TBITC Chp. 29

"What'd you mean you couldn't find him?" Clavo Cruz bellowed at MDPD Detective John Hagen with unbridled rage. Stetler was the key to this whole thing, at least at the local level. Without him, that bastard Caine could waltz right in and…

No. Clavo didn't want to think about that. Because it wasn't Horatio Caine that he was afraid, it was Jack. The man had no inhibitions when it came to violence, at least none that Clavo knew of.

The men that he'd sent to intercept Caine, the doctor, and his 'toy' were good. They had to be, because they protected him. He'd expected that the former soldier could be swayed by offers of money or prestige. In the end, though, Clavo realized how foolish and stupid he'd been because Jackson Caine had sent him a very clear message about his personal feelings towards the child that Clavo enjoyed using for his own personal pleasure.

Hagen cleared his throat and ran a sweaty hand through his hair. He sometimes wondered why he'd gotten involved in this arrangement with Clavo, Rick and some other officers and city officials. But perhaps he could trace it all the way back to his uncle Byron, his mother's brother. The man was, for all appearances, a doting uncle. But only John knew of his more sinister side, due in large part to late night visits to the boy's room. John hated himself for the way he was, and hated that he couldn't muster the courage to end it all. He'd tried, and come close on more than one occasion, but in the end he just couldn't bring himself to do it. The knowledge that Horatio Caine's son was walking around with a bullet with his name on it gave him a strange sense of peace.

He knew that one of Jack's bullets had his name on it because he'd searched Rick's condo after he couldn't reach the detective and discovered that his stash was missing. John knew that he was on some of those tapes, and he knew that the men who now possessed said tapes wouldn't arrest him when they found him, because that wasn't what they did. No, they hunted down people like him and killed them, plain and simple.

"Yo, five oh, what's up man? You Ok?"

John sighed. He knew that Clavo would most likely put a bullet in his head after he gave him this news, but strangely…that was exactly what he wanted.

"Rick's missing."

000

At the same moment John Hagen was facing inner conflict, Rick Stetler woke in unfamiliar surroundings with a splitting headache. His eyes couldn't focus, but he could make out a man standing in front of him and to the left. He blinked several times in a futile effort to clear his vision. His mouth was dry, but he forced his cracked lips open and managed to speak. "Where…where am I?"

The figure turned. "You, my friend, are in hell. And I'm the devil."

Rick's body involuntarily shuddered when he recognized the voice. The same voice that had told him if he impeded its owner's ability to protect the child that he himself had violated the night before, he would regret it. "Ca…Caine?"

"Guess he has a brain, after all." Another voice said.

The fog in Rick's head began to clear and his eyes widen suddenly from the shock of realizing that his captor was, in fact, Jackson Caine. He recognized the other two men as Delko and Duquesne brothers. The situation was so absurd that all Rick could think to do was laugh.

His captors looked at each other, and shrugged as if to say, 'well, we've seen this before.' And they had. They had been spec ops, therefore they had seen everything before.

Rick stopped laughing and shook his head in amazement. "Caine, you're just as stupid as your old man. Do you have any idea what the brass will do to you when they find out about this?"

Kenny turned to Jack. "You mean you didn't tell him?"

Jack grinned and shook his head. "Nah. I thought it would be better to break the news to him when he had a clear head. More fun to watch his reaction." Jack said, turning to their prisoner. "You see Rick, I called the chief, who is in fact your boss, using a previously recorded message from you, saying that you were taking an extended leave of absence. Something about a sick mother, if I remember right. Point is, Rick, ain't nobody gonna miss you."

Rick's face flushed with rage. "You can't do this, you bastard! I can ruin all your careers, and that's exactly what I'm going to do when I get out of here. If you don't want your friends and family to go down with you, I suggest you let me go right now and I'll forget this ever happened. But your gooses will be cooked, rest assured."

It was then that Rick noticed Jack was holding something in his right hand. A second later his mind registered what is was. A gun.

Before Rick had time to react, Jack raised his 1911, with a silencer attached, and put one round through the AIB detective's right knee cap. It took a few seconds for the pain to register, and when it did, Rick started screaming like the little girl that he was. Mike had moved behind him and clamped his hands over the agent's mouth, so that his screams died in his throat. They didn't want visitors.

Jack got right in Rick's face. "Listen carefully, Rick, because I'm only gonna say this once. We've all done this kinda thing before. We know how it works, and you'll fold like a house of cards. My advice to you is tell me everything I want to know about your arrangement with Clavo Cruz and where Sam is." Rick's eyes widened at the mention of Clavo and Jack grinned.

"That's right, stupid! We know everything. Now, here's how it's going to work. I might give you a shot of morphine in an hour, if you tell what I wanna know. If you lie to me, I'll put another round through you left foot and leave you for another hour." Jack sighed, and shook his head. "And I'm gonna be honest with you, Rick, I don't have that kinda time. Sam doesn't have that kinda time. So your best bet is to play straight with me." Jack said, then he turned and they all walked out.

"Wait…Wait…" Rick tried to stop them, even as the door closed on. "Wait!"

000

After securing the door with a padlock, they walked back to house, aware that Meagan and Alexx were watching them.

"Did you shoot him?" Alexx asked, as they could all hear Rick's muffled screams coming from the room.

Jack gave the medical examiner a 'Ya think?' expression and grabbed a bottled water from the cooler, opened it and took a long drink.

He caught movement out of the corner of his eye and raised his pistol in that direction while still taking a drink. Lowering the bottle, he turned in the direction his pistol was aimed. "I wouldn't do that, if I were you, Major." He said, seeing his gun pointed at Meagan. She had apparently been going to tend to Rick's wounds, and well, that wasn't how the game was played. At least in Special Forces, but the regular brown shoe army where she'd come from might have been different.

"So, you're just going to let him suffer, captain?"

"Guess she's learning how the game is played." Mike said, disgust in his voice.

"And what if he bleeds to death?" Alexx asked.

Jack shrugged indifferently. "Then he bleeds to death. Doesn't really matter to me."

Hot tears sprang into Alexx's eyes as she started toward the shed where the AIB chief was being held. She had to keep him alive, because he was her only link to the child that she'd begun to see as her son, even if he wasn't biologically hers. Biology didn't mean anything as far as her heart was concerned, and she'd do whatever it took to get her son back where he belonged. If these callous mercenaries couldn't understand well…

Jack quickly reached out and grabbed Alexx gently. She tried to pull away, but he held firm. She shook her head at the man in front of her. "You bastard. That man is our only link to our son and…"

"And, therefore, I'm going to keep him alive. I've done this more times than I care to remember, Alexx. I will get Sam back where he belongs, safe in your arms. I promise. But I need you to trust me, trust that I know what I'm doing and that it has to be done." Jack sighed and ran a hand through his hair. Alexx could tell by the pained expression on his face that the father and husband in him was not enjoying inflicting pain on another human being. She could see that to do what needed to be done, to find their son, because in the end, regardless of what everyone else thought, Sam was their son, Jack needed her support.

"Alexx, I'm sorry to drag you into this, but to do what I need to do, I have to become a person you might not like, might not understand. I just need you to understand that that's not who I am as a whole, and see that the man you and Sam love is there. Because I love you both too much to do anything that would make you want nothing to do with. Can you understand that?"

The tears were again running down Alexx's face. She now understood that the man in front of her was much more complex than she'd originally thought. And she knew that he loved her and that he loved Sam just as much as she did. She held her head high, wiped her eyes and looked him in the eye. "Yes, Jack, I can understand that."

He smiled ruefully. "Thank you, Alexx." Then, to his surprised she leaned against him and he hugged her automatically.

She leaned up and offered him her lips and he met her. The kiss was long, deep and passionate. When they broke apart a few minutes later, both realized they were alone. Or so they thought. Horatio watched from the doorway, a small smile on his face. He thought it was high time that his son and his friend found love, and if it was with each other well, so much the better.

000

The allotted hour had passed as the three former Operators stood on the other side of the door. Mike and Kenny could see that, though he wouldn't admit it, the situation was weighing just as heavily on Jack as it was on Alexx. Probably more so, because he had the tools and the training necessary to get Sam back. Finally, he unlocked the door and pulled it open.

Rick stared back at him, his face a mask of pain and fear. Jack felt the smallest pang of sympathy for the man in front of him, but when he thought about what Rick had done, he quelled it.

Pulling a syringe from one of the pockets on his tactical vest, Jack watched as Rick's eyes dilated. "I see you know what this is. But tell me something, Rick. Why should I even give it to you? You murdered an innocent woman, who I admit I might not have liked, but she didn't deserve to die, and you took a child from where he felt safe and left him with the man who molested him. And I'm guessing you probably molested him as well." Jack watched as his words registered through the pain on Rick's face.

"You son of a bitch, I…" But Rick's words were cut off as he felt a fist slam into his stomach.

"No, Rick, you're the son of a bitch. Now tell me what I wanna know!" Jack shouted, his patience spent.

"Ok…Ok," Rick said, tears streaming down his face from the pain. "I'll give you his location. Just give me the morphine."

"Talk first." Jack growled, holding the syringe in front of Rick's face.

"421 Palm Road, Star Island." Rick said, through gritted teeth.

True to his word, Jack jabbed the needle into Rick's arm and depressed the plunger. Then, before the other man could react, he cold cocked him in the face, knocking him out.

000