Redemption
Chapter Forty-Six
The bullpen was certainly abuzz when Jack and Bobby walked in, but they were the only two who seemed to understand why. Everyone was gathered around, waiting for D to finish his phone call with Garrett, who had still yet to return from his trip. Unfortunately for the two men, they hadn't made it in time for the debriefing of the Metro cops, though they were excused because of the piece of evidence they had discovered.
They wedged themselves into the large group, Bobby managing to sneak his way near Danni who he welcomed with only a gentle squeeze of the hand. She responded in the same way. They were now working together, so no more of those spontaneous lip-locking sessions would be allowed on the premises; at least during proper working hours.
Jack leaned against the corner of his desk, Sue standing alongside him in their usual friendly manner. He lightly tensed up with her standing next to him, because of what he had let escape his lips last night. If only he'd been able to say it when her eyes were opened, he wouldn't be as nervous. He relaxed slightly when he felt her soft little finger wrap itself gently around his as a calming gesture. He let the hint of a smile grace his eyes as he glanced at her before separating their hands before someone noticed. He'd done it as a thank you, though he was sure she didn't understand and he only understood it slightly, himself. The softest and more single caress from he was strong enough to calm his wracked nerves. It amazed him that she was able to do it without realizing.
"Okay," D's voice quieted the mumbling throng as he hung up the phone. He looked distressed: his eyes slightly weary and a few extra lines forming on his usually young-looking face. He looked from the group to Jack as a heavy sigh escaped him. He didn't bear bad news, it was just disturbing. "Jack, Bobby," he began, though he was addressing the entire group, "in light of the new evidence you two have discovered, I was trying to persuade Garrett to, and I say this with a very high personal regard, keep the locals off the case." There was a burst of outrage from Danni's team as they tried to argue. There was no reason why they should be given the sack when they hadn't even shown what they were capable of, yet. This team was a lot different than what it was a year ago. The troublesome officers had been taken out and replaced with men who were actually good that their jobs. D put his hands up to silence them, which they did with reluctance. He glanced over at Bobby who was reassuring Danni as she still tried to argue. Finally, she settled down and turned her attention back to the supervising agent who felt like he was surrounded by a group of kindergarteners. "However, he seems to believe that they're in too deep as it is and to pull them would cause a very big problem."
"You can say that again," Danni mumbled a little too loudly, which caused her to be the center of attention; something she didn't really enjoy unless she was undercover. "Sorry," she apologized, which caused Bobby to clamp his hand over her mouth to keep her from blurting anything else out. She had the urge to lick his hand, but she didn't think it would be very appropriate. They were supposed to be professional and mature, though it didn't lessen the desire any more.
"So, what's going to happen? Are we going to be barred from the field?" DeMarco asked as he crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against the corner of Myles' desk. If that was going to be the case, he would fight it for all it was worth.
"No. We're going to need every man we've got with our new suspect on the loose," D answered, though unhappy about it. He didn't want to be responsible for any LEOs getting killed while on this case. It would be his head if it was to happen and he wouldn't take the fall for anyone else's stupidity.
"Who is our new suspect?" Sue asked, following everyone else's trains of thought. They hadn't been told who they were supposed to be looking for, now, considering Richard Palmerro would never be found; at least, not yet. There was still a search out for him, but nothing useful had come back.
D motioned for Tara to put the picture up on the screen so everyone could see. He wasn't surprised at the gasps the FBI team gave as a reaction. "Is that who I think it is?" Myles asked, a noticeable shiver running down his spine.
"Yes," Jack answered, going to the screen to explain the photograph. A man, who could only be described as handsome, stood surrounded by his three teenage sons; the last picture taken of them together. "These three boys are our first victims—the brothers—and this," he said, pointing to their father, "is their father—Arif Dessa."