NashIA1Story2

The soft glow from Evan's computer screen illuminated Harvey's face. He pulled his hand through his curly hair, but regretted it two seconds later as the pain stabbed at his brain. The pounding in his head had decreased, but not by much.

The information he saw before him was puzzling to say the least. It had taken him more than an hour, but he finally managed to get into the bank's mainframe. There it was. A deposit for $120,000 was made into his savings account from an offshore bank account owned by "Guillevin International Holdings" out of Rio. It was obviously a dummy corporation, but be damned if Harvey could figure out who was behind it. He looked at the digital display on Evan's desk clock. 2:32 AM. Man it was going to be a long night.

The clicking of the computer keys seemed to fill the room. Then Harvey heard something that made his heart quicken. There was someone in the hallway. Harvey logged off the computer, clicked off the monitor and pulled his gun out of its holster. He sprinted across the small apartment and pressed his ear gently to the door. The footsteps had stopped, but now they started up again as the person moved back down the hall. The footsteps stopped.

Cassidy stood stunned to see Harvey aiming his gun at her.

"Harvey, what the Hell are you doing here, why aren't you in the hospital?"

Harvey put his gun away. "Um..well..."

"Let me guess. This has little to do with you hating hospitals and a lot to do with the money in you savings account."

"Yeah. You hit the nail on the head."

"I am calling my dad." She moved toward the phone.

"No, Cass please; hear me out."

"What? You broke into Evan's apartment to get on to his computer just so you can clean up any mistakes you might have left getting that money into you account? Or did you want Evan to take the heat? Is that it? You wanted to use Evan's computer so he looks like the one who put the money into your account, and he'll take the fall?"

"Cassidy you're wrong! First of all I did not willingly have this money put into my account. Second I left the hospital so I could get to a computer so I could start to find some sort of a paper trail. I couldn't go to the SIU your dad was there." He paused to take a deep breath. "Finally, I have a key to Evan's place. I didn't break in."

Cassidy just stood there tapping her foot. Harvey shook his head. "Go ahead call your dad, he doesn't believe me anyway." He walked out the door back into the living room.

     ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Bonnie frantically punched the number into her cell phone as the tears started down her face. "Please be there," she begged. "Please be there. Please, please, please." She wiped the streaks from her face as she looked at herself in the mirror. She barely registered the fact that her eyes were bloodshot and red-rimmed, but Conrad would just think it was the booze she continued to guzzle. How did she get into this? How could she let it happen? How could she?

The tears started again when the phone went unanswered. She must have filled up the machine because even that wasn't picking up any longer. A sudden rap against the door startled her so much that she frantically grabbed at her cell phone to keep from dropping it with a clatter. "Yes?" she asked shakily.

"Are you alright bunny?" Conrad asked, his words slurring together.

Her stomach churned. She knew that voice. He was interested in something other than her health at that moment. The booze always did it to him. "I was just going to jump in the shower," she told him then cringed at the thought that he might want to join her. She sighed heavily when she heard him walking away. She would have a few minutes to herself at least. Quickly, she turned on the shower full blast so she wouldn't be overheard, then said another prayer as she started to dial.

    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Harvey walked out of Evan's apartment building, his heart lodging in his throat when he saw the 'Cuda parked at the curb. A lancing pain through his temple followed, reminding him of how it all began. He didn't even have time to consider his next move when Joe appeared out of the shadows. "Man, we have been looking everywhere for you," Joe chastised him. "Let's get you out of here."

He didn't even think twice about falling into step with Joe even though a million questions were running through his head. They were nearly to the end of the sidewalk before Harvey hesitated. He could just make out Nash still in the car. He knew if he got any closer, there would be no turning back. His doubts were eating at him. Only a few hours ago, Nash was sitting at his bedside asking him where the money had come from. What had changed?

For a brief moment, Harvey thought of running. But, where would he go? Besides, he was exhausted, his head pounded and Harvey wasn't entirely sure he could make it to the `Cuda without passing out.

As soon as Nash saw their approach, he checked the street, then waved to them to hurry. "Get that damn beret off, Harv," Nash ordered. "You might as well put a target on your back."

A little disoriented by the sudden change in Nash and Joe's attitude, Harvey hesitated. He glanced at Joe, who stood with a worried frown, then back at Nash, leaning out the window. Harvey decided to put his trust in his boss, just like he always had before. Slipping the beret from his head, Harvey crossed the short distance to the car and paused when Joe opened the door.

The ride back to Nash's apartment had been made in silence, so Harvey was unprepared for the organized chaos that he saw before him. If his head wasn't spinning before, it definitely was when he recognized his answering machine, his cell phone and even his computer hard drive with the Grateful Dead sticker on the side.   What on earth was going on? Why was his stuff here?

Harvey thought it would be a good idea if he sat down, before the floor jumped up to greet him. Making his unsteady way to Nick's favorite chair, he dropped into it with a relieved sigh. He looked around for a second time at everything and everyone in Nash's apartment. There were extra tables set up with computers and maps, with Rachel and Ronnie obviously reporting in on their findings. It looked like a typical day in the office...at Nash's loft.

Catching Nash's eye, Harvey gestured to everything with a sweep of his arm. "Wanna tell me what's going on, Nash? It's been a bit of a long day." Harvey turned at the sound of footsteps on the stairs behind him again and saw Cassidy walking in with Evan. The entire team was assembled. "What the hell is going on?" Harvey repeated.

"Someone is setting you up, bubba," Nash stated the obvious. "And that someone has some major clout to be pulling this scam off." He glanced around at the people in the room. They were people that he knew he could trust. No one else would know. "This is your team, bubba. We're going to get you out of this."

He shook his head slightly and regretted even that small movement. "I thought that you..." He couldn't even bring himself to say it. He thought that his friends had all but convicted him of being a dirty cop. Now all this....Harvey couldn't sort it all out.

Nash pulled a chair next to Harvey and rubbed his eyes. What a mess. "Well, Harvey, remember our good friend Katzoid?"

At Harvey's confused nod, Nash continued. "Well, seems he was working on something big with Bonnie's help and failed to mention it to the SFPD. Not that I find that very surprising; Katz is as stupid as a post. Somebody needs to do the world a favor and take his butt out." He scratched at his forehead as he tried to put together all of the elusive pieces. "He's outdone himself this time. He actually conned Bonnie into turning on her boyfriend, Conrad Fowler."

"What?" Harvey said in shock. "What in the hell is Bonnie doing mixed up with a guy like Fowler?"

"She was dating him before she knew. She didn't have a clue who the guy was until Katz approached her." He could see the puzzle pieces converging in Harvey's expressive eyes.

"But that still doesn't explain why Bonnie was suppose to have taken a hit out on me."

Nash shook his head. That was one of the elusive bits. "The best I can figure is that it was Fowler and not Bonnie that took out the hit. My guess is that it's out of jealousy." Nash gestured to Rachel who was standing nearby with the tape from Harvey's answering machine and she hit play.

Bonnie's voice trembled. "Dear God Harvey, where are you?"

Harvey's mouth dropped open at the desperation in her voice, then his eyes shot over to Nash who looked at him knowingly. "She took one hell of a risk just saying that much," Nash said softly, then gave Harvey a sympathetic look. Bonnie had always been a thorn in his side and now was no different.

Struggling to stay awake, Harvey put the pieces together and it suddenly began to make a little more sense. Not much, but a little was better than nothing. He couldn't believe Katz had put Bonnie at such risk. Not to mention himself. When Harvey got his hands on Katzoid…the man was dead meat. Prying his eyes open once more, Harvey settled his gaze on Nash. "When did you find out about all this?"

Settling back in his chair, Nash sighed. "When we went to your house looking for you after you, um, escaped the hospital. We noticed all the messages on your answering machine, listened to them and got on the phone with Katz. He explained everything."

Eyes that had begun to droop closed, snapped back open. "What do we do now, Nashman?"

Smiling, Nash helped Harvey up from the chair and gave him a gentle push toward the bedroom. "Bed, bubba. You're getting some sleep, while the rest of us get to work." Nash held up a hand when Harvey opened his mouth to protest. "Harvey, you know we'll make sure nothing happens to you or Bonnie. Trust us."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When Harvey awoke the room was full of bright light. It took him a few seconds to figure out just where he was. Finally remembering, he glanced at the clock. "1:30" he groaned. He sat up slowly still afraid that a painful head rush would follow. He sat on the edge of the bed for a moment. His joints were sore. He got to his feet and to his pleasure the headache he'd been carrying for the last day was mostly gone. The area around his wound was still quite sore to the touch, but the throbbing had subsided.

He slid open the glass partition separating Nash's room from the rest of the loft. He could hear talking and had smelled food. All heads turned to him when he immerged. Everyone was still there. He could tell they had been working all night and morning. The loft had a real air of a command center.

"Welcome back to the land of the living!" Evan called from the couch. Cassidy stood from her seat next to Evan. "Are you hungry Harvey?" she asked.

Harvey hadn't even thought about it but, when she mentioned it, he realized he hadn't eaten in quite some time. "Yes." he answered.

While Cassidy fixed him something Harvey moved to the couch to see what his friends had come up with to get him out of this mess. He had all the faith in the world in them. He was also aware it was going to take something incredible to fix this.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sitting through breakfast was agonizing for Bonnie. She had tried everything to get in touch with Harvey and warn him. As she nibbled at her plate, she prayed that he had gotten at least one of her messages.

"Come on babe. We gotta get going." Conrad said as he finished his plate

Quietly she got up and followed him out of the diner. Nervously she glanced at the clock on the wall as she exited with Conrad draped all over her. Only an hour before she had to get in touch with Katz, and she would know for sure if Harvey was okay. Now the only question was going to be how was she going to get away from Conrad to make the call.

Sitting in the car she decided that she would tell Conrad she wanted to do some shopping and then she would call Katz. How did I get into this, she wondered as she laid her head on Conrad's shoulder. All she wanted to do was make some easy money. She never had any intention of getting anyone hurt, especially Harvey.

They drove back to the motel, and she went back to her room. Grabbing her cell phone, and changing clothes she went to tell Conrad she was off to do some shopping.

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It felt as though all eyes were on Harvey as he sat there and ate the food that Cassidy had made. He knew they trusted him, but he also felt like something was a little off. He had passed out early that morning before hearing all that Nash had to say, so he was rather curious to finish the conversation. He knew that Bonnie had tried to warn him about the hit, but he was still a bit fuzzy as to everything else that had happened since he left the hospital last night. Eyeing Nash thumbing through a bunch of files, he started to make his way towards him, but as he put the last bite of food into his mouth he noticed Evan grumbling at the computer, so he decided to give him a hand before he went to Nash.

"You look like you need a hand bro." He said as gave him half a smile.

"I'll never understand how you can just breeze through these systems man." He handed him the laptop and shook his head

"Hacking is just a skill Ev." They both smiled as Harvey started to search through the files "Son of a-" he shouted as he got through the last set of files

Everyone turned in Harvey's direction, and waited for him to say what he had found.

"What do you got Harv?" Nash asked as he and Joe ran up behind him and Evan.

Harvey looked dumbfounded at the computer screen. "My savings account jumped another $10,000 dollars Nash. What the hell is going on?"

Nash looked over Harvey's shoulder as he pointed to the screen. "Looks like the deposit was made this morning at 8:30. We know damn well you didn't put in there."

"Now what?" Evan questioned.

Nash started to walk around the room as he started to think. "Bonnie seemed pretty desperate to get a hold of you yesterday. What I am thinking is we send you home and you stay there until she calls you again, and she will. When she does that tell her you want to meet with her at your place. When she gets there we'll move in and just maybe we can get some answers."

"What if she doesn't want to meet there, Nash?"

Nash shrugged. "Agree on a place then."

Nash then walked over to Ronnie. "Ronnie, I want you to go over to Harvey's check it over from top to bottom, call Jack Gordon to come over with his dog, and have them go over the house too."

Ronnie nodded. "You got it boss."

"Nash man what do you want us to do?" Joe asked as he sat down on the couch next to Rachel.

"You and I are going for a ride over to Harvey's bank. Cassidy when Ronnie calls and gives the clear to bring Harvey home you and Rachel do it. Evan you play around on the computer and try to find any paper trails you can. Harvey there is a bag with some clean clothes in it back in my room go get cleaned up okay?"

Harvey gave Nash a half smile. "Sure boss." Nash could sense Harvey's reluctance in the plan. He walked over to Harvey. "Come with me for a minute, Harv." Both men walked outside onto Nash's balcony. "Harvey everything is going to work for the good. I won't let anything happen to you." Harvey leaned lazily against the brick wall. "I know Nash, but I have this sick feeling something is going to go wrong."

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Harv went to shower and think how to approach Bonnie on this. "How could she be so stupid as to get in this position?" He thought to himself. He really didn't know whether to feel bad for her, or just plain disgusted with her. "Conrad, of all guys, just how much of an idiot was she?" He mumbled to himself.

"Hey Boss, everything looks good over here for now." Ronnie didn't trust the streets though; he knew Conrad was looking for Harv and no one really trusted Bonnie at this point either.

"Thanks, Ronnie, units should be there, then we'll bring Harv over."

"Ok, Boss, I'm staying here till you give me the ok to leave."

Nash put a new tape in Harv's answering machine and they were set to go. "Nash, I don't understand any of this. Why me?"

"I don't know bubba, but we're gonna find out. Lets get going and wait for Bonnie to call."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Conrad was still on the hunt for Harvey and Bonnie was panicking. Harvey had barely walked into his apartment when the phone rang. He was shaking like a leaf, "Hello?"

"Oh, Harvey! Thank god I got you!"

Unsure what to say, Harvey stood there in silence for what seemed like an eternity to Bonnie. After getting off the phone with Katz, she had to check to make sure he was really okay. The mixed feelings of anger and frustration were boiling inside Harvey, and he was ready to explode.

"What the Hell do you want?!" he shouted.

"Come on baby, don't be like that."

He could sense the desperation in her voice, and he softened his tone a bit. "I got your messages, so what is going on?"

She sighed and then was silent

"If all you're going to do is be quiet, I can hang up now!"

"Wait! I can't talk about this on the phone...I need your help Harv."

In all the years he had known her, he had never heard that kind of fear in her voice. Taking in a deep breath, he started again. "Then meet me here, and we can talk."

"Not there, he'll find out..." she was getting frantic

"If not here, then where?" He waited for her to respond, and he was about to give up when she finally did.

"You remember that spot out by the bridge, where you used to take me right after we were...married? I'll be there in half an hour."

She hung up before he could answer, and he stared at his reflection in the mirror before him as he hung up the phone. Nothing was making anymore sense than it had an hour ago, and his frustration was growing. He couldn't bring himself to trust Bonnie no matter what, and he hadn't been able to shake that feeling that something terrible was about to happen.

After letting Nash know the meeting place, Harvey and crew were on their way. He got there first, and he sat on a nearby rock and waited. A few minutes later he saw Bonnie drive up. When she got out of the car and came closer to him, he barely recognized her. The frantic and terrified woman before him was hardly a shadow of the woman he had known years ago. He almost felt bad for what he was about to do.

He waited a few minutes before he signaled to Nash, and tried to calm her down. It was no use though, because she was so terrified. Once he signaled, he stood back and watched as she yelled at Nash and Joe as they hurried her into the car.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Everyone sat in Harvey's living room, while he, Bonnie, and Nash were in the Dead Room trying to figure things out. Nash was becoming as angry about Bonnie's tight lip as Harvey. The others sat quietly outside the room wondering to themselves what was going on inside.

Inside, the fury raging between the three individuals was on the verge of spewing. Finally Nash had to walk out of the room, before he succumbed to the urge to strangle Bonnie. Harvey sat and stared at her for a few moments after Nash walked out before saying anything.

"Bon, you said you needed help. Why won't you just talk to us?" He pleaded

"After you had Nash drag me away like that! Your lucky I don't-," she went towards him, but he moved away before she was able to hit him.

As she tumbled into the beanbag in front of her, he began to laugh. Her face was several shades of red as she got up and gave him an angry look.

"Are you done now? All we want to do is help you. Will you just let us do that?" He tried not to show the frustration, but it was written all over his face.

"Conrad wants you dead Harvey, and he won't stop until he gets what he wants...he always gets what he wants..." she trailed off, and he read the expression on her face

"What does he want with me?"

Looking up at him her face changed. "You know exactly why he wants you dead!" She shouted, "It's all your fault!"

"Me? What are you talking about?" He stared at her rather confused

"You're the one that got involved with him in the first place; if you hadn't double crossed him, none of this would have happened!"

Nash had walked in just in time to hear the last remark, and stared in disbelief at the two of them.

"Excuse me, but what is she talking about?" Nash pointed to Bonnie, as he glared at Harvey.

Harvey had hoped that Nash would never find out about his dealings with Fowler, after all it had been almost ten years since it had happened, but it appeared as though he would have to tell Nash as well as the others the whole truth.

Harvey sat next to Bonnie. He continued to rub his throbbing head. Nash paced back and forth in front of them. "Okay Harvey what the hell is going on here? Enough funny business."

Before Harvey could explain what was going on, Joe knocked slightly on the door before he entered. "Um, Nash, David Katz is here he wants to talk to you." Nash couldn't believe his bad luck. "Bring him in."

David entered the room. Chuckling to himself he walked over to Harvey. "This is just how I pictured it, Leek. You sure do have more Grateful Dead stuff than I do."

Nash was getting madder with each passing moment. "What do you want Katz?"

"I heard what was going on with Harvey and I came to shed some light on Harvey's involvement with Fowler."

"I am not going to like this am I?" Nash asked as he took a seat in one of the beanbag chairs.

"I don't know Bridges, but here it is. About 10 years ago I got some information on a guy by the name of Fowler, he was a heavy drug and gun dealer. Fowler and some of his buddies were moving into San Francisco. We at the agency needed someone to go under cover to help catch Fowler and his guys. I went to your old boss, AJ for some help. I asked for someone who could do deep undercover for a few weeks to a month. AJ suggested Harvey for the job, and I took him up on it."

Nash thought back to the month when Harvey was not at work. "So why didn't I know about it?"

"It didn't involve you Bridges." Katz answered smugly.

Nash just waved him off.

"Well Like I was saying Harvey went undercover, and things got a little hairy. Harvey had to start putting money into a separate account of his instead of the one we at the FBI set up. Fowler had started doing his own paper trail chase, and we knew it could blow Harvey's cover altogether."

"So, Fowler never found out Harvey was a cop?" Nash asked as he picked at a blanket that was lying on the chair.

"He does now, and he wants his money back." Katz turned to Harvey. "We never did away with that account Harvey. Fowler and his buddies want their money."

Bonnie squirmed uneasily as David then walked up to her. "You knew about this account didn't you?"

"I....I don't know what you're talking about."

David knelt down and looked at her straight into the eyes. "Then why did you never sign the divorce papers between you and Harvey? You found out about this account that Harvey had. You were just waiting for the right time, kill him, and then the bank would give you everything that was in the account?"

Nash and Harvey looked at each other in amazement and disbelief. Harvey couldn't believe Bonnie could even think to do something this stupid. Both Nash's and Harvey's heads were spinning now.

Bonnie looked down then back up and into Harvey's eyes, but she was seeing something she hadn't seen before…fury. "No, Harvey, you've got to..."

Harvey cut her off. "Wait! Did you really think you could pull this off Bonnie? All those calls on my answering machine were just so I would meet up with you and then you and Conrad could kill me?" Everyone was silent for a few seconds then Harvey said, "Ya know, Bonnie, you really dug yourself deep!"

Nash was trying to think what his next step would be. For once Katz had come through for his team, but at the same time he was furious he had never known about the undercover job.

"Well Bonnie," Nash said. "It doesn't appear to me that Harvey or Katz are very impressed with you right now. I suggest you start talking, because I want some answers." Nash got up then stopped and said, "Oh Bonnie, I would suggest your best option at this point would be to tell the truth, too."

"I am going to let the others know what we have at this point. I'll be back in a few." Nash left Katz, Harvey, and Bonnie and went to talk to Joe. "Joe, do we have any updates on Conrad?"

"No, Nashman, but what's Katz doing here?"

"Well Bubba, lets all sit down and hear what I have so far."

They all stared in disbelief as Nash recounted his previous conversation. Noticing their confused faces Nash paused for a moment. "Have I lost anyone?"

He said as he watched their expressions changed. They were full of questions, but no one was ready to step up and ask just yet. So he continued on and finished telling them the details he had found out then waited again for them to respond.

"That Bonnie is something else!" Evan threw his hands in the air and shook his head "All she wanted was the money. I can't believe it, and yet I can."

"That makes two of us. I had never met her until today, but she is a real piece of work." Rachel threw in as she glanced around the room at the others.

Hearing the commotion break out in the Dead room, Nash returned to the door and looked inside.

Still seated in front of Katz and Harvey, Bonnie wanted to worm her way to the door, but she knew that would be impossible. The fumes were still visible as Harvey began to pace in front of Katz   He couldn't decide whether he was more angry at Bonnie or at Katz. Both were pretty high on his list of people he wanted to strangle at the moment.

"Why the hell didn't your people get rid of the account?!" He bellowed as Katz stared blankly back.

"Well, we thought it would draw Fowler out of hiding-"

"So you just set me up as the bait!"

"I wouldn't put it that way. You were never in any real danger-"

Harvey started to lunge at Katz, but was stopped by Nash as he entered the room. As Nash held him back, Harvey began to yell at Katz.

"Look at my head you moron! I've been shot at more than once in the last 72 hours! You call this no real danger?" All the yelling was beginning to tire Harvey a bit and when Nash let him go, he slumped to the floor and had to catch his breath.

"Easy bubba. Take a deep breath." Patting his friend on the back, he turned to Katz

"Now I know you're stupid, but I was sure you couldn't be that stupid." He stepped closer to him with his hand on his head

"Excuse me Nash-"

"No I won't. The bureau has been doing that for the last 10 years. You endangered one of my men, and I'm gonna see you pay for it. And you too, sister. Don't think I've forgotten about your part in all this." Nash eyed them both and they knew he was serious this time.

Harvey had managed to get back to his feet and compose himself, and he watched as Nash chastised Katz and Bonnie. He had hardly ever seen Nash with that eerie anger and calmness. After he was done, Harvey motioned for the others to enter the room.

"We've gotta take Fowler down, and fast before he takes another shot at Harvey here." Nash said as the group gathered around.

"What's the plan?" Evan said as he put his hand on Harvey's shoulder

"For starters, Bonnie here is going to go back and tell Conrad that she knows where Harvey is, and that he is waiting for him with the money." He looked at Bonnie as she squirmed in the chair.

"Uh, boss...I don't like the sound of this..." Harvey responded. He didn't exactly relish the thought of being used as bait again.

"Don't worry you're not going to be here when Fowler gets here. Katzoid is going to get the money from that account and bring it here. Rachel you'll go with him, and make sure he doesn't try anything stupid." Katz got up to speak, but Nash quickly cut him off. "Bubba, I didn't ask for your opinion, so just sit down."

"What about me?" Evan was eagerly awaiting his assignment

"For now I want you to sit tight with Harv. When Bonnie gets done with Fowler, Conrad is gonna call and then I'll let you know what to do. Ronnie is already on his way to get the rest of your stuff Harv. Joe and I are going to make a quick stop at the SIU, and we'll meet everyone back here."

They all nodded their heads in agreement, and began to exit the room. Harvey wasn't sure about all this. He trusted Nash, but he still felt uneasy.

   ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Bonnie placed the receiver back on its hook and fell back against the wall of the dingy washroom, listening to the clinking payphone as it swallowed her money. Numb and confused, she moved away from the wall and started pacing around the tiny room. What was she going to do now? Bonnie could tell by his voice that Conrad was livid with her for skipping out on him that afternoon. Luckily she was able to calm him down. She managed to convince Conrad that everything was under control. But of course it wasn't. He was expecting to meet her at the office in less than an hour. The thought of facing him at that moment was terrifying. She could only imagine what Conrad would do to her if things didn't go his way tonight. Bonnie shuddered at the thought. This whole mess was because she was too chicken to tell Harvey the truth. Her inability to trust Harvey had destroyed their marriage, and now it might kill them both.

Bonnie stopped abruptly. She let out a strangled cry when she caught sight of her reflection in the mirror. She barely recognized her own face anymore. She wiped the tears from her eyes, but nothing could erase the puffiness in her face. The booze that consumed her day, and most of her nights, had stolen what was left of her looks. Life with Conrad wasn't exactly good for her health either. She contemplated fixing her makeup, but what was the point? She turned around and headed back out into the bar.

"Lou, I'll have another. Make it a double." Bonnie downed the last of the drink she'd left sitting on the bar.

"Sure Bonnie." The bartender paused for a moment as he took in her appearance. "Hey doll, you ok?" Lou poured Bonnie her fourth Gin and Tonic of the afternoon, and set it on the bar in front of her.

"Yeah. I'm fine." Bonnie wrapped her hands around her glass. It was her lifeline. She just needed one more drink before facing Conrad. What could one more hurt?

"C'mon Bonnie, how 'bout I call you a cab? You shouldn't be here right now."

Bonnie smiled up at him weakly. Lou took such good care of her. Other than Harvey, he was the only person who cared what happened to her.

"Maybe I can call Charlie…"

At the mention of Charlie's name Bonnie blanched. "You haven't heard?"

"What?"

"Charlie's dead."

"Poor guy." Lou placed his hands on the bar in front of Bonnie, "But I figured it would happen eventually. He was getting in way over his head."

Bonnie took another swig of her drink as she said, "I hear ya Lou." She ignored his puzzled expression and moved to a table by the window. Bonnie cursed the day she walked into Liquid Jay's Bar & Grill. Her relationship with Charlie had been doomed from that first meeting. It had all started out innocently. She was looking for a way to make some money, and Charlie had offered to help. Little did Bonnie realize that it would all end up this way. And at no time did she expect Harvey to suffer because of her stupidity. It was only after Katz had approached her with his crazy scheme that she learned about Conrad's connection to Harvey.

If only she hadn't hooked up with Conrad, none of this would be happening. What was she thinking? If only…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Harvey sat alone in front of his computer in the Dead Room. Nash wanted Evan to do some more poking around, but his partner had given up after only twenty minutes. So Harvey started looking for more information on Charlie's connection to Fowler. He sensed that Charlie was the key. Harvey also wanted to figure out why Fowler was gunning for him. He didn't believe it was just about the money. Fowler could buy and sell New Jersey ten times over with the resources he had at his disposal. Surely this wasn't over a measly hundred and twenty grand? And Conrad Fowler wasn't the type of guy to get jealous. It interfered with business. And Harvey was certain he would never get this crazed over someone like Bonnie. She wasn't his type.

Harvey looked up from his computer screen and glanced out the window. Dark thunderclouds raced angrily across the sky. The gray day matched his mood perfectly. He closed his eyes as the Grateful Dead tune "High Time" wafted through the space around him. Usually, that song made Harvey feel better about his life, past and present. Jerry's words spoke to him in a way most people couldn't understand. But today the song only served to heighten his despair.

"Ya told me goodbye. How was I to know, you didn't mean goodbye?
You meant please, don't let me go.
I was havin' a hard time.
Livin' the good life…"

"Livin' the good life…" That was hardly the truth at the moment. With a frustrated sigh, Harvey lifted the needle and switched off his stereo. The vacuum left in the room after he turned off the record only added to his inner torment.

Harvey leaned back in his chair, placed his hands on his head and stared at the computer screen in front of him. The events of the past few days rolled over and over in his mind. He still didn’t know whether he should be mad at Bonnie for getting him mixed up in all this, or feel pity for his ex-wife because of the mess she'd made of her life. How could Bonnie have gotten involved with in such a hair-brained scheme? And why couldn't she talk to him about it? In the past they had always shared everything. It didn’t matter if it was good or bad.

It troubled Harvey deeply to think she actually wanted him dead! And the thought of Bonnie being involved in a murder plot still turned Harvey’s stomach. Faced with the evidence before him however, and her actions over the last few days, how could he trust her to tell him the truth? And because his mind was full of doubts he was less than kind when she cornered him earlier that afternoon…

“Bonnie, why didn’t you come to me when Katz approached you with this crazy scheme?” Harvey's face was flooded with emotion. The pain and disappointment he felt towards Bonnie spilled out through his eyes. He was fed up with her inability to trust him. And given the conversation they just had with Nash and Katz, he was in no mood for her delay tactics.

“Harv, I couldn’t. You don’t understand…” He could see that Bonnie was searching for the right words. There was something more she was keeping from him, but he couldn't figure out what.

“So it was all about the money then, wasn’t it?” Harvey was afraid of what her answer might be, but he had to ask. It was the only way to figure out the truth. After years of dealing with her problems and their fights over his job or his taste in music, he knew instinctively when she was lying to him.

“No! I would never…” Bonnie seemed to be choking on her words.

Her reaction told him all he needed to know. His voice softened as he said, “Then what was it? Bon, you have to tell me the truth.” Harvey waited patiently for her to say something more, but she was unable, or unwilling to explain it all away.

“Um, I…”

Harvey looked at her for another brief second and then sighed heavily. He lowered his head as he turned to go and said quietly, “Why don’t you leave? You obviously don’t have anything important to tell me. And at this point, I don't really care what it is.”

Harvey couldn't believe the cruelty of his last words to her. But he had little sympathy for Bonnie right now. Maybe they should just stay out of each other's lives. Bad karma seemed follow them whenever they were together. Harvey's thoughts were interrupted when Evan knocked on the door and poked his head into the room.

"Ev? What is it?"

“Rachel just called. She and Katz have the money. They should be here any minute.”

“Thanks. Any word from Nash?"

“Yes. Rachel talked to him a few minutes ago. He and Joe left the SIU over half an hour ago. All we have to do now is wait for Fowler to call.” Evan sat down and looked at Harvey for a moment before he spoke again. “Harv, you doing ok with all this?”

“Evan man, I just don’t understand how Bonnie could have turned on me like this. I know we’ve had our problems in the past. But I never figured that she’d…” Harvey couldn’t say the words out loud.

“You said yourself Harv that she’s not the same person you married. A person can change a lot in…” Evan's thought remained unfinished as Nash and Joe entered the room. "Hey, Nash."

"Am I interrupting?"

The look Harvey gave his partner told Evan that he didn't want Nash to know what they'd been discussing. Harvey said, "No boss. Evan was just trying to show me what he knows about computers. Shouldn't take more than a few minutes."

Evan started to laugh and pulled himself out of the chair. "Ah man, that was a low blow."

"Hey junior, I only speak the truth."

Evan started to say something else when Nash put up a hand to stop him. "Has Fowler called?"

"No, Nash." Harvey sighed, "And I'm getting worried. Bonnie should have met with him by now." A worry line popped out on Harvey's brow as his mind raced with the possibilities.

"Maybe she skipped town." Joe piped in.

"She would never do that." But the thought had crossed Harvey's mind. He still didn't know if they could trust her. "She'll come through for us Nash, I know she will."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Where are they? Bonnie was supposed to be here ages ago." Conrad paced back and forth in his cramped office. "If she's double-crossed me for that pig Leek I'll kill her."

"Easy Conrad. That girl has a tremendous sense of self-preservation. Bonnie knows what she has to do." Richie eyed his boss nervously. Any moment the guy was going to explode. Conrad almost lost it earlier when Bonnie ditched her bodyguards at the mall. If she didn't show up within the next few minutes Conrad was going to go ballistic.

Conrad whirled around and barked at Richie. "What time is it?"

"6:30. Don't worry Conrad, she'll be here." Both men turned as the door opened. Richie heaved a sigh of relief when Bonnie walked into the office. However, he could see instantly that she was drunk. He held his breath as Conrad tore into Bonnie.

"Where the hell have you been?" Fowler yelled vehemently. "And where's Leek?"

"He's not coming."

"What?! You lying little bitch…" Conrad thundered. The glass in the doors and windows shook violently. Richie was sure they’d shatter into a million pieces. "You said on phone that you had everything under control." Conrad grabbed her arm and twisted it behind her back. "I guess your darling Harvey doesn't care for you as much as I thought he did."

"You're hurting me!" Bonnie winced.

"You shouldn't have betrayed me."

Bonnie tried without success to free herself from Conrad's clutches. Her eyes welled up with tears as she spoke. "I didn't! Conrad, you have to believe me, I…"

"Why would I trust a filthy slut like you, Bonnie? Huh, baby…?"

"Conrad!" Bonnie cried out in pain as Conrad tightened his grip on her arm. "Please let me explain. I've got the money!”

"What?"

"Harvey's going to give you the money! He's got it, I swear…"

"I see." In one swift motion Conrad released his hold on her arm. He watched in amusement as Bonnie fell to the floor. "Talk"

"He knows. Harvey figured it all out, everything…why you, why we wanted him dead, h-how we planned to eliminate him and then clear the money out of his account.” Bonnie’s voice was almost a whisper. “Harvey’s going to give you the money, all of it. You’ll get back what he stole from you. I promise.”

“So what reason would Leek have to help you? You wanted to kill him.” Conrad eyed Bonnie suspiciously. If he even suspected for a second that Bonnie was lying to him, Ritchie knew his boss would kill her without batting an eyelash.

“He knows that if you don’t get it back you’ll kill him. Harvey may be a cop but he doesn’t have a death wish.” Bonnie struggled to get back on her feet. With the amount of alcohol she had swimming around in her system it wasn't easy. Richie put out a hand to steady her. “It’s the truth. He should be back at his place by now. He wants you to call him so he can arrange a meeting to hand over the cash.”

“Is this true? Don’t lie to me Bonnie.”

“Yes Conrad. It’s true. He knows it’s your money. He doesn’t want it anymore.”

Conrad's eyes were cold as ice as he contemplated her shaking frame. He turned away from Bonnie as he asked, "What d'ya think Richie? Should I trust her?"

"I don't know boss." Richie chose his words very carefully. "Her information has been very accurate so far."

The air in the room was tense as Conrad stood silently. Without warning he turned and looked over at Bonnie. “You know what baby? I believe you, I do.” Bonnie flinched slightly as Conrad reached out to touch her cheek. “But don’t you ever keep me waiting like that again…” He backhanded Bonnie viscously across the face. The force of his blow sent her sailing through the air like a rag doll.

Richie watched in horror as Bonnie’s limp body catapulted over the sofa. She bounced off a filing cabinet then smashed her head on the corner of Conrad’s metal desk before crumpling up in a heap at his feet. Richie looked down at the woman lying on the floor and felt sorry for her. This wasn’t going to end well.

“Shit…” Conrad shook his hand and looked over at Ritchie. “She must have rocks in her head. Are we all set for tonight?"

"Yes. Our contact will meet us at the warehouse."

"Good."

"Boss, what do you want me to do with Bonnie? Should I take her…"

"No." Conrad mulled over his options before saying casually, "Toss her in the car. We’ll take her along for insurance. I have a plan for Inspector Harvey Leek of the San Francisco Special Investigations Unit. Once I get my money back and this deal goes through she looses her usefulness. Then you can kill her.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The ringing phone pierced the silence of Harvey's apartment. Both Joe and Evan grabbed headphones off the coffee table and moved into position. Harvey exchanged knowing glances with Nash as he rose from quickly from his chair. Taking a deep breath, Harvey waited for a split second as Evan turned on the recording equipment. Nash motioned for him to answer the phone. Harvey lifted the receiver.

“Hello?”

“Leek. That you?” Fowler’s sleazy voice in his ear made him cringe. The thought of Bonnie being involved with this guy gave Harvey the creeps.

“Yeah man, I…”

“Got my money?”

“It’s all here Fowler. Now if you…”

“No way am I stepping one foot in your house pig! We’re gonna do this my way. Meet me at the warehouse near the Bay Bridge in one hour. I’m sure you remember the place. Make sure you bring the money and if you value your life, don’t be late.” The line went dead.

Evan switched off the equipment. “We got him. Nash, what's our next move?"

"Evan, you're going to the meeting with Fowler…"

Harvey started to argue with Nash, "No way, Nash. I should be the one to go. Fowler isn't going to like it if I don't show up."

"Tough. I don't want to give him another opportunity to take a pot shot at you."

"Nash, I can take care of myself. Evan shouldn't have to deal with…"

Nash put up his hand. "Harvey, it can't be helped. I won't put you in jeopardy anymore. Evan will have to do." Harvey didn't like Nash's attitude. It was as if Evan's life was expendable. Harvey was about to interject on his friend's behalf when he decided against it. One thing Harvey had learned over the years was that if Nash had his mind made up, there was little anyone could do about it.

"Once Evan gets Fowler to admit he ordered the hit on you, Joe and I take him down."

"I'm going to be there too Bridges." Everyone turned as Katz made his presence known. "This is my baby. There's no way I'm going to miss taking Fowler out."

"Don't worry Katz. I haven't forgotten about you. Just remember this is an SIU case. You are not in charge." Katz frowned but remained silent. "Rachel, you stay here with Ronnie and keep an eye on Harvey."

"Sure, no problem. Harvey and I are pals." Rachel moved over to the couch and put her arm around Harvey's shoulders. Turning to face him she said, "So Harv, you any good at cards?" The group laughed as Harvey frowned at her comment. He was not happy with the current situation, and they knew it.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Bonnie felt the roughness of the ripped upholstery against her cheek. From the putrid smell she guessed that they'd tossed her in the back of Fowler’s car. Bonnie tried to open her eyes, however she soon realized that her left eye was swollen shut. She heard Ritchie and Conrad talking in the front seat. Thankfully they were not paying any attention to her. She stayed perfectly still so neither man would realize she was conscious. Every time they drove over a pothole excruciating pain radiated throughout her battered body. Bonnie flinched with each short, shaky breath. Knowing her luck, she likely had a couple broken ribs.

As a defense against the pain, her mind wandered back to earlier in the day when she had managed to catch a few minutes alone with Harvey. The disappointment she experienced during those few seconds was more hurtful then anything Conrad had done to her since. Their conversation, and all the things she didn’t say, would linger with Bonnie for a very long time. Bonnie closed her eyes again as she remembered his final words. Tears flowed down her face. But she didn’t care. She could feel blood dripping into her ear from the gash on her head, but again she didn’t care.

The car lurched forward as Conrad slammed on the brakes. The intensity of her pain caused Bonnie to cry out.

"Well, look who's awake." Bonnie pulled herself up gingerly. The pain in her side was matched only by the waves of nausea that rolled over her. Conrad hung an arm over the back of his seat and slapped Bonnie across the face. "Let's go baby. Time for you to collect your five pieces of silver!" At the stricken look on her face Conrad burst out laughing. In the next instant he was out of the car.

She watched through the window as Conrad and Richie headed towards the door of his warehouse. When Conrad realized that she hadn't moved he bellowed, "Richie, get that bitch out of there. Why would you leave her alone in the car?" Conrad smacked Richie upside the head as he added, "What kind of moron are you?"

She heard him mumble, "Sorry boss." Richie moved back to the car and yanked open the door to the backseat. "C'mon Bonnie. Don't make this any harder then it has to be."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Evan was worried. He wasn’t at all sure they could depend on Bonnie. She had let Harvey down in the past. And her current tack record wasn’t looking too good either. He checked over his shoulder as he pulled open the door. He couldn't see Joe or Nash, but he hadn't really expected to see them. Evan moved slowly towards the back of the building. He could hear voices coming from an office at the back. Evan took a firm hold of the suitcase. Harvey had told him what to expect, but he still felt uneasy. No one liked going into a situation blind, and cops were no exception.

"Who the hell are you?" Evan turned at the sound of Fowler's voice. He could see Bonnie standing behind him. She didn't look too good. From the bruises on her face, Evan guessed at the reason why Fowler had taken so long to call. Evan turned his head sideways as another man came out of the shadows with his gun aimed directly at him.

Evan placed the suitcase on the floor carefully, slowly raised his hands and said, "Easy man. I'm Evan Cortez. Harvey's my partner. He sent me to…"

"I don't deal with errand boys! Now, where the hell is that gutless weasel?"

"He's not doing so well. He had to go back to the hosp…"

"Liar." Conrad pulled the gun from Richie's hand. He took two quick strides forward and pointed the gun at Evan's head. "Now the next words I hear out of your head better be the truth or your Momma's going to be singing songs at your funeral."

Evan's chest was tight as he spoke his next words, "Harvey thought you might kill him if he showed up in person. And he doesn't want to have anything more to do with Bonnie."

"Now, that I believe." Conrad lowered his gun as he spoke, "Richie, frisk him."

Evan dreaded this moment. He prayed that they didn't find the wire. If they did, he was dead. He held his breath as Richie patted him down.

"He's clean boss." Richie backed away and moved next to his boss.

Evan let out a breath. There were certainly some advantages to having only one testicle.
"Ok Fowler, let's get this over with. Here's your money." Evan bent over to pick up the suitcase, but froze as he heard the click of Fowler's gun.

"Uh, uh…not so fast Copper. Back away from the suitcase."

Evan moved backwards. Fowler picked up the case and placed it on the table next to him. As Fowler started to count the money Evan asked, "So how come you wanted Harvey dead? Were you jealous of Bonnie's past relationship with him?"

Conrad threw his head back and laughed. "You mean that bitch? Please. I could care less what happens to her. She's served her purpose. And quite nicely I might add."

"How d'ya mean?"

"I knew, with a little effort, the tart could be used to get to Leek. All it required was some manipulation. Before I could count to ten she was hooked on the booze. After that it didn't take much effort to get her to fall in line. And I then tossed in a little blackmail for good measure."

"Blackmail?" Evan was puzzled. What could Fowler have on Bonnie?

"Yeah, seems Bonnie has a checkered past. Leek's little babydoll has a juvie record for solicitation."

"It was all a mistake!" Bonnie cried. "I didn't do anything…"

"Shut up!"

Evan tried again. Nash and Joe couldn't move in until Fowler admitted to the hit. "But I don't understand. We thought it was all about Bonnie. She's the reason you hired someone to take Harvey out. If that's not it, then…"

Conrad puffed up as he gloated to Evan, "Ha, you guys just don't get it do you? I didn't want anyone messing with my timetable. I have a big shipment of guns leaving for the Middle East tonight, and I didn't want your boss poking around in my business. Nash Bridges is too nosy for his own good. Killing Leek was just a smoke-screen."

"You're twisted." Evan couldn't believe the guy was willing to kill a cop just to create a diversion. If Harvey ever got his hands on him, Fowler was a dead man.

Conrad paused as he closed the lid on the suitcase. He placed his gun on the table before handing the money to Richie. He continued, "Maybe, but it worked beautifully. You guys have been so preoccupied with trying to save your precious Harvey that you failed to see what's going on right in front of your noses. Meanwhile, I've been expanding my operation throughout the city. And there's nothing you can do about it. I'm untouchable."

"And Charlie? How does hit fit into all this?"

"Charlie was a fool. I used him to get to Bonnie. I knew that she'd fall for a sucker like him. Unfortunately, Charlie got nervous and I had to take care of him. I couldn't risk the chance he'd blow everything due to sudden surge of morality. Besides, I don't like loose ends."

"SFPD." Nash and Joe moved out of the shadows with guns held high. Nash advanced on Conrad's position. "Freeze Bubba." Nash raised his gun slightly as Conrad made for his gun. "Ah, I wouldn't do that if I were you."

"Captain. What a surprise."

"Evan, get his gun."

"Right Nash." Evan lifted Fowler's gun off the table.

"Joe, cuff him while I cover you. Hands on your head Fowler."

Joe put his gun away and started to move towards Fowler. He turned as Katz arrived. "Hey man, where you been?"

"I got delayed. What can I say?" Katz raised his gun and pointed it as Nash's head. "Don't move Bridges. I have a very itchy trigger finger."

"Katz, you double-crossing…" Evan spat out as Richie took Fowler's gun out of his hand.

"Son of a…" Nash did not look impressed. "Katz, are you nuts?"

"So that's how come the FBI hasn't been able to pin anything on Fowler. He's had you in his back pocket the whole time."

"Very good, Joe." Katz praised. "I didn't think you were that smart. Now back off. And toss your gun on the floor. You too Bridges."

"I knew you were a loser Katz. I just didn't figure you for stupid." Joe placed his gun on the ground. "Do you know what you're doing?"

"Yeah well Joe, I don’t care what you think."

"But think of the pension you'll be giving up. I bet the FBI rewards its agents well for years of loyal ser…"

Nash started talking over Joe as he said, "Be smart Katz. There's no way this can…"

"Shut up!" Conrad bellowed. "Donald, what kind of nut-jobs have you gotten me involved with?"

"Hey don't blame me. You're the one who…"

Nash moved against Fowler. At the same moment Joe knocked the gun out of Katz's hand. Evan managed to tackle Richie. Despite the confusion, however, Conrad was not fooled. He pulled a knife out of his belt, and used Bonnie as human shield. "Put the gun down Pig. Now!" He had no compunction about slitting her throat. Conrad watched as Nash reviewed his options. "Do it. Or I'll kill her."

"Ok bubba, just don't do anything rash." Nash, Joe and Evan all turned over their weapons.

Conrad could feel Bonnie's fear. But one thing he did know about cops, they never risked anyone's life but their own. "Richie, go get the car. We're taking our guests here for a ride."

"Yes boss." Richie disappeared towards the front of the warehouse.

"Now, can anyone tell me why I shouldn't kill Miss Bonnie here?" Conrad heard the click of a gun being cocked directly behind his head.

Harvey stepped out from behind a row of crates. "Let her go Fowler."

Rachel descended from her hiding place and took custody of Katz. Just then Ronnie pulled a very disgruntled Richie back into their little group.

"Leek. But you're supposed to be dead." Conrad seemed truly shocked.

"Oh sorry Conrad, didn't I tell you? The boys you and Katz sent over to kill me met with a little accident." Harvey looked into Bonnie's frightened face. Oh God, what had the animal done to her? "Drop the knife, and let Bonnie go before I put a bullet in that miserable skull of yours."

"Boy Harv, are we glad to see you. It was getting a little too hairy there for my tastes."

Harvey ignored Joe's comment. He hadn't moved. He stepped a couple of inches closer to Fowler and placed the barrel of his gun at Conrad's temple. "I said let her go."

"Easy Harv…" Evan started.

"What are you waiting for, man? Don't think I won't shoot you. Today is not the day to be testing the limits of my patience." Conrad saw the look of fierce determination on Harvey's face and knew that he meant it. He loosened the grip he had on Bonnie's neck and tossed his knife onto the floor. Harvey watched as Bonnie slid to the floor. She was obviously in a great deal of pain.

"Ok, Harvey," Nash commanded. "We'll take it from here. Joe and Rachel take our friends over to the SIU."

Harvey heard Nash giving orders to the rest of the team, but he couldn't move. He still had his gun pointed at Fowler's forehead. He looked into the other man's eyes and saw fear. One twitch and Harvey's gun would go off. Hell, maybe it misfired. It happened all the time, didn't it? Harvey was aware of the others watching him carefully. Bonnie looked up at him and pleaded with her eyes. He knew he should back off, but something kept him rooted to the ground. His arms were like lead.

"Harv?" Evan's voice penetrated the fog surrounding his brain. "Hey man, back off. We got him. He confessed to running guns, murdering Charlie, hiring a hit-man to go after you, everything…"

"I know Evan, but…"

"This isn't the way." Evan put his hand out. "You know it, bro. Give me the gun."

Taking one last look at Fowler, Harvey lowered his gun. He put the safety on and handed it over to his partner then moved over to where Bonnie was lying on the ground. Harvey helped Bonnie off the floor and whispered, "Let's get you to the hospital."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

THE END