Tolerance Book IiI

Chapter One Hundred and Seventy: Out of Control

21st Precinct

The morning had begun like any work day for the Unit, at least most of them. The men caught up on the never ending paperwork that was part and parcel of the job with the intention of then following up on some leads. Voight and Parker had said goodbye to the green eyed man as he sat in the Sergeants' kitchen working on a bowl of Rice Krispies as he had unintentionally overslept much to his chagrin and the mens' amusement. Voight had assured the flustered Detective there was no need to rush and they'd see him later. That casual goodbye had not hinted at anything untoward but as the clock hand announced the hour of ten the Sergeant looked grimly at Al and got to his feet. Two unanswered calls had ratcheted up his concern.

"Let's go!"

Voight Residence

Arriving at the Sergeants' residence enmasse the quick entrance, to their surprise, did not yield anything of concern. The men spanned out dividing floors and rooms with an easy familiarity. It soon became evident however that their youngest had not been taken from there. Antonio made short work of putting an alert out on their friebds' vehicle.

As the worried men stood in the kitchen Voight eyed the clean cereal bowl on the kitchen counter .... Halstead preferred to wash his ware rather than availing of the dishwasher.

"Maybe he just lost track of time," Adam finally breached the silence.
"He'd answer his phone," Kevin insisted before adding softly, "if he could."
"We know the route he would have taken," Al reminded, they needed to be proactive.
"Okay Atwater you and Ruzek drive the route and ..,"
"What about the rest of us Sarge?" Antonio interrupted with rare impatience.
"We'll do a foot search," Voight replied before eyeing the pale IT Specialist, "Gerwitz you're with Al and me. Dawson you and Parker head back to the precinct. I want someone there if Halsteads' truck is found."

Everyone headed off on their assigned tasks. Jogging towards his SUV Voight shared a concerned look with Al. It was clear despite a lack of physical evidence their youngest Detective had again been taken. He would never have disappeared voluntarily or ignored phone calls. Someone was toying with them and more specifically Halstead and it was beyond galling!

Bucktown

Jay slowly came back to consciousness and took stock of his situation before betraying his awareness. He was sitting on a soft seat which in itself was surprising. He noted he did not appear to be tied down. Listening carefully he could not decipher any sounds that might signify he had company. Eventually he forced his eyelids to open. A few blinks and the blurred vision disappeared revealing his surroundings ....... also surprising. This time he was not in some bleak warehouse but a luxury house if the high end furniture and fittings were any indication. He was sitting in one of the black velvet armchairs of a three piece suite. The plush white carpet underfoot and the white marble fireplace lent the room an unintentional air of sterility. Jay frowned chiding himself mentally. This wasn't a house appraisal he needed to get going before his Abducters returned. It was only when he went to stand up two things became immediately evident. Firstly not being tied down was not the benefit he assumed it would be. Secondly his right thigh was now beginning to hurt. Eyeing the offending limb with consternation he saw the jeans were intact but there was a bulge under the fabric. Placing a tentative hand over the area the jeans began to redden. Now he understood the bulge. A dressing or bandage had been placed over a wound to stop bleeding. The amount of blood while unsettling did tell him the femoral artery had not heen severed. If it had been he would have bled out in minutes. The disconcerting knowledge that someone had undressed him while he was out of it unsettled him immensely but he shoved that to the back of his mind. Right now he had more pressing issues to consider, the main one of which was escaping. Heaving a sigh he forced himself to his feet, mindful of the injured limb but not surrendering to the ensuing pain. A quick check revealed the wound was still bleeding but he had to hope the bandage or dressing was doing a measure of damage limitation as he had no time for a proper assessment of the wound. Sweat broke out on his forehead as he slowly moved towards the closed door unsure of what awaited him on the other side.