Well, I made it to the bust…finally…but not to the end of the story. Still one more chapter…I think.
Thanks again for the reviews and favorites. I hope you continue to enjoy it.
Thanks again to mamaverd and Sairs J for the helping hands.
Looking around, Sam could see that everyone in his crew and Ellyas' was stunned by the sound of the sirens piercing the air. He schooled his features in much the same way before deftly maneuvering his way around the crates and ducking in behind the transformer with Vic almost on top of him.
It seemed to take a few seconds for everything to completely register with everyone else before all hell broke loose and he watched as the rest of the group scrambled for various forms of camouflage. The Boss and his two goons lunged toward Ray and RJ, joining them behind the cover of the dumpster. They had contemplated joining Sam and Vic who were closer, but there was clearly not going to be enough room for everyone. Sam could swear that he saw a look flash in the Boss' eyes before he turned and it wouldn't have surprised him one bit if he had shoved both he and Vic out into the open to protect himself. But for some reason he didn't.
Red and blue lights were now flashing from what felt like every direction and for a moment Sam was blinded by a huge spotlight that had been directed right at the center of the scene. The bright light seemed to illuminate an area easily the size of a square city block, and it was going to be next to impossible for anyone to escape detection, not that it mattered to him.
Sam had his gun at the ready but would only use it as a last resort, and even then it wouldn't be leveled directly at anyone.
He could hear his coworkers yelling for all of them to come out so no one would get hurt, but he stood his ground. According to the plan, the other five guys should already be in custody so everything and everyone else was contained to this area. Now he just had to stay out of harm's way long enough for them to get the rest to surrender.
He was somewhat concerned that Vic would draw some fire if he chose to fight back but surprisingly he also seemed reluctant to use his gun. It was clear why Sam wasn't, but he was surprised to see that Vic didn't seem to be preparing for battle.
"Come with me." Vic ordered, shifting his body towards the dock.
"What? Where?" Sam threw out his hands in confusion and flipped his head from side to side; they were quite obviously trapped.
Vic grabbed hold of the fence behind the transformer and pulled it away; it had been cut recently to provide the perfect escape route.
"Did you…did you know that they were…" Sam knew he couldn't have known but why else would Vic have a contingency plan.
"What? No! I'm no snitch, but I wasn't going to take any chances if Vicero showed up either. I don't have a death wish and I sure as hell don't want to go to jail."
"Where would we go?"
"I…uh…" Vic liked Sammy; he'd been planning this for quite some time and the threat of a gang war seemed to give him the extra push he needed and now, he wanted Sammy to come with him. "I've been saving my money and I've got some friends out West. We just have to get there." He explained. "We can start over where no one knows us. I'm too old for this shit; I'm done. And I've got enough saved to buy into a business out there. You're a smart guy Sammy; we can do it together. Let's go."
Sam felt sorry for Vic; they had spent a few late nights talking and he knew he had been forced into this life. He would love to see a guy like him get a fresh start, but whether he knew it or not it was already too late.
As Sam hesitated, Vic was convinced he knew the reason why. "You can send for her."
Sam furrowed his brow. "What? Who?"
"Your girl." He answered as if it were obvious. "Once we get out of here, get out there, get settled, you call her and we send her a bus ticket."
"But…"
"I'm not blind Sammy. I see how much you like her, and if you're willing to stick around here and fight, well you're in even deeper than I thought. She means a lot to you." He noted, without question.
Sam answered honestly. "Yes she does."
"Come on." He prompted. "I promise; we'll get her there as soon as we can. But if we don't leave now, the cops will have us surrounded. This is our last chance."
Sam was pretty sure they already were surrounded, but as a shot rang out from his right, he figured he would rather be a little further away.
When the inevitable gun fight began and he saw one of the boss' henchmen go down, it was the perfect diversion. With one more, quick look back, he motioned to Vic. "Lead the way."
Sam followed his buddy through the fence and into the tall grass that led down to the dock. The ground was soft, but not enough to slow them down too much as Sam quickly pushed Vic to the west. His contingency plan dictated that he make his way in that direction since the only thing to the east was more water. And unless Vic had a boat waiting that would probably look suspicious.
They stayed low to the ground and made their way parallel to the fence. As they were approaching the west walkway, Sam could see Vic trying to determine how they would get over it without being detected. The grass had given them some protection against being seen but the wooden planks would afford no security at all.
Speed was all they had so the second Vic cleared the walkway, Sam was hot on his heels and crouched back down into the grass as they continued move along the fence line. Sam didn't see anyone following them and he had no idea what he would do if they actually got away, but decided he would wait to cross that bridge if they came to it.
They had finally cleared the gunfire and the far reaches of the spotlight, which meant it was time to get serious. They had just agreed to stand up and take off in a dead run when Sam heard a familiar tone to his right. "Police! Drop your weapons or I'll shoot!"
Sam's eyes met Vic's. He watched the different scenarios play out on Vic's face and for a second he wondered if he would be stupid enough to make a run for it. But when Vic's focus came back to his friend, he shook his head almost in apology though neither one was sure what he had to be sorry for.
Sam tried to mirror Vic's defeated look as he dropped his gun to the ground and lifted his hands above his head. "It's all good, man. No need to shoot."
Vic followed Sam's lead and let his gun fall to the dirt before they were both directed to drop to their knees with their hands behind their head.
Sam was generous with his complaints as the cop arresting them was anything but gentle; he knew they were putting on a show but this guy, Peterson he thought his name was, was taking his role way to seriously.
Sam shot him a glare that under normal circumstances would have had any fellow officer cowering, but it was clear Peterson was enjoying having the upper hand for a change. If he knew what was good for him he would have been trying a lot harder to hold back his grin; Sam liked to hold a grudge and most everyone knew better than to find their way onto the wrong end of it.
Once he had Sam and Vic cuffed, Peterson guided them back towards the buy site. As they closed in on the scene, Sam watched in amusement as Boyd's team converged on the Boss and RJ who seemed to be the last two standing.
Sam was fighting hard to suppress a smirk; he was more than pleased to see the big man get what was coming to him. A large number of shooting deaths in the area could be attributed to this man and the weapons he supplied so it was about time for Karma to bite him in the ass. Sam mentally patted himself on the back as the man was tackled to the ground. He was as dirty as they came so Sam couldn't help but find it fitting that he ended with his thousand dollar suit ground into the mud.
Passing through the gate, Sam heard a scuffle behind him and he slowed to a stop, turning back to see Jimmy being led up from the dock along with the two of Ellyas' guys. He shot another glare at Peterson when he felt his arm being jerked forward.
"Take it easy." Sam muttered under his breath, but all he received in return was a satisfied smirk and a healthy push forward that just about tripped him up.
Sam righted his feet and looked back up, just in time to see the boss and one of his henchmen being dragged towards the nearest cruiser. He couldn't believe Epstein. 1519? Are you kidding me? Sam tried not to laugh as Oliver yanked Epstein away from his car; there was no way Oliver was cleaning up after that.
"Sorry, that seat is taken." Oliver discouraged, shutting the door before Epstein had a chance to sit the man down. Shaw had every intention of driving Sam back to the station and nothing was getting in his way. Besides, the man was filthy.
"Your back seat is empty, and it's closer." Dov argued.
"You put that filth in my car, and you'll be cleaning it for a month." Oliver warned.
He then directed his glare at the Boss who was smirking at him and his show of authority. "I'm not talking about the mud, dirtbag."
"You think you got problems. I'm the one that has to ride with a pig."
"Somehow, I think pig is a step up from your usual company."
The smirk was gone, but the man's bravado was still intact. "I'll have you know I pay more to shine my shoes than you make in a month…officer."
"I don't doubt that for a second…Boss Hogg. And as luck would have it, the place you're headed will have plenty of gentlemen willing to 'polish up your loafers' for free."
Now it was gone. Game. Set. Match. Shaw.
Dov worked hard to swallow his surprise and amusement before dragging the now uneasy Boss back to his cruiser about twenty meters away.
Some things never change. Sam thought before taking inventory of his friends and coworkers. He spotted Nash, Diaz, Peck, Jerry and Noelle, and thankfully Andy was nowhere to be found. She kept her promise. He couldn't have been happier – a little surprised maybe, but definitely not happier; there was no way any of 'his guys' could put two and two together now. She was safe.
Speaking of his guys, he needed to know that they were all accounted for too. The two guys at the entrance were to be taken down early and would be long gone; there's no way they would have been missed. He had seen all of Ellyas' men. But as he looked around, he searched his mind having remembered seeing the Boss and his two goons, Jimmy, Vic, Ray, RJ and himself. There should have been three more guys.
As they neared the remaining officers, Sam started to struggle against the hold a little. "Loosen up, buddy. You wouldn't want to be accused of police brutality."
"You think this is brutality." Peterson threatened sarcastically, clearly implying that Swarek had gone soft.
Sam wondered briefly what he must have done to piss this guy off; though the feeling was now more than mutual. Sam met Oliver's eyes as he continued. "My lawyer's going to hear about this. You can COUNT on it."
Oliver and Sam had worked together a long time and Oliver knew exactly what his friend was getting at. Sam wanted a count; he wanted, no needed to know that they had everyone in custody.
Oliver gave an almost imperceptible nod before walking over to Boyd. "How many do we have?"
"What?"
"How many guys do we have? Swarek…" No one would pick up on it with the use of the last name. "Wants to make sure we have everyone."
"Swarek, needs to stop worrying about my job and worry about his own right now." Boyd grumbled loudly, purposely making himself loud enough for Sam to hear.
But that wasn't going to work on Oliver…or on Sam; Shaw knew he would push the issue. And he didn't disappoint.
Sam yelled out to the guy holding him. "HOW MANY times do I have to tell you?"
Oliver turned to Boyd and lifted his brow as if to say 'have you not met the man; you know he doesn't take no for an answer'.
"I got it under control all right; now get him under control." Boyd ordered under his breath.
Oliver shook his head and stepped aside sweeping his arms back towards Sam; maybe Boyd liked poking an angry dog with a sharp stick, but he sure didn't. "Have at 'er."
Boyd shoved the person he had into the waiting arms of another Guns and Gangs member and followed Shaw back to the middle of the melee.
They rejoined the fray just as two other cops pulled in a pair of guys from Sam's gang that had been patrolling the alleyways. But before Boyd had a chance to ask them how it went, a hand gripped his shoulder hard from behind.
He reached quickly for his gun, which he had holstered earlier and spun on his heel. Oliver felt the movement beside him and turned just as quickly to see what had startled the detective. They exchanged a look of surprise at finding Jennings staggering along behind them and rubbing the back of his head.
"What the hell happened to you?" Boyd demanded. "Why was McNally calling it?"
"You can read the report." Jennings grumbled. "Now where the hell is she and why the hell did she take off without me? Did she bring him down here?"
"Who?"
"McNally."
"We got that." Oliver interrupted trying to hide his concern. "But bring who?"
Jennings ignored the question in favor of continuing his rant. "I can't believe she left me there; she better have a damn good reason why she took off. Didn't anyone teach her you never leave your partner?" He accused, directing his glare at Oliver.
"What are you talking about?" Boyd mumbled, pulling Jennings back a few feet. He hadn't been worried about the last guy before, but he was starting to get a bad feeling about this.
Oliver was about to follow them over when he heard Sam kicking up a fuss again. It didn't take a genius to know that he wanted in on this too.
"You seem to have your hands full." Oliver announced walking over to Peterson who still had a tight grip on both Sam and Vic.
"Let me take this one for you." Shaw offered, grabbing hold of Sam.
Peterson's veto never made it past his lips as Shaw yanked Sam clear of his grasp. "Now get the other one out of here." He ordered.
"I suppose you want me to thank you." Sam sneered.
"All in a day's work my friend." Oliver replied, feigning sarcasm.
Both messages sent...and received.
"Get them all out of here!" Boyd yelled as he flipped his phone closed.
None of his guys had to be told twice as the last of the gang members were herded quickly into the waiting cars, and one by one they began to pull away to head back to the station.
Oliver hesitated and Boyd glared at him. He didn't need anyone, especially Swarek, anywhere near his conversation with Jennings. "I said get them ALL back to the station."
Chris moved to take Sam away from Oliver, who seemed to want to stay.
"I've got this one." Oliver objected before unceremoniously guiding Sam into the back of his squad. He discreetly dropped his handcuff keys into Sam's lap before shutting the back door and opening up the driver's side to roll down the back window.
"Can I…" Chris started.
"If you go now, you can jump in with Epstein."
Chris hustled off. He was baffled by what was going on but it was easy to see that he had overstayed his welcome.
Boyd moved to stand toe-to-toe with Oliver. "Get him back to the Barn."
Then he leaned down to the window. "Sammy, you gotta get back there; if you disappear, they'll know something is up. We got it from here."
Sam had a few choice words for Boyd letting him know just where he thought he should go. Then he lowered his voice, and with an eerie calm he warned Boyd. "You better hope McNally is there cause if she's not and you can't tell me exactly where she is, I'm walking right out of there and I don't care who sees me."
"It's all under control." Boyd assured him.
Sam scoffed. "Yeah, cause you don't look like you're about to shit your pants right now. Who were you trying to call back there?"
Boyd's eyes widened; he should have known Swarek would have picked up on everything.
"Just one of my guys." Boyd replied. It was true enough.
Sam exchanged a knowing look with Oliver; it was obvious that Boyd knew more than he was letting on and between the two of them, they were going to get to the bottom of it.
Oliver smiled with mock graciousness. "Jennings…seeing as your ride is gone, maybe you want to head back with us?"
"No!" Boyd practically yelled. "He's with me. We'll meet you there."
Oliver stepped forward until he was well into Boyd's personal space. "I am going to parade Sam through booking just like you asked. And just so we understand each other; this is not for your sake, it's for his. But hear me now; if McNally isn't there to greet us, he and I are going back out."
"You don't even know where to start." Boyd reasoned.
"Do you?" Oliver asked incredulously.
"Of course not! Do you realize what you're implying?"
Oliver didn't even bother dignifying that with a comment; the implications were obvious and as far as he was concerned, more than warranted.
Oliver's gaze never left Boyd's as he pulled the radio from his belt. "McNally, what's your twenty?" Oliver asked.
No answer.
He shifted his focus to Sam as he tried again to no avail. The concern and fear flashed clearly on his friend's face but they were quickly replaced by anger. For Boyd's sake Shaw was glad he had shut the door though he was starting to consider opening it back up again.
"Fifteen-nineteen to Dispatch."
"Get him back there…now!" Boyd tried, only to be ignored once again by Shaw.
"Dispatch, go ahead Fifteen-nineteen."
"Can you get the GPS signal from the surveillance van and patch it through to me?"
"Which van?"
Oliver had no idea, and he looked up at Boyd who was making a phone call and trying his best to ignore the scene playing out in front of him. Jennings gave Oliver the unit number and held up his hand with a 'but' which Oliver failed to heed.
"Sorry Fifteen-nineteen; there's no GPS in that one. It's from the old fleet so it wasn't equipped with a tracking system. Check with the guy who signed it out; Jennings, it looks like. He should have been given a manual transmitter to hook up when he got it."
"Roger that."
Both Oliver and Sam turned expectantly to Jennings who reached into his pocket. He tilted his head and shrugged in chagrin as he pulled out a small square device.
"Damn it!" Oliver cursed.
"We need a helicopter." Sam announced.
"You don't need a chopper; you don't even know if anything is wrong. Knowing that rookie of yours, she probably just forgot to turn on her radio." Boyd disparaged.
Sam continued with the assault of daggers he was shooting at Boyd. "Do you have everyone in custody?"
"Everyone we wanted." Boyd confirmed confidently.
Does he think we're idiots? Sam dropped his chin and raised his eyebrows; he knew the runaround when he heard it. "How many of my guys did you bring in?"
"Twelve." Boyd responded brashly.
Sam's confidence faltered for just a second and Boyd started to let go of the breath he was holding.
"Including me?" Sam clarified.
Shit!
"Boyd! Including me?"
The jig was up. "Yes, including you."
"Damn it, Boyd!"
And Sam wasn't the only one who was livid; Oliver looked ready to throttle the man himself. It was not a look he often sported, especially when dealing with another officer; so when he took a couple of steps forward, Boyd found himself backing up in surprise. His eyes widened even further as Oliver reached down to open the back door of his cruiser.
Boyd couldn't believe it. "You're letting him out?"
Oliver scoffed. "Nope…you're getting in."
"The hell I am." Boyd contested. "I'll take my own car thanks. Let's go Jennings."
Oliver wasn't taking no for an answer though. "You're missing an armed suspect and possibly a cop and you don't want to call in a chopper. You want us to jump through your hoops? Get in the damn car and start talking. And I hope for your sake that we're satisfied by the time we get to the Barn."
Boyd hated having his back up against the wall and so he did what he did best…tried to deflect. "Don't tell me that rookie's got you wrapped around her finger too?"
Oliver couldn't believe the nerve. "It's Officer McNally to you, asshole and not that it matters, but I've known her since she was a kid and her dad was my TO. But that's not the point; the point is that one of our brothers, well sisters, is missing and you don't seem to give a damn."
It's not that he didn't give a damn; though he would have to admit that McNally had never been his favorite person. It's just that he didn't really think she was in danger…at least that's what he kept telling himself.
"The guy that's missing is my CI alright?"
Sam's eyebrows shot to the top of his head. "You had a CI in there and you didn't think maybe it was something I should know?"
"It just sort of happened. I didn't find out he was going to be here until last night okay. He' my CI from Vicero's gang; I arrested him about a month ago for…" Boyd let the thought trail off; the last thing Swarek needed was to hear what this guy might be capable of. "It doesn't matter. He offered me an in with Vicero if I found a way to make his arrest go away; it wasn't hard."
Boyd watched the disgust take over all three faces and quickly tried to justify his actions. "Thanks to him we've been able to intercept a lot of buyers before they even get a chance to use the guns. It's saved a lot of lives and it's not like the guy he…he's helped me get a lot of scum off the street."
"That doesn't explain why he was here tonight and how you didn't know about it." Sam prompted.
"Apparently your buddy Ray recruited him for the team earlier in the week. It was one night of playing lookout for a few extra bucks. He wasn't going to tell me about it; he didn't realize we were already onto it. But he let something slip when I was…"
"When you were what?"
"When I was confirming that Vicero wasn't going to show up tonight." Boyd revealed.
Sam rolled his eyes. "Did you even ask the white shirts about luring Vicero in?"
Boyd shook his head. "It wouldn't have happened anyway so…"
"Did you make sure of that?"
"What do you mean?"
"Did you tell your CI to make sure they didn't show?"
Boyd nodded.
Sam couldn't believe it; he knew Boyd was always looking to get ahead, but to cover for a CI and even warn a known criminal. He really didn't think he would stoop that low. It was definitely an eye opener and right now Sam wasn't sure if Boyd was incapable of anything. And that scared the shit out of him.
"She'll be okay." Boyd assured him, sensing his anxiety. "He won't do anything stupid."
"It looks like he already has." Sam disputed.
Oliver nodded in agreement. "Call him."
"I've been trying." Boyd admitted. "But he's not answering."
"Then how do you even know…
"He sent a text earlier to say he got out but that's all I got."
"Let me have it." Sam ordered, reaching out the door for the phone; he knew he wouldn't get the whole truth from Boyd and at that point he wondered if he ever had.
When Boyd didn't make any move to hand it over, Sam started to get out.
"Fine." Boyd conceded holding out his cell.
"And get in the damn car." Sam muttered as he grabbed the phone and pushed a couple of buttons.
Boyd slid in beside Sam as Jennings made his way around to the passenger seat.
Following their lead, Oliver dropped into his seat, turned the key, and flipped the car into gear. "What does it say?" He asked, meeting Sam's eyes in the rear view mirror.
If the look on Sam's face was any indication, Oliver wasn't going to like it.
"I got out in time, but had to catch a ride with one of your 'friends'. Have to say, I really like the looks of my insurance policy here. Hope I won't need use it; guess that will be up to you. I'll be in touch."
"If she loses that van, Peck will have my head." Boyd muttered to himself.
Oliver could feel the anger radiating off Sam in waves and he couldn't help but wonder if Boyd had a death wish.