Tap, tap, tap.
Hank looked up to see Alvin hovering in the doorway to his office, his face pale and drawn and his chocolate eyes tired. It was a look Hank knew all too well, he'd seen it in the mirror enough recently to know that it had been a good few days since Alvin had properly slept or eaten. The only reason he had done either of those things himself was because of Kate.
"Hey, how'd it go with Osha?"
Alvin wearily dropped his weight onto the leather sofa, a deep sigh leaving him as he ran a palm over his beanie-covered head. Hank didn't immediately respond, instead turning to tug open the bottom drawer of his desk and pull out two tumblers along with the bottle of Macallan Kate had bought him for his birthday. Placing all three items on his desk with a muffled thunk, he poured the amber liquid into the glasses until they were both a quarter full, re-corking the bottle and pushing to his feet, tumblers in hand.
He circled the desk and passed one glass to Alvin who muttered a thanks before taking the vacant seat next to him.
"He said North and the prosecution are building a case. Apparently there's a witness who saw you and a young woman where Bingham's body was found."
Alvin nodded but remained silent. After a few moments, Hank spoke again.
"I won't let you take the fall for this, Alvin. If we run out of options, I'll turn myself in."
Out of the corner of his eye, Hank saw Alvin take a large mouthful of scotch, lifting the glass to study the the golden hues as the liquid swirled with his movements.
"I know what I got myself into, Hank. We just…" he tailed off, bringing the glass to his lips once more. "…find the witness and tilt the burden of proof just enough."
Hank took two long sips from his own glass, knowing exactly what he needed to do but, perhaps for the very first time, he was hesitant. Not because he wouldn't do what was necessary to ensure Al's safety, but because he was worried about the impact his actions would have on Kate.
He wanted to do the right thing, make the right choices. But it wasn't like he had much of a choice here. It was either do this for Alvin or go to jail himself. North had made it very clear that he was out for blood and, whilst it was Hank he wanted, he would settle for Alvin, knowing that Hank wouldn't sit idly by and watch his best friend take the blame for something that he didn't do.
Dropping a hand to Alvin's knee, Hank gave it a pat before downing the rest of his drink, getting back to his feet to call in yet another favour, this time to get the identity of the witness. Hopefully he could unearth something that would discredit them enough so that North wouldn't be able to use them if this went to trial.
Later that night, after he had watched Ruben Gilbright beg and plead for his wife's forgiveness seconds before being carted off by members of the Narcotics department, he headed back to his empty house, taking a quick shower before crawling into a cold bed. Hank could count on one hand the number of nights he and Kate had spent apart since they started sleeping together and, as he lie there for hours staring at the ceiling, he wondered if this was the start of many nights without her by his side.
Kate awoke the next morning even more tired than she had been before she went to sleep. She had tossed and turned all night, listening for the sound of Hank's key in lock that never came. The last time she checked her phone was 4:03am before she eventually drifted off into a restless sleep, her alarm jerking her awake just after six.
Even as she stood under the cool spray of her morning shower, her mind was preoccupied piecing together what she already knew. An FBI agent turns up seemly out of the blue, has a sixty second conversation with Hank and then leaves. He then summons Olinsky into his office and the two have what looks to be a pretty intense conversation before he then starts making a number of terse phone calls to unknown recipients.
She wasn't an idiot. Whatever Agent North wanted with Hank, she would bet her life savings that it probably involved Olinsky as well. The two of them were a package deal. But she also knew that the FBI didn't come knocking for minor infractions and, if she was honest with herself, that's what concerned her most of all.
Hank had all but told her that he'd been hounded by pretty much every single CPD department and government agency over the course of his career but to see it for herself left her feeling like she'd swallowed a lead balloon.
Kate sighed, rolling her shoulders and dropping her head back, letting the water wash over her face. It terrified her to no end that she was helplessly in love with a man who had enough enemies to fill a small country. But what scared her more was that she could already feel him pushing her away, no doubt under some misguided attempt to keep her safe or shield her from whatever shit storm was heading towards him.
It cut her deeper than she cared to admit that he hadn't come home but it also served as a reminder of what life was like before Hank Voight had become a permanent fixture in her bed, her home and her life. Kate had always struggled with insomnia but it had worsened after her dad was murdered and became almost debilitating after she'd been shot. Her therapist had said it was a common side effect from significant trauma but no amount of drugs or therapy had helped…until she met Hank.
For whatever reason, having Hank Voight in her bed allowed her to sleep soundly through the night for the first time in nearly fifteen years.
Shutting off the water, Kate wrapped a towel around her body and set about getting dressed for the day, doing her best to box up her warring emotions and pack them away so that she could focus on the job. When Kate arrived at the district, Jay was already pinning up some photos to the whiteboard signalling that they had caught a new case and, unfortunately, it was more disturbing than their usual, garden-variety crimes.
"This is Kayleigh Weaver. Seventeen years old. Patrol found her behind a dumpster outside of a bar in River North. She'd been brutally raped and strangled."
Kate struggled to keep her light breakfast down as she surveyed the crime scene image of the young girl. She was completely naked, skin ghostly white and her platinum blonde tresses matted with blood and debris. The cause of death was evident from the pictures, the dark purple ligature marks around her long neck a stark contrast to her complexion.
"Were forensics able to get any DNA, Jay?" Kate asked and he immediately shook his head.
"Only forensics we have is a partial print on the victim's shoulder. Her attacker was careful. The lab said spermicide was found during the rape kit."
"Fucker used a condom."
Jay nodded, crossing his arms across his chest.
"But she did have an assortment of defence wounds so we know she didn't go down without a fight."
They spent the next hour pulling together as much information as they could on the victim, where she lived, who her parents were, where she went to school, who she was dating. Anything that might help them piece together her movements before she ended up where patrol had found her.
Kevin and Kate were reviewing nearby surveillance footage when Hailey got to her feet, waving a piece of paper in the air, calling for their attention.
"I think I've got something. Cell provider gave us a list of all incoming and outgoing calls and texts from Kayleigh's phone. Turns out she was in regular contact with this guy…" She tacked a picture of a dark-haired young man to the board. "…Tyler Sheppard."
As soon as Kate set eyes on the picture, she got a bad feeling about Tyler Sheppard. He looked to be in his early twenties, chiselled jawline and hair slicked back into that James Dean style that the girls went crazy for. But it was the eyes that had her on edge. They were the most beautiful shade of blue but they had no warmth or kindness in them whatsoever. The phrase 'dead behind the eyes' had never felt more fitting.
"We thinking maybe a boyfriend?" Adam asked, biro tapping against his lips as he furrowed his brow in thought.
"Well, let's find out. Upton, take Halstead and find this kid, see what he knows. Ruzek, you and Burgess go speak to the parents, see if they can give us any idea why she was halfway across town the night she was killed. Rest of you, keep digging." Hank turned on his heel and strode back towards his office, shutting the door behind him with a slam.
He hadn't even looked at her since she arrived and his casual coolness stung more than she cared to admit. But she pushed it to the back of her mind. Right now they needed to find the person responsible for talking the life of a seventeen year old girl.
When the team reconvened in the afternoon, they had pieced together a decent enough timeline of Kayleigh's movements that they were fairly confident they had a theory around her murder.
"So, Kayleigh tells her mom she's going to stay at a friend's house here…" Jay tapped his finger against a birds-eye view map of the eastern part of Chicago. "…but the two girls had actually gone to The Green Door Tavern with fake IDs given to them by Sheppard."
Kate struggled not to grind her teeth at the mere mention of Sheppard's name. The prick had a side business of selling fake IDs to underage kids, particularly underage girls. He alibied out for the murder but, even if his hands weren't around Kayleigh Weaver's neck, he was just responsible for her death as far as Kate was concerned.
"We've got footage from the bar showing Kayleigh and her friend drinking until nearly midnight when they were approached by unidentified male. The friend said Kayleigh wanted to score some coke so she followed this guy out back and that was the last time she saw her." Jay finished with a huff of irritation. The only screen capture they had of the guy was the back of his head. They could tell that he was probably around 5'11", white, athletic build but, aside from that, they had nothing.
"So we think this guy is prowling bars for girls, posing as a dealer to get them alone? But we haven't had any reports of similar cases have we?" Kim asked, flipping thought the files in front of her to check her records.
It was Alvin who responded with a shake of his head.
"My guess is a rape gone bad…or a rape gone worse. He tries to drag her into a bathroom but she manages to get away, slipping out into the alley. He gets angry, follows her out and kills her."
"That would explain why she was in the alley. But how are we going to get an ID on this bastard?"
"Why don't we send in Hailey?" All eyes in the room turned to Kate when she posed her suggestion.
"Victim was blonde, petite, blue eyes. This kind of perp usually has a type. We put Hailey in as bait and see if he bites."
Hailey nodded and the rest of the room shrugged in quiet agreement. It was a long shot in the dark at best but it wasn't like they had much else to go on. Kate would go in as Hailey's friend, Alvin and Jay would pose as patrons while the rest of the unit would wait nearby to see if the suspect tried to strike again.
When the four of them had changed, they trudged downstairs so that Adam and Kevin could wire them up with ears and mics. Hailey had dressed in a similar way to how Kayleigh's parents said she looked on the night she was killed, skin-tight pleather trousers, skyscraper heels and a low-cut bodice that fit snugly to her lean frame. Kate had gone for a pair of form-fitting high-waisted denim jeans, thigh high boots and a black lace bodysuit, the front of which pulled down into a deep 'v' that drew the eye of every male in the room, consciously or otherwise.
"I don't think we're going to find a button for these cameras, bro." Adam muttered as he tried to wedge Hailey's button cam into the lace of her bodice without much success. Kevin had also been fumbling with the front of Kate's top, doing his best to avoid his hands brushing against her skin too frequently as he tucked the wires out of sight. Kate wasn't sure if it was because he felt uncomfortable touching his partner or if it was because he was touching his bosses partner…under his bosses watchful eye.
"Oh, for fuck's sake. Gimme that." Kate tugged the camera from his fingers and pulled the front of her top open a little wider, giving Adam, Kevin and Hailey an eyeful as she stuck the tiny camera to the piece of tape that was previously securing the fabric in place.
"Well, that's one way to do it. Whatever would we do without titty tape?" Adam said, a pink blush rising high on his cheeks as he watched Kate right her clothing.
"Meadows, you got a sec?"
Kate looked up to find Hank stood just behind Kevin's shoulder, already in his tactical gear with his hands tucked into the front of his vest. With a nod, she followed him towards a quiet corner of the garage, ignoring the whispers of the team who were watching them semi-discreetly from across the room.
"What's up?"
Kate noticed with a surge of satisfaction that he had a familiar look of desire in his eyes, his gaze tracking over her form, slowly raking over her shapely hips and ample chest before coming to rest on her face.
"Trust your gut tonight. You get one bad feeling I want you to call it, understand?"
They were working with so many unknowns on this one that Kate knew that the chances of things going sideways were higher than normal. They didn't even have a plan per se, aside from turn up and hope this guy comes out of the shadows. But she was confident that between her and Upton they would be able to figure out a play on the fly if they needed to.
"Understood Sarg."
Right now, they were Voight and Meadows. Regardless of what was going on between them on a personal level, when they were here, the job always came first. But Kate couldn't help the overwhelming desire to reach out and touch him, to reconnect with Hank. It had only been a few days but she was already missing the intimacy that she had become accustomed to since the beginning of their relationship.
He surprised her by untucking one hand from his vest, reaching across the space between them to cup her cheek, the pad of this thumb brushing gently across her soft skin and her eyes immediately fluttered closed at the contact.
"Please be safe."
His touch was all too brief and, with his parting plea, he turned on his heel and rounded up Kevin, Kim and Adam to make their way to the tavern. When Kate and Hailey opened the heavy oak door, their eyes immediately scanned the room to take note of where Al and Jay were positioned. Jay had monopolised a corner booth in the back and Al was propping up the bar at the far end near the bathrooms, perfectly placed to react quickly if something popped off.
For over two hours, Kate and Hailey acted like they were two young women enjoying their evening out when finally, they got a bite.
"Hey, can I get you a drink?"
A man of about Adam's build appeared at Hailey's shoulder, he was wearing a baseball cap with the peak pulled low on his face. Hailey played her role well, the years of undercover experience coming to the fore.
"Oh! I…uh…I think we're good on the alcohol front but, thanks anyway."
His mouth pulled into what Kate could only describe as a predatory smirk, making her shiver involuntarily.
"Maybe I can interest you in something else?"
"We got an ID on this prick. David Fenton. Thirty two. Convicted of multiple counts of rape including two counts of statutory rape. Did five years before his conviction was overturned because of a technicality. Something to do with tampering with evidence…"
Kate listened to Adam relay the information on the suspect through her earpiece, her spine tingling uncomfortably.
Hailey flicked her hair over her shoulder, batting her blue eyes up at him innocently and Kate could have sworn his eyes flashed red as he watched her. There was no way on earth she was letting Hailey go anywhere with this guy, excellent detective or not.
"What have you got?" Kate asked, her sudden question drawing the man's attention to her face but, with one look at her, his eyes immediately dropped to her chest just as Hank's had done earlier in the evening.
'God, he's going to kill me for this.'
"Why don't you come with me and I'll show you." He extended his hand to her and Hailey gave her an odd look out of the corner of her eye. Downing the rest of her drink, Kate bypassed Hailey and took hold of the man's hand, letting him lead her towards the back of the bar.
"Meadows is on the move with the target. Heading out the south east exit. I got a bad feeling, Sarg."
"Jay, I want eyes on her at all times."
Kate could hear the strain in Hank's voice and, as she passed by Alvin, she noticed the almost imperceptible shake of his head as he watched them go. Soon enough, Kate was being pushed back into a vacant bathroom stall, the man's hands on her hips as his mouth attacked her neck.
"W-wait, I thought you had something for me."
"Oh, I got something for you alright."
He ground his hips against hers and Kate struggled not to recoil at the feel of his length pressing against her thigh. Faking a throaty laugh, Kate grasped him by the shoulders and pushed him away from her.
"That's not what I meant! C'mon baby, let me know if you haven't got the drugs and I'll go elsewhere…"
His hand darted out at a lightening pace, grasping Kate painfully by the throat. Her head began to spin as her brain was slowly deprived of oxygen, his cold, grey eyes boring into her, hands squeezing her windpipe. Instinctively she lifted a knee sharply and he doubled over in agony but it only served to irate him further as he grabbed Kate by the hair, hurling her into a nearby vanity, the impact driving the air from her body. Holding her face down on the cool marble, he used his other hand to yank firmly at the waist of her jeans in an effort to expose her.
"You're going to give me exactly what I want you filthy slut!"
Kate could hear Hank bark the order for the unit to move in and, within a matter of seconds, the weight behind her was gone as Jay tackled Fenton to the floor, reading him his rights and placing him under arrest. Kate lie still for a moment, breathing heavy until she pushed herself up onto shaky arms.
"Meadows, are you alright?" Adam gently pulled her into an upright position, his hands on her biceps as his eyes scanned her for injuries. She was bleeding from a small gash above her eyebrow and she knew her ribs would be sore for a few days but, other than that, she was unharmed. With a jerky nod, she muttered that she was fine, watching as Hank stalked over to a kneeling Fenton.
"Sarg, we need this by the book."
Kim's words and a palm on his chest stopped him just shy of placing his hands on the man before him. He knew she was right, this psychopath had already been given a free pass because of some administrative cock-up. If he turned up at the district beaten to within an inch of his life, Hank knew any conviction would be overturned within a matter of days. Drawing in a steadying breath, he took a step back and moved aside to let Jay escort him to the squad car waiting out front.
He was trembling with barely contained rage, at Fenton, at North, at Kate, at himself. She couldn't help but constantly put herself in danger, despite him asking her to walk if something felt off. He knew she had a bad feeling going into the assignment but she pressed ahead anyway.
"Everyone out. Now."
Adam made to guide Kate out of the bathroom by the elbow but they were both stopped by Hank who gripped Kate's forearm, silently telling her to stay put. When they were alone, the anger began to boil over.
"Look, Sarg…"
"What the fuck did I tell you before we left the district?"
Kate closed her eyes, knowing she was in for a rough few minutes if the vein pulsing in his temple was anything to go by.
"I couldn't let Upton go off alone with this guy, he's got at least half a foot and sixty pounds on her! Hailey's a first-rate cop but-"
"I gave you a direct order!" He roared, taking two long strides towards her.
In the close to twelve months she had been in his unit, they had come to blows on a number of occasions. They were both strong-willed and stubborn, neither of them prepared to back down if they truly believed they were right and sparks regularly flew when the two locked horns over the best course of action for a case. But not once had she recoiled from him.
Until now.
Kate's face drained of colour and she flinched away from him, backing up against the vanity as he advanced on her. The second he caught the flash of fear in her eyes, he stopped dead.
Her reaction hit him hard, swallowing thickly at the sight of her eyes filling with unshed tears. He reached out a shaky hand, closing the space between them to pull her to his chest, sighing in relief when her forehead immediately came to rest at the juncture of his neck and shoulder. When he felt her hot tears soaking his shirt, he clutched her even tighter to his body, guilt settling like lead in his stomach as his fingers carded through her hair.
"Don't ever be afraid of me. I would never lay a hand on you." He muttered against the top of her head, his palm rubbing soothing circles on her back and she trembled in his arms.
The two stood in silence for a few moments before Hank reluctantly pulled away, knowing the team would be waiting for them outside.
"Let's go."
With a meek nod, she followed him out of the bar and onto the street where the rest of the unit were indeed waiting for them. When Kate left the district later that night and eventually crawled into bed, she once again lie awake for hours on end, waiting for him to come home but, for the second consecutive night, Kate drifted off to sleep alone.
