Vegas Part 11: Search and Rescue
"Oh good, I was hoping to run into somebody. Have you seen my husband?" Annie asked all innocence.
"We thought you made a run for it?" Nikolai sneered.
"I figured he went up to the suite, so I went up there and there is no sign of him. I changed real quick and came back to find him, we had a little vodka, I was afraid he got turned around" she smiled conspiratorially.
"One of my staff went up to your room looking for you Mrs. Williams, you were not up there. Where exactly did you get that cat burglar outfit?"
"I must have just missed your staff person, did you need me for something? I paid all my debts before I left. Half a million is as much as Marvin lets me lose in one night."
Annie made to move past Nikolai just as he reached for his radio to alert the others he had her. Annie kicked the phone from his hand and brought an elbow to his jaw before he could register what was happening. He was bigger than her, but slower and she got in several good blows that had him backing off.
She drew her weapon.
"Well well, not the innocent wife after all, no wonder your man was so calm, he knew you were coming to save him. A little bit emasculating, but effective," Nikolai shrugged.
"And you're a little bit sexist," Annie grinned.
"Helvetica you have to move, Auggie's heart rate is down and his temp is getting dangerous," Barber reported.
"On it, send back up to the room I am in now, they will find the leader of this little gang, tied up. He is one of the ones without the compound, so they should collect him ASAP," Annie replied as she got out the zip ties and bound Nikolai around the leg of a rather heavy table, she knocked him out, just to be safe.
She moved quickly through the halls remembering Barber's instructions from earlier. As expected there was a guy outside what appeared to be a walk-in freezer, he was armed, but there was only one of him. The rest of the room was empty, no staff around this late at night. He was facing the direction of the open doorway, even if she came in weapon first she couldn't trust that he wasn't a quicker shot than she was.
She surveyed the room from her spot, if she could cause a distraction and get a jump on him she would be golden. She saw her chance in the form of a large glass bowl full of lemons on a shelf above a work station. She took aim and fired at an angle certain to shatter the bowl.
The distraction worked, the guard took his eyes off the door at the moment the bowl shattered, lemons toppling in a blur of yellow. Annie moved into the room and had him subdued in seconds.
"What is the code?" she ordered as she assessed the locked freezer.
"I don't speak English," he spat in a thick Russian accent.
"What is the code?" she sneered back in Russian and jammed the gun against his ribs for emphasis.
He gave her the code in Russian and she entered it and heard the hiss of the seal release. Back up arrived just in time and she shoved the fellow towards one of the agents and secured her weapon before heading into the freezer.
Auggie wasn't alone, next to his slumped form was the blonde housekeeper only in the short sleeves of her uniform.
"Katie, wake up," Annie tapped the young woman on the cheek as she unzipped her hoodie and cut the ties binding the woman's arms.
"Auggie, can you hear me?" Annie asked loudly as she attended to Katie.
"Auggie?" she shook his leg and could feel how cold the fabric of his pants was.
Once Katie was unbound Annie slipped the hoodie onto her and zipped it up, hoping her own body heat would radiate on to the woman.
"Little help in here," Annie called and an agent came in to carry Katie out to the warmer room.
"Auggie?" Annie turned her attention to trying to assess him, but quickly the other agent returned and dragged Auggie out as well. Annie was at his side immediately rubbing his arms and legs. Blankets appeared from somewhere and Annie wrapped her body around Auggie's.
She stripped the cold garments from his body so she could rub his skin directly, wrapping her now bare arms around him, her cheek against his cheek. His pulse was slow but steady.
"His temp is coming up Annie, he'll be fine," Barber soothed in her ear.
Sure enough in a matter of minutes Auggie started to mumble.
"Hey there, you OK?" she asked her breath warm against his cold ear.
"Yeah, you?" he replied with a smile.
"All good," she smiled against his neck.
***555***
Annie and Auggie walked into Auggie's apartment nearly a week after leaving. The crew in Las Vegas had been rounded up easily thanks to the tracking of the compound and some of the lesser members turned easily under interrogation. All in all the mission was a huge success and Joan accepted their written report as sufficient debrief until Monday.
"You OK?" Annie noticed Auggie kind of staring off into space.
"Hmmm, yeah just thinking about Katie."
"Excuse me?" Annie tried to keep the shrill out of her voice.
"Not like that," he scoffed.
"Then like how?"
"She tried to protect me, when Nikolai was questioning us, she was vague and didn't say much like she was afraid she would get us in more trouble. I can't imagine her at all, I don't remember her from 3 years ago and she tried to protect me," Auggie shook his head.
"You are pretty unforgettable Mr. Anderson," she slid a hand under his jacket, so happy to find his shirt radiating warmth.
"I guess. I like to think I was so suave and mysterious back then, when really I must have seemed needy and lonely."
"Well you certainly aren't needy and I hope you aren't lonely anymore," she spoke her lips very close to his own.
"Not lonely at all," he smiled and closed the short distance.
"Hungry?" she asked as they passed the kitchen.
"Not for food," he grinned as he pulled her towards the bedroom.
"Oooh sex without surveillance equipment, I almost forget what that is like. I can call you by your name and be as loud as I want," Annie purred.
"Well not too loud, there might not be any mics and cameras in here, but Mrs. Watkins across the hall is awfully nosey," he laughed.
The End
Author's note: Monday you are going to get part 2 of Unexpected which is Chapter 27 of Bits and Pieces. That will only have a couple additional Chapters as I do not want to do a long story about Annie pregnant, but there was significant request for some follow up. After that I am out of requests. A few people mentioned a few others at random, but no real demand for extension….so I will see what comes out of my psyche….
