CHAPTER 7
Back at the club the team was assembled in the van. Andy had notified them that Montgomery's partners had arrived for a meeting. Andy was looking at the monitors as he spoke to the team. "Ivan Brauner is the man on the left and Stephan Rinehart is on the right."
"They don't look too happy to be there." Monica notices.
They watched and listened as the three men talked about Maria's demands.
"I see no problem in giving her what she wants. I am willing to give her a share of my take." Montgomery says to the two other men.
"And you think we should do the same? You are not thinking with your head. I am not giving her anything." Rinehart states. "I say we take her with the girls we have now, if she is as talented as you say she'll bring a lot to our bank accounts."
"I will not do that to her. She is mine. I will give her half of my take but she will not be taken from here gentlemen." Montgomery insists.
"You've got it bad Connor. You're a fool and fools make mistakes." Rinehart replies.
"How dare you say that to me, if it weren't for me you would not have half the women you have taken." Montgomery argues. "My clubs are providing you all the women you need. If I want her for myself that is my business not yours."
"If she is demanding a partnership that is our business. Get rid of her." Rinehart orders.
Connor looked at his other partner. "Ivan you have been silent, what is your view of this?"
"The girl is more trouble than you think." Ivan replies. "After you called me I did a little investigating of my own and you're new girlfriend is a Fed."
"Okay, how did they find that out?" Cody asks.
"How do you know this? What proof do you have?" Connor demands.
"Yes please tell us?" Andy says as he watched.
"I have some special friends; they can find these things out for me. You should have had her checked out before hiring her. But again you just wanted another woman for your bed." Ivan explains. "You're an idiot for not checking and now I suppose you will want us to take care of her as we did your other friends."
"Keep talking you bastards and we'll hang all of you." Maria was angered by what she was hearing.
"I will not let you hurt her, I can control her. I have already started drugging her without her knowing it." Connor confesses.
Jake looked at Maria who was stunned to hear that she had been drugged. "Maybe that is why I have been shaking so much, I thought it was the alcohol."
"What are you talking about Montgomery, she is a Fed. Didn't you hear me, she is on to you." Ivan argues. "There is no way you can keep drugging her without her knowing something is going on."
"All I have to do is increase what I have been giving her and she won't want to leave me."
"What the hell is he giving me?" Maria asks frightened.
"I'm not letting you jeopardize our business for some damn woman. It's time we find ourselves a new partner." Brauner pulls a gun on Montgomery. "Where is the girl?"
"She's not singing tonight, she said she had other plans."
"Call her and get her here, now!" Brauner orders.
"What do I tell him?" Maria asks as her cell phone begins to ring.
"Act as if you're ready to deal and you'll be there in a half hour." Andy tells her.
Maria nods and answers her phone. "Hello."
"Mary, I just talked to my partners, they are willing to meet with you and discuss your offer." Montgomery says in a calm voice.
"Good, I can be there in a half hour." Maria replies. "Connor, are you okay you sound different?"
"Fine love, I had to do a lot of fast talking to convince them to let you meet with them."
"Okay, I'll see you in a little while. Good-bye."
"Good bye love." When Connor hung up the team saw Brauner shoot him.
"Let's get suited up and get in there." Andy orders.
"Derek stay here and help Cody and Alex you stay too, follow his every order." Maria says as she put her vest on.
"Everyone ready?" Andy asks. The team acknowledged they were and they headed out. "Jake, Monica front door. Maria and I will go to the office through the back."
"They are staying in the office." Cody informs them.
Maria unlocked the back door with the key Montgomery had given her. She and Andy slowly walked down the hall to the office.
Jake and Monica went in the front door; the only person they saw was Martin behind the bar. Jake pointed he gun at him. "Hands on the bar Martin now." Jake showed him his badge. Monica went behind the bar and cuffed him.
The office door was closed so Maria slowly turned the doorknob and then flung the door open. "Federal Agents!" Brauner pointed his gun at her and she fired at him. He fired too as he went down. Rinehart pulled a knife but dropped it after seeing what happened to his partner. Maria kept her gun on him as Andy kicked the knife away from him and then cuffed him.
Maria went to check on Montgomery, she looked for a pulse and found a faint one. "Cody we need an ambulance Montgomery is alive, barely."
"I'll get it on the way." Cody answers.
Maria noticed that Andy had been shot and went over to him. "Shoot your self there Andy?"
"Very funny. This is your fault." Andy says. "How is it my fault?"
"If you would have been a better shot, Brauner wouldn't have gotten a shot off to hit me." Andy reasons.
"Well I have news for you, if you would learn to move faster you won't have gotten hit." Maria replies.
Jake and Monica come in the office bringing Martin with them. "Andy you okay?" Jake saw the blood on his arm.
"Nothing major, I barely feel it." Maria tightened a handkerchief around it to stop the bleeding. Andy winced with pain. "Until she did that, I barely noticed it."
Maria giggles. "Sorry I made it hurt more."
They heard the sirens coming, Jake and Maria took Martin and Rinehart outside while Monica and Andy stayed with the other two men.
"I hope Montgomery makes it to find out what he was drugging you with." Jake tells Maria as they walked out.
"I'll be okay; he hasn't been around me in over 24 hours so I should have most of it out of my system by now, what ever it was." Maria was being hopeful.
*******
Later that evening the team was making out the paperwork for the case. They were all surprised when they saw Elaina coming in with Frank and Sab.
"We're back!" Sab says as she raced over to see Cody. She grabbed him and kissed him.
Frank was standing next to Elaina as she cleared her throat. "Sab, you know better than that." Elaina pulled Frank closer to her and kissed him. "Always let the Boss kiss first then you can get away with it. Haven't I taught you anything?" She winks at Sab.
"So cousin, you seem to be in high spirits considering what you've been through. Did Derek tell you about the case being over?" Maria asks.
"Yes he told us. I guess now you can go back to Virginia for your next assignment."
"Lainie!" Maria looked around and saw Jake staring at her.
"Oops, I guess you didn't tell him yet sorry." Elaina's apology was too late to help Maria.
"What is she talking about, were you just going to up and leave without telling me?" Jake's voice was touched with anger.
"I've known about it for a few days, I was hoping Elaina could get me reassigned from it, but she couldn't. But I didn't tell you because there is nothing to tell." Maria took out a file folder out of her brief case and gave it to Elaina. "Here this will explain."
Elaina opened the file and saw a resignation. "Are you sure you want to do this?"
"I wouldn't have given it to you if I wasn't." Maria pulled Jake over so they could talk more privately. "Jake I have pushed aside too many problems in my life and never dealt with them. My drinking, the accident and a few other things, I need to get the therapy I should have gotten years ago and deal with my problems."
"What are you saying?" Jake asked confused by her sudden change of mind.
Maria looked in Jake's eyes. "I think we should slow down our relationship, I have a lot of problems to sort through. You said this morning that I would make a great mother some day. That is one of the things I have to deal with. Let's just say that there's something in my past that has to do with a child and I can't discuss it right now especially with you."
Jake put his arms around her waist and held her. "I don't understand what you're getting at what could have been so bad that you can't tell me about it? I want to help you if I can." He leaned in to kiss her but she pulled away from him.
"You can't help me, I told you this wasn't a permanent relationship. I need some time to heal some old wounds. We can see each other occasionally just not all the time. I'm resigning to stay near Elaina, I have liked being close to her, and so I'm going to work at my friend's restaurant. I'll be singing there occasionally."
"I'm going to be your best customer." Jake smiled.
"Don't come there every night. I meant what I said we are to spend some time apart."
"I understand see you around." Jake walked away and sat with Alex.
"Well from the looks of it Jake and Maria are history." Elaina whispered to Frank.
"Where did Andy go?" Frank expected him to be there.
"He went home just before you got here said he had someone to see." Alex stated.
"Well I know how he is spending his night." Elaina quipped.
"Shouldn't we be telling a certain someone something?" Frank whispered to Elaina.
"Sab? Where did she and Cody go?" Elaina looked around for them.
"They went to their little hide away they have, I'll go get them." Monica said.
"You let them have a little hide away here?" Elaina turned to Frank.
"I know nothing about it." Frank said in defense. "Now that I know I'll keep and eye out."
"Use both eyes you might notice more." Alex teased hearing the conversation.
Monica came back in with Sab and Cody following. "Sab we have something to say to you and we also have a surprise for you. Please sit down here." Elaina tapped on the chair next to her. Elaina put her hands over her eyes.
"What are you going to do to me?" Sab was worried that this was another prank.
"Nothing just wait a few minutes while things are set up." Frank told her.
Sab could hear things moving around near her and was getting very nervous and excited at the same time.
"Is that water good and cold Frank?" Elaina asked winking at him.
"Oh yeah real icy."
Sab started to squirm in her seat. Frank had to help hold her still. "Hold still we were just kidding. It's just about ready."
"Everything's ready Elaina." Monica said.
"Okay are you ready to know what is going on?"
"YES!" Sab yelled.
"Remember honey I have a headache." Elaina tells her.
"Sorry can I please see now?"
"Okay?" Elaina pulled her hands away from Sab's eyes to show her the surprise.
"What is this?" Sab said staring at what was before her.
"Well it is a celebration. Since you graduated from Quantico academy and you were put in the system as a tech operator, you never have taken the formal title of agent but that is how you are referred to by just about everyone but yourself. So I think it is time you started thinking of yourself as Agent Sabrina Kells, tech op/communications expert."
"But there is one thing you need to do before we can certify you as an actual agent." Frank said.
"What is that?" Sab questioned.
Elaina took her gun out. "Sab see that broken window up there?"
"There's no broken window up there." As Sab said it Elaina fired her gun and broke it. "Oh that broken window. What about it?"
"You have to be certified to carry a gun full time. Take mine and shoot the pane of glass next to the one I broke."
Sab took the gun and raised it. "Right or left side?"
"Right then left." Frank told her.
She fired the gun twice shooting out both panes of glass. "How was that?"
"Do it again with the panes left. Start at the top and go down each row." Elaina said then watched her take the rest of the window out.
"How's that? Now what do I do? Fix the window?"
"No that is Jake and Cody's job." Elaina teased. "It needed to be replaced and will be tomorrow."
"Good you are now certified on hand guns. Welcome Agent Kells." Frank said to her as Sab gave Elaina her gun back. "Well at least I know I have one agent as a friend now." Frank said.
"Don't start whining about the rest of the team not being friendly toward you." Elaina told him.
"Oh come he wants us to be friends after all this time?" Cody sounded disgusted with the idea. "He never let me be his buddy before why the change now?"
"I admit I never wanted to become that close to all of you because I didn't want my personal and professional lives interacting with one another but I'm changing with time and feel we all could be friends as well as co- workers." Frank was standing next to the cake and reached in and threw a hunk of it at Cody hitting him in the face. "See I can have fun too."
Cody walked over and grabbed a handful of cake and held it up. Everyone that was laughing stopped as Cody and Frank stared at each other.
"You really don't want to do that Cody." Sab warned him.
"Why not he started it." Cody threw the cake and Frank ducked and it hit Maria.
Maria went over and grabbed a handful and looked at Cody. "You really shouldn't have done that." Maria said. Maria looked at Cody and as she threw the cake with one hand she pushed Frank down it the cake with the other.
Everyone was silent as Frank rose up from the cake. He cleaned his face off and grabbed Maria pushing her into what was left of it. He saw that Elaina was laughing hard and decided she should join the fun. He walked over to her with cake in his hand.
"Don't you dare Frank, I'm injured and this isn't." She didn't finish before Frank shoved the cake in her face. She wiped it off her face and flung it at him. "Have to admit it does taste good." They all laughed.
The end
Back at the club the team was assembled in the van. Andy had notified them that Montgomery's partners had arrived for a meeting. Andy was looking at the monitors as he spoke to the team. "Ivan Brauner is the man on the left and Stephan Rinehart is on the right."
"They don't look too happy to be there." Monica notices.
They watched and listened as the three men talked about Maria's demands.
"I see no problem in giving her what she wants. I am willing to give her a share of my take." Montgomery says to the two other men.
"And you think we should do the same? You are not thinking with your head. I am not giving her anything." Rinehart states. "I say we take her with the girls we have now, if she is as talented as you say she'll bring a lot to our bank accounts."
"I will not do that to her. She is mine. I will give her half of my take but she will not be taken from here gentlemen." Montgomery insists.
"You've got it bad Connor. You're a fool and fools make mistakes." Rinehart replies.
"How dare you say that to me, if it weren't for me you would not have half the women you have taken." Montgomery argues. "My clubs are providing you all the women you need. If I want her for myself that is my business not yours."
"If she is demanding a partnership that is our business. Get rid of her." Rinehart orders.
Connor looked at his other partner. "Ivan you have been silent, what is your view of this?"
"The girl is more trouble than you think." Ivan replies. "After you called me I did a little investigating of my own and you're new girlfriend is a Fed."
"Okay, how did they find that out?" Cody asks.
"How do you know this? What proof do you have?" Connor demands.
"Yes please tell us?" Andy says as he watched.
"I have some special friends; they can find these things out for me. You should have had her checked out before hiring her. But again you just wanted another woman for your bed." Ivan explains. "You're an idiot for not checking and now I suppose you will want us to take care of her as we did your other friends."
"Keep talking you bastards and we'll hang all of you." Maria was angered by what she was hearing.
"I will not let you hurt her, I can control her. I have already started drugging her without her knowing it." Connor confesses.
Jake looked at Maria who was stunned to hear that she had been drugged. "Maybe that is why I have been shaking so much, I thought it was the alcohol."
"What are you talking about Montgomery, she is a Fed. Didn't you hear me, she is on to you." Ivan argues. "There is no way you can keep drugging her without her knowing something is going on."
"All I have to do is increase what I have been giving her and she won't want to leave me."
"What the hell is he giving me?" Maria asks frightened.
"I'm not letting you jeopardize our business for some damn woman. It's time we find ourselves a new partner." Brauner pulls a gun on Montgomery. "Where is the girl?"
"She's not singing tonight, she said she had other plans."
"Call her and get her here, now!" Brauner orders.
"What do I tell him?" Maria asks as her cell phone begins to ring.
"Act as if you're ready to deal and you'll be there in a half hour." Andy tells her.
Maria nods and answers her phone. "Hello."
"Mary, I just talked to my partners, they are willing to meet with you and discuss your offer." Montgomery says in a calm voice.
"Good, I can be there in a half hour." Maria replies. "Connor, are you okay you sound different?"
"Fine love, I had to do a lot of fast talking to convince them to let you meet with them."
"Okay, I'll see you in a little while. Good-bye."
"Good bye love." When Connor hung up the team saw Brauner shoot him.
"Let's get suited up and get in there." Andy orders.
"Derek stay here and help Cody and Alex you stay too, follow his every order." Maria says as she put her vest on.
"Everyone ready?" Andy asks. The team acknowledged they were and they headed out. "Jake, Monica front door. Maria and I will go to the office through the back."
"They are staying in the office." Cody informs them.
Maria unlocked the back door with the key Montgomery had given her. She and Andy slowly walked down the hall to the office.
Jake and Monica went in the front door; the only person they saw was Martin behind the bar. Jake pointed he gun at him. "Hands on the bar Martin now." Jake showed him his badge. Monica went behind the bar and cuffed him.
The office door was closed so Maria slowly turned the doorknob and then flung the door open. "Federal Agents!" Brauner pointed his gun at her and she fired at him. He fired too as he went down. Rinehart pulled a knife but dropped it after seeing what happened to his partner. Maria kept her gun on him as Andy kicked the knife away from him and then cuffed him.
Maria went to check on Montgomery, she looked for a pulse and found a faint one. "Cody we need an ambulance Montgomery is alive, barely."
"I'll get it on the way." Cody answers.
Maria noticed that Andy had been shot and went over to him. "Shoot your self there Andy?"
"Very funny. This is your fault." Andy says. "How is it my fault?"
"If you would have been a better shot, Brauner wouldn't have gotten a shot off to hit me." Andy reasons.
"Well I have news for you, if you would learn to move faster you won't have gotten hit." Maria replies.
Jake and Monica come in the office bringing Martin with them. "Andy you okay?" Jake saw the blood on his arm.
"Nothing major, I barely feel it." Maria tightened a handkerchief around it to stop the bleeding. Andy winced with pain. "Until she did that, I barely noticed it."
Maria giggles. "Sorry I made it hurt more."
They heard the sirens coming, Jake and Maria took Martin and Rinehart outside while Monica and Andy stayed with the other two men.
"I hope Montgomery makes it to find out what he was drugging you with." Jake tells Maria as they walked out.
"I'll be okay; he hasn't been around me in over 24 hours so I should have most of it out of my system by now, what ever it was." Maria was being hopeful.
*******
Later that evening the team was making out the paperwork for the case. They were all surprised when they saw Elaina coming in with Frank and Sab.
"We're back!" Sab says as she raced over to see Cody. She grabbed him and kissed him.
Frank was standing next to Elaina as she cleared her throat. "Sab, you know better than that." Elaina pulled Frank closer to her and kissed him. "Always let the Boss kiss first then you can get away with it. Haven't I taught you anything?" She winks at Sab.
"So cousin, you seem to be in high spirits considering what you've been through. Did Derek tell you about the case being over?" Maria asks.
"Yes he told us. I guess now you can go back to Virginia for your next assignment."
"Lainie!" Maria looked around and saw Jake staring at her.
"Oops, I guess you didn't tell him yet sorry." Elaina's apology was too late to help Maria.
"What is she talking about, were you just going to up and leave without telling me?" Jake's voice was touched with anger.
"I've known about it for a few days, I was hoping Elaina could get me reassigned from it, but she couldn't. But I didn't tell you because there is nothing to tell." Maria took out a file folder out of her brief case and gave it to Elaina. "Here this will explain."
Elaina opened the file and saw a resignation. "Are you sure you want to do this?"
"I wouldn't have given it to you if I wasn't." Maria pulled Jake over so they could talk more privately. "Jake I have pushed aside too many problems in my life and never dealt with them. My drinking, the accident and a few other things, I need to get the therapy I should have gotten years ago and deal with my problems."
"What are you saying?" Jake asked confused by her sudden change of mind.
Maria looked in Jake's eyes. "I think we should slow down our relationship, I have a lot of problems to sort through. You said this morning that I would make a great mother some day. That is one of the things I have to deal with. Let's just say that there's something in my past that has to do with a child and I can't discuss it right now especially with you."
Jake put his arms around her waist and held her. "I don't understand what you're getting at what could have been so bad that you can't tell me about it? I want to help you if I can." He leaned in to kiss her but she pulled away from him.
"You can't help me, I told you this wasn't a permanent relationship. I need some time to heal some old wounds. We can see each other occasionally just not all the time. I'm resigning to stay near Elaina, I have liked being close to her, and so I'm going to work at my friend's restaurant. I'll be singing there occasionally."
"I'm going to be your best customer." Jake smiled.
"Don't come there every night. I meant what I said we are to spend some time apart."
"I understand see you around." Jake walked away and sat with Alex.
"Well from the looks of it Jake and Maria are history." Elaina whispered to Frank.
"Where did Andy go?" Frank expected him to be there.
"He went home just before you got here said he had someone to see." Alex stated.
"Well I know how he is spending his night." Elaina quipped.
"Shouldn't we be telling a certain someone something?" Frank whispered to Elaina.
"Sab? Where did she and Cody go?" Elaina looked around for them.
"They went to their little hide away they have, I'll go get them." Monica said.
"You let them have a little hide away here?" Elaina turned to Frank.
"I know nothing about it." Frank said in defense. "Now that I know I'll keep and eye out."
"Use both eyes you might notice more." Alex teased hearing the conversation.
Monica came back in with Sab and Cody following. "Sab we have something to say to you and we also have a surprise for you. Please sit down here." Elaina tapped on the chair next to her. Elaina put her hands over her eyes.
"What are you going to do to me?" Sab was worried that this was another prank.
"Nothing just wait a few minutes while things are set up." Frank told her.
Sab could hear things moving around near her and was getting very nervous and excited at the same time.
"Is that water good and cold Frank?" Elaina asked winking at him.
"Oh yeah real icy."
Sab started to squirm in her seat. Frank had to help hold her still. "Hold still we were just kidding. It's just about ready."
"Everything's ready Elaina." Monica said.
"Okay are you ready to know what is going on?"
"YES!" Sab yelled.
"Remember honey I have a headache." Elaina tells her.
"Sorry can I please see now?"
"Okay?" Elaina pulled her hands away from Sab's eyes to show her the surprise.
"What is this?" Sab said staring at what was before her.
"Well it is a celebration. Since you graduated from Quantico academy and you were put in the system as a tech operator, you never have taken the formal title of agent but that is how you are referred to by just about everyone but yourself. So I think it is time you started thinking of yourself as Agent Sabrina Kells, tech op/communications expert."
"But there is one thing you need to do before we can certify you as an actual agent." Frank said.
"What is that?" Sab questioned.
Elaina took her gun out. "Sab see that broken window up there?"
"There's no broken window up there." As Sab said it Elaina fired her gun and broke it. "Oh that broken window. What about it?"
"You have to be certified to carry a gun full time. Take mine and shoot the pane of glass next to the one I broke."
Sab took the gun and raised it. "Right or left side?"
"Right then left." Frank told her.
She fired the gun twice shooting out both panes of glass. "How was that?"
"Do it again with the panes left. Start at the top and go down each row." Elaina said then watched her take the rest of the window out.
"How's that? Now what do I do? Fix the window?"
"No that is Jake and Cody's job." Elaina teased. "It needed to be replaced and will be tomorrow."
"Good you are now certified on hand guns. Welcome Agent Kells." Frank said to her as Sab gave Elaina her gun back. "Well at least I know I have one agent as a friend now." Frank said.
"Don't start whining about the rest of the team not being friendly toward you." Elaina told him.
"Oh come he wants us to be friends after all this time?" Cody sounded disgusted with the idea. "He never let me be his buddy before why the change now?"
"I admit I never wanted to become that close to all of you because I didn't want my personal and professional lives interacting with one another but I'm changing with time and feel we all could be friends as well as co- workers." Frank was standing next to the cake and reached in and threw a hunk of it at Cody hitting him in the face. "See I can have fun too."
Cody walked over and grabbed a handful of cake and held it up. Everyone that was laughing stopped as Cody and Frank stared at each other.
"You really don't want to do that Cody." Sab warned him.
"Why not he started it." Cody threw the cake and Frank ducked and it hit Maria.
Maria went over and grabbed a handful and looked at Cody. "You really shouldn't have done that." Maria said. Maria looked at Cody and as she threw the cake with one hand she pushed Frank down it the cake with the other.
Everyone was silent as Frank rose up from the cake. He cleaned his face off and grabbed Maria pushing her into what was left of it. He saw that Elaina was laughing hard and decided she should join the fun. He walked over to her with cake in his hand.
"Don't you dare Frank, I'm injured and this isn't." She didn't finish before Frank shoved the cake in her face. She wiped it off her face and flung it at him. "Have to admit it does taste good." They all laughed.
The end