AN: I think I put in an earlier AN that I have some extended (more adult) chapters on another site. That was then and now it is annoying to be on two sites so I have decided to put them here under a separate 'story' as outtakes. Sorry in advance if you get a new story alert and end up disappointed. I figure this way I can keep all in one place, but still separate so those who don't want to read that don't have to. For now, only the extended version of this chapter is up, but I will add others.

A crisis of conscience did not begin to cover it. Race knew there was no right choice here. Only the choice that would cause the least amount of damage. When he made the decision to involve Jonny, he meant it. When he told Estella he expected Jonny to protect Jessie, he meant it. There was no going back, but a sharp pain cut through his chest every time he allowed himself to dwell on it. It could go wrong in any number of ways. He was making a decision that impacted another man's son. A man he respected more than anyone else on the planet. A boy he loved like his own. A boy he did not want to drag into this world. There had not been a moment since he made the decision that he felt good about it, but after his conversation with Estella the guilt was even harder to push down.

No matter how many scenarios he ran through his head, he kept landing on the rationalization that keeping Jonny close was for the best. It would keep him occupied and where Race could watch over him.

He glanced at Jonny for a moment, buried behind his computer in concentration. His mind immediately flashed back to a six-year-old who had trouble with his 'r's and wanted to live in his Superman pajamas.

'God help me,' Race thought.

"Make a left up here," Jonny directed with a jut of his chin. "Then I can get us there on foot."

"That works," Race acknowledged. "I want to ditch the car anyway."

After parking, Jonny started at a run toward the address Race had given him. Race knew where they were going. Jonny knew the best way to get there. Jonny tried not to read too much into the fact that Race was giving him some control, but he really liked being back on the same team. It gave him a renewed sense of confidence.

"Why are we going here?" Jonny asked.

"It's a safe place to work," Race responded. "I have an old friend helping me."

"A friend Phil doesn't know about?"

"Knows yes, but doesn't know he's helping me."

"Why choose a place on the south end of the island?" Jonny questioned. "Wouldn't a central location make the most sense for getting around quick?"

Race smiled. "That's a good instinct. At the end of the day though, this is a small island. Making it harder to stay disappeared, but also making everything close."

"This feels like we're backing ourselves into a corner," Jonny challenged.

"We won't be there long," Race assured. "We move as soon as a promising lead pops and we keep moving."

Jonny nodded. He still had his reservations, but knew Race would make whatever decision was best for Jessie and that was all that mattered.

"Listen," Race started after a beat. "You've shown amazing resourcefulness today."

"But?"

"No but," Race said. "To be clear, I'm still not happy that you went after Roth alone…," then he smiled a little. "You did exactly what I would've though."

Jonny stayed quiet and started running faster.

"This isn't easy for me," Race continued. "Just…no unnecessary risks. Will you promise me that?"

"I already did," Jonny pointed out.

"Did you?" Race sighed.

"At least twice," Jonny picked up speed again and Race matched it. He wanted Race off this train of thought.

"You'll tell me if it gets to be too much?" Race asked, but knew Jonny would never admit it.

"I can handle it," Jonny said dryly.

"I never said you couldn't," Race clarified. "That doesn't mean…"

"Is there anything I can say to get you to stop wavering?" Jonny asked, emotionless. He was actively trying to keep the frustration out of his voice. "You said you had made your choice, Race. That you wouldn't change your mind."

"I'm not changing my mind," Race insisted. "I honestly need your help at this point."

"Stop feeling guilty about that, Race. I want to be here."

"You're smart enough to know that life…decisions like this are not black and white, kid. This…"

Jonny cut him off. "Stop worrying about me. All I want is for you to make HER the priority. That's the way this works, right? She's my priority. Easy. Just tell me what to do and I'll do it."

"That's not how it works," Race answered. "Your first priority needs to be yourself so you can complete the mission. THAT'S how it works. That's WHY it works."

"She's not a mission," Jonny whispered.

'Fuck…shut up,' he scolded himself immediately. 'That's not helping your case.'

"Exactly," Race mumbled. "So the rulebook you're talking about was out the window before we started."

"I don't want special treatment," Jonny continued. "I don't want to be handled. Treat me like you would anyone else on your team. Turn off whatever you have to turn off inside. Tell me how to turn it off. I'll do it."

"I CAN'T DO THAT WITH YOU," Race yelled. "Just turn it off and treat you like anyone. You know I can't. Even if I could, my daughter wouldn't want me to. She would never forgive me, Jonny. She would never look at me the same way again."

"Race…"

"What if she was the one with me right now?" Race challenged. "How would you feel about that?"

Jonny closed his eyes for a moment. 'I'd trade places with her in a heartbeat,' he thought, but knew that was not what Race was asking.

"It's not black and white," Jonny admitted. He would not want Jess involved if the situation was reversed. Race nodded, making a sharp turn to keep up with Jonny when he darted down a dark alley. "We'll be there in a few minutes."

She was so beautiful. Even when he was mad at her. He was wide awake, sitting up against his headboard. She was fast asleep next to him on her stomach. He watched her back rise and fall with each breath. He placed the palm of his hand between her shoulder blades and just watched her. She made a soft noise and he felt his heart jump into his throat. Like it did every time she was in danger. It was worse when she put herself in danger.

'You're a fucking hypocrite,' he told himself. He knew it. They were out getting some last minute Christmas shopping done. As they navigated through the busy parking lot, a woman's scream caught both of their attention. Jonny had been carrying all their purchases so Jessie got there first. She ended up breaking up a domestic dispute.

Jonny kept his cool while they dealt with the police, but he exploded on her as they drove home. He could not remember exactly what was said, but knew he quoted some statistic about more police officers being hurt during domestic dispute calls than any other type. She was incredulous and defensive. All they did was scream at each other. There was no communicating going on.

The reality was he would have made the same choice. Reacted the same way. He laughed softly to himself. If that had been the case, than she would have started the fight,

He moved his hand to push some hair out of her face. "What a pair we are."

As soon as they had got home, she jumped out of the car and expertly avoided him for the rest of the night. He hated that, but it was for the best until they both cooled down. He did not want to have it out in front of their family. They rarely let their disagreements get that far, but no one in the family appreciated it when they did. Most teenagers in love did not live together. They were expected to be more mature than most teenagers in love. Besides, it was Christmas Eve. He did not want to spend it sulking.

He just watched her quietly most of the night. She was off. He knew she would stay that way until they made it right.

"Son, why are you being so quiet?" His father had asked him at one point.

Jonny shrugged in response. "Just trying to take it all in."

Benton placed an arm around his shoulders and followed Jonny's gaze. "Boston is not that far away, Jonny. She'll be here next Christmas and every one after that I'd imagine."

"Thanks, Pop."

They had a tradition. They spent every Christmas Eve together. All night. They stayed up waiting for Santa when they were little. When they got older, they would try to outsmart IRIS and poke around their presents before morning. Once they began dating, they used it as an excuse to spend even more time together.

After the family said their goodnights, Jonny sat on the edge of his bed for twenty minutes doing exactly what he had tried not to do all night. Sulking. Then he stood, determined to spend the night with her. Can't let an argument get in the way of tradition.

"Oh," she jumped back when he opened his bedroom door. She was there with a surprised look on her face. In the red silk pajamas she had worn the last four years.

"Hi," he whispered.

"Hey," she looked down at his feet. "I'm still angry, but I can't sleep. Doesn't feel right not to be with you tonight."

"Doesn't feel right not to be with you any night," he breathed.

"Don't try to sweet talk me," she pushed by him and walked into his room.

He shut the door and followed her. "I can't help it," he responded. "You reduce me to a groveling fool, love."

She crawled into his bed and pulled the comforter all around her. She faced away from him.

He sat down on the bed, watching the back of her head. He wanted to get under the covers and curl up behind her. "I love you, stubborn."

"Night," she mumbled.

Now, it was two hours later and he was still staring at her like he had been all night. He shifted down the bed until he was on his side and they were face-to face. Then he leaned over and pressed his lips to her forehead firmly.

"Hmm," she moaned.

"Merry Christmas, baby."

"I'm still mad at you," she grumbled.

"Would it help if I apologized?" Jonny pulled back and met her hooded gaze.

"Couldn't hurt."

"I'm really sorry, Jess. I shouldn't have yelled at you like that," he paused and looked away for a second. "There's no excuse for it. I was scared and I took it out on you. I'm sorry that I took it out on you."

She leaned forward and kissed his nose. "I can…"

"…take care of yourself," Jonny finished. "I know that," he rolled away with a frustrated sigh.

Jessie placed her hand flat against his chest and waited patiently

"I hate it when you say it though," he eventually admitted.

"Doesn't change how much I need you," Jessie whispered. "The two are not mutually exclusive."

"Yes," he closed his eyes. Exhausted. "I have a hard time separating… my biggest fear is losing you, Jess."

His eyes shot open. Incredibly alert, when she rolled on top of him.

"Baby," he gripped her hips tightly, the soft silk of her pajamas threading through his fingers. He tentatively ran his hands under her shirt and up the softness of her bare back. She leaned forward, planting both hands on his chest and arching her back into his touch.

He repeated his actions a few times and then pulled his hands forward slightly so that his thumbs caressed her ribs and the sides of her breasts on their next trip up her body. Then he pulled his hands further forward.

"Jon…ha," she bit her lip hard and her head dropped between her arms. Her hair fell into his eyes. She reached up and unbuttoned her pajama top with one hand. When the sides fell open, she sat back and pushed the hair out of her face so she could stare at his hands moving over her chest. "Jonny… that feels so good."

He sat up and kissed her deeply, his hands moving slowly from her chest to capture her neck tenderly. He did not pull back until air was an absolute necessity. Then he pushed the shirt off her shoulders with a wistful smile and watched intently as it dropped to the bed.

"What?" she swallowed, pulling the sweatshirt and undershirt he wore off at the same time. He laughed at the hurried and not so gentle way she did it. She apologized by fixing his hair and leaning in for another long kiss.

"Worth the wait," he grinned against her lips.

"What?"

"I've wanted to take these pajamas off you for four Christmases."

She hugged him and giggled into his neck. "So patient, my love. You're only half done though." She scooted back with a smile and he gripped the waistband of her pants, pulling them and her underwear down in the process.

As she crawled back toward him, all he could think was that he was the luckiest bastard alive. She wrapped herself around him again and gripped the back of his head. Forehead to forehead. "I fall in love with you all over again when you look at me like this," she breathed heavily.

"I love you so much," he whispered back, kissing her neck and slipping a hand to her thigh. "I'm sorry I forget sometimes that my girl's a badass," he inserted two fingers inside her with no warning.

"Yes!"

"I just want to keep her safe," he curled his fingers forward. "I need to keep her safe. I need it more than I need anything else."

She gripped his wrist and moaned. "Not like this. Make love to me?" she asked quietly against his ear.

XXX

He dropped back to the bed in exhaustion once the waves of pleasure faded.

She collapsed onto his chest and kissed his neck. Out of breath. "You make me happy."

"Get used to it, baby."

She laughed and he felt it everywhere. He held her tighter. "Cease fire?" he posed.

"Yes," she nodded.

They just held each other in the quiet for about twenty minutes before any more words were spoken.

"Jonny?"

"Hmm?"

"We need to stop this," she propped herself up on his chest to stare down at him.

He pushed the hair out of her face. "What exactly?" he asked in confusion. "I thought the last hour was pretty great," he flirted. "Definitely my favorite Christmas memory to date."

She smiled. "Not what I meant and you know it."

"Tell me."

"We need to stop inserting ourselves in potentially dangerous situations…or we need to stop getting so upset with each other when it happens. Which do you think is more realistic?"

Jonny looked away. "I just need to learn how to take a breath first. When it comes to you, I sometimes can't remember to be rationale from the jump."

"Really," she teased. "I hadn't noticed."

"You're better?" he shot back.

"Yes," she grinned and then gave him a quick kiss. "But barely," she admitted.

He pursed his lips, but agreed. "You look so gorgeous right now. I'm gonna be going through some serious withdrawal in nine months."

"Okay," she rolled her eyes. "You can start sweet talking me again. You're pretty good at it, so I'll allow it."

"That's generous of you, baby."

"It is Christmas."

"Kid…you still with me?" Race's voice penetrated his thoughts.

"Yeah," Jonny said. "Sorry. I was thinking…I can't believe it's Christmas Eve already." Jonny stopped short before Race could respond. "Is this it?"

Race assessed the house. It was small and unassuming. Yellow and in desperate need of a paint job. It was right on the beach and all the lights were off. The closest neighbors were out of throwing distance on both sides. "Come on," he indicated for Jonny to follow. Race approached the house with caution.

Jonny was confused. 'Does this guy not know we're coming?' he thought. Jonny decided to keep his mouth shut and his eyes open. His hand went unconsciously to his back, checking for the gun.

Race bypassed the front door and headed down the side yard in the direction of the beach. The crashing waves sounded like thunder. When they reached the back of the house, Race scanned the area. Jonny did the same and his gaze eventually landed on the back of Race's head, who was staring out at the ocean.

'What's he doing?' Jonny thought. "Is this…"

"What do you see?" Race cut him off, but did not turn around.

"It's a defendable position," Jonny started. "There are small cameras all over the place. We'd see someone coming from any direction. The windows are for show only. They're sealed shut and bulletproof. The front door and the door behind me to the basement are the only exits. There's an unmarked car about thirty feet from the front door. That speed boat over there is about fifty yards from the back door."

Race turned around and nodded. Jonny felt like he just passed a test.

"How does Phil not know about this place?" Jonny asked.

"It's not a registered safe house," Race answered. "He'd find it if he was looking for us, but he's not the one looking for us."

"Is someone else here?"

"Yes," Race walked by him and down the cement steps that led to the basement door. "Follow my lead."

The door opened before Race could knock. The man on the other end was as large as Race, but Jonny guessed about fifteen or twenty years older. He had white hair, cut very short. A scar by his ear was his only defining feature. It looked like it came from a knife. He was in great shape and clearly still a force to be reckoned with. He was exactly how Jonny imagined Race would look in a few decades.

"Racer," the guy gave a curt nod.

"Temple," Race answered just as shortly.

Jonny was about to question if these two had an amicable relationship until they pulled each other into a quick hug. That's when Temple's eyes met Jonny's. Assessing.

"Who's the kid?" Temple asked gruffly. "You said you were coming alone."

"Tech support," Race offered. "Plans change."

"Get inside," Temple ordered, standing back.

Race walked into the house and Jonny quickly descended the steps behind him. Jonny could feel Temple's eyes on him as he shut and looked the door. Jonny looked around the basement. It was small, but well equipped. A mini, but also portable command center. The ten-year-old in him wanted to investigate.

"How old are you?" Temple asked Jonny.

"Where can I set up?" Jonny asked in response.

Temple stared him down, but Jonny did not look away. "Bannon, fill me in?" Temple asked. Eyes still on Jonny. Guarded. Eventually, Temple pointed to the corner and Jonny walked away while Race relayed all the information they had.

Jonny released a breath he did not realize he was holding until he sat back down and started to boot up his computer. Her face filled the screen for a brief moment until it was covered just as quickly by all the files he kept on his desktop. He had been meaning to clean up his desktop for weeks. That brief glimpse was enough to send his heart into a tailspin again.

'Keep it together, Quest. Your girl is a badass. She won't stop fighting until you get there.'

That was his new mantra.

XXX

Estella shot out of bed with a gasp and stood on shaky legs. "Oh my god," she put one hand on her head and another on the wall to steady herself. "I can't believe I fell asleep. Why didn't you wake me?"

Phil spoke up first. "It's been twenty minutes."

"You need to get some rest," Benton added. "Take a shower."

"I'm fine. What are you all working on?" Estella insisted.

"Hadji and I are compiling every source of surveillance we can find surrounding the park where Lena was found. We're looking for the blue sedan or anything else suspicious that we can hopefully track back to..."

"My daughter."

"I certainly hope so," Benton smiled.

Estella wanted to ask more questions. Before she had left with Jonny, they had all been knee deep trying to find leads. She tried to rationalize that they would have already told her if anything promising had been found. She turned to Phil next and spoke quietly.

"What about you?" she asked. "What are you doing to find Race and Jonny?"

"Nothing."

"Should have known you'd side with Race," she scoffed.

"That's not what this is," Phil gave her a sideways glance. "I'm siding with Jessie. I want her to have every advantage and they will be more effective out there."

"You sound so sure," she closed her eyes. She wanted him to reassure her.

"I am," Phil said resolutely and placed both hands on her shoulders. "Race doesn't know how to fail in these situations, even when every odd seems stacked against him."

"I know your right," she whispered. "I just hate feeling useless." She pulled away from him and sat down on the bed. "I can't believe I was dumb enough to think he needed my help. He really went all out to convince me," she shook her head.

"He wanted you safe," Phil pointed out. "That's all it was about. And now he's going to get Jess. Keep faith in that."

"Alright," she whispered.

"I need to go check on my guys," Phil announced. "I'll see if I can find anything out from Bartlett too. Be back soon."

Estella's entire body straightened at the mention of Bartlett's name. Benton noticed and gave her a questioning look. Estella waited until Phil was gone before saying anything.

"I know what Race had Jonny working on. Is that helpful?"

XXX

Race glanced at Jonny before turning back to Temple.

"He's focused," Temple commented on Jonny, still downloading all the information Race had thrown at him.

"He is," Race agreed.

"I can't even imagine what's going on in your head," Temple started. "I never got around to the kid thing…"

"I'm trying to keep my head on," Race cleared his throat. "Thanks again for making the drive down."

"I'm glad I was close enough to help and that this place is still around," Temple shrugged. "More of the guys would be here if they could."

"I know."

"What do you want me to do?"

"How do you feel about recon?" Race asked.

"Feels like home."

Race walked to the center of the room. "Kid," Race called out to get his attention and then started barking orders. "I caught Temple up. Here's the plan. We don't know who this fucker is, but we know where he was at seven and a little before eleven tonight. We know he was driving around in a blue sedan after he took Jess. And we know this is not the first time he's done this. I'll be combing through the surveillance footage."

"I have that," Jonny announced. "Where should I send it?" Jonny directed at Temple.

Temple handed him an external hard drive and Jonny transferred the files as Race kept talking.

"Back at the hotel, they were creating a list of registered and rented blue sedans. I need the full list too. Can you get me that?"

"Yeah," Jonny nodded. "I'll transfer that too. I already double checked all the names they cleared."

"I'm more interested in the cars," Race clarified. "Since a few more hours have passed, one of them may have been reported as stolen and that could lead somewhere. Put a copy of your map on that drive too. Temple is on recon. I need you to go to each blind spot marked on this map. See if you locate any blue sedans. See if anything's off."

"If you decide a location is worth pursuing, keep an eye out for structures with basements," Jonny offered. "She's likely being kept underground. Her earrings…" he started to trail off. "We're pretty sure she's underground," he sighed.

"Hey," Race started.

"I could really use some coffee," Jonny said, handing Temple the hard drive. "It's been a long day."

"Keep doing what you're doing and let me know when you have something," Race told him.

"I will," Jonny went back to his corner.

After Temple got what he needed from the hard drive, he was ready to move. "I'm headed out," he announced. "Coffee's upstairs."

"Thanks again," Race called after him. "Be safe."

"Hooyah."

"I'm fine," Jonny said as soon as the door shut behind Temple and before Race could ask. "Old Navy buddy?"

"Taught me most of what I know," Race said. "I'll make the coffee and some food. We need to eat. Be right back"

XXX

"What are you doing in here?" she whisper screamed and instinctively pulled the towel tighter around her body.

Jonny was sitting on the edge of her bed, giving her a smile that said she might not approve of his next move.

"I have a surprise for you," he stood and stalked forward.

"No," she laughed, putting a hand up and side stepping him like she did when they were sparring. "I need to get ready for dinner. We need to leave in twenty or we'll be late."

"It'll take two minutes," he whispered, lunging forward and grabbing her around the waist.

"Put me down," she giggled. When he did, she wrapped her arms around his neck and stood on the tips of her toes so they were eye level. "And you never take two minutes," she whispered back. "…which I do very much appreciate by the way."

"This will," he leaned down and spoke right against her lips, but did not kiss her. "I promise."

He walked her backwards to the chair in the corner of her room and made her sit down. Then he knelt down in front of her.

"What are you doing?" she swallowed. Both of his hands had slipped under her towel and were travelling up her legs.

"Thanking you," he said sincerely, freezing his left hand at the top of her thigh and snaking the palm of his right up her stomach to pull the towel open. "This gets me every single time," he stared at her. He leaned forward and kissed right above her belly button. He felt her muscles jump at his touch. "You get me every time," he mumbled against her skin.

"What are you thanking me for, Hotshot?" She arched her hips toward him while he ran his palm back down her body and then spread her legs. "Jonny, what is this? We can't be late."

XXX

She sighed and her head lulled to the side as he kissed his way up her stomach.

"I'm not complaining," she giggled. "But seriously, what is this?"

He reached her lips and kissed them softly. "Thanks for bringing my tie and jacket to school today. I completely forgot about the ceremony."

She smiled at him. "I meant to remind you last night, but got distracted."

"You always take care of me," he interrupted.

"I love it when you let me," she whispered.

She was curled in on herself. She felt helpless and scared and ashamed for feeling scared. She was a Bannon. Strength was expected to be the default, not something to be mustered. She was supposed to be the hero. Not the victim. She was so confident when she first woke up that her family would be there in short order or that she would figure something out. She was still confident they would come, but what would they find? Lisa…

'No,' her mind screamed. She could not go there. She would not let that happen to her. She would not allow her father to be put through that.

"Tell me you know that I'd die without you," he whispered.

She would not allow Jonny to be put through that. She could still see his face when he said that to her. Was it just yesterday? She thinks it was, but the hours were blurring.

She had given up on trying to comfort Brenda an hour ago. She was hysterical and inconsolable. Convinced she was next. She kept talking about her own boyfriend and how he must be worried sick. She was on her way to tell him she was pregnant when she was taken. Yet another innocent life Jessie now felt responsible for. The weight of it all was crushing.

XXX

Jonny felt sick to his stomach and it was not because of the excessive coffee or lack of food. He tried to force down the grilled cheese Race made him. Knew he had to keep up his strength, but only managed two bites. He and Race had been working quietly for a few hours. In that time, Jonny had managed to narrow down the case files. He knew who the FBI thought had Jessie. Well, not who. The case file was very active, but there were no active leads. Rather, he knew what this man had done to sixty girls over the last twenty years. He would not allow Jessie to be added to this file.

The possibility of what could be happening to her was never far from Jonny's mind, but the tangibility of the facts and the photos in this file made him feel like he was choking on his own breath. Made his inactivity feel like the deepest betrayal. He should be out there searching like Temple.

'Stay focused. Stay focused. Stay focused,' he told himself as he felt the traitorous tears start to form and shifted so Race could not see his face.

"Progress?" Race asked.

Jonny opened his mouth a few times to respond, but struggled to get the words out. He was given a momentary stay when they heard a key in the lock. Jonny shook it off and stood. Eager to hear what Temple had to say. Race followed suit.

A small amount of light filtered into the room when Temple opened the door. It was a new day.

"Gentlemen," Temple greeted and then got right to the point, handing Race his digital camera. "Upload those and take a look. I've covered off on half the island. I found six potential locations that I'd consider if I were this guy. All secluded enough that you might be able to cause some mischief without others noticing. All definitely have basements. Skip forward to the fifty-fourth photo," he directed as soon as Race had the camera connected to his computer. A blue sedan filled the screen.

"Where is that?" Jonny tried to ask without his voice shaking, but does not think he pulled it off. Thankfully, no one acknowledged it.

Race was busy running the plates. "Forget about the plates," Jonny insisted. "Let's just go."

Race and Temple continued like Jonny was not there. "It's parked about half a block from the marina on Alpine. I scouted the area. Some perimeter cameras, but very low tech. Looked like no one was home when I first got there, but activity started with the sun," Temple rattled off.

"The plates are registered to Josh Martin. Sixty-seven. Owns the marina," Race mumbled.

"Sons?" Temple asked.

"Two," Race responded.

"That marina is big enough to employ at least twenty people," Jonny cut in. "We have to assume any of them could access that car. Let's just go check it out," he finished. Clearly annoyed. The photos he had just spent the last hour studying were running through his head like a sick slideshow.

Temple scoffed. "Hold your horses, tech support."

Jonny recoiled and then headed toward the door, intent on checking it out for himself.

"JONNY," Race yelled, stopping him in his tracks.

Jonny pivoted back around to face them. "There are six locations and three of us. Race and I will split the locations, while Temple checks out the other half of the island. That's the most efficient way to cover the most ground. We've been playing defense for too long. It's time to DO something. Why is this even a debate?" Jonny finished hotly.

Temple turned to Race. "Who the fuck does this kid think he is? I don't know if I should pat him on the back or punch him in the face."

"I wouldn't recommend touching me at all, right now." Jonny said quietly.

Before it could escalate further, a loud knock on the door interrupted them all. Both Jonny and Race shot Temple a look of disbelief.

"Oh fuck you both," Temple growled. "I wasn't followed."

Simultaneously, Temple went for the door, Race pulled his gun and Jonny gathered his computer ready to run. All the tension left Temple's body after he looked through the peep hole and he gave Race the signal to stand down. Temple opened the door and no one missed the surprise on Race's face.

"Jade," he breathed.

She walked in like she owned the place, but her demeanor changed when she settled in front of Race. "Hi," she whispered sympathetically.

"Hi," he greeted. "I wasn't expecting this."

"Clearly," she laughed. "I was in Virginia. I don't know. I just found myself in the car and here I am."

"Great," Jonny interrupted. "Now we have six locations and three scouts. Even more efficient. Let's go," he ordered.

Jade turned to Jonny and crossed her arms. "Well hello to you too."

"Hi Jade."

"You know," she directed at Race. "I got a half hysterical call from my contact in the Jacksonville lab a few hours ago. It took me six months to cultivate that source."

"Mark? That asshole?" Temple asked. "He was never worth the time you put in or what you paid him. I've been telling you to cut him loose for years."

"Temple, shut up," she growled. "Regardless Race, I'd appreciate it if your boy over there didn't put any more holes in my contacts."

"He shouldn't have tried to blackmail me," Jonny defended.

"HA," Temple boomed.

"I'm going," Jonny announced.

"EVERYBODY STOP," Race yelled with authority. "We…"

The police scanner in the corner came to life and captured all of their attention before Race could say anything else.

"Units in the vicinity please respond. We have another 187 at Calgary and Fourth. A young woman. No officers on site yet."

"Unit 20-David responding. Five minutes out. Has the coroner been notified?"

"Yes, 20-David."

An involuntary sound of denial came from Jonny. He put his computer down and bolted. Tunnel vision. Focused on nothing but getting there and confirming it was not her.

"JONNY," Race yelled, but Jonny did not stop this time. "Shit. Let's go. He won't wait."

"I'm starting to like this kid," Temple grinned.