The Professional

AvalonReeseFanFics

A/N: Are you guys getting exciting? the climax is coming next chapter! We're going to see what Rowan's been regaled too, and if Steve's going to make it on time. What do you think will happen? Let me know in the reviews!

Chapter 18

Rowan opened the door to her hotel room to find Malcolm leaning on the wall across from the door.

She tried not to glare at him, but the problem was, he was very much the problem right now.

She knew Malcolm had never liked her, she knew if given the choice he'd pick her brother over her, hell he'd already done it. It was stupid of her to think he wouldn't do it again.

She sort of thought that… when one was agreeing to sacrifice themselves for the other person's loved one, the least they could do is not look at her with such venom and hatred. But that seemed to be the only way Malcolm could look at her.

He did blame her after all.

But it wasn't her fault.

He was the one who took Trevor out of the hotel for a date. He was the one who lost him, not Rowan. Rowan had been at the hotel bored and behaving.

But just as always, Trevor had gone and got himself in trouble and it was going to be Rowan who got him out of it.

As per usual

"We good?" he asked, the contempt dripping from each word. He had been the one to slip her the capsules. Why he had knock out drugs on him was suspicious but she figured that he no doubt planned on drugging her at some point. That should probably worry more, but honestly, at this point it was the least of her problems. She nodded to him and he straightened, taking his back off of the wall. "No tricks?"

Rowan glared up at him. "No."

"Because his timing is pretty fucking suspicious…"

"He was supposed to come later. Like at the end of the week," she said but Malcolm clearly didn't believe her, the look on his face told her that. "I know what I have to do, Malcolm."

And she did.

She was grateful that Steve had come when he had. It meant that she could see him one last time, that she could give him a proper good bye. She would have felt horrible if she had become just another one of those girls who left him.

She was glad she got to tell him that she hadn't wanted to leave him behind.

Now it was time for her to do what she should have done two years ago.

So she followed Malcolm to the elevator.

At peace with what was going to come.

H5O-H5O-H5O-H5O

When the world stopped being black and soundless and it once again became filled with hazy bright lights and urgent but comforting voices, Steve found that he wasn't comforted by the re-emergence of the world

Not that the voices weren't conforming him, in fact they were annoying and they seemed to be yelling at him. They were comforting because Steve recognized them, but there was a pressing urgency squeezing his chest tightly, he couldn't quite remember what it was that was so urgent, but it started coming as the world became more and more clear.

He focused all his energy on putting Danny in focus, and when he could see his friend clearly he turned to the other familiar voice. It took a little longer for her to become clearer because he wasn't expecting Catherine to be above him.

"What… what happened…"

"We found you in here, unconscious. What did she slip you?"

Steve had no idea.

"Where… where is…"

"She's not here. She hasn't checked out, but we have surveillance that shows she left the building with Malcolm, maybe, three hours ago…"

And she wasn't back yet? What the hell?

Catherine put a bottle of water in his hands and Steve went about guzzling it down like his life depended on it. All it really did was alleviate the cotton mouth he was dealing with.

"Why are you… why…."

"Catherine got some chatter. About Rowan and the Stepanovs. It says that she's giving herself up to him… to get her brother back. If Catherine's right, they've had him three days. The plan is to lure Rowan to them and then kill them both."

What the… Trevor? Well that would explain why Steve hadn't seen him yet.

"But where, I mean… how did they…"

"I don't know, have you seen Trevor?" Danny asked. Steve shook his head. No, he hadn't and that wasn't good. "Did Rowan say anything to you? Did she tell you what had happened?"

"No… I mean… she was just…" he stated and then he paused. Her words came back to him. The way she had talked. Like he was never going to see her again, like she was dying… it was because she was. She was going to her death.

"Help me up," he ordered, grappling onto Danny and dragging himself to his feet. "I need a gun."

"Steve… I don't know…"

"I need a gun," he repeated. Catherine shot a glance at Danny, who very clearly gave her the head signal for no, don't give the freshly woken-up-from-a-drugging man a gun. She ignored it and handed it over.

"We need more intel," he said. "What do we know about their operation?"

"Uhm… well… Steve… to get that intel…"

It would take too long.

They didn't have the time. So Steve went to the bag he knew was Rowan's. He went through all the pockets until he found the stack of postcards. He flipped through them until he found a few from Toronto.

Maybe one of these numbers would help him.

The first two were a bust.

But the third.

The third someone picked up.

"This is… uh… codename Professional…"

"No you're not," the voice said right away. "Professional's a girl. Everyone knows that."

Well shit.

"Fine, I'm not, but I'm trying to help her. I think… I think she's in trouble. I need information…"

There was a heavy pause as the man on the other line though it over.

"I don't even know…"

"He'd want you to help me," Steve said. "He might have hated me, but he'd want me to save her. Stepanov… he's out for blood…"

"Stepanov?" the voice echoed. "He's after her again?"

"I think he already has her, please I just…"

"You need intel, right? Do… you know who I am?" he asked cutting him off.

"No, there's no name on the card."

"Good. You want Intel on Stepanov, you're going to want to talk to Sergei," he said cutting him off. "But Sergei probably won't talk to you…"

Yeah, that wasn't going to be a problem, Steve was going to make him talk.

"Just give me the address, I'll deal with the rest."

H5O-H5O-H5O-H5O

Sergei was literally a bear of a man. He was bald, tatted, and he liked black suits with white tee-shirts underneath.

He, in all other circumstances, might have been a formidable foe, except for Steve was practically enraged that day. Which meant he didn't fight fair, and he didn't pull his punches.

It also took awhile to get to Sergei, which meant Steve had time to work that drug out of his system.

And when he found Rowan, because he would, they were going to have a long chat about roofieing people. Because damn. That was uncalled for.

With Steve, Danny, Catherine, and Toronto PD, Steve took down Sergei in the back of the restaurant he owned. Then he shut himself in the room with him.

Danny had opted to go in with him. Steve hadn't been okay with that, but Danny reminded him of Colombia, and Marco Reyes who Danny had killed and Steve had been a witness to that. Well, more like a silent accomplice.

Like, the only reason Steve hadn't shot Marco Reyes himself was because he wanted to give Danny the chance to avenge his brother.

So the two of them had stayed in that room with Sergei, and Steve just went to town.

He took all of his cues from Wo Fat and all the tortures he had put him through. He had water, jumper cables, even knives.

It took a half hour too long, but Sergei was reading to talk.

"They grabbed Trevor four days ago," Anton said. "Victor… he called the boyfriend agent. Said that… that… if he wanted to get his boyfriend back he'd have to… he'd have to give him the girl… she goes to Vic, Boyfriend gets Trevor back. Victor gets his revenge."

Steve blinked his eyes. Malcolm was going to trade Rowan for Trevor, knowing full well that Stepanov was going to kill her? And Rowan had agreed to this? Of course Rowan had agreed to this. Of course she would martyr herself, the dumbass.

When Steve found Malcolm he was going to wring that idiot's neck.

"And the other agents?"

"Part of the deal was getting rid of them," Sergei said. "I don't know where he sent them, but they're gone. They got proof of life this morning, she went to turn herself in."

"Where," Steve growled.

Sergei shook his head. "It doesn't matter…"

"Yes it does."

Sergei smirked and shook his head again. "It doesn't… cause it's a trap." He smiled up to Steve in a cruel manner. "Victor has no intention of letting any of them go. The second she walked into that warehouse she sealed their fate. He's going to kill them all."

Steve's eye had started to twitch as the anger welled up in his chest.

"You're going to tell me where that fucking warehouse is, or I'm going to pay a visit to your house."

Sergei tried to shrug that one off, but that one did damage. Probably because he didn't think Steve had noticed the family portrait sitting on his desk.

"I care about Rowan, very much, so if something happens to her, I'm going to go after them. You have what? Two girls?" His eyes narrowed at him, realized that Steve knew he had a family. "Would be pretty awful if they… had an accident…"

"You won't do that, you're a cop."

"Try me."

Sergei looked him up and down and decided that, well, he didn't really want to take the chance.