No More Games

Chapter Four

"Okay, this is how this is going to work," cold, steely blue eyes scanned the faces of his hostages. They danced over the frightened faces of Amelia and her grandmother, a man dressed in a finely-pressed business suit, and the beautiful blond with the dog until they came to rest momentarily on Jack's.

Jack didn't hesitate to stare back. His instincts as an agent told him to never back down from a fight and it looked like the man in the hood was looking for a fight from him. And as much as his fingers itched to reach out for his own gun, he knew that was exactly what their captor was looking for.

He knew Jack was armed and yet he hadn't ordered him to relinquish his weapon. The agent couldn't fathom why, but if he relied on his old sniper training and patiently wait this out, he might very well get the shot he was looking for.

The hooded man turned his gaze away as he continued to address the rest of their small group sitting in front of him. Jack didn't even bother to listen as he felt Sue tense beside him.

His eyes shifted in her direction and she surprised him by reaching out and taking his hand in hers. He stared at her in confusion when she pulled them both into her lap, but didn't lace their fingers together.

Jack wasn't sure what was running through her mind right then, but if she was thinking what he thought she was, then she really had to choose a better moment to do it.

Her fingers moved gently along his palm, the flesh tingling. It reminded him of every other tender touch and caress and his mind instantly wandered to his restless night and the conclusion he'd made as dawn arrived. He'd promised both of them there would be no more games and after they got out of this, he was going to live up to that promise.

Sue's grip tightened on his palm and her fingernails dug lightly into the flesh. He winced in pain and met her eyes with a wounded expression. Her gaze was steady as she looked at him and her fingers continued to move against his palm.

Her eyebrows arched in clear meaning. She was trying to tell him something. It was then he realized that she was finger spelling into his hand. She must have seen it when it finally registered in his mind what she was trying to so and she couldn't resist rolling her eyes and start from the beginning.

The vibration of her Blackberry told Jack everything he needed to know.

"W-H-O?" he finger spelled into her hand.

"L-U-C-Y," she replied, not even having to look at the screen to know it was her roommate that was trying to get a hold of her.

A silent question glittered in her eyes and Jack gave an imperceptible shake of his head. He was not going to let her play the hero. Of course it would be easy to send a simple text back to Lucy and the rest of the team to tell them of their predicament, but he couldn't allow Sue to put herself in that kind of danger.

Their captor had a wild look in his eyes; a look Jack had seen far too many times. He could only imagine the outcome if the blonde analyst was placed in the line of fire and it was one he would never let happen as long as he was living and breathing.

"Okay," D said as he hurried into the bullpen, eager to hear of some news to brighten his day. Telling Donna he wouldn't be home until late hadn't exactly been easy. He was already in the doghouse from the extra hours he'd already put in. He would have to work extra hard to make another late night up to her.

The ringing of telephones and clicking of computer keys was like music to his ears as he pulled to a stop in the center of the desks. With two men—and one dog— down for the time being, he hoped that the remaining four had found something; preferably Jack and Sue. "What've we got?"

"The security company employed by the bank is working with me on getting a video feed so we can see what's going on inside," Tara started the update without looking away from her monitor or missing a single keystroke. "Their tech-guy will call me back as soon as it's ready."

D nodded. "Good. Put it up on the screen once you've gotten it." The only acknowledgement he received to his order was a nod of her blonde bob. He accepted it and turned his gaze to the rest of the present team.

"A single shot was fired approximately an hour ago," Myles continued as he scanned over his barely legible notes he'd scribbled down only a few moments ago. "I spoke with the representative from Metro. They seem to think that it's only one gunman."

"Seems to make sense. One shot, one gunman," Bobby elaborated aloud.

D agreed. "What about hostages?"

"According to the bank's employment records, two guards, three tellers and one manager were scheduled to work until closing tonight," Lucy informed them as she picked up the handset of her desk phone and poised her fingers over the keys. "There hasn't been any word yet about how many customers."

"Who called it in?"

"The poor sheila working across the street at the gas station." Bobby scratched the back of his neck in puzzlement as he ran through the phone conversation he'd had with the dispatching officer. "She told the dispatcher that some bloke in a hooded sweatshirt came in, bought a pack of cigarettes and when she asked him if he needed anything else, he told her she should call the police because he was going to rob the bank."

"A bit boastful, though highly ineffective, I'm guessing?" Myles asked.

Bobby turned his thoughtful green gaze toward the Bostonian. "Would you have believed it?" Myles just shrugged. "Anyway, someone from the street ran in and told her to call the police because he'd heard shots—in reality, one shot—coming from the bank. That was when she finally picked up the phone and called it in."

"Tara," D turned back in her direction.

"Security feed from the gas station," she finished promptly for him. "I'm already on it and working on any traffic cams that could have caught him." She smiled at D's nod of approval.

Lucy set her phone back in its cradle and tapped her fingernails worriedly over the handset. "D?" She waited for the senior agent to turn back her way, the few shorts seconds passing by allowing an even deeper concern to settle in her stomach. "Jack and Sue still aren't answering their phones. I've tried both apartments and their favorite hangouts. I'm getting really worried."

So was he. This definitely wasn't like them. And of course it would happen at a time when they needed them most. Opening his mouth to offer some reassurance to his team, he closed his mouth a second alter and shook his head. What did they want him to say?

"D, I've got the feed!" Tara exclaimed triumphantly as she clicked the link and allowed it to load on her screen. Her eyes suddenly went wide in shock at what she saw and her hand instinctively flew to her mouth to stifle her gasp of surprise.

"Put it up," he ordered, but saw the trepidation in her eyes.

He wasn't the only one.

"What is it, Luv?" Bobby asked as he watched her face visibly pale. His own blood was curdling at the mere thought of what they'd found.

Her mouth opened and closed a few times as she tried to get the words out. Swallowing thickly, she tried one last time. "I found Jack and Sue," was all she said as she put the feed up on the flat screen.

On the right hand side of the screen, the faces of Jack, Sue and Levi were easy to spot as they rested stiffly against the wall with what looked like the rest of the bank's customers.

Bobby swallowed thickly as his eyes became glued to the monitor, but it wasn't his friends he was watching. It was the brunette sitting on the lower left hand corner of the screen. His heart clenched as she turned her face directly into the camera's view. He couldn't stifle the curse that rumbled from his lips as her features registered in his brain.

Shannon.