Blinded

Chapter 17

Jack sat passively watching the chaos enfold around him. It had been more than 12 hours since Sue had been taken. Evening was upon them.

Tara was sitting, frantically typing, her brow furrowed. Her last update was trying to track the emails from Pete Hadley and where he may have been when they were sent. What was odd was it all seemed to be protected through the DEA systems. D was working with legal and the DEA for interagency cooperation to dig into what access Pete Hadley may have somehow retained, or whether he had someone on the inside.

Myles sat chewing on his pencil, staring at his screen. He and Emma had gone to the bar late that afternoon where they had first spoken to Missy Baker to see if anyone there had any information, including the bartender, Sammy. It was odd, but they had found it closed. Not closed permanently, but despite the open to service hours posted, the doors remained firmly locked. They called in a unit and explored the premises but were waiting for a warrant to enter. They couldn't see anything suspicious however and were 50/50 as to whether they had enough cause.

Greg, the lead of the violent crimes team was speaking quietly to D next to one of the many boards full of documents and pictures. Greg's team were busy at their desks, doing who knows what. No one seemed to care that Jack was just sitting there, not contributing.

His eyes ached, his head spin. Every time he glanced at the board and saw her picture, or the picture of Marty and Gayle, or of the car wreck knowing Levi's body was within Bobby's SUV his heart ached. Not just a feeling of sadness but a profound ache. He was just thinking about his best friend when he heard his telltale accent stream into the war room. The same war room they had used when Sue had been abducted by Dan Malone.

"Any updates?" They all turned to see the tall Australian, bandaged head, arm in a sling, face pale. There was none of his usual jovial tone behind his request, but rather the urgency of readiness to jump into the fray for his friend. However, Myles, D, Tara and Jack were quick to stand. Despite everything, Jack felt a wave of relief in seeing his best friend, a little worse for wear but safe and okay.

Tara rushed over and hugged him, not noticing his wince as she braced his right arm.

"Should you be here?" D asked with a frown.

"Look, I've just spent almost 12 hours in the emergency room. I have a mild concussion, and my arm is sprained but I need to be here. I want to be here. I need to help." D looked at him intently, but nodded, despite his better judgement. He knew deep down none of them would be able to rest until they found Sue. Myles and Tara both began to update him on the days progress as Jack listened in from a distance. Both eventually returned to their desks, Bobby turned towards Jack.

There were no words. As he approached Jack hugged is best friend, cautious of his injuries and clapped him on the back.

"I'm glad you're okay Crash." He said quietly. Jack sank back down on his cot to resume his station watching the others work. Bobby took a moment to scrutinize before sitting next to him. Bobby stayed silent and watched alongside. After a few minutes he finally spoke up.

"We talked about you, you know…right before the accident." Jack turned, looking surprised. Bobby kept looking ahead. "She made me promise to look out for you if something were to happen. To make sure you'd be okay." Jack swallowed and closed his eyes and bowed his head.

She was the best person he knew. His grief, his sense of failure that he thought could not have gotten worse only deepened. Bobby finally turned to look at him.

"I told her that if she was taken, if she was hurt, nothing I or anyone else could do would allow you to be okay." Jack nodded. "But I know that she at least wanted me to try. So, I need you to lie down and try and sleep." Jack just looked at him, ready to protest.

"Bobby…"

"Jack, I know you're exhausted right now and likely feeling the weight of the world on your shoulders. But I also know you are going to want to be a part of this. A part of finding her, of rescuing her. Of helping her heal when this is all done. And to do that, you need to get some sleep. I'm not saying you will sleep well, but you need to try. I promise you either I or Myles, D or Tara will wake you if there is any hint of progress."

Jack contemplated this for a moment. It felt so wrong to sleep when she was, when who knows what was happening to her. If she was even breathing.

"Thanks Bobby." Bobby got up and made his way over to talk to Greg. Jack laid back on the cot, feeling the waves of exhaustion start to overwhelm him as he finally allowed his body to be horizontal after now weeks of interrupted sleep.

-STFBE-

Sue sat listless in her chair as morning approached and the morning sun filtered in the small window She had dozed on and off, a combination of whatever drugs they had given her to keep her subdued and frank exhaustion. Her arm felt itchy, her mouth was dry, and she felt an ache for some form of relief that was new to her. Her shirt was partially torn, her body ached. Her arms were not free to test the wound on her head, but the throbbing told her it had been significant. She felt dirty. While the worst had not happened, Pete Hadley's partner had done enough to touch her and violate her that only deepened her feeling of fear and vulnerability.

She thought of Gayle Pavone and the week of torture she endured before it ended. It had been almost a day, but each moment had felt like an hour. Pete Hadley was clearly not in a rush, but he had to know that her team would be even more heightened to find him. She suspected her timeline would not be as long, though she did not know if that brought her comfort or fear. She didn't want to die.

She flinched as Pete Hadley entered the room, a paper in hand. Proof of life. He had done the same with Gayle. While likely the opposite intended effect, she knew this was likely to be a message back to her team. Back to Jack. Not only would it give them what may be one last chance to see her but always opened the opportunity that it would somehow lead them to her. She had to hold onto that hope.

"Glad to see your awake, Time to send your friends and lover one last picture of you. I want them to know you are alive, and suffering. For now." She flinched again at his proximity as leaned the paper up against her. He moved her hair around, as if posing her for a photo shoot.

"Pete, please. You don't need to do this. You can take off. We didn't find you before when you took Gayle and then Marty. You could escape and leave me. I'm a person, a human being. I was doing my job. Didn't what you did at the DEA mean anything to you?" He stared at her. Then she felt his fist connect with her jaw.

He hit her so hard the chair tipped over. She cried out, unable to protect herself as she slammed against the concrete floor. He roughly pulled her back upright and placed the paper back in position.

"Let me tell you Sue Thomas. You will pay, as Marty paid. And after you, yes, I will leave and disappear forever, and your team can live with the grief that there was nothing they could do to save you or your ADA friend nor justice to be found. The two of you ruined everything for me. My job, it was nothing more than a means to an end. In this world, you have to do what you have to, to get ahead. No one will look out for you. Something you will see – no one will save you Sue Thomas. You will die here alone and within time, you too will be forgotten."

She could feel her eye swelling as Pete Hadley took the picture. She tried to somehow express her love and dignity through her eyes, but she was otherwise powerless, feeling dazed at her recent trauma. Another sob rose in her chest.

All she could do now was pray.