Balance

Lane hesitated - but what did he expect? This was still better than Mick asking more questions. If he let Angel help him, then there would be less reason for suspicion...right?

Silently obeying his sister's direction, he took off his hat then carefully removed his shirt before lying down on his stomach on the table. Actually, it was a relief, not having anything rubbing against his wounds like they had been.

He still said nothing as she started to work on his back, but simply closed his eyes to try and work through the pain. Eventually though, he did speak.

"It's not important how it happened," he mentioned quietly. "It's over, so I'd rather just move on." He winced as she moved to a more infected wound. He hadn't been able to do a very good job of taking care of this himself. The question was, what would happen now? If he really did think he could just move on, someone's life would be over, and it would be on his head. No matter what he chose, he would condemn someone.

He winced again. "You haven't gotten any gentler over the years, have you?" he tried to tease. Maybe Angel would let the whole thing drop if she saw he didn't want to talk about it.


Justin smiled, trying to be as reassuring as possible. Beth was taking this strange and stressful event in stride, and he was proud of her. "I'm ready. Let's go."

The two-hour drive was torture. Justin wanted to figure this out and figure it out now. He had so many unanswered questions, and it was driving him crazy. Several more phone calls were exchanged on the way, though, with Reese. Pete and Jamie had been sent to the house to watch Lydia and Jared. No more calls had come in though, so they still knew very little - other than the fact that Grace had not shown up for work today. But she wasn't home, even though her car was, making foul play an even stronger assumption. Justin didn't even stop at his own house for anything - if someone was after him, being outside town at his property was the worst place to be alone. He had enough clothes at his mom's that he'd be fine for now, and at least he already had the dogs with him...

"...So what are you guys doing to find her? And why can't I call the cops? Shouldn't they be in on this?" Jared sat in his wheelchair in the living room, his voice matching his expression of irritation.

Pete sighed and eased down to sit on the armrest of the couch. He gave Jamie a sidelong glance. He was glad she was along to care for Lydia - who seemed pretty shook up at this point - but having to deal with Jared was not a pleasant task. "We are the cops. We may not be from the police department, but trust me - this case is in the right hands. There is very little we can do at this point, though, until you get another call." 

Jared gritted his teeth, his fingers digging into the wheels of his chair. He wanted to scream, but didn't know who to scream at. "Why did they want me to call Justin? What's he involved with?"

"Us." Pete pursed his lips grimly. "Any connection with the Elite is cause for the Agency's attention."

"The Agency?"

"Your brother tell you anything?"

"No!" Jared threw up his arms. "He never tells me anything, okay?! I don't have a clue what's going on!"  

"Just cam down," Pete directed gently but firmly. "The Agency is a crime organization."

"What, you mean like the mob or something?"

"Worse. They like to play games. Torture games. Now this whole thing with your girlfriend - it might be a simple prank. It might be an enemy of hers and they think Justin is their way to gain whatever it is they want. It might be an old client of Justin's who didn't like the way he counseled him. Or, it could be the Agency because he's been involved in the Elite recently."

Jared sighed, finally calming down a little. "But if it's the Agency, why Grace? What's the point? She's my girlfriend, not his."

"And how will you feel if she's hurt?"

"Are you kidding me? I'm already sick with worry." 

"And if it's the Agency because of Justin, you gonna blame him?"

"Probably."

"Then there you go." Pete shrugged. "If it's the Agency, they'll use Grace to get to you in order to torture your brother. That's the way they work - they take the long way around just for the fun of it."

Jared paused a moment, just studying Pete and Jamie both. "So why are you guys here?"

"We don't expect anything to happen, but just in case anyone shows up here, we're ready. That's all. Nothing to worry about."

Despite his confidence, Lydia, from her seat in her own chair, gave Jamie a worried glance. This whole thing was quite scary for her, and she wasn't really sure what to say or how to act. 

Pulling into the driveway, Justin was glad to see the Elite vehicle here. He hadn't gotten word that there had been any more calls though, and that bothered him. They needed to talk to whoever it was that took Jamie in order to form a plan or get any kind of lead. But at least for now, here, everyone was safe. 

He glanced to the side and took Beth's hand, giving it a squeeze. "Let's go inside and find out what's going on. Then you'll probably stay here for a little while, okay?"


Levi automatically smiled as he spotted Karla, glad that she'd actually shown up. He grimaced a little though as she sat down. "Doh...yeah giving you my number would have been a good idea, huh? Sheesh. Not thinking, sorry. But no, I haven't been waiting long at all." He spoke almost as fast as his brain was moving - which was probably too fast. He grabbed a menu. "Let's order, then...we'll talk." 

It didn't take long to get their food, but Levi didn't start into the work-related questions just yet. "So..." He took a bite of his beef and chewed it thoughtfully. "You've seen me make a fool out of myself, and you've met my father, so I'm feeling a bit intimidated." He grinned. "Tell me a few things about yourself so we can restore balance to the universe."