A/N: For all those who were wondering about Karen's assassin….

Chapter 36

Karen glanced at the ringing phone in front of her with mild annoyance as she answered it. "Karen Hayes."

"Karen, it's Lucas."

Karen arched an eyebrow as she shifted the phone to her other ear. "How are things going?"

"The situation that we discussed has been taken care of," Lucas replied cautiously. "You and you friends shouldn't have any more problems." Karen was silent. "You still there?" Lucas asked.

"I-I….yes, I'm here. I'm just…." Karen ran a hand through her hair. "I'm concerned about the repercussions this could bring from the Chinese government."

"It's a bit late to be thinking about that, isn't it?" Lucas said wryly. "Have a little faith, Karen. I know what I'm doing. It's been arranged to look like an untimely, very unfortunate accident."

"Good." Karen hesitated. "Are….are you sure that you succeeded?"

"I'm positive. Is this enough proof?" Computer keys clicked in the background. "Check your email," Lucas told her.

Karen did as instructed, and found that he had sent her post-mortem photos of the two men's corpses. She grimaced. "That's all the proof I need. Thanks." Lucas chuckled dryly. "Thank you for the….for the help," Karen told him earnestly.

"You're welcome." With that, Lucas ended the call.

Shaking her head, Karen hung up the phone. Turning back to her computer, she printed the photos that Lucas had sent her and placed them inside a manila file folder.

Bill Buchanan poked his head into the small office as Karen got to her feet and picked up the folder. "Going somewhere?"

"To the clinic," Karen said over her shoulder, grabbing her wallet and car keys. "I've got to talk with Audrey."

-o-o-o-o-

Audrey glanced up as footsteps approached the door to Jack's room. He was sleeping soundly, and Audrey hurried to answer the door before the visitor could wake him. "Hi, Karen," she said in surprise.

"Sorry to barge in like this," Karen said quietly, glancing apologetically at Jack's sleeping form. "Let's talk in the hallway so we don't wake him up."

Puzzled, Audrey followed Karen into the hallway and pulled the door closed behind them. "What are you doing here?" she asked.

"Do you recognize the name Lucas Saracelli?" Karen asked in reply.

Audrey nodded. "I've never met him, but I know who he is. He's a head-hunter, an assassin who works with the CIA. Why?"

"I've been in touch with him," Karen said simply. "I told him about our problem with Cheng Zhi and Aiguo."

A spark of hope flickered in Audrey's eyes. "Are they….did he…..?"

She left the question unfinished, but Karen understood. She nodded. "Yes, he did." She met Audrey's gaze. "Cheng and Aiguo are dead, Audrey. You and Jack don't have to worry about them anymore."

Audrey sagged against the wall, limp with utter relief. She exhaled hard, and ran a trembling hand over her face. Karen placed a hand on her shoulder. "You've been tense and on edge since this all began. It's over now. You can relax. I promise, it's all over. You're safe now."

With a wry smile, Karen handed her the manila folder. "Lucas sent pictures of the corpses as proof. I don't think you'll want to look at them, but Jack probably will. I'll let you be the one to give him the news."

Audrey grimly accepted the folder. "I'll tell him. And, Karen? Thank you."

Karen smiled. "You're welcome."

Audrey opened the door and stepped into the room to break the news to Jack.

A/N #2: Just a quick note to let you know that there's only one more chapter left after this one. This story is 36 chapters long, and I finally got an idea for an ending, so I'm going to go with it.