Howdy! Sorry - the beginnings of another story has been released into the universe. I hope you guys don't mind. I really am working on my other multi chapters but in a round robin sort of way since they are being quite difficult, but I am chipping away at them. So I apologize if you are waiting for a chapter to one of the other stories. They'll be coming as soon as Barbara the muse gets her shit together.
So if you're glad I am throwing another story out there, YaY! If it pisses you off or your just plain old bummed, please forgive me and your patience is appreciated.
Well, that said…here it is. Poor, poor Jay…
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The intel was good, or so they thought, but it turned into an ambush. Whoever wanted them, wanted them bad. It was a long play, over two months, to get Intelligence hooked, to get them on the case - a 'new crew on the streets', running drugs and guns, 'trying to recruit' one of Jay's most loyal CI's, who turned out to be not so loyal after all.
X
They had planned the bust for 10:00pm that evening but when Jay practically collapsed at work sicker than a dog, they put it off hoping they would only have to delay it a day. That would give them time to reconfigure the plan but this time without Jay.
X
Hailey sat on the side of the bed before going to work the next morning and brushed her hand through Jay's hair eliciting a comforted sigh.
"You stay in bed. I'll send you a text right before we go in and another when we're done."
The adrenaline of his wife going out on the bust without him covering her six had him awake and alert even with the high fever and the racking cough.
"Who's first in now?"
"I am….for breach and basement…"
He cringed at the thought of that. It was probably the riskiest position, that was why he took it himself. But Hailey would be the next choice. She could handle it 100%. He just didn't like the risk to her….just like she didn't like the risk to him.
She could see the worry written on his face but he cut her off before she could say anything.
"Good choice. Best choice."
He curled over as his body chose that moment to send him into a coughing fit.
Rubbing his back as he rode it out, she didn't speak until he caught his breath. He was so sick. She had never seen him this sick. Will didn't think he had ever been this sick.
He lifted his trembling hand and put it on her cheek, "Be careful Hails, please..."
She leaned into his fevered hand and covered it with her own, "Always. I love you."
After another short coughing fit he croaked out, "Love you too."
She kissed his forehead, "Couch or bed."
He nodded at her loving directive, but doubted he could make it to the couch at this point.
With one more kiss on the forehead and a squeeze of his hand she left, he was asleep before she even got to the bedroom door.
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Their plan had worked to perfection until they all cleared the front of the house and moved to the back to rooms. They stacked up on the back hallway and before they could even clear the first room they started dropping like flies. They had walked into an invisible vapor that rendered them all unconscious in seconds.
X
Waking within minutes of each other, they found themselves in what looked like a small basement, maybe 16 x 20 feet. They were tightly gagged, sitting with hands cuffed and attached to eye hooks above them.
Shackles around their ankles with a two foot chain attached to the wall behind them ensured they would be going nowhere. They would be able to sit on their asses with knees bent or ass to heels if they could manage it.
Blurry eyes taking in her surroundings, Hailey looked to her right and saw Kim and further down the wall, almost to the corner, Voight.
She heard a groan and looked to her left and found Kevin's big eyes looking into hers, Adam just beyond him in the process of waking up.
When the confusion cleared, she realized their lucky break in this…Jay wasn't there. When she didn't do her 'after op' check-in, he would send the cavalry, he would call in Gun's and Gangs. It was only a matter of time.
X
Hailey twisted her wrist and looked at her watch. Almost an hour since they breached and they still didn't know what the perps wanted.
She had no sooner had that thought when the door slammed open and two goons, followed by a third, dragged an unconscious Jay in.
He was wearing the same clothes he had on when she went to work this morning - a pair of baggy basketball shorts and he was still flushed with fever.
She yelped into her gag, 'no!'
Both of the assholes had an arm hooked under Jay's arm pits, his head hung to his chest and his bare feet trailed behind. They dropped him with out ceremony in the middle of the room and roughly rolled him onto his back, arms flopping at his sides, legs landing askew.
Jay's abdomen was covered with future bruises, some already coming to fruition. His head angled toward them, they could see he had a split lip, a small cut across the bridge of his nose, bruised jaw and the beginnings of a black eye.
The two underlings stepped back to the wall and the third man, obviously in charge, took over.
"Okay. I guess we can start now that the heart of intelligence has been kind enough to grace us with his presence."
None of them could take their eyes off an unconscious, fevered and beaten Jay. They all agreed with the sentiment. Jay was the heart. A mentor to all of them. The only one who could really keep Voight in line and the one who refused to let any of them follow in Voight's footsteps.
Hailey cocked her head and hummed through the tight gag, 'What do you want?'
He understood her or just knew the question would be first on the list. "Nothing yet. But you can blame him…" he pointed to Voight, "…for being here."
The asshole tapped a boot into Jay's left side.
"You look at this guy as your kid. Right Voight? Halstead. He's become the most important person in your life since you lost everyone else."
He nudged the back of Jay's head with his foot. Jay didn't stir. The power of the action was not lost on any of them, Jay could have just as easily been kicked in the head. Jay was the most vulnerable of the group. The assholes could do anything to him and all they would be able to do is watch.
"We've surveilled you all…" he tipped his head to the two men against the far wall, then lifted his chin to Voight, "…we know Halstead views you as a father figure. A father figure he is often frustrated and angry with, somewhat like his real father but at least you believe in him…are proud of him…make him feel like he is worth something."
Hailey blanched - their place had been bugged. Jay had said those same words to her not even two weeks ago over dinner in their apartment. He had been pissed at Voight and was venting but circled around to what Voight meant to him.
Crouching down and grabbing Jay's face, he turned it back toward himself, "He's a good guy, this one."
Tears filled Hailey's eyes when he smacked Jay's cheek a couple of times tipping his face back to the group, but the gag stopped a sob from escaping.
Walking over to her, the asshole took a knee and wiped the tears from her fear filled eyes with his thumbs then held on tight when she tried to turn her head.
"Don't worry honey. I'm not going to kill your husband." He held her eyes a moment longer, then turned his head to Voight, "He is…"
Standing, he strolled back to Jay and gave him a long, almost sympathetic look, then glared at each of them, "…you are."
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Okey dokey. I hope you like it and you aren't pissed at me for throwing another story out there when I've got 5 dangling. I'll update this one next Saturday.
Thanks for reading and stay safe peeps.