Dogs of War
Summary: Max and Alec are finally starting to get everything up and running in TC when missions start going horribly wrong...
Alec to the rescue! Oh, all right, Max, too...
Chapter Eleven
Max peered around the edge of the apartment building opposite the strip of restaurants. She knew Alec and his team had to be there already, but she didn't see them. That didn't necessarily mean anything. As Alec had said, they were a sneaky bunch. Even though Alec had been on TV almost as much as she had, he and his crew still ranged all over the city in search of supplies for Terminal City, unrecognized and unseen unless they wanted to be. Times were tough, even for people with money and Alec was their head negotiator. Just because they were semi-legal citizens now with a decent cash flow didn't mean getting enough supplies to take care of them all didn't take a lot of work.
Max glanced into the various restaurants, but didn't see anything that looked like Secretary Gordon's entourage. She also saw that there were no helicopters or police blockades, so at least he was still alive.
"Hey, Max."
Max jumped and whirled to find Alec standing directly behind her. She hadn't heard him approach, but then her chest was killing her and she was having a little trouble focusing. That was totally the reason, and had nothing to do with the fact that Alec was freaky quiet when he wanted to be.
"They're in the fancy French place," Alec said. "He's got a security detail with him, but that's not going to be much help."
"Why not?"
"Because, from the looks of it, half the people in that restaurant are familiars."
Max remained silent, her eyes glued to the restaurant front. It was definitely nicer than what nearly everyone else on the planet could afford. It had an awning out front, and window boxes with actual plants in them. The most impressive thing was that it was clean. Nobody else post-pulse put out the money or effort to keep the place clean. They were too busy trying to survive to worry about dusting.
Max half-turned toward him. "You're not even going to ask why I'm here?"
Alec snorted. She could tell he was displeased, but he didn't seem surprised. "Max, how long have we known each other?"
"Feels like forever," she replied, eyes back on the restaurant. She focused and thought maybe she could pick out one of Gordon's security people inside, toward the back.
"And in all that time, no matter how logical it is for you to stay away, or how much I ask you to let me take care of it, when have you ever stayed home when there was trouble?"
Beneath the irritation, Max could sense a touch of amusement in his tone, and she was glad to hear it. At one time she would have welcomed the thought of Alec distancing himself from her. Now it was enough to destroy her. Alec had made himself an integral part of her life almost from the very beginning and she couldn't bear to lose him now.
"I can't let you idiots have all the fun," she said.
Alec stood close behind her so he could peek around her more easily. "I was hoping Mole would have the sense to lock you up." His hand rested on her hip and slipped slightly forward to hook around her, anchoring him to her. He leaned forward, his chest pressed against her shoulder as he glanced toward the restaurant.
As always, the closeness of him, the contact, set her entire body humming. When they were first together, she'd thought the effect Alec had on her was because she was so touch-starved. All he'd had to do was brush against her to set every oversensitive nerve she had singing. She'd been sure that the effect would pass once her stupid skin remembered what it was like to be close to someone. She'd soon realized, however, it wasn't any of her rationalizations. It was Alec. Once she started paying attention, she realized she was constantly being touched. Joshua had always been a hugger and others were always shaking her hand or bumping into her in crowded meetings. It was only Alec's touch that had her begging for more.
Alec's arm tightened fractionally as he continued to lean around her to see the restaurant and Max couldn't help a sudden indrawn breath.
"Max?" he asked worriedly. He drew her back from the corner and pushed her against the building so he could inspect her. "What is it? Are you all right?"
"I'm fine," she answered. Her breath hitched in her chest as he settled both hands on her hips, his fingers like hot branding irons, burning through her clothing. In the back of her mind, she knew this wasn't the time or place. Still, she needed him to touch her and she willed him to continue as his fingers slid from her hips beneath her shirt. Alec wanted to make sure she wasn't injured, but his gentle fingers had her thinking of an entirely different pastime.
She let out a tiny whimper and his hands abruptly left her. She focused on him again, and saw that he had badly misinterpreted her reaction to him.
His face was expressionless, but his hands were fists at his side. It was a glaring sign of just how badly out of sync they were. Normally, Alec knew her, knew her body, knew how to touch, when to touch, when not to. More importantly, he knew her. They worked together so well because Alec could read her like no one else.
Max reached out and placed her hand against his cheek, startling him, almost as if he'd been expecting a slap instead of a caress. "I'm fine," she said again, willing him to believe her. "Now stop being so twitchy. So what if you shot me. You didn't mean anything by it."
"Max, you don't-"
She stopped him with a kiss. She slid her hands in under his jacket and felt how tense his muscles were across his chest and abdomen. She eased her hands to his back, her fingers splayed wide across the taut expanse as she pulled him closer to her. Alec allowed it, although she noted he was very careful with her, anxious to save her a repeat of their earlier problem.
Max used her body, her mouth, and her hands to wipe that blank expression off his face. Alec moaned against her lips, the sound half-pleasure, half-agony. "Stop," he whispered, his lips still brushing hers as he set his hands against her shoulders. "We have to stop." He pushed her back, and for a second the loss she saw in his face was nearly paralyzing, but he quickly covered it with his hard-earned mask of indifference. Only his eyes remained to show the devastation.
"Alec, I've almost got you patched in on the frequency with Gordon's security team." Alec's team members were all wearing earpieces, but Max could hear the faint transmission.
"Thanks," Alec said, although the word came out sounding strangled. He cleared his throat, shrugged his shoulders loose, and took a decided step away from her, although still remaining hidden from the restaurant across the street.
"You're live."
Alec turned and once again focused on peering around the corner of the building toward the restaurant where Logan and Gordon were having their lunch meeting.
"Terry, can you hear me?" Alec asked.
Max moved up beside Alec so that she, too, had line of sight into the restaurant. She saw the guard she'd caught sight of earlier stiffen at the sound of a new voice on their supposedly secure channel. She hadn't realized it was Terry, but was glad to know it. He had a level head and wouldn't immediately discount what they had to say.
"Don't say anything. It's Alec and we have a problem. Just shrug one shoulder if you understand."
They both waited and Gordon's head of security shrugged a shoulder making it look like a natural movement as he shifted slightly on his feet.
"Ok, Terry. We've been warned of a credible threat against Secretary Gordon. We're pretty sure that you've got at least five hostiles inside the restaurant with you. It might be more, but we won't know until we're actually inside."
Terry's posture didn't change, but she saw that he began studying the people around him with more determined interest. The problem was that no matter how good he was, he wasn't a transgenic or a familiar. He had a gun, but even with that he was at a distinct disadvantage. He just wasn't as strong or as fast as the people he was up against.
"How many on your team?" Alec asked.
Terry brought a hand up to his cheek facing the window and scratched surreptitiously, once, twice, three times.
"Is there a way you can get the Secretary out of there quickly without it looking like you're trying to get him out?"
Terry sniffed and stayed put. Max took that as a no, and she supposed Alec did as well because he sighed heavily. "These people in the restaurant, they're not transgenics, but they can kick your asses before you even realize what's happening," Alec warned the man. "We're going to have to come in hot. We surprise them and keep them occupied. In the meantime, your one and only job is to get Secretary Gordon out of there and as far away as possible. They want him dead and they want us blamed, so just get him gone. Don't stop until you're back in Washington. Got it?"
Terry sniffed again in acknowledgement, but if Max was any judge he looked very, very unhappy with the situation.
"Alpha team in place?" Alec asked.
"Affirmative."
"Bravo?"
"Affirmative," the second group echoed although Max had no idea where any of them were. She assumed one of the teams was behind the building and was about to come in that way while the others came in the front. She knew none of them would be visible until they wanted to be. Max was good, but her style was a little down and dirty compared to the others and their full range of Manticore taught lessons and skills.
Max saw Terry tense and his head snapped to one side as he followed something they couldn't see. "Alec!" she said in alarm, but he'd already seen it as well.
"Move in," Alec ordered, already pulling his gun from the back of his waistband.
They were instantly moving across the street, out of the direct line of sight of the windows. Two members of Alec's team appeared at their side. Alec pointed from one of his men, Slick again, to Max and the man nodded. Max frowned at the silent order to watch out for her, but ignored it in favor of concentrating on the task at hand.
Alec was in the lead, and without preamble he shot out the large picture window. He hit it high enough that no one inside would be hurt by a stray bullet, but the glass still shattered and fell, causing a huge distraction to everyone inside as well as giving them a large entrance that they wouldn't have to funnel through one at a time.
After that it was almost a blur. There were approximately five familiars as they'd been able to guess beforehand, but they were interspersed with other paying patrons who were running around like chickens with their heads cut off. Terry and his fellow guards circled Secretary Gordon and immediately began hustling him toward the back of the business and the exit they'd apparently chosen as their safety net. Logan was between Gordon and their exit and he was summarily ushered out as well. Two of the familiars started to pursue them, but Alec and another member of his team quickly blocked them from following.
Alec brought his gun up, but the familiar opposite him, a huge brute of a man, was too fast and Alec was hampered by his exhaustion. His gun went flying. Alec paused to regroup for only a second before he moved forward to crowd the man and fight him hand to hand before he could pull any weapons.
In the back of her mind, Max heard several shots and knew absently that Alec's team wasn't taking any chances. The familiars were trying to kill them, as well as ruin them, and they were being shown no mercy.
That left only Alec and the man who was trying to beat him senseless all the while retreating toward the broken window and his escape route. She called a warning when she saw the knife, but it was too late. The familiar slashed at Alec's abdomen. Max saw his face twist in a grimace just as Slick put a pair of bullets in Alec's opponent.
The familiar fell into a bloody heap, but Alec remained standing. He wrapped an arm around his middle and Max couldn't see how much damage had been done.
"Alec?"
He ignored her. "Everyone ok?" Alec asked and received a chorus of positive responses. He paused, breathing too hard and looking far too pale for her comfort. "Gordon get out?"
"His car pulled out about two minutes ago," one of the guys who'd come in the back replied.
"S'great," Alec slurred. "We should get outta here."
His arm fell away from his midsection and Max's eyes widened. He'd been gutted, literally. It was a deep, jagged, horizontal gash across his abdomen. Alec hadn't been trying to slow the bleeding. He'd been trying to keep his guts in. Alec started to sag and Max sprang forward to catch him as he fell. His weight pulled at her own injuries and she toppled to the floor with him.
"Alec!" she shouted as she got to her knees and leaned over him, unsure how best to help him.
"S'ok, Max," Alec said, barely audible. "S'better. M'not safe."
"Alec, just shut up about that!" she ordered. Max turned toward the others who were gathering around them. "Who's got a phone?"
They all shook their heads. "Off limits until we get the all clear," Slick said, already moving toward the kitchen area in back. "I'll find one."
"Tell them to hurry!" she said, as if ambulances had a habit of dawdling. It didn't matter. Alec was in bad shape and she had to say it. "And tell them to page Dr. Carr!" she shouted at Slick's retreating back. "I want him waiting when we get there!"
"Let 'em do th'r jobs," Alec mumbled, a tiny smirk appearing. "Al's so bossy."
"Now you find your sense of humor?" she asked through clenched teeth. She ripped one of the white cloths off a nearby table and pressed it against Alec's stomach. The gash was wide enough she had to use both hands to try to maintain pressure on it and another of the team knelt on Alec's other side and added his own hands to Max's in an effort to keep him from bleeding out before the medics could get there.
Alec's face screwed up in pain. "Sh' prob'ly be grateful. Few inches lower and be singing soprano."
"Alec, please stop talking," she begged, needing him to conserve his energy.
"Crime agains' female pop'lation." He grunted when the guy helping Max shifted and placed a bit heavier pressure on Alec's wound. "Max'd never forgive 'em."
"Yeah, you're the biggest stud Manticore ever produced. Now shut up," she ordered.
"Max?" Alec said quietly. His eyes were open, staring at the ceiling and she had the terrible feeling he wasn't actually seeing anything.
"What?"
"M'sorry," he whispered, "for everything."
His eyes closed and his entire body went slack. Max looked down and saw that the white tablecloth was a blood soaked mess. She could hear the sirens in the distance, but that didn't mean anything, because there was nothing but dead silence inside the restaurant.
Max really wished she'd ordered him to keep talking.
Only one chapter left… But you'll have to leave a review if you want your present before Christmas…
