Broken

Out to Get You

"I have to find her, Lily. I have to know why she hasn't reach out to me. It's been twenty years." Eve told Malcolm and I as she sat in my car right after our last visit with Martin.
"I'm not going to try to stop you, Eve. If I found out that Evan was somehow still alive no one could stop me from finding him. We buried a nearly unidentifiable body.. All I'm asking is that you be careful. You've become a good friend to all of us and you'd better be back for our wedding." I told her with a small smile.
"I wouldn't miss it. Your love inspires me. I can only hope to have a love as strong as yours someday." She looked between me and Malcolm in the backseat.
She leaned over and hugged me with tears in her eyes before climbing out of the car. She hugged Malcolm as he moved to climb into the front seat.
"I'll be back as soon as I can. You guys will love her when I find her." She beamed through her pain.
She rushed to the door before she could change her mind, turned around once she reached her front door and waved goodbye before disappearing inside.
"Do you think she'll be okay?" He asked me before we pulled away.
"Honestly, baby, I have no idea." I answered taking one last look at her apartment door.
It took me almost a month of internal conflict to decide to visit Martin on my own. Walking down that hallway towards Martin's cell, my heart raced and my palms were sweaty. I didn't lie to Malcolm, I just left before he woke up. I just needed to know what Martin had to say.
"Lilian. You came." Martin exclaimed almost relieved walking towards me to the end of his tether.
I noticed immediately that he didn't mince words or throw any playful banter at me, which was unlike him. It concerned me.
"What is going on, Martin?" I asked.
I caught the back of the office chair he pushed over to me and he sat on the edge of his bed.
"You're going to want to sit down for this." He explained motioning to the chair in my hands.
Cautiously, I sat down and faced him.
"Eve's sister, Sophie Sanders worked for Nicholas Endicott. She told me about all the things she did for him. 'You don't say no to Nicholas Endicott'." Martin began.
"What kinds of things?" I asked thinking about all the dates Jessica told me about going on with Nicholas in the last month.
"Murders. Stalking. Intimidation. The like. He has been using his money, his power, and his influence to force not only Sophie but everyone under his employ to commit these crimes for him for well over the twenty years I've been in here. Nicholas doesn't get his hands dirty."
"This is how Sophie paid for her freedom?"
"Yes. When I let her go I had her call Nicholas and tell him that she had stolen files that implicated him in some of the worst crimes he'd tasked her with and was forced to share those files with me after I'd abducted her. It worked. I got the deal of a lifetime when I was arrested. He has, as far as I know, stayed away from Sophie, from Eve, from Malcolm and Ainsley and you." He looked pointedly at me.
"There weren't any files though, were there?"
"No. And now that Eve's been looking for Sophie it's only a matter of time before he figures that out."
"Why are you telling me all this now? Over twenty years later?"
"I realized something looking at Jessica with Nicholas on page six a few weeks ago." He showed me a news article with a picture of Jessica and Nicholas from the night of the ballet dancer's murder.
"And what is that?"
"That YOU and my son are on page one. Nicholas Endicott's house. Nicholas Endicott's fundraiser. Nicholas Endicott's charity. Yet YOU are front page news. If there's anyone with the money, power, and influence to rival Nicholas Endicott, it's you."
He closed the paper and handed it to me, a picture of Malcolm and I hand in hand on the balcony right after our debut staring up at me.
New York's Premiere Princess Lilian Russell and new fiancè Malcolm Bright make their debut at Nicholas Endicott's Charity Fundraiser. The caption read.
"If Nicholas links Eve asking all these questions about Sophie to you or Malcolm, or me, he will come after us. You need to get ahead of this. The sooner the better. You are the only one that can stop him and save our family." Martin pushed.
"What is it you think can I do?" I asked looking up at him.
"Get him on a federal crime. Conspiracy to commit serial murder? Something? He owns the NYPD, your little team not included. He owns the judicial system in New York." He explained.
"I'd have to do an investigation. You know I can't just take your word." I shook my head.
"Of course not. Just be careful, Lilian. If he finds out you're investigating him..."
"I can handle myself." I cut him off.
"I know you can. I know you don't believe this but I love my son. I love my family and you're part of that family now."
"I never said I don't believe that. I think that you don't love him or anyone else as much as you love yourself. Where a typical parent would never put anything or anyone above their children, you always put yourself above him and Ainsley. I know that the things you did to him, the way you damaged him, don't show me you love him. I also know you don't want him to die. I'll find a way to nail Nicholas if what you're saying is true. I'll protect them."
I stood up to leave.
"And Lilian... I wouldn't tell Malcolm about this just yet. You are his weakness as much as you are his strength. If he thinks you are in danger he'll step right into the line of fire. There's a reason I asked to speak to you alone." He reminded me.
I didn't respond to him. We both knew it was true. I just knocked on the door and left.
"I need to meet with you as soon as possible. Face to face. You remember where." I left a message on the machine and drove myself to the FBI office.
If Malcolm or Jessica or Ainsley were in danger because of Nicholas then I needed to put a stop to it.
I parked my car in the parking garage and walked passed the front door to a small deli a block away. Nodded curtly at the cashier and walked into the back room. I opened the small closet door on the left hand side and laid my hand on the wall next to the light switch. A door opened up in the floor so I could descend into a long hallway. Once the door closed behind me the lights faded on revealing the sleek industrial design of the hallway. At the end of the hallway was a solid steel door that lead to a small bunker type meeting room.
Inside sat a man roughly five foot ten and muscular with cold green eyes. His hair short and straight.
"Aaron." I said his name as I walked into the room.
Aaron Cross was an FBI special asset specializing in top secret service who answered directly to me after my unofficial promotion after I'd left Bryce.
"Lilian Russell. Long time no see. I was starting to think you'd forgotten about me. I heard about your promotion to Chief. Congratulations." He muttered.
"I didn't call you here to talk about my achievements. I need someone I can trust with connections. I need everything you can find on Nicholas Endicott." I sighed.
"Endicott's bad news, Lily. You really shouldn't get mixed up with him." He told me.
"I'm afraid it might be too late for that. He might be coming after my family. I need you to find me a way to take him down before he can try."
"There is no way to take down Endicott. Although... if anyone can do it, it'd be you." He muttered
I knew if I waited for him to continue while he stared at me, eventually he would.
"Alright, fine. I'll get you everything I have. I have to warn you, it isn't much." He conceded finally.
"Thank you, Aaron."
"I'll leave it in your office by the morning." He nodded.
I stood up and walked back down the hallway back into the deli, ordered myself and Malcolm sandwiches and climbed back into my car to drive home.
"Hey. I missed you this morning. When did you leave?" Malcolm called from the couch after I closed the door.
"A little after six. I had some things to take care of for an FBI case." I answered walking over to sit next to him.
"No case today?" I asked handing him his sandwich.
"Not yet. The day's still young." He smirked at me.
"Well, I'm glad I didn't miss anything." I smiled at him.
We sat on the couch catching up on Ransom from the final season that aired the year before. We managed four episodes before Malcolm's phone rang.
"Yeah, Gil." He answered.
"Sure. We'll be right there." He continued after a moment.
"We've got a case." He smiled at me.
"Let's go."
Less than a half hour later we pulled up to a tattoo parlor in the Bronx. The Rejects Tattoo.
"This one's going to be fun." Malcolm said beaming before practically leaping out of my car.
I smirked and shook my head before following him up to the front door. He's always the happiest when we're at a crime scene or working a case.
"Hello Lily." Gil sighed as Malcolm wandered around the body and crime scene.
"Whatcha got?" I asked following him into the tattoo parlor.
"You know he doesn't even say hi anymore?" He frowned.
"That surprises you?" I chuckled.
There didn't seem to be any signs of a struggle. Aside from the dead body in the center of the room it looked as if nothing was disturbed.
"A thirty seven year old male with a single stab wound into his left orbit." Edrisa told me as we walked up to the body.
I looked down at the body where a tattooing needle stuck out of his left eye. His arms and neck were covered with tattoos and I was sure we'd find more on his torso at the autopsy. He was clearly either the owner or an employee of the shop.
"He's not a small man. It would take a lot of strength to overpower him and shove a tattoo needle far enough into his eye to kill him." I observed.
Malcolm looked at me sadly. I was taking over his profile.
"Sorry, love. Go ahead."
"Well, Lily is right but the killer was shorter than the victim based on the trajectory of the wound. The entrance of the wound is to the bottom interior of the left eye. I'd put their height at roughly five' six to five' seven and they're right handed."
"What are your thoughts on the position of the body?" I asked not wanting to overstep again.
He offered me a grateful smile.
"It's odd. Almost ritualistic, maybe. I don't see any drag marks but an injury such as this wouldn't have bled much and he would have died instantly. He could have been killed and moved within moments and there wouldn't be any drag marks or blood stains."
I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket. There was a text from an unknown number.
I left the files in the spot. -A
"Hey, Gil. I've got to go back to the FBI office to deal with an issue. Can Malcolm ride back to the station with you?" I asked putting my phone back in my pocket.
"Of course." He answered offhandedly before returning his attention to Edrisa.
"Is everything okay?" Malcolm asked walking over to me, touching my hips.
"Yeah. It's probably nothing. Just some file issue. I'll be back before you know it." I smiled at him laying my hands on his chest.
"Be careful, okay?" He pushed.
"Of course I will. You be careful too." I kissed him gently and left.
It wasn't exactly a lie but I needed to conduct my own investigation into Nicholas Endicott and his possible nefarious business practices before involving Malcolm or any of Major Crimes. Martin Whitly wasn't exactly a reliable source of information. Especially considering he'd decided to tell me about his suspicions after seeing his ex wife on page six with the supposed monster.
I drove myself out to the FBI building and parked in the underground parking garage.
It was nearly six pm and the garage was nearly empty. I climbed out of my car and walked briskly towards the elevator when a feeling of dread suddenly washed over me. A pair of rough hands grabbed me by my shoulders and pulled me backwards tossing me towards a pillar to my right. As soon as my back hit the concrete a fist slammed into the left side of my face momentarily stunning me. A man pinned me to the pillar.
I reached up and grabbed his shoulders jamming my knee into his balls then punched him in the face knocking him to the ground.
As I tried to run around him he grabbed my ankle and I fell forward slamming my chin into the concrete. I rolled onto my back and kicked at him again. I felt my heel connect with his body but I had no idea where. I pushed myself up to my feet and ran towards the elevator. As I frantically hit the call button I looked back and noticed the man was gone. He wasn't following me. He wasn't anywhere.
Once I got upstairs I reviewed the surveillance tape and found that the parking garage camera had been blacked out before I arrived.
I sighed. If this was Nicholas, he was good. Maybe too good, even for me.
I rushed back to my car and drove out to see Martin again.
"Ah, Lily... What happened?" He asked taking in the bruising on my face.
"How would Nicholas know that we talked about him earlier?" I asked pointedly.
"Why would I call him to tell him that I told you about him? That's just as dangerous for me as it would be for you." He explained.
"I'm not saying that you did but I was just attacked in the FBI parking garage." I sighed sitting back down on the chair he pushed towards me again.
"Endicott does have eyes everywhere. Can you describe him? The man that attacked you?"
"Of course I can. I'm an FBI chief. I am naturally hypervigilant."
"Well... We haven't got all night."
"God... He was at least six feet tall, muscular, gray eyes, light brown hair, pale skin. He had a large skull tattoo on the left side of his neck. He couldn't have been more than thirty. How does that help you?" I asked.
"You got all of that from a thirty second attack?" He asked.
"Of course I did. Malcolm and I have been trained to be able to make quick observations." I sighed.
"Anyway, my patient's aren't solely the affluent. Some are more... nefarious." He looked at me sideways.
"I thought perhaps I'd recognize the description, but alas..."
I sighed and looked up at the ceiling noticing a small hole in the exact center of the room.
"What's up above here?" I asked.
"Nothing. I think the hospital uses it as a storage area. It was part of my deal. I don't like hearing the footsteps above me, you know." He said.
I shook my head and knocked on the door.
"Can you get me into the room above this one?" I asked Mr. David when he opened the door.
"What are you thinking, Lily?" Martin asked but I ignored him.
"Sure. Come on." He lead me up to the next floor.
In the room directly above Martin's cell was a small brand new camera pointed into the hole I'd noticed downstairs. I walked into the room and picked it up. I knelt down and looked through the hole into Martin's cell. I carried the camera down to Martin's cell.
"You found that upstairs? Is it Nicholas'?" He asked me.
"I honestly have no idea. It's brand new though. Who ever placed this up there has to have constant access. A doctor, an orderly, a security guard or whatever. I'll have to run some tests." I sighed.
"Do you have someone you trust to run those tests?"
"I do." I answered before leaving again.
"Good talk." Martin called after me.
I called Aaron again and left yet another message asking him to come back to the underground bunker.
"You look like shit." Aaron told me when he arrived in the bunker less than an hour later.
"That's the cue for you to tell me that I should see the other guy." He continued after a long pause.
"Aaron I need your help. I found this camera in the room directly above The Surgeon's cell. I need to know where the footage is being sent, how often, everything. Then I need you to check mine, Malcolm's and Ainsley's lofts, Gil's, JT's, Dani's, and Edrisa's homes, and Jessica's mansion. Discretely." I sighed.
"Of course. I can almost guarantee that this is Endicott and that he is absolutely watching you and your team. You need to be careful, Lilian. Nicholas Endicott is dangerous." He warned me again.
I nodded and he left with the camera. I sat in the chair staring out in front of me for what felt like an eternity.
I couldn't continue keeping Malcolm or the rest of the team in the dark. It was well known that Malcolm and I were engaged and the Major Crimes Unit was part of our family.
As I drove back to the FBI office I called Malcolm.
"Hey, baby. How's it going?" He asked.
"I need you and Major Crimes to meet me at the FBI office." I answered.
"What's wrong?" His voice suddenly twinged with concern.
"I can't talk about it on the phone. Meet me." I insisted.
"Of course. We'll be right over."
"Roll silent." I warned.
"I love you, Lilian." He told me.
"I love you, Malcolm. So much." I hung up with a sigh.
We didn't need to draw Nicholas' attention with the lights and sirens. The longer I could keep Malcolm and the team under his radar the better.
I arrived back at the empty FBI office around ten that night. As I walked up the stairs to my office I had this intense feeling of apprehension churning in my stomach.
Sitting in the dim moonlight in my office chair was a slender woman likely no more than five foot seven with piercing brown eyes and dark brown hair streaked with grey. She looked to be roughly forty five.
"You must be Dr. Lilian Russell." She said coldly.
"And you must be Sophie Sanders." I replied meeting her gaze and shutting my office door behind me.