Part Seven:

Bo sat on her couch staring at what lay before him on the coffee table, four small cameras. One was found in her living room, one in the office, one on her front entrance, and one in her kitchen. Bo held up one of the bags, the anger and rage building up in him played across his face. John and Hank stood off to the side and watched him.

John looked between the two men, trying to figure them out. He had heard from Antonio that Hank was Nora’s ex-husband and Bo’s best friend. He wasn’t sure how that worked exactly, but from what Antonio said they are all very close. From what he’s seen they both love Nora very much, although what he senses from Bo is much more intense than the love that Hank has for her. There is a protection there between both men, but what’s between Bo and Nora is something much deeper.

John pulled Hank into her office and slid the doors closed, leaving Bo and Antonio out in the living room. He turned and looked up at Hank, “You know Bo better than anyone in here,” Hank nods, “what’s he thinking? What’s he feeling? I can’t get a feel for him right now? This intensity, this rage is so different than when he lost Gabrielle.”

“It’s different because this is Nora we’re talking about.”

“She’s his ex-wife, Gabrielle was his fiancée”

Hank shakes his head, “Nora is a hell of a lot more than just his ex-wife, John.”

“Right, I know she’s Matthew’s mother, and I know that’s a special connection…”

Hank shakes his head again, cutting John off, “This goes way beyond the fact that they’re Matthew’s parents. Let me ask you this, have you ever had a love that has consumed you, that’s been so special that when it ended it took every thing you had to find a way to live again, without the other person in your life?.” John silently nodded, “That’s what they have, John.” A smile spreads across Hank’s face, “The love they have, even though they’re physically apart, has never changed. You know that old saying, about giving your heart away; well they’ve never reclaimed their heart from one another. They’re connected way beyond the physical.” Hank walks around behind her desk and picks up a double photo frame, with one picture of her and Matthew and one of Bo and Matthew, “I’ll tell you why this is different than when he lost Gabrielle, someone who yes, I do believe he cared for, but wasn’t in love with. It’s different because,” he turns the photos around and shows them to John, “she’s his life.”

“He’s too close to this case, Hank.”

“Yes, yes he is, but don’t even think about trying to get him to back off.”

John slid open the office doors and watched Bo as he flipped through the files they’d gathered from Stephen’s office. Antonio was standing by the front door on the phone, trying to get all the information he could from the Chicago authorities on Shawn Hanson and his release from prison. John walked over to the chair beside the couch and sat down, picking up one of the files off the coffee table. Hank closed the office door and made his dreaded call to Chicago.

Antonio snapped his phone shut and walked back into the living room, “Shawn Hanson escaped from prison ten years ago.” Bo stood up and walked over to the staircase, resting his arm on the railing, his foot up on the landing. Antonio watched him carefully, knowing exactly what the look in Bo’s eyes meant. He turned his attention back to John and continued, “He became Stephen Haver somewhere along the way.” He walked over and sat in the other chair beside the couch, “From what they were able to tell me he was sentenced to life in prison without chance of parole for the murder of,” he glances down at his notes, “an Alexandria Webber.” He looked over at Bo once again, who was staring straight ahead, his brow creased in anger, “She wasn’t just Nora’s roommate; she was her best friend since she was a child.”

Hank walked out of the office and looked around the room, leaning against the doorframe, never taking his eyes off of Bo. Bo walked across the room, stopping in between the couch and the coffee table. He looked down at the items displayed across the table top, “They going to send you everything they have right?” He asked without looking at anyone.

“Yes sir. I gave them the number to Nora’s fax in her office. It should be here within the hour.” Bo nodded and grabbed his jacket off the back of the couch, “You guys stay here until the information comes and then go back to the station. Call me on my cell when you’re at the station.”

Bo walks towards the door. The three men look at each other. Hank finally asks their question, “Where are you going?”

Bo turns and looks at the three men standing in her living room, “I’m going to see my son. He needs to know about his mother, and he needs to hear it from me.”

Her eyes slowly fluttered open, once again adjusting to the light in the room. Her eyes darted around the room, trying to take in her new location. She was in the bedroom. Last thing she remembered was her telling him that Bo would hunt him down if he hurt her. A few tears welled up as the rest of the memories crept to the forefront. She remembered the feel of his hand around her neck, and suddenly she couldn’t breathe.

She carefully pulled herself up against the wall and looked around the small room. She inhaled and exhaled slowly, “Just breathe in and breathe out, Nora. Just breathe in and out.” She had to figure out a way to get a message to Bo, she just had to.

She slowly and quietly slid out of the bed and walked over to the door. She looked out into the small living room. He was sound asleep in a chair; unfortunately it was right in front of the door. She looked around the room and noticed his cell phone on the table beside him. A small smile spread across her face. He was still as arrogant as he was all those years ago, she thought to herself, leaving her the perfect opportunity to call for help, and thinking she’d be too afraid to take it.

She slowly walked the short distance between the bedroom and the living room. She kept her eyes fixed on him looking for any indication that he was waking up. She finally reached the small table. She picked up his phone and made her way back into the bedroom and closed the door. She walked into the bathroom and closed the door quietly. She turned on the light and sat down on the floor. She quickly dialed his number, her heart racing in anticipation as she waited for him to answer.

Bo was walking up to the front door of Asa’s mansion when his cell phone began to ring. That was fast he thought to himself, thinking it was Antonio or John calling him about the files from Chicago. He looked down at the caller ID, “Unavailable” he mumbled. He flipped his phone open, “Buchanan.”

A smile spread across her face when she heard his voice, “Bo, it’s me.”

He closed his eyes and let out a sigh of relief, “Nora, thank God. Are you okay? Has he hurt you?”

She thought about earlier that night but decided he would know soon enough, “Bo, I’m fine. You’ve got to come get me.”

Bo was already in his car, the light flashing on the top as he pulled out of Asa’s driveway and onto the main road, “Where are you?”

“We’re in a small fishing cabin about twenty minutes north of the Lodge. There’s a fork in the road, we took the side road to the right. Hurry, Bo. Please.”

“I’m on my way, Red.” He could hear the tears in her voice, “Just hang tight. I was already at Asa’s so I’m only about thirty minutes away.”

“I have to get his phone back on the table before he wakes up. Hurry, Bo.”

“Be careful, Nora.”

“I will,” she said.

“I love you,” they said to themselves.

TBC…