Yay I updated finally! Yeah, sorry it took me so long, didn't mean to take such a long break between the last one and this , enjoy and review :D :D :D
Little Lion Man
Chapter 4
"Don't tell him anything!" Fiona shouted. One of the guards smashed the butt of his rifle into her face, earning her yet another bruise and making her vision swim. Where are you Michael? Fi thought desperately.
"Merenov. The brother has called and wants to make a deal." Another man rushed into the dank cell of torture, holding out a phone.
Merenov plucked the phone from his hands and turned away from Fi and Ninel.
"You wish to make a deal? Then speak."
A pause followed where Pavel told him of the deal they would make. Fiona strained her ears, but couldn't make out anything past a quiet murmur. Ninel gave her a hopeful look, and she returned it warily. She had no clue what Michael was going to do. She wasn't sure if he had taken notice of her message through the hand shape.
"Fine. Meet at the abandoned warehouse on 21st street. Bring anyone else and we all die."
"Ah, you want prove zhey are alive? Fine." Merenov held the phone down to Ninels ear and she whispered to him, "We're okay Pavel. Mostly." Before Ninel could elaborate, Merenov hung up, the phone snapping closed with a foreboding sense of closure.
"Get a cast on her leg. I doubt they vill be happy we deliver damaged goods, but it felt necessary."
Merenov hadn't thought about what hell might rain down from Michael Westen after hurting his friend. Now he was slightly apprehensive.
*(*)*
Sam was already in position somewhere above them on the roof of the warehouse, scope on his sniper rifle focused on Pavel's back as he fidgeted, playing with a rosary.
"You see them Sam?" Michael asked over the walky talky.
"No not—oh wait. Black SUV coming from the west." Sam said, momentarily pulling his view from Pavel.
"All right I see it. It's definitely Merenov." His voice was low and he stayed quiet despite the fact that Merenov wouldn't be able to hear him.
"Where are you Mike? I can't see you." Sam glanced around the area, but couldn't find Michael.
"Look straight down and to the left a little. I'm hiding behind the bushes."
Sam did so, and caught sight of the glare off of Michael's sunglasses.
"Ah, okay. Might wanna take those off Mikey. The glare'll give you away right quick. You got the bow and arrows?"
"Yeah." The glare disappeared as Michael took them off and placed them in a pocket.
"All right we are good to go."
Merenov stalked out from the passenger side, a muscular friend joining him to stand in front of Pavel, who seemed like a twig in comparison.
"You have the Chain of Office?" Merenov asked coldly.
"Y…yes. But you have to give the girls to me first." Pavel said, only stuttering a tiny bit.
"I vill show you they are alive, but I will only give them to you once I have what I want in my hands."
Pavel nodded slowly, pulling the chain from his pocket and holding it closely to himself.
Merenov smiled and whistled, causing the other two car doors to open and reveal Ninel and Fiona, injured, but alive.
Michael clenched a fist when he saw Fi, rage boiling from deep inside him to the point where he nearly shot the bastard Merenov himself. He merely readied himself, stringing an arrow and pulling it back.
Fi leaned heavily on Ninel, her breathing shallow and pained. Just before they had gotten in the car to come to the meeting, she tried another escape attempt, only earning herself several whip marks on her back and more bruises to add to her current collection. She could feel blood still running slowly down the small of her back and staining her shirt red.
Ninel and Fiona were prompted forward by a less than nice shove. Michael gritted his teeth, and tried not to think about how bad Fi was hurt. He would address that later. His grip tightened on the bow as he peered down the length of the arrow at his target.
Pavel handed the Chain of Office to Merenov, and the burly guard threw the girls toward him, making Fiona stumble and nearly fall, her broken leg still not taking weight correctly.
Merenov smiled and held up the Chain of Office to the sunlight.
That was when Michael let the arrow loose. It flew through e air straight and true, snagging the glittering thing from the Russians hand. The arrow buried itself in a tree across the road the Chain of Office still threaded around it.
Sam shot down the two guards that ran after it, and then shot the one that stood next to Merenov.
By the time the Russian had time to comprehend what had happened, Michael had already crossed the distance between them and tackled him, giving Fi, Ninel and Pavel time to get away to safety.
Merenov snarled at him, struggling to move enough to reach the pistol hidden in his jacket. Michael noticed the motion, and tried to keep his arms pinned. A solid blow to his still broken ribs made Michael cry out and crumple the ground for a moment before he regained enough sense through redoubled pain to try and wrestle the gun away. A shot went off, a bullet tearing through the air and burying itself in Merenov's shoulder. The Russian screeched curses in his native tongue, and gaining just enough of an angle with the muzzle of the pistol, pulled the trigger on purpose this time.
Now it was Michael's turn to cry out, as the projectile tore through the muscles of his right arm and buried itself deep. Michael just barely managed to wrench the still warm gun from Merenov and smash the butt of it against the side of the Russians head.
Merenov fell limp.
Michael stumbled back and away from him, glancing around as he breathed heavy. Blood had started tumbling from the wound, trailing down the length of his arm. Michael pressed his palm against trying to stem the flow as fast as possible. He walked across the road, retrieving the Chain of Office from where it hung on the arrow.
Sam looked down at him from the roof; worry was clear though he was to far away to be seen in specific detail.
Michael waved at him, a half forced laugh escaping him. Not the best execution…He thought to himself wearily.
"Michael, you're bleeding!" Fi exclaimed when he joined her and Sam in the Charger. Fiona didn't look any better, though.
"No big deal. Are you okay?" Michael brushed it off, instantly worried about her.
Fi smiled wryly. "I'm alive aren't I?" She pulled out a first aid kit that Sam had stashed in the car prior to them coming. Tearing apart the package with her teeth, she covered the wound on his upper arm with half a roll of gauze tightly, to try and stop the bleeding.
Michael caught her chin in one hand, turning to her head to inspect multiple bruises and cuts that mottled her skin an ugly purple. Once again, rage rose to unsteady levels within him.
Fiona clearly saw it. "Michael. I'm okay—."
"No you're not Fi. He hurt you. Badly. That bastard will pay for what he did to you." Michael growled.
Fi smiled wanly. "Glad to know you'll take revenge for me, but we should probably just head back to you're place." She leaned her head against the back of the seat, her breath easing a tiny bit. She felt safer now.
"We've got bigger problems Mikey. For one, Merenov's in the trunk. Two, I'd bet a hundred mojitos there's gonna be guys all over the loft by the time we get there. Three, I can here sirens. We gotta get moving. Pavel already took off with Ninel. They're gonna meet us back at your moms."
"Fine." Michael deadpanned, putting the car in drive and peeling out.
*(*)*
"Stop fussing. I'm fine." Fiona whined, pushing Michael away. He ignored her though, and continued his ministrations.
"Fi, you are not okay." He responded, lifting her bloodied shirt up just enough to inspect the damage on her back. He covered the wounds up after he cleaned them thoroughly with a bottle of vodka and a soft washcloth. He dropped the cloth back in the warm water and busied himself with some of the smaller cuts and slices on her face and arms.
The entire time Fi watched him, not saying a word, but searching his eyes for some type of emotion. She doubted she would see anything—usually she didn't—but this time she could see some of the cold hatred that made his eyes light up. For a moment, she was actually sort of scared of Michael—she only saw that kind fury whenever he was involved in a particularly trying case.
"Here," Michael said wearily, taking out the Chain of Office from where he had stuffed it in his pocket. He looped it around her neck, making her look like a Russian embassy of some sort.
"Michael, you're bleeding all over my carpet!" Madeline called to her son, setting down the basket she had full of laundry to rush over to him.
Michael glanced at the wound, noting with some apprehension that it was again dripping blood; the sticky red liquid had already seeped through the bandage Fi had stuck on it only a half an hour ago.
"Dammit." He growled, "Fi… The bullets still in there, can you…?"
"Of course." Fi sat up, "Madeline can you find me a knife and a lighter?"
Maddie pulled a lighter out of her pocket and threw it to Fi, then went to the kitchen, pulling out one of the drawers to find what she wanted—a Swiss army knife.
"I was looking for that." Michael commented, eyeing the knife as Fi took it in one hand and dipped it in the bottle of rubbing alcohol.
"You left it in your room a while back ago. I held onto it in case you asked for it back. I'm guessing you're not going to tell me what happened?" Madeline asked, sarcasm dripping from her scratchy voice. When Michael didn't answer, Madeline sighed and turned on her heel in search of another lighter and her cigarettes muttering, "And you wonder why I smoke."
Fi unwound the bandage, and whistled at the sight of the wound. It was turning a little green around the edges. She held one of the many blades under the little flame for a few seconds then well it was still hot, used it to dig out the bullet.
Michael hissed in pain, and he tried not to scream, just holding his breath until his face was all red and Fi had finished taking the bullet out with the delicacy of a Russian nursemaid and sowed it up with a needle that felt like it was the size of a knitting needle.
"We really must have made him angry," Fi said, humor tinting her tone. "He was using hollow points." She brandished the little chunk of torn and twisted metal.
"I don't see what's funny about that Fi."
"Calm down Michael. I was just saying Ninel and I made him mad. It is rather amusing that a super spy like you managed to get shot during a simple grab 'um and go mission." She wrapped another bandage around his arm and hit the wound lightly, making Michael grunt in pain.
"I think Sam is all done getting Merenov ready."
"Where is he?" Michael asked as he dug through the laundry basket his mom had brought in order to find a shirt that wasn't stained with blood. He found one, and struggled long enough putting it on with his hurt arm that Fiona sighed and helped him into it.
"One of the various empty buildings around Miami. I think it was the old Birchwood hotel a little ways down the road. You know, the little place that was a family bed and breakfast? It just closed down a month ago."
"Yeah, I remember it. I'm gonna go over. You stay here with my mom and, Fi… try not to blow anything up. I want you to rest and be safe. Okay?"
"Yeah. You took all my C-4 anyway. I only have the two blocks in my purse." She said glumly. "And Michael?" Fi called as he started walk away. He paused, halfway through the doorway.
She walked up to him, standing on her tiptoes so she could get closer to him. "Thanks for coming to get me." She whispered, leaning in dangerously close—so close that he might kiss her without thinking about it.
"Your welcome, Fi."
"Oh and one more thing." Fiona said after him as he climbed in his car.
"Yeah?"
"Punch Merenov in the face for me."
Michael smiled.
"I was planning on it."
*(*)*
sorry it took me a while to get this one out too. I'm just having a lot of trouble with a stupid writers block I spent twenty minutes just trying to remember a synonym for bright before I finally gave up and just used a synonym word suggested. DX
please review :3 it makes me write faster :D and a big thanks to everyone who's reviewed so far, and anyone who's favorited or put this story on alerts. It makes me feel awesome ;3
Lots of love,
gilraenstar :D
