Title: Double or Nothing
Author: Almira Gulch
Story Summary: Amanda's chance to prove herself as an agent puts her in the line of fire.
Rating: PG-13, for implied situations and violence
Setting: Mid-3rd Season
Disclaimer: This story is based on characters copyrighted by Warner Bros. Television and Shoot the Moon Productions, except as noted and is meant for entertainment purposes ONLY. The fiendish plot is mine – all mine.
Author's Notes: Dedicated to my newly rediscovered friends on the SMK E-groups lists. Thanks for the encouragement (and the demanding letters) to fix and finish this.
Part 5
**********
Lee looked at Amanda for the first time since he'd been so rudely wakened. His face was mere inches from hers and he could smell remnants of her perfume still clinging to her skin.
Her skin!
He suddenly noticed the predicament he was in. A thin layer of cotton separated her skin from his. Their legs were tangled together. He didn't even remember getting them into this position. He only reacted. Oh my gosh! Ricocheted through his head.To her credit, Amanda seemed very calm. She was getting a little concerned about Lee though. Was he hit? Why was he looking so…poleaxed? "Lee…"
Lee Stetson bolted off of the bed as if his sweats were on fire. "Amanda, get dressed. Fast!" Dropping into a crouch, he ran into the sitting area to retrieve his Glock 9 mm. He shivered in the cold breeze that was blowing through the shattered window and tattered curtains.
Shoving his feet into discarded shoes, he quickly checked the gun's clip and made his way to the window cautiously. "Alright, you bastard. Show yourself," he whispered into the cold morning. Being careful of the crunching glass beneath his feet and the shards still protruding from the window, he raised the sash. The acrid smell of burnt firecrackers still permeated the air. Firecrackers?
***
Former Lt. Commander Wilson was enjoying himself. He waited a full ten minutes in his room before he made his way to the lobby. Dressed in running clothes, he didn't draw much attention from the hotel staff. The overnight desk clerk just shrugged and turned away to the bills spitting out of the printer. He was just another jogger crazy enough to be up at dawn. A pair of agents rushed through the entrance and into a waiting elevator as he did some stretching exercises.
Wilson smiled and picked up the house phone.
***
Lee's adventure onto the fire escape was frustrating and cold. By the time that he crawled back through the broken window, Amanda was letting Mason and Harper into the suite. Two more agents were on their heels. Receiving a wicked little cut on his chest for his efforts as he shimmied through the window, Lee was good and steamed as he approached the two agents. "Just where the HELL have you two been?"
The phone rang and Amanda went to answer it while Lee laid into them.
***
"Hello?" she answered, with a catch in her voice.
"Well, hi there Mrs. McKenna. Up so early? Why aren't you sleeping in?" an ugly voice asked.
Amanda paled and whirled around towards the agents in the room, the phone still clutched tightly to her ear.
"Who is this?" she asked, truly frightened for the first time since accepting her assignment.
"How quickly they forget," the voice tut-tutted. "I've been told that I'm unforgettable, you know. I guess I'll just have to work on making you remember me. "I'll see you tomorrow…I mean today," he taunted and then laughed. "Happy Easter." He hung up, still laughing.
Mason was the first to notice Amanda's wide-eyed, ashen face as she held the phone. He reached out a hand to silence Scarecrow, nodding his head in her direction. Amanda continued to hold onto the phone's receiver, paralyzed with fear.
Lee rushed to her side. "Amanda…Amanda, what's wrong. Who was that?"
"It was him," she choked out. "He said that he'd see me tomorrow...today," she stammered.
Lee was furious. That bastard thinks he can threaten Amanda and get away with it? He put a comforting arm around her, drawing her to him. "He's a coward and just wanted to scare you is all," he assured her. Another niggle of worry was working it's way towards the hairs on the back of his neck.
Sniffling slightly, she buried her face into the warm hollow of his throat. "Well he's doing a pretty good job. Lee, I'm scared."
"Hey," Lee cajoled, tipping her face to look into her eyes. "We're a team, remember? We'll get this guy. We always do, don't we?"
He winced slightly as she clung tighter. "Lee, what…" Amanda drew away from him, noticing the bloody cut just below and to the left of his collarbone. "Oh, Lee! You're hurt!" she exclaimed, forgetting her earlier fear.
"Amanda, I'm fine. It's just a scratch."
She wasn't buying it. Hands on hips, she wagged a stern finger at him. "Listen, Stetson – that's a nasty cut and I'm going to patch you up right now." He opened his mouth to protest, but she cut him off. "No arguments, Scarecrow."
Amanda looked over at the group of agents, some investigating the window and source of the explosions and others going through the suite, double-checking windows and doors. She flagged one down and was quick to give him orders. "I need a first aid kit. And hurry up about it, would you?" she added, in a pretty good imitation of Scarecrow.
Lee was surprised at her change in demeanor. That's my Amanda. Scared one minute and in charge the next.
***
Lee flinched as Amanda dabbed antiseptic on his chest. He held the phone to his ear once again, listening to his boss. Amanda continued her work, a look of fierce concentration on her face. Reaching for a sterile 4 x 4 dressing and tape, she listened to Lee's phone conversation with half an ear. Her mind was totally focused on his injury.
She was torturing herself with what ifs. What if someone had been waiting for him out there on that fire escape? What if the cut had been worse? Lee was right. The coward wouldn't show his face. He just wanted to scare her. And the cut was clean, but not as deep as she had first feared. She exhaled, blowing a ragged puff of air over his bandaged wound.
***
Billy was worried. After being rousted out of bed by the duty desk with Lee's message, he was also irritable and tired of the cat and mouse game they were playing.
"I don't like it, Lee," he voiced. "This guy is a definite loose cannon. We need to lure him out…I agree, but Amanda's the only bait we have. Harper determined that the firecrackers were attached to a rock and tossed through the window. It was a scare tactic. I know, it worked." A disheveled Francine entered Billy's office with a file and an excited look on her face. She had a lead. "Hang on, Scarecrow." Billy covered the receiver with his free hand. "What have you got?"
"We got a match on the prints," she said with satisfaction, opening the file with a flourish. "Lieutenant Commander Gerald Wilson, United States Navy. Mrs. McKenna, formerly Commander McKenna convicted him on a sexual harassment charge and conduct unbecoming. He didn't serve any brig time, but he was dishonorably discharged and had to forfeit all pension and retirement benefits. He'd been in the Navy for 15 years."
Billy smiled his first genuine smile in days. He was the cat in charge of this game now. He returned to the phone.
***
Lee shivered, momentarily distracted from Billy's words. Her breath…her hands. He was fighting a losing battle. Doesn't she realize what she's doing to me?
"WHAT?!" Lee stood up and exclaimed into the phone, almost knocking Amanda over. "Where is he? Let's bring him in." Lee listened, growing angrier and more frustrated with each passing second. "Billy!" He calmed enough to sit back down, drawing a concerned look from Amanda. "Yeah," he reluctantly agreed. "We'll be waiting."
***
Lee's breakfast consisted of black coffee and an ulcer, courtesy of Billy. He and Francine arrived promptly at 7:00 am with more information about Wilson. The more Lee learned about their enemy, the more convinced he became that Amanda should be locked in a safe house somewhere.
Between the four of them; however, they formulated a plan. Hoping to lure Wilson into the open, they planned a "tour" of the National Mall. If he followed them, and they were pretty sure that he would – he'd be much easier to spot and capture in the open. Since it was still chilly and the cherry blossoms were not in bloom yet, they also wouldn't be endangering a large crowd of people.
Francine would lead one of the teams; posing as an IFF director with a cinematographer, assistants and actors on a location shoot at the Mall. They would re-enact The Gettysburg Address.
***
Amanda was ready for their tour. She had chosen to wear a bulky sweater and leggings for warmth and comfort. Lee was dressed warmly too in a brown tweed jacket that hid his gun holster, and jeans. He also carried a small two-way radio, with an earpiece that was easily concealed.
Their limousine arrived promptly at 12:30. The driver was different – a quietly intense fellow that was in direct contrast to the jovial man of the previous evening. His beard and hair were a little unkempt looking, but he was efficient, and herded them into the long car. With minimal fuss, they were heading for their destination – The National Mall. He dropped them off at the Tidal Basin, promising Lee that he would collect them on 17th Avenue after they had visited the war memorials.
Amanda stood looking out over the basin, noticing the Bureau of Engraving and Printing on the hill above them. "I wonder how James is doing," she mused aloud.
Lee was surprised by her mention of the fumbling British accountant. "I'm sure Mr. Brand is fine," he scoffed as he led her towards the end of Independence Avenue and the Lincoln Memorial. "He probably outfitted his Astin Martin with all kinds of gadgets with the bonus MI-6 gave him for leaving the U.S."
"Pott," Amanda corrected. "His name was James Pott. He just made up the name Brand to sound more exciting."
"I think I had enough of Mr. Pott's kind of excitement to last me a while, Amanda."
Amanda agreed, shrugging. "Yeah, I guess foiling a plot to overthrow the U.S. economy was pretty exciting."
Lee chuckled. "Come on, let's check out Abe."
Amanda tried not to act as nervous as she truly felt. Lee had a firm grip on her hand, guiding her along. They spotted a handful of people headed in the opposite direction. Good. The tourists that were hanging around with their kids were heading towards the Easter Egg hunt on the lawn of the Washington Monument.
"I haven't been on a tour of the monuments since I was in junior high," joked Amanda. "Isn't it a shame that we have these wonderful pieces of history literally in our backyard and we don't really appreciate them?"
***
They were strolling along the Vietnam Veterans Memorial when two shots rang out. Amanda's body jerked back with the force of the bullets as they struck her. He threw his own body over hers to protect her from more shots. Lee heard someone yelling through his earpiece but he couldn't understand what they were saying.
"NO!" His nightmare had come true. "Billy, Amanda's hit. Get help!" Lee screamed into his two-way radio. Amanda lay unmoving, her face pale and her beautiful eyes hidden beneath eyelashes against her cheeks.
He scooped her into his arms. She was limp as a rag doll, splayed across the concrete path. "Amanda, can you hear me? Sweetheart -- hang on. Do you hear me? AMANDA?! I've just found you. Don't do this to me. I …"
***
continued in part 6