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25|JJ

"Okey, be safe." I say before she hangs up on me.
"Everything okey?" Sarah asks as I turn back to them.
"I hope so." I shrug.
"We were talking and then I think she zoned out before she told she gotta go." I tell them.
"Is everything okey?" I ask Zeke and the other guys.
"She looked okey, when we left." Grayson nods.
"Maybe they found something." Zeke waves his hand.
"Okey, so we head back, clock out and we will change again in 12 hours." Zeke turns his attention to Grayson.
"You know the drill, one car will stay here, one with Maybank and one with Haywards." he adds and Grayson nods.
"I know..." he stops talking.

"Are they threatening your family?" Kie's voice comes over the radio.
"Sam Harris, I think I heard about your dad. He works in the harbor right?" she keeps going.
"Give me the cases! Now! Or you kill them! You kill us!" I recognize that voice.
"It's the bartender from..." I look up at John B when we hear a loud boom.

I stop talking and snap my head at Zeke. He grabs his radio.
"This is agent Raynolds, badge number 8 7 5 6 6 8 7 0 1 1, Carrera come in." he says, but nothing.
"Anyone come in." he tries again.
"Does anyone copy?" he exchanges a look with his FBI friends.
"I copy." it's Amelia.
"What happened?" Zeke asks but she doesn't say anything for a while.

"A bomb went off inside the station." she almost whispers.
"Everyone's down. I repeat everyone's down." she adds.
"We are on our way." Zeke states
"No! The fire and rescue is on the way, you are all staying put with the targets! This could be a distraction, our priority is to protect them." Amelia orders.
"They need our help!" Zeke shouts back.
"It's an order, Raynolds! Stay put until further notice! All twelve of you!" she shouts back.
"I'll keep you posted. Over and out." she adds.

"What... what..." I look at my friends not able to get anything out.
"Are they dead?" John B flat out asks.
"She said all of them are down, right?" he adds. I can see she's in shock too but he's in lawyer mode trying to get all the information.
"No, they are not dead. They might, they might not. We don't know yet but they are out of service at the moment." Zeke says still looking at the ground.

A new message pings on my phone and I close my eyes already knowing from who it is.

FROM: Blocked ID
What's the saying... if you fail the first time - just try again? I guess the second try is the charm... but hey, at least LJ wasn't there! But I finally got Carrera, now that she's out of the way, it will be way easier to get the rest of you. See ya later alligators. XOXO PUL

"Why do you look like you want to murder someone and faint at the same time?" Sarah asks first.
"It's from the psycho." I look up. Zeke grabs my phone from my hand and he reads it out loud for everyone.
"Okey, okey." he gives me the phone back.
"We need to concentrate. We are the weakest we have been since this started. We can't let our guards down." he looks at his friends.
"I know it's hard, it's our friends out there but we can't help them. That's the fire and rescue's job, ours is be alert and protect these 5." he looks between all of us.
"And yours job is to stay alive." he adds.
"Check the perimeter and all the entries, the windows, okey? Then we take you home, it's way safer now to split you up." he turns back and they move without questioning him.

"Should I tell something to Bails?" I sit down and look at the Pogues. The kids are in the twins room so they have no idea.
"I don't know. Maybe." Sarah shrugs.
"I wouldn't say anything just yet. Wait for the news, you don't need to freak her out until you know for sure." Cleo states.
"She can't be dead." I say feeling like someone punched me to my gut.
"She's not." John B shakes his head.
"You don't know that." I bite my lips and look at the front door.
"Neither do you though." Pope reminds me.
"I have a bad feeling." I say.
"You are scared, J, but you can't think the worst. You have to have hope." JB pats my back just as Grayson and Zeke comes back with the rest.
"Okey, let's go." they wave at us. I nod and go grab Bails.

***

"I don't understand why we were in so rush!" she cross her arms in her car seat I borrowed from Kie. I look at her through the rearview mirror.
"It's getting late." I lie and keep my voice natural.
"It's not! You said I can stay up later than I usually do!" she raises her voice angry at me.
"I'm sorry, Bails. Look, how about..." I try but she interrupts me.
"NO! I don't want some lame replacement of today's night! You promised and you broke it!" she looks out of the windows.
"Bailey, I am really sorry I broke my promise but I'll make it up to you okey?" I state.
"Just tell me why." she whispers.
"Is something wrong?" she asks. I sigh and peek at her again.
"Something did happen and the FBI agent thinks it's best we go home." I tell her half of the truth.
"Where's mummy?" she asks.
"She's working late, but... she'll be home." I hope.
"Don't lie to me, JJ." she looks at me.
"Is she alright?" she asks then. I stay quiet.
"I don't know, Bails." I give up.
"But they are doing everything to help so she could go home, okey?" I park the car and get out. I take her out of the car seat but don't put her down.
"When I know anything, you'll know too. I promise you that." I look into her eyes. She nods slightly before she wraps her arms around my neck in a hug.
"I'm sorry for shouting at you." she whispers into my neck.
"Don't worry about that." I climb the stairs to my front door and got inside. LJ's in his room just like when we left and I don't bother him just to tell him bad news when I don't know everything yet.
"Can we watch something while we wait?" Bails asks me when we get into her room.
"Okey, but after we change." I say and take out from her closet something that looks comfy. She changes while I do the same.

We lie down in her bed and she chooses to watch Shrek.
"You saw this one?" Bails looks up at me.
"I did actually." I nod.
"You look like that prince who everyone hates." she chuckles.
"Well, you are just like the Donkey so, argue who's worse." I smile.
"But I'm a girl! I can't be a Donkey! At least give me a human being!" she sits up and frowns at me.
"Wait, you are a human?" I make a shock face.
"You know, I change my mind. You are a Shrek! He's mean just as you." she lies back down.
"I mean, at least I'm the main character." I smile.
"Donkey is the main character too." she argues.
"First off, I thought you are not the Donkey and second, what's the movie called?" I look down at her.
"I hate you." she scoffs and stays quiet for the rest of the movie.

Just when I am about to play the second one, I hear the front door close. I sit up faster than the light. Bails jumps down off the bed but I catch her quickly.
"Wait, let me go first." I whisper to her, which she slowly nods and we step into the hallway.

When I peek around the corner I close my eyes in relief.
"Mummy!" Bails bolts from behind me and jumps into Kie's arms.
"Why are you not in the bed?" Kie asks like nothing happened.
"We waited for you!" Bails says when Kie puts her back down and she looks up finding my eyes.
"I'm home, now let's go to bed." she rushes Bails back into her room. I stay quiet just watching her unable to look away but also to say something, ask everything.

"Goodnight, baby." Kie kisses her head and turns off the TV.
"Night, mum." Bails says happily.
"Night, Jayj!" she looks at me and I smile at her the best I can manage.
"Goodnight, Bails." I say before we exit the room.

"Don't even ask." Kie says before she walks into my room.
"Don't even ask." I repeat still standing in the hallway like a statue getting the words sink in. Getting her presence sink in.
"Don't even ask?!" I walk inside suddenly angry. She walks out from the closet where she put her clothes kind of shocked.
"Oh,... you've heard." she states.
"Oh, I've heard." I say and we just stare at each other.
"I have also eyes." I look down at her wrist which is in elastic bandage.
"And nose." I look back into her eyes.
"Oh, I also posses a pair of ears." I step forward to her.
"I heard the bomb went off over the radio just after your voice started coming through." I tell her.
"So, yeah. I've heard." I state angry, worried, scared but also relieved and fucking confused at the same time.