Author's Note: This fits with chapter fifty of Witness.
Diary of a Protected Witness Part 39
And Hit Men
I peeked out to see a long, sleek limo making its way up the gravel drive, and Heero tucked his rifle into the crook of an arm, waving to the driver. The car pulled up and stopped, and a man got out of the passenger side.
"Identify yourself!" Heero barked out sharply.
I knew right then that things hadn't gone according to plan; Heero was supposed to be able to recognize the man on sight, and he obviously didn't.
"Captain Po sent us! We're here to pick up Maxwell."
"Who the hell are you?"
Shit--if Heero had to ask that, we were totally fucked.
"Agent Sims--FBI."
Fuck!
I nearly bolted right then, my survival instincts kicking in big-time. There was no way in Hell I was gonna let Heero turn me over to a bunch of Feds. Zechs had told me too much about Khushrenada's influence on the Bureau. Surely Heero wouldn't trust these goons?
"Wrong answer!" Heero snapped, and I breathed a sigh of relief, feeling a bit silly for ever thinking he'd be fooled by their smooth lies.
"Don't be hasty. We've got someone here who'd like to see you."
They dragged Catherine out of the back seat of the limo, trussed up in duct tape, and I felt like I'd been kicked in the gut. "Jesus!"
I was up and running for the gate before I knew what I was doing, and only Heero's quick grab prevented me from getting past him. "Don't! Duo--you can't!"
"Cathy--"
"Going out there won't help her. Wait."
Heero's firm grip around my waist and the urgency in his voice kept me still, but I glared over his shoulder at the guy who called himself Sims. "What do you fuckers want?"
"Why--you, of course. Duo Maxwell, I presume?"
"Let her go!" I yelled. "She's not part of this."
I knew damned well he wasn't going to do as I said, but I couldn't help it. I'd have fuckin' begged on hands and knees if I thought it'd help Catherine.
"Jesus, Duo, let me handle this!" Heero hissed in an undertone.
I gave up struggling against him at that point, and took a step back. "Heero--we can't let them hurt her."
"We won't."
Yeah, but how could we stop it?
I knew Trowa would kill me if anything happened to Catherine--not to mention what I'd want to do to myself. There was no way I could let that girl die for me. She was completely innocent. Hell, she'd never even met Zechs Merquise, or anyone connected with his sordid underworld; she didn't deserve to be dragged into this mess. And it was all my fault.
"You know I can't hand Maxwell over," Heero told Sims, his voice filled with determination.
"Ah--you'd better rethink that answer. Or this little lady could end up very, very dead."
Jesus Christ! It took a major effort for me to remain still and let Heero keep negotiating. I wanted to run out there and trade myself for Catherine on the spot. If I thought they'd go through with such an exchange, even Heero couldn't have held me back. But I knew they were lying, and that once all the cards were in their hands, we'd all end up dead.
And that meant Heero, too.
So I waited to see what he could salvage of the situation. I don't think I ever trusted anyone so completely. It was one thing to put my life in Heero's hands--but now I had to trust him with the lives of my friends, which was even harder.
But it was Heero. Only Heero could have made me place the fate of my friends in his hands. I knew if they were important to me, he'd protect them like they were his own.
God, I fuckin' loved that man--and I was gonna say it to him, first chance I got.
"I give you my word, we won't harm Maxwell," Sims was saying.
"Your word doesn't mean shit! Your boss wants him silenced permanently. I doubt you'll even let him get as far as the limo before you put a bullet in his brain."
Ew--did he have to be quite so graphic? A brief image of Zechs' messy demise flashed across my mind. I did not want to end up like that, any more than I wanted Catherine to.
"You've already tried twice," Heero pointed out to the men at the limo.
"Plans have changed. Our boss wants to talk to him--about some missing property."
Say what?
Heero glanced at me, and I shook my head. I had no idea what they were talking about.
"Nice try."
"I'm telling you--our boss just wants to talk to the whore."
And there we were, back to the same old insult. I freakin' hated being called that!
"He's got something the boss wants."
"Duo?"
I looked blankly at Heero. "I have no idea what they're talking about. I never took anything from Khushrenada. Unless he's looking for a piece of ass, I can't think of anything I have that he might be remotely interested in."
Heero did a double-take, looking questioningly at me. "Khushrenada's gay?"
"That or bi, maybe," I shrugged. "I just know Zechs went out of his way to keep me away from him--acted like he was jealous."
Yeah, that was an understatement. Zechs had been furious the one time Khushrenada sent me flowers--and he'd gone over-the-top ballistic when his boss sent me an expensive watch as a gift. Long story there--but I'd assumed it had to be from Zechs, since no one else would've given me such a pricey gift--or so I thought. Zechs had taken the watch and stormed off to deal with Kushrenada, and that had been the last I heard on the matter.
"Is it possible Merquise had something of Khushrenada's?" Heero interrupted my wandering train of thought.
"Jesus, Yuy--I don't know!" I blurted, more concerned with Catherine's precarious situation than the dynamics of Zechs' and Treize's partnership.
"Time's running out!" Sims warned, gesturing to his goon, who jerked on Catherine's arms, making her squeal in anger and pain. She kicked at the guy's ankles and he stumbled back a step, then smacked the side of her head and put a gun to her temple.
"Stop it!" I cried, trying to get past Heero again. "Take your fuckin' hands off her!"
"Come out here, Maxwell, and we'll let the girl go."
"'Ro--"
"You know they're lying!" he snapped.
"I don't care! I can't stand here and let them hurt her!"
"I have conditions!" Heero called to the men.
He spent a couple of minutes in negotiations, getting them to agree to throw down their guns and let Catherine start walking towards me the minute I headed their way. But I was busy trying to formulate a plan of my own.
I still had pockets full of explosives. And while I didn't relish the idea of taking myself out along with my captors, I considered it as a last option.
Short of that, I was wondering if there was a way I could set off a smoke bomb and escape in the confusion. I'd probably have to do it before they had a chance to frisk me. But I'd need to be sure Catherine had gotten far enough away to complete her escape.
"I want you to take me along with Duo--so I can see for myself he's not harmed."
I jolted back to awareness when Heero said that. "No!" I snarled, pulling away from him. "Damn it, Heero--no! You are not going out there with me!"
I was not about to let him put himself in the line of fire--those FBI agents wouldn't hesitate to "off" him the instant they had me within reach.
"I'm not going to just hand you over."
"You don't have a choice. It's my choice. My life," I told him. "How will you rescue me if you're their prisoner too?"
"If I walk out there with you, I'll be close enough for a clean shot when they go for their guns. You know they've got them concealed; do you think there's a chance in Hell they won't kill you the instant they have you?"
No, I wasn't that naïve. "I'm hoping they'll hesitate just long enough."
"Long enough for what?"
I patted one of my bulging pockets. "Magic, Yuy. Magic."
His eyes widened, and I saw comprehension dawn. "I thought you stuffed protein bars in your pockets!"
"At a time like this? Give me a little credit, love. If it doesn't shoot, cut, or blow up--it's of no use to me right now." I gave him my cheekiest grin, feeling the beginnings of an adrenaline rush as I imagined the surprise on Sims' face when I let loose with a smoke bomb or two.
"God, I fuckin' love you," Heero breathed, giving me a look that under other circumstances would've made my knees go weak.
But there was no time for romance right then, and I turned my attention back to our enemies, who were yelling for us to hurry up. "Keep yer shorts on! You'll get what you want--when I'm damned good and ready."
I wanted to keep them guessing--to make them believe I thought I had the upper hand. They'd think I was cocky and unwary, and that would give me an edge when I needed it. Or so I hoped.
"Yuy's not coming with me. I'll come alone. But I want your word that no one will get hurt! You'll let the others go."
"No one will get hurt," Sims called out irritably. "We just want you. Come along peacefully, and there's no reason for any violence."
Yeah. As if!
"It's a deal then," I told them, lying through my teeth. Then I gave Heero a long look, savoring the warmth and concern in those deep blue eyes. "When I get over there, I'm going to try my disappearing trick. You be ready?"
"I will. Chang too." Heero made some sort of hand signal, alerting his partner, and then smiled tightly at me. "You know Sims was lying, right? You watch those guys--and when they go for a weapon, you move. Understood?"
"Completely." And I did.
This was a matter of life and death, and it all hinged on my bomb-making skills, and how well I could play my audience. And they were an audience. When I walked out there in front of those FBI guys, I'd be playing it up for all I was worth, putting on the performance of a lifetime.
I had to look overconfident--as if I believed their phony promises. And I needed them to believe I was nothing more than a cheap piece of ass--someone without brains or skills. I didn't think they'd be too hard to convince. After all, they saw me as Zechs' whore, didn't they? Someone who'd been a bed warmer--not an equal.
Well, they were about to get a big, fat dose of reality.
I straightened up, tossing my braid over my shoulder and tilting my head contemptuously. "Hey, fuckheads--I'm gonna come over there as soon as I see Cathy free and on her way here!"
They released Catherine and I had to grin as she turned and punched the guy who'd been manhandling her. She was a trooper all right.
When she headed our way, I threw a wink and a grin at Heero, hoping he couldn't see the stark terror in my eyes--and I began walking slowly towards our enemies.
I ignored their yells to pick up the pace, busy mapping out my escape route, and trying to ensure that we were closer to Heero than to the limo when Catherine and I crossed paths.
There was an open area around the limo, but I noticed that the fence around the park was only about fifty feet away. If I could stun the FBI agents with a smoke bomb--or maybe even a real one--I could probably get to it before they recovered. It was only about eight feet tall, and if I got a running start and jumped, I could easily catch the top and vault over. Then I'd just have to make my way back to Heero so we could switch to our fallback plan and hide out in the park.
Catherine threw herself into my arms when we came abreast of each other. "Duo--they'll kill you!" she whispered urgently. "You should've heard the things they said on the way up here!"
"Shh!" I replied firmly, wrapping my arms around her so I could deposit a smoke bomb in her pocket. "The second I reach the limo, use this," I told her, pretending to kiss her cheek. "It'll cover you while you run like hell to where Heero is."
She pulled back running her hands down my arms as she released me, and smiling viciously when she felt the concealed knives up each sleeve.
Shit--I'd almost forgotten those--not to mention my switchblade. When I resumed my walk towards the limo, I rubbed both hands across my hip pockets, as if wiping sweaty palms on it. But in reality, I was palming my switchblade with one hand, and a smoke bomb with the other.
The Feds were about to get their asses handed to them, Maxwell-style.
TBC...
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