Truck Stop

30 hours missing

Danny sat in the front seat of his SUV concentrating hard on the trucks coming and going in the parking lot. He was waiting in a truck stop a few minutes from the city for a black pickup truck to approach.

His radio suddenly buzzed and cracked.

"Danny? All clear?" Jack's voice was muffled as he spoke into his radio.

He could see Jack sitting in his own dark vehicle with Jason Moore handcuffed in the back seat. They brought him along to identify the car and driver. He had eventually broken down and listed the men who had been with Aidan in the past month. The drugs Aidan had been trafficking were for a truck driver that frequented the stop they were at.

"No sign of him yet." As Danny placed his radio on the passenger seat, a black pickup truck slowly pulled into the stop.

He reached down and placed his gun into the waistband of his jeans before silently exiting his car. In the corner of his eye he saw Jack give him the signal to approach the truck as he exited his own car across the parking lot.

He watched as a man got out of the drivers seat and began to walk towards the restaurant while talking on his cell.

"Freeze! FBI! Hands on your head now!" Danny drew his gun and pointed it directly at the man's head. Startled, he dropped his cell phone and glanced around, attempting to find an escape.

Danny ran towards him and the man put his hands on his head. He dropped to his knees as Danny cuffed him. He roughly pulled the man back up to his feet by the collar of his shirt and tucked his gun back into his pants.

Jack slowly approached the black truck with his gun drawn as soon as Danny arrested the man. He opened the back door and pointed his gun at the back seat before dropping it immediately.

A small girl with long brown hair was curled up on the floor behind the back seat, her hands tied with tape. A tear was slowly running down her cheek.

"Hi, my name is Jack. I'm a policeman." His eyes softened when he realized this girl was around the same age as his own daughter. She dropped her blue eyes to the floor when Jack took a step closer and shifted uneasily.

"I promise I won't hurt you." He reached out his hand and began to untie the tape. He noticed she had a recent black eye and bruises along her arms. He gently picked her up and carried her out of the car to his own vehicle.

A few squad cars had arrived and Danny paused to watch Jack carry out the young girl. He handed over the man and Jason Moore to the police and walked over to meet Jack with a blanket in hand.

"This is my friend Danny, he's really nice." Danny smiled at the young girl who immediately hid her head in Jack's shoulder. He opened the back door and placed her on the seat before wrapping a blanket around her.

Bullpen

33 Hours Missing

"David Mason, 36, married with 2 daughters." Danny placed the folder down onto Jack's desk. His head was in his hands, he was reaching more than 30 sleepless hours.

The man Danny had apprehended was David Mason, a regular trafficker of drugs and prostitutes. Jack had found his 7 year old daughter with him missing from her Florida home for 2 years.

"This loser was supposed to just take the drugs and pay Aidan. Why did he kidnap him too?" Jack was searching through David's credit card bills, hoping to find something that would give them a lead.

"I don't know, maybe a ransom? He might've thought Jason was a caring pimp that would pay a ransom for Aidan. David isn't talking, he called a lawyer as soon as he entered the building. He's used to this."

A credit bill for a storage unit on 55th and 3rd popped up on Jack's computer.

"We've got a hit. I'm sure he's hiding Aidan here."

Danny and Jack immediately stood up and left the office, grabbing their badges and jackets.

Store-All

34 Hours Missing

Danny drew his gun and silently walked behind Jack. They were approaching David Mason's Storage unit and suspected he had a lookout.

They stopped at #87 and Jack kicked the door open, rushing into the unit.

"FBI! Hands where I can see them!"

Two men sitting on upturned crates gave them a surprised look before reaching one reached into his jacket. Danny immediately shot him in the shoulder while Jack rushed forward to apprehend the remaining man.

Danny stepped over the man and entered the back room, kicking away boxes and packages of drugs to make room. He kicked open the door and pointed his gun before immediately tucking it back into his jacket.

Aidan was lying on the ground, his hands and feet bound with tape. His white t shirt was soaked with blood. He let out a quiet cry as Danny approached him and lifted up his shirt to see the damage. There was a deep knife wound on his ribs that was bleeding rapidly.

"Hey buddy, I'm Danny Taylor with the FBI." He reached for his radio and called for a bus.

He quickly untied Aidan's hands and legs and attempted to lift him to his feet. Aidan moaned in pain and Danny noticed his leg was broken.

"It's okay, you're going to be okay. I won't let anything happen." He wrapped his arm around his shoulder with difficulty and the two slowly limped out of the back room.

St.Margaret Hospital

Jack approached Danny who was anxiously waiting in the hall.

"He's barely hanging on, but he's going to pull through. A broken leg and 20 stitches. He lost a lot of blood."

Danny nodded and gave a sigh of relief.

"I just talked with Aidan, he tried to run away and paid the dealer to drive him to the bus stop outside of town. He left the drugs in his room for his friend Gabe and they were supposed to meet up later. The guy took him and wanted a ransom from his pimp."

Danny winced at the thought of Aidan's stab wound and grabbed his own ribs. He knew what it was like to feel the sharp blade of a knife enter his body.

"He's asking for you, he's been through a lot." Jack stared at Danny deeply before giving him a nod of approval. His approval meant more than anything in the world to him.

Slowly Danny turned and entered Aidan's room. Jack heard the softness of Danny's voice as he comforted Aidan and gave a small smile before walking down the hallway.