Tying up loose ends


Dylan Mason. Jackie's crush in the FBI. Just freaking great.

"So you can find them? Then where did they go? Which way?" He asked.

Dylan Mason was exactly as Jackie had described him. He was taller than me, more muscular and looked like a movie star in an action movie.

I shook my head. This was not the time to have low self confidence.

"Hey kid."

"I'm not a kid." I replied calmly. " I know this guy, give me some time to figure it out."

"Well come on." He said wiping sweat of his forehead.

I took a step closer. I knew Nygel. I was with him every day in the office. How did he make decisions..fast. aggressive..no..planned. he always made a plan. That means he must have followed the underground map of the subway.

I tried to picture the image in my head. Which had the closest way out?

"Left." I said. "Yes left. He went left."

"Are you psychic?" Dylan said waving his hand.

"I'm just smart." I  said and went past him. "Come on.."

"Oh no you don't." He was quick to catch up and block my path. 

"So this is how it is?" 

"I can't  let you go further." He said.

"Ah..I see."I took a step back and then ran past him in a second.

He ran after me. "I can't believe you pulled that." I could hear him cursing behind me. "Wait kid.."

Then we heard voices and we both stopped midway.

"It's them." I told him.

We took slow steps in the dark. Few steps further there was already light coming up from the end of the tunnel and we could see Nygel instructing his people before they got into their cars.

I couldn't spot Jackie. She was  probably in one of those cars.

Dylan brought up his gun and pointed it at Nygel.

"What are you doing?" I whispered in panic but he fired the gun and it went straight into one of the car's tires.

Nygel and his men were quick to pull out their weapons and shoot. Three of the cars already left. Nygel was still shooting at us, but he was stranded without a getaway car.

Police cars and FBI vans suddenly pulled up and circled them. Twenty or more officers were coming out armed to their teeth and threatening Nygel and his men to put their weapons down.

Nygel was angry but he knew better there was no other way out unless it was a body bag. He dropped his gun and pulled up his hands. The remaining men did the same. The police worked quick to handcuff them.

Dylan and I came out of cover.

"There were two cars that you didn't manage to stop. They are already on the move" I told the officer in charge. He gave Dylan a nod and went to supervise the situation. What did the nod mean? 

"Did you see the cars?" Dylan asked pulling put his phone and calling a number.

"Yes. One was an black SUV and the other was a dark green sedan. I don't remember the plates because I didn't see them."

"That's more than enough to go on." Dylan pulled me with him and dragged me to a police car. "get in." he ordered.

We drove fast through the streets while navigating with some of Dylan's men on the phone who had eyes on traffic cameras.

Dylan turned towards me. "There is no way we can catch up to both cars in the same time. I need you to make a decision one more time and tell me which car to follow."

"The green sedan." I answered.

"You did the calculation again?" Dylan asked me.

"No, this is a gut decision."

Dylan glanced at me for a second hesitant. Then he rapidly turned the wheels towards the green sedan's direction.

Very fast we spotted them.

"I see the car." Dylan stepped on it and followed it. "Go in the back seat and sit behind me!" Dylan sped up.

I climbed in the back and sat behind him. 

"Hold on." He said and then with one last speeding up he passed the sedan and swirled the our car side ways to stop them.

With screeching sounds the sedan stopped and bumped into the police car. Glass shattered from the side window of the front seat. If I had still sat there...

Dylan came out with his gun pointing at the driver yelling at him to get out of the car with the keys.

I ran out the car as soon as Dylan had handcuffed him.

"The car is empty." He told me. "I don't see anyone else inside."

I grabbed the keys from the ground and went straight to the back of the car opening the trunk. The moment i opened it Jackie lifted herself up ready to fight.

"It's me Plush. It's me." I yelled and hugged her.

Right there and then she stopped fretting and started crying. 

Dylan took few steps towards us.

"Is she alright?"

I was about to answer when the door from the back seat opened pushing Dylan back and a man crawled out then lunged forward and attacked Dylan. Shit. There was a man hiding in there?

He threw punches while Dylan was still on the ground, but Dylan defended himself from every punch with his elbows. He pushed the attacker underneath him and very fast it was an all out brawl.

The attacker got on top of Dylan again and tried to land a punch but with a strong kick from Dylan, he had flow  off.

They both got on their feet and waited for one to lunge forward first.

In the mean time took off the gag and untied Jackie.

She pushed her hair back wiping her tears and glanced at what was happening.

"Is that Dylan?" She asked with a weak voice.

"Yeah." I answered  not being able to take my eyes of the fight.

After some mean punches, they had broken away fro each other and Dylan had stood in a offense position. Just as the attacker lunged forward, Dylan jumped so high landing one high kick on the attackers chin and then finished him off with another spin kick.

The attacker fell on the street unconscious.

"Now I get why you wanted to marry him." I joked around and glanced at Jackie, but she had already wrapped her hands around my waist and stuffed her face in my shoulder.

"Alright. Let's take you to the hospital." I picked her up in my hands and carried her to the police car.


*** 


(Eithan's POV)


We were in the hospital an hour later, Jackie had just finished her last check ups. I sat with her on the bed while she was getting her IV.

"This is over the top." She complained, but hasn't let my hand ever since she was put on the bed.

"Just take the treatment and make me feel at ease." I answered pushing her hair off her face and looking at the swollen cheek and bruises. "Once you're better, we are taking self defense classes. I'm going to pay for the best instructors..."

I went on a rant, but she started laughing. 

"That's what I was going to suggest. I think I need to learn how to wrestle."

I smiled. "Then we have a deal? Me and you wrestling on the mattress as soon as you're better."

"Pfff. Deal." She replied laughing.

Running into the hospital room, Jackie's dad kneeled next to her bed.

"Are you alright sweetheart?"

Jackie nodded her head. "I'm fine dad. This is too much anyways. "

"I will pay them back for this. I'll make sure they never see the light of day again." He told her.

"You better." Jackie answered and then tears swelled up in her eyes. "I'm sorry for worrying you dad."

He got up and hugged her. "I called your mom and sister, they are on their way. It's best if we come up with cover story so we don't have to worry them."

"I think it's too late." I said watching Mrs. Summers rushing in the room like a storm has hit.

"You two. Do you have any idea how worry I was when i got that call. She hit Jackie's dad on the back. "How could you put her in danger?"

Once, twice and .....the last one she was going to mean it... she really raised her hand high. It's going to hurt....then she hugged him out of the blue.

"Thank you for taking care of our daughter." She told him and then turned towards Jackie. "I could give you few smacks as well. Do you know how worried I was?" She showered Jackie with kisses. "Look at your pretty face. How can they do this to someone?"

"I'm okay. I'm sorry for worrying you." Jackie said and hugged her mom.

Her sister was quiet, but she looked very worried. 

"I'm happy you got out alive Jackie." She finally said not making eye contact.

"Thank you." Jackie smiled.

"And you." Her mother turned towards me. "You also could have been hurt. " She hugged me and then sized me up. "Any serious wounds?"

"No." I said embarrassed. "I apologize for everything. This is my fault.."

"Shhhh." She said and hugged me. "I can never believe that. Dylan briefed me on the way here, how brave you were and that thanks to you, we have Jackie back.If you hadn't find her on time..."

Her mother looked at me for a while until she was sure I had no doubts left of her sincerity.

Just as I was going to say something the head nurse showed up and chased us all out.


***


JACKIE'S POV


I was out of the hospital by the next day. My face still hurt and my bruises weren't going away anytime soon, but I could stand on my feet again and breathe in fresh air. 

I spent the whole night in the hospital thinking and simply wrecking my brain to process what had happened. I was lucky in many ways, to get out of this alive specifically, but I had learned many things as well while being kidnapped and beaten. 

I had made a mental to do list on what to do once I was out of the hospital and the first thing was closing down the case. 

If only I could pass the biggest obstacle of all.....

"Absolutely not." My mom yelled. "Going to the FBI , in this condition."

"I really have to talk to dad and Dylan about the case. Please mom."

"No." Mom refused. "You'll probably see the one who did this to you." She touched my face gently. "No way you're going there."

"But Ethan is there as well and I haven't even thanked him for anything...."

"You can call him." She said and pushed me in the car as we left the hospital.

"Mom..." Erika who sat next to me spoke very calmly to my confusion. 

"Yes?" She turned around.

"Please drive Jackie to the see dad."

"I was clear on that." Mom replied harshly.

 So much for that.

But Erika didn't seem like she was going to give up. She leaned closer to mom. "Remember when last year I caught you smoking a pack of cigarettes in the garden and you made me promise not to tell dad." Erika continued and took out her cellphone. "I think you know where this is going mom. Drive Jackie there or I will have to report you."

Mom stared at her. "You will blackmail your own mother?"

"For Jackie. Yes."

I froze in shock. Did my kidnapping have such great influence over everyone's sanity?"

"Fine missy. We'll talk about the consequences later."

Mom started the car and drove in a pace that was bit worrying. I leaned towards Erika. "Thank you."

She just turned her head, but I could tell she smiled.




***




Dylan waited for me at the FBI entrance. I guess I'll have eyes on me 24/7 now.

"You didn't have to come, you should go home and rest." Dylan said right off the bat.

I gave him a glance. "You're the last person I want to hear that from. I thought we were partners. You never treated me like a kid before. What is this now?"

"Hey Dylan, I think I might have too..." Ethan showed up carrying some papers and then he saw me. His eyes became worried in a second. 

"What are you doing here? I thought you were going home after the hospital?!" He nagged.

"I see." I glanced at Dylan. "You have a new partner now."

Dylan waved his hands, but he seemed caught red handed.

 "Cheating on me with my boyfriend." I shook my head. "I didn't see that one coming."

"Who's cheating?" Ethan asked.

Dylan made a cut throat sign to shut him up.

"Where are we with the interrogation? Did Nygel confess to everything? Is he keeping quiet? Did he lawyer up?" I asked.

"Nygel is not talking though the FBI has some hefty evidence against him. They work pretty fast." Ethan sounded very impress.

"We found a lot of his side hobbies on his "protected" network. He though the info would be safe through his hackers, and while the network they created for him might be impenetrable the people doing it aren't. Some of his hackers are barely twenty. The moment we mentioned jail they all offered information for a plea deal." Dylan explained.

"But did he say anything about Ethan and me? Why he didn't kill me? To cover any traces of what I might know about him he would have just killed me. But he needed me for something."

Dylan and Ethan seemed perplexed.

"Andy mentioned something about seeing his parents' app when we were hacking my protected documents. I had this files that I couldn't crack and then Andy managed to do so and said it was mentioned multiple times. He said his parents might be framed." Ethan said.

Andy? Did he go to see Andy for me?

"Call your friend." Dylan told Ethan. "I will look into this more. You might be onto something."

Ethan wasted no time.

He seemed rushed. Excited. Motivated. I think it's the most excited I have seen him about anything else but me, since I met him. Stepping aside I decided to let Ethan do this on his own thing. He and Andy have been enemies for a long time and it was probably time to bury the hatchets.

"Ethan I think I'm going home. I have a light headache." I lied after he got back.

He instantly grabbed my shoulders. "How will you get home? Damn it, I should get a licence."

"I'll find my dad or some of the other policemen to take me home. You go ahead and put Nygel behind bars."

He kissed the top of my head and smiled gently. Then rushed back into action. I think I like this side of him.




***




I was driving home with my dad who was more than eager to take me home.

"Hey dad..." I looked at the red traffic light outside. Few more lights and we'll be home.

"Yes sweetheart?"

"I was thinking about this whole thing and I keep replaying the scene back in my head. The only thing that kept me brave was knowing that you and Ethan have my back but also...I was thinking why the man was doing this, what is it connected to..Those kind of thoughts kept spinning in my head. Has that ever happened to you?"

Dad glanced at me and sighed.

"A retired friend of mine, told me that once when he got captured by a serial killer and his life was in danger. But he didn't have a flashback of his life in front of his eyes, he didn't even think of his wife and kids, nor the fear. He told me he was going through all the information he had in his head about the murderer. His victims, the way he killed them. And he could see the why forming. Mentioning few details of it to the murderer kept him talking and he bought some time until the police found him. After that he could find a closure to that case. I asked him why that was the only thing he could focus on and do you know what he said?"

"What?"

"That it was the detective in him. He was a detective, a investigator more than he was a policemen, a father or a current victim. Solving cases was his whole life and when he was in danger it was the only thing he could think of. Solving a case."

I could see a smile forming on his face.

"Was he an FBI detective?" I asked.

"Nope." He answered. "Just a regular crime detective at a police station. He barely did any field work. He was a team unit chief and he mostly helped younger crime detective solve cases."

I leaned back into the car seat as the red traffic light turned green. "I was thinking about my ambitions. What it led me to. I wanted to go even higher than the FBI. I kept thinking if I did more, I'l be more acknowledged and it will only get more fun, but the thing is. I don't think I like field work that much. I just like solving cases."

"Well there are all kinds of work you can do to solve a case. There are many teams you can work with. It doesn't have to be a violent crime unit or something more extreme. Just wait until you graduate from the academy and then you can take your pick."

I nodded as the car stopped in the drive way. "Thank you dad. For everything."

He patted my head and smiled.













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