Have been working a lot, lately, therefore the late update. Read, enjoy, review :)
A couple of days later, Jamie woke up, still a bit sore in his head and his ribs. He didn't move right away because it was Sunday and he had the day off. Outside the window the sun was shining and it looked to be another hot day in the city. He looked at his watch and sighed as it was almost nine-thirty. He stretched carefully and yawned when he checked his phone and put his feet on the floor. He looked up, when he heard a knock on the door, rather confused.
The knock sounded again, rather persistent and he walked out to the door to open it, dressed in shorts and the old law school t-shirt. He pulled it open, wondering who would disturb the Sunday morning tranquility, and his eyes rested on Eddie.
"Eddie?" Jamie asked, curious and surprised. She walked past him, not saying anything and turned around, uneasy on her feet, her face unreadable.
"Eddie, what's wrong? What happened?" he asked and shut the door behind him, clearly starting to worry about the look on his partner's face. She tried to start a sentence a couple of times, twisting her hands and not knowing how to phrase it.
"I got a call… from Fort Dix Correctional this morning," she said bewildered and looked at Jamie, knowing he would know why.
"Your dad? Something happened?" he said, just as surprised. She had only mentioned her father a couple of times. He had run a Ponzi scheme from his company and was serving six to eight years. Eddie hadn't talked to him for three years until Jamie convinced her to visit him.
"He took a beating… in the mess hall," she replied and walked past him to sit on the couch, she had slept on, days before. "It's not bad, bumps and bruises, a mild concussion, but apparently he told a guard to make sure I was all right, she said, with emphasis on 'I'. Jamie looked at her, puzzled by the strange request and sat down next to her.
"Who would do something like that?" Jamie heard himself ask but Eddie just shrugged, looking into the air with empty eyes. "Have you talked with him?" he asked. She shook her head, looking down on her hands fiddling with a strand on a pillow, nervously. "Are you all right?" he asked her, and she shrugged again, not really listening to her partner.
"I don't know what to do," she said when she stood up and walked over to the window. Jamie looked at her back, concern growing in his face. This was difficult, even for him, he though when he stood and walked to the kitchen. A bit later he came back with two cups, one of which he offered Eddie.
"Here," he said quietly and Eddie smiled weakly when she took the coffee from his hand.
"Thanks," she responded, almost silently. Jamie smiled a bit.
"What do you feel like for breakfast?" he asked knowing she had already eaten. But he also knew she wouldn't pass on second breakfast. She looked at him, confused, until she realized he was still in his pajamas and his hair was messy as if he just rolled out of bed.
"I'm sorry, did I wake you up?" she asked apologetic and almost embarrassed.
"Detective Reagan," a deep voice sounded behind Danny. He thought he could get some paperwork done between church and dinner, so he had stopped by the precinct. He turned in his chair to face the Hispanic detective that walked towards him. Danny stood and shook his hand.
"Detective Salazar, how's it going with the DEA?" Danny asked and motioned for him to sit down in the chair next to his desk.
"As well as possible, I suppose. Listen, my man inside the Black Spades says the mood has changed, since you guys arrested Jim Parsons. His brother, Ray, is furious and out for revenge," Salazar said unruffled. Danny, whose interest was now peaked, thought back to the empty phone call he had received a couple of nights before.
"You're kidding?" he said and frowned. It wasn't new to him, that people he had cuffed, was looking for pay back. Salazar simply shook his head.
"The word has gotten out, an inmate from the Black Spades has already put another inmate in the hospital wing at Fort Dix, though we aren't sure of the connection yet," Danny looked puzzled for a moment. Fort Dix rang a bell, but he wasn't quite sure why.
"Who was the prisoner that was beaten?" Danny asked with his gut instincts already screaming.
"He's in for a Ponzi scheme, his name is…" Salazar started but Danny interrupted him with a single word.
"Janko." He said when he breathed in. He only knew, because he had checked out Eddie's file, when she and Jamie were partnered. Salazar looked at him in disbelief, not knowing how Danny could know. Danny's mind raced away with thoughts and what not. Jamie had knocked out Jim Parson at the motel and Eddie had shot Duncan Miller, twice, in fact. Neither Danny, Jamie or Eddie had been the ones to put the cuffs on the guys, literally.
"How did you..?" Salazar asked, looking at the wheels turning inside Danny's head.
"Janko's daughter, a cop, was on the protective detail of Kramer, when it all escalated," Danny explained and dialed his brother.
"Hey, Danny, can I call you later?" Jamie asked when he answered the phone. Danny was a bit puzzled by the tone in his brother's voice. He was there, but kind of distant, like he was preoccupied with something. It sounded like he was out on the streets.
"Kid, listen to me, your partner's father was jumped in prison this morning," Danny started.
"Yeah, I know, she told me already, we're just heading for a late breakfast at Joy & Snook's," Jamie answered, more focused on the call now. "Wait, how do you know about that?" he asked with surprise in his voice.
"It looks like the Black Spades are looking for revenge," Danny said and rubbed the bridge of his nose. He heard some muffled sounds, probably Jamie talking to his partner. "Wait, did you say late breakfast?" Danny asked, getting all kinds of thoughts and images in his mind of Jamie and Eddie.
"Really, Danny, how do you even…" Jamie started, but was cut short by a handful of loud cracks.
Eddie saw the gun first and pushed Jamie to the side, only to follow him to the ground. He dropped the phone when he landed hard on his shoulder. Eddie was next to him, both of them shielding their heads with their arms. Splintered glass covered their backs. Fortunately there weren't many people around them, but the few there were, screamed in panic and ran away. The shooting had stopped, just as quickly as it had started, from the passenger seat, in a battered, blue van parked at the curb.
"Janko!" Jamie called and she dared to look at him, eyes full of angst, not knowing what would happen. Two masked figures emerged from the back of the van, one of them hoisted Eddie on to her feet, but she caught him square on the jaw with her elbow. The other one reached for Jamie, only to be kicked in the gut. The third man, the one on the passenger seat with the gun, stepped out and aimed at Jamie.
"Reagan!" Eddie called when her arm was twisted to her back and she was forced towards the van. Jamie jumped to his feet and before he knew what happened, he was punched in the stomach and lost his breath. He was hauled into the van, with Eddie, gasping for the air to fill his lungs. Temporarily incapacitated, his hands were duck taped at his back, just like Eddie's.
"What the hell?!" Eddie muttered under her breath, looking at Jamie with her wild eyes. Jamie could hear the blood flow in his ears. They were both laying on their fronts, facing two of the men. Jamie shifted his eyes from Eddie to their attackers.
"What's going on?!" he asked and almost demanded attention from the two masked men. They were about as tall as Jamie himself, but they were wider and heavier than his own lean frame.
"Shut up," the man on the left sneered with a grumpy voice.
"Who the hell are you?" Eddie asked from Jamies left side. Her voice didn't carry any evidence of being frightened. The man on the left looked at her, not answering. The van turned right, it didn't seem to go faster than normal, Jamie thought. The driver wouldn't want to draw any attention to him. Jamie looked at the men.
"The Black Spades, am I right?" he asked, the guy on the left stiffened, the one on the right shot him a glance. Bingo, he thought, but the joy was short lived, because he took a well delivered blow to the side of his head, that knocked him out.
"Reagan!" Baez called from the doorway of the store, with the shattered window, demanding the attention of her partner. He turned and walked to her with quick strides. "We got it all on CCTV, come take a look," she said and walked into the back room. Danny followed in her steps, recalling the last he'd heard on the phone was shots and breaking glass. Jamie's phone was found just in the middle of the shattered glass on the sidewalk. The camera was placed behind the counter.
"There they are," Danny said and looked at the grainy footage showing the inside of the shop and the outside through the window. He looked at Jamie and Eddie, walking side by side, Jamie with a hand to his ear, talking to Danny. They walked into the frame from the left and then they both fell to the ground. "Rewind that," Danny said and he saw it happen again. "Again, slower, this time," he said and this time he saw Eddie jumping into Jamie, both of them falling to the ground as the window broke and rained down on them. The shots were fired from the corner of the screen, only about fourteen feet from Jamie and Eddie. They didn't look like they hit any of them, which was a miracle in itself. Next thing that happened gave Danny a knot in his stomach. Two men, wearing masks, approached them. Baez watched Danny give a little smile, when Eddie knocked some teeth loose on one of the guy. And she watched the tension in Danny's jaw, when he watched his brother take a blow to his stomach. They were hurled in the back of the van before it took off to the right of the screen. Fortunately, no other people had been hurt.
"Already called in a BOLO on the van's description," Baez said.
"Can we get the plates?" Danny asked, already knowing the answer would be no because of the angle. If they got lucky, they could find another camera with another angle. Danny's phone buzzed in his pocket and he answered it, already knowing who the caller was.
"Danny, what happened?" Frank's deep voice sounded tense on the phone. Danny walked out to the front of the store, rubbing his face.
"Jamie and Eddie…" Danny started, not quite knowing how to formulate his brother's kidnapping. "Someone took them, and I'm pretty sure I know who did it… or at least, who orchestrated it," he blurted out while looking out on the street, filled with crusted glass.
"Any leads?" Frank asked, trying to keep his voice calm.
"We have a description on the van, we're working on a plate. We've got nothing on the four men," Danny said, already thinking of how to approach Salazar's about his inside man. "I have to go, Dad, I'll keep you posted," Danny said and disconnected the call without waiting for his father's reply. Baez had stepped up next to him, also on the phone, looking at him with deep furrows in her face.
"We'll be there in fifteen," she said and disconnected her call, too. She turned to Danny, not liking the cramped expression on his face. "A cruiser just spotted a van, matching our description, on a parking lot near Marcy Playground," she said. Danny could see, there was more to come. He raised his eyebrow, as to hurry her.
"That's two miles from here," he said and looked north, up the street, when they walked out to their car.
"They glanced through the back windows and saw a couple of masks and a little bit of blood on the floor," Baez said, Danny already moving faster. He knew they probably wouldn't find anything that could help, such as getting the addressed served on a plate. While Baez drove the car, much to Danny's displease, he dialed Salazar, hoping for some insider's trading.
"Salazar," the detective answered after the second call, a little out of breath.
"Salazar, it's Detective Reagan, I need to talk to your guy, forthwith," he said with urgency in his voice.
"Get in line, so do I…" Salazar started and broke off for a second. The background noise disappeared, a chair creaked and the detective sighed. "I'm sorry, Reagan, it's not possible right now. We lost contact about half an hour ago together with his tracking device, I'm telling you, the DEA..." he made a whistle sound, as if to sound impressed or surprised.
"Tracking device," Danny mumbled and Baez shot a glance in his direction, questions in her eyes. "Are you telling me, that you have a last known location? I've got two officers that were taken by the Black Spades, an hour ago, one of them is Janko, and the other one is my kid brother," Danny said, now sounding agitated.
"You're kidding me," Salazar said, realization dawned upon him. Danny rolled his eyes at the phone.
"Do I sound like I'm joking about the lives of two officers?!" Danny growled and pinched the bridge of his nose when he sighed. The background noise was back and Danny heard footsteps on the line.
"How fast can you get to Varick Avenue?" Salazar asked, clearly walking fast.
"Varick Avenue?" Danny repeated and looked at his watch. "Thirty minutes," he said and looked at Baez, when she glanced at him. "Make that twenty minutes," he corrected himself, addressing both Salazar and Baez, who caught on quick and speeded up.
"See you there," Salazar said and the line went dead.
"They lost contact with their guy half an hour after Jamie and Eddie were taken. His cover was probably blown," Danny said. Although the words hadn't been mentioned, both he and Salazar knew. Someone made the connection, Danny thought, which meant they weren't as dim-witted as normal.
Eddie was breathing through her nose because her mouth was covered with duck tape. She was lying on her side, wrists taped together behind her back. Her ankles were taped as well. Her head rested on the cold floor, her eyes were closed. She had tried hard to move, to get out, to loosen the tape, to do anything, actually, but instead it had drained her for strength. Jamie had been out could since he took the massive blow to his head, in the van, but he was tied up just like Eddie was, and lying on his stomach in front of her. The first leg of the journey was in the back of the van and took about fifteen minutes. Then they had switched to another van and drove for fifteen minutes more. She reckoned they started out heading north, and then east, but then they had turned more often and she had lost track. She opened her eyes when he stirred and mumbled behind the tape. She lifted her head when he did and when his eyes focused on hers she almost let go of a tear of relief and joy to see him awake. His eyebrows shot up and his eyes asking the 'you-all-right-question' when he mumbled. Eddie nodded and they both sighed, Jamie looked around. Eddie's mind had gone crazy with ideas and thoughts to where they were, why they were there and what would happen. She knew Jamie was talking to Danny when it all happened, so he would definitely be working to find them. She kept telling herself Danny would find them. The door near their feet opened and a big guy walked in. She recognized him as the guy on the right, because they had left behind their masks. He was also the one that had gotten Eddie's elbow in the face, according to his broken nose and the crusted blood stains. He closed the door behind him, silently and hurried over to them, getting the confused looks in Jamie and Eddie's faces. He sat down and with a finger to his lips he removed the tape across their mouths, Eddie first and then Jamie, so they could talk.
"Man, this is bad," he whispered and looked at the door over his shoulder before he looked back at Jamie. "Marcus Rivers, undercover detective, liaison to the DEA, nice to meet you," he said ironic with a wry smile on his face. Eddie looked at him in disbelief when he pulled a bottle of water out of his jacket pocket. He offered Eddie a sip, which she greedily accepted. Water had never tasted better, she thought.
"I'm Jamie Reagan and this is my partner Eddie Janko… Can you get word out?" Jamie asked quiet. Marcus looked at him for a second.
"Reagan as in the commissioner?" he asked rhetorically. "No, they ordered every piece of tech in a bowl with water. Watches and keys, too," he said and looked over his shoulder again, listening for footsteps. He offered Jamie some water and he, too, swallowed the cold fluid.
"Listen, I've missed two windows with my unit, so they would start to get nervous by now. I don't know what they want with you, but I'm guessing it has something to do with Ray Parson's brother, Jim, and his new best friend from jail," he said with eyes shifting between the two officers in front of him.
"Well, I did shoot Miller," Eddie admitted as if it might be the key to all of it. Marcus looked at her.
"Yeah, that would do," he said and nodded like he agreed. "I can't really get you out of here, no way out but the front door. I can't make any promises to you not getting hurt, but I'll do my best," he said and offered them more water. "I have to go," he said and he flinched when he put the tape back on Jamie's mouth.
"I'm sorry for your nose," Eddie said and he smiled briefly when he put the tape back on her mouth.
"Nice one, by the way," he said and winked at her. Then his face got serious again and he looked at Jamie. "Stay alive, guys," he said and walked out the door. Eddie looked at Jamie, both of them hoping Danny would get there in time.
What do you think? Reviews, ideas and inputs are more than welcome.