Thanks for continuing to read and review. I know I keep saying I'll update more often from now on then take another month to update but I promise that I'm not done with this story yet although I am getting close to wrapping it up so I will at least keep writing until that's happened. And I may start another fanfic afterwards, I have something in mind already so you'll have to stick with me to find out what that is :) This following chapter is a paced a oddly but the chapter after should be back in the correct rhythm.
Chapter 18
38mins later and Mika was limping as fast as she could along side Noah the journalist while Raizo gave them the occasional needed bouts of cover to stop them being picked off by rogue gun fire while they escaped. When he was out of throwing knives he took over supporting Noah and let Mika take over with her guns.
"You know it would be a lot easier if you used guns too!" She yelled over to him while the ground exploded around them.
"I never needed to! And now I have you for that!" He called back with a glint in his eye. Was he enjoying this?
They started to out run the sound of gun fire but it wasn't far behind and just as they thought the diminishing sound of bullets meant they were home free, the sound of several engines revving towards them spurned the trio forward. Forward towards a cliff edge and a sheer drop of what looked like at least 200meters.
"GODDAMIT!" Mika exclaimed.
"I can't swim!" Noah panicked.
Raizo ignored him and focussed calmly on Mika. "In your bag there's a wet suit. Put it on over your clothes, it will fit."
Mika did as she was told while Raizo pulled out his own suit and handed it to Noah. "Put this on now!"
Noah didn't argue.
"What about you?" Mika asked Raizo as she struggled to force the tight suit over her clothes.
Raizo shook his head, "I'll be fine."
"That water is fucking freezing!"
"I'll be fine Mika. We don't have time for this. Trust me."
Mika let out a grunt of frustration. Her leg hurt like hell but there was no time to argue. Raizo was right, she would just have to trust him. This was his life a long time before it was hers. He must know what he's doing, surely?
"Ready!" Mika called out to them both as Noah zipped up his suit.
Raizo turned to face both of them. "Ok, there is compact breathing apparatus in the hood of the suit but the air is limited so don't use it unless you have to. We need to back up and take a running jump to clear possible rocks below. Get out as far as you can. I'll find you in the water. GO NOW!"
Mika grabbed Noah's hand and jogged back as best she could. "NOW!" she yelled at him. And they ran as fast as both their battered bodies could take them. They cleared the cliff edge and then they were falling. Mika had grabbed Noah to force him as best she could into a front dive shape so they didn't hit the water on their sides and bust a rib or three. They still hit the water with a thud enough to knock the air out of both their lungs and with that came the freezing temperature. Mika did her best not to gulp from the shock but her first thought was getting Noah's head back above the surface. She didn't even notice Raizo expertly dive into the water seconds after her. In fact it was he that found Noah and dragged him to the surface. Noah spluttered and kicked and wheezed while Raizo got him in a rescue hold and toed him in the direction of a shore that looked like it was miles away.
Mika followed. She was usually a strong swimmer but the cold and the dark and the danger made everything so much harder. The swim was maybe 20mins but it felt like so much longer. They could no longer hear gun shots or engine sounds as they reached the shore line and dragged their bodies out of the freezing cold murk.
Raizo dragged Noah out and up onto a grassy bank. Noah was still wheezing and Raizo rolled him onto his side to stop him choking on all the water his was spitting up. Raizo looked around for Mika who was only just clearing the water behind him and climbing up onto the bank herself, panting. The pant was turning into a wheeze.
Raizo went over to her and pulled her breathing apparatus to her mouth. "Easy," he said softly, his palm cradling her cheek for just a few seconds. Mika nodded at him, her eyes telling him everything she wanted to say.
Raizo was shivering. He was soaking wet and nearly numb all over. He forced his fingers to cooperate and pressed some buttons on his smart watch. The screen flashed and then that same encrypted voice was heard.
"Status?"
"Secured."
"Rendezvous in 15. Coordinates follow."
The screen flashed some more and then went blank again. Raizo rolled onto his back and took a couple of deep breaths with his arm over his eyes. He then sat up and climbed to his feet dragging Noah up with him.
"What is it?" Mika asked, her breathing now slowing back to something near normal.
"We move." Raizo said adjusting the backpack on his back.
Mika helped Noah peel the top half of the wet suit down off his torso before she did the same with her own. The air was much warmer than the water had been.
"Ok." She said and let Raizo lead them up the bank and into an overgrown woodland. His movements were swift and focused. Mika wasn't sure how he was still so in control. She felt like her body was breaking down from the inside as she helped Noah limp along with her.
10mins later and they came to a dilapidated stable. It looked like it had once been used to house horses. Inside were old bails of hay stacked up in one corner and sacks of what looked like grass in another corner. Noah collapsed down on one of the heaps of hay behind the stable door. Mika and Raizo sat down in a spot under the only window, still shivering.
"They should be here in 5mins." Raizo said calmly. Mika just nodded and sat down beside him. When she felt his body shuddering even more she shook her head.
"No." she said taking off her backpack and rummaging through it.
"No what?" Raizo asked confused.
Mika pulled out a small flat packet and tore the corner open to reveal what looked like a thin silver sheet. "No you're going to just sit there and silently catch hyperthermia beside me. Jesus you said you would be fine!" She reached up to tug Raizo's mask of his face but he reached up in one swift movement to still her hands.
"If the target sees our faces we have to eliminate them." He whispered. But not low enough that Noah didn't hear.
"Ah don't mind me." Noah said quickly turning his back to them and curling up into a ball in the corner.
Mika nodded, ok. "Fine, but this is coming off, now!" She tugged at the neck of his suit trying to undo the fastenings and proceeded to roughly tug the suit down off Raizo's torso. Raizo was shaking quite visibly. Mika tugged her own clothes down to her waist, stripped to her bra. She pulled Raizo's back against her chest. His skin was ice cold. She wrapped the foil blanket around them both as best she could, getting Raizo to hold it in place while she vigorously rubbed her hands up and down his arms. "I can't believe you pulled this shit," she said trying to sound irritated but in fact just sounding worried.
"I told you I'd be fine." He said sounding like he was smiling.
"Relying on me helping you not freeze your pecker off, is not being fine." She said just before Raizo seemed to become still as a statue.
"There's someone here." He whispered to Mika, stilling her hands on his arms. She listened also and heard rustling outside and then an engine pulling up but not like the ones back at the mansion. This engine was the quite hum of an electric vehicle. Noah was already alert in the corner and keeping himself as small as he could.
Raizo reached for a blade sheathed in his leg holster. Mika pulled a blade from Raizo's other leg holster. It was the closest thing to hand. Flash lights shone in the window as someone walked towards the door. Mika and Raizo prepared themselves in an attack stance and then,
"Julius Santo!" came a voice from behind the door.
"Pakke sikret!" Raizo called out.
The door slowly opened and two armed men who looked like private security guards marched in.
"Noah Agner?" One of the men called out into the darkness. A second man was shining a torch around.
Noah crept out from his hiding place behind the door shielding his eyes from the light. "Yes?"
"Time to go home." The man said flatly.
Noah glanced over towards Mika and Raizo in a slight panic. Raizo nodded.
"Thank you, thank you both." Noah called over to them, his hand on his chest as one of the men helped Noah to his feet and out of the barn.
"We have left a car outside with a full tank and keys in the engine." A guard said before pressing two buttons on his watch and leaving. Raizo and Mika didn't move until they heard the guards leave and the sound of their vehicle become barely audible. It felt like an eternity.
"And now?" Mika turned to Raizo who was still shivering.
Raizo pulled out a burner phone and pressed a button for a speed dialled number.
"blizhayshiy bezopasnyy dom." He said in perfect Russian before breaking the phone in half.
Mika helped him to his feet and tucked the foil blanket around him. "I'll drive, you just tell me where." She said and was surprised to get no protest from Raizo. He just nodded and got into the passenger seat of what turned out to be a used Prius.
They drove for over an hour. Raizo gave directions still hugging the foil blanket about his shoulders. Mika had turned the heating up to a mild temperature so's not to spike Raizo's body temperature as it tried to climatise. He no longer looked pale but he was still gently shaking every now and then.
They eventually pulled up to a cottage set back from the road at the end of a private driveway. Lights were on inside. "This doesn't feel right." Mika said turning off the engine while Raizo let himself out. Mika already had her gun in hand as they slowly crept up the path to the door. They couldn't see anyone through the windows but Raizo smelled something familiar. Still he had to be sure. He allowed Mika to take point and go through the door first. More so because she had put her Kevlar vest back on than because she had a gun. Mika pushed the door open gently and aimed her weapon at the back of the head of the figure casually walking over to the couch.
"Careful malysh nindzya, you could hurt somebody with that thing.
Mika's eyes lit up as she smiled through her exhaustion and let her arm down holstering the gun. "Jesus!" she exclaimed. "What the hell are you guys doing here?!"
Raizo closed the door behind them and settled himself down on the couch.
"Again brother?" Jacob said rolling his eyes and handing Raizo a glass of what looked like whiskey.
"I think I beat my record." He smiled weekly.
"Honey, bring the blankets!" Jacob called down the hallway which could only mean….
"YOU'RE HERE!" The pitch was almost ear splitting. Mel's eyes latched on to Mika but she was unable to give her the usual over zealous hug because her arms were filled with what looked like a blanket that zipped closed almost like a sleeping bag. Mel spread the blanket open on the couch beside Raizo.
"In, tough guy!" she ordered.
"I'm fine, the heating was on in the car."
"Don't let me get my syringes!" she threatened. Raizo sighed and did as he was told. Mel continued to grumble while she zipped him up into the fleecy cocoon.
"You do this every damn time. I swear it's like a death wish for you."
"Mika is wounded." Raizo tried to deflect Mel's ministrations but to no avail.
"Jacob see to Mika. Do you know heuningby, you can literally freeze your balla off? Well?"
"I don't know if that's…"
"Well it is true my friend. Your little tadpoles crisp up and croak! Then how will you put the gorgeous brown babies in Mika huh?!" Mel swatted Raizo across the back of the head. "Schoepit!"
They then commenced bickering back and forth in a mixture of Russian and Afrikaans like a pair of siblings.
"What the hell is happening?" Mika looked confused.
Jacob led her over to stand in front of an armchair. "I need you to take these off so I can see that leg." Mika did as she was told without question. She was too tired to be bashful.
"Well?" Mika asked while peeling her suit off.
Jacob helped her untie the strap on her leg and peel the blood soaked fabric down her legs. "Raizo has a habit of pushing how far he can last in the cold." Once Mika was stripped down to her underwear Jacob helped her sit down in the armchair which turned out to be a recliner. "Once he came close to losing a couple of toes. Mel wasn't happy then either. She loves men's feet."
Jacob got Mika to turn on to her side and pulled a lamp closer so he could get a better look. "Best to leave them to it. This is going to need a bunch of stitches. You're lucky they didn't knick an artery, the blade went in deep. You were walking on it but that doesn't mean there wasn't nerve damage. Time will tell."
"Zhena, do you think you might take some time out to help me over here?"
"Oh mah love!" It was like a she switched gears. "I'm so sorry, how are you doing?"
Before Mika could reply Mel layed a smattering of kisses on her forehead.
"We're good. Glad it's over."
"Well…" Jacob asked ominously while topping up his glass and laying a first aid kit down on a small coffee table beside him.
"What?" Mika asked starting to get agitated.
"Shhh…calm mah love." Mel was stroking Mika's hair. Jacob had injected her with a local anaesthetic. It stung before it did its job of numbing the area. "We came as soon as we realised the prep house had been compromised." Mel said with a tinge of anger in her voice. "Those fuckers will not get away with it, this I promise you."
"Do we have any idea who it was?" Raizo asked from his cocoon while Jacob got to stitching Mika's thigh.
"Not yet but we will find out. We have some leads. We've already checked in with the people that hired us for this job, so far they come up clean but we'll dig deeper. What we do know is the hit was personal rather than sabotage."
"Why do you say that?" Mika asked gently stilling Mel's hands on her hair.
"Because they would have continued with a second strike at the extraction site." Jacob replied looking sorry. "You guys should get some sleep. Mel and I will keep watch until morning."
Mel went over to Jacob and handed him a fluffy robe to put on once he extracted himself from the fur lined cocoon she'd forced him into. Mika stood up barely feeling the wound on her leg. Jacob had wrapped it well.
"Mika I've glued the wound so you can have a shower. Raizo can reapply a fresh dry bandage when you're done but you be careful while you sleep. Nothing too rigorous do you hear?"
Mika felt heat creep up her neck on its way to a full blown blush. "I don't think either of us are thinking about anything other than sleep." She said back to Jacob.
Both Jacob and Mel chuckled. "You hear her?" Mel said to Jacob. "Honey, you don't even know how much adrenalin you are filled with right now. You'll be lucky if you can sleep at all and all that energy has got to go somewhere…" She smiled at Mika and Raizo before giving them a cheeky wink.
"Now go. There is a bedroom made up two doors down on the left with an en suite. And don't worry the rooms are fully stocked."
Mel limped her way over to Raizo who put his arm about her shoulders and lay a kiss on her temple as they walked down the hall.
"When Mel said the rooms are fully stocked, did she mean like a mini bar?" Mel asked Raizo quietly.
Raizo smiled, "Well yes to that but also she means there are weapons stashed all over each room within easy access in case of siege."
"Siege?!" Mika asked with surprise.
Raizo shook his head smiling. "Don't worry, it's overkill but it's better to have it and not need it rather than vice versa."
They got to the door to their room. Mika pushed the door open to a scene that wouldn't look out of place in a 5 star hotel. As she stood there aghast for a moment, Raizo's hand patted her on the behind. "Go start the shower and I'll do a quick inventory."