Temporary Suffering

Chapter Two

"Really?" I asked Simon as we stepped into the elevator.

"Dead serious. Her exact words were, let's get married." I laughed and shook my head. "Hold the elevator!" A voice called as an agent ran into the open elevator.

"I'm surprised your holding it together so well," he said as we began our decent.

I frowned. "What are you talking about?" The agent's eyes widened in surprise. "You don't know?" He asked. Panic seized me. "Don't know what?"

"A 911 call was made from your apartment nearly an hour ago." The world blurred and I zoned out the rest of the conversation. My wife. My child. As soon as the elevator doors opened I ran towards the car. Simon grabbed me and snatched the keys from my hand. "I'm driving," he snapped. I nodded, still in shock. They could have made a mistake right? Mistakes happen all the time.

When we pulled up to my apartment building police cars littered the parking garage. I rushed out the car towards the elevator, my heart pounding.

There were cops and FBI agents everywhere. Filling my living room, kitchen, bedroom, my son's bedroom...and when I didn't see my family I knew. I collapsed in the middle of the floor. "Fuck!" I cried, clutching Grayson's blanket I found.

Simon crouched next to me and grabbed my shoulder. "I know this is hard Carson, but I need you to pull yourself together. There's something in your bedroom I need you to look at," he said softly. Other agents looked at me with sympathy as I struggled to form words. I slowly got to my feet and staggered towards the bedroom. I leaned heavily against the door when I got there.

A black and red teddy sat on the bed, but I was to far gone to be embarrassed that my coworkers saw the lingerie my woman wore for me.

Blood spots littered the floor and my stomach revolted.

I bolted into the adjoining bathroom and heaved my lunch up. When I was done I washed my mouth. "You haven't seen what I need you to look at Carson," Dobbs, my boss snapped. I nodded and walked back into the bedroom. Simon handed me a note.

You have a very beautiful family Agent Andrews. How old's your son again? Sixteen months? And your wife....I've never seen a woman struggle so hard in my life. Very pleasing change of scenery, and I have you to thank for that! Her tight sweet body....

It's been a while since you brought down Quince Lupo. But its a day you'll regret for the rest of your life Agent.

You have sixty days to release all of our members or I will sell your son into slavery and allow all my friends to fuck your woman before I send her to a whorehouse far, far away.

By the time I finished reading the note I saw red. "Mother fucker! This is bullshit! Find my fucking family!" I shouted. Dobbs nodded, "we're working on it son. We'll find them soon." I grabbed him by the collar and slammed him against the wall. "You find my family this goddamn instant you motherfucking coward," I growled. Hands grabbed me and pulled me away. I fought against them, angry at the world. So damn angry.

They hauled me to the floor and kept me there until I went lax and the strength left my body. Tears coarsed down my cheeks as they pulled away.

"We're gonna find these bastards," Simon promised me. I nodded on agreement.

Pain spread through my vains like fire. My wife, my baby boy.

I took a deep breath, steeling myself. "Yes, we are." I promised.

My life was falling apart and my sanity was hanging by a thread. Simon had stayed at the house, not wanting me to go on a killing spree of all the men associated with Derek Hudson, Quince Lupo to those that didn't know the truth about Amy's brother.

I was seriously debating it though.

I sat in Grayson's room rocking back and forth in the chair. Everything just seemed so....surreal. This couldn't be happening. I finished the last of my beer and went to the kitchen for another.

"What are you doing Carson?" Simon asked as he sat at the dining table.

"Drinking."

"I don't think that's a good idea Carson. I understand what you're going through but keep a clear head. Getting drunk isn't helping Amy," he said quietly. "And neither is me sitting on my fucking ass because Dobbs pulled me off the God damned case," I snapped angrily.

"You know the ironic thing though?" I continued. "I promised Amy this morning that nothing would happen to her or our son. I fucking promised her and hours later they're both gone! Snatched away and I have no clue where the hell they are." I laughed humorlessly, shaking my head. Simon bit his lip and kept quite.

Yeah.

I leaned against the counter and sipped my beer.

"Put me on the case," I asked Dobbs three days later. He set down the paperwork he was shuffling and looked at me. "No." He said before turning back to his paperwork.

I slammed my hand down on his desk, grabbing back his attention.

"I need to be on this case," I said. "I said no Andrews."

"I'm going crazy Dobbs. I need to be on this case. And no one knows the Lupo crew like I do. I spent months undercover with them!" I demanded. "No Andrews-"

"But-"

"No! You're to invested in the fucking case!" He roared. "Of course I'm invested! It's my fucking family for fuck sakes!" I shouted. "No! For all the fucks in the world no! Come in here and demand anything from me and you'll hand over your badge and gun!"

"Take them! Fucking take them Dobbs, because believe me when I say I will do anything to get my wife and son back."

I walked out of his office, slamming the door behind me.

I'd do anything it took to get my family back. And I planned on figuring out how.