"And as a precaution, ladies, we're recommending that a security person accompanies you at all-"
"Look, I'm leaving today. If this is a local threat, and I think it is, then I suggest you focus your bodyguarding efforts on Drew." Dani stared calmly at the chairman and the other board members, clearly unfazed by this news. It wasn't the first time they'd heard of kidnapping plots and it probably wouldn't be the last. Such was the territory that came with being a multi-millionaire in the city.
"Actually, I'm sure I'll be fine without it as well. It's not like there isn't a house full of staff around me all the time anyway. And I rarely go out alone at night." Drew flashed a smile laden with innuendo at the room filled mostly with men in their late 50's and 60's, secretly hoping one of them might at least have a heart attack and liven up an otherwise boring meeting.
The chairman, who was used to dealing with Drew by now seemed to disregard her statement entirely. "Yes, well… The thing is, the threat sounded a little more serious this time, so we've already hired someone to watch over you. Several someones in fact, although it would seem that one of the gentlemen will only have the pleasure of seeing you to the airport, Danielle. Your driver will see you both home safely and then the security men will take over. They are already assessing your home at my request."
Dani nodded and began to stand up, looking over at her sister. She was surprised to note that while Drew was clearly seething at having her life suddenly controlled by the Board, she made no attempt to argue with their decision. Maybe her sister was finally starting to wise up and realize that she wasn't as untouchable as she seemed to think she was. The chairman touched Dani's arm as she moved past him.
"I will be notifying the Boston authorities of the threat as well, and I will be expecting you to notify them as soon as you reach your home, alright?"
Drew nodded again and watched as her sister approached.
"Are you ready to go? We may as well get back so you can grab your stuff and just continue along to the airport." Dani's brows went up in mild surprise. It seemed her sister wanted her out of town as much as she wanted to leave.
Fine by me.
Dean drove while Sam slept in the passenger seat. He kept the music low, not wanting to wake him. Truth be told, he was tired and feeling more than a little unsettled and he didn't really feel like talking.
The job in Kansas had had a surprising effect on him. Well, not the job exactly; it was the place- Kansas. It might not have been much of a permanent home for him growing up, but it was the closest thing to home he'd ever known. Even after their mother had been killed, it had still been the place they came from; who they were. There were still some ties that holding tight. But this time it had felt different.
Now that his father was gone, Kansas felt like a foreign land for some reason. It was like all those fragile ties had finally been cut. The idea that he was a man without roots had taken a hold of him almost as soon as they'd crossed the border and it had made him feel like he was fading somehow; like he was more akin to the ghost they were hunting than the people they passed on the street. He hadn't been able to leave the state fast enough.
Sam stirred slightly in his sleep and Dean watched him out of the corner of his eye, feeling immediately guilty.
You have all the roots you need right here, man. Kansas is just a state. Sammy is your flesh and blood.
The discomfort started to pass again, just like it always did. More and more often of late he'd felt like he was barely keeping it together, and it had only gotten worse after his father had died. But then he remembered that he had a job to do: kill the demon that had set the whole damned thing in motion to begin with… and that was apparently going to be the thorn in their sides until they finally ended the thing. But more important to Dean even than killing the thing was looking after his little brother. He'd die before he let any harm befall Sam.
Whenever Dean felt himself flying apart again, he focused on these two jobs he had before him, and suddenly he'd feel better again, like he had a purpose. It might not be the healthiest motivation to help someone get through the day but it worked. And it was enough… for now.
Sam moved again and Dean looked at him more closely. Maybe he was having another dream/vision. He was definitely more restless in his sleep when the visions came.
As if sensing Dean's observations, Sam opened his eyes slowly and stretched his arms over his head. He looked momentarily confused before he yawned mightily and looked over at his brother.
"Where are we?"
"We just passed out of Oklahoma and we're about to hit the big town of Shamrock, Texas."
"Hmmm."
Dean continued to look at his brother via quick side glances while he drove. A knowing smile twitched on his lips. "We're not gonna keep heading to El Paso now, are we?"
Sam smiled in amazement at his older brother. "Jesus. Now who's the psychic in the family?"
Dean grinned. "What can I say; I can read you like a book."
"Yeah, and I'm thinking the book was called 'Tossing in my sleep again by Sam Winchester'."
Dean shrugged. "It's an easy read." He slowed the car and pulled over to the shoulder, easing to a stop. "So where we goin' now?"
Dani followed her sister out of the elevator, the chairman close behind them. "Well, the driver is poised and ready out front. I know you don't take these threats seriously, but for all our sakes I wish you would. There's no harm in being careful, is there?"
Dani almost didn't hear him another vision of the young, dark-haired man filled her mind's eye. She got a better look at him this time, but not much. And she still didn't recognize him.
"Dani?" David looked at her with concern.
"Sorry David, I'm just a little distracted today. And yes, of course- better safe than sorry. I promise I'll call you as soon as I get home." Dani patted the older man's arm kindly. She'd known David Roundtree most of her life and he'd never been anything but kind and considerate to her. She was about to wish him farewell when Drew interrupted.
"Oh, David- I just thought of something I forgot to mention earlier. Can I just borrow you for about 15 more minutes?" She was already moving him back towards the elevator and away from Dani.
The older man checked his watch and then glanced over his shoulder towards the front of the building where he knew a security man stood stationed at the front desk. Confident that between him and the driver out front Dani would be safe, he nodded and walked back towards the elevator. Drew called back across the foyer to her sister as the elevator doors opened.
"Why don't you just take the car ahead. I'm sure you're anxious to get back to Boston. I'll call ahead to the house and have one of the bodyguards come back and fetch me."
Dani shrugged and murmured OK, but she couldn't help but smirk slightly when Drew called out "Love you, sis. Talk to you soon," just as the elevator doors closed between them. That had obviously been for David's benefit not hers.
She started to move towards the front when suddenly her cell phone began to ring. She checked the call display: Jack Martineau. She sighed softly to herself and considered not answering it, but realized her boyfriend was probably wondering why she hadn't called him last night. She flipped open the phone and tried to force a smile in her voice.
"Jack?"
The only response was a muffled whine of static.
"Jack? Hello? Can you hear me?" When he still didn't answer, she checked the phone's reception bars for signal strength but everything seemed fine. Maybe the problem was on Jack's end. Still, she moved to a side door immediately to her left and pushed it open, hoping the open air might enhance the reception.
"Jack? Jack, I think you might need to move around a bit and find better-"
The quiet hissing of static changed to silence and darkness in an instant as Dani crumbled to the ground.
"That's her, Dean. That's the woman from my visions."
The two men stared through the large glass windows of a large, impressive looking office building. An attractive dark-haired woman was talking to an older man as they moved into an elevator.
"Man, if she looks that good through tinted glass-"
Sam cut short his brother's usual lecherous ramblings. "Stay here and watch which floor they get off on while I run inside and see if I can get up there, alright?"
Dean pulled out his cell phone. "Check. I'll call you with the floor number."
Sam laughed as he ran towards the front doors, calling over his shoulder, "Or you could always just hold your fingers up in front of the windows."
Dean muttered to himself. "Whatever you say, Mr. Old School." He almost chuckled to himself when the elevatorstopped on the second floor. He was sure Sam could figure that one out for himself.
Still, he grinned when Sam reached the window in front of him. He held up the descriptive middle finger on each of his hands to indicate the second floor and laughed out loud when Sam glared at him. "Yeah, how's that for low-tech, Sammy?"
Amused with himself, he wandered around to the front of the building and peered inside at the front desk, reading the large sculptured name on the wall behind: The Archer Building. There was no security guard stationed there, which probably explained why Sam had gotten back to the elevators so quickly. Dean considered going inside to wait for his brother and whatever it was he hoped to find out from the hottie upstairs, but then he thought better of it. He'd just spent the better part of the last 12 hours cooped up in the car and it felt good to stretch his legs a bit. He started moving towards the other side of the building.
Dean pulled a stick of gum out of his jacket pocket and then stopped, listening carefully. His hunter skills clicked on automatically when he could have sworn he'd heard a strange noise down the alley. He looked back to the front of the building as if looking for reinforcements and then shrugged to himself. It was probably nothing.
He was about to move back to the front doors when he heard another sound. This time it had clearly been a scuffing sound, like something being dragged… He reached into his pocket for his small pocket knife, wishing he'd thought to stick his gun in the back of his waistband before they'd left the car.
It's probably just some guy putting out a bag of garbage.
He moved further down the side of the building, wary. He hadn't heard any other noises, but still; in his line of work that almost always meant someone was still there... or something.As he approached a stairwell leading downstairs he crouched a little lower, hoping he wouldn't be seen if something was down there…
And then he felt his whole body tense up uncontrollably before the darkness overcame him.
