Note: So one of my friends is an editor for this story except we've both been horrendously busy. She hasn't edited this chapter or the upcoming ones I've already written. Regardless, I hope it's good enough. A bit of warning though: I'll probably be tweaking a few things here and there once in a while.

Chapter 4

Beijing, China

The Maison Boulud is located next to Tiananmen Square in the heart of Beijing and its Legation Quarter. Built from the ashes of the former United States Embassy building, the French restaurant is one of the finest in the city, known especially for its ingredients taken locally and from the Pacific Rim. The menus are adjusted for seasonal changes, and the spring dinner hosts a variety of dishes: appetizers consist of an escargot platter of snail fricassee and frog legs or chilled tartare with a slow-poached quail egg; main courses range from Spanish mackerel and marinated vegetables à la Grecque, to baby pig, and Wagyu rib eye. Established in a manor house setting, Maison Boulud has not only a bar and lounge and an award-winning wine cellar, but it provides several private dining rooms and hotel rooms for when guests order too much spirits.

AJ's party was held in one of these dining rooms, called the Hercules Room. It perfectly seated the twelve guests in its hotel-like locale with a picture of the Greek demigod painted over an entire wall and gave them a comfortable privacy few restaurants could offer. Yellow candles flickered in the centerpiece and wine glasses clinked, filling and emptying through the night. Jesse's laughter echoed over the conversations, even when their meals were served, and everyone was having a good time. Everything was perfect.

"I swear it, Jake, you were enjoying yourself," John said at the end of the main course. "Don't think I couldn't hear you laughing when you whooped Jesse's ass."

Everyone at the table laughed but Jake waved his fork. "I think you mistook me for my cries for help."

"Aye, the only reason he won was 'cause my clutch wasn't working," Jesse protested through a bite of duck confit.

The woman next to him with reddish brown locks and wide grey eyes snorted. Her name was Rachel and she had been one of Juliette's first friends. "That's funny. You let me ride that bike afterwards and it seemed to work perfectly."

Again the table erupted with laughs and Juliette shook her head at Jesse. Since he'd met Rachel at the BMX venue, he'd never stopped looking for an excuse to talk to her. He had gone in her car to the restaurant and had offered her a bite of his appetizer and dinner at least six times. It was obvious to everyone that he had a thing for the woman. But knowing Rachel, Juliette couldn't help but feel bad for him.

Someone tapped her shoulder. It was one of their servers, asking if the party was ready to be served dessert. Jesse, of course, was the first one to affirm this, insisting there was room in his stomach for more. The servers were quick though, bringing out the sweets before he could ask Rachel if she would want the first bite of his.

It seemed that each dessert was made with pure sugar, filling the air with a faint sweetness that made Juliette's mouth water. Around the table was a dish of mango chiboust (a pastry cream that was to die for) and sorbet mousse crumble, the classic crème brûlée with Madagascar vanilla, and anything chocolate from chocolate sablé to simply chocolate chip ice cream. All jokes aside, no one was willing to let go of their plate.

While everyone was enjoying their dessert, Gordon stood up with his wine glass and gave it a tacky clink with a fork. "I just wanted to say a little something before this beautiful night is over," he began, smiling around the table. "AJ, you've been with us for several years now, and I can't tell you what a pleasure it has been to be your friend and your co-worker." He paused, and then added jokingly, "And let me tell you, usually those two things don't coincide." There were a few murmurs of laughter as he continued, "Despite everything that we've been through—the hardships and the broken roads—there's always a brighter day. There's always another chance and a better future." He looked at AJ and rose his glass. "May your many years ahead of you bring you endless opportunities and happiness."

"To AJ," Jake declared, raising his glass. His blue eyes glittered as he smiled faintly at his friend.

"To AJ," the rest chimed in, toasting each other.

"Thank you." Juliette watched as AJ managed to thank Gordon as the party got ready to leave. "That meant a lot."

Gordon only laughed and clapped him on the shoulder. "It's the least I can do, lad."

The night was concluded with a short "after party" at their house with more wine and spirits and conversation. Juliette had managed to quit after two glasses at dinner, unlike Jesse and John who'd both finished an entire bottle of 1986 Chteau Mouton, AJ's favorite. Even AJ decided to lay off the alcohol, despite his friends' encouragement.

When he went to give everyone a little tour of their home, John stayed behind a moment while Juliette took to the kitchen, disposing the empty wine bottle and putting away glasses. She didn't say anything, knowing he would speak up when there was something to say. They both knew he was drunk and that she hated being around people that were heavily under the influence. Though she'd known him for years and came to love him as a brother, deep down Juliette would always remember when they'd first met when she and AJ had started dating. She remembered what happened when you put several glasses of champagne and wine together with lust.

"I have painkillers in the bathroom if you need any," Juliette said simply, turning her back on him to turn the sink on.

"Thanks," John mumbled from the doorway.

She didn't know why those memories were going through her head but she attempted to force them away. She, AJ, and John had all let go of it a long time ago. The past was the past.

"Juliette."

It took a moment for her to steel herself before turning around. "Yeah?"

John's eyes were clouded. "I just wanted to let you know that it's an amazing thing what you did for AJ. Honestly, I haven't seen him this happy in a long time. He deserves it… You deserve it."

Juliette looked away and then put on smile before meeting his gaze. "It's the least I can do. Someone has to show him that what happened months ago wasn't his fault. It wasn't anyone's fault." She hadn't meant to bring it up, but her words hung in the air like toxic gas. John had to be thinking the same thing she was and suddenly she didn't want to talk about it anymore.

Thankfully AJ had finished his quick tour and the night was over in less than an hour. Everyone was beat and partied out, and Juliette had to admit she was going to kick anyone out that tried to stay. No one seemed to notice that John wasn't really acknowledging her, but then again, neither was she. And she didn't even know why. Hadn't she gotten over that mess in the past?

She breathed out a sigh of relief when AJ shut the front door on Jake's retreating back. "What a long day."

AJ opened up his arms and she all too willingly wrapped herself in them, feeling overcome with exhaustion. "But it was a good long day. Thank you for making this special for me."

"I'm glad you had a nice time," she murmured into his shoulder. Pulling herself away, she took his hand and started towards the stairs, suddenly glad they were alone.

They made it to the door of their bedroom before AJ grabbed her face and kissed her so quickly and with such force it took her a moment to kiss him back. Already his fedora was off and Juliette was attempting to push his suit jacket off his shoulders when the doorbell rang. They both looked at each other and a quick glance at the clock told her it was late for someone to be at their door.

Without a word both of them walked down the hall and down the stairs, quietly and cautiously. Any other person may not have been so discreet but with them, they always had to have their eyes and ears open.

Juliette looked through the peephole, anticipating a policeman or vagabond. Instead, a man in a clean suit and a briefcase stood on the threshold, waiting patiently as if it wasn't after ten o' clock on a Saturday night. Confused, she opened the door and asked, "May I help you?"

The man looked to be in his mid-thirties with blond hair, but a friendly smile was plastered across his slightly lined face. He was quite short, almost six inches shorter than Juliette. "Good evening! I'm Les Walters and I'm a representative of Werremeyer Brothers and Company. Do you mind if I take a few teensy moments of your time to come in and talk about an offer that we have?"

Juliette could feel AJ's surprise that mirrored her own. The man was like one of those cheesy car salesmen, all smiles and glamorous discounts. His voice, his suit, and even the name of the company all seemed… corny. She'd met many people in her life but no one was as corny as this one. Yet she managed to shake off the disbelief and find her voice, careful not to imitate the man's—Les's—tone. "Yes. Of course. I think that'd be… alright."

It felt both awkward and strange leading him to their living room where the twinkling lights of Beijing were brilliant behind the glass wall. Juliette vaguely thought of the fact they had openly let him inside their house, though with a guy as bizarre as this one, she was sure she would have to kindly kick him out in a matter of minutes.

Les didn't appear to be interested in his surroundings—maybe he'd been to plenty of fancy homes. In fact, Juliette wouldn't have been surprised to hear that he had stopped by Rachel's house which was a little less than a mile down the road. He promptly sat down on one of the chairs as Juliette and AJ went to the couch. "Now, I've already told you that I work for the Werremeyer Brothers—"

"Who are they? What does this company do?" AJ interrupted. He looked like he didn't care if he was coming off rude towards the man.

But Les only smiled and answered, "I was just getting to that, actually. We are a bank located largely in the United States. We are relatively small at the moment, only because we have just opened several years ago. We're looking to expand internationally and rise among the other big names. What I have been sent to do is find potential employees and perhaps managers and other high profile workers for the company. I also strive to attract new customers, buy and trade stocks, and all that jazz."

All that jazz? Juliette was beginning to really think this man was impossible. His information seemed off; she had never heard of Werremeyer and she knew AJ hadn't either. The crew had robbed a fair share of banks—this one wasn't one of them.

"And how do you propose to do that? Recruit employees and customers, I mean," AJ said, doubt filling his voice.

That's when something crept into Les's smile that nearly sent a chill down Juliette's spine. It was still that tacky salesman smile, but it was like cheese that had spoiled and gone bad. "Let's use you two as an example." He leaned forward in his chair, resting his elbows on his knees and moving his hands around. "You two are brilliant and madly skilled. You have a beautiful home and obviously the money came from somewhere. So what is it that you do? Do you perhaps work on Jinbao Street? Do either of you have rich parents?"

AJ didn't say anything, so Juliette stuttered, "Um… yes?" She wasn't sure if he was using them in a theoretical situation or being serious.

Les sat up. Looking each of them in the eye, he said, "You rob banks." After a moment of stunned silence, he grinned even wider and looked at AJ. "You do bank heists." Then his eyes flickered towards Juliette. "Or you get money through fraud and deception." His voice had lowered almost to the point where Juliette wondered if she'd imagined it.

Her heart was pounding as she said softly, "You're not a bank." Though as she said it, the truth was dawning slowly.

"You could say that." He appeared to be happy that she'd said it aloud.

"What do you want from us?" AJ suddenly stood up, frightening Juliette who'd nearly forgotten everything around her.

"I want your services," Les answered coolly. "My colleagues and I have been searching for people with your talent and skill. Yes, we are sort of a bank, but not your average one. We are just like you: hungry for money and what it brings."

Juliette stood up shakily, her hands clenched at her sides. She was struggling to remain calm and not make any rash movements. Things had taken a turn and she didn't like it. "How do you know about us? How do we know you aren't bluffing?"

Les smirked. "As I've said, we are like you. We know how to obtain our information. And by all means, if you'd like me to prove that we would like to work with you, I will."

"And how would you do that?"

"Well for one thing…" He stood up as well and Juliette felt AJ go stiff beside her. "It isn't an option."

Her ears filled with white noise, almost eliminating the sound of her pounding heartThe blood pounded in her ears and the adrenaline was starting to course through her. Her mind reeled with possible ways to get out of the situation. She pictured herself diving for him, him pulling out a weapon, and then whatever consequences came with whatever happened: cleaning up blood, hiding a body, running through the night, or getting captured. Juliette tried to gather her racing thoughts, something she had never seemed to master. Quick decisions had always been a weak spot.

"If we refuse…?" AJ asked, his breath sounding rapid.

Les shrugged. "Simple. We kill you."

Suddenly there was a great crash, a shattering noise that pierced Juliette's ears and sent her ducking and falling to the ground. It only took her a split second to look up and see several things: the huge wall made of glass had been broken in, the remainders of its pieces scattered about the room. Three men in black stood among the mess, triggering red alarms in her head. They had broken into their home.

And they were going to kill them.

The next few things happened in a blur. Juliette reached underneath the cushion of the sofa behind her and pulled out a semi-automatic handgun, her preferred type, and aimed. At the same time, AJ was reaching for Les who had decided it was his cue to leave. The gun went off but into the darkness beyond the broken glass, missing the black-clad figure diving for her. She pushed herself up and started to run but didn't get three steps in when the man slammed into her. They both crashed onto the hard floor and she cried out as pain shot up her shoulder. The gun had fallen from her grip but the weight of the man was crushing her.

Juliette resorted to what she better knew how to do. Her free elbow slammed into his head and he shouted, almost rolling off her body. She shoved him away and tried to stand but her leg was trapped. It was another one of the intruders, having leapt and snatched at her. She hit the floor again on her back, arm outstretched, trying to reach the gun lying just feet away. He pulled on her and dragged her towards him as he struggled to stand. She could see him clearly: he had brown hair that was sticking out in different places and his dark eyes were angry and wild. Juliette saw that he was distracted with his own fury as he dragged her towards him—she kicked back her other foot—and dragged her again one more time—and struck out as hard as she could right between his legs.

She didn't stop to see his reaction; as soon as his grip loosened, she stood up, almost tripping over the other crumpled figure on the floor. A glint of metal caught her eye and she reached out to seize the knife in his belt. After grabbing the gun and giving another kick at his gut, she ran. While running, she realized she hadn't seen AJ or the other intruder. She didn't know if Les had escaped. Nevertheless, she and AJ had long ago fabricated an escape plan for situations like this. They knew exactly what they had to do when they had to get out quickly, but never really did they anticipate break-ins. They had always thought one would always just be a robber and they could easily take care of that. This though… they never though anyone would be after them.

Juliette had almost made it to the door leading to the garage, reaching out for the knob when there was a crash behind her. Spinning around, she saw down the hall that AJ and the other man had fallen down the stairs and were grappling with each other. Heart and mind racing, she reflexively raised the gun but then threw it down, knowing she couldn't pull the trigger without risking AJ's life. That was when the man stood up, AJ on the ground and she acted quickly.

The knife had somehow made it to her other hand and was flying through the air. It spun from her wild throw, going straight for the man's head—

And buried itself into the wall behind him. AJ had pulled him down and again they were fighting, completely unaware of the protruding hilt above them. Cursing, Juliette grabbed the gun and ran forward, thinking she would somehow tear them apart when someone ran into her view. It was one of the other men and he was holding a gun, its barrel pointed straight at her.

She threw herself down just as a shot was fired and rolled into the bathroom next to her. Gasping for breath, she racked her mind for solutions. Three of them were out there and at least two could be hurting AJ. But she couldn't go out there. Not yet.

Struggling to keep calm, she dug inside one the drawers and pulled out a hand mirror. She held it out before her, adjusting the angle so her view in the hallway was clear. AJ and his opponent were still at it but it looked like… Juliette's heart slammed in her chest. The other one had come along and was giving his friend a hand. The gunman was half paying attention, turning back to look at them.

Juliette rolled out of the bathroom and, aiming as quickly as she was able, pulled the trigger. He buckled with a cry, his gun slipping out of his hand, and fell to the floor. One of the others glanced back and, seeing her running for him, stood up.

But Juliette wasn't planning on using that weapon again. She wanted to pummel him and beat him with her bare hands, inflict on him blows worse than what he'd done to AJ. Chucking it aside, she jumped over the wounded gunman and hurled herself at her target.

They collided but her force wasn't enough to knock him over. Ignoring the burning pain in her shoulder, she didn't even know what she was doing—her hands and feet were flying, delivering kicks and punches that she didn't stop to think about. Their Japanese names came to her fluidly and rapidly—gyakuzuki, junzuki, maegeri, nagashi uke…

It wasn't until she heard her name being shouted that she realized the man wasn't even standing. In her peripheral vision stood AJ, having knocked the other guy unconscious. He must have known what she was going to do because he began, "Juliette—"

She thought, Sokuto keage, and yelled as she lashed out one last time, her foot connecting with the side of the man's head.

Breathing heavily, Juliette relaxed from her stance and looked at AJ. He was staring at the limp figures before them. He had fight marks all over his body: bruises, scrapes, and a swelling lower lip. His white jacket was gone and his clothes were disheveled. Juliette didn't want to see how she looked.

"I think they're unconscious," she said stupidly, not taking her eyes off him. Her own voice sounded weak and far away.

A ghost of a smile appeared to trace his lips, but when he held a hand out to her, his face was grim. "Come on. Let's get out of here."