Chapter Text
Sterling stepped out of his car and into the darkness surrounding the driveway. He yawned as he fumbled with the keys to his house, using the full moon to find the right one. Interpol had him working late...again. More paperwork always needed to be filled out and since he was in charge of the branch, he had to be the one to do it. The lock clicked and he pushed the door open with a sigh, not bothering with the lightswitch before heading upstairs to his bedroom. Once he went into his room he flicked on the tv. Slipping off his tie and unbuttoning the top button of his shirt, a breaking news report appeared on the screen. Three convicts had escaped from a prison. Sterling froze when the mugshots flashed on the screen, one of them being Ian Blackpoole. He reached into his pocket for his phone and pulled it out, but as soon as he unlocked it a gloved hand clamped down over his mouth and yanked him backwards. The phone fell from his hand and a muffled yelp slipped past his lips against the hand. A needle was jammed into his neck and he tried to struggle out of the hold, but he could already feel the effects taking it’s toll. Jim’s eyelids started to droop and he began to lose his footing, falling backwards onto the person restraining him. Unconsciousness pulled at the edges of his vision and dragged him under.
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“Dad?” Olivia called out as she stepped through the door and into the foyer. His car was in the driveway and the front door was unlocked so she let herself in when he didn’t answer. She just assumed he was in the shower, or fell asleep. The house was eerily quiet as she walked through it, peeking in every room for her father. None of the showers were running and he wasn’t anywhere on the first floor. She went upstairs and paused in front of his bedroom door, puttin her ear to the wood. Voices were coming from inside so she pushed it open quickly, not bothering to knock. The voices turned out to be the tv and her eyes darted around quickly, spotting his phone on the ground along with an empty syringe. Her breath quickened as she picked up the phone, unlocking it and sifting through his contacts until she found the name Nate Ford. Olivia remembered him sort of helping her and her dad before at Dubai. She hit call and waiting for him to answer.
“What do you want Sterling?”
“This is Olivia. I need your help, Mr. Ford.”
“What happened?”
“I don’t know. I’m was just visiting for the weekend and when I got here my dad was gone. His car’s still here and the door was open, but I can’t find him anywhere.” She stammered quickly, her hands shaking.
“Woah, slow down. Start from the beginning.”
“Well, I was dropping by for the weekend from college like I usually do and when I called ahead he didn’t answer but I figured he was just at work of something. Then when I got to the house his car was in the driveway and the front door was unlocked so I let myself in when he didn’t answer. I looked everywhere but I couldn’t find him. All I found was his cell phone and a needle.”
“Was there any sign of a struggle? Or any labeling on the needle?”
“No, the house seemed pretty untouched.”
“What about the needle? Is there any labeling on it?”
“No. There’s nothing on it.”
“Alright, come down to the pub, bring the phone and the needle. We’ll work out a plan.” As much as the team disliked Sterling, there was no way they were just gonna hang him out to dry. “Don’t worry Olivia, we’re gonna get him back.” Nate said determinedly before hanging up to call in the team.
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An undetermined amount of time later Sterling started to stir. Wherever he was it was pitch black and freezing cold. If he could see, he was certain he would be able to see his breath evaporating in front of him. He tried to move his arms but found his wrists bound to the chair he was sitting in, one on each armrest. After a quick tug he realized his ankles were in the same state. Panic starting to rise in him, tripling when a voice sounded from behind him.
“He’s awake.”
Sterling froze at the broken silence. He quickly ran through a list of people that want him dead. Gulping as the list went on and on. A lot of people were in prison because of him and it’s no secret he has a ton of enemies that aren’t behind bars either. His list finished and he still couldn’t put a face to the voice. Steps neared him from behind and he shrunk into the back of the chair, hunching his shoulders. The bag was ripped off his head, flooding his vision with a dim light. Jim blinked quickly to let his eyes adjust to the single fluorescent light swaying above him. After his vision focused he looked up and saw Blackpoole standing in front of him, along with two other very scary looking, buff men. The two men were wearing black jackets with prison tattoos poking out of their collars while Blackpoole had a typical suit on along with a black tie, standing with a smug smile across his face. Sterling felt tiny as he looked up at them from his chair..
“Hello Sterling.” Blackpoole spoke confidently as he bent down to speak at Jim’s eye level, his hand clasped behind his back. “Remember me?”
“How could one forget you, Ian?” He replied, his hands growing sweaty as he clenched them into fists.
“I made a few new friends during my stint and offered them the chance to work out some of their pent up anger if they helped me escape. You know I don’t like to get my hands dirty so we came to an arrangement very quickly.” Blackpoole’s grin grew as one of the guys stepped forward and grabbed Sterling’s shirt collar, clenching a fist next to his face. He straightened out and turned to leave, pausing to speak over his shoulder, “I’ll be back in a few hours, have fun.” The door creaked open and then shut with a loud crash, leaving Sterling alone with the two escapees