"Detective, are you in position?"
Alec touched his ear piece. "We are in position. Awaiting the unsub to arrive."
"Roger that. Report back when you can. And good luck."
Alec moved his hand away from his ear and looked around at the people at the park. It seemed like a pretty public location for a meeting, but most of them usually were. Especially when it involved something heavy like Valentine. It was better to meet in a crowded place so nobody would try anything stupid.
"You know, I was thinking....." Magnus began.
"That's never good," Alec muttered.
"Hey. Be nice. I was just thinking....when all this shit blows over. Do you have any plans?"
Alec look at him. "Plans? What kind of plans?"
Magnus shrugged. "I don't know. If you're the one to turn in Valentine, you'll be a celebrity. You won't have time for things anymore."
"You mean I won't have time for you."
"That's not what I said-"
"But that's what you meant. You're scared I'll forget about you once the case is closed."
They were silent as kids ran past holding kites in their hands, laughing and yelling as the kites soared high above their heads. Their parents yelled out to them to be careful but the kids didn't listen. They continued to run around completely unaware of their surroundings.
"I know this might seem a bit sudden and out of the blue, but do you want to be my boyfriend?" Magnus blurted.
Alec coughed and choked on his latte. "Excuse me? What?"
"You heard me. Yes or no? I'd prefer if you said yes so I don't feel bad and regret asking you."
"Uh.....let's talk about this later. Now isn't the time or place," Alec buried his nose into his newspaper, hinting at the end of the conversation.
Getting the hint, Magnus leaned back in his chair and sighed. The kids were still running around and screaming at each other. One of them ran right into a young woman with long brown hair and dirty clothes, apologizing and staring up at the woman in curiosity.
"Tessa just got here," he whispered.
Alec looked up from the paper. Sure enough, Tessa sat on a bench across the pond. She looked unsure of herself as well as a little scared.
"What do we do now?" Magnus asked.
"Approach the target discreetly. Try to use the hidden mics to pick up the conversation. But do not engage under any circumstances. Do I make myself clear?" The voice in their earpieces said.
"10-4," Alec said. "Crystal clear. Come on, Magnus. Walk with me."
It felt like a normal stroll in the park but they both knew it was anything but. The closer they got to Tessa, the more pressure and anxiety crept up on them. If they screwed up, her life was stake. The people around them were at stake too. Any deaths would only mean blood on their hands.
"Unsub approaching target. Proceeding with caution," Alec whispered as they neared Tessa. Beside him, Magnus inhaled sharply in fear.
"Copy that. Proceed with caution."
They got as close as they possibly could, switching their sensitive mics on so they could catch the conversation. Tessa looked angry as she spoke to the man beside her on the bench. The unsub's face couldn't be seen.
"What are they talking about?" Magnus whispered.
"I can't hear from here. Let's go a little closer." Alec made a move to get closer but Magnus gripped his jacket. "What now?"
"They're finishing up. When Tessa wipes her hands in her jeans that usually implies that the conversation is over-" Magnus froze suddenly. "Kiss me."
Alec's eyes widened. "Excuse me?"
"Just kiss me!" Magnus hauled Alec in close to him and planted a sloppy but satisfying kiss on the detective's lips. After a minute or two, he pushed Alec away, breathing heavily in satisfaction.
"What....what the hell was that about?" Alec rubbed his lips with a finger. They still tingled in excitement.
"They were headed towards us. Figured we had to hide our faces to keep from blowing our cover. It worked, didn't it?" Magnus laughed.
The voice in their earpieces spoke up. "Don't mean to interrupt anything here, but I think we got everything we needed. Come back to the precinct once you're done making out."
"We weren't making out!" Alec hissed but the earpiece cut to static. He glared at Magnus. "You could've at least warned me that they were coming our way!"
Magnus waved a dismissive hand. "Where's the fun in that? If I told you, you would've jumped into the bushes or something. Kissing you sounded so much better in my head."
"Yeah well.....just.....warn me next time, will you?" Alec stomped away while Magnus jogged to keep up with him. He was vaguely aware of the giant smirk on Magnus' face as they headed back to the car.
"So when you say warn you next time, are you openly admitting that you don't mind me kissing you in public?" Magnus asked as they approached the car.
Alec sighed and leaned his forearms against the roof. "I don't mind. I just don't like being caught off guard. I'm trained to be in control of the situation. Not the other way around."
Magnus smirked. "Stick around with me long enough and we can change that." He beamed at Alec's surprised expression. "So are you going to answer my question or not?"
"Don't know what you're talking about," Alec mumbled as he started the car and pulled out of the parking lot.
"Don't play coy with me, Alexander. You know exactly what I'm talking about."
Alec sighed again. Magnus was beginning to think that he sighed more than anything else in the world. "I'm not sure. Okay? Let's wait until the case is closed. I don't have the time to spare to be concerned about anything else other than family and work right now."
Magnus felt his stomach clench in distraught. "That's understandable. You're a busy man. I can wait."
Alec glanced over at him. "You'll wait for me?"
Magnus returned the glance. "Why wouldn't I?"
"I...." Alec shrugged. "People don't usually wait for me. I'm not used to it, I guess."
Magnus placed a hand on Alec's thigh. "When you really like someone, you'll do pretty much anything for them. Even wait."
Alec gave him a small smile but said nothing as he drove back to the precinct. The entire drive, all he could think about was what they were about to hear on the recording from the park. Tessa could've discussed anything with the stranger. She had info not a lot of people can get their hands on. Plus she knew about the underground computers. That could easily be used as a bargaining chip if the time came. Alec prayed she was smart enough to use it wisely.
Lydia looked up from her laptop when they returned back to conference room. "Gentlemen. Excellent field work out there today. My tech guys said you were pros."
"Did your tech guys also tell you they were jerking off as they listened to two men make out with each other too? Or did they fail to mention that?" Magnus' voice was full of sarcasm as he took a seat next to Alec at the long table.
Lydia turned red in the face. "No. It's your business what you do with....Alec. I don't judge. Love is love, right?" She immediately ducked her head down to type something in on the keyboard, not saying another word to Magnus or Alec.
"Think she knows we're a thing?" Magnus whispered.
"We're not a thing, Magnus. Stop saying we are," Alec whispered back. "People are going to get the wrong idea if you keep acting like this."
"Wrong idea?" Magnus raised an eyebrow. "What wrong idea? We'd make a kickass couple, Lightwood. The couple who slays together, stays together."
A sudden voice on the Smartboard made Alec jump in his seat. He recognized it as Tessa speaking along with noise of birds and children in the background.
"We've managed to isolate the noise as best as we could but it's still a bit of a strain to listen to," Lydia turned up the volume and they all listened carefully to the recording.
Tessa: "I want to know if he's okay, first of all."
Stranger: "All I can tell you is that he's fine. But if you stall further, he won't be."
Tessa: "Is there some way we can work out an agreement? Jem for the information?"
Stranger: "Quite possibly. That does sound like a fair trade. This Jem must be very important to you if you're willing to give up something as big as this."
Tessa: "I love him. He's my fiancé. Of course I'd do anything for him. Wouldn't you?"
Stranger: "I don't care for your precious Jem. I just want to do my job and get paid. Now are we done here? The boss wants to see you."
Tessa: "Valentine wants to see me? Why?"
Stranger: "I don't question him. It's better for everyone that way. Now follow me and don't try anything stupid or I will shoot you."
The recording went to static after that, leaving the room completely silent. Magnus looked stressed beyond belief. Alec's brow was furrowed in concentration. Nobody spoke.
"Well then. That brings us to our next topic of conversation. What do we do now?" Lydia stood to her feet and shut off the Smartboard.
"Why are you asking us? We don't know what to do now," Magnus shrugged. "Even if we did, we'd have no idea how to combat it."
"We find Tessa. That's what we have to do. Finding Tessa means finding Valentine too. Killing two birds with one stone, so to speak. Detective? Are you in agreement?"
Alec shrugged. "Jace needs to be here. He needs to know what's going on."
Lydia nodded. "Your phone was going off earlier on your desk. You've got a few missed calls from Jace."
"I do?" Alec jumped from his seat and rushed out to his desk. Sure enough his phone lay untouched on his desk. The lock screen read "7 missed calls" and every single one them were from his brother.
He dialled Jace's number and waited for him to pick up. "Come on, Jace. Answer the phone....."
One ring.
Two rings.
Three rings.
Four rings.
"Alexander. Took you long enough to call me back."
Alec felt the hair on his arms rise. "Who's this? Where's Jace?"
"Jace is.....occupied at the moment. But he'll get back to you as soon as possible."
Alec grit his teeth in anger. "Where the fuck is my brother? And who the fuck am I talking to?"
The voice on the other end laughed at him. "Eager for answers, are you? I know you just listened to that recording of dear Tessa. I saw it on the camera planted in the conference room. Plan on finding her?"
Alec peered up and looked around. Nobody was on their phones or even remotely interested in what he was doing. The call mustn't be coming from inside the precinct. "Don't hurt her. I'm serious. Don't hurt her or her fiancé. Or I'll-"
"You'll what? You can't do a thing from over the phone, Alexander Lightwood. You're useless, just like your idiot brother here. He says hi, by the way."
Alec felt the anger boil his blood. "Don't touch him! I swear to god I'll kill you if you harm a single hair on his head!"
"Then stop me. Find me if you can and you'll get Jace back. But bring the CUP with you." The line went dead.
Magnus approached the desk and sat down on the edge of it. "Everything okay with Jace?"
Alec shook his head, letting his phone drop to the floor. "He's not the one who called me."
Magnus raised an eyebrow. "But if that's his number on the caller ID-"
"It wasn't him. I think I was just talking to Valentine."
"Valentine?! What the-what's he doing with Jace's phone?" Magnus froze. "Unless.....oh, Alec. I'm so sorry. We'll get him back. We'll find him."
"I know. I tracked the location of the call. Watch." He made a few clicks with his mouse on the computer and opened up a blue screen. "That red dot is where the call was coming from. Jace and Isabelle programmed a GPS locator that can never be turned off, unless one of them have their hands on it. Jace never turns off his GPS. Says it's going to save his life one day."
"Looks like that day may be today," Magnus smirked. "Jace isn't dumb, Alec. He's smarter than you give him credit for."
Alec chuckled. "Oh believe me. I know. I grew up with him. People underestimate his intelligence. This may be the most brilliant thing he's ever done to date."
Magnus grabbed his coat. "What are we waiting for? Let's go get him then!"
Alec gripped Magnus by the shirt. "We can't just leave without backup. We could get ourselves killed."
Magnus sighed. "The longer we wait here while these other cops plan the best course of action to take, Jace is probably getting the shit beat out of him. Or worse."
Alec took a deep breath. Magnus had a very valid point but at the same time, they needed backup. "I'll take my phone in case we need to call it in."
Magnus shrugged. "You're the boss. Now let's go find Blondie before they ruin his pretty face. I'd be very disappointed if they did."