How Far Will You Go for a Friend?
The tall former marine strolled into the Montecito surveillance room like he did everyday.
"Hey Mitch what do we have going today?" Danny asked
"Not much, we had a dice switch earlier." Mitch replied
"Oh yeah, how'd you catch him?" Danny asked out of curiosity
"They were purple with glitter" Mitch laughed. Danny smiled and laughed.
The phone rang, but Mitch got to it before Danny did and gave him a smile. Danny continued scanning the monitors as he heard Mitch talk in the background and then hang up the phone
"Danny, metro's down in the lobby to pick up the dice cheat."
"Okay I guess I'll go and meet them." As Danny made his way through the crowded casino he suddenly felt a firm grip on his arm.
Danny swerved around to find an older man with short brown hair looking at him. Danny had never seen this man before and therefore was now a little pissed that some stranger came up to him and felt that he could grab him like he was a child. Danny looked back at this stranger with a look of confusion.
"Excuse me, can I help you?" Danny asked in a very polite and professional voice.
"Yeah kid, you could tell me where in the hell I can find Ed Deline" The short older man said
"And you are…?" Danny asked
"Let's just say I am a former colleague of Ed's"
Danny smiled; he was always coming up with some new theory about Ed's past.
"So you guys were in the uh…" Danny looked at the man half expecting him to finish his sentence for him when he suddenly got the Ed Deline 'look of death' from the older man. "Ok well Ed's up in his office, if you'll just come this way."
"Hey Mitch push in on P3 on the short older guy." Ed commanded "What the hell?" Ed murmured under his breath.
The camera was fallowing them up until the point when they reached the outside of the surveillance room door. Danny took out his pass key and had the older man escorted to a conference room.
"Hey Mitch where's Ed?" Danny said glancing around not seeing his boss.
"He just hurried up to his office" Mitch replied not looking away from the computer screen.
Danny walked up the few stairs to Ed's office.
"Hey Ed I have a guy down in the conference room, he says that he used to work with you."
"Yeah I guess you could say that." Ed replied with a look of anger on his face.
"Everything alright Ed?" Danny asked out of concern.
"Yeah, yeah kid I'm fine where did you say he was?"
"The conference room, you sure you're ok, Ed?"
"Kid I said I'm fine, now drop it!"
Ed walked into the conference room with Danny close behind
"Danny, shut the door and the blinds." Ed commanded with a tone that was steady, but a face that had 'I'm gonna kick your ass' all over it.
Danny did as he was told knowing that his boss always had a reason for what he did.
As soon as the blinds were shut Deline grabbed the man, that was about Ed's age, and shoved him against the wall.
"What the hell are you doing here Harry? I thought that I told you I never wanted to see you again?"
Danny stood back and watched with his hands behind his back, used to his boss losing his temper.
"Easy Ed, I see that you still have that famous temper of yours. I have a proposition for you." The man that Ed had called Harry said half-smiling
"Well you can forget about it, I told you the last time I saw you that I was done with you." Ed Yelled letting Harry go. Ed turned around looking at Danny and then quickly looking away.
Ed then stormed out of the room back up to his office.
"Don't you move!" Danny commanded with a look of disgust towards Harry "Greg! Guard this door, don't let anyone in or, more importantly, out!" Danny again commanded. He then rushed towards Ed's office. "What the hell was that Ed?" Ed gave Danny one of those looks that told him if he continued talking he'd kill him. Danny didn't care at this point. "Ed I'm not going to drop this one, the last time I saw you look at someone like that was…" Danny knew that this was going to be a touchy subject; they haven't talked about it since the day it had happened. "… I haven't seen you look like this since that jack-ass took Delinda." Ed looked up at Danny with a look that Danny wasn't expecting. It was a look that Ed seemed to give Danny more frequently. It was a good look, a look that let Danny know Ed was proud of him.
"Kid I know you know what I did to that guy and I just want to thank you for all of your help that night."
"Ed, I love Delinda and I would do anything for you guys."
"Kid, I know that. I just wanted to say that I am proud of you."
"Thanks Ed." Danny looked at Ed with a very serious face out of concern and confusion. He didn't understand why Ed was telling him this. The kidnapping happened over a month ago, why was he acting this way? "So are you going to tell me what's up with this Harry guy or not?" Ed smiled and looked back up at Danny.
"He uh… worked with me on one of my special assignments..."
"Yeah I got that much Ed."
"Are you going to let me do this or not?" Ed barked, Danny looked back down at the floor then back at Ed "Harry was with me when we took Jack, Nessa's father, into that warehouse to trade information. Little did I know that Harry over there had made a trade of his own. He had made a deal with these people stating that he would trade Jack for some information that would not help anyone but himself. I couldn't do anything because if I had said something it would have blown our cover for the other reason we were there in the first place. That was the last time I saw Jack. When we left the warehouse Harry blackmailed me into staying quiet or he would tell the agency about one of my covert operations gone wrong. That son-of-a-bitch in there is the reason that Jack was out of Nessa's life for so long and why Jack, Nessa, and Adonna are on the run right now."
Danny stood there quietly in shock. "And why haven't you killed him?" Danny asked knowing Ed too well.
Ed Laughed and looked back up at his young protégé "Because he is on the reservation for one and number two if I did kill him the agency would look at me first." Ed gave Danny another one of those 'Proud' looks.
Mike suddenly walked in breaking the silence. Ed looked at Danny shaking his head no, as if telling him not to say anything.
"Who's the guy in the conference room? Greg wouldn't even let me in." Mike asked smiling in his bright orange shirt. Ed looked at Mike.
"No one, hey Mike, Mitch said that there was an issue on the floor, but I have Danny taking care of something else right now can you take care of it?"
"Sure Mr. D" the bald African-American said with a puzzled look on his face.
Danny figured that this has got to be something important to Ed considering that he wouldn't tell Mike, even though Danny liked it when Ed confided in him he still found it strange and was a little worried.
Mike left and Danny looked back down at Ed starting to get up from his desk.
"Let's go see what this guy wants." Ed said clapping Danny on the back
Mike grabbed is suit coat off the back of the chair in the surveillance area watching Danny and Ed go into the conference room that he wasn't aloud in. Mike was getting used to the fact that Ed trusted Danny more than he did Mike, but it still bothered him.
"Are you ready to hear my proposition now Ed?" Harry asked with that ridiculous smirk still on his face.
Danny was still looking at him in disgust using all his might not to reach over and strangle him. Danny thought to himself for a moment that Ed had rubbed off on him a bit a smiled to himself. Harry started talking again and the thought quickly faded and all Danny's anger came back.
"You wouldn't want the word about your little covert operation to get now would you Ed?" Luckily for Harry, Ed was sitting at the opposite side of the table.
"What's your proposition Harry?" Ed asked rolling his eyes and sighing
"I need you to take someone out for me." Ed laughed "Reader, Bobby Reader."
Again Ed laughed looking at Danny who was standing half way between Ed and Harry with his hands still behind his back "I'm not going to kill anyone for you"
"You know Ed you have always played the macho guy card, but I have always known that you were just another bitch."
Danny lost it. He walked over in one stride and picked the old man up by the collar of his shirt and threw him against the wall pinning him there with his feet dangling. Harry dangled from the wall, for the first time since he had been there he had a look of pure terror in his eyes. Ed slowly came up behind Danny and started talking to Harry while Danny still had him pinned.
"Now what were you saying Harry?" Ed said with the biggest smile on his face. Ed clapped Danny on the shoulder indicating for him to let Harry down. Danny slowly looked over at Ed as Ed nodded his head in assurance. Danny let go taking a step back.
"What I meant was that I need your help Ed. There's someone after me. Will you consider coming to my aid?"
Ed Laughed once again still with that huge smile on his face. "See now that's better. Now what's this you say about someone after you? Not that I am saying I will help you."
"Bobby Reader is under the impression that I sold some information to some bad people." Harry mumbled
"Well you do have a history for doing that sort of thing Harry. Did you do it?" Ed's smile had now disappeared and he looked at Harry with a very pissed off look on his face.
Harry looked down at the floor "I had no choice Ed,"
"Just like you had no choice to send Jack into that warehouse?" Ed said with his jaw clenched
"They kept me in a cellar for two weeks torturing me. The only reason I got out of there was because I gave them the information. They would have killed me if I didn't"
"You don't think that me and everyone else at the company hasn't been in that situation. I never gave up information, NEVER! Why didn't you do us all a favor and let them kill you?"
Harry sat there quietly. "So are you going to help me Ed?"
"I'll talk to Reader and see what I can do, but only if you swear that you'll never show you face in my city again. And I mean it Harry! If I ever see you again I swear on my mother that I'll kill you with my bare hands." Ed said with that look of death in his eyes.
"Hey Mike have you seen Daddy and Danny?" Delinda said very cheerfully although Delinda was always bubbly like that.
"Um yeah I think they're upstairs dealing with something." Mike said starting to walk away again
"Thanks Mike" Delinda said giving Mike a peck on the cheek then walking away still very cheerful and bubbly.
"Hey Mike there are a couple of young ladies in the lobby asking for a Nicole Reader. They said that she was in the surveillance room." Marry said with a sort of stressed look on her face.
"Nicole? I have no idea what you're talking about. You sure they're not asking for one of Sam's whales or something?" He said with a distracted look on his face.
"Mike." She said again with a look of distress on her face.
"I'll look into it Mary." He said with a look of pity towards her. Mike then turned around flipping open his cell phone speed dialing Danny's cell. It rang once and he answered.
"Danny McCoy."
"Danny it's Mike, listen there are a couple of ladies down in the lobby asking for a Nicole Reader, I'm headed down there right now to check it out. Any idea who she is?"
"Reader that's the last name of this guy Harry's talking about."
"Harry? Who's Harry?" Mike asked confused.
"What, oh nobody, hey listen go don't there and keep them busy. Do whatever you have to; just don't let them leave this hotel.
"That was Mike; apparently there are a couple of ladies down in the lobby asking for a Nicole Reader." Danny said looking towards Ed. Then both of their heads rotated towards Harry.
Greg poked his head in the conference room "Mr. D, Danny, Delinda's out here asking for you guys."
"Is she ok?" they both asked simultaneously then looked at each other with a sort of smile.
"Yeah she just needs to talk to you" Greg replied
"Ok tell her we'll be out in a minute" Ed said "You sit there and don't move!" Ed barked looking over at Harry. The two men walked out of the room still filled with hatred. Then they saw Delinda and the feeling faded and a new one appeared, but this one was filled with joy.
"Hey you two how's your day going?" Delinda asked very joyfully as she walked over to them and kissed Danny.
"Fine sweetie, what was it that you wanted to talk to us about?" Ed said with a now fading smile on his face. Although he liked Danny and thought of him as a son, he hated to see his daughter with any man in a sexual way.
"You and mom are going to come over to our place for dinner tonight." She said smiling and then pulling Danny in by his suit coat for another kiss. Danny was sort of surprised, but said ok with a smile on his face. He liked to spend time with the whole family sense he never really had that growing up.
"Umm…sweetie about what time? Danny and I are a little busy at the moment?" Delinda gave her father one of those looks that she had picked up from her mother. Ed shook his head and said.
"You know what it doesn't matter we'll be there."
"Good. Then I will see you two later on tonight around 6:00" The pretty blonde said smiling. She then turned and walked away with a certain spring in her step.
The two men turned and went back up to Ed's office.
"So what are you going to do with this idiot?" Danny questioned
"Well…"
"Excuse Mr. Deline there is a Mr. Reader down in the lobby asking for you." Someone had said on the intercom. Again the two men looked at each other and sighed.
"Ok thanks, we'll go meet him down there." Ed said with a tired look on his face. "It's gonna be one of those days." He said looking towards Danny.
"I said that I wanna see Nicole! What's wrong with you?" The young blonde woman said to the lady at the front desk.
"Excuse me can I help you?" The bald African-American said to the young woman in his very charming voice.
"Yeah you can tell me where I can find Nicole Reader! I have been waitin out here for over an hour and they won't deny that she's here, but they won't tell me where she is either. What the heck is wrong with you people? Why can't you answer a simple question?"
"I am very sorry for the inconvenience, for your troubles I'll comp you both a suite, spa treatments, and the buffet until we can arrange a meeting with Miss. Reader." He said in a very polite and professional tone.
"Ah hell na, she's our friend we don't have to wait for you to 'arrange a meeting'"
The dark skinned woman standing next to the blonde said.
"I'm sorry, your lovely ladies names are?" Mike again said politely
"I'm Jillian and this is Rylee. What the hell's your name?" The dark skinned woman with an attitude questioned.
"Umm…. I'm Mike Cannon and I work in surveillance and security. Truthfully I don't know where Nicole is, an associate of mine is with her I believe. "
"Um… so why are you talking to us. What kind of hotel is this? They send a rent-a-cop to talk to me. " Rylee said with a look of pity and disgust on her face.
"Ugh…." Mike just sighed out of fluster.
"Bobby Reader, it's been a long time. What brings you to Vegas?" Ed said joyfully with a smile on his face.
"Don't play stupid Ed I know he has talked to you. Is he here or did he even have the courage to show his face?" Bobby said with that same look of hatred that Ed had when he first saw Harry.
"Hey calm down, what are you talking about?" Ed said playing dumb.
"Ed I don't have time to play these games. That ass-hole sold information that got my family killed!" Bobby said with a look that Danny had never seen before, but could only describe it as the look on Ed's face when Delinda was kidnapped times ten.
Ed's face then went to the 'Ed Deline Look of Death' and he closed his cold blue eyes for a moment to grasp that it wasn't his family who was killed even though the feeling was all too familiar.
"Come with me!" Ed said turning and glancing at Danny.
As they came to the outside of the conference room Ed turned to Bobby.
"I'll let you rough him up a bit, but you can't kill him we still need information out of him." Bobby stormed around Ed into the conference room with Ed and Danny on his heels. The look on Harry's face was priceless. He looked like he shit himself.
"YOU!" Bobby screamed tackling Harry to the floor. Punch after punch Danny stood and watched, once again, with his hands behind his back. There were times when Danny felt like joining in and just clobber the guy, but it looked as though Bobby had it covered. After a few minutes Ed clapped Danny on the back.
"Ok that's enough for now." Danny said pulling Reader up off of Harry with extreme ease.
"You ass-hole you got my entire family killed." Tears were flowing from Bobby's eyes.
"Bob, I had no choice they were gonna kill me."
"I don't care, you let them kill you. You give them your name, rank, and serial number, that's it! What the hell were you thinking? My whole family is dead because of you!"
Harry looked at the three men in front of him and had that look of pure horror again.
"Bobby lets take a break for a minute huh. We'll let this peace of garbage clean out his shorts." Ed said putting his hand on Bobby's shoulder. The three men walked to Ed's office in silence. When they got to the office Danny shut the door and Ed pressed the privacy button on his keyboard and panels came down over all of the windows.
"Ok Bob, what's going on? Why would these guys go through all this trouble to get to you?" Bob looked at Danny and then at Ed
"Don't worry about him, anything that you can say to me you can say to him." Ed said in confidence
"Langley sent me over there; I was under cover for nine months when they started to catch on. The guy who was running the operation is brutal; his company makes poisonous gases that act as an acid once you inhale it. I was sent over there to work my way up and find out exactly what these things did, how much they had, and where they were planning on sending it. When they started to catch on I got a message back to Langley and gave them the coordinates and a plane came to get me out of there. It wasn't until later once we had already had a hit and confirmation on the air strike that I found out the guy who was running it, Sagel Lee, was not in the factory at the time, he was in an emergency meeting in Baghdad with some potential clients, but his brother was there and now thanks to Harry in there he knows that it was me who killed his brother."
Bobby's phone rang just as Ed's mouth opened to say something. Bobby looked at the number and didn't recognize it. He answered it anyway.
"Hello?"
"Daddy! Daddy help me they have killed Mom and Jake! Daddy please help me!"
It was Bobby's eldest daughter.
"Nicole honey, where are you? NICOLE!?"
"How have you been Eric? Or should I say Bob? You know your daughter is very pretty she has your wife's eyes. It's such a shame about her, but you can save your daughter from following in her foot steps or should I say blood puddles." The man laughed with the sound of pure evil in his voice.
"You freakin' son-of-a-bitch! If you touch a hair on her head I swear…."
"You swear what Mr. Reader? You swear just like you swore that you were Eric? No from now on I'm calling the shots."
Danny and Ed had been listening to the conversation on speaker since Bob heard Nicole's voice.
"You killed my brother, my company, and my workers, so I killed your family. If you want the one person that you have left back then I suggest that you start paying attention and listen very closely. If you decide to deviate from this plan at anytime your daughter will die. Now I want you to go back to Langley and get all the information they have on me and my company. Then I want you to erase it from everything, I don't want one trace of evidence that leads back to me. I don't want anyone knowing what you are doing. Make it look like a computer glitch if you have to, but if you tell anyone the deal is off and your daughter will die."
Ed was in shock and pissed off all at the same time. It was so similar to what he went through a month ago with Delinda. Standing there staring into the abyss he was brought back to reality when he received a friendly clap on the back from his young protégé.
"Now I will call you in one hour to make sure that you are on the right track. And remember one wrong move and your daughter will join the rest of your family."
He hung up the phone and the only sound in the room was the sound of the dial tone on the load speaker.
"Let's go back in there and tell Harry that he's on his own." Ed said.
Ed threw open the door to the conference room and punched Harry again in the mouth. I can't believe you had the balls to come and ask me for help after what you did? Get the hell out of my hotel.
An hour later Lee called to check up on Bob, he had a ticket to Langley and was getting ready. He really had no intention on getting on the plane, but he had to make it look good. Ed had arranged for the three of them to use the jet and fly over to where Lee was stationed. Ed and Bob used there old recourses to get information on his whereabouts.
As they got closer and closer to the deadline that Lee had given Bob, it got quieter. Finally they got to Baghdad, or at least that is what the pilot said. The three men sat in the plan and then looked at each other when the pilot gave them the thumbs up. Danny was the first one to move. He quickly opened the door and looked at Ed and then at Bobby.
"Ed, are you sure you want to go through with this?" Danny asked with a huge look of concern on his face. After losing his father he couldn't bare to lose Ed.
Ed gave him a look as if insulted.
"Danny I did this for a living I think I'll be ok." He said sarcastically.
"Yeah well how long has it been since you retired? I'm just saying…"
"Yeah well don't." he commented.
"Listen guys," Bob interrupted "I just want to say, in case I don't get a chance to later, thanks for everything. I really appreciate you guys coming out here too help me." Bob said with a sincere look on his face.
The next thing the two older men new Danny clapped Bobby on the shoulder and jumped out of the plane. Seconds later the marine could see to more figures falling behind him. As he made a rapid decent all of his marine reactions came back to him. Along with some memories that he had wished would go away. The three men pulled their cords and glided to the ground.
The three men stood out in the forest huddled under a tree trying not to get soaked. The rain pounded down so hard that it was hard to hear their own thoughts. Ed stood there watching Danny pull a map out of his sack remembering all the times that he had formally been to Baghdad and could not remember a time when it had rained.
"Ed." Danny called pulling Ed out of his daydream. "I need the GPS."
After a few minutes the marine took the lead signing for Ed and Bobby to fallow.
About fifteen miles later the men approached a building that was obviously the building that Nicole was being held captive in. Slowly Ed lifted his silenced weapon and took out two Tangos' on the roof. Quickly fallowing Ed's action Danny and Bobby raised their silenced weapons picking off every enemy in sight. Again Ed found himself watching Danny, not enough to be distracted, and couldn't help but smile. He knew that when Danny came back from the marines two years ago he was different, more mature, but still a kid in some ways. Now as Ed watched he realized that the kid he had once known and loved was now a man, he was now a marine.
"Welcome to the Montecito spa ladies. Would you like to hear our specials for today?" the receptionist asked very perky like.
"Uhh… sure." Jillian said trying not to laugh while looking at Rylee.
"Well we have the seaweed wrap, the saran wrap treatment, which I highly recommend…"
"Excuse me. Did you just say saran wrap treatment?" Rylee said using all her might not to burst into laughter.
"Yes." The girl said out of confusion.
Both Rylee and Jillian burst into hysterical laughter. "Jilly, member that time that the three of us saran wrapped Kayla to the tree and she was stuck there for like three hours?" Rylee again said hardly getting the sentence out on account of she was laughing so hard.
"Yeah, and the only reason she got down was because that cop came over and asked her what she was up to." Jillian laughed.
"Excuse me miss would you like the treatment?" the receptionist asked politely.
"No! If I wanted to be wrapped in saran wrap I would just fall asleep early over at Rylee's like Kayla did." She laughed again. "Hey, you guys have a pool, right?" Jillian asked the receptionist.
"Yes, on the forth floor we have an indoor pool and on the main level just outside the west exit there is a wave pool and if you go a little further then you will reach the main pool, oh and if you prefer a little more European style there is the Bellapeto just outside the east exit." She replied.
"Let's go Jilly." Rylee said leading the way out of the spa.
All three men had their gear with them and all knew what to do because of their military backgrounds. As they approached the building in the darkness they could hear screams. Bob had to remain calm even though he knew that it was his little girl up there screaming either out of pain or pure terror. Ed and Bob hugged the wall outside as Danny entered and cleared the room with Ed and Bob close behind helping. They repeated this routine several times until they reached the third floor. They identified the room from which the blood curdling screams were coming from. Once again the two older men hugged the wall as Danny entered clearing the room of Tengo's. Bob entered and saw his baby girl tied to a chair beaten pretty badly. There eyes met and Nicole started to cry.
"Daddy!" She mumbled with the gag in her mouth.
He rushed over and untied her, as the rope loosened from around her hands her arms flung around her fathers neck hugging him and wasn't letting go.
Ed was behind Bob thrusting his knife into the gut of a guy, who was about to hit Bob, then pulled the knife out shoving his elbow into another guys nose thrusting it into his brain and killing him. Danny looked around and realized that he and Ed single handedly took out a whole room of Tangos.
"Bob, come on we got to go." Ed said after a minute.
The four of them made their way out of the building. Once they reached the outside Bob turned to look at Ed.
"Ed, take Nicole to the extraction point I'll meat you guys there in a minute, if I don't show up in ten minutes leave without me. Oh and Ed if something happens to me take care of Nicole." He whispered to Ed. Then in a flash Bob was gone.
Without Bob knowing Danny followed him, then when Bob got to the floor that Lee was on Danny let Bob know he was there. They both hugged the outside of the door and then Danny turned to kick it down. Both men entered the room with guns a blazing. The room was filled with Tango's and they were dropping like flies; each one with about three bullet holes in them all in about the same place. The two men had perfect aim. Then they realized that there was only person left and it was Lee standing in the middle of the room with a blank stare on his face. He was in shock and knew that he was going to die a slow and painful death.
"Hey now Bob we have been through so much together can't we come to some sort of an agreement?"
"Shut up and sit down!" Danny said with a look of disgust. He tied him to a chair and let Bob beat him for several minutes. Then Danny pulled him off.
"I hope that this hurts like you hurt Nicole."
POP! POP! Danny took his 9mm and shot Lee once in each knee cap.
"AAAAARRRRRGGGGGHHHHHH!!!" Lee is screamed in agony
If you thought that was bad…"
POP! POP!
The sounds echoed as Bob shot Lee twice in the forehead.
"Lets go, Ed and Nicole are not going to wait forever." Danny said out of approval towards Bobby."
They were hurrying towards the extraction point when Ed saw them from the helicopter.
"What are you still doing here I told you to leave in ten minutes that was ten minutes ago?" Bobby said half angrily.
"Did you really think that I would leave without you?" Ed said with a half smile
Once they got back to the Montecito they came to find out that the only reason that Nicole was still alive was because Lee said something like how much she reminded him of Bob. The way she fought and talked.
"Dad, I was so scared and what they did…..what they did to Mom and Jake. He came to me last and I wasn't going to go without a fight."
Danny and Ed sat in the corner in amazement. Danny leaned over and whispered to Ed
"Can you image witnessing something like that and then to keep fighting? Your entire family killed right in front of you, that's….that's….I don't know what that is."
"That, my son is, what one would call bravery and courage." Ed said looking back at Danny with his cold blue eyes.
The door slid open and all of there heads swerved in that direction.
"Excuse me Mr. D there are two young ladies down in the lobby, their asking for Nicole." Greg said
They all made their way through the crowded casino floor. Then she saw them. Nicole took off running through the casino and landed smack-dab into the two young girls' arms. They must have stood there for a good five minutes just hugging. Nicole was crying and could not stop. The girls seemed shocked. You could tell that they were not used to seeing their friend in this kind of vulnerable state. When Nicole pulled herself back to look at the two girls she opened her mouth and tried to say something, but nothing came out.
"We know." Rylee said with a look of sorrow on her face.
Mike informed them as soon as Danny had called him from the helicopter.
Suddenly, as Nicole's head was lying on her friends shoulders, she saw a red laser light on her other friends back. She quickly realized that is was pointed directly at Rylee's back and wasn't moving. She screamed and threw her two friends on the floor.
BANG! The glass to the front entrance doors broke and a bullet came flying in hitting the front check-in desk.
"That's it, I have had enough of this!" She and the two other girls took off running through the front doors. "Rylee go to the left and distract him, Jillian you come up the rear." The girls ran up to the top of the parking structure across the street. Danny, Ed, and Bob got stuck behind a crowd of panicked people.
Rylee was at the top already "Hey, you ass can't you find someone your own size to pick on?" She says in her smart ass tone.
He then saw Jillian and was focused on them. Suddenly Nicole came up from behind and tapped him on his shoulder. By the time he turned around she let loose a left hook, then a right, then a left. Living with a military father she picked up on a few things. Finally, after what seemed like a life time the men showed up. Danny ran and pulled her up off of the man that tried to kill her and her friends. The sounds of sirens were slowly approaching and Nicole's adrenalin was still pumping. When she looked down she realizes that her hands and shirt were filled with blood. There was a pool of blood coming out of his mouth, but he was still alive, unfortunately.
The police showed up and took him away. Nicole, Jillian, and Rylee walked away in silence with the men following close behind.
Bob, Nicole, Rylee, and Jillian stayed at the hotel for a while until they decided that they were going to move to Vegas. The four of them went up to Ed's office later on that night.
"I hear that you guys are thinking of staying here for a while." Ed said breaking the silence after a few moments.
"Yeah, dad's going to continue his last year at the agency and then retire and I don't know what I am going to do." Nicole said
"Well you know I hear that there's an opening on the Montecito surveillance team." Danny said smiling at Nicole.
"Oh yeah? That sounds interesting. I'll have to look into that." She said appreciating the job offer.
The four of them left Ed's office leaving just Ed and Danny.
"Those girls are really talented. They should be really proud of themselves. I know I am." Danny said watching the group leave the office. Ed looked at Danny with another one of those looks that told Danny how proud Ed was of him.
"You know Danny when I was talking about how Nicole showed such bravery and courage earlier? You showed it too. When we were back there and you went back with Bob to help him with Lee. You really proved yourself kid. You risked your life for someone you hardly knew. I am really proud of you kid." Danny looked at Ed and shook his head. "I know you think that what you did over there in Iraq with your troops was a horrible thing to do…"
"Ed I don't want to talk about it." Danny said looking down with his head sort of nodding up and down a few times like he does when he's uncomfortable or mad.
"Danny…..what you did over there was a heroic thing to do and no matter what you think, you deserved that Silver Star." Ed looked at Danny who had now lifted his head and made eye contact.
"Now lets get over to your place, we owe Jillian and Delinda a dinner." Ed said as he got up from his desk clapping Danny on the back, and headed out the door.