AN

Hi guys. I think I'm subconsciously dragging this out because the story will be complete in like 10 chapters. Sorry. I'll try harder, really.

Disclaimer-I own nothing.

No Escape

Chapter 29

Yammy needed a place to hide so he could clean the blood off. He hated being on foot, but he'd be harder to find this way than in his car, especially with the highway patrol on his tail. At least he hoped that was the case.

The nearest neighborhood wasn't going to work. The houses here were new. They'd have decent locks, maybe even security systems, not enough trees to hide him. He needed an old neighborhood-one with old locks and loose windows. Maybe he could even find something abandoned or vacant.

He figured he had only a few minutes before the police were crawling all over this development. A few construction workers were still hammering away. One of them had left his ancient truck unlocked with an open toolbox in the back. That's all Yammy needed to make his escape.

A minute later, the truck rattled to life and he rolled away as casually as his racing heart would allow. The noise of the work going on must have masked the sound of his getaway, because no one followed him out of the development.

Yammy wasn't going to give up on his son. What Kon had done today proved he had a backbone. He wasn't a lost cause. Yammy would have to punish him for his defiance, but after that, they could move on and be a family again. But for that to happen, he had to get Kon back.

Kidnapping him again wasn't going to work. He needed to find a way to make Rukia give Kon to him willingly. If Kon knew she didn't really want him, maybe he'd decide life was better with his old man.

There was only one thing he could think of that would make Rukia decide to give him Kon. He needed an even trade-some other kid she'd be willing to bargain for-and he was pretty sure he knew exactly who to pick. He'd been watching her house long enough to know there was one little girl she was close to, one little girl whose mother was hot enough to get Yammy's attention and timid enough to tell him she knew her place in the world.

He'd followed her home a couple of times before, thinking he might be able to use her to get closer to his son.

His instincts had been almost right. It wasn't the mom he needed. It was her daughter.

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Rukia made it as far as the door to the hospital when she realized she had no car. Hers was in a crumpled heap somewhere. She didn't even know where.

Ichigo had been thoughtful enough to bring her purse. She checked her wallet for cash so she could call a cab, but all she had was a five. The ATM by the gift shop was out of order. She had no clue if cabs took plastic and didn't want to ask any of the hospital staff for help, because they'd see the ID band around her wrist and try to stop her from leaving. No matter how hard she pulled, she couldn't get the stupid thing off.

She thought about calling one of her friends to come get her, but she didn't have her cell phone and couldn't for the life of her remember even one of their phone numbers.

Helpless frustration made her fatigue worse. As it was, she was having trouble walking around without using the wall to keep her steady. Her head was spinning, and her legs shook.

And Kon was out there somewhere, needing her.

Rukia pushed herself toward the pay phone. Maybe by the time she got there, she'd remember a number she could call.

The single pay phone was tucked into a shallow alcove. Rukia tried to prop herself up on the wall, but her legs wouldn't cooperate. She slid to the floor, unable to reach the phone and too weak to stand up again.

Not that it mattered. The only number that came to mind was Ichigo's. Of course she'd remember his and no one else's. She remembered everything about him, just like she'd always remember how he hid from her that Kon was in trouble.

"What the hell are you doing?!" came Ichigo's angry voice from a few feet away.

He came toward her, as smooth and graceful as ever. At that moment, she hated his boundless strength simply because she didn't have it. "Where is Kon?" she demanded. Ichigo crouched beside her, pressed a hand to her head and felt her pulse. She tried to swat him away, but even that was too much work. "Answer me, damn it!"

His amber eyes widened in shock at her language. "Kon is fine. He's on his way home."

"Why should I believe you? You lied to me before!"

Ichigo's nostrils flared with anger. He handed her his cell phone. "Call him."

She did. He answered on the third ring. "Hello?"

"Kon, are you okay?"

"Rukia? Yeah, I'm fine. Didn't Ichigo tell you?"

Rukia sagged with relief, unable to even keep her eyes open. "Thank God. Where are you?"

"I'm at a police station in Hokkaido. They'll probably keep me here for another few minutes before they take me home. Don't worry. I'm fine."

"Police station?" That sounded bad. She needed Renji's skills as a lawyer to tell her how to handle the situation, but there was one thing she knew just from talking to him.

Before she could say it, Ichigo snatched the phone away and held it against his chest.

Rukia stifled her outrage long enough to tell Ichigo, "Tell him not to say anything. I'll be there as soon as I can."

Instead, Ichigo told Kon, "I'll be waiting for you at home when you get there. See you soon." He hung up.

Rukia tried to grab the phone away. "Why didn't you tell him what I told you to?!"

"Because he's not being accused of anything. He's at the police station because he's a witness. That's all. Hell, he may have even saved a man's life tonight. I wasn't going to let him think you thought he was guilty of something just because you don't know the whole story."

"And who's fault is that! I'd have known all of that if you'd have told me my son was missing."

"You were in no shape to handle the news. I was taking care of it."

"You don't get to decide what I'm able to handle! That's my job. Not yours."

"Wrong. You needed me to help, so I'm helping."

"I don't need your help with my son."

Ichigo flinched so slightly she wasn't even sure it had really happened. "You'll be pleased to know, then, that Kira did most of the work. He was the one with the connections. He was the one who called in police from all over the area where Kon was, making it possible for them to find him and bring him home safe."

She'd hurt him. Then again, part of her had meant to. He had no right to take the decisions about her son out of her hands. Kon was her responsibility. Not his.

Rukia was too tired and fuzzy-headed to make any sense out of this mess. The only thing she was sure of was that there was no way she was staying here tonight rather than with her son. She was going to be waiting for him at home, too.

She tried to stand up but couldn't. Her legs were too weak to support her.

"Let's get you back into bed," said Ichigo. Whatever anger or hurt he felt, it was hidden now. His tone was neutral and his face blank. He slid his hands under her, and she couldn't find the energy to push him away. No matter what he'd done tonight, his arms still felt good around her.

He held her close to his body and carried her back toward her room.

"I'm going home now," she warned him.

"You don't need to. You can trust me to take care of Kon long enough for you to recover."

"I'm going home. My son was kidnapped, and I didn't even know it. The least I can do is be there when he gets back."

Ichigo stepped into the elevator. "He doesn't know you were poisoned. I didn't think he needed anything more to worry about, either."

Rukia agreed with his decision, which made her wonder if his decision to keep Kon's problem from her might also make more sense to someone looking at it objectively. Maybe when she wasn't so angry, she'd think about that. Right now, she just didn't have the strength to focus on anything but getting home. Even that seemed like a monumental task.

Renji was pacing in her room when they got back. "Where was she?"

"She was looking for a ride home," said Rukia pointedly.

Renji had the good sense to blush at his faux pas of talking about her like she wasn't there. "Are you okay?"

"Fine."

Ichigo laid her on the bed, and she could see the way his jaw was bunching with frustration. "Get a nurse, Renji. Rukia wants to go home."

"That's ridiculous! You nearly died today! You can't leave! She needs to have that IV put back in!"

Rukia opened her mouth to yell back at Renji but Ichigo's finger on her lips stopped her in her tracks.

"Get a nurse," repeated Ichigo, more firmly this time. "I'm not chasing her around the hospital again. If she wants to go home, I'm going to be the one to take her."

Renji shook his head and muttered something rude as he left the room.

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Renji wanted to slam Ichigo's head into a wall. How could he support Rukia going home? She needed to be here in the hospital, where he could finish the job she'd botched.

Poor thing. She'd suffered so much because he hadn't planned carefully enough. He'd never meant to hurt her. She didn't deserve any more pain in her life than she already had.

He wanted to take care of her. She was more important to him than the others. He loved her, and he couldn't mess this up again, which was why he'd planned everything so that he could finish freeing her tonight.

But that wasn't going to happen now. Rukia was going home, thanks to Ichigo.

The arrogant prick.

Ichigo was a man who didn't deserve a painless death. Renji wasn't so cruel that he'd let him continue to suffer the nightmares and constant, grinding shame. He wouldn't make Ichigo live the bleak isolation of being alone in his suffering, day after day. Renji would still help him. But maybe he wouldn't worry so much about it being easy on Ichigo.

A quick survey of his knowledge of poisons told him just the one to use. It was tasteless, odorless, and completely lethal, even in small, bite-sized doses.

AN

Since this was pretty short, I PROMISE to update within the next three days. Most likely Friday or Sunday because my Saturdays are full of performing arts. Review please! Come on guys, let's make 150!