AN: Sorry I didn't get to post last week but I hurt my neck pretty badly and I just started to feel a bit better.
It was as if they hadn't kissed because the next day, they both operated as though it never happened. John called Harold yesterday with the names he received from Zoe but hadn't gotten back to them yet. This morning John had made her breakfast and she was feeling much better to eat. Joss even got to have her coveted, but lonely, single cup of coffee.
Both of their heads jerked away from the television screen they were watching when his phone rang. John stood instantly and she sat up lowering the TV set as he stalked to where his phone sat. Joss sat watching him avidly as he answered it.
"Tell me you got something Harold," he said without greeting his friend. John looked at her noticing the evil eye she was giving him and sighed. He approached the couch, sat down beside her, and put it on speakerphone. "Repeat what you said, Finch." he ordered.
"Of course, I searched up both the names you gave me. Anthony Marconi is the right hand man of Carl Elias, though he is just as elusive to find as his employer. From what I gathered from their sealed records is that both Elias and Marconi spent time at the same group home. Marconi was there for murdering his step-father. It seems they struck quite the friendship there. Carl Elias is the bastard son of the mafia Don Moretti."
"Don Gianni Moretti is Elias's father?!" Joss said in astonishment.
"Yes, he had an affair with Elias's mother and pitched Elias aside as just an illegitimate son," Harold agreed, distaste in his voice.
Joss sat absorbing the information. Moretti had been murdered three months ago and there were no leads into who finally downed the mob boss. There was no connection between Elias and Moretti until now. Before his murder there was Vincent DeLuca, who was murdered with the same knife that killed Elias's mother, which was an easy link to Carl Elias as the one behind the hit. Now Elias was the prime suspect of both murders and who knew how many more.
"I checked further into Anthony Marconi but there isn't anything really substantial," Harold continued with a frustrated sigh.
"Okay, how about the other name…Charlie Burton?" John asked, shifting gears.
"Now that is an interesting one, as far as I can tell he has no ties with Carl Elias. He's a high-school history teacher at Brighton Beach school district," Harold said.
Joss cut in. "And Brighton Beach is Russian territory. And we already know that Elias is waging an all-out war on the Russians."
John looked to her. "Do you know why he's after the Russians?" he asked, needing to be brought up to date on what was happening in the criminal underworld.
"Elias wants to unite the Italian families while flexing muscle. It wouldn't surprise me though if Elias gives up that plan and just executes all the heads of the five families to become the only player in town. He's ambitious enough to do it. The Russians have their tales tucked between their legs since Elias still has anonymity and has been able to slowly rise to power without them even knowing who the figurehead is," Joss answered John's question.
John nodded as he turned his attention back to his phone. "Do you have an address for this Charlie Burton?"
"I do. He lives in Brighton Beach close to the school that he works at. I'll text you the address," Harold offered.
"Thanks, send it to me now," John agreed and then hung up as he stood. "Does it seem strange to you that Zoe gave me a name of a man that doesn't have any apparent ties to Elias?"
"A little, especially since you slept with her for the information," she grumbled.
He nodded. "Zoe's information is never wrong which is why she's useful. There has to be a connection with this Charlie Burton and Carl Elias, which makes Charlie Burton very interesting."
Joss frowned. "Maybe they were at the same group home?"
"Harold would have found that out for us," John murmured thoughtfully. He looked at her questioningly. "Brighton Beach is Russian territory…"
"Yea, that's been already established for a while by the organized crime unit. I've helped them out here and there when some of my homicides wound up to be mob hits,"she stated, trying to figure out where John was going with this.
"Charlie Burton gets a firsthand look at the kids of the Russian families tied to organized crime. He can watch them as they grow, understand what makes them tick, and even meet their parents, who are Elias's enemies, at school functions. It would be a great way for someone that is trying to learn their enemies from within," he theorized.
Joss's eyes widened. "Are you saying you think that Charlie Burton and Carl Elias are one and the same?" she asked incredulously. It was crazy but yet made sense. No one would ever know since no one could positively identify Carl Elias.
"Just food for thought; Carl Elias's identity is a mystery even to the Russians. He could have easily got a fake alias and lived in the middle of Russian territory to learn his opponents because he simply could."
She nodded. "Elias is cunning enough to get away with something like that," she agreed. "Or it could be something as simple as Burton's loyal to Elias and is helping him out."
"Also could be true, we won't know until we do a little reconnaissance on Burton." John commented.
Joss watched as he took his phone and walked to the table closest to the door that rested his gun and picked it up. "I could come and help." she offered knowing she was going to get a quick refusal.
She wasn't disappointed. "No," he stated quick and sure. "If we're right and Charlie Burton is Carl Elias or a friend you'd be handing yourself to him."
"I had to try. You're basically heading straight into danger for me and I have to sit here twiddling my thumbs like a moron," she conceded frustration leaking into her voice.
John looked at her knowing this was rubbing her pride wrong. "Do something to keep your mind off it. Besides you'll be helping me with finding and capturing your ex," he reminded her.
"Yea, I know. I'll make dinner for us. Cooking should keep my mind off what you're doing for at least a little bit." she muttered as she followed him to the door. "Just…be careful, John," she admonished.
He turned back to look at her and smirked. "You care about me detective, I'm touched," he joked.
"I do," she agreed, taking his joke at face value. The smirk faded and he stared at her. "Don't do anything overly reckless. My son and I need you to come back."
John looked uncertain as confusion resided in his gorgeous blue eyes before the poleaxed expression was gone entirely. "I'll be back as soon as I can," he muttered and with that he turned and left.
He didn't like how used he was getting to being around Joss Carter; that and the fact that he was attracted to her. Try as he might he just couldn't forget that kiss they shared. John hadn't truly kissed a woman in a very long time. Sure he kissed a dozen or so women that were targets or done to seduce them for information; pleasurable for them, but work for him. The last woman he actually kissed because he wanted to kiss her was Jessica. Sex hadn't meant anything in years and kissing hadn't meant anything longer than that. In the CIA he was to use his sexuality as a tool done to extract information, or to distract a target's wife. He had long stopped thinking about sex as a pleasurable experience, but for some reason since he met Joss all he he seemed to think about was sex, which was ridiculous being she was nearly nine months pregnant.
John sighed as he shelved the thoughts and focused on the task at hand. It had taken a while to drive out to Brighton Beach. But he found Charlie Burton walking with a few other men. If this man was a high-school teacher than he was the president of the United States; the way the guy walked gave him away. John quietly followed the men as they walked up the boardwalk with the water at their left. Off in the distance John could see the ferry that would take them to Manhattan. He had been following them since they exited Burton's apartment complex which was modest and even followed them on the ferry to Stanton Island. Burton or Elias, if he was right, didn't appear as John was anticipating he would be. Bald headed, short, and stocky but judging from the way the other men flocked to him he was well respected which was necessary if you are this great criminal mastermind hell bent on taking over New York.
They boarded the ferry and John was surprised at the lack of other patrons which was another tell that that Charlie Burton wasn't as those he seemed. John, however, boarded along with them paying the fee and continued to follow them. The ferry set sail and it wasn't until they were halfway to Manhattan when it seemed things would finally get interesting. John feigned interest at staring out at the water while keeping an eye on the men to his right. They were watching him and conversing. He nearly smiled as they approached.
"You know who I am, don't you?" a man spoke.
John turned and realized it was Charlie Burton that spoke. "I was told your name is Charlie Burton," he admitted.
"But you don't believe it?" Burton asked.
"No."
"And why is that?"
John smiled a little as the three other men accompanying the man speaking were poised for battle. He could see them itchy to reach for their guns. "The men with you want to reach for their guns but haven't yet. The ferry is completely scarce of other patrons. I assume the captain is under your payroll as well. Besides, I spent years hiding in plain sight knowing you are almost always overlooked," he explained.
He waited a beat letting the men think they could take him before he moved as they went to draw their guns. John lunged forward as Elias ducked out of the way and grabbed the man to his left and swung him into the man that had a large scar crossing the side of his face which sent both men falling to the floor of the ferry. John pulled out his gun and shot the kneecap of the other man who collapsed in agony. He kicked the gun away from the man as the two that had fallen climbed to their feet. John pistol whipped the one before punching him, and then turned his full attention onto the man with the scar.
He threw a punch which John deflected and then went on attack. John knew how to overwhelm someone that was used to guns first than fists. Elias remained hunched down watching as Marconi fought valiantly but he was just outmatched. Elias saw the gun that his man dropped and crawled to it.
John flipped Marconi onto the ground before jamming the butt of his gun in the back of his head knocking the man out cold. He lifted his gaze to watch as Elias crawl forward towards the gun nearest him. John moved quicker than Elias and kicked the gun out of his reach and set the barrel of his gun to Elias's forehead.
Elias sat on his knees with Marconi knocked out cold beside him and he looked up at the man who held a gun's barrel directly between his eyes. "You're talented," Elias spoke admirably.
"Your men could use some work," John replied darkly. "They weren't much of a challenge. But then with the element of surprise you don't require skill, do you?"
Elias smiled. "Constructive criticism, I can take it, and I also could use a man like you. Would you like a job?" he inquired. Talented men like this one were so hard to find.
"Already have one; keeping Joss Carter safe," he threw out.
"So you're her bodyguard, my men said you were formerly a homeless man. No one knows your name or what you really want," Elias responded thoughtfully. "You seem to have the same anonymity as I do."
John didn't bother responding to him. "I could kill you right now," he said lowly. "But I won't unless you make me."
"Why?" Elias wondered.
He stepped back and lowered his gun as the ferry was closing in on Manhattan. "I have my reasons. So in exchange for your life and the lives of your friends I want you to lift that bounty off her head now," he explained coldly.
"And what makes you think I'd do that?" Elias asked.
John shrugged. "You have little choice unless of course you prefer death than ending a bounty on a detective's head that means nothing to you." he replied as he aimed the gun at his head once more.
"But apparently she means everything to you," Elias commented, unable to not be intrigued by this man that clearly was following them and made no bones about it. Judging by the skill he brought his men down with, this man could have easily hid without them ever realizing they were being followed. It was as if this man had wanted them to know he was stalking them.
"Time's ticking, Elias…."
Elias nodded. "Alright, I'll call off the bounty. But I won't stop looking for the detective. She's the means to bring me Paul Carter who got a man I cared about killed. He has to pay for that."
John lowered his gun. "I'll bring you Paul Carter. No one touches Joss," he all but growled. "That goes beyond this mess with her loser husband. Even if she manages to arrest you someday because she'll gun for you; you go after her and I'll put you, your friends, everyone into the ground. Got it?" he vowed, as it wasn't a threat but rather a promise. He hoped Elias knew the distinction.
"Yes, you have my word that your detective is on my 'do not kill' list from now til forever," he promised. John arched a brow waiting for him to call off the dogs. Elias smiled as he pulled his phone out and proceeded to do so. He hung up the phone. "All done, the bounty has been lifted but I could always place it once more if you don't bring me Paul Carter in a timely manner."
"I'll be in touch, Charlie," John assured, noting that the ferry docked. He pocketed their gun at the back of his pants, turned, and casually got off the ferry before disappearing in the throng of men and women as they moved about, as if he hadn't just brought a criminal mastermind to his knees, literally.
AN: BOOM! Anyways, I wanted to keep things from the show but twist them and quicken the pace of them happening because it would fit the timeline of my story better.
Thank you for reading!