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Chapter 12- Running Into Trouble.

"Are you insane? Have you completely lost your mind?" Peck was yelling, a cold tint in her voice, but Sam wasn't paying attention.

He had briefed her on the new direction that they were heading in, and told her about Andy working the same route, UC, and she thought that the only reason that he had lost it was because he was screwing with the Mexican drug cartel.

These guys didn't just mainline the drug trade, they used mules and trafficked in human beings as well. Half the people they smuggled across the border died from carrying the drugs or they suffocated on exhaust fumes in hidden compartments of trucks or the just showed up dead on the American side of the border, dumped like discarded trash.

"Is this because Andy's UC? Or do you just have a death wish?" She added when she noticed Sam zoning out on her just as she took a right jab at him.

"Look, I know that you didn't sign on for this, you can backout at anytime. I know that you want to prove Steve innocent, but if we can cut the supply off at the top, then things will look better for Steve" Sam meant it, he knew that Peck was doing this because her brother was being investigated by Internal Affairs and Callaghan, they thought that he was one of the cops recruited by various Gang-bangers to keep them out of jail in return for various rewards.

There were a few names on a list that belonged to cops and guys from the Guns and Gangs squad, Steve Peck was one of those names.

"Look, Steve wouldn't do... Okay I don't know. I saw him at Charise that night, but that doesn't mean anything" Gail huffed it out. She was strict on keeping her family name all clean and polished while it looked like Steve was tarnishiung it beyond polish.

"This is our in, or my in, you don't need to tie yourself into this" Sam said sternly. She was really free to go.

"What happened to backup?" Peck challenged him, her hand deflecting one of his own jabs.

Taking another swipe at Sam's head, Peck nearly landed her punch as Sam spent another second zoning out on her.

This was a regular part of their routine, Sam would spar with her and give her a few pointers as well as a little bit of extra training when it came to hand- to- hand defense.

He kept her on her toes and spent time showing her how to defend herself more than she already knew how to; just in case she was ever in a position that would need it.

"The list is only names Sam, it doesn't mean anything for now" Peck countered, she was scraping the bottom of the barrel and she knew it.

Just as she was ready to make a futile attempt at throwing another punch, Sam's phone rang and she hit him squarely in the jaw making her let out a yelp and Sam taking a surprised step back before she mumbled a sorry and shook her hand. He lost concentration and let her plant one right on her mark.

"Yeah" Sam grumbled out as he answered Callaghan call.

"Number Seven just got capped".

The dial tone sounding in Sam's ear told him that there wasn't any more to say.

Peck went quiet, she knew from his face that the call had been about the list.

Leaving the spare room that they used to spar in, she went to get their copy of the list before returning and holding it out towards him.

"Your turn". Peck's voice held a slight shake, she knew that Callaghan only called with a number and a status. It could be anyone on that list, even one of the people they were close to.

Last time she had checked the number against the name, this time it was Sam's turn.

He took the paper, unfolded it and skipped down seven lines before letting out a relieved breath.

"Morris, Thirteen".

Sam saw her visibly relax when she heard the name. It wasn't one of their friends.

"So, it's a hit list" Peck murmured.

"We don't know that" Sam countered. Since the discovery of the list and the names that were on it, he refused to believe that it was a hit list.

"Sam come on, that's three. Four if you count Simon's kid from the hit and run".

"I know, but it doesn't make sense". Sam still hadn't quite figured the list out, but he just had a gut feeling that it wasn't a hit list. It had been in existence too long for that.

...

"This is so hard" Sophie whined staring at the page in front of her.

Math just wasn't her thing.

She wasn't someone that numbers made sense to, so it was harder than normal for her to grasp the basic concept of any equations.

"Let's take a break" Andy said and looked around the room.

Today they had Sophie's lesson at Gypsies, so Andy paid some attention to her surroundings. There hadn't been much to report on lately, even after eleven weeks she hardly had anything to pass to the homeless guy, Nick.

All she had heard about was the new asset that the Ramos family had acquired, a new partner that was a Caucasian male, mid thirty's and not afraid to use his gun.

The restaurant was fairly empty at this time of day on a Saturday, it was between lunch and dinner time so it was the best time to get some actual studying done.

"I'm gonna grab food, you want something?" Sophie said as she pushed her chair back and stood up.

Andy scowled at her use of 'gonna'. She was trying to break the habit of Sophie using the slang version of words like gonna, wanna, shoulda. But obviously it wasn't working.

"Sorry" Sophie blushed and Andy shook her head. She really wasn't hungry.

Sophie left and disappeared into the back, Andy pulling her textbook across the table and paging through it as a way of refreshing her memory for their next lesson.

The door opened, and Andy heard feet bustle in, but with her back to the door it was hard to see anything.

What she hadn't been expecting was someone to step up behind her and grab her by the hair...

...

Sam dropped Peck off at the club and headed for his meeting with Callaghan.

He called and set it up, but wouldn't say why over the phone.

The whole thing felt off, but Sam went anyway.

He met Callaghan at the marina, the surprising sight of Marlo with him making Sam squirm in his seat as he drove up.

Something was wrong if she was here.

Walking over to them Sam kept his worry off his face, they didn't need to see that he was feeling a little bit of stress.

"Swarek" Callaghan nodded his way when Sam stopped in front of them.

"Problems?" Sam just threw it out there and waited.

"I.A. Wants to move on Steve Peck and Shaw".

Ah, Marlo was chasing a promotion. She wanted her own piece of the pie that would secure her a better position in the force. She had always been blood thirsty.

"No".

"Sam, if he is in on it, and we card him it's his best defense right now"

"What? And hang a bullseye on his forehead? Shaw has a family" Doing that would make him a walking dead man. Steve Peck too. Just because Oliver's name was on that list too didn't make him a corrupt cop, but carding him would put his whole family at risk.

"Look, something's going down and soon, the Vega's are moving and there's a lot of activity. We think they're going to finish the names on that list" Marlo stated.

"I'm on that list, and so is half of Fifteen. Shaw is not in on any of it, neither are the McNally's or even Epstein okay. If you interfere now, they will know that we have a copy of the list, so leave it alone". Sam really had to hold on to his restraint to not yell that out.

"Too late Sam, they're moving on the list already". Marlo looked at Callaghan before looking back at him.

"What?"

"Someone tried to kill the Shaw's last night so they've been moved into protective custody. Jones from 4 was shot coming out of a store off duty last night. They're moving on that list Sam...".

...

After feeling fingers twine in her hair, Andy's head was shoved forwards and it hit the table and was held down there, her face pressed into the open textbook.

"Where is he?" A voice drooled in her ear, but Andy couldn't see a face so she had no idea who it was and who he wanted.

"Wh...". Andy saw movement out the corner of her eye and saw Sophie come around the corner. Sophie froze when she saw Andy and whoever was standing behind her, Andy's eyes closing when she realized that the guy thought she was Sophie. He didn't know what she looked like.

There were four waitresses and the middle aged barman in the front with her. In the back were the two kitchen hands, a cleaner and a runner, as well as Sophie.

That left Andy pretty much on her own right now because none of those people would be of any use to her right now.

Making the decision to go with what she had, Andy said the only thing she could think of and she said it really loudly so that everyone in this room would hear her, including Sophie who she prayed would run when she understood. "My Brother will kill you for this".

Andy felt her head get slammed into the table, her focus slipping for a second from the pain running through her cheek. When she opened her eyes, Sophie's face told her that she understood and she backed away slowly and silently until Andy couldn't see her anymore.

As Andy was about to let out a relieved breath, she heard a shuffle and then the chair under her gave way and she her knees hit the ground.

Whoever was holding her by the hair still had a firm hold on it, but let her head move back enough to slide off the textbook before it was rammed into the solid wood corner and blackness invoked her completely.

Sophie knew from Andy's words that the guys thought she was Sophie, but Sophie knew their markings even though she couldn't see their faces.

They were Vega and had come for her.

Slipping back into the kitchen she ran through it and went out the back door just as strong arms caught her and held on to her tightly.

She let out a scream before she was shaken lightly and heard her name from a familiar voice.

"Sophie, you okay?".

Sam looked at the kid, she was absolutely terrified.

He was stopping by to tell Quinn that he had need of a larger supply next week and wanted to negotiate the price. It was his way of trying to force them to make a mistake and slip up.

He avoided coming here anytime over weekends or after hours because he knew that there was a chance that he could run into Andy and if that happened there was no way that she would act normal.

"It's Vega, they're inside and they have Andy"

Hearing Sophie say that, Sam tried to take a moment to collect himself.

He tried to inhale a breath.

He tried to get his heart to beat.

But everything just shut down.

Sam let go of Sophie and reached into his pocket for his car keys. "Can you drive?"

Sophie nodded so Sam handed them over. He handed his phone over too, "Hit speed dial five, it's Quinn. Call him and tell him what happened. Go to Cherise, ask for Gail okay. She has to show you a purple butterfly on her wrist okay? You don't talk to anyone else got it?"

Sophie nodded as she took the items and watched Sam reach in under his jacket and pull his hand out holding his gun.

He knew that Quinn and the guys weren't here yet. If they were, Vega wouldn't be inside. Not unless they had a death wish.

"Go" Sam said shocking Sophie's attention back to his face.

Then she ran.

He heard his car start up as it echoed through the alley from the small side street he parked in, so she would leave and be okay.

Sam stepped inside cautiously, his gun pointing at the face of the chef as he was coming out. He looked wrapped up in fear.

"They're gone" the chef mumbled when he recognized Sam.

"The girl?" Sam didn't really care about keeping his cool right now, he just needed to know that Andy was okay before he slipped back out the door.

"They think she's Sophie, they took her".

Sam stared at the chef, his gun lowering in a defeated posture.

"They came for Sophie, and she told them she is Sophie".

Great.

Just like McNally would do.

"Car?" Sam asked holding his hand out. The chef nodded and handed his keys over. He was following Sophie out the back door and probably guessed that Sam had given her his car to get away in.

When Sam's hands returned from putting his gun back in the back of his pants he noticed the phone held out too.

"I'll tell Quinn you're looking for Vega yeah?" The chef asked.

"You tell Quinn I'm looking for the girl" Sam said then left in a race against time to find Andy before she turned up as a Jane Doe with a bullet in the back of her head when Vega realized that Andy wasn't Sophia Ramos.

***seems Andy just can't stay out of trouble, and Sam can't help himself when it comes to helping her!

Have an awesome day!

Jelly Bean Jenna©