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“Buck?” Buck hadn’t expected to find Athena on his doorstep at seven pm on a Wednesday, but there she was, looking extremely worried, which worried Buck.
“Athena? I-is everything okay?”
“Can I come in?”
That wasn’t a good sign, “Uh, yeah, yeah. Can I- can I get you something to drink?”
“No, but thank you.”
“Athena?” Eddie had been summoned by the unexpected voice, “What’s going on?”
“Buck, Eddie, Maddie is missing and Chimney is in hospital.” She explained, trying to keep her voice as calm and even as possible.
Buck felt like the floor beneath him disappeared, his knees buckling. Thankfully Eddie managed to catch him before he collapsed to the floor.
“What happened?” Eddie asked, once he’d helped Buck over to the couch.
“We’re not 100% sure yet, all we know is that Chimney was stabbed multiple times and Maddie is missing.” She explained.
“Where did they find him?” Eddie asked.
“Outside Maddie’s house and her front door was wide open with signs of a struggle. CSI are currently looking for anything that could tell us who did this.”
“She has cameras set up in the house and on the door.” Buck told them.
“It’s a crime scene, is it legal for us to look at the footage or would you need a court order or something?” Eddie asked.
“I have the password.” Buck said, staring off into space as he tried to process everything.
“Do you have remote access?” Athena asked, getting a nod from Buck, “Alright, we should do this at the station.”
“Detective Marks, this is Evan Buckley, Maddie’s brother.” Athena introduced, “Buck, this is Detective Andy Marks.”
“I’m so sorry to hear about your sister.” He said, shaking hands with Buck, “Rest assured we’re doing everything we can to get her home safe and sound.”
“Thank you detective.”
“Athena said you could show us CCTV footage from your sister's apartment?”
Buck nodded, “She gave me all the details in case of an emergency.”
Marks indicated the computer at his desk, prompting Buck to sit and start typing, “So she was expecting something like this to happen?”
Buck glanced over at him, “She just escaped an abusive marriage, she was worried about her husband doing something.” Buck explained, hitting the enter button so he could log into the camera's log. “There you go.” He said, standing so Marks could scroll through the footage.
“And would you happen to have a name for this husband and any pictures?”
“His name’s Doug Kendal.” Buck then pulled his phone out and brought up Maddie’s instagram, scrolling until he found a picture of her with Doug, he then handed his phone over to the detective, “That’s him.”
Marks looked at it and then put Buck’s phone on the desk before scrolling through the footage again. Buck and Athena watched over his shoulder as he landed on a clip from the living room camera. As it played out they could see Maddie getting ready and then calling out to someone, presumably Chim.
A figure dressed in black stepped into the room, Maddie turned and then realisation dawned on her face. They watched as she struggled against the dark figure who managed to overpower her, but as he did so he turned so his face was visible on camera.
Buck took in a sharp inhale, “Yeah, that’s Doug.”
“So?” Eddie asked as Buck, Athena and Marks stepped into the lobby where he’d been waiting.
“It was Doug.” Buck bit out.
“Fuck.” Eddie groaned, “Fuck, that’s bad.”
“Understatement of the year.” Buck huffed.
“So what’s the plan?” Eddie asked.
“You three can go and be with your friend at the hospital, I’ll take it from here.” Marks told them.
Buck turned to him, shocked, “Woah, hey, that is not happening, I’m coming with you.” He protested.
“This is a police matter Mr Buckley.” Marks told him, “There’s nothing you can do to help.”
“Bullshit, that’s my sister and her husband, I know them both, I know how they think, I can help.”
“Buck-”
“No, Eddie, I need to help them find her.”
“Mr Buckley, this is a police matter, leave it to me and my team.”
“Come on, I’ll drive you.” Athena offered, putting a gentle hand on Buck’s back. She looked over her shoulder to see Marks walking away so she leant over and whispered, “Trust me.” Into Buck’s ear, prompting the man to willingly walk with her.
Once in the car Athena turned to Buck and Eddie, the former in the front, the latter in the back, “Promise me you won’t do anything stupid.” She said, a threat behind her voice.
“Scouts honour.” Eddie promised, giving her the scouts salute.
“If it gets Maddie back I’ll do anything.”
“Good.” Satisfied she handed her phone over to Buck, “Marks wasn’t telling you the whole truth.” Buck looked at it to find a phone number, “It was a neighbour who found Chimney, he managed to tell them that ‘Jason took her’, and that’s Jason’s phone number.”
“Jason?” Eddie asked, looking extremely confused.
“He was probably using an alias.” A thought hit Buck, “Chim was saying about a friend from outside of work called Jason, that must have been Doug trying to get close to him so he could get to Maddie.”
“Exactly.” Athena said, “So if we track this number we’ll be able to find him and Maddie.”
“I’ll call 911.” Buck didn’t hesitate to pull his phone out, “Can you take us home first? I want to grab my gun if we’re going after him.” He opened his phone and typed in the number as he spoke.
Athena pulled out of the parking lot and disappeared into LA traffic.
By the time they’d reached the house they’d tracked Doug’s phone to a gas station far out of town so Buck rushed into the house and opened the gun safe, grabbing his and Eddie’s (they were both ex-military, they were both trained with guns and after so long carrying them around they just felt safer knowing they had them nearby).
He climbed back into the car and handed Eddie’s over to him as Athena drove onwards to their last known location.
“Do I want to know why you two keep guns at home?” Athena asked once they’d hit the highway.
“Has Bobby never told you?” Eddie asked, leaning forward so his head was between the two front seats.
Athena let out a light, amused huff, “Told me what?”
“We were both in the military, it’s how we met.” Eddie explained as Buck stared out of the window, watching the endless desert slide by.
Athena glanced over at Eddie, then looked at Buck, before turning back to the road, “No, he didn’t tell me. Where were you stationed?”
“Afghanistan.”
“I’m assuming that means you’re both Army or Air force.” She guessed.
“Well, I was an Army medic, but Buck was a SEAL.” He then placed a hand on his partner’s shoulder, shocking Buck out of his trance, “You were a sniper, weren’t you?”
“Uh, y-yeah, sniper.” He gave Athena a tight smile, “Obviously hand guns aren’t really the norm for the military but that doesn’t mean we don’t know how to handle them.”
“What’s going on in your head Buckaroo?” Athena asked, glancing over at him.
“I’m just worried. Doug- Doug isn’t a good guy, I’ve always known it, I just didn’t know it was this bad.” He let out a sigh as he shook his head, “We don’t even know if she’s still alive.” He glanced over at Athena, “You saw how brutal he was in the footage, she didn’t go willingly, she fought back. What are the odds that he’s killed her already?”
“He clearly loves her. In some twisted, evil way he thinks he loves her, so he wouldn’t want to kill her.” Athena tried to assure him.
“That doesn’t mean he won’t.” Buck stated.
“Your sister’s strong Buck,” Eddie reminded him, “She’ll do everything she can to stay alive, and she knows how much we love her, so I’m sure she knows we’re coming for her. She’ll keep on fighting so we can find her and get her home safe.”
Buck nodded, biting his lip in an attempt to hold back the tears.
“Has anyone told your parents yet?” Athena asked after a brief pause.
“I don’t know.” Buck mumbled, “I don’t have their numbers.” He admitted, “I think our Dad is her next-of-kin so the cops might’ve, but I haven’t told them.”
“You don’t have their numbers?” Athena sounded shocked by that.
Buck shrugged, “I’m estranged, haven’t had any contact at all since I was 18. Same with Maddie until she arrived at our front door a few months ago actually. I mean, I’d send her letters when I could but she never replied. But the estrangement from my parents was an active choice, with Maddie it was because Doug isolated her.”
“Oh, I didn’t know. I’m so sorry.” Athena said, giving him a sad smile.
“Thanks, but it’s okay, Maddie’s back in my life and I have a new family that actually cares.” Buck reached back and took Eddie’s hand.
“Of course you do bud, and we’re by your side no matter what.”
Eventually they pulled up at the gas station only to find it full of cop cars and nothing else so Athena called up 911 again to see if she could get an update on a location, “Well, they’re not here, but there’s a small truck stop not too far from here where his phone is pinging.” She started the car and continued the drive.
“He must’ve stopped for the night.” Eddie said, “We could catch up with him and catch him with his guard down.”
“Let’s hope so, because if he even makes a move that looks like he’ll hurt Maddie I’ll blow his fucking brains out.” Buck growled.
Athena had never seen Buck like this, so the look of shock on her face was understandable, but Eddie was familiar with this version of Buck; a Buck who was dangerous and calculated, the cold blooded killer who didn’t flinch at anything, a Buck that could turn his emotions off and focus in on doing everything it took to win. Eddie didn’t like this version of Buck but he also knew that this was the Buck they needed right now. Well, not Buck, he supposed, when he’d been a SEAL this had been the state he spent most of his time in, back when he went by the name Red. The nickname had been bestowed upon him long before his time in Afghanistan, the part of his life Buck wouldn’t talk about, simply saying ‘it’s classified’ if asked, it was short for ‘Red Eyed Robot’ as that was what most people had compared him to back then.
It felt wrong to call this version of his boyfriend Buck or Evan, because Red wasn’t those people. He wasn’t the fun loving, goofy firefighter, or the lost and scared young boy who didn’t know who he was. Red was the man who came in between them, the one who’d shot a man between the eyes with perfect aim the first time he met Eddie, saving him. Red was the man whose military record was ‘classified’ and was no doubt filled with horrors Eddie couldn’t even begin to imagine.
So he knew when Buck went SEAL mode, when he fell into back Red.
And that was who was in the front seat right now; Red.
Eddie moved so he was on Buck’s other side, his head poking between Buck’s head and the car door, “Come on Buck, I need you to take a breath and come back to me.” He whispered, “Take a deep breath and push Red out.”
He followed his boyfriend's instructions and rested his temple against Eddie’s forehead as he breathed deeply, trying to regulate himself.
Eddie reached his arm around so it was on the other side of Buck’s head, gently tracing a spiderweb of scars that was hidden underneath his hair. As soon as Buck had calmed Eddie placed a kiss on his temple, “Good going bud. We’re going to find her and we’re going to get her home safe, but you won’t need to blow anyone’s head off.”
“Okay.”
It was just a layby in the end, but there was a massive truck there.
They parked up behind the truck and got out as quietly as possible. Eddie crept around one side whilst Buck and Athena took the other, guns drawn.
When they reached the front Buck did his best to remain hidden whilst looking up to see who was in the drivers seat.
When it wasn’t Doug Buck didn’t know whether he should be relieved or not, but this was his phone’s last known coordinates and Josh had promised to keep an eye on it and let them know when it pinged in a distinctly new location.
Athena banged on the truck’s driver’s side door, startling the driver.
“Sir, can you step out of the vehicle please?” She asked, holding her badge up so he could see it. The driver climbed out, looking anxious, as Buck and Athena holstered their guns and Eddie walked around to join them, “Are you the only person in this vehicle?”
“Uh, y-yeah. Is something the matter?”
“We’re looking for these two.” She gestured at Buck to show him the picture of Doug and Maddie, “Have you seen them?”
“Uh, no, no, I haven’t.”
“Not even in passing at a gas station or something?” Buck asked, trying to stop his worry from seeping through.
The truck driver shook his head, “No, never seen them in my life.”
“The phone that belongs to the man in the picture is apparently here.” Athena told him, “Do you mind if we search the back?”
“Of course.” The driver led them around to the back and opened up the doors, allowing them to climb into the back. Eddie remained with the driver, as it would be too crowded with all three of them.
“So… where you headed?” Eddie asked, trying to break the silence.
“Fontana.”
“Nice, you go there often?”
“Look, no offence man, but I ain’t talking unless I’ve got a lawyer present.”
Oh, Eddie hadn’t thought about that, “No, shit, no, sorry, I’m not a cop, I’m just doing a ride along.” He explained, “Sorry, understandable mistake.”
“In that case, yeah, I do. It’s the main route I do.”
“It a good route or have you drawn the short straw?”
The driver chuckled, “It’s one I’m happy with.”
Suddenly Buck and Athena jumped out, “No Doug or Maddie.” Athena reported.
“We did find this though.” Eddie announced, holding Doug’s phone up.
“So we’ve been tracking this truck and not them this whole time?” Eddie asked, looking dejected.
“So now what?” Buck huffed, barely concealed terror behind his eyes.
A thought hit Athena, “Maddie’s camera’s, was there one facing the street?”
Buck had to think for a second, “I think so, uh, I vaguely remember her saying something about the landlord letting her. But I can see.” Buck got his phone out again, typing away, after a minute he turned his phone to Athena, “Yeah, I got it.”
Athena took it and scrolled through the footage until she found what she was looking for, “I’ve got a make, model and licence plate.” She announced showing the boys the frozen image of a video displaying the back of a car driving away.
“How do we know it’s him though?” Buck asked.
Athena went back to the phone, doing something on the screen before turning it back around. Doug visible as he climbed into the car.
“I’ll call Josh and see if he can get any information, if we’re lucky it will be a rental and we’ll be able to track it.” Athena stated.
They did get lucky; it was a rental so they were able to track it, following the map on Athena’s phone.
The map eventually led them to Big Bear, the only problem now was that the place was massive.
They all made their way to the reception, finding a woman in there, reading a newspaper. The bell above the door jingled causing her to look up, “Oh hello.” She greeted, putting the paper down, “What can I do for you?”
“Have you seen these people?” Buck asked, holding his phone out with the photo on.
“No, sorry.” She replied, shaking her head.
“Have you had anyone check in today?” Athena followed up with, as she held her badge up, “We’re with the police.”
“We’re only partially open because it’s winter, we hardly see anyone.”
A thought hit Buck, “So there are loads of empty cabins.”
“Yes, most of them are.”
“Which ones?”
The woman pointed to the map behind her, “This is the area we close off in the winter.” She circled a section on the map with her finger, “But this area is also empty, but that’s just because they haven’t been rented out yet.” She explained, moving to another part of the map.
“Thank you so much.” Buck then turned back to the other two, “They might be hiding out in one of the empty cabins in the closed section.”
“Yeah, that would make sense, the tracker says their car is still here and I just called Josh to confirm, he says it hasn’t moved in an hour and a half.” Eddie added. Buck hadn’t noticed him slip away to make the call, but that was probably because he was far too focused on Maddie.
“So let’s head north, if they’re squatting they won’t have a key, hopefully it will be clear which one Doug broke into.” Athena said, taking the lead. She then turned to the woman at reception, “Thank you so much for your help.”
“That’s alright, but if they have broken into one of my cabins can you please let me know, I’ll need to get it cleaned and the door fixed.” She rolled her eyes as she went back to her newspaper, muttering to herself about sorting the cabin out.
The three of them swiftly left, heading towards the northern plots.
But it wasn’t the sight of a broken down door that alerted them to the trouble that was happening further into the woods, but the loud screams of a woman, a woman that Buck knew was Maddie.
Buck took off immediately, running as fast as he could towards the source of the sound, to his sister.
“Maddie? Maddie!” He yelled out, hoping she’d be able to respond to him, or just so she’d know help was there and that she just needed to fight for a little bit longer because help was here.
The screaming stopped and it spurred Buck on, making him go faster, because if the screaming had stopped that meant that Maddie might be dead.
And then he saw her.
Stumbling through the snow.
Caved in on herself as she held her abdomen.
Blood covering her.
“Maddie?”
“Buck?”
“Maddie!” He scrambled over to her, his feet slipping and sliding a bit, making him look like a baby giraffe, as he ran to her, screaming.
As soon as they reached each other they collapsed to the ground, Buck holding on to Maddie as tightly as possible. Maddie began sobbing, wailing loudly into Buck’s shoulder.
“The paramedics are almost here.” He heard Athena call out, one more thing that relaxed Buck even more because Maddie was going to be safe.
Buck and Eddie got home just after two am, once they knew Maddie was settled at the hospital and being looked after.
Eddie opened the door and Buck immediately shuffled in, body weighted down by the stress and exhaustion from everything that had happened in the last 24 hours.
“Go and get changed and then get into bed.” Eddie told him, “I’ll lock up and make sure everything is switched off.” He didn’t give Buck much of a choice, ushering him off to their room with a hand on his lower back.
Buck changed quickly and climbed into bed, curling up under the covers, still feeling like he was freezing from the snow even though he was back in LA in a warm house.
It didn’t take Eddie long to join him, getting changed and turning the bedroom light off so it was only the bedside lamps that were illuminating the room. Eddie slipped under the covers and pulled Buck into his arms, holding him as tightly as he could whilst the other man broke down, sobbing into Eddie’s shoulder.
Eddie rubbed his back soothingly, doing everything he could to keep Buck grounded and remind him that everything was going to be okay.