"Get him out of here." Punk exclaimed, pushing their source of information, the boss of the Albanian group they were tracking over to some other cops who had now joined the scene after he and Seth got what they needed, "Lock him away." Punk asked as two other cops marched the scowling and cursing man away.
It was hard to get information out of him, considering he barely spoke a word of English, and had spat on Punks face a few times, but they eventually got what they needed. Now they just needed to figure out how they were going to use the information they had been given.
"Ok, so if there's groups of them based in different places, then it should be pretty easy to narrow it down. Get all the departments in the states we got a list of out looking for them. Hopefully we can get them before the night ends. You heard that bastard. They're all based in ruined apartments or warehouses, I'll page to all the guys to get them all looking." Seth said as Punk nodded.
"Who are we gonna take out then?" Punk asked.
"We'll go back to Chicago. You heard that guy, there's nearly a group of them in every state. We can count on the other police departments to parole their streets and get the warehouses on a lockdown. We'll take care of Chicago." Seth said, "I'm gonna call Paul, tell them what we know and tell him to let the other stations know, and get everyone out looking." He said as Punk nodded, watching Seth walk away into privacy as the blue flashing lights still flashed outside the warehouse they had just came from, three police cars parked with one of the Albanian men in the back of one. One down, the rest of them to go.
He took his spare time before more commotion came about, to give AJ a quick call. He knew she'd be sleeping, and when it went on to voicemail, he wasn't surprised, so he left a message for her when she woke in the morning, which would hopefully break a new day of hope if they managed to succeed tonight.
"Hey, baby." He smiled to himself whilst walking away, pacing over at the end of the kerb, imagining his beautiful girlfriend just now, sleeping so angel like at home, keeping their baby safe, "Things are looking good here, baby. We're getting somewhere. I'm coming back to Chicago, hopefully I can see you tomorrow, and tell you this is all over." He sighed, "I miss you, and I miss our baby." He looked down at the ground, "I just want you to know that, whatever happens, I'm gonna be here for you and our baby, no matter what happens. I love you so much." He smiled to himself, "You're the greatest thing that has ever happened to me. But you're probably sleeping, so when you wake up I want you to hear this, and I'll see you soon." He promised her, "Speak soon." He ended the call, hanging up and putting his phone back into his pocket.
Things were progressing, all rather quickly. From the information the Albanian boss had given them, that there were groups of his workers spread out in different states, it was actually easier for them to work with that. It meant they could contact the designated police stations, and get the coppers from there to go out and hunt down the group of Albanians hiding within the state.
It was a good job he did have cops looking on and protecting AJ, as Chicago was one of the places listed that had a group of these dangerous men working in. He couldn't wait for this to be all over. He couldn't wait to tell AJ that she didn't have to be scared anymore.
AJ got up the next morning, replaying Punks voice mail over and over again as she lay in bed comfortably. She was glad to be updated on what was going on, and she was even more glad that he even mentioned about getting everything sorted by today. She couldn't wait to see him, and even more so, she just couldn't wait for all of this to be over. She wanted to live her life again. And not in fear.
She'd gotten through a full day of work again and headed home straight after, passing by the cop cars sitting outside her house, nothing out of the normal for these past few days, not even noticing the engines off and the bodies which were fully aware when she left, hanging over the steering wheel, nothing but shot wounds to their names. She didn't even notice.
She walked into her home, dumping her bag down at the front door and making her way in through the living room, taking a seat for a minute and looking on at the mail she had brought in with her from the mail box. She was extremely tired this week. She didn't know if it was because she hadn't been sleeping good with Punk gone, or if her pregnancy was already tiring her out. She'd evolved to have a tiny, tiny bump, now going onto her twelfth week, passing that panic stage, and heading into the stage of preparing to get big and bloated.
She knew the mail she'd have got was rubbish, but she left what was Punks sitting on the couch, standing up and walking through to the kitchen, heading to cook something for her dinner. The nights had been getting darker quicker now, and the winter season was definitely upon them. She only wished she could have Punk home to cuddle into. But she had the hope that he would be home soon, and this would be all over with.
She stood looking in the kitchen cupboards, unknown what to have for dinner, eyeing up everything that looked good, incredibly hungry but not in the mood to cook much. She put a pot onto boil regardless, her back turned to the entrance of the kitchen as she busied herself with washings and different things, her ears pricking up suddenly at the sound of the front door opening.
"Punk?" She called whilst standing still in the kitchen, beginning to move out and through the living room to hopefully find her boyfriend home, "Phil?" She called against whilst walking into the hallway, looking up the stairs and around with a frown. She could have sworn she…
"Don't move!" She felt a sharp hand cover over her mouth, another hand snaking around her body to hold tightly, a warm breath breathing down her neck as her heart practically beated out her chest, no idea who the man behind her was, or what he wanted.
It had taken Punk and Seth over night to fly back to Chicago, having got word when they landed that a few states had already got their targets in the run down apartments or deserted warehouses. A few had got back to them and told them they had found a few of the Albanians dead, no doubt from fear of being found by the cops after having heard word that their boss had been found and locked away. They clearly knew they were all next, and their little organization was coming to an end.
"I want you guys all out of this place today. Go to every warehouse, every broken down apartment block, ask people, and stay protected. These guys are dangerous. They'll take down anyone who is in their way." He told his team back at the station, having just gone straight there after landing back in Chicago with Seth.
He knew he could count on his team to succeed in rounding up the last set of guys. It felt good to be closing this case soon, and he just couldn't wait to tell AJ when he got home tonight. All he kept thinking about whilst in Albania, was how much he was actually ready to move on with her, with their baby. How much he loved her, and wanted to raise a child with her.
"You want us to put the old warehouse across from Wickerfield park on lockdown. We got some news today that the place had been used again for the first time in a year." A cop followed Punk who was walking quickly to his office.
"Go there first. It's probably our best bet. But spread out." He said, pausing and speaking up again to everyone as he shouted through the station, "Spread out, don't all stick together. The sooner we find these guys, the better!" He yelled whilst heading to his office to pick up on the latest as his team and the entire station headed out in their cars to check out everything.
"Please… please, I don't know where he is." AJ shook her head as a hollow, soulless man held her up against the wall, tanned and slurring his English words, whispering them to her as she stayed frozen with fear.
"You his girlfriend. You know." The man spat in his snappy accent, taking a handful of her hair trailing out to the kitchen as she tried her best to bite her lip, holding back her tears whilst remembering what Punk had told her when preparing her for this sort of case.
"Don't show fear to them. It's exactly what they want. Show fear, they'll frighten you even more."
"I haven't spoken to him in a few days. The last time I talked to him he was in Albania!" She yelled back with a fight, pushing the man away, scanning the kitchen for anything to use as a weapon, nothing being able to catch her eye apart from the angry man who had his eyes feasting on her soul it felt like. Where was Punk? She needed him? Right now. Or else she didn't know what was going to happen.
"Yes. When he locked my boss up." The man grunted, "He had no business with us. I come here to take what he loves." The man spat, reaching back out for AJ.
Punk had showed her how to deal with guns and knives, but what he hadn't helped her with, was trying to push away her fears and pretend she wasn't scared, because she was tired, and she felt helpless, like nothing could save her.
There was only so many things she could do to wriggle from the man's grip, stepping on his toe hard and pushing him away, running quickly out of the kitchen and through the living room, heading for the door which had been locked and disposed of the keys. Her instinct told her to run upstairs and lock herself away, but her frozen and fearful self stayed pulling at the door that wasn't going to budge from being locked.
"Come here you bitch!" The man ran after her as she ran upstairs, running into her bedroom and shutting the door, locking it over, moving shelves and dressers over the door so it was impossible to get in, listening to the angry man banging at the door.
She looked around for her phone, only realising that it was downstairs. She was terrified, so terrified that she felt like she was going to be sick. She couldn't believe this was happening. Especially after Punk had been so positive on the phone this morning. She didn't know what to do.
She heard it go quiet outside the room door all of a sudden, but then proceeded to hear to sets of Albanian voices, crumbling her down to a heap on the floor in the corner of the room, listening to them coming upstairs, hearing guns being loaded, covering her ears and shutting her eyes as she wished the world away.
She uncovered her ears, listening to the silence just before a shot fired through the room door. She wasn't used to anything like this. She was crying now. She couldn't help it now. Her tears were staining her cheeks whilst the one two Albanians, turned into three, pushing the door open as they managed to topple the furniture she had laid out against it, watching them burst into the room with quenched eyes and sadistic smiles.
"Please… please don't hurt me." She shook her head, her voice cracking with the emotion and pain, "Please, don't." She begged, but it didn't apply to them. One yanked her up by the hair whilst the other grabbed her by the arm, both of them passing her over to the remaining man who pushed her down on the bed, face first, the exact position her boyfriend predicted they would.
In that moment, she wanted to believe in God, just so he could save her from this, so he could miraculously make this all go away. God or Phil. Either one could save her, but both seemed unrealistic.
"Phil… we got the guys at the warehouse. There was five of them. Three dead, two we got handcuffed. You heard anything from anywhere else?" Seth asked whilst standing in Punks office.
"Yeah, we're wiping them out, Seth. Half of them are killing themselves before we even reach them." Punk said, "I'm just waiting on a call from New Jersey to let me know an update, the rest have all found their guys." Punk said as Seth nodded.
"Good." Seth said, "And if..." He was interrupted as Paul came charging into the office.
"Phil..." He gasped as Punk raised his eyebrows, "Keane and McConnel were shot a few hours ago." Paul named the two police officers that were guarding the house whilst Punk was away from AJ.
"What?" Punk stood up quickly.
"They were shot, about three hours ago." Paul said as Punk rushed out the office with Paul following behind.
"How many did we say we had to find here?" Punk asked, hiding his own fear shaking his voice as he walked quickly.
"Eight." Paul said, "You've found five, and we can't find the other three." Paul said as Punk paused turning around to his boss and shaking his head.
"No." Punk shook his head, refusing to believe it, "No… no no..." He muttered over and over again as he rushed out of the station quickly.
"Back up for Brooks." Paul lifted his walkie talkie, "Now! Back up for Brooks." He exclaimed through the device, grabbing his own coat and rushing out behind Punk who was already half way there to his house, passing every red light, no care for the roads, no care for anything besides his pregnant girlfriend.
He pulled up to the house, noticing a black car speeding off, memorising the plate on it, turning his head and losing his breath as he looked at the whole house in flames, the window smashed with the curtains blowing out them, flames roaring out the window and throughout the house, a pit of dread burying deep in his stomach.
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