Fic: Feelings Are Good And Other Lies pt.6
Title: Feelings Are Good And Other Lies pt.6
Please see Master Post for fic details.
“You’re sure this is what you want to do?”
Jared had expected this. Just because he was now the boss didn’t mean that everyone was just going to fall in line and do as they were told. He would have been suspicious if Mike hadn’t have said anything to him.
He kept walking, down off the rickety porch and across the pebbled, weed infested driveway until he was standing by the driver’s side door of their rental. “Yes, I’m sure.”
Mike walked around him until they were face to face and crossed his arms over his chest. “I heard him say he was going to call the cops. I know who he is to you boss but…” his voice tapered off and he shook his head. “Jared, I know you call the shots now but this is not good.”
Jared had made it clear, back in Texas to both Mike and Chad that trying to get into Vegas was done. Jeff might have been suicidal enough to try but Jared wasn’t. He had also made it clear that they were setting Jensen free and wasn’t going to take any shit about it. Still it was hard to work up the anger that had been there hours ago, first with Jeff and then with Chad because no amount of anger was going to change what had happened or what was going to happen.
“I’ve made a deal with his friend.” He motioned for Mike to open the car door and get in. Mike hesitated for a second before he finally opened the door but stopped there.
“And this friend…?”
“Well make sure that Jensen understands how things are now Mike.”
Mike stared back at him for a long moment but when it was clear that Jared wasn’t going to be fore coming with any other information, he sighed and ran a hand over his baldhead. “As you say. Can I now point out that I don’t agree with just leaving you here?”
Jared shrugged, “Why not? Wouldn’t be the first time you’ve mentioned it. But I’m not changing my mind and as you have pointed out, I’m the boss so you’re going to do what I want you to.”
Mike huffed out a breath, “It wasn’t that long ago that I was teaching you the fastest way to wound a man and now you boss me around.”
He caught the slight wistful tone to Mike’s voice and felt an answer echo within him. If things had been different, if he wasn’t a Padalecki or the Padaleckis had been a normal, law abiding family then he could believe that he and Mike would have been friends, maybe even good friends. He had always liked Mike, considering that Mike was head of security and a dangerous bastard when need be, he was one of the funniest, easy going guys Jared had ever met. It would have been interesting to know who he would have become if they hadn’t grown up surrounded by cons and lies and hit men and death.
“Luck of the coin.” He looked back the way they had come; knowing that there was no way that Christian had made it this far yet but knew it wouldn’t be much longer. He had told Christian that it would be safe and not to bring the cops but he didn’t really believe that that was what Christian would do. He needed Mike to go before it was too late.
“Go. Head into town, get a coffee, flirt with a pretty girl and I’ll call you when I need you.”
Mike was shaking his head, “I don’t like this.”
“Didn’t say you had to like it, just that you had to do it.”
He scowled but finally dropped into the driver’s seat. “How long you do you figure?”
Was it his imagination or could he hear sirens? “An hour, two at tops I’m sure. Now go.”
With one last withering look and a muscle in his jaw jumping, Mike slammed the car door and started the engine. “Two hours” he mouthed and started to back down the drive until he had enough room to turn a small circle and disappeared back the way they had come.
Jared waited until he could no longer hear the sound of the engine and then waited a little longer just to make sure the sirens he had heard had been in his imagination before he headed back toward the rundown house.
Stopping just beside the cracked and warped stairs, he reached down for the small fabric cooler he had left there before they had headed into the house earlier and pulled the strap over his shoulder.
This idea was insanity at it’s best. If Christian did call the cops who in turn called the Arizona State cops, chances were it wouldn’t matter that he had made Jensen believe that he had abandoned him in that cabin, they would do their job and look around. And if they looked around, it wouldn’t be hard to find him because he was only going so far as the tree line at the side of the house so that he could keep an eye on things until Christian got there. But he couldn’t just really leave Jensen, alone, cuffed to the bed and unarmed until help arrived. There hadn’t been time to find out how much if any Morgan was involved in this. But he couldn’t stay with Jensen either.
It had been hell acting like he didn’t give a shit when Jensen had been accusing him of being involved in the plot from the beginning and he had almost broken at the look of hate from Jensen but he couldn’t. Things were different now, a hell of a lot more different now. Jared was the head of a crime family and Jensen wasn’t, couldn’t be involved in that.
Carefully, Jared picked his way through the trees and undergrowth until he found a decent spot where he would be hidden from view but could keep an eye on who was coming and going. Silently, he settled at the base of a tree and zipped opened the cooler.
Taking a bottle of water out of the bag, he twisted the cap off and with a soft sigh prepared to wait.
“Occupants of the house, this is the Arizona State Police and we have the house surrounded. Come out with your hands up.”
Jensen startled awake with a jolt and hissed at the burning pain running through his right arm. After Jared had walked out, leaving him cuffed to the bed, he had renewed his struggles against the damn headboard using it as a distraction for the pain of his heart shattering. He didn’t want to believe that Jared had been involved in what had happened to him but he hadn’t denied it and he had left Jensen there.
It had taken a loud pop from his right shoulder and the instant and intense burning pain radiating from it to make him stop. It was only then that he could admit that it wasn’t just sweat running down his face but tears.
Left with no other options he had screamed himself horse, trying to get rid of the pain cutting him up from the inside out. At some point his must have past out, his body underfed and exhausted finally giving him the relief he desperately needed.
“Occupants of the house, come out with your hands above your head.”
Jensen shook his head, trying to clear some of the fog from it and felt his chest tighten. There were people outside of the house, several people if the noises he could hear were any indication and they had said they were cops. Cops were there, that meant he was free or would be if they would only enter.
“Help!” He had meant to yell but all that came out was a cough. Yelling at Jared, yelling for Jared, just yelling had stolen his voice.
“In here!” He tried again and grimaced at the wheeze that past his lips.
It figured. He was finally going to get out of this mess but he had to wait until the cops finally got tired of waiting, themselves, and took the house by force. He understood why they were doing what they were doing but he could have told them that it was a waste of time, other than Jensen, it didn’t seem like there was anyone else in the house.
At least, no one living.
He had been unconscious, drugged, when he had been brought in and cuffed to the bed so he really had no clue as to how big or how small the house was but that didn’t stop him from being able to smell. It wasn’t that Jensen had ever seen a dead body before but he had read enough crime novels and watched enough crime shows to understand what the smell that had started to permeate the room shortly after Jared had left meant. Nor did it take long to figure out that it had been Alexis who had screamed right before the shot had rung out and that she wasn’t going to be coming back to harass him in anything but his nightmares.
“Occupants of the house. You have one more chance to come out with your hands above your head or we’re entering by force.”
Jensen shut his eyes and tried to steady his breathing. He didn’t know exactly what entering by force meant but he could only hope that when they did, they realized that he was cuffed to the bed and wasn’t a threat. He couldn’t help the snort, after what he had done to his shoulder he was pretty sure he was barely a threat to spider if one chose to crawl up him now.
There was a sudden bang as something heavy hit, what Jensen guessed, was the front door and then a flurry of heavy footsteps and yelling. If he had tired, he was sure he could have made out some of what was being said but the best he could manage was to stop himself from thrashing on the bed and trying to call out again. It would probably be for the best if he just laid still and waited for them to find him instead of doing anything that they might construe wrong.
It didn’t stop him from opening his eyes and staring at the door while his breath cut in and out of his lungs too quickly for it to be doing much good.
There was only the sound of footfalls before a large figure, dressed in all black and carrying some type of assault rifle, was looming in the door.
“Occupant on the bed, slowly turn over onto your stomach and raise both hands above your head.”
“You’re fucking kidding me right?” The words still no more then a weak puff of air. The only thing he could do was shake his arm so that the cop’s eyes would be drawn to the cuff on his wrist and whimpered as pain flared through him again.
The officer shifted his rifle to one hand and pulled off his helmet and black balaclava. “Jensen Ackles?”
Grimacing at the pain in his throat as he swallowed, Jensen slowly nodded.
The redheaded officer turned his head back towards the hall. “In here!”
Finally. Finally he was going to get out of this mess and as soon as he could make his fucking voice work or get a hold of a pen and a piece of paper he was going to tell them who had done this to him. Jared was going to pay for using him like this.
He blinked and the man was standing over him, looking him over with a critical eye. “You okay?”
Do I look okay to you? Scowling, he shook his head and opened his mouth to try to explain. “Sh…” he tried coughing to clear his throat, “Shoulder.”
The officer raised an eyebrow and leaned over him, “Sorry?”
Jensen growled, “Shoulder.”
His eyes traveled from Jensen’s face to his left shoulder then his right before his already pale complexion went white. Jensen hadn’t bothered actually looking at his shoulder but knew he had done a number on it and tamped down the urge to turn his head to take a look for himself. He knew he was weak and regardless that he had past out just recently, he was exhausted, even the knowledge that he was getting out of here wasn’t raising as much excitement as it should, and he didn’t need to shock his system into unconsciousness again. Not now, not when he had no idea how long it had been since Jared had left him there and he needed to tell the police about him before Jared had enough time to disappear.
“We need paramedics!” The officer hollered just as Jensen caught sight of other black clad cops pilling into the room.
“Oh it.” One of them assured and disappeared back out the room.
Jensen watched as one of the four new officers broke away from the group and walked over to stand beside his co-worker. Shifting until he too could pull off his headgear, he smiled down at Jensen.
“Hello Jensen, my name is Lieutenant Aldis Hodge.” He glanced from Jensen’s face to do a quick once over of his body before meeting his gaze again. “I’m pretty sure your shoulder is dislocated so we’re just going to wait for the paramedics to get here and take care of that for you. Until then I’m afraid we’re going to have to leave you cuffed to the bed.”
Jensen scowled, he already knew he had dislocated his shoulder and if how it was feeling now was any indication, it was only going to get worse once he was free but he didn’t care. He’d already been cuffed to this bed for at least a week if not longer and he wanted out. Out of the bed, out of the room, out of the damn house.
“Get me free.” He grumbled and shook his arm just a little, swallowing down the hiss of pain.
“Please don’t do that.” Aldis patted the air between them, “You’ll only make it worse. The paramedics are just down the road from our location. It’ll only be a minute before they get…”
His voice tapered off and Jensen caught a faint crackle coming from the man leaning over him. Aldis’ eyes faded briefly before he blinked back into focus and he rubbed across his forehead.
“Well the house has been cleared and I’d rather not have to shackle him since he’s the one that knew where to find our vic…” he met Jensen’s eyes briefly and gave a half shrug in apology. “Have Weatherly bring him through.”
“Looks like you’re going to have a guest.”
Jensen narrowed his eyes as he studied the officer’s face. Guest? What the hell did that mean? Did his father know? Would he come especially considering that he knew that Jensen had been kidnapped and, as far as Jensen could tell, had done nothing to get him free?
“Jensen!”
"I've texted Christian. He'll be here in a couple hours to get you."
Jensen let his eyes fall closed, trying to will away the sudden burn in them, belittling himself silently for it even being there. He knew it wouldn’t be his father, the man never admitted fault in anything and for him to show up would be tantamount for doing just that.
“Where is he?”
Lieutenant Hodge and the officer who had originally found him stepped back and Jensen felt something settle at the sight of Christian. It mattered that he was surrounded by police, logically Jensen knew that it meant that he was safe and would be going home but it wasn’t until he saw Christian that it all became real.
“Jesus!” Christian hissed and dropped to his knees by the bed. “You okay?”
“J…Jared.” He hissed and then grimaced again as he tried to swallow.
Christian leaned forward, “What?”
“It…was…Jared.” He had told Jared that he was going to tell the cops the minute he could but it was another thing to finally say the words out loud. His throat was raw from all his earlier screaming but those three words were like jagged glass.
It shouldn’t hurt so much to say them. Jared had lied to him, lied to him from the very beginning. He wasn’t the man he had led Jensen to believe he was and he deserved whatever happened to him. But watching the blood drain from Christian’s face and his hands clench into the side of the mattress, a part of Jensen wanted to take them back.
Jared hadn’t just fooled him but Steve, Sophia and Christian too and after what must have been hell for his friends when he disappeared, Jensen was adding to their pain. Adding to his own because there was no victory in knowing that Jared would get what was coming to him. Suddenly he just felt strangely empty.
“I past him…” Christian muttered low, “I wasn’t sure because I couldn’t see his face but I thought…”
Jensen curled his left hand around one of Christian’s curled fists, “Christian?” He forced past his dry throat.
“They’ve got him in the back of a State squad car. When the cop led me past, another cop by the car was trying to get a hold of the F.B.I.”
The F.B.I.? What the hell was going on? Could he have misjudged Jared? Jared did seem to know a lot about crime. Could he be…? Was it possible that he was an F.B.I. agent? Was this something to do with Jensen’s father? What had the old man done?
He tried to beat back the fluttering of hope in his chest. It did not matter. If Jared was an F.B.I. agent, he had still lied to Jensen and left him there. Job or not, they were done.
“Make a hole.”
He broke eye contact with Christian and watched as a paramedic moved into the room, carrying a fold-up gurney behind him and his partner attached to the other end.
“Sir you’re going to have to move so we can take a look at our patient.”
Christian’s head snapped around, “Not a snow ball’s chance in hell!”
Jensen tightened his grip on Christian’s fist before sliding his hand away. “Water.”
It should have been one of the first things he said when the cop had originally found him but then again Jared’s name should have been on the top of that list too and yet it wasn’t until he saw Christian and that he felt safe enough to mention it. And as for asking for water, it would get his friend moving so that the paramedics could do their jobs and Jensen could get the hell out of there.
“Somebody get him water.” Christian snarled before turning back.
He shook his head, “You.”
“I’m not leaving…”
Jensen shook his head again, a little harder this time making him hiss as it shifted his arm. “Please.”
Christian’s face hardened before he sighed, “I’ll be right back.”
Jensen watched him go until his view was blocked by the second paramedic. “Hello Jensen. My name is Jason Manns. How about we see if we can’t get you out of here.”
That was the best thing Jensen had heard in longer than he cared to admit to.
Epilogue