Too Young

Ch 3

"Hey, you did good." Erin put her hand reassuringly on Jay's arm. "It's not always easy to interrogate young girls."

"Especially now," Jay muttered, glancing up at Voight, sitting across from an eleven-year old street girl.

Erin nodded. "I know."

"When I see young girls I see Hailey. I can't look at them as criminals. I can't. It's like now my heart is just too weak."

Erin turned Jay to face her and pulled him into a hug, looking up at him. "You're an amazing dad, Jay. That's what softened you. That's why I love you, Jay."

He looked down at her. "I love you too."

They kissed, but seconds later they both pulled back, knowing what they were doing wrong.

"We can't . . ." Erin laughed quietly and touched her lips, glancing at the floor.

"I'm so sick of professional," Jay admitted, biting his lower lip.

Erin nodded. "We only have twenty more minutes on the clock and we can go home. Hang in there, Halstead."

He nodded and leaned against the one-way mirror and Erin put a hand on his back. "I'll see you in a few."

She walked out, leaving Jay watching the intimidated girl being questioned.

...

Jay's whole body flexed when he slipped the key into the already unlocked door. "Erin?"

Erin walked up next to him. She looked at him with a concerned expression, but kept quiet.

Jay opened the door, and Erin understood immediately. She pulled her gun from her belt and raised it. Jay did the same. He slipped inside, Erin behind him.

He crept into down the small hallway and glanced in the living room.

His heart started pounding when he saw it.

"Put her down and get on your knees with your hands where I can see them!" Jay darted into the room where an old man sat with four-year old Hailey on his lap, obviously uncomfortable. He held his gun against the man's head, who sat perfectly still.

"Hailey, come here." Jay picked up his young daughter and backed up while Erin kept the man at gunpoint.

Jay set Hailey down and crouched in front of her, desperately feeling around her for injuries. "Bug, are you hurt?"

She shook her blonde head and stared at her dad with her extremely large, full, emerald eyes. She wore leggings and a pink shirt, and her hair was snarly and falling down to her chest.

He hugged her tightly to his chest and kissed her forehead. "I'm so sorry."

"Jay," Erin cocked her pistol as the man stood up from the couch.

He let Hailey go to her mother and grabbed the man by his arm, with his gun pointed at him. "What the hell do you think you're doing? Showing up INSIDE my house after fifteen years and snatching up my daughter?"

"Put the gun down, Jay," the man's low voice was calm and intrepid. "We both know you're not going to shoot me."

"If I have to? Gladly. Come with me outside. Erin, call Voight. Who knows what sort of traps he could have set here. Then you and Bug come out the front, don't go anywhere inside."

Erin crouched down and hugged Hailey.

"Go!" Jay shoved the man forward with his gun.

Erin stared at him as they left. What was going on? Did Jay know that man?

"Mom," Hailey wrapped her arms around Erin's leg. "I'm hungry."

"Okay, Hailey. Just give mommy a second, okay?" She pulled out her phone and cleared her throat, peering at Jay standing outside arguing with the man holding a gun against his chest.

"Yeah."

"Voight, I need you to come over. We came home and someone was here with Hailey."

"Where's your babysitter?"

Erin stroked Hailey's hair. "Kara's gone. I don't know where she is."

"Is Hailey okay?" Hank's voice spoke clearly through the phone line. 

"She's fine," Erin replied. "Jay said to call you. I think he knows him."

"If he knew him, why would he have me come and investigate?"

"Maybe it was for backup," she said, starting to get agitated. "I didn't question it, Hank. I shouldn't have to. I just did as he asked. Can you come?"

After a few seconds, Voight confirmed it and hung up.

"Mommy," Hailey yanked at Erin's leg.

"Hailey, what have I told you about patience? Please sit quietly and let me figure this out."

Hailey walked over to the stairs by the door and sat down. She buried her face in her arms and cried loudly.

"Hailey Bug," Erin sighed and walked over to the stairs. She looked out at Jay, who sent her a troubled expression. "I think I have a protein bar in the car. Do you want to come with me to get it?"

Hailey nodded, becoming silent again. It almost bothered Erin how silent Hailey was generally. It made her worry about her a little bit, but it bothered Jay a lot.

Erin took Hailey's hand and walked her out the door. She stopped when she walked next to Jay. The man was sitting down facing ahead, so she put a hand on Jay's cheek and gave him a comforting look.

He pursed his lips and looked down at the man, almost with embarrassment.

Erin unlocked the car with her keys and Hailey jumped in. She jumped back out with the bar, and happily skipped back to the front porch. Erin picked her up before she could be in arms length of the strange man and set her back inside.

"Sit on the steps and wait for Grandpa to get here. Okay?"

Hailey nodded and went to the steps with her food.

Just then Voight pulled in. He stepped out of his SUV and approached them with a blank expression. He stared at the man sitting next to Jay under his gun, and nodded, not surprised.

"Arthur Halstead," Hank had his hands in his pockets and looked amusingly at the old man with dark skin and a grey beard.

"Halstead?" Erin demanded.

Jay sighed and put his gun in his belt behind him. He turned around and put a hand on the metal railing behind her for support. He looked at Erin and nodded slowly. "Erin, this is my so-called dad. Arthur."

...

//wow ok i didnt expect this part to be so long ok:))