All familiar characters belong to Janet. The mistakes are mine.

I don't allow fear to enter my mind unless I have no choice due to it involving Stephanie or our children, but something happening to one of my men is unacceptable. Knowing Tank feels the same, I felt confident with him going boots on the ground while I kept an eye on Stephanie. She knows every man here is working in some capacity or five others to find Raphael, so taking over my office and running searches on everyone Raphael has met - like she did tracking Espada - isn't going to change what's already happening.

And a Stephanie who's worried and is without a set way of channeling it, isn't one I feel comfortable leaving behind. As it is ... she, Olive, and their four-legged protectors, have stuck even closer to me with Steph raising eyebrows at me and my cell every time it buzzed. Like she's doing right now as I answered Tank's call.

"I found Raphael's phone just outside of the store's entrance," Tank informed me, as soon as he arrived at the convenience store Vince had Raphael's vehicle tracked to. "The SUV is still locked, no sign of the keys. I'd guess he never reached it."

"Where was Sal?" I asked, knowing the pair work well together and Sal had been his assigned partner last night.

Tank's pause set my teeth and nerves on edge.

"Tell me now," I ordered him.

"Sal's grandmother wasn't feeling well and he was worried, so Raphael dropped him off at her place before heading home."

"Raphael didn't reach here," I pointed out.

And for that ... he, Sal, and I, will be having a talk after I locate him.

"No, he didn't," Tank said. "Apparently he stopped on the way back to pick up some water. Before you go off on him, the store owner is a friend of his dad's. Raphael was likely just checking on him while providing some additional business for the shop."

"They aren't supposed to separate until they're back here and have signed back in."

"I know. Sal's here ... kicking his ass three times over for this."

"He should," was my response before I had to ask. "How is his grandmother?"

"Dehydrated is what he described. His mother met him there and is now taking her to the ER to get checked out just to be safe."

This is what happens when your emotions get fucked up ... you either feel nothing or you feel everything too-fucking-much.

"Shit," I let slip. "Now Sal gets to worry simultaneously about his grandmother, as well as the man he considers a brother."

"We'll find him. I have Santos, Ramon, Zero, and Slick, checking security cameras and scouring the neighborhood, funneling any leads back to Vince. We'll find him," he repeated.

"Did you get anything from his phone?"

Another hesitation.

"Tank ..." I warned.

"There was a smear of blood on, and droplets of it, around the phone. I'm looking into who it belongs to."

"Get the samples to the lab. I want answers."

"It's already done. How's Steph holding up?"

My eyes hadn't strayed far from her, but she knows she's being discussed right now.

"She's upset, scared, and trying hard not to let Olive sense anything's wrong," I told Tank, while squeezing my wife's arm reassuringly. "Our dogs and baby have kept her occupied. She's waiting on some news before she takes Olive upstairs to shoot for a nap."

I shook my head to let her know there's no Raphael-sighting yet. No way am I mentioning the blood until I know the story behind it.

She sighed and held Olive up so I could give our baby a 'have a good nap' kiss. "Whose grandmother is in trouble?" She asked me.

"Sal's. She's being looked after," I promised her, already planning a call to St. Francis to 'encourage' speedy and priority care.

Steph clearly doesn't want to leave, but she knows it's easier to get our baby to sleep in the quiet of our apartment than in the hardwood mini-crib that will be on five until Olivia no longer requires naps.

"If Raphael's not located soon," Tank said, as I watched my ladies and Gunner and Ammo all get into the elevator, "no one will be safe."

Everyone here knows that's not an exaggeration. Not only would Stephanie take out anyone who came near Olive, Julie, or me, she'll fight to the death to protect every person here. Her going up to seven when something of this magnitude is going on is the ultimate testament to how much she loves our daughter. It's stating without words that she will always put Olivia's needs before her own.

"Olive and I are double-teaming her," I told him. "If she's busy, she can't worry as much."

"Did you say that with a straight face?" He asked me.

"Yes. But I didn't believe a word of it. She's terrified and hurting ... and I don't like it."

"We're poring over tapes now. We should have answers soon. They had feed watching the entrance and the exit."

Vince signaled me, the phone still pressed to his ear ... leading me to believe he has something worth my attention.

"Keep me informed," I told him. "I might have something on my end."

"You find him?" Tank asked.

"I'll let you know if I do."

The activity in the control room is normally hectic, but today it's frantic. I had to navigate my way around multiple men on phones or tapping keyboards in their efforts to find a missing family member. My gut is telling me we have a hit and I'm praying for all involved that it's right again.