****
Original Sin
- Part Twenty
Disclaimer: See Part 1
Rating: PG
--
Donovan and the team were waiting at the hotel entrance. He'd contacted the Detroit police to assist with the soft capture of Kennedi. He was still having a hard time believing that she'd actually done it. All along Alex had been suspicious of her, but Frank had pushed it off blindly. He should have known better. He mentally beat himself up for not seeing it when it was right in front of him. What crystallized it all for him was waking up in a tub of ice cold water and an empty hotel room. When Frank answered the pounding on his room door, Jake and Alex both were there, Alex with a huge red knot on her forehead. He still couldn't believe that Kennedi had been the thief all along. But when Jake spied the empty gelatin capsule on the table near the cork for the wine bottle, Frank felt his face flush with anger. No wonder he had such a headache - the little bitch had drugged him last night...
Then came the confusing news. She wasn't registered on any flights coming into or out of Detroit for the last week. If she wasn't on a flight, how did she get here to steal the jewels and how did she get back to Colorado? The only things that came to mind were false names and possibly a private jet. Her parents were wealthier than H. Ross Perot...
"She is most likely unarmed. But that does not mean she is not dangerous. Kennedi Johnson is skilled and she's elusive. I want her pinned in, cornered and uninjured."
Then there was the matter of this hotel room. The credit card information had this as on reserve since three days before the heist - under the name Kennedi J. Donovan. He shook his head slowly at the dawning of the truth. That's why Cody hadn't been able to track her on the flight manifests. Keni did't use a private plane - she used her married name. The realization made the already bitter taste in his mouth ten times moreso. If he could have gotten his hands around her neck right now, he'd have killed her with his bare hands.
But, Frank choked the bile back and gave the go-ahead. With that, they all made their way through the lobby and into the elevators. Frank, Alex, and Jake held back just in case she made a 3 story leap out of the hotel window in her effort to escape. He knew that Keni would fight to the death to avoid capture. She'd told Alex that she'd done what she had because she thought it was best. But why did she think stealing and lying to him was for the best? There were so many questions he wanted answers to... and that brought him to last night. Was that real, or was it a game she'd orchestrated. Suddenly he had a bitter taste in his mouth at the thought of their shared passion last night. He realized that she'd used him all along last night. Right down to the offer of the wine.
Kennedi, meanwhile, was packing her backpack and dressing. Her sixth sense was going off like gangbusters and she felt something was wrong. She had just gotten off the phone with the front desk and settling up her bill. While on the phone, she'd heard Donovan's voice say her name. Damn it, why couldn't he just leave her alone? Stuffing the last piece of clothing into the pack, she slung one strap over her shoulder and opened the hotel room door. If she was lucky enough she could get down the service elevators and slip past them all while they were on the way up to her room.
Greeting her from about 10 feet away was 20 uniformed Detroit Metro police officers. Quickly she slammed the door and put every lock in its place. She wedged a chair under the handle to jam them up a bit. She was effectively trapped. The only way out, was of course, the window. She ran over, sliding the other sack strap over her shoulder and snugging them down tight so that if she did have to jump, she wouldn't lose it. The jewels were in there and she needed that desperately.
Desperate had come into her vocabulary only recently and it wasn't a word she liked one bit. But she was between a rock and a hard place. When the pounding on her door started, she whipped a look around. This indeed called for desperate action. If the only way out was the window, then by god she'd go out the window. Frank's life depended on it.
"Kennedi Johnson!! This is the Detroit Police! Open the door and surrender yourself quietly!!"
She picked up the chair and swung it at the window. The double paned glass cracked. Again she swung it, the crack spreading further.
Down below, Alex heard something thumping and looked up. "Frank... look." She pointed up at the window that was on the third floor. "You were right, she's gonna go out the window."
Frank didn't want to be right. He'd half hoped she'd surrender peacefully. But that wasn't her style at all. Looking back with what he knew now... he knew that she'd run and fight to the death. He just hoped and prayed that this jump wouldn't kill her and she'd get the chance to run. She was magnificent when she ran...
Drawing a deep breath, Kennedi swung the chair again, the legs splintering as she made a small break in the glass. Over and over she pounded on the glass until a hole the size of a basketball opened up. It wasn't enough, so she grabbed the other chair up.
At that time, the police started beating on the door with a battering ram. The chair was shaking and the door itself was cracking. Again they hit the door, the thick wood buckling. "Kennedi Johnson! This is your last warning!!" a voice shouted.
She was out of time and the small hole would have to do. Kennedi backed up to a few feet in front of the door and looked at the window. 'Don't think, just do it. Fast and quick, shoulders first, the awning down below will break the fall... say a prayer.' She looked back at the door, then took off, arms and legs pumping hard even as they finally broke the door down. One of the officers fired a warning shot over her head, the shot shattering the already broken glass.
She hit the glass hard, shoulder first. Glass rained down onto the sidewalk below in deadly shards. The officers pushed past the door and filled the room as she hit the glass. Frank, Alex, and Jake took cover to avoid the falling daggers of glass. Kennedi hit the awning, the frame under it giving and bending before springing back and throwing her off like a bucking bronco horse. She was half prepared for that and tucked into a roll. Landing with a thud and rolling to her hands and feet, she flicked a long silky lock of hair out of her eyes as Frank and his team started towards her.
She winked at Frank and then took off running.
"Kennedi! Don't make me chase you down... I have a strict rule about chasing people! The longer I chase you, the worse it goes on you!" She ignored him and rounded the corner.
"Shit" was all he could say as he launched into a dead run and kept himself about 30 feet behind her.
****
Original Sin
- Part Twenty
Disclaimer: See Part 1
Rating: PG
--
Donovan and the team were waiting at the hotel entrance. He'd contacted the Detroit police to assist with the soft capture of Kennedi. He was still having a hard time believing that she'd actually done it. All along Alex had been suspicious of her, but Frank had pushed it off blindly. He should have known better. He mentally beat himself up for not seeing it when it was right in front of him. What crystallized it all for him was waking up in a tub of ice cold water and an empty hotel room. When Frank answered the pounding on his room door, Jake and Alex both were there, Alex with a huge red knot on her forehead. He still couldn't believe that Kennedi had been the thief all along. But when Jake spied the empty gelatin capsule on the table near the cork for the wine bottle, Frank felt his face flush with anger. No wonder he had such a headache - the little bitch had drugged him last night...
Then came the confusing news. She wasn't registered on any flights coming into or out of Detroit for the last week. If she wasn't on a flight, how did she get here to steal the jewels and how did she get back to Colorado? The only things that came to mind were false names and possibly a private jet. Her parents were wealthier than H. Ross Perot...
"She is most likely unarmed. But that does not mean she is not dangerous. Kennedi Johnson is skilled and she's elusive. I want her pinned in, cornered and uninjured."
Then there was the matter of this hotel room. The credit card information had this as on reserve since three days before the heist - under the name Kennedi J. Donovan. He shook his head slowly at the dawning of the truth. That's why Cody hadn't been able to track her on the flight manifests. Keni did't use a private plane - she used her married name. The realization made the already bitter taste in his mouth ten times moreso. If he could have gotten his hands around her neck right now, he'd have killed her with his bare hands.
But, Frank choked the bile back and gave the go-ahead. With that, they all made their way through the lobby and into the elevators. Frank, Alex, and Jake held back just in case she made a 3 story leap out of the hotel window in her effort to escape. He knew that Keni would fight to the death to avoid capture. She'd told Alex that she'd done what she had because she thought it was best. But why did she think stealing and lying to him was for the best? There were so many questions he wanted answers to... and that brought him to last night. Was that real, or was it a game she'd orchestrated. Suddenly he had a bitter taste in his mouth at the thought of their shared passion last night. He realized that she'd used him all along last night. Right down to the offer of the wine.
Kennedi, meanwhile, was packing her backpack and dressing. Her sixth sense was going off like gangbusters and she felt something was wrong. She had just gotten off the phone with the front desk and settling up her bill. While on the phone, she'd heard Donovan's voice say her name. Damn it, why couldn't he just leave her alone? Stuffing the last piece of clothing into the pack, she slung one strap over her shoulder and opened the hotel room door. If she was lucky enough she could get down the service elevators and slip past them all while they were on the way up to her room.
Greeting her from about 10 feet away was 20 uniformed Detroit Metro police officers. Quickly she slammed the door and put every lock in its place. She wedged a chair under the handle to jam them up a bit. She was effectively trapped. The only way out, was of course, the window. She ran over, sliding the other sack strap over her shoulder and snugging them down tight so that if she did have to jump, she wouldn't lose it. The jewels were in there and she needed that desperately.
Desperate had come into her vocabulary only recently and it wasn't a word she liked one bit. But she was between a rock and a hard place. When the pounding on her door started, she whipped a look around. This indeed called for desperate action. If the only way out was the window, then by god she'd go out the window. Frank's life depended on it.
"Kennedi Johnson!! This is the Detroit Police! Open the door and surrender yourself quietly!!"
She picked up the chair and swung it at the window. The double paned glass cracked. Again she swung it, the crack spreading further.
Down below, Alex heard something thumping and looked up. "Frank... look." She pointed up at the window that was on the third floor. "You were right, she's gonna go out the window."
Frank didn't want to be right. He'd half hoped she'd surrender peacefully. But that wasn't her style at all. Looking back with what he knew now... he knew that she'd run and fight to the death. He just hoped and prayed that this jump wouldn't kill her and she'd get the chance to run. She was magnificent when she ran...
Drawing a deep breath, Kennedi swung the chair again, the legs splintering as she made a small break in the glass. Over and over she pounded on the glass until a hole the size of a basketball opened up. It wasn't enough, so she grabbed the other chair up.
At that time, the police started beating on the door with a battering ram. The chair was shaking and the door itself was cracking. Again they hit the door, the thick wood buckling. "Kennedi Johnson! This is your last warning!!" a voice shouted.
She was out of time and the small hole would have to do. Kennedi backed up to a few feet in front of the door and looked at the window. 'Don't think, just do it. Fast and quick, shoulders first, the awning down below will break the fall... say a prayer.' She looked back at the door, then took off, arms and legs pumping hard even as they finally broke the door down. One of the officers fired a warning shot over her head, the shot shattering the already broken glass.
She hit the glass hard, shoulder first. Glass rained down onto the sidewalk below in deadly shards. The officers pushed past the door and filled the room as she hit the glass. Frank, Alex, and Jake took cover to avoid the falling daggers of glass. Kennedi hit the awning, the frame under it giving and bending before springing back and throwing her off like a bucking bronco horse. She was half prepared for that and tucked into a roll. Landing with a thud and rolling to her hands and feet, she flicked a long silky lock of hair out of her eyes as Frank and his team started towards her.
She winked at Frank and then took off running.
"Kennedi! Don't make me chase you down... I have a strict rule about chasing people! The longer I chase you, the worse it goes on you!" She ignored him and rounded the corner.
"Shit" was all he could say as he launched into a dead run and kept himself about 30 feet behind her.
****