"These roads aren't the safest for this." Ms. Shand commented from the driver's seat as John tried to relax enough to stop jostling with every bump in the road. "But there's no other way to get to this location without off-roading into the jungle."

"Something you do often?"

"I've hobbies, like anyone."

John almost bit his cheek. "I would've thought you simply trained when you weren't working at what you do."

"Proficiency requires rest and diversification." Ms. Shand nodded at the road ahead, "Like this community center idea. It's good for the area… Even if it is out in the bush."

"It doesn't exactly make me comfortable either but the destination was non-negotiable." John shrugged and checked his holster before adjusting his right leg. He caught Shand's side glance toward him and smiled, "Something interesting, Ms. Shand?"

"How'd you lose it?"

"Saving a man's lie, actually." John readjusted in his seat. "A grenade landed near my commanding officer and I tackled him to the ground. Shrapnel got in there and, because of our location, I couldn't get airlifted out. They had to tourniquet the area so I didn't bleed out but, by that point, I'd lost enough blood and feeling in my leg that it was useless so…"

"The miracle of modern prostheses." Shand took one back off the wheel and rapped her knuckles against her stomach. Instead of a puffed sound of skin against skin, a sound more akin to a clink reached John's ears. "I had half my torso reconfigured after I stepped on a land mine in Cambodia."

"You were lucky to survive."

"I was. And luckier still that there were people not only interested in my survival but also willing to try out some…" Shand winced, "Not entirely approved methods for saving my life. They worked, with considerable effort, and I survived."

"What were you doing in Cambodia?"

"Mercenary work mostly." Shand shrugged, "Before I joined Mr. Branson's training team in Singapore and then took over the division I was a contract protection agent. There was a group of well-intentioned but very naïve Americans going out into the bush of Cambodia to give medical aid. I was there as their protection and, when a few of them failed to heed my warnings, I chased after them."

"Through a land mine field?"

"I stopped at the edge of it. They…" Shand swallowed, her focus entirely on the road ahead of them. "They didn't make it. I barely did, obviously, and that was the moment I realized I might never work in the industry again."

"Until Branson came along?"

"It was a bit of a miracle for me." Shand's fingers relaxed on the wheel a bit. "Gave me another chance to prove myself and get back into the only business I've ever been really good at, all things considered."

"You're not good at off-roading in the jungle?"

Shand barely cracked a smile. "I try to keep my personal and professional life different and separate."

John took his turn at a wince, "I do hope, Ms. Shand, that you're not in the habit of being passive-aggressive when you've something you want to say."

"If I've got something to say, Mr. Bates, I say it." Shand pulled the car into park and turned to him. "But I trust that you're a professional and you'll do your job to the best of your ability, as I do. Whatever else goes on… That's frankly none of my affair."

"Then me asking you to turn off the cameras wasn't against your protocol?"

"At any point the principles can insist on privacy and that's on them." Shand shrugged and popped the door open, "Whatever goes on when the cameras are off is none of my business."

"Even if something happens?"

"We've all got free will and we've got to live with those consequences." Shand rapped her knuckles against her torso again. "I know that better than most."

John got out of his side of the car, keeping his head on a swivel, and moved to the back of the Humvee. Opening the door and stepping into the space to use the door as one half of a shield so his body was the other, John smiled at Anna. "We're here Ms. Smith."

"Thank goodness." Anna climbed out, cracking her back for a moment, and turned to John. "Was it as bumpy in the front as it was in the back?"

"We were decently jostled, yes."

"Next time I'll have our advanced teams look into the roads." Anna winked at John, "Or hire you to make roads a priority for our outreach programs."

"I'm flattered but it'd be unnecessary Ms. Smith."

"We'll see about that." Anna pivoted to see the other two Humvees pull up. "Do you think Mr. Talbot and Mary enjoyed the ride together?"

"They've seemed a touch more civil since you gave everyone last weekend to relax a bit." John cringed, "I do believe they managed to find some common ground between them that's… Not entirely professional."

"I hope you're saying they managed to have some wild sex and get it out of their systems." John almost choked as Anna snorted a little laugh. "I told Mary it was a possible solution but she's not said anything to me one way or the other."

"Talbot's mentioned nothing to me but…" John lowered his voice, "If they have, I'd rather they keep it to themselves, all things considered."

"Worried about being found out ourselves?"

John only shrugged up a shoulder, "It would be policy to report on it, especially if it proved a distraction or a hinderance to our work, Ms. Smith."

"Do you believe that kissing me has hindered your work?" The pose Anna adopted was one John associated with professional interviews or interrogations.

"I don't believe so."

"And, as yet, neither to do." Anna relaxed and offered him a smile as she put a hand on his arm. "Trust me when I say, John, that my personal security and the reputation of my company is of the utmost importance. If I believe our actions, in any way, hinder those goals I won't hesitate to take the steps needed to make it right."

"It could be as simple as switching from myself to Talbot."

"And if it is, hallelujah." Anna shuddered, "I couldn't imagine getting to know anyone new at this point. Bringing someone up to speed this late in the game is more trouble than it'd be worth for our success."

"Then I'll trust your judgment on this."

"Not your own?"

John hesitated, "In this case, Ms. Smith, you're the boss and your opinion-"

"Is shit if I don't take the advice of someone with experience in an area where I am, admittedly, not well-versed." Anna folded her arms over her chest. "Do you think we should consider a swap?"

"Not as yet, Ms. Smith." John leaned down to whisper in her ear, "But if it did prove necessary, I'd recommend it in a heartbeat for the chance to kiss you again."

"Mr. Bates," Anna chided, clicking her tongue at him. "If I didn't know better I'd think you were trying to make me come over all insensible."

"I'm the picture of professionalism, Ms. Smith." John tried to straighten his smile and stepped to the side as Talbot and Mrs. Crawley approached. "All set?"

"Shand's given us the go-ahead. Said everyone's already here for it so we'd better get started." Talbot nodded at Anna, "The stage is, apparently, yours Ms. Smith."

"Is Mr. Sayid already here?" Anna craned her neck and then smiled, "And he brought his whole family. I've been dying to meet his wife for months."

John trailed Anna and Mrs. Crawley, Talbot taking point on their little caravan, to reach the gathered crowd and the take their places at the top of a set of three stairs that encircled the fresh-looking building reading, in English and Malay, 'Sayid Community Center'. As Anna moved toward the podium and the man standing there, greeting him and the woman next to him with enthusiasm, John kept an eye on the crowd.

Most of them shifted as anyone did before a public event. Mothers trying to hush children, fathers keeping other children occupied, and the general buzz of conversation amongst people living in tight communities sharing details of their lives with one another. The sight of Shand's team, dispersed along the edges of the crowd with their heads on a revolve, gave him a bit of comfort. But even the heat and humidity of their location could not stop the hint of a chill that ran down his spine when he spotted a few people in the crowd. People who, for reasons he could not name with words, sent his gut churning.

They looked no different than anyone else. A few of them adopted bored postures as they leaned back in their chairs while others appeared only half-interested in the promised proceedings as they continually checked phones and watches. But something about their eyes and their clothes felt off. The way they watched Shand's men instead of hunting the crowd for people they knew. The twitches they gave of movements carefully controlled instead of natural tics. And, more than the rest, the slight difference in their appearance.

John relaxed his gait as he approached Talbot, speaking into his ear. "Do you see them too or is it just me?"

"Shand's got them spotted." Talbot nonchalantly withdrew his phone from his pocket to show the message to John as if he only shared a picture or a social media post. "But they're on a hair trigger, whoever they are."

"I thought we assessed this location as a low risk."

"Doesn't mean it is." Talbot tucked his phone away. "Your call on the protocol boss. Do you want a full withdrawal or are we keeping tighter defense?"

John flicked his gaze to Anna as she finished addressing the man and they both approached the podium. "Tighten the defense and get someone back to the cars. I want them running at a moment's notice."

"Understood."

John shifted along the patio to stand just off Anna's shoulder as she took her place at the podium. A few cameras flashed from the front row to accompany the bedraggled and only half-interested journalists but Anna paid them no mind. Instead she addressed the crowd behind them in English as the man taking her left side translated her words into Malay whenever she paused.

"Ladies and gentlemen, it is my pleasure to be here, in Kuala Krau for the opening of this community center. A center that is near and dear to the heart of the future general manager of the Hotel Malaysia in Kuala Lampur, Mr. Rayyan Sayid."

She stepped aside as the audience applauded for the man at her left. He took the podium and spoke to the crowd in Malay as Anna moved back to stand by John. With the man's speaking covering their conversation, John whispered in Anna's ear.

"I thought your speech would be longer."

"No reason for it to be. This is Mr. Sayid's moment and he's the one who should take the spotlight for it."

"I thought your company funded the center."

"It did. And it will until the hotel's finished in Kuala Lampur but the project was conceived by Mr. Sayid." Anna shrugged at John's confusion. "Part of the outreach we do is to benefit the local communities but it's also at the design of those working under our brand. Our local hires are the ones who chose the kinds of projects we should take on and, once the hotel's built, it'll fund this place through a philanthropic fund."

"So this is Mr. Sayid's project then?"

"It was the one the future staff voted for, yes." Anna looked out over the crowd. "He grew up here. This is his town and he wanted to give something back to them. It's his baby as far as I'm concerned and he can take the credit for that."

"I think that says more about you than it does about your company."

"It's our brand policy, John." Anna nodded toward the front, "Now were you going to tell me about the funny-looking people in the crowd of were you planning on whisking Mary and I away without another word?"

"You noticed them?"

"You forget, I also did my tour of duty and my service, while not abroad, taught me a few things about how to spot people in a crowd." Anna rolled her shoulders back, "Any thoughts on them?"

"They don't look Malaysian. At least they don't look like they belong to this community." John grimaced, "I'll admit I don't know much about the genetic makeup of this country but most of the people here look like they descended from the Indian subcontinent or China. The others… They strike me as being from further south."

"Indonesian or Filipino probably." Anna nodded, "And you're right, they don't look like they belong here."

"There's also the small factor of the way they're either too relaxed or too on edge." John stretched his shoulders slightly to shift his holster. "I think most of them are carrying concealed weapons."

"Do you think they're here to stop the center opening?"

"I don't know."

"Then we'll continue until you feel the situation is untenable." Anna held up a hand before John could argue. "If you need to throw me over your shoulder to get out of here I won't object but, for the moment, I think the situation's a threat level orange, not red."

"Would you rather it be red?"

"I'd rather not respond in fear and ruin the press this event is giving for the hotel we're building." Anna shook her head, "Two weeks of negotiations down the drain and a community center with bullet holes doesn't sit well with me. Especially if they're not here to stop anything."

"Then why would they be here?"

"Maybe they're working for a rival company or they're just suspicious of the motives of my company." Anna shook her head, "I've run into that before."

"Appear to generous and everyone wonders what skeletons you're hiding in your closet yeah?" John nodded and checked his phone before catching Shand's eye. The slight shake of her head relaxed his fingers slightly as he tucked his phone back into his jacket. "If Shand's confident enough to let it lie then so am I."

"You trust her?"

"We've both got a feel for this I think."

"Did she get chatty in the cab with you?" Anna gave John a little smile, "Do I have competition with the indominable Ms. Shand?"

"As flattering as it would be to have a woman who I'm sure could snap me in half express an attraction, no." John slid his prosthetic foot against the ground. "We just have a few more things in common than I originally thought."

"I love when that happens." Anna straightened and moved back to the podium as Sayid stepped back and ushered her forward again. "My Malay isn't as good as Mr. Sayid's so I hope what he just told all of you was about how this was all his idea and that he's taking credit for everything."

The audience laughed a bit and John kept his attention divided between checking on the suspicious attendees in the crowd and listening to Anna work with Sayid as they continued to detail the community center. They fielded questions together and unveiled the plans for the projects and classes to be offered in the future before stepping aside as the podium was pushed out of the way and someone handed Anna a large pair of ceremonial scissors. After a moment pretending the weight was too much, she and Sayid cut the ribbon keeping the doors closed together.

John barely moved as Tabot came to his shoulder and whispered in his ear. "The air's changed a bit."

"Move Mrs. Crawley to the car and get Shand's people to pull back and cover our exit." John nodded, "Take the first Humvee and get moving. I'll be right behind you."

"Right boss." Talbot moved to the side and allowed John to slip next to Anna's shoulder as she and Sayid finished posing for a picture in front of the doors.

"Ms. Smith, we need to move."

"How gracefully?" Anna smiled for one more photo before stepping back so Sayid and his wife could take the center of the implied stage.

"Now would be best."

"Now it is then." Anna gave a final goodbye to Sayid and his wife. "Unfortunately we've meetings back in Kuala Lampur and that drive'll take us two hours so-"

"Of course." Sayid motioned toward the crowd. "I'll take care of them."

"Perfect. As always, good to see you and so lovely to meet your wife." Anna smiled at them both. "I look forward to the work we'll do together."

"As do I, Ms. Smith."

They shook hands for a final time before Anna pivoted to follow John back to their Humvee. This time he climbed into the back with her as Shand took the driver seat and they peeled away from the building with the last Humvee on their tail. It all took less than five minutes. But the sight of a few of the audience members splitting to the other side of the community center sent another shiver through John.

"Is Talbot clear, Ms. Shand?" John called up to the cab, the divider down so he could see out the front, and held himself on the seat designed to face where Anna sat.

"His driver and the other guard have them in the back and their on the road." Shand maneuvered the Humvee with ease. "The other car's on our tail and we should make good time on the E8 to get back in good time."

"Any news?"

"I've got the other car thumbing through local radio channels in case there's anything going on but other than a feeling in my gut I don't think-"

It only took John a moment to react when the familiar ping of metal on metal sounded through the back of the Humvee. He dived across the space and dragged Anna to the floor. They both grunted at the motion, him from the jarring in his leg and she from his weight landing half on her, but stayed down as Shand drove a zigzag through the hail to try and get them off the main road and away from the ambush.

A moment later it proved vain as an explosion rocked the vehicle. John raised his arm to cover his face as the heat blazed toward him for a second and the wet air reached them as part of the doorway melted away. He only had a moment to comprehend it as the Humvee tipped sideways to roll down the side of the steep hill.

Gravity proved no friend to them as John tried to spread like a starfish to keep his weight over Anna so they did not move as the car bumped and tumbled down the rise. It proved useless as they knocked and battered about until the vehicle landed on its roof and threw them all in every direction. John landed half outside the blown-off doors and struggled to remain conscious as pain flared through his body in fits and spurts.

Whatever time passed was nothing until the gentle patter and splatter of rain pinged off the undercarriage of the Humvee and left damp spots on John's trousers. Bending at the waist, his abdominal muscles groaning the entire time, John righted himself and carefully extracted his legs from the twisted metal wreck. It took a moment, and the temporary release of his prosthetic leg, to get loose but he crawled back into the Humvee to find Anna.

She groaned when he touched her and John nodded to himself, crawling through the rest of the debris as he dug out his phone. The cracked screen proved difficult to maneuver around as he activated the bright beam of the torch to light the interior of the vehicle but John managed to use it to assess the interior of the Humvee. Glass from the broken remains of the minibar littered one side of the damaged vehicle while the cubed glass from the shattered safety windows proved difficult to avoid. John removed his jacket and used the sleeves to cover his hands as he shifted and slid toward the cab.

Shand dangled from her seatbelt, cuts and scrapes on her face bleeding downward as she hung in place, but John heaved a sigh of relief when he pressed two fingers to her throat and felt the pulse there. He kicked out a half-broken window to access the cab and wrenched the barely dented front door to get into the cab. The windshield bore evidence of the bullets that tried to pierce it and a quick look over Shand showed no damp patches of blood other than the cuts on her face from the shattered driver side window.

Working carefully, John supported the weight of Shand's midriff on his shoulder and released the belt. They both dropped, John grimacing as the weight caught on his bent prosthetic knee, but he successfully dragged her out of the cab and into the back of the Humvee. Shuffling tentatively, half-crouched with his hands still covered by his jacket, John swept as much loose glass as he could from the back of the Humvee before he attempted to check over either woman again.

Before he even touched Shand she moaned and sat up. "I'd rather you not take liberties when I'm unconscious."

"I thought you'd prefer to be conscious but with you strapped in place by the seatbelt you weren't going to get that way again on your own." John nodded at her, "Are you hit anywhere? I didn't see blood but-"

"The benefits of being metal where it matters I guess." Shand grimaced as she touched her face. "These'll sting something awful but if there's any leftover alcohol in that minibar I can make sure they won't get infected before we're saved."

"I'll check if you can get Talbot or anyone else on the radio." John carb-walked to the minibar and carefully slid the door back to check on the bottles still stashed inside. The smell of the already wasted vintages and brands wafted toward him and John coughed through it before retrieving two bottles and passing one to Shand. "It's the highest proof in there, if that's what you're looking for."

"I always did prefer whiskey." Shand checked her phone before shaking her head. "Mine's completely useless."

She held it up and John noted the half-bent nature of it. "Stop a bullet with that instead of your metal chest?"

"I think I bent it with my metal chest when we rolled." Shand groaned again and popped the top on the whiskey. "What about yours?"

"Here," John handed it over before moving back to anna's side. "The torch still works but I've not checked anything else yet."

"Worst case scenario I pull the receiver from the front and check for any damages to the antennae." Shand tapped her fingers against the screen. "But so far you're able to send messages but it doesn't show any service."

"Interference?"

"Possibly." Shand finished and handed John the phone back. "Whoever put a mortar on the road certainly might try to jam signals around here."

"That lot from the audience?"

Shand went to shrug and then winced before adjusting her holsters and jacket. "More than likely. They moved when we did."

"Was this an attack on just us or on the center too?"

"I'm not going to worry about that yet." Shand climbed past John and back into the cab. "I'm more worried about if they're looking to see if we survived our Jack-and-Jill down the hill and come looking for us."

"I've still got mine but I've only two mags spare." John checked Anna's pulse again, digging for his phone to turn the torch back on so he could check her for injuries. "You?"

"I've got my two and two mags each as well." Shand paused and John looked over his shoulder at her as she fiddled with the radio. "I think there's at least two larger weapons in the boot but we'd have to get it open first."

"Just kick it." John almost sighed in relief as Anna opened her eyes. "It's what my mum always did to get hers open. Piece of shit car but it worked until the moment she had enough money for it to die."

"Not sure this one works the same way."

"Now you're just being pessimistic."

"We'll worry about that later." John balled up his jacket and moved it under Anna's head. "I need to finish checking you for injuries."

"I'm bruised and battered but alive, as far as my cursory investigation goes."

"And not concussed." John checked Anna's eyes before lightly pressing his fingers along her neck and toward her collarbone. "May I remove your jacket?"

"I'm certain I won't feel so bloody hot if you did." Anna tried to sit up and help but the second her arm pushed back to take weight she cried out and hit the roof of the Humvee hard.

John immediately examined her shoulders and let out a defeated breath when he found the blossom of blood on her shirt, formerly hidden by her jacket. Removing the other material slowly, pausing any time Anna whimpered in pain, John examined the stain on Anna's shirt and pulled it back enough to let out a low whistle. "I wasn't quick enough."

"I'm sure the speed of a bullet moving at supersonic speed is a good enough reason to explain why I've been shot through the shoulder." Anna took her jacket with her other hand. "Hurts like a bitch but I don't think it'll kill me."

"It might if it severed an artery." John almost jumped as Shand joined them. "Radio's a bust for the moment. We've got spare equipment in the boot but I'll need your help to pry that thing open. The blast crumpled it."

"We can get in through the back seats."

"Which I can't haul open on my own." Shand shook her head and examined Anna's injury. "I'm no medic but I think we need to remove that bullet as soon as we can."

"Why'd you say that?"

"Because she's not bleeding onto the floor so there's no exit wound." Shand tipped Anna's shoulder up for a second to check before nodding. "If it did nick an artery then we've got to tie it off."

"We do it wrong and she bleeds out." John shook his head, "Even if we do it right, by the time medics get here she could lose the arm."

"She won't." Shand nodded toward where Anna's fingers flexed. "She's still got feeling right now and we've got to act fast. Especially if anyone's coming back and we've got to move. A bullet inside her could move and cause more problems on the run."

John grimaced and nodded. "Let's get into the boot first then."

Between he and Shand, both bent in half against the dimensions of the Humvee, they hauled the seats back to get into the boot, John's phone torch the only light they had until Shand managed to extract the med kit, an emergency supply pack, the radio equipment, and the heavy weapons. John immediately set to working with the med kit, the larger lantern now beaming in the space to cast them all in a ghostly light, while Shand attempted to patch through to the radio.

"Say you do need to tie off my arm and I lose it," Anna managed, her breathing shallow as she pressed hard on her injury with her other hand and spare napkins from the minibar. "Do you think I'd look good with a metal replacement?"

"I think you'd have a harder fist when you punch." John cut through the collar of Anna's shirt and slipped her bra strap down her arm. "To the chagrin of anyone you decide to take on in a friendly match in the future."

"Better save my arm then because I don't want to hurt Peter when he challenges me the next time." Anna hissed through her teeth as John used the antiseptic on her wound.

"Sorry." He tucked it away and covered his hands with gloves before cleaning the area as thoroughly as he could. "There's no anesthesia so if you need-"

"Here." Shand crawled to them, her belt snapping free from its loops as she bent it in half and inserted it between Anna's teeth. "We don't want to draw any attention to ourselves if you scream."

"The rain'll cover it."

Shand shook her head, "It's tapering off. And good thing too, I don't want to be sliding down this hill any more than we already have."

She set back to fixing the radio and John withdrew the scalpel from the kit. He drenched the blade with the antiseptic before placing it on Anna's skin. The dart of her eyes toward the area had John bringing his other hand up as if to cover her eyes. But Anna caught his hand and placed it on her collar before her hand raised to his shoulder. Her fingers dug into his shirt, crunching it in her grasp as she gripped tightly and nodded at him.

Cutting into her skin had Anna grunting against the belt in her mouth but when he had to dig with the tweezers into the wound to find the bullet she howled against her gag. Even John practically sitting on her chest to stop her moving only had her crying out until tears leaked from her eyes. But when John widened the tweezers a bit Anna's eyes rolled back into her head and her arm fell from his shoulder as she stopped writhing to fall still.

Removing the bullet and cleaning the area with the antiseptic again, John carefully applied gauze to the wound and checked Anna's pulse. Once again, Shand's voice made him jump. "She's just passed out. And good thing too. Syncope is better than any anesthesia when you've got to stitch up a wound."

"I'm not goof with stitches."

"Then maybe you'll be better with electric engineering." Shand jerked her head back toward the radio. "I think I've got a patch but it's spotty. I'll finish her up if you can get us a signal so we can get the hell out of here."

John and Shand switched positions, his fingers working deftly on the wiring. He zapped himself twice but finally managed to engage a steady signal. Without delay he sent a series of clicks and pauses down the line before waiting for a response. None came so John continued, sending the same series of clicks and pauses every ten minutes and waiting for a response to come over their radio that crackled only with static.

He and Shand took turns, each either trying the radio or watching over Anna. Her dressings proved durable and when she did not bleed through the second set, John changing them to admire the careful and close-knit stitches Shand left, they both heaved a sigh of relief. A sigh echoed with tears when they finally received word over the line.

Exhausted, and with the sun blearily rising through the trees, they lifted their equipment and Anna from the back of the Humvee to meet the arriving team in off-road equipped trucks. John carried Anna to the stretcher, where Mrs. Crawley tearfully stood by her side and two medics immediately set to checking over her before they climbed into the back of the first truck. Talbot slammed into John in a bearhug that almost sent John off his feet but he accepted the affection all the same before turning to Shand.

"I'm not hugging him." She shuffled past John to accept a hand into the other truck as John took position in the back of Anna's.

Her eyes opened as they started to roll away and John smiled at her. "You missed all the action there Ms. Smith."

"I'll get it in the report." She closed her eyes again. "It can wait."