Warrick turned his head in order to hide the identity of the speaker. He didn't need Kenny to become even more agitated then he already was at the moment. Nick leaned a bit closer so he could hear snippets of the conversation. He gave Warrick a nod of encouragement.
"You're skilled alright, Man. You're real quick with the fortune cookie phrases and sending two-bit hoods to do your dirty work," Warrick insulted.
Nick twisted up his face in concern at the taunting, but Warrick could see a reluctant glee in his brown eyes.
"Mr. Brown, you only serve to irritate me. Trying to rouse me to anger will only cause me to seek the rewards of triumph from you."
Warrick was going to retort when he sensed something. The Voice was just toying with him, keeping him on the phone. Thinking quickly, he clicked the end button.
Nick raised an eyebrow in response to the abrupt action. "What was all that about?"
Warrick caught Kenny staring at the two of them, but the smaller man ducked his face away and began playing with the end of his braids.
He sighed. "I think he was trying to keep me on the phone. He wasn't demanding anything, and I didn't want him to triangulate the call. Find out where we're at."
Nick looked thoughtful, his eyes scanning the hideaway. "This is a good spot." Nick rolled his neck. "You think maybe we should try to get back to the Lab? Think your boy might stick around here till we get back?" he said with a gesture of his head at Kenny.
Warrick let his eyes roam towards the subject of their discussion, who was trying really hard to act like he didn't care at the moment. Warrick sucked in a breath. They were miles away; they'd have to take the bus out in the open. It would take several transfers and hiding away from watchful eyes and cameras. It would be very tricky.
Nick took the silence as a good sign. His partner was thinking things out. It was the first time he was sure that the man had any time to ponder what had transpired. Nick knew that the toll of trying to cover a buddy's back and keep them out of major trouble could wreak havoc with common sense. Adding to it the fact that his wife had been snatched, Nick couldn't imagine the kinds of turbulent emotions eating away at his friend.
Warrick rubbed at his face trying to shake off the lingering effects of his cold and the crash. Warrick's expression was grim; he studied the floor, but let his eyes wander over to his old childhood friend. He didn't regret his actions. He wasn't going to turn Kenny over to some mob boss to be killed no matter what schemes the little punk had pulled.
Warrick kept his head bowed, contemplating. He heard Nick adjusting his legs and re-positioning them on the grimy floor. Warrick felt the knots in his neck spasm from the weight of his guilt. His partner. He had been a jerk towards Nick to keep him away, and just like a good friend, the Texan ignored his flippant behavior and was there to watch his back. The Voice's threats towards both his wife and best friend were a burden he could not carry. He'd let go of his defiant behavior and do what was best.
They would go back for backup, something Warrick cursed himself for not doing in the first place. Before he put the spotlight on a man who had already endured Hell and back. He had let things escalate out of control and it was time to put the brakes on things before anyone was put in any more danger.
Warrick looked over at Nick who had closed his eyes, cradling his hand in his lap. Kenny was staring at him with a look of apprehension and fear etched all over his features. His eyes told the story, begging him for his help and protection. Warrick would do right by the both of them.
Warrick called out to his partner. "Hey, Nick." He coughed slightly.
Nick pried an eye open and cocked his head. There were no words exchanged and his partner merely nodded.
Warrick grunted as he dragged his sore body off the floor, Kenny rising at the same time, his eyes darting back and forth between the two criminalists.
"Kenny, we're goin' to scout things out. Make sure things are calm out there."
Kenny stammered, "No way, Man. You can't leave me here. You're…you're not buggin' out on me, are ya?"
The little guy began his frantic pacing again, causing Warrick to shake his head in annoyance. "Just cool it, Man. We gotta check things out. We can't just sit around and wait for that dude to find us. You know the best offense is a good defense," Warrick instructed.
Kenny seemed to ignore him. "Why don't you let that cop friend of yours go do that? Not like he should be here anyways," he mumbled. The scrawny imp didn't even identify the other CSI by his name.
Nick hadn't even bothered to get up; instead he cast a weary gaze between both men.
Warrick growled. "I'm calling the shots. Stay put, and don't go anywhere."
The lanky man stomped over to Kenny, who was obviously scared out of his mind. He grabbed Kenny by the shoulders forcefully and shook him a little.
"After everything me and my partner have gone through? You do what I say. Got it?" Warrick loomed over the shorter man, who gulped loudly.
Kenny scampered away and plopped down on the fold-out chair. He crossed his arms over the desk and lay his head down like a kid who had been told he wasn't getting any more candy.
Warrick didn't care if he was leaving his buddy in a huff; he and Nick needed to get going. He wandered over and held out his hand for his partner to grab. Nick accepted it and was hauled up off the floor. Nick kept his left hand close to his chest and glanced over at his partner as Warrick let out another slight cough.
"Take some of those cold tablets, Man, I'm tired of hearing you hacking."
Warrick cracked a smile. "A'ight. You take some of that aspirin, and we'll high-tail it outside."
Warrick pulled out the blister pack, popped out a pill, and scanned the rest of the package. He's been tossing these things back like they were candy. Only six left of the twelve. With a resigned sigh he swallowed it dry. He fiddled with the aspirin bottle since it would be difficult for Nick to pry open the cap one-handed and passed the medicine to his partner.
Both men headed out the door, Warrick turning his head to Kenny who still sulked in his chair. "We'll be back in a few hours, Dude. Just relax; no one's gonna find you here."
Kenny made no move to acknowledge his friend. Both CSIs moved the crates out of the way and unlocked the door. After it was shut, Warrick remained until he heard Kenny struggle with blocking the exit again. Satisfied, the two men headed back to the bus stop.
They made it to the same bus stop that had dropped them off. Warrick kept a vigilant eye out for any strange cars or suspicious-looking people. An elderly woman sat on the bench and two Mexican guys talked quietly in Spanish. Warrick and Nick stayed around the corner of a building until the last possible moment. They could hear the squeaky transit vehicle approach and both of them walked briskly to the open door and boarded it.
Warrick did not want to take any chances and decided not to take a direct route to the Lab. They would ride over towards the north side of the neighborhood where there was less traffic and fewer intersections. Once there, they would catch a transfer to the station on the other side of the Lab where he and Nick could walk from the backside of the police station.
Both partners keep fairly quiet, each lost in thought. The crowd on the bus was getting antsy as the ride continued. There was a lot of backup on the roads due to construction work. The bus driver yelled out the window when a dump truck cut in front of him without warning. It was obvious that the route was being held up, and the public transportation was running behind for many workers.
The bus lurched forward, causing its passengers to slide all over their seats. Nick had chosen the aisle seat and bumped his hand against one of the poles. His face twisted into a mask of pain, and he shoved it under his right arm for protection. After a few moments of riding out the jarring, he opened his eyes to the worried ones of his partner.
Warrick didn't say a word, knowing how much Nick didn't like to be coddled and looked straight ahead as the bus came to yet another stop. A road crew was pouring cement out for a sidewalk, which forced all the other cars to merge into a single lane. The delay caused the crowd of passengers to mumble to themselves, several people checking their watches and cursing under their breaths.
Finally, after crossing the only major intersection, the road work began thinning out and the bus driver floored it to get the route back on time. Warrick and Nick exited on North Drive; they huddled closer together and tried to stay with the middle of the crowd that got off. Warrick felt the butt of the gun hidden in the waistband of his jeans. Both men darted down a side road, away from the main stretch. Nick kept an eye out on his left, peering at windows and down alleys. Warrick watched for any movement straight ahead and glanced towards the left side of the road where a large office building occupied most of the block.
The Lab was only a mile away and Warrick set a fast pace towards their safety zone. It would have been some sort of relief if a patrol car had happened to drive by, but there had been no such luck. Warrick kept glancing back at Nick who was not able to keep up with his longer strides. He slowed down a notch forgetting that Nick was nursing at least a sprained ankle. He never did ask him when he had injured it.
"When did you twist that?" Warrick motioned towards Nick's foot that he favored more heavily as they went.
Nick averted his eyes. "I dunno." He took a breath. "When I came back to your house the other night. I sort of didn't watch my step."
Warrick tried to recall when Nick had done that, and wondered how he could have missed it. They had walked several blocks when the sounds of a jackhammer could be heard in the distance. It seemed half the city was undergoing some sort of road repair. They were nearing office parks, but it was a bit too early for any of them to be open. They had rode in with early crews going to manual labor jobs.
The sounds of construction grew louder as Nick and Warrick avoided the crew tearing up the road to make room for more sidewalk. The sound of machines smashing asphalt was enough to give both men splitting headaches. They kept their distance from the workers milling around; three of them just stood and watched as four more did all the heavy and dirty work.
The lab was only a quarter of a mile away now, and the sun was just beginning to rise in the sky. The area was no longer cast into darkness and both men felt a bit more comfortable in the dawn light. The cat and mouse game had left both men's nerves fried. They were nearing the wooded area that was right behind the furthest part of the parking lot.
Despite being tired from the long haul, they felt more revitalized by the presence of familiar territory. The area morphed into view, familiar buildings all around the edges. Another dump truck hauling away debris from the construction rolled by them, and a cement truck waited for it to pass before moving forward at high speed.
Nick grabbed Warrick's shoulder to pull him away from the barreling vehicle, the driver honking his horn at the CSI for getting too near its path. Warrick was too exhausted to give him the finger and both men waited for it to pass. A Bobcat rode behind the larger truck, its scooper filled with more asphalt. As the criminalists waited patiently for it to pass as well the driver waved at them playfully.
Warrick felt his heart thunder as the Asian man covered by his hard hat gave him a cold smile. The dump truck from earlier roared behind them as it cut off the path each of them had taken. Nick pulled Warrick towards the left to avoid the Asian who had parked the Bobcat, as they heard the doors shut from the larger vehicle that had stopped abruptly.
The sounds of tires squealed and two SUVs appeared from an adjacent parking area. The four vehicles had parked in various directions, the drivers coming at them from all sides. A fifth car, a Cherokee like the one from the other day, sped up and nearly clipped Warrick as it swerved to one side, the passenger door sliding open.
Nick saw Warrick pull out his gun, but was unable to yell a warning. Two men hopped out and tackled his partner, as he screamed for Nick to run the other way.
Two Asians in dark suits had wrestled the gun away and an eerie zapping noise echoed in the air. Nick went to lunge at the people who had subdued his friend when he felt an arm wrap around his chest from behind. He felt a cold metal device along the side of his neck, then his body spasmed as a jolt of 150,00 volts coursed through him, causing his nerve endings to overload and short out. He felt a sharp pain then everything went black.
The CSIs were swiftly dragged into the dark Cherokee and the team of goons loaded back into their respective cars and drove away. The hired muscle never saw a bicycle and its rider watch the whole thing take place from several hundred feet away. The scrawny man sat there stunned and then quickly pedaled hard to keep track of the kidnapped criminalists.
tbc...