Warrick led them zigzagging through the back alleys of the town. Gemma struggled to keep up with his long strides, the best that she could. "Warrick? I'm scared." She panted as when they finally stopped to catch their breath.
"I know….we need wheels." Warrick eyed the parked cars in the lot across from them.
Gemma read his mind and put a hand on his arm. "We can't steal. I won't have you breaking the law for me. I won't have you ruin your career or your life for me."
"I'll do whatever it takes, Gemma. This isn't a game. This is life or death."
"No, Warrick!" Gemma raised her voice, her hand moving to brace against his chest. "I won't allow you to steal. These people don't deserve that."
"Alright." Warrick complied with a frown. He looked around, looking for inspiration. He knew they wouldn't last long running around. It was getting later, people were starting to rise, and begin their days. He scowled, his brow puckering with concentration as he weighed their options.
"Da'Oh." Jessica poked a finger into his cheek. "Fon!"
"Oh! Yeah! Thank you babe." Coming back to the present, he reached into his jacket and pulled out the track phone Grissom had given him. "Yeah?"
"What is going on?" Grissom demanded. "You called Greg?"
"They found us. Tom Latruse was less than twenty feet from us. This damn phone wouldn't work. I had to do something."
"Are the girls okay?"
"Yeah. We got away before he found which room we were in. But, he's got our car. We're on foot now."
"Can you get another one?"
"Gemma's not down for 'Jacking one." Warrick confessed, glancing over at the woman in question as she took Jess from him. "I guess we can try the bus."
"How the hell did they find you Rick?" Grissom demanded.
"Damned if I know! We've been careful! Never used out names, never stayed in one place for long. We've been playing it on the down low, Gris."
"I don't even know where you are." Grissom barked. "I think you need to dump some stuff."
"You think they've got us bugged?" Warrick looked over at their bags through narrowed eyes.
"They must." Grissom surmised. "It's the only way I can figure they've found you. Either that or they've been tailing you from the start."
"They wouldn't have waited this long if they'd known all along." Warrick sighed. "Alright. I'll call you later and give you the details.
"Rick….I can't thank you enough."Warrick chose to turn the phone off, rather than respond to the man sounding so vulnerable. He stuck the phone in his pocket as he knelt nest to the bags. Taking the backpack that contained Gemma's personal belongings, he dumped it out on the ground and started rifling through it.
"Hey! What are you doing!" Gemma cried out.
"Searching." Warrick gave her the curt reply, not stopping his frantic pursuit.
"For what?"
"A bug." Was his terse response.
"A bug? What do you mean?" Gemma demanded, growing more agitated.
"A tracking device." Warrick simplified as he tore apart her make up. "We need to find it or lose everything that you've brought with you from the first."
"Everything?" Gemma gasped, her eyes coming to rest on her daughter. Warrick followed her gaze, his eyes landing on the stuffed monkey in Jessica's grasp. "Oh shit." He groaned.
"She can't lose that." Gemma murmured. "She's lost so much. She's just a baby. Bananas is her best friend. Her one security."
"You are her security and for the time being, so am I." Warrick rose and came to squat next to the girl. He glowered at the monkey. Knowing it would be cruel to toss her beloved toy, he looked around for some sort of inspiration. His eyes widened as they lit upon a mailbox. "Jessie? Do you know who I was just talking to on the phone?" He questioned in a soft voice.
"Nuh-uh." Jessica looked up at him, naively. She looked so innocent and trusting, a piece of Warrick's heart broke off as he continued.
"That was Uncle…..Grandpa Gil. He misses you a whole bunch." Warrick continued in a lilting voice. "I was thinking….it sure would make him feel better if he had something of yours to hold until you get back."
"'Kay" Jessica agreed.
"I was thinking, it has to be something special. Like Bananas here." Warrick wiggled the monkey in her hand. The little girl looked at him with wide eyes. "For Grandpa Gil. It'll make him so happy. He would feel special."
Swallowing hard, Jessica nodded. "'kay." With great reluctance, she handed over the monkey. Warrick felt over the toy. His fingers felt something hard inside the neck. He nodded to Gemma.
"We will mail it to him right now!" Grasping the toy angrily he stormed across the lot towards a phone booth. As luck would have it, there was a city map just inside the phone book. Coming back to the females, he smiled. "Fed Ex is about six blocks from here. I'll post this." He motioned to the monkey.
"To Gil?" Gemma queried with a deep intake of breath.
"Yeah! To the CSI Lab! They'll think we're heading back to Vegas. By the time they find out otherwise, our trail will be cold."
Once the monkey was on it's way to Gil, Warrick hustled his ladies onto a Greyhound bus. After they crammed themselves into the seats, Warrick eyed all the people around them. When no one looked at all threatening, he allowed himself to relax a degree.
Trying to stay low and circumspect, he eyed each new member of the bus with suspicion. The day dragged on, stopping and going as they headed north. People got on, people got off.
"On the run, Hon?" The woman across the aisle questioned. Warrick turned his attention to the woman who had gotten on several stops back. She looked to be in her fifties, maybe a little older. She was heavy set and reminded him of aunt Jemima without the kerchief on her head. He experienced a pang of homesickness for his Grams at seeing her smile. He studied the woman warily without answering.
"My name is Peggy Reynolds. Everyone calls me Mama Peg." She offered her hand. Warrick glanced over at Gemma, who was sleeping before offering his own hand. "Jamal Jackson."
Peggy eyed him skeptically and snorted. "Jamal? That doesn't seem fitting." Warrick smirked at her. "You look run down. Are you in danger?"
Again, Warrick chose not to answer. She watched him and nodded. "Do you have a place to go? No, I doubt that." I'm going home. I've been to see my sister. I live in Kingfisher. I think you should come there with me."
"What? Why?"
"To keep your family safe, boy." she motioned to the sleeping beings on the other side of Warrick. "I have a big family, they live there, they come and go all the time. You can hide amongst us."
"Hiding a white woman in a black family?" Warrick scoffed, shaking his head. The odd thing was, he was tempted.
"You think we don't have any white girls in our family? We're a diverse bunch." Peggy chuckled. "We've even got a couple of Korean's in the mix. At least stop off for a day. How long have you been running? When was the last time your little girl got to stretch her legs? Or play with other kids?"
Warrick considered his answer. "Two…Three days." He sighed. It felt like more than that and he knew it felt like a lot more to Jessica."
"The girl needs a break. That settles it." You're coming home with me." Peggy decided with a nod. "Now, hand that little sweetie over to me so you can stretch out and rest."
Warrick eyed the woman for a moment. Having some room to move certainly sounded good. The three of them were crammed in a spot that was often too small for the two people it was meant for. He lifted Jessica and placed her on the empty seat beside the Grandmotherly woman. Gemma shifted with a sigh, laying her head on his shoulder. Warrick smiled and shifted before closing his own eyes in relief.
"We don't know this woman." Gemma whispered nervously. She stared across the aisle, watching the woman playing with Jessica.
"I have a good feeling about her. I'm known for having a good judge of character. Trust me. I won't let anything happen to you or Jess." Warrick gave her a reassuring squeeze on the arm.
"Who says you're a good judge?" Gemma frowned, leaning over Warrick to watch her daughter.
"Grissom does. All of my coworkers think so." Warrick chuckled, enjoying the feel of her on him. "Only time I've messed up was when a beautiful woman was involved."
"Oh?" Gemma relaxed, scooting back into her seat. Warrick felt a pang of regret as the contact ended.
"That's only happened…..twice." He gloated, eyeing her teasingly before adding, "Maybe three…..counting you?"
"Me?"
"Yeah. I'll let you know the results when this is over." He gave her a wink. Gemma responded with a blush and a smile. He leaned over and rested his head on her shoulder.
"What are you doing?" Gemma questioned in a laughing whisper.
"Hey, you've used me as a pillow for the last three hours. I'm just returning the favor." Warrick made a big production of getting comfortable. Gemma chortled quietly and he enjoyed the sound.
"Oooo, k" She sighed and Warrick closed his eyes, relaxing.
Tbc….
Iwantboromir wipes her sweaty brow in relief and scurries off to work on her next installment