A/N: I know, I know! It's been a really long time since I've updated this, but I've been so incredibly busy! I'm not a huge fan of this chapter since I have major writer's block, but I'm glad I finally spit it out. This is a shorter chapter, but I think I'm going to try and fit the rest of the story I have planned into at least another two chapters. Maybe three. Thank you to everyone who understands that real life gets in the way of writing, and I'm grateful to everyone who reads and reviews my fics. You mean the world! Here goes chapter 10! I don't SVU or its characters. Enjoy!

P.S. I'm also working on the next chapter to Misery Loves Company! So stay tuned for that!

Monday – 9:10 p.m.

It was dark and cold and it smelled old down there.

He could feel the freezing concrete through his sandals as he shivered and swiveled the candle around him, making sure he nothing was down there that could attack him. The only thing he could hear was a faint dripping noise and the soft noises of the television drifting down through the open door.

Rafael swallowed the lump in his throat, his fear threatening to consume him as he moved away from the ladder and toward the wooden structure he knew was standing behind his only way out of here. The small candle provided just enough light that he could see caked on dust and dirt over the surface, that was a vanity, more than a desk. He could barely see his reflection in the mirror, it was so dusty, but he could see the photos shoved into the sides between the glass and the wood. They were old, black and white pictures of people from some time ago, but Rafael didn't pay them much mind.

He was too focused on scouring the drawers, which were turning up nothing in return. He closed them, careful not to move anything, although he was positive no one had been down there in quite some time. It was a small space, as well. He could feel the cold stone touch his right arm as he backed into it and quickly swept to the left.

Rafael moved forward, keeping one arm out in front of him as his eyes darted all around. He stopped when he thought he heard a loud thump from up above him. He listened carefully, eyes finding the open hatch and the light pouring in through it, listening intently for the kids. He stood there for, what had to be, more than a few minutes before he decided to continue.

He took hesitant steps forward, sweeping the candle back and forth. To his left, he could see the outline of shelves that had nothing on them, other than a few odds and ends that wouldn't serve him anything. That side of the room was relatively bare and he realized, as he swept to the left where a row of dark blue covered boxes stood, just how small this little area truly was.

He moved along the crates, dipping his candle low to make sure he didn't miss anything, and stopped when the row ended. A small row of lockers came into sight as he walked further, the scent of cleaning supplies suddenly assaulting his nostrils. It was so strong, mixed with another odd chemical scent and he shoved his shirt over his nose to try and block out the scent, the same time some of the candle wax dripped onto his thumb, burning the skin for a moment.

"Fuck," he hissed and pulled the sleeve down over his other hand and switched the candle, wiping the wax away on his pant leg. With his nose covered and his dominant hand free, he held the light up the locker and touched the rusted steel around the open padlock. He fought with it for a moment as he twisted it out of the lock. It clattered on the floor by his foot, and he cursed, bending down to pick it up. In the light, he could see some candle wax drip on the floor, but he didn't bother to try and wipe it away.

He stood back up and kept the lock in his hand, using his finger to lift up the creaky trigger to swing open the locker door. It was loud in the quiet of the basement, and he dragged the candle towards the opening. At first, all he saw was a dusty, clear tarp, shoved haphazardly into the small space. He coughed as a puff flew towards him and dispersed in his face.

He pulled the candle up, pulling it as close as he possibly could to the tarp without touching the old plastic. The flame danced and flickered over the rippled material, until he hovered over the first dark, streak that looked stained into the plastic. He had a sickening feeling when he realized it looked like a dark red.

He debated for a moment, feeling sweat beginning to bead his brow and his stomach turn. He pulled the candle away and stared into the darkness in front of him, breathing harshly. Rafael stood there a moment longer and then blindly reached out to close the door, latching it shut before he moved the candle back to slide the lock back into place. He didn't want to know what he was just looking at.

Calming himself, he kept moving forward. He swept the candle back and forth, trying to swallow the fear and nausea swelling up in his throat. He was able to walk another two feet before he had to stop again, his knuckles grazing against harsh wood, and his breath caught in his throat when he moved the candle closer. The rungs of another ladder made his brow furrow.

He moved one of his feet out in front of him, shifting another box out of the way so he could come to fully stand in front of the wood. He felt a hint of fear as he slowly climbed, the wood creaking under his weight.

Eventually, he came to a stop, a little way up a small well. He could faintly here the sounds of wind whistling above him and he reached up, fingers brushing rough wood again. He pushed his flat palm above it and pressed, budging it a little. Dirt fell onto his face and into his mouth, but he just spit it out and continued to press.

He could feel his heart racing the more it budged and he cursed, beginning to use all of his strength until it finally gave way. More dirt rained won upon him and he shifted away to avoid getting it into his eyes. He could see a streak of light against his arm and his heart nearly stuttered to a stop in his chest.

He gathered himself and blew out the candle, letting it drop to the ground so he could one-handedly climb up the ladder. He carefully pushed the door open all the way until half of his body was completely out in the open night air breezing past him. He sighed in relief, breathing the fresh air and looking up at the incredibly starry night sky.

There was a way out. There was a way out and they were going to make it out of this alive. He could feel hope bloom in his chest and just as he was about to quickly climb down the ladder, he could hear the familiar click of a gun behind him and the barrel of one pressed against his head.

Monday – 9:10 p.m.

They were given a list of coordinates and they'd only been to two locations, with no results so far.

They had to wait till night fall to traverse the desert land outside of the city, much to everyone's chagrin, but it was understandable. Using the natural darkness to sneak their way into potential safehouses where Rafael and the kids could be being kept was the smartest decision, but Cabo was surrounded by desert, and the list they had was almost as long as her arm.

The jeep they were in bumped and rattled along the rough terrain and her stomach was churning with every movement. Her hand held on to the door and her eyes were unfocused, staring out at the starry night sky above their heads. It was beautiful. Unfiltered.

Noah would love to go stargazing out here. With a blanket, his telescope she had stashed away in her closet for his upcoming birthday. He would be so happy. With her and Rafael there, flipping through the pages of his book of constellations. She imagined they would need a flashlight and she cracked a small smile at the image of Rafael, hunched over a book with his reading glasses on, flashlight poised in his hand and talking excitedly with Noah.

Her heart ached at the mental image being conjured up. She wouldn't cry, though. There would be time for that later, after they were done here in the desert. Hopefully, by the morning, her son and her lover would be back in her arms again.

"Nothing new."

She glanced over at Barnes, who was locking his phone and sliding it into his pocket. Nothing new meant no other videos had been uploaded today, which was good but also terrifying. Cruz didn't outright say it, but he alluded to a type of video schedule these cartels followed. The next video could be worse than the last. She didn't know how it could be any worse than a gun in her son's face, and she didn't want to dig deep to find out.

She took a calming breath at the feeling of her stomach climbing up into her throat and forced her thoughts back to the stars.

"We've got a small house about three miles left of your position. Two cars parked out front. No bodies."

The crackling radio up front startled her a little but she sat up at the mention of a house. She tugged on the material of her bullet proof vest and looked at Fin, who was leaned forward and looking back and forth between Cruz and his partner.

"Roger," Cruz said shortly and after a moment, took a hard left. She felt Fin's weight pressing against her side, forcing her against the door and she grunted when they were righted again.

"No bodies outside are good, right?"

Cruz looked at Fin in the rearview, barely visible in the dark car, "That could mean anything. They could be sleeping in their cars…inside the house…we don't know. We need to be cautious when we approach. They're skilled shooters."

"It's…what, us, plus the five in the other car…against two of 'em? We can drop 'em quick."

"You've never dealt with a cartel. Two feels like a thousand sometimes."

Liv's stomach churned at that. They could be inside the house. The house that potentially held her baby, Rafael, and Jesse. She shuddered to think at what that could mean or what could be happening. The way Cruz talked about them, they would do almost anything to break their victims. Even children.

"We're going to park a mile out and walk on foot the rest of the way. We have a helicopter ready to drop on the position."

"A helicopter?"

"Trust me.

Finn glanced at Liv, brow furrowed, "Won't they hear the thing and bug out?"

"It'll get there before they even have a chance to make it far. They're more likely to stay and fight rather than flee. It's our best chance."

"I don't see how."

Cruz huffed, clearly annoyed and Liv locked her hand around Finn's wrist, shaking it a little. It was a sign for him to stop talking. Liv didn't like the idea of it, any of this, either, but they were the experts in this field. They weren't in Manhattan. They were in Mexico. This was their turf, not theirs. She hated putting blind faith in people like Cruz, but she had to for the sake of her well-being. If they didn't find them soon, it was going to start taking a toll on her.

"Let them do their thing. If they fuck it up, they'll have to deal with me."

Cruz eyed her in the rearview mirror, and she made it clear with the expression on her face that she wasn't kidding. If anything happened to any of them…

"We won't."

Liv looked away from his steely gaze and continued to look out the window, her hand still locked around Finn's wrist. They rolled to a stop eventually and the lights were cut out completely, the cars turned off and the silence settling in around them. They sat there for a minute, completely quiet and motionless before Cruz turned and nodded at them, signaling it was time to go on foot.

Monday – 9:17 p.m.

"You're a smart one."

Rafael swallowed the lump in his throat when he recognized the voice and he closed his eyes, emotions taking over but he wouldn't let his tears fall. All he could think about were the kids inside the house, sleeping peacefully, unaware of the danger he just shoved them all into.

"Please- "

"Shut up and get out of there."

Rafael did as he was told, albeit with hesitation. He climbed out carefully, scraping his knees on the rough dirt and standing, facing away from Juan with tense shoulders. He could hear the man light a cigarette and his footsteps as he stepped around the open trap door and faced him. The gun was against limp in his hand as Juan eyed him, shaking his head. He spoke quietly in Spanish when he did open his mouth.

"You're the first one to find that, you know?

Rafael was unsure of his own voice, so he didn't respond. Instead, he watched the hand with the gun, needing to track every movement. It would be so easy to do the wrong thing or say the wrong thing and end up with a bullet lodged between his eyes, and he couldn't let that happen. Not before he knew the kids were safe.

"We have kept a lot of people in there. No one has ever checked under the bed."

Rafael furrowed his brow and licked his lips, "How did you know I was down there?"

Juan grinned, "When I came in earlier I saw the bed was crooked. I figured you weren't going to risk checking things out until later, when you thought I was gone and Martín and Nicolás would hear you. I guess I was right."

"I wasn't going to run. I swear." That was a lie. The first thought that popped into his head as soon as he opened the door was getting the kids and bolting out into the desert. Juan knew it was a lie, as well.

"Good. Because we need to discuss some things."

Juan took another long drag from the cigarette in his mouth and crushed it under his foot, blowing smoke into his face as he did so. Rafael held back a cough and stared the man down, eyes flicking down to the gun.

"The reason why you are here is simple. We have a shipment of drugs that need to get into the United States, worth 10 million dollars. That's a lot of money, don't you agree?"

Rafael nodded and watched Juan lean back against the house. He felt like he could breathe again when the gun was shoved into the back of the man's pants again. Juan pulled out another cigarette and held out the pack to him, but he shook his head.

"It's on a boat right now, waiting to head to a port in San Diego. It'll dock around 6 p.m. tomorrow night and the drugs will be transported off in suit cases and to a hotel, where the exchange will be made."

Juan looked over at him, eyes piercing his, "And there is a problem with that."

Rafael asked why on autopilot, wanting to know why, exactly, he was being told this info. He had fully been ready to beg for mercy for the kids and his own life.

"We've been getting cracked down hard core by undercover American DEA. The last reliable guy we had just got snatched today. Questioned and snitched on our location. Well, one of them anyway."

Rafael's eyebrows shot up and he had the sinking feeling that somehow, someway, Liv and everyone else was involved in that.

"Rolando Marquez, our leader, isn't happy about that. He wanted me to come over here and kill the little girl. Then, kill the little boy, and then kill you. One-by-one, right in front of your eyes. He knows your friends were involved with that and he wants revenge."

He clenched his fists, refusing to let the fear show so obviously through his body. He shook a little as another breeze passed through and Rafael stared down at the ground, refusing to look at the man.

"I convinced him to let you all live. On one condition."

He hadn't been expecting to that, but it was welcome. Rafael immediately blurted out, "What?"

Juan ran his thumb along his bottom lip and glanced at him, "If you agree to take the shipment to the port and drop it off, we'll let you live."

Juan stood up and straight and pulled out his phone, checking the time and then looking up to the sky. Rafael watched his movements but didn't absorb it. He was still reeling from the suggestion that he be the one to take on this task and do their dirty work for them.

"Why me?"

Juan chuckled, "You're a smart man. Abogado. You look American enough to pass through on a little boat without being stopped."

"What about border patrol?"

"Border patrol down there is paid off. Loyalty means shit to half of those fuckers working to keep my people out. They get paid, they let us slip through with fake documents."

"But…I don't know how to drive a boat."

"…I'll be going with you."

"My face is probably plastered all over the news. You said it would be. I could get recognized."

"Not with a hat and sunglasses. Like I said...no loyalty."

He snuffed out his cigarette and slid the gun out of his pants again, making Rafael flinch.

"I need an answer. Yes, and we go right now. No, and you can watch those poor little kids die."

Rafael felt his stomach swirl at the possibility and without hesitation, he said yes, not daring to look at anything over than the gun. Juan nodded his head, "Good call. C'mon. We're leaving."

"Wait," Rafael stopped, "What about them?"

He pointed back at the house, but Juan shoved the gun into his face again, making him lean back a little. Rafael felt his heart rate pick up, beating against his rib cage like a drum.

"We don't have time to talk."

Rafael swallowed, eyes locking onto his, "I'm not leaving till I know their safe."

Juan's lip curled, "They're safe. Don't worry. They'll be back with their mommies before we even leave. Now walk."

Rafael hesitated, glancing back at the house. There was no reason for him to even believe this man, especially after he put guns to Noah's and Jesse's heads, after he was told no harm would come to them.

"You have my word. They'll be with their mother's in a few short hours. Does that make you feel better?"

Actually, Rafael realized, it did. Something in him told him to trust this man he who had taken them captive. Something was whispering to him to just go before he could fuck things up and get them all killed. Juan had a glint in his eye that was trustworthy enough for Rafael to move his feet alongside him, headed towards a wall of tall mountains and away from the house.

Monday – 9:32 p.m.

The walk was slow and quiet, and there at least twelve of them watching their steps as they walked. The dirt crunched under their feet and they weren't allowed to talk, but Liv took comfort in being close to her detectives and these men who she had to put complete faith and trust in, even though she didn't want to.

In the distance, they could hear a chopper headed in bound to their location that was just a mile away and coming into view. The closer they got, the quieter they had to become. Eventually, they were all on the ground, crouched behind a wall of rocks, and peeking over the jagged edges to see two black cars parked outside of a shack.

It looked out of place in the middle of the desert, but Cruz said there were hundreds of these little houses that were used as safehouses, where they kept drugs, money, any and all illegal activity, and abducted or dead bodies. Countless times these places had been raided, and countless times, they had been reestablished. It was like a cancer, and the cartels just wouldn't go away.

"Chopper inbound. ETA two minutes."

They all nodded at Cruz, who had his eyes trained ahead at the house, looking for any possible movement they might miss. Amanda was crouched next to Liv, fiddling with her gun like a nervous wreck. She wanted to comfort the woman, but she was the same bundle of nerves, knowing there could possibly be a firefight outside of a shack where their children might be.

"I can't shoot this fucking thing," the blonde whispered and pulled it back, double checking that the safety was off before she huffed back against the rock and her shoulder. Liv reached over and squeezed her shoulder, receiving an anxious yet grateful look. They were all in this together. Finn and Carisi were on her other side, and they were all flanked by a few highly trained DEA agents, equipped and ready to go.

"Here it is. It's gonna get loud," Cruz said, voice already rising as the chopper swooped overhead and a large spotlight shined down upon the house. The large black aircraft expelled four men in sliding down ropes, who landed on top of the house. The loud speaker echoed loudly across the empty fields of the desert surrounding them, and Cruz stood, hopping over the wall of rocks.

Liv and the rest of them stood, taking in all the action for a moment. This was far out of the realm of anything they'd all been involved with in New York. Not in all her years had she come close to seeing this level of danger playing out, but she had to swallow her fears and follow Cruz, along with the rest of them.

Later on, Liv would credit that small moment they all took before following behind Cruz, Barnes, Garver, and the other DEA agents, because it saved all of their asses from being caught in the explosion, that sent a plume of smoke and fire hurtling into the air where the shack had been and the two cars parked out front flying in bits and pieces in every which way.

The explosion, so powerful, it knocked them all off their feet, sending Liv barreling back into a rock and knocking herself out. She had a half second of Finn's Carisi yelling in her face before it went completely black.