Burn Notice: I don't own, it, I just like to play with it.

It's the End Of the Line, Kid

By WritePassion

She could have kicked herself for not calling ahead to have the limo driver take her to the art museum. If Miami traffic didn't cooperate, she would be more than fashionably late, so Elsa was moving as quick as her stiletto heels would allow. Each footfall echoed off the concrete parking structure attached to the hotel. Tires squealed from below, and a sense of annoyance tugged at her. If that was Tommy racing one of her customers' cars again…. A sound to the right perked up her ears. Someone was walking with solid steps that seemed to be coming her way. Ever since Sam returned home from being on the run, common noises like that put her on alert.

Elsa shifted the keys in her hand and prepared to strike out if necessary. Sam had tried to convince her to carry a gun, but despite his comfort with them, they scared her. Instead, he showed her a few moves and tricks to protect herself. Reaching out to place one hand on the driver's side door and her other hand holding the keys ready to lash out, Elsa felt less than prepared despite everything Sam taught her.

"Hi, there," the older man said with a grin that reminded Elsa of an alligator, and his eyes held the same cold look as one of those reptiles just before it snapped its jaws over its prey. He knew she was afraid, and his grin widened. "Oh, don't worry, I'm not gonna do anything to you. I just need your help."

"My help?" Elsa studied him from head to toe but didn't let down her guard, despite the fact that he wore a designer suit, a tailored shirt, and fine imported shoes, and spoke in such a charming tone.

"Yeah, I, uh, I'm having trouble with my car." He pointed a thumb over his shoulder. "It won't start."

"Well, I'm sorry to hear that. If you go into the hotel, someone will be able to assist you." Elsa's fingers curled under the door handle. If he took one step closer she would swipe at him with the keys and slip inside the vehicle before he could recover.

He took the step she was dreading and Elsa pulled on the handle. How he got close so fast, pressing her into the side of the car, she didn't know. She tried to maintain her composure, but his weight threatened to squeeze the air from her lungs.

"Leave me alone!" She protested and ground her heel into the instep of his expensive shoes, but it didn't seem to bother him. A sharp, cold blade pressed against her jugular, and she stopped squirming. "Please, just take my purse and leave me alone. Hell, you can have my car. Just… just don't hurt me." How she managed to speak without her voice shaking was a mystery, because her entire body vibrated with fear.

The man laughed and took a step back, and the knife blade clicked into its handle as he released her. "Like I said, I don't wanna hurt you. I just need some information."

Elsa's body hugged the side of the car and she pressed her back into it as she turned to face her attacker. She wanted to get a good look at him in case she had to identify him in a lineup later. That is, if she survived. The man looked like he had murder written in his eyes. "What do you want," she found the words to ask.

"I know you're Sam Axe's girlfriend. Elsa, right?" He nodded and said, "I'm Larry. Larry Sizemore. Michael Westen and I go way back."

She hesitated a beat before responding. "You're a friend of Michael's? I find that hard to believe."

"Well, I wouldn't exactly call us friends. We have a unique relationship, and I kinda feel like I'm his mentor, a substitute father figure if you will." He smirked at the disgusted sneer on Elsa's face. "I know Axe is back in town. If Michael is with him somewhere, I'd really like to know."

"I have no idea where he is, and I don't think Sam knows either. He's finished with that life." Every nerve ending in her body sparked and her eyes darted about, looking for an escape. What Sam had told her about Larry scared her, but she always took comfort in the fact that he would never come after them. "I thought you were supposed to be…."

"Dead?" Larry's laughter bounced off the columns and ceiling, and he leaned back, reveling in the circumstance that he alone found humorous. "You know what they say, the rumors of my demise were greatly exaggerated. Fiona Glenanne failed to blow me up. Sure, I got a little singed, but after some recovery time I'm all better, as you can see." In his self-absorption and confidence, he did a slow turn with his arms out, showing off his slim build.

Elsa held her tongue, thinking that no doubt Michael and his friends would beg to differ. "Yes, well, if you'll excuse me, I'm late for an important meeting. I'll tell Sam you're looking for Michael, and can I tell him how to contact you?"

"Don't worry, I'll find him." Larry's eyes were as cold as ice again. "I know he hangs around here a lot." He took a step back and said, "You have a pleasant day, Miz Elsa."

The grin on his face did nothing to put her at ease. Elsa nodded, got into her car and locked the door as soon as she was inside. With her eyes on him, she started it and backed out of the space, not caring if she rolled over his shoes. They must have been steel-toed, because her earlier attempt at crushing his foot didn't work. His hard gaze never left her until she turned and drove down the ramp to the exit, and his attention made goose bumps race up and down her arms. She punched the air conditioning button to turn it off, but it wasn't on, which only made her shiver more.

Her afternoon was ruined now, and her meeting seemed trivial compared to the importance of Larry being alive. Stopped at a light, Elsa looked around to make sure Larry wasn't following her. Then she called the museum. "Elayna, this is Elsa. Sorry, I can't talk right now. I just wanted to let you know that I can't make the meeting today. Come to my office tomorrow and we'll recap over lunch, okay? 'Bye." She didn't let the museum director get in a word, because if she did, Elsa was afraid she might blab everything. She needed to go home and talk to Sam. Hopefully he was there.

Elsa walked into the house, dropped her purse on the table in the entryway, and her keys slipped from her hand into its depths. They probably landed in the wrong pocket again, but at the moment she wasn't thinking about that. The encounter with Larry Sizemore still haunted her. Even his name sounded creepy. She couldn't wait to talk to Sam, because he would know what to do and put her at ease. She hoped that she was making a big deal over nothing, but then Larry's words and the way he spoke them haunted her, and she realized that she couldn't deny that this was serious.

Sam lounged poolside, staring at the bay as he mulled over a mojito and a thick file that was propped up on his bent legs. She came around to watch him for a few moments as he wrote furiously on a pad of paper. When he was so focused with his lips pursed and concentration setting his face, he looked downright sexy. The bare legs and the open Hawaiian shirt showing off his tan didn't hurt either. Still shaken by Larry, Elsa forced herself to smile and perched on the edge of the lounger, and she skimmed her hand over his warm shin.

Sam's head shot up and he looked at her with a look of surprise. "Elsa! I... what time is it?" He glanced at his watch lying on the side table. "I wasn't expecting you to be home until five. I thought you had a meeting to go to first." As he spoke he studied her. She tried to appear as if nothing was out of the ordinary, but Sam had a keen sense when it came to her. The corner of her mouth couldn't twitch without him picking up that something was wrong.

"I did, but…."

He closed the folder, set it and the pad of paper on the table to his right, and lay the pen atop it before he leaned forward and took the hand she placed on his knee. "Is everything okay, Baby?"

There was no use trying to hide it. After all, she wanted him to address this, yet deep inside she couldn't help feeling like he was better off not knowing. Elsa let out a deep breath. "I was on my way to the art museum for my meeting. I was leaving the hotel, and in the parking structure I met this man."

Elsa had to take a breath before the sense of terror could overtake her. If she dwelled on it, she could smell Larry's cologne on her suit jacket, which unnerved her. While she composed herself, Sam waited in silence for her to continue. He held her hands and squeezed them in support, urging her to continue.

"He said he wanted to talk to you."

"Me?" Sam's eyebrow rose. "Did he give you his name?"

"He said he was looking for Michael and you were the best lead he had," Elsa continued, the words flowing out of her mouth like an uncontrollable river. "There was this creepy, icy look in his eyes." She met Sam's with her own. "It was like death staring back at me. He terrified me. I was so shaken up, I just said I would pass on the message and hurried to get into my car." She paused and added. "He said he would get in touch with you at the hotel because he knows you hang out there."

Sam kneaded her hands in his, trying to calm her. "Who was he?"

She sniffed and swiped at her eye, leaving a faint streak of mascara. Normally she would have cared, but not at that moment. Taking a calming breath, she said, "He told me his name was Larry. Larry Sizemore."

That name was like a vacuum sucking all the air out of Sam's lungs. He sat frozen in place, staring at Elsa behind his sunglasses, his hand gripping her arm. Thanks to the late afternoon sun, Elsa could see his wide eyes behind the lenses. She knew it. This Larry fellow was someone terrible and she was probably lucky to have escaped without being harmed.

"Who is he? I know you told me a little about him, but... he seemed like he had a lot of rage under his skin."

Sam came to his senses and caressed her arm as he gave her a placating smile. "It's okay, Baby. He's someone from Mike's past that you don't need to worry about. Excuse me a minute." He released her and got up from the lounger so fast, Elsa teetered sideways and had put out a hand to catch herself.

"Where are you going? Sam!" She called to his retreating back as he tore around the corner of the pool and headed for the house. "Who is this guy?" She jumped to her feet and followed him, but when he was in this state of mind, it wasn't easy to keep up without running.

By the time she found Sam in the study, he was on the phone talking to someone. She realized that it had to be Fiona or Jesse, because Michael was again missing and not communicating with anyone.

"Fi, it's bad. Really bad. Larry's back... yeah, don't ask me how, but he is. Elsa had an encounter with him in the hotel parking garage today." He listened a moment, and his face fell. "Seriously, Fi? I can't believe you. It was because of Larry that you went to prison, have you forgotten that? We've gotta find him and stop him, before... uh, huh. Great, you and Carlos have a blast. Jesse and I'll take care of Larry."

Elsa listened and wondered. She knew that Fiona had been arrested and was well on her way to a lethal injection or life in prison for killing two guards and, supposedly, this Larry guy. She didn't know how Fiona was released from prison, but everything seemed to go downhill from there and her man had to go on the run with his friends. Anger rose up in her. She would not let that happen again. Elsa would do what she had to in order to prevent Sam from getting involved. It was too bad for his friends, but she had to draw the line somewhere before he tipped over the edge and lost her, or worse, his life.

"Fi, please. Do you really want me and Jesse to get the glory for taking out Larry?" As he listened to her, his mouth froze into a grim line. "Fine. Thanks for nothing." Sam ended the call by jamming the off button with his thumb, growled, and ran a hand through his hair.

Elsa approached him, smiling, trying to put him at ease. "What's going on, Sammy?" She enveloped him in her arms and her hand cupped the back of his head as he melted into her. Her fingers buried in his hair and his chin rested on her shoulder as he held her close. The muscles in his forearms were tense like cords wrapped around her upper body, but as she caressed his back with one hand, he relaxed.

"I'm sorry to get you into the middle of this," he mumbled into her collar. "Forget it. Let's just have dinner in tonight. I gave Theresa the night off, but I can whip up something real quick and..."

"Wait a minute," Elsa pulled back and pressed a splayed hand into his chest as her eyes locked on his. "I thought we were going out to eat and heading to the opera afterwards."

"Aw, come on, Baby, you know how I feel about all that caterwauling," Sam teased and smiled, but the humor didn't reach his eyes. "I'd much rather spend the evening here with you, snuggled up on the couch watching an old movie. Hey, I'll even put up with a musical. What do you say?"

He should have known better. She could read him like a billboard. "You're afraid for me to be out in public. That's what this is about, isn't it."

"No, it isn't. I just..."

"No, don't lie to me, Sammy!" She broke away and held up a finger to stop him. "I know you too well. This Larry guy has got you spooked, and it sounds like Fiona isn't going to back you up, so now you feel like you're alone." She planted a hand on her hip and muttered, "This is a fine mess Michael left."

"It's not Mike's fault. Larry just... well, he's got this weird fatherly attraction to Mike. Not even blowing him up could shake it, apparently." Sam looked embarrassed for his friend. "The guy's got more than one screw loose, honey, and he already knows where your hotel is. He might even know where you live. I don't want to take the risk of helping him if he hasn't already worked it out." He closed the distance between them and took her arms in his tender hands, and emotion flooded his eyes as he said, "I don't want him to use you to get to me and force me to give up Mike's location."

"Do you know where Michael is? Maybe you can call him, tell him he needs to get back here and clean up his mess."

Sam shook his head. "All I know is he's still in the Dominican Republic. He's gotten deeper with... with this guy. If I can't get Jesse to help, I'm on my own here."

A heavy sigh escaped her. She hated that he kept things from her, but she trusted that he did it for a good reason. Still, that didn't mean she liked it. "If there's anything I can do..."

"No!" The forcefulness of his tone and the look of fear for her in his eyes was enough to make Elsa shake in her stilettos again.

"This Larry Sizemore is really dangerous, isn't he."

"More than you realize." He swallowed. "Elsa, is there any way you can take a trip and get out of town for awhile?"

New fear gripped her as she exclaimed, "He'll know I'm running."

"But if I hold him off, you'll be off his radar. He won't bother with you anymore," Sam said. "I just want to make sure that you're out of the line of fire."

Elsa choked back the fear that his words brought up from inside her. She wracked her brain, going over her calendar in her mind. "I suppose I could go to New York. I've wanted to meet with a designer up there to talk about redecorating some of the suites."

"Good. Excellent," Sam said, a wavering smile crossing his face. He caressed her arm. "Why don't you go get packed, I'll call the airport and have the G7 waiting for you, and you can be there tonight?"

"No, I'm not leaving that fast," Elsa protested. "Surely we can have one night alone before I go?" She was afraid that it might be her last chance if Larry Sizemore was as dangerous as she feared. A caress of his cheek, fingertips raking over his stubble and her thumb settling into the place where his dimple created a small, permanent impression, along with a soft kiss, were all she needed to convince him to relax and let her stay the night.

When he came up for air, Sam whispered, "Okay, first thing tomorrow I want you to go. I'll have your assistant rearrange your schedule, and I'll take care of your meetings myself if I have to."

Elsa laughed, her breath soft against his jaw line. "You've never wanted me to leave you so badly before."

Sam didn't crack a smile as he replied, "I'm doing this for your own safety."

A rush of love surged through her and she held him tighter. "I love you, Sammy. Thank you for being so worried about me."

"I love you too, Elsa." He blinked and added, "If something happened to you... I don't even wanna think about it." He pressed her into his body. "Mike has no idea what he's been missing by keeping Fiona at arm's length. No idea at all." His lips joined with hers, and the electricity and power of his emotions shot through her.

There would be no dinner or a movie that night. Instead, two hungry souls would take in each other's love with a subtle dance of desperation behind the expression of their feelings. And after Elsa fell asleep in his arms, Sam's mind raced, pondering what tomorrow might bring.