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Chapter 19 – Penny for Your Thoughts

Eric Delko was pissed off.

He was annoyed at a lot of things, Horatio, Becki and V, the sick people who had taken them. And he was pissed at himself.

He knew it wasn’t his fault, he couldn’t have done anything. But there was still that tiny spark of doubt.

And then there was the other thing. He felt it in his pocket, checking that it was still there. It was. To his surprise, Nick was also checking his pockets. Their eyes met.
Eric looked hard at Nick.
“Wanna share?”
Nick nodded gratefully, pulling a small box from his pocket.
“I was going to... tonight. Maybe. But now...”
He lapsed into silence, both of them thinking of the grizzly scene they expected.

Eric cleared his throat.
“You know, I think their bond has got to us too.”
He showed Nick his own box. Nick laughed.
“I heard about earlier. She turned you down. That’s why I didn’t...”
He trailed off again, shooting Eric a worried look. Eric nodded.
“She did. But I know why, and I know that f I do it right, She might consider it.”
Nick smiled, but his face soon dropped.
“No she can’t Eric.”
Eric nodded again, not wanting to let the image into his head.
“Just don’t ok Nick? Just let me remember them the way I want to. Alright? I don’t want to think about it.”
Nick shook his head slowly.
“I’m sorry Eric. But you need to now.”
He pointed out the window.
“We’re here.”
~*~
Climbing out, the pair made their way up to a small door.
Taking a deep breath, Eric turned the handle.

The sight he met was not what they expected. Instead he saw Horatio, tied to ring that had been bored into the far wall. T he girls were no where to be seen.

Wasting no time, they ran to help him. Horatio’s eyes widened, then he understood.
“They told you?” He asked. His voice cracking. Eric nodded. Horatio smiled.
“That’s my girls. Always have a back up plan.”*
Nick smiled too, but then he heard a noise that made his blood run cold.
“Well, well. Someone else who walked into a trap.”
Those were the last words Nick remembered before something heavy hit him on the head.
~*~
Outside Horatio’s house, Meghan stooped to pick up the waiting package. She and Speed opened it, grins spreading across their faces. Caroline craned her neck to see.
“What is it?!”
Meghan smiled.
“It’s a tracking unit. Delko must have the tracker on him. It’s leading us right to him.”
She frowned.
“But what is he doing in an old warehouse.”
The team looked at each other bewildered. Meghan cleared her throat.
“I can give you what Eric told me, but it’s only half a story and it looks like every second is precious right now...”
~*~
When Eric and Nick came too, both of them had been tied up to a ring on either side of Horatio.

Another door had been opened, but a black van was parked there, obstructing any room for exit.
Eric turned to Horatio.
“Did Becki tell you about this morning?”
It seemed so trivial, so stupid. But he had to keep his mind off what was going on.
Horatio nodded.
“She did. And V defended you well I might add.”
Eric smiled. Why didn’t that surprise him?
Horatio began to turn away, but Eric cleared his throat.
“There’s something else. This afternoon, I asked your daughter to marry me.”
Horatio blinked.
“Is that supposed to be a joke Eric?”
Eric gave a derisive laugh.
“No, though I wish this was.”
Horatio nodded thoughtfully. Nick decided it might be a good time to let Horatio know his own intentions and quickly launched into an explanation.

When they were both done explaining, Horatio sighed.
“And I can safely assume they would have both said yes.”
He sighed again, his eyes straying to the plotting group of men.
“We’re at the end of the line. I’m just sorry you two got caught up in all of this.”
Both Eric and Nick shook their heads fervently.
“We wouldn’t have missed knowing you three for the world.”
Horatio smiled. It was then that Cameron came over.
“Now isn’t this a touching scene?”
All three stared defiantly back at him. He just laughed.
“Maybe this will loosen your tongue Caine.”
He raised a hand, and the doors of the van were flung open.

Shock spread across all three faces. Inside were Becki and V. They both had their hands tied behind them and gags covering their mouths. But they were very much alive.

*I must just tell you that the original line was always CALL for back-up. Then I remember that that just isn’t the Caine girl’s style. We’re a bit daft that way. But anyhow.

/]Authors Notes: Forgetting to call back up is not a bad thing. It's like forgetting to do homework. So long as you lie convincingly, no one will know the difference :)[/

DISCLAIMER:This author does not condone forgotten homework. She just happens to have been born lucky.