It was now seven o'clock in the morning, and everyone in the intelligence division was already present in the bullpen, working on the case except for Soifon and Erin. As a result, Voight assigned Officers Burgess and Roman to assist until the two female detectives returned.
Ashley was the last one to arrive in the bullpen. She ignored Antonio's inquiries about her whereabouts last night and why she didn't answer her phone when he called. All she gave him was a vague response, mentioning that he would soon find out. Currently, she was in Voight's office, engaged in a conversation with him.
"So, what did Ashley do?" Adam asked, his eyes filled with curiosity as they met Antonio's. He made an effort to stay focused on the case and not intrude on Burgess' personal matters.
Antonio, the second-in-command, remained silent, his attention fixed on Voight's office door. Adam let out a sigh and lightly tapped his arm to get Antonio's attention. "Dawson!" he repeated, catching Antonio's gaze. Annoyed, the dark-haired man responded, "What, Ruzek?"
Adam quickly withdraws his hands away from Antonio upon the older man's sudden outburst. "I apologize, Ruzek," Antonio uttered with a frustrated sigh, running his hand through his hair. "It's alright," the blond replied nonchalantly.
"May I inquire about the reason for your presence?" Antonio asked, giving Adam his full attention while trying to push aside his apprehension regarding his girlfriend's conversation with Voight. He wondered if it had something to do with her leaving the apartment at midnight.
"I was merely curious, what did Ash do? It seems like the two of you have been arguing or something," the blond inquired, looking directly into the eyes of the second-in-command.
Antonio took a deep breath and shook his head. "We had a minor disagreement regarding the case," he confessed. "She wasn't pleased with us pausing in the middle of the investigation, and when I woke up this morning, she was gone. So, I asked her where she had been, but she simply gave me the cold shoulder," he revealed, knowing that she probably went to talk to her father last night.
While Antonio and Adam conversed, Ashley found herself situated in Voight's office, engaged in a conversation with him regarding the information she had acquired from her father.
"I am aware that you instructed everyone to refrain from taking further action on the case," she began, observing the somewhat angered expression on Sergeant Voight's face, with his arms firmly crossed over his chest.
"Why did you choose to disregard my orders? Moreover, where was Dawson in all of this?" Voight demanded, his voice raised to a level that almost caused Ashley to leap out of her chair. "Dawson was at home, completely unaware of my visit to David," she disclosed, nervously biting her lip.
Observing Voight's nod, Ashley continued, "I understand that I have erred by disobeying your orders, but I simply could not idly sit by and do nothing when I potentially had valuable information for our investigation!" Leaning forward slightly in her chair, she passionately expressed her thoughts.
"You may reprimand me at a later time, but I firmly believe that if the roles were reversed, anyone in this bullpen would have taken the same course of action," she declared with a sharp tone.
"If it were not for Xavier shooting one of our acquaintances, I would not have defied your orders. However, time was running out and I did not want to risk further harm to anyone else," Ashley explained calmly. She observed as Voight nodded, indicating his understanding.
Voight looked at her, preparing to speak, but Ashley promptly interrupted him. "Furthermore, David is willing to provide me with information about Xavier," she informed him. Ashley glanced at him, noticing Voight's raised and intrigued eyebrow.
A slight smirk formed on Ashley's face, knowing she had caught his attention. However, she was aware that she would not escape Antonio's anger once everything was resolved. "What does David want in return?" Voight inquired.
Ashley released a deep breath. "He stated that he will give us information on Xavier under one condition," she said with a frown. She knew that convincing Voight to agree to her father's terms, especially since he was a well-known convict, would be a difficult proposition. "And what is this condition?" Voight asked.
"Ashley gazed at Voight with a serious expression in her brown eyes," David has requested my assistance in facilitating his release from prison in exchange for information about Xavier, and he mentioned that he would go his separate way," she informed him, observing as Voight placed his hand over his face. "Is there an alternative option that he can consider?" he inquired.
"Because I genuinely dislike the idea of releasing a dangerous individual to harm another," Voight expressed, and Ashley understood his perspective. "No, he explicitly stated that it is the only viable solution," she confirmed. "Although I share your concerns, we could potentially deceive him or devise a different strategy," she proposed.
"That approach might prove effective," Voight conceded, giving in to Ashley's plan. The woman couldn't help but display a grin. "Very well, let us inform the others about the plan," he suggested, rising from his seat.
Ashley nodded and stood up as well. "However, Devussa, if you engage in such actions again, I will not overlook it. Although I doubt Dawson would overlook it either," Voight warned, fixing her with an intense glare. The brunette nodded in understanding. "I promise," she assured him.
Ashley accompanied Voight as he led her out of his office and directed her towards her desk, which happened to be adjacent to Atwater's and positioned across from Antonio.
Despite Antonio's intense glare, Ashley did not waver and maintained eye contact as he silently mouthed to her, 'We're going to have a discussion once we finish this case.' Ashley simply acknowledged his message with a curt nod before the uncomfortable silence was broken by Voight.
'Alright, thanks to Devussa, we have obtained a lead in the case,' Voight announced as he approached the front of the room. He invited Ashley to join him, as the plan was her idea, and assist in explaining the details.
Ashley walked to the front of the room, where the entire team focused their attention on her. Al inquired, 'What is our progress?' He first looked at Voight and then shifted his gaze towards Ashley, who stood tall and composed.
'It won't be an easy task, but I have already discussed it with David,' Ashley confidently began. She observed Antonio's narrowed eyes and understood that he desired to question her about her private conversation with her father. However, she did not give him sufficient time to intervene.
"David will provide us with information about Xavier, but under one condition," Ashley began, scanning the room as she noticed the younger officers looking at her with apprehensive expressions. They were unfamiliar with David, which Ashley was grateful for.
Atwater leaned forward in his seat, inquiring, "What is the condition?"
"The condition is that we help him escape from prison in exchange for the information on Xavier," Ashley responded, wincing as Antonio voiced his disbelief.
"Why would we do that, Ash? Are you suggesting we release a dangerous convict just to apprehend a suspect?" Antonio questioned, his tone filled with astonishment.
Voight raised his hand to pacify his second-in-command, asserting, "Dawson, that's not going to happen. You have my word." He added, "That's the impression David might have, but rest assured, it won't be the case." He was relieved to see Antonio's anger subside slightly, although he could still sense it in his eyes.
Voight patiently awaited for everyone to regain their composure before issuing his instructions. "Okay, given that it was Ashley's suggestion, she will be the one to inform David and gather information on Xavier," he declared, turning to Jay who had remained silent throughout the exchange. "Halstead, how about you accompany-" Before Voight could finish his sentence, he was interrupted by Antonio.
"No, Sergeant. I will go with Jay, and together we will provide him with the necessary information. Ashley can handle something else," Antonio asserted with crossed arms, noticing the glare that Ashley directed towards him. "No, Tony, David is expecting me to deliver the news," she retorted.
"So what? We can tell him that you had other responsibilities," Voight interjected with a raised voice, silencing their argument. He then turned to Jay and continued, "As I was saying, Halstead will be accompanying Devussa to inform David about the deal." His authoritative tone left no room for further debate.
"Dawson, you and Ruzek can go with them, wait in the car, and call us once they have obtained the information," Voight instructed, observing Antonio nod in agreement.
Ashley discreetly surveyed the room, consciously avoiding direct eye contact with Antonio to evade witnessing the displeasure manifested in his gaze. 'And as for the rest of you,' Voght stated authoritatively, 'make necessary preparations for the operation.' With that, he proceeded to exit the bullpen.
'Al, accompany me to the hospital to brief Erin and Soifon about the case,' he instructed his longtime friend, to which Al acknowledged with a nod before trailing behind Voght.
Observing their departure, Ashley made her way towards her desk to retrieve her coat. 'Let's get this over with,' Jay commented as he rose from his seat and followed Voght and Al downstairs, with Adam, Atwater, Burgess, and Roman following suit. This left Ashley alone with Antonio, who was the last to stand up.
As the brunette raised her eyes to meet his approaching figure, she parted her lips to speak, only to be cut off by Antonio's stern warning, 'Don't say anything!' he growled.
'Let's proceed with the task at hand. Afterward, whether you like it or not, we need to have a conversation.' With that final remark, he joined the company of others, leaving Ashley to reluctantly follow behind.