Here is today's second part. Please not that there will be no update tomorrow for personal reasons. Thank you for your understanding.

Present day. Miami:

Frank and Eric silently searched each room of Horatio's house; blood was smeared on the walls of most of the rooms. Walking in to Horatio's office it was obvious that the room had been ransacked, whoever had been here was clearly looking for something. Eric said a silent prayer, hoping that the Malucci's hadn't found what they were looking for. His eyes fell upon the photos that had been crudely stuck to the walls of the room, dozens of pictures of Horatio going about his business. Whoever had been following him had been doing so for weeks. Lying on the table was an article cut from the Miami Herald newspaper with a half page picture of the lieutenant from a recent press conference, his eyes widened as a target had been drawn on Horatio's face in red pen along with the words, 'Dead man walking'.

Unable to take the rancid smell in the house any longer he made his way to the back yard and gazed out at the ocean ahead of him. With a heavy heart he pulled out his cell phone and dialled a familiar number.

"Duquesne," the melodic Southern voice answered, tinged with an unmistakable air of tiredness.

"Calleigh, it's Eric. How are things at the hospital?"

"Not good," she replied, "Horatio's picked up some kind of infection, he's been restless and mumbling nonsense for the last few hours. How are things with you, did you manage to speak to Andy again?"

He hesitated before answering, "Yeah, I did. Look, dispatch got a call earlier about a B and E at Horatio's house." He winced as he heard her gasp of shock, "Looks like these Malucci people are definitely in town, they've made their feelings toward H pretty clear. These people mean business."

"We'll tighten the security at the hospital, they won't be able to get to him here." Calleigh tried to inject a sense of conviction in to her voice but found herself sadly lacking.

"That's not what worries me, Calleigh. What happens when he's released from hospital? He can't stay here; he'll be a sitting duck."

She realised Eric was right, it didn't take her long to come up with a solution. "Grab as many of his clothes as you can find and take them to the lab, I'll pick them up next time I'm there. He can stay with me until we get this sorted."

He wasn't convinced that it was the best idea, "Are you sure? It's a lot to take on."

"He needs us, Eric. Right now I seem to be about the only one he trusts."

"Ok" he replied reluctantly, "I'll meet you back at the hospital later."

She hung up and returned her attention to Horatio who was shifting restlessly in the bed as his fever climbed, she could see the beads of sweat forming on his face as he mumbled random words.

Robin's visit had done nothing to ease his troubled mind; he lay in bed silently hoping that Agent Collins would return soon. Each time he tried to rest he found his mind conjuring up horrific scenarios, his loved ones brutally slain for no other reason than they were unfortunate enough to have known him. He would have got out of the bed and stood guard outside Robin's apartment but his damaged body would not even allow him to lift his head more than a few inches without agonising pain shooting through him. He realised that he would have no way of keeping them all safe, he couldn't guard all of them at the same time. He was just one man, he didn't have the resources to protect them not like the FBI did.

Would it really be so bad to do as Agent Collins had asked? Going undercover would place his life in peril but at least he would be satisfied that his friends and family were safe, he knew that when all was said and done that was what really mattered to him. He would be asked to do things that went against his very nature as a police officer and a man, would he be able to live with himself for the things he would have to do? The Malucci's would not make it easy on him; he would have to prove his loyalty to them whilst still trying to remain loyal to his oath as an officer of the law.

After much deliberation and soul searching he finally came to a decision and hoped that it was the right one. As if on cue Agent Collins returned to his room and stood at the end of the bed, "Have you thought any more about my proposition, Detective Kelly?" The tall FBI agent asked as he placed his hands in his trouser pockets.

He gave the other man a withering glare, already hating him. "Yes, I'll do it. But only on certain conditions."

The FBI agent looked at him with some amusement, "And what makes you think that you're in a position to make demands, detective?" The last word was said with such venom that John was under no illusions that Collins thought he was superior to him.

"You need me; you wouldn't have come back if you didn't."

"And what are these conditions?"

"Firstly, you keep my family and friends safe. If hear that one of them gets so much as a paper cut the deal is off," he pierced the agent with a fearsome glare.

"Anything else?" Collins replied nonchalantly.

"The Malucci's will expect me to earn my place; I want full immunity for anything I have to do to gain their trust."

"Is there anything else, detective? Should I start writing a list of your demands?"

"No. When this is all over I want your word that you'll protect me. When the Malucci's realise what I've done they'll keep coming after me until they know I'm dead."

The FBI agent considered John's words carefully, "That should be manageable, I believe we have a deal." He walked closer to the head of the bed and held his hand out to the red head.

He wasn't naive enough to take Collin's word for it, "Put it in writing and we do." The other man smiled at him and nodded his head, John reluctantly held his hand out and shook it, realising that he had just made a deal with the devil.

She sat and watched him as he twitched and groaned, she had heard him mumble the name 'Collins' over and over and began to wonder if he was experiencing another memory in his fevered dreams. She wrote the name down on her pad along with any other names she heard him mention and made a mental note to run some background checks when she got back to the lab. She returned her attention to Horatio when she heard him gasp as his eyes shot open, she placed a hand on his arm. "How are you feeling?" It was a stupid question, he looked awful.

He tried to raise his head but felt another wave of nausea wash over him as he did, "Where's Andy?" he asked as he tried to slow his breathing, his chest was heaving.

She handed him a cup of water and placed the straw in his mouth as he took a couple of grateful sips, "He's not here right now," she replied evasively as she placed the cup back on the tray.

He took her by surprise as he gripped her arm with his free hand, "You need to find him, I have to tell him." He felt his strength leave him as his body betrayed him, his ability to keep his eyes open all but gone.

"What do you need to tell him?" she shook his arm slightly as she tried to rouse him.

With some effort he opened his eyes again, "I had to do it, I didn't have a choice. I need to tell him I'm sorry."

She looked at him in confusion, what he was saying made no sense. She put it down to the fact that his fever was climbing and that in all likelihood he was hallucinating but something deep inside gnawed at her, she wrote down his last words as he fell back into a fitful slumber.