"Finch, there's gotta be some way you can find out where the van is going, isn't there?" John asked desperately as he walked briskly down the street.
"Yes, I am currently having the traffic cams scan for the plate. Once we get a hit we should be able to follow it. I have also alerted Detectives Carter and Fusco, who have issued a BOLO for a white van with those plates."
"Good," John commented somewhat absentmindedly, still upset with himself. Harold seemed to sense this.
"Mr. Reese, this isn't your fault," he told him gently.
"I should have paid better attention, Finch," John shot back. "I should have run faster, chased after the van longer, something!"
"Mr. Reese, the world is full of people who continually say 'I should have done this,' or 'I should have done that,' while they change absolutely nothing about themselves or their lifestyles that could facilitate a difference in their lives that they would like to see happen. You are not one of those people, Mr. Reese. You are doing something good with your life, you are making a difference. Even if there was something you could have done, it's past now. The only thing you can change now is learning from this mistake and applying what you learn to future situations."
"And what if I don't, Finch?" John asked quietly. "What if I mess up again and I can't save her?" Finch didn't reply; he knew he had nothing to say that would make John feel any better. He also knew John was thinking about Jessica, how he failed to save her, though John didn't know Finch knew about that.
There was silence for several minutes before John finally asked, "Got anything from the traffic cams yet, Finch?"
"Unfortunately not...I'll let you know as soon as there is anything."
"Thanks, Finch." John continued walking down the street as he waited for any news on the van. He didn't have to wait much longer before his phone started ringing. He looked at the caller ID before he answered.
"Hello, Detective," he greeted.
"Hey John," Carter's voice came over the other end. "Got a hit on that white van BOLO. You ready?"
"Tell me," John replied with an urgency in his voice that wasn't lost on the detective.
"Okay, someone reported that they saw it in a parking lot at the corner of 66th and 72nd Street," she informed him. He glanced at the street signs around him.
"Okay, I'm only a few blocks away. Thank you, Detective," he added with sincerity in his voice.
"No problem. Let me know if you need anything else." The call was disconnected and Reese immediately called Finch.
"Finch, I just heard from Carter. They found the van."
"I heard, Mr. Reese, loud and clear. I assume you're en route?"
"Be there in a few minutes," John promised.
"Got eyes on the van," John muttered as he walked into the parking lot. The parking lot itself had other cars in it, but none immediately surrounding the white vehicle.
"Do you see Kelsey?" Finch asked in a worried tone.
"Not yet. There's no one around the van either." Something felt off to John, but he kept that to himself as he slowly made his way towards the seemingly-abandoned vehicle. He held his gun at his side, ready to raise it at a moment's notice.
He saw no one when he looked in the driver's side window, but he heard movement coming from the back. He hurried around to the rear of the vehicle and peered in the back windows, trying to see inside. What he saw made his blood run cold.
Kelsey Borwick was indeed in the back of the vehicle. Her hands were strung above her head, secured to a hook in the roof of the car; she also had a gag in her mouth. If it had just been that, John wouldn't have been so worried. However, what gave him the sinking feeling in his gut was the sight of an IED sitting right behind Kelsey, with just over a minute left on the clock.
"Finch, we've got a problem. They've got Kelsey locked in the van with a bomb." He tuned out Finch's exclamation of surprise and urgings for him to get himself and Kelsey out of there as quickly as possible, focusing instead on finding a way inside the van.
Kelsey saw him through the window, and though she looked slightly confused about why her latest client was standing outside her place of captivity, she didn't waste a moment in crying out through the gag for help. John tried to open the doors, but as he figured, they were locked. He hurried back to the front and tried both the driver and the passenger side doors; they were both locked as well. He went back to the back doors, trying to figure out the best course of action.
Hey guys! Sorry, I know it's short again, this story is a shorter one than my previous POI by a long shot.
I had a lot of struggles and issues with this chapter, so I'm not sure how I feel about it...
Lemme know what you think! Or not, as long as you enjoy it I don't care what you do :)