Author's Note:

Thanks for the enthusiasm. This doesn't exactly resolve the cliff hanger. But it's at least something to tide you over while I get all the details worked out. Enjoy!

Chapter 13: All Hands on Deck

The second Sam decided he couldn't get Mickey away from Anton, he started to jog back toward his truck, hitting Collins' speed dial as he went. His head was spinning as he tried desperately to calculate what his next move should be.

He looked up and finally recognized Williams and Nash dressed in street clothes, leaning against the hood of his truck. Fantastic! Finally, he'd caught a break. A relieved smile chased the sheer panic from his face, "Thank God!" he breathed, before noticing the furious glares they were sending his way. Noelle was starting to look more puzzled than pissed off, but she still hit him with an angry, "What the hell are you playing at, Swarek?"

Traci hadn't caught on to anything. "Manslut!" she ground out while taking a swing at him, aiming to hit him more literally.

He ducked back out of range, and said, "Easy slugger, it's not what you think."

Noelle put a restraining hand on Traci and asked, "Is that who I think it is with his goons?"

"Yeah, it's Hill. And the woman with him is one of Collins' people. His best person, actually. But Hill just got very suspicious. If her cover isn't blown, he probably thinks she might be ratting him out to me. It's good you're not in uniform. You have an unmarked car, right?" Sam rattled off rapid fire.

Noelle nodded, instantly getting how serious the situation was. She was well aware of Collins' reputation for running the biggest cases.

"Good. You have a gun?" he asked.

"Yes, a small one in an ankle holster. We were doing sweeps of the homeless in some rough neighborhoods with EMTs. Trying not to spook those we were helping with unis and visible guns," Noelle replied.

"Good enough. I need you two to tail Hill. It's better if he doesn't spot you, but you CANNOT lose him! We need to know exactly where he's taking Mickey in case Collins decides we need to send a team in to raid the place and get her out. Nash, call Frank right now and ask him to send two plainclothes units to back you up. Tell him to keep this off the dispatch radio. Hill is bound to have some moles we don't know about. Just monitor what goes on closely. Call me with the location, and take notes on anyone and anything going in and out of wherever they end up. Even after back-up arrives, do NOT go in unless you hear shots fired. At least not unless Collins orders you in directly. Got it?"

"We're on it," Noelle assured him.

"Thanks!" Sam clapped her on the shoulder. "I owe you, and I'll explain everything later. Right now, I have to get the info she managed to pass me to Collins ASAP. There's a huge shit storm about to break tonight, and we're not ready." Sam glanced nervously down the block toward where Mickey had disappeared into Anton's car, "Hurry, it looks like they're getting ready to take off."

Noelle and Traci jumped in their car and followed Anton's car after it pulled out.

Sam turned his attention back to the phone. "Did you catch any of that?"

"Some. I made it to the war room. Come over now, and start filling me in on the way. Sounds like we have a potential cluster fuck on our hands," Collins said.

"You might say that. We've got several major problems. Hill was here when I arrived. Mickey was able to tell me the first tour bus is crossing over tonight at eleven, not in a few weeks."

"Christ! I'm scrambling the team we've been assembling as we speak then. But go on."

Sam could hear him madly typing away at his computer keyboard. "Better get that judge who hands you warrants like candy to get ready to authorize some phone taps too. Mickey also managed to pass me a thumb drive, and I have a feeling that if she risked copying files, it might be proof of who his dirty Border Patrol and other moles are. She's a great hacker, but she must have done something to make Hill suspicious all of a sudden without her realizing it or he wouldn't have come to see what she was up to. I'm almost positive he didn't see her pass me anything, but I don't think he bought that my being there was just a matter of coincidence for a horny guy. He suspects something. Who knows what he might do about changing plans again. Or whether he'll lean on Mickey hard to find out whether she's become my rat. I don't think he suspects she's a cop, but even that's possible."

"This just keeps getting better," Collins said darkly.

"Listen, there's one more thing that's the icing on the cake. But I want you to promise me this is off the record," Sam said uncomfortably.

"Let's not worry about formalities at a time like this, Swarek. I need to know everything," Collins said impatiently.

"I need you to promise me for Mickey's sake," Sam insisted.

"Fine," Collins sighed. "It's off the record."

"When Hill and I were confronting each other, he implied that Mickey's been sleeping with him. I couldn't tell if he was just playing with my head, trying to throw me to get a read on my reaction. Do you think it's possible she really went that far to get into his inner circle near the top of his vice rackets?" Sam asked, again feeling sick at the thought.

Collins sighed, "I don't think so, but who knows? I never pushed her to do anything like that, if that's what you're asking," he added defensively.

"Easy. I'm not accusing you. But you have to admit you pushed her to stay in this extremely high-pressure position for a hell of a long time. I can't imagine how she pulled it off this long. I'm trying not to judge her, but if Hill has been screwing her, or wants to, that affects how he might play things today. I'm just not sure if it makes her immediate situation better or worse.

Two patrol officers from Division 15 happened to be doing a community service day run at the clinic when all this went down. I had them tail Hill so we'd know where he's taking her while I head over to meet you. We have to figure out what to do about Mickey. I couldn't get her away from Hill. His two goons who were packing heat were right there when he insisted she leave with him. If I'd made a useless attempt, it would only have confirmed his suspicions. So I had to just stand there and let him walk away with her. That was the hardest thing I've ever done on this job. We have to figure out a way to get her away from him," Sam said, tightening his death grip on the steering wheel even further.

"Take a breath Sammy and just get over here. You made the right call. There was nothing else you could do. Keep your focus on what needs to be done next. I'm going to hang up and we'll talk more when you get here," Collins said, already switching mentally to the next task at hand himself.