Another long wait...sorry. And it's a long chapter too.
There are a number of POV changes and some repetition as we see the scene unfold from the different viewpoints. I hope it's not too hard to follow though; I tried to mark them all with delineations.
Thanks for sticking with the story and I hope you enjoy.
To mamaverd and SairsJ, your help is always appreciated.
The earring had been snapped in two and it was now completely useless. Andy really had no idea what she was going to do now, but before she could give much thought to the danger, she heard yelling from the other side of the door. Well, at least now she knew her captor's name.
"You're a dead man."
The words had echoed over and over in Nate's head as his hand fell limply to his side. What was he going to do now?
He couldn't think straight. His thoughts were all over the place; he started mumbling trying to talk it out. "I have to get out of here. But where do I go? Do I take the cop with me? Do I leave her here? My car…my car is outside; I can just drive away and never look back. But what if Boyd has an APB out on me? Shit! I can't take the car. Maybe I should bring the car in here. But I can't stay…"
He needed to think; he needed to…he didn't know what he needed to do. No, that wasn't true. He knew that he needed to make sure no one could get in while he figured out what he was going to do. He slid over to the door they came in and made sure it was locked. He took a quick look around and noticed just how big the warehouse was; there were at least three other entrances that someone could get in through.
Methodically, he made his way around the building checking every door at least twice to make sure it was locked. There was even a small window in the office that he felt the need to close and secure.
Once he was confident that for the time being he was safe, he returned to the van; though he walked right by it without even a cursory glance. That was the one thing he was confident about; he had cuffed her to the steering column and she wouldn't be going anywhere until he decided.
Now he just needed to decide if and when that would happen. He pulled up one of the grey chairs and flopped down into it, a loud sigh escaping his lips when he settled against the cold metal. He started running through all the options in his head: where he could go, how he could get there, if he could do it alone, what he should he do with the girl. He could hear her rummaging around but she wasn't going anywhere.
He didn't have to sit there long to realize that no plan was going to be perfect. He just had to make up his mind…and he did. He was getting out of there and he would leave her behind; they would find her eventually. If they had all of the gang locked up, they would probably be showing up for evidence at some point. He didn't know exactly how it all worked but he was pretty sure tonight would be all about questioning, and it wouldn't take them long after that to come here. She would be fine.
He was in big enough trouble as it was and if he kidnapped a cop, well technically he already had, but if he continued to hold her or hurt her he knew they would never stop trying to track him down. And Vicero, well he figured Vicero would eventually just forget about him. He didn't think he had put too much of a dent in his business so he was pretty sure he wouldn't chase him across Canada. He could only hope that he was right though.
At finally having made up his mind, Nate took in a deep breath, enjoying the solitude of the large empty building. He was leaving and he was going to take his car, just far enough and then he'd abandon it. But hang on, the other guys' cars are out there too and they wouldn't miss them; they probably wouldn't get out for a long time. If he took one of theirs…this just might work.
A smirk slowly spread across his face, but it was instantly wiped clear when the silence of the room was shattered by a loud bang that seemed to bounce off the walls in every direction.
He jumped to his feet; flipping his head every which way. Shit! Shit! Shit!
Now what? Now what?
Before he could make any kind of decision on which way to move, three more bangs resounded off the walls.
Someone was there! Someone was there! He had to get out! He had to make a run for it.
As he prepared to launch his body towards the farthest exit, a voice stopped him cold. "Nate! You in there? Nate?"
He let out the breath he had been holding and ran to the entrance they had come in. "Jace?" He inquired through the thick metal.
"Yeah, it's me; let me in."
Nate threw the door open, grabbed his friend by the front of his jacket, and yanked him through. He stuck his head out the opening and quickly turned from side to side. Everything else seemed quiet and he let out another breath before pulling back in and securing the entry once again.
"You're a dead man." Jace blurted before Nate even had a chance to turn around.
He didn't like it any more the second time he heard it and if it had been anyone else saying it he would have been more frightened, but Jace owed him. "I know." He agreed with a slow nod, finally moving to face his friend.
"What the hell were you thinking man?"
"Wait. How did you know I was here?"
"Word on the street is that you crossed Vicero." Jace explained.
But that didn't answer Nate's question. He furrowed his brow, tucked his chin in, and turned his palms out in silent question.
"You told me where you were going to meet for the job and I took a chance. I saw your car but I really didn't think you'd still be here. You gotta get out of here man. Take your car and get as far away as you can. You stay much longer and…"
"I know; I just gotta figure out the best way."
"Forget the best way." Jace disputed. "You need to find the fastest way."
Nate nodded and furrowed his brow again when he saw the look on his friend's face. "What?"
It was obvious Jace didn't want to ask but his curiosity got the better of him. "Is it true? You in with the cops?" Jace had spent the better part of the way over there convincing himself that it wasn't, but from the expression on Nate's face he knew it was true.
And Nate realized there was no point in denying it. "Remember when they hauled me in about a month ago?"
"Yeah, I thought for sure they'd throw your ass back in jail."
"Yeah, well, I was this close." He held up his thumb and forefinger. "I was looking at hard time so I did the only thing I could do…I made a deal. The guy was actually pretty cool; I just had to feed him some info on some deals and he let me slide."
"Weren't you scared, man? You know what happens to snitches."
"I know, but I had no choice; I couldn't do time again. Do you think maybe…?"
"I'm sorry man, but I gotta get out of here. I really don't want to be here when Vicero's guys show up."
"Do they know I'm here?"
"I don't know man, but they know that you were with the crew that hangs out here so it's only a matter of time before they check it out. But listen, it's not just them. I hate to tell you this but Vicero said anyone who brought you in dead or alive would be paid…anyone. Right now you can bet every low life in the city is looking for you. He wants you bad, man. Does anyone else know what kind of car you have?"
"Yeah." Nate admitted reluctantly. "They've all seen me drive it."
"You really gotta get out of here."
"I will. Listen can you do me a favor?"
"No way, buddy. I'm pretty sure my debt is paid in full right now."
"Come on man, please."
As much as Jace wanted to say no, he couldn't forget that Nate had saved his life. "What is it?"
"Take this van and get rid of it."
"Why can't you just leave it here?"
"I…um…I just think it might buy me a little time."
Jace walked over to the van, briefly considering what Nate had suggested. There was really nothing remarkable about it; it shouldn't draw any attention. His eyes widened though when he made out a figure through the darkened glass; his head whipped back to Nate. "Who the hell is that?"
Andy had watched as Nate threw open the door, and yanked some guy in practically by the scruff of his neck. He obviously knew him and she breathed a sigh of relief as any immediate threat seemed to be gone.
They were too far from the van for her to really hear them so she tried to read their lips. An errant thought about taking a course crossed her mind but now was not the time to dwell on it.
She heard only bits and pieces of their conversation when their voices got a little heated, but from what she could tell, this guy came to warn Nate about something and for that she was thankful. She wasn't sure what would happen if he discovered her though and she wondered if Nate would tell him.
She still needed to figure out a way out of there. The key to the cuffs was deep in her lower left pocket and of no use. Her phone was generally in there too, but she had been exchanging random texts with Traci while they waited for the bust to go down.
She glanced back behind her and sure enough her phone was still sitting on the small counter beside the surveillance equipment. She would have thought it would have fallen down during the ride but it looked like it had lodged itself in between a couple of monitors. She wondered if she could stretch her body back to reach it with a foot and work it towards her. She hadn't locked it since she was texting so she could possibly hit the speed dial if she could get it close enough.
She had just lifted her lower body from the seat when she caught movement from the corner of her eye. Her eyebrows shot to the top of her head as she dropped quickly back down in her seat, so far Nate had seemed harmless but she still worried about what he might do if things got too out of hand.
Instead of Nate, she met the stare of the new guest; she caught the surprise in his face before he turned immediately away. She waited for a second and sure enough, he turned back to study her once more before he walked away. I guess she would soon find out what he thought about her being here.
She rose up again and looked towards her phone. It wasn't going to be easy and she was going to have to concentrate, but she had to try; she had no idea if help was on the way so right now she was her own best bet.
Andy began to commend herself for all the hours she spent in the gym as she knew the strength in her stomach would come in handy. Just like the planks she did with every workout, she would have to support her body with her arms and hold herself up using her stomach; unfortunately though it was going to take more than strength.
It wasn't easy, but with a little discomfort, she was able to work her body so she was supporting herself on one leg and stretching out the other behind her but it was just no use. She just couldn't get close enough.
With a sigh of defeat, she wriggled herself back into her seat and listened again as the warehouse door opened and shut. The new guy must have left because when the door opened to the van, it was just Nate. She looked up at him expectantly; she didn't know what he was planning but she was hoping to at least find out.
"She came with the van." Nate had offered, trying to maintain his forced nonchalance.
"What the hell did you do?"
"I needed to get out fast so I took the van and she just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time."
He turned back and pressed his face against the glass to study Andy through the window. "Are those cuffs? Where'd you get the cuffs?"
"They came with the van too." Nate admitted sheepishly.
It didn't take long for Jake to put the pieces together. "She's a cop?"
Nate nodded.
"No way! Nice try buddy, but every pig in town is gonna be looking for that. I am not going down for grabbing a cop."
"Maybe we could move her to one of the other cars and you could just take her with you; I can wire one up for you."
"Sure and then all these guys are after me too."
"I don't think they'll be worrying about their cars anytime soon; besides you just need to find a place to dump it…and her too."
"Dump?" He screeched, frantically shaking his head. "I'm no killer man! And I ain't drivin' around with no dead body either if that's what you're thinking."
Nate knew he was in enough trouble already; he wasn't going to add murder to that list. That would just be the final nail in his coffin. If he did that, he was pretty sure he could add every cop in the city to the list of people who wanted him dead. "I just want you to drop her off somewhere; that's it. She'll call for help and I'll be anywhere but there."
"No way, man." There was no way Jace was agreeing to that.
"Fine, I'll figure out what to do with her. But can you at least take my car? I know you don't have any wheels; I know you walked here. It'll get you away faster; just drive it to the other side of town and drop it somewhere maybe give me a chance to get away." He was practically begging. "I'll owe you."
"You're damn right you will." Jace insisted loudly. "I just hope you'll be alive for me to collect."
As Nate handed him the keys, Jace pulled him into a brief man-hug. "Good luck man."
"Yeah. You too."
Sam was a man on a mission and he was already opening the door to fifteen-nineteen when the full group reached the garage.
"Hold on, Sammy!" Oliver instructed halting his progress into the vehicle.
"Okay, Nash and Barber, Diaz and Epstein, Peck you're with Jennings and Sammy is with me. Everyone, handhelds to Channel four, but keep the car radio on dispatch just in case. We need to hear everything. Follow our lead."
And then he ended with, "Sammy, I'm driving."
Oliver knew what would come next so he purposely avoided meeting Sam's eyes. He had seen the glare way to many times for it to be effective anyway and Sam knew that too.
With a shake of his head, Sam slammed the door and stalked around to the passenger side, while Oliver slid seamlessly over to the driver's side.
"What are you waiting for?" Sam yelled, throwing his hands out to the group that was still standing around waiting for the inevitable backlash.
Without a word, they bolted for their cars and by the time Oliver and Sam emerged from the bay, the convoy was able to take off right behind them. With sirens and lights flashing, Sam directed them all towards the warehouse.
It didn't take long for them to pass the boundary from Fifteen Division into Twenty Seven and it didn't go unnoticed. Shaw's handheld radio crackled to life.
"Sirs?" Diaz called. "Um…we're not in Fifteen anymore; are you sure…"
Before Chris could get any more out, Sam had yanked the handheld from Oliver's belt; he was still dressed as his UC persona and in his haste, hadn't bothered to grab one of his own. "If you...any of you...are concerned about crossing a line, you should probably head back now."
Oliver's eyes flashed over to Sam. It was obvious that nothing or no one was getting in his way when it came to saving Andy.
And in every other vehicle, two sets of eyes locked onto one another in silent understanding. Sam's warning had nothing to do with divisional boundaries and it was decision time. Were they prepared to back him up and do whatever it took to get Andy back even if it meant coloring outside the lines? You're damn right!
Before anyone could confirm their commitment, Jennings spoke. "I'm gonna call dispatch; just to let them know where we're headed and have them send a couple of units to meet us at the warehouse. Don't want to step on any toes."
Although Chris appreciated the gesture, Sam just rolled his eyes. He didn't give a damn about boundaries or stepping on toes; he just wanted Andy back safe and he needed to know that everyone was committed one hundred percent. Screw the manual.
While Jennings was on the phone with dispatch, a call came over the radio; EMS was dispatching fire trucks to a vehicle fire about five minutes from the warehouse. The vehicle appeared to be empty but witnesses reported seeing two people running from the scene. Two units were requested to head to the scene immediately.
Everyone was thinking the same thing: could it be them?
Jace had pulled away from the warehouse without looking back. He wanted to get as far away from Nate as he could; he really didn't hold out a lot of hope for his friend. But at least he could live his life knowing he had warned him; he owed him that much. Still, he couldn't help but think that this may have been the stupidest thing he had ever done.
His mind wandered as he made his way further from the warehouse. He had no idea how many people knew what Nate drove and he was getting more and more uncomfortable with every passing block. It didn't take him long to decide that he had pressed his luck far enough; he was just going to dump it, walk away, and forget everything.
He was paused at a red light when he spotted a large shopping centre parking lot next to a bus stop. He checked his watch; there were a few buses that ran this early but he had no idea if this route was one of them. It didn't matter; he was going to leave the car there and hop the next one home. If someone showed up to check out the car, he could just walk away and no one would be the wiser. It would have to do.
There weren't a lot of people out on the streets at this time of the morning so Jace flipped on his signal light and easily slid over into the turning lane. But he didn't have a chance to pull out when the light turned green because his door was flung open and he was jerked from the vehicle. He had taken at least three punches before he even knew what hit him.
He finally started fighting back and yelled for them to take the car assuming it was a carjacking. But when the two guys started talking about whether or not to take him back to Vicero, he realized they thought he was Nate.
"You got the wrong guy!"
"Nice try buddy. We've seen this car before."
"I took it man. I know him alright? I was going to call him and tell him I have it, see if I could trap him."
The guys stopped beating him up for a second contemplating the possible truth of his words. The two thugs turned to each other. "You remember what this Nate dude looks like?"
Neither one of them was sure nor did they want to be the idiots who brought in the wrong guy so they let Jace pull out his wallet and show them his ID.
Giving little thought to the accessibility of fake ID, they took Jace on his word and warned him to get the hell out of there. He didn't have to be told twice. As a bus came into view, he ran towards the stop, not once looking back.
When he was safely on the bus, he dropped into the first seat he came to and let out the breath he had been holding. Chancing a peek, he saw the car go up in flames and the two punks run off in the direction opposite the warehouse. At least they wouldn't be a problem for Nate. He listened in as the bus driver called in the fire.
When the make and model of the car matched the one they had on file for Nate, Oliver jumped onto the handheld. "Diaz, Epstein, take the fire."
"But sir…" Chris tried.
Oliver didn't give him a chance to finish. "We don't know if he had McNally with him or not; if she's there, we need to know. If he's there but she's not, we need to know. We need eyes on that car."
"Yes, sir." Dov acknowledged, dropping their vehicle out of formation and making his way to the address that had just been announced.
"Call as soon as you know anything." Oliver ordered.
Jennings got on the radio to dispatch after the first unit from Twenty Seven responded to the call. "This is Jennings, GNG." He announced, interrupting the response for backup. "We've got a car from Fifteen responding from a related case."
"Ten four, Jennings, Twenty-seven-oh-four, disregard backup."
The door opened to the van, and without any preamble Nate told Andy. "I gotta get out of here now."
"What about me?"
Nate had thought about it a lot. She would just slow him down and right now he couldn't afford that. He was going to have to leave her here. If the cops came, which they would eventually, she would be fine and they would have to stop and talk to her. If Vicero's guys came first, hopefully they would try and get information out of her before coming after him too. Either way it would buy him some much needed time, which he knew for him could be the difference between life and death. What it meant for her he didn't know, but he couldn't let that stop him. If he wanted to survive, he couldn't worry about collateral damage.
She tried asking him again but he completely ignored her as he pulled out his phone and scrolled through the contacts before pushing the talk button.
At least he left the door open; it was getting pretty stale in there. But unfortunately that was about the only benefit because when he moved towards the entrance, all she got to hear before he walked outside was him addressing Boyd. She had no idea if he was letting Boyd know where she was or if he was planning on taking her along for the ride. But he did say he was going to leave and she distinctly heard the sound of a car door opening...and shortly after that, likely the same car attempting to turn over. He must have been trying to hotwire one up to start.
He obviously knew what he was doing because it fired up quickly. She waited patiently, but Nate wasn't coming back in. She didn't hear the car pull away either so he had to still be out there. Maybe help was on its way if he hadn't pulled away yet. Maybe Boyd was convincing him to turn himself in; she really hoped that was true.
Her hope didn't last long though because the thought had barely registered when she heard what sounded like gun shots and shattering glass. Her widened eyes remained peeled on the door, and she was somewhat relieved when it was Nate who appeared in the opening. But from the look on his face and the lack of sirens and lights, the shots could only mean bad news.
She heard him yell into the phone. "Gun shots you idiot! They're here!"
And after a few seconds he followed it up with. "You can't keep me out of jail after I kidnapped a cop."
She would have loved to hear Boyd's response to that, but it was wishful thinking so she had to do the next best thing and that was to watch Nate for any sign that Boyd was getting through to him. But before he could respond, there was a banging on the door; someone was trying to get in and if the recent gunfire was any indication they were more than likely armed.
The banging stopped after a few seconds, but there was no time for relief because it was followed quickly by a loud crash and a burst of heat and flame. Andy couldn't completely see it but she could guess.
Nate confirmed her suspicions when he alerted Boyd, "Shit! Molotov cocktail. They're here…I gotta go."
"What about me?" Andy asked again.
"I'm sorry, but I gotta go." He explained, shaking his head almost regretfully. "I don't have time to get you out of there."
His argument was punctuated by two successive crashes and subsequent explosions as a pair of cocktails were tossed in through another set of windows.
One landed in front of the van and Andy could see the liquid snaking its way across the floor closer and closer to her as she prayed for it to stop short. Lucky for her the floors were cement; it mean that the fire couldn't spread past the accelerant, but if the next shot came any closer or…
Both of their heads snapped to the side when another surge of heat lit up the room. It was the biggest one so far as the projectile had hit some papers and a table that burst immediately into flame. The fire now had the fuel it so desperately needed to survive.
Jennings had just returned the radio to its cradle after reaching dispatch when his phone rang out from his pocket. He listened for a second and then all Gail heard was "patch it through to channel four," before he hung up.
'...yd here.'
'Boyd?'
'Where the hell are you?'
The radio was still in Sam's hand and his grip tightened as he turned it up; he didn't want to miss anything and he wasn't the only one. Everyone was pulling their radios out and listening intently trying to pick up some clue as to where Nate was. It sounded like he had just opened a car door, but where.
'What the hell is going on?' Boyd's voice echoed; he had obviously been put on speaker.
'Vicero's on to me. Put a price out on my head. I, uh, gotta go.'
The next noise was unmistakable as Oliver's team heard the sound of a vehicle starting up in the background. But where were they; had they run from the other car and found a replacement? Was it the surveillance van? They really wished they knew what they were looking for.
'What about McNally?'
Oliver exchanged a look of surprise with Sam. Maybe there was hope for Boyd yet.
'Who? The girl? She's fine; I gotta get outta here.'
A communal sigh of relief resounded from all of the units from Fifteen.
'Out of where?'
'Doesn't matter. But if you want Vicero, you better move fast. He's on to me and if you don't get him now, he'll probably move underground.'
'We don't have enough on him.'
'I might be able to help you with that, but I have to get out of town first. Once I'm safe...'
'We can keep you safe.'
'Yeah, I don't think so. You gonna put me in witness protection because I know what happens to snitches out on the street.'
'Maybe; let me see what I can do.'
'No! He's got guys everywhere; I just need out.'
Another very distinctive sound punctuated his remark and echoed across the radios...gunfire, which was followed quickly by footfalls and the slamming of a door.
'What the hell was that?'
'Gun shots you idiot! They're here!'
'Tell me where. I can help you; I did it before.'
'You can't keep me out of jail after I kidnapped a cop.'
'You didn't kidnap a cop; she gave you a ride. I'll talk to her okay; we'll say she was working with me and was ordered to stay with you and keep you safe."
Boyd obviously had no idea that they had tapped into his line. If he did, he would have never risked suggesting something like that for Sam to hear.
'She owes me one anyway.'
"The hell she does." Sam grumbled to himself. Oliver chanced a glance at his friend, who seemed surprisingly calm until Oliver looked down at his hands, his grip so tight on the radio that his knuckles were turning white. He was holding it together, but just barely, and although Boyd didn't know it, he was probably lucky Sam wasn't anywhere near him.
Before Nate had a chance to respond, they heard a loud crash echo over the radio as if someone was trying to force their way through a metal barrier. Sam was becoming even more certain that they were still at the warehouse and he was relieved to see that they were getting close. Any respite was short lived though when they picked up what sounded like a small explosion.
'What the hell was that?'
'Shit! Molotov cocktail. They're here…I gotta go.'
From the background, they all heard a muffled voice.
"What about me?"
It didn't seem possible, but even more adrenalin started shooting through all of the bodies that were captivated by the broadcast. "It's her." Traci announced more to appease herself than anything else.
Chris and Dov had reached the other scene and found nothing but a burnt out shell of a car with no sign of Nate or Andy. They had just exited the vehicle when her voice sounded over the radio; without even acknowledging the team from Twenty-Seven, they slid back into their cruiser and took off. The bewildered officers just shook their heads and called for more backup.
"I'm sorry, but I gotta go; I don't have time to get you out of there."
Shit! Two more explosions occurred simultaneously and one sounded suspiciously closer to the phone.
Feet pressed unconsciously harder onto the gas pedals as time seemed to be running out. First the explosions and then nothing; it was as if it was a tape put on pause. What was happening?
There was another group sigh of relief when they heard her voice again.
"But it's already…I mean if the fire gets to the van…please…" Andy begged.
"I'm sorry; I just don't have time."
"Just let me out first...please." She pleaded as the smoke inched its way through the open door.
She was making it harder and harder for him to just up and go, but he didn't have a choice. He tried to justify his actions. "I don't have keys for the cuffs and…"
"I do." She offered hopefully. "Lower left pocket...at the knee."
He didn't have a chance to look before the door started rattling again, followed quickly a loud crash. Whatever they were using had made a pretty large dent in the door and it wouldn't be long before the whole thing gave way.
"Sorry, Sweetheart." He apologized again. "I'm sure someone will call the cops soon."
"But you have him on the phone. Boyd can…" She huffed out a breath. "...never mind." Boyd hated her; would he really go out of his way for her?
"I'm sorry."
"Me too."
"You might want to duck down." He suggested with a shrug of his shoulders, moving back to push the van door closed.
"Sam, please hurry." She whispered mostly to herself because the door was clicking closed. At least it might keep some of the smoke at bay, she thought already feeling the irritation in her eyes and throat.
With all of the noise coming from the front, she watched Nate race for the far back corner until he was out of sight. He was clearly slipping out the back way and now all she could do was wait and hope that someone had called in the disturbance and that help was on the way.
As true as it was, Andy's friends all hated the fact that Boyd's disrespect for her and apparent disregard for her well being was causing her to give up the fight.
Just before the door had latched they heard a quiet, "Sam, please hurry," followed by heavy footfalls and then the call dropped.
Sam's heart wasn't the only one breaking for her and now they were all breaking for him too, and no one was about to give up on the idea of 'them' without a fight. So Oliver didn't need any prompting when he stepped even further on the gas pedal and everyone else immediately followed suit. Originally the plan was to go in silent, but it was too late for subtleties. They were going in full force.
Andy heard the sirens faintly in the distance and she hoped they were headed her way. She wasn't completely sure, but they sounded like they were getting closer and she found herself feeling a little more confident.
The door had just been thrown off its hinges when she saw the red and blue lights reflecting through the windows. Thank goodness.
She dropped down in her seat doing her best to try and stay hidden from the three guys that had stormed through the door. She didn't know how many others had been out there or if anyone else even stayed around when the cops showed up. But she wondered if the cavalry would have to fight their way in and just how much time it would take. Because from the matching scowls adorning the faces of this trio, it didn't look like she had much.
Sam and Oliver had pulled up first. They watched the bodies scramble in all different directions and at least two or three had ducked into the warehouse.
Smoke and the shadows of flames were visible from the high windows but they wouldn't know just how bad it was until they got inside. Before Oliver even had the car in park they heard Jerry on the radio calling for the Fire Department.
Oliver saw Diaz and Epstein pull up along with a unit from Twenty Seven and he immediately ordered them around back before instructing the others to give chase to anyone trying to get away. He and Sam would take the warehouse from the front.
Sam wasn't going to wait for further instruction; there was only one thing on his mind. Oliver shook his head as Sam jumped from the vehicle. "Damn it Sam, hold up! You don't have a vest!"
Sam was still in his UC get-up and was not dressed for a gun fight, but Oliver knew that it was going to take more than that to slow him down. Jerry ran by Shaw as he stepped out to follow Sam and he threw an extra vest at Oliver; fortunately someone had been thinking when they left the station. At least he has the radio, Oliver thought until he looked down to see that Sam had left that behind too.
Oliver sprinted to the back of the cruiser and pulled out a water bottle and an old towel that he tucked into the side of his own vest. He then jogged up behind Sam who had already exchanged shots with someone and then taken cover behind the wall just outside the entrance. Oliver shoved the vest into his friend's back and then turned around to protect it. "Put this on, Rambo."
Sam rolled his eyes in response, but Oliver simply ignored him. "What have we got?"
Andy had remained crouched below the window line but she could still see the heads of the three guys who had just entered and she watched as they took in their surroundings. Their gazes appeared to stall on two things: the open back door and the van sitting right there in front of them. They exchanged a few words before the guy in the middle flipped his head towards the rear entry and then motioned towards the van with his hand.
As the other two took off to the back, the third stalked towards the van with his gun at the ready. Within a few steps, his face and shoulders began to fill in the passenger side glass and she saw that he had pulled his shirt over his mouth and nose. Clearly it was more for protection from the smoke and smell than to protect his identity. Fortunately, the dark tint of the windows kept Andy somewhat concealed and it helped that his eyes continued to scan the building looking for any sign of outward threat.
She could hear the melee outside but still no shots had been fired. Her only thought was 'please hurry' as she watched the intruder glance quickly all around before reaching out his arm.
She heard the door latch click open and more smoke started to seep in through the gap.
"There's a bunch of smoke and some flames but it hasn't spread too far." Sam reported as he shrugged on the vest. "I've got one guy at the van and looks like two more took off out the back."
"Diaz and Epstein are going around back with Twenty-Seven so we're covered there."
"The guy at the van has wasted at least two shots already but I don't want to…I mean I can't…not without…"
Oliver furrowed his brow. "What?"
"He's using the door as a shield, and McNally's in there. I can't…what if…"
Oliver knew exactly what he couldn't say. "Guess we have to draw some more fire then…no pun intended." He added with a chuckle. Oliver swallowed his snigger almost immediately though, catching on quickly that Sam was in no mood for jokes.
"I'll go left; cover me with a couple shots above the van."
"The fire…"
"I'll be fine; I know my way around here."
Oliver didn't like it but arguing with Sam at this point would be a waste of breath. "Here." He stated tugging the towel out and shoving it into Sam's free hand.
At Sam's questioning look, he then pulled the water bottle from his pocket and began dousing the towel with water.
Sam nodded his thanks. "Ready?"
The second Sam jumped through the opening; Oliver pumped two shots off the front of the van before pulling back outside. He listened as two return blasts ricocheted off the door jamb opposite him. Four down, two to go?
Oliver directed his next bullet just behind the front wheel and he heard the guy yelp and fire off another round that didn't come anywhere close to Shaw. He looked to his left and could just make out Sam working his way behind the back of the van with the wet towel dripping from his face. If Sam was right, he needed to draw one more shot so they could make their move.
He aimed the next one right at the guy's feet causing the bullet to rebound off the floor and up under the van. It was too close for comfort for the guy, because he jumped out from behind the door and then fired off two shots in succession. The first one bounced harmlessly off the wall and the second was the welcome click of an empty barrel.
The guy's head shot up in a panic as he reached into his pocket for more ammunition. He lunged to try and get into the van as Oliver yelled out, "Police! Don't Move!" and he thought he was going to make it inside until he felt a tight grip on his ankle. What the...
Sam had made his move the second he knew the guy's gun was empty and he had just got hold of him before he had a chance to pull his leg in and close the door. There was no way in hell he was going to let that guy alone in the vehicle with Andy.
Sam heard her yelp in surprise at the guy jumping into the van and watched as the shock registered on the man's face. It was clear that he hadn't known she was in there and it was probably a good thing because otherwise they may have had a hostage situation on their hands and Sam was having enough trouble keeping his cool as it was.
He yanked the guy out of the van giving him no chance to formulate any kind of plan that involved Andy and slammed his body into the cement floor with a satisfying 'oomph'. Before he could do any further damage though, Oliver's hand was on his shoulder. "Easy, Sammy. I got this one." He offered.
"The one in the van is yours." Oliver stated with a knowing smile.
Sam rolled his eyes once again at his friend's antics but he followed it quickly with a grateful nod. He picked up the towel, jumped up and made his way to the front of the vehicle.
"And make it snappy!" Oliver ordered with a short cough, laughing when half the wet towel hit him full on in the face.
"Yeah…thanks, brother." He chuckled out before he yanked his subject to his feet, reading him his rights when they made their way through the smoke to the outside.
Sam heard Oliver heading out but didn't give him a second look as he ran around the front of the van and threw open the driver's door. Andy must have been following his movement because she was already waiting so meet his eyes as soon as he opened it.
They were each a welcome sight for the other and their relief was almost tangible.
"Hey." Andy rasped out, trying hard to hold back both tears and a cough.
"Hey." Sam breathed out, not trusting his voice to say anything more.
Andy could tell immediately that Sam was worried and that upset her as much as anything, especially when she was the cause. She just really wanted to see the grin that she had missed so much, the one that made her feel like everything was going to be okay.
She tilted her head and shrugged her shoulders. "I stayed in the van." She offered sheepishly, trying to entice him with a small smile.
Sam knew what she was doing and he tried his best to return her smile, he really did. But he could see where the skin had been rubbed off her wrists by the cuffs, how the whites of her eyes were now ringed with red from all of the smoke, and how completely exhausted she looked. She couldn't fool him and he didn't have it in him to try and pretend right now.
But she wasn't going to give up, as much for her own peace of mind as his. She needed to lighten things up or she was more than likely about to break down.
She tilted her head towards the cuffs and held them up for him to see. He reached down into her lower left pocket to pull out the key and gently twisted her hands so he could better reach the lock.
"Guess this is one way to make sure I stay where you want me to." She teased, tilting her head to try and meet his eyes. "Bet you wished you'd thought of it."
With the click of the release, Sam looked up and she finally got her wish - a full-fledged Swarek smirk complete with dimples and the inimitable twinkle in his eye. "What makes you think I haven't?"