Author's Note: Eddie was the man who worked at the car wash in
'Replacement Killers'. He's also the one who gave John Meg's name and was
killed by Kogan, Terence Wei's henchman/assistant. Big guy, suspenders,
kicked the soda machine? Ringing any bells? He gets a mention in this
chapter and I didn't want anyone going, "Huh? Who the hell is Eddie?" ;)
As always, enjoy!
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Chapter Twelve
John turned to look out the peephole as soon as the door closed behind him. No one passed by, but John knew the man from the elevator had been following him. His panting could be heard a corridor away. John had sensed the man was unusually interested in him as soon as they entered the elevator.
Who was he? What did he want? John sighed and turned his attention back to the room. He, Meg, and Mia were leaving Los Angeles. Tonight.
Mia was asleep on the couch, the television tuned to a repeat of the evening news. John gently shook her shoulder. She rolled over and blinked sleepily at him. Her eyes widened and she sat up quickly, throwing her arms around his neck.
"You are well?" she asked, pulling back to look at him.
"Yes. And you?" Mia nodded. "Where is Meg?"
"Asleep," Mia replied, pointing towards the bedroom.
"I will wake her. Pack your belongings, we are leaving as soon as you are both ready." Mia nodded and left him standing by the couch.
John entered the bedroom quietly, closing the door softly behind him. The bathroom door was ajar, enough light spilling out to illuminate the room. John knelt by the bed, watching Meg sleep.
She'd obviously had a restless night. Most of the bed clothes had been kicked off, the one remaining sheet tangled around her bare legs. Lying on her stomach, one arm was under the pillow, the other bent at her side, fingers curled under her chin.
John lifted his hand, hesitating a moment before brushing a lock of hair from her forehead. There was a rustle of sheets and he felt sharp metal against his neck.
"Don't move." He suddenly realized that while he could see her well enough, he was backlit from the bathroom, leaving his face in shadow. He remained still until Meg managed to switch the bedside lamp on. Both blinked from the sudden brightness. "Jesus, John," Meg said, stifling a yawn with her hand, which was holding a knife. "Don't you know better than to sneak up on a girl like that?" John stood and backed away.
"I'm sorry." Meg shook her head and sat up, swinging her legs off the edge of the bed and rubbing vigorously at her eyes with her palms.
"No, don't be," she said, combing her fingers through her hair. "I'm just really, really tired. And when I'm tired, I get cranky. Here." She patted the bed beside her. "Sit down." When he had done so, she looked him over critically. "Are you okay?"
"Yes."
"You're sure? I'm not going to have to pat you down or anything?"
"I was not injured, Meg." She nodded, apparently satisfied. "What is that?" John asked, indicating the knife.
"It's a Marine K-Bar, got it at a military surplus store. I thought it might come in handy." She slid it back under the pillow. "So what happened with Koy?"
"He is dead." John didn't elaborate. Meg sighed and looked to the ceiling.
"Why do I bother?" She then noticed the wooden box he was holding. "What's in the box?"
"A gift," he said, holding it out. "For you." Meg looked up to his face and back down to the box. She slowly took the box from his hands and set it on her knees.
"I can't remember the last time I got a gift," Meg said softly, running her fingers over the glossy surface. She unhooked the latch and lifted the lid. Nestled inside the padded interior was a brand new shiny Vektor CP1. Meg picked it up, hefting its weight and aiming at a vase of flowers across the room. She returned the gun to the box and closed the lid, then turned to John and smiled. "Thank you."
"You are welcome." He wanted to say more, do more, but there wasn't time. Instead, he rose from the bed and turned on the overhead light. "I was followed to the room. He must have been waiting in the lobby for me to arrive. He now knows the room number. We must leave as soon as you are packed."
"Why the hell didn't you say so?" Meg grabbed her suitcase and threw it on the bed, sliding the K-Bar into an outside pocket. "So what did he look like? Did you recognize him?"
"I have not seen him before. He is very round. Reminds me of Eddie." Meg stopped tossing clothes in her bag and looked at him.
"Does he look like he hasn't shaved in a week and needs his suit cleaned?" John frowned and nodded.
"Yes. You know him?" Meg finished packing and reached for a pair of jeans.
"Oh, yeah," she replied, slipping the jeans on. "His name is Steadham, head of security at LAX. Or so he says. He's the one Chien rescued us from at the airport." Meg began pulling her t-shirt off and John quickly turned to look at the door. "Shit, how did he find us?"
"I don't know, but now that I am here he will make contact with Koy's people." Meg finished changing shirts and pulled her leather jacket on. She then took her new gun from the box, checked the ammo clip, and slipped it into the waistband of her jeans. The box was added to her luggage and the bag zipped shut.
"Then let's split before anyone else shows up." They entered the main room where Mia was sitting on the couch. John checked the peephole, then opened the door, waiting for Meg and Mia to pass before closing it behind them. Meg started to walk towards the elevator, but John stopped her.
"Steadham will still be in the lobby, we should take the stairs."
"But we're not going to the lobby, we're going to the parking garage. I bought a car today." The trip down the parking level was uneventful and no one else got on the elevator.
"If you were followed to the hotel, they will know what the car looks like," John commented.
"Good point. Keep your eyes peeled." When the doors opened, John went first, looking from side to side. He motioned them out and looked questioningly at Meg. She pointed off to the right towards the wall and the trio made their way towards the Explorer. Meg pushed the alarm button on her remote as they approached the car. The SUV beeped and blinked invitingly at them. Meg walked around to the drivers' side door while John opened the passengers' side. Mia opened the back and stowed their luggage, then slammed it shut. As she circled the car, Steadham came around the corner of the van next to them and placed a gun to the side of her head.
"Hands up." Meg and John made eye contact through the interior of the car, then raised their hands. Steadham wrapped his other hand around Mia's shoulder and walked them backwards away from the vehicle. "Okay, step this way." Meg and John complied. "If you're carrying, I want them down on the ground. Now." They hesitated. Steadham cocked the hammer on his gun. "I'm pretty sure I said 'now'." John's Beretta was dropped to the ground, Meg's Vektor joining it. While keeping the gun to Mia's head, Steadham reached into his pocket and pulled out two pairs of handcuffs. He tossed them to Meg. "Cuff his hands behind his back, you can do yours in front." When that was done, Steadham smiled and lowered his weapon. "All right now, much better."
Mia, who was still wearing the heels she had gotten in Beijing, lifted her knee up unobtrusively. She jumped suddenly and shifted her weight in mid air, landing on Steadham's foot with her heel and twisting. Before he could respond, except to howl in pain, she turned and thrust her knee into his groin. He bent forward and she locked her hands around his gun arm, placing her fingers in certain positions along his forearm. She tightened her grip and his hand went slack, his gun clattering to the ground. With a push, he fell on his back while she picked his gun up and pointed it at him.
"Where are the keys?" she asked, her voice wavering slightly and her hands shaking. Steadham rolled around on the ground, trying to give equal attention to his dead arm, aching privates, and stinging foot.
"You bitch! What did you do to my arm?"
"It is only temporary, the feeling will return in a few hours. The keys!" Starting to pull himself together, he stared up at her and grinned.
"You won't shoot me, you're not the type."
"Maybe not," Meg said, "but I am." During the commotion, she had retrieved her gun from the ground and now had it aimed at Steadham. "For future reference, the hands are ALWAYS cuffed behind the back." Steadham scowled, but he dug out the cuff keys with his good hand and threw them to Mia. She set down the gun and picked up the keys, walking to Meg. "Get John first." Mia unlocked John, who grabbed his Beretta and watched Steadham while Meg's cuffs were removed.
"I am sorry," Mia said to Meg, close to tears and starting to tremble more strongly.
"For what?" Meg asked incredulously, putting her gun in the waistband of her jeans.
"I was not paying attention when he came up behind me." Meg scoffed and shook her head, rubbing Mia's upper arms.
"Are you kidding me? You were incredible! That was amazing. You've gotta show me that arm thing." Mia didn't respond, just stared straight ahead and started crying silently. Meg pulled her close and looked at John. "She needs to sit down, I think she's going into shock. I'm taking her to the car. Can you handle him?" she asked, indicating Steadham. John nodded, casting a worried look at his sister before picking up both pairs of handcuffs.
"Up." Steadham made his way slowly to his feet. "Move," John told him, pointing back towards the elevators. It was edging towards 1AM, so they weren't likely to encounter any other people. He guided Steadham around the elevators to a corridor ending in a door marked 'MAINTENANCE'. It was locked, but a well placed kick opened it. John pushed Steadham through first, flipping the light switch inside the door. The bare bulb revealed a typical array of metal shelving lined with tools and utensils of various types.
"You're not gonna get away with this, I'm a very well connected person," Steadham spouted. "Do you know how many ways I could have you killed?" John had Steadham sit with his back to one of the units, then tossed the cuffs next to him. He paused as he heard a car passing by outside, then turned back to Steadham.
"Cuff your ankles together, then your wrists." Steadham managed his ankles, but with his numbed arm he couldn't finish his wrists. John closed the ring around Steadham's other wrist, making sure he was securely linked to the shelf, then slipped the gun into his waistband and picked up a roll of duct tape, covering Steadham's mouth. He set the tape back on the shelf along with the cuff keys, then exited the room, pulling the door closed behind him. It didn't catch, but unless it was closely examined, nothing would seem amiss. Someone would come across Steadham. Eventually.
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Another Author's Note: I could've sworn the story would've been over by now, but it keeps throwing me curve balls! Just when I think I'm ready to wrap it up, a new and interesting situation arises that I feel compelled to explore.
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Chapter Twelve
John turned to look out the peephole as soon as the door closed behind him. No one passed by, but John knew the man from the elevator had been following him. His panting could be heard a corridor away. John had sensed the man was unusually interested in him as soon as they entered the elevator.
Who was he? What did he want? John sighed and turned his attention back to the room. He, Meg, and Mia were leaving Los Angeles. Tonight.
Mia was asleep on the couch, the television tuned to a repeat of the evening news. John gently shook her shoulder. She rolled over and blinked sleepily at him. Her eyes widened and she sat up quickly, throwing her arms around his neck.
"You are well?" she asked, pulling back to look at him.
"Yes. And you?" Mia nodded. "Where is Meg?"
"Asleep," Mia replied, pointing towards the bedroom.
"I will wake her. Pack your belongings, we are leaving as soon as you are both ready." Mia nodded and left him standing by the couch.
John entered the bedroom quietly, closing the door softly behind him. The bathroom door was ajar, enough light spilling out to illuminate the room. John knelt by the bed, watching Meg sleep.
She'd obviously had a restless night. Most of the bed clothes had been kicked off, the one remaining sheet tangled around her bare legs. Lying on her stomach, one arm was under the pillow, the other bent at her side, fingers curled under her chin.
John lifted his hand, hesitating a moment before brushing a lock of hair from her forehead. There was a rustle of sheets and he felt sharp metal against his neck.
"Don't move." He suddenly realized that while he could see her well enough, he was backlit from the bathroom, leaving his face in shadow. He remained still until Meg managed to switch the bedside lamp on. Both blinked from the sudden brightness. "Jesus, John," Meg said, stifling a yawn with her hand, which was holding a knife. "Don't you know better than to sneak up on a girl like that?" John stood and backed away.
"I'm sorry." Meg shook her head and sat up, swinging her legs off the edge of the bed and rubbing vigorously at her eyes with her palms.
"No, don't be," she said, combing her fingers through her hair. "I'm just really, really tired. And when I'm tired, I get cranky. Here." She patted the bed beside her. "Sit down." When he had done so, she looked him over critically. "Are you okay?"
"Yes."
"You're sure? I'm not going to have to pat you down or anything?"
"I was not injured, Meg." She nodded, apparently satisfied. "What is that?" John asked, indicating the knife.
"It's a Marine K-Bar, got it at a military surplus store. I thought it might come in handy." She slid it back under the pillow. "So what happened with Koy?"
"He is dead." John didn't elaborate. Meg sighed and looked to the ceiling.
"Why do I bother?" She then noticed the wooden box he was holding. "What's in the box?"
"A gift," he said, holding it out. "For you." Meg looked up to his face and back down to the box. She slowly took the box from his hands and set it on her knees.
"I can't remember the last time I got a gift," Meg said softly, running her fingers over the glossy surface. She unhooked the latch and lifted the lid. Nestled inside the padded interior was a brand new shiny Vektor CP1. Meg picked it up, hefting its weight and aiming at a vase of flowers across the room. She returned the gun to the box and closed the lid, then turned to John and smiled. "Thank you."
"You are welcome." He wanted to say more, do more, but there wasn't time. Instead, he rose from the bed and turned on the overhead light. "I was followed to the room. He must have been waiting in the lobby for me to arrive. He now knows the room number. We must leave as soon as you are packed."
"Why the hell didn't you say so?" Meg grabbed her suitcase and threw it on the bed, sliding the K-Bar into an outside pocket. "So what did he look like? Did you recognize him?"
"I have not seen him before. He is very round. Reminds me of Eddie." Meg stopped tossing clothes in her bag and looked at him.
"Does he look like he hasn't shaved in a week and needs his suit cleaned?" John frowned and nodded.
"Yes. You know him?" Meg finished packing and reached for a pair of jeans.
"Oh, yeah," she replied, slipping the jeans on. "His name is Steadham, head of security at LAX. Or so he says. He's the one Chien rescued us from at the airport." Meg began pulling her t-shirt off and John quickly turned to look at the door. "Shit, how did he find us?"
"I don't know, but now that I am here he will make contact with Koy's people." Meg finished changing shirts and pulled her leather jacket on. She then took her new gun from the box, checked the ammo clip, and slipped it into the waistband of her jeans. The box was added to her luggage and the bag zipped shut.
"Then let's split before anyone else shows up." They entered the main room where Mia was sitting on the couch. John checked the peephole, then opened the door, waiting for Meg and Mia to pass before closing it behind them. Meg started to walk towards the elevator, but John stopped her.
"Steadham will still be in the lobby, we should take the stairs."
"But we're not going to the lobby, we're going to the parking garage. I bought a car today." The trip down the parking level was uneventful and no one else got on the elevator.
"If you were followed to the hotel, they will know what the car looks like," John commented.
"Good point. Keep your eyes peeled." When the doors opened, John went first, looking from side to side. He motioned them out and looked questioningly at Meg. She pointed off to the right towards the wall and the trio made their way towards the Explorer. Meg pushed the alarm button on her remote as they approached the car. The SUV beeped and blinked invitingly at them. Meg walked around to the drivers' side door while John opened the passengers' side. Mia opened the back and stowed their luggage, then slammed it shut. As she circled the car, Steadham came around the corner of the van next to them and placed a gun to the side of her head.
"Hands up." Meg and John made eye contact through the interior of the car, then raised their hands. Steadham wrapped his other hand around Mia's shoulder and walked them backwards away from the vehicle. "Okay, step this way." Meg and John complied. "If you're carrying, I want them down on the ground. Now." They hesitated. Steadham cocked the hammer on his gun. "I'm pretty sure I said 'now'." John's Beretta was dropped to the ground, Meg's Vektor joining it. While keeping the gun to Mia's head, Steadham reached into his pocket and pulled out two pairs of handcuffs. He tossed them to Meg. "Cuff his hands behind his back, you can do yours in front." When that was done, Steadham smiled and lowered his weapon. "All right now, much better."
Mia, who was still wearing the heels she had gotten in Beijing, lifted her knee up unobtrusively. She jumped suddenly and shifted her weight in mid air, landing on Steadham's foot with her heel and twisting. Before he could respond, except to howl in pain, she turned and thrust her knee into his groin. He bent forward and she locked her hands around his gun arm, placing her fingers in certain positions along his forearm. She tightened her grip and his hand went slack, his gun clattering to the ground. With a push, he fell on his back while she picked his gun up and pointed it at him.
"Where are the keys?" she asked, her voice wavering slightly and her hands shaking. Steadham rolled around on the ground, trying to give equal attention to his dead arm, aching privates, and stinging foot.
"You bitch! What did you do to my arm?"
"It is only temporary, the feeling will return in a few hours. The keys!" Starting to pull himself together, he stared up at her and grinned.
"You won't shoot me, you're not the type."
"Maybe not," Meg said, "but I am." During the commotion, she had retrieved her gun from the ground and now had it aimed at Steadham. "For future reference, the hands are ALWAYS cuffed behind the back." Steadham scowled, but he dug out the cuff keys with his good hand and threw them to Mia. She set down the gun and picked up the keys, walking to Meg. "Get John first." Mia unlocked John, who grabbed his Beretta and watched Steadham while Meg's cuffs were removed.
"I am sorry," Mia said to Meg, close to tears and starting to tremble more strongly.
"For what?" Meg asked incredulously, putting her gun in the waistband of her jeans.
"I was not paying attention when he came up behind me." Meg scoffed and shook her head, rubbing Mia's upper arms.
"Are you kidding me? You were incredible! That was amazing. You've gotta show me that arm thing." Mia didn't respond, just stared straight ahead and started crying silently. Meg pulled her close and looked at John. "She needs to sit down, I think she's going into shock. I'm taking her to the car. Can you handle him?" she asked, indicating Steadham. John nodded, casting a worried look at his sister before picking up both pairs of handcuffs.
"Up." Steadham made his way slowly to his feet. "Move," John told him, pointing back towards the elevators. It was edging towards 1AM, so they weren't likely to encounter any other people. He guided Steadham around the elevators to a corridor ending in a door marked 'MAINTENANCE'. It was locked, but a well placed kick opened it. John pushed Steadham through first, flipping the light switch inside the door. The bare bulb revealed a typical array of metal shelving lined with tools and utensils of various types.
"You're not gonna get away with this, I'm a very well connected person," Steadham spouted. "Do you know how many ways I could have you killed?" John had Steadham sit with his back to one of the units, then tossed the cuffs next to him. He paused as he heard a car passing by outside, then turned back to Steadham.
"Cuff your ankles together, then your wrists." Steadham managed his ankles, but with his numbed arm he couldn't finish his wrists. John closed the ring around Steadham's other wrist, making sure he was securely linked to the shelf, then slipped the gun into his waistband and picked up a roll of duct tape, covering Steadham's mouth. He set the tape back on the shelf along with the cuff keys, then exited the room, pulling the door closed behind him. It didn't catch, but unless it was closely examined, nothing would seem amiss. Someone would come across Steadham. Eventually.
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Another Author's Note: I could've sworn the story would've been over by now, but it keeps throwing me curve balls! Just when I think I'm ready to wrap it up, a new and interesting situation arises that I feel compelled to explore.
