Please make sure you have read Chapter 8 and A/N before reading this chapter!

Mike thought about it again for a moment, he couldn't take the risk, going against Maxine and the Feds directions was career suicide and he couldn't help her if he was suspended too.

Dutchy could tell by Mike's expression that he wasn't going to budge, he shook his head in disappointment.

"Thought as much..."

Dutchy stormed out of Navcom leaving Mike standing there with his head in his hands.

Dutchy sat in the car at the docks, he cautiously opened the laptop. The flashing dot was stationary, it was only a few hundred meters away. He knew it was risk to investigate by himself but he couldn't just do nothing, he was about to get out the car when he saw a familiar man come out of the warehouse, it was the rough looking guy he had spoken to about Paul. He waited for him to be out of sight and stealthy ran into the warehouse. He peered into each of the rooms making sure they were empty, he wasn't sure what he was looking for. He approached the back room and heard a noise, he tiptoed to the door and peered in. He gasped as he saw Paul lying on the couch bloodied and bruised, he did another check for anyone and entered the room.

"Paul..."

Paul tired to prop himself up but failed, he was in too much pain.

"Paul, it's Dutchy..."

Dutchy rushed to his side, Paul tried to turn towards him and groaned in pain.

"Dutchy, what are you doing here?"

"I found your computer..."

A relieved expression came over his face.

"I knew you would...did you bring the cavalry?"

Dutchy shook his head.

"We're on our own...the feds would have just buried it, they're useless...but I don't understand, why are you tracking yourself?"

He was short of breath, he tried to reposition himself to get more comfortable.

"In case something happened to me..."

"Who's the other dot?"

"It's Kate..."

Dutchy looked confused.

"But they took the tracker out of her bag..."

Paul glanced at him with a uncertain look on his face.

"It's in her scrunchie..."

Dutchy suddenly realised the gravity of the situation, he was admitting that he was involved, he was guilty. He stood up and leaned over him enraged.

"So what are you doing? This was you all this time..."

Paul nodded slightly not wanting Dutchy to be mad. Dutchy gave him a disappointed glare and shook his head and headed for the door. Paul tried to stand but the pain was unbearable.

"Dutchy wait, please..."

He spun around furious, he didn't want to listen to his excuses.

"No, as far as I can see you're getting what you deserve..."

He turned back to leave.

"Dutchy! I think they have Kate..."

Dutchy paused at the door with his back still facing Paul.

"Why should I believe you?"

"Dutchy I don't blame you if you didn't but this is the reason I put your name on the program and not Mike's. I think you know deep down I never wanted to hurt her...please, they've taken her somewhere, I don't know where..."

Dutchy sighed, he wanted to believe him but also he wanted to punch him in the face. He turned back around and hovered near the couch, he didn't know if he could trust him but he didn't really have a choice.

"They're on a boat..."

"They're probably doing a pick up, if the Navy boarded their boat she's their insurance... you have to go out there Dutchy, you have to save her!"

"And what about you? I just leave you here? What are they going to do with you?"

He shrugged.

"I don't care, I deserve what I get but not Kate, she doesn't deserve any of this."

"So, you are guilty?"

Paul broke eye contact, Dutchy knew that meant it was true. They heard voices in the next room, Dutchy quickly hid behind the couch. 2 men entered the room, Paul attempted to stand trying to hide Dutchy.

"Look, why don't you just send me out there, I don't have another plan. At least if I get caught then I'll go away."

The two men looked at each other contemplating his offer. One of the shrugged and grabbed him by the arm.

"You can make it a family affair..."

They dragged him out of the room, Dutchy made sure the coast was clear before he exited the warehouse. His phone rang as he got back into the car, it was Maxine.

"Ma'am?"

"Dutchy, you need to bring that computer in. I had to tell the agents, it was too important not to, imagine if I didn't and something happened."

"But Ma'am..."

"Dutchy, that's an order..."

Dutchy sighed and hung up the phone.

He walked into Navcom and entered Maxine's office, Agent Knowles stepped towards him.

"The computer?"

Dutchy held his ground and the computer close to his chest.

"What are you going to do with it?"

"Well, we're going to find them..."

Maxine stepped forward and cleared her throat.

"With the help of the Hammersley..."

Agent Knowles' scoffed.

"Now way, you guys have stuffed this up enough..."

Dutchy couldn't stand this guy, he was so arrogant.

"Hey, without me finding the laptop you guys would have nothing..."

Agent Knowles hesitated and glanced at Agent Rowe, she nodded her head slightly. He turned back to face them and exhaled loudly.

"Not exactly..."

Maxine and Dutchy looked at each other not understanding. Agent Rowe looked at the floor.

"We have been working with Paul McGregor..."

Maxine and Dutchy were flabbergasted, Dutchy threw his hands in the air.

"What?"

"Well we were until we thought he might have been double crossing us..."

Maxine held her hands up stopping the conversation while trying to comprehend the situation.

"Hang on a minute... so you guys were persecuting him for no reason?"

Agent Knowles shook his head.

"No, we didn't know. He called us when he was in the hospital... he spilled his guts. In the beginning he was involved in all of this. When he had been released from Prison the dealers and smugglers he used to work for found him, he owed them so he offered his services. He admitted he came back here to find Kate to used her to get information."

Dutchy was outraged, he was mad that he had trusted him and felt terrible for Kate.

"That piece of crap..."

"Wait a minute Petty Officer, he realised what he was doing, he has some sort of conscious, he said he did it because he was fearful of his life."

Dutchy didn't really care why, he had hurt Kate in the process.

"What about Kate's life..."

Agent Knowles ignored him and continued.

"When we met him at the hospital, we negotiated a deal... he would lead us to the big players in exchange for immunity..."

Dutchy frowned.

"Right so he gets off scot free?"

Agent Knowles was getting intolerant with Dutchy's comments.

"You need to look at the bigger picture mate, if we get these guys it will be big, Paul has done some time and I think he's trying to make up for his past mistakes, in the time he's been out he hasn't broken the law..."

Dutchy scrunched up his face, he couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"Yes he has, he's put those trackers on Hammersley, he's betrayed his family..."

"Bigger picture Petty Officer."

Agent Knowles turned to Maxine hoping he could reason with her.

"Look we're not sure right now anyway, we don't understand why he took off but it seems that he's reneged on the deal. Why else would he do a runner?"

She shrugged.

"Maybe they found out?"

"Look, we can't be sure of anything right now..."

Dutchy knew that he needed to say something for Kate's sake.

"They have Kate... and now Paul.."

"What?"

"Paul says they have her, I saw him, they have him in a warehouse, well actually, they're taking him out to sea to help..."

Maxine couldn't believe that he kept this from her.

"Dutchy when did you see him?"

"Just before, I followed the signal on the laptop...he basically admitted he was guilty...but I don't know which side he was on... What are we going to do about Kate? If we send out patrol boats they're going to know we're on to them, they could do something stupid..."

Agent Knowles was lost.

"Hang on so you've access the computer?"

Dutchy sheepishly nodded.

"Yeah, there was a tracking program on it, he tracked himself and Kate, he said in case something happened to him..."

Agent Knowles paused in thought

"Maybe he's still on our side."

Dutchy wasn't convinced.

"Or he's playing you again..."

"Look, we have their position, we can stay under the horizon, we can wait for them to accept the drugs and we can intercept, that way we get the smugglers and Kate and Paul back..."

Maxine and Dutchy weren't sure about the plan.

"But what if Paul has double crossed you, he knows everything..."

"Do you have any other ideas Petty Officer?"

"Okay, but do me one favour..."

Agent Knowles looked at him doubtfully.

"C'mon, I brought you the laptop..."

"What is it?"

"Let me go out there... I think I can get through to Paul..."

"I don't know Petty Officer..."

Dutchy turned to Maxine.

"Ma'am, please..."

"Well you're part of the Hammersley crew and they're the only ones available at the moment..."

She turned to the agents.

"It's going to be hard to find a replacement XO and PO on short notice, I'll be sending Dutchy out with them..."

Dutchy turned to the agents.

"We can do this..."

Agent Knowles raised an eye brow doubting his confidence.

"And what happens if it doesn't end well? You know that's a possibility right?"

Dutchy held his ground.

"We're the best people to send out there because there's no way we will accept that as an outcome."

Maxine cleared her throat.

"Okay, I'll send out a notice for sea, and I'll find you a replacement XO..."

Dutchy smiled and nodded.

"Thank you Ma'am..."

End of Chapter 9.

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