Amanda heard the shot ring out downstairs and her heart dropped to her stomach. The kids were hysterical, holding onto her for dear life upstairs in the bathroom. "It's okay, it's okay," she breathed, unsure if she was trying to convince them or herself. "Stay here," she commanded Jesse, Billie, and Jacob. "Do not leave this room unless Uncle Sonny or I come to get you."

"Mommy, don't go!" Jesse wailed.

"I have to make sure Uncle Sonny is okay," Amanda told her quietly, brushing her daughter's hair back. "Be brave for me, okay?"

"…kay," Jesse sniffed. Amanda pressed a kiss to the top of all three kids' foreheads, then got up and eased the bathroom door open. It was silent downstairs, and that terrified her. Her gun was locked in the master bedroom. Do I have time to grab it? What if Sonny's…what if…

Forcing the doomsday thoughts from her head, Amanda switched into detective mode. She crouched at the top of the stairs, trying to get a view through the banister into the living room. She could only see partway in. The front door was wide open, and when she got to the bottom of the stairs and could see out, there was no sign of the NYPD officer that had been watching the house.

"Sonny?" she called out, hitting the landing and turning into the living room. There were signs of a struggle, but no sign of Sonny or the officer. She hadn't even seen his face, it had all happened so fast. She mentally kicked herself, so in a hurry to get to the kids she hadn't bothered to look at who was attacking. Then, she froze.

The red stain on the rug could only be one thing. "No." Her cell phone lay on the end table and she picked it up and dialed. "Liv? Liv, oh God, it's Amanda. We….Sonny, he's…."

"Are you okay?"

"No! I mean, yes, but Liv, I think they took Sonny!"

At the 16th, Olivia slammed her door open and yelled for Fin and Velasco to join her in her office. Stella took a step back in alarm. "Amanda, stay on the phone." She looked at Stella. "Any chance I can get you up to the Heights to go over a crime scene?"

"Send me the address," Stella replied, already dialing Mac on her cell. She got out of their way as Fin and Joe came running in.

"Liv? What's wrong?"

"Amanda's on the line. Something happened at the safe house. Find the officer that was in charge of watching them and get me a warrant for O'Brien's-" She cut off as her landline lit up and she jammed the button. "Benson."

"Hi, this um, this is Cara. I'm the admin assistant for Mr. Barba's office. Um, I-I don't know if you were the right person to call but you're listed as his emergency contact."

Olivia froze, hitting the SPEAKER button. "Cara, you're on speaker. Is…is Rafael okay?"

"I don't know, that's just it. His car is still here but he's not and I found his cell phone on the ground kind of by the parking garage entrance. I-I didn't want to call his mother."

"It's okay, Cara, you did the right thing. We'll get a team over there as soon as we can. Go back inside and stay there until an officer comes to get you." Benson hung up with the young woman and ran a hand through her hair.

"You think Wheatley did somethin'?" Velasco asked.

"I wouldn't put it past him," Olivia said. "Okay, we need to find Barba and Carisi and we need to do it fast."

"We're on it, Cap," Fin assured her. "Do you want me to…" he trailed off.

She nodded. Fin left her office and swung by his desk, telling Velasco he'd meet him in the parking garage in a second. "Stabler, hey, it's Fin. We need to fill you in on what's been happening…."

Barba started as the door to the beach house he was currently under lock and key in was swung open. His eyes widened as one of Wheatley's heavies dropped a body to the floor and then left again. Slowly getting up, he made his way across the laminate, swearing profusely in Spanish as he realized who he was looking at. "Carisi. Jesus." He knelt down as Carisi's eyes fluttered open and he stared up at him.

"Barba?"

"Carisi, when you piss someone off, you really piss someone off."

"It's a gift."

He watched Barba get up and disappear behind the island, rummaging through some drawers before he came back over again. "Rollins, and the kids?" Barba questioned.

"They're okay. I think. God I hope they're okay." Carisi winced as Barba pressed a dishcloth to Carisi's shoulder. "It's a through and through."

"Looks like," Barba confirmed. "You're lucky," he added.

"Oh yeah?" Carisi chuckled. "How you figure?"

"If they'd killed you, Wheatley probably woulda raised you from the dead and killed you again," Barba offered, placing his friend's hand against the cloth to keep it in place as he got up and headed for the bathroom. "At least this way, we've got a chance to beat the bastard and you're only half dead."

Carisi moaned as he put pressure on the wound. "Ever the optimist."

Stella met Mac and Danny at the safehouse thirty minutes later, kits in hands. To Stella's surprise, there was a single squad car outside, lights on. "Hey!" she yelled to the officer, who was leaning against the hood, rubbing the back of his head. "You're in charge?"

"Uh, yeah," the officer said, shaking his head to clear it. "Arnold," he introduced himself. "Crime scene?" he questioned, nodding to their cases.

"Detectives Taylor, Messer, and Bonasera," Stella replied. "Why aren't you inside with the family?"

Arnold frowned. "I just woke up," he admitted. "Got clocked on the head by someone. Saw somebody heading up the sidewalk, confronted him, but got nailed."

"You get a look at him?" Danny asked as Mac pushed past him into the house.

"Not a great one. Dark out here."

"Sure," Stella agreed. "You seen anybody in the neighborhood?" she asked.

"Just the neighbors."

Stella eyed Danny and had an unspoken conversation. Danny put a hand against the hood of the squad car to tie his shoe. "Hey, Arnold? You said you just woke up?"

"Yeah?"

"Hood's still warm," Danny noted. "Meaning this thing was just shut off." He nodded to him. "Mind if I swab your hands for gunpowder?"

Arnold glared at him, his friendly demeanor disappearing. "Yeah, I do. Don't you need a warrant for that?"

"I mean it's no big deal if you didn't do anything wrong," Danny shrugged. "If you've been unconscious this whole time, obviously you couldn't fire your weapon, right?"

Arnold stared at Danny and Stella. Then, he turned and started running.

Danny looked at Stella. "Flip ya for it?"

"In these shoes?" Stella grinned. "Go get 'em, tiger."

Mac Taylor was relieved to see Amanda and the kids were all right. While Amanda kept them calm in the kitchen, Mac set to work in the living room. He found a couple of boot prints on the floor that didn't look like they matched any of the shoes belonging to Carisi, Amanda, or any of the kids. He snapped a few pictures and used contact paper to peel the boot print off the floor. As he did, he heard Stella's shoes behind him. "Good to come in?"

"Yeah. Where's Danny?"

"Chasing our perp down," Stella said. "Took off the second Danny poked holes in his story about having been knocked unconscious when they took Carisi. What've you got?"

"Footprints, there, and there," Mac pointed. "Detective Rollins said she heard a shot, let's see if we can't find a bullet."

Stella stepped around him into the living room. The blood stain on the floor made her nervous, and she hoped they could get everything cleaned up before the kids saw it and Amanda had to explain. From the way the rug was scuffed and bunched up, she figured about where whoever was on the floor had fallen from, and then pulled a flashlight to look for holes where there shouldn't be holes.

She found it buried in the plaster of the fireplace and pulled the bullet out with a tweezer, zipping it into an evidence bag. Gotcha. "Mac, I got a bullet," she said, keeping her voice low so she didn't scare the kids.

Amanda leaned against the doorway into the kitchen. "Can we get this guy?"

Stella nodded, squeezing her hand reassuringly. "Absolutely."

"Bullet, footprints, and-" Mac trailed off with a smile as a breathless Danny came in hauling a cuffed Officer Arnold. "Gotcha."

Amanda stepped up to Arnold. "Where's Carisi?" she demanded.

"I think I want a lawyer," Arnold sneered back.

Amanda bit her tongue, then changed her mind and smiled sweetly. "You know we saw in court Wheatley can get to you inside," she shrugged. "Probably safer with us, but you do you." She looked at Mac. "Liv could get him protective custody until we hook Wheatley."

"Nah, you heard him," Danny replied, "he wants his lawyer. Let's go, buddy," he said, turning Arnold around.

Amanda saw it in his eyes as the CSIs marched him toward the door.

Fear.

"Barba, you ever get out of the defense business, you'd make a hell of a field medic," Carisi said as Barba helped him to the small living room and to a high-backed, cushioned chair. He had to throw a Bed, Bath, & Beyond's worth of throw pillows out of the seat before Carisi could sit down.

"Yeah, I don't think so. Once is enough." Barba sat down across from him. "Maybe we can negotiate to get you to a hospital."

"Yeah, or he'll kidnap a doctor," Carisi sat back gingerly. "Don't suppose he keeps any of the good stuff out here?" he asked.

Barba eyed him. "I do believe I recall giving you painkillers a few minutes ago," he reminded him. "So if by 'the good stuff' you mean the first aid kit I found...?"

"I'll ask you again in 4-6 hours."

"Hoping it won't be that long."

"Any idea what in the hell he wants?"

"Based on our conversation from earlier?" Barba steepled his fingers and leaned forward on his elbows. "I don't think he was real thrilled with what happened in court."

"Earlier?" Carisi looked at him. "Hey, tell me they got you too," he said suddenly. "That you didn't drive up here voluntarily." His tone was almost pleading.

Barba looked at the floor. "Do you all think so little of me?" he asked quietly. "Does Olivia?"

"We didn't know what to think." Carisi winced. "Lot's happened in the past twenty-four hours or so. Nobody wanted to think you…well, maybe Stabler did."

Barba snorted. "Yes, clearly the most level-headed person involved in all of this. That was a good play, by the way. Did you put Stabler up to the men's room confrontation?"

Carisi didn't answer. "Interesting," Barba noted. "Well, no matter if you did or didn't, it worked. Wheatley walked right into it."

"Learned from the best," Carisi reminded him.

"Yeah, and look where it got you." Barba ran a hand down his face and leaned back in his chair, closing his eyes. "I don't know whether to be proud or pissed off."

"We all know you just wanted to protect Olivia."

Barba opened his eyes slowly. Carisi was staring at him. "Nobody likes it," he explained, "but we get it. You needed to be that line of defense between her and Wheatley. If anybody could defend Wheatley and not hurt her on the stand, it's you."

Barba gave him a faint smile. "I might have underestimated you, Counselor," he said.

"Beat ya once," Carisi reminded him.

"Stakes were lower then," Barba said. "This is all, it's all personal to Wheatley. You and I, we wounded his pride, us and Stabler and hell, everyone. That's worse than punching holes in his operation. He's a loose cannon if you insult him."

"That's what Amanda said," Carisi said.

Barba leaned forward again. "I'm gonna get you back to her," he told him.

"Oh, so you're protectin' me now, too?"

"And here I thought I was the one paying you to keep me out of trouble." Richard Wheatley closed the door behind him and came into the beach house. He looked at Carisi. "How's the arm?"

Carisi raised his hand up and extended his middle finger.

Wheatley smirked. "Yeah, we'll see about that."