"He's right" Ana exhales, shakily, entering the break room.

"Runt, what's wrong?" Harper asks, seeing how Ana is trembling and looks like she hasn't slept a wink.

Ana puts down a note on the table.

"my grandparents, gone" Ana whispers. "t-they must've seen us when we went back to check out where Cole was shot"

"it's the only way" Nolan realizes.

"Armstrong is working with them, he has to be, and they don't want us to look into it further, so he got hostages" Nolan stands up, looking over at Harper.

"Hostages from the most vulnerable person on the team" Harper connects the dots.

"vulnerable?" Ana sniffles, a little hurt by being called the most vulnerable.

"Everyone cares about you, because let's be honest I don't really give two shits about West because I don't know him and Bradford doesn't give two shits about me. And Angela doesn't give two shits about Nolan, but everyone cares about you, it makes you the most vulnerable" Harper explains.

"so now what?" Ana asks, softly.

"now we have to get enough evidence against him" Nolan decides.

[Timeskip]

"Excuse me, sir." Harper says, entering Grey's office with Nolan and Ana.

Ana sees Armstrong standing there as well.

"Yes?" Grey asks.

"I might have a way to run down Serj." Harper starts.

"You got my attention." Grey nods.

"There's a former contact of mine from way back in the day. He runs in the same circles as Serj and Ruben. He might talk to me." Harper replies.

"Well, run it down. You don't need my permission." Grey says.

"I do if I want to go plainclothes and unmarked. I'll spook him if I show up in blues and a shop." Harper explains.

"Do it." Grey consents and they leave his office.

"Hey! You, uh, mind if I tag along? Better than finding my own clues." Armstrong asks, approaching the three.

"Sure. The more, the merrier." Nolan agrees.

"Great. Uh, let me grab my keys. I'll meet you in the parking lot." Armstrong smiles.

[Timeskip]

"this is how we get him?" Ana asks, softly, as she changes into plains clothes with Harper in the girls locker room.

"yes" Harper answers. "he's walking into the trap"

"if he finds out that I'm still working the Serj case, will they kill my grandparents?" Ana questions, softly.

"no, because he thinks that you're following an entirely different lead" Harper answers.

"they didn't sign up for this" Ana sniffles as she changes.

"I know, but when you're the family of a cop, you're much more vulnerable" Harper says. "I found that out the hard way with Lila."

"if they die-..." Ana trails off.

"they won't" Harper promises. "we're going to get the bastard and find them"

[Timeskip]

Harper has Nolan ride with her while Ana rides with Armstrong.

"Do you know who Harper's contact is?" Armstrong asks while Ana drives.

"no, she likes to keep her sources private" Ana says, softly.

"Smart. Gotta keep sensitive information need-to-know. Officer Cole proved that." Armstrong agrees.

"how are you doing after everything?" Ana asks, softly.

"Yeah, it's been rough. I keep replaying it over and over in my head, wondering what I could have done different." Armstrong replies.

"I wasn't there, but from what Nolan tells me, you had to take the shot" Ana says, softly.

"Yeah, but Nolan said he thought he was getting through to her. If I just hadn't surprised her like that, who knows what would have happened?" Armstrong sighs.

"she could have flipped or shot herself, who knows? or maybe you saved Nolan's life by shooting? someone like that... they're so skittish, you never know what they'd do in that situation" Ana says, softly.

"you're right" Armstrong nods.

"Nolan was right about you" Armstrong remarks.

"right about what, sir?" Ana asks, softly.

"you're good at cheering people up" Armstrong answers.

"I've been through a lot, I just say what I'd have wanted to hear" Ana replies, softly.

"that makes sense" Armstrong says.

"your grandparents are safe and they will be if you don't do a single thing" Armstrong threatens, his voice suddenly cold and not friendly like it was before.

Ana just nods, her eyes glassy and she focuses back on the road.

[Timeskip]

"Stay here. I won't be long." Harper says, getting out of the car.

"Excuse me. With all due respect, we should be in there with you, in case things go sideways." Armstrong argues.

"Negative. My guy is skittish. If I need you, I will signal." Harper replies.

"She go rogue like this all the time?" Armstrong asks, sounding friendly like he didn't just threaten Ana's family.

"Sometimes, she's good at it, kind of a lone wolf if you know what I mean, you worried?" Ana asks, softly.

"I'm not. I just want to do this by the book. The last thing we need is another officer down." Armstrong answers.

"makes sense" Ana agrees, softly, before her phone rings.

"it's Bradford, he might've gotten something, mind if I take it?" Ana asks, softly.

"Yeah, yeah." Armstrong agrees and Ana steps aside.

"Hey." Ana says, softly, over the phone. It's not Tim, it's Harper.

"How's he doing?" Harper asks.

"definitely worried" Ana answers, softly.

"He text anyone?" Harper questions.

"No, not yet." Ana replies, softly.

"All right. We'll stay inside another 10 minutes, make him sweat." Harper decides.

[Timeskip]

"turned out to be a dead end" Ana sighs, softly, walking back over to Armstrong and Nolan, who were talking.

"Damn, I got hopeful" Armstrong curses.

"finding him isn't going to be easy" Nolan remarks.

Armstrong fidgets a little, staring at the house when he starts to walk to enter.

"Sir" Ana tries to protest but he's already entering the house.

"Wha-- You -- You were supposed to stay outside." Harper says, coming out of another room when Armstrong enters the home.

"Where's your guy?" Armstrong asks.

"He went out back." Harper replies.

"Did your guy give up Serj?" Armstrong questions.

"No. Man, he was -- he was just playing me. He -- He just wanted reward money." Harper explains.

"That's aggravating." Armstrong agrees.

"But that's the job, right? 90% failure, 5% victory." Armstrong says.

"What's the other 5%?" Ana asks, softly.

"Fear. You mind driving back with Detective Harper? I've intruded on your time long enough." Armstrong asks.

"of course, sir" Ana says, softly.

Nolan and Armstrong shake hands before Armstrong leaves.

"You think he knows?" Nolan asks while Ana walks over to Harper and leans her head on her shoulder while looking at Harper's phone

"I think we better pray bringing him out here was worth the risk. All right, I got the cell records from the nearest tower. Four cellphones were pinged during the 15 minutes we've been here. Mine, yours, Armstrong's official cell -- hmm -- and this." Harper says, scrolling through the report.

"His burner." Ana realizes, softly.

"Can you pull up his call and text records?" Nolan asks.

"Damn it." Harper curses.

"What?" Nolan asks.

"That number was first activated this morning. He hasn't made a single call or text." Harper groans.

"A fresh burner phone? That's really smart" Ana frowns, softly.

"Cops make the best criminals." Harper replies.

"We got to be smarter. We got to trip him up somehow. We got to get into his head." Nolan sighs.

"What?" Ana and Harper ask when Nolan turns to face them with an idea.

[Timeskip]

"You're going to help him" Ana pleads, softly.

"and why would I do that, pet?" Rosalind asks.

Ana sighs, before rolling up her sleeve and showing very old marks where Ana cut herself.

"For two years after what happened" Ana sniffles.

Rosalind grins.

"Send him in" Rosalind permits.

Ana leaves the cell and gestures for Nolan to enter. Harper has a marker and wipes off the fake marks they drew on Ana's skin.

They know Rosalind loves to hear about her victims suffering, and if Rosalind thinks that Ana harmed herself for two years after she raped her and kidnapped her, it will make Rosalind very happy and make amenable to Nolan questioning her.

"you did good" Harper assures her softly, wiping Ana's tears as they fall.

"I hate her" Ana whispers.

"I know" Harper says, hugging her.

[Timeskip]

With Serj captured, Ana finds the address that her grandparents were held captive. She busts in with Harper, finding them tied up.

"Oh god" Ana whispers, starting to cry as she runs over and unties them.

"mi amor" Carmen cries, hugging Ana.

"I'm so sorry, so sorry" Ana cries.

"Español por favor" Jose corrects his granddaughter.

"Lo siento mucho, esto no debería haber sucedido. Debería haberte protegido mejor. Lo siento mucho." Ana cries, hugging all of them. (I'm so sorry, this shouldn't have happened. I should've protected you better. I'm so so sorry.)

They don't respond and just hold her.

{Season 2 is a wrap, the last two episodes were shorter than I liked by I really wanted to whip them out and everything. I'm hoping to start Season 3 tomorrow and I have big plans which I'm very excited to write. Season 3 is out now, here is the link:

https://www.wattpad.com/story/365571479-altruism-part-three-sacrifice}