Partners in Crime

Chapter thirty-one

As soon as I get into the taxi, I remember to turn my phone off airplane mode and immediately a cluster of missed calls and text messages pop up.

The latest one being from Tammy a few seconds ago.

Please tell me you didn't get on that plane.

Instead of responding by text, I call her. It only takes her a few seconds to pick up. "Olivia! Where are you?" Her voice is frantic, leaving me questioning whether or not I should be even more worried than I already am.

"I'm in a taxi." I tell her. "Where are you guys? Where's Theo? Is he ok?!" My voice is getting shakier by the seconds, along with my hands.

It takes Tammy a few seconds to speak. "They.... they haven't found him yet, Livvy."

My heart drops at her statement. "Why was he even in there? I don't understand." My panic levels keep rising and I know I need to find a way to cool them.

"None of us know. We're waiting outside the gala now. Clares here too."

I don't say my next sentence through the phone, instead I step out of the taxi after giving the driver his money, plus a generous tip. I look around at the chaos, the north side of the building has completely collapsed and from what the reporter was saying, I'm sure that's the part of the basement Theo was in.

"Olivia!" Layla shouts and I look over to see her running towards me. She wraps her arms around me and I snap out of my shocked state to hug her back. It's only when she steps back that I notice the tear stains.

"They still haven't found him?" I state rather than ask, my own eyes beginning to water. Layla doesn't cry over nothing, something must be wrong.

She shakes her head, tears starting to fall again. "Two other bodies have been recovered, they didn't make it."

I wipe away the single tear that makes its way down my cheek. "He's the only one left? We have to find him, he has to be ok." I sneak past her and start running towards the barriers.

"Excuse me ma'am, I can't let you past." The security guard steps in front of me.

"I'm Agent Olivia Bennett, you have to let me past, it's my partner in there."

He shakes his head. "The buildings minutes away from totally collapsing, we can't risk anymore lives than we already have too." When I try to sneak past, he wraps his arm around me pulling me back.

"Olivia, look!" Tammys voice bellows and I look towards her to see that she's pointing to the right. I steal a glance that way and immediately start running when I see a body on a stretcher. He's the only one left, it has to be Theo.

"Theo! Theo." I come to a halt beside the firemen, who are handing the stretcher off the the ambulance crew.

"Miss we need you to stand back." Someone holds me back and I turn my face to see its Charlie. The tears immediately start falling when I see the horrified look on his face and I understand why when I turn back to look at Theo. His face and neck is covered in thousands of tiny cuts, his usually olive tone is eerily grey and there's a shard of glass sticking through his shirt.

"He was being held down by a large beam, unconscious by the time we got to him." One of the firemen explain, but that's not what terrifies me.

"We have no pulse! We need to get him to the hospital now."

I try to push through, to help, but Charlie holds me back causing me to further break down in his arms. "Liv, you need to breath." I hear Tammy say, and her hand rests on my cheek.

"Come on, we'll meet them at the hospital." Charlie says, his voice sounding anything but present.

Splitting into two separate cars, we make our way to the hospital, the trip feeling like a blur for all of us. We're informed when we arrive at the hospital that Theo was taken into emergency surgery for the glass, saying they need to get the oxygen back to his brain.

Clare walks into the room a few minutes after we get settled. I stand up and meet her half way. "Any updates?"

She shakes her head. "Why don't you take a seat Agent Bennett."

She used my work name, meaning this can't be good.

I nod and take my seat in between Tammy and Gracie, who are having pretty much the same reaction as I'm having. Clare takes a seat on the opposite side of the room. "Agent Williams has been doing an undercover for the past few weeks." She informs us.

"He has? What was it?" Layla asks and I look around to see Jakes the only one who's not shocked, meaning he must have known... being Clares assistant and all.

"Rosie Taylor and her brother have been involved in the child trafficking ring for over two years now." I freeze at the name, everything coming together like a puzzle in my head, but Clare continues anyway. "Theo joined the case almost a month ago and I asked him to go undercover."

"He never told me." I say, but my voice comes out raspy thanks to the crying.

"I warned him not to, for Rosie to believe she could date an agent without something deeper going on so did everyone else. Tonight Theo was planning on closing the case and taking them down, but it seems their parents caught on, hence they planted a bomb."

"I don't understand, how would that help them?" Charlie asks.

"I don't know, my guess is Theo got the solid proof and they wanted to destroy it. Not that it will matter now that the Taylor siblings didn't make it out breathing."

"What does that say for Theo." Layla gulps, a fresh set of tears watering her eyes.

"All we can do is pray." Clare says, before standing up. "I need to go, we've taken the parents into custody. But I thought you should know that's the real reason you were off the field, Theo couldn't do both."

I feel numb once she leaves the room. I've been treating Theo like shit for weeks now, acting like he was the bad guy without knowing what was really going on. I should have known that wasn't how Theo acted and now... now it could be too late.

I don't notice the tears streaming down my face until one hits my hand. "I've been treating Theo like shit and now I mightn't get to talk to him again."

"We all have." Charlie runs his hand through his hair. "Even I questioned him, made my annoyance towards him known. I should've known to be there for him."

"If he..." Tammy shakes her head. "I can't say it."

"But if he does, he's going to think we all hated him." Gracie states.

Jake stands and kneels in front of me, sorrow deep in his eyes. "I'm so sorry I never told you Olivia. I was too scared of risking the case, but I should've told you."

I shake my head. "You done the right thing, how I reacted had nothing to do with what you did or didn't do."

"If it makes any of you guys feel any better, Theo knew all of your guys reasoning, he understood it. He thrived on finishing the case just to get you back on the field Olivia and he hated lying to all of you guys."

Unfortunately, it didn't make me feel any better.