Tolerance Book I (Chicago PD/Med FF) by Frances51163

Chapter One Hundred and Thirty-Five: Running on Empty

Adam and Antonio got downstairs just in time to see their upset friend get into a cab.   Quickly heading for a car Antonio pulled out into traffic and headed in the direction the cab had been going.   Looking over at his silent passenger he started talking.

"He knows we're only looking out for him.   He won't stay mad for long."
"Hell I know that," Adam concurred as he looked at the passing streets, "like we discussed before he doesn't know how to hold a grudge.  Thing is he doesn't need this aggravation on top of everything else."
"Well there's nothing we can do for now but hope we catch a break sooner rather than later," Antonio pointed out as he signalled right, mirroring the cab several cars ahead, "where do you think he's going?"
"Somewhere public where we can't get close without being too conspicuous.  He wants to deal with this himself."
"Why ditch the cell?"
"Not sure," Adam confessed, "guess he knows it could be tracked."
"Yeah but he's got to know we're after following him," Antonio argued, "so why get rid of it?"
"Hedging his bets.   If he needs to really lose us and succeeds then we can't follow."
"As we discussed Martin Williamson must be lying low since he heard about Carter.  Might have got in over his head."
"Yeah Jay knows that.    You reckon Jay figures the unsub is going to make a move on him quickly?"
"Think that's what he's hoping," Antonio replied and pulled in as he noticed their friend getting out of the cab, "definitely a public place.  We won't be able to get too close."
"The unsub must be wondering what's going on," Adam observed as they quickly got out of the car, "this is the first time Jay has been on his own."
"We better stay well back.   This goes south because of us Jay won't be happy."
"This could be a wild goose chase," Adam put in as they stood behind a tree and saw their friend sitting down on a bench.
"Hope it's not."

Jay looked around casually feeling eyes on him.   He had spotted his friends but it wasn't their presence which had the hairs on the back of his neck standing up.   That primal sense of warning which every living creature had was making its' presence known as he stretched his left leg out.   A casual look to his right showed his instincts were spot on.   Approaching at a stroll was a tall, brown bearded man.   The young man would have known James Thomas anywhere despite the length of time since he had laid eyes on him.  His piercing, grey eyes were hard to forget.   The coldness observed in them as a young boy was still there in his adult form.   The fact that it was Thomas surprised him in that he had actually helped him a couple of times in school but his presence was too much of a coincidence for it to be an accidental meeting.

"Jay you're looking kinda rough," the new arrival greeted as he sat down beside his old classmate.
"That all you got to say?"
"Do you want to know why?"
"You'll either tell me or you won't," Jay stated nonchalantly, relieved the man had shown himself so fast, "doesn't change the fact that you're in the wrong."
"You always were cool," Thomas shook his head, "no matter what you were facing.  Guess your old fella thought you that."
"What do you want?"
"I remember you were always helping other kids.  Like you were some kind of damn superhero."
"What the hell are you talking about Thomas?"
"People looked up to you in school.   Word got around that Jay Halstead would fight for anyone."
"I never knew that," Jay said nonplussed, "I was just a kid."
"You remember when you helped me when three older kids were trying to shove my head down a toilet?"
"School was a long time ago," Jay shrugged, "once I left I did my best to forget it."
"Well what you probably don't know is that I caught a lot of flak about that," Thomas put in aggrievedly, "you're a year younger than me and you had to come to my rescue."
"Rescue!  They were sticking your head down the toilet not threatening to shoot you," Jay downplayed the incident.
"Well if you hadn't stopped them I'd have been in trouble."
"So you came after me because you had a hard time in school?" the Detectives' tone showed his disdain for the other mans' actions.

tbc

Unsub - Unknown Subject