(7)
Rally's ransom
By meanbow
This is another of my gunsmith cats stories. The honourable Kenichi Sonoda owns all characters herein, apart from my own original ones. This story is a new one from my brain (I wondered what was hurting while I was writing this thing!) and has the return of one of my more evil enemies to face Rally and Co. I don't want to do it, but it'll be rated for language and suggestive themes. I'm not going to give too much away in this introduction, but Rally's about to go through hell, and so is her newfound sister
Chapter 1 Ivan's return
Sitting aboard a prison transport bus, ex Russian KGB agent Ivan Romanov was being transported to a new prison out of state, away from Illinois and his former boss, Carlos Predinski, head of the Russian mafia in Chicago.
"Guard!" he called from the back of the bus
"KEEP IT SHUT, ROMANOV!" called the guard, and then turned back to his conversation with the driver
Up ahead of the bus, as it rounded a corner, the driver had to slow down and stop as there was a jacknifed Tractor and trailer unit blocking the road.
The guard got out as the driver opened the door "Better call this in Joe" went the guard, and started walking towards the truck to see if the driver was all right
Suddenly from the side of the road, a sniper's rifle barrel and silencer sticks out from a bush next to the stopped prison bus, and a single shot is fired silently, killing the driver before he had chance to call the 'accident' in
The guard approached the truck unit "HELLO…YOU ALRIGHT UP THERE?" he called, but got the reply of semi-automatic handguns as his answer, courtesy of a Russian Mafia man hiding on top of the truck. The guard tried to pull his revolver out and shoot, but got cut up by a hail of bullets for his trouble
Romanov looked out through the wired window, and saw someone he recognised stand up from the bushes
"Mikhail! Good to see you my friend" he called, and Mikhail approached the bus
"We'll have you out of there in no time, comrade. Carlos sends his regards" he went, and then headed to the open door of the bus.
Mikhail and another Russian got on board. The second Russian pulled a hand-held gas cutter out of his pocket and started to cut the lock on the cage door. The lock melted and the door was kicked in
Mikhail walked up to the back of the bus and stood next to Ivan, then pulled out a key for the shackles holding him down. He undid them, and Ivan stood up
"Thank you, comrade" he went, then shook his hand
"Come, Comrade Predinski wishes you well" Mikhail went, then turned and headed back up the bus and off onto the road
The other Russians grab the body of the dead guard and load it back onto the bus, placing it where the guard would be seated. Then a Mercedes-Benz pulled up, the boot opened and another unidentified dead body was pulled out and carried onto the bus, placed where Ivan was sitting, secured in place with his shackles and left. Then the bus was moved slowly forward towards the jacknifed rig, and placed next to the truck unit's fuel tank.
"Come, let us enjoy your 'death'" went Mikhail, as he got into the back of the Mercedes. Ivan got in also and the car reversed back up the road a few hundred yards, then stopped. Mikhail opened the sunroof of the Mercedes, and stood up with his sniper rifle, took aim at the fuel tank on the truck and fired off a single shot.
The truck exploded in a gigantic fireball, covering the prison bus and causing the fuel tank on it to also explode, sending debris everywhere
"It is done." He went, looking at Ivan "Tell me comrade…how does it feel to be a dead man?"
Ivan laughed loud "It feels good, comrade"
Mikhail put the sniper rifle down and climbed back into the car, and signalled to the driver to leave
Chapter 2 The mix-up
"Gunsmith cats…how can I help you?" went Rally Vincent over the telephone
"Rally…its Roy. I got some news for you"
"Oh hey Roy. What is it?" she asked
"I was listening on my C.B scanner to the highway patrols, when I heard them talking about an explosion on the mountain road. So I'm here at the site, only to be told that it was an RTA between a jacknifed semi and a prison bus" Roy went
"UM-HUH, what's it got to do with me?" she asked, scribbling down some notes on a handy pad
"The bus was transporting one of your bounties from a few years back, one Ivan Romanov" he replied
"Oh…" she sounded off "what do you want me for then Roy?"
"Nothing really. Just thought I'd give you the heads up before you hear it on tonight's news, in case the mafia come looking for you. I can call in a favour from friends on the witness protection programme for you if you'd like…" Roy sounded worried
"Roy…I can handle myself. And I seriously doubt they would be after me now, since it was years ago I got him put away and there was nothing from them in all that time" Rally went, then put the pencil behind her left ear
"Alright then…just watch your back" he went, and then hung up
Arlene walked into the shop from the back room, holding a highly polished gun slide in her hands
"Here we are sis, one polished and ported slide for a National Match series 45…" she started, then looked at Rally's face and saw it was flustered
"You O.K?" Arlene asked her
"Yeah, I'll be fine…just a bad memory coming back, that's all" she replied, putting the receiver down first, then both her hands on the counter to steady herself
"You need to relax, Rally. All this stress is goanna kill you one day. Go in the back room, sit down for a few minutes while I pop out to get us a mocha chino from Guissepe's coffee house"
"Yeah, I'll do that now 'lene. And thanks for being here" she went, and then bought her hands off the counter and embraced her sister. Arlene put the gun slide down and returned the hug
"I'll be back in around 10 minutes with two chino's, then we'll take a break and talk. K?" Arlene said, letting go of the hug
Rally sniffed, then looked at Arlene and nodded "10 Minutes" she went
With that, Arlene removed her 'gunsmith cats' apron, hung it up on the wooden peg and opened the counter and left the store, walking towards her car
Outside, just up the road from the shop, two Russians were watching the door of the shop with binoculars for Rally to come out. A female figure emerged from the shop, and the two of them looked at the picture they had with them, then at the girl
"It is her, Da?"
"Da, let's get her"
The car started up and quickly accelerated down the street and slammed it's brakes on next to Arlene as she was about to get into her car
"What the F…" she started to say but was grabbed by the bigger of the two Russians, knocked on the head by a small club, and then dragged over to the old Chevy and tossed in the back like a sack of trash, the second Russian jumped in next to her and slammed the door
Rally heard the commotion outside and went to the window of the shop to look, she saw her sister being thrown into the back of a Chevy car and a man jumping in next to her, so she grabbed the nearest firearm to hand and jumped over the counter and ran to the door
"GO, GO, GO, GO!" went the second Russian, and the driver slammed the cars accelerator pedal down hard, making the car fishtail and squeal for a few yards before really accelerating away
Rally got out through the front door as the car got away from the shop, so she fired a few shots off after the car, one of them blowing the rear screen out
"ARLENE!" screamed Rally, standing out in the middle of the road watching the car get away and turn left before disappearing out of sight
Chapter 3
Back to that same old place
Detective Roy Coleman was standing there in the car park of 'gunsmith cats', the area being cordoned off as a crime scene. He had got there as soon as he could, but it was a long drive from the mountains back to Chicago
Rally was sitting down in the back room of the shop with a female officer giving her a cup of tea, May had arrived as soon as she had the call, and Misty was there too, distraught over what had happened
"Rally…I need to ask you a few questions, are you O.K to answer them?" he asked her gently
"Yeah…I guess so" she replied softly, not looking at him
"What happened exactly then?" Roy asked
"I don't know exactly what happened, all I know is that two big guys grabbed my sister outside the shop and got away in an old Chevy. It was a faded yellow colour with rusty bumpers. It could have been an old taxi cab…I shot out the rear screen" Rally went
"O.K. can you help me any more than that? Did you get the plates?" Roy was clutching at straws
Rally just shook her head "No…"
Just then, another officer comes in the back room "Detective Coleman, we've found the car, sir" he went
Rally stood up immediately "WHERE?" she went
"Down on wasteland by the overpass on 63rd St." he went
Rally grabbed her gun holster and jacket from the coat rack and went out through the back door to the lane where she parked the Cobra up
"Rally wait…" went Roy, but she was already gone
The Cobra was flying along the streets of Chicago, Rally making time to get to the overpass as quickly as she could. It took her just under 10 minutes to reach the scene
There were 2 police cruisers there, and a fire truck. The area around the car was cordoned off
Rally slammed the car's brakes on hard, making it slide before stopping and its passengers hurriedly got out
"ARLENE…" Rally called as she got out of the car, and started running towards the Chevy. A police officer had to grab and hold Rally back while they put the fire out
May held onto Rally's arm as well "Calm down Rally…I'm sure she wasn't in it"
Misty stood back from the scene, with a horrified look on her face "Arlene…" she went, then bought her hands up to her face and started to weep
"Can she hear us, comrade?" asked Mikhail, looking at the girl bought in by two of his men
"She was merely stunned, comrade" went the first man "she is otherwise unharmed, as ordered"
"Excellent work comrades. You secure her here and I will inform comrade Ivan" went Mikhail, who then turned and left the room
The other two Russians positioned Arlene on the bed in the small room, and started to undress her down to her underwear, making sure to disarm her of her weapons, then secured her to the bed with handcuffs and shackles
Ivan walked into the room, with Mikhail
"See comrade…my men have done as instructed. We have Rally Vincent at our mercy now, and her friends will have to do as we say from now on, or never see her alive again"
"Excellent, my friend. But she seems…different to me" went Ivan taking a closer look at their prisoner, noticing that she had longer, lighter hair than he remembered
"Maybe it's because you haven't seen the American bitch for years, comrade. People can change a lot in a few years, da?"
"Da, comrade. I have waited and plotted many years for my revenge, that has not changed" Ivan went, and then smiled evilly
Back at the scene of the car fire, the fire was out and an investigation was underway
"Was there anyone inside that thing when it went up?" Misty asked, hoping there wasn't
"No ma'am, there was no-one inside it when it was torched" went the fire chief in attendance "now if you'll excuse me…" he went, then left to deal with putting the equipment away
Rally was standing there looking at the remains of the Chevy, and was wondering why someone would kidnap her sister
Ransom demand?
Abduction?
Mistaken identity?
Random kidnapping?
'What if I was supposed to be the target?' she thought to herself
All those thoughts raced through Rally's head, and she knelt down on the ground and dropped her eyes to the floor, and she stuck her right hand inside her jacket pocket, and pulled out a business card
'John Bolton, private investigations and bounty hunting services'
Her mind wandered off to the time John had been there in Chicago and the time she spent in L.A, the 2 cases they cracked together, the intimate moments they shared, their feelings for each other. Would those very things interfere in helping them to find her sister?
'One way to find out…' she thought to herself, then pulled her cell phone out and dialled John's cell phone number
On the east coast of America, in the city known as Los Angeles, one private investigator known as John Bolton was wrapping up another case of extra marital affairs on behalf of both parties. The husband and wife had both been sneaking around and seeing other people, so now with his photos and documentation supplied, the case was solved and the divorce finalised
All unexpectedly, his cell phone goes off in court, and he looks at the attorney
"Sorry…" he went, and pulled his phone out of his pocket and was about to hang it up, when he read the name on the caller display
"Rally…" he went softly, then looked at the judge and apologised "I've got to take this call your honour, it's important"
"Very well, we've finished here anyway. Court is in recess" he went, then slammed down his gavel
The court started emptying, and John answered the phone "Hello…"
"Hello John" an upset rally went
He heard the sadness in her voice "what's wrong Irene?" he went
"My sister, John. She's been kidnapped or something. I need your help to find her…please"
John listened intently "of course I'll help you. I'll be on the first flight to Chicago that I can get via air freight, so I'll see you tonight" he went
"Thank you John…" she trailed off and then closed the flip on her phone, ending the call
Misty walked over with May, and the two girls both looked at her, May gently took Rally's arm and led her back to the Cobra
"Come on Rally…let's go home and have a warm drink" she went
"Thanks May" she replied, then climbed in to the Cobra and started it up, just as her 2 friends climbed in
Chapter 4
My L.A ex
8 hours later, a FedEx freight carrier landed in Chicago, with a passenger and his car on board. The jumbo's nose rose up and the loading ramp lowered, and a car started up and slowly descended
The Cadillac Coupe De Ville emerged and touched the tarmac in Chicago airport, John looked at the overcast sky "I thought I'd never use this…" he went, pulling the activation lever for the electric roof, then sped off towards the exit and the house of a certain bounty hunter
It was a short drive along the freeway to reach his destination, and the Cadillac pulled up next to a '68 Cobra Mustang parked up in the driveway of a house. John got out and walked over to the front door and rang the bell, and waited
May answered the door, and looked at John "Thank you for coming John, she's really upset"
John walked in past May, "what happened May?" he asked as he took off his trench coat and hung it up on Rally's coat stand by the door
"Arlene was grabbed by some men earlier, John. They found the car she was grabbed in, all burned out. Thankfully there was no-one in it" May replied
"Grabbed as in Kidnapped?" he asked, May nods her head "Why would anyone want to kidnap Arlene? Does she have any enemies as such?" he enquires, trying to get as much detail as he can
"Only the one's they made as bounty hunters, and they are mostly small time crooks, thieves and bail jumpers. None of them would have the means or the ability to be able to set-up something like this" May replied
May and John walked into the living room, and Rally looked up from the sofa she was sitting on
"JOHN!" she went, then got up and grabbed him tightly "I'm so glad you came…" she went, sniffing back a tear
"It's O.K Rally, I'm here to help…" he went, gently returning the hug and stroking her hair
Rally tilted her head and looked at John "can you help?" she asked
"No stone shall go unturned with me on the job, Irene. I promise you" he went, and kissed her forehead
"I need to know everything, and I MEAN everything. What cases you've worked on, who you've caught, when you caught them, the works. That way I can compile a shortlist of potential suspects to start hassling. I also need to know who your snitches are, and where I can find them. Can you get that for me?" John started to ask
"I'll give Becky a shout, she keeps meticulous records of everything…" went May
"I'll start to look through the old files upstairs" went Misty, then she also looked at John "Please…find her" she went, and wiped tears off her face
"And as for you…" he went, looking at Rally "I am taking you out for something to eat, as I bet you haven't eaten since this morning."
She nodded "I haven't felt like eating…" she replied
"Starving yourself won't do any good…let's go Irene" he went, letting go of her, but keeping his right arm on her shoulder to walk with her to the door
The two of them walked outside, John walked Rally to his car
"So you bought your everyday car…" she went, looking at the old Cadillac in front of her
"Yup, it's old but it's good, and it's a convertible" he went, then smiled
Rally forced a small smile "It's nice John" she replied
John pulled the passenger door open, and held it for Rally to get in, then closed it when she was in, and walked around to the drivers' side, getting in also
The drivers' door slammed shut, and John turned his head towards Rally
"Now I know of a great little place to eat here in Chicago"
"Yeah?" she replied
"Yeah" went John, then fired up the Cadillac's engine with a cough and then it engaged with a roar
The old Cadillac headed towards Michigan Ave, and Rally was secretly looking forward to getting something to eat, even though her enthusiasm was being curbed by the situation. Suddenly the car stopped, and John turned to face her
"Here we are" he went, and then got out of the car, Rally forced her door open and also got out. The two of them walked into a small tavern with a grill, John walked up to the bar, ordered 2 beers and burgers, and sat down in a booth. Rally joined him, and took the beer he bought for her and took a swig
"I needed that…" she went, and sat down next to him, then turned her head towards him "Can you really find my sister in a city of this size?" she asked
John just took a sip of his beer, and nodded "If she's in this city, I'll find her. Even if she isn't in this city, I'll still find her. Missing persons is a speciality of mine" he went, sounding sure of himself
Rally's cell phone suddenly rings in her pocket; Rally grabbed her phone and pulled it out to see who was calling. The display said 'Arlene mobile'; she fumbled with the phone, and then pressed the answer button
"Hello…Arlene?" she goes
"Ah good, this is Ms Vincent's sister, is it not?" goes a mans voice
Rally looks at John "Yes it is, who is this?"
John whispers quietly to Rally "Keep 'em talking while I go set-up a trace programme on my laptop" and then got up and ran to the car to get his laptop
"Who I am is not important, Ms Davenport. What is important is that you know we have your sister, and right now we hold all the cards. If you wish to see her alive again, you will do exactly as we say, when we say it, is that understood?" went the voice in a Russian accent
Rally nodded her head and replied "yes"
"Good, we will call you again in a few hours to tell you what we want. Goodbye Ms Davenport"
The phone call was abruptly ended, and Rally was puzzled as to why they called her Davenport, then it clicked 'they think she's me, I WAS THE TARGET'
John comes back in with his laptop open "I got a partial trace, and an approximate location…" he began
"John no…we can't, it may endanger Arlene" Rally went
John looked at her; she had a look of dread in her eyes "what's the matter?" he asked her
"They think I'm Arlene, as they called me Ms Davenport. They think she is me, why I don't know, but I don't want for her to get hurt John."
John nodded "Very well, we'll play it your way for now" he added
The barman walked over to their table with 2 cheeseburgers on plates, and put them down on the table
"Can we have them to go, mate?" asked John, the barman picked them back up and walked over to the bar and dumped them into a paper bag, then walked back over to their table and dumped them down
"Thanks…" he went, taking the bag in hand and getting up to leave
Chapter 5
Let the torture begin
Arlene woke up slowly, rolling her head around and trying to get rid off the stiffness in her neck. She tried to pull her hands down from above her head, but something was stopping them, and she felt cold all over
She lifted her head, and saw that she was undressed, apart from her underwear, and that she had shackles around her ankles. She then tilted her head back, and saw that her hands were secured to a bed backboard with handcuffs
"ALRIGHT…WHO'S THE KINKY GIT HERE? LET ME UP" she called out, but there was no-one around to hear her calls, so she tried to struggle against the restraints, but they merely rubbed and chafed her skin the more she struggled
The door at the end of the room swung open slowly, and a large man poked his head around the door to see what the commotion was
"HEY…YOU…" she went, looking at the man "Is this your idea of a good time, huh?"
The man just smiled, and then pulled his head back around the door. He then shouted out in Russian that the woman was awake now, and then closed the door again
"YOU GIT!" she shouted, and again started to thrash around on the bed to try to get out of the restraints
After 2 minutes of struggling, Arlene had to give up, she was getting rubbed badly around her wrists, and her ankles were turning red raw
"DAMN…" she went, and then tried to recall how she got to this situation
'10 minutes' sis' she thought back to the shop earlier that day, the yellow Chevy that pulled up behind her as she got in her car, being grabbed by a large man and then being knocked on the head. She remembered being handled, but couldn't remember anything else, until she woke up a few minutes ago
The door swung open again, and this time a man walked in to the room, and sat himself down on the edge of the bed next to Arlene
"Good afternoon, Miss Vincent. How are you?" the man asked, with a deep Russian accent to his voice
Arlene scowled at him "How the hell do you think I am, twat?" she replied
"Still the same fire in your eyes, after all these years. I see you have not mellowed then. Excellent"
"Who are you, and what do you want with me…or is that a stupid question to ask, considering the way I am here now?" she went
Ivan had a slight look of shock on his face "you don't remember me, Miss Vincent? Come now, surely you must, or is my goatee too off-putting these days?"
"Never seen you before, bub. So whatever you're going to do to me, get on with it, so I can go home. I swear I won't go to the cops…it's pointless" she went, then turned her head away from him, so she wouldn't have to look at him
"Wait…you think I'm going to…" he burst out laughing, and then translated to Russian what she had said to him. Suddenly the hallway started laughing as the other Russians were told
He stopped laughing, grabbed her under her chin and pulled her around to face him again, then looked at her "that would be too easy and over with too quickly, Miss Vincent"
"Wassamatter, big boy, not man enough to last are we?" Arlene commented, and smirked
The Russian outside the door laughed at the comment made by Arlene, then Ivan shouted a Russian profanity at him, and he went quiet
"No, Miss Vincent. What I have planned for you will take time, slowly and surely, you will suffer, as I have done for the past few years. I will have revenge for that night, for my boss, and for my comrades" went Ivan, grinning evilly
He then stood up and climbed on the bed, on top of Arlene, and stared directly at her
"Who knows…maybe when we have finished…you may get your wish as well. Us Russians are the great lovers. Why do you think they call it 'red heat'?" he went, then moved closer to her face and licked her once "mmm, sweet"
Ivan pulled back, then dismounted from Arlene and the bed
"I shall return, Miss Vincent. Of that you can be sure" Ivan went, smiling an evil smile. He then turned and left the room, closing the door behind him
"So I'll wait right here then, huh?" she sarcastically replied, trying to put a brave face on the situation. Arlene looked around the room to see if there was anything in the room she could use
'Hmm, a bedside table with a glass and a jug filled with water, a small paperclip on the tabletop, and the overhead light' she thought as she looked around
'If I can reach that paperclip…I can get out of these 'cuffs' she mused, as Misty had been teaching her some 'tricks'
Arlene pulled hard against the bedstead by grabbing the pole that the 'cuffs were around, and a small cracking noise was heard, so she pulled some more, and the top of the pole came out from the bedstead enough for her to slip the chain out through
She picked her hands up and bought the chain out through the gap, and sat up. She turned around and grabbed the paperclip and started straightening it to use as a lock pick, then started to fiddle the lock. One handcuff suddenly sprang open, and her hands were free. Suddenly there was a noise from outside the door, so Arlene closed her hand around the paperclip, lay down and put her hands back where they were a few minutes ago, feigning still being restrained
The door opens, and a guard looks in to see if she is alright, a quick visual glance told him everything was o.k. So the door closed again
Arlene sat back up again and began fiddling with the ankle shackles, all the time listening out for any more guards
Chapter 6
The phone call
Rally was anxiously waiting for a phone call to say what they wanted in exchange for her sister. John had linked Rally's cell phone up to his laptop with a data cable and was also waiting for them to call, so he could trace the location and start searching for Arlene, while Rally would be the distraction and do whatever depraved act the kidnappers wanted her to do
"Russians…" she went, "Predinski's behind it, I'm sure of it"
John looked at her, puzzled
"But it thought he was in jail, for various crimes, and that you put him there with your testimony, and the large quantity of drugs recovered from his warehouse…"
"He is, but I bet he planned this from his cell. I heard after the trial that at least half his men were let off as there was insufficient evidence against them" Rally replied
Misty was sitting on Rally's sofa "I hope she's O.K. Rally"
Rally sat down next to her and placed her arm around Misty "Hey…this is Arlene we're talking about here Misty. She's like me…she can handle herself"
"I know…" Misty began "but I'm still worried"
Just then, Rally's cell phone went off. Rally stood up and walked over to pick it up, John put his hand on hers "remember, we're not here. Talk normally"
Rally nodded, then picked the phone up and pressed the answer button
"Hello…Arlene Vincent" she went
"Da, Miss Vincent. How are we this evening?" went the Russian voice on the other end
"Can the small talk…what do you want for my sister?" she replied
"Straight to business…I like that, Miss Vincent, or is it Davenport. You see, I know all about your past…and it will be most useful tonight. I want you to go to the city museum and steal something for me. The Burnham diamond. Then you will go to the police department and hand yourself in. we will make sure that your sister joins you then"
"You want me to steal something, then hand myself in? WHY?" she asked
"That is of no concern to you…Miss Davenport. Just do it, or in a few hours your sister will be found…DEAD"
The phone call ended, and john was looking pleased
"GOT'EM!" he went, and pointed at the screen "a house in the Streeterville district of Chicago, within a 1 block radius of Fairbanks and Ohio"
"So we know where they are, but what do we do about their 'request'?" Rally goes
"I guess we fake it…" went John, "but you can't go and do it Rally, I need you as backup"
"I'll do it…" went Misty "I can put on a wig and look almost like Rally or Arlene, easy"
"Are you sure, Misty? This'll be dangerous" Rally cautioned her
"Yeah, I know…but if it'll bring Arlene back, then I'll do it"
John went over to the window, and looked out. He spotted an old Dodge parked up the road, with two passengers sitting in the car, watching the house
"Don't look now, but we are being watched" he went, and backed away from the window slowly, making it look innocent
Rally looked at John "they're watching us? Dammed!" she cursed
"I guess it's to make sure you go and do what they wanted you to do, Babes" John went
"Then we have no choice then…Misty, you'll have to do that" Rally shook her head as she said that "I just know I'm goanna live to regret this"
Misty smiled "I get to drive your Cobra, YES!"
It took Rally over an hour to make over Misty to look like her. She had helped her to put on and style a wig to look like her hairstyle, and got Misty to put on a set of her clothes
"There!" Rally went, looking at her handiwork
Misty turned around and looked at herself in Rally's full length mirror
"WOW" she went, looking in amazement at how closely she now resembled both Rally and Arlene
"Apart from being slightly shorter than me, you'll pass" Rally went "Just take care out there, and bring my car back in one piece, NOT pieces"
"You got it, Rally!" Misty replied cheerfully
Up the road from the house, the two men were watching the house carefully. The front door suddenly opened, and a woman looking like Rally, walked out of the front door and got into the Mustang, started it up and pulled out from the driveway, then pulled off down the street
"Follow her, comrade" went the passenger. The driver started the engine up on the dodge and pulled off down the road after the Mustang
As soon as the coast was clear, the real Rally and John went out to John's Cadillac, and drove off in the opposite direction towards the Streeterville district of Chicago
Chapter 7
Breaking and entering
The Cadillac cruised slowly up to a group of houses in Streeterville, around the location given by the tracer program on the laptop, and then stopped
"Which one do you think, Irene?" John asked, looking around at the buildings
"I'm not sure, John. I think I'll give Becky a call and see if she can find out if any of these houses are owned by anyone foreign"
Rally pulled her cell phone out again, and hit speed dial again, then put it to her ear
"Rebecca Farrah's residence, who's calling please?"
"Becky, it's me Rally. Can you run a house registry check for me please?"
"'Course I can…it'll cost you $500"
"$500! You can't be serious!" Rally went, bemused at the price
"HEY…a girl's got to make a living here, Ms Vincent. Wire me some cash and I'll get right on it"
Rally went quiet for a minute
"That's a bit difficult to do right now Becky. I'm sitting in John's car, on my mobile"
"ON YOUR MOBILE? CRANK CALL, CRANK CALL" Becky went, and then hung up quickly
Rally pulled the phone away from her ear, and looked at the phone "What was that all about?"
John just chuckled "She's afraid that it was an unsecured line. Anyone can pick up mobile calls with simple receiving equipment, and trace their origin. Heh, how did you think I got this location from that call, Rally?"
She just looked at John "Any bright ideas?"
John looked back at Rally, then grabbed his cane from the back of his car
"Just one, the classic door to door pretending to look for someone, until we find the right one"
"Do you think it'll work?" Rally asked
"Works for me…" he replied
The two of them got out of the old car, Rally pulled her gun out and checked it ready, and then she looked across at John
"Don't'cha think you'll need a gun at all?" she asked him
John looked back at her
"I'm a 3rd Dan black belt. I've never carried a gun in my life, and I have no intention of starting now Irene"
With that, John grabbed hold of his cane by the handle and slowly drew the blade out of the cane body, checking that it was as sharp as ever
"This is all I've ever needed, and I've never had to unsheathe it yet in anger" John replied
Rally just looked at the blade, glinting as the moonlight reflected off its body
"Let's split up, you take the houses on the left, I'll take the one's on the right"
"Gotcha John"
The two bounty hunters took a side each, starting with the first apartment house on their side. John pressed the buzzer for each flat, asking each one "excuse me, but I'm looking for Amanda Cisunhug, is she there please?" listening out for a Russian voice to reply
Rally was also buzzing flats, but was doing the old "pizza delivery, did someone order any?" trick
Up in the apartment that Arlene was being held, Arlene had freed herself from the shackles using the paperclip as a lock pick, and was now looking around the room for an alternative means of escape. She looked up at the air duct running across the ceiling, and saw that it was big enough for her to fit in
"Hmm, there's my way out" she went to herself, then climbed up on the bed and started to unscrew the screws holding the air flow panel on with her fingers
John was on the fourth house along. He pressed the buzzer for the top floor, and a Russian voice answered him
"Da?"
"Good evening. I'm looking for Amanda Cisunhug, I was told she lives here" he went
"You have been told wrong…GO AWAY!" went the voice, and then the intercom went silent
John signalled over to Rally "over here…" he went, beckoning her over with his arm
Rally ran over the road to meet John "What's up?" she went. John signalled to the top floor of the building, she nodded that she understood
The two of them went to the front door, and looked at the door. It was a reinforced door with a glass panel. Rally pulled her gun out, and was about to shoot the glass out to open the door, when John put his hand on her gun and shook his head, then bought his left hand up to his lips and signalled 'quiet' to her. He then proceeded to let go of her gun, and pulled his sword out from the cane body. John slipped the blade gently between the doorframe and the door on the side of the lock, and then whipped it down quickly. The door swung open on it's own slowly
They proceeded in and up the stairs to the top floor, being as quiet as possible. John was ready with his sword, Rally had her gun locked and loaded
Up in the air duct, Arlene was crawling slowly along on her hands and knees, trying to distribute her weight evenly to avoid the ducting giving out. She stopped over an open panel and looked down into the room below. It was a small room set out as a living room cum kitchen. Sitting down on a chair was the man who intimidated her earlier, and there were two other Russians sitting down watching television, their guns sitting on a small table by the side of them
Suddenly a guard came into the room, sounding panicked "She's escaped Comrades"
Ivan stood up and pulled his Ruger out of his holster, aimed at the guard and shot him once in the head, killing him
The other guards had a look of fear on their faces
Ivan stared at them "Don't just sit there…FIND HER!" he screamed
The other two guards got up hurriedly off their chairs, grabbed their guns and headed out of the room down the corridor to her room. Ivan followed them out of the room and closed the door behind him
Arlene saw this as an opportunity to get out of the ducting, and she pushed hard on the grating and it swung away. She dropped down to the floor as quietly as she could and looked around the room. She saw her gun and holster hanging up behind the front door, she went and grabbed the gun and started to pull it out of the holster, when the door at the other end of the room opened again, and Ivan was standing there. He aimed his Ruger at Arlene and shot her in the left shoulder blade. Arlene screamed in pain and dropped to the floor with her holster, the Ruger's bullet going right through her
Chapter 8
Gunfight at the old Kay Motel
The sound of 2 gunshots made John and Rally run up the stairs. They stopped at the door on the top floor, John kicked it hard and it swung open under the force of his boot, to reveal Ivan Romanov standing there with his gun pointing at the door, and Rally's sister on the floor, bleeding profusely from her shoulder wound, her blood all over the back of the door
"WHA? 2 OF YOU?" he went, shocked at the sudden unexpected development, then started shooting at Rally in the doorway
Rally dived to the left, avoiding the bullets fired at her from the powerful handgun, John went right
"GET IN HERE NOW!" Romanov screamed in Russian at the other two guards still down the hallway
They appeared behind him and also started to shoot at the doorway
"GET THE GIRL" went Romanov, pointing at the counter that Arlene was hiding behind.
Arlene had managed to pull her gun out of it's holster, and popped her head over the top of the counter and fired off a few shots of her own, before dropping back down from the intense pain in her left shoulder
Rally came back around the doorframe and fired off a couple of shots at the men, taking one of them down with a shot to the hand, causing him to drop the gun and being unable to use it again. She then ducked and went behind the counter to see if Arlene was all right
John appeared in the doorway, holding his sword cane in his right hand over his shoulder like a spear. A sudden movement from him, and the sword was flying towards the second man and it caught him on his right hand shoulder blade, causing him to swing around and the blade to go through him and pin itself into the door behind
Ivan realised he was outnumbered and turned around and went out the window onto the fire escape, clamouring up it like a frightened animal caught in the headlights of an oncoming car
"'LENE…you O.K sis?" Rally asked her, concerned at the bullet wound and the blood coming out of it
"Yeah yeah…I'm fine. It's not like I haven't been shot before, is it?" she replied, then winced when Rally put pressure on it to stem the blood flow
"What did they do to you?" she asked, looking at Arlene and the state of undress she was in
"Nothing yet, apart from shoot me" was the reply, and then she struggled to her feet, holding her gun in her right hand. Rally helped her up to her feet
"Let's get you back to the car" Rally went, taking her coat off and placing it over her shoulders "Then the hospital"
"Not yet sis…I want Romanov first" she replied, then went "I hope I can still shoot, I'm left handed"
"I'll mop up here Irene, you and your sister go take care of business" John went, and walked over to the Russian pinned to the door by his sword, and picked the gun up off the floor belonging to the second Russian shot in the hand, laying on the floor crying in pain
Rally and Arlene walked over to the window with the fire escape outside. Rally helped her sister outside, and then climbed out after her. Arlene struggled up the ladder to the roof and climbed out onto the rooftop, followed by Rally.
"Where is that son of a ...?" Arlene asked, looking around at the empty rooftop. Suddenly, gunshots aimed at the two women made them duck. Rally pulled Arlene down to the ground, then looked up and saw Romanov running off and hiding behind the rooftop air conditioner unit
"He's mine…" Rally went, getting up and sprinting off to the right, behind an old shed
"The hell he is…" went Arlene, forcing herself back to her feet, and trotting to behind a power relay.
Once there, Arlene popped the clip out of the gun and checked the number of bullets in it
"Only 3 bullets" she went, then pushed the clip back in the gun "better make 'em count then"
Rally was ducking and diving behind whatever was available on the rooftop as cover, trying to draw Romanov out into the open, and taking pot-shots at each other as they played cat and mouse
Romanov hid behind a large power relay, and stood up slowly to see where his nemesis was. Looking around he saw no-one, so assumed it was safe to try and escape back down the ladder to the car they had down on street level
He started to sneak across the rooftop back to the ladder, when the sound of a gun being cocked made him stop in his tracks
"Turn around slowly and place your hands on your head Romanov" went Rally in her typical bounty hunter style
"You…" he went, as he raised his hands slowly and turned around to face her "you are nothing but a thorn in my side, Rally Vincent."
He faced Rally fully, and saw that she was fully dressed
"How did you get dressed so quickly?" he asked
"Because I wasn't the one you caught and held to ransom, you stupid S.O.B" she replied, glaring at him hard
"That's right…I was…" goes another voice from behind him
Ivan turned his head to look over his shoulder, and saw the other undressed girl he shot pointing a gun at him
"So…who is who then?" he goes, turning around to face Arlene
"You already know my sister…" Arlene starts "who am I? I'm Arlene Vincent. Remember that name, as it's the last name you'll ever hear…"
Rally looks at her sister with shock on her face
"ARLENE NO!" Rally screams, and tried to run at Romanov and knock him over before she could do anything
Suddenly, Romanov bought his gun down and aimed it at Arlene
Arlene cocked her gun with her thumb, and fired the three shots out of the gun, the chamber clicking back when it was out of bullets
Romanov dropped to the rooftop with a sickening thud, his limp body falling awkwardly
Rally dropped to her knees next to the body of Ivan Romanov, and checked for a pulse, then looked at her sister with horror on her face
"How could you Arlene…how could you?" she asked softly
"It's no less than he…UMMPH" she starts to speak, but with the blood loss she suffered, Arlene collapsed on the rooftop, dropping her gun
"ARLENE…" Rally calls out, running to her sister's side
Chapter 9
Into custody
The paramedics and police were up on the rooftop, scene of the gunfight between 2 bounty hunters and a KGB hit man. Only 1 person was left standing on the rooftop, Rally Vincent
Her sister Arlene was suffering from critical blood loss and bullet wounds to the upper arm and shoulder. The other man was less fortunate, being put into a body bag and taken to the morgue for an autopsy
Rally went over to the paramedic, who was busy strapping Arlene down to the board for transport to the hospital
"Will she be O.K?" she asked, worried about her sister's condition
"It's hard to say for sure…she has suffered some blood loss, and she has already had a few drips. We can't be sure until she's in the hospital" the paramedic replied
John walked over to Rally and put a comforting arm around her
"She'll be O.K. I just know it 'Rene" he went, then kissed her gently
"I hope so, John…I hope so" she replied
Roy Coleman appeared over the top of the fire escape ladder, and headed over to Rally and John
"Hello Rally…nice to see you again John…" he greeted the two of them, shaking John's hand as well
Roy looked at Rally with disappointment in his eyes
"…You know why I'm here, don't you?" he went
Rally nodded her head slowly
"Yes" she went "Romanov's dead, and you need to find out who and why" she replied sullenly
"Who did it rally? Was it you? Or someone else?" he asked the question with purpose and meaning in his voice
"It wasn't me Roy…it was Arlene…but it was in self defence…go to the hospital and see for yourself Roy" Rally replied then added "She could still die Roy…he could have killed her and he may just have done it"
Rally turned to John and started crying on his jacket "I hope she doesn't die John…I…I need her…she's my…"
John just took Rally's head gently in his hands and tilts it up to look at her
"Think positive Irene…she's not going to die"
Roy just looks at the scene in front of him and goes "Well, I'm sorry to have to do this, but I'll have to place your sister under arrest until this is cleared up…so sorry Rally…but the law's the law"
With that, Roy turns and follows the board down, reading an unconscious Arlene her meander rights
"Don't worry Irene…I know a DAMN good lawyer back home who owes me a massive favour, time to call it in I think" John went, and a smile crept across his face
"This city's judicial system won't know what's hit it. He's the best"
Around a month later, Arlene was patched up and was out on bail, but had been charged with unlawful killing. But her self-defence plea had been taken into consideration for his acts and actions against her
The trial went ahead as scheduled, and all the evidence heard and all testimonies rendered. The lawyers argued for and against and summing up had finished
The jury was led back in, and the verdict passed to the bailiff, who passed it to the judge
"Would the defendant rise please…" went the judge
"Members of the jury…have you reached a verdict?" he asked
The jury's foreman read out the verdict "Yes we have your honour…we the jury find the defendant…not guilty of the unlawful killing of Ivan Romanov…"
The lawyer smiled, and turned around and shook John's hand
Rally, John, Misty, May, Ken, Mr Vincent and Becky all stood up at the verdict, cheering
"Case Closed…the defendant is free to go…this court is now in recess" the judge went, then slammed his gavel down hard to put the court in recess
Arlene turned around and hugged her lawyer with her good arm "Thank you…" she went
The group walked out of the courthouse, only to be besieged by reporters and news crews
"I'm getting out of here…" went Becky, ducking away from the group, while the rest of them were being bombarded with questions
"My client, Ms Vincent, Would like to say a few words…" went her lawyer
Arlene walked forward from the group to be seen, and stood there in front of the cameras, her left arm being supported in a sling over her business suit
"First off…I'd like to thank my lawyer who did a great job defending me…my sister and her other half for supporting me through this…Misty for being there for me, and finally…all the people who supported me" she went
"Ms Vincent…what do you plan to do now?" one female reporter asked
"Get back to work as soon as I am able to…" was the reply
Chapter 10
All's well that ends well
The small party headed for Rally's house, where there was a small buffet laid on in case. Everyone was invited back, to enjoy the food and the company
As the party got underway, Rally went into the kitchen to fetch some drinks out for their friends and family, when John followed her in
"Rally…Irene…" he went, looking at her
Rally stood there, dressed in a ladies business suit, similar to the one her sister had on, except hers was grey, Arlene's was black pinstripe
"Yes John…" she went and tried to brush past him with a tray and glasses. John just picked the tray and glasses out of her hands and swung them around and placed them back on the table behind Rally
Rally looked at him with a mix of angry and happy on her face "Quit clowning, willya?" she went
"Not before I ask you something first…" he replied
"What?" she went, folding her arms and looking at him. John gently unfolded her arms and led her to a seat and sat her down
"How long have we known each other now Irene?" he asked her
"Nearly a year, off and on…why?" she answered
"Because I wanted to ask you something, Irene Vincent…" he went, then got down on his knees in front of her
"I love you Irene…I mean it…no-one has ever made me feel like I do when I'm around you. It's a heady cocktail of loads of emotions. I want to be around you all the time, and I have no ties where I'm from…I just wanted to ask you…would you be my girlfriend, full time, not off/on like now…please say yes"
John went into his pocket and pulled out a velvet covered jewellery box shaped like a heart. He opened it and a small silver ring with a solitaire was in it
Rally looked surprised, shocked even. The ring was beautiful
"But…but what about your business back in L.A, your cars, house, your life?" she asked him, looking for an excuse
"I can bring my business here, my licence I can transfer to Illinois from California, the cars and the house are material, they can be replaced…and my life…my life is empty without you in it" he replied
"Where's Rally and those drinks?" called May from the buffet table
"I'll go see what's the hold up" Mr Vincent replied, walking to the kitchen door
Mr Vincent walked into the kitchen unexpectedly, and saw the scene in front of him
"Hullo…what have we here?" he went, looking at the two of them, then noticed the ring in the box in John's hand
"Um…I'll just take these and leave…" he went, picking up the tray
"WAIT, Dad…please" Rally went
Her father stopped and looked at her "yes Irene?"
She stood up and took the ring off John, then slipped it onto her finger
"What do you think dad?" she asked, admiring it
Mr Vincent stood there and looked at his daughter, put the tray down and brushed some wayward strands of hair off her face and kissed her gently on the forehead
"I think…that you two are perfect for each other" he went, and then offered his hand to John to shake
"Thank you Mr Vincent" went John, taking his hand and shaking it firmly
"If you let anything happen to her…you'll have me to deal with, right?" he went
"Yes sir!" went john, happily taking the warning
Mr Vincent opened the kitchen door, smiling like a Cheshire cat
"Ladies and gentlemen…may I present my daughter and future son-in-law…Irene Vincent and John Bolton"
The room turned and looked at the two in the doorway, holding on to each other, Rally proudly showing off her new ring
"WAY TO GO RALLY!" went May, smiling for her friend, before being silenced by a big kiss from Ken
Arlene looked at her sister, then at Misty. She walked slowly towards her and hugged her with her good arm
"I'm really happy for you Irene" she went, then added "I suppose this means I'm goanna have to find somewhere else to live now then…eh, lovebirds?"
Misty walks up behind Arlene "will you hell! You can finally move in with me now then"
Rally looked at Arlene "She's right. You spend more time there anyway. And you're not going until everything has been confirmed"
"I think that ring is a pretty big confirmation to me…" Arlene replied, then raised her eyebrows quickly
"Cut it out will you?" Rally went, gently play-punching her sister
John just stood there and laughed, then called out loud "ANYONE WANT TO BUY A HOUSE IN L.A?"
The end?
Awww! Rally's found a Man! Will it last though? Gunsmith cats will return again soon in another fanfic!