Calleigh ran a tired hand through her hair as she sat back on her stool in the ballistics lab, having run all four bullets through IBIS she was frustrated to find that her search brought up nothing useful. There were no matches to bullets logged in the system and the best she could do was narrow down the types of guns that were used in the ambush. So far all searches for registered guns came up empty, knowing that it was a longshot she decided to run a check on stolen handguns in the hopes that something might turn up.
As much as she hated to admit it, she was grasping at straws, the guns that the Malucci's used were likely stolen and not reported, the crime syndicate would have been smart enough to file off the serial numbers of each weapon before using them which made the chances of making a positive match even more unlikely.
The team had gone after crime organisations before and brought them down but somehow this time it was different, this time it was personal. Sure, Horatio had a target placed on his back with every organisation he and the team brought down, the Mala Noche, the Russians and countless other groups that had tried, and failed, to bring him to his knees. The Malucci's had much more at stake than the organisations that preceded them; it wasn't just a matter of pride but a deep-seated need for vengence. The Malucci's had waited eighteen years to exact their revenge on Horatio and she had no doubt that they had planned their operation with military precision, in all likelihood they would be at the whim of Danny and Gianni and would only find Horatio when they decided the time was right.
She couldn't help the feeling that she was just going through the motions, trying to fool herself, that she had done everything she could to save the lieutenant, but with each minute that ticked past the fear that they would not find him in time began to grow. The video she had been sent of Horatio being senselessly tortured ran through her mind and gave her hope that either Danny or Gianni would not be able to resist the urge to gloat once more. She needed a bargaining chip, something that she could use as leverage or at the very least stall for time.
"Are you ok?"
The quiet voice behind her made her flinch visibly; placing a hand on her chest she turned to see who had come to visit her. "Kyle, you made me jump. I didn't hear you come in."
He had the good grace to offer her a shy and boyish smile, an expression that once more reminded her of his father. "Sorry, I got a little bored in Dad's office. I saw Eric in the hall; he said I might find you here."
"I was just analysing the bullets we found," she said by way of explanation.
He didn't miss the sombre tone to her voice, "No luck, I take it?" he asked as he shoved is hands in his pockets.
She shook her head sadly and fiddled with the magnifier on her microscope, not wanting to look Kyle in the eye and admit that she was failing his father.
He walked further into the ballistics lab and stood next to Calleigh, "Something will turn up, we have to hope that they'll slip up somewhere."
"I know, Kyle. I just wish we had a bit more than hope to go on right now."
"We have to keep the faith; Dad wouldn't want us to give up. I know that wherever he is right now that he's not giving up either."
Finally making eye contact with the young man she looked at him appraisingly, "When did you get so wise, Kyle?"
He gave her a sheepish smile in response, "I guess I've been spending too much time around my old man." He shuffled awkwardly and his cheeks flamed a little with embarrassment, "I know it's the kind of thing he would say if he were here right now. I always wondered how he knew exactly what to say to people when they needed it."
"Your father is a special man; they broke the mould when they made him."
Kyle remained quiet for a few moments, contemplating his response. He felt silly for wanting to admit such a thing but threw caution to the wind and did it anyway. "I never knew him for much of my life but I'll remember the first time we met for the rest of my life. He's been the one person that I can always depend on; he was always there for me no matter how many times I screwed up."
Now that he had opened the flood gates he felt himself powerless to stop the words that were tumbling from his mouth. "When I was living in those foster homes I always dreamed about the type of man my father might be, at first I hated him for leaving me but then I began to cling to the hope that he might have left me for a reason. I'd always hoped that my father was a good man, a man I could be proud to call my own. Dad was everything I could've dreamed of and more."
"It probably sounds stupid and lame but to me he's always been a hero, I might not have known him that long but he means more to me now than I could ever tell him. I wanted to make him proud of me, Calleigh."
He looked at her with pained blue eyes, eyes that were glistening with unshed tears. "What if I never get the chance to tell him, what if I never have the chance to let him know how much I love him?"
Her heart ached for him; making her way over to him she placed her hands on his biceps, "He knows already, you'll get the chance to tell him when we bring him home. I give you my word that I will do whatever it takes to get him back, no matter the cost."
And she meant it; she would sell her soul if she had to. Making a deal with the devil was not the ideal solution but the nagging feeling in her stomach told her that she might not have any choice.
Feeling refreshed from a shot of caffeine, Ryan made his way down to the garage to help Natalia process the burnt-out SUV that had been recovered from North Bay Village.
"Hey, Nat. You find anything yet?" he asked as he shrugged his lab coat back on.
After blowing out a frustrated breath that lifted the long, brown hair lying across her forehead she answered. "Nothing yet. I've been working my way through what's left of the interior. I was hoping we might find a hair or a piece of gum, hell, anything that might give us a clue."
Ryan could tell by the way that Natalia was holding herself that she too felt that the team were just spinning their wheels, no closer to finding their missing leader. Picking up a flashlight, Ryan made his way over to the wheeled trolley and crouched down to lay on it. Getting himself comfortable he pushed himself under the SUV using the burnt out shell as leverage.
"I'm going to check for dirt on the underside, maybe it can tell us where the vehicle has been recently," Ryan responded, his voice muffled as he lay under the vehicle.
He shrugged his shoulders as he heard no response from his colleague and silently went about scraping what he could from the chassis, all the while unaware that Natalia's attention was elsewhere.
Flashback. Miami 2011:
Panic began to set in as she thumped at the lid of the trunk that she was trapped in, scraping the skin from her fingers and nails in a desperate attempt to free herself from the sinking vehicle. She had tried and failed to gain any reception from her phone, unable to call for help for herself and the wounded redhead lying on the cold, hard concrete of the pier above her.
I always knew there would be a risk of dying on the job, but not like this. Intensifying her efforts to escape she failed to hear the sounds of someone pulling at the rear seats of the car, the rushing water and the sound of her own heartbeat thumping in her ears drowned out any other sounds there might have been.
It came as a shock when she felt the seatback give way behind her, seeing her chance to escape she crawled through the open space as quickly as she could. She caught sight of the dark black pants and shirt of Horatio and smiled at the sight of him, her elation was short lived as she saw the vacant and open-eyed expression on his face, her eyes travelling further down to the bullet wound still leaking precious blood into the water.
It was unlikely that this area of Miami was a haven for sharks or crocodiles but she knew she needed to get both herself and the lieutenant out of the water, and fast. Freeing herself from the vehicle she grabbed onto whatever part of Horatio she could find and swam to the surface with him, both gasping for air as they finally made it.
She was glad to see any sort of response from her colleague, she still had no idea how bad the bullet wound was but judging by the listless way he floated in the water beside her she knew that he needed medical attention sooner rather than later. Adjusting herself to support most of his weight she began making her way to shore, all the while talking to him.
"We're nearly there; we'll get you out of here. Just hold on, Horatio."
He'd stopped responding soon after they had reached the surface, having expended what little energy and strength he had in trying to free Natalia from the sinking car. After what seemed like hours, Natalia and her dead weight finally made it to the shore. Gasping for much needed air, she grabbed her colleague by the shirt and dragged him further up onto the concrete slipway that was usually reserved for bringing boats to and from the shore.
With one final look back she raced to the Hummer which was still a fair way up the slipway, her feet slipped once or twice on the moss-covered concrete but nothing would stop her from reaching her goal. Sopping wet and beginning to shiver from the cold she reached out a shaky hand and opened the driver's door of her department issued Hummer, grasping for the radio on the dash. It took a couple of attempts to grab the handset, when her hands finally found it she clung onto it as if her life depended on it.
"Dispatch, this CSI Boa Vista. I need immediate assistance at the 17th Pier immediately. Officer down. I repeat, officer down."
Not waiting for the dispatch operator to reply, she threw the handset back down and made her way to the back of the vehicle, grabbing the first aid kit and a blanket before running back down the slip towards her fallen colleague who lay on the ground unmoving.
"Horatio, help is on its way," she said as she shook his shoulder lightly. Laying on his right side she could see the blood still leaking from the wound in his abdomen and watched as it mingled and coalesced with the water running down the concrete and back toward the bay.
She tried again to rouse him, "Horatio, can you hear me?" Silence was the only response she received.
She placed a shaky hand on his neck and felt for a pulse which was thready and weak. Bending down to his face she listened for sounds of breathing but could not find any, turning him onto his back she began chest compressions. "Come on, H. Don't do this to me, you better damn well hold on. Help is on its way."
She had no idea how long she had been pumping his chest or the damage her actions might have caused but she let out an immense sigh of relief as Horatio gasped and coughed up vast amounts of putrid bay water. She turned him on his side and stroked his back as he weakly coughed up the fluid in his lungs.
"It's ok, just hold on," she soothed him as he tried to open his eyes, "Help will be here soon."
He coughed uncontrollably and felt the burning sensation in his abdomen once more before the cold water began to sink into his weary bones. He heard a woman's voice above him but it sounded muffled and far away, the edges of his vision blurring alarmingly as he tried to blink away the haziness. He felt a reassuring hand on his back and tried again to get the words out of his mouth.
"I'm sorry," he gasped as his lungs burned for more precious oxygen, feeling his body weakening, he hoped he was looking in the eyes of whoever was crouching over him but in his current condition he couldn't really tell. "Tell them all; tell them that I'm sorry."
Natalia didn't understand what her colleague was saying, figuring that shock and blood loss were taking their toll on Horatio she gently rolled him back onto his back and tore open the first aid kit, grabbing a handful of gauze she held it roughly to his wound and ignored his low groan and wince at her actions.
The blood began to seep through the gauze and as she made a grab for another handful of material from the kit it became apparent that Horatio was bleeding from more than one area. She carefully lifted his shirt and found an exit wound in his side, not as large or severe as the one on his stomach but enough to send a chill down her spine. She grabbed another square of gauze and held it with her free hand. Noticing how hard he was shivering she eyed the blanket by her legs, it occurred to her that she now had no free hands with which to place it over his body. She took his right hand and placed it over the material covering the wound in his side and hoped that he had the strength to keep it there whilst she made a grab for the blanket.
Just then she heard the sweetest of sounds, sirens in the distance and she knew then that the help that they so desperately needed would be with them soon. She began to feel lightheaded as the adrenaline began to wear off, suddenly her vision blurred and she felt herself falling, all the while convinced that she heard someone calling her name.
Miami. Present day:
"Natalia? Hey, Natalia!"
Ryan's voice finally filtered through to her conscious mind, she looked down and found him sitting up on the trolley board, a triumphant look on his face.
"I think I might have found something."