Broken

The Job

It bothered me immensely that I couldn't accompany Malcolm and Jessica to confront Martin. The detectives investigating Martin's stabbing were growing increasingly impatient with his lack of cooperation in the month since he'd come out of his coma.
"Ah. Chief Dr. Lillian Russell." John Watkins smirked at me from where he sat shackled to the interrogation table when I walked into the room.
"Why did you call me here, John?" I asked taking my place across the table from him.
Early on in my career I'd made the conscious decision to refer to my suspects by their first names. The people I hunted and dealt with often believed themselves to be better than anyone else. Deserving of respect or admiration and by referring to them casually I let them know they had no power. When they were in the interrogation room the power rested with me.
"A little birdie told me congratulations are in order." He chuckled looking down at my hand where my engagement ring sat.
"Neither of us need nor want your well wishes." I growled slightly confused.
He'd already commented on the engagement. I decided it best to just ignore the comment and take it for what it was; a game. One I wasn't particularly interested in playing.
"Yet you came?"
"I came because you asked for me by name. It is my job to insure that every single one of your victims is discovered and laid to rest and that you pay for what you've done. If you don't have anything of value to offer me, we're done here." I answered standing up.
"Wait! You know it's lonely in solitary confinement." He raised his eyebrows at me.
"Well, you may be lonely but you're alive. I could have you put in gen-pop and see how you fair? I'm sure Dr. Whitly has a fair amount of... acquaintances here who owe him a favor or two." I shrugged watching his face fall at the mention of Martin.
"Solitary it is then." I continued when he didn't answer.
"Goodbye, John."
I walked out frustrated that he called just to bullshit and it kept me away from Malcolm.
"I want the names of everyone who have been in contact with him even for half a second." I hissed at the guard.
"I'll have to talk to the warden." He stuttered.
"Tell him I'm the one that asked for it." I shot back at him as I slammed the front door open.
"He's blackmailing us." Malcolm told me when he and his mother walked into my office shortly after I'd returned from Blackwater Prison where they were holding John Watkins until his trial in the summer.
"And this surprises you?" I sighed looking up at him.
"No." He sat down in front of me.
"It just pisses me off."
"I can make an official statement that I made an executive decision to allow Jessica to stab him in a controlled manner in order to save the hostage. It'd be his word against mine."
Malcolm shook his head.
"I don't want you involved in this anymore than necessary."
"Malcolm... I'm going to be your wife. I am involved in this." I sighed.
I knew he was trying to be protective but as the chief of the FBI's New York field office I didn't need to be protected.
"What does he want?"
"He wants me to visit twice every ten days and he wants an invitation to our wedding."
"Is that how he worded it? An invitation to the wedding?"
Malcolm and Jessica both nodded.
"He can have an invitation." I answered almost dismissively.
"Lily..."
"Just because I send an invitation doesn't mean that he'll get day probation to be able to attend. I have a lot more pull in the probation board than he might think."
"That's mildly diabolical." Jessica smiled at me.
"Wording is important especially when blackmailing your ex-wife, son, and future daughter in law. One of whom is a high profile FBI chief and forensic psychiatrist with an array of connections." I shrugged.
"Did he give stipulations for his visits?"
"No?" Malcolm looked at me questioningly.
"Then, if he wants an invitation to our wedding I'll be accompanying Malcolm to his visits." I continued.
"I knew I liked you." Jessica smiled again.
Malcolm's phone rang drawing my attention.
"It's Gil." He looked at me again.
"Go. I'll be there as soon as I'm finished with this." I motioned to the report I was nearly finished with.
He nodded and nearly skipped out of the office.
"Why do these cases bring him so much joy?" Jessica asked after he left.
"I'm not sure it's the cases; it's the work. He feels useful, like he has a purpose." I sighed returning to my report.
"Have you spoken to Eve?" She asked.
"Not recently. Honestly, probably not since the engagement. Why?"
"I called her before Martin woke up and asked her to head my legal team."
"I told you, you wouldn't need a legal team." I sighed finally electronically signing the report.
"Who are your bridesmaids?"
"Dani, Ainsley, and Tally. Jess, what are you getting at?"
"Nothing. My mind's just racing and I can't get it to slow down."
"It's called anxiety. Go home. Relax. I'll handle Martin later." I told her gently.
"Yes. Okay." She nodded.
"Has Malcolm figured out his groomsmen?" She asked as I ushered her out of my office.
"I think he wants to ask JT but I don't think he has yet."
"It's not that far away."
"The wedding? The wedding is at the end of December. It's March. We've got time." I assured her.
"Are you sure?"
"Of course I'm sure. Jess. Let Adolpho drive you home. Have a glass of bourbon and relax."
I finally got her into the SUV and was able to make it out to the crime scene.
"Sorry I'm late." I sighed walking up next to Gil.
"Right on time. What's wrong?" He asked examining my expression.
"I'm not sure who's more anxious for this wedding, me or Jessica." I sighed and he chuckled.
"Do you know who that is?" Dani asked pointing towards where Malcolm stood talking to a middle eastern man with dark hair.
"Looks like Vijay Chandasara. We all went to high school together." I answered with a shrug.
"They look friendly." Gil mentioned.
"They were. Vijay was practically the only friend Malcolm had in high school outside of myself. Vijay's father was arrested for cocaine smuggling and they bonded over having father's in prison. Then Vijay's father was released and Malcolm had trouble connecting with the people Vijay was hanging out with and eventually he stopped including Malcolm in his plans."
"And what did you think of him?" Dani asked.
"Indifferent." I shrugged.
"He's cocky almost flamboyantly so. Not really a trait I value in my company."
"So what do you think about this gang coming in here and stealing a bunch of high end watches but leaving a tennis bracelet worth over Ten K on their victim?" Gil asked.
"That's really a Malcolm question but my best guess given the isolation of the body is that the murder itself was the killer's main objective whereas the robbery was the group's main objective."
"So the killer is a rogue member of this group?" JT asked.
"Basically." Malcolm said walking back over to the group.
"It's obvious that this isn't their first robbery. We need to find out when the murders started and what triggered them."
"I'll check with Ashlyn to scan the national database for similar crimes with and without the murder. Maybe it'll give us a timeline." I told them.
"We'll meet you at the station." Gil nodded at me.
I kissed my fiancé before walking back out to my vehicle.
"Hey Ash. I need you to run some parameters through our national database."
"Why didn't you ask me to be a bridesmaid?" She asked catching me off guard.
"I honestly didn't think you'd want to. You live in DC, we're in New York. It seemed like a lot of long drives when you also have a full time job and a husband of your own." I answered.
"Fair enough. I just wish you'd asked." She sighed.
"So you could turn me down?"
"Yes." She huffed causing me to chuckle.
"Give me the parameters."
I listed all we knew about the robberies first before mentioning the victim we'd also discovered.
"I'll email you the list before you make it back to the station, and by the way, I'm not mad at you for not asking." She told me.
"I know you aren't. Thank you for all your help, Ash."
I sighed as my phone rang again.
"Eve? Jessica and I were just talking about you this morning." I answered.
"Are you free for lunch? I feel like I haven't seen you in forever." She asked a smile in her voice.
"Uh... Yeah. I can probably get away. Major Crimes just landed a case but they don't need me right now." I answered.
"Wonderful. Meet at Sweet Bistro in, say, an hour?"
"Perfect. I'll see you then."
I stopped at the station on my way to lunch to print out the list of similar crimes that was sitting in my inbox.
"The corner table boys. The rejects. The bad seeds." Vijay was telling Malcolm excitedly as I walked into the conference room.
"Please stop." Malcolm shook his head catching sight of me.
"Hey." He breathed kissing my temple and leading me out of the room and away from him.
"Lilian? Lilian Russell?" Vijay called after us.
"Ashlyn found these similar robberies in various states in the last few years but only two other deaths. One in Chicago and another in St. Louis. Now there here in New York." I handed my fiancé the file with the details of the other robberies and murders.
"You're not staying?" Malcolm looked at me sadly.
"I'm meeting Eve for lunch. I'll meet up with you after but I wanted to make sure I got you what Ash found."
He pouted as I kissed him.
"I love you." I told him.
"I love you too." He grumbled looking down at the file.
I walked into Sweet Bistro roughly fifteen minutes before I was supposed to meet with Eve and found her already sitting at a table beaming in a wine red pantsuit.
"You certainly are eager today." I chuckled when she stood up to hug me.
"I just missed you. I thought we really connected."
"We did. This work is just insane sometimes. I haven't even gone dress shopping yet." I laughed sitting down with her.
"Wedding dress shopping? Gosh, Lily! You gotta get it bought so you can make sure it's fitted just right before the big day."
"Oh, I know. I just haven't had time." I sighed.
"Make time, Lily. This is your wedding. I've seen the way you two look at each other; you're only going to have one." She smiled at me.
"You're right." I smiled shaking my head.
"You should have an engagement party!" She exclaimed suddenly after our food arrived.
"Eve... I haven't found time to dress shop. I certainly don't have time to plan an engagement party." I chuckled and shook my head.
"Let me do it. It doesn't have to be huge or extravagant. Just you and Malcolm, the wedding party, Jessica, Gil, Edrisa, me? Come on, Lily. Please?"
"Alright. Alright" I caved.
Eve beamed with happiness while we continued our meal.
"Can I ask you something serious?" She asked me anxiously.
"Of course." I looked back up at her.
"What do you know about Jessica's 'Girl in the Box'?" She asked me.
"As much as they do." I answered vaguely.
"Malcolm hasn't kept anything from you?" She pushed.
"Malcolm and I don't have secrets." I answered almost harshly.
"Everything that we know is also in the police reports from after his abduction."
"I've read them." She sighed.
"Do you believe that the search for this victim is the reason Jessica stabbed Dr. Whitly?" She asked.
"It's clear that her television appearance calling for information opened the tip line that the killer called into but his primary motive was revenge against Martin Whitly, who was unable to save his wife in surgery. We have no reason to believe that Martin killed that patient deliberately." I answered.
"When did you start calling him Martin?"
"After Malcolm's abduction. Martin Whitly doesn't scare or intimidate me. My use of his first name shows him that."
"What happened in that cell?"
"Exactly what had to happen to save the hostage."
"You're being vague with me again." She pointed out.
"I thought this was a social call. I'm still the Chief of the FBI's New York office. I know how to handle lawyer interviews." I answered with a smirk.
"It was meant to be. A social call. I don't know how to turn it off sometimes." She looked at me apologetically.
"Why are you asking about the Girl in the Box?"
"I've followed Jessica's search for her identity since before Malcolm's abduction. I want to help." She told me.
"Then you need to talk to Jessica. Unfortunately, I don't have the time to devote to purely looking for this victim." I answered.
"Well, of course. You and Malcolm do investigate it though?"
"We look back at it when we have the time." I nodded.
"Speaking of..." I muttered as my phone rang.
Malcolm <3
"It's on me. Go on." She nodded happily.
"Hey babe." I answered my phone after hugging her goodbye.
"What do you remember about Vijay?" He asked.
"I remember you valued his friendship."
"You didn't like him?" He pushed.
I sighed.
"No. I didn't. Especially not after his father got out and he gave up on you."
"I was just with my dad. Do you think I have trust issues?" He asked.
"Yes. I do. I think that's normal considering everything that happened when you were a kid."
"Do you think that's why I had no friends?"
"It certainly didn't help. Can we talk about this at home?" I asked.
"Yeah. I was just thinking. More than anything I just wanted to hear your voice." He sighed.
"I love you, Malcolm."
"God, I love you."
"I'm getting ready to head back to the station. I'll see you soon."
"Gil called and said there was another robbery." He told me.
"Murder?" I asked.
"So far only attempted."
"The victim is alive?" I asked.
"Yeah. With a bullet directly between the eyes. They're doing a craniotomy now."
"Wow. Lucky woman."
"She is. I'm almost to the hospital. Hopefully she'll make it and we can talk to her."
"Keep me updated. I'll see you soon."
"I love you." He said again.
"I love you too." I hung up and climbed into my car.
I met Gil back at the station later that afternoon just before Malcolm and Vijay brought us a picture of a Phoenix tattoo and the file on a man named Cooper Wu and his gang from Seattle.
"They were heavily suspected in the murders in St. Louis and Chicago that Ash found." Malcolm told me as I sat on Gil's desk.
"I'll put out a BOLO. Good job. Both of you." Gil said.
Vijay's phone dings and he walks out after winking at Malcolm and glancing at me.
"Can we trust him?" Gil asked Malcolm.
Malcolm glanced at me.
"I'm not sure." He answered honestly.
"I'll put a tail on him." Gil handed Malcolm back the file.
"I'll have Ash put a tracker on his phone too."
Malcolm nodded solemnly and walked out after Vijay.
"What are you thinking?" Gil asked me after a long moment.
"He'll make a deal with Cooper. Without a doubt." I answered.
"You don't trust him?"
"No. I don't. Honestly, I never have. Since we were kids."
"Lily." Malcolm said my name suddenly standing in the doorway.
I turned to look at him. His face was despondent.
"Can we go home?"
"Of course. Let's go."
I glanced back at Gil's worried face as we walked out of his office.
"What happened?" I asked him when we got back to my loft.
"He said he tried to include me when we were in school. Inviting me to parties and introducing me to people but that I was intense, always silently judging people. It turned people off." Malcolm sighed.
"You already knew that. That's not what's really bothering you."
"What did I do to deserve you?" He asked wrapping his arms around my waist.
"No idea. Talk to me, my love."
"Why is it so hard for me to trust people?" He asked me.
"Baby. You have Complex PTSD. Trust issues is one of the main symptoms of the disorder."
"My father asked me how many of my issues I can blame on him." He muttered.
"Most of them, honestly. He doesn't get to decide how badly he hurt you. He doesn't get to decide how deeply you're effected by the things he did to you." I ran my hands over his biceps.
"You're right." He sighed.
"Of course I am. I'm a genius." I smiled up at him.
"Yes. You are." He leaned down and kissed me.
I gripped ahold of his arms as he pulled me closer to him.
Then his phone rang.
"I'm telling you I'm going to smash that damn thing." I sighed as he pulled the phone out of his pocket.
"It's Gil." He told me.
"Gil?"
"I think I know where he'd meet them. I'll drop you a pin and we'll meet you there."
He hung up the phone.
"Vijay slipped his tail. Can you call Ashlyn to make sure I'm right about where he's going?" He asked.
"Of course. Let's go and we'll redirect if we need to."
Less than fifteen minutes later we pulled up near the underpass where Vijay's phone was pinging.
"You need to wait here for Gil." He told me.
"Oh no. You're not going down there by yourself."
"Lily. I'm going to be fine. It'll be harder to justify two extra people than just one." He reasoned.
"If you get hurt..." I sighed.
"I'm not going to get hurt. I promise you. I love you." He kissed me.
"I love you too."
Reluctantly I watched him sneak down towards Vijay's car.
I followed just enough that I had a decent view of the entirety of the underpass but was still well hidden.
Not five minutes after Malcolm sat in his car did a large commercial van pull into view.
Four people climbed out of the van. Cooper Wu, two other men and a woman. I could just barely make out the silhouette of another man behind the wheel of the van.
I couldn't hear what was being said and it killed me that all I could do was hope that Malcolm could keep himself alive.
One of the background men put fabric bags over Vijay's and Malcolm's heads and ushered them into the van.
"Ash. Put a tracker on Malcolm's phone." I said forgoing the pleasantries after the van pulled away.
"Trouble in paradise?" She asked.
"No. He's with a motorcycle gang that killed three women and almost killed another."
"Do you want to explain that?" She said taken aback.
"Not right now. Gil and Dani just pulled up. Can you send me the ping?"
"Of course."
I hung up and made my way over to Gil's car.
"Where did they go?" He asked me.
"Likely a warehouse nearby to examine the merchandise." I answered waiting for the ping.
"Malcolm went with Vijay?" Dani asked.
"Of course he did." I sighed.
"The tracker on Malcolm's phone is roughly four minutes away. Do we move in or do we wait here?" I asked reading the GPS map.
"You're not going to like it but our best option is to wait here." Gil answered glancing sideways at me.
"We don't know how they fortified the warehouse." I sighed sitting on the ground next to the car.
"That's unsanitary." Dani remark looking over at me.
"Probably. My fiancé is in a warehouse four minutes away from me with a homicidal motorcycle gang; the dirt on my ass is the least of my concerns right now." I smirked at her.
We made uncomfortable small talk while waiting for the van to return.
Finally it rolled back into the empty lot. We watched as the driver pulled a single man out of the back of the van along with two suitcases.
He pulled the fabric bag off his head revealing Vijay Chandasara.
"Where's Bright?" Dani asked as I stood up.
We watched Vijay strike out at the driver knocking him in the back of the head with one of the suitcases.
"What is Vijay doing?" She continued.
"Follow him. I'm going to the warehouse." I called running back to my own vehicle.
The four minute drive out to the warehouse seemed to take forever.
I pulled into the parking lot in time to see Vijay's car race into the warehouse.
I didn't notice Dani and Gil behind me as I raced into the warehouse behind the car.
"Malcolm!" I called his name just before I saw him standing next to Vijay near the car.
I raced forward and jumped into my fiancè's arms.
"Hey." He muttered breathlessly.
"Are you okay?" I asked pulling back to look at his face.
"I hit my head. I should probably see a doctor." He kissed my forehead.
"Bright! What happened?" Gil asked.
"We happened!" Vijay exclaimed clapping Malcolm on the shoulder.
"The corner table boys! The rejects! The bad seeds!"
Malcolm half chuckled in my arms.
"Am I going to be arrested?" Vijay asked suddenly.
Malcolm's head snapped up to look at him then down at me.
"No. You won't be arrested." I sighed.
"Come on, love. Time to go to the emergency room... again."