Wings
Chapter Seven
There were papers, pictures and files everywhere in the living room of Shadow's apartment. It was nearing 5:00am and Kiera was still there reading through them all over and over again. Shadow left her around 1:00am and he told her to go to bed soon in which she blatantly ignored. She needed to find something. Anything. Everything. She hasn't eaten since she made Amy those cheese and tomato sandwiches, she knew she needed to eat but she couldn't bring herself to do it. At least, not yet. She would when she found something. Anything. Everything. She wanted to tear him a part before he even knew what hit him, and she will do just that.
With a little help from her Detective friend.
He woke up and found Kiera, still there. "You didn't go to sleep, did you?" He asked, raising an eyebrow at her as well as bringing a mug of coffee to his lips.
"You already know that answer." She retorted back to him, never lifting her eyes from the papers and images in front of her. Every word and pixel meant everything to her.
He sighed, taking another gulp of his coffee. "When was the last time you ate?" He pondered.
"1:45pm, yesterday." Well, she wasn't lying to him.
"You need to sleep and eat, Kiera." He cautioned, taking a few steps toward her.
"I'm well aware of what my body needs, however my mind disagrees." She argued, moving from one file to another. She needed to work fast but take her time, it was exhausting.
"Are you sure Aiken is even after Rose?" That time she did look up at him.
"Do you doubt me?" She asked and he could see exhausted, tiredness in her eyes but he also saw her determination. Nothing could stop her.
"No, but do you have proof?" She stood up, reached into her pocket and chucked a multiple photo at him. He looked at each and every one. It was Amy, and most importantly, her baby bump.
"Where did you get these?" He questioned, looking at her with dark eyes.
"Copies of Aiken's own." Kiera sat down and continued to look through the files. Every fibre of her being told her to never stop looking, and she wouldn't.
"How?" She looked up at him again.
"Shouldn't you be heading to work?" She smirked.
"Fine but sleep and eat. Please?" He asked politely while heading to the door.
"No promises, Shadow." She muttered as he left her alone, with all those files.
His concern was refreshing as she hasn't been on the receiving end of it in a very long time but, right now, she didn't want it. All she needed is to find something. Anything. Everything. Nothing else was on her mind.
When she got the list, she was less than surprised. The list was six pages long, back to back. They were his little army. She needed him alone, she knew that or she could ask Shadow if a cute little sniper rifle could go missing from lock up. She'll wait a few days, a week at most for that request. Asking that would take a lot and risk Shadow his job if anyone found out. She needed him there, one the inside. He could get things she couldn't.
Whether she liked it or not, she needed Shadow.
She read through the permit to The Rascal, and articles relating to the bar. There was been a few brawls in and outside of the bar and they all had men whom are associated to Aiken. There was something there, she knew it. The more she thought about the brawls, men, and then Aiken. It all fit, he got off on his men fighting drunken civilians but that meant nothing to her. Nothing she could work with, for now.
She moved from the articles to the blueprints of The Rascal building. She needed to find a way in, discreetly and secretly, if it came to that. She found an entrance around the back of the building but that would be guarded by his lackeys. She looked for another way in and she did. The building was connected to another, the basement was shared but separated. She could use that to her own devices.
She put the blueprints beside her, a pile. Things she could use and that would help her. The list was there, the images of Amy's baby bump was there and now the blueprints were there. She needed to find more. More on him.
She took out his personal file, again. She poked around his history again. He was an only child, hardly any friends. Married young, couldn't conceive and killed his wife, blaming her. Now, he's intent on having a child. Stealing children from young mothers. His newest victim, Amy Rose. Kiera was hell bent on not letting that happen.
She moved to his recent moves. He has recently bought baby items. He's getting ready for the baby. She then moved to events he is going to attend in the next few months.
December, 14th, Charity Gala at the The Viral Plaza, invite only. She would get an invite to that. Another thing she would ask Shadow for. She would get information on Aiken there. January 7th, Restaurant and Bar convention at The Quays Hall building, 11:00am. She would be there too. She just needed a ticket, she can get that online, easily. February, 21st, A meeting at The Spartan Gold estate agents, out of town in Brooklyn Heights. He was buying a house, for him and the kid. She would take him out then and there, a month before the baby would be due.
She highlighted the dates of where he would be and where. She put the sheet of dates on her useable pile. Her phone would ring and interrupt her from time to time. She finally answered the phone around 2:00pm. It was Amy.
"Yes, Amy?" She greeted.
"Kiera! I've been calling you for hours!" She cried.
"I know, I've been quite busy." Kiera said as she stood up, she needed to move about. She shifted toward the window, looking down at the street.
"Is there anything?" Amy hesitated.
"Yes, but I've got everything under control." She had a creditable plan in place, she just needed a few things from Shadow.
"What are you going to do?" Amy questioned quietly.
"A lot of things but you'll be fine." She reassured her.
"Are you going to be okay?" Kiera knew what she meant.
"Yes, I'm not leaving you." She said seriously.
Kiera heard another ring, and it was Shadow calling her.
"I'll talk to you in a bit, Amy."
"Okay." She hung up the phone and answered Shadow's phone call.
"What is it?" She asked.
"Did you find anything?" He asked.
"Yes. I have a plan in place but I need two things from you." She could hear him sigh.
"What are they?"
"A sniper rifle."
"What? Jesus Christ." He paused.
"Fine, what is the other thing?"
"An invitation to the Viral Plaza Charity Gala on December 14th." She leant against the wall beside the window, watching cars and people walk by in the street.
"You're in luck because I was actually invited."
She smirked. "Excellent."
"Rose will be pleased to hear this because you're going to be my date." Her face dropped at that but then hardened.
"I'm not going to tell her that, she'll get excited." She could see a smirk on his face at that statement.
"So, what's your plan?"
"I'll tell you when you get back." She said and then hung up the phone on him.
Shadow put his phone down with a sigh, he felt like she didn't tell him anything and that left him frustrated. He wanted to know, so he could help her or sway her from doing anything life threatening. His head rose to attention as his partner walked in.
"Boyd. What is it?"
Boyd handed him a file, he raised an eyebrow at that. He opened it and saw candid photos of Kiera. Her walking down a street. Her working at Morgan's diner. Her walking out of The Rascal. Shadow hid his concern and link with Kiera.
"What is this?" He asked, none of the wiser.
"A dead woman is walking around like no care in the world and Boss wants us to find her and bring her in." Boyd explained with his arms crossed over his chest.
"For what did she didn't exactly?"
"Oh, I don't know, took down G.U.N and killed the Commander of it, killing her in the process. Until, we found her now. He wants to pick her mind."
"So he could understand how she took down the biggest government organisation since the C.I.A." Boyd nodded, confirming that fact.
"She couldn't have gotten far." She was in his apartment right now, hopefully sleeping.
"We'll find her." Boyd said and left his office, and Shadow quickly shoved the file into his bag. This wasn't good, especially with what Kiera is up to. He was protecting her while he was protecting Amy, it's the best he could do right now. He had to the need to.
He had to get the sniper rifle for Kiera, he would have to get one from evidence or the locker. He'd find a way but he wasn't okay with her killing someone, not again. No matter how bad of a person he is. She didn't want her to go through that again. He could tell it broke and changed her.
He was getting ready to head back to his apartment before he went and got the rifle from evidence. He met an officer at the desk.
"You mind if I check something from a case?" Shadow have him a smile and the officer nodded.
"Sure, Detective, don't be too long." The officer let him through to evidence after he signed in and Shadow walked down the aisles. To find a case where a sniper rifle was involved.
"You mind if I step out for a minute, Detective?" Shadow turned to the officer and nodded.
"Take your time, Officer." He smiled and left Shadow to his devices. Shadow quickly found a case with the rifle he wanted. He took the bagged rifle and signed out before the officer could return.
He hid the rifle beside his bag before he reached his bike, he quickly drove out of the car park and headed straight to his apartment without making himself suspicious. He parked in his garage and headed up to his apartment. He unlocked the door and walked through, kicking the door shut. He found Kiera eating, he was pleased at that.
He set the rifle down on the kitchen island, and Kiera took a good look at it. She was pleased, he could tell. He then pulled the file from his bag and set it down beside the rifle.
"What is this?"
"I was just given this case." He motioned her to take a look and she did just that. She opened the file and saw her face. He saw that she wasn't surprised or impressed by it.
"They want you to find me because of what I know when I was with G.U.N and more now. They know I'm alive. Are you going to take me in?" She looked at him, waiting for his betrayal.
"I got you the rifle, didn't I?" He smirked, he wasn't going to betray her. He wanted to protect Amy as well but he could tell that Kiera was more hell bent on it because of the baby. He was going to help her all the way anyway.
"Thanks for that." She looked at him sincerely.
"Thanks for saving my ass forever ago." He smiled at her.
"Well, someone had to." She smirked.
He chuckled and then sat down on the sofa with her. "So what's the plan with the Charity Gala next month?"
"He's going to be there and I'm going to find out more about him." She leant back in the sofa, beside her usable pile.
"You're not going alone to talk to him." Shadow told her.
"Isn't that way I'm your date?" She smirked, raising an eyebrow at him.
He smirked back at her. "Exactly."
"So, what's your plan?" He leant his forearms on his knees.
"He's already buying baby supplies and he is going to buy a house in Brooklyn Heights in February. I'm going to take him out then." He stayed silent as she told him what she was going to do.
"Are you going to do this alone?" He asked, looking at her.
"No, you're coming with me because I need a backup plan if everything goes south for me." She thought of everything, he had to admit but he was happy to hear that she wasn't going to go alone.
"It'll be a month before Rose's due date, Kiera. Are sure about this?" He asked her, worried that she will be leaving it too late.
"Yes. I'm sure." She had no doubts about what she was doing, but he did.
His door opened and the two of them widened their eyes in panic. Kiera couldn't go anywhere, again. She didn't want to go through this again. Shadow stood up and turned to the door. It was Rouge, and she was holding a box of clothes. Male clothes.
"Hey, Shadow. Knuckles wanted me to drop this off for you as you wanted gym clothes." She said as she out the box on the kitchen island and then saw the rifle.
"Are you getting ready for a shootout or something, Shadow?" She laughed then turned to him. Her mouth dropped at the sight of Kiera on his sofa.
Kiera wiggled her fingers at her in a wave. "Hey there." She smirked.
Shadow quickly went over to Rouge to restrain her before she went all 'Rouge' on her. She pulled against Shadow. "What the hell, Shadow?! She is supposed to be dead!" She snarled, still resonating hate towards her after their last meeting.
"Yeah, I get that a lot." She still held that same smirk and that pissed Rouge off.
"Calm down, Rouge." He told her, hoping she would.
"Calm down? She knocked us out! Twice! I have a scar!" She pulled against his grasp.
"I know, that was five years ago. Let it go. She's helping Rose." Kiera glared at Shadow, not wanting her to be informed at what they are doing.
Rouge slowly calmed down and Shadow released her. "Helping Amy with what?"
"Protecting her from a sadistic, egomaniac from stealing her baby." Shadow said simply and straight to the point.
"So are we telling everyone now, Shadow?" Kiera glared at him.
"The more help the better, Kiera." Shadow told her.
"Help? We're doing fine just the two of us." Kiera scowled at him.
"Good. Because I'm not going to help you!" Rouge cried with anger.
"Excellent." Kiera sneered.
"You will not tell anyone about Kiera, or about Rose, Rouge. Please?" He asked her with a plea.
"Fine, I won't tell but I'm not happy about her ending alive or with you for that matter." Rouge huffed and turned to exit the apartment.
"I'm getting really tired of that happening." Kiera muttered, not all that happy.
