Tim rolled over and opened his eyes slowly, sensing he was alone in bed. He managed to drag himself into the living room of the suite and saw Calleigh sitting on the couch, gnawing on her bottom lip.
"Hey..." he said softly so not to startle her. Calleigh looked up at him, giving him a weak smile. "What's going on?"
"Nothing. I just couldn't sleep." she replied. Tim joined her on the couch and pulled her towards him. "I keep wondering when it's all going to stop. I woke up and thought maybe we were at home and something had happened to the kids. We see this all the time at work but I always say it's not going to happen but here, it's happening right now. Right now, I don't care about me. I just worry about you and Lizzie and Timmy... I don't want anything happening to you three..."
"Stop. Calleigh, nothing's going to happen to any of us." he said quietly. "Horatio and Eric are going to figure it out like they always do."
"No. Tim I worked Brianna's case. These people are good. They don't leave anything behind."
"No one is that good. There's always something. Okay? I don't want you worrying about the case. We're fine. We're in the middle of a five star hotel with police roaming the outside. Nothing is going to happen."
"Don't say that."
"Why?"
"Because every time someone says that it gets worse and I don't want to have to go through something horrible. Losing you once was enough."
"I'm not going to let anything happen to you. I swear to you Calleigh I will not let anything happen to you or Lizzie or Timmy. God I can't say it enough..." Tim murmured, kissing Calleigh's head lightly. "I love you guys so much and..."
The ringing of a cell phone cut Tim off and he grabbed it off the coffee table.
"Speedle."
"Well long time no see."
Tim walked over to the balcony and stared out at Miami.
"How's it going?"
"Pretty good. I hear you've got yourself a nice little family Tim."
"Donny, if you go anywhere near them..."
His brother-in-law cut him off with a bark-like laugh.
"If I go anywhere near them you'll kill me. Yeah I've heard. By the way, I stopped by your house. I looked around but nothing interested me... well one thing did."
"Yeah? What was that?"
"A pretty picture of you and your wife. I have to say Tim, she is beautiful."
"Yeah well she's off the market."
"Mhmm. If you die, then she will be on the market right?"
"What the hell do you want?"
"I wanted to apologize for causing you such distress. I know how much Bri meant to you."
"So you killed her then?"
Calleigh walked up next to Tim, wrapping an arm around his waist. His arm slid around her shoulders, pulling her closer to him.
"I didn't say I did. Tell Calleigh I said hi. See her now, holding you tightly, trying to keep you calm."
Tim stepped away from the balcony, taking Calleigh with him. Donny laughed menacingly in his ear.
"Doesn't matter if you leave the window Tim. I don't care where you go. I'm going to find you. I'm going to make your life a living a hell. I may kidnap a kid or both in the process. I may hurt your precious Calleigh."
"You stay away from them."
"I'll do whatever I want."
"Yeah? Then I think you need someone to teach you a lesson."
"That gonna be you?"
"You gonna hurt my kids?"
"Depends on if you do what I want you to."
"A bribe?"
"Possibly. I want you to do me a small favor. If you do it, then I won't hurt Elizabeth and Tim Jr. If you don't do it, well then there's going to be hell to pay."
"How do I know this isn't a trick?"
"Well Tim, do you want to live knowing you could be the one deciding your kids' fates?"
"You know I knew there wasn't something right with you from the moment Brianna brought you home."
"Mhmm. Listen, this is what I want..."
Tim listened and snorted.
"Are you shitting me?"
"No. I'm serious. Twenty-four hours Tim. I know you won't let me down right?"
"If I can get it in time."
"You better hurry then."
Donny hung up the phone first and Tim snapped his cell phone shut.
"What does he want?" Calleigh asked.
"He wants $10,000, me to fly him out of the country, and his criminal records to disappear from the databases."
"You know that you will be called an accomplice and get arrested right?"
"Not if I do it right."
S/C--------
"I think you're insane." Horatio said, laughing. "I honestly do Speed."
"Look, I'm going to do whatever it takes to keep my family safe." he said.
"So helping a criminal escape is keeping your family safe?"
"I'm not helping him escape. I want you to wire me up so I can record a confession from him and then I want back-up to come in and arrest him."
"What if he knows you're lying and shoots you?"
"I'll put a Kevlar on."
Horatio shook his head.
"You're a crazy man Speed."
"Like I said, whatever it takes." he said as his cell phone rang. "Speedle."
"Daddy!"
"Lizzie? Honey, what's wrong?"
"I'm scared!"
"What do you mean you're scared? Isn't Ryan there? Lizzie?"
"Tsk, tsk, tsk."
"Donny, what the hell is this shit?"
"I figured we'd up the stakes a bit."
"Where are you?"
"Did you do what I ask?"
"I will just tell me where you are!"
"No. I don't want to hear 'I will.' Did you or did you not?"
"I erased your name from the databases." Tim lied.
"Good boy. Remember the ticket and the money."
S/C-------
Tim shoved Ryan into the counter and he yelped in surprise.
"You son a bitch!"
"What the hell did I do?" Ryan asked.
"What the hell did you do? What the hell did I tell you do to Wolfe?"
"Watch Lizzie..."
"Right. Did you do that?"
"Your brother-in-law came, said you asked him to take her."
"Are you an idiot?" Tim yelled. "Horatio gave you an order, I gave you an order to watch her and you let her off with some psycho?"
"He said he was your brother-in-law."
"I don't care!"
"Tim!" Calleigh exclaimed.
"Shut up! Ryan, I don't care if he said he was the president you weren't supposed to let her out of your sight! Now our whole damn plan is screwed up because you had to be stupid! And now because of you, my daughter's life is at risk!"
"What is going on?" Calleigh screamed. The room went silent.
"Wonderboy over here was told to watch Lizzie." Tim said. "Donny decided to pay him a visit and say that I asked him to take Lizzie. Ryan let him walk of with her! Now she's missing and I have no idea what the hell I'm going to do."
"Why don't you just going along with your original idea?" Ryan suggested.
"My original idea was to not give him the money or the plane ticket! I was going to put fakes in the bag! Now when he checks that bag Ryan, he may decide to hurt Lizzie because I cheated him."
"Why don't you get the money?"
"You have an idea to come up with 10 grand in fifteen hours?" Tim yelled.
"Alright, calm down." Horatio started.
"No! I'm not going to calm down! He killed my sister what the hell makes you so sure he won't do it again, this time to my five-year-old?"
"What the hell do you care Speedle?" Ryan asked. "I mean, you're gone for three years and then we find out that you left to protect your sister? What's more important your wife and kids or your sister?"
"Don't make me make that decision but maybe if you put a gun to my head, yeah it's going to be Calleigh and our children." Tim snapped. "And don't think I don't care. Because I care a whole lot."
