Disclaimer – I don't own them, I just borrowed them. Numb3rs and its characters are the property of those that created them. No copyright infringement intended. All real organisations are used in a fictional sense. Original characters and the storyline are mine however.

A/N: Valerie Vancollie, here is the answer to your question - the shirt comes off. . .

CHAPTER TEN

-11-1111-1100-10-11001-&-100-1-10110-1001-100-

Colby and David sat waiting at the red traffic light. They were on their way to the mall with radio frequency detectors hopefully to find the terrorists camera frequencies. Megan had gone the other way with one of the techs, they were going to come at the mall from both sides so as to cover more area in less time. While they waited Colby glanced over at the white SUV stopped beside him. All thoughts of the days' events and their current mission went flying out of his mind. The bright lights at the intersection allowed him to see inside the other vehicle despite the closed windows. He recognised the driver.

The light went green and David started to drive off, accelerating faster than the white suburban. He had places to be and whilst he wasn't yet in enough of a hurry to use his lights and siren for priority travel, he wasn't going to dawdle either.

"Slow down." Colby ordered.

"What?"

"That was Telford."

"What!" After what the man had done to his boss eight months ago, and his recent re-emergence in New York, he wasn't likely to forget the name. David took his foot completely off the accelerator and looked wildly around. "Where? Are you sure?"

"Keep going, keep going." Colby insisted in time to stop David hitting the brakes. "Not so fast, steady."

David obeyed, easing his foot back onto the gas to maintain their speed. "Where is he?"

"Steady. Don't look now but he is in that SUV just passing us."

David kept his gaze riveted forwards, using only his peripheral vision to try to see into the SUV that was slowing passing them on the right. He allowed his speed to drop a little more until he could slip in behind the other vehicle. "Are you sure?" He repeated.

"It was Telford." Colby stated. He was definite. "I pulled the sketches the other day after Don told us Telford had been active again."

"But he's in New York."

"No, he's in that SUV."

David licked his lips, looking around at the surrounding traffic. Not very heavy, but that would be expected at this time of night. "There's no time to call back-up. At the next set of lights we take him."

They both took off their seatbelts, David undid the thumbreak on his holster and loosened his gun as Colby drew his. They didn't have long to wait, they were already slowing at another red light. David pulled to a stop close in behind the white suburban, hemming their target in. There was another vehicle stopped in front of the SUV completing the improvised trap.

"Let's do this." Colby said.

Simultaneously they flung open their doors, sliding out and running forwards, crouching down to minimise their profiles if they'd been detected. As one they then popped up, one on each side of the SUV's front doors, guns aimed through the closed windows at the driver.

"FBI. Freeze!" David yelled. From his position on the drivers side he had a clear view of the man and was also convinced it was Telford. He thought saw the man's mouth move as if he as saying something. Through the glass David couldn't hear the word 'hold'.

Bearing in mind everything that Don had said about the man, David knew he had to act fast. He pulled his gun back and smashed it against the window as hard as he could. If it worked it would be quicker than trying to open the probably locked driver's door and would provide a further distraction to prevent Telford reacting. He was lucky, the glass broke on the first strike. In a reflex action Telford twisted over sideways and turned his head away from the flying glass.

David pressed his gun against the side of Telford's head. "Don't move or I will shoot." He ordered clearly as he reached over and took the keys from the ignition. He pressed the unlock button on the remote, hearing the locks pop open. The SUV's doors had been locked, if he'd tried to open the door instead of smashing the window Telford could have got away.

Colby pulled open the passenger side door and climbed up onto the passenger seat, pressing the muzzle of his gun against the other side of Telford's head. Telford had frozen, leaning half over onto his right side. It was a dangerous cross fire situation but it was Colby's only angle. "I got him."

David pulled back and opened the driver's door. "Hands! Let me see your hands."

Telford's right arm had been bracing him on the center console as his angle put him past his centre of gravity. He initially didn't move, staring at David until Colby's gun jabbed forcefully against the side of his head. He slowly pushed with his right hand until he was sitting back upright. He raised his arms, slowly and carefully, until he clasped his hands behind his head. Colby moved with him, keeping his gun in place.

David pressed his gun into Telford's chest, keeping himself as low as possible so that he was no longer in the line of fire from Colby's gun. He roughly searched Telford, recovering a gun from a shoulder holster. He pressed the magazine release then hooked the rear sight on the inside doorhandle of the driver's door, pushing downwards rapidly to force the slide back and eject the round from the breech. He then allowed the empty gun to drop into the foot well to land under the pedals.

David then grabbed Telford by the front of his shirt and jacket, hauling him roughly from the SUV and down onto the roadway. Colby slid rapidly across and jumped out after him, landing on the road then kneeling on Telford's back an instant later. Telford was a cop killer and not entitled to gentle handling.

The whole thing had taken only seconds. No more was said until a minute or two later when Telford had been handcuffed, pulled to his feet and more thoroughly searched. David found a knife in a pouch on the back of Telford's belt which he also tossed into the driver's footwell until the search was finished.

"You got him?" David asked.

Colby kicked Telford's feet further apart and leaned his weight against his captive's back pressing the man tightly up against the side of the SUV, gun against the back of his head. He was taking no chances and giving Telford no opportunities despite him being surprisingly passive, not making any show of resistance. "Yeah."

David stepped back and opened up the wallet he'd pulled from Telford's back pocket. The contents were sparse, a little cash, a credit card and a California driver licence. David tilted the card so he could better see the picture and name under the streetlights. James Telford. The photo matched. It wasn't conclusive, in fact it was anything but as the name and licence were most probably fakes. However with the match to Don's sketches and unlawful possession of the gun, no licence for that in the wallet, it was enough to hold him on probable cause for now.

"You're under arrest Telford." David then read the man his rights, asking if he understood them.

"I understand, Special Agent Sinclair." Telford said calmly.

David was initially startled that Telford recognised him but then thought that with the obvious research the man had done on Don eight months ago it only stood to reason that he'd learnt about Don's team as well. He smiled, looking at Colby who smiled right back. They both realised that Telford's comment was final confirmation that they indeed had the right man.

David then collected the gun and knife from the foot well of the SUV. He made a quick search of the front of Telford's vehicle but saw that it was clean, nothing in the centre console, door pockets or glove box.

David climbed back out and helped Colby put Telford into the back seat of their SUV. He put the seat belt on over their prisoner and pushed him forwards so his chest was resting on his knees. Colby sat in beside him, keeping pressure on Telford's back. It would be near impossible for Telford to resist now. He holstered his gun.

David activated the red and blue lights on their SUV as the traffic light had since turned green and they were blocking what little traffic there was. He went back to the white SUV and started it up, pulling it over to the side of the road and onto the footpath so it was out of the traffic. After a quick and fruitless look in the back of the vehicle he locked it up then jumped back into their SUV. As he pulled away he flipped open his phone and called in to control, requesting LAPD attend to guard the SUV until a tow could be arranged. He also advised he was returning with a prisoner.

He knew they should have stayed and waited but getting Telford back and secured was more important. He'd already searched the white suburban and had written it off as non-significant. Towing it was just a matter of procedure. He made a second call to Megan telling her of their windfall.

Neither he nor Colby noticed the car abruptly pull out of the flow of traffic behind them and stop beside the white SUV. They also didn't notice the dark suburban parked in the shadows under the freeway overpass a short distance up the road.

-100-1111-1110-

Don finally pulled to a stop deep in the shadows under a freeway overpass, the designated meeting spot. There was no-one there. He went back over the conversation replaying Telford's words in his mind and confirmed that he was at the correct spot. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and looked at it as if by doing so he could make it ring. He scrolled back, checking the last incoming call and as he'd seen when he answered it, there was no caller ID. He couldn't call it back.

Don was at a loss, he didn't know what to do. After the stunt he'd just pulled he suspected he would probably be arrested by Barnathan when he got back to the FBI building. House arrest at the very least, the senior DHS agent had already hinted at that option. Barnathan had given him some rope and he'd just hung himself. He would not be able to get away a second time. He sat, barely noting the passing traffic, a few cars and a dark SUV, worrying what could be keeping Telford. He wondered just how long he should wait. The people at the mall couldn't afford for Telford to think Don had disobeyed an order.

After another fifteen minutes that felt like an eternity he couldn't wait any longer. He'd already refused to accept a number of calls to his cell from the office. They would soon be sending out a BOLO for him and it wouldn't be long before he was found. He would be unable to explain why he was sitting under a freeway overpass. He finally drove off, keeping watch for as long as he could in his rear view mirror in case Telford showed up.

Don went home, stopping briefly along the way, trying to provide himself with a cover on the off chance he would be able to bluff his way out of trouble. Pulling into his space at his apartment block he found several DHS agents, including Wachowski waiting for him. They didn't look happy.

"Where have you been?" Wachowski demanded, opening the door to Don's SUV.

Don reached over into the passenger foot well and pulled out a plastic bag. Wachowski all but snatched it from him and opened it. Don climbed out of his SUV and closed the door behind him, locking it. "If you don't mind." He said, reaching out for the bag.

"Shopping takes you that long?" The younger man demanded suspiciously, searching through the bag's contents.

"It does when you want to take your mind off things." Don said. He'd made sure that the bag didn't contain a receipt before he'd left the store. The time and location of the purchase could have caused him trouble. The bag also had no store logo on it so he was not tied to a specific place.

"Where did you go?"

"I think your boss would be more interested in the fact that you lost me rather than where I went shopping." Don had had enough of the twenty questions. He took hold of his bag of purchases and gave a slight tug.

Wachowski released his grip and followed close on Don's heels as he went up to his apartment. Don tried to bar the younger man at the door but this time it wasn't going to work.

"Either we come in with you or you come back with us now." Wachowski said. He had clarified his orders and was confident of what he could do. He also had the two other agents to back him up both physically and psychologically.

Don knew he was beaten on this issue and allowed the three men to follow him in. He put the milk and juice into the fridge, alongside the full milk carton that was already there. The other items he left on the bench top. The groceries had been pure window dressing. The food also reminded him that it had been a long time since he'd last eaten at breakfast. The crawling pain in his stomach that had been steadily increasing in intensity over the last couple of hours however was not related to hunger, it was the result of the adrenalin dumps earlier in the day. The last thing he felt like was food.

He also didn't want to be stuffing around in his apartment but he was here now and had to play it out. He walked down his hall to his bedroom, pulling off his coat, sweater and tie as he went. He threw the clothing onto the bed as he started undoing his shirt buttons and turned to find Wachowski standing at the door. He opened his mouth to say something in outrage but saw that the younger man was staring at his midriff.

Don looked down. He'd forgotten all about that. There was a blood stain down the front of his shirt and dried blood on his skin. He touched the small wound, the edges sealed together by dried blood.

"That looks fresh." Wachowski commented. "When did that happen?"

Don pulled his shirt off, flinging it to join the other items of clothing on his bed. "Earlier today."

"A terrorist do that?"

"Yeah." No reason to deny it.

"Why?"

"To prove a point." It was not something Don really wanted to speak about. Telford had indeed proven the point and Don still felt under as much threat now as he had back in the mall, the knife poised to end his life. The reminder of Telford also served to remind him of the failed meeting. His stress level rose as he again worried what might have happened to make Telford fail to arrive at their meet.

To hide his expression while he tried to get his game face back on Don busied himself in his wardrobe, selecting a clean shirt and another sweater. His face now schooled he found himself actually wanting a shower. He collected a pair of jeans and brushed past the younger agent and went to his small bathroom. Putting his clean clothes down he turned to close the door only to find Wachowski all but leaning on the door frame.

"I don't know you well enough to shower with you." Don told the younger man.

Wachowski brushed the comment aside as he'd been physically brushed aside moments earlier. He stepped into the bathroom and checked for exits. He even pushed on the window but found that it was fixed in place, not designed to open. He stepped back. "Enjoy yourself. You have five minutes." The young agent said as he closed the door.

Don was furious but there was nothing he could do about it. He'd not been arrested but that was only a matter of semantics. To all intents and purposes he no longer had any freedom. He finished undressing, placing his holster and badge up on the glass shelf under the mirror. They couldn't help him either. The cell phone remained stubbornly silent.

The shower turned out to be pure heaven, the hot water helping to temporarily wash away the emotion of the day. The shower was a place he could always relax and he needed that more than ever just now. He'd turned the taps on all the way so that needles of steaming hot water beat down on his head and back. His breathing slowed along with his heart rate as he stood with his eyes closed in the cubicle. For the first time that day he finally felt calm. But it couldn't last, almost right on cue there was a knock on the bathroom door. His five minutes were up. Sighing, he rapidly finished up and reluctantly turned the water off. He almost couldn't see for the steam so he turned the extractor fan on as he dried off. Another knock came at the door as he finished dressing, sliding his badge onto his belt.

He flung open the door and almost walked into Wachowski. He continued moving, forcing the other man out of his way. Just because he had to put up with the invasion of his privacy didn't mean he had to make it any easier for them. Taking as long as he dared to get ready, another five minutes passed before he was shrugging his long coat back on. He reached for his keys but Wachowski held them out of his reach.

"This time I drive."

Don shrugged. "Hey, knock yourself out. I could do with the break."

Don sat in the passenger seat and placed his phone into the hands-free holder to recharge it. He couldn't afford to have it go flat. He leaned back, trying to take the opportunity to get some rest as Wachowski drove; the other two agents were following in their own vehicle. It had, after all, been a very long day. His eyes were closed but his mind would not stop. It seemed he'd been partially successful on his bluff but how well that would serve him was yet to be seen. It still didn't answer the fundamental question: Where was Telford?

The trip back to the office took far less time than normal, Wachowski not paying any attention to road rules, particularly the speed limit. Easy enough to do with the light traffic at this hour. The one time they were challenged by the LAPD Wachowski simply flicked on Don's emergency lights and the LAPD unit backed off. Don settled back until he felt them start to descend. Opening his eyes he saw that they were under the FBI building, going down the levels to his space.

A short time later Don was walking out of the lift with his escort and was confronted by Barnathan.

"What was that about Eppes?"

"It wasn't about anything." Don replied tiredly. "I needed a break."

"You're restricted to this floor until further notice." Barnathan ordered. He turned to his men. "You two remain here. Wachowski, you stick to Eppes like glue. Clear?"

"Yes sir." Wachowski acknowledged.