This is my first chapter story, I just hope there is a season two for a comparison.
The whole interrogation hinged on this one moment. He had been prepping for this one lie. As he answered questions and let himself be found out earlier it was all to insure he could make this one statement and be believed.
"Why don't you go bug Baptiste, he is the one that blew up the boat, killed a good man, he lost your book." Mr. GQ, or so he was calling him, paused in front of him. Jar suspended in the air his mind processed what he was being told, judging how truthful Chance was being. Just as Chance thought he was at least in the clear on the third jar dropping, he saw a far away look come into those eyes, and he knew something had just went wrong with his plan.
"No police, all that fighting, the shooting, the explosion. Where were the police?" Straightening up, he snatched up his coat and found a place to abandon the jar heading out into the other room. Chance's mind reeled with this turn of events. This wasn't in his plan, he tried to glance through the security glass that separated the rooms without expecting to glean any knowledge, but as he did he knew he had to move quickly. He had wanted to turn the tide back toward Baptiste, but somehow Winston had ended up in the line of fire.
He started a monologue with the guard as he tried to casually set himself up for attack. As he was ready to move the guard seemed to get a distracting message through his headset, not waiting for a better opportunity he moved. Flipping the chair with his feet, smashing the last jar against the guard's helmet he lunged for the hidden weapon under the table, slicing his bindings he used it efficiently to put the guard down. He heard gunfire erupt form the rest of the building. He felt glass crunch into his bare feet as he made a beeline for the gun stashed in the next room. The former occupant had taught him as much even after he was gone as he had when he was alive about playing this game, this deadly game.
As he took down 3 guards and skidded to a stop where he knew the others were being kept he was stunned, it was empty. All the main players were missing, just expendable help was still slinking around. Mr. GQ had leapt to the wrong conclusion and now it appeared Winston was going to pay for Chance's miscalculation. He heard someone approach from behind and realized his screw ups weren't over. He was about to be gunned down and never have a chance to make his Winston mistake right. His body flinched with the sound of the gunshots but feeling no repercussions from it he spun to confront the threat, stunned yet again at the figure that presented itself to him.
His mind reeled at the sight of the old man. His body was starting to feel physically ill as all these events unfolded. "Hello, Junior", just hearing it made a bad taste form in Chance's mouth. Giving vent to his frustrations he pulled the trigger twice, feeling both disappointment and relief when it clicked empty. The shocked look on the old man's face made the disappointment bloom again, he was now wishing the shocked looked was mixed with pain from the bullets that weren't there. But in his usual style the old man recovered and stepped forward remarking offhandedly about saving his life, something he refused to acknowledge.
Work together, is that what he just heard, shaking his head in denial he refuted "I'm not going anywhere with you" which should have set the man straight, but a personality that hadn't changed since they met showed through one that was accustomed to things being done his way. "I don't think you have a choice right now"
Yes he was going after Winston but on his own, not with this snake, he didn't need him. Then they both froze as they heard a gun cock, Chance started grinning on the inside as he heard Guerrero's voice backing him up. No way he needed the old man now he thought as Carmine added his two cents.
"My chopper will be leaving from the marina in 1 hour, be there." He turned and gave Guerrero a dismissing look down the end of the barrel pointed at him and walked off. Chance thought for a second Guerrero was going to finish what his empty gun had been unable to do, but for whatever reason he passed this time.
Watching his retreating back until he was out of their sight they both turned back around to lock eyes. Guerrero's mouth opened, but Chance shook his head negatively, no talking yet. Chance scanned the floor, it was dangerous to stay where they were without securing the building, but time was not something they had. He glanced back at Guerrero and saw him looking at the floor, he looked down to see he was leaving a bloody trail of footprints, he could feel the glass grinding into the pads of his feet. Guerrero's mouth opened again but he shook his head and motioned for him to follow. They headed toward the stairs while Carmine laid down, his work done for the moment.
He lead them up to the bathroom, motioning Guerrero inside he shut the door and turned on the shower full blast along with the sink taps. With the cover of the noise, he rummaged around in the cabinet for tweezers to address his feet issues. Guerrero arched an eyebrow at his paranoia but shrugged and began to talk, rummaging around in the cabinet for what Chance would need after picking out the glass. "Where's Winston? What did the old man mean about meeting him on the chopper? What happened to your feet?" Chance paused from balancing on one foot and glanced up with a little bit of a smirk on his face. It was rare that Guerrero was rattled and showed it, but it appeared today's events had done it. Chance didn't blame him and for a second it was a little thing that took his edge off for a moment. Guerrero scowled back as he realized he was babbling, but the realization also seemed to relieve his tension too. Chance went back to concentrating on the glass, wincing as he tried to pull a piece out. Guerrero grabbed the tweezers from his hand and pushed him into a seated position on the commode. Pulling the bloody appendage up and over the sink bowl he began none to gently to pull the glass out, causing Chance to grab behind him for the support of the shower so as not to be upended off his perch.
With self reproach in his voice Chance tried to bring him up to speed, " I was trying to steer our interrogator back toward Baptiste regarding the book, but it backfired and he zeroed in on Winston instead. I assume he took him now believing he knows where the book is."
"The book is lost, no one has it." Guerrero stated as he plucked another sharp piece out and pinged it into the sink. When Chance didn't respond he glanced up and his eyes narrowed.
"I have the book" Chance admitted, Guerrero's narrowed eyes widened in disbelief.
"No one has the book" Guerrero stated again with a little more force, correcting Chance's facts in the story. The continued silence made Guerrero pause in his ministrations. "You've had the book all this time" his voice held disbelief and a little hurt. Hurt that Chance had kept this to himself.
"This situation is exactly why I didn't tell anyone" after a pause "Not even Carmine" he searched Guerrero's face to see if his attempt to soften his hurt had helped, but judging by the set of his jaw it had not. "Listen that book is dangerous and I thought everyone believed it was lost, heck, look at this mess we're in now because of it. " He sighed and closed his eyes, a mess where again someone who didn't deserve it was going to be paying the price he should be.
"Hey" Guerrero brought him back to the present, "you did what you had to, SO what are we going to do now?" Guerrero finished extracting glass from the one foot and slathered antiseptic on it. Chance gasped in a breath at the sudden sting and shot him a dirty look. Ignoring it, he dropped it down off the sink and levered the other foot up. Chance took the opportunity to collect his thoughts, "Main thing is that book cannot get into anyone's hands. Look, I know you have family to look after, you can walk away from this right now" Guerrero looked up and opened his mouth to form a comment, anger clear on his face.
"Dude, if you think I would cut and run on this situation…" he let it trail off, the words still fresh in his mind that it was his fault someone had tracked Chance down. "Listen I have taken precautions regarding that situation, don't even figure it in right now."
Chance nodded "Ok, if you are sure" He received a grunted affirmation.
"Something is not right in this whole set up today but I can't put my finger on it and don't have time to figure it out at the moment. So I am going to keep my enemies close, which means," a pause with hesitation "going with him." They way he said those last three words caused Guerrero's skin to crawl. A deep breath continued with "This is what I need you to do"
For the next 15 minutes as Guerrero finished up with the other foot, he listened as Chance outlined his plan and the bathroom filled up like a steamy rain forest with humidity. At the end Guerrero gave serious consideration to the fact that this might be the last time he saw Chance, considering the plan. Their careers had always left that as a high possibility, but listening to this plan and his demeanor regarding his immediate travel plans, Guerrero would admit he was scared.
Chance gingerly stood up on his doctored feet and poised his hand to turn off the shower, giving Guerrero one last look to make sure there were no questions before they exited their powwow. He shook his head as he put items back in the medicine cabinet and turned the sink off as Chance turned the shower off. Exiting the bathroom Chance began up a conversation for the benefit of others if such was the case.
" I am going to get changed, can you drop me off at the marina?" he directed a little loudly as he switched clothes and found some white socks for his feet, not that they would stay that way for long. Guerrero began making a mental list of what was going to be required of him and he started down the stairs. His eyes landed on Carmine, well he could stay at his neighbors while things were going down.
He saw Chance come down the stairs ready to go, carrying nothing. Guerrero gave him a questioning look, making the universal symbol for a gun with his hand. Chance shook his head negatively as he approached, calling out "ready to go?"
Guerrero answered with a "yes" as he scowled about Chance's choices. Whistling for Carmine as they headed to the elevator, both slowed with caution again as they were reminded of the carnage that had happened there today. As they stepped over debris and bodies, Chance checked his watch, they were cutting it close on the time limit but he was fairly sure no one would leave without him, especially if he was being watched and "they" knew he was on his way.
As they left the building and headed for the car, Guerrero veered off toward a different vehicle. Chance gave him the questioning look now, for which he received "you aren't the only one who is paranoid." As they got in the private space of the car Guerrero berated him, "You can't go in there unarmed, without a phone or a way for me to track you"
"Listen this is the guy that knows all the tricks, he taught me, if I try to go in there and pull something I am going to get caught fast. The one thing that may throw him off is me going in with no tricks, he will be looking for something and not being able to find it may give me the edge I need over him. It is all I have at the moment, sorry."
Guerrero started the car and headed out, the sick feeling in his stomach churning away. They were all off balance and it wasn't getting any better, he had to let Chance take off with no way to track him, into a situation that he knew had Chance off balance because of who he was having to return to work with. He could leave now and Guerrero might never know what happened to Chance or Winston, they could disappear never to be heard from again. He shuddered; he was not used to this side of the coin. He was the one who threw terror into people.
They rode in silence as they approached the marina, the closer they got they could see the chopper waiting with the old man ramrod straight standing outside waiting.
Yup Chance was sure now he was keeping tabs on them As they pulled up they both hesitated on getting out, small talk bounced between the two.
"Keep an eye on those feet, dude"
"Keep an eye on Carmine"
Both looking for ways to delay the inevitable and finding none they finally broke eye contact. Getting out they slowly made their way toward the chopper, when Guerrero reached the limit of approach for someone not boarding Chance turned back around, "You know what to do, right" a command, a quiet pleading command.
Chance too knew that once he boarded that chopper he was in the most danger he had been in probably in his life.
"No problem, I'll see you on the other side", they were not into emotional scenes but this was heavy. Chance nodded and turned to go, "Chance," Guerrero yelled. Chance turned around, a slight hope in his eyes that his trip was going to be called off by a miracle.
"We're going to get him back" Guerrero knew it was lame and cliché but it was all he had. The hope was quickly replaced by resignation in Chance's eyes, making Guerrero want to beckon him back, convince him there was another way. Before anything could stop him Chance turned and boarded the chopper without even a glance at the old man. As the chopper headed east Guerrero saw Chance continue to keep eye contact with him out the chopper door window until it was physically impossible.
Guerrero turned back toward the car and could finally hold it in no longer, after dry heaving beside the car he wiped his mouth on his sleeve and parked himself in the driver seat. With no prompting question from Carmine, he told him "We will get them both back."