Wesv
Disclaimer: Don't own 'em, but boy, if I did! Not making or even hoping to make any money…This is old hat for everyone, right? Moving on…Notes: This takes place a few months after the series ended and follows my story On the Rocks. Though it builds on a fact from that story, it does stand alone. You don't absolutely have to read On the Rocks to understand this one. In fact, just know that Van buys a house a few blocks off the beach in Venice at the end of On the Rocks, and you're caught up.
Thanks to my betas, prplerayne and Jy. You've been a tremendous help!
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Part 4Surprisingly, Billie didn't bother to bitch at him anymore when he arrived to pick up the money and wire. He checked his watch as he pulled into the driveway of Van's borrowed house. He had plenty of time. He was feeling pretty good until he saw the sports car in front of the house. Then he saw Gary Foster. The man waved at him, smiling congenially. "Shit, shit, shit," Deaq mumbled. This was not good. He couldn't get Van wired up with the fucking mark standing over him. So much for that then. Billie would not be thrilled. He stopped the car and got out.
"Hey, Gary. Thought we were meeting at the university."
"Change of plans. Grab the money. We'll go in my car."
"Okay, let me get Van."
"Oh, Van's not here. Alan picked him up earlier."
Deaq nearly stumbled in shock. "What?
"Yeah, we needed to take some precautions. I'm sure you understand. Grab the money. We don't want to be late, do we? Trust me, Van doesn't want us to be late."
Fifteen minutes later, as Gary stood explaining Egyptian history in front of a locked freezer, Deaq's mind raced. They'd drugged Van again, this time with a sedative, and locked him in a freezer. He'd underestimated them again. An hour, Van had about an hour. He followed Gary out of the lab and down the stairs. The next several minutes passed in a slow-moving blur. He was in the car with Gary, and the man was still talking, but about what Deaq was not sure. His mind was back in that lab on his partner.
"Hey! Deaq, you with me?"
"What?"
"Relax, man. Everything will be fine as long as all our money is in that case you're holding and no cops show up. I'll give you the combination and you can get him out, warm him up, and then the two of you can proceed to make lots and lots of money. It'll all be over. Then next time, we won't need to go through all this. We'll trust each other."
I may let Van kill you, you son of bitch, Deaq thought.
Gary turned into the marina and stopped by an open dock where small boats put in the water. He got out of the car, grinning at Deaq as he followed suit. They made their way out onto the dock. "There he comes," Gary announced.
Deaq looked out to where Foster was pointing. He could see a small speedboat moving toward them. His eyes then searched the surrounding area for signs of Billie and the assault team.
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"Where the hell is Van?" Billie said aloud, lowering the binoculars. She picked up her radio. "Get ready, people. That's our guy coming in on the boat."
"Where's your other man?" came the question from Lt. Mullins.
"I have no idea. But we don't have a choice. We have to move ahead with the bust. Wait for my signal." She saw Deaq glance in her direction, but he was too far away to get a read on his expression. She could only hope that Van was all right.
She watched while the boat docked, while Deaq opened the case with the money inside and showed it to Gary Foster, while Deaq caught a bag filled with something she knew would be meth. "Go," was all she said. She moved quickly, stepping onto the dock first. "Police! Freeze!" She took in the pained look on Deaq's face, and her heart skipped a beat. Even as Deaq's hands went up in surrender, she realized that somehow Van was going to be paying a price for this bust. She was so preoccupied with her worries that she nearly missed the fact that Gary Foster had produced a gun. One of the assault team got him first though.
"No!" Deaq screamed, but it was too late. Gary Foster was dead before he hit the ground. Alan Foster knew it too. He gunned the boat, slamming into the dock in his haste, nearly knocking Deaq and Billie off their feet. More of the team poured onto the dock and began firing toward the boat. "No! Stop!" Deaq was still screaming. He rushed Mullins and nearly tackled the man. "Alan!"
"Deaq! Where's Van?" Billie spun him around.
"Fuck!"
"What? What is it?"
"We have to get back to the university, and we'll need the safe cracking stuff."
"Deaq!" She was getting frustrated.
"They locked him in a freezer, Billie. It has a combination lock. Get the damn safe cracking stuff and meet me back at the university, or Van's dead." He left her standing there and got into Gary Foster's car.
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Paramedics were standing there; Billie was fiddling with the equipment, and Deaq was pacing. It was nearly twenty minutes past Gary Foster's one-hour mark.
"Got it!" Billie exclaimed, tossing the little computer aside and snatching the door open. Deaq ran past her into the freezer, the paramedics right behind him. Van was blue, and ice particles had formed in his hair and even his eyelashes. He and one of the medics carried Van out while the other moved to their equipment. Deaq knelt by his partner and began to rub one cold arm.
"No. Don't do that. We have to get his core temp up."
"Is he…" He couldn't finish the question.
"He's not dead until he's warm and dead."
Somehow that was not very comforting. They loaded his still blue partner onto a stretcher and carried him out of the building with Deaq and Billie close behind. Billie drove. She weaved through traffic after the ambulance while Deaq practically held his breath, more over fear for his partner than Billie's driving, however.
This time, a familiar face met them at the ER. Dr. Grant, efficient as ever, took over Van's care, but he had them blocked at the door.
"I suppose I should try to get the jackass back up here." Billie grumbled.
"Yeah. I suppose so. He wasn't breathing. He was blue. Asshole or not, his father should have the opportunity to be here if he doesn't make it."
She wandered away to go call Van's father, leaving Deaq to pace. He should call his own family at some point. His parents thought the world of Van. He'd wait until he got some news though.
"The bastard's gone." Billie's voice caused him to jump a little. "He checked out of the hotel last night. I don't suppose you got a cell number?"
"No. Figures he'd bail."
"Well, I hate to say it but—"
"Then don't."
It was almost half an hour before Dr. Grant reappeared. "He has severe hypothermia. We've got him under a warming blanket, on warmed IV's, and intubated. The biggest risk right now is cardiac arrest. His core temp is still dangerously low. I'll let you know when we get him more stabilized." He was gone before either of them could respond.
"I should go call Parish to see if they managed to pick up Alan Foster," Billie announced.
"Yeah."
"Deaq, are you okay?"
"No, I'm not."
"This is not your fault. You couldn't have known."
"You told me not to underestimate them, and I did."
"I'm only going to say this once more. You couldn't have known. Hell, I would have never seen this coming. It's not your fault." She was waiting for a response, but Deaq didn't have one for her. "Okay, I'll be back. I'm going to call Parish."
He nodded and watched her as she walked outside to use her cell. No matter what she said, Deaq couldn't help running through everything that had gone wrong and how he could have prevented each incident.
Billie returned with coffee and news. "They haven't found Alan yet, but they picked up a guy driving his car. He claims to know nothing, but we have a receipt for a rental van with an address near the marina on it. It's in the warehouse district. We're checking it out. As for how they got to Van, they broke in the sliding glass doors in the back of the house."
"Deaq," Dr. Grant called out to him, then motioned him over. "He's semi-conscious at the moment and agitated. We removed the tube, but still have him on warmed oxygen. He's asking for you." Billie followed them back to the trauma room.
"Van, it's Deaq." He approached his obviously upset and once again restrained partner. "Why?" he asked, pointing to the restraints.
"We have to try to keep him from moving too much. We don't want the cold blood in his extremities to get back to his heart while he's this fragile. His temp is up a few degrees, but he's not out of the woods yet."
Deaq nodded and reached out to touch Van's forehead. "V, come on now, relax. Come on, partner. I'm here. Everything's okay now."
"De-deaq?" Van's voice was as slurred as it had been the night Deaq got him drunk. "Make'em leave me 'lone."
"They can't, V. You need help. I want you to let them help you, okay? You need to stay still. You hear me?"
"I wanna leave."
"No, Van, you have to stay. That's an order." Billie stepped up to the bed.
"Yes'ir." Van's eyes drifted closed.
"He's out again. We're going to be transferring him to ICU soon."
"Is he going to make it?"
"He's made it this far. Like I said, his heart is fragile at the moment. We have to be very careful with him. I really don't want to make any predictions right now."
Deaq bit his lip and lowered his gaze to the floor. He felt Billie's hand on his shoulder, but didn't turn. He didn't want to talk. He walked away, out of the ER to stand in the LA sunshine. It seemed impossible that the day was not long since over. He felt as though years had passed since he'd found out Van was in that freezer, rather than just hours. He pulled out his cell and called his parents.
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Alan Foster watched Deaqon Hayes pace in front of the ER entrance. His hands gripped the steering wheel of his father's Mercedes until his knuckles turned white. Hayes hung up from his call and leaned against a post.
"You are going to pay, Hayes." Alan started the car and pulled out of the parking space. One hand drifted to the gun in the passenger's seat as he moved toward the building. Before he could reach his target, however, the man turned and went back inside. "Fuck! Okay, okay, you gotta come out of there eventually." He circled back around and pulled back into the space he'd just left a moment before. He could wait. He would wait. Then both of them would pay.
He'd had to tell his father that Gary was dead. The old man was more furious than heart-broken. Someone had killed his first-born son, and his second-born had run. That seemed to be his major concern. Of course, Alan didn't tell him they were in the midst of a drug deal when it happened. He'd find out, of that Alan was certain, but Alan hoped that he'd be long gone by then. He just had to take care of the two cops; yes, they were cops; that killed his brother.
He sank down in the seat, his eyes on the ER entrance. He'd be ready when his chance came. Everything was arranged.
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Deaq shifted in the chair. His ass was hurting. Shifting didn't help so he got up. He took the two steps that would take him to Van's bedside. At least his partner wasn't quite as blue anymore. There was still a tinge of the unnatural color in Van's hands and face. He was in and out, more sleeping than unconscious, Grant said. When he was awake, he was disoriented and made little sense, often complaining that he was hot. The irony of that was not lost on Deaq. Grant explained that the warming blanket would feel hot to Van, as his body was so cold. As Deaq smoothed unruly hair back from Van's face, he noted an expression of pain cross his partner face. He reached for the call button. Was Van in pain? Was that normal? A moan caused Deaq's heart to speed up.
A nurse appeared and explained that yes, Van would be in some pain as his body warmed up, just as being extremely cold would cause anyone pain. Deaq nodded as she patted his shoulder before leaving the room.
"Deaq, you should go get something to eat." Billie entered.
Her words seemed to set off his hunger. Before he would have sworn he wasn't hungry. "Yeah."
"Your parents are here; they want to come back to see him."
They were only allowed in Van's room two at time, so Deaq would have to go out so they could come in, and now he was indeed very hungry. He touched Van's cold hand then joined Billie by the door.
"He'll be fine. He's going to be okay."
Deaq tried to smile, but it was half-hearted and so unsuccessful. He was pretty sure it looked more like a grimace than a smile. He made his way out of the ICU, surprised when Billie took his hand in hers. It wasn't romantic or anything. She was trying to be comforting, or perhaps she was seeking comfort. He wasn't sure. He didn't care.
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It was the strangest sensation. He was both hot and cold at the same time. He tried to throw off the heaviness on his chest, attributing the heat to it, but it wouldn't budge. He tried to raise his hand to fling it away only to find he couldn't raise his hand. Damn it, what was going on? He was freezing. His whole body shook so hard it was painful.
"Van, honey, open your eyes."
The voice was familiar, warm and kind. He couldn't possibly disobey. He focused on the face of Mrs. Hayes. "Hhhh-hh-ii." Well, that didn't come out very well. His teeth were chattering. This could only be a hospital, he noted as he looked beyond her for a moment. Great, again.
"Hey, baby." She smiled and Van found himself trying to imagine how it would have been to have this woman wake him up for school every morning as a child. He envied Deaq and Dre.
Deaq's father came into view. The man put his hands on his wife's shoulders, and Van's envy kicked up another notch. He knew better than to expect his own parents to make an appearance. But someone was missing.
"Dddd-eaq?"
"He went to get something to eat, honey. He'll be back. Your boss is here. Would you like us to get her?"
"Inna mmminute." He wanted to bask in the caring he saw and felt in the room for just a little while longer. He moaned involuntarily as muscles cramped from the cold.
"I should get the doctor." Mr. Hayes disappeared.
When Dr. Grant arrived, Van tried to hold the thermometer under his tongue. After all, it was either that or—well, Van didn't want to think about the other option, the one that Grant actually seemed to prefer. Van gave a shiver that had nothing to do with the cold. Still, it was hard to hold the little stick in place, especially since he was afraid he was going to bite the thing in half between his chattering teeth. It was a good thing they stopped using those glass ones with the mercury.
The little machine beeped, and the stick was removed. "Okay, doing better. Still a few degrees below where you should be, but out of immediate danger. I'm going to get rid of these restraints. Shouldn't hurt to move around a little, but I want you to stay under that warming blanket. Clear?"
"Yyyeah. Umm, what 'xactly hhhap—pened?"
"You don't remember?"
"Last I 'member was be—ing fffforced to swal—low some nasty tttasting water."
"Yeah, the blood tests showed you were sedated. Well, it seems that somebody locked you in a freezer. You were clinically dead when you were brought in. However, with hypothermia, the rule is that no one is dead until he's warm and dead. You got lucky. Get some rest." Grant left then and Billie entered.
"Hey," he managed without a single stutter.
"Hey yourself. Deaq should be back soon."
Van nodded, not wanting to stutter through a verbal response. He was still shivering. Billie repositioned the blankets and touched his hand.
"You scared the hell out of us, you know?"
"Ddddidn't mmean to."
"I know." She smiled at him. He wouldn't be sure later when he'd dozed off. He hoped she wasn't talking about anything important.
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Billie approached Dr. Grant a few minutes after Van drifted off to sleep. "So, how is he?"
"He's going to be okay. As long as he gets those last two or so degrees and manages to maintain them once we take away the warming blanket. He needs to stay warm though. He's vulnerable to a lot of things right now. Not the least of which is pneumonia."
Billie sighed and checked her watch. Deaq had been gone a long time now. She frowned. Where could he have gone? She knew he opted out on the cafeteria, mumbling something about not being able to stomach that food again so soon. By this time, he could have gone out to Venice and back. She found a payphone and called his cell.
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His phone was ringing. He lifted his head from his chest and glared at Alan Foster.
"Who do you suppose that is?" the man asked. "Hmm, caller ID says pay phone. We'll let them leave a voice mail and then find out. The only person we want to hear from right now is your partner."
Deaq flexed his rapidly numbing hands in the handcuffs that held him to the ancient metal chair. "Leave Van alone. He didn't shoot your brother. Thanks to you guys, he wasn't even there."
"I'm afraid I can't do that. There or not, both of you are responsible for Gary's death, and both of you are going to pay."
"You were cooking and selling meth. You created the situation that got Gary killed. You and Gary are responsible for Gary's death."
"Shut up. Just shut up! We had a good thing going! You screwed it all up! Gary, he knew you were cops. He kept saying that something wasn't right with you two. Well, he was right. So now, I'm going to do what he would do if he were here to two cops who fucked up our business! You and your partner are going to die. If he doesn't start looking for you soon, I'll just have to call him. Shouldn't be too hard to find, huh? Wonder if he'll even be able to try to come to your rescue."
"He was in no shape to come after me when I left, man."
"You think that's going to save him? Believe me, I'm not married to the idea of you both dying together. But I am married to the fact that somebody will die tonight. It can be just you, but I want him to think that he could have saved you if he could have gotten out of that hospital bed. Not true, of course, but he'd never know, would he? Then afterward, when he's just getting his life back together, I'll come back for him. Either way, he shows, you both die. He doesn't, you die now; he dies later. Works for me either way."
Alan Foster had lost his mind, Deaq decided. The man paced before him in the deserted warehouse. Deaq wondered if this was the warehouse on the rental slip. It really couldn't be. Billie had said they planned to stake out that warehouse.
The call was probably Billie. She'd start looking for him, at least. Could he really hold out much hope there though? Hell, he could be anywhere. If old man Foster owned the place, maybe they'd get around to looking here, but chances were Deaq would be dead by then. Still, even realizing that, he hoped Van never figured out he was missing and that he slept right through any calls to his hospital room.
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"Where's Deaq?"
Billie cringed at the question. She had really hoped that he wouldn't wake up. But he had, just as she was about to slip out of the room. What could she tell him? The truth did not seem like a good idea given the circumstances. She'd already had to tell Deaq's parents that she had put out an APB on their son. That had not gone over very well with Deaq's ex-cop father. Not to mention that the man obviously still had connections in the department, as he was at this very moment consulting with Parish and the task force hastily thrown together to search for his son. She was about to leave to do the same thing as well.
That would leave Van in the somewhat shaky hands of Mrs. Hayes. The woman was holding it together fairly well, but Billie had no doubt that if Van got wind of Deaq's disappearance, Cheryl Hayes would be no match for Van Ray on a mission.
She had sworn Mrs. Hayes and Dr. Grant to secrecy. Now she had to figure out how to make an exit without planting any seeds in Van's already suspicious mind. The job was her only hope. Van understood the job and its urgency.
"We got a lead on Alan Foster. He's following up on it. I'm on my way to back him up."
"Oh." The dejection in his voice was hard to hear. "You should go then. He shouldn't be out there by himself."
"Everything's going to be fine, Van. We'll get Foster. You just rest. Are you still cold? I could ask for another blanket on my way out."
"A little. Not much." He yawned.
"I'll ask them to bring another blanket. Try to sleep some, okay?"
"Yeah, just go. Deaq needs you."
More than you know, she thought. Outwardly though, she smiled and squeezed his toes through the two blankets already covering him. She left as he shifted onto his side and snuggled down further into the bed. She didn't like lying to him, but it was for his own good. She'd apologize later. Right now, she had to find his missing partner.
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"Damn it!" Foster kicked his duffel bag across the floor. Deaq watched as drugs and money spilled from it. "Why isn't he calling? Why? Huh? Answer me!"
"I told you, he was in no condition to come after me. Maybe you and your brother shouldn't have tried so damn hard to kill him. Maybe then he would be here by now. Of course, that means that you'd be joining your brother in hell, and we'd be going out for a beer."
Alan spun on him and put Deaq's own gun to his head. "Shut up. Just shut up." He nudged Deaq's head hard with the barrel then turned away again. He went back to pacing, rubbing his head with his free hand. "Okay, okay, we'll call him."
"He was in the ER and unconscious. Don't think you're going to get him."
"Ah-ah, that's where you're wrong. He should be thawed out pretty well by now, and remember, my drugs, so I know that won't be keeping him down. And they have phones in the ER cubicles now. Saw them when I had to take some bimbo of Gary's in when she OD'ed. That was a fucking mess. Yeah, gonna call him. I have plans for him. He's really hot, you know. No pun intended, given that he was nearly a popsicle earlier."
"Thought you could wait."
"Changed my mind. Yeah, let's call, shall we?" He dug Deaq's cell out of his pants pocket. "I'm going to have to call information for the number to the hospital though. Don't worry; you won't be alive long enough to have to pay for the extra charge."
Deaq closed his eyes and said a quick prayer that Van was asleep or that Billie would answer the phone. Or his mom or dad. Was it awful of him to hope that Van was still in restraints, or that Grant would catch him and put him back in restraints if he tried to leave? Please don't let Van walk into this, he begged whatever supreme being that might be listening.
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Ringing. Something was fucking ringing. Van tried to pull his pillow from under his head. He had to drown out that ringing. He had just gotten comfortable, damn it. He was finally warm. The pillow was being stubborn.
"Billie? Deaq?" he called. "Somebody?"
The ringing didn't stop, and no one showed to help. "Fuck," he muttered as he opened his eyes. A phone. It was a fucking phone. He reached out to try to grab it. It was just out of his reach. He stretched. He was not getting up, damn it. He managed to get two fingers on the stupid thing and pull it toward him. "What?" he demanded even before he had it to his ear.
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"Van! Hey, man, how're you doing? Feeling better?"
Deaq swore. His prayers evidently had not been answered.
"Yeah, well, here's the thing. I got Deaq here with me, and we just need you to make the party complete." Alan Foster paused, a grin spreading across his face as he listened to Van's response. "Looking forward to it, man! Okay, since I know you're not feeling too great right now and it might take you a bit to escape from the docs, I'll give you up to two hours to get here. That's pretty generous, don't you think? I mean, you can get here any time in that two hours without penalty. Sooner the better, of course, but just in case, two hours. Two hours and one minute and your friend here is dead. Clear? The address is 1573 Industrial Blvd. Warehouse 2. And if you show up with the blue lights flashing and unis crawling all over, he'll be dead before you can even get close to the building. Got that?" He hung up. "Now then, we wait for Van." Alan grinned at him.
"I hope he kills you. If he doesn't, rest assured, I will."
"Oh, now, that's not the way cops are supposed to do things. I believe you just threatened me, Officer Hayes. If that's your real name."
"It's Detective Hayes to you."
"I'm hurt. I thought we were friends, Deaq."
"You're insane."
Foster laughed. "Maybe so. So, are we having fun yet?"
Deaq ignored him.
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Van found his clothes in a plastic bag on a shelf in the corner of the room. He shivered as he dressed in the slightly damp clothes. His cell phone was still missing. Fucking Alan Foster probably had it. He might have even called Van from it for all he knew. He had been taken from the fishbowl house without his gun too. He'd need a gun.
He debated calling Billie. He would, he decided, but only after he was there and could get to Deaq before the cavalry scared Foster into shooting. So, who to call, he wondered. Aquarius. He picked up the phone and called Deaq's uncle or cousin, whatever he was. Van had never been sure. He just knew that somehow his partner was related to the big man.
"Aquarius, can you pick me up…" he thought quickly for a nearby place. He couldn't stay around the hospital. They'd find him. "At the McDonalds near Cedar Sinai?" Questions, the man would pick now to ask questions! "Aquarius, please. And I need a gun, man. I'll explain everything when you get here." He hung up before the man could protest.
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"Oh look, police officers are searching my dad's warehouses over there." Foster turned back to Deaq. "Too bad, we're not in one of my father's warehouses. I mean, do they think I'm stupid? I wouldn't use my dad's warehouses! That would make it way too easy to find me! I may be insane, as you so kindly pointed out, but I am NOT stupid! I did want a front row seat to the search though. It's pretty cool to watch. You should see them, swarming like little black ants all over the buildings. Guess you don't have to see it though. You've been one of them, huh? Gary knew you were cops. But he'd been wrong before. Killed that one guy just trying to prove his theory. So I argued for letting you guys live until we had proof. When we weren't arrested after we drugged him, I was convinced you weren't cops. But not Gary. Now he's dead. Because of you! I'm going to kill you. And him. After I have some fun with him."
If wishing someone dead worked, Alan Foster would have been decomposing already. Deaq pulled on the handcuffs yet again while Foster was distracted, but it was no use. He wasn't getting out of the damn things. They were way too tight.
If Van had told someone about the call, they wouldn't be searching in the wrong place. That meant that Van was going to try to do this on his own. Damn it. Could things get any worse? Oh, that was a bad thought. Whenever he had that thought, things always inevitably got worse.
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It had taken him a full fifteen minutes to get past the officer guarding his room. He had to try to convince the man that he needed yet another blanket, and that no one was answering his call button. He hid under the blankets he already had while the man tried the button repeatedly himself. He didn't notice that it was unplugged. Finally satisfied, he went in search of a blanket. Van waited until he rounded a corner before sneaking out of the room and down the hall. He ducked his head and hurried out of the ER doors.
Then he had to get past Deaq's mom in the waiting room. Luckily, she was reading a magazine, and he walked right past her. In another ten minutes, he slipped into the passenger's side of Aquarius's Mercedes. "Turn on the heat man. I'm freezing."
"Freezing? It's 78 degrees."
"Please."
"Whatever. Now spill." He turned on the heat and glared at Van, waiting for his explanation.
So that had taken another ten to fifteen minutes. The drive to the warehouse took twenty. Aquarius pulled up outside the fence and stopped.
"Okay, now once I'm inside, call Billie."
"I don't like this plan, Van."
"Just do it for me, please. Tell her, no lights, no sirens."
"Okay, fine. Be careful."
"I will. Hey, how's Abby?"
"She's fine."
"Good. This turns out bad, take care of her for me."
"You know I will. Just don't let things turn out bad."
"I'll try not to." He got out of the car. The gate was open. He slipped inside, something catching his eye as he did. Were those cops down the street? He watched as about ten men in black gathered around what looked like a SWAT truck on the street. He motioned to Aquarius, and the man shrugged. Well, if they were cops, at least he wouldn't have to wait long for backup. He headed for the door as Aquarius pulled away as they had planned.
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"Preston has nothing at the warehouses. They're pulling out," Billie told Parish and Mr. Hayes. They had struck out with the senior Foster. The old man told them that not only was his son not there, he was not welcome there anymore. His younger son was a coward as far as he was concerned. When they pressed, he let them in and sat smugly in his big leather chair while they searched, only to remind them that he had told them Alan wasn't there to begin with. Mullins had yet to report in from Foster Industries corporate headquarters. Where to go next? She'd seen the speedboat, but didn't Foster have a yacht as well? And what about the campus? "We should check the marina and the labs at the science building." Her phone rang just as she got into her car. "What! Son of a bitch, I'll kill him myself!" She reined in her temper. "Van left the hospital AMA," she told Mr. Hayes as he got into the passenger's seat.
"He found out about Deaqon."
"That would be my guess."
"Can you call him? Maybe he has some idea of where to look."
"His cell phone is missing. I'm going to kill him."
Her phone rang again. It was Aquarius.
TBC
