Hi there! This is my first 'Suits' fanfic, please let me know what you think!
Gallo was almost convinced to leave Mike and Harvey alone after Harvey had threatened him in solitary. Had almost even forgotten his anger towards the duo for adding time to his sentence. That is, until one of the guards brought him a copy of Mike's shiny interview, then he had to do something…
Mike Ross was tired as he waited for a taxi to take him home from Pearson, Spector, Litt.
He was an official lawyer. Harvey was letting him work on pro bono cases. He and Rachel were planning their wedding. Everything was perfect. But damn, he was exhausted.
The truth was, between work and his mind refusing to shut off even when he wasn't working, Mike hadn't slept well since being in prison. Every unexpected horn honking in the night, or even Rachel moving in the bed, made his brain flip wide awake. Panicked that someone was coming. That he was in danger. That by coming home, he'd put Rachel in danger.
It didn't take much to remember the sheer panic that he'd felt when Gallo had pulled a knife on him in his cell. Even knowing there was a camera, knowing guards who weren't in Gallo's pocket were going to intervene, anything could have gone wrong in a second. That everything he and Harvey had done to get him out, everything he'd put Rachel through, everything would simply end with him bleeding out alone in a cell.
'I'm out,' he reminded himself for the billionth time, 'I'm out. The deal worked. Gallo is still stuck in jail for seven more years. I'm free.'
He took a deep breath and decided to walk back to his and Rachel's apartment. It wasn't too far and maybe the night air and some exercise would help him clear his head and ease his nerves. Maybe it'd allow him to regain a couple hours of sleep instead of tossing and turning.
Mike adjusted his shoulder strap and walked down the sidewalk, mulling over his latest case. It felt good being back at Pearson. Felt right. It was home just as much as his apartment with Rachel.
A smile danced across his lips thinking about how much nicer it was not having to carry his secret anymore. Being able to practice law out in the open with the very people who had been willing to lose everything for him when he couldn't.
'I'm free,' he thought again.
Mike continued walking, his feet seemingly walking of their own accord while he let his thoughts wonder. It was nice not having to look over his shoulder all the time. He-
"Mike? Mike Ross?"
Mike's head snapped to the side, his blue eyes just beginning to process the two men before being dragged into an alleyway.
Mike immediately raised his arms defensively in front of his chest as they shoved him further away from the sidewalk. The two men were wearing dark, baggy clothing, but he could tell they were built like linebackers. Not to mention the fact that there were two of them.
'And they knew my name,' his heart started hammering at the thought. Mike was many things, but he wasn't dumb enough to think that this was a fight he could win. He tried to search his brain about what, or who, might have led to this. He knew he'd made enemies, and thanks to work, most of those people had a lot of money and a lot to lose. Which meant that it would take too long to figure out which one was behind this.
His shoulders sagged, recognizing that he only had one option, "Listen," he cleared his throat in an attempt to keep his voice from wavering, "My wallet is in the front pocket of my bag, take it, take anything you want-"
One of the men rushed him.
The first punch forced Mike against the wall. Before Mike had a chance to shout, the second snapped his head to the left; the taste of copper filling his mouth. He sputtered, trying to land one of his own. He missed. His attacker didn't. By the fifth, the only thing keeping Mike off the ground was the hand twisted in his collar.
For the first time in his life, Mike's brain shut off. He stopped counting punches, stopped thinking about how to get out of this. His ears were ringing, arms useless against his sides. The hand unfurled itself from his collar and his legs gave out beneath him.
Mike felt his listless body being lifted up slightly as the man who'd beaten him leaned down.
"Frank Gallo sends his regards."
Mike didn't know if his wince was because he knew he'd never forget the feeling of the man's hot breath as he uttered those words, or because of the name that'd he'd been trying to keep out of his mind since the second he was released.
The man let him go, chuckling as Mike collapsed onto the ground with a pained gasp.
"Wait," the man said, sending a swift kick in Mike's abdomen, "Now the score's settled," laughing again as he watched Mike instinctively curl in on himself.
Mike watched dazedly, frozen and powerless as the other man, who must've been keeping watch to make sure that no one interfered, nodded from the mouth of the alleyway and the two walked away. Calmly. God how were they so damn calm?
Slowly, so goddamn slowly, Mike's mind slowly turned back on. It couldn't process much. Or maybe Mike intentionally didn't let it process anything other than handling two clear thoughts, he was in trouble and Harvey will help. Which meant that somehow Mike had to find a way to get to Harvey. Everything else, every emotion, was pushed aside for those two thoughts. If they weren't, he wasn't sure he could ever peel himself off the ground.
Harvey was the one who visited Mike almost on a daily basis while he'd been incarcerated and was the only one Mike had told about the deal he'd made to implicate Gallo.
With another pained gasp, Mike lifted his head from the ground. Breathing hard, eyes tearing up. He got himself propped up with one arm and paused, trying to figure out if the ground was shifting beneath him, or if he was the one swaying. 'Breathe, take a deep breath,' He closed his eyes, wincing as that small action pulled the tender muscles around his face.
'Get Harvey,' he reminded himself, 'Get Harvey, I need Harvey so I need my phone. My phone is in my bag, so I need my bag.'
He opened his eyes and found that squinting seemed to help keep the ground relatively stable. He scoured the dark alleyway. Before seeing that the men had simply thrown his bag backwards to the opposite side of the space.
'Bastards,' he thought, the brief flash of anger giving him enough strength to pull his other arm out from under him.
"Shit," he hissed, bowing his head as black dots splattered across his vision. He bit the inside of his cheek. Push it aside. Push everything aside. Remember, just three thoughts.
'In trouble. In trouble; need Harvey. Get the damn phone from the bag.' He repeated the thought over and over. Forcing one shaking arm to reach out at a time and dragging his body across the ground. Logically, he knew that there was nothing wrong with his legs, but if simply keeping his head off the ground gave him vertigo, there was no way he'd be able to stand.
By the time Mike moved the few feet necessary to reach his bag, he'd broken into a cold sweat. His vision was tunneling as he reached into the pocket, nearly crying in relief when his fingers brushed against the side of his phone. He knew he didn't have the stamina to remain conscious much longer.
"Come on, come on," he whispered to himself, sliding the phone out of his bag. 'Three thoughts, just three little thoughts.'
He grimaced against the bright light, feeling as though it was stabbing him. It took him five tries to unlock it. 'In trouble, get Harvey' He left the phone on top of the bag as he opened his contacts, not trusting his fingers to hold it as it dialed.
One ring. Two. Mike's vision was going in and out, the ringing in his ears was at an all time high. Almost like he was underwater. Three rings. 'He won't answer,' a little thought danced into his mind, 'Harvey can't help you this time. Maybe this was how it was always going to end with Gallo.' Four-
"Mike? What the hell are you doing, calling me at-"
"Harvey," Mike wasn't sure if the name was more of a groan or whisper and he was scared Harvey would hang up if he didn't hear him, so he forced himself to try again, "Harvey, I need…" Mike was fading in and out, he needed help and he needed it now. "Harv…"
"-ke! Did you hear me? Where are you goddamn it? I'm heading out the door right now."
Mike tried to force his mind to think. Think. Why was that so hard? Where was he? He did his best to describe where he thought he was to Harvey in broken, short chunks. It was all he could do. He hoped it was enough.
"Mike! I'm on my way. I'll be there-"
Mike Ross was tired. As the wave of blissful unconsciousness passed over him, he laid his head on his bag and let the darkness carry him away.
Thank you so much for taking the time to read my work. I'll try to have chapter two up quickly, please leave a comment with your thoughts. Any and all feedback is truly appreciated! :)