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Olivia is terrified to find that she is waking up in yet another unfamiliar bed. The last thing she remembers is some guy in a surgeon's mask and scrubs leaning over her after her nap. Just as she was about to ask him what he was doing, he puts a chloroformed rag over her mouth knocking her out.
The place is nowhere near as nice as the one she woke up in with Elliot. The nasty mattress is in the middle of a hot, musty, dirty room with boarded up windows, yellowing wallpaper peeling off the walls and no curtains. Sunbeams streak through the slats of wood placed over the broken windows and she can see the dust particles dancing in the light.
Whoever kidnapped her hasn't bothered to change her clothes because she still wears her hospital gown. They've yanked out the IVs and were not concerned enough to replace them with band-aids. There are small trails of dried blood. At least the bandage over the right side of her chest doesn't appear to be seeping. Hopefully the one on her back is the same. Usually she hates taking pain medication, but she's never been shot before. She'd love some of whatever Nurse Kelly put in that IV right about now.
Olivia pulls herself up to a sitting position, getting out of bed for the first time in over forty-eight hours. She swings her legs over the mattress and pauses as the effort turns her breathing laborious. She cinches the back of the gown closed as best she can before putting her bare feet on the splintered hardwood floor.
Fear is something she's become accustomed to in her life but she usually has a weapon in her hand to make her feel better about it. This time she has nothing. As she makes her way over to the door trying to avoid a splinter or nail, she realizes just how ill prepared she is for whatever lies on the other side.
Olivia is injured and tired. If by some miracle she can escape the house, she honestly doesn't know how far she'd get. The sheer act of getting from the bed to the door has taken so much out of her. And, she has no idea where she is. Yet, she has to try.
In twisting the tarnished knob she finds the door is unlocked.
Peeking her head out, she realizes she's in a large old two story house. Olivia opens the door completely and chances stepping out into the hallway. Though she tries to make no noise, the floorboards creak beneath her feet. She pauses to see if anyone has heard. There is nothing. There are no other sounds save the ones she makes.
Olivia is alone.
Back at the station Cragen has allowed Elliot to be involved in the search for her in a limited capacity. He has no shield or weapon but the captain still believes in his instincts. He's joined Amaro, Rollins, Munch, Fin and Cragen to watch the footage sent to them from hospital security.
"I've seen that guy's face before," comments Elliot. "I think that's Alejandro De La Costa, Christian's younger brother," he continues. "Christian was always saying how proud of him he was and was adamant that the life he led never touched Alex's."
"But he wasn't involved in the business," says Rollins. "Last we checked he was the law abiding one."
"Yeah," chimes in Fin. "The guy's an engineer, damn near a genius. He pays his taxes, mows his lawn and even volunteers at a local shelter."
"I remember seeing him and Christian in a bunch of pictures at the mansion," recalls Elliot. "There were a couple of graduation shots, some stuff from when they were kids. They seemed really close."
"Then I bet he's extremely pissed off that the DEA killed his brother," Amaro tells them. "You know what they say. It's a thin line between genius and insanity."
"Let's focus here people," booms Cragen. "Anybody knows how he got Olivia out of a hospital, in the middle of the day, unnoticed."
Munch steps over to the computer, types in something and moments later everyone's looking at footage from the morgue.
"Nobody looks all that closely at ID badges so they weren't too hard for him to fake," he begins. "He rolls her bed right out the room, puts her on the elevator already unconscious, pulls the sheet over her head once inside and takes her to the morgue."
"Everybody thinks he's pushing a corpse," Fin concludes. "Nobody questions a doctor."
"You got that right," adds Rollins. "The guy helping him with her is just an orderly who was walking by," she says. "You think he would've asked who the guy was," she concludes.
"Unfortunately he didn't," Munch continues, as they continue watching. "Alejandro uses the morgue exit, puts her into the van and drives away," he comments, watching the act unfold on the screen.
"Plates on the van came back stolen and the sign isn't real," informs Amaro. "The Greater Place Mortuary doesn't exist."
"Get a list of every property Christian or Alejandro De La Costa bought, stole or inherited," orders Cragen. "Get the LUDs for any phone he has and find out where he's been using his credit cards," he says.
Munch gets busy typing immediately and it isn't long before he comes up with a multi-state, multi-jurisdictional list of properties.
"Got it Captain," Munch says after pulling the listings up on the computer.
"Good," he says, immediately looking over the list. "Fin, alert Jersey that you and Rollins will be stomping on their side," he begins. "Munch, contact the bureau chiefs in the other four boroughs, let them know one of ours is missing and take Amaro with you to search."
"They have a two hour head start people," bellows Captain Cragen. "So focus only on the places accessible by car within that radius," he advises. "Let's get to it."
As the four detectives scatter to carry out their assignments, Elliot stands there looking expectedly at the captain.
"I have to do something Cap," he rasps, nearly pleading.
"I know," he admits to the older man. "I'm gonna contact the state troopers so they can help us check out these rural properties," he tells him, remembering the bond the two shared. He has a feeling something has changed to make it stronger. It isn't lost on him that Elliot no longer wears a wedding ring.
"If he's hurt her in any way," Elliot begins to tell his former supervisor.
"You'll have to get in line right behind me," he interrupts. "You aren't the only one that cares deeply for Olivia," he confesses. "It may be different with you, but it's still there."
Elliot nods knowingly before following Captain Cragen to the elevators.
"Let's go find her," Elliot says as the doors close.
In her journey to get downstairs, Olivia passes another bedroom with an open door. Though the window is boarded in there as well, it's much cleaner and has a bed with actual sheets. A trunk sits at the foot of it. She hopes that there's something she can use in there, whether it's a weapon or just something to put on.
Olivia's curiosity is rewarded in discovering a couple of t-shirts, some jeans and a pair of sweatpants. There's a new pack of socks with one set missing, some granola bars, beef jerky, bottled water and a pair of men's size 8 hiking boots.
She strips off the hospital gown and painstakingly pulls the t shirt over her head. The sweatpants are the easy choice and she puts on two pair of socks hoping the larger boots will fit better. Nearly draining an entire twenty ounce bottle of water, she grabs another along with two granola bars and leaves the room.
Slowly Olivia descends the tall staircase, taking care to hold onto the railing. As old as the house seems, she doesn't want to fall through any of the steps. Once she makes it to the lower floor she stops again to make sure she's alone.
She steps out onto the front porch, taking care to look around in case someone is lurking outside. It seems Olivia has been dropped off in the middle of nowhere. Besides the house she came out of, there doesn't seem to be any other structures around. What she has noticed, is the long dirt road leading up to the house.
There's a car headed in her direction and it doesn't look like the cavalry.
Olivia makes the quick decision to reenter the house. Looking for a back door, she rushes through the kitchen and gets lucky on the first try. She takes the two steps off the back porch, stumbles in the oversized boots but regains her balance. There's maybe ten minutes before her captor or captors reach the house and discovers she's not in it.
As Elliot and Captain Cragen check off the list of properties through rural upstate New York with two trooper cars in tow, a call comes through on Elliot's cell phone.
"Stabler," he says, answering.
"Elliot its Agent Jimenez," Aaron tells him. "I just a got a text from Alejandro De La Costa. It's a picture of Olivia. I'm sending it to you now," he explains. "He wants a trade."
Elliot relays the information to Captain Cragen before continuing with the agent.
"What's he want," asks Elliot, desperately. The picture he receives from the man disturbs him. She's unconscious on a dirty mattress in the middle of a room that isn't readily identifiable.
"I'm the one who killed his brother," discloses Aaron. "He wants me."
"When and where," responds Elliot, putting the speaker phone on so that Cragen can hear the details.
"It's an old farmhouse off of route 22," he advises. "I'm on my way there now."
"Text me the address. We're about twenty minutes away from that exit," explains Elliot.
"He said no cops, no feds and no guns," explains Agent Jimenez. "I go there alone and if he sees anyone else, he says he'll kill her," he tells them.
"You know it's a set-up Jimenez," advises Elliot. "He'll kill you both when he gets the chance."
"I know, but I have to try," he says. "He took her because of what I did. I'll call you when I get there."
He hangs up leaving a very pissed off and frustrated Stabler. His knuckles connect a couple of times with the dash board of Cragen's squad car. His pulse races and his hands are visibly shaking with adrenaline.
"We'll figure something out Elliot," he says, trying to calm the man.
"What if we don't Cap," he says, scrubbing his hand over his face. "She's my...I don't even know what we are to each other anymore," he confesses. "But I do know she's been through enough to last a lifetime and I couldn't stand if anything else…," he tells Cragen, unable to continue.
Elliot can't stop the tears that begin falling. He attempts to quickly wipe them away but he knows his former boss has seen them.
"Neither could I," says Cragen. "None of us wants that. We will do whatever it takes to bring her home," the captain says resolutely. He gives the back of Elliot's neck a squeeze then he gets on the radio. He tells the state troopers following them where they're going and advises them on the hostage situation.
"Whatever it takes," repeats Elliot inaudibly.
Olivia has two choices in stepping off the porch. She can hide in the barn and hope it takes awhile to search the house. Or, she can take the well traveled path leading to the woods in the back of the farmhouse. If her captor or captors have guns, there isn't much cover inside the barn. Olivia also quickly considers the lack of hiding places. There's probably a loft and a few horse stalls, but that's it. It would take them all of two minutes to find and possibly kill her or worse.
In her mind with all she's seen and experienced on the job, there are worse fates than being shot dead.
Olivia enters the expanse of trees as quickly as she's able to, having stuffed the granola bars into her pocket. It's still early in the day and the summer sun has yet to really effect the temperature. Her hope is to hide long enough to be found by her fellow cops or get far enough to give them time.
She takes the trail as fast as she can. Olivia knows she can't run for the strain it'll put on her lungs but her legs are aching to try. Ten minutes into her trek through the forest and she stops to rest against a tree, taking the cap off the water for a drink.
A branch breaks in the distance.
Olivia holds her breath to listen, hoping it's just a squirrel or a bird. Then she hears it, someone is bellowing her name and they're getting closer.
"Olivia," screams Alejandro. "Where are you, you conniving bitch," he continues yelling.
She suddenly feels like a mouse trapped in a very expansive maze. Her heart rate immediately increases along with her racing pulse as a panicked feeling comes over her. She continues at a hurried pace knowing the man chasing her will be able to move faster.
While Alejandro is hunting Olivia through the woods behind the farmhouse, Agent Jimenez advances up the dirt road preparing to trade himself for her. He gets on the phone to call Elliot and Cragen to let them know.
"I'm here Elliot," he tells him. "I noticed another way in on the south side of the farmhouse," he informs them. "But you have to go through about an acre of trees," he advises. "It's the only way he won't see you guys coming."
"Got it," says Elliot, before relaying the news to Cragen. "We'll be there in five minutes," he tells Agent Jimenez. "Until then, try to stall him."
"I'll try to do get her out safely," responds the agent. "You can count on that."
"Five minutes," Elliot repeats.
"You got it," he says, reassuring the former detective.
When Agent Jimenez reaches the house, he sees Alejandro's Volvo but no one inside. Aaron expected the man to come out upon his arrival. After a few minutes he draws his weapon and approaches the front porch.
Jimenez creeps up looking through the mismatched slits of broken boards. He doesn't see or hear anything in the house. After deciding they could be upstairs he silently breaks the lock to the front door, entering the house. He sweeps through room after room coming up empty.
Once he makes it to the kitchen at the back of the house, he notices the back door left flung open as if someone departed hastily. Then, he hears it.
Alejandro is yelling for Olivia off in the distance. The agent barrels off the porch initially heading for the barn. After hearing the man's voice again, Jimenez heads steadfast towards the trail leading to the woods.
On the south side of the property, Elliot, Cragen and the state troopers enter the expanse of trees and moves toward the farmhouse.
They've all unknowingly entered a race to save Olivia's life.
She can hear him getting closer. The snapping of the branches beneath his feet and the lack of time between sounds, alerts her to the fact that he's moving swiftly. She has no choice but to find a hiding spot. Olivia looks around hurriedly until her eyes land on a viable option. A downed tree, hollowed out by animals and weather is going to have to serve as her place of concealment.
She crawls in on her stomach through the muck and dirt, amongst the various insects, hoping not to reopen the gunshot wound. Olivia lies motionless and quiet, listening to the sound of her heart beating in her ears, terrified at the thought that her secret place will soon be discovered.
"Come out, come out wherever you are," he taunts, getting closer.
She hears him approaching. As he crunches the sticks and grass beneath his feet, Olivia watches as they come to rest right outside of the log she's in.