Mike felt reasonably assured that they'd done all their due diligence.
Tying the doctor to the support beams of the gurney with his hands and feet wrapped in tight nylon rope, then doing the same with Bobby against the O-ring on the basement floor; they were left to find Danny, before heading out to call in support and seek medical attention.
Keeping a close eye on his partner who was slowing down considerably as the minutes passed; Mike hesitated as they reached the basement stairs, carefully grasping Steve's right elbow, causing his partner to spin around and face him.
"Let's be sure to watch each other's back. We don't know who else is out there waiting for us…"
"Well, Sandy said there's four…I killed one. Add Danny and we got our four."
Mike shook his head decisively, before pointing his chin upstairs.
"You're talking about a severely stressed and traumatized woman. And we don't even know yet how she was captured, what she saw, what she didn't see. She could have been wrong about how many guys are part of this. And remember, the doctor talked about a Lucas bringing up Gustav. There's number five…and there could be even more. Let's keep our ears and eyes open, I don't feel like stepping into another trap."
Steve nodded faintly, one hand still covering his side, the other one holding the 12 gauge.
"What happened to Danny anyways? He wanted to kill you. And how did you get out of those cuffs? Danny volunteered to kill you to actually save you, didn't he? Where is he? Did you tell him we can offer protective custody?"
Mike could see his partner snap out of his subdued state of mind almost immediately, his eyes focusing on some corner of the basement, before he slowly shook his head.
"No, he just…he just walked off. I opened the cuffs, Bobby came by, I wrestled with him, got the gun, and then went to get you."
"You did all that in those few minutes?"
"Seemed a lot longer to me…but yeah, I guess so."
Mike knew that Steve was lying, and yet, he didn't have a clue why.
Whatever happened between him and Danny in those few tense moments seemed to be bothering him greatly. Deciding to leave that piece of information in the back of his mind, Mike reached forward to grab the 12-Gauge out of his partner's hand, before leading the way up the old basement steps.
There'd be ample time to discuss matters once they were back in the safety of the office, and not out in the middle of nowhere, potentially surrounded by a bunch of trigger-happy organ traffickers.
# # #
Their clothes were laid out neatly on top of the otherwise bare kitchen counter that had been covered in glass shards from the earlier shooting. Their dress jackets, coats, badges, guns and handcuffs had been put into small piles belonging to each detective. Even Mike's fedora sat neatly by his stack.
The psychology behind this meticulous behavior bothered Steve more than he cared to admit in front of Mike.
Then again, there was a lot more he refused to admit at the moment.
Respecting Danny's wish and the threat he made once they were released would be easiest to manage if Mike didn't know about the young man's last second change of heart. After all they'd been through in the past few hours; any hesitation due to caring or charity could cause them to end up right back where they'd just escaped from.
And in that case, Steve knew the manic doctor wouldn't be as lenient again.
Watching the Lieutenant carelessly shove the cuffs into his pant pocket before putting the .38 back into its holster and reaching for the black overcoat, he'd stayed back for a few moments. Between having to mentally digest what just happened, and the drain on his energy resources from the shock setting in, Steve found himself getting dazed.
Letting his eyes drift outside, he took a moment to give his tired senses a rest, as he held on to the shattered door frame for support to ward off the growing dizziness.
The world outside had started to fall dark. The thick fog, along with the evening settling in, seemed to turn this haunted farm house back into the innocent looking relic of an old era gone by. And yet, the small door to the basement right behind him spoke of completely different language.
Too close.
They'd both been way too damn close to-
"Look at me. Steve!"
For a moment, he didn't realize that Mike held his face in both of his warm hands, a tormented look filling his bright blue eyes. Leaning his head forward, the Lieutenant stared at him intently, his gaze leaving no room for interpretation when it came to the worry and tension that filled his every thought.
"Are you okay? I just called you twice."
"Yeah…", he said too fast, convincing neither Mike nor himself.
"Then let's grab your stuff and head out of here before the rest of the crew arrives."
Moving off to the side but keeping an eagle eye on him, Mike waited until Steve reattached his Special and carefully slipped the dress jacket on, before rushing toward the front door.
Stepping out into the cold darkness quickly made both detectives shiver. The damp air caused them to see their breath and chilled them to the bone in a matter of a few moments.
As they quietly wandered across the front porch, only the dull light coming through the glass blocks of the basement and the few rays of the ill-maintained yard light above guided them over to the pole barn.
Steve could hear Mike take a strained breath as he glanced around the foggy yard, ensuring that they didn't have company, before proceeding toward the barn. The entire time, his left shoulder was turned toward his partner, left arm slightly stretched out as if he was preparing to drag him along if needed. In his other hand, Mike clenched the 12-gauge rifle like a dreaded tool he wasn't planning on using, and couldn't, due to lack of suitable ammo, no matter how long they searched for it.
Steve followed a couple feet behind, one arm reaching across his chest trying to keep pressure on the cut on his side, his eyes trained on the farm house, expecting their attackers to re-appear any minute now and start another shootout.
And yet, just like before, everything remained eerily quiet.
They arrived at the barn without interference and Steve was relieved to find the Galaxy parked behind one of the Angel Towing trucks along the nearby pole barn, just like Danny had said.
Sharing the same sentiment of raw gratitude, Mike glanced over at him, smiling faintly, before reaching for his jacket to drag him along for the last few feet.
Sitting there completely untouched, with the keys dangling in the ignition and even their files still stored neatly on the dash, Steve closed his eyes for a brief moment of peace, as he slid into the driver's seat. Next to him, Mike mirrored the gesture, then threw the shotgun on the floor of the back bench before motioning to the yard.
"I know it feels good to be home, but it's time to get out of here. Let's keep our eyes and ears open."