Co-Authored by Tracey Arcieri and Karen LaManna

Chapter 11

Agent Brown pulled into the restaurant parking lot as Agent Nevins encouraged him, "Come on, come on, I don't know how much longer I can wait."

"I wasn't the one that drank three large coffees," Brown snapped back as he put the car in park.

Nevins ran into the building and immediately asked the hostess, "Your restroom?"

"Right down the hall sir but it's for patrons only," the young lady explained.

"We'll take two coffees and two slices of chocolate cake to go. How's that?" he asked hurriedly as he shoved a twenty-dollar bill in her direction and walked away. Several minutes later he returned to find the hostess was waiting for him with two takeout containers and two travel cups with lids. He pocketed the change she handed him and took the cake and coffee out to the car where Brown rolled his eyes the second he saw him.

"Really? More coffee?" he groaned.

"I had to purchase something. Look, there's a payphone over there. We should probably check in with Mr. Melrose," Nevins pointed to a payphone at the other end of the parking lot. "Hey, that looks like Mrs. King's car. I laugh every time I see that Bombers sticker on the back."

"It sure looks like it. I wonder what she's doing in this part of town. Seems a little out of her neck of the woods. Did you see her inside?" Brown asked as he got out of the car and began walking towards the payphone.

"Now that you mention it, no. There was hardly anyone in there and she was most definitely not one of them. Did you try her cookies at the last office party?" Nevins asked as he caught up to Brown. The two men stopped at the payphone and as Agent Brown dug in his pocket for change, Nevins commented, "Hey, do you think the rumors are true? You know the ones about her and Scarecrow having a thing?"

"A thing? Scarecrow doesn't have 'things' with housewives. Seriously, stop listening to the girls in the steno pool," Brown scolded him as he punched the numbers on the keypad. "Brown for Melrose. Alpha team, Security level F6," he informed the switchboard operator. He waited for a few seconds until he heard Billy's voice bark from the earpiece, "I need a status report, NOW!"

"Mr. Melrose, Sir, we are in the parking lot of the Potter Restaurant, just down the street from the second location," Brown reported. "Sir, Mrs. King's car is here as well."

"What do you mean, Mrs. King's car is there? Amanda King? What the hell is she doing there?" Billy demanded.

"Um, I don't know, Sir. We didn't see her, just her car," Brown stuttered.

"I need you to confirm Mrs. King isn't just sitting in the restaurant having dinner!" Billy commanded.

Covering the mouthpiece on the phone, Brown asked Nevins, "You're sure you didn't see her inside?" When Nevins nodded he instructed him, "Go check Mrs. King's car. See if anything looks, I don't know, strange."

Nevins narrowed his eyes and scrunched up his face in disgust. He walked towards Amanda's car as he shook his head. He peered in the passenger window and immediately saw her purse on the seat. He could see a keyring sitting on top of her wallet. He pulled up on the door handle but found it locked. He stood and yelled over to Brown, "Her purse is here, looks like her keys and wallet, but the doors are locked."

Brown relayed Nevins' findings to Billy who immediately cursed, "Dammit, Amanda King! What are you up to?" Billy opened his office door and yelled into the bullpen. "Francine! Get your keys, we have a situation on our hands!" Turning back to the phone, Billy stated, "Continue searching for Scarecrow and Gregory, but keep your eye out for Mrs. King. For all we know, she's already found them both and if that's the case, there could be trouble coming your way. Desmond and I will be enroute in minutes. If you find them, don't and I repeat, don't challenge Gregory! You wait for me! Do you understand?"

Both Nevins and Brown responded together, "Yes, Sir." "We'll move towards the location and investigate what we can sir, with caution," Brown added. He hung up the phone and looked at Nevins as he said, "You heard him. Let's go." They climbed into their sedan and just as they pulled out of the parking lot, they had to slam on the brakes before they almost hit an older model van as it turned onto the side street.

Dimitri slammed on his brakes and got out of the van to yell at the driver that barely missed hitting them. Brown rolled down the window and apologized, "I'm so sorry, that was my fault. So sorry, sir. No damage done."

Dimitri pursed his lips and uttered an obscenity in Russian before he replied, "No harm. Just watch where you drive. Next time you may not be that lucky." He climbed back into the driver's seat and put the van in gear as he slowly drove away. Brown and Nevins waited for several more cars and a moving truck to pass before they pulled out of the parking lot. They did not notice the van as it pulled into the neighborhood they were also heading into.

Brown pulled over and took out the street map to determine exactly where the address was located before he drove slowly again.

While Brown was searching for the street, Amanda rushed back toward the ramshackle building with the pot filled with water again for Lee. She found him leaning heavily against the window ledge. She held the pot to his lips and let him sip slowly this time. He coughed a few times, but she simply tilted the small pot back until he caught his breath again. Lee finally nodded he was better and took two cautious steps toward the door.

"Amanda, we should get moving. They could come back anytime. But, I need you," Lee stated.

Amanda raised her eyebrows at his last statement and asked, "You need me?"

Lee smiled, his dimples deep as he replied, "Everyday but right now I'm a still little shaky. I'm going to need to -"

Amanda cut him off when she whispered, "You can lean on me, I'm a lot stronger than I look."

"That I know, Amanda," Lee responded as he reached out for her. She slipped her arm under his arm, while she gently held his hand against her shoulder.

"We are going to have to take this slow. If we can make it to the other side of the yard, there should be enough trees to cover us until we get to the gate. I think I know where the release is. I can open it enough for us to get through. My car is parked at a restaurant not too far away," Amanda explained.

"Then it looks like I'm following you. Lead the way," he replied as he took a few steps forward on shaky legs.

Together they crept toward the open doorway and outside. They tried to keep a slow but steady pace, while Lee still leaned heavily on Amanda as they emerged from the corner of the building. They had only taken several steps into the open yard when the area brightened from the headlights of the van as they streamed through the gate, instantly illuminating them in the darkness.

Ivan spotted the pair almost immediately as Dimitri fumbled with the handle on the door. As he scrambled out of the van, Ivan pressed the horn and shouted in Russian.

Amanda pivoted them towards the woods behind them, pulling Lee along, "In the trees! Come on, we can lose them in the trees."

"Amanda!" Lee breathed heavily, "I don't know if I can."

Amanda firmly held onto Lee's hand as she attempted to shift more of his weight onto her. "Yes, you can. We can and we're going to do it together. Don't give up on me now, Lee," she assured him.

Behind them, Dimitri finally got the gate open as the van rolled through. He took off running in their direction as they disappeared into the darkness of the trees.