Chapter 27

They were officially calling it a search and rescue but I had no doubt that in their minds it had long ago graduated to a search and recovery. After all, the first forty-eight hours were crucial and we had passed that mark a while back. We had all watched as the bullet pierced him, we had seen him go down and looked on helplessly as Ronnie had dragged him away. We had all stepped past the pool of blood he had left behind on the stark white tiles, but I was the only one who refused to believe he was dead.

My dad was only humoring me with the continued search. He didn't really believe there would be a favorable outcome. I saw the truth in his eyes every time he looked at me; pity. Soon, even his influence would run out and the searching agents would be pulled back to their desks to focus on more pressing matters.

I watched Eddie and Simon as they stood in my kitchen, voices low and faces intense as they carried on their private discussion. Every now and then one of them would glance back at me and shake his head. I knew what they thought; that there was no way he had survived after losing so much blood and even if he had, there was no way that Ronnie had cared enough to do something about it. They had given up like all the rest.

After the incident we had alerted every hospital for miles and waited with bated breath for a report of a gunshot victim matching Jason's description coming into the ER for treatment. We had blocked roads and visited the doors of annoyed civilians who were more concerned about their privacy than they were about the fate of the only man I had ever loved.

We'd manned the phones in hopes that someone, somewhere, would have seen something. We'd staked out Timmy's school...just in case, and I had even gone against my father's advice and set up a reward for any information on the whereabouts of Jason and Ronnie; to no avail.

I had watched every night as the news reporters spit out story after story about Jason's abduction and ridiculed the Bureau for allowing an amateur to escape from a building crawling with trained agents and snatching an innocent civilian in the process. I agreed with them; it shouldn't have happened.

I'd played out different scenarios in my head about the very many ways we could have prevented it but the only thing that did was add to my guilt and give me a headache,

There was a mole in the FBI. No, moles.

Of course I knew there was always the possibility of a dirty agent in Bureau, it would be naïve to think otherwise, but to witness the corruption first hand and to see the path of destruction it had carved, wasn't something I had ever wanted to experience.

I closed my eyes against the blinding pain of the migraine that had become a constant companion in the two weeks since I'd watched helplessly as Jason was ripped from my life. Every time I closed my eyes I saw the blood of the floor. The worst part was remembering the fear in his eyes as that bastard held the gun to his head. He'd expected me to save him.

I glanced down at his son; who was stretched out on the couch fast asleep with his head in my lap. He'd cried for his father almost every night since his first day of school. I kept telling him that Daddy had gone on a trip; that he would be back soon.

I didn't think he believed me.

My hand shook as I ran it over my face. I couldn't even remember if I had eaten that day. I felt like I was slowly losing my mind. I couldn't even remember the last words I'd said to him. The tears gathered and I fought hard not to let them fall.

"Fuck." I whispered into the silent room.

"Let me take him to bed." I looked up at the sound of Eddie's voice. I hadn't even heard him move. When I nodded silently, he bent to pick up the sleeping Timmy and held him securely in his arms.

"He sleeps with me now." I said and Eddie nodded. I watched him walk away with Jason's kid and I felt the familiar hollowness in my chest.

If I ever find that slimy bastard I'll kill him.

"And that's the reason you're not on the case." Simon muttered from the other room. I hadn't even realized I'd spoken out loud.

"The chief can go fuck himself." I replied and though Simon smiled, his eyes, when they met mine, were tinged with concern.

"You're too close to this Michael. You know protocol." I stood and watched with narrowed eyes as Simon closed the lid of his laptop as I drew closer.

"Do you think it's easy sitting here doing nothing all day while Jace is out there hurt?" I questioned him. His eyes fell to my fingers which I drummed impatiently against the kitchen counter. "I can help. I've dealt with worse."

Simon shook his head. "We both know that's not true."

I took a breath. "Just...at least tell me the latest."

"He should know exactly what we're dealing with here. Tell him." Eddie issued as he reentered the room and my eyes once again fixed on Simon, who sighed.

"Chapelle was found dead in his apartment this morning."

They both watched me carefully. I frowned. "How?"

"He was shot in the head. No signs of a struggle."

"Which means he knew his killer." I surmised and they nodded. "It can't be a coincidence that this happened at a time like this."

Eddie shook his head. "He'd set up a meeting with the chief for tomorrow. Said he had some information and he was the only one he'd tell."

I swore under my breath. "Why tomorrow? Why didn't he get him in as soon as possible? What the fuck was he thinking?"

"Calm down Michael. It was on his terms or not at all. It was easier this way."

I shook my head. "We just lost our only lead. Now the only thing we can confirm is that that damn rookie was was involved." I closed my eyes and let out a breath. When I opened them, both men were watching me.

"You know what this means don't you?" Simon asked and I nodded.

"This is bigger than just some street kid. Someone with deep pockets is protecting that little shithead and this just made it even harder to solve." I paused. "We need to find out everything we can about Ronny—"

"What do you think we've been doing?" Simon questioned.

"Dig deeper."

Eddie shook his head. "Michael, maybe it's time to accept the fact that—"

"Maybe it's time for you to do the fucking job I'm being prevented from doing and find Jason." I shot back and he fell silent. "Did any of his neighbors hear or see anything?"

"No and the building has no security cameras." This from Simon.

"And the coroner's report?"

"We won't hear anything until tomorrow." Eddie chipped in.

I nodded slowly. "Alright...keep me posted."

"What are you going to do bout Jason's old man?" Eddie questioned before I turned away.

My brows furrowed. "What do you mean?"

Eddie frowned. "Didn't the chief tell you?" He paused when I raised a brow in question. I watched with growing unease as he glanced at Simon, who shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "Jason's dad showed up at the Bureau this afternoon. He said he saw Jason on the news, heard he'd had a kid and demanded to see Timmy. I thought the chief had told you."

As his words sunk in, the throbbing in my head intensified.

..................................

I poured the batter into the waffle maker, glancing periodically at Timmy, who stood behind the counter peeling off his soaking wet shorts. He had been peeing his pants quite often recently; something he rarely did before Jason's abduction. I chalked it up to stress.

It didn't matter that we'd talked on countless occasions about him calling me when he felt the need to pee and the one time I had tried to put a diaper on him, he'd thrown the tantrum of a lifetime. According to him, he was a big boy.

More often than not these days he went sans clothing; which suited his 'no cose' philosophy just fine.

"No Timmy leave it right there." I told him when he bent to pick up the soiled pants. He frowned up at me.

"Timmy cose dirty Micha."

"I know I'll take them up in a second. Just leave them there."

"Timmy aw wet." He continued, then squatted to investigate the clothes. I watched as he poked at it while sneaking little glances my way, and I shook my head when he picked it up from the floor and stood.

I plugged out the waffle maker and wiped my hands on the dishcloth by the sink. "Alright come on kid." I scooped him up along with his dirty laundry and tossed him over my shoulder. His accompanying giggles made me smile as we trudged up the stairs and into the bathroom.

"An Liam pay wif all the toys Micha, all the toys an an an he say yes Timmy."

I nodded at all the right pauses and encouraged him to continue his confusing story as I scrubbed him clean in the tub of water.

"An Liam say pease and tank you."

"That's great. It's good to say please and thank you. Sounds like he's a very polite little boy."

Timmy nodded. "Timmy say pease."

I smiled. "I know you do and that's great. What about thank you?"

"No. Timmy say pease."

"But saying both please and thank you is important don't you think?"

"I no no." He submerged Bunny underwater and changed the subject when Bunny safely resurfaced. " Liam haf kin weally back."

"Hmm?"

"Liam kin" he pinched the skin of his arm between his thumb and forefinger. "Liam kin back."

"Oh, he has black skin. Yes he does. He has beautiful black skin doesn't he?"

Timmy nodded. "Like baby." He picked up his ebony skinned doll which had been floating in the tub and waved it at me."

"Yup, just like baby."

"Timmy kin buful Micha?"

I smiled. "Yeah your skin's beautiful too."

"An daddy kin?"

I froze waiting for his reaction at the thought of his father, but none came. He simply watched me expectantly and I release a slow breath. "Yup his skin is beautiful too."

"An Bunny?"

"Yup and Bunny and everyone in the world. We all have beautiful skin, with different shades and colors. Don't you think that's amazing?"

"An Poppy kin?"

I chuckled. "Yes and Poppy and Grandma."

He nodded, finally satisfied. I dumped the pitcher of water over his head and he spluttered and giggled. "Again!"

"Nope." I lifted him out of the tub and wrapped him in a towel. "We have to stop at Grandma's house before school remember? We don't wanna be late."

"No Micha, Timmy unpug it!" he pointed to the soapy water and I leaned over so he could remove the stopper. He had a strange fascination with watching the swirling water drain from the tub. On a normal day, I would have whiled away the time with him, but if he was late for school for the third time this week my mother would have my head. I patted him dry, set him down on the floor and handed him a bottle of baby lotion.

"Go sit on the bed. I'm coming." I instructed, then as an afterthought, "and no peeing."

I quickly wrung out Bunny and pinned him to the shower rack to dry until I had the chance to throw it into the dryer and deposited 'Baby' beside it. Bunny wouldn't make it to school with him today. He would find out later and hopefully the teachers wouldn't have too much of a hard time with his inevitable meltdown.

"Micha was dis?" Timmy called from my bedroom.

"What's what?"

"Dis!" I poked my head into the room and shook my head. The kid was of course roaming through my drawers in search of God knew what. Half the contents of the drawer in question was scattered across the floor. He held up the old pocket watch I'd inherited from my grandfather upon his death.

"Timmy why can't you stay put for one minute?"

"I no no." he issued in what seemed to be genuine confusion, and I pointed to the bed. He went without question; the pocket watch still clutched between his tiny fingers.

"You're going to have to put all of that back in the drawers after school okay? You made the mess so it's your responsibility to clean it up." He glanced at the floor where he had strewn all my clothes and I scooped him up and resettled him on the bed just before his tiny feet could touch the floor in his attempt to climb off.

"You can do it when you get home after school." I squirted the baby lotion into my hands.

"Micha was dis?"

"It's called a pocket watch. If you push the button at the bottom, the lid will open and you'll be able to see the time."

As I applied the lotion to his legs I watched him fiddle with it until finally, the lid flipped open. He looked at in in amazement.

"It doesn't work anymore though. Maybe one day I'll take it to a jeweler to see if they can fix it."

"Why no werk Micha?" He frowned.

"I don't know. Maybe it's because it's very old." I told him. "My grandfather left it for me. I was told he got it from his father."

He surrendered one of his arms in favor of my ministrations and continued to gaze at his newfound treasure. "Was gwamfamur Micha?"

It took me a second to understand what he meant and I grinned. "Grandfather is like Poppy."

His frowned. "No Poppy for Timmy."

I laughed. "Of that I have no doubt but...how do I explain this" I considered. "Okay so my grandfather is my dad's dad. Do you get it now?"

Timmy's frown cleared and my brows furrowed when he calmly set down the pocket watch beside him. When his eyes met mine I was staggered by the clarity I saw in them.

"Daddy no come back Micha." The words were uttered in a manner ill-befitting him; calm and confident with no hint of uncertainty.

For a moment, I just stared at him, unable to respond, then I took a deep breath. "Of course Daddy's coming back. I told you—"

"No." Timmy shook his head. "Daddy no come back. Daddy ah gone now." He said firmly, then picked up the pocket watch and continued his observation. There were no tears, no trembling lips; nothing. He was like a scientist delivering his findings; cool, calm, collected and based on nothing but facts.

Facts. I felt the emotion descend without warning. It was like a wave crashing over me along with a painful clenching in my chest and suddenly my head felt light. The lotion bottle fell from my trembling fingers and a second later my knees buckled and hit the floor. My elbows came to rest on the bed by Timmy's feet and I buried my face in my hands. Later, I would wonder why his words had affected me to such a degree and I would find that it wasn't the words themselves, but the speaker, who, in that moment, shattered me beyond anything I could have ever imagined.

I watched him through my fingers as he played with the timepiece, and for the first time since Jason's abduction, I felt fear so all-encompassing that it threatened to become my undoing, because of all the people in the world, it was Timmy, who had, in just the span of a few seconds, planted the first seed of unforgiving doubt in my mind.

It was little Timmy, with his eyes filled with clarity and his words spoken with confidence, who made me wonder for just a second if the only person I had ever loved had really left us behind. I felt the tears that I had tried so long to keep at bay build and spill over onto my cheeks.

I thought briefly about being strong for Timmy and in that moment and for the first time, I felt a spike of resentment toward him; a child.

Why did I need to be strong for him? Why did I have to shield him from the horrors of the world when with a mere few words he had shattered every strip of confidence I had and left me quaking with fear and broken on the ground.

For weeks I had seen the looks on the faces of my colleagues. I had heard their whispered conversations, their written reports and endless statistics. Yet, it was Jason's child; the one person closer to him that I, who had broken through my carefully laid barriers.

"He's coming back." I told the child, voice shaking and face awash with tears. He looked at me, then just as quickly, his bottom lip began to tremble and he discarded the pocket watch. "I'm going to find him and bring him home." I whispered.

A moment later I felt tiny arms wrap around my neck. "No cwy Micha." Timmy comforted and I wrapped my arms around him and let out all the pent up emotions I had stored deep inside me. I sobbed out of fear of never seeing Jason again. I sobbed out of grief for the time we had already spent apart. I sobbed out of regret for not having done a thing to save him when I'd had the chance and I sobbed out of shame for the brief moment of resentment I had felt toward his child, who now held me tightly against him. I sobbed for this moment of weakness and I sobbed even harder when Timmy patted my back and told me once more; "No cwy Micha," even as his own tears stained the back of my shirt.

I didn't know how long we stayed like that; wrapped in each other's arms but even after there were no tears left to cry, we still held each other, waiting, I suppose for some semblance of order to once again descend on our lives.

Timmy was the first to pull away. I wiped my eyes with the back of my sleeve and stood to retrieve some tissue from the box on the nightstand to wipe his face.

"I'm sorry Timmy. Are you okay?"

Timmy nodded, looking up at me with his big watery eyes and his bottom lip jutting out. "Micha Timmy haf tea pease?"

I realized that kids had the potential to educate. There was so much I had learned from him in the time I had known him, but right then I learned that despite his age, he was good at keeping his emotions bottled up too. Here was a kid who genuinely believed his father wasn't coming back and some days he cried, but on the days that he didn't where did all the feelings go? He was too young to be dealing with any of it and it wasn't fair that I had let him see me break.

He needed strength because he was too young to hold himself up. I was the adult and I should have known better. I pulled on his clothes and lifted him into my arms. He rested his head on my shoulder; my grandfather's pocket watch still clutched in his tiny fist.

After all that he wanted tea. What he taught me in that moment was that no matter the outcome of all this, the world was still going to go on. People still had bills to pay and errands to run. People were going to continue laughing and going to the grocery store on the weekends and Timmy was still a child in need of care.

It didn't matter that the man I loved was missing. It didn't matter that he might even be dead, because life was going to go on. If not for the fact that I held Jason's child in my arms, that thought alone would have paralyzed me.

.....................................................

"Gwammy!" Timmy squealed when he saw my mother and I let him wiggle out of my arms.

"Well hello my sweet boy!" she crouched down and opened her arms wide in welcome. Timmy bolted into them; hugging her as if he hadn't seen her in years. "I've missed you so much sweetheart. How are you?" she asked before placing a kiss on his cheek. Timmy giggled.

"Look." He pulled away to show her the pocket watch that he certainly would not be taking to school with him and she oohed and aahed in encouragement.

When she glanced up at me she was smiling, but in an instant I watched as it melted off her face and her twinkling eyes became tinged with concern. She glanced down at Timmy. "Listen sweetheart, Grandma left a nice little present for you on the couch, why don't you go open it and see what's inside?" she turned him to the direction of the family room and he ran from the room without further encouragement.

When she stood, I braced myself for whatever lecture was coming, but she surprised me by resting a hand against my cheek. "Michael what's wrong?" she asked softly and I wondered if it was that obvious that I wasn't handling things as well as I should have. She shook her head when I didn't respond. "That was ridiculous of me to ask."

"No, mom it's fine.: I took her hand from my cheek and held it for a second before letting it fall. "I'm fine."

"No you're not sweetie. You look like you haven't slept in days. You've lost so much weight I'm surprised your clothes still fit you. You don't look fine Michael."

"Your mother's right." I looked past her to see my dad standing in the doorway of his study. "Your mother and I have talked about this and we think you and Timmy should come stay here with us for awhile."

I was shaking my head before he'd even finished his sentence. "If Jace gets away, home is the first place he'll go. I can't leave."

He nodded. "Then we'll come stay with you. I don't like the look of you boy. You look sick."

"I'm fine dad, just a bit tired is all and I appreciate it, really, but Timmy and I will be fine." I would be lying if I said the thought of having my parents at the house didn't comfort me, but with them there it would be harder to pretend to myself that Jason was simply gone on a trip and would be back soon. With them there, everything would feel real and I wasn't really to deal with that. I probably never would be.

"Gwammy Timmy no open it!" The kid shouted from the family room.

Dad gestured to his study. "Come here, let's talk for a minute." A look that I had no chance of deciphering passed between my parents and with a nod my mom left to go see to Timmy. I followed my dad into his study and shut the door behind me.

The room was uncharacteristically messy; papers were strewn about and files were stacked high on his desk. The blinds which were usually open to allow warm sunlight were drawn and the small bin the corner of his study was filled and overflowing with crushed paper.

"Looks like you're working on something pretty important." I commented as I removed a stack of paper from the only other chair in the room besides his and deposited it onto the floor by my feet.

"Yeah your boyfriend's case." He sat with a sigh and I watched as he rubbed a hand over his face.

"Found anything interesting?" I asked, already knowing the answer; I was too close to this and as such the case would not be discussed with me.

Dad looked at me; his eyes intent upon mine. "I know you're working with Nate and John on this. I also know you've been getting information from agents despite my warning."

I opened my mouth to respond and closed it again when he held up a hand. He then reached across the desk, picked up three large files and handed them to me. I took them with caution; brows furrowed. "What's this?"

"It's everything we have on the case so far. If you're going to look into this anyway, we might as well be on the same page." He said.

"Why the sudden change of heart?" I had to ask because the chief was nothing if not a stickler for the rules.

"You might have fooled the world but I know you and you're not handling this well. You're cracking and your mother knows it too. I thought it would be best if you focused on the kid instead of the case but maybe I was wrong." He watched me in silence for a second before he continued, "If helping with this case is helps you then I'll provide you with whatever you need."

I nodded slowly; grateful, but unable to say the words. Dad gestured to the files in my hands. "Those are copies so you can do with them what you will...within reason of course."

"Of course. Thanks dad."

He waved it off. "You probably heard by now that a man claiming to be Jason's father showed up at the Bureau yesterday demanding to see Timmy."

I nodded. "Does he know I have him?"

"He doesn't but it won't be hard for him to find out." He said. "From what you've told me about the son of a bitch, I don't want him anywhere near my grandson."

"Good. We can handle this."

"If he's desperate enough and I've got a feeling he is, he'll go through the Courts to get the kid and if he can prove he's Timmy's family then there's a strong chance they'll give him at least temporary custody until Jason's found."

"We can't let that happen." I told him and he nodded.

"No we can't. I invited him to visit the Bureau this afternoon to discuss Jason. We're having the meeting in one of the interrogation rooms."

"I want to talk to him." I said.

"Good and if you can't get him to outright confess to beating on that poor boy then find some other legal means of discrediting him in there because he's not laying a finger on Timmy."

I stood, files in hand. "You okay taking Timmy to school this morning?"

"We're good here. You go do what you have to do."

After I said my goodbyes to Timmy I deposited the files in the trunk of my car and backed out of the driveway. First stop; Simon. I needed to get everything I could find on Jason's dad and I had four hours to learn it all before I finally met the bastard.

...................................................

Anthony Thames was a man who looked like he'd lived most of his life buried at the bottom of a cheap bottle of liquor. He looked far older than his years, though the thinning mustache he sported probably added a great deal to that appearance. The curling hair that ended at the nape of his neck was more grey than black and his weathered hands shook as he took a sip from the cup of water.

His eyes, which were the same color as Jason's looked tired and his voice, when he spoke, rasped like that of a chronic pack-a-day smoker.

I tapped on the cover of his small file and his eyes followed the movement. I had learned that he had worked with the police department for seventeen years before he'd resigned; citing health issues as the reason for his abrupt departure. My sources however, were happy to divulge that he had been forced to resign by the higher ups as a result of his alcoholism, which, coupled with his temper, had made him next to impossible to work with.

I had further learned from a once close friend of his that it wasn't until his wife had threatened to file for a divorce three years prior that he had started his AA meetings and had been a regular member ever since.

He was a man trying to turn his life around according to said friend. I called bullshit. I could smell the cheap whiskey on his breath and something told me that he was just jonesing for more. I made a mental note to have Nate put one of his guys on him; one picture of him losing his senses in a bottle of rum and his case would be halfway on its way to dust.

I looked the bastard up and down as he fidgeted in his seat. This was Jason's father. This was the man who was trying to take Timmy away from me. I grinned. There was no fucking chance in hell that that was happening.

"So did you guys find my grandson yet? Is that why you called me back here?"

I regarded him for a moment. "Did you drive here Mr. Thames?"

His brows furrowed. "Yeah, why?"

I made another mental note to have one of the guys give him a Breath Alcohol Test before he left the building. "Tell me about your son."

He shrugged. "His name's Jason, he's my kid. What else is there to tell?"

"We'd just like to verify that you are who you say you are."

"Well if it's proof you want, that's easy. I can take a DNA test if that'll settle things."

I nodded. "Jason ran away from home when he was younger didn't he?"

He nodded. "Yeah it's been a few years now since we lost him so you can imagine how happy we were hearing about him on the news."

I cocked my head to the side. "You were happy hearing that your son was shot and abducted?"

His eyes bulged and he expelled a few halfhearted coughs. "No of course not. It was just good to hear something about him after all these years. Of course it's terrible what happened. Of course I'm devastated about it and then when I heard he had a kid, my first priority was the kid of course." He quickly explained.

"Of course. It's strange though. I'm pretty sure the news reports never mentioned anything about a child."

He shrugged. "You must have missed it. It was definitely on the news. Where else would I have heard about it?"

No. I thought to myself. It definitely hadn't been on the news.

"Do you have any idea what the child looks like?"

"No. No idea."

"What about a name?"

"Ah. No, I don't. I don't know anything other than that it's a boy."

"Do you remember the last time you saw Jason?"

"Yeah." He said with not an ounce of hesitation. "Last I saw that boy was the morning before he disappeared all those years ago. He's a runaway."

"What was your relationship with your son like?"

He cleared his throat. "Oh you know, it was just like any father-son relationship. We were a happy family."

I tapped his file again. "What I'm trying to understand is why it took you two months before you reported him missing all those years ago."

He let out a breathy, nervous laugh. "That kid was always running away back then. You know how kids are. I thought he was playing one of his usual tricks and then when I realized he wasn't coming back I filed a report."

"You think a full two months was an appropriate amount of time for you to wait before reporting your child missing?" I kept my tone light.

"When you've got a troublemaker like Jason was, two months was nothing. Like I said, he ran away all the time."

"And why is that? You said you had a good relationship. You said you were a happy family so why would he keep running away like that?"

He shrugged. "That's just what boys do. They make trouble." He offered. "What is this anyway? An interrogation? Where's my grandson."

"I'm just trying to understand the situation. The more facts we have the better chance we have of sorting this whole thing out."

He nodded, convinced, at least for the moment.

"I hear you were a cop." I said and he smiled for the first time since entering the building.

"Yeah I was. Seventeen years I was on the force."

"Oh yeah? Must have been a tough decision to leave. What are you up to these days?"

His smile slipped and he sighed. "It wasn't easy but when it comes to your health you can't joke around you know? I'm mostly retired now; taking it easy."

I plastered on a smile and nodded. "And your wife? Is she here? I imagine she'd like to help us in doing whatever we can to find Jason."

His expression shuttered and my eyes narrowed. "She couldn't make it in today."

"I see. Maybe next time then." I continued, and though he managed to force a small smile, he refused to say more. It seemed we had stumbled upon the weak link.

I wanted to see his temper. I wanted to watch him lose it in this confined space where multiple devices monitored his every word and action and I already knew the ways I could draw it out of him. I had no doubt in my mind that I could find the perfect buttons to push to get the right reaction, but I first needed to cover all my bases. I needed everything I could possibly dig up on him to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that he had abused his son in the past and it seemed the best path to take following this interview, was the mother.

Once I was able to get her to admit to his mistreatment of Jason then everything else was up in the air. Whatever hurdles came after that, I would battle through them as I did everything else.

I stood to go and he watched me in clear surprise.

"You haven't told me anything about my grandson. Have you at least found him?"

"You'll know more when we know more." I said and stepped out of the room. My dad would take it from there. I had to pick Timmy up from school and swing by Nate and John's office to drop off the case files I'd received from the chief. I instructed an agent to administer the Breath Alcohol Test and called Nate to arrange for one of his investigators to trail Jason's old man; hopefully before he left the Bureau.

I had about twenty minutes to kill so I pulled the file Simon had handed me earlier and sat in my car. It made me nervous just thinking about how big this case really was now that the rookie agent had been killed. As I browsed through his file I wondered who the top players were and just how Ronny had found himself involved with them. I wondered what exactly it was that they were after that they would plant moles in the FBI and go through all the trouble to break a street rat like Ronny out.

What exactly was it that this rookie agent had planned to tell the chief. The file so far wasn't very helpful. The investigation was still ongoing but so far there were no traces of evidence linking anyone to the scene. Whoever killed him knew exactly what they were doing. The next step was to research this man's life. I wanted to know everyone he'd met with for the past six months if possible; no matter how seemingly trivial. I scribbled a note on one of the pages in the file; I needed to meet with Dave again soon; I had a sneaking suspicion he hadn't told us all he knew.

I continued flipping through the file until I came upon a picture of Chappelle. "Just what did you get yourself caught up in Chappelle and what the hell is going on?" I whispered to myself. The brief stuttering of the AC was the only response I received.

.........................................................

"Look at that small one over there." I was too tired to even point to any of the glowing stars on the ceiling of my bedroom. "Do you see it?" I whispered drowsily.

"Yes an all da staws." he whispered back and I think I felt him shift slightly on the bed beside me.

"Maybe we should paste other things up there; maybe the solar system. We could teach you all about the planets." I yawned and finally my eyes drifted shut.

"Micha was panets?"

"I donno Timmy."

...........................................................

It was the sound of my phone that woke me. I glanced at the clock before I reached across to the nightstand to pick it up.

3:00 a.m.

"O'Connolly." I answered automatically and was startled into full awareness by the voice on the line.

"Michael?"

The air whooshed out of my lungs and I had a hard time catching my breath.

"Michael are you there?" the caller's frantic voice broke through the silence once more.

"Jason? Jesus Christ. Jason baby, is that you?"

I heard a half sob and a sniffle. "Yeah its me Michael I missed you so much. You don't even know. Where's Timmy, is he okay?"

"I... yes, he's okay. He's sleeping. I... Where are you Jace? I'll come get you right now." I said, hopping out of bed too quickly to pull on a pair of pants. My hands were shaking so hard that I had to fight to get it up past my hips.

"Thank God. Thank God." He whispered over and over. "I need you to look for me okay Michael? Please. Please look for me okay?" I could tell he was crying; his muffled sobs slightly distorting his words.

"We're all looking for you baby, but tell me where you are. Do you know? Is there anything around that you can identify?"

I put the phone on speaker and placed it carefully on the bed, before wrapping a blanket around the sleeping Timmy and lifting him into my arms.

"I... there's a—"

I placed the phone to my ear. "There's a what? Where are you Jace?" I quickly exited the room and made my way down the stairs.

"Someone's coming." He hissed into the phone and I cursed viciously under my breath.

"Where are you?" I shouted the words, jolting Timmy awake.

I heard another sob on the other line. "Don't trust the FBI Michael. Don't trust anybody."

I heard an unfamiliar shout on his end and then the sound of something scraping against concrete. "Jace? Jace?" I called out, grabbing my car keys from the stand.

"Please don't trust them." He begged and then the line went dead.

I stood frozen in the doorway, staring down at the phone in shock.

                                                                    AUTHOR'S NOTES

Wow. It's been awhile.This has been a long and lonely year without Wattpad in my life. During the time that I have been away, I have had the opportunity to read many of your comments, emails and messages. You are all truly amazing. I've missed you.My love for writing and interacting with you has pushed me to make the huge decision to take a six (6) month leave of absence from my hectic job to pursue my first passion: WRITING.Now that I have no distractions and nothing holding me back, I am happy to announce that I will be continuing my journey on Wattpad FULL-TIME!!! I am so excited to share new chapters with you.Thank you for your patience!⭐️For updates, sneak peeks and more, check out my Instagram: doublezone_books ⭐️

-DoUbLe.A

-unedited.