The line went dead, Lindsay's heart was pounding against her ribcage, she ached. "Oh god." She said in barely a whisper.
"What? What happened?" Flack asked from the driver's seat.
"Someone found him, the line went dead." Lindsay leaned forward in her seat trying to breath, she was panicking. "We were so close, so close." She wasn't ready.
"It's alright Linds, we know where he is we'll find him." Flack said, pulling out his phone. "Mac? It's Don, Lindsay lost the call, she thinks they found him." He said without waiting for an answer from Mac.
'Ok, I have Adam working on it. I have SWAT ready when we are, at least we know where he was, he couldn't have made it far on foot.' Mac explained.
"Alright, keep me informed." Flack said as he ended the call. "We are bringing our boy home Lindsay, I promise." He said giving her shoulder a warm squeeze.
Danny's eyelids were heavy, opening them took more force then he thought possible. Moving his hand to his head, he shook he wished he could sleep.
"Rise and shine Detective." He heard Derek say, his voice causing his heart to skip a beat.
"What the-" Danny said, as he realized he was in the back seat of a car. His blood stuck to the leather as his shirt pulled away from the grey seat.
"Did you really think I wouldn't find you? It wasn't hard. By the way, I saw what you did to Jesse; it's not good to steal from the dead." He was cold, Danny was used to his anger, but this was different.
"If you let me go, I won't look for you." Danny asked, knowing the answer. "Please, just let me out."
"That's not how this works. We have a score to even, and I am pretty sure our demands are not going to be met so I am going to move on to plan B." Derek said as he turned the car into a road leading up to the warehouse.
"What's plan B?" Danny's voice shook with fear.
"Oh, I'm not going to ruin the surprise. Besides, I have some people I'd like you to meet." He said as he got out of the car, opening the back door, Danny realized he no longer had a choice. He could not live through another beating or brawl, he sat up from his position and got out of the car without hesitation. "Good boy, finally doing what you are told." He said sarcastically, before punching him in the kidney. "Go that again, and you'll wish that I killed you."
Gasping for air, he limped his way into the building with Derek holding him by the arm with the gun pressed against the side of his neck. Remembering the route from his earlier escape he limped painfully up the stairs as he made it to the room that held him captive all morning he found that he was no longer alone. Five men in well dressed suites lined the room, the shine on their shoes reminded Danny of how his eye must have looked at his point.
"Detective you are becoming more of a hassle then a pay off." A man said from the back, standing up he walked towards Danny as Derek kicked the back of his knees, forcing him to his knees.
"Hands on the back of your head." Derek ordered, pressing the gun into his spine; Danny did as instructed.
"Do you have any idea how much planning went into this project?" The man said, leaning down to face Danny. "I bet you are wondering why I look so familiar. Hum?" He asked again.
"What do you want?" Danny asked, the dry blood on his lips cracked at he spoke.
"I want what Derek owes me, and you are going to help us get it. Aren't you?" He said, squeezing Danny's cheek like child.
"Get you hands off of me!" Danny yelled pulled away from him; without thinking the man slapped Danny across the face.
His cheek was practically numb from his previous beatings, so Danny laughed at him as Derek stepped in front of him.
"Don't touch him." He said putting himself between the man in the suite and Danny.
"Excuse me? I'm just adding to your handy work." He smiled.
"I said don't fucking touch him. He is my concern, not yours." Derek stared at the man waiting for a reaction, he wasn't backing down. "I don't think you want another problem." Motioning to the gun in his hand.
"Fine." He said, waving his men to follow him. "Let's go boys. Derek, I'm sure I will be seeing you soon, hopefully a little more flush." He said walking past Derek.
As the men filed out of the room they took their turns, pushing Danny's body over, and roughing his hair. For a moment he let his hands drop to his side, trying to calm his heart. Once gone, Derek went to the window looking out at the black cars leaving the warehouse.
"Do you know how much worse you just made this for you?" Derek said without looking at Danny. "Not only do I have to clean up the mess you've made, I have to bury Jesse's body." He sighed and looked down.
"I'm sorry, I thought-" Danny explained, his hands still at his side.
"What? You thought he was me?" He turned around and looked at Danny. "Hands on your head!" He yelled, pointing the gun at Danny's chest and cocking the trigger.
"No, I was just trying to get out of here. I didn't mean to hurt him." Danny said as a tear escaped his eye.
"Well you didn't hurt him, you killed him." He walked close to Danny, and pushed the gun close to his neck. "I said hands behind your head." He said quietly, making him look more fearful as Danny painfully reached his hands above his head and placed them at the base of his skull as Derek pressed the gun to the skin on his neck. "Good boy."
"It doesn't have to be this way." Danny shook.
"Yes it does. I never thought you getting away would work to my advantage." He said as he laughed.
"What are you talking about? What's Plan B?" Danny asked, his shoulders began to pulse.
"Your friends show up, they arrest our boys in the black Lincolns, and you and I have a heart to heart." Derek said pushing the gun harder into his neck.
He felt the cold metal press into the side of his neck, the air was caught somewhere between his chest and throat as fear clouded his eyes.
"What do you want?" He asked finding his voice.
"I think you know." He answered calmly.
He felt a tear fall over his cheek, he had never given death a second thought before now. It had always been something that had been far off, something that wasn't going to happen for a long while. Not any more. In this moment he could hear death's soft whisper in his ear, telling him that he is welcome to join.
"Why me?" He asked, knowing it was a corny question, there was so much more he wanted to know.
"You idiot. This has nothing to do with you. You are just in the wrong place at the wrong time, sorry for your luck kid." The older man said, pushing the pistol harder into the skin above his collar bone.
"I don't want to die." He said, as the sensation in his elbows left from having his hands at the back of his head too long. His knees ached from the position he was forced into.
"Who says you have to die?" He knelled down in front of his victim. "I could just put a bullet directly through your spinal cord; put you in a wheel chair the rest of your life. Have a nurse feed you with a spoon. It'd be like a vacation, wouldn't have to lift a finger." He smiled, his face was dead of humanity, as another tear dripped out of his eye.
"Please? Just let me go." He begged.
"If you behave yourself and just let me get what I want, this will go a lot smoother." He stood up again to look out the window. "They should be here soon and the show can begin. Your friends are not very punctual are they?" He turned back to his helpless victim and took a step back. "I think I know a couple of ways to pass the time until they get here." He said coolly as he reached back and brought the gun down, over his victim's cheek.
"Ah!" He screamed as he feel forward loosing his balance. Bringing his hand to his face, he found blood dripping out of a fresh cut.
"On your knees Detective, hands behind your head. Now." He said as he cocked the gun placing it painfully to the back of his skull. "I said now." He repeated in a vicious tone.
"Yes, sir." He replied as he moved back to his painful position.
"Now, tell me Detective Messer. Did you think you were going to die today?" He asked with a smile.
"Did you?" He answered with a smirk before the gun hit his cheek once again.
"That's for Jesse." He said as he wiped the blood off of the barrel of his gun.
The blood in Danny's mouth was thick, he leaned forward and spit it out, only to find teeth fall to the floor. "You stupid son-of-a-bitch!" Danny said as blood fell from his mouth. "Just fucking kill me! I did nothing to you, I don't deserve this!" Danny yelled, pulling his hands to his mouth.
"Neither does my son!" Derek yelled.
"I don't know who the fuck he is! Why am I being tortured for something I know nothing about!" Danny screamed.
"Hands on your head Detective." He was calm, the gun was aimed at his chest.
"No." Danny said angrily, he was over being a victim, he wasn't going to roll over and die for this man.
"Hands on your head, now!" He was getting angry.
"I said No." He smirked.
"Is this how you want it?" He said, there was a new look on his face, it wasn't one Danny recognized.
"Yeah, that's how I want it. You can kill me if you want but I-" Danny yelled but was cut off by the defening sound of a gun shot, and the blinding pain that tore through his body. Falling backwards, he landed on his back as more blood found it's way to his mouth.
"Then that's how you get it." Derek said as Danny choked on his own blood. "Good bye Detective Messer." He said before stepping over him and leaving the room.