"Sleep well, Captain Jones?"
Killian startled, spilling a healthy amount of sugar over the rim of his giant Styrofoam to-go cup and onto the counter at the diner. A man slid onto the stool next to him. Blond hair, broad shoulders and an expression that reminded him of a stern father eyeing his daughter's prom date.
"I'm sorry, do I know you?" Killian cupped a hand, brushing the spilled granules off the edge of the counter and into the other one. Praying the diner's proprietor was at least halfway diligent about cleaning off the bar, he let the sugar slide off his palm into his cup. Sweetened coffee wasn't his favorite, but with a handful of hours of sleep in the cab of his truck, he welcomed the impending burst of energy it would provide.
"No, but I know all about you."
Okay, that was a loaded statement.
"I'm David Nolan. Sheriff Swan's deputy."
Ah. Emma hadn't struck him as the type to bring her personal life to the office, but Deputy Nolan was clearly privy to one detail or another.
"I see. And have you seen the good Sheriff this morning?" Killian had waited outside Emma's apartment, hoping to catch her before work. She hadn't shown herself at six and when eight o'clock rolled around, he knocked on the door but no one answered.
"I was hoping you'd be able to answer a similar question. She's late for her shift and hasn't answered her phone. Very unlike her. Then again, Emma has been dealing with some…personal issues recently. But you already know about that." Killian had heard that tone before from nearly every authority figure he'd come across before the Navy had knocked his mouth down a few pegs. Getting the stern high school vice principal act from someone he'd never met was slowly making it climb up the ladder again.
"I don't know how that's any of your business, Dave."
"It's Deputy Nolan, Captain Jones. And it's my business because that's how we do things around here. We look out for each other."
Killian nodded, mouth turned down in a frown, and thanked the waitress as she slid a cup of hot chocolate with cinnamon in front of him, handing her a ten-dollar bill. He stood up, purposely knocking shoulders with Deputy Nolan and started making his way to the door with his drinks. Before he could throw a hip into it, the officer reached an arm past his elbow, pushing the door open and following him outside.
"Anything else I can do for you, Deputy?" Killian's jaw flexed as he waited for an answer. If he was ever going to get in Emma's good graces again, he certainly couldn't make enemies with her closest subordinate, especially one who seemed to have enough information about him to dislike Killian on sight.
"It really isn't like Emma to not show up for work. She hasn't been sleeping well and probably overslept. I trust you've seen how she's like when she's tired?"
All of a sudden, Killian felt like the deputy had done him a huge favor. Emma on little or no sleep was terrifying if in nothing else but her unpredictability.
"You can follow me back to her place."
Killian raised one of the cups in Nolan's direction. "Appreciate it."
"That's all you're gonna get. If she wants to kick your ass, I'm not going to step in to save it."
"Understood."
As he drove behind the cruiser, Killian considered what Nolan had said. Emma wasn't sleeping well to the point where it was affecting her job. Fuck. All the more reason to at least try to apologize and smooth some things over. She was solid police and he hated the idea that he'd brought her below her natural state of giving 100%.
At the apartment, Nolan knocked on the door. "Emma, it's David. Are you there?" He turned to look at Killian and shrugged, then took his key ring off a belt loop and cycled through, looking for one in particular.
For a split second, Killian was wild with jealousy and wondered if there had ever been more to their relationship than boss and subordinate. The straight arrow deputy didn't seem like her type, but everything Killian knew about Emma Swan had been part of a crash course. It was unfair of him to speculate, especially when the shame of last night's ill-conceived rebound blowjob was still eating away at him.
He shook himself out of it and made eye contact with Nolan as the deputy went through the motions unlocking the doorknob and two bolts. No matter their personal feelings for each other, they shared the bond of the badge and both were trained well enough to take precautions, even going into a friend's house.
At first glance, nothing seemed horribly amiss, but Killian was seeing the space for the first time. It was Nolan's "oh, shit" that put his hackles up and he stepped in past the small tiled foyer. Kitchen utensils were strewn on the floor along with broken pottery, probably from the canister she used to hold them. Something that looked like a retro timer from June Cleaver's kitchen was mixed in, batteries popped out of the broken back.
"No. No, no, no."
The fear in Nolan's voice was unmistakable. He was standing in the kitchen, actively trying to not step on broken glass and linoleum smeared with blood. From his new vantage point, Killian could see why the deputy was afraid. He'd been to countless homes where fights and domestic violence had taken place. The broken glass and blood by itself were concerning, but not a cause for panic, until one took into consideration it appeared Emma was missing.
Pulling out their guns, Nolan signaled to Killian and they moved through the apartment, both looking for any sign of her and ensuring an intruder wasn't hiding. They found nothing. Walking back toward the living room, Killian caught sight of her coffee table.
"Does she ever leave home without her phone, gun or badge?" He nodded to all three items nestled between a littering of used tissues.
"Gun, yes. Badge and phone? Never." Nolan's throat worked hard. "She's gone."
Feeling fuzzy, Emma wondered why the hell she'd let herself fall asleep sitting up at her tiny little kitchen table. It wouldn't be the first time, but she was already pushing her luck at the station with David. He'd be painfully nice if she came in for her shift in a shitty mood again but he deserved better than a perpetually pissy co-worker. She shook her head trying to clear the cobwebs until a voice broke the silence and she froze.
"Well, well, well. The princess awakens and I didn't even get to kiss her." Felix came into focus. His blond hair looked unwashed and he appeared almost painfully thin. The memory of their brawl and his unmistakable threat came to her in a rush and she flinched away from him, taking stock of her situation.
She was tied to a wooden chair in the middle of what looked like a large warehouse. One eye was swollen nearly to closing and the cheek underneath throbbed. A cloth holding the metallic taste of blood was twisted into her mouth, so anything she tried to say would be muffled and unintelligible. There would be no use yelling for help, and there was nothing in her immediate field of vision that would be useful weapon even if she could get free. Emma maneuvered her hands and feet, trying to see how solid the ropes binding them were tied.
Felix laughed as he saw her struggling.
"You won't be able to slip those knots. Tying pretty things up is somewhat of a hobby of mine." He moved closer, reaching out to trail a finger up her thigh. "Especially when they can't scream." She cried out as much as she could and tried to head butt him, but he easily overpowered her and grabbed her face. Tears began to stream as he licked up the side of her face, the smell and wetness of his mouth rancid. Emma's stomach heaved and she began to retch around the gag.
"Felix!" Another voice boomed in the cavernous space and Emma sagged in relief when her tormenter's attention was pulled elsewhere. From the corner of her vision, she could see the other man was tall and well dressed, out of place for a dusty warehouse.
"It's not polite to play with your food."
"Come on, Peter. I was just getting a taste." Felix kicked at Emma's foot and she stomped at him the fraction of an inch she could move. "And you know I like it when they're feisty."
The other man held his hand up as if cutting off a whining toddler and walked toward where Emma was bound. He was incredibly boyish looking, and if his eyes hadn't been so cold and flat, she would have sworn he was the human embodiment of a puppy who hadn't yet grown into its ears. His suit was impeccably tailored and reeked of money. Then again, she'd have a shitload more in her bank account, too, if she didn't care about pesky things like avoidance of the committing of felonies and paying taxes.
"So this is the illustrious Sheriff Swan. A little worse for wear, but that's to be expected when I send Felix to do my dirty work." There was a heavy sigh of exasperation for his colleague before the heels of his polished shoes clicked loudly as he circled the chair. "I have to admit your status in law enforcement ups the stakes more than a little, but I have a feeling it will be worth it." He turned. "Felix, I'm going to need a moment alone with our guest. And I need you make sure the harbormaster is looking elsewhere when our friends arrive." The wave of his hand was dismissive and uncontested. In a moment, they were alone.
Harbormaster? That meant they were in a port. Emma had been unconscious the entire ride to where
"I'm going to take that infernal gag off, Miss Swan. Felix knows that even if you did scream, there's nobody around to hear you." Somehow this man – Peter – came across as even more ruthless than his counterpart and Emma didn't breathe as he carefully untied the cloth and pulled it away from her face. She licked her dried lips, wincing as her tongue passed over a wicked split in the middle of the bottom one.
He moved behind her and the cacophony of wood being dragged over concrete echoed off the walls. Peter placed the other chair across from her and sat, balancing one ankle on the opposite knee and steepling his fingers.
"Do you know why you're here?"
"No, I don't." Emma was grateful the words came out strong and clear, even if they were a little croaky from a dry throat.
"You, my dear, are what we call bait."
"And what, may I ask, are you trying to catch?" Emma kept her tone light, but a wave of dread was rolling up her spine. She'd play his game. What the hell did she have to lose getting a little information from him?
"Oh, I think you can figure that out on your own, Sheriff. We know there is no professional tie between the investigation into the shooting at the pawnshop and Storybrooke. It's a small town that's undoubtedly going through a crisis now that half of its police force is sitting in that chair." Peter gestured in Emma's direction. "That makes your involvement personal – not that we weren't already aware of your dalliance with Captain Jones. What nobody took into consideration was your value as a resource."
He stood and started pacing.
"You must know how hard it is for even neighboring jurisdictions and departments to share information. Imagine how that is across the border. Your source in Quebec City was halfway right."
She looked at him, unable to keep a look of surprise off her face at the fact he knew of the connection.
"Phone tap and spyware on your laptop. For a former bail bondsperson, you were surprisingly easy to get to, Sheriff. Life in a small town must be making you complacent," he chided, making a tsk tsk sound.
"We didn't so much acquire the Lost Boys as offer their higher ups and a few lower ranking members who had demonstrated unwavering loyalty an opportunity within our organization. Before he was brought into Maine, Felix recruited heavily, not for quality but for sheer volume. The goal was to leave behind enough chaos and lack of structure for authorities there to have their hands full with sloppy robberies and a crew that didn't know how to sell a score without getting caught."
"And since you'd already cherry picked the cream of the crop and everybody left behind didn't rank high enough to have the kind of information to sell you up the river, you were in the clear."
Peter snapped his fingers and pointed at her. "In a nutshell." Flashing a Rolex, he checked the time. "The rest of story time will have to wait until the rest of the guests arrive. I do hate repeating myself. According to our eyes and ears, it won't be too long. You picked yourself one hell of a boyfriend, Miss Swan. I look forward to meeting him."
"He's not my boyfriend." Maybe almost.
"I guess 'ex' is more fitting, isn't it? Nasty business, secrets are. Although it seems like you're even on that front." Peter walked in front of her, ticking off his fingers. "You didn't tell him you were privy to details about his poor brother's death. And Captain Jones had a rendezvous with that eager little nurse last night." His laughter boomed as Emma's head whipped up, looking for the lie in his eyes. There wasn't one. "Oops." Peter's hand came up to his mouth as he mockingly gasped. "I shouldn't have said anything."
"Why are you doing this?" She was bitter, but not for the reason he would assume by her tone. He was toying with them and Emma knew there was something bigger to focus on than Killian falling right back into a pattern of rash decisions when angry. Then and there, she decided she didn't give a damn what the hell he'd done with the nurse. If Killian would be joining them, she knew having solidarity on their side would be just about their only advantage. What Peter said next confirmed her thoughts:
"To answer simply, I require that the good Captain break. That's why I'm doing this. And he can't do that if he has hope – something your presence has given him and something we shall soon remedy."
Killian sat in the passenger seat of Nolan's cruiser, both hands clenched into fists and willing himself not to punch the shit out of Deputy Do-Right.
It hadn't taken them long to figure out the approximate time Emma had scuffled with someone in the kitchen. The busted clock on the floor had stopped around two o'clock in the morning. When Killian wondered aloud if it was operable and not just for show, Nolan provided an anecdote about the time a few weeks earlier when Emma had tried to bake cookies but set the timer wrong and was treated to a symphony of the shrill ring of the clock and her smoke alarm.
Killian wanted to throw up knowing if he'd arrived at her place an hour earlier, Felix would have missed his opportunity. The why was pretty clear when a photo of Emma bound and gagged came through to his phone via text message with an invitation to "come and get her." The text also teetered toward clichéd, instructing him to come alone but the deputy had insisted, putting one large hand on Killian's shoulder, the look on his face betraying Nolan's distain for him bubbling under the surface, and saying Emma was like a sister to him. It was hard to argue with that. He understood both the bonds of siblinghood and the inherent kinship that came with the badge.
He had offered to drive but Nolan pointed out they'd be better off with the lights and sirens. The loss of control made Killian's skin crawl. They were making excellent time and the cruiser was effortlessly weaving in and out of slower-moving traffic with the deputy at the helm, but he wanted to do something more for Emma. Something other than clutching the oh shit handle on the door, willing every care in front of them to get the fuck out of the way as they barreled toward her.
Killian was so tense, the sound of his phone ringing startled him and his leg swung up involuntarily, shin hitting the underside of the cruiser's glove compartment. He was swearing as he answered Will's call, but his friend's frantic yelling drowned Killian out.
"They've taken her, Captain. Got a text with a picture and she's all banged up and – " Will broke off and there was a strangled sound on his side.
"Will? Will!" Killian yelled into the phone and breathed a sigh of relief when it didn't go unanswered.
"Sorry, I just – I feel like this is all my fault. I asked her to dig because we haven't been getting anywhere with this goddamned investigation. The Chief pulled Zelena off it for some before she could get anywhere and if I didn't know better, I'd think other departments were being purposely obtuse and slow to give us info. With her background, I thought she'd be able to help get a jump on who killed Rogers and Liam and shot you. All it did was get her hurt."
The anguish in Will's voice matched his own, but it provided the switch he so desperately needed to flip in order to go into this rescue operation with a level head. Going in fueled on anger and vengeance alone would only result in maelstrom and someone could get hurt. Causing Emma any more pain, physical or otherwise, wasn't an option for him and every ounce of rage Killian felt about being cut out dissolved.
"Tell me what you know. All I was given was a few lame-ass TV villain instructions to come alone and an address. I feel like we're looking at the tip of an iceberg and walking into a trap."
"I got the same message and I'm en route. But damn if that isn't about it in a nutshell. Emma did some digging with a contact from her bonding days. This Felix character was part of a gang out of Quebec City but he fell off Canadian authorities' radar years ago. Rumor has it he came across the border and hooked up with Dreamshade."
"Ah, fuck." Killian had heard of them. There wasn't a major police department in the state that hadn't. Any city with a large enough port had been battling not only the gang's sizeable thefts, but their suspected illegal export activities, too. There was no better way to get rid of a container of stolen goods than greasing some palms and watching as it sailed out toward international waters.
It suddenly made sense why the come and get her message directed him to the Port of Portland. If Felix had ties to Dreamshade and Dreamshade's modus operandi was shuffling illicit goods out of the country, the group would stay close to the water.
"Listen, I was in Storybrooke this morning. I'm with the deputy now. He's – he and Emma are friends."
Will huffed out a breath and Killian was glad that for once, his detective was choosing to keep his mouth shut instead of pointing out Nolan's inclusion was against direct orders from Felix and Dreamshade. Still, he felt compelled to explain himself.
"He's a solid cop, Will. And I think we'll need all hands on deck. They clearly want to bargain."
"Hey, you won't hear any shit from me about breaking the rules, Captain. What's your twenty?"
"Lit up and loud coming up on 295 from 1 going balls to the wall. About 20 minutes out from the port if we don't get hung up. You?"
"Should hit the 1 interchange right behind you."
After a short discussion covering tactical strategies, Killian disconnected the call with Will and dialed a number that, as far as he knew, nobody else in the Bangor PD had.
"'Lo, Captain. I was wondering when you'd call."
Despite the distinct fuckupedness of the situation and his hyper-focus on Emma's safety and well-being, Killian chuckled. "Zelena, I need you to work your magic."
The chains of an industrial roll-up door screeched deafeningly. Emma cringed away from the harsh noise and turned her head, shielding her eyes from the sudden intrusion of light flooding the warehouse. A scuffle of feet and muffled yells took over as Felix and two men she didn't recognize bodily wrestled Killian, Will and David over the threshold.
When she saw them, she flinched. Will's nose was smashed and bleeding heavily. David's arm hung limply, the shoulder dislocated, and he had a cut on his chin. One of Killian's eyes was completely swollen shut, mouth bloodied, and his clothes were completely covered in dirt. All were bound – both hands and feet - with rope fashioned much like the chains prisoners wore outside of the jailhouse.
"Well, well, well, gentlemen. I see you put up a bit of a fight." Peter looked impossibly younger in the light of day and there was no small amount of glee in his words as he surveyed the damage.
The man holding Killian pushed him hard, propelling him toward Emma. Felix slipped a boot between his feet and laughed as Killian fell hard to the dusty concrete, rolling right into Emma's legs.
"You just keep ending up on the floor, Captain. Maybe one of these days you'll do me a favor and won't get back up."
"Now what fun would that be for either of us?"
There was nowhere for him to go as Felix advanced and raised his foot, poised to smash it into Killian's face.
"Enough!" The hiss was familiar. "Peter, I thought we agreed Felix needed to be…taken care of."
Mr. Gold limped into the warehouse, one hand on his cane and the other tucked into the folds of his coat. With a theatrical wave of his hand, the two men who had come in with Felix backed away from Will and David.
"Is that any way to treat our esteemed Captain?" Gold held his cane out in Killian's direction, a gesture to help him up, but the effort was met with a sneer of distain as he rolled over, struggling to push himself onto his elbows and then to his feet.
Felix all but kicked invisible dirt, looking at the ground as he whined, "But you're the one who wanted him killed."
Emma saw the arm come up and yelled, "NO!" but it was too late. The shot was deafening, even with the door open. Felix crumpled to the floor, bleeding from a bullet wound to the temple.
Jesus Christ. It was Gold. If he'd planned for something to happen to Killian that means –
"Of course you wanted me gone. I was in your way. Just as Liam was." Unsteady on his feet but with even words, Killian continued. "Because you couldn't buy us. You needed the river to move your stolen goods. But Liam cracked down and couldn't be paid to look the other way like his predecessor. It forced Dreamshade to take huge risks at the port level and paying off harbormasters and security guards were taking a huge chunk out of your profits. So you had him killed to try your luck at a more easily swayed replacement."
Gold handed the gun over to the asshole that had been manhandling David and shifted his weight to his good leg, tucking his cane under his arm and clapping delightedly. Emma didn't think she'd ever forge the sound of his creepy giggle "How very clever of you, Captain Jones. Anything else you'd like to share with the group?"
Before Killian shifted away from Emma, he took a moment to put his hand on her shoulder, squeezing softly. She couldn't help but rest her cheek against the warmth, a silent show of forgiveness and togetherness.
"You've had low-level Dreamshade members operating in Bangor for years. Keeping up steady but petty crimes. Getting the population used to police presence, then upping the ante. Targeting businesses, staging a heist in your own shop, all to create fear and distrust in the ability of the department to properly enforce law in the city." He nodded at Felix's prone body. "I'm going to guess he went rogue that night at your shop and, pardon the pun, jumped the gun. He knew you wanted me out but was too impulsive and stupid to wait and do it right. Now that he's out of the picture, what's say you and I bury the hatchet?"
Gold's crocodilian smile stretched wide and he gestured to Killian making a cleaving motion. "Yes, but why not in your skull?"
Killian feigned offense. "Is that any way to talk in front of a lady?" He gestured to Emma as Gold looked between them.
"From what I understand, transgressions made by Captain Jones just last night may have dissolved the tenuous hold he had on Miss Swan's heart." Peter piped in for the first time since Gold's arrival, announcing the news with a great deal of relish.
Emma looked at Killian and shrugged. "How was the she?"
"I've had better." He winked at her, poking his tongue into his cheek before flipping the finger to Peter and turning back to Gold. Killian stretched his arms out. "I'm right here, Gold. Do your worst. Just let Emma, my detective and Deputy Nolan go."
Goddamn him.
"No!" Emma struggled against her binds. Jones and his stupid hero complex. The minute Gold's men cut the ropes holding her she launched herself at Killian. One of the men caught her and started dragging her toward the door. Bracing herself, Emma threw an elbow back, catching him between the eyes.
That was when all hell broke loose.
In a split second, there was a loud crack! and the other guard went down. David, moving gingerly with his separated shoulder, managed to push a knee into the fallen man's back, ensuring he wouldn't get up even if the unseen shot wasn't fatal.
Will launched himself at Peter from behind, stretching to slip his bound hands over the man's head and pulling him backward. They dropped, Will clearly with the upper hand as he looped his legs over Peter's and leaned back, administering a chokehold.
The man Emma was fighting swept her leg and she went down hard. Bringing a knee up, she connected solidly with his balls and as she tried to wriggle away, she saw Gold out of the corner of her eye reaching into his pocket as Killian went in for the tackle. The shot to the nuts hadn't disabled the man as much as Emma would have liked and he knelt on her thigh to pin her down, blocking her view of Killian. She prayed he'd gotten to Gold's gun first and felt a surge of adrenaline.
With a loud yell, she threw her free leg up and over the shoulder of the guard, kicking him in the side of the head and off balance. He sat up enough for her to get her foot squarely on his chest and push him back. Both legs freed, she bounced to her feet and grabbed his head. One vicious knee to the temple and he was unconscious.
"Killian? Killian!"
Horrified, she watched as Jones held onto the lapels of Gold's coat and repeatedly smashed his head into the concrete and ran to push him off.
"You had Liam killed, you son of a bitch!" Bam. "And for what - power?" BAM. "Money?" BAM. "He was all I fucking had!" BAM.
A hooded figure dove onto Killian and helped Emma drag him away from Gold. Killian curled into her, tears wetting her sweater and she held him, looking up at Robin in gratitude.
"I take it that shot was yours?"
He shoved the hood off his head and pulled the gun out of Gold's pocket then tipped an imaginary hat to her. "They don't call me Archer for nothing. Although somebody owes me big time because I had to ride all the fucking way from Bangor in the goddamned trunk of Will's car so these dumb fuckers wouldn't see me." He nudged Gold's foot and turned, pulling the chain that held his badge out into the open. "We're going to have company in a minute," he said as the sound of sirens neared. He nodded at the two of them huddled on the floor and turned to help David up.
Killian lifted his head, running his hands over her hair.
"I'm sorry, Emma. I'm so, so sorry. I shouldn't have –"
"Now is not the time," she said sternly and moved out of his reach. Standing, she crossed her arms and looked down at him.
He nodded and closed his eyes, inhaling deeply through his nose in resignation. Emma knew a defeated Killian Jones when she saw him. She nudged his knee with her toe and held out her hand. "You can apologize by planning another date. One you'll actually show up for this time. If you think you can play hard to get by getting me involved in this kind of fuckery again, you have another thing coming. Fool me once…"
Killian reached for her hand and let her haul him to his feet.
"Oh, trust me, darling. I am well aware the shame is all on me." He threw an arm over her shoulder and kissed the side of her hair as they walked out of the warehouse.