Tares City

88. Crossfire, Involvement & Rescue

DEAN STRAKEN

Dean sat on his couch, staring at a cup of now cold coffee in his hand. His phone was in the other as he was contemplating his next course of action. It'd been two days since Arrow last messaged him, and it's been two days full of work and anxiety. He constantly wondered if she was hurt or if her missions were going to plan. He wanted to be beside her badly, but she didn't want him there.

It hurt that she saw him as a liability and not someone who could help and protect her. He'd thought after the initial resistance she'd have seen reason, but she left with Nicholas. Perhaps she didn't need him after all.

He'd gone to work yesterday, trying to use his routine to keep his mind off things. He helped another team close a case of theirs and caught up on his never-ending paperwork..it kept his mind busy for the most part.

He noticed the task force was without Quinn again, a strange fact, even though he was happy to not see or be around her. He observed that Kaylah had long ago stopped coming to work. Figuring Quinn sent her in undercover somewhere.

His days at work went by quickly, he and Kim-Lee chatted as they worked. His phone buzzed with an incoming message, Dean opening right away. He expected to see a message from Arrow, but was surprised to see Kim-Lee's name on his screen. Dialing her number, he brings the phone to his ear.

"Hey, Straken here. You wanted me to call?" Dean starts when she answers.

"Hey, Dean...yeah. I, um, I know it's your day off. I was just wondering if you'd be able to meet up with me. There's something important..." Kim-Lee says to him.

"Yeah, sure. Where'd you want to meet?"

~

Kim-Lee offered, borderline insisted on picking him up at his house. Dean chose not to question it and agreed.

Dean found her to be anxious throughout the car ride, only saying that she'd explain once they got there.

When Kim-Lee finally stopped the car, Dean looked around to see them parked at the familiar park.

"What's going on, Kim?" Dean asks. Kim-Lee sighs heavily as she turns to look at him. She grabs his hand in hers and expressions on her face that read guilty and apologetic.

"First, I just want to make sure you know that I never betrayed your secret." She starts.

"Secret?"

"The book at the Rockwell house."

"Why are you bringing that up?" Dean asks curiously, pulling his hands from hers.

"I'm sorry...Dean. You're probably going to be mad at me for a while, but a Mr. Boris came to me from the Kennedy organization, and they told me"

"Kim-Lee I told you about them!" Dean interrupts.

"I know, I know but-"

"Why did you bring me here?" Dean asks harshly as he realizes the situation he is in. Not letting Kim-Lee answer his last question, Dean opens the door aggressively and steps out of the vehicle.

As soon as he had both feet on the ground, two men came out of nowhere, pushing him against the car.

"WHAT THE HELL GET OFF ME!" He shouts at them, only for a cloth to be stuffed over his face.

"Wait, I didn't even explain!" He hears Kim-Lee say before he falls into unconsciousness.

~

Dean comes with a pounding headache. Sitting in a hard metal chair in an interrogation room, Dean struggled to figure out what was going on. His memory kicked in then, replaying the last words he'd heard Kim-Lee say.