Title: Siúil A Rún
Disclaimer: Medium Slash. Explicit Violence. Angst. Language.
POV: Danny
Chapter Eight: Til Death Do We Part
"Hello?" My voice comes out in a near whisper.
"Danny? Danny, can you hear me?"
I pull the phone from my ear to check the number again. It still says Aiden is the one calling. "Flack, are you okay," I say into the phone. My heart races at the sound of his voice.
"They did it, Danny. They killed Aiden," he says.
"Are you okay?" I nearly shout. Aiden is gone. I failed her. I can't fail Flack too.
"They want to kill me now. Danny-"
The phone goes dead as the connection is broken. I look at the phone willing it to ring again. It just stares back at me, silent. Desperation begins to take over and drop the phone. In a fit I hit the wall. He's alive for now. How do I find him? Is there any way to save him? I can't let them take him from me. They've already taken Aiden. I don't even know who they are.
"Daniel?" Mac enters the apartment again. He must be done with his interview.
"He called," I say. "Flack called."
"Then he's still alive."
I shake my head. "He said they're going to kill him. Something about them being the same ones who killed Aiden. Mac, we have to find him. Before it's too late."
He points at my cell phone lying on the floor. "Take it back to the lab and see if the can trace the call. Assuming that he called from a cell phone too. That will at least give us the nearest tower."
Despite my despair I smile. "He did call on a cell phone. He's trying to make it easier for us to find him. Bless his work with us. He's learned a lot."
Mac starts packing up his kit. He tells me to get ready to leave. The crime scene will be processed by Stella. When we enter the hallway I see that most of the officers have left. Mac makes sure to keep one of them posted at the scene. I start feeling antsy as we hop into the SUV and start our way back to the lab. They entire ride there I hold my cell phone in my hand. I want it to ring so badly. I want to hear that Flack is still alive. We have to get to him in time. We just have to.
We walk into the lab. Mac grabs me by the wrist. "Take your information to the proper person. I will not have you searching for that tower yourself. When you get the information that you need you come back here and wait for me. You got it?"
I nod. I take off down the hallway toward one of the lab technicians. He's known to most of us as the resident computer nerd. Tracking calls, tracing IP addresses, and other computer related detecting are his specialty. I bring him the phone and give him the information that he needs. It takes him ten minutes to find the cell tower. Even though the information is right there on the screen I still don't believe it.
Mac is waiting for me in the reception area. I'm surprised to see him. Didn't he tell me to wait for him? I mentally shrug.
"I take it we have something?"
"Yes, the tower that his phone connected to places him within a five block radius," I say.
"Alright, I've got the cops pulling together they're SWAT team. We may need them. What I need from you is to stay here."
I stare at him in disbelief. "You want me to stay here? Mac, come on, you can't do that." I sound like a whiny child and I don't care.
He places his hands on my shoulders and looks directly into my eyes. "Messer, you are staying here. Not only is it company regulation that you be off a case with personal interest but I fear that you're a loose cannon. You're staying here."
I know by the sound of his voice that there is no arguing with him. He tells me that things will be fine. Stella found something in the apartment that we missed. Something that may just give them the clue they need to locate Flack. I watch him leave. I can't help feeling like a dog left behind at the house while his master enjoys the outside world. I turn from the reception area. Now would be a good time to occupy my mind. Perhaps I'll lose myself in piles of evidence that need to be processed. There has to be a way to make time fly.
Twenty minutes pass between the time that Mac leaves and the time that the reception screams. Not being that far away I turn on my heel to see what her problem is. The lab is mostly empty at this time of the day. Everyone needs to take a lunch break. I enter cautiously into the reception area. The young lady is still seated behind her desk. Her eyes hold fast their gaze on two people who weren't there twenty minutes ago.
One of them is Flack. Standing behind him is non-other than Sonny Sassone. Parts of the puzzle start falling into place. There are still missing pieces though. Why would Sonny kill Aiden? Had she done something to him or one of his boys? I stand stock still as they both notice me. Flack has a cut above his left eye. I know that's not the wound that left the blood in his apartment. It's not deep enough.
I slowly draw my gun. "Let him go, Sonny. You don't want to do this here."
He smiles. "Messer, it's been a while. How's your family?" I hate how he acts like nothing is wrong.
"Better than your family is going to be when they find out you're locked away. Or dead. Let him go."
"But that would take all the fun out if it. The thrill, Messer, you have to remember the thrill."
A side door opens. Lindsay and Hawkes walk in surprising Sonny. He levels his gun at them. They stop dead in their tracks. For a split second he's occupied by their entrance. That split second would have been enough to end it. I could have shot him. If only he didn't play the game so well. He knows that positioning Flack right where he is puts him in the direct line of fire. I can't shoot Sonny without shooting Flack. I curse him.
"Looks like things are going to start getting interesting," Sonny says. The sound of his voice lets me know that he's enjoying this.
"The longer you wait, Sonny, the more people are going to return. Let him go and end this."
He taps the barrel of his gun on Flack. He's thinking things out. I can see it in his eyes. There's no worry in them. They're filled with amusement and he's probably thinking of the best way to get what he wants. He'll want to hurt Flack in front of me. He'll also want to get away. Too bad for him that there's no way he's going out alive. A sob to my left grabs my attention for a brief moment. The receptionist is hiding under her desk, out of the line of fire. One less innocent civilian to worry about.
"Alright," Sonny finally says. "I'll let him go." Flack relaxes a little. "However, the officer has to walk backwards toward you. I want him to see me, not the length he has until he reaches safety."
He spins Flack around to face him and gives him a shove in my direction. Flack takes two steps back. His wrists are bound with what look like zip-ties. I see an angry slash on the palm of one of his hands. That explains the blood at the apartment. Flack takes another step back. And than another. He's only five feet away. Almost within reach. Still in my line of fire.
Sonny starts laughing which puts my nerves on end. We've all played into his trap, I realize. He raises his gun. I hear the echo and see the flash. Flack stumbles back a step before falling to his knees. Another gun goes off. Sonny crumbles to the floor. My eyes register on Hawkes. He's calling for help. His gun trained on Sonny's unmoving form. Lindsay stands slightly behind him.
Flack falls to his side with a grunt of pain. The blood roots me to the floor. I can't move. Lindsay makes a beeline for Flack to check if he's okay. She kneels beside him and applies pressure to the wound. Hawkes walks over to join her, only his eyes are trained on me.
"Danny." He points at me.
Confused I look down at my shirt. I don't even feel the fire. I just see the red before my body goes into shock and I black out.