"You were supposed to go with me," he pouted, like a small child not getting his way. "What happened?"
Lady Jaye sighed. "Something's come up that only I can handle. You'll be in good hands with the team you're with. It's pretty simple. You're meeting up with your brother in the guise of checking in at the bank. Feed him the information and that's it. It's pretty simple. In fact, Hawk thinks you should remain there, to help your cover, and we'll set up a communicator for you, so you can contact us."
Xamot frowned. "This wasn't in the original plan."
She shrugged. "Things change. This is the best plan to place you in the least amount of jeopardy."
He thought about that. While he wanted her with him, his safety was worth far more than hers.
He nodded. "Fine, then. I accept, as long as you promise me you'll visit once you get things taken care of."
She nodded, trying not to breathe a sigh of relief. He had bought it. Good. Her team's job was to back up his escorts, to make sure it wasn't a trap. He wouldn't know that, however.
"Okay then. I need to go and get everything set up. Be packed and ready to go in an hour."
She left him, feeling a weight lifting off her shoulders the further she walked away from him. While their brief fling had been a nice diversion, and had been right for that time, the past few weeks had been pure hell for her. She was ready to fling off that part of her life and start anew.
"It's almost over, then," Duke commented as he and Allie observed the escort team enter the bank. "I bet you're glad!"
Allie nodded, not saying anything. While she would like to think Dave was innocent, her gut told her differently. She should've known he would never completely separate from his brother, and was glad that they had used him as much as he had tried to use them.
She said as much to Duke, who agreed. He spoke in the communicator to the covert team inside the bank. Allie spotted a movement and called the team watching the back of the bank.
"Flint, I see some movement coming your way. Be careful."
"These are some well dressed snakes," she heard Gung Ho mutter from his watch inside the bank.
Allie glanced at Duke and placed a hand on his shoulder. "What do you see to your left?"
"Well I'll be damned," he muttered. "That wouldn't be…?"
"Looks like the head snake, er, son, himself. Complete with mask." She shook her head, then spoke to all teams. "It's time to chop off the head of the snake, ladies and gentlemen."
So, it had been a trap, she thought through narrowed eyes as the teams moved into position. She should've known. She was glad she hadn't given into her self-pity and indulged in a little "recreation" with Xamot after all. She'd be feeling pretty foolish right about now, she knew.
It was Gung Ho's team's job to get all the innocents out of the bank safely before the battle began. Courtney pulled the fire alarm, figuring that was a quick way to evacuate everyone who wasn't involved. As the customers and tellers came pouring out, the Joes broke their way in.
Cobra was obviously prepared. The "customers" who had stayed threw off their disguises and produced guns, and a firefight ensued. It was soon pretty clear that neither side was going anywhere.
"Any bright ideas?" Lady Jaye was sandwiched in between Duke and Flint. "I've got an EMP, but don't really want to use it unless necessary," she said, "and not really sure if it's going to make any difference."
Flint studied the situation through narrowed eyes. This was his area, and he knew Allie was depending on him to come up with a plan.
He quickly laid out a plan for the two, who agreed it was the best course of action. Allie bit her lip, he noticed, a sign she was worried. "Are you sure this will work? I want to get out of this with as few casualties as possible. We hadn't anticipated full scale engagement."
Duke laid a hand on her knee. "Trust him, Al. It sounds risky, but I think it'll work." He nodded at his friend, who was distracted by the placement of Duke's hand.
She turned to Flint, knowing she needed to leave personal feelings aside and trust him. "Then, let's do it. Just be careful, okay? We can't afford any more casualties," she noted, looking over to where Gung Ho was hastily wrapping Roadblock's shoulder.
Flint nodded, glared at Duke who still had his hand on her knee, then shook his head to focus on the current situation.
Duke, realizing why his friend was giving him an evil look, grinned, but removed his hand. Allie was oblivious to the interaction between the two, communicating the plan to the other Joe teams.
It had been risky, but Flint's plan worked and they managed to get out, alive, from the death trap of a bank. It had definitely been a trap, and if they had sent in the escort team in alone…no telling what would have happened.
Gung Ho was upset. "That damn traitorous snake managed to slip through our fingers," he grumbled, referring to Xamot. "Not to mention I had the head one in my sights, but missed!"
Lady Jaye reassured him. "It's okay. Believe it or not, things all worked according to plan." She glanced over at Duke, who had overheard and was nodding his head in agreement.
She was suddenly exhausted. Right now, she just wanted to get her teams home and let things get back to normal. Well, the new normal, she thought vaguely.
She tripped over something, and Duke managed to catch her in time. "Responsibility weighs heavy, doesn't it?" he said sympathetically. "You did a good job, Al," he told her in a sincere voice. "I'm proud of you."
She smiled wearily at him. "Thanks. Oh, and thanks again for the other night," she said softly, blushing, embarrassed she had broken down like that. She realized she was still in his arms, and stepped back.
He gave her a smile and ruffled her hair. "Anytime. I've been where you are and I have to say, I'm not sure if I want to go there again. Then again," he teased, "I didn't have quite the problem you did this time."
She smiled. "No, not that I can remember. So, are you sticking around for awhile, or are you moving on soon?"
He sighed. "I have to say, I'm not sure. My orders were to monitor and report." He shrugged. "They'll let me know when they need me to move on."
Flint stood, unnoticed, within hearing distance of the two as the other Joes packed up their transport and got ready to leave. He was frowning, wondering what exactly the two were talking about. He hadn't liked the familiar way Duke had acted around Allie. He knew they had been close before, but it had never been….physical. He shook his head. He was being paranoid, looking too much into it. It wasn't like his best friend would steal his girl, right? Still, he had to wonder why she had blushed when she had talked about the "other night."
"Well, at least the tracker's in place," Lady Jaye said softly to Duke. "We'll soon find out where the base is located. Breaker's already started the program."
Duke chuckled. "Yeah, remind me to leave that out of my report. I don't think Washington wants to hear how you drugged the guy and implanted a chip in him one night." He shook his head, amused. "I honestly didn't think Hawk had it in him, the old dog. You've definitely changed him," he told her.
She shook her head. "No, that was all his idea. I think my cousins, however, with their, um, product placement, tend to give him too many ideas," she chuckled.