10
"Jenny? Can I have a hand for a sec?" Ianto called down the hallway with a calmer voice than Jack expected him to have.
She wandered down and found Jack with his shoulder holster in plain sight as Ianto strapped a nasty looking blade to his ankle. "Guys?"
"The FBI data base was hacked, your ex knows where you are and he escaped this morning" Jack said without looking up from the weapon he was assembling with open interest, Ianto placing ammo for it down before turning to her.
"Jack is ex-FBI, one of his terms was with the WPP. He is the best bet we have right now to get you somewhere safe" Ianto said, then his hands dropped from where he had been holding them out as one would when trying to soothe a spooked animal "Why is there a breeze?"
Jennifer swung to look back down the hallway with horror "Kids?"
"Oh god" Ianto pushed past her and found two kids standing there with the ranch slider open watching the storm. Totally unaware of a problem, of course they were doing nothing wrong but damn, it has startled him.
"We can't go back to mine" she said as she considered "And Jack's is so close with the little pathway telling anyone we go to your house all the time. This one is the only one not in the same area."
"Well… if we are digging in here, we need to … where is Red?" Ianto asked, the children's nickname for Paulie falling out without meaning to.
"For fucksake. PAUL!" she screamed as she ran outside and looked around, then came back in with wide eyes "He's running. He heard us, he knows his Papa is coming and… oh god. He's going to run for home for that stupid kitten!"
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.
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Ianto started to run as Jack told Jennifer to stay with the boys. He knew it was terrible making her stay instead of going after her son but right now he would be a good piece of bait to get to her if caught but if they were scooped up it ws all over rover.
Jack was alarmed with Ianto's lack of fear as he ran into the storm but knew his own heart was pounding with fear for that child. He had read the file emailed through, he knew how depraved this man was coming to most likely punish the reason he was doing Life without Parole and if he couldn't find her, he would have the lack of heart to actually harm or kill his own son to make her suffer.
Jack knew all this, felt it deep in his bones and although Ianto did not read the file clearly she had told him enough in confidence to join Jack in his opinion of this man. A member of the Mexican Cartel that helped sneak people over the border between Mexico and America, apparently the occasional truckload suffocated and killed but …oh dear, what a pity .. .never mind… was this monster's opinion. Jenifer had gone to the authorities the moment she had found proof, sickened and afraid for herself and her son. Their response was to tell her to go back and get more.
This man knew who had done this. There could be no doubt it was his own wife.
And Red was the only thing that could possibly be left to take from her as she had left behind her family, friends, job, life… everything but her son to hide out. Damn it all, what a fucking mess.
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Jack found Ianto standing in the rain in Jack's back yard, hugging a tree.
The firs thought through Jack's mind was that he was affectionate then he realized Ianto was making himself indivisible from the trees. Jack immediately dropped to the long grass, crawling over to hiss "Ianto!"
"Someone is in there" Ianto said back, that low voice purring like melted chocolate.
"Paul?"
"What is his real name?"
"Peter. Petey. Why he prefers Paulie to Paul." Jack sighed "Poor little bugger."
"Right. What are we going to do?"
"You are going to snatch that kid and run. I am going to sort that fucker. No matter what you hear, no matter what happens… you get the boy away from him."
"He will kill him if he can. To hurt her." Ianto said, turning his head so his face was visible as a lightning strike turned night to day for a moment.
"I love you" Jack said calmly "I love you and if he kills you your son will not be the only one that loses a piece of his heart."
"Jack. I can't… that's not fair" Ianto growled. "Not here in the middle of… son of a whore. That goes for you too. Don't get dead. OK?"
"Right. So… you snatch the kid, I kill the monster and we love each other. Oh yeah…" Jack laughed softly "… don't get dead!"
Both man waiting to fight or run … to pick their moment as the lightning flashed again and then the thunder boomed before they both took off towards the house.