Title: Trouble in Paradise
Chapter 6 – A Forced Detour
Severide turns and looks through the small, dirty window, his eyes widening as he watches as the man in the passenger seat of the charging SUV pulls out a shotgun and he knows things are going to get worse. "LOOK OUT!" Severide shouts as one of the shots pieces the back window, shattering a small piece of glass to the left of Severide's head, causing him to duck.
Casey looks into the side mirror just as the SUV charges toward them, the passenger firing off another round of shots which shatters the side mirror and causes Casey to pull to the middle of the truck; Hector quickly compensating by veering sharply to the right which forces the SUV to bank quickly and misjudge part of the turn.
Severide twists around once more only to see the black SUV barrel through a small fruit stand, sending splinters of food and pieces of spraying fruit in all directions. "Travis is gonna pay for this…" Severide mutters through gritted teeth.
"If we make it," Casey adds in sarcasm as he and Severide trade worried glances. "Hector…"
"I made a promise…to my son Carlos…that I'm coming home to him…tonight," Hector promises as he swerves hard to the right, making both Casey and Severide slam into the right side of the little truck as it barrels down a side street in a desperate attempt to get back onto the highway.
"He's on the phone!" Severide tells them as he squints at their pursuer, only to see one of them yelling at someone else on the other end of the phone.
"Reinforcements! Hector…you gotta get us some help or lose them for good!" Casey's panicked plea resounds throughout the small cabin of the dusty truck.
"You have friends on the force right Hector? Good cops or…" Severide's earnest request is cut off as a few more bullets whiz past them, shattering the windows of a car that they miss by a few feet.
"I think that…"
"Matt!" Severide exclaims as the front passenger window is shattered and he yelps in pain as a few thick glass shards embed themselves in his upper forearm.
"I'm okay! I'm…Hector…"
"Okay…hold on!" Hector states loudly as he takes a sharp left and then quickly veers to the right, speeds down a dirt alley and then without warning to anyone spins the truck to create a real cloud of dust that works to temporarily veil the direction the truck heads down.
He drives past three more garages and then ducks into the fourth, jumps out of the small truck and gives the door a good tug, letting it slam to the dirt floor; forcing a small spray of dirt and dust. Everyone inside holds their breath and waits, praying the rouse works and their attackers speed past.
"That won't fool them for long," Hector tells Casey and Severide as he hurries back to see Severide picking out the small bits of glass from Casey's injured forearm. "I'm sorry."
"Not that big a deal," Casey insists as Severide pulls out one of his tee-shirts and then applies the crude wrapping to his bloody arm.
"We need to get out of here," Severide mentions as they hear honking in the near distance. "Do you have any friends or…anyone around here we can trust?"
"I don't know but we need to leave now," Hector tells them as each 51 Lieutenant grabs his small bag and hurries after the local officer and their new friend. Hector slowly opens the door and then watches as the owner of the small, rundown home comes running out to meet them.
"Let's hope he can help us," Severide tells Casey with a note of concern in his voice as he looks at Casey's heavy wince. "You okay?"
"This is nothing. How's your side? You were actually shot remember?" Casey counters as Severide's lips purse. "Think he can help us?"
"He has so far. Stroke of luck you finding him at that club."
"Just be glad that Travis has such an open social life," Casey reminds Severide as they listen to Hector talking loudly in Spanish to the agitated home owner.
"He's done so much for us. Maybe he's right. If we tell someone maybe they can get some local funding or…how does that even work down here?"
"He said we can use his car but we have to go now!" Hector interjects as he gestures for them to follow him.
The three of them rush outside the garage, thanking the homeowner as they hurry past and all scramble into his small car on the front street.
Severide ducks down in the back as best he can so that in case anyone was told to look for three men in a car they'd only see two.
Hector heads back toward the highway that would take them to the airport, Casey pulling down the baseball cap on his head in the hopes his simple disguise would buy them a bit more time.
This time they are able to drive about half hour on the main highway toward the airport before they once again have company. The wrong kind of company!
"Ah damn!" Casey growls as he watches the black SUV come into view and race toward them.
"Think they're playing for keeps this time!" Severide utters as he's jostled around in the backseat; his side yelling at him to seeks medical attention and fast.
Hector tries to elude the pursing vehicle but knows that he's going to run out of road very fast and time as they are out-gunned for sure. But when they had made their stop, he was able to get a call off to a trusted friend whom he hopes will make his entrance anytime and help end the chase in their favor.
"These men will not quit."
"We can't stop!" Severide states in anxious haste. "They'll kill us all!"
"Not…if we stop them first," Hector mentions; his words making Casey look at Hector and then into the back at Severide.
"You called someone?" Severide asks with a hint of desperation in his tone. "Hope they are on our side."
"Hope so too," Hector whispers as the SUV continues to gain ground. But just as they turn the corner, a loud BANG is heard, the car jolts to the right as the tire is blown out and then starts to weave as Hector furiously struggles to regain control.
"We're hit!"
The car's speed starts to slow and all three know their doomed if someone doesn't come to their help and fast. Hector swerves to the left; the car hitting a patch of loose gravel and skidding to the right, Hector momentarily losing control but quickly regaining it. However, with the blown tire, the battle was already losing and about to be short lived as the car starts to wobble out of control and then finally comes to a skidding halt a few feet before a cement embankment.
"Out and run for cover!" Hector orders as all three men scramble out of the now defunct car and try to make a break for it. However, the two in the SUV can boast about no injuries and so pursuing an injured Severide wasn't that hard. He lets out a cry of pain when he's tackled, which instantly prompts Casey to come and try to intervene. The other man pursuing Hector.
Casey lunges onto the first man as he tries to pull his gun and end Severide for good. The attacker fires off a shot that narrowly misses Severide but is unable to fire off another due to Casey's arms trying to wrestle him away. The man kicks at Severide's already wounded side but both 51 Lieutenants are able to send a blow to the man, Severide's fist connecting with his groin and Casey's fist with his jaw, snapping his head back.
Severide kicks at the man's leg while Casey tries to get the gun away before anyone is injured. However, just as he does a shot rings out and both Casey and Severide look up to see another man enter the melee with a gun already in play. One of the attackers is shot and then the gun is pointed at them.
"Wait!" Severide implores desperately as he looks up from his sprawled position on the ground.
"Don't shoot!" Casey adds as he too looks up at the man with the gun now pointed at them; Hector a few meters behind.
"Drop the gun!" The man orders the other attacker in Spanish as he snarls at them and is slow to comply.
"Don't…shoot him, we need him to tell us what's going on," Severide interjects when the man continues to hesitate and the other gun is cocked. "Please."
Just then a local man comes rushing toward them with a shot gun in his grasp. He pumps it and then points it directly at the large chest of the man between Casey and Severide.
A few tense seconds pass before the man finally complies and the gun is slowly lowered to the ground and Casey kicks it away; Hector rushing in to cuff him while the other two provide cover.
Casey hurries to help Severide slowly stand up and both look at Hector with expressions of gratitude.
"Not all…are bad," Hector reminds him as he pulls back, leaving the man on the ground on his knees.
"Why…why did…you do it? Why did you…kill Leroy and attack…us?" Severide asks a bit breathlessly as he hovers over the man who spits on his boot.
But a swift blow to his back by the butt end of the shotgun now in Hector's hands, forces him to spew forth a rambly confession.
"Thought you were part of Travis's team. He pays his sponsors well. Or they do. They have money. He has money. Leroy was collateral. Drivers have no money."
"He was still a human being!" Severide hisses as his already aching side starts to throb harder. "Did Travis owe you anything?" Severide asks in anger.
"Did he!" Casey adds with matching agitation.
"Yes!" The man replies in haste as Hector threatens to hit him once more. "He…backed out…on a deal. If you flaunt your money and think you're untouchable…you're not! He owed us and we wanted to collect!"
Casey looks at Severide in sympathy as his friend's stance slightly falters.
"I have no money! You didn't even let me explain that!" Severide huffs as he takes a step back. "You would have killed me…for no good reason," he pulls back a bit more, shaking his head as he looks at Casey with mild but mis-directed disdain. "Travis…damn bastard…he does think he's untouchable."
"How much does he own you?" Casey asks in wonder.
"Fifty."
"Damn," Severide curses. "I don't have near 50 G's on me or…even…really?" Severide asks in shock as the man nods.
"Take him," Hector directs his friend as he hands the shotgun back to the local man and thanks him in Spanish. The three of them watch as the other officer shovels the cuffed attacker into the back of the police car and then pulls out of view.
"So what happens now? He'll get tried or…the other guy is dead and so is Leroy and I'm…I just need to leave," Severide mutters as he rubs his face and then looks at Casey in exasperation. "What happens to you now?"
"Life goes on," Hector replies as they slowly head back to the inoperable car to get their personal items; Hector already calling for a tow-truck to come and fix the flat so he can take his car back to his friend's.
"I just gotta know…if they had gotten their money…would that have been it? Would they have left him alone?"
"Unless he wanted to cause more trouble. They just want their money. They like the business. If this Travis went to the media they would ask why he's taking the drugs in the first place."
"So much for not knowing where all his party favors come from," Severide utters in sarcasm. "If I got the money…"
"Kelly, wait…" Casey interjects in haste as he gently pulls his aching friend aside. "You can't."
"Why not?"
"You'd just be contributing to the problem."
"I'm not doing a deal. I never wanted this but a deal has been made and one party got what they wanted, Travis and the other…they got stiffed and are pissed. It's done."
"This isn't our fight," Casey tries to remind Severide.
"It's mine! Hector risked his life to help me…help us, and now maybe his son's to help me…help both of us. I owe him. If that guy gets his money…what Travis rightfully owes him then maybe he'll just back off Hector. He'll get out but this way he won't…ah I don't know but I hate this! Travis Brenner leaves all this damn mess here and just walks away like he's untouchable, forcing others to clean it up! Only this time people died and he doesn't even know and probably doesn't care!"
"But…"
"Someone has to fix this," Severide admits softly. "That's why he brought me right? Travis? To fix things? His messes? I gotta fix this."
"This is a pretty big mess."
"I can't just walk away. You know that. I'm not like him."
"I know," Casey replies in resignation.
"Okay…so let me fix this the only way I know how."
"You don't have 50 G's."
"I know," Severide confirms.
Casey looks at Hector and then back at Severide and frowns.
"Unless…" Casey starts as Severide's brows lift in wonder.
"Unless what?" Severide counters quickly. "You have another idea?"
"Actually…I do."
A/N: Ah so didn't want to hurt our boys too much more but still get the action in there! hmm what is Casey's plan? And will our boys finally get back to the US in one piece? Hehe a bit more to come here so please do review before you go and thanks so much!