Solus: Chapter 11

...

He heard her get up and he turned over on his side to watch her at the window. The early dawn light bathed her in soft grays as she rested her head against the glass and he thought again how striking she was and how incredibly brave. She turned her head to stare at him and the look on her face made him rise and go to her.

"Are you okay?" he asked and lightly touched her shoulder.

"No, Lucas," she replied. "I don't think I'll ever be okay again. You made me see how screwed up I am. I haven't been okay for three years. I've just been trying to survive and the way I did that was to take whatever shit Lobo threw at me and convince myself that I was tough, that I could take it. And then I'd tell myself that everything was okay, that things really weren't that bad. How screwed up is that, Lucas?"

"Let me take you out of here, Celina," he said, "You won't survive here much longer and then Lobo will have your son, and you know what that will mean for him."

She tried to slap him as her anger surfaced, but he caught her wrist and stared into her eyes and he could see the confusion and uncertainty there.

"I know you're afraid, but you have to get away from this place, from him, and this may be your only chance." His voice began to rise and he caught himself as he remembered where he was.

"You're right," she said, but a hint of anger clung to her words. "I've always thought of myself as a strong person, but now that I have Teyo, sometimes I feel so weak it scares me."

"But you're not weak, Celina," he said and pulled her away from the window. He wrapped his arms around her and hugged her to his chest. "You're one of the strongest women I've ever known. But you have to take this chance now, because you know he'll kill you one of these days or he'll let one of his bodyguards do it as part of the nightly entertainment."

She began to shake and he heard her sob as she tightened her arms around his body.

"Besides, if we're caught, you can always turn on me," Lucas whispered into her silky auburn hair.

She pulled back, searching his eyes with a look he hadn't seen on her face before. She brought her hand up to his cheek and kissed him softly once and then turned away from him to look out the window again.

"I don't think I could do that to you now, not after last night," she said quietly.

"Then trust me." He turned her around, holding her arms tightly and hoping she would agree.

"Okay, Lucas," she said and then smiled tentatively as her eyes became glazed with fresh tears.

"Good. Now can we get out of here? This room gives me the creeps."

"You go first, I'll stay here awhile," she said. She seemed calmer now that she had made a decision and he could hear a note of confidence in the tone of her voice. "And Lucas, be sure and thank Lobo for the gift. He gets very angry if people aren't grateful for his generosity." He could hear the warning in her words.

"I am grateful, Celina, but not to him."

Lucas dressed quickly and without too much pain and he was thankful for that. He touched Celina lightly on the arm and flashed a smile before opening the door and shutting it behind him. His mind was crowded with ideas and plans for their escape and he felt a chill of anticipation run down his spine as he walked downstairs. He couldn't wait to get out of this hellhole, but he needed to be careful and smart or they would both die here and no one would ever find their bodies. That thought sobered him as he walked across the courtyard and his mind filled with thoughts of Kensi and his emotions shook him. Celina reminded him of Kensi in so many ways, and now he was fighting for both of them and he didn't want to let either one of them down.

...

Lucas drove back to Ocotillo late in the afternoon, his mind racing and his body exhausted. He had only slept a couple of hours in the last twenty-four and it was beginning to catch up with him. He dry swallowed two more pain pills and as the burning in his shoulder eased, his mind finally settled on an escape plan. He hadn't had a chance to talk it over with Celina, but he would be on guard duty tomorrow so he would run the plan by her then. He could only hope she didn't change her mind or reject his idea.

He pulled up to the Lazy Lizard Saloon and was thankful there were only a couple of trucks out front. He needed to find out how far he could trust Roy if his plan was going to work, but if he found out that good ol' Roy kept an eye on the locals and the cartel members for Morales then he would have to modify his plan and good ol' Roy would be very sorry and a little sore the next day.

"Gimme a beer, Roy," Lucas said as he sat down at the bar. He bided his time nursing his beer and listening to Bonnie Raitt on the jukebox singing John Prine's "Angel from Montgomery", a song he loved and that made him think of a certain night with Kensi not too long ago. He sighed deeply at the warm memory and was happy this whole operation was almost over. He longed for her as the song ended and was lost in his thoughts until Roy stood before him and he noticed he was the only customer still there.

"Hey, man. Your name's Lucas, right?" Roy said with a friendly smile. "How's the job going?"

"Why Roy? You keep your ear to the ground for Lobo Morales?" Lucas grabbed the bartender's shirt and yanked him close to his face. "You give him little tidbits of information about his men for a little extra cash? Yeah, Roy?"

"No, no, I hate the guy...I mean, no, I wouldn't do that." Roy looked scared to death and about to shit his pants, as Lucas let him go.

"You hate the guy? Really?" Lucas smiled and saw even more fear register in Roy's eyes. "How much?"

He saw a look of indecision cloud Roy's face as he tried to decide how to respond to that question.

"You work for Lobo, so why would I tell you that?" Roy's face hardened as he spoke and Lucas could see cunning behind his eyes that hadn't been there before.

"You're smarter than I thought," Lucas finished his beer and looked around to make sure they were alone. "What did Lobo do to you, Roy?"

"How do you know he did something to me?" Roy said slowly as he poured himself a whiskey.

"Because he's a sick sociopath who likes to fuck with people for fun," Lucas said.

Roy downed his whiskey and shakily wiped his mouth. "You hate him too."

"Yeah, I do," Lucas confided. Roy downed his whiskey and took a deep breath.

"After Lobo moved into that hacienda he built, he came over here with a few of his men to celebrate," Roy began, "At least that's what he said he was here for. My dad was running the place then and he didn't like what Morales was up to from the beginning. My dad was a retired Marine, and he didn't take shit from anybody. That first night he wasn't friendly and I could see it made Morales really mad. I tried to talk to my dad about it, but he was a real straight arrow and when one of the men started harassing one of the local girls, my dad told him to get out. Morales was furious and threatened my dad, but he just laughed and told him if he didn't like the service he could leave. I don't think my dad realized just how dangerous Lobo Morales was. They all left, but a week later my dad was dead and I think Morales was responsible, not that I can prove it."

Roy was shaking with barely contained rage when he finished his story, but Lucas saw a hint of fear in his eyes. He had taken a chance on Lucas being truthful and now it was Lucas' turn to take a chance on Roy.

"I need your help, Roy," Lucas said.

"What kind of help?"

"I want to borrow your car tomorrow," he said. "I won't tell you why, because it would be too dangerous for you. If anyone asks, just tell him I stole it. I'll leave you the keys to my Escalade as a replacement." Lucas held his breath as he watched Roy's face. He hoped he would agree, because he didn't want to have to beat up Roy and really steal his car.

"My car for an Escalade?" Roy looked surprised and then a slow smile spread across his face. "You sure? Cause my car is a dirt colored 1997 Chevy Blazer that's been beat to shit. It was my dad's car."

"Does it have a full tank of gas?" Lucas smiled back. "And how fast can it go?"

"Just tanked up yesterday and it will haul ass when you need it too," Roy said. "I modified the engine."

"Okay, we got a deal?" Lucas reached to shake his hand and Roy's smile got bigger as he took Lucas' hand. "I'll also need one of your Lazy Lizard gimme caps and a tee shirt."

"You got it," Roy said.

"How far to the clinic from here?" Lucas asked as he started on his second beer.

"Couple of blocks." he said. "Might be easier if I happen to drop by the clinic sometime tomorrow and park out back."

"I'm really starting to like you, Roy." Lucas said. "I'll call you with a time."

He drank his beer and listened to the jukebox as his plan began to form in his mind. Soon, the place began to fill with locals and Roy brought him a hamburger and fries. He actually began to relax a little, knowing this was probably the last time in the next couple of days that he would be able to. He was starting to like the Lazy Lizard, but then he'd always been very fond of seedy bars.

When he got back to his little green house on the edge of the desert he stood outside and watched the full moon rise and dimly highlight the desolate chalky hills. The desert heat began to cool before he called Granger and he took a deep breath when he answered.

"It's about time, Lucas." Granger sounded pissed, but Lucas didn't care.

"Your daughter's fine, thanks for asking," Lucas said. Granger was silent for a moment.

"Did it take you this long to convince her to leave?"

"Is that what you've been thinking for the last three years?" Lucas practically shouted into the phone. "You think she wanted to be with Lobo Morales?"

"Why else would she stay?" Granger said sadly.

"There's a lot of things you don't know about your daughter, Mr. Owens," Lucas said.

"And you think you do?" Granger asked.

"She's been his prisoner, you fuckin' asshole," Lucas said.

Granger was silent.

Lucas dropped the phone to his side as he tried to control his emotions. He knew Celina would want to be the one to tell him that he had a grandson, so he gathered his thoughts and calmly began to tell Granger what he needed and when.

"I don't know what time we'll be at the airstrip tomorrow, but I'll call you when we're close." Lucas said. "And don't forget to leave that car at the gas station off Highway 8. We might need it."

"Lucas?"

"Yeah?"

"Is she okay?"

"She will be. She's strong and she's a survivor," Deeks answered in his own voice. "She's an amazing woman."

"Yeah, she always has been," he replied. "See you tomorrow, Lucas."

"I hope so," he replied.

...

It wasn't until after breakfast that he was able to talk with Celina. She pretended to be afraid of Lucas while the maids cleared the table, but after they left, he told her he had talked to her father and she tried to seem indifferent, but couldn't quite pull it off. She asked a few questions about him and still seemed surprised he wanted to help her. Then he got down to business.

"I need you to convince Lobo that Teyo needs to go to the clinic in town for some reason," he said.

"I've done it in the past, so he shouldn't be too suspicious," she said, "Do you think he'll let you take me?"

"I think he'll actually suggest it," he said with a small laugh. "He gets off on keeping you off balance and scared, so making you go with me after what he set up between us will appeal to his fucked up mind."

"What time?" she asked and he could tell by the quiver in her voice that she was nervous.

"Right after lunch," he said, holding her eyes with his own, "You can do this Celina, you know you can. You're an agent. It's what you do."

She nodded and got up and went to Teyo, and when she picked him up she looked back at him and there was a determined look on her face and a resolve that encouraged him. Now all they needed was a little luck.

...

They parked in front of the clinic in Ocotillo and Lucas was still amazed at how easily Lobo had given permission for the trip. He had watched carefully to see if they had been tailed but had seen no one. The doctor who had patched him up checked his wound and seemed concerned that it was still seeping blood and warned him to keep it clean, giving him extra dressings so he could change it himself. The doctor actually scolded him about taking better care of himself and told him he should be resting more. Lucas just laughed and excused himself to use the restroom to change into his Lazy Lizard tee shirt and gimme cap while Teyo got his check-up.

He snuck out the back door and found Roy standing by his Blazer. They exchanged keys and shook hands as Lucas waited for Celina and the boy.

"Who are you really?" Roy asked.

"Go inside, Roy," he said shaking his head. "The less you know the better and I don't want anyone to see us together. It might get you killed."

Roy nodded and walked into the clinic as Celina came out with Teyo. Lucas got them into the back, with Celina sitting on the floor behind the passenger seat, holding the boy on her lap. Lucas had just gotten the car started when the back door of the clinic swung open and he saw Munoz coming toward him with his gun drawn.

"Where is she, Lucas," Munoz demanded as he moved toward the car with his gun pointed directly at him.

"Dammit!" Lucas said. "Hold tight, Celina."

Lucas floored it and the Blazer leaped forward, spewing gravel behind it. Munoz stood directly in front of him and began firing, but waited too long to get out of the way of the onrushing SUV. The left side of the car hit him with such force he was thrown across the parking lot and into the side of the dumpster. Lucas turned sharply to avoid running into the back of the clinic, then skidded out onto the road with tires squealing. The windshield was pocked with bullet holes and Lucas looked quickly behind him to check on Celina.

"You both okay?" He yelled as his heart pounded in his chest.

"We're good, Lucas. You?" She was breathing hard and Teyo was wide eyed as he clutched his toy truck.

"I'm good." He still had the gas pedal pushed flat out as they tore through town and headed for the main highway. His shoulder was screaming in pain from the twist he had given the wheel back at the clinic, but he ignored it as he kept a lookout for any other bodyguards that might have come with Munoz. He hoped Munoz was dead, but he knew even if he were it wouldn't be long before Lobo Morales was on their tail. They were running for their lives now and he pushed the car to its limit as they hit the Interstate and headed for a small airstrip where he hoped Granger was waiting with a plane like he'd promised.

...