"What happened to your nose, Spence?" Ruzek asked as the blonde detective made her way through Intelligence with bags of takeout in her arms. She gave Ruzek a small smile and shook her head gently. Ruzek looked to Atwater then Olinsky. "Did anyone else see that?"
Antonio had noticed the cut across the bridge of her nose but he didn't say anything. He wanted someone else to make the first move. His eyes found Erin's. With the nod of her head, she stood to her feet and went to the break room.
"Hey, Spe—,"
"I don't want to talk about it, Erin." Spencer was quick to stop her. She looked up to her sister and shook her head. "I don't want to."
"Okay." Erin nodded her head once, getting the message that Spencer wanted to be left alone. Atwater, Jay, and Ruzek slipped into the break room past Erin. All of them were eager to get their food.
"You want me to whip some ass, Shorty?" Atwater offered as he searched one of the bags. He passed Jay the container with his name on it. Spencer put her hand on Atwater's arm as she passed him to leave, but she didn't answer him. Antonio stood in the doorway. Spencer didn't acknowledge him, which told him something really wasn't right. She went to her desk, carrying a shoe box Antonio recognized. She took a seat at her desk, scribbling something down on a pad of paper. Erin knocked on the door to Voight's office and motioned for him to come out into the bull pen. As the door opened, Spencer stood to her feet, placing her pen down on the desk.
"I have some evidence I'd like to turn over, Sarge." She told him, doing her best to keep her voice even and normal. "All of it is dated when I received the pictures, the flowers, the notes, all of it." Her hand rested protectively on the lid to the box. "I was given all the items in this box in the six months before I moved here to Chicago."
"You've been withholding evidence, Spencer?" Voight raised his brows.
"There are pictures of me that I didn't want anyone to see." She shifted in her spot uncomfortably. "But I need this to stop. I can't-I physically and mentally cannot take it anymore."
"Do you need to take a few days?"
"No." Spencer shook her head firmly. "I just want to work."
Voight nodded his head. The phone in his office rang so that's where he went. Spencer sat down at her desk. She pushed the shoe box aside and began to flip through the stack of papers on her desk. Next to the stack of papers, her phone vibrated.
From: Antonio Dawson
<"Is there anything I can do for you?">
Spencer looked over to her partner and gently shook her head before putting her phone face down on the desk.
———
Antonio absentmindedly rubbed his arm. His eyes flickered over to his partner. She was sitting in the passenger seat of his car, her eyes focused out the window. Her fingers were curled securely around her coffee. They had been silent since leaving he precinct. It was a slow day for the Intelligence Unit so they were doing rides around the city, waiting for something to come up.
"Quit looking at me like that." Spencer told him.
"I'm just worried about you, Spence." Antonio sighed softly. Brown eyes scanned the road and sidewalks as he drove through the city. "So is everyone else."
"I'll be okay." She whispered, taking a small sip of her coffee.
"Okay isn't enough for me, Spencer." Antonio pulled the car over and put it into park. "Just being okay isn't how you should live your life."
"I'm getting that dog. I'm taking Jack to a shelter later. He's going to help me pick one out. Some sort of responsibility will be good for him."
"That sounds like a good idea." Antonio gave her an encouraging smile. Her phone buzzed in the cup holder between them. Jack was calling her.
"Hey, Jack. What's up?" Spencer answered, sitting her coffee down in the cup holder after she picked her phone up.
"I think Grant's in trouble, Spencer. I-I've been trying to call him and he's not answering. He said he—Spence, he said if he didn't contact me an hour after he left he wanted me to call you and have you trace his phone. I'm-I'm really worried about him, Spencer. I think he's in trouble with someone dad works with."
"Okay. Where are you right now?"
"I just got home."
"Stay there and lock the door. You know where I keep one of my guns in the kitchen right?" Spencer glanced over to Antonio.
"What's going on?" He asked. She shook her head and held her finger up to him.
"Yeah, you keep it in the closet with the cleaning stuff."
"Get it and keep it on you. If anyone comes through that door that is not me or Grant, you aim for the legs and shoot. I'll make sure Grant's okay." Spencer hung up and called Olinsky. He was still at the precinct with Voight. He'd be able to track Grant's phone. "Grant's in trouble."
"How do you know?" Antonio asked her.
"He wants me to track his phone."
———
"That's Grant's truck." Spencer nodded to the black Ford truck parked outside of the house. Grant's phone put him in that house.
"Backup will be here in five." Antonio told her. She nodded her head and started to tap her fingers against her knee. Her phone buzzed and she instantly answered the call.
"Grant, what's—,"
"Spencer, I need you to come inside." Grant cut her off. "Alone."
"I can't come in there unless you tell me what's going on, Grant." She shook her head. "I need to know what I'm walking into."
"It's just me and someone who really wants to meet you. He's, uh, he's your secret admirer."
Spencer's throat tightened up and her eyes found Antonio's. He took the phone from her. She leaned across Antonio to pop the trunk of the car. That's where the bullet proof vests were located. Her fingers began to tremble as she clipped the vest into place. Antonio's hands engulfed hers. Her eyes squeezed shut and she stepped towards him.
"You don't have to do this, Spence." His voice was soft and gentle. "We can wait for Ruzek and Atwater to get here and they can go in with me."
"No. I can do this." She shook her head.
"Your hands aren't steady enough to properly handle your firearm, Spencer." Antonio let her hands go. "I need to make sure you have my back when we go in there."
Spencer nodded her head. His safety was important. She wasn't in the right state to make sure he stayed safe when they entered the house.
"How long until they get here?" Spencer asked him. Antonio listened for a few moments. He could hear sirens.
"I'd say three minutes, give or take."
"You promise you'll be safe in there? And make sure Grant's okay?" She crinkled her brows at him.
"I promise." He briefly took her fingers before letting them go and moving away from her. He pulled a vest room the truck and closed it. Spencer leaned against the back of the car, her eyes focused on the house. Ruzek and Atwater pulled up just a few minutes later. Ruzek looked in Spencer's direction and gave her a soft nod. A little smile came to her lips at the sight of her friend. She watched them go into the house.
Spencer pushed herself off of the car and shook her hands out. Erin and Jay pulled up in front of Antonio's car.
"Go. I-I don't know if they need you but just go. Please." Spencer told her sister. Erin nodded her head and both detectives went up the sidewalk to the front porch. It felt like hours had passed before anything else happened. Jay was walking a tall Caucasian man down the steps of the front porch. Erin and Ruzek were behind him. Ruzek stopped on the front porch while Erin followed her partner. She was escorting Grant outside.
Spencer's eyes were glued to the man. He had short brown hair and black glasses. She didn't recognize him. When he saw her, he pulled against Jay's grip.
"Agent Voight! Agent Voight! It's such an honor to-to finally meet you! I—,"
"Hey!" Erin barked at the man. "Don't talk to her."
Spencer's heart was thumping violently against her chest. The pain was so bad she felt the need to throw up. Someone whistled, catching her attention. Ruzek waved for her to come to the house. She gave the man one last look before going to Ruzek.
"You look a little pale, sweetheart. If you need to take a second—,"
"I'm fine, Adam." Spencer assured him. The two detectives went upstairs to a room at the very end of the hallway. Atwater stood in the doorway.
"We got him, Shorty." He told her. Spencer stepped into the room. Her knees became weak at the sight of the pictures covering the walls. She reached out to place her hand on Atwater's arm. Her opposite hand came up to cover her mouth.
"It's over." She whispered. Tears blurred her vision but she blinked them away. White stars began to dot her vision.
"Oh shit!" Atwater cursed as Spencer collapsed to the floor. He managed to catch her, his arms wrapped awkardly around her torso.
"She needs to go to Med." Antonio thought out loud as he pulled out his phone.
—–—
Officer Burgess glanced over her shoulder into the room Spencer was in. Spencer's eyes were open. She blinked a few times then looked around. Burgess and Roman whispered something to each other before Roman left his post and Burgess went into the room.
"Where is he going?" Spencer's voice was raspy.
"To get Sargent Voight. They're in the lobby waiting to speak with you." Burgess answered her.
"How long was I out?" She pushed herself into a sitting position.
"Two hours."
There was a soft knock on the door. It was Voight and Antonio. Burgess gave Spencer a soft smile before leaving.
"How are you feeling, kid?" Voight asked her as he stepped closer to the bed.
"Like I got hit by a car." Spencer smiled softly, brushing a piece of blonde hair out of her eyes. There was an I.V. stuck into the back of her hand and there were monitors stuck to her chest. "Who was that guy?"
"I don't want you talking about the case until you're out of here." Voight shook his head.
"Dad, I need to know." She whispered, her fingers curling around the white sheet she rested on. "Who is he?"
"Ruzek and Olinsky are still working on finding that out."
Spencer nodded her head softly. Her eyes caught sight of the folded Antonio held in his hands.
"What's that?" She asked him.
"Pictures." He answered her. "We were hoping you could identify some of the people."
"But it can wait—,"
"I want to do everything that I can to help, dad." Spencer cut him off, her eyes flickering to her father. "Please, let me. I need this to be over once and for all. I don't care if I'm not an active detective in this case. Use me as a civilian. I don't care. I just-Don't make me sit around and wait." Voight hesitated but nodded his head softly. Antonio passed the folder to him. Voight opened it and took out a picture.
"We already know who this is." Voight placed a picture of Spencer and Agent Nick Russo down on the edge of the bed. "What about this guy?" The next picture he put down was one of Spencer and a man sitting in a fancy restaurant. He was dressed in a suit and she was in a slimming modest black dress.
"Dominic Johnson. He's a lawyer in DC. We went out for dinner a few times but it was nothing major." Spencer chewed on her bottom lip. She was anxious to see what pictures her father had seen.
"Antonio said you wouldn't tell him who he was." Voight put the next few pictures on Spencer's leg. Most of the photographs were of Spencer, Antonio, and Spencer's ex-fiancé, Jones 'John' Tyler. They were taken from different angles but it was clear the man taking the pictures was focused on each person.
"His name is Jones Tyler." Spencer picked up one of the pictures. "His friends call him John. He's an MI-6 agent I met overseas."
"Is he the one who proposed to you without meeting me first?" Voight raised his brows. Spencer nodded her head with a soft smile.
"To be fair, dad, he was and still is super busy with his work."
"What was he doing here in Chicago?"
"He came to warn me about James Mathers." Spencer took a soft deep breath. "He's looking for a hitman to take me out."
"And you didn't think to tell me about this?"
"It was just yesterday, dad. I was trying to think of how to tell you so that you wouldn't freak out."
"Can you give us a minute, Antonio?" Voight didn't take his eyes off of his daughter.
"Yes, sir."
Antonio nodded his head and left the room.
"This can't keep happening, Spencer. You're withholding evidence, you aren't telling me that there is someone out there getting paid to kill you. I need to know everything, no matter how embarrassing or how bad. Let me help you make this better."
"There are no more secrets, dad." She whispered. Her throat burned with the words she wanted so badly to tell him. But now wasn't the time to tell him about Antonio. It would only make things worse. Voight's phone buzzed in his pocket. He pulled it out and let out a heavy sigh.
"I need to get back to the precinct."
"Be safe, dad." Spencer gave him a soft smile and watched as he left. A small breath escaped her lips. She pulled the strap to her bra back into place. She was still in the outfit she had worn to work that morning but her black long sleeve had been removed and was laying across the back of a chair. Her black tank top covered her torso. Something moving in the doorway of the room caught her attention. It was Antonio.
"When was the last time you ate something, Spencer?" He lingered in the doorway. "Dr. Manning said you passed out because your blood pressure was low–most likely due to not eating. She said you're a little dehydrated. That's why you're hooked up to the I.V." When she said nothing, he spoke again. "You barely ate anything last night at the diner, Spence. When was the last time you ate?"
"Two nights ago, I think." Spencer softly shrugged her shoulders. "I'm not hungry."
"Spence, you're going to end up killing yourself." Antonio moved into the room and went to her bedside.
"My nerves have gotten the best of me, Antonio." Spencer watched him take her hand and brush his thumb over her knuckles.
———
It had been a long day at the hospital. Spencer wasn't allowed back into Intelligence until the next day so she lingered downstairs with Sargent Platt, waiting eagerly for someone from Intelligence to come downstairs.
"Thank God." Platt exhaled as she saw Jay and Erin come down the stairs. "Please take her."
"You two aren't having fun?" Erin grinned. Spencer slipped off of the counter and tossed the empty bag of chips into the trash.
"I was having fun." She muttered.
"She's been talking nonstop for the last three hours." Platt ran her hands over her face.
"Come on, Spence." Jay chuckled.
"I'm actually driving myself home." Spencer threw her bag over her shoulder. "See you later, Sarge!" Platt let out a sigh of relief as she watched Spencer follow Detectives Halstead and Lindsay down a hallway that led to the parking lot out back.
"Says who?" Erin glanced over her shoulder to her sister.
"Says me." Spencer answered. "I have to meet Jack somewhere."
"Let me drive you, Spence." Jay offered, pushing the door open and holding it for both women. "At least until you get to Jack, then he can drive for you."
"Thank you, Jay, but I can drive just fine." Spencer shook her head with a little smile. They came to a stop at Erin's car. Jay had rode with her to work.
"You just worry us, Spencer." Erin sighed as she met Spencer's gaze. The sound of the door to the precinct being opened caught Spencer's attention. She looked over to see Antonio coming out of the building. He stopped at the top of the stairs, pulling his keys out of his pocket. His eyes landed on her. Erin could see the little smile etching its way on to Antonio's lips. Spencer took her bottom lip between her teeth, her fingers curling tightly around the strap to her bag. Erin nudged Jay with the back of her hand. She motioned for him to get into the car.
"Catch you later, love bird." He teased. Spencer scowled at him.
"You need anything, Spence, call one of us." Erin told her. Spencer waved over her shoulder as she started to walk towards her car, where Antonio was waiting.
"What are your plans for the night?" He took her purse from her. The back door on the driver's side was pulled open and he placed her bag inside.
"Mhmmm. I've got a few things with Jack planned." Spencer stepped towards him, placing one hand on his shoulder and the other on his bicep. "Why?"
"Just curious." He answered with a charming smile. "You worry me. Always."
"You worry too easily." She noticed the way he looked over his shoulder. He was watching out for anyone who might be able to see the interaction between them. Her hands were removed from his body and she clasped them together in front of her. "You wanna come over later? Like.... maybe around ten?"
"That late?" He raised his brows at her.
"It's only in a few hours." Spencer shrugged her shoulders gently. "But if it's past your bedtime, old man—,"
"Hey, hey!" He chuckled at her. "Don't bring my age into this."
"I mean, you look damn good for your age, Detective Dawson, but I understand if you need your beauty sleep." She stepped away from him. One of her hands reached back to pull the driver's side door open. Antonio found himself getting lost in her green eyes. It amazed him how something as simple as her smile made his heart flutter or the way she bit her lip made a heat swarm in his stomach.
"I'll see you at ten, detective." Antonio took a step back and then turned to go to his vehicle. Spencer watched him get into his car and drive off. A soft sigh escaped her lips.
Hi guys!!! So I've been working on a Kelly Severide story and I am happy to say that it the first two chapters and the cast list is up!! It's called Saint. Check it out on my profile.
I'll put a gif or picture or something up later. I just really wanted to let you guys know about Saint.
<3 Kacey <3