Some minor scenes of violence in this chapter.

2009

"Are we sure this is gonna work?" Toll Road asked as they waited for Barney. Lee felt stiff in his tux and tie, but it was necessary for the job. They were infiltrating an arms dealer who was making his deal while also hosting a gala type event in Paris.

"You're wearing the suit," Barney replied, knowing that was what it was really all about.

"I'm not a suit kind of guy," Toll insisted.

"You're telling me. My arms feel like they're gonna rip out of these sleeves," Gunner noted, looking at his biceps.

"I feel like James Bond," Hale Caesar noted, chuckling. "Just need that martini."

"It's no big deal," Yin commented. This was true. He usually wore a casual style of suit most of the time anyway.

"We have to be discreet and blend in," Barney said, finally joining them. He looked very sharp in his tuxedo. They all did really.

"I'd rather do it the regular way," Gunner said for all of them.

"Too bad. If we want to get this guy, we can't go charging in all black ops on him. And please keep in mind there are civilians here. Lots of them."

A chorus of "yups" and "got its" echoed back as Barney surveyed his team. Gunner indeed look like he was going to burst out of his suit. He was a tall, bulky armed Swede after all. Caesar himself was looking tight in the arms too. He had chosen a white suit instead as he had complained about blending in with his own black suit earlier. Barney felt like they were worse than a bunch of women, definitely pickier. He shook his head, a smirk on his lips.

"Guns are in place," Yin Yang told them all after. He'd gone ahead of time and hid them so that if they were checked for weapons, they'd be clean.

"All right. Let's go," Barney gestured. Lee went last. He had a bad feeling about this mission for some reason, and he didn't know why.

...

Emily was practically vibrating. She was finally in Paris! Miranda was off doing her own thing, leaving Emily to wander about and take in everything. The last year had been hard since replacing Andrea had been near impossible. Emily herself was trying to get a different position within the magazine because she was a bit tired of running around for Miranda after this long of doing it. Hell, she had been contemplating leaving the magazine altogether and getting a job elsewhere. She was just getting up the nerve to do so.

"Sorry," a man said after jostling into her. He was a short, Chinese man, and he was in quite the hurry. Emily brushed off her dress, feeling a little annoyed that he'd wrinkled it. Then she noticed one of the well known men in the fashion industry across the room, Louis Theron. He was chatting with some men and women and laughing at something humorous. She really wanted to talk to him. If anyone had connections to help her get a different job, it would be him. It was his building they were in tonight, and she was admiring everything about it.

Then, she blinked in surprise. There was a man standing close by to Louis who she recognized from somewhere. She frowned, thinking. Where had she seen that man before? He turned away and moved on, so she eventually dismissed it and went to find the ladies' room.

...

"Great idea, Yang," Lee said sarcastically. "Hide the guns in the women's washroom. How is that smart?"

"No one would think to look there," Yin said back through the intercom.

"No. It just makes it super awkward for us," Lee retorted.

"Go fast," Yin suggested. He had been standing guard outside the bathroom, but he had been summoned by Barney to join him down in the crowd a few minutes earlier. Caesar was now keeping watch. Lee rolled his eyes and handed the others their weapons of choice.

"See you out there. Hurry up," Toll said as he, Gunner, and Caesar left, now armed. Lee put the bag back into the ceiling and was getting ready to exit the stall when the bathroom door opened and a pair of heels clacked in. He froze.

"Damn it," he breathed to himself.

...

Emily checked her make up in the mirror. She noticed one of the stall doors was shut, so she refrained from talking to herself, which she sometimes did when she was alone. After a few moments, she decided she looked acceptable enough. She turned to leave when the bathroom door was flung open, and man came in pointing a gun at her.

"You're one of them, aren't you?" he demanded. "I've been watching you."

"W-What?" she spluttered. "One of who? What are you talking about?"

"Don't lie! You're a spy!" he shrieked. "The moment you came, you've been shady!"

"No! No, I'm not!" Emily cried. She opened her mouth to scream as he moved to shoot her when the stall door was whipped back, and a knife came flying out and crashed into the man's throat. Shocked and horrified, Emily stared as the man fell to the floor, dead. Instinct told her to scream for help, but another man was now in front of her, pressing his hand into her lips.

"Don't," he ordered. "You'll only bring more trouble this way."

Emily's eyes widened in recognition and surprise. He himself was also surprised.

"Promise not to say anything?" he asked. She nodded, and he removed his hand.

"What are you doing here?" she demanded as he bent to retrieve his knife from the dead man. "Who are you? Why did you kill him?"

"I could ask you the same questions, except I know why he's dead," Christmas reasoned.

Emily had thought about Christmas a few times too many since she had met him in the hospital three years ago. The shock of seeing him was a bit overwhelming, not to mention seeing him kill a man.

"You first," she commanded, crossing her arms tightly.

"All right. I'm Lee Christmas. I'm a mercenary. I'm here on a job. This man here is part of the group we're hired to take out."

Lee bent to pick up the man and drag him to the nearest stall.

"Why? What did he do?" she asked, watching. She was perplexed as to what he was doing. "And what are you doing with him?"

"He's working for an arms dealer, and I'm tucking him away to give me more time before someone finds him," Lee answered, panting from the effort of setting the man on the toilet. He locked the stall door from the inside and crawled out from under it, rejoining Emily.

"And that dealer is here? Tonight?" Emily asked, shocked. This whole thing was bizarre.

"Yea," Lee nodded as he grabbed paper towel to mop up the blood on the floor.

"Lee, where are you?" Barney's voice came into his ears.

"I gotta go," Lee told her after finishing with the blood and throwing the paper towel out.

"Wait," Emily said, grabbing his arm. "What do I do?"

"Go back and enjoy the party..." Lee answered, pausing and realizing he still didn't get her name.

"Emily," she told him. "You really kill people for a living?"

"Only those who had it coming," Lee answered.

"Because they do crimes," Emily realized.

"Yea."

"Today, Christmas," Barney's voice came again.

"I really gotta go now," Lee said, tugging free from her grip. He left, and Emily stood there feeling shocked still until she realized she didn't want to be found in the bathroom with a dead body hiding in a stall. She hurried back out to join the crowd.

...

"What the hell, Lee? What took you so long?" Toll hissed when he finally joined them.

"Sorry," Lee said. "Had to take out a foghorn." It was their code for someone who was about to blow their operation. They were huddled in a different stairway. Louis Theron had almost been informed of their presence, but thanks to Lee and Gunner, the men who were suspicious were no longer speaking.

"We gotta move fast before our cover is blown," Barney said. He explained the plan to them. Theron was making his deal there, and they had to find him doing it before it was too late.

"Go team," Caesar said as they split up afterwards. He and Lee went to their side of the building. Lee could see Emily in the crowd now, and he could tell she was looking for him.

"There he goes," Toll's voice said. They watched Louis Theron head to the stairwell with some of his men.

"Get ready to move in," Barney's voice came back. Lee and Caesar walked casually after the men. Then, Lee saw Emily hurrying after Louis.

"Oh, shit," he said.

"What? What's going on?" Barney asked.

"We got a civilian going after Theron."

"Stop them."

"On it," Lee said, surging forward. What the hell was Emily doing?!

...

Emily just had to talk to Louis Theron before the night was over. She admired him so much after all. She was hoping that maybe he could help her get a different job in a different magazine somewhere far away from Miranda Priestly. She found Louis in a room off the hall. He was with a few other men, and they were all staring at her.

"Oh, hi," she said. "So sorry. I just...I was hoping to speak with Mr. Theron for a moment. I'm rather a big fan of his."

"Another time," Louis said. He shot one of the men a look, and Emily felt her skin prickle. What was going on here?

"Oh...okay. Sure," she nodded. Was that a gun she saw in one of the men's pants?! She felt sweat on her back suddenly. No, this couldn't be...

"There you are, luv!" a voice called. Emily turned to see Lee in front of her. He put his arm around her and pulled her in close. "Thought I'd lost you. Come on, we're gonna miss drinks with the lads."

He moved to pull her out of the room, but it was too late.

"Gun!" a voice shouted. Emily shrieked as guns were pulled out and aimed at them. Lee fired his off first, shielding Emily as best as he could while pushing her out in front of him. In the hallway, he grabbed her hand and ran.

"I've been made!" Lee called into his comm to the others. More gunshots went off, followed by shouts of the men. Screaming could be heard downstairs now.

"What do we do now?!" Emily shouted.

"Lee, get out now," Barney ordered in Lee's ear.

"I've got a witness," Lee replied.

"Bring them too."

"Wait, what are you doing?" Emily asked as Lee hauled her after him to the window. He yanked it open. It was their second option of an escape route.

"Hope you're not afraid of heights," he said, grabbing the harness that was waiting outside.

"What?!"

He hooked it onto her while she complained.

"This is a very expensive dress..." she started.

"Is it worth your life?" he asked, stopping to look at her.

"Well...no," she started.

"I didn't think so. Come on," he said, helping her up onto the sill and climbing up after her.

"I actually am afraid of heights," she said, trembling inside. Looking down had almost made her throw up.

"Do you trust me?" he asked her as he stood behind her. It would have to do. He couldn't risk her falling if he was wearing the harness.

"Not really," she answered. "I don't know you." Although, she did feel a little bit safer with his arms around her.

"You haven't got much of a choice I'm afraid," he said. He pushed off, making her cry out as they started rappelling down. Lee moved quickly and carefully. Emily had her eyes squeezed shut. Bullets whizzed past them, making her scream again. Lee shot back and killed the man above who had been shooting at them. He fell past them in a blur to the ground below. Emily heard the ominous thud after.

"Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God," Emily was repeating to herself. The really couldn't be happening.

Lee got them to the ground, and he released her from the cable.

"Come on," he urged, taking her hand again and once more beginning to run.

"Where are we going?"

"Somewhere safe."

Emily didn't argue. She wanted to be as far away from the shooting as possible. Her next worry, though, was: what was going to happen to her now?