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It’s an early Friday morning when Mac hears the front doorbell ring. He groans loudly as he checks the time. 6 AM? On his day off? Mac is going to kill whoever that is, he swears it as he rolls out of bed and pulls a shirt on.
He yawns as he moves through the house, still trying to wake himself up fully. He’s surprised the doorbell didn’t wake Riley, surprised she isn’t up complaining about the time. The thought makes him chuckle as he opens the door.
“Can I – “ Mac starts to say, but he realizes there isn’t anyone there. He steps out on the porch, looks around, stepping on a yellow manila envelope in the process. He cocks his head as he looks down at it, bending over to pick it up. It was addressed to him, but it had no other writing on it. He holds it up to the light to see if he could tell what was in it. It was light and from what Mac could tell, it contained a flash drive. Mac finally decided it was safe to open the envelope, tearing the top open and dumping it out on the kitchen counter. One single flash drive, no note or explanation. Weird, Mac thinks. Probably from Crazy Aunt Gwen, his brain supplies unhelpfully, and Mac shakes the thought. He ditches the flash drive on the table with his laptop as he goes to check on Riley. He opens the door gently and sticks his head inside, but Riley is nowhere to be seen.
“Riley?” Mac says but no reply comes.
Huh.
Riley would never get up this early on their day off.
Mac closes the door and grabs his phone, shooting her a text that just reads, “You good?” before he sits down on the couch to deal with the flash drive. He fires up his computer and plugs it in, clicking on the newly downloaded file.
It brings up a black screen and soon after, words come flowing onto the monitor.
Hello, Angus. A little live feed for your viewing pleasure. Enjoy.
Mac’s stomach turns at the sight of his first name, but he clicks the watch button, hand flying up to cover his mouth when he sees what the video is.
It’s Riley, tied to a chair in a small room somewhere, and Mac thinks he’s going to be sick. He can see her mouth moving, presumably screaming something, so Mac unmutes the video despite the bile rising in his throat.
“Mac! Mac, help, please!” Riley’s voice pours through the speakers as Mac watches her struggle against the restraints.
Mac is up and out the door with the flash drive before he can hear anything else.
--
Mac gets to the Phoenix in record time and busts into the war room to find Matty in the middle of a meeting.
“Mac, what are you – “ Matty begins to ask, but Mac holds up the flash drive in a shaky hand and cuts her off.
“Someone took Riley,”
--
Matty cuts her meeting short and suddenly the Friday they were supposed to have off went sour as Desi and Bozer and Russ filed into the war room.
Mac is sitting on a chair, hands squeezed together in an attempt to stop the shaking, leg bouncing as he watches and listens to Riley struggle, voice getting more desperate with every passing minute.
“Where did you get this?” Russ asks, eyes glued to the nightmarish sight before them.
“It was on my porch this morning, in an envelope, addressed to me. Nothing else on or in it.” Mac says, tone barely staying even as he watched her try to get loose.
“Who would do this?” Desi asks and before anyone can say anything, Mac’s phone rings.
The caller ID reads blocked number and Mac moves to discard it, but Russ stops him.
“It could be her kidnapper,” Russ says, handing the phone to Mac, who nods and answers the call.
“Hello?” Mac says around the lump in his throat.
“Angus, how lovely to hear your voice. It’s been too long.”
Mac stands up immediately and tightens his grip on the phone.
“Let her go, Murdoc.”
“Ah, ah, ah,” Murdoc chastises, “not just yet. I need some information from her.”
Mac watches the screen as someone walks out, unties Riley only to cuff her hands in front of her and sit a computer on the table before her. The figure turns and waggles his fingers at the camera, and Mac hears Bozer swear from behind him.
“Let her go. Take me. I can tell you anything you want to know.” Mac bargains, tone almost begging as he starts to pace.
“How noble of you, Angus, offering to trade spots with our sweet Riley. Always her knight in shining armor, aren’t you?” Murdoc mocks.
Mac can hear her saying his name in the background and it makes his chest ache to see her there, so out of reach, in danger every second that Mac doesn’t find her.
“Just let her go, okay? It’s me you want anyway; it always has been. Take me.” Mac is begging now, desperation making his heart rate rise and his hands tremble again.
“I can see why you like her so much. She's a beautiful girl. Fighter, too. Gave me hell trying to get her out of your house this morning. She’s got spunk, Angus, she’s a perfect fit for you.” Murdoc says and Mac grits his teeth because of course Murdoc knows how he feels about Riley. That inane ability Murdoc has to get inside of his head has finally bitten Mac in the ass and now he might lose Riley because of it.
“Murdoc. I’ll tell you anything you want to know. Just tell me where she is.” Mac’s voice threatens to break on the last word.
“Oh, come on, MacGyver, there’s no fun in that. As long as she does what I ask, she’ll be released with no harm.” Murdoc explains and then the line goes silent and Mac sees him talking to Riley on the screen and Mac sees her shake her head at him. Murdoc grabs her by the face and Mac takes two steps to the screen before he remembers he can’t do anything from here.
Don’t hurt her, he begs silently. Please, just don’t hurt her.
The line comes back to life and Murdoc starts talking again. “All she has to do is find my wife. Then I’ll release her back to you. Good talking with you. Bye bye.”
“Wait, Murdoc, no, wait!” Mac says, but the line has already gone dead and Mac throws his phone across the room. He looks at the analyst sitting toward the back of the room. “Did you get a trace?” he demands, and the analyst shakes her head slowly, clearly afraid to further upset Mac.
“No, uh, it was a burner, heavily encrypted, the only person I know with the skills to trace something with that kind of encryption is Ms. Davis.” She explains, still typing away at her computer.
Mac’s blood is boiling, anger rushing through his veins. Mac is a levelheaded guy, good tempered, until it comes to Riley. Riley is off limits, one thing he refuses to bargain with, refuses to let something happen to her because of him. Riley is not up to be a pawn in his and Murdoc’s game.
Mac looks around and finds everyone is staring at him. “What are you looking at? Find her!” Mac snaps and storms out of the room, outside for some air before he says something he’ll regret.
Mac hears footsteps behind him as he braces against the railing, taking deep breaths to cool himself down. He feels a hand on his back, and he looks over at the owner, surprised to see Russ has followed him.
“How are you doing, Mac?” Russ asks in that fatherly way of his.
“I’m okay,” Mac lies. He’s not okay. He is so far from okay. His chest is aching and his head in pounding and he’s regrets everything he never got to say to Riley.
Regrets not telling her how much he cares for her or how much she means to him. Regrets not telling her she’s beautiful, that her eyes are his favorite color and her smile makes him weak in the knees. Regrets not kissing her. Regrets not telling her he was an idiot, that it took him years to figure it out, but it’s been her he loves all along.
He’ll just add this to the list of things he’s screwed up.
Russ smiles at him sympathetically and doesn’t press the issue, doesn’t tell Mac he sees through the façade. “We’ll find her, not to worry, alright? Riley is strong.” Russ assures him and Mac nods, he knows she is, doesn’t doubt that for a second.
“I know. I just...” Mac trails off, doesn’t quite know what he wants to say. I just should have told her how I felt, he thinks, and Russ must see it on his face, because without Mac saying a word, Russ puts him at ease.
“She knows how you feel about her, Angus. It’ll be alright. I’m going to go inside and see if they’ve gotten any closer to finding her.” Russ says and Mac hears him open and close the door, and then Mac is alone again.
He’s still so angry, angrier than he’s ever been, and he swears he’s done with Murdoc’s games. Murdoc went too far this time, got too close to the thing Mac loves most, and Mac is going to make sure it doesn’t happen again.
Mac wipes his eyes and storms back inside, into the war room where half of the Phoenix is working to find Riley.
“Have we got anything?” Mac asks upon entry, feeling the eyes of everyone in the room on him.
“Not yet, no.” Matty informs him and Mac nods, holds back the anger he wants to unleash on everyone in the room.
Mac turns his attention back to the live feed and he can see Riley is typing away, and from what Mac can tell, she isn’t hurt. He can see her hands are shaking, moving much slower than the breakneck speed her fingers usually fly across a keyboard at. Mac knows she wouldn’t just go along with Murdoc, wouldn’t just do as he asked, that’s not the Riley he knows. She has to be doing something to let them know where she is.
--
Riley is so fed up. She hates this guy, she hates him so much, and the minute she gets out of these cuffs, she’s strangling him with her bare hands.
“Why are you still stalking your ex-wife?” Riley asks, fingers moving slowly over the keyboard as she “hacks” the Phoenix database.
“I’m not stalking her, Ms. MacGyver, you make me sound like a creep.” Murdoc says and comes to stand over her shoulder.
“You are a creep, and don’t call me that.” Riley says through her teeth, picking up the pace a little as she writes her code. She’s trying to leave Mac clues, little things that will tell him where she is, hopes he can use that big brain of his will pick up on it.
“Oh, did I hit a nerve? He isn’t still with Desiree, is he, because that must just hurt you to see.” Murdoc says, far too close to her ear for Riley’s liking.
“Mac’s love life is none of your business, and neither are my feelings.”
“Oh, to be young and in love. He was practically begging to take your place, you know. Offered himself up as soon as he realized it was me who had you.” Murdoc says teasingly as he walks around to the other side of the table.
Riley steels at that because she didn’t know that. Had no idea Mac tried to take her place. She’s not stupid, she knows there is something between them, but she never thought... She never thought Mac would volunteer to be Murdoc’s prey just to get her back.
“Yeah, well, you know Mac. Always the martyr.” Riley deflects, still typing away.
“He is, isn’t he? He loves to be the hero. But what I also know about Mac, is he doesn’t always work best when he’s angry.” Murdoc says and Riley doesn’t say anything, doesn’t want to feed this little game of his.
“And nothing will piss him off more than taking the love of his life, will it? Oh, I bet he’s spiraling right now, I bet he’s raising hell on those little analysts at the Phoenix. Poor things.” Murdoc sighs mockingly, staring at Riley.
Riley refuses to acknowledge him or his words, refuses to let him know she’s scared, that she’s silently begging Mac to come for her, to save her, because she knows Murdoc won’t be patient for much longer.
--
“Can you get into that computer? Figure out what it’s connected to?” Mac snaps at the same analyst he snapped at earlier, — Emily, his memory supplies – making a mental note to apologize to her once this is over. He knows he’s being a dick; he’ll make up for it later, but right now he needs to focus on Riley.
“Uh, I can try, yeah.” She types for a minute and turns her screen to him. “It’s running off of a hotspot. I can try to track the signal or use it to get into the computer Riley’s working on.”
“Do that,” Mac nods and turns his attention back to Riley. She looks into the camera and it makes Mac hurt, makes him want to wrap her in his arms, keep her in his grasp to keep her safe.
Mac closes his eyes because he can’t look at her without it making anger burn hot in his chest.
“Signal track is a bust. I did manage to get into the computer she’s using, but the GPS location is blocked. I can’t get her coordinates.” Emily says. “She’s... writing a code, but it’s not a functional one. It’s got huge breaks in it, lines of text that break the commands.”
Mac rushes over and stands behind her, eyes scanning furiously over the screen. Mac knows a lot about a lot, but his knowledge of code is slim to none, and this looks broken even to him. The lines of text aren’t sentences, more like words jumbled together in ways that make no sense. Mac scans over and over and over again, finally breaking to look at the video feed, and Riley is eyeing the camera, trying to tell Mac something, and it hits him.
Breadcrumbs.
She’s leaving him a trail.
“Let me see that,” Mac says and Emily hands over the computer without question. “Desi, find me a pen and some paper.”
Desi runs off, coming back with the requested materials a moment later. “What are you seeing, Mac?” she asks.
Mac is scribbling furiously, words floating out at him as part of Riley’s clues. “She’s telling us where she is by leaving nods to what she knows is around her.” Mac explains.
He’s so proud of her. Riley never ceases to amaze him with how smart she is, how she thinks, how she’s always saving them and herself.
“See, all these words are hints to the things she can hear, smell, see around her.” Mac says to Desi and Russ, who are hovering behind him. “So ‘ware’ is warehouse, ‘base’ must be basement.” Mac explains and hands Emily her computer back. “Find me a list of every warehouse in Southern California, then narrow it down to any that are abandoned or have any association to Murdoc’s know aliases.” He says and Emily nods, typing a million miles a minute.
“Got it. There’s a warehouse registered to one of Murdoc’s aliases about twenty miles from here.”
Mac practically sprints out of the war room, the rest of the team hot on his heels.
--
Murdoc is starting to get impatient with her and Riley can tell, he’s barely said a word and he’s been pacing around her for the last half hour.
“I’m getting close. Had to make sure they couldn’t track us once I got into the Phoenix database.” Riley says and it’s a weak explanation but it’s all she has on short notice.
“Shut up and keep working.” Murdoc snaps, hand resting on the gun on his hip. “And don’t try anything funny. I don’t want to hurt you, but I will.”
Riley nods and keeps typing, hopes Mac is coming for her soon, or she’ll be dead by the time he gets here.
--
Mac drives, Bozer, Desi, and Russ packed into the remaining seats in his truck. Mac never dips below ninety, flies as fast as the truck will take him and he drives twenty miles in just over ten minutes.
They pull up outside and Mac looks at the building. Riley is in there. You found her. Go get her. And then Mac says something he’s never said before.
“Give me a gun,” he tells Desi, who looks at him with so much shock Mac might as well have three heads.
“You hate guns,” Desi says, but she pulls one of the two on her hip off and hands it to Mac.
Mac clicks the slide into place and looks over at her. “Desperate times, desperate measures. Stay here, I’ll handle this.”
Bozer pipes up from the backseat with, “Mac, you can’t go in there alone. Murdoc is certified cuckoo if you forgot.”
“I can handle it. Stay here. I’ll signal if I need backup.” Mac commands and hops out of the truck before they can say anything else.
Mac tucks the gun into his waistband at his back, flipping his shirt down over it. He hates guns, thinks they aren’t necessary, and he hasn’t fired one since his first week in the sandbox. He doesn’t like the violence and he certainly doesn’t need them to make a fight fair, but he’s sure Murdoc has already cleared the building and surrounding area of anything Mac could use to create a diversion and get Riley out.
Mac opens the warehouse door with a smirk, hiding how scared he really is, not giving Murdoc the satisfaction.
“Hey, Murdoc. Long time, no see.”
--
Riley’s head snaps up as the door slides open, and the sight of Mac on the other side is so relieving she could cry.
“Angus! What a lovely surprise. I see you’ve come for your little girlfriend.” Murdoc says with an eyeroll.
“Just let her go. I’ll tell you where your wife is.” Mac says, taking slow, deliberate steps towards Murdoc.
“Ah! Not another step. Riley here almost has everything I need, don’t you, Mrs. MacGyver?” Murdoc smiles at Riley and Riley glares at him, rolls her eyes.
“Yeah, almost done.” Riley lies.
“We locked her out. She can’t get in, not even with her skill. So let her go, and I’ll tell you everything you need to know.” Mac takes another step, which he immediately regrets when Murdoc moves behind Riley and pressed the barrel of his gun against her temple.
Mac pulls the gun from his jeans as soon as Murdoc moves. It feels foreign in his hands and he doesn’t want to use it, he hates it, but he’ll do it for Riley if he has to. He can hear everyone on the comms in his ear, asking what’s going on, if he’s okay, waiting for a signal.
“I said not another step. Now, if you move again, I’ll shoot her. And I don’t want to ruin this beautiful face, Mac, don’t make me.” Murdoc says.
Riley is shocked to see Mac holding a gun like he might use it for the intended purpose. She’s seen him hold them tons of time, to take the spring or pull a bullet out for gunpowder, but he’s standing there, loaded gun cocked, and she wonders just how far Mac is willing to go for her.
“Alright, alright. Don’t hurt her, okay?” Mac pleads. “She hasn’t done anything. If you’re gonna hurt someone, hurt me.” Mac says.
Riley shakes her head. “Don’t, okay? I lead them here, Murdoc, it’s my fault. Don’t hurt Mac.” She says, voice shaking as she looks at Mac.
“Oh my God, you two are in sufferable. How about I just shoot you both?” Murdoc says, cocking his gun where it’s still pressed to Riley’s skull.
Mac opens his mouth to say something, but before he can, a tac team rushes the building. Mac uses the split-second Murdoc is distracted to take a run and go at him. He tackles him and knocks the gun away, pinning him and pointing his own gun at Murdoc’s face.
“Come on, Mac, you won’t use that and you know it.” Murdoc taunts, sneering up at Mac.
“Don’t try me,” Mac grits, standing up so the tac guys can cuff him.
Once Mac is sure Murdoc is handled, he rushes over to Riley, handing Desi the unused gun on his way over.
Riley is shaking, tears rolling down her face as Mac kneels to pick the lock on the cuffs. “Hey, it’s okay. I’m here, alright? I got you.” He assures her, working as fast as he can to get her free. As soon as her hands are free, Mac pulls her out of the chair and against his chest, placing a hand on the back of her head, other resting on her back. “I got you. You’re safe.” He whispers and she nods against his chest, arms wrapped around him tightly.
Mac holds her till she stops shaking and she lets him go. Mac stands off to the side while the others hug her with relieved smiles, his heart pounding with relief of his own.
“Hey, I’m gonna head back to the Phoenix with Murdoc.” Mac says, handing Desi his truck keys before turning to Riley. “You okay?” He asks and she nods, smiling a little. “Good, I’ll see you when I get home.” He smiles and takes off to catch a ride with the tac guys.
--
Mac storms in the interrogation room at the Phoenix and slams his hands on the table. “Why Riley, huh? There are a ton of analysts here who could give you that info, you didn’t need her.” Mac yells and the snarky grin Murdoc wears makes him itch to punch him in the mouth.
“Because you wouldn’t act like this over another analyst, Angus. You did things I didn’t think you’d ever do just to get back some girl. I mean, you did pull a gun on me.” Murdoc reasons, grin never leaving his face.
Mac grabs him by the shirt and gets in his face. “Let me make something very clear to you. If you ever even think about laying a hand on Riley ever again, I won’t just pull a gun on you. I’ll put one,” he flicks him between the eyes, “right here.”
Murdoc actually looks shocked for a minute before he covers it with a laugh. “I’m shaking, Angus, really. Terrified.”
Mac doesn’t respond, turns, and walks out, leaving him for Matty to deal with.
Mac gets a ride to the house with Russ, who doesn’t talk the whole ride, bless his soul. Desi is leaving as Mac starts up the drive.
“She’s still a little shaken but she’s okay.” Desi assures him with a small smile.
“Thanks for looking after her.” Mac says, pulling her into a hug. Their relationship has been rocky since they split for good, but Desi had his back today and it means a lot.
“No problem. Call me if you need anything.” Desi wraps her arms around him for a moment and lets go, going down to ask Russ for a ride to her car.
Mac waves goodbye before going into the house, exhaustion washing over him as he walks into the living room.
Riley looks up as he enters, curled up on the couch under a blanket. She’s wearing the MIT shirt of Mac’s she’s grown so fond of, even though it’s old and faded and too big for her. Mac loves it on her, satisfies an ache deep in his chest and he smiles at the sight. “Hey. You okay?”
Riley smiles back and nods. “Yeah. Thanks.”
Mac shrugs it off and goes into the kitchen. “Don’t thank me. I’ll always come looking for you.” Mac assures her and pulls out a beer, holding one in her direction in offering.
She nods and starts to get up, but Mac shakes his head, bringing it to her before she can get on her feet.
“Thank you.” She says softly.
“No problem, Riles.”
She smiles wide and bright up at him and Mac has to look away because God, is that a sight for sore eyes. He was so scared today, so afraid he’d never see her again, and her smile sends a wave of emotion over him that he isn’t prepared for. Mac turns around and sniffs, wiping his eyes discreetly as he walks over to the counter to pick up a take-out menu.
“You hungry? We can order that Thai place you like. My treat.” Mac says, waving the menu over his shoulder.
Riley says yes and Mac calls it in, and then he goes to shower, so that he can have a minute to wrangle his feelings back in.
Mac stands under the spray until the water goes cold, forcing him back out and into the real world.
The real world where he’s in love with Riley.
By the time he gets dressed and walks back to the kitchen, the food is there and Mac suddenly realizes he’s starving, hasn’t eaten anything all day, and all thoughts of love leave his mind.
They eat at the island in silence, just enjoying each other’s company, glad to be home and safe and in one piece.
After dinner, they have another beer and Mac cleans the kitchen while Riley watches from her seat.
“Thank you for today. I know... I know how hard it was for you to do what you did. It means a lot.” Riley says, breaking the silence around them.
“You don’t have to thank me. I’d have done whatever it took.” Mac says and Riley knows he really means it, and she doesn’t know what to do with that, so she just nods and looks away.
Mac finishes the dishes and they both go to bed.
Mac tosses and turns for hours. He’s cold so he gets a sweatshirt. He’s hot so he strips it and his t-shirt off, it’s too quiet so he turns on the TV, it’s too loud so he mutes it. Eventually, he just stares at the ceiling until he decides it’s pointless and gets up to go out to the deck.
Riley is already there when he steps outside. “Can’t sleep?” he asks, leaning against the wooden post.
“No, can’t calm down enough.” Riley says honestly and Mac nods, looking out at the city.
“Why did you try to take my place?” Riley blurts and Mac looks down at her, finds her already looking up at him from her seat.
“Because I could have told him what he wanted to know, and you wouldn’t have been in danger.” Mac looks away and shrugs, crossing his arms across his bare chest.
“But then you’d have been in danger.” Riley argues, standing up to look him in the eye.
Mac nods. “Yeah. But to keep you safe, I was okay with that.”
“Why, Mac?”
Mac opens his mouth to lie and Riley levels him with a look and he sighs. “Because, Riley, there isn’t anything I wouldn’t do to keep you safe.” He admits and Riley looks at him with something he can’t identify.
Mac thinks for a minute and decides, screw it, you’ve already tipped your hand, might as well lay your cards on the table.
“I was afraid he was going to kill you and I’d have never gotten to tell you how much you mean to me. Or how much I care about you, or that you’re the most beautiful, strong, incredible woman I’ve ever known. I was scared you were going to die and I’d have never gotten to tell you I love you,” Mac rambles and when he’s done, he lets out a sigh. He waits for Riley say something, do something, anything, and after what feels like forever, she laughs at him.
“You’re such an idiot,” Riley says, shaking her head and Mac is a little offended.
“Why is that?”
Riley looks at him like he just asked the dumbest question in the world. “Because if you were scared of all that, did it ever occur to you that If the roles reversed, I’d feel that exact same way?”
It had occurred to Mac, actually, but he hadn’t cared in the moment because he just wanted Riley to be safe. “I’m sorry. I just wanted you out of there.”
“I don’t need you to sacrifice yourself for me. It’s not for you to decide I need that.” Riley says, poking him in the chest.
“I know, I’m sorry.” Mac says softly, grabbing her hand. “I’m sorry, Riley.”
Riley is looking up at him one minute, and the next they’re kissing, her hands tangled in Mac’s hair, soft lips sliding over his. Her hands are cool as they slide over the bare skin of his shoulders, the smell of her perfume intoxicating as she fills his senses. He pulls her against him by her hips, groaning low in his throat as he pushes her against the post. They stay like that until they’re both breathless, hearts racing as they pull apart.
“What was that for?” Mac smirks and it earns an eyeroll from Riley.
“I love you, too, you idiot.” She says but her words aren’t malicious and she’s smiling up at him.
“Yeah? Damn, that is good to hear.” Mac says as he brushes her hair from her eyes.
“You’re a lucky man, Angus MacGyver,” Riley teases.
“The luckiest,” he agrees and she kisses him again, slow, and deep and dirty, and Mac has never had a kiss make his knees go weak, but he supposes there’s a first time for everything.
Riley pulls away just barely, and her lips brush against his when she says, “Take me to bed,” as her fingers trail down his chest.
Mac raises his eyebrows at her, and she nods, and who is Mac to deny her what she wants?
“Gladly,” he whispers and lifts her up by her thighs with ease. She slides her legs around his waist and Mac is gone, crazy about her, riding a high he’s never felt as he takes her inside.
--
They go to work late the next day under the guise of Riley’s exhaustion, and Desi gives Riley a discreet fist bump when she sees the marks on Mac’s neck.
Russ claps him on the back with a knowing smile and Mac can’t even bring himself to be embarrassed, because for the first time in two years, he feels like his world isn’t upside down.