part 2
"I don't know what you're talking about, sir."
Looking his best detective up and down, Simon shook his head. Ellison was in pure deny-everything mode. "There's something going on that you're not telling me about. First of all, you call this meeting out of the blue, then you say the operation has to come to an end. I've never known you hurry an undercover op along before. What's going on?" Suddenly worried, he moved closer to his friend. "Are you in trouble? Do they suspect anything?"
Jim shook his head. "It's nothing like that, Simon."
"Then what is it?"
There was the sound of Jim grinding his teeth together, then, "I've found my Guide."
"What?!" Simon flinched at the loudness of his own voice, then repeated, much more quietly, "What? Jim, if he's a drug pusher -"
"He's nothing like that, sir! Henderson caught him trying to sneak into one of the warehouses to shelter. He's on the run."
"From the police?!" This just got better and better.
Jim shook his head. "From another Sentinel. I don't want him mentioned in any official reports, Simon - he has nothing to do with the case."
Simon nodded slowly. He didn't understand the Sentinel/Guide relationship but, having seen various Sentinels go primal when their Guides were threatened, he knew that anything that could remotely endanger the Guide was a bad idea. "That shouldn't be a problem, so long as you're sure he's not connected -"
"He's not."
Backing off at the growl in Jim's voice, Simon continued, "So, what is the problem? You're the Senior Sentinel Prime of Cascade. I don't see why another Sentinel would get in your way."
"The other Sentinel is a gun runner."
Simon's jaw dropped. What the hell was it with Ellison and his complications? "Is nothing ever easy for you? I swear, Ellison, you do this on purpose!"
"I didn't do this one on purpose, Simon. And I don't have any details."
There was a pause as Jim eyed him carefully, as if weighing him up. Just as Simon was about to point out that they'd been friends for years, and if that wasn't good enough, Ellison could take a running jump, Jim continued.
"Edwards is looking after him at the moment - and that's just between you and me."
"He called in this morning and took some personal days." Simon shrugged. "I assumed that David was sick."
Jim shook his head. "He's minding Blair for me. I asked him to find out what Blair knows about this other Sentinel."
"You want me to make enquiries?"
"Strictly on the QT."
"I can do that. I'll phone Edwards after I get back to the office." Getting back to the purpose of their meeting, Simon asked, "Are you any closer to finding out who the supplier is?"
"I don't know." Jim shrugged. "Benny might know, but Henderson keeps a close eye on him."
"I'm not surprised."
"Neither am I. If he says anything, I'll let you know."
"Okay. I'll look into that other matter." As Jim turned away, Simon added, "Be careful."
He was surprised at the smile on Jim's face as he glanced back. "Gotta be. I've got a Guide to bond with."
~'~
"He's what?!" Blair stared at the Sentinel and Guide on the other side of the table. This was great, just great. The drug dealing Cyrus of the night before was not a drug dealer - which was fine, Blair was happy about that. It was the fact that 'Cyrus' was Jim Ellison, a cop and the Senior Sentinel Prime of Cascade, which was concerning him.
If there was any scalp Alex would love to hang from her belt, it had to be that one.
Blair saw the look Edwards and David exchanged, and started talking before they could explain it to him again.
"I can't bond with him! Look...Alex, the gun runner who's after me? She'd just love to take down someone like him. She hates cops anyway, and a cop who's the number one Sentinel in Cascade -"
"Calm down, Blair." Edwards sounded reassuring, but he obviously had no idea who they'd be dealing with.
"You don't get it, man! Alex won't think twice about killing him and if he bonds with me, he's a dead man." Blair looked at them despairingly. They were so convinced of their Clan's ability to defend their Senior Prime that they weren't about to listen to him.
"Everything will be all right, Blair." Edwards grabbed his hand, his thumb rubbing across the back of it, and Blair felt the reassurance and protection the Sentinel was projecting to him. "We can stop Alex. But you need to tell us everything you know about her."
Pulling his hand free, Blair folded his arms and thought it over. It couldn't do any harm to tell them what he knew. Maybe they could stop her - they were cops, after all; they had to be interested in arresting her because of her weapons trafficking, and the same went for the rest of the Cascade police force. Taking a deep breath, he made up his mind; he'd tell them everything he knew because he really had nothing to lose by co-operating. And if they couldn't stop her? Well, he'd escaped from one Sentinel before - a psycho one at that. How difficult could it be to avoid bonding with this one?
~'~
"Hey, Cyrus."
Jim glanced up as Benny came up to him. "Hey, Benny."
"I - I wanted to apologise for last night." He sniffed and wiped his nose on his sleeve. "I was a bit out of it an' I uh..." He shrugged, then bounced on the spot a little. "I can't believe I accused ya of bein' a cop. I mean, ya saved my life, right?" He rubbed his nose on his sleeve again, then tucked his hands into his pockets. If he was doing it in an attempt to stop fidgeting, it failed.
"You all right?" Jim looked at him in concern. There was an unhealthy sheen to the kid's face.
"Yeah!" Benny rubbed his hands on the sides of his jeans, then tucked them back into his pockets. "Carl told me to lay off the stuff until we've finished makin' this deal with you." He grinned. "If we can go national, we'll be big, man!" His grin faded. "I - I mean, I don't wanna screw up Carl's chances here, ya know? Ya - ya wouldn't go makin' a deal with someone else just 'cause o' what I did, would ya, Cyrus?"
Jim shook his head. "No, Benny. I'm not going to drop Carl because of last night."
"Good." Benny's unlovely smile appeared for a moment, then disappeared as he leaned in to murmur, "Ya know, I can kinda see Carl's point. I was out of it last night, and this is serious business, ya know?"
"I know, Benny." Jim ignored the urge to lean back until Benny's breath was out of his face, instead turning down his sense of smell.
"But!" Benny straightened up, much to Jim's relief, and waved a finger in his face instead. "I am the one who made contact with the man first, so Carl should know that I'm not gonna screw this up for him. He's...he's just bein' a prick." With that, he nodded, then fidgeted his way across the warehouse to where the bags of stuff lay, all ready to be shipped off to Jim's 'extensive contacts'.
Jim watched him stroke a bag lovingly, the longing evident in every fibre of his being. It looked like Jim was right and Benny was the easiest way to find out who this 'man' was.
Assuming Jim could get the information from him before Benny's need for drugs overcame whatever common sense he had left.
~'~
The phone rang and Edwards grabbed it before it could disturb Blair. "Edwards." He eyed the kid as he answered and kept his voice quiet, hoping he wouldn't wake him. It was obvious that Blair was catching up on his sleep after a couple of nights spent sleeping rough.
"This is Banks."
"Captain." Edwards kept his voice neutral. It didn't seem likely that the captain would phone him to check up on him, but it was possible Ellison had contacted him.
"I spoke to Ellison this morning. He asked me to make enquiries about a gun runner and said you'd have the details."
"Yes, I do, sir." Getting up, Edwards made his way into the kitchen and shut the door. Now he could talk without waking Blair. "Her name's Alex Barnes, although...the person I got this from -"
"It's okay, he told me about Blair."
Well, that made it easier. "Okay. Blair said that he thinks she uses the name Alicia Bannister too."
"One or two 'n's?" He could hear Banks writing as he spoke.
"No idea, sir."
"Okay, I'll check both."
"She's about five foot nine, blonde, blue-eyed. David made a sketch of her this morning and I'll fax it over to you once we're finished. Blair's sure he heard her refer to a contact as Carlos, and thinks the surname was Rodriguez. She's also working with two musclemen, but he suspects they're just hired hands."
"Not main players?"
Edwards shook his head automatically. "He said they don't have the brains for it. He only got their first names, Dmitri and Kev, but he got the impression they've worked together before. They knew each other better than they knew Barnes."
"Descriptions?"
"Dmitri's about five foot ten, heavy set with dark hair and eyes. But you can't miss him; he's covered in tattoos."
"Any particular designs?"
"According to Blair, you name it, he's got it. One that stood out in particular was the snake tattooed around his neck." Personally, Edwards thought tattoos were stupid - especially for criminals. Criminals didn't want to be identified, yet some of them went out of their way to make themselves stand out in a crowd. "Kev wasn't quite so noticeable. An inch or two taller, with dark hair and blue eyes, and one pierced ear. It was one of those earrings that makes the hole bigger - you know the kind I mean?"
"I've seen them." Edwards could practically hear Banks shudder. "Okay. Anything else?"
"Barnes is driving an SUV."
Banks groaned. "They're common enough. Don't tell me: black, blue, green?"
"Dark blue - but it's not quite that bad, sir; it was rental, a fairly new one."
"I don't suppose the kid could save me the trouble and give me the licence plate?"
"Sorry, sir, no can do." Edwards grinned. "If he remembers anything more, I'll let you know."
"Okay." There was a pause for a moment, then Banks asked, "What's the kid like?"
"Determined, stubborn, pain in the ass."
Banks laughed slightly. "Sounds like he's perfect for Ellison. Okay, I'll get back to you when I know anything."
"Yes, sir." Putting the phone down, Edwards went back into the sitting room and leaned over the back of David's chair. "What are you up to now?"
David grinned, tilting his sketchpad so Edwards could see it clearly. "I think Sentinel Ellison will like this."
Looking at the page which showed a detailed sketch of a sleeping Blair, Edwards grinned in reply. "Yeah, I think he'll love it."
~'~
By the time Blair woke up, Edwards and David were making lunch. Naturally, the Sentinel realised he was awake and came out to see if he needed any help.
"I'm good, man. Thanks. I'll be out in a minute."
"Okay, Blair." Edwards patted him on the shoulder again, then left.
As he got up and limped towards the bathroom, Blair wondered if it was just Edwards or if all Sentinels were touchy-feely around Guides. He'd noticed that Edwards couldn't seem to keep his hands off David, and David was just the same with Edwards. If they stood or sat next to each other, it'd only take a few seconds before the Guide would lean into the Sentinel, and only a few more before the Sentinel's arm would be around the Guide's shoulders.
Blair closed the bathroom door behind him and leaned against it. If they could stop Alex....
Well, if they could stop Alex, he wouldn't actually need to bond. Although, he could, if he wanted to.
Would Cyrus...Jim be like that with him? Constantly connecting, being there - ready and willing to watch his back, no matter what was going on?
Not that Blair needed protecting, of course...well, apart from Alex. He was quite capable of standing on his own two feet and taking care of himself. He'd had to be. Once he'd gone off to Rainier at sixteen, he'd been on his own. Naomi would have stayed, if he'd asked her to, but Cascade didn't appeal to her and she'd just been invited on a retreat, so she'd gone.
It had all been for the best, anyway. He'd learned to look after himself then. Thrown in at the deep end, it had been a sink or swim situation, and he'd learned to swim with the best. Blair knew he could be proud of himself for that.
It was just...sometimes...he wondered what it would be like to know that he could rely on someone, if he wanted to. If he had to. Someone who'd always be there for him.
Like Edwards - Neds - with David.
Shoving back the wave of melancholy that swept over him, Blair straightened up and moved towards the toilet. In any case, it was all hypothetical. Alex had been in the gun-running business for a while now, and she'd obviously learned to swim with the sharks. Even with the best will in the world, he couldn't see the Cascade Clan or the Cascade PD bringing her down.
~'~
"You okay, Benny?" Jim didn't need his Sentinel vision to pick up on the junkie's shakes.
Benny blinked at him, his eyes unfocussed. "We goin' somewhere, Cyrus?" he asked, jerkily.
Sitting down next to him, Jim shook his head. "We're not going anywhere, Benny. You can take it easy." Looking at the kid, pity filling his heart, Jim hardened his resolve. Benny wasn't the only addict in Cascade, and with the pipeline wide open, the amount of users would grow.
"O-okay." Benny took a slurp of his coffee, his hand shaking as he raised the cup. He didn't seem to notice as he spilled part of it down himself. Lowering the cup, he leaned over to Jim and whispered, "I thought we were going to see the man, but Carl didn't want me along." The flicker of hurt in his eyes was easily seen.
"You'd be bored, Benny." Jim shrugged. "I hate those kind of meetings myself. They spend hours talking about numbers."
Benny gave a half-laugh. "That's Jacobs to a 't'! He's just like Carl. They...they get along great."
"See? Let them talk numbers. Who wants to listen to them anyway?"
"I guess." Benny shrugged slightly, his shoulders barely moving except for his tremors. Sighing, he added, "I used to talk to Andy...Andrew. But...Paul...Jacobs, that is...he - he didn't like me talking to Andrew. Said it was bad for production, whatever that meant." He aimed the cup at his mouth again, and half missed. "Oops."
"Hey, no worries." Jim handed over some tissues. "We all have accidents."
Mopping himself up, Benny gazed blearily in Jim's direction. "I liked Andy. I like you too, Cyrus." His eyes slid to the sealed cases that contained his heart's desire.
Jim patted his shoulder and got up. "I know, Benny. I like you too."
~'~
Glaring at the wall as he was, once again, interrupted, Simon grabbed for the phone and growled, "Banks," down the receiver. Whoever it was, it had better be important; Simon had far better things to do than sit around answering phones.
"It's Ellison."
Simon sighed in relief, then snapped, "It's about damn time!"
"I'm sorry about that, sir. I've been following up a couple of leads and I think I have something."
Jim wasn't sorry, Simon could tell that. The Sentinel would do whatever he had to do to protect the tribe, and sticking to the rules and keeping in touch weren't important. "What have you got?"
"Paul Jacobs. According to Benny, Matthews left to have a meeting with him and a guy called Andrew. From what Benny said, it sounds like Jacobs runs the business side of things while Andrew is the one cooking up the stuff."
Simon nearly snapped his pen with the shock. "You think you've found the one who invented Golden?!"
"If what Benny said is true, yes, sir."
Well, there was the rub; Benny was a user. But it was still worth looking into. "All right. I'll see if I can track this Jacobs down."
"Yes, sir. I managed to get a glance at some of Matthews' papers and I got a name too - I think it's a business name. Bio-Helix."
Simon nodded as he wrote it down. "Okay, got it. If Jacobs is connected with Bio-Helix, he shouldn't be hard to find."
"That's what I thought." There was a pause then, "Any news on Barnes?"
Sighing, Simon wished that he had good news for the Sentinel. "She's definitely Alicia Bannister, and we think we've got a lead on Carlos Rodriguez."
"We?"
"Jim, the Feds are involved. I pulled up her file and it set a whole pile of alarm bells ringing."
"Damn!"
"On the plus side, they're not interested in how we got this information. I claimed it was an anonymous tip off, and they haven't said a word about it since."
Jim paused. "Do you believe that they're not interested?"
"I don't know. I'm leaving it alone unless they say something."
"Good idea, sir."
"In any case, they're not acting interested. All they're bothered about is catching Barnes." Simon listened as the Sentinel ground his teeth.
Finally, "Is that all?"
"Not quite. Barnes' hired muscles turned up dead." Simon waited but, for once, Jim was silent. "She probably killed them as soon as Bl...our anonymous caller got away from her." Privately, Simon thought that Jim needed to stop grinding his teeth; his dental bills had to be enormous. However, the Senior Sentinel Prime probably wouldn't listen to Simon's dental advice right now.
"I don't think she's planning on leaving town, Captain."
"Neither do I. The Feds think that they're closing in on Rodriguez though. Once they have him, with any luck, we can use him to find Barnes."
"Sir, with all due respect, the Feds couldn't find their asses using both hands and a GPS tracking system."
"I know that, Jim, but they do have resources we don't."
There was another frustrated sigh, then Jim said, "All right. But if they start asking questions -"
"They won't get any answers," Simon interrupted, reassuringly, hoping it was enough to keep the Sentinel calm. "No one in the office knows where the tip came from."
"All right." Jim's frustration could be clearly heard. "I'll be in touch if I hear anything more."
"Jim? If this information leads us to whoever's behind Golden, we should be able to shut down the operation from that end, so watch your back."
"Yes, sir."
~'~
Slapping his cell phone shut, Jim glared at the ocean in front of him. He'd known it was risky having Simon check up on Barnes but he'd figured it was worth the risk. However, if he'd known the Feds had flagged her file, he would have left the situation in limbo until he was off this operation and able to protect his Guide himself.
Glancing around again, and cautiously extending his senses to make sure that no one was eavesdropping on him, he opened his cell phone and dialled Edwards' number. Now that the Feds were sniffing around, it was more important than ever that Blair be kept out of sight. The Feds had more resources, it was true, but they also had a far higher potential for screwing things up.
~'~
Blair looked up as the phone rang, then glanced over at David as Neds answered it. Maybe it was because the phone was by the Sentinel's chair, but he'd noticed that it was always Neds who got to the phone first.
"Edwards."
If Blair hadn't been watching so closely, he would have missed the way the Sentinel Prime stiffened, however, he couldn't have missed the way David's attention snapped from the TV to his Sentinel.
"Got it." Neds put the phone down, and Blair's unease grew as a reassuring smile was directed at him and his fellow Guide. "There's nothing to worry about. It looks as if Ellison's undercover operation might be ending soon."
Blair frowned. Neds was hiding something, he was sure of it. And even if he wasn't, the fact that Ellison would soon be free to turn his attention to Blair was definitely something to worry about.
As Neds settled back next to David and turned his attention back to the TV, Blair watched the muscle flexing in the Sentinel's jaw. Oh yeah, Neds was worried about something all right, and Blair would have bet all the money he had that it concerned him.
~'~
Jim shut his phone once more and shoved it back into his pocket, allowing his dissatisfaction to surface. He should be there, safeguarding his Guide instead of relying upon his Sentinel Prime to do it for him. Oh, Edwards would keep Blair safe and out of sight, Jim had no doubts about that. Even if Blair weren't slated to be the next Senior Guide Prime, Edwards would have done it because Blair was a Guide who was in danger. But the Sentinel within Jim was furious that he was forced to step back and let someone else do his job. His job, with his Guide.
Gritting his teeth, Jim stalked back to the truck and got in, taking a petty delight in slamming the door loudly. He wasn't due at the warehouse until the next day, which meant that he got to kick his heels doing nothing in particular until then. As Jim Ellison, there were plenty of things - bonding included - that he could have done. As Cyrus, he guessed sitting in 'his' apartment and watching TV was the best he could hope for.
What the hell did drug dealers do in their off-time anyway?!
~'~
"Night, Blair."
"Night, Neds." The light clicked off and Blair turned on his side, listening carefully as the door shut quietly and Neds' footsteps could be heard retreating up the hall to the other bedroom. The other door shut and Blair sighed, rolling onto his back again and staring up into the darkness.
What had Jim said to Neds to make him so uneasy?
Neds hadn't said another word about the phone call but Blair had been able to tell that he was on edge all evening. David had known it too, and Neds had barely been able to take a step without David right there beside him. Not that the Sentinel had objected.
Regardless of Neds' relaxed attitude to David dogging his footsteps, that still left the question of the phone call. And the only answer Blair could come up with was: it was something to do with Alex, and it wasn't good news.
Blair flexed his ankle slightly, wincing as it twinged in reply. There was no help for it. Bad news about Alex meant that he had to run. Now, before it was too late.
He just hoped that Neds would be sleeping deeply enough for Blair to get out of the apartment without waking him. Even with two good ankles and the best will in the world, there was no way Blair would be able to get past Neds if the Sentinel Prime woke up.
Well, he'd just have to wait a couple of hours before making his move. Blair tugged the covers up to his chin and revelled in the cosiness, deciding that he'd better make the most of being warm while he could.
Jerking his eyes open, Blair stared at the LED on David's alarm and scowled as he realised he'd fallen asleep. He should have expected that.
He pushed back the covers and got out of bed, keeping his movements as quiet as possible, then he grabbed for his clothes and pulled them on in the dark. It wasn't until he was almost fully dressed that he realised he hadn't seen his sneakers since he'd taken them off in the bathroom the day before.
The best he could hope for was that they were underneath the bed but seeing them would be another problem. Limping to the door, Blair slid his hands along the wall until he felt the light switch, then held his breath as he slowly eased the switch on.
Light flooded the room and there was still no sound from the bedroom next door. Sighing with relief, Blair ducked his head to look under the bed.
He was out of luck.
Blair resisted the urge to kick something. One, it would hurt, and two, it would wake Neds for sure. Gnawing on his lip, Blair pondered his next move. He couldn't leave without shoes. His eyes fell on the wardrobe and he smiled. Even if his sneakers weren't in there, David's shoes should be. He just hoped David wouldn't mind too much when he found out that Blair had stolen a pair of his shoes.
Unfortunately for Blair, one glance inside the wardrobe showed that wherever David kept his shoes, it wasn't in the wardrobe.
There was nothing for it; he was going to have to check the coat closet to see if his shoes - or any shoes - were there.
He eyed the light switch thoughtfully, then decided that he'd have to risk it and leave it on. There was no way he'd be able to find his shoes in the dark, and turning on the sitting room light would be far more likely to disturb someone.
Placing his hand on the door handle, Blair turned it slowly, ears straining for any hint of a sound. Finally, it was fully turned and Blair pulled the door open.
Then promptly let go of the handle and squawked with shock as he stared up into Neds' face.
"Going somewhere?"
"J-Jesus, man, you nearly scared the life out of me!"
"Shhh, David's still asleep."
Blair gulped for air as he tried to calm himself. His heart felt like it was going to beat its way out of his chest. As Neds' hand on his shoulder steered him back towards the bed, Blair demanded, "How the hell did you know? I was so quiet!"
"I was listening to your heartbeat."
For a moment, Blair stared down at his chest, then he turned and glared up at the Sentinel. "Don't you ever sleep?!"
"Sure I do. I was asleep when you woke me. Get undressed."
"No." Ignoring the increased throbbing in his ankle, Blair gritted his teeth and stared defiantly at Neds. "I'm leaving." Furiously, he tried to brush past the Sentinel, only to be pushed back and set on the bed, Neds' hands on his shoulders keeping him there.
"What's wrong?"
Blair could feel the Sentinel's concern but blocked it out, and shrugged, trying to dislodge the grip on his shoulders. "What's wrong?! You tell me!" he retorted. "You're the one who had that phone call from Jim! What's Alex done now?!"
"Alex?!" Neds looked confused, then shook his head. "The phone call wasn't about Barnes."
"Then why did it get you worried?!"
Neds sighed, and sat down on the bed next to Blair, one arm wrapped firmly around his shoulders. "The Feds are looking for Barnes too, and Ellison phoned me to warn me. He doesn't want the Feds to know about you; he doesn't trust them."
Blair knew it was the truth. But still, he shook his head. "I'm going to have to go in the end, man." Raising his head, he looked Neds in the eye. "You guys won't be able to stop her." He shrugged again, trying to shake free of Neds' warm hold.
"Blair, you let us worry about Barnes." Neds stood. "Now get undressed. It's the middle of the night and I need my sleep."
~'~
Once Blair was in bed, and the room had been stripped of anything resembling trousers, Edwards dumped the clothes on a chair in his room and got back into his own bed.
"What was he doing?"
Unsurprisingly, David was awake. Surprisingly, he was still in bed and hadn't followed Edwards into the other bedroom to see what was going on for himself.
"Leaving."
"In the middle of the night?!"
"Shhh!" Edwards had no doubt that Blair's indignation would grow if he realised that David and Edwards were talking about him.
"Sorry." David snuggled down again, warm against his side, then gave a smothered laugh. "I would have loved to have seen his face when he opened the door to find you there."
Edwards grinned in the darkness at the memory; Blair's face had been a picture. His amusement faded suddenly as he reflected that, while the Guide's concern for Ellison was a good thing, his determination to protect the Sentinel by leaving wasn't.
David pressed closer suddenly. "It'll be all right, Neds. Didn't Sentinel Ellison say that the case is almost over?"
"Yes. Yes, it is." Edwards nodded, and put his arm around his Guide. God knew what he'd do if he ever lost David. And God knew what he would have done if he'd lost David before they'd bonded.
"Then it'll be fine. As soon as Sentinel Ellison doesn't have to be undercover, he'll come here and bond with Blair." Satisfaction radiated from the Guide. "And then, the Clan will catch Alex, and Sentinel Ellison and Blair will be happy."
Edwards frowned. "Why are you so concerned with Ellison's happiness?"
"He's the Senior Sentinel Prime," David replied, matter-of-factly.
The Sentinel Prime had to admit that it was a very good answer, and it was probably true but....
Rolling slightly, he pinned his Guide in place and lowered his head to growl softly, "You let me worry about other Sentinels; you can worry about other Guides."
There was a moment's disbelieving silence then David snorted with laughter. "You're jealous!"
The Sentinel's head lunged down and he bit into his Guide's throat, David's startled cry turning into a moan as the scent of bonding filled the air.
Finally, Edwards raised his head and said, firmly, "Just making sure you know where you belong. That's all."