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Chapter 11
"Can't either of you ever do as you are told?!" Jo faced Detectives Flack and Taylor as they stepped out of the patrol car, hands on her hips.
"We're part of this Jo" Mac said.
"I don't care!" Jo said "You're both on sick leave, you" she pointed at Mac "Have a laceration in your leg I could put my fist in. And you" she pointed at Don "Have a broken wrist. You can't even shave yourself! Yes, I've spoken to Kate. And the fact that you had to get a squad car to bring you here, because neither of you can drive, proves that you shouldn't be here!"
"We just wanna be here" Don defended "Don't worry I've already had an ear bashing from Kate"
"We have enough fire power here to take out half of the criminal population of New York, never mind Nathan Rodgers" she glowered at them "What do you think you two can do?!"
"Just observe" Mac fought a smile.
"Observe my ass!" Jo said "You stay out here"
She leaned into the front of the patrol car, speaking to the driver "Listen up! These two" she pointed to Don and Mac "Do not leave this car, you understand me? I mean it, cuff them if you have to!"
"Ma'am" the patrol officer inclined his head, touching his cap, getting out of the car, grinning at Mac and Don.
"We're staying" Mac sighed.
"Scouts honour" Don gave her a mock salute.
"You're no more a boy scout that I am" Jo told him, turning on her heel and heading back towards the ESU truck as both men laughed.
"That told us" Mac said.
…...
"OK" Jo faced the truck "We have one perp, he may well be tooled up, and he'll have security. There may also be other individuals of interest" she handed around pictures "Meet Nathan Rodgers, he's the mark"
"Is this the guy that blew up the hotel?" Bo asked.
"Not physically" Danny replied "But he arranged it all, he is the elusive Mr X. He has set up to date, six murders for other people and blown up one hotel. He took out Aaron Beckton the guy" he pointed at Kate "That Kate and Lindsay found snooping around the hotel, by himself. He's smarter than the people he employs, we already have most of them at the pleasure of the New York City corrections department"
"Lets go then" Bo said.
…...
Don and Mac watched as ESU led Danny and Jo into the front of the building, more officers flowed through other doors, uniformed officers covered exits. The last three to enter were ESU, 'back markers'. The last one stopped, just about to enter and turned, lowering the rifle momentarily.
"You two so much as move a muscle" Both men recognised Kate's voice "And I will shoot you myself" she turned and followed the team into the building.
"You are a brave man" Mac looked at Don "She's quite a handful"
"Oh I know" Don laughed.
"But worth it right?" Mac asked.
"Totally" Don agreed "I ask you somethin' Mac?"
"Go ahead" Mac nodded.
"Would you be my best man?" Don looked at a point slightly over Mac's shoulder.
He waited for Don to make eye contact "What about Danny?"
"I already spoke to Danny" Don said "He understands my reasons, says he'll be Godfather to my first kid instead"
"Is that imminent?" Mac asked.
"Not for a while" Don smiled "Quite a while I think"
"Can I hear your reasons?" Mac asked gently.
Don let out a long sigh, once again avoiding eye contact "You have saved my life Mac, more than once. I don't just mean after that bomb, I mean every time you called me out on bein' stupid, every time I needed a kick is the butt you were the one who gave it to me. You have picked me up more times than I can remember and set me straight. Always been there, always with just enough of the right advice to make me see it on my own. Those are my reasons, those and many more"
Mac didn't speak for a long moment, he considered what Don had said quietly.
"I'd be honoured" he smiled, holding out his hand.
"Thank you" Don said with a smile of his own, taking Mac's hand and pulling him onto a hug "Thank you"
…...
"NYPD get on the floor!"
"Police! Get down, hands on your head!"
"Armed police! Hit the floor!"
The shouts rang out as ESU, Danny and Jo entered Nathan Rodgers plush office, the man behind the desk reached for a drawer.
"I wouldn't!" Kate was behind him, having used an alternative entrance.
"I'd listen to her" Jo warned above the shouts of 'Clear' coming form different rooms and areas of the floor they were on "She's a sharp shooter, she's not gonna miss at that range"
"Get down! Now! Hands on your head!" Kate covered him as he slowly stood, laying face down on the floor.
"Nathan Rodgers" Jo said, cuffing him "You are under arrest"
"What for?!" he exclaimed, his face the picture of innocence as he twisted around, Jo pushed him down roughly.
"Oh please!" she said "We have emails and testimony about your activities. That Arabian Prince was your latest target, only you had to come up with a plan to make it look like terrorism"
"I have no idea what you are talking about!" Rodgers protested as Kate helped Jo haul him to his feet.
"Save it for the DA" Kate said.
"And interpol" Jo added "They're gonna wanna talk to you, oh and the FBI too"
"Why?!" he still feigned innocence.
"For murder" Jo pushed him forward "The murder of Aaron Beckton, and conspiracy attempted murder of The Prince, plus about 200 innocent people by blowing up that hotel" Jo paused "But mainly for putting a guy that's getting married soon in a cast, that's just mean!"
Kate laughed, and as Jo held her hand up for a high five, she returned the gesture.
…...
"Hey" Kate heard the door slam, but didn't turn from what she was doing.
"Hi" he stood in the doorway to their spare bedroom, watching as Kate perched with one foot on the computer desk and the other on the widow sill, rubbing the window vigorously with a cloth "Sorry, wrong house" he said, grinning.
She still didn't turn "Shut it Flack" she replied "My parents arrive the day after tomorrow"
"Which means you have to torture the windows?" he asked, eyebrows raised.
"Yes" she said, rubbing again "Stop checking me out"
He laughed "I like those shorts" he said "Though a maids outfit might have been more appropriate"
"More appropriate for who?!" she gave the window a last rub and climbed down.
"Me, obviously" he replied "I got dinner" he held up a bag.
"Uh" she said, taking the bag and opening it, wrinkling her nose "You're climbing in my estimations"
"Oh so glad" he said, following her through to the kitchen he stopped, frowning "You moved everything"
"I cleaned up" she said, emptying cartons onto plates.
"Wonders will never cease" he said, taking a plate and sitting on the sofa.
"My mom's a clean freak" she said, sitting next to him.
"It's your dad I'm worried about" he said.
She frowned at him whilst eating.
"You're daddy's girl" he explained "And I'm marrying you, I'm kinda worried he might give me 'the talk'"
Kate swallowed "More than likely" she said.
"We ever end up having kids, a girl" he said, the conversation he'd had earlier with Mac on his mind "No man's gonna get close enough to marry her"
"You're forgetting something there" she said with a smile.
"What?"
"She'd be my daughter, and therefore able to wrap you around her little finger, like I can, you seen Danny with Lucy right?!" Kate laughed.
"You don't have me as whipped as you think you do" he pointed his fork at her grinning.
"Yeah" she grinned back "I so do"
"Maybe" he shrugged with a grin "You're spoilt"
"I know" she grinned back "Does this qualify as the 'do we want kids talk?'"
"I think so" he nodded "Do we?"
"One day" she agreed "We'll need some pretty tough Godparents though, our jobs, we could orphan them on the same day"
"True" he mused "They? More than one?"
"Two, maybe three" she said "You?"
"A hockey team?" he laughed.
"Not a chance" she replied.
…...