THE ASSASSIN - AU/CC/Adult - Epilogue - 11/6/16

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Alien_Friend
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Re: THE ASSASSIN - AU/CC/Adult - Part 21 - 6/14/15

Post by Alien_Friend »

Yay! Max & Liz made an appearance. I wonder if they will catch up with Alex and Valkyrie when they check out the boat for evidence.

Talk about honesty. Lol I like that Michael was curious enough about what was bothering Maria to make her open up. I am glad she won't go on believing he thinks she's repulsive.

I wonder how long Michael will keep it in his pants this time around. Lol but I guess that line about being on the run not being very romantic might be a foreshadowing thing. Time will tell I guess.

Awesome stuff.

Eagerly awaiting more!
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Part 22

Post by Double Trouble »

keepsmiling7: Yep, they’re looking into the case. Lol, he can still be perfect, he’s not the professor. He and the other guy just share the same class with that prof.

Roswelllostcause: They sure do, and they’ll do everything they can to help her out of this mess.

Earth2Mama: Yeah, we have a feeling you’re right about that. He still doesn’t understand why or how she affects him. It’s gonna take some time for him to get around to figuring that one out.

So true, and really, with the two of them nothing is ever easy, lol.

L-J-L 76: They’re going to give it their best shot. It’s not going to be easy and they don’t have the training the two assassins do, but they are determined to find them and help them.

Eva: Michael doesn’t mince words, that’s for sure. He says what he has to say and that’s that. They’re all working towards the same goal, just from different angles.

begonia9508: Lol, yeah, she’s not in a position emotionally to really step back and hear what he’s saying.

sarammlover: Well, you know how he is, lol. You’re right though, it’s gonna take time. He’s spent years being conditioned to act and behave in certain ways and she’s challenging all of his thinking and training. Max and Liz aren’t out of the game, but they are playing catchup. Oh, given time we’re gonna see Maria getting back to her old self.

Thanks!

Alien_Friend: M&L will make an appearance every now and then, hehe. Today they will show again. ;)

Well, Michael is not used to beat around the bush so he mostly just blurts out what’s on his mind. ;) And with Maria we are sure he found his match, haha.



Part 22

“Well, I won’t argue with you.” Liz winked at him and leaned back.

“That’s just because it’s warmer in here than it is out there.” He rolled his shoulders and grinned at her. “The things I’m willin’ to do for you.”

“That’s why I love you,” she grinned and gave him a little nudge. “Hurry up before she decides it’s too cold and she goes back in.”

He chuckled and shoved the door open. “Be right back, hopefully with information.” He got out of the car and crossed the street, shoving his hands in his coat pockets as he neared the woman. He gave her a smile, doing his best to appear as unthreatening as possible since he was approaching her at night. “Evening,” he greeted. “I’m lookin’ for Alex Whitman, any chance you’ve seen him today?”

“No, I haven’t,” she narrowed her eyes. “Why are you looking for him?”

“Oh, my girlfriend’s got a class with him and they were assigned to the same project but we haven’t been able to get hold of him. I kinda tossed his number out when I took the trash out this mornin’ and if I can’t find the guy she wants me to go dumpster divin’ to find that number and I’d rather do just about anything than climb in that dumpster.”

The woman chuckled. “Yeah, I’d rather avoid that too.” She looked at the dog that was impatiently pulling at the leash. “Sorry, but I can’t help you. I don’t know where he is.”

He sighed. “Crap.” He tipped his head to the side as he looked at the dog and decided to take a gamble. “That’s his dog, isn’t it?”

“You know Aramis?” she asked, surprised.

“I remember seein’ him with Alex once.” He grinned. “He’s a cute little guy but my girlfriend’s allergic so she wasn’t as impressed.”

“Oh, that’s too bad. Aramis is very friendly.” She smiled and then looked back at the good looking stranger. “I don’t know where Alex went. He just said he had an emergency and needed to head out of town for a few days.”

“Hopefully everything’s alright and he’ll be back in time to work on that assignment. If she doesn’t get a passing grade on it I won’t hear the end of it.” He nodded with a smile. “Well, thanks for your help. Have a good evening.” He waved and turned to head back to the Jeep.

“Good luck,” she called after him.

“Thanks, I’m probably gonna need it.” He slid into his seat and pulled the door closed, rubbing his hands together before holding them out in front of the heater vents. “That is his dog. She said there was some sort of emergency and he had to leave town for a few days.”

Liz lifted an eyebrow. “Coincidence?”

“I doubt it. First Maria disappears and then Alex? No, somethin’ else is goin’ on.”

“Yeah. He helped her get information, but they’re probably at Halverson’s house and you know he won’t let us in anymore.”

He leaned back, his eyes scanning the street visible through the windshield. It was starting to snow again. “You think that’s where they are?”

“Where else?”

“I don’t know. We could take a shot at breaking into the house.”

“Are you insane?” she hissed. “You’ve seen his security system, Max! We’ll never get in there without help and we’re gonna lose our jobs if we get busted.”

“Well, what’re our other options?”

“I don’t know,” she sighed, feeling so helpless, “but we can’t break into the senator’s house, Max. You know we can’t.”

“Then we’re gonna have to figure somethin’ else out. Maybe try tracking the senator, see what he’s up to.”

“Yeah,” she agreed, “he’s definitely involved.”

“Okay, well, it’s a place to start anyway.” He put the jeep in gear and checked the mirrors before pulling out onto the street.

*****

It was cold, but the wind wasn’t blowing, which cut down on the freezing factor considerably. As soon as dawn had crept over the horizon her self-imposed protector had been pushing her to get up so they could begin the 15-mile trek. She had no idea what time it was or how far they had come, but the sun was high in the sky. It didn’t seem to make any difference that the sun was out. It wasn’t warming things up. About the only thing it was doing was blinding her as it reflected off of the snow that covered everything as far as she could see.

They were sticking to the areas that provided the most cover and somehow she had a feeling that was only making time pass more slowly. Her body ached all over and her hair kept pulling where it was matted by Ronin’s blood. She desperately wanted a bath and a soft warm bed to collapse into afterwards. An actual meal would be nice, but the first two wishes were more important at the moment.

She looked up when Michael paused, holding his left arm up and doing something as he squinted against the sun. After a moment he motioned to the right and continued walking. He’d said very little, not that it really surprised her. If he wasn’t arguing he really didn’t seem to be very verbal and the man didn’t engage in small talk at all. She wondered briefly how he fared in social situations. Assassins sometimes had to get close to their targets, right? She couldn’t imagine him bothering unless his target was some beautiful woman. She rolled her eyes at his back.

“You’re thinkin’ too loud again,” he growled.

“What were you just doin’?”

“Checkin’ our direction and adjusting our route accordingly.”

“Do you have a clue how far we’ve come?” The good thing about not talking was that it saved her breath, she thought and stopped, placing one hand on a tree for support while she tried to catch it.

“We’ve come about four miles.” And he knew they were already pushing what a normal person could average on this kind of trek. Six miles was a decent effort on snow-covered terrain, but at the moment they didn’t have the option of stopping.

“Four?” she croaked out, shocked. “Feels like ten or more.”

“If we were on bare ground we would’ve covered a lot more by now. The snow makes progress a helluva lot slower.” He uncapped the canteen and took a drink before offering it to her.

She accepted it and took a few sips before handing it back. “Are we going uphill all day?”

“I think we’re about to level out.” He hooked the canteen on his pack and adjusted his sunglasses. “I’m hopin’ we run into another huntin’ cabin somewhere in the next three or four miles. With the time we’re makin’ that’s gonna put us pretty close to dark.” He dug around in his pockets and pulled out a small bag of trail mix that he held out to her. “Lunch?”

“Yummy,” she took it from him. “I wish it would go downhill. We could just roll down.” Yeah, that wouldn’t work with her injuries either, but it was a nice thought.

“Well, if we reach a point where downhill’s an option I’ll let you go first.” He munched on a handful of the mix, ignoring that thought at the back of his mind that a thick steak would be so much better.

“Let’s go before my muscles freeze in place.”

He chuckled and scanned the landscape before starting to move again. She was keeping up, but he could see the toll it was taking on her. Physically she was in good shape and he knew she maintained a good exercise regimen, but over the past few days she’d been knocked around pretty good and she was in no condition to be making a hike like this.

Maria followed him, trying to stay in his footprints because it was easier to walk in them than fighting the snow on her own. She kept her gaze lowered to the ground so she wouldn’t see the never ending landscape in front of her.

One foot in front of the other, that’s all she thought as she pushed herself again and again, not wanting to come across weak or like some burden he had to drag along.

Minutes passed, each one seeming to drag slower than the one before. They pushed forward, following the route that would eventually lead them to a cabin with the promise of heat and indoor plumbing. The sun crept across the sky but before long it disappeared, hiding from sight as the wind decided to pick up again, occasionally sweeping through the trees and blasting them with more cold.

Bane paused and motioned for her to stop walking, nodding when she rested against the trunk of a large tree. He pulled the scope out of his back pocket and moved to a break in the trees, raising it to scan the area ahead of them. “Looks like we’re in luck,” he said, shoving the scope back in his pocket as he joined her.

Maria didn’t really know if she should be happy about it or not. She had really hoped to reach that other cabin today so they could finally take a break and more importantly take a shower. Now it was one more night in a shitty cabin that was cold. And one more night to spend in dirty, bloody clothes.

“You think you can make it another mile?”

“Do I have a choice?”

“There’s always a choice, just maybe not great ones.” He took another drink from the canteen and glanced at her. “How’re you holdin’ up?”

“I’m ready to sleep a week straight and feel like my body’s been run over by a snowplow, but other than that I’m fine.”

He nodded and made sure she took some of the water before they started out again. “Well, it won’t be a week but soon as we get inside that cabin you can get off your feet, eat somethin’, and then hit the sheets.”

“If there are any sheets,” she told him and pushed herself from the tree to follow him.

“Probably not, but at least you’ll be able to be horizontal for a few hours.” His stomach growled in anticipation of food and at that moment it didn’t really care that dinner would be more of the MRE variety.

She tried to stay close behind him, using his body as a shield from the wind and hooking two fingers into a belt loop while trying not to be a weight on him.

“Hold on, it won’t be much longer.” It would probably take more than an hour to make the final push to the cabin and he could tell she was beginning to drag from exhaustion.

Instead of answering, she patted his shoulder and they kept walking. And walking. And walking.

And by the time she thought she would pass out he finally stopped and she dared to look up to see the shabby cabin in front of them.

“From the looks of this place the last one might be considered luxurious,” he muttered. He took her arm and moved her to lean back against the wall. “Just hold on, okay? Gimme a minute to make sure we’re good to stay here.”

“Okay.” It took all of her strength to not sink to the ground immediately when he went inside.

He looked around, seeing little that was different from the first cabin. Most of the hunters that came up to these mountains weren’t looking for comfort. He shook his head. Anyone who could sit in swamps and lay in the snow and water-logged ground for hours on end just waiting for some animal or other to pass through their sights wasn’t looking for amenities beyond the four walls that would provide a shield from the elements when they were ready to call it a day.

He stuck his head back out and reached for her arm, pulling her inside. “C’mon, we’re all clear.”

Maria let him drag her because it was hard to move on her own any longer. What she saw inside was just what she had expected – nothing but one wooden chair, a dirty fireplace and a small table.

“It’s nothin’ to write home about but it’ll keep us out of the cold overnight.” He urged her into the chair and set about building a fire. “There’re a few canned goods in the cabinet over the sink. I’ll check ‘em out, see if they’re in date. Couldn’t hurt to get some real food in our stomachs. After we’ve eaten I’ll have a look around, see if there’s anything we can use.”

“Why don’t you let me take care of dinner while you look around?” She didn’t feel like moving but she wanted to be helpful.

He glanced over his shoulder to look at her and after a moment he nodded. “Knock yourself out.” He shrugged out of his pack. “I brought the camp kit from the other cabin so we’ve got plates an’ stuff. Didn’t see any cooking gear so we might have to heat the food up using a little creativity. I’ll go collect some snow we can melt down for drinkin’ an’ washin’ up, then I’ll have a look around.”

“Okay,” she pushed up and went over to the sink to check the food. Her stomach felt emptier than ever before so it growled as soon as she read the label. Ravioli. Of course.

Chuckling, she took the can and went over to figure out how she was going to heat the food.

He found a bucket and packed it full of snow, carrying it inside and setting in by the fireplace before going back outside to start checking the situation out. He found the expected outhouse behind the cabin and as he continued to complete his circuit he noticed a tiny shed built against the rear wall. He tipped his head to one side when he noticed a padlock on the door and he drew his weapon, aiming for the lock and pulling the trigger.

He used his sleeve to protect his hand and knocked the padlock free, pulling the latch and tugging the ramshackle door open. He didn’t know why the cabin’s owner had bothered with the lock. Anyone with any real interest in getting to what was inside could’ve easily pulled the door away with enough force.

He pulled a small flashlight out of one of the zippered compartments on his coat and turned it on, moving the beam over the cramped interior. “Perfect,” he muttered as he reached inside and wrapped his hand around one of the items. He finished emptying out the shed’s contents and carried everything to the front, shouldering his way through the front door and dumping it on the floor as he kicked the door shut. “We won’t have to walk in the mornin’. How are you on skis?”

She glanced over her shoulder while stirring the ravioli in the open can over the fire. “I’m good, been on the slopes several times.”

He nodded. “The ski boots are bigger than what you’d need so we’ll have to find somethin’ to pack in ‘em to make up for the extra space.”

“Too small would be worse,” she shrugged and tasted one ravioli to check the temperature. “Gosh, that’s so good.”

He chuckled and sat down on the cabin’s only piece of furniture. “Is your enjoyment related to extreme hunger or is it a fondness for Italian cuisine?” Not that he’d call anything canned cuisine in nature.

“I’d never call canned ravioli Italian cuisine, so it’s definitely the hunger.” Reaching for one of the plates, she poured more than half of the can on it and handed it over to him. “In our situation it’s a fuckin’ delicious dinner.”

“You ever been to Italy?” he asked, accepting the plate with a nod.

“No. You?”

“Um-hmm, a few times.”

She looked at him. “Probably not for touristic reasons.” Fixing her own plate she shifted and leaned her back against his leg to give it a little rest. “My uncle never allowed me to go anywhere.”

He didn’t bother confirming or denying her assumption for his reasons for visiting Italy. “I’ve got a villa in Sardinia.”

“Yeah? I bet that’s nice.”

He shrugged. “Probably.”

“Probably?” She leaned her head against his knee to look up at him.

“Never been there.” He took a bite of his ravioli, wondering why he’d shared that bit of information.

“You have a villa but you’ve never been there? Why not?”

“Same reason I’ve never been to any of the places I own. They’re there in case I need ‘em, all under aliases.”

“Uh-huh,” she swallowed a bite and then turned to look at him more fully. “How many do you own?”

He smirked. “How many do you think I own?”

“I don’t know. The way you put it... maybe five or six?”

“You’re close.”

“More?”

He shrugged. “It pays to be prepared and since I never know what part of the world I might be in when I need to go to ground...”

“And which countries are those?”

“Got a couple here in the states, the one in Italy, Australia, Canada, Venezuela, Germany, Morocco,” he paused a moment to think, “and there’s one in... the Maldives.” He chewed on a bite and ran over the list in his head. “That’s all of ‘em.”

“The Maldives, seriously?” she groaned. “Can we just go there? Like right now.”

He snorted. “Long walk, Blondie.”

“Yeah, but it would be so good to lay on a warm beach with a drink in one hand.”

“Have you ever just laid out on the beach with a drink?” If her uncle hadn’t let her show off her hot little body at the local pool, what were the chances she’d done it at the beach?

“No. Never.”

“Damn shame. You oughta try it.” He brushed her hair back as his eyes wandered over her. “Tell you what. We get outta this I’ll take you to the place in the Maldives and you can lay out on the beach for as long as you want.” His lips turned up in a smirk. “Got a whole stretch of pristine white beach property that’s secluded from the locals and the tourists. You could go skinny dippin’ an’ really enjoy the ocean.” And I could enjoy you, he thought but held the words back.

She smiled at the image and leaned into his touch for a moment. “I’d love that.”

His eyebrows shot up at her admission and after a moment of surprise he chuckled. “Yeah, I’ll bet you would. You’d take to the water and probably only come out to hit the beach.” He bit back a groan when his mind happily supplied him with a vision of her coming up out of the water, hands moving over her hair to move it out of her face as water ran over her naked curves.

“Well, you could always come into the water too.”

“If I came into the water it wouldn’t be to go for a swim.”

“We could just lay in the surf and enjoy the weather and ocean,” she continued, trying to ignore his words.

He snorted. “Baby, what we’d be enjoying is sex on the beach, and I’m not talkin’ about the drink.”

Maria blushed when his words registered and she hid her face in her hands with a groan. “Hell, you can’t say that to a virgin, freak!”

He grinned at the resulting blush. “Why not? You haven’t decided to join a convent have you?”

“No,” she said without looking up.

“Woman, you have no idea what you’re missin’ out on, but once you figure it out, trust me on this, you’re gonna want a guy around who knows what I know.”

Yeah, she’d bet he had a lot of experience and knew what to do with a woman. But wouldn’t that be a number too big for her? She bit her lip while she stared at her empty plate. On the other hand, who better than an experienced man to show her that side of life? Not to mention he was the only man available and God only knew for how long.

He chuckled when she fell silent. “You don’t know it yet, but you’re sex personified.”

That made her snort. “Bullshit. Women like Megan Fox maybe, but not me. If I bent over the hood of a car it would just look ridiculous.”

“That’s only ‘cause you wouldn’t be seein’ what any guy standin’ behind you would see.” He shook his head. “You’re gonna have to work on your confidence issues, Blondie.”

She nodded, the thought of him being the one who showed her what it meant to be more woman and less girl not leaving her mind. “You still hungry? There’re more cans.”

“Leave it for mornin’,” he said with a shake of his head. “Even on skis we won’t wanna strike out on an empty stomach.”

“Okay.” She slid over the floor towards the fire and put everything she had needed to cook aside. “No mattress in here so we’re in for a very uncomfortable night on the hard ground.”

“There’s a bedroll in that pile I brought in,” he said without getting up. “It’s not much but it’ll provide a little cushion against the floor.”

Maria glanced over at the stuff and when she detected it, she got up to get it rolled out, groaning when every muscle in her body protested the movement.

“You’ll be able to soak those muscles tomorrow, just hang onto that thought.”

“I’m hanging more on the thought of getting rid of the blood in my hair.”

He nodded. He just hoped the security system was a damn good one, that the cop who lived there had a good selection of weapons, and that there was food stocked in. “Yeah, well, that can be your first order of business.”

She spread the bedroll in front of the fireplace and then lay down on it. “It’ll be good to feel clean again.”

“Can’t argue with that.” But it would be secondary to securing their location.

“I really would like to go to the Maldives,” she mumbled when the tiredness immediately kicked in as soon as her head hit the floor.

His gaze moved over her, taking in her exhausted features. She honestly had no idea how beautiful she was, something that would only be enhanced by a shot of self confidence. “Well, they’re not goin’ anywhere,” he muttered quietly, not wanting to disturb her. She should be someplace warm and sunny, someplace where she could be free to really learn who she was, and most importantly, someplace where she would be safe from the threat of the Circle.
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Re: THE ASSASSIN - AU/CC/Adult - Part 22 - 6/21/15

Post by Roswelllostcause »

Nice part. I still have no clue who Max and Liz are working for. Michael and Maria are on the move that is good.
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Re: THE ASSASSIN - AU/CC/Adult - Part 22 - 6/21/15

Post by begonia9508 »

Great new part! I had thought that, having fear and being on the cold, make you run like a rabbit... But in Maria and Michael's case, eating and sleeping is really important too!

EVE :mrgreen:
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Re: THE ASSASSIN - AU/CC/Adult - Part 22 - 6/21/15

Post by Eva »

In all their misery they're a great team together. But it's like Maria's beauty, they don't see it themselves. I can only hope the walk tomorrow goes alright and they can take the much needed rest before diving right into the mess again.
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Re: THE ASSASSIN - AU/CC/Adult - Part 22 - 6/21/15

Post by Earth2Mama »

Oh yeah... I can sense the impure thoughts Michael is having towards Maria... naughty man!

Something tells me this tension won't be around much longer...
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Re: THE ASSASSIN - AU/CC/Adult - Part 22 - 6/21/15

Post by L-J-L 76 »

Great Chapter!!!! Please please please please please please please please come back and post more really really really really soon? I can't wait to read what will happen next for Max and Liz. Poor Max and Liz. I hope Max and Liz will find out where Alex and Maria are and help them. So they think the senator is somehow involved. I agree with Liz about breaking into the senator house. Hopefully Max and Liz will come up with a way to find Alex and Maria. I don't know what to think of Michael and Maria moment. Who are Max and Liz working for? Will Max and Liz find out where Alex and Maria before the senator? Will Max and Liz help Alex and Maria? How will Max and Liz find Alex and Maria? What will happen when Max and Liz find Alex and Maria? Why is the senator wanting to find Maria? What is the senator up to? Will Max, Liz, Alex, Maria and assassins stop the senator? How will they stop the senator? Will Michael, Maria, Alex and Assassin fall in love? Will Max and Liz get married? Will Max, Liz, Alex and Maria be friends? Will Max, Liz, Maria and Alex graduate from college together? So sorry for the questions but I was just wondering Please please please please please please please please come back and post more really really really really soon? I can't wait to read what will happen next for Max and Liz.

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Re: THE ASSASSIN - AU/CC/Adult - Part 22 - 6/21/15

Post by sarammlover »

You two owe Maria a really really nice long HOT shower with good smelling shampoo and soap. Poor girl has had enough. And Michael..Bane, sure pushes her pretty hard....I can't believe she hasn't passed out dead yet!

I am curious to see where you go with Max and Liz...you usually write them and I love them but right now they kind of seem like bumbling idiots...ha ha. Sorry.....I am sure they will do something useful eventually. And I can't wait to catch up with Kyle andTess....what the heck happened with them!!
Great update!
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Part 23

Post by Double Trouble »

Roswelllostcause: Thanks! Max and Liz were hired by Senator Halverson to keep an eye on Maria but when she disappeared he fired them so now they’re not working for anyone. They’re working on their own now to find their friend.

begonia9508: Thanks! Yep, they’re expending a lot of their strength and energy with all that hiking through the snow.

Eva: Yes, they are. They don’t see it at this point and Michael’s not ready to see it yet. They still have a long way to go under the current weather conditions, but they’ll be striking out again soon.

Earth2Mama: Lol, he’s quote proud of those thoughts.

Don’t think they’ll be able to fight it for long, huh?

L-J-L 76: Thanks! Max and Liz are on the move and investigating on their own. They’re pretty sure Senator Halverson is involved in Maria’s disappearance. Max and Liz aren’t working for anyone now. They were working for the senator and keeping an eye on Maria but he fired them after she disappeared. Can Max, Liz and Maria be friends again after what’s happened? That has yet to be seen.

sarammlover: Lol, we do and so shall it be done. Yeah, he’s a taskmaster and he makes no apologies for it, but it’s necessary for him to push hard to ensure their survival.

LOL, that one shocked us! Max and Liz haven’t really had a big part in the story at this point and they don’t have anywhere near the training Bane and Valkyrie have. They’ve never faced this type of situation so give them time to bumble their way into the investigation. Kyle and Tess... what happened with them... such a good question.

Thanks!



Part 23

“The next time I tell you we need an inconspicuous vehicle this isn’t what I’m talkin’ about.” Max scowled at the 18-wheeler speeding in the lane next to him.

Liz shrugged, her gaze locked on the senator’s Cadillac as he changed lanes yet again. They had decided to follow Senator Halverson, hoping maybe he’d give them a lead. “I can see at least half a dozen of these cars on the road with us.”

“It’s not a man’s car, Liz.”

“I’ve seen 300-pound men get into cars like this.”

“Yeah,” he grumbled, “but have you ever seen them get out again?”

“It has a convertible top.”

“Yeah, well, if you wanna breathe the air’s gotta come from somewhere.”

She rolled her eyes. “Max, smart cars are the wave of the future.”

“Maybe if you’re a dwarf.” He shook his head. “What the hell possessed you to rent this damn toy car?”

“We agreed following Halverson in the Jeep was too risky since he’s familiar with our vehicle and if anyone from the agency’s keeping an eye on him they’d nail us right off the bat and you know that means we had to go to Augie because we could pick up a rental and keep it off the books. And since he can’t stand you and I won’t sleep with him, this’s what he stuck us with.” She crossed her arms over her chest and shot a glance at him as he switched lanes, trying not to laugh when she saw the sour look on his face. “Would you rather I had agreed to sleep with him? He did offer a Hummer if I obliged him.”

“No,” he admitted grudgingly after several long moments.

“Max Evans, I can’t believe you had to think about that!”

“I wasn’t thinkin’ about it… exactly.” He scanned the upcoming signs when the senator moved to the far right lane. “You were right; he’s headin’ to the marina.”

“Of course I was right,” she rolled her eyes.

“Well, you get credit for that.” She didn’t get credit for the matchbox car she’d stuck him with.

“What’re we gonna do if he heads out on his boat? It won’t get us anywhere.”

“What, this little thing doesn’t float?” He shook his head at her. “He’ll leave his car in the lot and when he does you follow him and I’ll hit the office, see what they’ve got available to rent.” He wasn’t turning her loose on the rental office. She’d probably come back with a pair of oars for a rowboat!

“You wanna follow him on the ocean?” Her eyes widened.

“Well, either he knows where Maria is or he knows who has her. Either way, if we wanna find out we’ve gotta follow him. I don’t know about you, but I can’t swim that fast and that water’s gonna be cold enough to freeze the human body to death in a matter of minutes.”

“But what’re we gonna do out there? Do you think he’ll meet someone in the middle of the ocean?”

“We’ll just keep an eye on things, see what he does.”

She sighed. “And you think he won’t recognize us? It’s not like we can follow him like we’ve done on the highway.”

He shrugged. “He may not even leave the dock. I’m just gonna get some information from the office. If he heads out we’ll play it by ear.”

Liz sighed. He always looked at things a lot more relaxed than she did. “Alright. Whatever you say.” She sat up when the senator drove into a parking lot and she gestured for him to drive past the Cadillac.

He chuckled, knowing exactly what she was thinking. He parked as close to the office as possible. “I’ll check in at the office an’ Halverson’s all yours.”

“Sure,” she agreed and waited until the senator was at least 30 yards ahead of her before she got out of the car and followed him down to the docks. He was alone and dressed casually, which meant he wasn’t there for business.

When the way seemed to be endless, she started to worry that Max wouldn’t catch up with her, but she knew she couldn’t go back because they had no clue which yacht belonged to the senator. Just when she thought the man was going to head to a different location, he took the last pier and walked to its far end.

A man waited for him there and he nodded when Halverson talked to him briefly before shoving something in his hand. Money, she guessed. When Halverson boarded his boat, the other man came down the pier and she hurried to hide behind a stack of canoes until he had passed.

She continued to observe the yacht, catching glimpses of the senator from time to time as he moved around in the compartment where the steering equipment was housed. Every once in a while he’d disappear below deck, but after a few minutes he’d show up again. He stepped out on deck, his expression revealing the stress he was under, but she couldn’t find it in her to feel bad for him. He’d made his choices and whatever he was involved in had put her friend’s life in danger. She glanced to the left when Max joined her, crouching down in the cramped space.

“Anything?” he asked her.

“No, just him giving another man something and then the guy disappeared. From the looks of it, it seemed like he was just someone who takes care of the boat in his absence. Halverson’s been walkin’ around the yacht, but it’s too far away to see anything.”

*****

Valkyrie’s right thumb stroked the side of the Sig as she watched the senator. She had heard him board the yacht and she’d slipped into a closet in one of the sleeping berths, her breathing carefully controlled to allow her to hear even the smallest sounds. She closed her eyes, focusing, and hearing the water lapping against the hull, the senator’s troubled footsteps as he paced back and forth, doors opening and closing.

When she heard him move back above deck she left her hiding place, moving stealthily through the rooms until she could slip out, undetected. She remained out of sight, waiting for him to go below deck again and she quickly disembarked, dropping down on the pier and running back to the dock where Alex was waiting.

“Good grief, I thought you were gonna have to kill him when he just showed up,” he greeted her, relieved that she had managed – how the fuck ever – to slip out unnoticed.

“It was tempting, but we won’t get any answers that way.” She pulled a flash drive from beneath the band of her watch and held it out to him. “He had this hidden behind a loose board in the closet of the master suite.”

He took it from her and secured it in one of his pockets with a zipper. “Anything else?”

“Pretty large sum of money packed in the same wall. He has surveillance equipment, high dollar, disguised as part of the control panel, but I don’t know who he’s watchin’.”

Liz gasped. They had followed the weird blonde woman who had slipped off of the yacht. Their first thought was that she was a hooker, but no. The woman moved like a panther... slow and careful and Halverson was completely unaware of her. Never ever would she have guessed who she’d meet with just a few piers down. “Do you see what I see?” she asked her boyfriend, still in shock.

He turned his head to follow her gaze and his eyebrows shot up when he saw who she was referring to. What was Alex Whitman doing in Boston? And what the hell was he doing with a woman who looked like that? “I see it, but I don’t believe it,” he muttered.

“Yeah, me neither.”

“Who the hell is she?”

“I don’t know.” She looked at him irresolutely. “What’re we gonna do?”

“I guess the only thing we can do in this situation – confront them.”

“I knew you were gonna say that.”

He grinned and shrugged one shoulder. “Then why bother askin’?”

Liz gave him a shove. “Move it before they leave.”

He got to his feet and led the way along the docks, coming up on the other couple’s location. Before he could get a word out to get their attention he found himself facing the serious end of the Sig in the woman’s hand. His own hands immediately shot up in response.

“Oh my God,” Liz gasped, freezing in place.

Alex jerked his head in the direction of their company and his eyes widened when he recognized them. “What the hell are you guys doing here?”

“I think we could ask you the same thing,” Max asked, unwilling to give an inch.

Valkyrie frowned, looking at Alex without lowering the gun. “You know ‘em?”

“Yeah, they’re friends of Maria’s.” He watched her, not surprised when she motioned for them to face the short wall that ran along the dock.

“Frisk ‘em.”

“We don’t have any weapons.” Liz was still trying to make sense of this. Who the hell was this woman and how had Whitman gotten involved in all of this?

Max cleared his throat slightly and shook his head. He wasn’t carrying his service weapon but he did have his personal backup tucked in a holster at his lower back.

Liz’s eyes widened. “You do?”

He sighed and rolled his eyes. “Hell, I had no idea what we were walkin’ into.”

Alex fished the gun out and handed it over to Valkyrie then stepped away and nodded.

“You’re not civilians,” she guessed after studying his choice of weapons along with their body language. Most people in this situation would be scared shitless; they just looked annoyed.

“We work for a security company,” Max told her and turned around slowly.

“Security,” she said slowly and glanced at Alex. “They’re friends of the senator’s niece?” He nodded. “Um-hmm, I’ll just bet they are. You’re not her friends, you’re a protection detail.”

“We are,” Liz admitted. “We were brought in for the detail when Maria started to college, but we’re also her friends now. And we know she disappeared a few nights ago while she was staying with us.” She glanced back at Alex. “Do you know where she is?”

His eyes narrowed. “You’re the protection detail, shouldn’t that question be comin’ from me?”

“Halverson didn’t give us permission to do more than watch out for her when she started to hang with us.” Max took a step forward to glare at Alex and was once again faced with the weapon. Turning his head towards the blonde woman he gave her an annoyed look. “Could you stop stickin’ that fuckin’ gun in my face while we’re standing where everyone can see us?”

“Back off,” she warned him, her voice cold as ice. “You get in his space again and you’ll be on the ground lookin’ for your teeth.”

Alex grinned, her words shooting straight to his dick. Shaking his head to clear it, he placed a hand on her gun and lowered it slowly. “Why’re you here, Evans? Why’re you following Halverson?”

He didn’t miss the way the other man disarmed the situation or the way the woman allowed it with little more than a huff of irritation. “My guess is it’s probably the same reason you’re trackin’ him.”

“Where’s Maria, Alex?” Liz burst out. “Do you know?”

He studied them for a couple of nerve-wracking minutes before he spoke again. “You learn anything about the senator or what he’s involved in?”

“No, but he hasn’t done anything to report Maria as missing so he has to be involved in it.”

“Oh, he’s involved up to his teeth.”

Max nodded. “Does Maria’s disappearance have anything to do with the file you gave her in the café?”

“She didn’t say anything to you about what was in it?” He hadn’t found anything to indicate they were involved but he wasn’t sure how much he should reveal to them.

“No, but if I had to make a guess I’d say it was something about her past. Something about the accident ten years ago when her family died.” Max looked at Alex and found the proof in his eyes.

“Then I’d say you were right. Would’ve been nice if you’d supported her need to learn the truth instead of shuttin’ her down.”

“She told me about a guy who looked like someone from her past,” Liz said.

Valkyrie’s eyes snapped to the brunette. She had to be talking about Bane. “Who else did she tell?”

“I’d say no one. Maria doesn’t have a lot of friends. She wouldn’t tell just anyone, but she was sure she saw the guy. He approached her and she was pretty rattled afterwards.”

She smirked. Bane had that effect on people. Her attention was pulled back to the senator’s yacht when she heard the engine coming to life.

“Did you find anything in there?” Max asked the strange woman.

“That remains to be seen.”

“You didn’t answer my question,” Liz poked a finger at Alex. “Do you know where Maria is?”

“Consider yourself warned,” Valkyrie hissed as she shifted between Alex and the other woman. “Hands off. I have no problem watchin’ you crawl around looking for your teeth either.”

“What?” Liz lifted an eyebrow. “Scared I might stab him with my finger?”

“Okay, ladies, let’s all calm down before this gets outta hand,” Max intervened. The tall blonde was incredibly territorial about Whitman, something he was sure had the computer nerd on overload.

“Please, Alex.” Liz begged, shifting to look past the tall blonde. “Do you know anything?”

“She’s safe for the moment,” he said finally.

“Where-” Liz didn’t get any further with her question when a loud sound disrupted the air and a shock wave forced them all to stumble. “What the hell?”

Valkyrie shoved Alex down, covering him with her own body as she scanned the area, gun drawn and ready for what was coming at them. She shook her head to clear it when she saw the flames leaping from the shattered wreckage of the senator’s yacht. She quickly sheathed her gun when the sound of footsteps pounding on the dock drew her attention to the people running down from the office.

She pushed herself up and leaned over the prone man under her, smacking his face lightly and calling his name.

Alex coughed and then cracked his eyes open. “Didn’t think I’d get under you so fast, babe.”

His comment made her snort and she reached for his hand to pull him up. “Under, over, either way works. Just wait until we have a few minutes to breathe.” There was something about the confidence he carried around and there was no denying the pull she felt towards him.

“What the hell was that?” He looked around and found a burning yacht not too far from the marina. Well, at least what was left of it. Shit.

“I’d say whatever leads we might’ve had by tracking Halverson just went up in smoke.”

Max looked down at his girlfriend who was crushed under him, thankful that she was blinking and breathing. “Are you okay?” He got up on his knees and reached for her.

She rubbed the back of her head where it had impacted with the dock, nodding slowly as she looked around. She blinked in an effort to clear her vision, but it was still slightly blurry. “The senator?” she mumbled, squinting to bring the burning wreckage into focus.

Valkyrie appeared next to them and gave them an impatient nudge. “Move it. We need to get away from here before the people who are responsible for this show up and see us.”

“We have to file a missing persons report,” Liz mumbled.

“We’ll take ‘em with us for now,” Val told Alex and moved to lift the other woman while he helped Max to his feet. “Let’s get the hell outta here.”

*****

The wind picked up once again, whirling up the snow and making it hard to see anything beyond a few yards. Maria coughed slightly when the burning in her lungs from the cold wind got worse. “I don’t know how much longer I can hold myself up, Michael,” she admitted and stopped, resting her forehead against one of the ski poles in her hands. The weather had been promising when they had continued on their way that morning, but then about two hours in the wind had come back with a vengeance and it had caused a major slowdown.

Now they were halfway into the afternoon and still hadn’t reached their goal. Every single muscle in her body screamed for warmth and rest, but there was no shelter in sight and she knew they had to keep going.

He stopped next to her and held the canteen out to her. “Here.” She was at the end of her strength and though his body was weakening as well he knew when it came to do or die he’d have to carry her.

She looked up and took the offer, sipping a few times. It even hurt to swallow. “Thanks,” she croaked and tried to straighten. Every time they stopped, the skies sank in deeper and it was hard to get into moving again. “Fuck,” she muttered to herself when her thigh was too weak to lift her leg and the ski.

“We’re getting close,” he said, seeing the telltale signs that told him she wasn’t able to keep going. She was exhausted and he crouched down to reach for the boot clips on her skis. “Lift your feet out. I want you to stand on my skis and lean back into me. It’ll be slow but I think right now it’s out best bet.”

“You sure we won’t sink in too deep this way?”

“Well, fat motherfuckers ski, so it can’t be any different,” he grunted and pushed off.

She couldn’t argue with him. Although she hated to be an added load on him she wasn’t able to go the rest of their way on her own.

He kept them moving for a while longer, slowing when they reached the top of a small rise and he came to a complete stop so he could scan the landscape. He checked their position and nodded to himself. “There.” He brought his arm up to point at a spot at the bottom of the hill.

She followed his gesture and though it was hard to see anything but white she nodded.

“Hold on, we’re goin’ downhill for a bit.”

“Of course, now we go down,” she snorted.

He chuckled and pushed off, taking them down the hill and straight towards the cabin he’d spotted from above. He took his time moving around it from a distance, coming in closer with each circle and as daylight made its bid of farewell and snow began to once again fall and the cabin remained dark he determined it was indeed unoccupied.

He pulled the cell phone out, glad he’d switched the batteries out before they’d set out that morning, and he held it up in hopes of finding a signal. “Got it,” he muttered. “Quick call and we’ll be inside, Maria.”

She just nodded and let him do it.

“You at the cabin?” Val’s breathless voice greeted him.

“Yeah, I’ve got a little blonde popsicle I need to get in outta this fuckin’ wind.” He held onto her carefully as he held the phone between his ear and shoulder and reached down to release the first ski boot. “Everything okay on your end?”

“Yeah, yeah. Listen, we need to talk later. For now I’m handing you over to Whitman so you can follow his instructions.”

He frowned as he straightened back up after freeing himself from the skis, kicking free of them and nudging Maria to lean against the front wall of the cabin. He pulled a pocket knife out of his pocket and selected a couple of the small tools out so he could make quick work of picking the lock. He held back on opening the door, knowing as soon as he pushed it in the alarm would go off. With less than thirty seconds to disarm it before it sent an alert to whatever served as local law enforcement he wanted to have the instructions prior to opening the door.

“Michael?” Alex’ voice echoed through the cell. “I need you at the front door but don’t touch the lock. Well, there isn’t a normal lock but anyway, don’t try to get in.”

“I’ve already picked the deadbolt, haven’t opened the door.”

“The deadbolt’s a decoy. There should be a little scanner on your right.”

“Got it.”

“It scans fingerprints. I’m programming it now with one of yours that was saved in one of the files we hacked. After that only you will be able to open that door with the thumb of your right hand. “

“And once it scans and recognizes the print it’ll automatically open the door?” He glanced at Maria, seeing her eyes drooping tiredly.

“Yeah. Once you’re inside you’ll see the main panel. The password is freestyle0815.”

He grunted. “All uppercase, lowercase, or a combination?”

“All lowercase. You can go for it now.”

Bane nodded and pressed his thumb to the scanner, looking up when he heard the locks release. Shoving the door open, he turned to the side to look at the alarm panel, the screen backlit by a low light. He punched in the code and followed the prompts onscreen to completely disarm the system. “Alright, I’m in.”

“Good. As soon as you close the door and hit the red button on the panel it’s gonna lock again. Don’t open any windows and don’t use any of the other doors that lead outside yet.”

“Hang tight for a minute.” He set the phone on the table under the keypad and stepped back outside to help Maria into the cabin. He kicked the door shut and pushed her down onto a bench that rested under the half dozen coat hooks behind the door. “A few more minutes and we’ll be home free.” He grabbed the phone again and put it up to his ear. “Okay, Whitman, what next?”

“Okay, find the basement. The main control panel for the house is installed there.”

He raised a hand to motion for Maria to sit still and he did a quick sweep of the rooms as he searched for the door to the basement. “Got it.”

“Do you see a white metal box on the wall? That’s the main control panel.” Alex knew it was high end technology and the switches, wires and boards hidden there were numerous.

“Yeah.” He moved to stand in front of it, shifting to the side as he studied the way it was put together.

“Alright. Every window and every outer door in this house is secured with its own code and its own system. You have to confirm my newly programmed passwords with two fingerprints again. Right thumb, left ring.”

“Who the hell designed this thing,” he grumbled.

Alex grinned. “It’s the most secure system available. Not on the open market. Believe me no one will get into that house unnoticed.”

“No one’ll get out unnoticed either.” He shook his head while Whitman walked him through the system, familiarizing himself with the codes. He glanced at the staircase, impatient to get back to Maria. She was exhausted and ready to pass out and he didn’t want her to end up on the floor.

“That’s it for now. Val wants me to tell you we’ll check back in an hour.”

“I’ll be waitin’.” He disconnected the call and pocketed the phone before sprinting up the stairs. He chuckled when he saw Maria slumped against the wall, wedged into the corner as she fought valiantly to keep her eyes open. “C’mon, Blondie, bed or bath. What’s your pleasure?”
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Fics: A Xmas Story - A Merry Mt. R. Xmas - Cupid's Revenge - Double Trouble - Double Date - Double Dare - Double Empire - Double Xmas Wish - In The Course Of A Lifetime - Mountains So High - Not A Question At All - Surrender - TIC TAC - Two Double Dates at Xmas
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begonia9508
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Re: THE ASSASSIN - AU/CC/Adult - Part 23 - 6/28/15

Post by begonia9508 »

Oh wow!! And I, who thought that Halverson was behind all that happened in their lives! :shock:
What's a surprise... but was he really on board!
But I guess, some of theses men who always did the dirty works for Halveston, became hungry for money... and power!

EVE :mrgreen:
- Les jouissances de l'esprit sont faites pour calmer les orages du coeur!
- On reconnaît le bonheur au bruit qu'il fait quand il s'en va!
- L'amour vous rend aveugle et le mariage vous redonne la vue!
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