A/N: thanks for all the kind reviews. They are appreciated.

It was a few minutes past 5 AM when Booth pulled his SUV up to a building in an abandoned factory complex. Sighing softly as he saw the assembly of Metro PD and FBI vehicles that were already parked there, he reached over to take Brennan's hand. "Look, I know you're tired and probably still sore from your fall, and I'm sorry I had to wake you up so early, but I didn't want to leave you at the apartment by yourself with Vorstenbach on the loose." Seeing her wide yawn, he nodded. "Yeah, I'm tired, too. Why don't you wait here in the car? You know, take a little nap or something…"

"Booth, I know you're trying to protect me from seeing Andrew's body, since I used to date him, but…" Brennan shook her head at his annoyed grunt. "...I want to see the crime scene. I may be able to gather valuable evidence about who did this, so let me help…at least until Cam gets here."

"Yeah...okay...but if she's already here, then back in the car you go, right?" Seeing her noncommittal shrug, Booth shook his head. He knew that she probably wouldn't want to stay in the car, but he'd wanted to give her a choice. "I guess Cullen is pretty shaken up by the whole thing. He said Hacker was supposed to be out looking for Vorstenbach. It looks like that son of a bitch found Hacker first and shot him..."

Brennan sighed softly. "Do you really think that's what happened? Andrew was trying to find Vorstenbach as part of the ongoing investigation into my kidnapping and the agents' murders, and was killed for his trouble?"

"I don't know. If there's anything left of the bullets we get from Hacker we can run ballistics and compare them with the bullets from yesterday's incident at the apartment complex, I guess." He groaned softly, shaking his head as he watched the flurry of activity surrounding the concrete block building. "I'm still pretty sure that Hacker was the leak. It had to be him that told Vorstenbach you were back in town and that I was really alive. The only other person who knew that was Sweets, but I don't think he has the clout to mastermind this plan...not like Hacker did."

Brennan gently put her hand on her partner's arm. "Maybe Andrew was just trying to do the right thing, Booth. Maybe he was trying to prevent the hit man from doing the job."

Shrugging, Booth nodded. "Maybe. Unfortunately, we may never know exactly what happened, right?" He patted Brennan's knee. "You ready for this?"

Glancing at the building, she nodded with a quiet sigh. "Yes, I think so."

They climbed out of the SUV and walked over to where Director Cullen was standing. "Hey, Sam.," Booth began as he looked over Cullen's shoulder. "What the hell happened?"

"Hey, Booth...Dr. Brennan." Exhaling slowly, Cullen ran his hand over his eyes. "As best we can figure, it looks like Hacker may've walked into an ambush of some sort. He took a double tap to the upper left side of his chest. His cash, his keys, and his SUV are gone, but he still had his phone in his jacket pocket, and his credit cards were left in his wallet, so I guess it's possible that it was a mugging gone wrong…like maybe the perp was interrupted, but it's hard to say for sure." He shrugged sadly. "No matter how it happened, it looks like Hacker died late last night. The night watchman found him between 2 and 3 this morning and phoned Metro. When Metro figured out who it was...they called me."

"Jesus." Booth let out a low whistle as he looked at the sheet draped form lying in a pool of blood on the concrete floor of the garage. As much as he disliked Hacker, he wouldn't wish being murdered on the guy. "Have you guys been able to figure out what kind of gun was used?"

"Not yet…" Shaking his head in disbelief, Cullen turned to the couple. "...but even money says it's the same gun that was used to kill Strohm and Gonsalves yesterday morning."

"So you think it was probably Vorstenbach…" Brennan chewed her lip nervously. "...that he's still out there somewhere…"

"Yeah, I do, although I don't have any real proof." Cullen gave Booth a sidelong glance. "And I think both of you are in grave danger, so we need to arrange for some protective custody for you…"

"Yeah. I'm gonna want Bones under 24 hour guard for sure..." Ignoring her groan of disgust, he pointed at something shiny as it glinted in the gloom of the garage. "What's that?" After walking over to look at it, he called a technician over. "Is that a phone? I thought Cullen said Hacker had his on him."

The woman picked it up with gloved hands and bagged it before handing it to Booth. "Looks like a cheap burner cell…"

"You're right. Make sure it gets back to the Hoover's forensics lab. Have them check it out thoroughly." Giving it back to her, he looked over the scene again. "Do you know which agent is assigned to this case?"

"Special Agent Turner…" She pointed to a young man who was talking to Cullen. "Evidently he's some sort of hotshot...just transferred into Baltimore from Dallas…"

"Thanks." Seeing Cullen's wave, Booth rejoined the director. "No obvious signs of a struggle, Sam. Hacker must've been caught by surprise."

"Sure looks that way. By the way, Booth...this is Special Agent Joe Turner...he's going to be handling the investigation into the Deputy Director's death…"

"Nice to meet you, Agent Booth. I've read your file cover to cover, and I've also heard a lot of great things about you." Turner smiled broadly as he shook the older man's hand. "You're practically a legend in these parts…your unit's closure rate is one of the best in the country. I mean, we knew all about your record setting work in the Big D field office, you know? Wait 'til the guys in the office hear about this...me working with you, that is...they're gonna be so jealous..."

Embarrassed by the agent's eager praise, Booth shook his head. "Um...I just have a great team, that's all." Wanting to avoid any more adulation, he quickly sized up the young man. "Delta Forces?"

"No way! MARSOC." Turner grinned at Booth's surprise. "But no hard feelings...I know you were a Ranger, so you probably don't know any better when it comes to us tough guys."

Laughing at the joke in spite of the situation, Booth nodded. "So what brought you here from Dallas?"

Realizing he was facing a minor challenge to his authority, even if it was unintentional, Turner nodded slightly. "I had some personal issues come up, and I needed a change of scenery. My time in Dallas was great, but…"

Clearing his throat, Cullen interrupted. "I tell you what, fellas...let's stick to the case for right now, okay?" Seeing that both agents understood his point, he continued. "Turner, Agent Booth had some concerns about Hacker's involvement with a hit man named Dick Vorstenbach. You two need to sit down and get that all hashed out...use that information as a lead on the suspect. Also, be sure to contact Ms. Montenegro at the Jeffersonian and ask her to look through Hacker's cell phone, his work computer and whatever devices he has at home, okay?"

"We found what looks like a burner cell, too, Sam…I gave it to one of the techs…" Booth pointed at the woman he'd talked to. "Probably wouldn't hurt to have Angela check it out as well, Turner…and you might want to see if there's any surveillance camera footage from some of these buildings..."

"Good idea, Booth. Make a note of that, Joe..." Cullen sighed as he rubbed the back of his neck. "Jesus...this deal with Hacker is just terrible. Anyway, Turner, make sure you use all the tools at your disposal, okay? We need to figure out what really happened...one way or the other...and we need to do it in a hurry..."

Turner closed his notepad and put it in his pocket. "Sure thing, sir. Nice to meet you, Agent Booth."

"Yeah…you, too." Watching as Turner walked back into the garage, Booth turned to Cullen in surprised. "Are you sure he's up to this, Sam? He looks like he's about 18..."

"I know he seems like a youngster, but he brought a great record with him from Dallas, and his service record with MARSOC was impeccable. He would've still been in the Marines but he tore up his knee real bad while he was on a mission, so he requested and was granted a medical discharge from the military." Watching Turner as the young agent moved calmly around the crime scene, Cullen put a hand on Booth's shoulder. "Just between us, Seeley...his wife and little girl were killed in a car accident last year...her car was hit head on by a drunk driver. Understandably, he was having a real hard time dealing with that, so he decided maybe it was time to get as far away from Texas as he could and start over. His supervisor in Dallas was sorry to lose him, but understood Turner's need for a change. Anyway, even though he's young, he comes highly recommended...he's got a reputation of being a smart, thorough investigator." Hearing Booth's aggravated grunt, Cullen grimaced at him. "We both know why you can't work this case, right? Look, it's not like I'm trying to replace you, but I needed to make sure there was no appearance of impropriety...nothing to compromise this thing when it's adjudicated…"

"I know...and I get that, Sam. I'm sure he'll do fine. I just wish you would've picked someone from the DC office."

Cullen rolled his eyes at Booth. "Again...we needed someone from the outside...someone neutral, without an axe to grind, okay? Someone with no preconceived notions about anybody involved in this deal."

Holding up his hands, Booth puffed out a noisy sigh. "Fine. I'll stay out of his way."

"That's all I ask. So how's Dr. Brennan doing?," Cullen asked as he watched her work the scene. "I'm surprised to see her here out here, seeing how she's been so banged up…"

"Well, I didn't want to leave her by herself in my apartment with Vorstenbach running around loose out there, and she's not one to just sit around when she could be working. Believe me, I've tried to get her to rest, but you know her…"

"Yeah, I do. You're a lucky man, Booth." Clearing his throat, Cullen eyed Booth intently. "So...do you think Sweets is wrapped up in this shit with Hacker and Vorstenbach?"

"That's a distinct possibility, Sam. I think when we check Hacker's phone records we're gonna find that he contacted Sweets on a regular basis. The question is why...and whether or not Sweets knew about the full extent of the relationships between Hacker, Vorstenbach, and C-Synch."

"Even if he didn't know what was going on, the way that kid has meddled in your life is a complete fucking disgrace, Booth." Cullen pursed his lips slightly as he thought things over. "Tell you what...I want you to file a formal complaint against Sweets...use a PCR form, okay? That'll give us the leverage we need to investigate his involvement with Hacker and then, if I feel it's necessary, it'll give me grounds to either have him transferred out of our office or removed from the Bureau's employ…"

"I'll take care of it first thing this morning. I'm gonna go by the Hoover to get some paperwork, so I'll fill it out then..."

"That'll work. I'll work on setting up a place for you and Dr. Brennan to stay until we get the bastard who did this." Seeing Booth's annoyance, Cullen chuckled softly. "I know you'd rather stay at your own place, and I bet you can look it down tighter than Fort Knox, but it's just a matter of time before our little friend Dickie decides to check out your apartment, and I don't want to take any chances on you being there when he shows up. So take another agent with you...go home, pack up your stuff, and bring Dr. Brennan when you come to the Hoover. We'll have a place set up for you by this afternoon…"

Booth heaved a heavy sigh. "I guess I don't have any choice." He looked at Brennan, who was conferring with Cam. "We'll both be ready."

"Good. That's one less thing for me to worry about." Cullen wiped his face with his handkerchief. "Listen, Booth, when this is all over, me and you are gonna talk about your career path at the FBI…"

Rolling his eyes, Booth shoved his hands in his jeans' pockets. "Alright. Anything else?"

"No...except be careful going home…"

"Thanks a helluva lot, Sam." Booth shook Cullen's hand and went to find his girlfriend. "Come on, Bones...let's go home."

Oooooooooo

Grinning wickedly as he sat in the large black SUV, Vorstenbach laughed with satisfaction as he watched his old beat up clunker of a car go up in flames. He'd switched the tags on the car and Hacker's SUV, hoping that'd be less obvious that he was driving a government owned vehicle, so now he could enjoy having a nice new set of wheels for a while. In his mind it was a well earned little bonus for a job well done.

After making sure the old Chevy was fully engulfed in fire, he'd left the factory complex and had driven the SUV to the parking lot of an abandoned big box store. It was daybreak, and the sun was just barely up over the horizon as he began to search through the truck's interior.

"It has to be here somewhere…," he muttered to himself as he pulled everything out of the glovebox. "It wasn't in his pocket…"

He checked the center console and the pockets in the doors before looking under the seats and the floor mats. "I wonder where the bastard hid it…"

Finding nothing after a thorough search of the vehicle, Vorstenbach climbed back into the driver's seat to consider his next move. "I need that burner phone...I'm sure my number's on it, so I gotta get rid of that thing…"

Suddenly he realized what had happened. "He must've lost it somewhere at the garage...SHIT! That place will be crawling with feds by now...there's no way I can go back there...and I bet they've already found it. Okay, think now...what's the next step?"

Willing himself to be calm, Vorstenbach closed his eyes as he pictured the scene. "If they've already found the phone, what would they do with it? They'd put it in with the other evidence from the scene, right?" He nodded to himself. "Then they'd take it back to the Hoover to be analyzed...right. Good thing I know someone else who works there."

Pulling out his phone, he made a call. "Good morning, Dr. Sweets...yeah, it's me...your old pal, Dick Vorstenbach. Surprise!"

Sweets gasped in horror. "Why are you calling me? You shouldn't have gotten in touch with me here...not with all the people around who might overhear…not with what just happened..."

"That's not my problem, pal. Now, stop your yammering and listen carefully. I have a job for you, and trust me...your life depends on whether or not you complete your task successfully…"

"You're threatening me? You're crazy! You know who I work for, right?," Sweets whispered. "I'm not afraid of you…"

"You talk a good game, don't you? So did Hacker...at least until I killed him." Vorstenbach chuckled, imagining how scared the psychologist must be at that moment. "Did you hear? He took two bullets to the chest…died all alone at an abandoned factory...right around midnight..."

"It was you? Oh, my God…this has to stop! I'm in no position to help you! Just leave me alone! None of this was my idea…"

"Really? I disagree. Weren't you the one who told Hacker that Agent Booth and Dr. Brennan were more than partners...that they were inseparable? You're the one who gave me the idea of using her to bait my trap…so you're the reason she got hurt..."

"No...it wasn't me. Hacker already knew that…," Sweets protested. "I would never put them in danger...this is all Hacker's fault…"

Laughing, Vorstenbach interrupted. "But Hacker's dead, right? You don't have anyone to back you up...you can't prove that you were just innocently passing along information. So here's the deal. I need the burner cell phone that was brought in as evidence from Hacker's crime scene this morning, so you're going to get it and bring it to me tonight."

"There's no way I can remove it from the Hoover.," Sweets stammered. "It'll be locked away…" He hesitated. "However, maybe I can check it out of evidence lock up...and then I'll destroy it for you…"

"No fucking way.," the hit man growled. "I gotta do that myself. No way I'm gonna trust you to do it. So you bring it to me, okay? And make sure it hasn't been tampered with...no cloning...nothing copied…"

"You know I can't do that…especially if they already have it in evidence…"

"Not my problem. Figure it out. I'll be in touch later to tell you where to bring it."

The call ended with a click. Staring at the phone, Sweets shuddered, wondering what kind of hellish mess he'd gotten involved in.

He muttered to himself, trying to solve this terrible conundrum. "Okay...so I'll just go down to the forensics lab and ask to look at it...I can come up with a reason why, right? And then I'll just put someone else's name in the evidence log and take it with me...but who's name?"

As much as he hated it, there was only one name he could put in the log that would make any sense.

And that name was Seeley Booth.

Oooooooooo

Working at his office computer, Booth was trying hard to concentrate on the task at hand, but without much luck. Glancing at Brennan, he nodded. She was finally taking a nap, curled up in one of the leather side chairs.

He sighed softly. Under most circumstances, he would've been content merely to watch her sleep. She was so beautiful...her fair skin had the faintest tinge of pink...her auburn hair swirling around her shoulders...her breasts rising and falling as she breathed…

"Jesus...I've got all this work to do. I can't be thinking about her breasts right now…" Narrowing his eyes, he focused on his computer monitor, resolved to complete his expense accounts, but it was a lost cause.

Memories of the night before kept sneaking into his mind. As he sat back in his chair, he couldn't help but smile happily. Making love with his Bones had been awe inspiring...better than anything he'd ever imagined. The physical part was incredible enough, but the emotional connection between them...that made it infinitely more amazing. Having her in his arms, knowing that she loved him…

Words failed him. He laughed out loud. Knowing Bones, she was going to want him to explain why he thought making love with her was so spectacular, and he knew there was no adequate way to explain the overwhelming feelings that had flooded his soul.

He loved her...more than life itself. That was probably going to be the best he could do. Turning back to his computer, his expression changed to one of savage intensity. Dick Vorstenbach had moved up to public enemy number one on the FBI's list...wanted, dead or alive...and if Booth had anything to do with it, the option would be dead.

"It's probably a good thing Sam brought Turner in on the case.," Booth said to himself as he typed on his keyboard. "I'd take that bastard Vorstenbach out without a second thought, and we wouldn't get any more information about The Council or the Persians. The son of a bitch is a waste of skin…but he might give up his employers with the right incentives..."

Booth's musings were interrupted by a knock on his door. Glancing up, he beckoned the visitor inside. "Agent Turner...what can I do for you?"

"Well, I'm here to take you and Dr. Brennan to your soon to be home away from home, but I wonder if you wouldn't mind taking a little side trip first. What do you think?"

"Yeah, I think that could be arranged." Rising from his chair, Booth walked over and gently tapped Brennan's shoulder. "Bones? Hey...rise and shine, okay? Agent Turner's gonna take us to our safe house…"

"Hmm,?," she mumbled, rubbing her eyes as she sat up. "What time is it?"

"It's 2 PM, ma'am." Turner smiled an apology. "I'm sorry to wake you, but I really want Booth to see something at the crime scene before they turn it over to the cleaners."

Yawning, she nodded as she tried to shake off her slumber. "Alright. Let's go."

Oooooooooo

Agent Turner kept up a running commentary as he drove out to the old factory where Hacker's body had been found, postulating all sorts of theories that might link C-Synch and the Persians to Hacker and the FBI.

Even as tired as he was, Booth tried to add some relevant information, but without much success. Finally he shrugged. "I'm really beat, Joe...I'm afraid I'm not making much sense right now…"

"No problem. I have this bad habit of ruminating out loud about a case...it helps me process, you know? It's not so bad most of the time, but a complicated case like this one...it takes me a while to shut up about it. Drives my wife bonkers…"

Turner hesitated as he realized his unfortunate mistake. He furtively wiped his eyes before continuing quietly. "I guess I should say it drove her bonkers...past tense. It used to drive her bonkers." Glancing at Booth, he shrugged. "I guess Cullen told you about her accident." Seeing the older man's grim expression, he nodded before continuing in a quiet tone. "You know, it's been over a year, but I still have a hard time believing what happened that day...with the drunk driver and all that shit. I mean, it was over in a few minutes, but...you know, it changed my life forever...and I didn't get to say goodbye...to tell them I loved them...they were just gone...for good" Exhaling slowly, he gripped the steering wheel tightly. "Maybe someday I'll get used to talking about Sharla...and my little girl, Lilah...in the past tense…but...anyway, I'm sorry. Unprofessional to bring it up...I know...we've got other things to talk about."

"Don't worry about it, Joe. Agents are allowed to be human...even the FBI's finest have to deal with hurting like hell…" Glancing at the mirror on the visor, Booth saw the compassionate tears in Brennan's eyes and shook his head. "Honestly, Joe...I don't think you'll ever get completely used to losing your wife and child, but, as my grandfather says, eventually there'll come a day where it doesn't hurt quite as much as it does right now. There's no set timetable for getting over pain like that, you know..."

"Yeah, I know." Swallowing hard, Turner tried to smile. "Thanks, Booth." Pulling into the abandoned factory's driveway, the younger agent steered the SUV to the back of the lot. "So this is what I wanted you to see."

After he parked the car, the trio got out and walked over to inspect the smoldering hulk. Turner pointed at the wreck with a sardonic grin. "The techs say this used to be a Chevy."

"Used to be is right." Circling the burned car, Booth shook his head. "But, why…"

Turner chuckled. "Why do we care? Yeah, I get that. Check out the tags."

Stooping down to look, Brennan's brow furrowed. "These are government plates...FBI issued…"

"Exactly." Turner stood with his arms crossed over his chest. "I think whoever killed Hacker swapped the license tags from this old car with the tags from the SUV...which will make that SUV much harder to find. He's out there driving an FBI issued vehicle with DC tags, but it's gonna be next to impossible to spot, since so many people drive the same make, model and color." He moved closer, looking in at the driver's side." So, Dr. Brennan...any chance that there's any DNA or other goodies left in there for your colleagues to find?"

"We won't know until they get to look at the vehicle, but given the apparent amount of heat produced by the fire, I doubt we'll find any useful organic material. However, it doesn't hurt to look for it. Even if we don't find DNA, we may find other valuable evidence." Inspecting the wreck more closely, she sighed. "We need to have this car taken to the Jeffersonian. Please make the arrangements, Agent Turner."

"Bones...you're not working on this car. Me and you are going to the safe house this afternoon and we're gonna stay put until this case is solved." Booth's jaw was set in a stubborn clench. "We'll let Hodgins work his magic…"

"I'll need to supervise, Booth." She stood with her hands on her hips, daring him to argue with her. "Surely you see that…"

"Ma'am…" Agent Turner turned to her with a slight bow. "I know you're the best in your field, but Director Cullen wants you in the safe house as soon as possible. We've already been out here longer than is safe, so please...let me take care of this, okay? I'm sure your colleagues at the Jeffersonian are well trained enough to work without your personal supervision, right?"

"It's against my better judgment...but...okay. Let's go to the safe house." Brennan turned and walked over to Turner's SUV. "Are you coming, Booth?"

"Wait a minute." Booth narrowed his eyes at her. "When I suggest it's time to go to the safe house, you argue with me, but Turner says the word, and you agree without a fuss? What's up with that, Bones?"

Laughing as he got into the driver's seat, Turner started the car. "You know what they say, Booth...some of us got it, and some of us don't…"

Booth rolled his eyes at the young man. "Enough...just drive, okay? Safe house, here we come."

#%#%#%#%#%#%#

Sighing as he gazed out the passenger window while the SUV traveled down the busy city streets, Booth thought about what Turner had gone through the previous year, losing his wife and child in a tragic car accident. It was hard to imagine feeling that helpless...knowing that there was nothing he could do that would make things better...that your family was here one minute and gone the next...

Nodding to himself, Booth readily acknowledged that truth...that his greatest fear wasn't facing Vorstenbach. He'd faced many hardened criminals in his law enforcement career. It was part of his job, and he was very good at it.

Instead, the fear lay with the idea that he might not have any control over a situation where his Bones was in danger. He knew that was a possibility and it weighed heavily on him. He'd do anything to protect her...probably the same way as Turner would've done anything to protect his family...but unpredictable things were likely to happen...

As Booth considered his options, he shook his head and said a silent prayer. "Okay, Lord...I'm gonna do all I can do to take care of Bones...so can You please make sure this safe house stays safe? Thanks..."

He closed his eyes and leaned back into his seat. There was nothing to do now but wait for Vorstenbach to make his next move.