Chapter 9

The sound of door creaking behind Jane made him want to jump up and run into Lisbon's arms. It'd been several hours since she'd gone in the master bedroom, only leaving once to get the food she'd ordered, and he was starting to worry that she'd never come out. She'd definitely been serious when she said she'd needed to think.

It was nearing nine-thirty at night now, which meant she'd been in there for over eight hours. He had to give her props for knowing how to properly sulk, but it'd taken all of his willpower from simply going in there and making her talk to him. He hadn't because that was something he would have done when he was her friend and consultant. He'd felt he could over step his bounds then because the worst consequences he'd ever faced from her was a cold shoulder, a glare, a few nasty words, and once a punch in the nose. Things were different now.

He had to be able to show her that he could respect her wishes. And he knew he'd made a few mistakes today already. Telling her to buy him condoms from the hotel's gift shop, his outburst when she'd been talking to Gibbs and he ordered her to the room, fighting with Pike and accusing him of trying to steal Lisbon, trying to read their lips when they were on the balcony. All small things, with the exception of the fight with Pike, comparatively that had they not been committed in such a small period of time he was sure Lisbon would have forgiven him.

He knew that his only hope now was to show her he could give her the space she felt she needed. Even if it meant sitting in separate rooms of the same hotel suite, thirty feet apart, for eight hours. It'd been a nightmare. This hole case was a nightmare. They'd gone from spending every moment together to being separated due to the job and then being separated on Lisbon's terms.

He'd forgotten how hard being in love was. But he had to admit this was the first time he'd ever really felt jealousy. With his wife, he'd been the man other men were jealous of. He could admit now that he'd felt it a few times over the years with Lisbon. A small pang that he easily brushed away, but not now.

Lisbon was barefoot. His eyes were closed and he kept them that way, and listened as she got closer to where he sat on the couch, his heart beat increasing with every step. He still didn't open his eyes when he felt the couch give way to the right of him.

"Hey Teresa," Wiley said. "Have a good rest?"

"Yes, thank you," she said. "I didn't realize how tired I was."

Jane wasn't sure if she was lying or not. She sounded sincere, but he wouldn't know for sure until he opened his eyes. He wasn't ready to do that yet, however, wasn't ready for the worst case scenario—the only one he'd run through his mind repeatedly over the last eight hours.

"Anything happen while I was asleep?"she asked.

"Yeah, tons," Wiley enthused, "a couple hours after you went in your room, Brown and Gibbs left the hotel in a hurry. And when they came back a couple hours after that Brown was fuming. He yelled at some of his staff on the way in. We have the recording, but it's so noisy downstairs it will take me hours to pull their voices out of the crowd, but thankfully Jane read their lips and caught most of the conversation."

Jane stiffened a little when Wiley mentioned lip reading. That's just great, he thought.

Wiley continued, "Looks like Don followed through on his part and sent all his men out to Brown's colleagues." Jane could picture Wiley using air quotes around the word "colleagues". "Jane was right. That was enough to convince Brown to go after our vans tonight."

"Brown has a huge ego on him," Lisbon said, "if the FBI gets one over on him, then he'll retaliate and we've handed him the perfect opportunity."

"They've been in and out several times since then. They've been gone for about thirty minutes now. I've been keeping an eye out for them," Wiley said and then yawned.

"You must be exhausted," Lisbon said. "Why don't you go get some sleep? It's my turn to take a shift."

"Are you sure?" he said over another yawn.

"Yes," Lisbon said, a smile in her tone. "Go on."

Jane felt the couch bounce to his left and heard footsteps leading to the other room and then he heard the click of a door shutting. The room was eerily silent. He didn't open his eyes. A few moments passed and still nothing happened. He almost started to wonder if Lisbon was even there anymore. He got his answer when he felt a jab to his ribs.

"Ow!"

"I know you're not asleep," Lisbon said.

"Not anymore," Jane said petulantly as he opened his eyes and looked over at her. He rubbed his ribs where she'd poked him.

"Not ever."

He shrugged a couple times and looked away toward the balcony. It was open and a comfortable breeze was wafting in.

"I thought I told you not to spy on me, and I know you were lip reading."

"Trying to, but I didn't succeed. You were both turned away from me just enough that I couldn't make out a single word," he said unrepentantly.

"So, what am I to take from this? That you don't trust me?"

Clenching his jaw, he returned his gaze to her. "It's Pike I don't trust."

"Yeah, well, it takes two to tango," she said as she leaned back into the couch and crossed her arms over her chest.

"What's that supposed to mean?" He demanded, not enjoying the visual that had given him in the least.

"It means you don't trust me. You don't trust Pike with me. You don't trust me with Pike. You don't trust me." Her tone was cold and sent a shiver up Jane's spine. After several minutes of uncomfortable silence, she spoke again, "What is it about Pike, about this case, this whole situation that has you so out of control, Jane? You practically broke cover earlier with Gibbs, you're fighting with Marcus in front of our boss and coworkers, and I hate to say it, because I do in fact have a lot of faith in you, but Marcus is right, this is one of your thinnest plans I think you have ever come up with."

Jane bristled and looked away, but she reached over and took his hand in hers. It wasn't meant to be calming or affectionate. It was meant to get his attention, and it worked.

"What's going on, Jane?"

Staring at their hands seemed the only way he could stay sane. He didn't really want to have this conversation now, he didn't want to have this conversation ever.

"Jane?"

He stared at the balcony again.

"Seriously, you're just going to ignore me?"

Breathing out, he turned his entire body toward her. He was in love with her and the last thing he wanted to do was make her think he didn't care about what she wanted, but he had almost reach his limit of sanity here and he wasn't sure he could keep it together if he had to talk. "Can't we shelf this conversation until later?"

"Until later? Later… There may not be a later, Jane." She made eye contact and he could see her pleading with him with her eyes.

He couldn't do it. He couldn't tell her what was wrong, especially after what she'd just said. Because it seemed as though her thoughts were a lot more in line with his than he'd originally thought.

"Please," she said.

He looked away. "Not now."

She breathed out and he almost gave in, and then his phone rang.

Pulling it out of his pocket he looked at the caller ID. "Fischer? What have you got for me?"

He ignored the deep breath he heard from Lisbon.

"You were right," Fischer said.

"Naturally," Jane said even though he wasn't sure which right she was talking about.

Fischer ignored him and jumped in on her report, "I talked to several of the girls and finally one of them talked to me. She told me that two years ago, before she was here that one of the girls had been working with Gibbs and just up and quit. No one thought anything of it, until six months ago when another girl, matching the same description as the girl from two years ago also quit, no questions asked. They both looked very similarly to Allie."

"I knew it. Did they call in or come in when they quit?"

"I was told they both called in, but here's the thing, this isn't the kind of place you just quit. They don't just let their girls leave whenever they want. My contact here said she always thought that wasn't on the up and up."

Jane felt a chill up his spine. "They knew something was going on and did nothing."

"Is it that surprising?" Fischer said disgust apparent in her tone. "These girls are only valuable so far as they can bring in money. They don't care about them. I'd bet they were paid off."

Lisbon stood up and left the room. Jane watched her go, but looked away, relieved when she didn't shut the door behind her.

"What are the names of the two girls who disappeared?"

"Carol Foster and April Clare."

Jane's eyes flew to the driver's license that sat on the table that Wiley had pieced together. The license that said Erin Clare.

"Jane?"

He shook his head. "April Clare?" He spelled out "Clare".

"Yes."

"Lisbon!" he called.

Lisbon came back into the room while Jane tried to stand, but the moment his foot hit the carpet, a fiery pain shot up his leg and he slumped back onto the couch. A bead of sweat rolled down his forehead as he made eye contact with her. She came around the couch, gun holster and gun in hand, then sat both on the coffee table.

"What is it?" Fischer asked.

Lisbon gave him a questioning look.

"I'd be willing to bet that Allie is the sister of the last girl that went missing," Jane said, filling in both Lisbon and Fischer at the same time. He'd bet good money too. It explained so much about his conversation with Allie at the bar too. He reluctance to chat him up until she was sure he knew she was taken, her not only unhappy, but downright reluctant attitude about her entire situation. Her fake pride at her "catch." He'd mistaken her fake attitude to being assigned a much older man, but really she was faking everything. She had done everything she'd done to find her sister's killer and she too had paid the ultimate sacrifice.

"What?" Fischer said. "April?"

Lisbon closed her eyes and reached for her cross. Jane kept his eyes on her.

"Call Abbott and tell him what we've found, tell him it's time to go in…"

Lisbon opened her eyes and reached for her back holster and quickly attached it to the back of her skirt.

"Jane," Fischer said trying to get his attention.

He hung up.

Lisbon grabbed her gun and shoved it in the holster.

"What are you doing?" Jane asked.

"You said it yourself, we need to get in there. Gibbs and Brown aren't in the hotel so now is the perfect time to do it," she said. She stood up and made her way to the front foyer and returned a moment later with a leather jacket that had been inside the bag she'd brought with her earlier.

"You grabbed your gun before I said anything," he replied, sliding forward on the couch.

"Yes."

"You were going in there anyway?"

"Yes." She knelt down next to the suitcase that Pike had brought with him when he'd come earlier in the day and popped it open. A moment later she retrieved four small vials with a clear liquid in each and what appeared to be Q-tips attached to the inside lids. She held them up. "This wasn't a new idea," she shook the vile, "remember? You wanted to get in there and get evidence. It just appears now that time is more of the essence."

Jane reached for his crutches and with more than a little effort pulled himself to his feet. He was breathing heavily when he spoke to her again. "I didn't mean for you to go in there."

She stood up threw her jacket on over her gun and shoved the vials in her inside coat pocket. "There's no reason it shouldn't be me," she said pointedly. "And seeing as there's no one else here at the moment…"

"There's Wiley…"

She pulled her chin back. "Are you crazy? He's hardly done any field work and you want to send him into a room with a serial killer for the second time in one day?" She shook her head and rounded the couch, heading for the balcony.

"Teresa, wait," he said and followed her. "Someone else will be here any minute who can do this. Abbott or—"

"Or," she rounded on him at the French doors, "Brown and Gibbs could return and we could lose our chance."

"I can't let you do this?" He wasn't exactly sure what she was doing, but he knew it couldn't be good.

"Can't let me?" Her eyebrows shot to her hairline, and her tone was furious. He hadn't heard her this angry since before they'd started dating. "You are not my boss! And frankly, I can't stand the tension this case is causing between us. This has to end now so we can get the hell out of here."

She turned from him once again and was out of sight and around the corner of the doors before he was able to reach her. When he reached the doors, his stomach immediately dropped when he saw her swing to the outside of their railing and jump across to Gibbs' railing. Her skirt rode up as she swung her legs over that railing and landed agilely on her bare feet. She shot him a quick infuriated glare before slipping through his open French doors and disappearing from sight.

He stood staring blankly for a moment, in shock that she'd just done that, even though he knew he had no reason for it, and in total horror. Several minutes passed before he realized that she wasn't coming back anytime soon. That was enough to jerk him out of his paralysis.

He turned with his crutches and moved as quickly as he could toward the couch. When he reached the back, he threw his crutches down behind the couch to get them out of his way and hopped on his good foot, trying his best to ignore the throbbing pain the bouncing was causing his bad foot, and flopped down on the couch.

Reaching for the small listening device and earphones, he turned it on and aimed it at the other suite. At first all he could hear was a light snoring, which he knew must be Wiley, the boy had been exhausted, but then he turned the volume up and tuned Wiley out. He closed his eyes and focused. He used every trick he could think of until finally he heard soft footsteps. They were barely perceptible. He tuned in on that and turned the volume up as loud as it would go. As Wiley's snoring faded, as his world faded, she got louder. He heard her moving things around, like she was shuffling through drawers. He heard more footsteps. He heard what sounded like glass clinking, followed by an irritated breath. Then he heard shuffling of feet on carpet, before the squeaking of a door opening.

Then he heard her gasp and he jumped. "Allie…" she said.

A small pinging noise barely caught his attention, but the sound that followed was unmistakable.

"Where are the men?" Brown's voice sounded loud and clear through the device.

Jane's eyes flew open. He looked at the monitors just as Gibbs stepped out of the hallway and shut the door to his suite. He couldn't remember the last time he'd checked the monitors. If he'd been watching he could've warned her before it was too late, but no, he'd lost his head and now Lisbon was trapped with two killers. He was an idiot.

"They're getting ready. The vans aren't supposed to be en route for another couple hours," Gibbs responded.

Jane threw the device off and rushed to the foyer. Pain shot up his leg as he went. He threw his door open and stumbled down the hall to Gibb's suite. He banged on the door, then wiped the sweat from his forehead and tried to calm his breathing.

Gibbs answered the door. "Mr. Stewart," he sneered, "change your mind about your prostitute?"

"I know Brown is here," Jane said in the most authoritative voice he could muster, "I demand to speak to him." He had to get the both out of the suite.

Gibbs leaned on the doorjamb. "And what makes you think you're in a position to make demands."

"Now now, Jason," Brown said, "Mr. Stewart is a guest here, we must be cordial with him."

Jane let out a breath as Brown stepped up next to Gibbs. He hoped Lisbon was making a run for it. "I know you're planning on going after my cargo tonight, and I've come to warn you off it."

He was pretty sure Don, Abbott and Pike would all kill him when they found out what happened, but at least they couldn't deny that Lisbon's safety was the top priority.

Brown smirked at him, then looked him over and frowned. "Mr. Stewart, you're looking a little gray."

"My health isn't any of your concern, and neither is my cargo. I'm warning you, if you mess with me you will regret it," he said. He could feel his legs shaking under his weight, but was able to hide it.

"Really? And how exactly do you intend to make me 'regret it'?" Brown crossed his arms over his chest.

"You think you're safe, but you're not. I know more than you think I do, more than you'd be comfortable with."

Brown exchange an amused look with Gibbs then looked back at Jane. "Please, enlighten me?"

Jane's stomach rolled and he just hoped he'd be able to keep himself from throwing up before he could get out of here. He forced a smile. "You run the foremost crime syndicate in Washington D.C. You're everywhere, control everyone from politicians to police." Brown had a lot of control, but the last part had been a shoddy, desperate guess. He felt his stomach roll from a different kind of nausea when he realized his guess was right on the nose. "That's it, isn't it? That's how you two got away with killing those agents. You have men on the force, in every branch."

Brown's smirk was all the confirmation Jane needed. "Prove it."

It was the Blake Association all over again. He swallowed. "Why would I do that when all I need to do to send you both to jail for life is a shredded driver's license and DNA evidence of a young girl named Erin Clare?"

They both looked confused.

"You might know her as Allie," Jane said, then smiled for real this time.

Gibbs grabbed Jane in a headlock and pulled him into the suite. Jane choked.

Brown turned to him. "Who the hell are you?"

"Let him go," Lisbon called from across the room.

Jane's heart sank. She wasn't supposed to be in here anymore.

Gibbs pulled a switchblade out of his pant pocket and pushed the tip painfully into Jane's carotid artery. Brown stepped out of the way exposing Lisbon to their view. She was by a bedroom door, her gun held high.

The headlock Gibbs had on Jane was starting to cut off his oxygen. "Lisbon, get out of here," he said in barely a whisper. He could feel liquid dripping down his neck. Saw Brown give Gibbs a worried look.

"I said, let him go." Lisbon took another step forward.

"You drop it or your boyfriend is a dead man," Gibbs said through gritted teeth.

"I'd shoot you both before he hit the carpet," she warned.

"He'd still be dead," Brown replied in a dangerous tone Jane had never heard from the man before.

"So would you," Lisbon returned.

Brown smiled. "That's a risk I'm willing to take. Is it a risk you're willing to take?"

Lisbon moved slowly around the couch, and while Jane was proud that she wasn't taking the bait, he was madder than hell, even in his lightheaded condition, that she wasn't leaving.

She eyed Jane, her tough mask falling slightly, and while she did Brown looked at Gibbs and nodded. The knife moved from his throat and closed at the same time he saw Brown go for a gun in his jacket. Jane's hand reached out and found what it was looking for quciker than he thought he was capable of at this moment.

"He's got a…" Jane started, his hand tightening around a metal object he'd just palmed, but then he felt something slam down on his bad leg. A loud crack sounded though the room. He screamed and fell in a heap.

The room spun.

He thought he heard Lisbon pleading with someone; who he wasn't sure.

He heard another crack.

His head seared with pain.

Then everything when white.

A/N: I know some of you were hoping for some serious angst in the form of life threatening danger. Hope this was a good start. Reviews are always appreciated. Thanks for reading.

Chapter 3 of my new Mentalist fanfic Regencyland, will be up tomorrow.