Author Note - Well I waited a little longer on this chapter, because I have some news for you guys. I am not going to be able to put up a chapter until at least the end of June, I will be away from the computer for three weeks! So hope this chapter is able to hold you over long enough, and hope you like this chapter I was very happy with how Cruz and Faith interacted ;) hehehe

Thank you to Jessie (Rebel Jess) all your help and listening to me bellyache about how a scene was going, you're the best!

Chapter 4 - Won't Back Down

Pain. That's all Bosco could think was he was in serious agony. He didn't really remember the man grabbing his head and telling him "lesson taught." Oh no, all Bosco could see was white searing torture of agony throbbing pressure on his kneecap. The only soothing was putting his face right into the dirt and breathing heavily into it, making the sand partials blow away from his mouth.

Hours could have passed and he would have not even been able to tell you or begin to try and understand what time it was. He kept coming in and out of it as the pain still was penetrating his mind and making it very well known it wasn't happy. Bosco hadn't moved from his position from where the guys had left him. If he even moved one muscle in his leg it would send him back into the black hole of hell.

When Bosco finally found his composure enough to actually hold a thought and not be lost in pain that seemed to be taking over every function in his body he realized how much he been sweating. He dared not bring his hand up to swipe at the nuisance of perspiration, for fear that would some how send a trigger into his leg, causing him to go back into the spiral of pain that seemed to be no end to.

'He was going to die here.' Bosco came to that conclusion. He wasn't going to get out of here. 30 Years from now, somebody would come and want to renovate this house and they find his dead carcass, with his mother never knowing what truly happened to her only surviving son. But the stubborn part in Bosco refused to believe that! He couldn't die down here, and he find a way to get out of this mess, whatever mess he worked himself into.

As Bosco was trying to work up his hopes that he would make it, he felt something scurry by his back and that caused him to jump and his leg muscle moved.

Bosco's fists clenched into the sand and his eyes shut tightly as uncontrollably tears welled up. Blood entered his mouth again from biting his tongue; it was his only way of stopping himself from screaming out in complete agony.

'What am I going to do? God please somebody help me.'

Faith hesitantly knocked on the door but when she did all she was meet was with silence. She did this a few times; waiting for some kind of acknowledgement from the occupant inside to realize somebody was at their door. But she was met with a deafening stillness, and the only sound had been coming from the apartment was the sound of her fist connecting with the cheap imitation of wood.

She tried to silence her growing fears. That now he wasn't answering his door which she knew he would have if he was there, and didn't show up at work, something was not right. More then anything she wish this was some big misunderstanding, that he even would show up any second with that look on his face of 'what are you doing, stop worrying about me' and everything would be okay. But the more she thought about it, the more she felt the path it was taking was down a road she didn't even want to try and grasp.

Turning around for she had given up on anyone answering the door, she practically jumped out of her skin. For she hadn't expected to find someone in the hallway with her, not to mention she didn't even hear them. It was obvious the other woman was scared for she grabbed her chest as Faith stepped back from the sudden appearance of the lady.

"Good heaven's child." The woman moved around her and made towards her own apartment right next door to Bosco's apartment. Faith watched as she fumbled for her keys.

Before Faith could even introduce herself as a friend of Bosco's or as a Detective, the woman surprised her with a comment of her own. "Did you ever find out what happened to him?"

"I didn't even know he was needing to be found."

The idea of this being a complete misunderstanding just went out the window for Faith. This lady had a lot of explaining to do. What did she mean by 'find out what happened to him?' Did she witness something? Why wasn't she notified about this! Faith's mind was flying fast in trying to think of all she wanted to ask this woman but again the woman beat her to the punch.

"Oh my, me and my big mouth….who are you again?" As she opened her apartment and put her purse down right next to the door and continued to stare at Faith.

"Sorry, I'm Detective Faith Yokas." She took a few steps and put her hand out so the woman could shake it, which she did without hesitation.

"So you are a cop…..that's strange." The woman getting confused and her eyes moved back and forth as though she tried to understand something only her mind could figure out.

"What is?" Faith asked.

"I would assume all you cops be on the same page….one of you all ready came by asking questions, how is it you didn't know is beyond me."

Faith wasn't sure were it came from. She wasn't even sure why she even thought it but for some reason, the image of Cruz came into her head. She almost wanted to scream out loud with that thought. Why in the world would she even be thinking of that woman? Curious as to know whom this cop was she began leaning her questions towards it, asking the woman.

"This cop….your remember their name?"

"Honey, you know how hard it is to remember something at my age?" Touching her head as though she was making the point very clear. "I just remember it was a very petite woman….Sgt. something."

All Faith kept thinking in her head over and over was please not be who she thought it was. She took a deep breath and plunge in as though she was about to make a big dive off a high cliff.

"Sgt Cruz?"

For a second nothing, no reaction from the elderly woman and then she got a nod, out of her and more then just a nod after that.

"Yep, that's it, black hair…seemed almost kind of mean."

'You have no idea,' Faith thought as she herself forced a soft smile, just like Cruz had done not more then few hours ago to the same woman. She put her hand out again and shook the woman's hand again.

"Thank you for answering my questions."

As Faith turned back around and began walking down the narrow walkway all Faith could think over and over in her head was 'Cruz was here, she knew something was up, and hadn't told her.' As she took the steps fast she opened the door a little harder then she intended as she got a stare from someone coming in as she went out. 'Cruz has some answers to give to her.'

Cruz was sitting in her office staring at the note. She had walked into her office and shut the door. She had been sitting there for what it felt like a few hours, trying to think how this could have all happened. What really upset her was she had no way of knowing who this person was. She was good at what she did, figuring out the suspect, getting the criminal. But now it was like she was the victim, and there was nothing she could do stop this.

She then tried to figure out how they knew about her stuff at her own house. Who the hell had been watching her? Cruz knew why they wanted her stuff, so they could keep her in line. What scared her was, what else would they ask for? How long could she keep this up without Swersky finding out about this?

Cruz's mind was off in another world that she didn't even see Faith come up the stairs. Didn't see the anger behind her eyes as she searched out the Sgt. When Faith spotted her in the office, she took only a few strides swung the door open and let it crash into the wall behind it.

Cruz's body jerked in reaction, not expecting such the loud intrusion into her office. When she saw Faith standing there and the look on her face that only made Cruz fire up, with Faith's sudden arrival.

"You have a problem?"

"You have no idea." Faith clenched her teeth as she said this walking towards Cruz's desk as she stood up, not wanting Faith to stand over her.

"So did you intend to tell anyone about Bosco's disappearance, or wait till his body shows up?" Faith snarled at Cruz.

Cruz had suspected that was the reason Faith had showed up unannounced. But she hadn't really expected for Faith to say it as loud as she did. Cruz moved her head a little bit to see if anybody was upstairs to even hear that. Last thing she wanted was people coming in here and asking what was going on and asking what they were talking about. Or worse go tell Swersky. As Cruz walked around Faith she turned and shut the door so they could do this in the private of her office and no unwanted ears over listening.

Faith watched Cruz as though she was a predator and could strike if she didn't keep her eyes on her, as she walked around her and shut the door.

"Well?" Faith was still glaring at Cruz, waiting for an answer. She wasn't content that she wasn't answering her fast enough and so she used her tone as though Cruz was a child and was waiting for her to fess up to the lie she had told.

"Look, I was told not to tell anyone, or that would be Bosco's death sentence, so don't take it personal, okay?"

Faith caught the sarcastic icing in Cruz's voice. That only made Faith angrier, as her fists clenched in a natural reaction. 'How dare she talk to her like this!'

"It becomes personal when my partner's life is in jeopardy."

"Last time I checked he hasn't been your partner in quite some time." Cruz snapped back. She wasn't going to let Faith come in here, and think she was going to talk to her the way she talked to other people. Hell she even talked to Bosco like that. She wasn't going to talk to her like that.

"Then obviously you don't know my partnership with Bosco."

Then the two women just stared at each other, expecting the other one to back down. But hell would freeze over before that would ever happen.

"Look…" Cruz finally said as she crossed her arms, "the more important thing is that, Boscorelli is missing and we have to find him, before it's to late."

"So what did you get him into this time?" Faith arched her eyebrow. "Somebody you pissed off so he's paying for it?"

Cruz slammed her hands on the desk, "Look, I didn't get him into anything."

Faith looked away a few seconds as though something also caught her attention. She then glanced back at Cruz. What Cruz didn't realize was Faith was counting down, and trying to sooth her temper that was a raging bull ready to plow right into Cruz at any given moment.

"Do you have any idea who it is?" Faith said with a much calmer voice then she had in the last couple minutes.

Cruz just shook her head no. Faith let out a sigh. Then after that she then she shook her head. "Then what do you know?"

"A whole lot of nothing." Cruz then finally sat back down into her chair as she still continued to stare at Faith.

"That's not going to help Bosco."

"I know," as she leaned into her chair, "whoever has him is very clever….we find out who it is….we find Bosco….just were do we start?"

"Isn't that why you a Sgt?" Faith said again on the borderline of sarcastic.

"Isn't that why you're a Detective." Cruz shot back.

Faith didn't like this. She was starting to hate this. The both of them going at each other wouldn't get anything solved. They could barely keep from calling each other names, let alone solve a crime together. Faith then turned around to walk out the door but Cruz came up from behind her suddenly and put her hand on the door.

"Were are you going?"

"Going to go tell Swersky."

Faith went to open the door knowing Cruz's weight wasn't on the door, but Cruz then put her weight into it and shut the door hard again.

"Get your hand off the door Cruz." Faith said glaring at Cruz through the corner of her eyes as she began to open it with force, knowing full well she had more strength then Cruz.

"No."

Faith actually let go of the door and turned and looked at Cruz as though she had three heads. 'How dare she tell her she can't go! Cruz wasn't her boss; she could do whatever the hell she damn well pleased.'

"Didn't you listen to anything I said?"

"I try not to when you're talking."

Cruz at the moment chose not to comment on that but pointed outside the door. "Swersky, my guys, nobody can know about this, I told you this. If they find out, well then be ready to bury Boscorelli."

"And how do know this?"

"I got a note that told me."

"I want to see it." Faith demanding now as she began moving closer to Cruz to try and intimidate her into showing her the note.

"What you don't believe me?" Cruz getting defensive. She really hated this whole situation. 'God no wonder Bosco stopped working with her' She thought as she began walking back towards her desk.

"Quite frankly, no I don't…I want to see it."

Cruz rolled her eyes reached into her desk and pulled it out and let it drop onto her desk. There was a part of her that was thinking, no way I'm giving it to her, she can pick it up herself. Faith reached down and picked it up and quickly read over it. She then stared at Cruz for a second then reread it.

"Yeah, this has nothing to do with you…you didn't get him into trouble." Faith had to put the letter back down before their only evidence got ripped apart by Faith's fist clenching again. "I don't believe you." Faith couldn't understand why Cruz had to stand there and tell her, to her face, that she didn't have any involvement with Bosco's disappearance when clearly in this note she did. Payback's a bitch? Oh yeah, that's a HUGE indication that somebody is after you and there taking it out on those you know.

"So help me God Cruz, if he ends up dead….your going to wish you never heard of me." Faith then turned around opened the door, again she opened it so hard that it hit the wall and it bounced off leaving it half open.

'This day just keeps getting better and better' Cruz thought.

TBC…..

I have heard that we are no longer suppose to reply back to the authors anymore, but that is what I have heard so I am going to get to the bottom of it and see were this "information" was heard from. I still want to give a shout out to those who reviewed still,

Margarita, radioactive raccoony, Lloydie, Sbosco, Nadia, Wapps921, Checca,

Thank to you all, sorry I couldn't respond like in the past. I just from the information is being told, if you continue you this, your story will be deleted or worse, your account. So I wanted to still take the time and thank each and every one, and that your reviews really do not go unheard, if you leave your e-mail I'll get back to you and thank you each personally ;) thanks again.

Till next time, chow!