A Minor Technicality [Completed] *Slowly Editing*

Chapter 46 - The Missing

**A/N – Thank you all for your prayers and kind words about my grandfather. He isn't doing too well, and at this point, we know he won't make some miraculous recovery. He is 97 ½ and has lived a long and full life. The hospice nurses have told us that they think it will be a matter of days or weeks, but there really is no way to tell. On top of all this, several people on that side of the family are having major health issues, as well, and my mom is there trying to help. I know it's emotionally taxing on her, so I'm talking to her a lot on the phone right now to offer encouragement. Thank you so much for your support!**

Luca POV

"Mikey was telling the fucking truth!"

I looked up from my seat in the waiting room at the sound of Natalie's frustrated announcement. She shoved her phone into her pocket and stomped across the floor, her long, dark hair whipping behind her in a frenzy reflective of the mood on her face – unruly, and a little out of control.

"About?" I prompted, my tolerance for inane distractions spent long ago. By the time I stumbled across Cowboy Charlie proposing to Blythe, my rapidly shortening fuse obliterated, and any patience I was clinging to took a hike. There was no way in hell I was going to let that happen. The idiot had let her go once, and I wouldn't make the same mistake. A picture of Charlie on his knee with a ring held in the air flashed through my already crowded mind. Grinding my teeth, I tried to push down my feelings of irritation and focused on Natalie's words.

"The transport vehicle that was moving Jimmy Fitzgerald is missing," she spat. Her shoes echoed on the linoleum as she angrily paced the floor. The area was small, and at the moment, we were the only two people occupying the space. I shifted on the hunter green pleather as the muscles in my back tensed. Natalie stopped momentarily in front of me, and her voice lowered, showing her frustration. "We haven't heard anything from the driver, the guard, or Captain Flynn, and none of them are answering their cell phones or the radio."

"Dammit!" I shoved my hands through my hair, leaving it in disarray, and jumped to my feet. "What the hell am I supposed to do here, Nat? Walker has gone completely off the grid. I've been trying to reach him for hours. Mikey's dead, but now you're telling me that Jimmy is missing, along with the Captain. The only one we have in custody is Courtney, but from what you've already reported, she's made bail, so she'll be out any time now! Years of work are headed down the fucking drain!"

It felt for a moment like every ounce of energy I possessed centered itself in my gut, which now churned with indecisiveness. I was losing everything that I had worked for the last few years. How was I supposed to vindicate my sister when it seemed that everything and everyone was working against me? This was the closest I'd ever come to bringing down the Fitzgeralds, but they were rallying, and all I could taste was my imminent defeat. My stomach soured at the thought, and my chest ached fiercely at all I had lost. Not only were the Fitzgeralds mocking me with their ability to manipulate the law, but I now knew that someone close to me was to blame for the leaks from within the department. With every minute that passed without word from Walker, my heart grew heavy. It seemed in the midst of this battle, I had also been betrayed by my closest friend.

"Luca." Natalie's hand grasped my flexed forearm. "Walker may be on the Fitzgerald payroll, and we may have lost this battle, but I promise you that we will bring these bastards down. You still have me and my men. We aren't going anywhere." She squeezed my arm in reassurance before continuing. "And it sounds to me like you have Blythe, too. I've seen the way you look at her, and I think Ally would be more concerned with you finding love than revenge."

I squeezed my eyes shut tightly as I let Natalie's words wash over me. The sound of her phone chirping caused me to open my eyes, and Natalie smiled softly before lifting the phone and returning to the badass business woman I knew and loved.