Scared

Reese sat in silence as Nate left his office. What else could he say? On one hand, it felt like he was watching a little kid throw a fit. On the other, he was watching a noble man look out for a fallen brother. And Reese? He was stuck right in the middle of this entire mess. Again.

Picking up the phone, he dialed Laura.


Hal couldn’t help his laugh at Sam, and he shook his head, but it turned into a nod. “Yeah…I guess it sort of is like a soap opera,” he admitted. “Shoulda been here when we first had Carson. Whew…he and Misty… talk about drama.” 

He sighed and grinned at the memory before getting back on track. “Yeah, Garret’s been living with Nate for…a few weeks now? I don’t track time very well.” He took a swig of coke. “You’re right though… he could take us all down if he really wanted. He’s probably the most dangerous man we’ve ever had walk through this building. So…yeah… something doesn’t feel right about this whole thing.”

He’d hardly finished speaking, when Nate appeared in the room. The look on his fellow agent’s face was enough to make his blood run cold, then seeing the badge and gun, his eyes went wide. “What…” Hearing Nate’s statement, he slowly got to his feet. Nate wasn’t fooling around – he could tell – and he could also tell there was no room for argument. Not today. He didn’t understand what was happening, but it wasn’t his job to question. 

He glanced over his shoulder at Sam. “I’ll…be right back.” Obeying Nate’s request, he walked downstairs with him, and opened Garret’s cell. He didn’t like this. He didn’t like locking Nate in with this man. What if Garret got upset? What might he do? And Nate had no defense. But once again, he knew it was not his place to question. 

Garret glanced up from where he still sat on the floor, surprised to hear the door open so soon. Seeing Nate, his eyebrows rose. Had Reese really decided he could be released? But…what was Hal doing here too? And…wait…why was Hal closing and locking the door? 

He looked up at Nate in total confusion. “What’s going on?” The look on Nate’s face scared him. Had Reese decided to send him to prison after all? 


Getting back upstairs, Hal sank back down in his chair and remained quiet for several long moments. He leaned his head back and stared up at the ceiling. “And this…is why this job is so hard, Sam… because around here…we leave our hearts wide open. The only problem is…they’re more apt to get hurt that way.” He lifted his head to look at her sadly. He’d found out why Nate was downstairs. And while commendable, it all felt wrong.

He pointed to the monitor that Garret’s cell. “If you can get Aaron to be worth as much trouble as Garret…you’ll have succeeded.”