New chapter, not that much relationship stuff but business goin´ on in this...hope you´ll like it anyway!
Two days later, the boat lay still silent when Cathie returned with some breakfast. She crossed the empty living room and tiptoed silently to the bedroom door, only to find the bed empty.
Gunnar appeared at the other end of the room in the bathroom door.
He was in jeans and a not yet buttoned up shirt and Cathie found again that she just loved the sight. She stopped in the doorframe as well, let one shoulder rest against it and tilted her head.
„Something wrong ?" he inquired.
A mischievous grin appeared on her face.
„No. All good."
„What is it ?" he asked, suspiciously.
„Slept well ?" she inquired.
It was his turn to tilt his head. This conversation from doorframe to doorframe across the bedroom felt somewhat peculiar to him.
He nodded. It had been the long awaited first real sleep after the job.
„Great", she said, biting her lip afterwards.
He stopped buttoning up the shirt and put one forearm against the doorframe, mustering her.
„What the hell is going on with you lately ?"
„I brought some breakfast", she said, the answer completely unrelated to the question.
„Good girl."
Her grin broadened. The sight made him frown.
„I didn´t say it´s for free", she informed him.
Cathie gave a soft sound of delight when he forced her suddenly closer. She put her hands down to his chest to avoid toppling over.
„Good Lord", she mumbled approvingly.
He let his hands slide down her sides to get her out of her jeans. It was an impossible thing to do with her on top of him on the bed.
They paused and she laughed.
„Now you regret lending me money for jeans, huh ?" she teased him.
„Could still cut you out of it", he suggested off-handedly.
„Showoff!"
She chuckled and let her fingertips wander down his bare chest. With a sigh, she got up to take of her jeans. She turned her back to him, then threw him a playful look over her shoulder.
„Don´t tax my patience, girl", he warned her good-humorously.
„I won´t", she promised, busy trying to get out of her jeans the most tantalizing way without toppling over.
She was almost out of the first pant leg when his cell phone rang.
„Goddamnit!" she said, swaying slightly and having to grin again. The whole striptease effect was ruined.
„Ignore it!" he ordered, snapping the cell casually from the bed with two fingers. He had better things to do right now than talking to Christmas.
She made a small sound of displeasure and gave up on her former intention, stripping the jeans off unceremoniously. He couldn´t else than chuckle.
„A single word from your dirty mouth and I am out of here right now!" she threatened, getting down to the bed again.
„Uh, I´d bet you´re not!"
He was obviously not up to answer the call and reached out for her again.
The sound of her cell phone ringing by then interrupted what could have become a nice resumption of their former activities.
„Uh, what the hell!" she complained, straigthening up.
„You´re expecting any urgent calls ?" he inquired dryly.
„Well, it´s one of the guys, so I guess it is urgent", she said with a sigh.
„You can judge that just from the ringing ?"
„Come on. If you and I got called within the same minute, what does that tell you ?"
„Not that whoever it is couldn´t wait a little while!"
She smiled.
„Well, maybe not if they call you...but they never call me when they´re not at least bleeding profusely, so..."
He cursed heartily, letting her get up again.
As to be expected, she was too late. With another sigh and a grimace, she called Christmas back. She greeted him shortly, then listened for a minute, throwing a look at the clock.
„Give us twenty minutes", she answered finally.
She rolled her eyes at Christmas´ obviously suggestive answer.
„Jerk. See ya!"
She snapped her cell phone shut and turned towards Gunnar, who was watching her expectantly.
„Barney wants us to meet at Tool´s. Virtually now."
„Any explanations ?"
„Christmas said ´Tell him code slug`- what the hell does that mean ?"
Gunnar raised his eyebrows.
„It´s usually about a job you got to accept or deny within twenty four hours."
„That means ´code slug` ? You´re kiddin´ !"
He laughed out.
„Well, you gave the A Team ring tone to the guys! Who´s kiddin´ now ?"
She blushed slightly.
„So what ?"
He waved a hand and got up with a groan.
„Get dressed, honey, I am afraid we´ll have to postpone the fun."
She nodded, following him back to the bedroom to pick up her clothes. Wondering if she should worry about the fact that Christmas had not called her only because Gunnar hadn´t answered his phone, but to invite her explicitly to the meeting as well.
„Who is she ?" Maggie asked Billy twenty-five minutes later, watching Cathie enter the room behind the men. Lee right next to them could tell that Maggie had just had a hard time not to add ´the hell` to her question.
„Cathie ? She´s Gunnar´s ..."
„Nurse", Lee interrupted harshly.
Maggie raised her eyebrows and turned to him, shifting her weight.
„Makes sense", she commented dryly, crossing her arms in front of her chest.
Barney had been the last to enter and closed the door behind him, ready to get started with the meeting.
„Cathie´s our medic", he stated. „We may need her expertise."
„If we take the job", Yin Yang said.
Barney nodded. „Sure. If we take the job."
He turned to Cathie again.
„Cathie, this is Maggie. We ´ve been working together before. She´s our expert for languages and computer stuff."
The two women nodded to each other.
„So everyone´s comfortable ?" Barney asked. „Can we get started ?"
„Let me get this straight", Toll Road said. „This McIntyre guy, he´s the son of this industrial tycoon, and for some reason, he has gone ballistic and the senior wants us to bring him back ?"
„McIntyre´s company is raking in money faster than anyone else at the moment", Maggie explained. „They seem unstoppable. McIntyre is not only the boss, he owns the major part of the shares. Now, as you might have heard on the news, there have been three unsuccessful attempts to kill him over the last six months. It´s said that his son, Daryn McIntyre, has been involved, but there is no proof. It´s also known that father and son fell out over something last year, most likely Daryn´s well-known and long-time drug addiction and, well, let´s say excessive lifestyle. Now McIntyre took some pathbreaking decisions regarding company policy recently, risky ones, but market observers celebrated him even before they had been implemented. Now he´s up to make another step towards bursting all limits. It´s like he´s just not concerned by the global economy crisis. Daryn now, who owns his own share of stocks and is also a member of the director´s board, and he concentrated on delaying and intriguing ever since he´s fallen out with his father."
„So, what´s your point ?" Ceasar interrupted. „I mean, is there any point at which we will get into the story or is this economics lesson going to take the whole evening ?!"
„The point is", Maggie said, throwing him a reproving look,"that McIntyre senior is trying to get Daryn out of the company. He´s trying to get him certified insane for some kind of personality disorder and therefore unfit to be a member of the board any longer - or to decide about his stocks on his own."
„Now, clever boy fled to the family´s property on Hawaii first to get out of his daddy´s reach", Barney went on. „That´s where Kingsley tried to pick him up to escort him home."
„But he screwed it", Gunnar said, more a statement than a question.
Barney nodded.
„Yeah. As a consequence, Junior decided that it would be better to change location again."
„He travelled to the Dominican Republic, where the family owns a villa and some land around as well", Maggie amended. „It seems that it suited him anyway. From what Kingsley was able to find out, he made contacts to one of the rising stars of the South American drug trade. Rumours have it that he´s planning to buy himself in into a large upcoming deal."
„So the Senior wants us to bring the guy back ?" Toll Road asked.
Barney nodded.
„Essentially, yes. He needs to have him declared insane here in the States. Problem is that he has obviously gathered a lot of bodyguards around him ´cause he´s developped a bad paranoia."
„How many guards are we talkin´ about ?"
„Kingley estimated about thirty, led by some former Foreign Legion member. That seems to make sense if he´s going to enter the drug business."
„If that´s Kingsley´s estimate, make it sixty - just to make sure we´re roughly there", Lee commented.
„And there´s another thing", Barney said. „Despite his father´s tries to cut off his money supply, he obviously invested a lot to get the place more secure. Cameras, locks, guards, a lot of technology."
„Alright, so we get in, kick his bodyguards´ asses, grab the guy and get out", Ceasar summarized.
Barney grinned.
„Uh, there´s a little bit more about it!" he said.
Maggie flipped her laptop open and turned it so that everyone could look at it.
She pushed some buttons and opened some files. After some pictures of their target, Daryn McIntire, the last picture of him was replaced by one of a strikingly good-looking young woman. It caused some sounds of approval.
„This is Tabitha McIntyre", Maggie said. „She´s McIntyre´s daughter and Daryn´s half sister. She was there for a vacation when her stepbrother took over the place. And she´s holding a considerable part of the shares as well."
„So what happened ?" Cathie asked.
„McIntyre senior lost contact to her after a call during which she complained about her brother´s behaviour and drug use and all sorts of scum which suddenly started to gather at the house. The last time Daryn and the old man spoke to each other, Daryn told him that he´s taken her hostage."
„Good Lord!" Christmas sighed though he had already heard the story during the meeting with McIntyre senior before.
„So what is it exactly that McIntyre wants ?" Toll Road asked. „He wants the daughter back, understood, but what about the son ? He wants him rescued ? Or dead ?"
Gunnar watched Cathie shift her weight uncomfortably at that question.
„McIntyre wants us to free the girl, round up the son and take them both back to the States. But fact is that the family medic said that Junior has always been in poor health and that the addiction is that bad that it´s just a matter of time until he´ll finally overdose. So if we find him dead or if he dies while were trying to save the daughter, there´ll be no consequences to the fee."
„Lovely", Toll Road commented.
Barney shrugged.
„The point is, the Senior needs the job done quickly to match some business time limits. He´s already lost a lot of precious time through Kingsley´s failure. And he´s afraid that something could happen to the girl the longer her brother´s holding her captive. By the way..."
He handed a file to Cathie.
„That´s a copy of Junior´s medical record."
She accepted it with a nod and flipped it open.
„So, that´s the whole story now or is there still more ?" Ceasar inquired. „´cause I am already gettin´ hungry again."
He threw a regretful look at the remains of the burgers and fries he had had earlier.
Barney, Christmas and Maggie exchanged a look.
„Actually, there is one other thing", Barney said then.
„Say again!" Gunnar demanded.
„Kingsley left one of his men behind ?!" Toll Road asked, just to make sure that he had understood things right.
Barney nodded.
Cathie had sat motionless ever since Barney had told them, listening to the various sounds and comments of disgust the men had made. Now she cleared her throat.
„Who did he leave there ?" she asked. As she had been working with Kingsley and his companions for a while, she had the bad feeling that she would know whoever the bounty hunter had lost trying to catch McIntyre.
Barney frowned and rubbed the back of his neck for a moment before he answered.
„Bo Branagan", he said. „Seems to be the most unexperienced guy he has working for himself."
Cathie groaned.
„Bo ? That kid ? Jesus!"
„You know, I believe that this McIntyre guy has gone bananas - why should he pay any ransom for a mediocrity like Kingsleys sidekick ?! The guy´s actually a no one to him!" Gunnar stated.
„Well, I think trying to blackmail his father about this Branagan boy is just some kind of pastime for him", Barney mused. „He´s using him to blackmail the old man, threatening to force all kinds of false confessions out of him to get the Senior a lot of bad publicity. From all what we know - and I felt that McIntyre senior spoke frankly enough - the son has really lost every sense of reality."
„So the guy could be already dead anyway", Christmas threw in.
„Possible", Barney agreed.
„Alright, alright!" Ceasar said, putting his by now emptied bottle aside. „All the politics, economics and stuff aside - what´s the offer ?"
Barney crossed his arms in front of his chest.
„Three million", he answered.
There was a pause while the people present let that piece of information sink in.
Gunnar watched amusedly how Cathie´s gaze went up from the file in her hands and over to Barney. She kept herself from saying something at the last moment. Her gaze wandered from Barney over to him at the other side of the room and her eyes widened in the unspoken question.
„Three million ? For that ?" Christmas finally asked. „So where´s the catch ?
Barney grinned weakly.
„Well, Kingsley did us a favor here by screwing the first try, I guess. The old man offers three million. For that, he wants the place kept intact - if possible. We´ll need Maggie´s skills for the security system in that case. She has also some psychological training to take care of the girl if necessary. ´cause of the target´s health condition and drug issue, I´d like to take Cathie with us. If Branagan is still alive, he´ll need treatment as well. To be honest, from all I know by now about the McIntyres, they regard three million rather as pocket money. Questions ?"
„You want me to get in there with you ?" Cathie asked Barney finally. „Or will you operate from some kind of base ?"
Barney frowned.
„We´ll have to decide that on the spot, but from the information we have right now, I think you could stay out of the line of fire, so to say. But without knowing the terrain in detail, I can´t guarantee that. Usually, everyone getting in gets the same pay share. If your not getting in, we might reduce it a little. You agree with that ?"
Cathie nodded slowly, but looked still uncomfortable. Whereas the guys and Maggie didn´t seem to need more details, she decided spontaneously to ask another questions, not caring for possibly being laughed at.
„Just in case I have to get in with you - what shall I expect ? Is this comparable to Mexico ?"
„You mean how dangerous this is going to be ?" Christmas asked good-humoredly. „Like on a scale of one to ten ?"
„Put it like that if you want!" she retorted harshly.
„Like Mexico", Barney answered. „Just with the difference that we will know a lot more about what we are getting into and will be prepared accordingly."
„And we´ll get you a second chance vest in your size this time", Gunnar added patronizingly.
„They´re sold in children´s sizes ?" Christmas inquired.
Gunnar chuckled.
„Well, Yang has one, so..."
The smallest regular team member chose to simply ignore the snide remark.
„So, to answer your question instead of just talking nonsense, on a scale from one to ten, we´re talking about a six", Toll Roaded added.
„Thank you", Cathie nodded, looking not much less uncomfortable than before.
„May I ask what your references are ?" Maggie spoke up, addressing Cathie.
„Cathie´s a trained nurse and former military medic", Barney answered for her. „Two dispatches to the Middle East."
„Three", Gunnar corrected lazily.
„Have you any experience with situations like this ?" Maggie went on, addressing Cathie again, ignoring the fact that the men had decided to answer the last question for her.
„Well, she´s been with us in Mexico", Barney said. „And she worked for Kingsley before."
„I understood that Kingsley has been trying to change from regular bounty hunting into some kind of more exclusive and therefore riskier business and overestimated his own skills", Maggie went on. „So what kind of jobs have it been you went on with him ?"
„Well, Kingsley...", Barney began, only to be interrupted harshly by the Chinese.
„Excuse me", she said tartly, finally turning towards Barney. „If she´s not even able to answer a question by herself, I am wondering if she´s really qualified for this job!"
There was a pause. The men exchanged surprised looks while Maggie kept staring at Barney.
„I accompanied Kingsley to some jobs because of the targets´ respective health conditions. The ´targets` may have had some violent tendencies, but we are talking about singe individuals. And no, I have no experiences with situations like this besides the before mentioned Mexican job", Cathie answered when she had managed to overcome her surprise about Maggie´s rather harsh words to Barney.
„Have you ever had any combat training ?" Maggie asked, turning again towards her, leaving Barney honestly surprised as well as lost for words.
„I had some basic training some ten years ago. Well, and I´ve been seeing a close combat trainer recently, but we´re still at the very beginning."
„That´s all ?"
Cathie didn´t really like Maggie´s tone, but nodded. She was still not sure if Maggie´s caustic way of speaking was probably only the consequence of her not being a native speaker, causing a sometimes weird accentuation of words, or if she really was that bitchy.
„Medical staff has obviously been considered expendable, I´m afraid."
Maggie turned to Barney and threm him a look of indignation and disbelief, but kept silent.
„More questions ?" the Expendables´ leader asked.
The rest of the people present shook their heads.
„Well, then, ladies, gentlemen", Barney said,"think about it. Let me know ´til noon tomorrow what you´re thinking."
„Good Lord, what´s her problem ?" Cathie asked Gunnar lowly on their way out.
„Good question", he answered.
„Do you happen to know if Darla can recommend any male colleagues ?" Cathie asked.
Gunnar and Toll Road right on his heels exchanged a surprised look.
„What for ?" Toll Road inquired.
„For Miss Chang", Cathie answered. „She´s obviously in need of some stress relief!"
Please review.
Merry Christmas to you all!