Chp. 2

May 22, 2008

Miami-Dade PD Rifle Ranges

1100 hours

Three months had passed since Jack, Miguel and Ken joined SWAT and they were loving life at the moment. So, far they had participated seventeen drugs raid and five hostage situations. At present, they were enjoying a rare day off and had decided to spend it where a lot of testosterone driven individuals spend their time, the gun range.

"Best two out of three?" Miguel asked.

Ken chuckled. "Yeah, right. Pay up." He said, holding out a hand.

Miguel muttered curses in Spanish and produced a $20. "I like to be known as a man who pays his debts."

"An admirable trait, sir." Ken said. A shot rang out and they both turned. Jack was lying prone behind an Accuracy International AW .308 bolt action sniper rifle. He fired and worked the bolt with practiced ease. After emptying the ten round magazine, he checked the spotting scope and grinned. "Still got it, Jack?" Ken asked.

"I believe I do sir."

Ken checked his watched. "Well, if you gentlemen will excuse me, I've got a hot date that I don't want to disappoint."

Miguel looked at Jack and decided to have some fun at his friend's expense. "Does uh…does Valera know?"

Ken turned and gave his friend a sidelong glance. "Does who know?"

"You know, Valera, DNA analyst Valera who you were with at Flanigan's in South Miami." Miguel said.

"And you would know that because you were at the same restaurant with Natalia?"

Miguel turned red and looked away. "He shoots; he scores." Ken said, grinning.

"Your date wouldn't happen to be with a two foot talk blond with pigtails named Bella, would she?"

Ken smiled. "Yes, she is. And Calleigh told me that she's been looking forward to our picnic all week."

"You got room for one more?" Miguel asked.

"Sure. Peanut'll love it."

"Later, guys." Jack said.

"We still on for drinks tonight?" Miguel asked as he and Ken were leaving.

"Sure, if we don't get a call out. Later dude."

"See ya, Jack." Kenny said as the three men went there separate ways.

000

Thirty minutes later, Ken arrived at the park to meet his sister and niece. Gabriela Danielle "Bella" Delko was Ken's only niece, as he had no other siblings except Calleigh. Ken was deployed to Afghanistan when she was born, but Calleigh had shown her daughter pictures of her uncle and Ken had visited a few times for Christmas.

Miguel wasn't there when he arrived, so he sat in his car, a '67 Camaro SS, and waited. The car had been a BUD/S graduation present from Calleigh, who was working for New Orleans CSI at the time. Ken heard a motorcycle pull up next to him and turned to see his friend arrive. He got out of the car and walked over to his friends bike, nodded in admiration. It was a 2009 Yahmaha Midnight Warrior. "Nice bike. When did you get it?"

"Last week. Like it?" Mike asked as they walked through the park looking for Calleigh and Bella.

"Yeah, but I wouldn't trade the Camaro if that's what you're asking."

Mike shrugged. "Oh, well. Nice try."

"Hey, guys! Mike, Kenny didn't tell me you were coming." Calleigh said as they walked up. She hugged Ken, then Mike.

"Ah, you know I can't deny Bella anything." Mike said.

"Me either." Ken said.

Both men sat on the picnic blanket as Calleigh picked up Bella from where she was playing in the grass. Bella fussed some at being taken away from what was interesting her. "Oh, don't cry, baby girl. Look who came to see you?" Calleigh said, pointing at Ken and Mike. "Who's that, baby? Who's that?"

Bella scrunched up her face and looked at Ken and Mike in turned. They she broke into a toothy grin and reached for Miguel first. " 'guel!" she squealed happily.

"That's right, baby girl." Miguel said, gently rubbing her nose with his mustache. She giggled.

"Hey, what about me?" Kenny said, feining hurt.

"Aw, poor uncle Kenny. You hurt his feelings, peanut." Calleigh in mock seriousness.

Bella looked concerned and reached for Kenny. Miguel handed her off to Kenny and she smiled up at him. "Hi, sweetpea. Were you a good girl for momma today?"

"Yes, enny! I always good!" the child sang happily.

Kenny laughed at that one. "Yeah, you are."

Now it was Calleigh's turn to laugh. "I think you have your uncles wrapped around your little finger, sweetie. Both of 'em."

"Of course she does," Miguel said, hotly. "How could you say no to that face and live with yourself."

Calleigh laughed and handed them sandwiches and bottled water. "It's just PB&J, sorry."

"That' s ok. We ain't picky, are we Mike?"

"No." He said, taking a bite of his sandwich. Bella had already eaten and laid down for a name while the adults visited. Mike watched her sleep while he visited with his partner and sister-in-law. He prayed that what he had with Natalia would work out and that they could one day marry and have children. He had the same hopes for Ken and Jack as well.

000

Jack sat in the rear of a SWAT van with the other member of his team. He checked his watch. He checked his weapon, an M-4 carbine, one last time as the van stopped in front of the target house. Even though he had only been in SWAT three months, the team leader asked Jack to take the lead on this op, given his experience with Special Forces and Delta. The ten men split into two five man teams, one went to the rear and Jack's squad went to the front. He picked the lock on the mental barricade and then kicked in the front door, moving in while keeping the room secure. Three men were passed out on the floor and he covered them with his rifle. The other four men in his squad moved through the house. "Hey, man what's…" one of the men said, starting to rise off the ground. Jack's grip tightened on his rifle and he pointed it at the man's head. "Don't move."

That woke the guy up. "Ok, yeah, sure, man. Be cool."

"Shut up. Don't move." Jack snapped.

Todd Latham came in with two plain clothes officers and they handcuff the three men and took them away. "Good work, Caine."

"Thanks, boss."

Miguel and Ken walked up. They had been watching the residence for most of the day before the team made their bust. "Guys." Jack said as the two approached and they shook hands.

"What'd we get?" Miguel asked.

"200 pounds of heroin and three handguns. Not exceptional, but not bad for a nights work."

Ten minutes later the CSI team arrived, along with Alex. "Didn't do it!" Jack said, raising his hands in surrender.

"The body's upstairs, baby." Alex said.

"It would be." Ken said.

"Need any help, doc?" Mike asked.

"No, thanks, Miguel."

"You need a bath, man." Wolfe said, when he walked.

"Hey, surveillance detail, Wolfe. I drew short straw."

"Meaning?" Delko asked, as he too entered the scene.

"Short straw means homeless man." Ken said.

Jack laughed. "You seals are a strange lot."

"Like you delta boys are any saner." Ken.

"Ha, ha."

000

"Horatio, this baby's Mandy lomax, age 22." Alex said, look downcast. "The young always seem to pass too quickly."

"It would seem so, Alex. Cause of Death, please Ma'am?"

"It's too soon to speculate, but I would have to say blunt force trauma." Alex said, indicating the bruise on the victim's forehead.

Alex looked up suddenly. "Did you hear that?"

Horatio didn't say anything and pointed to the closet. She nodded. He drew his Sig and moved to the door, opening it slowly. They were both looking at head height of a normal adult, but saw nothing. Then they looked down. A small boy, no more than three or four wearing nothing but a diaper sat on the filthy floor, surrounded by urine, feces and dirty dishes stained with spoiled food. He looked up at Horatio, and tried to get away, but collapse from exhaustion. "Alex, stay with him." Horatio said, grabbing his cell phone from his belt.

"This CSI Caine, I need an ambulance at 1128 Yaca Drive. Jack, we have a situation upstairs where your medical expertise would be valuable."

"On my way."

000