Kyle's head snapped up at the sound of hurried footsteps approaching. Ron and his two henchmen walked towards them quickly, purposefully. Ron snapped his fingers and pointed to Kyle and Julia. Julia's head lifted groggily off the ground where she had been dozing fitfully. Carl and Jones surrounded the two. Carl flicked open a switchblade and Kyle jumped slightly. He watched Carl carefully as he cut the plastic twist ties on his ankles. The same was done for Julia, but she seemed less interested. They were then lifted forcibly off the ground. His arms tugged painfully behind his back as Carl dispassionately led him through the warehouse. They followed Ron out into the bright morning sunlight, Kyle stumbling to keep up with his captor's long-legged pace. The same van was awaiting them just beyond the doors. Ron opened the double doors and Carl pushed him in. Julia was lifted in somewhat more gently.
She lay on the van floor with eyes closed. Kyle struggled to his knees to get a better look at her. "Mom," he whispered as the doors slammed shut on them.
Julia lifted heavy eyelids to look at Kyle. "Whatever happens...don't be afraid. Everything's...going to be....okay." Her words slurred and her eyelashes fluttered over tired eyes.
"Mom, don't go back to sleep," Kyle pleaded.
"Gonna...be okay," Julia reassured. "Remember...I...love you. I always have." Then she drifted off completely.
Kyle felt his hopes plummet. His father could be injured, possibly dead. His mother had been drugged to the point of convulsions. And the man he hated most in the world held all the cards to his freedom, his future and the fate of everyone he loved.
He sat back against the side of the van and stared at the floor helplessly as the vehicle rumbled to life and carried him off to whatever destiny awaited him.
They used unmarked cop cars to set up a perimeter around the overwhelmingly large South Beach shipyard. Expert marksmen positioned themselves on the rooftops of workshops with long-range rifles and binoculars. Calleigh was crouching behind a shipping crate, her gun drawn and sharp eyes scanning the dock for any movement. Ryan Wolfe was a lone CSI passenger amongst half a dozen Coast Guard officers. The boat stayed close to the shipyard, idling quietly. Everyone wore earpieces. Everyone anxiously glanced at watches and any approaching vehicle. All, except for Horatio. He watched the sun in the clear blue sky and the light that bounced off the metallic sides of the looming cranes above him. He felt ready; determined. He would not fail, not again.
His cell phone rang. Everyone else jerked at the sound. He picked it up calmly and put it to his ear. "Ron?"
"You brought the whole cavalry, I see," Ron commented.
"Where are you, Ron?"
"Walk towards the end of the dock," Ron commanded. "Then we'll do this right."
Horatio did as he was ordered, even as the other members of his team and the police force silently urged him not to. He approached steadily and off in the distance he spotted a cluster of bodies standing at the edge of the dock. Horatio quickly glanced around, looking for the others he knew had to be present somewhere. He squinted through his sunglasses and to his everlasting relief spotted his son and Julia. Ron stood behind them, holding onto each with one hand. He studied them, noting with alarm Julia's sagging figure and with fury, the dried blood on the side of Kyle's face and the split in the bottom of his lip. But those injuries did little to hide the large smile on his son's face.
"Dad!" He exclaimed.
Horatio nodded calmly at him. "It's alright son," Horatio assured. "This will all be over soon."
"Guess that depends on you," Ron sounded from behind the two hostages he held out as a shield. "I don't see a suitcase bulging at the seams with cash, H."
Horatio held up his empty hands. "Give me the hostages and I'll get you the cash."
"Tsk, tsk," Ron admonished while shaking his head. "That's pretty weak; even for you, Detective Caine."
"I think you and I both know this has nothing to do with the cash," Horatio said evenly.
Ron stopped and stared at Horatio. For a few tense moments, no one made a sound or shifted a muscle. Finally, Ron nodded slightly. "Still think you know the outcome of this one, huh Horatio? Fine. Have it your way. Lets see how you deal with this little wild card."
Ron pushed Kyle over the edge of the dock.
The moments played out in slow motion for Horatio. He saw Ron push his son, saw Kyle's eyes widen in shock as he slipped over the edge. He reached for Kyle and his gun simultaneously. Ron grabbed Julia and held her in front of him with a gun to her temple. Horatio drew his gun and pointed it at Ron.
"I wouldn't if I were you," Ron warned.
Ryan strained to see Horatio and the others on the far side of the shipping dock. The boat had been inching forwards, with Ryan motioning the captain with one hand while shading his eyes from the sun with the other. Off in the distance, he saw something plummet off the edge of the dock. His jaw dropped.
"Go!" He yelled.
Calleigh wasn't watching Horatio. She knew he would keep Ron busy while she scanned overhead. She heard the commotion between Ron and Horatio and fought against the urge to watch, instead focusing even more on the high points around them. Suddenly, she spied a split second shard of light from something reflective atop one of the shipping containers. She studied the spot and was rewarded for her patience when a man stepped into her line of sight. He was a monstrous looking biker of a man, and he had a gun trained on the back of Horatio's head. He cocked the gun and squeezed the trigger.
Horatio wanted to dive over the edge, but kept his gun pointed squarely at Ron. Ron held the staggering Julia in front of him. She looked at Horatio. He was surprised to see the lack of fear in her eyes.
Ron kissed her hair.
"Sure was fun, wasn't it sweetheart?"
He violently pushed her forward and aimed his gun.
Two shots rang out.
Kyle hit the water back first with a resounding slap. The landing punched all the air out of his lungs and stunned him. As he slipped beneath the water, he twisted and kicked his legs, fighting to get back to the surface with hands still pinned behind his back. After wrestling with the water for what felt like an eternity, his head finally popped out of the small waves and he had a brief second to gulp down air before he went under again.
This time, he panicked.
Calleigh's bullet had sailed clean and true and had found its mark in the back of the biker's head. He toppled over the edge of the shipping container and landed, dead, on the concrete shipyard with a dull thud.
Horatio heard the first shot, knew it came from behind him and paid it no heed. The second shot, however, came from in front of him. His own shot was reflexive, but it didn't hit anything. Ron took a running leap off the dock and into the water.
Julia's eyes were wide. Both she and Horatio looked down at her chest. A dark stain was quickly radiating out from her breastbone. She studied the bloody mark on her chest and looked up at Horatio with a confused frown.
Ryan scanned the water and briefly saw Kyle's head bob above the water before dipping under again. "There!" he pointed to the Coast Guards. They raced over to the spot where Kyle had last been seen, but it was then that another form entered the water. Ron Saris jumped feet first into the ocean, not too far from where Kyle had ungracefully landed. The boat slowed to a stop. Ryan frowned as another boat approached opposite their own and slowed to where Ron had landed. Already, a line was thrown to Ron, who caught it easily and was being hauled into the speedboat. The Coast Guards looked at him questioningly. One part of him wanted to give chase but the better part of him won out. Before anyone could talk him out of it, Ryan had slipped off his shoes and his gun holster and was diving over the side of the boat.
The water was dark and choppy; it was difficult to see anything and it took a strong swimmer to fight against the up swell. But if Ryan was anything, he was tenacious. He used a breaststroke and strong kicks to propel himself downwards, until finally he spotted Kyle's terrified wide eyes as he sunk deeper.
Ryan grabbed him by the collar of the shirt and began his ascent, pulling on Kyle's encumbered form. They broke the surface and Ryan greedily inhaled the Miami air. He hauled up Kyle and placed him in front of his chest, holding onto the teenager firmly with one arm and swimming with the other. Kyle coughed and sputtered, spitting out water and gasping as he inhaled. His hair stuck stubbornly to his forehead and eyes.
Hands reached down from the boat and gently took Kyle from his hold. More hands reached in to help him up. Ryan flopped down into the boat and took a few moments to recover from the taxing swim. A few of the Coast Guards were tending to Kyle, who still looked like he was having trouble catching his breath.
Ryan rubbed his weary face.
"You should have let one of us do that," one admonished him.
Ryan shrugged nonchalantly. "It's okay. I forgot to shower this morning anyway," he reasoned.
Horatio could only stare at first, until Julia began to sway. He was beside her in an instant, catching her as her knees completely gave way and her head fell back. He cradled her in his arms, lifted her head up so she could see his face.
"Hang on Julia, help will come."
She smiled sadly at him. "Not soon enough," she whispered.
Something was wet on the palm cupping Julia's back. He moved his hand from her spine so he could see the blood covering it. Ron's bullet had entered her back and had passed all the way through. He swore silently.
"You take..." Julia whispered. She coughed, choked on her own pink, frothy blood as it rose up from a pierced lung. Horatio leaned over her, placing his ear only inches above her mouth. "You take care of...him."
Horatio drew his head up so she could see his face and the promise embedded there. He nodded resolutely and smiled at her. As her eyelids fluttered shut for the last time, he kissed her forehead and held her close, cradling her broken body until the paramedics came up behind him and forcibly drew his shaking hands away.