An Exchange

Chapter 14

As they stood on the square at the Jefferson Memorial, both Lee and Amanda realized that Francine could be in trouble.

"Where was Francine supposedly to hold her meeting?" Lee looked anxiously in both directions, once he and Amanda got out to the opening where all the tourists milled about.

"There!" Amanda stated, pointed to where Bud, the mapseller, had set up shop. Right now, he was in the process of shutting down the stand since the handover had been completed. Quickly Lee and Amanda rushed over to him.

"Excuse me, Sir," Amanda stated, her words sounding urgent as they seemed to run into one another, "Remember me? I was the friend of the blonde haired tourist with the camera around her neck; the one who was just here asking for a map?"

Bud stopped he was doing and peered at Amanda, "Yeah...what about her?"

"Where is she?" Amanda inquired.

Bud shrugged, "Our dealings had been completed. She walked away by herself until this man caught up with her."

"Man? What man?" Lee insisted.

Bud stared at Lee, "I don't know. A man! I don't go around looking at men.

He then began packing up again.

"What did he look like?" rushed Amanda.

"I dunno..." he said, unconcerned, "pretty nondescript, I guess...maybe he had a black jacket on? Look, I finished the transaction with your friend and then he was upon her. That's all I know."

"Please, Mister," Amanda sounded insistent, "Think carefully-which direction were they headed?"

Bud scratched his head, "Hmmm...if I recall correctly,l I think they were headed towards the parking lot."

Lee and Amanda took off.

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Now arriving at the lot, Lee and Amanda's hopes sank when they spotted the dreaded blue van parked perpendicular to the curb. Amanda gasped at what she saw. The van's sliding side door was opened all the way. Francine seemed to have been drugged. Zlobin was holding her under the arms, her feet merely dangling and her head slumped to one side. He was dragging her to the opening of the vehicle. Another man suddenly appeared and held up her feet so that they could lift her onto the van.

Lee and Amanda ran at breakneck speed, but, the two men had already loaded Francine up and had dropped her limp form on the floor of the van. Zlobin chose that time to look up and when he spotted Lee and Amanda, and instead of looking surprise, he smiled maliciously while pointing a gun at the unconscious Francine.

"Stop or I pump her with bullets" Zlobin spoke, with his slight Russian accent.

Both Lee and Amanda stopped in their tracks.

"Zlobin!" Lee yelled out, "Let her go! She is not involved in any of this!"

"Tsk, tsk, Stetson, you should know better than to tell ME what to do," Zlobin looked amused, "Of course this woman is involved. She is agent, no? And she know you and she help you against me. So for me, she involved."

It didn't take any time for Lee to come to a decision, as he stood up tall, "Take me, instead, Zlobin."

He heard Amanda gasp.

Zlobin's face lit up, "I take you?"

"Yeah, it's me you've wanted all along, anyway, isn't it?" reasoned Lee, "Here I am and you can do with me what you will!"

It was obvious Zlobin was considering the exchange.

"Hmmm...so I leave woman agent here and Stetson, you will come peacefully?"

Amanda whipped her head at Lee with shock, "Lee, NO!"

Lee turned to her, his eyes pleading with her to understand, "I have to, Amanda. He's got Francine!" He then turned back to Zlobin, his arms held up in surrender mode, "Yes, I will go with you peacefully. You have my word."

Amanda leaned towards Lee and lowered her voice, "Lee, if he takes Francine away, there's a chance we can save her. if you go with him, he will definitely KILL you!"

Lee tried to make her understand, "Amanda, you know I can't endanger Francine's life. Do NOT make this difficult for me. This is between Zlobin and me!"

Amanda bit her bottom lip, to keep from saying more.

Zlobin looked please at the change of events, " I like your suggestion, Stetson. You for woman agent. Sound most fair to me. Okay, I accept the deal."

Amanda gripped Lee arm tightly, not wanting him to go, wanting to make her point to him. Tears seemed to be pooling in her eyes as she tried to convince him otherwise, "Lee! Please! Don't let him take you!"

Seemingly unfazed by Amanda's stricken protests, Lee turned to Zlobin, and yelled back, "Agreed. But before I come willingly to you Zlobin, release Francine NOW!"

Feeling helpless, Amande watched as Zlobin signaled his companion and the two of them jumped out. Handling an unconscious Francine like a rolled up carpet, they maneuvered her onto the parking lot grounds and laid her flat on the ground.

"You see, Stetson," Zlobin smiled ominously as he pointed to the drugged up body of Francine lying on the ground, "I am man of word, I expect you the same."

Amanda looked dismally over at Lee, whose jaw was determinedly set. At last he slowly turned to her.

"You understand why I have to go with him, don't you, Amanda?" it seemed important to Lee that she did, "Zlobin leaves me no choice."

She felt faint but she reluctantly let go of his arm. His mind was made up. They both knew this sacrifice could mean for Lee's life. Amanda tried hard to control her emotions, to try and act brave for Lee, but she couldn't. Her whole body shook.

Suddenly she flung herself at Lee, burying her head into his chest.

"Be safe, Lee." she muffled into his shirt.

Lee put his arms around her in a big bear hug.

"Oh, Amanda..." he stated as he held her tight in his arms as he looked off into the distance, wishing things were different. Then he spoke the next part softly, "Amanda, be brave, hmm? As long as you're safe, I'll be happy."

Those words sounded like someone saying goodbye permanently. More tears surfaced on Amanda.

"Come! Stetson! I do not have all day!" Zlobin scowled impatiently..

Amanda willed herself to be strong. She was the first to end the farewell embrace. However, just before she did, she managed to covertly drop her tracker into the pocket of Lee jacket, unbeknowest to him. Defeated, she watched as Lee proceeded forward towards the van. It was an effort for her to breathe, knowing this may be the last image she would have of him.

When Lee got to the van, Zlobin nodded knowingly to his companion. Lee knew the routine that he needed to be searched. Standing firm, he lifted his arms out so that the underling could pat Lee down.

Oh gosh, don't let them find the tracker! Amanda wished as she closed her eyes momentarily.

When she opened them again, she saw the subordinate remove Lee's gun. Then her hopes were further dashed when the guy felt Lee's pocket and produced the tracker in his hand. He handed it to Zlobin.

"What have we here?" Zlobin held up the tracker for Lee to see as Amanda cringed.

"I've never seen that lighter before in my whole life, Zlobin," he answered truthfully.

Zlobin's smirk told Amanda he didn't believe him. He flipped the lid of the tracker up and noted the displayed red and green buttons. Meanwhile Zlobin's associate had a gun pointed directly at Lee.

"Well...I am shocked," Zlobin feigned, "this not lighter, it some fancy spy invention!" he smile then disappeared as he shoved the device right in Lee's face, "I know exactly what is this, Stetson! A tracker, no? And I see green light on. It means it is working even as we speak."

"Please, sir!" Amanda interjected quickly and respectfully, "Don't touch any of the buttons!"

"Is that so, pretty lady?" Zlobin baited Amanda, "You say do not touch? Do you think I will do as you say because I am idiot?"

Amanda shook her head back and forth, "No, I didn't say that..."

Zlobin then hovered his finger right on top of the red "off" button.

"No!" Amanda pleaded with Zlobin as she shook her head vigorously, then, "Please! Don't touch that button!. It doesn't belong to you!"

"What? It does not belong to me, you say?" Zlobin questioned sarcastically as he made a grand show of pushing the red button. Instantly the green button turned off and the red button was lit instead. Once he knew the device was off, Zlobin then pocketed the device in his own jacket, "See? It is mine now."

He displayed a mocking grin to Amanda. Meanwhile, Lee feared that Zlobin might be tempted to take Amanda with them.

"Come on, Zlobin," Lee told him evenly, "I said I'll go with you. There's no reason to stay here."

Zlobin faced his nemesis, "For once, you make sense, Stetson."

But Zlobin couldn't help himself. He needed to show off more of his power to Amanda, "We depart now, dear lady. You have already say goodbye. Do NOT have your spy people try to locate us. Stetson will be with bomb. Very dangerous for them. It best others stay away."

"Please! Mr. Zlobin!" Amanda made one more attempt, but he now ignored her.

"Say goodbye to your lady friend, Stetson," Zlobin sneered.

Lee turned to get one more look at Amanda, but he never got to get out a word.

Everything happened quickly.

Zlobin punched Lee hard in the stomach.

"Ooopmf!" Lee double-knife over.

"LEEEEEE!" Amanda cried out.

As Lee was still gasping for air, Zlobin then quickly produced a needle of some sort from his pocket and jammed it into Lee's arm. Instantly Lee's body collapsed on the floor of the vehicle as the underling associate quickly slammed the van door shut, and Amanda no longer had a view of Lee.

"No! Leeeeeee!" Amanda yelled as she raced to the van and started banging on its side with her fists. She heard the engine of the van revving up and soon the van sped away, carrying away an unconscious Lee as a distressed Amanda's spirits sunk to its lowest depth.

When the van had turned the corner and disappeared, Amanda wiped one tear from her cheek and willed herself to think sensibly on what to do next.

Francine!

Francine was still unconscious on the ground. Going over to her, Amanda knelt down on her knees. Putting Francine's head gently on her lap, she lightly patted Francine's cheek to try and revive her.

"Francine..Francine...Ooo, please wake up, Francine!"

She repeated this over and over again while continually patting her chek until Francine stirred and moved her head back and forth. Slowly she opened her eyes.

"Amanda?" she looked around, lost, "Wha-"

At around this time, a scant number of people were walking in the lot and Amanda looked up and yelled out to anyone, "Please someone, help us! Call 911!"

A random young man looked alarmed at what he was witnessing, "Sure, Lady,! I'll make a call for you!..." he responded as he took off quickly to find a telephone booth.

Meanwhile, Amanda returned her attention to Francine. Amanda gently brushed some tendrils of hair that had fallen on Francine's face, "Don't worry, Francine, help is on the way."

Francine lightly touched her forehead as if she was dealing with the aftereffects of a headache, "Amanda...why am I laid out on the ground? What just happened?"

Amanda tried to keep all emotions in check, but her voice was visibly shaking.

"Francine...it's Zlobin...he's got Lee!"

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(Hi! Any "Castle" fans? I think that show is the closest to SMK. I've written a two-shot story called "It's All in the Details" over at the Castle fanfic site. If you have time, take a glance at it. It' may be hard to find, so you can just check my profile page to locate it easily. Thanks and have a wonderful day!)

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