Disclaimer: Jon Bokenkamp & NBC; all rights reserved . This fanfic is a work of fiction. It details my own imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locations is entirely coincidental.

Chapter 9

Red entered the grey and white private room at the safe house slowly, the hollow echo of his footsteps the only sounds in the room but his steady stride faltered and stopped abruptly as his eyes fell on the tall figure lying rigid on the white mattress. For a moment, the sight of an unconscious Dembé paralyzed Red's body and mind in a flood of racing emotions; compassion, disgust, love, remorse but above all; anger! Taking a deep breath, Red managed to choke them down…at least for now!

'Dembé…?' Red whispered softly as he neared the bed, 'It's me…Raymond!'

Dembé didn't respond.

'Dembé…?' Red tried again, leaning closer to Dembé's ear, clutching his big hand in his.

'I..Isabella…Isabella?' Dembé murmured turning his head from side to side, his eyes still closed. Red frowned and lowered his head. When Mr. Kaplan entered the room, she found Red sitting on the bed with Dembé cradled in his arms. His face was bent next to Dembé's ear and he was whispering soft words of comfort.

Red didn't look up.

'Is he going to make it?' He suddenly said without moving his position.

'They're doing everything they can but he's lost a lot of blood,' Mr. Kaplan spoke softly. Red looked up, 'Who's responsible for this Kate?'

Mr. Kaplan shook her head, 'I dunno Raymond…I found him like this at your apartment in Bethesda. He'd nearly bled to death!'

'I shouldn't have left,' Red said.

'It wasn't your fault,' Mr. Kaplan hurried to say, 'Don't take this upon yourself Raymond. Dembé knew your main concern was Elisabeth's safety! There was nothing you could have done!'

Red turned around and looked at Mr. Kaplan now; really looked at her for the first time she'd stepped into the room, 'That doesn't make it easier!'

Mr. Kaplan sighed, 'Stop blaming yourself Raymond. Dembé can take care of himself. This was just misfortune. Most important now is getting him better and on his feet again!'

Red nodded grimly, 'You're right! Listen Kate…call me if he wakes up. I have to get back to Elisabeth now!'

'Where are you staying?' Mr. Kaplan asked.

'Were staying at DeBourge upon Johnson Street,' Red replied. Mr. Kaplan nodded while Red turned and left the room.

Red walked down the hallway of the Guesthouse and softly knocked. The door opened almost instantly at his knock, 'God…I'm glad you're back!' Taking his hand, Lizzie drew Red inside. He smiled and held out his arms, while Lizzie hurried into them. She laid her head against his chest and took comfort in the strong and steady beat of his heart.

'How is Dembé?'

'Not good,' Red sighed while he kissed Lizzie temple. 'He's lost a lot of blood.'

'I'm sorry.' Lizzie mumbled, '…but Dembé is strong. I'm sure he'll get through this.' Red nodded and tucked his head down, kissing Lizzie's neck, 'I'm so glad I have you,' he whispered.

A soft knock on the door drew Red's attention immediately to it. He let go of Lizzie and reached for his gun, ready to draw it.

'Who is it?' Lizzie asked.

'Room service ma'am…it's dinnertime' was the answer on the other side of the door. Lizzie breathed a sigh of relief and smiled at Red. She opened the door and allowed the room service waiter to roll in a service tray. He lifted the lids. The plates were filled with roasted lobster tails, cherry tomatoes and bitter greens with a vinaigrette. Next to the bread basket was a bottle of Chardonnay.

'Is there anything else you need, Mr. Kenneth?' the room service waiter asked.

'No, that'll be all.' Red handed him a hefty tip and watched the waiter exit the room. He picked up the bottle of Chardonnay and gestured with it to Lizzie, 'Would you like a glass?' Lizzie nodded and Red poured them each a glass.

…

A dull pounding invaded Red's dream, and it seemed a long time before he realized it came from his head. He slowly opened his eyes but the room was dark. Lizzie was his first thought but he was alone in the room. Red pulled himself up from the cold floor and looked around the room for her again, yet she wasn't there. Red felt unbalanced as he raised himself to his feet and his eyes fell upon the empty bottle of Chardonnay. He had to been drugged in some way. Red cursed and grabbed the cork; in the middle was a small puncture like from a syringe. How could he have been so stupid?

He had been drugged and someone had taken Lizzie!

Red went into the bathroom and splashed some water in his face. He looked into the mirror; his face a mask of anger. He clenched his teeth and grabbed his gun before leaving the room. On his way down, he passed the kitchen and killed the waiter with one single shot to the head. Red cruised the streets of Washington for little over an hour until he finally pulled into a parking lot.

…

Late in the evening, with the sun already set, Aram arrived at his apartment building at the Potomac. Readjusting his shoulder pack, he lifted his bike.

'Have a good one,' Aram smiled, giving a quick glance at the janitor at the entrance of his building.

'Thank you Sir!'

Aram gave the janitor a nod and carried his bike to the elevator bay. While taking the elevator down to the basement to store his bike, his thoughts went to Elizabeth Keen. He wondered where she was and what she was doing. It was a pity, she'd had left the Bureau but he was convinced she was in good hands with Mr. Reddington.

Aram took the elevator to his floor and exited. He walked to his apartment and as he opened the front door, he heard click and a wssshhh. His backpack fell to the floor when someone pulled him inside by his arm.

'Woehaa…w…what?'

Aram blinked quickly as if he wanted his eyesight to clear but then he recognized the man in front of him. He was pointing a gun at his head.

'Mr. Reddington?'

'Are you alone Aram?' Red asked.

Aram nodded and closed the door quickly behind him, 'Alone?...Yes, I am!' Realizing there was no thread, Red lowered the gun to his side. Aram noticed Red's face was full of concern as he walked into the room and placed his gun down on the coffee table.

'Mr. Reddington…what is going on? Where is Elizabeth?' Aram asked, a bit alarmed now.

Red's expression was grim as he looked up, 'She has been taken! And that is why I need your help Aram.'

Red explained to Aram what had happened and almost immediately, Aram pulled out his laptop and powered it up.

'Where were you staying?' Aram asked.

'Debourge upon Johnson Street!' Aram nodded and logged in to a centralized monitoring centre in control of all the surveillance cameras. The footage showed a man and woman pushing a female into a white van which Aram traced to an abandoned warehouse. The one Red knew, Tom Keen had been staying.

'Thank you Aram, you have been very helpful,' Red hurried to say when he snatched up his gun and made his way to the door.

'B…but Mr. Reddington…Shouldn't I call agent Ressler?'

'NO!' Red grabbed Aram by his shoulder, 'Don't alarm anyone…I'll take care of this!' Aram nervously cleared his throat but nodded his agreement.

Red left his car and headed down a narrow alleyway that passed behind the abandoned warehouse. He moved into a small alcove between two of the buildings, dropping to the ground to sit with his back against the stone brick wall. He closed his eyes and thought of Lizzie. Suddenly, a noise forced Red to open his eyes. He listened sharply: it were the soft clicks of a woman's heels. Red gazed into the dimly lit alley, the only light coming from the full moon overhead. He heard footsteps coming closer. Red held his breath and two figures walked past the small alcove where he was hiding. Red nearly gasped when he recognized Tom Keen and Gina Zanetakos. He wanted to kill them both but his instinct told him to stand his ground. When they had rounded the corner, Red slowly rose from the ground in the alcove and crept to the entrance of the apartment building. He immediately dismissed his thought of barging in so he looked upward to find a way onto the roof. Red entered the alcove again and peered upward. He hadn't brought any rope with him, but the alcove was narrow. His eyes peered into the darkness for a handhold to begin his climb. Wedging one foot on each wall, he reached up and grabbed a ledge. His fingertips ached as he moved his feet higher. It took Red forever to climb onto the roof but he had no other choice; he had to get Lizzie back. His fingertips were raw and bleeding but he wiped the blood on his clothes and ignored the pain. He walked cautiously along the roof while his eyes scanned the roof for any type of hatch that might allow access into the warehouse but he couldn't find one. Red moved to the edge of the roof and stared down. There were several windows on the second level of the warehouse. He chose a window at random and leaned over the edge of the roof above it. He could barely see into the dark room, but he sensed nothing moving in it. Red didn't hesitate for a moment. He lowered his body over the side of the roof, just above the chosen window. Hanging from the roof, he lowered himself onto the window sill, exhaling slowly. He entered the room through the window and placed his back to the wall, his gun automatically sliding into his hand. If Lizzie was here, he would find her.

Red searched the abandoned warehouse until he came upon a small office, its door open just a slit. Peeking in, Red saw that the office was empty. He quickly slipped inside and shut the door, double checking to make sure that there was no one in the office. On the fare side of the office was a trap door, not as well hidden. The door was closed but not locked. Red opened it to a loud creaking noise but continued down in the basement.

Then suddenly there was a whimper or a stifled sob…Red held his breath and listened intently.

To be continued…