Chapter Fifty-Two





Eli

As soon as I am out of the house, I can't hold it in any more. I have to release this pressure that's built up within me. I lower my body down the wall outside Dani's door and I break down. There's no sobbing or heart wrenching noises coming from my body, just silent tears streaming down my face. It breaks my heart that people could treat Dani this way; that they can treat anyone this way. I am determined to find as many of them as I can and bring them to justice. I just have to figure out how to get the information out of Dani without her figuring out what I am doing. I know she doesn't want my pity, but that poor, poor girl. If that memory wasn't even a scratch on the surface, then I can fully understand why she was an addict and why she can't forget the tormenting flashbacks. It doesn't take a genius to piece things together and figure out what he did with that metal rod. I'm not naïve; I know how these things go. What a sick piece of trash. I can't believe he was in my parents' house! He knows where they live and if he wants to let the Russian mob know where Dani is, all he has to do is follow me back here. I have to be extra careful and make sure no one is tailing me from now on. I'll have to warn my dad as well. I can't keep something like this from him.

I don't know how long I sit there, but it's long enough for the rage to build up within me all over again. I grab my cell and text Ash. It's just a simple, 'It's that time now.' But he'll know exactly what that means. Not even 20 seconds later my cell buzzes. I pick up but I don't need to say anything. Ash quickly says, “I'm on my way. Be at Dani's in 5.”

I hang up, amazed that he's that close already. Something tells me he didn't go very far after mine and Dani's quick escape from dinner. Almost exactly 5 minutes later, Ash is standing in front of me. He grabs my arm to pull me up from the floor and he asks, “Where do you want to go? Bar or gym?”

“Gym, then bar.”

“Sure thing.”

We head to his car. He won't drink tonight. An unspoken rule between us. Whenever one of us is like this, the other doesn't drink. I suppose it's so there's a designated driver but also in case things get out of hand and a level head and sober body is needed. The sober one usually stops fights from happening. We can't have that after the last set of fights I got myself into. The Cap would never allow such a thing again.

As Ash and I hit the gym, we end up sparring on the mat. Once the blows start, I feel the rage take over again and I just see red. I floor Ash in what feels like seconds. I don't hurt him, but I do knock the wind out of him. He doesn't complain; he just gets back up and goes again. We 'battle' on the mat for a long time, and with each passing minute I feel the anger disperse somewhat. Once I'm almost out of energy, Ash says, “Ok, Eli. I think you've had enough now.”

I let out a deep breath and hit the floor. I just lay on my back, trying to catch my breath. Ash does the same, and we lay there in silence for a few minutes.

Eventually Ash breaks the silence, “Want to talk about it?”

There's no way on this earth that I can keep this to myself. My dad and Ash need to know about this. I don't need to tell them what he did, but I do need them on board for this. I need to keep Dani safe and I can't do that on my own now. “He brought him to my parents' house...”

“Who brought who?”

“Ty. He brought him to the house...”

“That guy? Dani knew him, didn't she?”

I nod and Ash jumps up. He starts pacing, “I knew something was wrong. She'd been pretty ok the whole time we were there and then she freaks out just out of the blue? At first I thought it was Ty turning up, but it didn't seem right. Is he the one who hurt her?”

How do I answer this without revealing too much? I just simply nod. Ash sees through my silence and he asks, “There's more than one person that hurt her, isn't there?”

Again I nod, not really trusting myself to not blurt it all out.

Ash looks down on me and says, “Start talking Eli. You have to tell me what the heck is going on here. I need to know what I'm getting myself into and I need to know what I'm protecting you 2 from. You can't keep this from me any more. I don't need specifics, I just need a rough guideline.”

“Not here.”

He nods and helps me up before we head for the shower. I need some time to think before I open that door of information. I also don't want anyone to overhear anything I have to say. It seems like these people are everywhere. I can see why Dani was so scared they'd find her after we saw Viktor. I suddenly feel the need to call Dani and check in with her. She doesn't pick up at first and I start to worry. I'm halfway through leaving a message when I hear her voice. She sounds like she's been crying and my worry is heightened even more.

“Dani? Are you ok?”

“Yes sir. Are you ok?”

“Yeah. I've just done some training and I'm out with Ash. Is that ok?”

“Yes sir. Take as long as you need.”

“If you need anything, just call me and I'll be there. Ok?”

“Yes sir. I'll be ok.”

I say goodbye and hang up before grabbing a quick shower.

Ash and I end up at his apartment with a whole load of beer. I'm guessing he knows what I have to say shouldn't be overheard and we have no fear of that at his place. We just sit in silence for a little while before Ash says, “Alright, talk Ramirez. Enough stalling. What are we dealing with here?”

“Not what, who. The Russian Mob.”

His eyes widen and he almost shout, “The what?!”

I'm sure he nearly spits his drink out as well.

“Russian Mob.”

“What? How? How did this even happen?”

“Long story short. Dani's folks died when she was 10. Drunk driver. She went into the system, got put with a Russian family. When she was 15 the mob got her. The rest you don't need to know. Except she faked her death and escaped. They thought she was dead and threw her in the trash. If that Artur guy tells them she's alive? Well, let's just say Dani won't be with us any more...”

Ash lets out a deep breath and then whispers, “Definitely the short version. I think I can fill in the gaps though. How is she holding up? That must have really taken her by surprise, seeing him at your parents'.”

I shrug. “It scared her. She worries they're going to find her. Seeing people like that brings back memories she'd rather not remember. It kind of undoes everything we've been working towards.”

“Understandable. So, what do we do now?”

“Try to find him and deal with him.”

“Deal with him? You mean like 'deal' with him?”

“No! Although I would love to eliminate him, that's not exactly an option. We need to bring him to justice. There's got to be something else on him. We must be able to find something.”

“That's not going to be easy. He's obviously connected, and he's an attorney. We've got to tread carefully here, Eli. We can't risk anything. We'll be risking our safety and Dani's if we mess up.”

“I know, I know. I'm going to talk to Greggson tomorrow and see where he's at with that bank job we foiled a while ago. He might have a lead or something we can go on. I need to talk to my dad too.”

He pats me on the back and says, “Good luck.”

Despite the situation, I chuckle and reply, “You just don't know him like I do. You and Ty shouldn't be so scared of him.”

“He is scary. How can I not be scared of him? He reminds me of our Captain in Afghan. Scary dude, man.”

I just shake my head at him and we fall into silence again. After a few minutes, I break it by whispering, “Thanks, Ash.”

“Don't mention it. I know you'd do the same for me. Just try and loop me in as much as you can. You know I'm with you on this, but I do need to know what I'm dealing with. I'll gladly put my life on the line for you, but I'd rather know I'm doing it instead of being taken by surprise.”

“Yeah, sorry. I guess I just didn't know how to say anything without betraying Dani's trust. Her life could be in danger and I need to protect her. I need you to help me do that.”

“Whatever you need, man. I'm here.”

We drink and just hang out for a while and when I take a look at the empty bottles, I'm shocked to see we've got through 12 of them. I don't even feel the effects of the alcohol but I know I can't go back to Dani's stinking of it. “Ash, I need coffee, a shower and a change of clothes. I can't go back to Dani's smelling of beer.”

He nods, without asking any questions and goes in search of some sweats for me.

It's nearly 1am when I'm standing in front of Dani's door. I had to make sure no one was following me so it took a little longer to get back from Ash's. I just hope I don't wake Dani up. As the door opens, I can see that she wasn't asleep, but she has been in the shower. Her hair is still damp, but she doesn't look as wide eyed as she did earlier.

“Sorry I'm so late, sweetheart.”

“It's ok.”

“I didn't wake you, did I?”

“No sir. I was just about to turn in though.”

“Ok. You want me to stay on the chair?”

“If you don't mind.”

“Sure thing. I'll be in a minute.”

I brush my teeth and then enter Dani's room. I frown when I realize I didn't give her the latest dose of meds. I just mention that I'm going to get them when Dani says, “I did it at midnight.”

“Sorry, I should have been here...”

“No, it's ok. It's not like I haven't done it before.”

“I know you don't like doing it though...”

“It's ok, honestly. You need to get some sleep, Eli.”

“So do you. I'm just here if you need me.”

She nods and wraps the blankets around her tightly as I settle on the chair.

Dani's sleep is very disturbed. I'm hoping she'll talk me through the nightmares, but she doesn't say a single thing about them. I know I shouldn't be, but I am a bit disappointed by this. I thought that after the first nightmare was out in the open, then that barrier wouldn't be there any more. I guess it's just going to take a little longer for her to feel like she can open up about it all.





Dani

I know Eli expects me to talk about last night's nightmares, but I can't do that yet. I need to build up to that. We're on our way to work now, and I'm nervous. I haven't been back since the Paul incident and it feels like I'm starting my first day all over again. Except this time, I've got Eli by my side. Well, not literally by my side, but figuratively speaking.

As we walk to the stairwell, Ash appears. “Hey guys. Dude, you don't look so good.”

Eli smirks and replies, “Gee, thanks Ash. You don't look so hot yourself...”

“What you talking about? I always look hot...”

My eyes widen at the comment. I know he's only joking, but I don't like thinking about things like that. Truth be told, both of these guys are pretty handsome, but that's not really something I want to admit right now.

Eli mutters, “And big headed too...”

“Well, my head has got to hold all of my brain. I know that's a lot of brain to carry, so it has to be pretty big...”

Before I even know what I'm doing, I say, “Actually, the human brain is pretty much the same size in full grown adults....”

My eyes widen and my hands fly over my face when I realize what I've done. I back off quickly and apologize before either of them can say anything.

Ash full out laughs and Eli looks at me with a weird smile on his face. I don't know what that look means, but I decide not to think about it. I'm shocked that they're not angry at me and I voice that.

Ash quickly responds, “Angry? Not a chance. I think it's hilarious that you'd come out with something like that. It's so matter of fact that it's a killer line. You should do that more often. Although, it might be funnier if you do it to something Eli's said instead...”

“Only because you got shot down, Scott. Dani, feel free to do that any time. He needs a reality check every so often... Shall we do this?”

I take a deep, steadying breath, thankful that these guys managed to distract me on the journey up to our floor. I nod and the guys enter our floor before me. On the other side of the door, I take another calming breath and walk towards my desk.

When I get there, hanging on the filing cabinets behind my desk is a hand-made banner. It reads, 'Welcome back Danica.' I stare at it for a little while, shocked. Ash smiles at my expression and then he whispers, “Do you like it?”

I nod absentmindedly, touched that they care. “Who did it?”

“The team wanted to do something for you, but we didn't want to freak you out. It was a joint decision that this was the best option. So, welcome back, darlin'.”

I have to try to find my voice to say, “Thank you.”

“You're welcome. I'm glad you're back.”

The moment doesn't last long, as the Captain appears, calling me into his office.

As I'm walking passed, Eli whispers, “I have to go, baby, but you've got this. You'll be fine. I'll check in with you later and have a good day.”

I nod, whisper a thank you and he's gone.

I take a cup of coffee in to the Captain's office and place it on his desk as he asks, “How are you doing, Dani?”

“I'm ok, sir. Thank you.”

“I'm glad you're here. Do you just want to get back into it?”

“Yes sir. What have you got for me?”

“Well, there's a stack of files sitting on your desk, ready for you to check. There's some tapes for you to translate as well, if you don't mind doing that. I've been handed them from downstairs. It's interrogations in other languages that need to be typed out in English.”

“Yes sir. I'll get to it.”

“Good girl. You know where I am if you need me. And Dani?”

I spin round, “Yes sir?”

“I'm happy to see you back here. You look good.”

“Thank you sir. I'm happy to be back.”

I sit at my desk and just stare at everything, making sure it's all still there before I start working. I don't even take any breaks, I just work right through. I manage to get through all of the threat files by lunch time. That's when Eli checks in. He smiles at me and hands me some lunch. “Ash went out and got something for you. I think you're his favorite. He didn't even get me anything...”

“We can share. I'm not that hungry.”

“How has your day been?”

“Ok, actually. Your's?”

“Training was good. The guys are doing well. Has Cain been up to see the Cap yet?”

“Not that I've seen.”

I'm surprised to find that I don't tense up so much at his name. Eli must notice this because he comments, “Is it getting easier?”

“I think so. I'll be ok if he doesn't come near me.”

“He won't. He's been warned. We've got to go out for riot training this afternoon, so I don't know what time I'll be back. You won't leave until I get back, will you?”

“No sir, I won't. Eli?”

“Yeah?”

I drop my voice and say in Spanish, “I need to take my meds.”

He nods and asks, “Can you do it by yourself? Or do you want me to do it?”

“I think I can do it. But you have them.”

“True. I forgot. It's in the locker room. I'll grab it now.”

As he leaves, I worry about people seeing. It won't look good, Eli carrying a syringe and medication in the precinct. When he returns, he's carrying his jacket. He places it on my desk and says, “In case you get cold. You want to go now and I'll watch your desk for a minute?”

I send him a tiny smile and nod before scooping up his jacket and heading to the ladies' room. I lock myself in a cubicle to administer the meds. I don't need anyone walking in and seeing it. This is the second to last dose of drugs and if I'm honest, I'm apprehensive about what happens next. It has been nice not having so much noise in my head and not having uncontrollable panic attacks. It's only a couple minutes before I return to my desk. Eli has eaten part of my sub and he shoots me guilty grin as I sit down. “Sorry, I was hungry and it looked so good.”

“No worries. You can finish it if you want.”

“No ma'am. You need to eat as well. Dani, we need to stop by the forensics lab before we go home. I gave Tom the tapes first thing this morning. He might have something to tell us before we leave.”

I nod but don't say anything. I don't know if I want to know what he finds on those tapes. Eli seems to read my thoughts, because he says, “I can go on my own if you want, but if there's anything on there, you're more likely to recognize voices or whatever.”

“I know. I just don't want to face it.”

“I'll be right there with you. It's going to be ok.”

I nod again and the Captain's voice crackles through my intercom, asking for Eli to visit him.

Eli chuckles, and almost sings, “Creepy, tracking device...”

I smile a little at his antics and pick at my food as he visits the Captain.



Eli

We have a quick break before riot training, so I grab my cell and dial Greggson's number. When he picks up, I say, “Hey Captain Greggson, it's Lieutenant Ramirez over at Midtown South's SWAT team.”

“Hey Ramirez, how's it going?”

“Good sir. You?”

“Seen better days. It's been manic today. What can I do for you?”

“Do you remember that bank job my precinct kicked to you a few months ago? The one with the Russian bank owner?”

“I sure do. The file has been sitting open on my desk for a few days. What about it?”

“Have you got any new information? Anything at all that you can tell me?”

“There's not much, I'm afraid. We've got suspected links to the Bratva, that's the Russian Mafia. We haven't got anything concrete at the moment. As there was some time delay with the bank returning your calls, it gave them time to clear out the secret vault your analyst saw. We haven't got much to go on, but we think they're cleaning money for the Bratva. I've got guys sitting on it and combing through everything, but it's just going to take some time, I think. I can send you a copy of everything I have if you'd like.”

“That would be great, thank you. I'll get my analyst on it. If anyone can find a link, it'll be her.”

“Is that the one that speaks Russian?”

I hesitate, not knowing where he's going with that or how he knows that piece of information. He clears that up quickly, “Your Cap told me she was the one who translated for him. He sings the highest praises of her. It sounds like you've got a good one there.”

“We sure have.”

“Any chance of a loan to help me with my case load?”

“Only if she can stay here. She's too important to loan out. Sorry.”

“No worries. Worth a try. I'll send the file to you.”

“Thank you. If we come up with anything your's will be the first call I make.”

“Great, thank you.”

I hang up, feeling slightly better about having that file sent to me.

This day seems to be dragging now. I just want to get to the lab and see what's going on, but the trainers are debriefing me and letting me know what I need to work on with my team. When they're finished, I head back to the precinct. I make a very brief stop at Dani's desk and then head into the Cap's office.

“Hey Cap.”

“How was riot training?”

“Ok. Just a few things to work on. Mostly communication between the guys. They know what they're supposed to do and they know they have each other's backs, but because they're so comfortable with each other, they just do it. They need to communicate what's happening in case anything goes wrong or in case there's a change in the team. They have to get into the habit of calling out what's happening to cover their backs. We need some more training with the K9 unit as well, but I'll sort that out by the end of the week. Has Cain been up to see you?”

“Not yet. He's supposed to pop in before he leaves for the night. How has he been today?”

“Good actually. Almost like he never left. He's back to his old self, which is a good thing. Having him back will be good for the team.”

“And how's Dani taking it? I know she won't tell me her true feelings on the matter.”

“She's surprisingly ok with it. I think she realizes the drugs are out of his system and he's back on track. It also says a lot that he helped with the Paul situation. She appreciates that more than she lets on. Do you need me for anything else?”

“Nope. Just check the weapons before you go.”

“Yes sir. See you in the morning.”

“Oh, Eli? This envelope came for you from Organized Crime. You working on something?”

“No sir. Just wanted to see how they're getting on with that Russian bank incident. I thought some fresh eyes might help them. I don't like leaving cases open.”

“Neither me. Just don't let it distract you.”

“Of course not, sir.”

When I head out of the Cap's office, I hear Cain's voice say, “Hey Danica.”

I stay hidden, just wanting to see how this plays out without my interference.

Dani whispers, “Hello sir.... Eli told me what you did... Thank you.”

“You're welcome. I know it can't make up for what I did, but I hope it helps to show you how sorry I am.”

I smile at his attempt at making peace. Dani amazes me yet again by replying, “It's ok.”

“It's not really ok, none of my behavior was ok, but thank you anyway. I just hope we can work together without any issues.”

That's going to make Dani uncomfortable, so I make a point of calling Dani's name, like I'm just coming out of the Cap's office. “Dani, you ready? Oh, hey Cain.”

“Hey Eli. Just popping in to see the Cap.”

“Cool. We're just off now. See you in the morning.”

“Sure thing. See you tomorrow Danica.”

“Dani is easier, sir.”

“Ok, Dani. See you tomorrow.”

As we leave, I whisper, “That went ok, didn't it?”

“Yes sir. He's looking much better.”

“Yeah, he's back to his old self. Before the shooting and everything. You ready to head to the lab?”

“Not really.”

“I like the honesty. I'll be right with you.”

We walk down the 31 flights of stairs to get to the lab in the basement. Dani seems in awe of all the equipment when we step into the lab. She whispers, “This is amazing...!”

I chuckle and say, “If you like all that science stuff. You like labs?”

“My poppa used to show me how to identify bacteria and viruses. I think he wanted me to be a doctor.”

“You still could be one.”

“I like numbers and words too much. Being an analyst is better.”

“Good. I don't want you to leave here.”

I send her a boyish grin as Tom steps out from behind a microscope. Dani stares at the big screen behind his head and she whispers, “Is that a strain of the Streptococcus bacteria?”

Both mine and Tom's heads snap to the screen. I don't know which one of the 2 of us are more shocked. Tom finds his voice first and he asks, “How did you know that?”

“My poppa was a doctor.”

Tom just smiles and breathes, “Amazing...!”

Ok, he's being a little creepy. “So, Tom. Thanks for taking a look at the tapes for us. Have you got anything?”

He frowns, “Not so much. There's a lot of background noise, nothing that can identify a location or pinpoint to any particular region I'm afraid. I did enhance the sound quality. Would you like to take a listen?”

I feel Dani tense beside me, but I know we need to do this here. It'll look more suspicious if I say we'll take it away.

“Go ahead.”

I feel Dani grab the back of my t shirt but I keep my face impassive so Tom doesn't notice anything. I do, however, reach behind me and put my hand out in case she wants to hold my hand. As soon as she notices my hand, she grabs it and holds on for dear life. It takes so much strength to keep my face indifferent for Tom's sake.

I gave Tom a few messages this morning, which he has strung back to back. He presses play and we listen carefully. I can see what he means about the background noise. It sounds crazy. There's cars, trains, what sounds like planes, banging, and shouting to name but a few things. The shouting is indistinct, so we can't get any words or even a language out of it. The breathing is awful and at one point it gets really gruff and even louder. I feel Dani stiffen even more and her hand instantly goes cold, like she's heard something. I whisper, “What? What is it? What did you hear?”

She shakes her head, but her eyes are wide with fear. She recognizes something in this tape but she won't say what it is with Tom here.

“You can stop it there, Tom. Thank you. Do you mind if I take the enhanced tape away with me?”

“No problem. I'll just get it for you. Everything ok?”

“Yeah, just a bit overwhelming to hear it enhanced. You couldn't pick up anything distinct on it?”

“No sir, not really. There's a lot of shouting in the background, which could be something. I've got a new program running that's trying to clean up the audio. I'll let you know if I get anything from it.”

“That would be great. Thanks again, man.”

“No problem. Hey, ma'am? If you ever want to compare bacteria, you know where my lab is. I could do with a second set of eyes every so often.”

Dani just nods absentmindedly and hightails it out of the lab before I can even grab the tape and say goodbye. That's definitely not normal behavior for her. When I get to the stairs, Dani is hunched over, trying to catch her breath. She jumps when I call her name and I can hear her counting.

“It's ok, Dani. Just take deep breaths. It's just us here. It's ok.”

I wait for her to calm down before I ask, “What was that, sweetheart?”

She gulps and quietly answers, “I know that breathing.... Oh how I wish I didn't remember....”

She shudders and I can see the panic, fear and disgust in her eyes. I think she might actually be sick, so it's not difficult to figure out what she's remembering. There's only a handful of reasons why she would remember someone's breathing.

“It's alright, Dani. He's not here. You're safe. You're with me right now and that's in the past. Stay in the present. Stay with me right now. Do you want my hand?”

Maybe it'll work as an anchor to reality if she can hold my hand. I hold my hand out, palm up. She thinks about it for a minute or 2 and then she tentatively reaches for my hand. She jumps when I entwine my fingers with hers.

“Stay with me, Dani. Don't let the memories take you away. Just listen to my voice. Hold on to the present...”

I don't know where any of this is coming from, but it seems to be working because every time it looks like Dani is going deeper into a memory, my voice drags her back out. After about 10 minutes or so, her breathing returns to normal and she seems to relax a little bit.

I decide not to press the matter any further. I don't think Dani can handle another trip down memory lane right now. Instead I say, “You ready to go home?”

“Yes sir.”

“What should we have for dinner? You want take out? I can order Chinese now if you don't want to cook.”

“That sounds good.”

She's distracted, and I'm sure she doesn't really want to eat. Unfortunately, I have to make her eat or we'll have a similar situation to the one almost a year ago now. Neither of us want her to be back in the hospital, so I have to monitor the situation closely. As I talk to the lady at the Chinese restaurant, I am aware that Dani's hand is still in mine. I just revel in the moment, not bringing any attention to it. Almost as soon as I hang up after ordering the food, my cell buzzes and my dad's name flashes on the screen.

“Hey dad.”

“Hey son. Is now a good time?”

“Dani and I are just on our way home. What's up?”

“I need to bring the last dose of medication over tonight. I need to talk to Dani about the next steps as well. Is that going to be ok?”

“Hang on, I'll check. Dani? My dad wants to come over and talk to us tonight. You ok with that?”

“Yes sir.”

“Dad? Yeah, that's fine.”

“Ok. I'll come straight from work so you can drop me home afterwards. We need to talk about yesterday.”

“I know. And we will. Do you want dinner at our place?”

“If you have enough. I'm just leaving work now so I'll probably be there around the same time as you.”



“Ok. See you in a little while.”