Diane, you rock with the reviews! Thank you!
Just a heads up that from this chapter to the end of the story, I am activating a trigger warning due to action scenes and such. I try not to get too detailed, but you never know. Happy reading!
1967
Madeline mourned the loss of her sons. She felt as though her broken heart would never heal. She hated the fact that Damion threatened to kill them all. She hated herself for ever thinking she could love that man. She hated that he had charmed her so well and fooled her in the first place. Now, it was no secret that he was still looking for her. She hoped her boys were safe where they were. She hoped they would never meet him. Her anger fueled her. She started boxing and kick boxing. She started going to the shooting range. She wanted to be strong for when she saw Damion again because she knew that one day, she would indeed see that bastard again.
Present (2016)-Luke & Lee
They stared at this woman who was claiming to be their mother. She waited patiently for their response.
"No way," Lee said first.
"Way," she nodded.
"How old are you?" Luke asked.
"Not that it is any of your business, but I am 66."
Luke quickly did the math, and he realized if she was their mother, she had them at age 17.
"Why can't you take him out yourself?" Lee asked, changing the subject. Madeline looked down and then back up at them.
"I tried," she said softly.
2000
Madeline had finally found him. It had taken long enough, but it would soon be over. Everything was in place according to plan. She tightened her fists, ready. When Damion walked through the door underneath her, she dropped.
He never saw it coming. She was elated at first, thinking she would actually win this fight. When he regained his bearings, she realized he was stronger than she was. They fought for about ten minutes. Madeline held her own surprisingly well until he sliced her with his knife. She fell, crying out. That was when he got the best of her. She figured it was all over when he bent down to her ear.
"I know who you are," he whispered. "And you failed." She closed her eyes, waiting for the final blow, but gunshots from her fellow team member took out the knife in his hand. She managed to crawl away to safety while Damion fought off her other teammates. She was found by another member, who carried her out of the building. She felt anger and rage when she was in the hospital healing far away. She had wasted her chance. All those years of training and practising...for nothing. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw his, and it infuriated her. One day she would win. She had to. But she realized she couldn't do it alone. She needed help.
Present (2016)
"You tried?" Lee repeated, looking at her puzzled.
"He is too powerful for me alone. If the three of us went to take him down, we'd win," she said.
"What makes you think that we would help you? Because you're telling us you're our mother?" Luke scoffed.
"Stanley is part of the trafficking ring, Luke," Madeline said softly. "What did you think he was going to do with Mei when he was finished with her?"
Luke clenched his fists. He hated that this woman knew how to play him.
"It's you I've been tracking," Madeline went on. "Ever since the incident in New York City. I knew you were my son, but then you disappeared again. I just found you again, and to my surprise, I found your brother too."
"Why did you give us away then?" Lee demanded. "If you need us so badly?"
"He was going to kill you," she answered quietly. "He made that promise to me. I had to keep you safe."
"Keep us safe? By sending us to be trained as killers?" Luke laughed.
"You can protect yourselves, right? You can keep yourselves safe. That's what I wanted. I thought you would be together like that man promised, but he lied. He separated you. You were supposed to have each other."
"Well, we didn't," Lee said. He was feeling angry. His whole life he believed he had no family, and here was his birth mother staring at him after 49 years.
"I'm very sorry about that," she offered.
"Sorry doesn't cut it, ma'am," Luke snapped. He was just as angry. "We've lived our whole lives being expendable to other people. Do you call that being safe? Cos I don't."
"I don't know what else to say. I'm a shit mother, yes, I know. I can't change what I did. You've made it this far without ever meeting him, so count your lucky stars. He's a monster, and he needs to be put down. Now, you're either with me or you're not." She glared at the two of them fiercely.
"What if we say no?" Lee asked.
"Then he runs free wreaking havoc on this planet. You think Mei is safe right now? She won't be soon. He's ruthless. Your meddling with Stanley has alerted him to your presence. He will take you out, but if we get the jump on him first, he will be caught off guard. Either way, you're gonna have to face him, and it won't be pretty."
Madeline let the words sit with them as she stood and walked to the other room. She knew they would be upset with her, but she wanted them to realize the seriousness of this mission. Damion was after the president's daughter, that was why he hired Stanley. For him to have heard of Mei, that meant Damion probably knew who Luke was already. What he didn't know was that Lee existed. It was a big part of her plan.
Barney
He was feeling concerned as to what had happened to Lee and Luke. It seemed out of the ordinary. Mei was pacing the hotel room. They had gone back there to reconvene and make a plan.
"Do you think this whole thing was planned?" Toll asked. "To get the two of them together?"
"I'm starting to think so," Barney agreed.
"So what do we do?" Mei cut in, crossing her arms.
"Find out where that car went," Barney answered.
Luke & Lee
"Do you think it's a trap?" Lee asked. Luke was looking thoughtful.
"No. I think she genuinely needs our help. If this guy really is behind what was going on tonight, then we'd be going after him anyway. Her personal vendetta is none of our business."
"The president has a daughter, doesn't he?" Lee questioned, starting to think. As soon as Madeline had said Stanley was involved with human trafficking, his mind started rolling.
"Yea."
"That's what Stanley was going after tonight," Lee reasoned. "That's why he took Mei. It wasn't just to help with the maze of tunnels. It was to use against the other girl, to scare her into thinking they'd kill Mei if she didn't cooperate."
"Then that means he's after me," Luke said, realizing.
"Well, everyone's heard of your stint in New York City. I just didn't know you were...you," Lee finished, gesturing.
"So he doesn't know about you," Luke went on, thinking.
"Probably not."
"That's her plan," Luke said, getting it. "You are the so called secret weapon of this whole thing. He doesn't know I have a twin."
"You're doing this, aren't you?" Lee asked, sighing.
"Call your gang. Tell them the new plan," Luke instructed, getting up. He found Madeline in the other room looking out the window. She turned to face him when he came in.
"Well?" she asked.
"We're in, but we're gonna need Lee's team."
"All right," she smiled. "If that will work, then let's do it."
Luke turned to see Lee standing in the doorway. He could tell his brother had made up his mind too.
"I'm doing this, but that doesn't mean we're good," Lee said to Madeline. "I'm still pissed at you."
"Fine," she agreed. "I deserve that."
"Then let's get moving," Luke said, clapping his hands together.
Barney
His phone rang, and he answered to find Lee on the other end. He stood and went outside, not wanting to get everyone else excited.
"What's going on?" he asked.
"If you're interested, we need some help in taking down the leader of this whole operation," Lee said.
"Who?"
"Damion Black. He hired Stanley to kidnap the president's daughter and traffic her. He's after Luke, which is why he had Stanley take Mei. We think he's figured out that Luke is his son."
"Whoa, what?" Barney interrupted.
"Yea. This asshole is our daddy dearest," Lee sighed.
"Hang on, I thought you didn't have a family?" Barney asked.
"Turns out I do. Dear ol' mum filled us in."
"Mum?!"
"She's a real treat. I think you'll like her," Lee went on. "Anyway, are you in or out?"
Barney's head was spinning with all this news at such a short time, but he knew the answer to the question without having to think about it. He'd do anything to help out his friend.
"We're in."
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