Brant felt a bit on edge as he pulled into the parking lot outside of Norman's hangout place. He went inside with Kate, hell bent on ending this whole thing. According to Porter, Stokes said Delia's testimony was enough to get him on the trafficking on top of the information they got from the drive in the car; they just needed to get it from her again. Brant hoped they did it soon, but he felt bad Delia had to relive everything all over again.
"What's the plan?" Kate asked as they reached the door.
"Just follow my lead," he answered. She made a bit of a disgruntled sound, but he didn't want to tell her that he didn't really have a plan. He was just kind of winging it, and that sometimes didn't end very well.
Norman looked up at them as they walked towards him. If he was surprised, he hid it very well.
"So," Brant said, stopping right in front of him. "Thought you'd blow us up, huh?"
"Whatever are you talking about, my friend?" Norman asked innocently.
"Don't do that," Brant scoffed. He pointed a finger at him. "What did I do wrong, huh? I'm as loyal as you're gonna get!"
"Are you? Are you really?" Norman challenged, getting to his feet now. He came to stand right in front of Brant.
"Yes," Brant tried. He felt Kate move to stand a bit behind him now. Brant was trying to figure out what was happening. Norman stood in his face, an angry look in his eyes. Brant felt Kate grab the back of his shirt tightly.
"You're supposed to be turning her out," Norman said to him.
"I am," Brant lied.
"Then how come nobody has seen her? Not a one. Explain that to me."
"We've been traveling," he said.
"Don't be a smartass. Before that nobody saw her."
"I go somewhere else."
"Bullshit," Norman sneered, poking his chest now. "You're not doing it. Kip said you busted her out of that room at the party, too. Why aren't you turning her out?!"
"You're getting your money," Brant pointed out. "So what's the problem?"
"The problem is we ain't running a charity case here! She's supposed to work!" Norman was yelling now.
"Brant," Kate said, and he turned to see her being pulled back by two men who had snuck up on them. One was pulling a syringe out of her neck where he'd stuck her. Brant could see that Kate was pissed she'd been caught off guard. Hell, so was he.
"Hey," Brant started, but Norman backhanded him, and he saw stars briefly. He recovered and felt his face stinging and swelling. A third man came and grasped his neck, shoving him into the wall tightly.
"That's not the only thing I've learned about you," Norman advised. "Detective Sergeant Tom Brant."
Brant's blood ran cold. He was convinced more than ever now that someone within his precinct was a rat. Or maybe Norman really had figured it out on his own.
"You need to learn a valuable lesson about what it means to f*** with me, Tom."
"Brant!" Kate shouted, panicked. Her voice sounded funny as she lost her balance. One of the men caught her.
Brant wanted to assist, but on top of being pinned, Norman pulled a gun on him, daring him to try with his eyes. Brant knew he couldn't risk getting shot just yet. Seeing Kate scared, though, was killing him. He tried to promise her nonverbally that she'd be all right. She couldn't fight off the men despite trying. Whatever they'd dosed her with was fast working. Her movements became slower and weaker despite her fury being strong.
"When she's dealt with," Norman said now. "You're getting a bullet in the head."
"You can try," Brant mocked.
"Brant! NO!" Kate shrieked as she was hauled off now. She was helpless now. "BRAAAANT!"
"She'll never get out of it," Norman said to him softly. "I'll make sure of that. Seems America's FBI agents are prettier than I thought, and she'll make a pretty penny for me when I sell her to a brothel in some Godforsaken place far away from here."
Brant clenched his jaw, waiting. He felt sick when Kate went completely limp and unconscious as the man carried her away. His fingers twitched with wanting to beat them all to pieces. When the time was right, he freed himself from the chokehold and took that man down in seconds before turning to face Norman.
"Bring it on, big guy," Norman mocked, and Brant launched onto him. Norman put up on hell of a fight in return, though. They slammed around, throwing punches and dodging kicks. Brant knew the longer he was getting to Kate, the harder it would be to find her, and that made it very hard for him to breathe.
Norman yelled when he got thrown, and Brant was about to unleash holy hell on his ass when shots went off. He ducked, seeing Norman's men had come to assist. He ran out of there, knowing he had to put a pin in this and help out Kate first. He pulled out his phone as he ran to the car.
"Nash," he said when Porter answered. "I've been found out. They took Kate. They're gonna traffic her again. Find her!"
"Shit, alright."
Brant tossed his phone and started driving. He had to get her out of this. He wouldn't be able to live with himself if something happened to her on his watch.
...
Kate was feeling nervous. She came to in a bedroom unable to move and back in hooker clothes, which made her feel nauseous as to who did that to her. She tried to escape anyway, but nothing would give. She breathed hard through her nose since someone had put tape over her mouth. She closed her eyes and tried to calm herself. She'd been in tough situations before. She could get out of this one. She wasn't useless.
The door opened, and her eyes snapped to the person who just came in. He was a young man with black hair and steel blue eyes. They were cold eyes.
"So," he said. "You're an FBI agent."
So they knew. She felt despair. This wasn't going to end well. He came over to her and stood by the side of the bed, looking down at her. He reached to trace her cheek with a finger, and she worked hard to hide her anxiety.
"You know what I do to law enforcement who think they can just bust in here and take away all that we worked so hard to build?" he asked. She kept breathing since that was all she could do. "Well..." His finger traced down her neck to her collarbone now. "...you're about to find out." As his fist closed around her throat, she was pretty sure she was going to die here.
But not without a fight.
...
"Anything?" Brant asked. He was freaking out. He searched all pimp corners, just in case, and didn't find her. The apartment he'd rented had been ripped apart. There was no action by the docks. He wasn't sure where else to find her. He hoped he wasn't too late. He had Porter searching too.
"Not yet."
"Shit. I can't believe this happened!"
"Your luck ran out. It happens."
"She doesn't deserve this, Nash!"
"I know. We'll find her. Stokes might have something."
"And what if we're too late?" Brant asked. Porter said nothing on his end, and Brant knew he was feeling just as terrible.
"Let's not go there just yet."
"Just...call me if you have something," Brant said now.
"I will."
He ran a hand over his head fiercely. He should have fought harder. He should have known that someone would rat him out...rat her out. Or maybe their few mistakes had been found out after all. Kip's report to Norman probably hadn't helped any either. He banged his fist on the steering wheel over and over, releasing a frustrated, terrified yell.
...
"Everybody down on the ground!"
"Freeze!"
Kate's offender froze. She was pinned underneath him, his fist still around her throat choking her. She'd managed to head butt him relatively hard, but that just made him angrier. She wasn't going down without some kind of fight, though, but the timing of this police raid was very welcome. He gave her a look that said he'd love nothing more than to end her right here and now, but instead he swore and leaped off the bed, grabbing his gun off the dresser before jumping out the window. Kate was trying not to cry as the relief coursed through her. He hadn't gotten far with her, but he'd made it clear he was going to hurt her. She moved her right wrist around, trying to loosen it enough to free herself.
She yelped when the door burst open and a plain clothed police officer stood there scanning the room. He had dark hair with a hint of a mustache.
"Shit," he said, finally seeing her. "You alright?"
Kate gave him a look, and he holstered his gun before going over to cut her loose. She sat up, pulling the tape off herself. Once on her feet, she felt a bit woozy from whatever they'd dosed her with. She managed to stay upright, though. She was more pissed off than anything that they'd gotten her to start with. She was tougher than that, and when she got a hold of them, she'd make sure they damn well knew she wasn't to be messed with.
"Here," he said. "It's cold out there." He offered her his coat, and she took it. She tried not to feel ashamed or embarrassed of her state of dress as he ushered her out. He walked her past other men being handcuffed, and she wondered what had warranted a sting operation like this by the police. Did they know she was here?
"I'm Detective Inspector Craig Stokes," he said as he drove. "I'm sorry for what happened to you in there. I'm gonna take you in for your statement, if that's alright."
"It's fine." Kate felt relief then. Stokes? He'd helped Delia and done this raid based on her tip, Kate was sure of it, so she felt she could trust him. She could also find Brant if they went to the station. He didn't seem to know who she was, though, so she kept quiet just in case.
Once inside the station, he left her to get his forms. Kate looked around, searching for any sign of Porter or Brant. As if conjured, she saw Brant come charging into the bullpen.
"Has Nash checked in yet?" he barked. "It's imperative!"
"Not yet," a woman answered as he passed.
"I need all hands on deck," he ordered. "I have a missing woman, and we need to find her before—" He stopped short upon seeing Kate, who had just jumped to her feet.
"Brant," she said.
He said nothing as he came towards her and pulled her into him hard, hugging her tight. Kate clung to him, having never felt so happy to see someone as she did in that moment. In his arms, she felt safe. He moved back slightly after a moment, searching her eyes.
"Are you hurt?" he asked, resting his hands on her face lightly. She saw his eyes darken at the sight of the fingerprints on her neck.
"I'm okay," she answered. For now. She'd fall apart later.
"Hey, Brant," Stokes said as he returned. "I thought you were working a different case?"
"I just got booted," Brant answered. "Thank you for finding Kate." He went to pull Kate with him when Stokes held up a hand.
"Hold on," he said. "Found who? She was involved in my raid just now that stemmed from my informant."
"Kate's been working with me on my case," Brant advised. "She only ended up on your scene by accident."
"I'm confused."
"Just don't worry about the paperwork, alright?"
"I need her statement, though. This guy has killed more than one prostitute..." Stokes started. Brant made him jump back when he lunged forward a little.
"Kate is NOT a prostitute!" he practically roared.
"Alright, alright," Stokes said, holding up both of his hands now. "I got it. But I still need her statement. I need to bring this guy down, Brant."
"It's fine," Kate jumped in now, making Brant look at her. "I'm glad to do it."
"I'll be fifteen minutes," Stokes promised. Brant gave a growl.
"Fine, but can someone at least get her a bloody t-shirt or something?!" he called, glaring at the people watching. Someone scuttled off to do his bidding, and Kate reached to rest a hand on his shoulder.
"I'll see you soon," she promised. He ground his jaw but nodded. She sat back down, and Stokes started asking her questions. When it got to how she arrived here, her voice faltered.
"It's okay," Stokes said. "Take your time." Kate nodded in thanks, swallowing as she remembered. She'd tracked Delia to Elijah, and then she'd made the decision to be a victim. She'd gone to associate with a man involved in the trafficking, and she let him take her to Elijah. She'd pretended to be scared when he laughed and leered at her. Then she'd been knocked out and put in a shipping container with other women. She came to a few times but didn't stay conscious for long. A ship member kept coming to re-dose them all in order to keep them compliant. When it wore off, though, she gave them a run for their money so as to escape and find Delia, which led to getting tied up and dragged to Norman. And that's where she'd met Brant. She took in some deep breaths and relayed all of this to Stokes, who wrote it down quickly and without much comment. When it was over, she got to her feet. She was done talking about herself.
"Thank you," she said, "for helping Delia."
"Delia?" Stokes asked, confused.
"My niece."
"Whoa, hold on," Stokes said, waving a hand. "Delia's your niece?!"
"That's correct."
"Oh, wow." Stokes looked thrilled. "Wait, Kate Macer...you're FBI Agent Kate Macer! I've heard so much about you! It's an honor to finally meet you!"
"Heard about me from who?"
"Oh, I have a friend in Arizona who watched you work a case once. He was fascinated, and I've wanted to meet you ever since."
"Well...I'm flattered..."
"Come on, let's get you changed into something nicer." He led the way, vibrating with excitement. Kate followed, feeling a spark of happiness at being recognized for her work. Sometimes she felt invisible to her colleagues and the public. Brant intervened about halfway through the walk, though.
"You okay? For real?" he asked.
Kate didn't want to have a breakdown right here in front of everyone, but she was not feeling 100% okay. She'd almost been raped again and murdered or worse, and that was going to stick for a while. Her arms and legs were sore from the position she'd been stuck in, and her wrists and ankles were a bit chafed from trying to get free. Her neck was throbbing from where the needle had jabbed her and then where she'd been strangled. She took some breaths and rid the memories from her mind for now. Then anger set it again. Those bastards were going to pay. All of them.
"We'll talk later," she promised, and he nodded. Stokes came back having just gone around the corner to the closet. He handed her cargo pants and a hoodie. She accepted both and went to change, collecting the t-shirt someone had finally brought her along the way.
She was very much ready for this to end.
...
Brant was practically vibrating. He wanted to kill Norman with his bare hands. He was nauseous at the thought of what could have happened to Kate today. She seemed off, and he knew it had been bad. He looked up from where he was sitting in the hallway when she finally found him.
"Kate," he said, getting to his feet. She stood in front of him expectantly, and he had so much he wanted to say but suddenly couldn't say it. Words just didn't seem cut it.
"Yes?" she prompted, and he took her by the hand and pulled her into an abandoned office, closing the door behind them. She waited, her eyes never leaving his, and he kissed her. Having her taken away from him and almost losing her had made him realize how foolish he was being in keeping his distance. He cared for her, more than he'd cared for anyone in a very long time.
Then he realized he was an idiot because of what had almost happened to her today. He pulled back.
"I'm sorry," he said. "I'm sure you're not into that right now. I wasn't thinking..."
"I want you to," she interrupted. Her eyes were clear and serious.
"You sure?"
"Yes."
"But today..."
"Is a memory I've buried to unpack in a therapist's office later down the road," she finished for him. "I'm very good at that."
Brant still felt unsure, and she tilted her head at him a bit.
"Brant, I'm very sure...because like hell am I going to let that shit ruin something that is so important to me right now."
"You're important to me too," he said softly. She nodded her acknowledgement, slightly emotional, and he kissed her once more. His hands moved to hold her head as she caught the front of his shirt to pull him into her with one hand and snagged the nape of his neck with her other. She fell back against the wall, and their kiss grew more and more heated. Then he pulled her back and moved her in front of him so he could lift her up and set her on the desk. Her legs went around his waist, and they both sank down slowly with her resting on her back and his knees digging into the side of the desk.
"Brant," she said in a way that made him feel fiery tingles all throughout his body. He claimed her mouth with his again, feeling her hands running up his chest under his shirt.
Then the door opened.
"Brant? I got an upda—whoa," Porter said, making them stop and Brant jerk back while Kate sat up quickly and hugged herself, cheeks very red. Brant gave him an irritated look, and Porter was making an apologetic face. "Erm, sorry...glad you found her! Stokes's guy got away, unfortunately."
"Can you give me a minute?" Brant asked, lifting a brow. Did he seriously have to ask for that? Porter cleared his throat, embarrassed now.
"Yea, sure. Sorry."
When he was gone, Brant looked back at Kate, who was smiling and now standing on her feet in front of him. "What?"
"Did you mean it?" she asked. He moved to press his forehead against hers lightly, looking into her blue eyes.
"I meant it," he answered.
"Good," she countered, nodding slowly. She pressed her lips against the corner of his mouth lightly. "We should get back to work."
"Yea."
She reached for his hand, and he let her take it. Having this simple touch made him feel so warm inside. He hadn't realized just how much he'd craved it.
"Wait," she said, stopping.
"Yea?"
"I want to see Delia again."
He could tell a piece of her was worried she wasn't going to get to see her niece again after all of this, and he sincerely hoped that would not be the case. He'd protect her with his life out there in the field. He hoped she knew that.
"Okay, sure."
They detoured, and Brant waited outside the room while Kate went inside. Inspector Hughes came out shortly after. She nodded to Brant and went to get a coffee. He leaned against the wall and waited.
...
"What happened?!" Delia exclaimed upon seeing Kate. At first, Kate thought Brant had left some scruff burn on her neck, but then she remembered the finger bruises from her offender.
"Nothing," she dismissed. She didn't want to give it another thought, not right now...not after such a good moment with Brant.
"Did something happen?"
"It's okay," Kate insisted, going to hug her. "How are you?"
"I'm good. Sergeant Nash came back and got my statement again. He told me what happened, and it's so typical of Norman to have someone do that! I hate him so much!"
"I do too," Kate agreed.
"Have you arrested him yet?"
"We're on our way to do so." Arrest...kill...Kate wasn't sure what Brant had in mind, and she wasn't sure if she'd stop him if he wanted to do the latter.
"Good."
"I just wanted to check in with you before we left," Kate said. "Also, I want you to call your dad."
"I already did," Delia said, becoming a bit emotional now. "You were right...he wasn't mad. He cried and told me he loved me. He said he loves you too. He can't wait to see us again and is preparing a big homecoming."
"Good. That's something to look forward to." Kate smiled, and Delia smiled back. Tapping at the door indicated that Brant was ready to go. "I gotta go, baby, but I love you and will be back soon. Then we can go home."
"Okay. Good luck!"
Kate hugged her tightly one last time, trying not to tremble from the fearful thought that she might not get back to her niece. She kissed the side of Delia's head and pulled back, her hands on her shoulders.
"What?" Delia asked, noticing her look.
"You are a beautiful, smart, lovely young woman," Kate said, "and I know you're gonna heal from this and be okay. I'll be with you every step of the way."
Delia smiled again, some tears slipping down her cheeks. "Thanks, Aunt Kate. I...I'm scared I won't recover from this, but at least I'm not alone."
"You're never alone," Kate promised. More tapping on the door. "I'm sorry. Brant gets impatient. I have to go." She let go of her niece and took a step back.
"Is he cute?" Delia asked, waggling her eyebrows suggestively. Kate let out a light scoff and smiled. Before she could answer, the door opened and Brant stuck his head inside.
"Oi," he said. "Porter and Stokes are waiting for us to go over the plan."
"I'm coming," Kate replied.
"I got my answer," Delia stated. Brant gave her a puzzled look, and Kate shook her head at Delia before her niece could embarrass her.
"I'll be back soon," Kate told her.
"Bye. Love you!"
"Love you too."
Kate walked beside Brant to the boardroom where Porter and Stokes were waiting for them. She could see him thinking.
"What answer?" he asked on cue, and she laughed slightly.
"None of your business," she replied.
"It was about me, wasn't it?"
"Not at all."
"Liar."
She just grinned. As they walked together, she really hoped that they were going to make it out of this alive. She cracked her knuckles. A fight was coming, and she was ready.
