Author's Note: Did someone mention "action?"
Witness Protection Part 36
Desperate Measures
I went back downstairs, busying myself with laying a map out on the coffee table and determining the best route to reach the circus property Trowa had described.
Wufei brought out steaming cups of coffee, and I looked up gratefully as he set one in front of me. "Thanks."
He settled on the chair beside mine, his dark eyes roaming over the map. "Planning our route," he noted. "Did Barton say exactly where the place is?"
I pointed to a tiny town on the coast. "A mile north of the village...there's an old farmhouse and barn...plus some outbuildings, I think he said. It's pretty remote."
"Remote is good. Defensible would be better."
I shrugged slightly. "Won't know until we get there."
The patter of feet alerted us to the arrival of our three housemates, each carrying a backpack and duffel bag, as instructed.
"Barton--could you come show us the best way to get to your circus friend's place?" Chang asked, gesturing to the map.
Barton settled in beside me on the couch, so close our shoulders were brushing, and I glanced up at Duo in time to see a flicker of irritation cross his face.
Was he--jealous?
I was hard-put not to smile at the thought. I know it warmed me from the inside out--that such a desirable, vivacious person could be possessive of me.
He plunked himself down on my other side, using the arm of the couch as his seat. "So, where are we headed anyway?" He leaned an arm companionably on my shoulder, though I knew there was a lot more to it than that. He was practically staking a claim--not that I minded at all.
I ran a finger down the map, from where we were, to the town Barton had told us about.
"Hey," Duo said with a grin. "Can we take a little detour? I got a friend in Greenville." He pointed to a speck just slightly off course from where we were headed.
"No detours," Wufei spoke up sternly. "We've had enough of those."
Duo looked slyly up from under his lashes. "I promise we'll skip the llama farms along the way."
Trowa laughed along with Quatre, as they exchanged knowing looks.
My partner colored slightly. "You told them?"
"I had to," Duo insisted, smiling sweetly. "It was a turning point in my life. I'm thinkin' of taking up llama farming when I'm relocated."
His two friends chuckled mercilessly, and I was grinning in spite of the twinge of pain the word "relocated" caused. "Lighten up, Chang," I suggested, seeing a storm brewing in the dark eyes. "You know how funny it was."
Quatre leaned in to whisper something to Trowa, and then stood and stretched. "I'm going to grab a shower," he told the rest of us. "Unless there's more work to be done?"
"No, we're good," I shrugged. "Since you guys brought down the bags, Chang and I can put the food in them."
He headed for the stairs, and I glanced up at Duo, who was seated close enough so our arms were brushing. "Weren't you and Barton planning some quality time in the hot tub?"
He looked at Trowa, who glanced towards the retreating lawyer. "Actually, I left a couple of things upstairs."
"Right." I didn't even bother using a sarcastic tone.
The minute Barton stood up, Duo slipped around to steal his seat next to me, his attention once again on the map. "C'mon Yuy," he said in a plaintive voice. "Help me talk Chang into letting us stop in Greenville. I haven't seen Howard in years."
"And have you forgotten what happened the last time you trusted an 'old friend'?" Wufei reminded him.
The debate continued for a few minutes, without any real resolution, until Duo lost interest and went to the kitchen for a second helping of dessert, leaving Wufei and me to plan a primary and alternate route for getting to our next safe house.
We completed the task in no time--able to reach a very clear consensus now that we didn't have a third opinion thrown into the mix. And then we set about putting the non-perishables into the backpacks, and lining them up in the hallway, ready to go.
I was headed back to the laptop for a review of our surveillance status, when Duo stepped out of the kitchen and stopped in his tracks, his gaze focused on the other end of the room--more specifically, the staircase.
Winner and Barton were on their way down--or at least--I thought it was Winner and Barton, although it didn't look anything like them.
"You have got to be fucking kidding!" I snarled in realization.
Quatre's short hair was now a dark brownish-black, combed into a rather untidy mop that framed his soft, boyish features. It was just--wrong. Those wide aquamarine eyes just did not go with raven hair.
Well, they did--but in a strange, punk-rock way.
That, however, was nothing compared to Trowa, with shortened bangs framing deep green eyes and a long, auburn braid trailing down his back.
"What the fuck--?" Duo blurted, before bursting into delighted laughter. "What's this? Halloween?"
"No, Maxwell," I growled, furious at the pair. "They think they can get away with playing decoy for us when we head for the next safe house."
He sobered at once, frowning thoughtfully. "Quat? Tro'?"
"It's a sound plan," Wufei piped up, irritating the shit out of me. "At the moment we are not under fire. Confusing our trail is a wise tactical move."
I turned an accusing glare on Winner. "So since I turned you down, you decided to convince Chang to support your crazy scheme?"
He shrugged unrepentantly. "As your partner, he should have a say in strategy as well."
"It's too dangerous!" I snapped at Chang, in a repeat of the answer I'd given Quatre and Trowa the day before. "If they're spotted, they could end up being shot at, blown up, or worse!"
"What's worse than being blown up?" Trowa asked with a mischievous twinkle in his eyes.
"This isn't a joke!" I retorted. "Maxwell doesn't want you dying for him!" I looked at my illicit lover, seeing immediate agreement in the deep eyes.
"He's right, Tro'. I don't," Duo asserted, folding his arms across his chest. "It's bad enough what happened to your car--to Rashid. I won't let you two take that kind of chance." He tempered the seriousness of his words with a slight smirk. "I love you both for wanting to...but no."
For once Winner looked beaten--stonewalled. "Duo--"
"No!" He grabbed the lawyer by both hands. "You've done way too much for me already, Quat. I've cost you a house, a car, a motorcycle...I won't add your life to that."
"Maxwell--don't be dramatic," Chang cut in coolly. "As I said, we aren't in any immediate peril. Why not let them ride off first, on the bike, and leave the impression among the locals that you and Yuy took off together?"
"It's not the locals I'm worried about," I pointed out. "It's Khushrenada's people."
"But it's the locals they'd be questioning. And if they said they'd seen you heading one way, while in reality the three of us go the opposite..."
"And what would happen when they caught up?" Duo demanded. "Tro' and Quat would be walking targets."
"Not if we dropped the disguises the minute we hit the next town," Trowa spoke up. "We'd only keep up appearances long enough to be seen leaving."
"It's a bad idea," Duo said flatly.
"There are too many variables," I agreed. "Too many things could go wrong. You could be overtaken too soon--spotted before you had a chance to ditch the clothes and hair." I gestured to the skin-tight leather pants Trowa was wearing, trying not to let my eyes linger too long on the revealing fabric.
"Besides, black just isn't your color," Duo said to his attorney, gesturing to the dark hair.
Quatre nodded in resignation. "I can't argue with that," he conceded, running a hand self-consciously through his hair.
"Although--" Duo added teasingly, "--the dark-haired, blue-eyed detective look is a hot one."
"I still say the plan's worth a shot," Wufei cut in, still trying to win his argument. "Yuy--I think we should at least discuss the options..."
I waved a hand dismissively, frowning at the sight of a blinking light on my laptop. Intruders? I completely forgot about Chang and Maxwell's ongoing debate as I keyed up the surveillance data.
Yet another of my long-range sensors had failed--this one closer to the lake house by an alarming distance.
Grabbing the binoculars, I headed out onto the deck and began a slow, meticulous sweep of the tree line. By God, if someone was stalking us, I intended to see him before he got close enough to take a shot.
"--can't seriously think the risk would be worth it!" Duo snapped, following Chang out onto the deck behind me.
"It's their choice!"
"Your partner said 'no.' I said 'no.'"
"And how will you stop them if they persist in this scheme?"
"I'll shave their fuckin' heads if I have to...hide the car keys...and handcuff 'em to a goddamned tree! I don't care how I stop 'em...but I will!"
The binoculars had picked up the barest rustle of a leaf, and I focused in on the bushes between the dock and the boat house, almost certain I could see a shape that wasn't quite natural.
"Chang..." I murmured, my attention riveted.
"--two grown men, Maxwell," he was saying. "You can't dictate their every move. And if they want to help, they have every right."
"If they try to go through with this dumbass plan, I'll personally beat the shit out of both of them."
There it was--a glint of light reflecting off a flat surface--like a rifle scope!
"Down!" I yelled, tossing the binoculars aside and grabbing for my gun.
Maxwell moved like lightning as a bullet chipped the deck railing, throwing himself against Chang and tipping them both headfirst into the hot tub.
The report of the rifle followed on the heels of the bullet, and I ducked behind the railing and fired off two quick shots in the sniper's general direction, hoping to give him reason to pause.
Instead, he fired again, one bullet burying itself in the frame of the hot tub, and another sending wood shards flying from the handrail just above me.
"Fuck!" I heard thrashing and cursing from the direction of the tub, and saw a hand flail in an attempt to grab the side.
"Stay down!" I yelled, rolling and then sighting through the slats on the railing. I used the vertical bars to help steady my shot, waiting for the shooter to stand up and aim again.
He did, rising from the bushes just enough to zero in on the hot tub, and I slammed out three rapid shots, breathing a "yes!" as I saw him go down.
I didn't waste a second then, but went straight to the tub, where Chang was still grappling with Maxwell, and cursing fluently in Mandarin. "Hurry it up!" I urged. "We need to get inside--fast!"
"What the fuck were you doing?" Chang demanded of our wide-eyed witness, who was scrambling to get out of the steaming water.
"Not joking around, Chang," Duo sputtered, coughing and spitting out water. "Yuy yelled to get down."
Wufei darted a disbelieving look at me, apparently having missed my hasty warning in his zeal to out-argue Maxwell.
"Yes," I confirmed. "Shooter by the dock. I saw him go down, but I have to get out there and see if he's dead, and if he had friends."
My partner was instantly all business again, realizing the sudden plunge into the tub hadn't been Maxwell's idea of a prank, and that our situation was precarious. "More than one?" he asked.
"Unknown." I pulled him to his feet, and he climbed out of the water. But as he did, I realized there was a reddish tinge in the tub. "Are you wounded?"
He shook his head, patting himself down quickly.
Then we both looked at Maxwell, who threw one wet jeans-clad leg over the side. "Not me," he asserted. "Just banged my shoulder on the way in."
I turned him around quickly, sucking in a breath at the spreading red stain across the back of his soggy tee-shirt. "Fuck! Winner! Barton! Get him inside!"
Duo looked over his shoulder, eyes widening at the sight of his blood. "Shit--I didn't think--"
I half-dragged him to the doorway, where Winner and Barton were already waiting, reaching to haul him inside and away from windows and doors.
Chang pushed past me, tossing his wet gun aside and running to the hallway to grab another. "C'mon, Yuy! Let's get to the sniper while we might still get some answers out of him."
I hesitated, torn between helping Quatre and Trowa, and finding out if the sniper was still alive. "You two--take care of Duo. We'll be right back! And for fuck's sake, stay down and out of sight. Arm yourselves."
"Done," Barton said curtly, heading for weapons, while Quatre ushered Duo into the downstairs hallway--the farthest point from windows or doors. "Go get the bastard, Yuy."
He didn't need to tell me twice; I was out the door and sprinting for the dock with my partner at my heels, wanting nothing more than to strangle the life out of whoever had taken a shot at my lover.
The sniper was on the ground, crawling along using one elbow and the butt of his rifle, while keeping the other hand pressed to a wound in his thigh. He tried to roll onto his back and raise the weapon, but Wufei kicked it aside, leveling a Glock at the man's face point blank.
"Give me an excuse," he said so calmly and conversationally that it sent chills up my spine. Chang could be an intimidating man when he wanted to be.
The shooter raised his hands cautiously, keeping his eyes fixed on the muzzle of the gun. "I give up!"
"If only that were enough," Chang sighed, reaching down and hauling the man to his feet. "Got cuffs on you, Yuy?"
"Of course." I yanked the man's trembling hands behind his back, not bothering to be gentle. "You don't have the right to remain silent," I told him coldly. "You have the right to tell us who the hell sent you and how many more of you are out there."
"Fuck you!"
"Not on your best day," I growled, shoving him face-first onto the ground and dropping to place one knee firmly in the small of his back. "I want to know who sent you," I told him, grabbing the back of his hair in my fist and lifting his head only to slam it forcefully into the dirt. "And if you don't tell me, I'll pound your face into pulp on this nice, hard ground."
"You can't! You're cops!" he blurted, spitting out grass and sand.
"Says who?" I countered, hoping to get him to spill exactly how much he knew about us, and where he might have acquired such knowledge. It was for damn sure Khushrenada wasn't supposed to know who was protecting Duo. If he were to play the odds, he should have guessed it was Feds rather than cops. And if he did know it was cops, I wanted to know who told him.
"Figure it out yourselves," he sneered back.
"Wrong answer!" I slammed his face down again, harder.
"Yuy--"
I glared up at my partner. "No, Chang! I'm not holding back with this asshole! He fuckin' shot Duo! And we need to know everything!"
"I got him?" asked the guy, brightening perceptibly.
"Winged him," I snarled back, lifting my weight from his back and pulling him up to his knees so I could more easily backhand him across the face. "He'll live. But you might not! Now speak up!"
He shook his head. "Doesn't matter what I tell you. You won't get away from here. They're already on their way--"
"Who is?"
The flat crack of a shot made both Chang and me dive aside, rolling and coming up armed and facing the source. But a single glance back at our prisoner told me he wouldn't be doing any more talking.
"Fuck! There's more!"
"We've got to get back to the house, round up Maxwell and get the hell out of here!" Chang said urgently.
"No shit." We both flattened to the ground again as more shots rang out.
"You go first, Yuy. I'll cover you."
My partner laid down a few suppressive shots as I darted up towards the house, and upon reaching the relative shelter of the deck, I did the same for him.
When we burst back into the living room, it was to find ourselves on the business end of a rifle, with Trowa Barton gazing down the barrel.
"Shit!" he blurted, raising the muzzle away from us. "Did you get him?"
"We did--but someone else took him out before we could beat any information out of him," I said quickly. "How's Duo?"
"I'm fine!" came a rather frustrated voice from the hallway. Duo stuck his head around the corner. "Can I come out?"
"Yes. And get into some dry clothes. We're leaving." I ran for the foyer, arming myself with a rifle and tossing one to Wufei. "We'll need to pick off the other shooter before we make a break for it."
Chang and I both had a vague idea of where the shot had originated that took out our potential source of information. And yeah, I wasn't dignifying the bastard with the title of "prisoner" or even "human being." He'd nearly killed Duo, and for that, I'd have happily killed him myself if the other sniper hadn't done it for me.
But we still needed to eliminate the threat before we made our run for it. And so Wufei went along one side of the yard, while I went along the other.
A smart sniper would have fled by that time, seeing as we were onto him. But this one was apparently as determined as the men at the first safe house had been, and sure enough, as I neared the boat house, and the dead body, I caught a glimpse of motion on the opposite side of the yard.
"Chang! Four o'clock!"
He spun in the direction I'd indicated and snapped off a shot at a guy who'd been moving towards the deck, probably angling for another attempt at Duo.
The sniper dodged, and turned to fire back; but with two targets to choose between, he was at a distinct disadvantage. My shot took him squarely in the forehead as he aimed at Wufei.
"Jesus, Yuy! Would you leave one alive next time so we can question him?" Chang groused, his dark gaze scanning the tree line rather than looking my way as he spoke.
"I left the first one alive," I pointed out, looking for others in the thickening twilight.
"A two-man team, you think?" asked my partner, walking closer to me--but not so close that we'd make an easy target.
"I hope. But that first guy mentioned reinforcements, remember? He said 'they're already on their way.'"
"Who are 'they'?"
"I don't really care," I said firmly. "I just want to be gone when they get here."
We went back inside to find our three companions ready to go--packs and guns in hand.
"Yuy--your laptop is going nuts," Duo told me, gesturing towards my monitoring system. "Can I take it we've got more company on the way?"
I ran to the desk, keying up the surveillance. "Holy fucking shit! There are half a dozen SUVs on their way up the logging road."
"Guess we won't be leaving that way," replied my witness, looking just a bit wild around the eyes.
"Winner?"
The blue-eyed attorney fixed me with a steady gaze. I vaguely wondered if courtroom cross-examinations had taught him to be so cool under fire; either way, he was singularly clear-headed considering our situation. "You're going to have to let Trowa and me do what we planned," he told me, helping as I began unplugging the laptop and stuffing it into a carrying case. "We'll take the motorcycle and try to lead them off."
"And what are we supposed to do--try to get past them in the SUV?" I demanded. "They won't overlook us that easily."
"No--you three will take the boat."
I paused to gape at him for a moment.
"Seriously. Take the speedboat and get across the lake to the ATVs. Take them through the woods as far as you can."
"What's their range?" Chang asked, helping us finish packing, and then hefting my case of surveillance devices, turning towards the deck.
"Maybe eighty miles, depending on how full the tanks are and the terrain and speed."
"Enough to put some distance between us and them," my partner noted.
I eyed him skeptically. "And then what?"
"Then we find alternate transportation to the circus property."
"It's a sketchy plan at best."
"It's all we've got."
I gave a curt nod and grabbed my share of the gear.
Duo, meanwhile, took the opportunity to pull Quatre aside for a moment, and I managed to overhear just a bit of their brief farewell.
"--if you'll look after Trowa?"
"Of course I will."
"Not just now--but later--if I make it to the trial and they send me off into relocation," Duo said in an undertone. "I just--it'd help to know he'll have someone--that he won't just be on his own again. I know he's an independent cuss, but God, a guy like him deserves someone to love, y'know?"
"He's got someone...someone who loves him like crazy," Quatre said warmly.
Duo yanked the lawyer into his arms, hugging him tightly for a second. "You're the best, Quat."
"You too."
Duo then ran to the garage door, where Trowa was donning his motorcycle helmet in preparation for the upcoming ride, and hugged his former lover. He glanced at me as if asking permission, and I nodded, not minding at all when he placed a warm, lingering kiss on the dancer's lips.
Not that Duo needed my permission, but it felt great that he considered my feelings in that moment.
Then we all bid a hasty goodbye and went into motion; Barton and Winner towards the garage, and Chang, Maxwell and I towards the deck. Even as we raced down the hill to the boat house, I heard the faint sound of engines approaching on the logging road.
Chang was ahead of me, tossing gear into the boat and untying the rope, while I stayed close enough to Duo to shelter him with my body if necessary.
"Get it running, Chang!"
"I'm on it!"
Duo hopped nimbly into the boat and stuffed our belongings under the seats, making room for all three of us, as I raised my rifle and sighted on the place the approaching vehicles would break into the open.
Even as they did, I heard the boat motor start up behind me, and saw the motorcycle carrying Winner and Barton burst from the garage and head up the nearest game trail. And damned if that fake braid wasn't waving like a banner behind Barton as they fled.
The driver of the first SUV saw it too, and veered that way--until my well-planned shot shattered the windshield and probably his face as well.
I didn't stick around to view the results, as a second and third SUV came barreling up behind the first, but jumped into the boat and hollered for Chang to get it moving.
Then we were speeding away from the dock, and out of range of whatever weapons our pursuers might be carrying. I looked back to see a couple of the vehicles sliding to a halt halfway down the hill, with men piling out and running towards the house and dock. Apparently they were still hoping someone might be left behind.
I was happy to disappoint them.
Duo was clinging to the side of the boat, looking a little pale in the gathering twilight, and I leaned in close. "Are you all right--really?" I had to raise my voice almost to a shout to be heard.
"Yeah, Quat checked out the wound," he yelled back over the noisy motor. "Just grazed me--maybe nicked the shoulder blade." He grinned dauntlessly. "Hurts like Hell!"
"Love you!" I shouted back, reasonably sure Chang couldn't hear a thing, since he was the one operating the motor, and he had it wide open--propelling us across the water at an almost alarming rate.
"You, too!" Duo called back. "You're really hot when you're dodgin' bullets, y'know!"
Fuck--did nothing faze him? He really was at his best under pressure.
The ping and spark of a bullet glancing off the side of the boat made us both dive for cover, and Chang cursed loudly enough to be heard over the racing motor. "Company!" he called to me. "And their boat looks faster!"
"Stay down!" I said, right in Duo's ear, dropping a quick kiss on it in the process.
Then I crawled to the back of the boat, staying low. "Let me drive!" I told Chang. "You lay down cover fire."
He spared me a disbelieving look, and then relinquished the helm, crawling to where he'd put his rifle, and easing up to sight on our pursuers.
They were, indeed, in a faster boat, and I wondered where the hell they'd come from, how they got lucky enough to intercept us, and how far their rifles could shoot...not necessarily in that order.
"Chang?"
"Aiming."
"Just shoot--you won't hit anything from a bouncing boat anyway!"
"I don't want to waste bullets."
He fired off a careful shot, and the men in the pursuing boat dropped to the floor in panic. He'd just about parted their hair with that one.
Of course, they returned his fire promptly, and it was our turn to take cover. And as bullets tore at the fiberglass of our ride, I knew we couldn't hold out for long.
I looked ahead, hoping to see the cove with the ATV garage nearing--but there was a long way to go. And it was unlikely we'd be able to outrun or outshoot our enemies.
I ran through my previous voyage on the lake, hoping to think of a shortcut or maybe a hidden cove we might use to evade them--but it was a pretty wide open lake--with little to offer in the way of cover.
And then a flash of inspiration struck me, and I veered the boat to the left, heading for shallower water.
"Careful!" Wufei yelped, having nearly dropped his rifle during my sudden change of course.
Duo had crawled up beside my partner, and was handling the reloading of weapons while Chang kept firing just often enough to hold off our pursuers.
"Stop shooting," I told Chang, easing back on the throttle a bit.
Duo looked at me in alarm. "Why're we slowing down?"
"Don't worry."
"Yuy?" My partner sounded easily as worried as Duo.
"We're not doing something crazy like surrendering, are we?" asked my lover, darting a glance at the boat that was now steadily closing in on us.
"Never!" I promised.
"Then what the fuck are we doing?" demanded Wufei.
"Letting them catch up."
"Why?" they both demanded in a plaintive wail.
"Trust me!"
I looked ahead, and then back at the approaching boat, gauging the distance carefully. And at the very last possible instant--almost too late--I veered around the barely-submerged rock and gunned the engine back up to full throttle.
The boat behind us accelerated as well, and I grabbed Wufei, shoving him back to the helm while I took his rifle and scooted to the back.
When the sleek speedboat hit the rock, it was carrying enough speed to be thrown skyward, until I could see the entire underside. Ripped and gouged as it was, when it splashed down it was sure to sink--but that wasn't quite good enough for me. I took careful aim at the motor and fired three shots in a row.
I don't know which one hit the fuel tank--but the fireball that erupted from the back of that boat illuminated the entire lake for one brief instant.
And then we were back in the gathering dusk, speeding across the smooth lake surface alone.
"Holy fucking shit!" Duo blurted, looking at me with shining eyes. "That was awesome!"
God, I loved that man.
TBC...
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