Trinkets – Part 3

Three hours later, Mac was approaching a gutted out building in an abandoned city block outside the heart of Baltimore. She glanced around as she drew the gun out of her jacket pocket. She had changed out of her uniform earlier; there was no way she was walking into this situation in dress shoes and a skirt.

She had considered wearing her fatigues, but decided that she didn't want to appear to be in complete battle mode, although there was no doubt in her head or heart that kidnapping and beating Harm was a declaration of war, and she would not let anything else happen to Harm without a damn good fight.

She reached the door to the place with the address that was written on the slip of paper she had been given at the restaurant named in the earlier note. Checking the entrance for wires, she eased the door open and then slowly entered the building.

It was dark inside, the only light coming from the few windows that were not boarded up. She reached into her other jacket pocket and drew out a flashlight, but before she could turn it on, a bright light hit her face, making it impossible for her to see anything.

"Now, now," scolded a voice from somewhere on the other side of the room. "You can just drop that gun right there, and you won't need a flashlight."

Mac hesitated.

"Come on, Colonel, drop the gun or you won't make it another step.

Very slowly Mac raised both the gun and the flashlight so that they could be seen, and then she lowered them to the ground.

"Good, now take off the jacket and put your hands up."

Mac did as she was told. Not a moment later, a pair of hands had snatched the jacket away and was patting her down for other weapons or devices. "You didn't really think I'd let you come in here armed, did you?" asked Nichols, shifting to check Mac's other side.

"Couldn't hurt to try," said Mac, stoically. "A handgun wasn't one of your rules. And the bartender only asked to confiscate my cell phone in exchange for me to get this address."

"Huh. I forget sometimes that you're a lawyer. Always lookin' for a technicality."

"Occupational hazard," said Mac as Nichols turned off the bright light, leaving a dimmer one on, and trained his gun on her. As her eyes adjusted, they scoped out the room but saw no one else there. "Where's Commander Rabb? Is he here?"

"Always with him!" Nichols blasted out in frustration. "…Day after day, you would pay me no mind. Walk right by me like I didn't exist. But he's always had your attention. Rabb is an ungrateful piece of slime! He doesn't deserve you."

"He doesn't have me," Mac corrected. "We're just colleagues … and friends."

"You think I'm blind! I see the way you look at him. Do you know how much security footage I have of you two … flirting? Of you looking longingly at him when he's got his back turned?"

Mac didn't deny anything. "What is it you want?"

"I thought I'd made that plenty clear," said Nichols. "I want you to give me a chance."

"A chance for what?"

"To be with you. I can make you happy … if you let me."

She wanted to ask him in what universe kidnapping and beating someone's best friend would be expected to make that person happy. But it was better to play along.

"Fine. Maybe you deserve a chance. But I need to know that …" She was about to say 'the Commander is safe,' but decided to rephrase. In order for the guy to cooperate, this had to be about Nichols, not Harm.

So, she finished, "… that you aren't going to hurt anyone."

Jake Nichols paused. "Rabb is in the way."

"No," Mac disagreed. "He has nothing to -"

"You're only here because of him! Admit it – You would do anything for him, and until he is out of the picture, you will never be able to give another man a chance."

"I'd be here if any of my colleagues or friends were threatened."

Jake laughed. "That's one of the things that I love about you. You're so … heroic. So … loyal."

"If you wanted to spend time with me, there were other ways."

"You'd never have time for me. I needed you to 'make' time. And if there's one thing I've learned, day after day, watching your actions in, out, and around the building, … it's that you will always make time for Harmon Rabb."

"You didn't have to beat him," Mac pointed out.

"Oh, I didn't," Nichols said honestly. "That's the beauty of working with a partner. He gets what he wants, and I get what I want." He traced Mac's cheek and jaw line.

"Who is your partner? Why would he want to beat Commander Rabb?"

"That doesn't matter. He gets to play with the Commander, and I get to play with you."

A few seconds of silence followed, but Mac finally stated, "You disappoint me, Jake."

"What?" That was clearly not what he had expected her reaction to be.

She looked him in the eye. "You're not even in control of this situation. You're just a pawn."

"I am not!"

"Was any part of this plan to get me here even yours? Or did someone else think it up as a little extra for you to help him out somehow?"

"We made an even deal!"

"I doubt it. I'm an afterthought, collateral in a scheme that uses you as means to an end. This isn't about me at all."

"Of course it's about you."

"No, because you're not the mastermind here. This is about someone else having it in for Commander Rabb. I'm just a trinket. You just threw away your career for someone else's revenge."

"It's not about revenge. And I did this for you! For us!"

"And how did you think that was going to work, Jake? You really think I'm going to give you a chance when you can't even prove to me that you have any control over what's happening to the Commander. You may have me here, but you've lost your leverage on getting me to cooperate."

"No! No, I do have a say in what happens to him."

"Really? Is he even here?"

"Of course he is! He's upstairs."

"Prove it!"

"Alright. Alright, fine."

Nichols grabbed Mac harshly, yanked her hands behind her back and bound her wrists together. "So you don't try any heroics," he explained.

TBC …