Shane sat down on the metal bench, but he could not sit still. A moment later, he was back on his feet and pacing around the barren cell. He started to raise a hand to his face, but stopped when he saw his hand; the black ink from the fingerprinting kit still stained his fingers.
The FBI agents had dragged him here and rushed him through some form of booking, but they had refused to tell Shane anything - not even what he was being charged with. He had looked for Roman or Abe, but neither seemed to be around in the five minutes they had him in the main station. Then the FBI agents had pulled him to a block of solitary cells, well apart from the main holding area. He seemed to be the only one in the block, something Shane suspected the FBI had arranged.
Pacing, Shane wondered what time it was. They had taken his watch, and his mind had been spinning so fast, he had made no attempt to track time. So many questions wracked his brain. Why he was under arrest was only one of them.
Is Andrew okay? What about the house? Is it secure? Is this a ploy by Jericho? Or Lawrence?
Shane had to get out of here. His family was in danger. Didn't they understand that?
He stood in the cell and listened to the silence. Perhaps, in the distance, through the heavy jail doors, there was a slight buzz from the main part of the station. Or maybe it was just a desperate hope that someone would soon come to tell him what was going on.
I have to get out of here.
As he continued to pace anxiously, Shane's mind relived the scene at the house earlier. The silent cellblock was replaced with the echoes of Andrew's shouts. He felt the wet grass soaking his shirt and the bite of the handcuffs as they clamped shut around his wrists. He saw Andrew fighting to get free of Mike and then the vision shifted to Kim, watching, stricken, as he was dragged toward the side of the house. Shane stopped pacing and leaned against the iron bars. He closed his eyes and tried to shut his mind down. He did not want to hear Andrew any longer; he did not want to see those looks on Andrew's and Kim's faces.
For a moment, all was silent. Shane took a deep breath and opened his eyes. Once again, he saw the drab grey cell - grey walls, grey bars, grey bench, grey toilet. But at least it was silent.
From behind him, Shane heard the groaning of the heavy metal cellblock door opening. He turned and tried to peer down the hallway to see who was coming.
"Roman!" Shane felt a surge of relief as he saw his good friend. Roman would have some information. When Roman reached the cell, Shane asked, "Can you tell me what the bloody hell's going on?"
"I don't know anything official, Shane," Roman said. "Those FBI guys won't talk to any of us, and the AUSA told me that he can't reveal anything until officials from the ISA get here."
"The ISA?" Shane pushed himself away from the bars angrily. "What the devil's going on?" He spun away from Roman and began to pace again.
"It might have to do with this?"
Shane turned back around and saw the newspaper that Roman was poking through the bars. He could tell it was the same Salem Spectator he had looked at earlier. Confused, Shane wondered what the newspaper might contain that would have to do with his arrest.
"Page 3," Roman said, as Shane took the paper.
Shane opened the page and felt his chest constrict. "No," he whispered in disbelief.
But there it was. With a banner headline and full-page article, the whole story of the mission was spelled out in detail. Shane shook his head. He still did not want to believe it.
"If what you told me is true, partner, that's probably the reason," Roman said.
Shane was dumbfounded. By Jack Devereaux. He closed the paper and shook his head. No. It just couldn't be.
"Shane?"
He held out the newspaper toward the bars and let Roman take it. Pacing again, Shane ran his hands through his hair.
"It had to be Steve who talked to Jack," Roman said.
No, Shane thought. He shook his head. "Steve gave me his word. He wouldn't have done this."
Roman sounded exasperated. "Come on, partner."
No. "Steve gave me his word. It doesn't have to be him. It could've been any of the soldiers. Or that bloody tosser who runs the field office. . . ." Shane tried to convince himself that was more likely. "Roman, hell, it doesn't matter," Shane repeated. "You've got to make sure that Andrew and Kim are all right."
I promised Andrew I was not going anywhere. How do I explain that to him?
Shane faced Roman. "Whether it's Jericho or Lawrence . . . I can't protect them if I'm locked up in here."
"Nothing's gonna happen to them," Roman said. "I'll make sure of it."
That, at least, was a bit of a relief. Shane crossed the cell to the metal bench and sat down heavily. His mind returned to the events of the morning. In his head, he heard Andrew shouting again. Shane shut his eyes and tried to drown out the memory. When he opened his eyes, he could not even look at Roman. Instead, he stared down at his ink-stained hands. "They arrested me in front of Andrew," he said quietly. "They didn't even have the decency to wait until he was inside."
"Shane-"
"Do you have any idea what that feels like?" Shane asked, finally managing to look up. "To know your son's watching as they shove you face-down into the mud and shackle you?" Shane shook his head. "He's five-years-old, Roman. How am I ever going to explain this to him?"
Roman started to say something, then gave up and shrugged. "He'll get over it. Kid's are tougher than we think."
Shane doubted that. And he doubted that he would get over the shame and humiliation he felt at being forced to the ground while Andrew watched.
"But right now. . . ." Roman was still talking. "You've got to figure out what you're going to do to fight these charges."
Fight these charges. . . . Shane almost laughed at the thought. I don't even know what they are.
Shane did not say that. He stared down at his black fingers for a moment, before looking back up at Roman. "Tell Kim I'm okay and . . . just make sure they're safe." He looked down at his hands again and tried to ignore the helpless feeling that washed over him. "Just make sure my family's safe."