Chapter Thirteen

Arriving at the desired location, Grissom parked his SUV behind some crates. He stepped out and surveyed the warehouse, making sure to keep himself hidden behind the crates. It was almost the middle of the night and yet there were lights on inside. The area was secluded, which was ideal for what Prosper was planning to do, and the warehouse was definitely large enough to hide nineteen people. This had to be the spot.

Without making the conscious decision to do so, Grissom unholstered his gun. The cool metal felt odd in his grip. It had been unusual for him to be wearing a gun and now here he was holding it in his hands. He was not one to consider himself a hero, but under the circumstances, he had no choice. He wasn't about to let Nick or anyone else die if he could prevent it.

Nick.

Grissom hesitated slightly at the thought of his CSI. What must Nick be going through right now? What emotions must he be dealing with? Was he hurt? What would he say when he saw Nick? Grissom knew what needed to be said, but would he be able to say it?

Placing a hand on one of the crates so as to steady himself, Grissom pushed those thoughts from his mind. There were too many questions and none of them stood the slightest chance of being answered if he just stayed out here in the dark. He had to get inside. That's where he was needed.

Quickly and quietly, Grissom made his way towards the warehouse. He couldn't help but feel like some character in an action film about to rush in to save the day. Those guys always seemed so brave and so collected. He, in contrast, felt as if he were about to be sick. So much was weighing on his every move. He couldn't shake the feeling that with his every step he was deciding the fate of all the people inside the warehouse, and yet, he did not alter course. He had made his decision and he would see it through.

There would be no turning back for Gil Grissom.

Once Nathan had freed them, Nick turned to the teenagers and issued orders. "Okay, here's what we're going to do. I'm going to get you out of here and then we're going to find the nearest phone and call for help. I'm vastly outnumbered and I'm not about to risk your lives in an attempt to save everyone else. Nathan, what's the quickest way out of this place?"

"Down the stairs and through the main room. There's a door on the other side." Nathan told him. He rushed on to say, "But I'm not going. I'm staying to help you."

Nick shook his head. "That is not open for discussion. I want you out of here."

"Look, Levi should be on the other side of the warehouse with the others by now. That's where the victims are being held. Levi's getting ready to perform the preparation ceremony. If I'm not there soon, someone's going to come looking for me. Disappearing would be a bad idea." Nathan stared Nick, looking quite mutinous.

Nick's eyes searched Nathan's face. The young man's resolve was clearly evident. As much as he hated to admit it, the boy had a point. Nathan's sudden disappearance might prompt Levi to start putting his plan into motion and that's the last thing that Nick wanted to have happen.

Nathan met Nick's gaze unflinchingly. "Please. Let me do this. I want to help. I need to help."

Nick ran a hand through his hair, weighing his options. They were running out of time. Maybe Nathan could stall things until the police arrived. However, if his duplicity was uncovered, the consequences would be disastrous. He wondered if Nathan truly understood the ramifications of what he was suggesting.

"Do you understand what will happen to you if they figure out that you're not on their side anymore?" Nick asked.

Nathan nodded. "I understand and I'm willing to take that risk."

Feeling as if he was issuing a death order, Nick nodded in assent. "I don't want you to take any unnecessary risks, but if the opportunity should present itself, stall them. An extra five minutes may be the difference between life and death. Now, point us in the right direction so we can get out of here and get help."

Donna grabbed Nick's arm. "Wait. What about Ally and Matt? We can't leave those kids here. I won't go without them."

Nick gritted his teeth in frustration. The situation was bad enough without continually being presented with complications, but he agreed with Donna. He didn't want to leave the kids either. They had been through enough already.

Nick turned back to Nathan. "Where are they being held?"

"On this side of the building. There's another set of stairs in the main room that lead up to an office that overlooks it. The kids are in there." Nathan informed him.

Nick thought for a moment. There might be a way to kill two birds with one stone. "There should be a phone in the office. We might be able to call for help from there. Did Levi have the phone lines cut?"

"No, I don't think so." Nathan said.

"Good." Nick allowed himself a brief smile. Perhaps things were starting to go their way. "Now, let's get out of here."

Silently, they made their way down the stairs and into the hallway that lead to the main room. Nathan was in the lead as he was the only one people would be expecting to see moving around the warehouse. He was prepared to give the signal if the others needed to take cover. Nick and Donna remained a few paces behind him, trying to keep to the shadows as best as possible. Thankfully, the hall was line with boxes, making it possible for them to stay relatively hidden.

Once they reached the door, Nathan stepped through it to make sure it was clear. After doing so, he waved for the others to follow him. They hugged the wall, doing their best to stay hidden. Nick was paying strict attention to his surroundings, listening for the slightest sound that could not be attributed to his party. Part of him couldn't believe that things were going so smoothly. There had been no sign of anyone. It was almost a touch creepy. Where were they? Why hadn't anyone come looking for Nathan if he wasn't where he was supposed to be?

As if in direct response to his question, he heard it. The sound of soft footfalls just ahead of them. Like them, the mystery person was taking great care to stay hidden. Levi and his followers had no reason to hide so this must be some third party. Whoever it was, Nick had no way of knowing if they were friend or foe and he wasn't about to let Nathan meet them first.

Nick reached forward and grabbed the back of Nathan's shirt and moved in front of him, receiving a puzzled look from the young man as he did this. Nick held his finger up to his mouth, signaling for both teenagers to be quiet. Remaining completely still, Nathan and Donna heard the footsteps coming nearer to them and their bodies immediately tensed.

Nick peered cautiously out from behind a box, waiting to see who was about to pass by. His heart was pounding with expectation, but nothing could have prepared him for what was about to happen. The footsteps of the stranger brought his form into view, allowing Nick to glimpse the man's face. The sight nearly took his breath away.

"Grissom?" he whispered, stepping out so he could be seen.

Grissom whirled around, his gun held high. It took him a few seconds to recognize who was in front of him.

"Nick." he said, lowering his gun. He walked towards his CSI and taking in his battered appearance, asked "Are you okay? What happened to your face?"

Nick held up a hand and gingerly touched his face. "Oh, that's nothing. I'm fine. What are you doing here?"

"I came here looking for you." Grissom responded, suddenly feeling awkward.

Nick closed his mouth, uncertain of what to say. He wanted to ask why Grissom had come looking for him. He wanted to ask why Grissom had risked his personal safety for his sake. He wanted to know why, but he knew that now wasn't the time for a heart-to-heart. They could do that later.

"We don't have much time left, Grissom. Donna and I were going to grab the Alcott kids and call for help. Nathan was going to rejoin the group and try to stall the main event." Nick gestured with his hand to the two teens standing in the shadows.

"Nathan?" Grissom asked in surprise. "Nathan Sanford?"

Nick nodded. "He freed us, Grissom. He wants to help us."

Grissom gave Nick a swift, piercing look as if to question Nathan's reliability.

"Trust me." Nick said confidently, his gaze unwavering.

"I do." Grissom replied quietly.

There was yet another pause at this statement as Nick felt a warm wave of surprise and relief wash over him. He lowered his head so that Grisson could not see the mixture of emotions his face was showing. When he had composed himself, he looked back up and said, "Now let's get those kids and get out of here."

"Well isn't this a nice, little reunion?" Levi's voice sounded from behind them.

The group whirled around to see the man standing before them. They had been so distracted by the presence of Grissom that they had not been paying attention to their surroundings. Levi had slipped up on them completely unnoticed.

"Mr. Grissom, I had thought that you wouldn't be so foolish as to risk your life for Mr. Stokes, but I see that I was wrong. You are a fool." Levi sneered. He continued speaking but his words didn't seem to be meant for Grissom. "Only a fool would try to protect, love, and nurture someone who was completely unworthy of his attention."

Contrary to his normal appearance, Levi appeared to be on the verge of a fit of rage. His face was red, his eyes were almost popping, and there was a slight tremble running through his body. Nick was certain that he could guess the reason for this uncharacteristic display of emotion as he felt Nathan stiffen next to him.

"Nathan, I would ask you what you are doing but it is blatantly obvious. You are betraying me. You chose the girl over me after all that I have done for you." Levi said with hatred.

As Nathan stepped forward to address Levi, it was hard to say which face showed more hatred. "You used me. You manipulated me. You made me a murderer. I'm not going to let you pull my strings anymore."

"Is that what he told you?" Levi spat, pointing a condemning finger at Nick. "What would he know? Are you really going to trust his word over mine after all I've done for you?"

"Yes." Nathan nodded with a small smile.

Levi took a menacing step toward Nathan and Grissom sprang into action. He raised his gun and pointed it at Levi. "Take another step and I will shoot you."

Prosper stopped in his tracks and held still for a few seconds. Grissom was quite prepared for the man to fly at him, but instead he watched with some amazement as the rage seemed to melt away from Levi's body. He chuckled softly as he ran a hand through his hair.

"It seems that the rashness of Mr. Stokes has rubbed off on you, Mr. Grissom. If you fire that gun, my followers will come rushing into this room. You are outnumbered and while only one of your party is armed, that is not the case with my people. Do you think that you stand a chance against them? My people are ready to die. Are yours, Mr. Grissom?" Levi said mockingly.

Those words chilled Grissom to the bone. So far his dramatic rescue wasn't going the way that he had hoped it would. Even though Grissom was the one with the gun, Prosper seemed to have all the power. There had to be something that he could do to shift the balance in his favor. An idea crossed his mind and as it was his only option, he thought it was worth trying. Grissom opened his mouth to speak, but Levi held up a hand.

"Do not try to force me to come with you. Do not threaten to tie me up so that you can escape. It is too late for your idle threats. We are past all of that now." Levi told him quietly. "Right now, my people are gathered in the next room, waiting for those who have wronged them to be punished. They have waited so long to achieve peace and I will not let you stand in the way of that."

Grissom could feel the pounding of his heart double in intensity. Something wasn't right. He could feel it. Prosper's entire attitude was completely unnerving. Levi was too calm, too collected. He hadn't called for help and Grissom suddenly realized that was because he didn't need any.

Levi's face was serenely calm and his voice was barely above a whisper when he spoke but Grissom heard every syllable he uttered. "Do you know what the difference between you and me is, Mr. Grissom? I am not afraid to act. Do you know why I'm not afraid to act? It is because I am confident that I have the trust and love of my people. And for these reasons, I will accomplish my goal."

Levi quickly broke eye contact with Grissom and focused his attention on a small object that he had been concealing in his hand. Grissom followed suit and suddenly realized what it was that Levi was holding.

A detonator.

In the fraction of a second it took for Grissom's mind to make the decision to fire his gun, Levi pressed the button and the world erupted.