Title: Nothing's as it Seems... Chapter 5 - Truth be Told
"MOVE!" Jade screamed at the car in front of her. She would be at Steve's in another few minutes if this traffic ever moved! I hope I am not too late she kept saying over and over again in her head. How could I have let this happen? Of course Mark would have found out soon or later. Of course he'd be worried about his only son who just ended a relationship with a woman who wanted to kill him and was starting a new one with her half-sister. "MOVE!" She screamed again. The traffic cleared and the Sloan residence came into view.
Carmen heard the screeching tires of the car and the sirens come to a halt outside. She smiled. It would be time very soon for Jade to pay for all the hell she put her through. She smiled back down at Steve. He just looked back at her in disgust.
"Perfect timing as always Jade. Even early for your own funeral!" She mused.
"You'll never get away with this Carmen." Came Steve's weary voice. The feeling of his being helpless towards Jade was making him panic. But he had to remain under control. He had to.
"Steve!" Jade called out as she burst through the front door. "Are you here?" She called in frantic panic.
Before Steve could cry out to warn her Carmen quickly stuffed the cloth rag into his mouth to silence him. He tried to call out but only muffled protests were heard. Carmen grabbed the piece of wood she used to hit Steve with and took her place behind the door to wait.
"Damn!" Jade cursed out loud as she carefully and slowly searched the upstairs. I wonder where Mark is? What if he is dead already? A feeling of sick dread began to overtake her. I have to calm down. I have to focus she kept telling herself over and over again. Nothing up here, better check downstairs. She carefully made her way to Steve's suite with her gun drawn. She reached the bottom of the stairs and stopped. "What is that sound?" She asked aloud at the sound of metal clinking in the bedroom.
"Steve?" She softly called again. More metal clinking. "What is that?" She asked angrily. As she rounded the corner into his bedroom her eyes opened wide with horror at the answer to her questions.
"Steve!" She cried out loud.
Steve shook his head no. Don't come in the room, he tried to get her not to come in. She didn't listen.
"Hold on I'll have you free in a second." She made her move towards the bed. As she did his eyes went wide and she turned around only to be met in the face with Carmen's piece of wood. Jade felt the wood connect with the top left side of her face, above her eye. She staggered to the ground as her vision went fuzzy and all went black. She fell and her gun went flying. Steve tried to struggle to get free again, but it was no use. He managed to work the gag out of his mouth.
"Carmen you hurt her and I swear you'll pay for it!" He yelled at her.
"Hope springs eternal Steve. Now if you don't mind," she said picking up Jade's gun and bending down over her sister's semi-conscious body, "I have to kill my sister!" She said in a dry voice. She aimed the gun and cocked the trigger...
Mark reached the house to see Jade's car door opened, the red and blue lights illuminating the dark trees and the front door to his house wide open.
"Jade? Steve?" He called as he ran into the house. "Hello!" He called.
"NO!" Cursed Carmen. "Why can't I seem to complete my small task of killing you." She breathed into Jade's ear. "And you," she said walking over to Steve, "next time I won't take my time to kill you." She aimed the gun back at Jade and was about to fire, when she heard Mark running down the stairs.
"Dad! She has a gun!" He yelled. They heard Mark stop.
"You won this round Sloan. Next time won't be so lucky. I promise you!" She yelled and ran towards his bathroom. She used the same exit route that she used to get into the house earlier.
"She's gone out the back dad. Call the police. We're okay." He called. He heard his dad running back upstairs.
Mark reached the patio door and ran out into the darkness of the beach to see a woman's figure running down the beach. He ran a ways after her but lost her in some trees. He opened his cell phone and walked back to the house. He had to call the police and the hospital. Better put Shane and Jesse on alert also he thought.
"Jade! Jade! Can you hear me?" Called a frustrated Steve. "Please wake up. Are you okay? Jade!" He continued to yell.
"Yes, but if you keep yelling, I'll be stone deaf." Came her dry sarcastic remark as she slowly picked herself up to a sitting position. She gingerly touched the spot on her face that connected with the 2x4. "OW!" She cursed out loud. That was going to leave a nice ugly bruise. She slowly picked herself up and walked over to Steve.
"Are you okay?" She asked as she sat down and noticed the bruises on his face and chest. "What did she do to you?" Jade asked in a sad voice as she brushed his face with her hand.
"She only hurt parts that will heal. Now if you don't mind." He gestured to his handcuffs.
"Yes?" Jade laughed as she walked over to his dresser and retrieved the key. She came back smiling.
"Before I let you go I need to do something before I chicken out." She said shyly.
"And what might th...." Was all he got out before she silenced him by kissing his mouth very tenderly. Steve didn't need the use of his arms to kiss her back, although he did wish he were able to hold her.
Mark reached the bottom of the stairs and was about to call out when he heard what he thought was, could it be? No. Sure does sound like it. Better not interrupt this time. He smiled and went upstairs to make some coffee. It was going to be a long night. Steve was safe once again. And Jade saved him once again. He smiled again and went turned on the water.
Jade slowly stopped kissing Steve and looked at his face and smiled. "What?" He asked softly.
"This is the second time I saved your life." She smiled.
"Yeah I know. Thanks again." He laughed.
"I think you were incapacitated the first time also. Something I should know." She laughed eyeing him flirtatiously.
"Very funny. Now if you don't mind." He motioned again to his wrists. She undid the cuffs and helped him sit up.
He looked at the cut on her face. "Are you sure you don't feel dizzy. You might have a concussion you know." He said seriously as he took the piece of cloth and gently dabbed the wound.
"Yeah well you don't look in perfect shape either." She said softly. "And besides I do know of a good doctor close by that I can get an opinion from." She smiled. She got up slowly and helped him to his feet. They both stood in the room without saying a word.
"I should go and check on your dad." She said turning to leave. He grabbed her arm and pulled her back to him.
"Thank you for not running away." He said as he rubbed her arms in his embrace. "I don't want to lose you over a small misunderstanding. Not now."
"Really?" She questioned. "Are you serious, or is that your 'you just saved my life gratitude' talking?"
"Never been more serious in my life. When you ran out of here tonight, the only thing I could think of was how to get you back and the fastest way at that. And when Carmen said earlier that she was waiting to kill you here tonight, I was over come with such a sick feeling I'm surprised I was able to remain as calm as I pretended. Don't run away Jade. You're not alone, not any more. I'm here and I'm ready to listen. Please believe me. I don't want to lose you."
Jade stood in stunned silence at his words. Should I believe him? I want to. I really, really want to. Then I will try. Very, very hard. I don't want to lose him either. "You won't." With that she hugged him as hard as she could.
Steve, despite the pain in his chest from the bruises that Carmen beat into him, hugged her back. "I'm sorry that I didn't give you a chance earlier. It wasn't fair to you. I offered you my trust and confidence and at the first test of it, I betrayed it. Can you please forgive me? Even just a bit?" He pleaded to her.
"Yes of course, and I'm sorry about the 'bed' remark earlier. That was cheap and uncalled for. One of the best things I like about you is the respect you have for me in that regards." She said looking up, " so I'll make you a deal," she said slowly breaking apart, "I will tell you the whole truth. If after that you haven't either run away screaming or thrown me out then I'll believe there really is hope for us and work towards that end. Is that fair?"
"Sounds pretty fair to me. As long as we try to make it work together." He said as they slowly walked out of the room to go upstairs. "Oh by the way there is someone else that feels badly about earlier also."
"Yeah, I'll talk to Mark when we get upstairs. I owe him a sorry also." She smiled.
They slowly ascended the stairs to the smell of coffee. Mark saw them coming and put down his cup.
"What in the world happened to the two of you?" He asked in horror at seeing them up close.
"Not as bad as it looks dad. Believe me it could have been worse." He said as he walked up to his dad and gave him a big hug. "And no we don't want to go to the hospital." Steve demanded despite Mark's protests. Mark gave up.
"And you young lady," Mark said breaking away from his son's embrace and walking up to Jade, "you I owe an apology to. I'm sorry. Can you forgive a father's bad sense of timing?" Mark asked sheepishly.
"Actually thanks to your bad timing, we are both still alive." Mark smiled, " so I will forgive you if you return the favor and forgive my short fuse." Jade said smiling. "Deal!" Beamed Mark as he gave Jade a big hug also.
"I ordered take out, since I didn't think anyone would feel like cooking. Before it gets here, though, I want to take a look at those cuts and bruises on you two. Fortunately I don't have to go to the hospital to get my bag, just the other room." Mark said laughing as he walked away.
"The hospital! Oh no, we have to warn Shane!" Jade cried out as she headed for the phone.
"I already called them." Mark said before she picked up the phone.
"You did?"
"Yes I did. I talked to Jesse first and then to Shane. I put them on alert, and they're going to have a police guard posted at Shane's door just to be safe. And will be sending one over here later." He said.
"Oh I can't thank you enough Dr. Sloan." Jade breathed.
"Please Jade, call me Mark. And you're welcome. Now come here and let me see that nasty cut." He said walking away to get his bag.
********
"Where do you think you're going?" Asked Amanda as she came into Shane's room and spied him trying to get out of bed, with great difficulty.
"I'm going to see if my partner needs help." He said taking a deep breath as he sat on the edge of the bed.
"She's fine. Both her and Steve are fine. Mark called in." She said making sure he didn't get any further by blocking his way.
"Really? Are you sure?" He asked in surprise.
"Yup. Except for a few cuts and bruises both are okay. There is a police guard going there now and one is already stationed outside here just in case." She smiled. "So you just need to rest." She said helping him lie back down again.
"Wow that Mark is really something else." He smiled back. "And," he paused "so is the service around here." He said patting her hand that was on the bed rail.
"Well if all the patients were as special as you, then service wouldn't be a problem." She said as she blushed slightly. Is he flirting with me?
"So," he said breaking the awkward silence that was building, "do you want some left over BBQ?" He laughed as he gestured to the empty boxes of BBQ Bob's food on the table.
"Ah no. I know the cooks remember." She laughed.
"Yeah true enough. But it wasn't bad. I haven't had a real home cooked meal in months it seems." He said looking away sadly.
"Well I think that can be arranged. But only when you are better." She smiled at him. Am I flirting with him?
"Any chance of me getting out of here tomorrow then?" He laughed.
"We'll see. It's only been a few days. But I'll talk to Jesse and see what he says. You wouldn't want to damage the wound any further would you?" She asked in an authoritative way.
"No Ma'am, but if I do, can I get a personal nurse for home care?" He laughed.
"Sure," she paused, "I think big bertha is available." She laughed back.
"Oh gee thanks." He said sarcastically.
He was about to make another comment when Jesse came back into the room. Darn, Shane cursed under his breath. Only he and Amanda heard it. The remark caused her to look at him and both smiled.
"Well I should go. But I'll check back on you later. Okay?" She smiled as she got up. She gave his hand a squeeze and walked out of the room saying, "bye Jesse."
"Bye Amanda." He said walking up to Shane who had put away his look of disappointment that Amanda left the room. "Hey Jesse." He said in a normal voice.
"Hey Shane. How are ya feeling?" He smiled.
"Pretty good. How soon am I getting out of here anyways?" He asked in a low voice.
"Well it's only been a couple of days, you really should try to stay longer." Jesse trying to ignore Shane's pleading looks.
"Yeah I know but in case you noticed my partner could use some help right now." He moaned.
"Well actually at this moment, she doesn't really need that kind of help." Jesse laughed.
"Yeah poor Steve. He's the one who really needs the help." With that both laughed. Jesse said goodnight and went back to do his rounds. Shane just watched him leave. He liked them all. So different from the crowd in New York. Maybe Jade was right. Maybe it was the California sun that made people nicer to one another. Or maybe it was just this small group. Or maybe, he thought, it's the drugs working overtime. His thoughts drifted back to Amanda. Yes I do like her. He smiled as he remembered their conversation and eventually the drugs took over and he was fast asleep.
********
"Want any more?" Asked Steve as he finished his plate of take out Chinese food.
"Man, if I eat any more, I'll be a permanent establishment here." Jade laughed. She put down her plate and sighed heavily.
"That's not entirely a bad thing." Steve smiled at her. "So any desert?" He said quietly.
"Hmm okay." She looked at him and said quietly so Mark wouldn't hear, "did you see where I left the cuffs." She winked causing him to blush. "But I am to full for food desert, thanks anyways." She said so Mark could hear. Mark just smiled. He was glad that she was here. She fit in so well with them. There was nothing awkward about her presence, as if her being here was the most natural thing in the world. Like their world would incomplete without her in it.
Well I guess I should get this over with, thought Jade. The sooner they know the whole truth the sooner I'll have some mental peace. And the sooner Shane will get off my back. She smiled. Shane had always been a good friend to her, sometimes her best and only. And he was right, again. It was time to trust someone outside their circle. So here goes another nothing.
"So." Jade said putting down her cup and looking up from her spot at the table. Both Mark and Steve knew that it was time for her to tell them the whole story, without prejudice and confrontation. Now was the time for truth.
"So." Said Steve as he smiled at her.
"Well here goes another nothing." She smiled back and then heaved a big sigh.
"I just need to know Mark how did you figure out that Carmen was related to me?" She asked suspiciously.
"Well, I uh," stuttered Mark, "I ran a DNA test on Carmen."
"But," Jade interrupted, "you already knew from her file it was her."
"Yes, but I thought it would give me something to do," he smiled sheepishly then continued, "then Jesse did the DNA work on you and somehow our two files collided and the next thing I knew I was looking at two identical DNA charts but with different names on them. That's when I panicked. Sorry." He sighed.
"Don't be. I would have been just as paranoid if it were my only son. He's lucky you care so much." She said patting his hand. And she meant it. Her family was so different. "But at least that's an answer I can live with."
She took a deep breath before she continued and both men could tell that this was probably going to be the toughest thing she ever did. "My real name is Jade Dallas Washington." Then she stopped. Already she could tell by the looks on their faces that this was going to hit them like a ton of bricks. Steve was the first to break the silence.
"Any relation to NSA Director Nickel Washington?" He asked stunned.
"Yes. He's my father. I was born to Nickel and Chloe Washington. My family life was far from normal, but that is another story." She laughed as she remembered her strained childhood. "Things have never been normal for me as a child. With my father always having such a prominent position in the Unites States Government, his family is always a target. The NSA classifies my files which is why, if you have tried if you have tried to access them, you can't, that way no one can figure out who I really am and try to use that against my father."
"But wouldn't them being classified by the NSA send up some red flags?" Asked Mark.
"Well in the FBI, when any agent does a job with the NSA their files are classified so as to keep the confidentiality. Other agents this way know the agent is working on something special. In our case we came up with a phoney case profile. So far it's working. As least we hope so." She paused.
"Anyways when I entered public school my name was changed to my mother's maiden name 'Marshall'. This would attract less attention. And it worked. All went fine through school, high school and finally the police academy and west point." She paused.
"You went to West Point?" Asked a stunned Steve.
"Yup. I have a black belt in practically every form of martial arts and hand to hand combat." Jade said proudly.
"Wow." Said both Mark and Steve.
Jade just laughed. "I'm really Bruce Lee in disguise." Both men smiled. "So of course with my father getting more and more seniority every year I was able to bi-pass the regular channels and have my choice of police offices and choice of rank. I haven't picked the NSA just yet due to the fact that I would be working directly for my father. But that is always an option I keep open. So I chose the FBI. And I wanted the special cases division. It's high profile without being 'too' high profile. So all was going fine until my father and I had a meeting about six years ago. That is where he told me that due to one act of indiscretion on his part, I have somewhere in the world a half-sister named Carmen Parks. Her last is her real mother's maiden name. Well of course I was shocked and didn't speak to my father for a long time." She stopped to remember it was sad for her, and a big mistake.
"Then one year later I finally met Carmen. It was at a FBI social function. It was very strange for me at first and hard to accept what my father had done. But I put that aside and figured I should at least give her a chance. We hit it off immediately. Although even back then something in my mind had struck me strange about her. I wasn't sure what it was so I buried it. But I know one thing for sure, whenever we got together she always made a play for the friends I was associating with or the man I was dating. Since Carmen has more charm than I have they always went for her. And that is I guess what always bugged me. Not that I'm bitter or anything." She laughed.
"Not all people fall for her false charm." Said Mark. Jade smiled. Yes that was true. And Steve had met Carmen first and now liked her. Oh how the tables were turning.
"Then the bodies started to appear. In the space of two years we had discovered about 10 men all butchered in different ways. Each man was not connected to the other except for two things. The calling card that Carmen always leaves and a slip of paper found somewhere near the bodies with the numbers '217' on them. We at first didn't know it was Carmen. Then I met Dean Richardson. He was different than I was; he was a University Criminology Professor. He was my link to the outside world, my hold on reality. He was my world. And he was the only man I met at the time, who after they met Carmen didn't fall for her. In fact Dean saw right through her. He tried to tell me, but I didn't listen at first. As we continued to date for the next two years, a few more bodies started to appear. Shane, who was my partner when I joined the team, was just as frustrated as I was at the dead end clues we kept gathering. We were always one step behind. Even from our most trusted informants. Then we started to discover inconsistencies in the case reports and file logs. That was odd since only FBI officials are allowed to enter the information."
"A mole? Helping Carmen?" Mark interjected.
"That's what we think. And we think it might go all the way to the director's office." Jade said slowly.
"Does your dad know?" Asked Steve.
"He is aware of the situation. But because he is NSA he is officially not allowed to interfere with an external FBI investigation. And we cannot turn our suspicions inward, due to lack of actual evidence. So Shane and I continue to struggle with the fact that Carmen could be getting help from the top levels of the FBI. So I asked my father to change the NSA protection Shane's files and mine, so only he can access them outside of the two of us. This will at least keep the mole away from our personal details. So back to reality. The one thing I had that Carmen wanted was Dean. She had made a play for him on numerous occasions. He never once even gave her a second glance, which of course infuriated her. Then one day I had a special meeting with the director's of the FBI and NSA. I was halfway through my presentation when I received a special delivery from Federal Express. Well it was," she paused with tears in her eyes.
"It was Dean, wasn't it?" Asked Mark softly.
"Yes." She said as a few stray tears escaped her eyes.
"You don't have to continue, if you find it too hard." Said Steve softly taking her hand and holding it.
"No, I want to tell you everything. I need to." She smiled at him. But she did not pull her hand away. She wanted him to hold it. Hold it and never let go. To reassure her that he was there and always would be, to help her through this nightmare. Which unfortunately he was now a part of.
"Yes it was Dean. Well of course that sent me on the warpath. Shane thought it would push me over the edge. And I must admit that if it were not for Shane Philips, I would have ended up in the loony bin long ago. Which I think is what Carmen wanted. We were able to connect her with the other killings by the calling card she included with Dean's body. It was analysed and found to be an exact match to the others. She was our killer. Well of course that angered my father. He thought he had given her what she wanted to keep her happy and a part of him. All it did was feed her selfishness."
"And what about the '217', did you find that also?" Asked Mark remembering the detail from earlier.
"No, but we figured that because she knew me and Dean it wasn't needed. But I forgot to mention that we didn't find it all murder sites. Only at a few. After that because she had given herself away the bodies became fewer and fewer. We didn't know whom to trust on the inside. Then we found a reliable source, or at least he has proven so far. That is how we were able to get to Steve in time." She smiled as she looked up at him.
"Thank god for that." Said Mark.
"And so this is where we are at today. Chasing a serial killer who happens to be my half-sister." Jade stopped. It was out, finally. She closed her eyes and smiled. It was so good to finally share all her pain with someone she could trust.
"I'm sorry that I had to meet you under these conditions." She said looking at Steve.
"I'm not." He smiled back.
"So where do you go from now?" Asked Mark.
"Well she just can't up and leave LA. If she does then we'll know for sure she has someone on the inside and then we can trace the path. But she won't leave just yet. She has unfinished business. She's had a taste of small victory. Both of us in the palm of her hands. And she won't let that go. She'll want to finish it. That's the way she works. But that also works to our advantage. But we also need to try to trace her path inside. And that's tricky." She sighed as she pulled her hand away from Steve's and gently massaged her sore head. "But I guess that can wait until tomorrow." She yawned.
"Well I guess we should all turn in." Said Mark as he got up and cleared the table. "Why don't you two retire to the living room and I'll finish up in here." Said Mark.
"I want to thank you again for saving our lives." Jade said hugging Mark.
"Oh you're welcome Jade." He hugged her back. Steve grabbed Jade by the waist and guided her into the living room. He walked over to the couch and sat down and pulled her on to him. She settled into his lap laying her head between his chest and right forearm.
"Now this I could really get used to." She sighed.
"Yeah, me to." He said.
They sat for a while in silence just enjoying each other's company. I'm so happy I told them, and I'm still here, Jade thought. It was right. And it worked. She was now able to share her demons with people who actually wanted to help, and whom she could trust. And being here with him was so natural. It was so right. There was no other way to explain it. It was so right. She smiled again. I really could get used to this. She let her eyes close for but a moment, but before long she was breathing softly on his chest.
Steve could feel Jade falling asleep but didn't have the heart right now to wake her. Although he himself felt exhausted and worn out he was too happy and contented to move. She belonged right here with him. So he could hold her in his arms like this forever. As soon as he felt himself start to drift off he knew it was time to call it a night. She afterall still had to drive back to her hotel.
"Jade?" He whispered softly in her ear.
"Yes?" She softly answered.
"As much as I want you to spend the night in my arms, this is not exactly the picture I had in mind." He said blushing slightly.
"Are you kicking me out Detective Sloan?" She said coyly.
"M-me? No." He stuttered, "I just don't want you to fall asleep at the wheel. And I would offer you to stay the night here, but I'm pretty sure that right now you'd say no." He smiled warmly at her.
Jade just stared at him. Can he read my mind or something? She smiled inwardly. How does he do it?
"Actually I'm falling asleep right now, so I'd better go before I really do fall asleep at the wheel and end up in the hospital with real injuries." She laughed as she pulled away from the warmth of his body. "But we have to do this again real soon." She said.
"Okay how about tomorrow night? Say dinner and a movie over here? My treat." He smiled.
"Okay, but as long as you do the cooking." She teased.
"It would be my pleasure." He said getting to his feet. They walked silently to the door. Mark had already gone to be earlier.
"So what is on the agenda for tomorrow?" He asked as he helped her with her coat.
"Well now that I have an extra set of eyes helping out, I thought I'd let you take a stab at some of the paperwork we have been going over to see if you can spot a link. I also want to see Shane and give him the low down on what happened tonight." She paused. She turned back to hug him.
"Yeah, I'm really glad you got my message and decided to come back when you did." He said as he hugged her back.
"Message? What message? I never got a message from you? You mean at the hotel?" She questioned as she pulled away to look him in the eyes.
"Yeah. I left a message with the front desk as soon as you left here."
"You did? As soon as I left?" She asked stunned.
"Yeah. I meant it when I said that I wanted it to work. I still do. Very badly." He said kissing the top of her head. "How did you know to come back then?" He questioned.
"Carmen left me a personal calling card. I'll show you tomorrow." She said grimly.
"Let me guess. My Merit Picture?" He asked dryly.
"I would guess that is what the picture came from. How did you know?" She asked back.
"It was missing. I guess I'll have to look around and see what else she took. Oh and she also took her bag that she brought to the cabin with her." He said.
"Yeah me to. Well on that note, I had better go, because I'm sure housekeeping has already called the cops on me because of the picture thinking I was the nut." She said laughing.
He pulled her close for a kiss that seemed to last for eternity but as soon as the broke apart seemed to vanish instantly, leaving only the sweet residue of love on both their lips. They were in love; there was no denying it now.
"Goodnight Steve. Sweet dreams." She called as she walked to the door.
"Oh trust me, I have a few in mind already." He laughed as he followed her down.
Jade gave Steve one more quick kiss and then decided if she didn't leave now she never would. It wasn't the right time, yet. That time would come, soon enough.
Steve waited until Jade was in her car and her tail-lights were two faint red dots on the horizon before he went back into the house, down to his suite and got ready for bed. He walked back into his bedroom and looked at the bed that only a few hours earlier might have been his final resting spot.
"I can't sleep here tonight. I'll stay up stairs." He said. It was just to weird, he thought. He grabbed his quilt and pillow and headed up stairs. He closed his eyes and thoughts of Jade started to fill his head as he fell asleep.
Jade's thoughts as she drove back to her hotel were of both Steve and Carmen. Tonight was another close call. To close for her liking. Carmen should have been arrested by now. They needed to find the mole inside the FBI who was helping her. With her source gone, her mistakes would bring her out into the open. But how did they flush out the mole without jeopardising themselves? Or their reliable inside source? How indeed? She pondered these questions more as she drove. She smiled as she remembered Steve. She was falling for him, hard! There was no denying that fact. And it was obvious to her that he was falling for her as well. She told all that had happened and still he wanted to help out. She remembered their light dinner conversation with Mark. It was funny, upbeat and interesting. Just what the doctor ordered after what they had been through. Jade made sure a police guard was put at the Sloan house for the night and until Carmen was behind bars or dead. How was this going to end? All of it? How?
She pondered that thought as she put the car in park and got out. As she was walking to the elevator doors she heard a shuffle behind her. Her senses kicked in telling her that she was not alone. But how many? She started to walk more quickly towards the elevator doors. She heard a bang behind her, turned to see it was nothing. When she turned back she was caught with a fist to her lower lip, splitting it. She countered the man with a swift kick to the stomach. He doubled back. Another was soon on her with a blow to the back. She staggered forwards into the arms of the other man. He smiled, but soon yelled as she punched him in the gut. With her back still to the other man, who was now lunging at her, she swung her foot and kicked him in the head. He spun around and fell face first on the cement ground. She turned to face the other man who had now pulled a knife. He wielded it in front of her back and forth. He lunged at her; she side stepped and took a small cut to the upper left forearm. She grabbed his arm and forced it behind his back causing the knife to drop. She drew her fist back and hit him square in the throat. He cried out as he fell to the ground in pain. She finished him off with a kick to the stomach. He too was down for the count. But the other man had gathered some strength and lunged at her. They fell backwards onto the cement. The man rolled over Jade and kicked her in the ribs. Jade cried out and was about to kick at his legs when he grabbed his friend and ran off into the parking lot. She heard a car screeching away. They were gone.
Jade sat back holding her side and leaning against a car breathing hard. She felt her lip, cut and bleeding. "Damn!" She cursed. She slowly got up, still holding her side. I think the hotel has a medic on hand. Better call in this attack, get cleaned up and get to bed.
Jade walked slowly to the elevator doors unaware of the two sets of eyes watching her. The doors closed and she was taken away from their view.
********
"Well I see. She is as good as you say. Next time we'll send four attackers. What do you think of that Carmen?" Asked the man.
"I'll tell you what I think of this plan, the same as the other one, stupid. The only way to bring down Jade Marshall is to kill her." She paused, "and I know just the way to do it." She whispered in his ear and a slow wicked smiled started to cross his face.
