TBITC Chp. 41

Alexx had just finished an autopsy and was walking back to her office, when a man approached her and before her mind could form the words 'process server', he said. "Dr. Alexx Woods?"

She nodded meekly, a knot forming in her stomach. "Yes?"

"You've been served." The man said curtly, handing her an envelope and walking away before her brain could form a response. When she looked up and saw he was gone, she continued walking to her office, forcing herself not to look at the envelope because she feared what she would fine inside it. But then she calmed herself. It's probably just a subpoena, she thought.

When she reached her office, she sat her desk and typed up a report on the autopsy while her thoughts were still fresh in her mind, thus allowing herself to ignore the envelope. When she finished the report, she decided to she couldn't put it off any longer. She had to know if this was the thing she feared for a long time. If fact, she feared it every time she was with Sam. Forcing herself to concentrate, Alexx opened the envelope, pulled out the letter and began reading. By the end of the first sentence, she was shaking her head. By the end of the first paragraph, her hand was covering her mouth. By the end of the second, tears were forming in hers eyes and by the time she reached the bottom of the page, they were flowing freely down her face and she made no effort to stop them. Because her worst fear had been realized.

Someone wanted to take her baby.

000

Two things had kept Jack alive during his military and law enforcement careers. They were instinct and training. He'd always listened to the little voice inside his head that told him when it would be a good idea to do certain things. And now it was telling him to go check on his fiancée. So, with growing trepidation, Jack left the SITU squadroom and went to Alexx's office. Something told he would find her there. The door was shut, but he didn't bother knocking, he just went in. Alexx sitting behind her desk, and Jack tell right away that she was upset, from the mascara lines running down her face and the way her head was shaking. She didn't even seem to notice that he was in the room with her. "Alexx? Baby, it's Jack."

He felt awkward announcing himself, but he didn't want to startle her. Alexx looked up at, but she seemed to look right through him. Rather than trying to speak, she handed him the letter and waited for him to explode. She watched as he expression got more angry by the minute and he too shook his head, but not from shock. No, it was from resolve. Jack looked at her and held up the offending notice.

"This," Jack said as he stepped around the desk and took her in arms. "Isn't going to happen."

000

Thirty minutes later, Jack was sitting in Duke's office, forming a battle plan. He knew what he wanted to do. It involved men in black suits, automatic weapons and gasoline. But he had no illusions. That wouldn't help Alexx or Sam. Maybe if he'd found the woman before she'd discovered Sam, his plan would've worked but now….

Now he had to do things legally and above board, and that just wasn't any fun at all. "So, what's the plan, Duke?"

"The plan, Jack, is you let me work my magic and you stay away from this woman."

Jack looked hurt. "I wasn't gonna do anything!" He protested.

The Louisiana lawyer chuckled. "Of course you weren't. I bet when you found out, your first instinct was to go to Pavel, get a clean weapon and take care of this woman. Am I right?" Duke asked with a raised eyebrow.

Jack didn't respond for a minute, then shrugged and glared at his friend. "Ok, fine. Yes, that was my first thought."

"And what stopped you?"

"I didn't know until after Alexx had already been subpoena'd. There were records, a paper trail."

"And lemme guess. You don't really care whether or not you fry for murder, but you do care what happens to Alexx and that little boy, am I right?" Kenwall asked, and Jack nodded.

"Well, as it so happens, Alexx retained my to represent her at the custody hearing for young Samuel and I've employed her father as P.I., of sorts."

"Meaning?" Jack asked, pretty sure where the conversation was going, but not entirely.

"Meaning, he's followed, staked out and otherwise watched, one Janet Monroe for the last month."

Now Jack was confused. Alexx had only been subpoena'd today, how could Kenwall and Joe have known about this for a month. And they hadn't told him.

The lawyer held up his hand in a placating gesture as he watched realization darken Jack's features. "Trust me. Joe said the same thing a month ago. Started talking about MP-5's and C4 and how that bitch is gonna be fish food, yada yada. But I explained to him what I'm sure you've already realized, that if this got back to Alexx, we'd all be…what is you special ops boys call it?"

"FUBAR." Jack supplied and Duke nodded.

"Yeah, that."

"I'm guessing he found something. Otherwise you wouldn't have said anything."

The attorney nodded. "Indeed I did. She's hooker, sold her two year old son to pay for her heroine addiction."

Jack scowled and his hand moved to the butt of his shoulder holstered 1911. "Easy, Killer." Kenwall said. "Don't you wanna know who she sold him to?"

Jack didn't say anything, instead waiting for Duke to speak. "She sold him to Clavo. And now, all of a sudden two years later, she's a Baracan citizen, clean and sober, and she wants her kid back."

Jack's eyes widened as everything suddenly fell into place. "That how Clavo's going to get Sam back."

Duke nodded, sadly. "Yeah, it is."

000

FUBAR: Fowled Up Beyond All Repair