Money and Dealers: Ch. 4
By: The Confused One
Disclaimer: I don't own anything remotely affiliated with ANY of the L&Os. I just wish I did. Oh well.
A/N: Well here's the last chapter, so enjoy. Have fun with it, and please remember to review.
Walking towards the door of the last house on the list, Alex silently prayed that Bobby was inside. She didn't feel like she could face any more disappointment. With each step the frustration of not having found him yet just grew. She hated every bit of this. She just wanted this nightmare to end. She wanted everything to be normal again.
As she crept closer to the house, the gunshots barely registered for her, but her body still immediately went for cover. Hiding behind some bushes, she realized she was panting. She began cursing herself for letting them get spotted. Looking beside her she exchanged a fearful glance with Bishop. They both knew. They both feared what they would do to Bobby now. Sitting there for a moment, unsure of what to do, she was jolted back to reality as her phone began to ring. Flipping it on, Alex answered, "Eames."
Her blood went cold, and her heart nearly stopped as she heard a familiar voice threaten, "I told you what to do, if you wanted to see Goren back alive."
Faking a sort of innocence Alex asked, "What?"
The voice over the phone icily answered, "Oh come on. Don't play dumb with me. You're the one I spoke to this morning. Should have known you were a cop. The one name display on his phone just didn't seem to make any sense. How do you know our detective Goren anyway? He seems to have quite a limited memory of you."
Alex closed her eyes. It made sense now. They had gotten her number from the speed dial display that came up on his phone when she had called. She was grateful that he had never bothered put her first name on his speed dial too. Somehow it made her feel better to know that he only had one name. She answered, "We're friends."
The voice replied, "You know. That's what he keeps saying, but obviously, it's more than that, or you wouldn't be standing outside the building with that SWAT team, now would you?"
Alex almost smiled. It would be just like Bobby to be too stubborn to give them anything either. With annoyance in her voice she replied, "It really doesn't matter who I am, but what does matter is, you're about to have a lot of trouble. There's no way that you or your boys are just walking away from this. You might as well let him go and surrender. They will come in and get you."
Alex noted that Bishop and the other people in charge were standing around her, seemingly wanting details. Walking to the van, out of sight of the house, Alex wrote down what was going on. The SWAT guy nodded. He quickly walked away. The voice replied, "Maybe be so, but we can take the detective with us."
Alex took a deep breath, trying to stay calm. She replied, "Listen, right now, you're looking at just twenty years or so. You kill him, you're looking at a lethal injection."
The SWAT officer was back at Alex's side, and Bishop was listening intently, wishing she could hear the other end of the conversation too. She could tell that it wasn't go as well as Alex had hoped though. She could also tell that despite her appearance and attempts to keep her voice calm, Alex was scared to death. Bishop watched as the team got into position to storm the place at their commander's signal. She hoped that Alex was getting through to Oliverez. Bishop didn't want anything to happen to him, for her own selfish reasons. She liked the guy, and already found that she missed working with him. He had taught her some valuable lessons in understanding and patience. She waited with bated breath for an indication as to what he had said.
Glancing at Bishop Alex could tell that Bishop was worried. She appreciated not being alone in her worry. The voice spoke again, "It doesn't matter. I'm dead anyway."
Alex was confused now. She knew she was onto something now. She pressed, "What do you mean?"
The voice responded, truthfully, "The money. Why do you think I'm so desperate to get it back? My bosses are going to kill me if I can't deliver it back to them."
Alex felt like she had a chance now. She could talk them out. She soothingly replied, "Oliverez, listen to me. We can keep you safe. You don't have to do this. We can cut a deal. We can get you out of here. Keep them from getting to you. You just have to work with me here. Give up. Walk out of the building with your hands above your head to the SWAT team out here, and don't look back."
There was silence. Alex prayed to God that he was thinking it over and was coming out soon. She wanted to do this without anyone getting hurt. There was hesitation in his voice now, "You don't understand. Goren doesn't understand. You've walked into a larger organization that you ever imagined."
Alex bit her lip. She knew she couldn't tell Oliverez what they knew, even if she wanted to. She kept her voice even and calm as she tried to reason with the man, "We know enough. You can help us out. We can help you out. Everyone walks away, alive."
Alex could feel the hesitation in his voice. Finally he spoke again, "What about the rest of my guys? We're all over our heads here."
Alex held back a smile. She knew she was close now. She just couldn't blow it. She replied, "We can work out something Oliverez. Just send everyone out. Let Goren go. Walk away. It's not too late."
Alex could tell the SWAT team commander was about to say something. She held up her hand to stop him. She didn't want anyone interrupting her now. She heard his voice in the background, "No! They've got us surrounded. We're not going to be martyrs. Put down your weapons and walk out. They're taking us in."
Alex finally smiled. Looking at the SWAT commander she whispered, "They're coming out."
The man nodded and jogged off. Bishop gave Alex a small smile, relieved that Alex had been able to do it. She was just thankful that it was almost over, for her at least.
Alex waited. He spoke to her again, "I'm taking you at your word. I'm not getting killed."
Alex took a deep breath. She assured him, "No one's dying. Trust me. There's no other way out of here."
With a sigh the man seemed to have accepted this. He replied, "Fine. I'll be last."
The phone clicked off. Alex took another deep breath, hoping the guys would stay true to their own word. Within seconds several men filed out of the house with their hands up in the air. SWAT had them all on the ground and handcuffs on them within a couple of seconds. Walking up to Manny, who was standing already again Alex asked, "Oliverez?"
The man in front of her nodded. He replied, "Eames?"
Alex nodded in return. She replied, "Where is Goren?"
Manny hesitated only briefly. He replied, "Downstairs in the basement. He's tied up and gagged. He's in the last room at the end of the hall."
Alex nodded and took off inside. She could only think of her partner now. He was the only thing that seemed to matter. Taking the stairs two at a time, and turning on lights as she went Alex nearly ran to the small room at the end of a hall. She gave a half smile as she inspected the door. The key was sticking out from the lock. Opening the door she saw, in the middle of the room, her partner tied up and gagged to a chair. She finally let out a breath she hadn't realized she had been holding. She smiled brightly now, for the first time since that morning. Untying him she quipped, "Got ourselves in quite a mess didn't we?"
As she took out the gag she saw a smile form on his face. She just stared at him for a moment. Taking in the smile she thanked God that he was all right. She was finally starting to let herself think about what she almost lost. He quipped back, "Yeah, well, I thought I would give you a challenge on your first day back."
Alex laughed. It felt good to hear him again. She quipped back, "So help me Goren, you do this again, and I'll kill you myself."
Bobby smiled some more. Pretending to be offended he replied, "You know me, I just love being knocked out and kidnapped."
Alex gave him an exasperated smile. He continued to sit for a moment as Alex took him in. Touching his cheek she moved his face a little to get a look at the bruises. The smile was gone already now. With a little worry in her voice, "Come on. We need to get you looked over. Those cuts and bruises look awful."
Taking her hand away from his face Alex grabbed his hands. Helping him stand up Bobby protested, "I'm fine. I just need a long shower, some food, and a warm bed, but otherwise, I promise, I'm fine."
Alex turned around to face him. Letting go of his hands, Alex informed him, "You're going to see a doctor. I wasn't asking if you want to."
Bobby smiled again. It felt good to him to have her back. He replied, "Fine, but know that I'm doing this under protest and just because you worry too much."
Alex smiled again. She playfully scolded him, "Well, someone had to take care of you. God knows you don't do it yourself."
Bobby genuinely smiled at her. He knew she was right. He knew he didn't exactly take care of himself most of the time. He replied, "You're right. I don't, and I appreciate what you do for me."
Alex smiled some more. She answered, "I know you do. It's one of the big reasons I put with you sometimes."
Bobby smiled again. He answered, "Yeah? I guess I'll have to be even nicer then. Still doesn't mean I want to do this. You know I hate doctors."
Alex rolled her eyes. Grabbing his arm she began helping him move down the hall again. Exasperated she said, "Tell you what. You see a doctor, and I'll let you help me put away the bad guys."
Bobby stalled for a moment. Turning to face him Alex looked at him questioningly. With amusement in his eyes Bobby asked, "Speaking of, what happened to them all?"
Alex hesitated a moment. Figuring she should tell him the truth, Alex answered, "They saw us coming. He got my number from when I called you before. He called me. We talked. They surrendered."
Bobby smiled again. He replied, "Good. I've got a few choice words for Oliverez for my jaw."
Alex arched her eyebrows. With concern in her voice she asked, "He hit you?"
Bobby nodded. Rubbing his chin he replied, "Yeah, the bastard wanted to know about you, and where the money was. As if he could have gotten into the police property room anyway."
Taking a deep breath Alex guiltily replied, "You could have told him about me, you know."
Bobby looked at her like she was crazy. He retorted, "And risk him coming after you, no way. That was the last thing I was going to do. The screws have been put on him to get that money back, and he was desperate enough to try anything. I wasn't going to risk you getting hurt."
Alex shook her head. She replied, "Yeah, well, either way, Deakins is ready to kill you. He found out that you lied to him about the money."
Bobby groaned. He tried to defend himself, "I was trying to protect him."
Alex nodded. She replied, "Yeah, and in the process, you might have earned yourself a suspension, not that it matters much. You're in no shape to work right now."
Looking at her apologetically Bobby replied, "I'm sorry Eames. Today's been terrible."
Alex shook her head and snorted. She replied, "No kidding."
Eying her suspiciously Bobby asked, "What's wrong?"
Looking Bobby in the eye for just about the first time since she found him, Alex shook her head before admitted, "It was close today. I rely on you too Bobby. You're my best friend, and I can't lose you. Today just reminded me of that."
It was Bobby's turn to look guilty now. He stumbled through his words, "I, I know. I'm sorry. I should have handled this differently. I never, I didn't think it would come to this, but I knew you'd find me."
Alex closed her eyes and shook her head in disbelief. She figured she should be angry at him or even jumping for joy at finding him, but Alex mainly felt relief. She replied, "I know. It wasn't your fault. I think I'll feel better after I've been able to scream at Oliverez, and inform him about myself a little."
Bobby smiled again. He replied, "I know it'll make me feel a lot better."
Positioning him against her, just so, Alex began helping him walk again. Making it up the steps, SWAT guys were all over them the moment they were up the stairs. Some headed down stairs to make sure everything was secure. Others began helping Alex get Bobby out to one of the ambulances. She was just glad that the day was almost over, and that Bobby was more or less safe and sound. She was sure now that things would alright.
By: The Confused One
Disclaimer: I don't own anything remotely affiliated with ANY of the L&Os. I just wish I did. Oh well.
A/N: Well here's the last chapter, so enjoy. Have fun with it, and please remember to review.
Walking towards the door of the last house on the list, Alex silently prayed that Bobby was inside. She didn't feel like she could face any more disappointment. With each step the frustration of not having found him yet just grew. She hated every bit of this. She just wanted this nightmare to end. She wanted everything to be normal again.
As she crept closer to the house, the gunshots barely registered for her, but her body still immediately went for cover. Hiding behind some bushes, she realized she was panting. She began cursing herself for letting them get spotted. Looking beside her she exchanged a fearful glance with Bishop. They both knew. They both feared what they would do to Bobby now. Sitting there for a moment, unsure of what to do, she was jolted back to reality as her phone began to ring. Flipping it on, Alex answered, "Eames."
Her blood went cold, and her heart nearly stopped as she heard a familiar voice threaten, "I told you what to do, if you wanted to see Goren back alive."
Faking a sort of innocence Alex asked, "What?"
The voice over the phone icily answered, "Oh come on. Don't play dumb with me. You're the one I spoke to this morning. Should have known you were a cop. The one name display on his phone just didn't seem to make any sense. How do you know our detective Goren anyway? He seems to have quite a limited memory of you."
Alex closed her eyes. It made sense now. They had gotten her number from the speed dial display that came up on his phone when she had called. She was grateful that he had never bothered put her first name on his speed dial too. Somehow it made her feel better to know that he only had one name. She answered, "We're friends."
The voice replied, "You know. That's what he keeps saying, but obviously, it's more than that, or you wouldn't be standing outside the building with that SWAT team, now would you?"
Alex almost smiled. It would be just like Bobby to be too stubborn to give them anything either. With annoyance in her voice she replied, "It really doesn't matter who I am, but what does matter is, you're about to have a lot of trouble. There's no way that you or your boys are just walking away from this. You might as well let him go and surrender. They will come in and get you."
Alex noted that Bishop and the other people in charge were standing around her, seemingly wanting details. Walking to the van, out of sight of the house, Alex wrote down what was going on. The SWAT guy nodded. He quickly walked away. The voice replied, "Maybe be so, but we can take the detective with us."
Alex took a deep breath, trying to stay calm. She replied, "Listen, right now, you're looking at just twenty years or so. You kill him, you're looking at a lethal injection."
The SWAT officer was back at Alex's side, and Bishop was listening intently, wishing she could hear the other end of the conversation too. She could tell that it wasn't go as well as Alex had hoped though. She could also tell that despite her appearance and attempts to keep her voice calm, Alex was scared to death. Bishop watched as the team got into position to storm the place at their commander's signal. She hoped that Alex was getting through to Oliverez. Bishop didn't want anything to happen to him, for her own selfish reasons. She liked the guy, and already found that she missed working with him. He had taught her some valuable lessons in understanding and patience. She waited with bated breath for an indication as to what he had said.
Glancing at Bishop Alex could tell that Bishop was worried. She appreciated not being alone in her worry. The voice spoke again, "It doesn't matter. I'm dead anyway."
Alex was confused now. She knew she was onto something now. She pressed, "What do you mean?"
The voice responded, truthfully, "The money. Why do you think I'm so desperate to get it back? My bosses are going to kill me if I can't deliver it back to them."
Alex felt like she had a chance now. She could talk them out. She soothingly replied, "Oliverez, listen to me. We can keep you safe. You don't have to do this. We can cut a deal. We can get you out of here. Keep them from getting to you. You just have to work with me here. Give up. Walk out of the building with your hands above your head to the SWAT team out here, and don't look back."
There was silence. Alex prayed to God that he was thinking it over and was coming out soon. She wanted to do this without anyone getting hurt. There was hesitation in his voice now, "You don't understand. Goren doesn't understand. You've walked into a larger organization that you ever imagined."
Alex bit her lip. She knew she couldn't tell Oliverez what they knew, even if she wanted to. She kept her voice even and calm as she tried to reason with the man, "We know enough. You can help us out. We can help you out. Everyone walks away, alive."
Alex could feel the hesitation in his voice. Finally he spoke again, "What about the rest of my guys? We're all over our heads here."
Alex held back a smile. She knew she was close now. She just couldn't blow it. She replied, "We can work out something Oliverez. Just send everyone out. Let Goren go. Walk away. It's not too late."
Alex could tell the SWAT team commander was about to say something. She held up her hand to stop him. She didn't want anyone interrupting her now. She heard his voice in the background, "No! They've got us surrounded. We're not going to be martyrs. Put down your weapons and walk out. They're taking us in."
Alex finally smiled. Looking at the SWAT commander she whispered, "They're coming out."
The man nodded and jogged off. Bishop gave Alex a small smile, relieved that Alex had been able to do it. She was just thankful that it was almost over, for her at least.
Alex waited. He spoke to her again, "I'm taking you at your word. I'm not getting killed."
Alex took a deep breath. She assured him, "No one's dying. Trust me. There's no other way out of here."
With a sigh the man seemed to have accepted this. He replied, "Fine. I'll be last."
The phone clicked off. Alex took another deep breath, hoping the guys would stay true to their own word. Within seconds several men filed out of the house with their hands up in the air. SWAT had them all on the ground and handcuffs on them within a couple of seconds. Walking up to Manny, who was standing already again Alex asked, "Oliverez?"
The man in front of her nodded. He replied, "Eames?"
Alex nodded in return. She replied, "Where is Goren?"
Manny hesitated only briefly. He replied, "Downstairs in the basement. He's tied up and gagged. He's in the last room at the end of the hall."
Alex nodded and took off inside. She could only think of her partner now. He was the only thing that seemed to matter. Taking the stairs two at a time, and turning on lights as she went Alex nearly ran to the small room at the end of a hall. She gave a half smile as she inspected the door. The key was sticking out from the lock. Opening the door she saw, in the middle of the room, her partner tied up and gagged to a chair. She finally let out a breath she hadn't realized she had been holding. She smiled brightly now, for the first time since that morning. Untying him she quipped, "Got ourselves in quite a mess didn't we?"
As she took out the gag she saw a smile form on his face. She just stared at him for a moment. Taking in the smile she thanked God that he was all right. She was finally starting to let herself think about what she almost lost. He quipped back, "Yeah, well, I thought I would give you a challenge on your first day back."
Alex laughed. It felt good to hear him again. She quipped back, "So help me Goren, you do this again, and I'll kill you myself."
Bobby smiled some more. Pretending to be offended he replied, "You know me, I just love being knocked out and kidnapped."
Alex gave him an exasperated smile. He continued to sit for a moment as Alex took him in. Touching his cheek she moved his face a little to get a look at the bruises. The smile was gone already now. With a little worry in her voice, "Come on. We need to get you looked over. Those cuts and bruises look awful."
Taking her hand away from his face Alex grabbed his hands. Helping him stand up Bobby protested, "I'm fine. I just need a long shower, some food, and a warm bed, but otherwise, I promise, I'm fine."
Alex turned around to face him. Letting go of his hands, Alex informed him, "You're going to see a doctor. I wasn't asking if you want to."
Bobby smiled again. It felt good to him to have her back. He replied, "Fine, but know that I'm doing this under protest and just because you worry too much."
Alex smiled again. She playfully scolded him, "Well, someone had to take care of you. God knows you don't do it yourself."
Bobby genuinely smiled at her. He knew she was right. He knew he didn't exactly take care of himself most of the time. He replied, "You're right. I don't, and I appreciate what you do for me."
Alex smiled some more. She answered, "I know you do. It's one of the big reasons I put with you sometimes."
Bobby smiled again. He answered, "Yeah? I guess I'll have to be even nicer then. Still doesn't mean I want to do this. You know I hate doctors."
Alex rolled her eyes. Grabbing his arm she began helping him move down the hall again. Exasperated she said, "Tell you what. You see a doctor, and I'll let you help me put away the bad guys."
Bobby stalled for a moment. Turning to face him Alex looked at him questioningly. With amusement in his eyes Bobby asked, "Speaking of, what happened to them all?"
Alex hesitated a moment. Figuring she should tell him the truth, Alex answered, "They saw us coming. He got my number from when I called you before. He called me. We talked. They surrendered."
Bobby smiled again. He replied, "Good. I've got a few choice words for Oliverez for my jaw."
Alex arched her eyebrows. With concern in her voice she asked, "He hit you?"
Bobby nodded. Rubbing his chin he replied, "Yeah, the bastard wanted to know about you, and where the money was. As if he could have gotten into the police property room anyway."
Taking a deep breath Alex guiltily replied, "You could have told him about me, you know."
Bobby looked at her like she was crazy. He retorted, "And risk him coming after you, no way. That was the last thing I was going to do. The screws have been put on him to get that money back, and he was desperate enough to try anything. I wasn't going to risk you getting hurt."
Alex shook her head. She replied, "Yeah, well, either way, Deakins is ready to kill you. He found out that you lied to him about the money."
Bobby groaned. He tried to defend himself, "I was trying to protect him."
Alex nodded. She replied, "Yeah, and in the process, you might have earned yourself a suspension, not that it matters much. You're in no shape to work right now."
Looking at her apologetically Bobby replied, "I'm sorry Eames. Today's been terrible."
Alex shook her head and snorted. She replied, "No kidding."
Eying her suspiciously Bobby asked, "What's wrong?"
Looking Bobby in the eye for just about the first time since she found him, Alex shook her head before admitted, "It was close today. I rely on you too Bobby. You're my best friend, and I can't lose you. Today just reminded me of that."
It was Bobby's turn to look guilty now. He stumbled through his words, "I, I know. I'm sorry. I should have handled this differently. I never, I didn't think it would come to this, but I knew you'd find me."
Alex closed her eyes and shook her head in disbelief. She figured she should be angry at him or even jumping for joy at finding him, but Alex mainly felt relief. She replied, "I know. It wasn't your fault. I think I'll feel better after I've been able to scream at Oliverez, and inform him about myself a little."
Bobby smiled again. He replied, "I know it'll make me feel a lot better."
Positioning him against her, just so, Alex began helping him walk again. Making it up the steps, SWAT guys were all over them the moment they were up the stairs. Some headed down stairs to make sure everything was secure. Others began helping Alex get Bobby out to one of the ambulances. She was just glad that the day was almost over, and that Bobby was more or less safe and sound. She was sure now that things would alright.