, his arms snaking around her to pull her against him. They both burst out laughing when Aidan cried, "Ewwwwwww," and scampered out of the room.

"I don't think we have to worry about him getting that interest for a couple more years," Gabriel said.

"I hope not."

He leaned in closer to her, his lips covering hers. They both jumped when the phone rang. With a disgusted sigh, he pulled away from her and went to answer it. "Hello?"

*******

Nick kicked the door open with his foot and stepped into the house, his gun drawn. It seemed quiet, but he walked further into the house to be sure. He stepped into the living room just as he heard a gun being cocked behind him. Turning, he leveled his gun and squeezed off a shot before completely sighting his target.

He felt the bullet slam into the meat of his shoulder and fell to the floor. Vince Craig stood above him, aiming his gun for a final shot. "Should've just stayed out of it."

"You should've left the Taylors alone." Nick felt a wave of pain as the shock of his injury wore off. "They're friends of mine."

Vince shrugged before moving his finger to the trigger. "Doesn't make any difference to me. Maybe now he'll finally lay off."

"Not likely," Nick said, raising his gun with his good arm.

His finger tightened on the trigger, and the two shots sounded as one.

Nick felt the bullet slam into the floor beside his head. Vince Craig just stared at him with a blank look for a moment then slumped to the floor. The bullet had entered under his chin and traveled a path of destruction through his brain. The agent struggled to his feet and searched the house for the baby. He found him upstairs, sleeping in the car seat. Unbuckling him, he carried him back downstairs.

Enrique woke when he felt himself being lifted out of the car seat. His lungs went to work again, but the older man spoke to him in a soothing voice, and he quieted. Nick took out his cellphone, wincing when the movement sent a stabbing pain through his arm. He laid Enrique on the floor and dialed Sara's number. "Sara, I found the boy."

"Is he all right?"

"Yeah. He's fine. Scared, I'm sure, but unharmed."

"What about the kidnapper?"

"He's dead. I-"

Nick never finished the sentence. The phone clattered to the floor as his knees folded, and he fell into blackness.

"Nick? Nick, what's going on? Nick? Nick, this isn't funny. Answer me already. Nick?"

"Pez, what's going on?" Danny asked, looking up at his partner when he heard the anxious tone to her voice.

"Something's happened to Nick. I have to find him."

"But the captain-"

"I don't give a damn what the captain says. My boyfriend could be dead. I'm not just gonna sit here and wait for a phone call."

She stood up and hurried out the door. She was outside before the captain stepped into their office. "Where'd detective Pezzeni go?"

"Her boyfriend's in trouble. She's afraid he's been hurt or killed. Captain, don't chew her out when she returns. Just a suggestion."

There was a distant look in his eyes, and he shook his head. "I understand. I won't." He shook his head. "Get back to work, Woo."

"Yes, sir."

*******

'Please, just show me where to find him,' Sara willed the Witchblade. "Damn it. I just found Nick. I can't lose him already."

She found herself turning her bike down a side street and stopping in front of a house. Looking down at the bracelet, she saw it was glowing and warming on her wrist. She stepped up onto the porch and called his name, "Nick? Are you here? Please answer me, Nick."

All she heard was the crying of a baby. She stepped into the house and saw a baby laying on the floor. Not far from him, a man lay on the floor, a puddle of blood spreading around him. "Nick!" She screamed, running to him.

He groaned in his unconscious state when she started to turn him over. "Thank God he's alive," she breathed before calling for an ambulance.

After they had driven him to the hospital, she picked up Enrique before calling Gabriel. Ten minutes later, Gabriel pulled up in front of the house. He took Enrique from him and placed him in the car seat in the back. "Guess it's a good thing we didn't get rid of this," he said as he straightened up from the door.

She smiled at him. "Yeah. I'll see you back at the hospital, Gabe."

He climbed into the front seat and pulled back onto the road, heading for the hospital.

*******

"Ms. Pezzeni," the doctor addressed Sara. "Your friend, Nick Calloway, should be fine. I dug the bullet out of his arm, but he lost quite a bit of blood before he got her. He should recover just fine still. I expect him to wake within the next couple of hours."

"Can I see him?"

"Sure."

She walked back to his room while Gabriel went to see Caitlyn and Danny. Caitlyn was leaning back against her husband and cradling their son in her arms. Danny glanced up at Gabriel when he stepped into the room. "Thank you so much, Gabe."

"For what?"

"Bringing our son back."

Gabriel shook his head. "I didn't do anything. I just drove him back to the hospital. Nick saved him."

"Well, I'll have to thank him too."

"Is he okay?" Gabriel asked, nodding at Enrique.

"Yeah. Doctor checked him out and said he hadn't been harmed. If that man had hurt my son,-"

"Danny, you don't have to worry about that anymore. He's dead."

"I know, Gabe." He wrapped his arms around his wife and son and kissed the top of Caitlyn's head. "I'm just glad to have my son back."

"And I need to get back to my family. I'll see the three of you later."

Gabriel pulled into his driveway a quarter of an hour later. He stepped out of the car but stopped when he saw a police cruiser parked on the side of the yard. "What the hell?" He asked into the air as he ran for the house.

*******

"I was so scared, Nick. You were talking to me then all I heard was silence. I thought you might be dead."

Nick squeezed Sara's hand. "You're not getting rid of me that easily."

She smiled down at him. "I don't want to be rid of you. I-"

"What is it, Sara?"

"You're the only one I've ever been with who's actually understood me. why I'm a cop. Why I won't leave that for anybody. But, I haven't been entirely truthful with you, and I don't think you'll understand it."

"Sara, you know you don't have to keep anything from me. I'm sure I'll understand." He pushed himself up to a sitting position. "Try me."

"But you won't believe me. I didn't even believe me at first."

"Sara, I have no reason not to believe anything you tell me. Now, what is it?"

She shook her head. "You'll think I'm crazy." She no longer thought this, but it didn't make it any easier to tell other people.

"Is this about your bracelet?"

Her eyes widened as she stared at him, and she unconsciously pulled her shirt sleeve over the bracelet. "How do you know about it?"

"I was visiting Gabe one day, and he was looking something up about it. I recognized it as the one you're always wearing, and I started asking him questions. He seemed hesitant at first to answer them, but he did. Don't worry, Sara, I don't think you're crazy. What about your partner, Danny? Does he know about it?"

She nodded her head. "He got rather curious after quite a few impaled criminals showed up in the morgue."

Nick laughed at this then smiled up at his girlfriend. "And does he think you're crazy?"

Sara shook her head. "He knows I am."

Nick laughed again then became serious. "Sara, you never have to worry about telling me anything. I will always believe you, I will always understand, although it may take me a while and some convincing sometimes. And I will never think you're crazy."

She stood up, and leaning over the bed, kissed him. "I'd better get back before the captain chews me out."

"What about the investigation? I know there'll have to be one."

"I probably won't be leading it. The captain'll say I'm too close. You being my boyfriend. Everything will work out though. You only shot him to save yourself. It was self-defense."

He nodded. "You'd better go. Don't want you to get into too much trouble because of me."

She grinned at him. "You're worth it."

When she returned to the precinct, the captain stopped her in the hallway. "How's your boyfriend doing, Pezzeni?"

"He'll be okay, sir. He took a bullet in the arm, but he's okay."

"So it's okay if I send two detectives over to get his statement?"

She shrugged. "I don't see why not. As long as the doctor lets them in to see him. And as long as they don't try to interrogate him. He didn't do anything wrong."

The captain nodded. "Didn't think you'd be with him if he had. Get back to work. You know you can't work this case. Too close."

"I know, sir."

He nodded at her and moved down the hallway. She continued on to her and Danny's office.

*******

Gabriel burst through the door and looked around for Renee. He saw her sitting on the couch. He started toward her before seeing who else was there. He approached the young girl he had first seen a few months earlier. "Your name's Amber, right?"

She nodded her head. A police officer stepped up to Gabriel. "Mr. Bowman, correct?"

"Yes."

"Can I have a few words with you outside?"

Gabriel studied the man's face for a moment then nodded his head. They stepped out on the porch, and the cop asked, "You are the man who stopped her father, Laurence Dennis?" The cop looked him over critically.

"Well, without a friend's help, he would have just beat me unconscious. But, yes, I stepped in to help."

The cop nodded. "Well, he got out of jail this morning."

Gabriel's face paled. "What? How?"

"His wife put up his bail."

Gabriel's eyes went to the door of the house. When he looked back at the officer, her asked, "What happened?"

"From what we can figure, when he got out, he went to somebody he knew would give him a gun without any questions. Then, he went to where the girl and her mother were staying. From what we could get from the girl,-"

"She has a name," Gabriel interrupted. "It's Amber."

The officer just looked at him for a moment then continued, "Like I was saying, she said her aunt told her to get out of the house and get to a neighbor's as soon as she saw him coming. The girl, Amber, I mean," he corrected himself seeing the look that came into Gabriel's eyes. "Said she hid behind a tree in the backyard. An argument broke out between her father and the aunt. Her mother came into the room, and she said she looked like she always did when her father came back to the house. Like she was begging for forgiveness. He slapped her around a few times, and when the aunt tried to intervene, he threw her against the wall. He took out his gun and shot her. Then, he turned back to his wife." Before, the cop had told the story as if it was just that, a story. Not something that had actually happened. Now, his eyes and voice became angry and sad. "He shot her too. Amber heard him shout something, but she was too shook up to tell us what it was. I'm surprised we got that much out of her. I think she's still in shock. The neighbors called it in when she ran to their house."

"Why did you bring her here?"

"She refused to get out of the car when we took her to social services. I got the feeling she'd been there before. She remembered your name and your friend. Danny Taylor, right?"

"Yeah."

"Well, she remembered him first. But we couldn't get a hold of him."

"He's at the hospital with his wife. They just had a baby."

The officer nodded. "Well, then she told us your name, and we were able to get a hold of your wife. So, we brought her here. Thought maybe she could stay with you at least until social services can find a permanent home for her."

"As long as my wife agrees to it."

"I already talked to her, and she said it was fine as long as you agreed."

Gabriel smiled. "Can't help it if we think alike."

"You're Pezzeni's friend, right?"

"Yeah."

"Good cop."

"Good friend. Did you arrest Amber's father?"

Officer Guerson shook his head. "We're looking for him. He was gone when we arrived at the house."

"Call me when you find him."

"We will, Mr. Bowman."

Gabriel walked back in the house and sat beside Amber. "How are you doing?"

"All right," she lied.

Gabriel could see her bottom lip trembling and knew she was trying not to cry. "Amber, it's okay. You saw your mother murdered. You can cry if you want to."

She shook her head. "Daddy said it's weak to cry."

"Yeah, I'm sure your daddy said a lot of things," Gabriel muttered under his breath.

"Are you hungry?" Renee asked, trying to get the young girl's mind off of what had happened earlier that day.

Amber just nodded her head. Renee put her arm around the little girl's shoulders and led her into the kitchen. Amie walked beside her, trying to get this new girl to smile. 'If anyone can, it would be Amie,' Gabriel thought to himself.

Before she walked through the kitchen door, Amie turned back and smiled at her father.

*******

Danny opened the door for Caitlyn, and she carried their son into the house. "We're home," she whispered.

"Yes, we are."

Danny let the door close and walked up behind his wife. He looked at the sleeping baby she held in her arms. "My family is home."

She took Enrique up to lay him in his crib, and Danny walked over to the answering machine seeing that it was flashing. He listened to the message from Officer Guerson then picked up the phone and called Gabriel. "And she saw the whole thing?" He was asking when Caitlyn walked back down the stairs. "That had to be traumatic for her. Don't worry, Gabe. You're doing the right thing by taking her in. Yeah, talk to you later."

He hung up the phone and turned to his wife. "Is Gabe trying to save the world again?" She asked as Danny's arms slid around her.

Danny grinned at her. "Seems that way, doesn't it?"

Caitlyn laid her head against his chest, and a feeling of love welled up in his heart. 'Nothing will ever happen to my family again,' he thought to himself. He pulled away from her slightly and kissed her. "I love you," he whispered.