"You sure this will hold?" Face looked nervously at Hannibal as he handed over his bow tie and loosened his collar. Face had a rope tied around him as a makeshift harness, secured to the inside of the chopper. Hannibal had helped him into it and was now checking it was secure.
"Sure, they pluck people out of the sea in these things all the time." Hannibal grinned, shouting over the noise of the chopper as Murdock flew them up into the dark city sky.
Face rolled his eyes. "Yeah, real harnesses, not ones we've just made from some rope we've found," Face snapped, sarcastically. "That we're not even sure will hold." He wasn't able to keep that fear to himself. He looked out on the city beneath them. All the buildings and cars lit below looked like a glow of fairy lights amongst the dark. Damn, he hoped Amy and he didn't become part of that glow.
"Okay, Faceman, you ready?" Murdock turned back and gave him the thumbs up. Face nodded back; he'd never really be ready to jump out of a flying helicopter. Why they couldn't land the chopper, he'd never understand. Hannibal didn't seem to think it was a good idea. No guarantee there was a helipad. This would be quicker, he'd argued.
Face carefully looked out of the chopper and ahead of him, as he eased himself out onto the skids. Amy was standing on the roof of the building, frantically waving to get their attention. Face was relieved; she'd made it to the roof. Guilt had been playing on his mind, worrying she'd not make it on her own, that Flores' men would have caught up with her. He'd promised that he would be right behind her, and he hadn't been.
Amy kept looking over her shoulder, then waving at the chopper in desperation, her expression showing her fear.
With the wind blowing around him, Face slid off the skids, holding them with both hands. And then he let go. Instantly, his heart was in his mouth, pounding. Free-falling a couple of feet, an adrenalin rush of fear kicked in, until the rope caught him, groaning with the jolt, and then he was floating in mid-air. The harness was the only thing keeping him linked to the chopper. Hannibal gradually lowered the rope, letting him down further. Murdock brought the chopper in low, but he couldn't afford to hover for too long.
"Hannibal! You might want to cover me!" Face shouted, pointing to the two bodyguards who had just appeared out of a door onto the roof and were now closing in on Amy. Luckily she had some cover with the air conditioning vents and chutes that were on that part of the roof.
Amy ran towards Face as he swung towards her and flung herself into his arms. Face lifted her off of the roof, her legs momentarily running in thin air.
Hannibal immediately gave Murdock the thumbs up to fly the chopper away from the building and the gunfire that was now aimed at them. Hannibal returned the fire.
Amy wrapped her arms tightly around Face as she heard the gunfire; he was the only thing that would stop her from falling. She couldn't bear to look at the city below her, and buried her head into his neck.
They floated away from the building and the immediate danger, the noise of the chopper blades cutting the air above them and the sound of the bustling city below.
"It's all right; I've got you," Face said, trying to reassure her. He could feel one of her arms wrapped tightly around his waist clinging to the back of his shirt and the other around his neck. Tightening his already firm grip around her waist, keeping her body close to his, he hoped this would comfort her.
"Amy, don't look down. Just look at me," Face spoke into her ear, as she glanced at the city below. "You're safe. I'm not going to let you go."
Amy bravely glanced up into his eyes, tightening her grip further. She tried to smile. Everything seemed a blur. Is this what Lois Lane felt like in the arms of Superman, with the wind blowing through her hair? Actually, Lois probably felt safer. At least Superman could actually fly.
"Thanks, Face." She buried her head into his neck, quickly shutting her eyes but didn't remove the tight grip she had on him. You're forgiven.
Flores played with the silver bracelet in his hand, rubbing one of the rubies with his thumb. In his other hand, he held a whiskey tumbler. He downed the remainder of the whiskey and continued to stare at the bracelet.
He couldn't stop thinking about wanting her. His body still yearned for her, still sexually aroused.
"What the hell did you want with me, Amy Allen?"
There was a knock at the door. Flores swiftly opened it thinking he'd find his bodyguard with Amy, but the man was empty handed.
"Where is she?" Flores spat his words angrily.
"I'm sorry, Mr Flores. We lost them."
"BA, I've spotted a parking lot, it's pretty empty from where I'm looking." Murdock spoke into his radio, giving directions and land markings to help BA find it. Hannibal wouldn't be able to winch in Face and Amy, so he needed to set them down as soon as possible, unsure how long that rope would hold. "How long till you get there?"
"Copy that, Murdock, I should be there in ten minutes," BA responded over the radio.
Murdock started to descend into the parking lot he'd seen, easing down, hovering so Face and Amy didn't land with too much of a bump. The parking lot had only a few parked cars scattered in it, providing ample room to set down a chopper.
Face could see and feel the chopper was lowering. He prepared himself for landing.
"Amy, we're coming into land," Face said over the noise of the chopper, as he saw the ground getting closer and closer.
As Face felt his feet hit firm ground, his weight returning, he balanced himself to stand up. Amy stumbled, and he tightened his grip to stop her from falling, but she didn't seem to want to stand. He eased her down so that she could sit, frowning, the ground damp with the evening dew.
Hannibal undid the rope in the chopper and threw it to the ground so that Murdock could take the chopper back up and land it safely away from Amy and Face.
Murdock grinned at Hannibal, once the chopper was on the ground. "Well, would you look at that? One safely landed helicopter. I'll not let it be said that I crash them all the time." Hannibal chuckled and shook his head, as they both got out of the helicopter and hurried towards Face and Amy.
As they approached they could hear Face groaning. But he was quickly removing the rope harness and checking Amy over.
"Amy, are you okay?" Face asked, as he knelt down beside her and brushed the hair out of her face.
Amy groaned. "I'm just so tired." She rubbed an eye with her hand.
Face stood up and took both her hands to help her up. "Come on, Amy, we've got to move it. It's no good for you to sit on that damp ground."
"Ow," Amy moaned, taking the weight off of her right foot. She fell into Face, clinging to him and nearly fell over again. Face grabbed her firmly, with a worried look. He glanced down to see her swollen right ankle, revealed by the split in the dress.
"How'd you do that, Kid?" Hannibal asked, also noticing the injury.
"Did you do it as we landed?" Face asked.
"Er, I can't remember." Amy shook her head, raising a hand to her forehead. "I think I fell up some stairs." Face could see the deep graze and bruising along her shin and nodded to Hannibal. He also noticed her feet were still bare.
"And your shoes?" Face kept her steady, noticing she was no longer able to carry her own weight and relaxing more and more against him.
"I think," Amy spoke softly, uncertainly, "I think I threw them at the men that were chasing me." She sounded drunk, mumbling her words. "I'm sorry, Face."
"Hey, I'm not worried about the damn shoes. You're safe, that's the important thing."
"Here, let me, Lieutenant," Hannibal said, taking hold of Amy. Face was relieved Hannibal took over; his arms were starting to tire, too.
Ignoring some of Amy's grumbling, Face bent down and examined her ankle.
"It's just a sprain, Hannibal," Face said, looking up at him.
Without hesitation, Hannibal bent down and swept Amy off her feet to carry her. Amy wrapped an arm around Hannibal's neck and rested her head against his shoulder. She groaned and mumbled, but nothing coherent.
Face gave Hannibal a nervous glance. Something wasn't right.
Hannibal turned as he heard BA's van pull into the parking lot, the distinct rumble of the engine giving it away. Hannibal headed towards the headlights, Face and Murdock hurrying after him.
Skidding the van to a halt, BA jumped out of the van and ran around to open the side door as Hannibal approached, carrying Amy.
"She alright, man?" BA gave Hannibal a concerned look.
"Yeah, she's just twisted her ankle," Hannibal replied, placing her in what would usually be Murdock's seat. All four men jumped into the van, Murdock in the middle, between Amy and Face. Face let out a sigh of relief as he relaxed into his chair.
"Where'd you find the chopper, Murdock?" Hannibal turned in his seat to Murdock.
"Flores lent us that beautiful bird, Hannibal." Murdock grinned and Hannibal chuckled.
BA gave Murdock one of his special smiles, and then turned his attention back to driving the van. He pulled away and headed for the exit of the parking lot.
"Where to, Hannibal?" BA asked as they came to the main road.
"Our hotel."
"You think that's wise, Hannibal?" Face gave a worried glance.
"Think of any place better to go, Face?" Face shook his head. "If Flores comes tonight, he comes. We have escape plans in place for that hotel." Hannibal took out a long deserved cigar and lit it.
The men sat silent in the van, mainly observing Amy. She was fighting sleep and they could see it. Her eyes could barely remain open and as BA sped around a bend, she nearly slid off her seat.
"Whoa, Amy," Murdock said, grabbing her. He pulled the seatbelt over her, but for the rest of the journey Murdock continued to hold Amy in her seat. Her eyes were now closed and her head leant against the side of the van, or on Murdock's shoulder, depending which way the van was turning. "What's up with her?"
"Amy. Amy, can you hear me, honey?" Face softly asked. Amy groaned again, but nothing audible. Throughout the journey, Murdock and Face tried to get her to speak, keep her awake, but she wouldn't respond.
"Take it easy, BA. We don't want to draw unnecessary attention to ourselves," Hannibal said. BA nodded and concentrated on getting them back to their hotel as quickly as possible.
As Murdock continued to speak to Amy, Face glanced at her and nervously ran his hand through his hair, watching out the windshield, deep in his own thoughts.
It wasn't long before BA pulled the van outside the City Skye Hotel. As the van came to a halt, all of the van doors opened and each of them sprang into action. Face glanced at his watch; it wasn't even midnight. BA ran around the van to the side door and tapped Murdock's shoulder.
"Here, let me take her," he said. Murdock and Face stepped out of his way. BA swept her up, letting her head gently rest against his shoulder. She was too sleepy now to actually hold on to him around his neck. One arm dangled beneath her, the other across her chest.
"Murdock, park the van, but somewhere for a quick getaway," Hannibal ordered and Murdock nodded at him. "Face, walk with me."
Face and Hannibal walked behind BA, who carried Amy, unconscious or asleep, they weren't sure, into the hotel lobby.
"Okay, Face, tell me everything that happened."
"Why? Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Face lowered his voice, realising the hotel lobby was busy with hotel guests and staff, and didn't want to draw any more attention than they were already doing. A few heads had already turned at the sight of Amy unconscious in BA's arms.
Hannibal glanced at him as the pair of them followed BA into the elevator. Once the doors closed they continued their conversation.
"When we were in the restroom, she confirmed she'd only had two glasses of champagne. She was occasionally sipping at the third but mainly drinking water. And I watched her, Hannibal, the whole evening; she didn't drink more than three glasses of champagne."
Hannibal nodded, absorbing the information and churning over in his mind.
"But she did everything I asked of her, although at times she seemed distant. I couldn't understand why she so easily walked off that dance floor." Face scratched his head. "And when I got her from Flores' suite..." Face raised an eyebrow at Hannibal, hoping he didn't need to draw Hannibal a diagram. "At the time I thought she was just drunk. And we know that she did find him attractive, even trust him. So I thought maybe she was being easily persuaded. I don't know. Everything started happening so fast, once Murdock made that call. But I've had time to think about it," Face said, thinking about his short time dangling from a helicopter and then the journey in the van, watching her.
"And, what do you think, Face?" Hannibal looked at him, raising an eyebrow.
"The bastard drugged her!" Face spat out angrily. BA screwed up his face and growled. All three of them looked at her, asleep in BA's arms. With her eyes firmly closed, her head rested against his shoulder, arms totally relaxed. Hannibal didn't need to say a word, Face could see by his expression he agreed with him.
The elevator doors opened, Face and Hannibal walked out first to check the corridor. BA followed, starting to walk towards Amy's suite.
"No, BA, she's in with us," Hannibal said, heading for their penthouse suite which was just along the corridor. BA and Face followed. "I want her where we can see her." Hannibal unlocked their room and they all entered. BA headed towards the bedrooms, Face hurrying after him.
"Here, BA, in this room." Face opened the bedroom door, flicked the light switch and hurried over to the bed to pull back the sheets. BA gently placed Amy on to the bed; Face placing a pillow under her head. She was now fully unconscious. Face sat on the edge of the bed, checking her pulse and then her forehead for an obvious temperature. Everything was fine; she was sleeping like a baby. A drugged baby.
He looked down, carefully moving back the dress, to assess her leg. Part of him disliked the fact he was doing this without her permission.
"BA, get me that first aid kit we carry," Face asked. The light was better in the room, he wanted to make sure he was right the first time, and started to examine Amy's right leg. It was bruised and swollen, and some broken skin, a grazing. He gently felt for a break. Amy moaned as he did so, he looked up to watch her face, but her eyes remained closed.
BA came running back into the bedroom with the first aid kit, handing it to Face.
"Is it broken?"
Face shook his head as he opened up the green box. "No, as I thought, just a sprain."
"Do you know how she did it?"
"She says she fell up the stairs," Face replied, gently binding her ankle. Once he'd finished, he pulled the dress back to cover her legs and stood up.
"Do you think we should?" Face pointed at her dress and hesitated. He wasn't sure whether to take her out of the dress. It didn't look exactly comfortable. BA shrugged his shoulders as if to say dunno' and then shook his head.
He nodded at BA, pulling the sheets back over her, and brushing any hair off of her face. With his touch, she sleepily groaned and turned on to her side. BA left the room, but Face stood there, only for a moment. Once he was satisfied that she was safe, and asleep, he left the room, switching the light off.
As Face entered the living room, Murdock entered the suite and tossed the van keys to BA, who was sitting on the couch. BA caught them with one hand. Hannibal stood leaning against the mantelpiece, puffing on another cigar.
"He drugged her, didn't he?" Murdock said, frowning, as he sat down opposite BA on another couch.
"That slimeball knew he wouldn't get it any other way, once he found out the truth about her," Face replied bitterly, disgust in his tone. He started to pace the room. Things were eating away at him now.
"Hannibal, what if I hadn't got there in time?" Face turned and nervously stared at Hannibal. "What if she hadn't made it up those stairs? Huh?"
"Face, don't beat yourself up about what could have happened." Murdock stood up and placed a hand on Face's shoulder, trying to reassure and calm his friend. "Amy's safe. She's sleeping peacefully; nothing happened to her and nothing is going to happen to her."
"Murdock's right. Can't keep talking about what ifs, man," BA added. "She's safe. Ain't nothing going to hurt her now."
"Lieutenant, she's safe; that's all that matters," Hannibal said, trying to reassure him.
"Safe?" Face snapped angrily. "Flores is still out there." Face pointed and waved his hands about as he spoke. "Or didn't you notice? And we haven't got anything on him yet."
"We've got the files to go through," Murdock added. "I managed to snatch those, too."
Face let out an exasperated sigh and continued his rant. "Files! What if they don't contain anything, no proof? He's still out there; he'll hunt her down! You didn't see him, Hannibal." Face glared at Hannibal. "He won't rest on this. I'm sure of it!"
"He'd have to get through me first," Murdock said, defiantly.
"And me." BA punched his fist into his other hand and nodded. "I'll stand in front of this door if I have to." BA pointed to the bedroom door where Amy slept safely behind.
"And me," Face said equally defiant. But guilt was eating away at him. The kiss he'd had with her came rushing to the front of his mind. She'd been drugged, easily receptive to him. Hell, she'd kissed him. He'd enjoyed it. He felt as low and deceitful as Flores, like he'd taken advantage of her.
"But I just feel so," Face hesitated, "bad."
"Why?" Murdock asked. "You rescued her from that creep."
Face shook his head, he couldn't confess about the kiss. "Nothing, you're right." He let out a sigh.
"Yeah, so calm down, before you wake our sleeping beauty, huh?" Murdock winked, sitting back down.
Face let out a sarcastic laugh. Nothing was going to wake Amy now. He pushed his hand through his hair and sat down next to Murdock. They looked at Hannibal, awaiting their instructions.
"Okay, Face does have a point. Although, I doubt Flores will show - he would have done so by now - I don't want her left alone tonight. We need to keep an eye on her too; we can't be sure what he drugged her with and how she'll react," Hannibal said, looking at the three of them in turn and looking at his watch. "Murdock, Face, you'll take first watch." Hannibal turned to them and then looked at BA. "BA and I will relieve you in four hours."
All three of them nodded back at Hannibal.
"But first, Face," Face looked up to Hannibal, "clear out Amy's room. I want us out of here tomorrow morning. Murdock, you go with him."
Murdock and Face stood up to walk out of the suite. Murdock walked out first but just as Face was about to leave he turned to BA. BA nodded at him and moved himself in front of Amy's door. Face smiled and left the room to clear out Amy's suite.