Chapter Seven: A Little More Conversation
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As Ed's cell phone rang out, both Ed and Keller looked at his pocket. The gray-haired man had to wonder who was so brilliant as to try calling his cell phone, knowing they may be able to get a location from it.
"Someone's actually thinking." Keller remarked, taking the cell phone out of Ed's pocket. He looked at the Caller ID. "Someone in your office." He put the phone to his ear. "Hello?"
A look of surprise appeared on Danny's face as he instantly recognized the speaker. Although he didn't know why, as Jack Keller was certainly capable of kidnapping Ed and making him disappear.
"Jack?" Danny asked to make sure. "Jack Keller?"
"How you feeling, McCoy?" Jack greeted with a slight chuckle. Hearing the familiar last name, Ed listened closely.
"You're the one who took Ed." Danny assumed.
"Bingo." Keller replied with a smile. Saying nothing else, Keller set the phone down on the desk. He then walked behind Ed and undid the other man's cuffs. Ed rubbed his aching shoulders. "You try anything funny, Deline, and I'll have my men in Vegas go after the Montecito and your family." He smiled. "Just let the kid know that you're all right."
"Got it." Ed agreed, picking up the phone. "Danny."
"Ed!" Danny said happily, getting the group's attention. "Is that really you?"
"Don't ask stupid questions." Ed replied gruffly. He smiled as he realized that Danny sounded completely healthy. "How are things holding up?"
"Not the same without you." Danny replied as the office door creaked open. An older woman with curly blonde hair stood in the doorway, looking at the group in front of her. It was Jillian Deline, Ed's wife. "Ed, hang on a moment."
"Ed?" Jillian asked in a barely audible tone.
"We've got him on the phone." Danny replied, putting the handset to his chest. "You can talk to him if you want." He offered the phone to Jillian, who took it slowly.
"Eddie?" she asked with a hopeful look in her eyes.
"Hey sweetheart." Ed greeted with a smile. A warm feeling came over him as he heard his wife's voice.
"I miss you." Jillian commented, her voice breaking.
"I miss you too." Ed nodded, "This will all be over soon, Jillian."
"I hope so." Jillian replied, wiping a few tears away. "Don't worry about me and Delinda. Everyone's taking really good care of us."
"I'm glad to hear that." Ed smiled, "You try not to worry about me either, all right?"
"I love you, Eddie." Jillian said quietly.
"I love you too, Jillian." Ed replied, "Give Delinda an extra big hug for me."
"Okay." Jillian agreed as she slowly gave the phone back to Danny. Silently, she then walked over to the window and stared at the surveillance room below.
"You there, Ed?" Danny asked before not getting a reply. "Ed?"
"Sorry." Keller said, taking the phone from Ed. "But I've had to cut short his phone privileges."
"You're not going to get away with this, Keller." Danny replied firmly.
"Really?" Keller chuckled as Ed listened in. "Face it, McCoy. You can't do a damn thing about this, and you know it."
"You're wrong." Danny said angrily as his brow furrowed in determination. "I don't care what I have to do or how long it takes. I will hunt you and Ed down, and I will make you pay for everything you've done. Am I clear?"
"You can talk the talk, kid," Keller said with a smile. "But let's see if you can walk the walk." He cuffed the non-resistant Ed Deline once again. "I've got no doubts that you're running a tracer program on this call. Let me assure you that your mentor and I aren't going anywhere." An angry look appeared on his face. "You want to play hero? Take your best shot!"
"Don't worry." Danny replied confidently. "I will."
As the line went dead, Danny slowly put the phone back on the receiver. He looked at Mike, who was typing something into the computer. As a screen appeared, the African American man looked up at Danny.
"So," Mike asked, "what do you know about Panama?"
"Panama?" Danny repeated, wondering what that had to do with anything.
"That's where Ed is." Mike clarified, gesturing to the computer screen. "Panama."
"How in the hell are we supposed to get there?" Nessa asked as Danny rubbed his forehead in frustration.
"Well," Sam suggested, "I have a few clients who do owe me favors." She frowned. "Other than that, I know that the Montecito jet is free for the time being. The only problem with that is that we would need an okay from Brunson since it's not client-related." She looked at Danny. "But you could take care of that, couldn't you?"
"I guess I could try." Danny shrugged. Smiling widely, Sam gave him a quick kiss on the cheek before leaving the room. Danny turned his attention back to Mike and Nessa. "Well, we can't just walk in there empty-handed. However, I've got no clue where to even begin getting the amount of hardware we're going to need."
"Don't worry about that." Jillian said, turning away from the window. She walked slowly over to the group. "Ed's got a little stash from his CIA days." She smiled fondly. "Of course, I've been begging him to get rid of it forever, but he just won't part with it." She chuckled, hiding tears. "Kind of ironic actually."
"We'll drop tonight to pick it up." Nessa said, taking the older woman's hand in her own. "I need to get back to the floor, but you will call me if you need anything, right?"
"Yeah." Jillian nodded as Mike came up to her.
"Same here?" he asked, hugging the older woman.
"Of course." Jillian said, hugging him back.
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As Keller hung up the phone, Ed smiled widely. Due to the volume being turned up on the phone, he had heard every word of Danny and Keller's conversation. It was just like his protégé not to think things entirely through. Had the thought that he might be killed even entered Danny's mind? Shaking his head, Ed knew that that wouldn't deter the younger man from trying to find him. You just couldn't reason with Danny when he had his mind made up.
"I don't see what you're smiling about." Keller said, noticing Ed's reaction. "Except that the kid just bought you some more time." He smiled slightly. "I think I'm going to wait on killing you until after I kill him."
"Danny might be out of his league," Ed commented, looking into Keller's eyes. "But he's got more heart than anyone I've ever known. You're a dead man walking, Keller!"
"You think so?" Keller asked, standing in front of Ed.
Nodding, Ed suddenly felt Keller connect a hard, right hand to his face. Still feeling the pain, Ed turned his head slowly back towards Keller and glared at the younger man.
To be continued...
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As Ed's cell phone rang out, both Ed and Keller looked at his pocket. The gray-haired man had to wonder who was so brilliant as to try calling his cell phone, knowing they may be able to get a location from it.
"Someone's actually thinking." Keller remarked, taking the cell phone out of Ed's pocket. He looked at the Caller ID. "Someone in your office." He put the phone to his ear. "Hello?"
A look of surprise appeared on Danny's face as he instantly recognized the speaker. Although he didn't know why, as Jack Keller was certainly capable of kidnapping Ed and making him disappear.
"Jack?" Danny asked to make sure. "Jack Keller?"
"How you feeling, McCoy?" Jack greeted with a slight chuckle. Hearing the familiar last name, Ed listened closely.
"You're the one who took Ed." Danny assumed.
"Bingo." Keller replied with a smile. Saying nothing else, Keller set the phone down on the desk. He then walked behind Ed and undid the other man's cuffs. Ed rubbed his aching shoulders. "You try anything funny, Deline, and I'll have my men in Vegas go after the Montecito and your family." He smiled. "Just let the kid know that you're all right."
"Got it." Ed agreed, picking up the phone. "Danny."
"Ed!" Danny said happily, getting the group's attention. "Is that really you?"
"Don't ask stupid questions." Ed replied gruffly. He smiled as he realized that Danny sounded completely healthy. "How are things holding up?"
"Not the same without you." Danny replied as the office door creaked open. An older woman with curly blonde hair stood in the doorway, looking at the group in front of her. It was Jillian Deline, Ed's wife. "Ed, hang on a moment."
"Ed?" Jillian asked in a barely audible tone.
"We've got him on the phone." Danny replied, putting the handset to his chest. "You can talk to him if you want." He offered the phone to Jillian, who took it slowly.
"Eddie?" she asked with a hopeful look in her eyes.
"Hey sweetheart." Ed greeted with a smile. A warm feeling came over him as he heard his wife's voice.
"I miss you." Jillian commented, her voice breaking.
"I miss you too." Ed nodded, "This will all be over soon, Jillian."
"I hope so." Jillian replied, wiping a few tears away. "Don't worry about me and Delinda. Everyone's taking really good care of us."
"I'm glad to hear that." Ed smiled, "You try not to worry about me either, all right?"
"I love you, Eddie." Jillian said quietly.
"I love you too, Jillian." Ed replied, "Give Delinda an extra big hug for me."
"Okay." Jillian agreed as she slowly gave the phone back to Danny. Silently, she then walked over to the window and stared at the surveillance room below.
"You there, Ed?" Danny asked before not getting a reply. "Ed?"
"Sorry." Keller said, taking the phone from Ed. "But I've had to cut short his phone privileges."
"You're not going to get away with this, Keller." Danny replied firmly.
"Really?" Keller chuckled as Ed listened in. "Face it, McCoy. You can't do a damn thing about this, and you know it."
"You're wrong." Danny said angrily as his brow furrowed in determination. "I don't care what I have to do or how long it takes. I will hunt you and Ed down, and I will make you pay for everything you've done. Am I clear?"
"You can talk the talk, kid," Keller said with a smile. "But let's see if you can walk the walk." He cuffed the non-resistant Ed Deline once again. "I've got no doubts that you're running a tracer program on this call. Let me assure you that your mentor and I aren't going anywhere." An angry look appeared on his face. "You want to play hero? Take your best shot!"
"Don't worry." Danny replied confidently. "I will."
As the line went dead, Danny slowly put the phone back on the receiver. He looked at Mike, who was typing something into the computer. As a screen appeared, the African American man looked up at Danny.
"So," Mike asked, "what do you know about Panama?"
"Panama?" Danny repeated, wondering what that had to do with anything.
"That's where Ed is." Mike clarified, gesturing to the computer screen. "Panama."
"How in the hell are we supposed to get there?" Nessa asked as Danny rubbed his forehead in frustration.
"Well," Sam suggested, "I have a few clients who do owe me favors." She frowned. "Other than that, I know that the Montecito jet is free for the time being. The only problem with that is that we would need an okay from Brunson since it's not client-related." She looked at Danny. "But you could take care of that, couldn't you?"
"I guess I could try." Danny shrugged. Smiling widely, Sam gave him a quick kiss on the cheek before leaving the room. Danny turned his attention back to Mike and Nessa. "Well, we can't just walk in there empty-handed. However, I've got no clue where to even begin getting the amount of hardware we're going to need."
"Don't worry about that." Jillian said, turning away from the window. She walked slowly over to the group. "Ed's got a little stash from his CIA days." She smiled fondly. "Of course, I've been begging him to get rid of it forever, but he just won't part with it." She chuckled, hiding tears. "Kind of ironic actually."
"We'll drop tonight to pick it up." Nessa said, taking the older woman's hand in her own. "I need to get back to the floor, but you will call me if you need anything, right?"
"Yeah." Jillian nodded as Mike came up to her.
"Same here?" he asked, hugging the older woman.
"Of course." Jillian said, hugging him back.
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As Keller hung up the phone, Ed smiled widely. Due to the volume being turned up on the phone, he had heard every word of Danny and Keller's conversation. It was just like his protégé not to think things entirely through. Had the thought that he might be killed even entered Danny's mind? Shaking his head, Ed knew that that wouldn't deter the younger man from trying to find him. You just couldn't reason with Danny when he had his mind made up.
"I don't see what you're smiling about." Keller said, noticing Ed's reaction. "Except that the kid just bought you some more time." He smiled slightly. "I think I'm going to wait on killing you until after I kill him."
"Danny might be out of his league," Ed commented, looking into Keller's eyes. "But he's got more heart than anyone I've ever known. You're a dead man walking, Keller!"
"You think so?" Keller asked, standing in front of Ed.
Nodding, Ed suddenly felt Keller connect a hard, right hand to his face. Still feeling the pain, Ed turned his head slowly back towards Keller and glared at the younger man.
To be continued...