A/N: Hi and sorry to have kept you waiting for the update. To make it up to you, this chapter is extra long. Hope you enjoy it. And, as always, thank you all for the support and encouragement you've been giving me all this time.
Chapter 12 – Work and Play
Chuck woke up to find Sarah snuggled up against him as usual. He smiled and kissed her bare shoulder before getting up.
"Where are you going?" Sarah asked sleepily. Apparently he'd failed in getting out of bed without disturbing her.
"Bathroom," he replied. "Don't get up. I'll bring your breakfast here."
"You're spoiling me, Chuck."
"And it's a process we both enjoy."
"Uh-huh." She made herself more comfortable and closed her eyes again. Chuck was humming as he opened the bathroom door, surprised to see a cloud of steam escape. He shrugged and moved to the sink. As he wiped the condensation to clear the mirror, he noticed some movement. Turning, he saw Awesome also trying to clear the Plexiglas shower screen, and he was not alone in the stall. Ellie was trying to hide behind his muscular body.
"Hi Chuck," they offered lamely.
"AAAAAGHHHH! MY EYES! MY EYES, OH I'M BLIND! I'M BLIND!" Chuck screamed, covering his eyes and running out into the hallway. His first scream, however, had put Sarah into combat mode. He collided with her in the hallway, sending her reeling backwards, the gun falling from her hand and skittering across the floor.
"Chuck, what happened, are you OK?" In her haste to get to him, she'd had no time to get dressed, so all she was wearing was a bed sheet.
"What? Oh, I'm fine."
"Is everything OK here? We heard a noise… oh, good morning Sarah." Devon was out of the bathroom, wearing a towel and Ellie, still blushing, was following behind him in her fluffy bathrobe.
"Yeah, everything looks fine. What happened?"
"The Chuckster walked in on us. We were in the shower."
Sarah took in the embarrassed looks of the Bartowski siblings and started laughing together with Devon.
"It's not funny," Chuck pouted.
"To me it is," Sarah replied, collecting her gun. Out of habit, she tried to stash it in her waistband, only to realize there was no such thing on her, as she was wearing just the aforementioned sheet.
"At least it's reassuring to know Sarah's ready to protect you all the time, Chuck," Ellie said.
"About that… when I heard Chuck's scream, I flashed."
"Dad said that the desire to do your job can apparently trigger a skills flash. Any side effects?"
"No."
"Good. Now, let's all get dressed and have breakfast. Sarah, will you help me with it?"
"Sure. Chuck, I'll have to take a raincheck on the breakfast in bed."
"My brother was going to serve you breakfast in bed? Aw, it's so romantic."
"He's a very romantic person."
"So is Sarah," Chuck butted in.
-o-
"Walker, Bartowski, follow me," Casey said. He led them to the Castle dojo. "Start sparring. We need to see how well your new skills work."
"Um, OK?"
"I have a question," Sarah said. "How do I flash? I mean, it worked yesterday when Hartley threw that manual at me, but it was kind of automatic."
"Care to answer your girlfriend's question, Bartowski?"
"I would if I could. Like her, I don't have a clue."
"We can try and find out." She picked up a bo staff and played with it a bit. Pursing her lips, she took a good look at it, willing her brain to find the required skill. The flash came almost immediately. "Wow. I can flash on demand!"
"It sounded kind of dirty, but so hot at the same time," Chuck joked.
"Take this and prepare to be taught a lesson," she said and tossed another staff to him. "Ready?"
"Yes," he lied. He was far from ready, not having flashed. It became apparent when he couldn't even block Sarah's moves.
"Come on, you call that fighting? A five year old could do better," she taunted. "Flash!"
"No."
"Chuck, you have to flash, OK? Show me your attack skills."
"Sarah, I don't want to hurt you."
"You can't," she said smugly and knocked him down, overcoming his pathetic attempt at putting up a defense. She helped him up. "I showed you mine. Now, show me yours."
"OK." He threw the staff aside and tackled her down on the mat. "I don't need the Intersect to do this," he said and kissed her.
"Stop," she mumbled into his mouth.
"Why?"
"We are supposed to be training. Casey could come back any second. Besides, the storage closet has plenty of room for our extracurricular activities."
"I like the way you think, Sarah."
"Help me up and get your bo."
This time he flashed and they started sparring again, neither managing to gain the upper hand for a few minutes. Then Chuck used his staff to pole vault behind her and swept her legs from under her. She fell heavily and clumsily on the mat, landing on her left wrist. She rolled on her back, grimacing in pain and holding her injured wrist, tears pooling in her eyes from the pain.
"Sarah? Crap! Are you OK?"
"I'll be fine," she replied through clenched teeth.
"There must be something I can do," he said, picked her up and carried her to the medical room. The Intersect first aid skills kicked in and he gave her an ice pack before switching the X-Ray machine on. "Just in case, I'm calling Ellie. She has the day off, so she can make it here."
"Chuck, there's no need."
"I just want to be sure. Hold steady."
"You know how to operate this?"
"Thanks to the Intersect I do, but I'm not sure if I can interpret the pictures correctly. Hence the call to Ellie. Does it still hurt?"
"A little," Sarah admitted.
It didn't take Ellie long to arrive after Chuck called her. And since she was only told that Sarah had been hurt, she was understandably worried. "Where is she, Chuck?"
"She's waiting in the infirmary. I took some X-Rays and it doesn't look serious, but I figured it'd be better to consult a professional."
"At least you did something right." She went into the infirmary to find Sarah sitting on the examination table. "It was his fault, wasn't it? Chuck can be such a klutz sometimes."
"Ellie, it was at least as much my fault, too. We were practicing our new skills."
"Whatever," Ellie said disinterestedly. "By the way, the bone shows no break. It's just a sprain and a mild one at that." She got an Ace bandage and carefully wrapped Sarah's wrist.
"Figures, as it doesn't hurt any more."
"Go easy on it today."
"I'll just do some paperwork, help Chuck with the dailies, observe how the flashes affect him now..."
"Huh. Good point. I think I'll stick around."
"We could hook him up to the EEG, just in case."
"You know, Sarah, you're absolutely right."
"Don't I get a say in this?" Chuck asked.
"NO!" Sarah and Ellie replied.
"Why not?"
"Because I need to make sure you're going to be OK and then we have to do an inventory in storage," Sarah replied.
"Inventory?" Chuck queried.
"Yes, I already told you about it, remember?" For good measure she winked meaningfully at him and he finally got the message.
"Oh. But is it prudent? I mean, with your wrist and all…"
"Don't worry, Chuck. I'll leave all the heavy lifting to you."
Ellie was blissfully oblivious to the true meaning of the conversation. "Sarah knows how to take care of herself, Chuck."
"Come on. The dailies must have arrived by now."
The intel review was short and sweet. Similarly, Ellie announced that she was satisfied with the results of the electroencephalogram after carefully monitoring her brother during it and then going over the printouts. When she questioned him on the aftereffects, he replied that the skills expansion pack and its special encoding apparently helped minimize those.
After Ellie left, Sarah stayed true to her word and dragged Chuck to the storage closet. They stayed in there, lost in their own happy world, for quite a while. Finally, they got dressed again and snuck out, after checking the hallway with a portable borescope.
"Where were you two?" Casey asked them when they entered the main room.
"Chuck was doing the dailies and then I needed his help finding something," Sarah replied.
"Did you find it?"
"As a matter of fact, we did," Chuck said, holding up a box.
"What's in there?"
"Just some stuff we thought might come in handy on missions."
"Such as?"
"We'll need some means to communicate with each other when out in the field, maybe a keycard cloning device, stuff like that, you know," Chuck inventoried the contents of the box.
"Put it over there and take a seat. We have a briefing with the General and Director Graham in a few minutes."
"Won't Bryce and Jill be joining us?"
"They are on the way here. Walker, what happened to your hand?"
"Nothing, I just sprained my wrist sparring with Chuck in the dojo. We were just trying out our new skills."
"Are you going to be able to participate…?"
"I called Ellie to check her out. She just advised her to take it easy for today. Which reminds me, I should get you an ice pack."
"You don't have to."
"Nonsense. Wait here." He was back with a chemical ice pack in a minute. "Here you go."
"Thanks." She pulled him down and kissed him. Unfortunately, Graham and Beckman chose that moment to contact their team. Their reaction was simultaneous with Casey's annoyed grunt.
"Mr. Bartowski and Ms. Walker, you better have a good explanation for this."
Sarah recovered first. "General, Chuck and I are dating… exclusively."
"And you didn't think that maybe we should know as it affects your situation?"
"General, they are not agents, so cut them some slack," Graham admonished. "Although, if Ms. Walker were indeed an agent, she'd be considered compromised. But since they share similar status now, I don't see a problem. Sarah, what's wrong with your hand?"
"Training injury, sir, nothing serious," she replied.
"Sorry we're late," Bryce said, entering the main room with Jill in tow. "We ran into some pretty heavy traffic on the way here."
"Now that you are all there, we can begin. CIA HUMINT reports that an international arms smuggler may be coming to LA this week. This was corroborated by NSA intercepts."
"Business or pleasure, ma'am?" Casey asked.
"He likes to do both."
"Meaning?" Chuck piped up.
"Meaning that he likes to stay in luxury hotels, hire high end call girls, gamble and the like," Beckman replied.
"Do we know who he's meeting?"
"That's up to you to ascertain, Chuck. Your mark is this man, Augusto Sanchez, also known as La Ciudad." A picture appeared on the screen and Chuck promptly flashed. "I see you flashed, Chuck. Do you have anything to add?"
"Yes ma'am. Fulcrum's on his client list and, let me tell you, it's a most impressive one."
"Fulcrum again," Graham groused.
"Sir, what if the bank heist we stopped the other day was to secure funds for the purchase of weapons from Sanchez?" Jill asked.
"Interesting connection, Ms. Roberts, I'll have people look into the matter and see if we can get anything more out of the Fulcrum agents we captured."
"Sanchez has another weakness we can exploit, according to the Intersect," Chuck added.
"We are all ears. Please go ahead and tell us."
"His wife," he said simply. "He's paranoid about her, despite constantly cheating on her."
"Tell us more."
"Her name is Malena Bernal. She was an actress and dancer, pretty good one too, before she married him. He insisted on her giving up a most promising career. As you may guess, she's not very happy in her marriage, but probably too scared to do anything about it, like getting a divorce. It seems that Senor Sanchez believes in keeping the till death do us part vow. He has no problem bringing about said death, either. If he's here, so is she. He never goes anywhere without her."
"What are you proposing, Chuck?"
"Hit him where it hurts the most. If you want him to lose his mojo, take her out of the equation."
"Arranging to have her eliminated should be easy," Beckman said.
"What? I didn't say we have to kill her!" Chuck protested.
"Chuck is right. We don't know how he'll react. We need something… juicy. Major, I think you'll have to kidnap her," Graham said.
"I'll need specifics. What protection detail she has, where she likes to go, everything."
"I have a better idea, one that will drive Sanchez ballistic and make him forget all about selling weapons to Fulcrum, if what the Intersect has on him is true," Bryce said.
"Good idea, buddy," Chuck said approvingly.
"You know what he's getting at?" Sarah asked.
"I do, all right. He's proposing to have Casey seduce Malena."
*grunt* (Come again?)
"Casey? Really?" Sarah couldn't hold it any longer. She burst out laughing and it was contagious, at least among her friends. "I mean, seducing her to drive her husband nuts does sound like a good idea," she managed to choke out between laughs.
"He's almost old enough to be her father," Jill said, also laughing.
Casey was uncomfortable, not at seeing four kids having a good laugh at his expense, he didn't mind about that, but what they were proposing had taken him by surprise. It was something he was way out of practice for, since agent school in fact. His wife didn't count, because she was, well, his wife. It was his job to seduce her on a daily basis. He would, however, find something to even the score. The idea came to him unexpectedly.
"You said Sanchez likes having fun with high end call girls, General."
"I did."
"Is he into the good old two-in-one special?"
"Yes, why?"
"Because we have two lovely ladies on the team, who could approach him under the guise of being call girls, bug his hotel room and possibly find other intel. I'm referring to Ms. Walker and Ms. Roberts, of course."
"What?" Bryce exclaimed.
"No way," Chuck added. "Sarah's not trained for this and neither is Jill."
"We'll keep it as an option," Beckman said after thinking it over. "In fact, we should do a two-pronged assault. Have Mr. Bartowski or Mr. Larkin seduce Sanchez's wife and have the ladies pose as call girls, all with the necessary backup, naturally."
"Naturally," Chuck repeated sarcastically.
"Still," Bryce said, "I liked Malena's movies."
"The Black Dogs comes to mind."
"What's that?" Sarah asked.
"It's one of the best horror slasher flicks around."
"Let me guess: Malena was playing yet another brainless and braless or possibly topless coed."
"No, in fact she was one of the smart people in the movie. She was just a teenager when it was made, but it propelled her to instant stardom." He typed something on a computer and showed Sarah Malena's page on a movie database.
"Do what you have to do, Chuck, but be warned: Keep your pecker in your pants and out of that Hollywood skank. You don't want to know what will happen otherwise. Same goes to you, Bryce." Sarah stole a look at Jill and noticed that she was wholeheartedly agreeing with her.
Casey, Graham and Beckman were enjoying the exchange going on between the younger people.
Chuck gulped, knowing Sarah's threat was anything but idle. "Sarah, you don't have to worry. As I have said on many occasions, you are the one for me."
"OK, we'll do it, but only if unavoidable."
-o-
"OK, yeah, got it, thanks," Casey said before hanging up the phone. Then he turned to the four people watching him and waiting for news. "It was the surveillance team Beckman put on Sanchez and his wife."
"Go on," Chuck urged.
"They followed them to their hotel… the Grand Saville."
"Damn, for a moment there I thought you were going to say the Miller," remarked Sarah.
"Would it be better if it were the Miller?"
"Yes and no," she replied. "Yes because it's standing policy to cooperate fully with federal agencies if required and no because a lot of our employees know me. Maintaining cover in there would have been difficult, unless I was in disguise."
"Whatever," Casey said disinterestedly. "Follow me." He led them to the wardrobe. "The CIA and the NSA decided to splurge on stuff for our team, so in addition to springing for equipping these digs, they supplied us with a full wardrobe. Bartowski and Larkin pick up a nice suit each. Walker and Roberts help them and then get outfits suitable for your cover as call girls. I'll be in the main room."
Sarah and Jill shared a meaningful look. To the guys it only spelled trouble. It was proven when the girls started browsing through the expensive suits hanging on racks in one closet. Then they had their boyfriends try them on, one after another, until they were satisfied with the result. They had two dapper looking guys, and were on the verge of drooling over them. Duty won, however, and they sent the guys away before turning their full attention to the more racy outfits stored there.
"Change of plans," Casey announced gruffly when they returned to the main room.
"Apparently there was a mistake at the Grand Saville and Sanchez's suite was already booked, so instead of staying at a lesser room, he opted for the Miller, Sarah," Chuck said. "This complicates things."
"Not necessarily," she said with an evil smile. "I know exactly what we have to do. Let's pack our gear."
Not long afterwards, they were in Casey's Crown Vic on the way to the hotel, the men all wearing crisp suits, and Sarah was explaining the plan. "We have another thing going for us. Mom and Dad are in San Francisco, attending a conference, so I'll be free to liaise with the hotel staff on our behalf. You guys just look nice and flash your fake FBI IDs when necessary."
-o-
The pretty brunette receptionist at the Miller looked up from her computer and saw her bosses' daughter approaching the front desk. The corners of her vibrant red painted lips curled up in a warm smile.
"Ms. Walker, nice seeing you again."
"Alexis, I've told you a million times, call me Sarah."
"OK Sarah, what can I do for you today?"
"As you know, my parents are not in town, so I'm handling a situation that cropped up. Allow me to introduce FBI Special Agent Alexander Coburn and his team, Agents Carmichael, Anderson and Sands. Agents, this is Alexis White, one of our best employees."
"Hello," Chuck said.
"Given the hotel's standard policy to cooperate with law enforcement and other federal agencies, I'm sure you can provide them with a room, Alexis."
"Certainly," Alexis said smoothly. "Any preferences?"
"I'll let you know, but first we have to check something. Is there an office with a computer we can borrow?"
Alexis handed her a keycard. "You can use Mr. Walker's office."
"Thanks."
"You can mark a room as occupied from that computer, so you won't have to call me or come down here to tell me. I'll be able to see it on my terminal. Just be careful and choose a room that's not already booked."
"Will do, many thanks."
"Good luck."
"One more thing; as soon as I book them the room, their equipment and luggage will have to be brought up."
"I'll take care of it," Alexis promised.
"And not a word to anyone," Sarah cautioned.
"I know how it works, Sarah."
"OK. I'm on my way to the office." She turned to Casey. "Agent Coburn, I'll call you when everything's ready."
"Thank you Ms. Walker."
It didn't take long for Sarah to find an empty suite near Sanchez's. He and his wife were out sightseeing, according to the surveillance team. With the access card Sarah had wangled out of Alexis, it was a simple matter to sneak into the suite, load it with bugs but they didn't have time to search it for evidence before the occupants returned. The last thing they did was reroute the suite's phone line to their own portable switchboard, allowing them to monitor and redirect Sanchez's calls.
-o-
"Aphrodite Escorts, how may we help you?" Sarah asked in the sultriest voice she could manage. "Yes sir… yes… we do provide the two-in-one special and it just so happens that two of our best girls, Rebecca and Jillian, are available. Just give me the address… I'll need a room number… They will be there in an hour. Thank you for choosing Aphrodite Escorts." She hung up and turned to the others. "He took the bait. Jill, we'll have to get changed."
"I put our clothes and cosmetics in the bedroom. Follow me, Sarah."
Inside the room the girls did their hair and makeup before starting on the outfits.
"It looks good on you," Sarah commented on Jill's dark purple dress, which exposed just the right amount of cleavage.
"Thanks. Should I leave my glasses on, or should I wear contacts?"
"Are you comfortable with contacts?"
"Not always."
"I don't know… Men seem to like the slutty librarian look."
The girls shared a laugh. "Bryce certainly does," Jill said. "And you look amazing in that dress. Chuck's gonna love the whole skanky blonde getup."
"You think so?"
"I know so."
"What are we going to do about Sanchez? I mean, I'd love nothing more than to kick his lights out, but…"
"For him I have something special." Jill held up a small vial containing a clear liquid.
"What's that?"
"Something I made in Castle earlier today. It's basically what I used on an annoying TA in Stanford once."
"Do tell."
"We slip some of this in his drink and after two minutes we won't have to worry about him any more."
"Go on."
"It's an extra strength laxative mixed with a slow acting sedative. He'll be running to the bathroom in two minutes flat and ten more minutes later he'll be out of it."
"How considerate of you to give your victims time to do their business before passing out."
"I am not that cruel, even when I'm out to get payback," Jill chuckled. "Guys, we're ready, come in," she yelled.
Chuck walked in first. Seeing Sarah in a short red dress, fishnet stockings, tall lace-up high heeled boots, in one of which she was concealing a diminutive Belgian .25 automatic, flashy jewelry and expertly done make up, he was rendered speechless. "Hi-oh," he managed to stammer. Sarah smiled and winked salaciously at him. Bryce was also taking in the appearance of his own girlfriend.
"You like it, Chuck?"
"To be frank, red is not my color, but I'm willing to reconsider if you're wearing it."
*grunt* (Spare me the mushy stuff)
"Good answer, lover," Sarah said, unfazed.
"Not bad, ladies," Casey said finally. "When he sends his wife out, Bartowski and Larkin will go after her. You ladies do your thing. Keep him busy while I sneak in and look for intel."
"We'll let you in."
"How are you proposing to do that, Roberts?"
Jill quickly explained the plan and Casey was duly impressed. "Let's do it," he said simply.
-o-
"Hello ladies," Sanchez said amicably as he let the two 'call girls' into his suite. "I have taken the liberty of ordering some excellent champagne."
"Thank you," Sarah said.
"Can I please open it?" Jill asked. "I always liked the pop the cork makes when it comes off."
"By all means, senorita. I cannot deny anything to such beauty."
"You know how to compliment the ladies. I'm Jillian and my friend here is Rebecca."
"You can call me Becca or Becks for short," Sarah added.
"Rebecca is a beautiful name, my dear. Why shorten it?"
The diversion gave Jill the time she needed to mix her compound with Sanchez's champagne as she poured three glasses.
"Cheers," she said.
"Salud." He tossed back the champagne, blissfully unaware of what was in store for him. "Do you senoritas like music?"
"It's one of my favorite things in life," Sarah said. And it was kind of true. Chuck had been successfully introducing her to music and she was proving to be a good student.
"Then perhaps you would like to dance for me?"
"Don't you mean dance with you?"
"No, I meant exactly what I said. I'd like you two to dance for me."
"Of course," Sarah said. Sanchez turned the music on and settled in the comfortable sofa to watch what he expected to be a sensuous, sexy, dirty dance. He never got to. The drug Jill had slipped him began working its magic. He went pale, then a sickly green and groaned. "If you'll excuse me, ladies, I think my dinner is having a disagreement with me."
"By all means." The moment he was out of sight and locked in the bathroom, the girls high-fived.
"It worked," Sarah whispered.
"Did you ever doubt it?"
"Hell no. Casey, the coast is clear, do you copy?"
"Copy," he replied over the comms.
"Give him a few more minutes and then we'll have the place to ourselves," Jill advised.
"Roger that."
"What about his goons?"
"He sent them away, as he doesn't want an audience."
"Doesn't he have anyone watching Malena?"
"He thinks the fear he's instilled in her is enough, based on his psych profile."
"Psych profiles are worthless."
"It has been corroborated. And if he does have someone watching her, I bet he's given instructions to be discreet."
In the meantime, Chuck and Bryce were closing in for the kill. They'd never admit it, but they were kind of nervous. Malena was sitting at the bar, nursing a large drink.
"OK, Bryce, go ahead."
"Me? Why don't you go ahead?"
"Are we going to have to argue about this?"
"Look man, I know it's for the job and everything, but Jill will have my guts for garters if she even thinks I might have gone too far."
"What do you propose we do?"
"Rock-paper-scissors," Bryce said definitively. "Loser goes after Malena."
"OK. On three. One, two, three!" Bryce's rock trounced Chuck's scissors.
"Chuck? Be careful, OK? I like the family jewels where they are and I'd really hate it if Sarah deems me guilty by association if you do something she won't like."
"I'll keep that in mind," he said ruefully, suddenly afraid for the welfare of his genitals.
Upstairs, Sanchez called to Sarah and Jill, sounding extremely miserable. "Ladies, I'm really not well. We'll have to reschedule, I'm afraid."
"No problem, sir," Sarah replied from the other side of the bathroom door. "Aphrodite Escorts will not charge you the full fee. Get well soon."
A dull thud from the bathroom told the girls that the mark was out cold. Jill let Casey in and the three of them proceeded to clone the hard drive of Sanchez's laptop and searched the room for documents and other evidence.
-o-
"Excuse me, is this seat taken?"
"No, it's yours."
"Thank you. Hey, aren't you Malena Bernal, the actress?"
"Former actress, but otherwise guilty as charged," Malena replied with a sad smile.
"This is unfortunate. You are very talented and I really like your movies."
"You think so?"
"I know so," Chuck replied, signaling the bartender for a drink. He got a stiff vodka.
"Thank you Mr.…."
"Carmichael, Charles Carmichael. You can call me Charles. Can I buy you another drink? As a fan, nothing more."
"If you put it that way… Yes, thank you." They sat at the bar drinking and making small talk when Bryce's voice came through Chuck's earpiece.
"Dude, one of Sanchez's goons just got in here."
"No one was supposed to be watching her," Chuck whispered when Malena was turned away.
"Looks to me like he came for a drink. Turn up the charm, buddy. Remember, the objective is to make her husband lose focus. What better way than to have one of his men witness someone flirting with his wife?"
"On it." The band started playing a tango and he made a snap decision. "Malena, would you like to dance?"
"I don't know…"
"Come on, it's a tango, the same one you danced in Black Dogs."
"OK, but just as a favor to you, Charles."
"Way to go, my man," Bryce enthused. "I'll be keeping an eye on the hired muscle."
Chuck knew a little about tango, but he wasn't too confident – until the Intersect kicked in. Now, he could dance like a pro.
"I'll kill them both!" Sarah exclaimed while watching the feed from Bryce's button camera. The sight of her boyfriend's intimate dance with a mark and especially the way she was grinding against him had her blood boiling. "Then I'm gonna pluck that brunette skank, pulling out her hairs one at a time!" She knew it was irrational, but she couldn't help it.
"And Bryce is not saying anything to keep Chuck from stepping out of line. I'll help you kill them, Sarah," Jill said.
"Girls, they are just doing their job," Casey said, hoping to calm them down.
"Chuck, I'm warning you," Sarah said, pressing the mike button. "Be careful where you put your hands." He was obeying, but Sarah damn near threw a fit when an emboldened Malena grabbed Chuck's ass. "That ass is mine, bitch! The whole Chuck is mine! Your own ass is grass and I'm the lawn mower!"
"Sarah, take it easy," Bryce told her. "You left the mike on and we can't have Chuck losing his cool now, not so close to success."
"Are you staying at this hotel, Charles?" Malena asked.
"Yes."
"You know what I'd like you to do?"
"You have but to tell me."
"I want you to take me to your room and make mad passionate sex to me."
"But… you're married!"
"So? It's not like he's faithful to me. And it'll be the first time I cheat on him. I'd never do it, but you, Charles, you make me feel comfortable."
"I'll take care of our tab," he said, excusing himself. On the way to the bar, he called Sarah. "Get the twilight tranqs out, honey. You won't pluck her, but you get to tranq her."
"I guess it's better than nothing. Hurry up. I'll debrief you thoroughly later."
*grunt* (Why can't you just keep it in your pants?)
It went as planned. The moment Malena stepped through the door, Sarah tranqed her. Chuck and Bryce then filled the others in on some aspects of the mission.
"One of Sanchez's guys saw us, too. He'll report it to his boss and you may guess his reaction."
"We'll need to get her out of here. She's in danger now," Jill said.
"Leave it to me," Sarah said, smiling evilly. Just as Malena started to wake up, she shot another dart into her. "I could get used to this. Nobody gropes my boyfriend but me."
"Is this a good time to use the old James Bond line 'the things I do for England'?"
"I'm with him," Bryce said.
"No," the girls yelled in unison.
Sarah arranged through Alexis for housekeeping to send a laundry cart up to their suite. They stuffed Malena in it and covered her with bedclothes and towels. Jill put on a maid's uniform, wheeled the cart to the garage and a backup team took it from there.
Chuck reviewed the information Casey got from Sanchez's suite, flashing several times in the process. The results were forwarded for further analysis and action. Through the cameras planted earlier they saw the goon pick up his unconscious boss from the bathroom floor and carry him to the bedroom, but the fun part was later, when Malena's transgression was reported. As expected, Sanchez was furious. He ordered his men to find her, kill the boyfriend and bring her to him. Then he called his Fulcrum contact. Having hacked into his cell phone, the team monitored the call. He made it easier by calling several Fulcrum agents by their names, allowing Chuck to flash on all of them.
Sanchez and his men were all arrested the same night. Graham and Beckman were very pleased, especially since another Fulcrum cell had been exposed and would soon be taken down.
Back in Echo Park, Chuck went to get himself a beer. Ellie and Devon had decided to sleep in their new apartment to get the feel of it, even though it wasn't completely ready yet. As for Sarah, she appeared at the entrance to the kitchen again wearing her call girl outfit.
"You know, Mr. Carmichael, I didn't get to use my Intersect skills on the bad guys today."
He eyed her up and down. "Well, Ms. Franco, maybe I could help you with all that excess energy you've got."
"I'm sure you could." She closed the distance between them and kissed him. "Casey gave us the day off for tomorrow, so we can sleep all we want," she whispered sexily in his ear.
"Who says we'll be sleeping?" He swept her off her feet and carried her to their room.