There have been some REALLY nice reviewers asking me to please update, and so I've been trying extra hard to get a new chapter up. Thanks so much for letting me know you're enjoying it and looking forward to updates, it spurred me on in spite of being really busy! I'm trying so hard to keep up on this and my One Chicago stories. Thanks so much for following and reviewing.

A few reviewers have said they're looking forward to the Reagans' reaction to finding out what Jaime has been keeping from them. I have to admit, that idea wasn't even on my radar, but I like the idea. I'd love to know who you're hoping finds out about Jaime keeping Kate from them. (And anything else you'd like to see. I love to get new ideas to add into the story I have planned).

Chapter 7

Joe tossed down his pen and shoved his papers back across his desk. Across from him, Carlos looked up.

"I'm calling it a day," Joe said.

"You hurting?" Carlos asked.

The stitches across his stomach, and the knife slash that was healing beneath those, burned, but they didn't aggravate him as much as another day assigned to desk duty.

"I didn't join the department to push a pencil," he snapped, a week of desk duty wearing his patience thin.

"You didn't join the department to get sliced in half, either," Carlos responded.

Joe shoved back his chair and grabbed his jacket. "I'll see you tomorrow."

He ignored the way Carlos looked at him and pretended he didn't hear Carlos catching up to him.

"Where are you going?"

Joe didn't answer.

"You can't go back under," Carlos said. "We have no idea if our cover is intact. You aren't cleared for full duty."

Joe ignored him and yanked the door to the stairwell open. Carlos didn't back off. "You're going to get yourself off the unit. Or killed. You can't go back under on your own."

Joe paused long enough to look at Carlos. "I'm just going to check on Kate."

Carlos shook his head. He blocked Joe from going down the stairs. "If our cover is blown and you want to go in there and get yourself killed, fine. But think about Kate." Carlos' face was granite and he didn't give Joe a chance to answer. "You could get her killed if they think she was helping us."

Joe blew out a breath. "So what do we do?"

Carlos' jaw worked. "We wait to hear from her."

Carlos looked like he was chewing broken glass and Joe narrowed his eyes at him. "You're more than just worried about her."

"Of course I'm worried for her," Carlos snapped, his voice harsh. "Just like you."

Joe studied his partner. "No," he said slowly. "Not just like me."

#

"Jaime, you need to listen to me." Eddie put her hands on her husband's chest and tried to get him to at least look at her. She at least succeeded in stopping him from leaving the apartment.

"You're not going to change my mind," he said.

She took a deep breath in and tried to temper her tone. "You need to at least think this through."

"Think what through?" Jaime demanded, finally looking at her. "I found my sister and I'm not going to lose her again."

"Ok, and I understand that," Eddie said. She moved her hands to squeeze Jaime's shoulders. "But you need to think about Kate."

"I am thinking about Kate! She needs her family."

Eddie pressed her lips together and tried to get Jaime to listen to reason. "Jaime, all we know about Kate is where she works. And the Firearms Investigation Unit is somehow involved."

"Which is all the more reason to find her!" Jaime started to step around Eddie, but she matched his step and blocked him again.

"And what's going to happen when you find her? When a cop shows up at that bar, looking for Kate? We don't know what she's involved in and you being there could put her in danger. Not to mention the undercovers working there."

Jaime looked down at Eddie, his face looking at her like she had kicked his puppy. "You think Kate is involved in something illegal?"

"I didn't say that," Eddie said.

"You think she's…what? Hiding a stash of guns and she's the one the FIU is investigating? You think my sister—my baby sister—is a criminal?"

"No," Eddie said firmly, keeping her voice level as the frustration started to build in her chest. "I didn't say anything like that. I said, Kate works somewhere around criminals and if they think she's talking to the cops, you could get her hurt. Or worse."

She waited for her words to sink in. She could tell when they did. Jaime's shoulders fell, he slowly shook his head.

"So what do we do?" he asked.

Eddie sighed. "We wait," she said, trying to make the words she knew Jaime didn't want to hear as gentle as possible. She linked her fingers through his and squeezed.

#

Danny waved off the secretary asking him if he had an appointment. She heard her jump to her feet and then her heels clattering behind him, calling to him that he needed an appointment to see the assistant DA.

Danny got to the door of his sister's office and swung it open without knocking, the secretary scurrying up behind him full of apologies to Erin for Danny making it past her.

Erin took off her reading glasses and frowned at Danny. "It's alright," she assured her secretary. "Detective Reagan has a habit of ignoring rules. And manners."

The secretary gave Danny a scowl that he returned with a smirk, before heading back to her desk.

"What do you need, Danny? I have ten minutes before a deposition and then I have a meeting with the DA."

Danny ignored his sister's impatient tone and pulled up the chair in front of her desk. He leaned forward and waited for her to look up from her papers again.

"What's going on with Jaime?" he asked.

Erin shook her head slightly. "What do you mean?"

"Come on," Danny said. "You didn't see the way the kid was jumping like his seat was electrified at dinner yesterday? The way he and Eddie kept looking at each other? Something's wrong."

Erin started to once again put her glasses back on and look at the papers in front of her. "Danny, I have too much on my plate today to speculate about Jaime and Eddie. They probably had a fight before they got to Dad's."

At her unspoken dismissal, Danny reached out and slapped a hand on the paper she was trying to read. He waited until she looked at him again. "Something is wrong," he said. "I don't know what's going on with those two, but something is not right. They're hiding something."

Erin let out a long sigh and crossed her arms on her desk, finally leaning forward and giving him her attention. "And what do you think is wrong?" she asked patronizingly.

"Well if I knew that, I wouldn't be here, would I?" he asked with his own patronizing smile.

"Then what do you want me to do?" she asked.

"Talk to Jaime," Danny said. "You can be a little more…"

"Kind? Caring? Civil? Human?" Erin supplied.

Danny lifted one corner of his mouth in a sarcastic laugh. "…relatable," he finished. "Jaime is more likely to open up to you."

Erin nodded. "I'll see what I can do," she said. "Anything else? You want to gossip about Grandpa and what may be going on at the senior center?"

"Nice," Danny said. "I'll let you get back to throwing out cases the PD hands you."

Erin smiled. "I'll see you Sunday, Danny."

Danny waved over his shoulder as he left her office. He hoped she found out what was going on with Jaime. Everything in him was alarming that Jaime was dealing with something big. Something he might need help with the fallout.

#