Chapter Eight: Look Ahead

They had put up a fight at first, but the truth was that they didn't have nearly enough left to match the Hargraves. The Phelps' - or whatever name they chose to go by these days - had surpassed their usefulness to the Cabal and had spent the better part of the last decade hiding from them. If Scottie were to place a bet, she thought they had used up every favour they had. They had no one left to help them, which made her job easier. She would have been lying if she said the idea of them being completely spent after everything didn't leave her with a dark sense of satisfaction.

Frank Phelps blinked rapidly as Howard tugged the bag off his head and his gaze swept the inside of the plane. They were already airborne. There was no way he was escaping and he knew it.

It was Eva that spoke though. "What do you want with information about a kid that's been dead twenty years?"

Scottie resisted the urge to to bristle at her tone and forced her voice to remain steady. "What makes you think he's dead?"

"Kid took off more than he stayed put," Frank answered gruffly. "One time he didn't come back. We looked. It was our job to keep him alive, so we looked. Trail went cold in New York and didn't turn up after that."

Howard's gaze turned colder and Scottie knew he was going over the story that Tom had told them about McCready picking him up. "How was he taken?"

The other man shrugged. "No clue." He tilted his head a little. "That's who you are. Howard Hargrave. Knew you looked familiar."

"Who took him?" Scottie pressed. "Conrad Davis?"

There was a small flinch, but it was gone as quick as it had come. "Told you. No clue."

"The Cabal is done," Howard said, his voice dangerously clear and calm. "They can't touch you, so before you lie to us again, I'd consider putting a little more weight on the enemies that have you thirty thousand feet in the air with only our good will keeping you there."

The Phelps' turned to each other, a silent conversation between them. They had no choice and all of them knew it. It was a matter of reminding them of that.

Finally they turned back and Frank tilted his chin up just a little in the slightest of nods.

They weren't arresting him, but the Metro PD weren't inclined to release Tom very quickly either. He had surrendered the weapon to them and the only reason they hadn't cuffed him then and there had been Liz's badge. One question after another about the gun, the driver's license with one name and a Halcyon security card with another, and half a dozen other things were fired off in rapid succession and they had little interest in listening to Liz on it. Tom was calm and charming, explaining that they were in the middle of an open investigation - no, he couldn't tell them the details - and the dead man had taken him at gunpoint out. He had gotten the upper hand and taken two shots.

"He's handling this better than you are," Ressler said as he leaned against a table.

"He fakes it better than I do," Liz grumbled. "Have they cleared Ellie yet?"

"Yeah. I was actually coming over to see if you could give her a ride. I figured you guys would be going to Agnes."

Liz huffed. "We need to."

"I'll see what I can do to speed it up." He glanced around, his tone quieter when he spoke again. "Where did Zanetakos end up?"

"Halcyon, if she listened to Tom. Also where Nez took Agnes…"

"Go. I'll make sure they don't arrest your husband."

Liz tried for a smile and elbowed him lightly. "Don't you arrest him either."

That pulled a small smirk from him. "No promises."

Gina Zanetakos took the long route to the location Jacob had given her, looping around and through the city before finally arriving at a building that looked like it was undergoing heavy construction. Security was still tight, though, with visible cameras all around, and she would bet a few hidden ones as well. She knew of Halcyon Aegis, of course, but outside of accepting the money from Jacob six months before she had never had direct dealings with them. This didn't seem like a great way to start.

Dark eyes scanned the grounds, looking for an in that wouldn't trip every alarm this place had. Normally she would have cased the place before trying to slip in. At the very least she would have been there in daylight so she could have a better idea where things were. Gina hadn't had that option, though. If the call had been hers to make she wouldn't have been there at all, but she had used up every favour and exhausted every other option on the table. Jacob had been a desperate move and one she was only willing to take advantage of when she knew she had already lost St Regis. At least she could watch the bastards burn with his help. Ironic, really, that the two of them had led St Regis into a whole new era for McCready, had been responsible for his death, and now would be responsible for tearing it all to the ground.

"You don't look like a gardener."

Gina spun, reaching for a weapon, and found one already drawn on her. The man - tall, dark, and thin - had been silent as a cat, his teeth flashing white in the darkness as he grinned at her dangerously, motioning. "Don't do anything foolish. I wouldn't want to bloody what looks like a very expensive jacket there."

She raised her hands slowly, the gun loose between her fingers and watched as he reached for it. Gina chose her moment on years of training-built instinct, shifting her weight and pivoting around. The shot missed her and her boot caught the man's hand, forcing him to release his grip. He stumbled a little, but caught his balance quickly enough. His grin only broadened. "Have it your way then."

He was fast and agile, quickly disarming her as well. It was a dance as they bobbed and dodged each other, giving and taking and countering. He was good. Better than most she went up against on a regular basis. Part of her wondered where he had received his training before a kick to the jaw slammed her back hard enough to remind her that it didn't matter.

Gina caught herself before she hit the ground and straightened, wiping at her split lip. She needed to end this or he would.

Motion caught her attention and she stopped just short of launching herself at him, and a voice stopped him from attacking her in return.

"Solomon."

He turned and Gina saw Elizabeth Keen in the shadows. She looked like she had been a few rounds herself and sounded like she wouldn't have any issue with shooting the man to stop him. He must have really done something to the fed to hate him more.

"Meet Gina Zanetakos," Keen offered. "Gina, looks like you made it."

Solomon's smile stretched across his face and there was a dangerous amusement in his eyes. "Keen's ex," he chuckled and looked between the two women. "Looks like he has a type."

Liz Keen roller her eyes and shook her head. It didn't look like this was his first attempt to get under her skin. "Is Nez inside?"

"She is. She has Agnes."

She nodded and started trudging past them, but stopped just as she was moving past Gina. She turned a cool, calculating look on her and after a long moment the blind woman snorted. "What?"

"I just want to be clear: you so much as look like you're going to betray us and no one else in the line of people ready to kill you will have the chance."

And that was it threat made, Keen turned towards the building.

Gina just stared for a long moment and Solomon chuckled next to her. "I wouldn't test her on it. Those two'll fill you with bullets if they think you're a threat." He started after Keen and Gina joined, wondering he was speaking from experience.

"They do not like you," Ressler said, pulling Tom's attention around from where he'd been failing not to glare at the Metro PD processing the scene. They'd let nearly everyone everyone go except the Halcyon CEO. Liz had tried to get him released, and even Ressler had spoken to the officer in charge. He'd been told they were almost done with him, but they hadn't made any move towards it yet.

Tom snorted. "Cops."

Ressler chuckled, leaning back against the table with him. "Could be why they don't like you." His gaze swept over the younger man. He looked tired, worn. He was leaning heavier than Ressler had realized when he joined him and as he lifted one hand from where his arms had been tightly crossed over his chest, running it through his dark hair in an irritated movement, Ressler saw the tremble there that had mostly been controlled over the last six months or so. The doctors had found the right balance of medication following his long recovery period and everything that had followed, and from what the agent knew, the episodes that had terrified Liz so badly right after getting her husband back had been few and far between since then. Exhausted, stressed, and probably late on whatever round of pills he was supposed to swallow that night, it seemed like the right combo for a crash. "You need me to grab any of your meds from your car?"

Tom looked over, seemingly startled by the question. "No. Liz has them in her purse. I'm good for now." He glanced back out towards the officers. "Are they telling you anything more?"

"Not a lot. This is their crime scene, technically."

Tom cleared his throat, drawing his attention over to him. "Since we're working together on this-"

Clarifiers never sounded promising coming from Tom Keen. "Yeah?"

"Gina showed back up. Figure you know that by now, but it's better coming from me."

"Transparency and all that," Ressler grumbled.

"Hey, I said I'd do my best with it, not that I'm great at it."

"Mr Keen - Hargrave? - you're clear to go," one of the officers said and handed Tom what looked like a couple of IDs.

"That might have been the hold up," Ressler pointed out and Tom shrugged.

"It's not like people usually take my whole wallet."

Ressler gave a thin smile and waited a beat to make sure the local cops were out of earshot. "Listen, I know enough about the two of you-"

"You know what Reddington told you about it," Tom snapped tiredly. "And from what Liz thought a few years ago-"

"That you were sleeping with her?"

That earned him a glare. "Not while I was with Liz."

Ressler raised his hands. "That's between you two. I gave up trying to talk Liz out of you ages ago." He waited for the light jab to sink in and watched the younger man relax a little. "But it's not just what Reddington said. I saw the two of you work together in Costa Rica. Hey-" he cut him off before Tom could start snapping again - "I just mean it's complicated. Didn't she shoot you just before Agnes was born?"

"Had me shot," the other man answered, like that was somehow better.

Ressler swallowed the retort. "Just… trust us before you trust her?"

Tom turned to look at him, a startled expression settling onto his features. He stared for a moment before nodding slowly. "Least you guys won't shoot me huh?" he tried for what Ressler thought must have been a joke and a smile tugged at one corner of the agent's lips.

"Don't give a reason to, Keen." He glanced over at the officers still working the scene.

"You need any help corralling them?"

"No, I've got this. Go make sure your wife doesn't kill your ex. Before they decide they change their minds about you."

Tom chuckled and pushed himself off the table, taking the exit that would lead through the fewest officers possible. Ressler watched him go, shaking his head. He hadn't expected working with the man would be easier than working with Reddington, he just hadn't expected their first case with him in a position of leadership to be…. this. He should have known better. It was going to be a long night.

The new Halcyon headquarters were quieter than Tom had expected as he pulled in, but a quick glance at the clock showed why. They were getting closer to dawn rather than dusk. He was starting to feel it set in deeply, the peace they had found earlier that night blown away by the events with St Regis.

Everyone was gathered in his office, exhaustion hanging low over them. Agnes squirmed awake in her mother's lap where Liz sat on the couch speaking lowly with Nez. The little girl's burst of energy startled everyone as she cried out "Daddy!" and launched herself at Tom.

He caught her mid-leap and scooped her up, some of the stress slipping away as his daughter flung her arms around his neck, but it was back in an instant when she buried her face in his shoulder and began to sob. He held onto her, one hand moving in gentle circles against her back. "Hey. Hey. It's okay, baby girl. What's wrong?"

It took a moment for her to choke out the words between the wet sobs. "I thought they hurt you, Daddy. Like Miss Candy."

Tom looked over to Liz who grimaced. That wasn't good. He would need to get the full story that he obviously hadn't heard yet. It could wait until after he handled the sleepy, traumatized little girl in his arms. He pulled her in and pressed a kiss to her cheek. "I'm right here, Agnes. I'm okay. How about you?"

She sniffed hard and sat back in his arms, nodding. He offered her a lopsided smile. "You're really brave, you know that?"

She nodded again, drawing a smile for him and he kissed the side of her head before setting her down. His gaze swept the room. Liz and Nez, Solomon, Gina, and Dumont. Scottie and Howard were nowhere to be seen.

Gina pushed herself off the desk she had been leaning against like she was going to try to catch a minute, but Liz beat her to it. Tom's wife wrapped her arms around his neck, her voice soft in his ear so that Agnes wouldn't hear her tell him that Candy hadn't made it. Nez and Solomon has gotten there moments too late. She pulled back, her expression tight. "I should have called Nez first."

"It's not your fault," he promised, his fingers brushing along her cheek. They were all exhausted and raw, and they would need to be ready to coordinate with her team in just a few hours. Who needed sleep anyway? He turned to Nez and Solomon. "Any word from Scottie and Howard?"

"MIA," Solomon answered, sinking to the couch with Nez. Agnes piled into his lap as soon as he did and Tom did his best not to glare. He hated how good Solomon was with his daughter and how much she adored Uncle Mattie. Neither he or Liz had been able to stop it, and in that moment it didn't even need to be on the agenda. St Regis knew he was involved now. A united front would give them the best chance to come out of this whole.

"Jet shows to be in Jacksonville," Dumont piped up from where he was sitting at Tom's desk. "Scratch that. They're airborne. On their way back, if they filed the right flightplan.

"Yeah, well they'll be too late," Tom growled, running a hand through his dark hair, standing it on end.

A loud, angry sound drew his attention and it looked like even Solomon couldn't fully distract a sleepy Agnes.

"Jacob."

His attention spun around to Gina who looked just about done with the chaos the Keens were used to functioning in.

"Right," he huffed. "Liz, do you need-?"

"Neither of are sleeping tonight," she said firmly and he nodded, knowing better than to push. She started for the couch. "I'll get Agnes to sleep in the room back there and we'll get started on what Gina knows. Your pills are in my purse."

He watched her gather their little girl in her arms and disappeared down the hall to the back of the office space, all eyes on him when he looked back. He loosed a long breath. Scottie and Howard would have to wait. They had bigger issues than their obsession over a case that didn't matter anymore. They needed to look ahead.

TBC

Notes: I hate to do this again, but next week is going to be another hiatus week. I'm behind in writing again (in my defense I'm writing a TV show on spec and I'm trying to finish 3 full scripts and a LOT of plot pointing before the new year), so instead of rushing it I'm going to take it slower. I have every intention of updating two weeks from now. Fingers crossed.

Next Time: Gina is taken to the Post Office, decisions are made, and Howard and Scottie come home.