TBITC Chp. 23

They decided not to follow Stetler to his house, because they could do that anytime and didn't want to risk him recognizing them. "What about that puta from DCF?" Mike asked when they were driving back to the beach house.

"What about her?" Jack asked. He was doing 90 MPH on the freeway and weaving in and out of traffic, seemingly unconcerned with the horns blaring around him and people slamming on their breaks to avoid wrecking.

"She looked like she would break if we pushed her hard enough."

Jack nodded from the front seat. "Good plan. See what you can find out."

"Alright, I'll check my sources."

Meagan leaned forward. "And what are you going to do to get your information?" she asked, her eyes widening when she saw the speedometer inching toward 100 mph.

Jack snickered. "What'd you think we're going to do, Major?" He asked, using her former Army rank.

"Well, I don't know, Captain." She said, icily. "Based on your track record, I presume you're probably going to use some form of intimidation. Most likely physical."

"Doesn't sound like you approve." Kenny said from the front passenger seat.

"I just…" she hesitated. "I thought you would an honorable man. I never pictured you as an assassin."

Jack slowed to 45mph and turned left on two wheels. Without warning he pulled to the side of the road, threw the transmission into park, and turned to Meagan. "Listen carefully, because I'm only going to say this once. I will do whatever it takes to get Sam back to Alexx. Do you understand?" Jack glared until she nodded. "Good."

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The agreement not to tell Alexx where Sam had ended up was unspoken between the former warriors. It wasn't that they wanted to lie to Alexx, they just didn't want to cause her anymore pain than she was already in. In was after 3:00 AM when they got back to the beach house and they all agreed to grab some sleep and meet in the kitchen at eight.

Since Alexx had locked him out of the bedroom, Jack slept on the sofa in study. Or rather, tried to sleep. But every time he closed his eyes, pictures of Sam calling out to him begging Jack to save him filled his mind and chased any thought of sleep from him. Exhaustion overtook him at 4:30 and he lapsed into a fitfull sleep where the nightmares still plagued him, but he was too tired to fight them.

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Sam tried to sleep on filthy floor, but like Jack he couldn't. He didn't know what had made him call Jack daddy, but he had. He looked at the small window and saw a sliver of moonlight, and he prayed. "Pwease find me, daddy."

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Jack's eyes snapped open and he drew his .45. It was pure instinct, but he could've sworn he heard Sam calling out to him, begging Jack to find him. Suddenly he was aware that he wasn't alone and could feel eyes on him. He saw the rest of the team looking at him. "What? Haven't you ever seen a man wake up before?" He snapped. He became more irritated when he woke and realized that it was 0930, an hour and a half after he should've woken up. You're slipping, Jack. Get you're crap together.

"Why didn't you wake me?" he snapped again, rubbing his face to wake himself and glaring at Kenny and Mike.

"He told us not to." Mike said, pointing at Horatio.

"Ordered is more like it. Said somethin' like we weren't long for MDPD if we woke you."

Jack stood and crossed the room in three long strides. He took a picture of Sam of the wall and held it up. "He is out there, being made to do God knows what to God knows who. We will not eat, sleep or do anything other than finding until he's safe. Is that clear?!" Jack yelled, rage in his eyes. He wasn't denying that he needed the sleep, but he'd promised Sam and Alexx that Sam would be safe. And he'd failed to protect him. Even if they got Sam back, Jack wasn't sure he'd ever forgive himself for this failure.

They all looked away, as they realized this wasn't just a case to the former soldier. This was life and death, serious business.

"Intel?" Jack asked, calmer now that everyone understood what was at stake.

Kenny stepped forward. "Nancy Elaine Jefferies, age 42. Husband, Robert, works as an investment banker. Two kids, Katie and Robert, Jr., ages, 10 and 12, respectively. Worked for Dade County Department of Children and Families for the past 18 years. Address 9541 Glade Stone Way."

"What about the family dynamic?" Jack asked.

"Kid's are homebodies, very few friends that we can find. Husbands gone some workwise, but he seems very devoted to Nan and the kids."

"So home invasion is out then?" Jack asked.

"You do know there are cops in the room, right?" Frank said, interrupting.

Jack shot him a withering glare and he actually took a couple of steps back. "What about driving to and from work?"

Kenny and Mike nodded. "Based on photos from traffic cams, she takes the same route to work and same route home everyday like clock work." Mike said.

"Who drops the kids off and picks them up?" Jack asked.

"Unknown." Mike said.

"This week?" Jack asked.

"Uh…" Ken consulted some notes. "He's home."

"Alright." Jack checked his watch. 1015 hours. "See you can get her schedule. If she's making any home visits, we can grab her today, interrogate her. See what we can find out." Jack said. He noticed that they were alone except for his father.

"You have a problem with this?"

Horatio looked his son in eye. "Just don't hurt her."

Jack grinned, but his eyes were hard. "I don't intend to."

But as he walked out of the room, Horatio had suspicion that if hurting this DCF woman got Jack the answers he wanted, that was exactly what he would do.

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