Chapter Twenty-five
Leila bolted awake, her mind suddenly aware of a hundred and one things she had to do today. She instinctively reached for Quatre, but he was gone already. She glanced over at the clock. Only 7:46. She hadn't overslept. Good. She bounced out of bed, ready to start the day. She quickly redid her hair, gulped down her vitamin and brushed her teeth. She tossed on a casual shirt and a pair of pants, found her shoes by the door and headed down for breakfast.
She found Quatre and Heero at the table, half eaten plates of food in front of both of them. They were going over some sort of schematic on Heero's laptop. Leila shook her head and collected a plate. Probably more refinements on that new mining suit, she thought as she sat down. She split her muffin and buttered it, ravenous. She ate it so quickly that Quatre looked up at her, slightly surprised. She shrugged, giving him a grin and started on her eggs.
Ilona came in, smiling brightly at them. "G-good m-morning," she said shyly. Leila smiled back at her and pointed to the plates and the buffet. Heero and Quatre looked up as well.
"Good morning, Ilona," Quatre said, trying to put the child at ease. "Did you sleep well?"
Ilona nodded as she joined them with her plate. "Yes, very w-well. Th-thank you." Heero nodded back, a grin actually pulling at one side of his mouth. Ilona blushed.
"Morning all," Iria said as she shuffled in, yawning widely. She had never been a morning person and just didn't understand why Zahra had rousted her out of bed so darn early. Zahra grinned as she followed her younger sister in. She, as always, looked wide awake and ready to take on the world.
Zahra loaded up a plate while Iria nursed a cup of black coffee. She needed to wake up more before she could actually eat. "You'd better perk up," Zahra said, a teasing note in her voice. "If Rasid sees you like this, he might get cold feet." Iria stuck her tongue out at Zahra, who only laughed. Quatre shook his head at the antics of his older sisters, a smile on his face.
"Well, I'd better be off to see what I can start organizing," Leila said, pushing back from the table with a determined look on her face. The others looked at her with astonishment. Ilona shoveled in the last few bites on her plate and gulped some milk to wash it down.
"C-can I c-come?" she asked, brown eyes wide and hopeful. Leila smiled and nodded. The sisters left on their way to kitchen to see how Cook was doing.
Iria shuddered. "Too energetic for this early," she muttered, shaking her head. She took another swig of the coffee and something sparked in her brain, as she actually remembered what today was.
"Oh, crud!" she shouted, startling everyone at the table. "I've got to catch her!" And she bolted out of the room after her sister-in-law.
Zahra blinked. She'd never seen Iria move that fast in her entire life. "Wow, what lit a fire under her??" Quatre didn't even dare to comment. He turned his attention back to the security grid that he, Heero and Rasid had worked up, convinced that he would never understand women.
Ahmed watched the house from a pair of high powered binoculars. Everything was progressing perfectly. His men were inside the house. The guests would start arriving about two o' clock and he wanted to be well gone before that happened. He could see the delivery trucks pulling up to the back gate, and the guard there checking their deliveries. Out behind the huge house, striped tents were going up and a crew was setting up some entertainment booths obviously intended for children. The phone in his pocket shrilled, causing him to gasp and clutch at his chest in a effort to calm his now racing heart.
"What?" he barked, holding the phone to his ear. He listened for several seconds then nodded. "Good, good, make sure it's ready by then." He stuck the phone back in his pocket and lifted his binoculars to focus on the house again. There was the van, going through the gate now. Perfect…
Iria caught up with Leila and Ilona as they came out of the kitchen. "You haven't told him yet, have you?" she asked quickly, pulling Leila off to the side.
Leila shook her head. "There hasn't been time yet. He woke up before I did." Ilona looked at the two adults, confused. "I need to arrange a meeting with him somehow." She thought for several seconds, tapping her finger against her bottom lip. Then she snapped her fingers. "I know. Tell him that I need to speak to him, upstairs, in our room. It's urgent. That should get him away from whatever it is that they're so wrapped up in."
Iria nodded, grinning. "Why don't you come with me, Ilona? After we deliver our message, we can go out back and see what's going on with the booths outside." The child's reply was lost as they turned a corner and were out of sight.
Leila took a deep breath and squared her shoulders. Here we go, she thought, laying a hand on her stomach as she headed for the stairs.
A burly, dark complexioned man went unnoticed by the staff as he pushed a large laundry cart down the hallway to the laundry room. There were so many people coming and going, and all intent on their own errands that they didn't even question him. He nodded to a small, thin man that he passed in the hall, their eyes meeting only for a second before sliding apart.
They both slipped out into the house, taking different routes to the same destination. The slim man reached the room first. He glanced around and darted into the room. The sitting room was lit, but the bedroom was dark. He hid in the shadows beneath the huge bed and waited for his partner or his target, whichever came first.
Leila walked down the hallway, oblivious to the large man that had ducked into an empty room as she came up the stairs. She opened the door to their suite and stepped in. It would take a few minutes for Iria to tell Quatre and for him to get here. She sat down in one of the chairs in the sitting room and pulled her feet up under her. She was lost in thought, trying to think of the best way to break her news when the door handle moved, then clicked. She looked up at the sound, thinking it was Quatre and she smiled brightly.
The smile faded quickly when a strange man entered. She stood quickly, a tight knot of fear building in the pit of her stomach. "What are you doing in here?" she asked, taking a step back toward the bedroom. He lunged at her and she scrambled for the bedroom, thinking that she could get away through there. She was so frightened that she could barely think, her breath coming out in harsh little pants. She tore though the doorway and slammed into a solid body. Hoping wildly, she looked up, but saw only another stranger leering down at her. She twisted in his iron grasp, kicking and trying to bite, but he managed to elude all of her blows. He drew a hand back to hit her, but the larger man caught it effortlessly.
"No marks, remember," he said, his voice deep and rumbling.
The other man snorted. "Little bitch tried t' kick me in th' balls." He glanced at his partner. "Hurry up, then" He nodded and reached into his pocket, pulling out what looked to be an aerosol can. He raised it and, before she could react, sprayed her in the face with a fine, cloyingly sweet mist. She gagged, blinking against the overpowering smell.
"Wha- what did you d—" her mouth worked soundlessly for several seconds as her eyes rolled up in her head. The slim one held her up when she went limp.
"Easy as shootin' fish in a barrel," he said with a grin. "Ya got th' cart?"
"Yeah, at the end of the hall." He peered out the door, making sure no one was around. "Let's go."
Iria and Ilona finally found Quatre in the study with Heero and Rasid. They came in, curious to see what the men were up to. Rasid looked up at Iria with a slight smile, which she returned.
"I've been looking all over for you, Quatre," Iria began as they walked over to the desk. "Leila's upstairs and she needs to talk to you. It's really important."
Quatre looked up at his sister, noting her wide grin and bright eyes. Something was up. She'd been giving him this look for several days now. What had she and Leila cooked up, he wondered. "Okay, I'll run up in a few minutes."
Iria frowned. That was unacceptable. He had to go now! "She's already been waiting for about ten minutes, Quatre. It took me that long to find where the lot of you had run off to. Don't you think you could hurry up?"
Quatre sighed; he knew that tone. Iria would badger him mercilessly until he did as she wanted. And besides, it wasn't like she was asking anything difficult anyway. "All right, all right, I'm going." He straightened up and strode out the door without looking back. Iria grinned as he left. She couldn't wait until he found out.
Rasid eyed Iria curiously. He was sure that she was up to something, she'd been much too excited for a mere party. "What's going on, Iria?" he asked, not really expecting an answer.
She kept grinning. "You'll find out soon," she promised, eyes still on the door. Ilona looked up at her, completely confused by the adults around her.
A beep from the desk drew their attention and Heero pressed a button on the computer, bringing up a vidlink to the guard at the north gate. "Mr. Yuy, sir," he managed to get out.
Rasid leaned over Heero's shoulder, frowning at the young man on the screen. "Either one will do. What's wrong, Scott?" he barked out.
"Yes, sir, I mean, sir, you said you wanted us to report anything unusual, and, I mean, they were acting kinda suspicious," the flustered guard stammered out.
"WHO?" Rasid bellowed, causing Heero to clamp his hand over his now surely deafened ear.
Scott gulped. "The laundry truck," he said quickly. "They acted fine when they left but they were kinda nervous and twitchy acting when they left."
"Laundry truck?" Iria asked, joining the conversation. "There wasn't a laundry truck due today. They collect on Friday and deliver back on Monday. And they picked up everything yesterday." She frowned, this just wasn't right.
Just then Quatre came back in, looked slightly peeved. "What are you trying to pull, Iria, Leila wasn't upstairs. She—" He broke off at the look of sheer horror that swept over Rasid's face, echoed disconcertingly on Heero. Iria's hands flew to her mouth, to muffle her strangled gasp.
Heero grabbed up the receiver on the desk, and began barking orders. "All security teams, red alert, repeat, red alert. Begin an immediate sweep of the house and grounds. Search for Mrs. Winner. Repeat, search for Mrs. Winner. Stop and search any and all vehicles on the grounds."
Rasid caught Iria as her knees buckled and he sat her in the chair behind the desk. "Pull it together, Iria," he said softly. "We're going to need your help." She nodded and began to take deep breaths.
Quatre was frozen where he stood. He felt as though his heart had stopped. All their careful planning and security efforts and someone had gotten in. He had failed to protect her. It was all his fault. He'd failed to protect the ones he loved most again…
"Quatre!" Heero's voice snapped him out of his thoughts and he found his friend was right in front of him. "She was last seen heading upstairs. Let's go and check for anything that might have been left behind."
"Yeah, okay. All right," he said numbly, following Heero out of the room.
Unnoticed, Ilona had crouched down next to the desk, trying to stay out of everyone's away. She didn't quite understand what had happened, but she knew that something was wrong and her sister was in danger. She sniffled the tears back as best she could, trying to be as quiet as possible. Rasid heard the pitiful little sounds and peered over the edge of the desk. He hadn't even realized that the child had been in the room. He came around the corner of the desk, pulling a clean handkerchief out of his pocket and crouching down next to the quietly sobbing child. "There, there, little one, don't cry. Master Quatre and Heero will find Mistress Leila. You'll see." He offered her the handkerchief and gathered the child into his arms. She was so light that he could barely tell he was holding her.
"Ilona!" Iria jumped out of her chair and hurried to Rasid's side. She too had forgotten the child in the rush of the moment. "Don't cry, sweetheart, please don't cry. We have to be brave now. Leila wouldn't want to you be crying like this. Dry your eyes." She smiled when Ilona hiccuped and scrubbed at her face with the handkerchief. "There, that's better. That's a brave girl." She accepted the child from Rasid and carried her to sit on the small couch across from the desk.
Another thought occurred to her and she moaned, drawing Rasid's worried attention. "I'll be right back, dear. I have to talk to Rasid for a moment." She dragged Rasid into the far corner of the room, where Ilona couldn't overhear their conversation. "Oh, god, Rasid, I promised not to tell anyone, but I don't know what to do now." He gave her an odd look, not understanding her at all. "I took Leila to the doctor earlier in the week. She's pregnant." Rasid's eyes almost bulged out of his head. "She asked me not to tell anyone, because she wanted to tell Quatre herself. That's what they were supposed to meet and talk about earlier." Iria wrung her hand in distress. "I don't know if I should tell him or not. It might only make matters worse, but he deserves to know the truth. What should I do?" she asked, staring up at the man she loved.
Rasid was on the horns of a nasty dilemma. On one hand, he agreed with Iria that Quatre deserved to know the truth, but at the same time, he was upset enough over his wife's abduction. Add to that the news that she was carrying his child, and who could say what he would do??
"I don't know, Iria," he sighed. "I just don't know."
Upstairs, Heero and Quatre were going over every inch of the master suite. Heero paused when he entered the bedroom, causing Quatre to run into him. Heero held up a hand, sniffing at the air. Quatre inhaled deeply, noticing a sickly-sweet smell lingering in the air.
"I know that smell," Heero said darkly. "It's a sleep agent. A concentrated blast to the face and the target is out in less than a minute." The icy fist in Quatre's stomach clenched tighter and he gritted his teeth. "What's in those two rooms?" he asked, pointing to the doors on either side of the room.
"The left is my dressing room, Leila's is on the right," Quatre said.
"You check hers," Heero said. "You'll have more of an idea if something is our of place than I would." Quatre nodded and entered the room. It was neat, everything seemed to be in place. He opened the closet doors and rummaged though its contents. He even moved the suitcases lined up on the floor. Something rattled in the smallest one. Curious, he pulled it out and opened it. Inside was a plastic bag containing a handful of pamphlets and papers. He read the fronts of them, eyes growing wider and wider, then he shook the bag and an empty bottle fell out. Prenatal vitamins.
Suddenly, it all clicked. Iria's veiled comments, Leila's strange behavior, it all became clear to him. For the second time in his life, he saw red. Heero heard something slam and ran back out into the bedroom to see Quatre, face red and furious, storming out the door.
"This doesn't look good," Heero muttered, giving chase.
Rasid and Iria both jumped out of their skin when the door of the study flew open, crashing into the wall so hard that the knob dented the wood behind it. Quatre was standing there, murderous fury all over his face. Ilona whimpered and scrunched down into the corner of the sofa.
He advanced on Iria, holding out the papers he had found. "How long, Iria??" he asked menacingly. "How long have you known??"
"I-I took her on Monday," Iria admitted, actually taking a step back from him.
Suddenly all the anger drained out of Quatre, leaving him slightly off balance. "Why, Iria?" he asked suddenly, sounding very lost. "Why didn't she tell me?"
"Quatre," Iria sighed, moving to hug her little brother. "She was going to tell you today. That's why she wanted to meet you earlier. She wanted to surprise you."
"And this makes the situation all the more urgent," Heero said from the doorway. "I've already asked Zahra to bring the Preventers in on this. Quietly." Quatre pulled away from his sister and cleared his throat, regaining his composure.
"Did anyone think to trace the van's route?" Quatre asked, looking at Rasid.
He nodded. "The van left the gates and turned west. I've got members of the Maganac Corps out looking now. They're reporting in at ten minute intervals. Nothing so far, thought."
"Iria, I need you to call everyone and tell them that the party's been cancelled. Tell them it's a minor emergency. Say that we're all sick or something. You can come up with a good excuse I'm sure." He turned to Rasid and Heero. "Let's use this room as our base of operations. Everything's wired into here anyway." They both nodded. Quatre noticed Ilona curled up on the couch, looking scared and miserable. He moved to sit next to the little girl. "I'm sorry if I scared you, Ilona. I'm just worried that's all." The child nodded, swallowing hard. "I need you to do me a favor." She nodded again. "Can you go and find your father, and bring him here? Make sure he knows that it's very important." Ilona slid off of the couch, hesitating for a second before throwing her arms around Quatre's waist and giving him a tight hug. Then she turned and ran out the door.
Several hours later, the room was packed. Zahra stood nearby in her Preventers uniform, overseeing some men who were installing a bulky piece of equipment. "What's that?" Heero asked, frowning slightly.
Zahra glanced over at him, then turned to watch the technicians again. "It's what we use to trace incoming phone calls. It's faster than the method the police use, but the cost of the unit is prohibitive, so we're the only ones who use it."
"Hn," was Heero's reply as he turned his attention back to Quatre. His little fit of rage earlier had unnerved him slightly. The only time Quatre had ever come close to that level of anger was while under the influence of the Zero system. He'd be keeping an eye on his friend. Things were bad enough as it was. Seri had come barging in here earlier, demanding to know all sorts of thing and making a general nuicsense of herself. She and Iria had almost come to blows before Mustafa ordered his wife out of the room.
Add to all that the fact that they hadn't heard anything from the abductors yet, and Heero was slightly nervous about the situation. He caught himself drumming his fingers on the desk and stopped with a frown. The phone rang suddenly and every person in the room jerked. Quatre and Iria both grabbed for the phone automatically, then Iria drew back to let him answer.
He took a deep breath and lifted the receiver. "Quatre Winner speaking."
"Mr. Winner," the voice was being electronically scrambled and Muraad and Heero exchanged a wry look before opening their laptops. "I'm sure you'd like to know where your wife is, wouldn't you?"
"Yes," Quatre said softly, almost whispering.
"Come to the phone booth at the corner of Fourth and State in one hour. You'll be contacted again. Tell the Preventers to back off or the next conversation won't be as friendly."
"Wait!" Quatre cried, gripping the phone tightly. "Let me speak to her, I need to know if she's all right."
An eerie chuckle came from the speaker. "Maybe, maybe. But she's fine for the moment. Remember, one hour." The line went dead. Quatre swore violently, causing everyone to stare at him as he slammed the receiver down so hard that it cracked.
"It'll take forty-five minutes to get there, traffic willing," Rasid said, glancing at his wrist watch. "You can't go in unarmed, Master."
"He won't," Zahra said, placing a hand on her brother's shoulder. "I've got some goodies to parcel out. Heero, grab that bag in the corner and let's go. We'll distribute on the way."
Heero looked over at Muraad, who was working on clearing up the voice recording. He gave them a thumbs up. "When I get this done, I'll run a comparison on all of the voices on the company database. We might luck up." They nodded, heading for the door.
"Please, take care!" Iria called after them as they left.
In the car, Rasid took the wheel as Zahra dug through the bag. "Here," she said, bringing out small beads that looked a bit like hearing aides. "Put them in your ear. The transmitters will go inside the collar of your shirt. Once it's in, you can't see it." Everyone complied and she tested the system. "Good. Now, Quatre. These are for you." She handed him at tube of what looked like breath spray. "Aim for the eyes. It'll blind anyone it hits. Just make sure you don't get yourself by accident." She pulled out a silver ink pen, then hit the button on the end. A six inch spike shot out. "I don't think I need to tell you what that is for." He took the pen, blade retracted and put it in the pocket of his shirt. She shook her head. "I just wish there was some way I could hide body armor on you." She gave him a slightly wavery smile. "Be careful kiddo."
He nodded in reply, mind already focusing on the task at hand. An icy hot ball of pure rage was lodged in his chest and he didn't try to dispel it. He would need it soon. When he found whomever had dared to take the woman he loved, he would make them pay. And if she was harmed in any way, then they'd better pray to God for mercy, for they would find none from him.
Heero glanced over at Quatre, concerned. The expression on the blonde's face was eerily familiar. He remembered that half-angry, half-desperate look; it was a look that he had hoped he would never see again. He could only hope that Leila was unharmed for he had the feeling that if anything happened to her, Quatre would snap. And then there would be Hell to pay.
Chapter Twenty-six
Her face hardened at the thought of any harm coming to her unborn child. She might not have considered fighting her captors for her own sake, but if she felt threatened in any way, she would fight to keep anything from happening to her innocent baby. She looked around the room again, hoping to find something, anything, that she could use as a weapon. It didn't look promising. There was a phone on the table next to the bed, but other than that, there were no appliances or anything else in the room. There were two doors on either side of the room. She assumed that one was a closet and the other most likely a bathroom. Only one way to find out.
"Excuse me?" She gave the guard an appropriately pitiful look. "I – I really need a restroom, please." He blinked then pointed to the door on the left.
"Don't lock the door," was his only comment and she nodded, hurrying to the door indicated. She slipped inside, closing the door. With a sigh, she leaned against the door for a second before straightening to look around. She quickly went through the contents of the room, but found nothing. There was a small supply of hygiene items under the sink, but no cleaning supplies. A stack of towels and washcloths bearing a hotel logo were on the shelf behind the shower stall, but nothing else. There wasn't even a toilet brush. The small window above the toilet was heavily frosted to keep anyone from peering in and didn't seem to open.
Leila was about to give up when she got a sudden idea. Working quickly, she grabbed one of the spotless white washcloths and stuffed it into the toilet bowl, making sure that it stopped up the drain. Then she pulled off the cover of the tank as quietly as she could, pulling the chain off of the stopper and nudging it to the side so that the water would keep flowing. She swiftly replaced the lid, and was about to flush when she saw the small bottle of shampoo in the shower. She grabbed it and squirted the slick substance all over the floor. That done, she reached over and flushed the toilet. A grin stretched her lips when the bowl began to fill. Nonchalantly, she washed her hands and clicked off the light before slipping back out into the bedroom.
She glanced over at the guard, who was reading a paperback novel, and sat down in a chair across the room. It only took about half an hour for water to begin to ooze from beneath the bathroom door. Leila felt as though she would snap from nervous tension as she waited for the guard to notice the water. She kept her eyes on her hands, folded together in her lap, not wanting to draw his attention to her nerves. The carpet before the door began to grow darker with water, the circle creeping ever wider. After about forty-five minutes, the guard stirred, setting his book aside and peering at the bathroom door.
"That's funny," he muttered, rising to his feet. He walked over to the door, eyes widening in alarm as his shoes squelched on the wet carpet. He pushed open the door and a small wave of water cascaded into the room. He rushed into the bathroom and slipped on the sudsy floor. His head impacted on the side of the tub with a sickening crack.
Leila was already at the door when she heard the sound. She hesitated, then remembered herself and wrestled with the locks on the door. Flinging the door open, she stumbled out into what appeared to be a hotel corridor. Numbered doors lined the hallway and she looked around in an attempt to get her bearings. A ping from the end of the hallway drew her eyes that way, and she saw what could only be elevator door opening. A swarthy young man with a scraggly goatee, dressed in an expensive suit stepped off, then froze when he saw her.
Ahmed was startled when he came off of the elevator and saw the girl staring at him, her green eyes wide with fear. What in the hell was she doing out of the room?? his mind screamed as he grabbed for her. She tried to avoid him, but he was faster, catching her arms. He smirked, opened his mouth to speak, but his words turned to a strangled moan when she kicked him dead square in the crotch.
Leila's first impulse had been to ask the man for help when his eyes filled with recognition and he grabbed her, his fingers digging into her arms painfully. Instinct took over and she lashed out at him, just as she had done hundreds of times with her self defense instructor. When her assailent released her to clutch at the offended area, falling to his knees, she stepped back and let fly a spinning roundhouse kick. She connected with the side of his head, sending him into the wall. She blinked, surprised that it had actually worked. He toppled to the floor and she ran for the closed elevator doors, frantically punching at the button. Ahmed groaned, not sure what hurt more, his face, his manhood, or his pride. He could only watch though watering, narrowed eyes as the doors slid open and she escaped.
Once inside the elevator, Leila tried to calm herself, breathing deeply and slowly. She glanced down at her casual slacks and blouse, smoothing a hand down the front of her shirt. She still had her shoes on, and hoped that she wouldn't be noticed when the elevator reached the lobby. She was terribly afraid that there would be more of the kidnapper's men waiting for her. The car bumped to a halt and the doors opened. She flinched when the lights from the lobby hit her face, and the young couple waiting for her to exit gave her an odd look. She smiled slightly and stepped off, looking around as she walked away slowly, trying to to draw attention. The lobby was large and airy, practically reeking of money. This was no fleabag motel, only people with well lined pockets stayed here, she noted idly. The doors loomed ahead of her, and she blinked back tears of fear as she continued walking. Then, she was outside, the afternoon sunlight shining down on her. Gulping back a relieved sob, she headed for the taxis lined up on the curb.
Quatre reached the phonebooth with ten minutes to spare. It was in a seedy neighborhood, a rundown and slowly decaying area. He was surprised that the phonebooth was even operative. Stepping inside, he closing the booth door, and waited. When the designated time came, he swallowed hard, his palms sweating. The phone didn't ring.
Oh, no, no… he thought, fearing the worst. His hands clenched into tight fists, nails cutting into his damp palms. He took deep breaths, attempting to slow his racing heart and calm his nerves.
"Quatre," Zahra's voice sounded in his ear, making him jump.
"I hear you," he said softly, his stomach sinking. There was something in her voice, and he braced himself for the unthinkable.
"Oh, god, Quatre," she said, "you're not going to believe this."
He opened the booth door and stumbled out, bile rising into his throat. He felt as though his world was about to crumble. His sister's next words were nothing like what he had expected.
"She's home, Quatre!! Leila's back at the mansion!!!"
He felt lightheaded for a second and thought that perhaps he would actually pass out. "What??"
Rasid's voice, excited, cut in. "Master! She's waiting for you now! We're coming around the corner to pick you up!!" Quatre closed his eyes, relief flooding his soul, unable to believe his good luck.
When the taxi had pulled up to the guardshack at the front gate, Leila had burst into tears. She was a bit disgusted at her weakness, but she couldn't stop herself. And when she had stepped out of the car and Iria and ran down the steps to meet her, the tears flowed harder. Then, to her everlasting surprise, her father had swept her up in a tight hug. She could actually feel him shaking with relief.
When he had released her, she looked around for Quatre. "He's coming," Iria reassured her. Ilona had her by the hand, staring up at her, concern in her brown eyes. Iria took her other hand and they led her into the family room. Surrounded by her family and friends, she began to relax. But the little knot of tension in her stomach refused to dissapate and she knew it would be there until she saw Quatre again.