.

Loyalty and Limerence

Part 2

Chapter 13

(Content Warning: This chapter contains mentions of human trafficking and abuse, but they are not graphic or detailed.)

The Normandy SR2

Somewhere in the back of his head, Garrus knew where he was. He'd followed Shepard through the CIC to the Normandy's cockpit at some point, but the details seemed to be slipping away from him. His attention had started deteriorating the moment he'd noticed the red haired woman he found there, tinkering with one of the displays as she helped install an update.

He knew Shepard was discussing something with him, but the meaning of the words seemed to be going in one ear and out the other. All he could see was Jane, who had finished her work and had come to stand beside her brother, staring up at Garrus with a challenge in her eyes, a small, knowing quirk to her lips. Her eyes left his to slowly rake down his body before returning to his face, her smirk growing wider and more predatory, her eyes narrowing slightly as they seemed to dance with amusement.

Garrus felt the temperature of the room begin to tick upwards as he fought the flush creeping up his neck. He swallowed but forced himself to hold her eyes, not wanting to back down from the challenge there. It was exhilarating and impossible not to dwell on the few hours they'd spent swept up in each other the night before. It still felt like some sort of dream. When he'd woken that morning, he'd honestly started doubting his sanity until their eyes met at breakfast, the electric charge nearly enough to make him jump.

Jane must have noticed the anticipation tightly coiling his body and the nervous bob of his throat swallowing because she suddenly looked incredibly self satisfied. Garrus ruffled, determined not to let her win… whatever this stand off between them was. He pulled himself to his full height, squaring his shoulders as he looked down at her. He let his mandibles flick wide with confidence as he crossed his arms.

Jane seemed to appreciate him rising to her silent challenge, her tongue darting out quickly to lick her bottom lip. Spirits, he wanted to grab her, throw her over the unoccupied chair, and-

"-Garrus? Earth to Garrus? Did you hear anything I just said?" Shepard asked from where he stood beside Jane, waving a hand in Garrus' face. He blinked, coming back to himself with a small shake of his head.

"Ah, sorry Shepard. Mind repeating that?" Garrus mumbled, forcing his eyes away from Jane as she chuckled, bringing up a fist to hide her amused smile.

"You okay, Garrus? You've seemed out of it all morning." Shepard asked, his brows furrowing in concern. Garrus tried not to panic, his mind searching for an excuse. Somehow he figured 'Oh, just daydream about ravishing your sister' wasn't a good answer.

"Yeeah. Sorry, I just didn't sleep much last night." He replied somewhat lamely, at least to his own ears, though Shepard seemed mollified. The other man's expression softened, concern seeping into his voice.

"Ah, I can understand that. How are you holding up after everything that happened?" Garrus hesitated a moment at the question, his eyes darting quickly to Jane who was clearly attempting not to look at him, her expression carefully neutral.

"I'm… doing okay. I've been, uh, coping." Garrus coughed awkwardly, and Jane was unable to stifle a soft, amused snort.

"Ugh, can you guys take this conversation somewhere else and spare me? I think I'm going to be sick." Joker moaned from where he sat at the ship's controls, looking over his shoulder at them, his eyes all too knowing. Garrus felt his neck flushing again, this time in embarrassment, as he wondered what the pilot might know or suspect. Joker and EDI had been more friendly with each other lately, was it possible that he knew about what had happened the night before?

Or were he and Jane just that painfully obvious?

Shepard turned his head to give Joker a strange look before returning his attention back to Garrus.

"Listen, Garrus, if you need anything, just let me know." Shepard clapped him on the shoulder, and Garrus smiled at him in gratitude.

"Thanks, Shepard. But I think I'll, uh… manage."

"Good man. Anyway, I have to finish up the supply list, make sure we get everything on board before we leave tomorrow. I'll talk to you guys later." With that, Shepard turned and left the cockpit, his boots echoing down the hall.

"I suppose I should get back to work." Garrus muttered, chancing a quick glance at Jane to see her watching him.

"I'm heading that way myself, I'll join you." She stated innocently, tucking her hands in her pants pockets as she turned toward him. "See you later, Joker."

"Uh huh." Joker grunted dryly, eyeing them both with a raised brow and a smug smirk. "Don't do anything I wouldn't do." He laughed before turning back to the controls as Jane and Garrus turned to leave.

"Doesn't leave a whole lot of options there, hot shot." Jane sniped back at him, causing Joker to squawk in mock displeasure. They made their way to the elevator in a comfortable silence, but Garrus couldn't keep himself from shooting quick glances her way, completely unable to keep his eyes off her. She drew him to her like iron filings to a lodestone, he was powerless to prevent it.

Finally, they stepped into the elevator, hitting the button for the crew deck. He wasn't sure who moved first, but as soon as the door closed, they were on each other. He hit the wall hard as she pushed into him, her hands slipping up his shirt and her dexterous fingers pressing into the sensitive skin of his sides, causing the air to leave him in a gasp.

"Do you know how hard it was not to grab you right there in the cockpit? How am I supposed to keep my hands off you?" He groaned as his fingers found her hips, his mouth coming down to nip at her neck, eliciting a pleased moan from her.

"Fuck, how am I supposed to focus on anything when you and that voice are in the room? It's so sexy it should be illegal." Jane muttered, grinning as he made his way up to nip at her ear lobe, her eyes fluttering shut as one of his hands found her hoodie's zipper.

"Hmm, is that so?" Garrus felt a mixture of pleasure and pride well up in him as he grinned like an idiot and his hand slipped up her shirt to caress her stomach, inching upwards. "Good thing this elevator is so damn slow." She laughed before leaning in to kiss him, her tongue darting out to meet his in a dance.

"Not slow enough." She whispered between kisses, causing him to chuckle.

"I've been meaning to ask." Garrus paused, pulling away slightly, enjoying her dazed expression, "It didn't really come up last night, but is this something we're keeping quiet, or are we letting the others know…?" He trailed off, his head tilting slightly in curiosity as he awaited her answer. Jane seemed to consider the question for a moment before responding as her finger traced a lazy pattern up his chest.

"I don't really care if the others find out, but I'm not about to throw it in their faces." The corner of her lips quirked upwards, "Plus, there's something fun about keeping it just between us for a little while." She leaned in close again, her breath mingling with his. Garrus opened his mouth to reply, but the elevator dinged a moment later, signaling the end of the ride.

They sprang apart just in time for the door to open, revealing Grunt holding a food tray. Garrus could feel his hands come up to smooth his shirt down as Jane quickly readjusted her hair. Grunt's eyes shifted from one of them to the other before he took a deep breath in through his nose. A moment later, he let the breath go, a smirk on his face.

"Heh heh heh…" The krogan chuckled slowly, his expression suggestive as he strode into the elevator, forcing the two of them to step around him to leave. They both turned to watch as the door closed, blocking the amused krogan from view. Garrus sighed, bringing a hand up to rub the back of his neck.

"Why do I get the feeling that it won't stay just between us for long?" He muttered in annoyance as Jane ran a hand through her hair, her face still flushed. After a moment, he turned to find her watching him.

"Garrus," She started, glancing behind her before continuing, "You'd said that you were okay with helping me with some things on the Citadel, are you still feeling up for that?" She asked, her voice low, and Garrus blinked, surprised by the change of topic.

"Yeah, of course." He stated before smiling down at her, "Anything for you." Her face lit up at that, pleasure dancing in her eyes. She grinned before grabbing the front of his cowl, pulling him forward to give him a quick kiss.

"Jeez, Garrus, I had no idea you were such a romantic." Jane whispered teasingly before letting him go and taking a step back, "Anyway, I set the meeting for this afternoon, so we'll need to get going soon. I recommend getting suited up and armed, I don't really know which way this will go, but I have my suspicions." Her eyes hardened, and with that the levity of the situation vanished. Garrus nodded his understanding.

"What are we going up against?"

"I'll fill you in once we get off the ship."

It didn't take long for them to suit up, even with the occasional bouts of distraction, and it was slightly after lunch that they both made their way toward the airlock. Jane walked just ahead of him, and Garrus found it nearly impossible to glance away from the sway of her hips, the way her hard suit conformed to the dips of her body, especially her-

"Expecting a fight, guys?" Both their heads shot up to see Shepard stepping out of the cockpit, his arms crossed and his eyebrow raised. He looked pointedly at the weapons they had holstered, his expression unamused. Garrus' eyes met Jane's as she glanced at him quickly before returning her eyes to her brother, crossing her arms to mirror him.

"Oh, you know. Always be prepared, right?"

"Didn't realize you were a boy scout." They stared each other down, and Garrus could see the suspicion rising on Shepard's face as the tension climbed. Given how concerned he'd been lately over Jane's behavior, he could only imagine how this looked, now with Garrus in tow. "Where, exactly, are you going that requires heavy weaponry?"

"Strip club." Jane stated bluntly, her expression bland as she shifted her weight to one side casually as if to say 'what of it?'. Garrus shifted to glance at Shepard before he registered her words, his eyes whipping back to her in surprise. Shepard blinked, his own surprise evident.

"Uh huh…" His eyebrows jumped up his forehead, his voice reflecting Garrus' own incredulity. With that, Jane turned and headed toward the airlock, palming the door open. Garrus turned back to Shepard and shrugged before following after her. "Have a good time…?" Shepard said just as the door closed behind him.

As they left the Normandy, Garrus felt guilt setting in. "I don't feel right keeping things from Shepard. You know he deserves better. Why can't you tell him about what we're going to do?" Garrus asked as they trudged down the jetway toward the security checkpoint.

"Because I'm worried this won't be strictly legal, and I don't want to get him involved." Jane replied, her voice low. "Let's continue this conversation a little further away." So they walked on in silence, their strides close enough that their arms bumped every now and then. Each time they brushed against each other, Garrus could feel his heart thud pleasantly and he marveled at how lucky he was that she'd picked him of all people. For the millionth time, he wondered if this was all some sort of dream. They passed through security quickly, and as they made their way through the markets, he spoke up again.

"So where are we really going?"

"I told you." Jane responded, shooting him an amused look out of the corner of her eye, "A strip club." He stared at her, and a moment later, she tilted her head and brought a hand up to her chin in consideration. "Well, actually, I'm not sure if the dancers at Chora's Den strip or not. You might know more about that than I."

"That old bar on the lower wards?" Garrus asked, incredulity leaking into his voice, "Why are we going there of all places?"

"Don't ask me, I didn't choose the location. They're not exactly the classiest bunch." Jane sneered as though she'd just smelled something vaguely rancid.

"So what are we up against?"

"You remember I told you about our time with the Tenth Street Reds on Earth?"

"Yeah, back before you both joined the Alliance to get off the streets." How could he forget? He'd accidentally eavesdropped on a conversation between the Shepards. She'd later discovered him, leading to a more than awkward moment.

"Yep. Well, I hadn't heard from them since, up until recently. They popped out of the woodwork to 'request' my assistance with something."

"So we're going to meet with someone from the Reds?"

"Yeah. They hinted at what they want me to do, but…" Jane trailed off, her feet slowing until she came to a stop, causing Garrus to pause next to her. She looked up at him with an odd hesitancy. "Garrus, I-" She swallowed and looked away, taking a deep breath, "I'm not ashamed of what I did while I was with the Reds. I did what I had to do to survive. But I'm not proud of it, either. I don't want you to… think less of me after today."

"Jane…" Garrus lifted a hand to gently tuck a lock of hair behind her ear, causing her to look back at him. His hand came to rest on her shoulder lightly, "It would take a lot for me to think of you as anything less than amazing." She brightened at that, her smile almost cheeky, her face flushing slightly.

"Oh man, you're on a roll. You're going to give me a cavity if you don't stop being so sweet." He chuckled at that, letting go of her shoulder and letting his fingers trail down her arm. He knew she couldn't feel it through her hardsuit, but it didn't matter. Touching her in any way gave him a rush.

"Why didn't you just ignore them? Surely a small-time gang you ran with ages ago can't do much to you at this point." Her shoulders slumped almost imperceptibly at the question as she looked away again.

"They may or may not have something with which to blackmail me, I'm not sure. I hardly care about that, but they're threatening to drag John's name through the mud along with mine, and I…" She trailed off, but words were unnecessary.

"Ah."

Suddenly, Jane froze, her eyes narrowing as she turned to scan the shop fronts around them and the route they'd just traveled down. Garrus felt his own nerves stand on edge at her sudden change in demeanor, turning to glance around as well.

"What is it? What did you see?" He whispered softly, willing his voice not to travel beyond them.

"I'm not sure. I just-" Jane cut off, pulling up her omni-tool and inputting a few commands. "Come on, let's keep moving." They continued on, traveling quickly and silently, constantly double checking to ensure no one was following them. After a few minutes, Garrus felt nervous and on edge, as though they were being watched. Once or twice he managed to catch a glimpse of movement out of the corner of his eye, making his anxiety spike.

Finally, they darted into a dark alleyway that seemed vaguely familiar. Jane grabbed his arm, pulling him behind a few empty crates. They crouched there, sidearms drawn, for what felt like ages. Garrus couldn't hear anything except their breathing, the far off sounds of the Citadel's air regulators, and his own heart hammering in his ears. The alley was dim, the only lights giving everything an eerie red glow, making details hard to make out. All of a sudden, it clicked and Garrus remembered when they'd been there last. It was the exact access alley where they'd once saved Tali from assassins years before.

He heard the door whoosh open, followed by armored footsteps. Jane held up a hand to him, gesturing for him to wait in cover. Nodding, Garrus readied himself as she pulled up her omni-tool, and within seconds she'd vanished. He felt more than heard her shift and leave, and he inched along until he could carefully watch from behind the crate.

There was a lone figure carefully making their way down the alley. All Garrus could make out was the silhouette, and though he wasn't an expert by any means, he suspected it to be a human male. He didn't see evidence of a drawn weapon, but he couldn't be sure. The man seemed to glance around as he took a few hesitant steps.

"Hands where I can see them." Jane's cold voice echoed through the space, and Garrus stood, his weapon drawn. "Why were you following us?" Before him, Jane stood just behind the man, her weapon trained on the back of his head. As the man's arms slowly reached up into the air, he finally got a good look at their stalker and realization began to dawn on Garrus.

"Going to shoot me, Jane?" Shepard asked delicately, his voice dry and unamused. Her weapon sank to her side in an instant as she sighed, throwing her head back in exasperation.

"John? What the fuck are you doing here? You followed me? What is with you guys? First Garrus, now you? Fuck." Jane growled, holstering her sidearm as frustration radiated off her. Garrus holstered his as well, chagrined and embarrassed.

"Why is it that I have to sneak around in order to figure out what it is that you're hiding from me?" Shepard's voice was deathly calm, but underneath it Garrus could hear the barely contained anger. "And now you've roped Garrus into whatever this is." Shepard shot him a hard look, and Garrus felt his stomach drop, shame washing over him.

"What makes you feel entitled to know what I do in my free time?" Jane shot back, her back going up as her brows knit with equal irritation.

"I had been under the impression that we were family, Jane. I shouldn't have to sneak around and follow you in order to figure out whether or not you've lost your mind."

"No, but you should just trust me, John!" Her voice began to rise, and Garrus wondered for a moment if he should move to stand between the two of them. He felt horribly torn, unsure what his role needed to be in this. He was trapped between a rock and a hard place, as the humans liked to say, between his best friend and… whatever his relationship to Jane was.

"Jane, you joined a terrorist organization and keep giving me half answers, I don't know what to think anymore. You sneak around behind my back, I know you've been keeping something big from me. Do you not trust me? Why can't you confide in me? We used to tell eachother everything, when did that change?" The heat slowly started leaving Shepard's voice and by the end, a bone deep weariness began to seep in to replace it. The fight seemed to leach out of Jane, who went silent.

"I'm sorry John. I didn't mean…" She looked away, sighed, and brushed her fringe of bangs out of her face. She looked to Garrus, and he nodded at her. He tried to silently encourage her, and perhaps his message got across, for she finally relented. "Okay. I'll tell you everything, just not right now, not right here."

"Then when, Jane?" Shepard muttered, his hands coming up to massage the slowly fading scars on his cheek.

"How about this?" She started, her voice conciliatory and her eyes darting to Garrus again before returning to her brother, "You head back to the Normandy, and when we get back I'll tell you everything." The alley was silent, and Garrus knew his face expressed his astonishment. Jane must have seen it, for she added, "I've been talking to Kasumi about scrubbing or jamming the port observation deck, getting rid of EDI's ability to monitor there, at least for small periods of time."

"What about whatever you're up to tonight? Where are you heading?" Shepard asked, his voice drawn as he glanced between the two of them.

"Oh, well, we really are going to a strip club." Jane quipped back at him, and Garrus shrugged. Shepard raised an eyebrow, and Jane checked her omni-tool with a sigh. "Okay, look. You can come with me, you're going to find out about everything anyway. You always did like sticking your nose in." She muttered as she glared at Shepard, but there wasn't any real heat in it, "But please, let me handle this." She sighed again, looking back down at her omni-tool. "It was my actions and decisions that landed me here, it's my responsibility to sort it out." They stared at each other for a moment before Shepard nodded.

"Fine. Lead the way." He stated, and Jane looked to Garrus, who nodded, prompting her to turn and head down the alley toward the club.

"How did you track us, anyway? You're not very good at that sort of thing, generally." She asked as they neared their destination, her voice bemused.

"You do remember that I took the same N courses as you, right?" Jane turned to shoot him a look and Shepard shrugged, a little shamefaced. "I asked Bailey to use their surveillance system to track you for me, but he refused for some reason. However he was totally fine with tracking Garrus for me, so he's been feeding me your location, I just had to keep up from a distance." Jane stopped and stared at Shepard, her face a mix of frustration and admiration. After a moment, she snorted softly and shook her head before continuing on.

"Clever. Should have thought of that…"

As they entered the bar, Garrus couldn't help but think of the last time he'd been there, guns ablaze and bullets flying. The two humans with him had been there, too, and it had been there that his friendly competition with Jane had really begun. He smiled fondly at the thought.

The smile faded quickly, though, as the atmosphere and mood of the grungy gentleman's club began to sink in oppressively. Their group gained more than one disinterested look as they entered, the club filled with more people than Garrus expected to see during the midday hours. Shepard and he followed Jane as she picked her way through the crowd with purpose, her eyes seeking out someone in particular at a back table.

"Well, well, well." Came a weasley voice as she came to a stop at a secluded corner table, standing across from a human man leaning back in his chair with his arms crossed. "If it isn't Janie Shepard. They told me it was true, but I didn't believe it. Little Janie grew up and turned into a soldier."

"Finch." Jane stated coldly as Garrus and Shepard came to stop on either side of her, and the man's eyes widened as they landed on Shepard.

"And John! Well, now that's a surprise, given our last communication." Finch looked back to Jane with a significant look which she ignored, her face completely expressionless as she stared down at him. "No matter, perhaps this makes things easier. You two were always attached at the hip, never seemed to be far from the other. At least, up until John disappeared. It's good to see you again, John."

Seeing no recognition on Shepard's face, he continued, "You probably don't remember me, but we ran together in the Tenth Street Reds." Neither of the Shepards replied to that, and Finch smirked at them knowingly. "Maybe you don't remember it yourself, running in a gang. None of the vids mention it when they're talking about you, John."

"Cut the shit, Finch. What do you want?" Jane spat, her expression shifting to one of mild disgust, as though she were looking down at the squashed remains of an insect under her boot. The amusement seemed to melt off the other man's face at the ice in her voice.

"Fine. Straight to business. There's a turian running for office on Zakera Ward, and we believe it's in everyone's best interest if he took a little vacation. We've been looking into hiring someone to take care of it, as this is a somewhat bigger job than most of our guys are capable of, but then Beria remembered little Janie Shepard and her particular set of skills. You were surprisingly hard to get a hold of, but you used to be pretty good at making people disappear when we needed them to, back in the day, so we figure you can take care of this little problem, too." There was a heartbeat of silence before Garrus heard Shepard shift where he stood on Jane's other side.

"What is he getting at, Jane?" He asked quietly, and Garrus turned to see him peering down at Jane with alarmed confusion on his face. Garrus remembered the conversation he'd had with Jane beside the old Mako about her time with the Reds. She'd insinuated that she'd been tangled up in some dark business after John joined the Alliance, but Garrus hadn't thought it'd gone as far as murder. From the sounds of it, though, she'd had more than a little blood on her hands prior to her own enlistment. He couldn't say he was surprised, but his heart broke a little for the teenage Jane who had been forced into that life.

"We can talk about it later, John." She hissed, never breaking eye contact with Finch, who still sat across from them as he watched closely. "Who is it that you need me to take care of and why?" Finch grinned at the question, pleased and self satisfied.

"Joram Talid." The name rang a bell in the back of Garrus' mind. "He's a racist asshole hellbent on running humans off the Citadel. Now that humans have started carving out a place for ourselves in outer space and gaining power here on the Citadel, bastards like him are gunning for us, and we need to send a message that we're not to be fucked with." Jane seemed to consider his words, her brows furrowing as she brought a finger up to tap her chin.

Garrus could feel his apprehension growing. He saw in her expression that she was debating something, and he desperately hoped she wasn't actually considering going along with what the man was asking. He remembered the name now, Joram Talid. He was an anti-human activist, and barefaced to boot, but there was no way she could let these gangsters talk her into assassinating a relatively innocent man, no matter how detestable he was. He felt as though he was finally starting to understand her, she wouldn't do something like that, right?

"And if I don't agree to do this job? What, exactly, is going to happen?" She asked, and Garrus took a breath, feeling his chest loosen a little. Finch, on the other hand, narrowed his eyes.

"Well, Johnny here is considered quite the hero, particularly after his miraculous rebirth. It'd be quite a shame if the famous Commander Shepard's history of running with gangs went public."

"Nonsense." Shepard cut in, his hard gaze directed at Finch, "My history's a matter of public record. I've got nothing to hide." He turned to look at Jane before adding, "Jane, don't let them blackmail you into doing anything wrong simply because of empty threats like these." She didn't respond, her eyes still trained on Finch, so Shepard continued, "Everyone knows that we ran with gangs as kids."

"The Reds aren't just a street gang anymore, John." Jane replied, her voice low, "They expanded, getting into smuggling, drugs, sex trafficing, all sorts of fun things." Garrus could hear the disgust in her voice, mirroring his own as she continued, "They've also recently shifted their focus to become something of an Earth-first organization." Jane glared down at the other man, and Garrus felt a shiver at the edge of danger in her voice, "I've heard some pretty bad stuff about what you've been getting up to lately, Finch."

"All the more reason to heed the warning. I can find a dozen Reds who'll swear they saw you both kill aliens for fun. The council and all your alien friends won't like you so much when they hear about that, so perhaps you should consider playing nice and going along with what we need you to do, Janie."

Shepard seemed to stand taller, his eyes narrowing even as he considered the threat with somewhat more weight. "If that's not enough motivation for you," Finch continued, bringing up a hand to casually glance at his nails with apparent lack of concern, "Then perhaps we can dig up some evidence from some of the jobs we had you pull back in the day, Janie. I'm sure the cops would love to get their hands on some of the data I've hung onto over the years." Garrus felt dread slowly settling in his limbs as he tried to glance surreptitiously at Jane, who continued to show no sign that the words had made any impression. There was a moment of silence before Jane replied.

"Let me guess. Even after all this time, you're still just Beria's little errand boy, aren't you." She sneered down at Finch, and the words had an instantaneous reaction, as so many of her jibes did. Finch's face twisted in anger, his eyes narrowing as his fist clenched so tightly it turned white.

"Beria's just an old fool, content to sit around and play with his whores." Finch hissed, shoving his chair back as he stood suddenly, "You don't know what you're talking about, you bitch. You're lucky you were so useful back then, or else you would have ended up no better than any of his little playthings."

Jane's eyes seemed to darken, her face setting as her jaw tightened. Shepard jerked forward, his mouth opening to retort angrily, but Jane's arm shot out to hold him back, effectively silencing him. Garrus felt his own ire sparking as he imagined, for a moment, a world where Jane had been forced to live that life.

"So he is still trafficking and pimping out girls, then?" She stated, a hint of odd satisfaction in her voice. Finch raised an eyebrow at her, her sudden interest causing his anger to be replaced by confusion.

"Well, yeah." Finch shrugged, his expression seeming to call into question the soundness of her mind, "That bastard only ever thinks with his di– Urrrk!"

Jane moved so fast that Garrus barely had time to register her movement. Before he knew it, she'd gotten around the small table, grabbed Finch by the collar of his shirt, and rammed him hard against the wall.

"Jane! What the-?" Shepard started, lifting a hand and taking a step toward her, grabbing at her and trying to force her off. They all froze, however, as she shifted her grip around Finch's throat with one hand and reached around to grab her sidearm with the other. The surrounding patrons, who had stopped their conversations to watch and jeer at the prospect of a good fight, all pushed back as they cried out at the sight of the gun.

Finch froze, his eyes going wide as he tensed, his eyes never leaving the weapon now jammed up into his jaw.

"Now then." Jane said, her voice deathly still and cold as ice, "I'm going to ask nicely, and I expect an answer. Do you understand, Finchie?" She crooned the name, dripping with sardonic acid and Garrus felt a shiver run down his arms in a way very different from those she'd given the night before. Finch swallowed and nodded quickly, sweat beginning to break out on his forehead. "I need to know where the Red's base of operations is here on the Citadel."

Finch's eyes seemed to widen further, darting around as though looking for help. They flicked to Garrus and Shepard where they both stood behind Jane. Garrus wouldn't be surprised to see the man wet himself as Jane's weapon pressed harder at his hesitation.

"Jane, let him go. You can't shoot him here." Shepard stated, his voice layered with a calmness leveled to sooth a wild animal. Jane ignored him as though she and Finch were the only two in the room, but Finch seemed to draw strength from the words.

"Y-yeah. You wouldn't throw everything away by commiting murder here in front of all these witnesses. Y-you're smarter than tha-." Finch stuttered, but froze as Jane's hand tightened around his neck.

"I can legally execute everyone in this bar." Jane's low, stone cold words seemed to reverberate around them, making the air catch in Garrus' lungs. He could hear Shepard's sharp intake of breath beside him. "You think the council cares about my shady past?"

Garrus couldn't help but wonder, for a moment, if this was what he'd sounded like as he'd confronted Harkin only days before. He was so used to thinking of Jane with her grinning, playful sarcasm. It was easy to forget that she was every bit the deadly, powerful Spectre.

Her words seemed to demolish the vestiges of Finich's courage, leaving him a sobbing mess.

"Th-the warehouse district on Z-zakera ward, in the old K-kassa Fabrication building."

"And that's where Beria is? Does he keep his girls there?" Jane demanded, not an ounce of emotion or pity in her voice. Finch nodded fervently, tears dribbling down his cheeks. "How many Reds are usually there?"

"P-probably about 20 or 30. There's a f-few other safe houses, but that's th-the biggest one." Jane nodded her understanding before going silent, as though in contemplation. Realization jolted through Garrus, and he quickly stepped forward to place a hand on her shoulder gently.

"Don't do it." He whispered, noticing as her tense finger on the trigger relaxed somewhat. Jane turned just enough to glance up at him out of the corner of her eye before returning her attention to the sniffling man in her grasp.

"What's going on here?" A voice boomed across the room, and they turned to see a C-Sec officer pushing his way through the murmuring, terrified crowd. Noticing Jane's weapon drawn on Finch, the man quickly drew his own sidearm. "Drop your weapon and release him!"

Without missing a beat, Jane released Finch's neck, keeping her weapon jammed up into his jaw, using her newly free hand to pull up her omni-tool, gesturing with it in the officer's direction. The C-Sec officer's omni-tool sprang to life upon his wrist with a ping! and he looked down at it in shock. After a moment, his eyes widened, and he lowered his gun.

"Oh, uh-" He hesitated, looking to Jane, then down to his omni-tool, then back to her again as she grabbed Finch and slammed his face down into the table, holding the back of his neck as she readjusted her gun to point into the back of his head. "Er, sorry about the interruption, ma'am." He stumbled over the title, swallowing nervously, "I'll, uh, leave you to it, then."

The officer slowly backed up, and Jane glanced up to see Shepard staring in shock between her and the retreating officer. Her eyes locked with Garrus', and after a moment, he shook his head slightly. She'd worked hard the other day to prevent him from doing something he'd regret, he owed her the same. Jane took a deep breath, releasing it slowly before holstering her weapon.

"Wait." She barked toward the officer, who froze. "Arrest this man, be sure to detain him without letting him send out any outgoing messages." The officer's expression grew confused as he opened his mouth to reply, but she cut in, "No outgoing messages, do you hear me? It will ruin my current investigation."

"Yes, of course, ma'am." The officer ducked his head to her before hurrying forward as he grabbed his handcuffs.

"I'll send along the necessary report including the charges against him within the next 24 hours. In that time, he is to be held in solitary with no visitors. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"And you-" Jane leaned forward to bring her face closer to Finch's as he mumbled prayers to some human god, "I don't ever want to see your face again, got it?" She hissed as she ground his head down into the table. He nodded frantically, his eyes rolling in their sockets. "Good." She released him as the officer grabbed his hands, wrenching them behind his back.

Jane stepped back to let the officer drag Finch away, her eyes steel as she watched them leave. Garrus felt himself take a much needed breath, unsure if he was shocked, impressed, or incredibly turned on by the display. Possibly some mix of the three.

"What the hell was that, Jane?" Shepard hissed, causing her shoulders to soften as she turned to face the two of them.

"Sorry that got a little… intense, guys." She offered before looking around to see the whispering crowd around them. "We need to get out of here before I'm recognized. This became a bit of a spectacle." She muttered before turning toward the door. They followed her into the corridor and to a public transport console, where she ordered a sky car. They stood there in silence until it arrived.

"Do you mind driving, Garrus? I think John and I have a lot to discuss…"

"Of course." He agreed, and soon they slid into the sky car, heading back toward Zakera Ward, to the warehouse district.