Chapter 6 - Even the Mighty Shall Fall
**Dock 47B Friday night - 9:30PM**
Lee and Amanda sat in the 'Vette just down the street from the parking area for Dock 47B, away from any streetlights, with the interior of the car in darkness. He held his hand across the center console, his thumb rubbing small circles across her knuckles.
"Do you see any sign of them?" Amanda whispered.
Lee smiled. Only his wife would feel the need to whisper in a dark car in an even darker parking lot. The thought made him chuckle. After two years, the thought of Amanda as his wife still made his skin warm and his heart skip. What would it be like when they could actually live as husband and wife?
"No, but I'm sure he'll be here any minute. He wanted to be with us when we meet up with Francine. She might not believe we're heading up this raid otherwise."
"Not after our performance this afternoon," Amanda said, and he could hear the ironic sarcasm in her voice.
Lee lifted her hand to his lips and kissed her knuckles. "I meant to tell you this before, when you first got to the apartment." Lee sensed more than saw her turn toward him, and her smirk was almost tangible, "Okay, so I got sidetracked."
"Sidetracked?" she said in a high-pitched spurt.
Lee laughed. "Okay, sidetracked is a far from adequate word. But I did mean to tell you - I really hated what I had to say."
"Sweetheart, I know."
"I know you know, I just need to say it."
Amanda leaned across the small space between them and laid her head on his shoulder. Lee turned just enough to kiss her forehead. Her hair smelled like tangerines and was still slightly damp from the shower they took before preparing to meet Billy.
"I know, Lee. And I think I needed to hear you say it."
Comfortable silence settled again between them as Lee continued to scan the street and parking lot. Amanda sighed heavily.
"What are you thinking about?"
"Oh, just wondering what we should do with our extended vacation."
"You know, I hadn't even thought about it. There has been so much going on it slipped my mind. What do you want to do?"
Amanda sat up again and twisted in the bucket seat so her back was against the door. She pulled one leg up and wrapped her arms around it to pull her knee to her chest. The light of the moon was just bright enough to highlight the features of her face. God, she was beautiful.
"Well, we still have a lot of bridges to rebuild."
Lee nodded deeply, resting his wrist on the top of his steering wheel and flexing his fingers. "Yes, we do."
"We could take a trip as a family."
"That sounds fun," Lee said, images of spending time with Phillip and Jamie flashing through his mind.
"Where is the Colonel posted now?"
"Colorado. Do you want to go see my Uncle?" he asked in surprise.
Amanda shrugged. "I'm just thinking out loud. You know we have to tell him, too."
Lee scrunched the corners of his eyes and shook his head once. "I know, but I'm not worried about it. The Colonel won't see it the way everyone else did. In fact, believe it or not, he might be the most understanding."
"There is something else we should consider," Amanda said, the slow tone of her voice implying it was going to be a doozie.
Lee took his eyes off the parking lot again to look to her. "Oh, boy. This should be good."
Amanda leaned forward and touched his arm, her finger curling around to brush his side. "Lee, we should talk about you moving into the house. I mean, that is, if that's what you want."
A smile spread across his face and he covered her hand with his own. "Amanda, there is nothing I want more. It's what I've always wanted. And you're right, we should talk about it."
"But we should talk about it with Mother and the boys," she finished.
Lee nodded. "Exactly."
A loud rapping on Lee's window ended the discussion. He twisted to see Billy standing outside the car, dressed head to toe in black, just like he and Amanda. They exited the car and Amanda came around to the driver's side to speak with their superior, her hands pushed into the front pockets of her jeans.
"Is everything ready?" Lee asked.
Billy nodded, but he could barely be seen in the darkness. "Francine will be here shortly. Then we'll let her know you're in on this."
"Is she going to be upset, sir?" Amanda asked. "I mean, we kind of tricked her earlier today."
Billy smiled, his teeth flashing white. "I can pretty much guarantee it."
Their relationship with Francine Desmond was definitely of the love-hate variety. She was the type of woman you loved to hate, but in a pinch, she was the one you wanted by your side. Francine was a good agent, and although she would probably not even admit it under the worst interrogation situation, she was a good friend. Amanda had told him how Francine sat with her for an hour after he left, until she was 'calmed down'. Not really offering words of advice or comfort, just kind of being there.
The three agents walked across the parking lot to a side alley that led indirectly to the dock they wanted. Francine had established a small command center in an empty wing of a warehouse, and her orders of preparation could be heard as they came through the side door. She was busy handing out five-by-seven glossies of Anthony Mancini to all the armed and outfitted TAC team members.
"We're going to set up a perimeter around the ship we suspect to be the means of transport for the weapons. Now, for the first hour or so, we are strictly observing. Those of you while cameras, take photos liberally. We want as much evidence as possible when all is said and done."
Billy led the way through the open space, walking several paces in front of Lee and Amanda. Amanda crossed her arms over her body and Lee saw her glance around the dark, cavernous warehouse. He pressed his hand against her spine and rubbed his palm along her sweatshirt until it rested on her shoulder.
"Hey. You okay?" he asked.
"Oh, sure!" she said just a tad too adamantly.
"A-man-da," he said, squeezing her shoulder.
She looked up at him with a shrug and slanted grin. "You know me pretty well. I'm just not much of a fan of warehouses."
"Yah," Lee said, shifting his hand enough to touch her cheek with his thumb. "I'm not much of a fan myself."
Amanda smiled and moved to walk closer to him, her arm brushing his side. They neared their group of peers, but still stood behind Francine and Billy. Francine was still unaware of their presence.
"We will keep in contact with earphones and small mouth transmitters. Do not move in until you hear from -."
"Scarecrow," Billy interrupted.
Francine spun around to question Billy, and her eyes widened when she saw Lee and Amanda standing nearby. Lee had to give her credit. She regained her composure immediately, squaring her shoulder and straightening her spine as she looked from Billy to them.
"Scarecrow," she said, as if finishing her previous sentence, but her voice had an obvious tension laced through it. She turned on her heels to face the other agents. "He will make the call to move in. Anything you want to add, Scarecrow?"
Lee reluctantly dropped his hand from Amanda's shoulder and stepped forward. "I don't need to tell you this is big. The Agency has been after Mancini for years, and we want him brought down. There is no room for mistakes tonight."
They went over the stakeout pattern once again, so there was no question where each shooter and agent was to be. The radio equipment was checked and checked again. Finally, at quarter past ten they all began to move out, heading silently to their posts.
Lee found his wife standing near the set up of radio equipment, her arms crossed over her body and her fingertips drumming her upper arms. He pressed his hand against her back when he reached her.
"Hey, pretty lady," he whispered and was immediately rewarded with her warm smile.
"Hi, yourself."
"You look like you were pretty deep in thought about something. Want to tell me?" Lee asked, taking the last few minutes before he had to leave as an opportunity to wrap his arms around his wife and rest his chin on the top of her head. She leaned back into him and laid her hands on his arms.
"I was thinking that my assignment for this evening didn't seem to be covered in the agenda. Are you planning on telling me to stay in the car? Because I'll tell you right now, I'm not."
Lee had to laugh at her adamant tone. "No, I'm not going to ask you to wait in the car. I'm going to ask you to play a role you've played before."
She twisted enough to look up at him. "Oh?"
"I need you to be my eyes. See the places I can't see when I'm down there on the dock."
Amanda settled back into his embrace, and he knew she understood what he meant. It was, indeed, a role she had played before. When they were on the run during the Stemwinder case, she had been his lookout and his backup when they met Rostov at an empty football stadium in an attempt to clear their names. And when he was poisoned, just a week before their wedding, it was her voice that led him through the Russian Embassy and brought him back out again. During many cases since then, Amanda had been his guide and his guardian angel, whispering the way in his ear.
"You know it drives me crazy not to be there with you," she said in a husky voice.
"I know, Amanda, but this is going to be dangerous. More dangerous than usual. I need to know you're going to be safe. And I need you to get me in and out alive."
Amanda turned in the circle of his embrace and wrapped her arms around him. She pressed her cheek against his chest, and Lee stroked her hair.
"I will. I promise."
SMK ~~~ SMK ~~~ SMK ~~~ SMK
**Stakeout Friday night - 10:56PM**
Amanda stood against the giant window that looked down on the freighter ship in docking slip 47B from three stories up. She held the high power, night vision binoculars to her eyes and scanned the deck of the ship below. Several workers moved about busily, carrying crates and boxes of various sizes into the cargo hold. Two forklifts moved in and out of the belly of the ship, moving pallets of cargo.
With a slight shift of stance, Amanda scanned the dock area surrounding the ship. With a trained eye, and the knowledge of where to look, she spotted all of the approaching agents except for those beyond her realm of view. Everything appeared in strange green and black shades through the night vision lenses.
"Amanda?" she heard Lee's voice whisper in her ear.
She adjusted the mouthpiece to rest at the corner of her lips and looked down to the dock again, scanning where she knew her husband crouched in waiting.
"I'm here. You're coming in good and strong."
"Good," he answered and his voice was nearly drowned out by a rustling, crackling sound. Amanda watched him shifting in his position.
"I'm getting a lot of background noise from your clothes, Lee."
"Well, there's nothing we can do about that at this point. Is everyone in place?"
On cue, the leader of each team reported in.
"Alpha Red Leader - in position."
"Alpha Blue Leader - in position."
"Alpha Green Leader - in position and ready to roll."
"Alpha Orange Leader - all set here."
"Alpha Yellow in position, Scarecrow," Francine's voice said as the final leader to check in.
"How is it looking, Amanda? Do you see anything we need to know?" Lee asked.
Amanda shifted her view back to the ship, not wanting to take her eyes off Lee but knowing she had to. "Nothing unusual. There are between a half dozen and maybe ten workers total, moving cargo crates onto the ship; some through the hull door and some down through the deck hatch."
"Any sign of Mancini?"
"No." Amanda leaned forward, as if the fraction of an inch would make the ship easier to view. Her binoculars bumped the glass.
"Keep your eyes open. It does little to no good to move in if we aren't going to get Mancini."
"Got it," she confirmed and continued to scan the setting below her.
As she watched, a dark car - probably a Monte Carlo - pulled up from the opposite direction and stopped near the ramp. The driver jumped out and walked around the front of the vehicle.
"Amanda," Lee's voice came in her ear.
"I'm checking it out," Amanda came back quickly, not needing him to ask the question to know that he saw the car, too.
The driver opened the back passenger door, and a man stepped out. His back was to Amanda, so she couldn't yet identify him. The dockmaster came down off the ship and approached the mystery man. They talked and shook hands, and as they walked toward the ship, the new man turned.
"Lee, it's Mancini!" Amanda burst out, a flood like a cold Atlantic wave hit her at the site of him. Memories flashed in her mind of his strong hand smothering her mouth and his wicked voice slithering in her ear like the serpent in the Garden of Eden.
"Hold on everyone!" Lee instructed. "Let's see if we get something powerful to work with. Keep your eyes on him, Amanda."
Amanda nodded, even though there was no one there to see her. She watched as Mancini walked to a crate that sat waiting to be loaded. The dockmaster produced a crowbar and pried open the wooden box, pushing shredded packing material out of the way.
Mancini reached inside and extricated a large weapon from the stuffing. From this distance, Amanda could not positively identify the weapon, but she thought it might be an M16. Her weapons identification wasn't great, but she didn't need to know exactly what it was - knowing it was a weapon as enough.
"Lee, he just opened a crate and pulled out a very large, very nasty looking gun. He looks like he's inspecting it."
"That's all we needed to hear. All teams, move in on my mark." Brief pause. "Now!"
The ensuing flood of noise in her ear was almost enough to make Amanda pull the earpiece out - but she just winced and listened, watching through her binoculars. Agents rushed in from all directions, weapons aimed and ready, taking down everyone in site.
"Don't move, Mancini!" Lee yelled, and Amanda watched with rapped attention as he made a direct line for Anthony Mancini.
Her heart pounded irratically, and Amanda fought to keep her breath steady and calm as she watched her husband bear down on the man that had been the thorn in his side for three years. She wanted to whisper to him to be careful, to mumble a prayer for his safety, but pressed her lips together tightly and did the only thing she could do. Watch helplessly. Anything she said would not only go to his ears, but to every agent down there risking their lives.
Lee moved toward Mancini, his weapon drawn and aimed. "Everyone step away!" he instructed of the dockworkers and Mancini associates, motioning with the wave of his gun for everyone anywhere near Mancini to move back. Everyone complied. Amanda held her breath as Lee walked right up to Mancini.
She heard Mancini's sadistic laugh echo back to her. He and Lee stood close enough his voice was picked up by Lee's transmitter. It was strange, connecting the actions of the men so far away with the sounds and voices in her ear. But just the hint of the man's cold cackle made Amanda flinch.
"I can see I grossly underestimated you, Scarecrow."
"Big mistake, Mancini. This is it for you."
Mancini stood with his hands held at shoulder level, away from his body, and glanced around. "So it would seem. I don't see your pretty little partner anywhere, Scarecrow. She always made our little tete-a-tete's more interesting. Don't you think?"
"Watch it, Mancini. All I need is a good excuse."
Billy and Francine joined Lee, each pushing a handcuffed detainee along with them. Throughout the entire dock area, agents were rounding up anyone and everyone who might be remotely connected to the outgoing shipment. Amanda knew some were completely innocent and ignorant to what was really going on. They would be weeded out and send on their way. Those with any information, but not necessarily part of it, would be pumped for whatever they could offer so it could be turned around on Mancini. Those involved would hopefully never breathe free air again.
"I heard I caused you a bit of trouble, Scarecrow. Hope your stepson isn't too traumatized by our time again. He's a feisty boy. Tried to get away more than once. I told my men not to hurt him, but I'm afraid they got carried away."
Having to listen to this monster talk about her son like that, and remembering the anger and fear in Jamie's eyes, made Amanda as angry as she was heartbroken. She gasped and jumped as Lee lunged forward, slamming Mancini back into a stack of crates, bending the man back over them. Lee's forearm pressed against Mancini's throat, and she could hear the labored breath of both men rasping over the earpiece.
"You worthless son of a!" The end of Lee's statement was lost in the physical struggle as Mancini pushed back against him.
Amanda pressed her palm against the cold glass, holding the binoculars with one hand. Billy grabbed Lee's shoulders and yanked him back while two other armed agents subdued Mancini.
"Oh, Lee," Amanda whispered, not thinking about or caring if the other agents on the circuit heard her.
A motion caught her eye and Amanda shifted her vision to a stack of crates thirty-five feet down the dock from where Lee stood. Her breath caught and her heart jumped when she saw a man lean over the top crate and level an automatic rifle at Lee.
"Lee," she said urgently. "Down the dock. Someone with a gun."
All the agents shifted into action, hunkering down and turning in the direction Amanda indicated. Shots rang out, the bright flashes of their rifles glowing white through the night vision goggles. Amanda yanked the binoculars away from her eyes, the burst of light momentarily blinding her.
The thunder of shots echoed through the night. Amanda cupped her hands around her eyes and pressed her face against the glass. All she could see was dozen of red bursts from all directions indicating the gunplay below.
"Don't let Mancini loose!" Lee shouted and Amanda was thankful she had that connection to him, even if she couldn't see him.
"Get him down! Get him down!" someone ordered.
"Get the gun!"
"Grab Mancini!"
Amanda heard another shot, this one echoing through her earpiece. Which meant it was close to someone. She only prayed it wasn't Lee.
"Murphy! Murphy!" There was a scuffle. "Murphy's down!"
"Damn it!" Lee cursed. "Mancini!"
Amanda didn't have to see what was going to know. Somehow Mancini had broken away during the gunfire melee. As long as the shots were going off, she couldn't use the binoculars, and she slammed the flat of her fist against the glass in frustration.
"Amanda, Mancini is on the run!" Lee's voice came to her. "Can you see him? Which way did he go?"
"I can't see! The gunfire is blinding with the night vision," she answered in frustration.
"Damn it!"
The echo of struggles and voices dimmed, to be replaced by the steady pounding of Lee's footsteps as he ran along the dock in search of Mancini.
"I'm down near the end of the pier. Can you look in this direction without the gunfire blinding you?"
"I'll try."
Amanda lifted the binoculars to her eyes again and scanned the dock below. She caught sight of Lee, crouched behind a pylon with his handgun at the ready. His hazel eyes shimmered an eerie light green through the special lenses as he glanced up at her position.
"I see you, but I don't see him. I'm still looking."
The background noise of the other agents finishing up the bust became distracting, and Amanda mumbled her sentiments under her breath. She continued to scan. Lee ordered all other agents on the frequency to break off, and when they did, the silence that settled gave Amanda the calm she needed to continue her search. The only sound she could hear was Lee's heavy breathing as he waited for her response.
"I'm moving further down the dock," he told her.
"Okay. I don't see him."
Lee cursed again, a tad more colorfully than before, and moved from his hiding place to edge down the pier.
"Be careful," she pleaded in barely a whisper.
"His careful won't be careful enough," said a voice behind her that Amanda remembered all to well.
She spun around to face Anthony Mancini. He stood so close her hand hit his arm as she twisted. A gasp caught in her throat. Amanda thought of calling out to Lee, but immediately saw the futility of it when Mancini held up the disconnected cord of her headset. Nothing she said would carry beyond the walls around her. One step back brought Amanda's spine against the glass behind her.
"What's that cigarette ad say? You've come a long way, baby. At our first encounter, Mrs. King, hardly anyone who was anyone knew who you were. You were just the wide-eyed and faithful assistant to the great Scarecrow. Now, I might dare say you've found your niche. Your groove, as they say. Why, you're almost part of the team."
Amanda remained silent, watching him intently and trying to formulate a means of both escape and capture.
"Oh, I'm sorry. It's Mrs. Stetson now, isn't it? I hope I didn't offend you."
"Not at all," she said, finding her voice.
"Good. I would hate to be accused of offending a lady." His hand came up and Mancini touched her cheek, rubbing the back of his knuckle along her jaw line.
Amanda turned away, pushing down the wave of panic. Once upon a time she would have been to afraid to think or act, but not anymore. That was the one thing she had as an advantage. Mancini had no idea what or who he was really dealing with. Was she afraid? Yes. She knew what he was capable of. Would she let it paralyze her? Not in this lifetime.
"Please," she whispered, letting a quiver take over her throat. "Please don't."
He didn't move away, but took a step closer until Amanda was sandwiched between him and the glass behind her. His finger left her cheek to move down her throat and along her shoulder, pushing the collar of her sweatshirt open. She didn't have to look down to know he found the now barely visible scar near her collarbone. He brought his other hand up to rub the blemish with the muzzle of his pistol.
"Is this the mark left by your lover's bullet? Was he your lover then? I know he wasn't your secret husband then."
Mancini leaned into her, his nose brushing her face and his breath shifting her hair. Amanda wanted to double her fist and swing, but he was too close for a hit to be effective, so she bought her time.
"I watched the two of you. After he thought we were gone. I watched him kneel over your body and beg for you **not to leave him**." The tone of his voice was mocking, but it only succeeded in making her more angry. "I watched him rip open your shirt and try to staunch the flow of blood with his own hands. It was so touching. Almost made me misty."
Amanda waited until she felt the subtle shift in his stance that told her he was letting some of his guard down. He thought he had her too intimidated to fight back. Chump. Recalling the many lessons she had taken with Leatherneck and Dr. Pain, Amanda pushed her foot between his ankles, took his arm in a maneuverable hold, and threw her weight into her hip. With a grunt, Mancini fell and landed on the hard concrete, pulling Amanda down with him.
Amanda used the momentum of the fall to her advantage and kept them rolling. Her shoulder slammed painfully into the hard floor, and as they rolled the leg of the table containing their sound equipment dug into her back. Mancini had a good hundred pounds on Amanda and she quickly lost any footing she had gained as he tossed her like a ragdoll into the table leg again. The sound equipment rained down on them. A loud groan escaped Mancini as the recording apparatus landed on his thigh.
She tried to use the opportunity to break away, and nearly made it to her feet when he grabbed her arms and yanked her back, his fingers digging painfully into her skin. Amanda got a hold on another piece of radio equipment and threw it back over her shoulder, hitting him on the side of the head.
"Ow!" he howled. "You little bitch!"
Amanda twisted and came up on her hands and feet, lunging forward to free herself from the range of any more electrical equipment that could come her way. She spotted Mancini's gun lying on the ground eight feet away and lunged for it.
Mancini lunged at the same time. Their hands closed around the handle of the weapon at the same time. Amanda's fingers curled into the trigger ring and Mancini's hand covered hers, digging the sharper points of the weapon into the palm of her hand.
"Oh, no you don't!" he cursed and shoved Amanda with his shoulder, trying to gain the upper hand in the battle over the weapon.
Amanda didn't think about what she needed to do, she just did it. They struggled again, the power shifting from one to the other, until Mancini twisted her around and pinned her to the ground with the weight of his body and the gun pointed away from them, somewhere over Amanda's head.
Mancini smirked down at her, blood dripping from the gash across his forehead to mingle with the sweat that glistened on his skin.
"Feisty one, aren't ya?" he hissed out.
Amanda tried to shift, but he slammed her shoulders back into the concrete, her head bouncing with a dull thud. Black spots flashed in front of her eyes, but she refused to pass out. With a twist and lunge, Amanda closed both hands around the pistol but her arms were pinned over her head. A scream of frustration squeezed through her clenched teeth as she fought with every ounce of strength she had.
Lee took the stairs two at a time, rushing to the third floor level he knew Amanda had been stationed. A rush of panic, like a dozen wild birds beating against the inside of his chest in a feeble attempt to escape, pummeled him the moment the radio line went dead. Something told him he needed to get to Amanda. And now.
He hit the landing and reached for the sliding steel door that blocked his entrance, but before his fingers could close around the handle, a single shot rang out and echoed through the cavernous space beyond.
Lee yanked open the door with a pure adrenaline rush that left it crashing and clanging into its recessed pocket. He spun on the balls of his feet into the room, weapon drawn and ready. His pulse pounded at a furious pace in his temple as he scanned the room.
At first he saw nothing - no one. The table of recording equipment lay in sparking and broken heaps on the floor. Then he heard movement and scanned the floor. Protruding from behind the table were two sets of feet, mingled together, one of which he recognized as Amanda's. Heat rose up into his face when he realized the position they were in and he lunged forward.
"Mancini!" he shouted to get the man's attention.
He entered the room, his gun trained on the two people. The sight of Anthony Mancini on top of his wife churned his stomach and made him see red with the blood pounding in his temples. Lee came around the stack of equipment.
"Lee," Amanda's strained voice called to him as he got his first full look at them.
Amanda's hands sandwiched between their bodies and she tried to push Mancini's mass off her. Lee shoved his gun into his waistband and lunged forward, pulling the criminal off. Mancini rolled away with a groan, blood staining his shirt below his right shoulder. Amanda scurried away, grabbing Lee's arm as she came near him.
"I don't think he's dead," she whispered.
They linked fingers and Amanda held his hand with both hers. He hunkered down and pressed his fingertips against the side of Mancini's throat. Mancini groaned again and his head rolled to the side as his eyelids fluttered.
"No, he's not dead." Lee quickly forgot about Mancini and turned to his wife, releasing her hands to hold her face in his palms.
Her skin was pale and blood smeared her cheek as she took quick, short breaths. Amanda's hands trembled as she curled her fingers into his sweatshirt.
"Are you okay, Amanda? Did that bastard hurt you?"
Amanda nodded her head vigorously. "I'm fine. I'm okay."
Lee pulled her against him and hugged her fiercely, rubbing his cheek against her hair. "I heard the radio connection go dead and I just knew I had to get to you."
"I'm fine," she said again, wrapping her arms around his neck.
Remembering the task at hand, Lee pulled back and gently removed the headset that hooked around her ear. She reached up and helped him free the cable from where it tangled in her now-mussed hair. Lee stood and walked to the mangled mess that had been their expensive radio transmitter. With a flip or two of the switches, some knob turning, and one good whack, the equipment hummed back to life and Lee plugged the headset it.
As soon as he slipped the headset over his ear, he heard Billy's loud and annoyed voice booming over the earpiece.
"Scarecrow! Amanda! Respond!"
"I'm here, Billy. I need a medic unit in the warehouse. Stat."
"Amanda?" Billy asked.
"I want her checked over. She's got some cuts and bruises, but I don't think anything serious. It's Mancini. Bullet in the shoulder."
"On our way. We're just about done cleaning up down here."
Lee took the headphone off again and returned to Amanda's side. She was trying to stand, using the table near her as an anchor, and Lee immediately took over. He wrapped his arms around her waist as she straightened, and she moaned softly as she straightened her back.
"Where does it hurt?" he asked, concern making his voice tight.
A small sardonic chuckle escaped Amanda's lips as she reached back to touch the back of her head. Lee immediately followed with his own fingers and felt a large lump forming.
"Where doesn't it hurt might be an easier question to answer."
Mingled with the intense concern he felt for his wife's well being and the rush of adrenaline that flooded his veins, was a swelling sense of pride for the way his partner held her own. She obviously gave Mancini a run for his money.
Billy arrived just a few short minutes later, followed by four medical personnel. Three headed directly to Mancini and went to work preparing him for transportation. The fourth motioned Amanda to sit down in a chair he pulled, and Lee helped her ease down. While the paramedic checked his wife out, Billy pulled Lee to the side to get the rundown on what happened once radio contact was broken.
Lee told Billy what he knew, which was precious little. After running over the details of the bust, the paramedic who worked on Amanda came over to them.
"Is she okay?" Lee asked.
"Nothing that four or five days in bed and some TLC won't cure. She's bruised on her back and arms. The back appears to be a contusion from blunt impact, and her arms are physical. Meaning she was grabbed roughly. She's got a nasty knot on the back of her head, but I've ruled out a concussion. Other than that, some scrapes and cuts which I've dressed. Like I said, I recommend acouple days of rest and relaxation and she'll feel much better."
Lee nodded. "Thanks, Dave."
"What do you know about Mancini?" Billy asked.
"Shoulder wound, but nothing life threatening. Jake Paterson worked on him and said he thought he might have a fractured thigh. Mrs. King really gave him hell by the looks of it."
Lee smiled, pride once again swelling his heart in his chest. For the moment, the worries of Mancini and the future were gone. He looked past Dave to where Amana sat. She looked up and their eyes met. His wife smiled at him, her head tilted to the side and one shoulder lifted in a small shrug. A gesture that was so his wife. So Amanda.
"That's **Mrs. Stetson**, Dave."
**Dock 47B Friday night - 9:30PM**
Lee and Amanda sat in the 'Vette just down the street from the parking area for Dock 47B, away from any streetlights, with the interior of the car in darkness. He held his hand across the center console, his thumb rubbing small circles across her knuckles.
"Do you see any sign of them?" Amanda whispered.
Lee smiled. Only his wife would feel the need to whisper in a dark car in an even darker parking lot. The thought made him chuckle. After two years, the thought of Amanda as his wife still made his skin warm and his heart skip. What would it be like when they could actually live as husband and wife?
"No, but I'm sure he'll be here any minute. He wanted to be with us when we meet up with Francine. She might not believe we're heading up this raid otherwise."
"Not after our performance this afternoon," Amanda said, and he could hear the ironic sarcasm in her voice.
Lee lifted her hand to his lips and kissed her knuckles. "I meant to tell you this before, when you first got to the apartment." Lee sensed more than saw her turn toward him, and her smirk was almost tangible, "Okay, so I got sidetracked."
"Sidetracked?" she said in a high-pitched spurt.
Lee laughed. "Okay, sidetracked is a far from adequate word. But I did mean to tell you - I really hated what I had to say."
"Sweetheart, I know."
"I know you know, I just need to say it."
Amanda leaned across the small space between them and laid her head on his shoulder. Lee turned just enough to kiss her forehead. Her hair smelled like tangerines and was still slightly damp from the shower they took before preparing to meet Billy.
"I know, Lee. And I think I needed to hear you say it."
Comfortable silence settled again between them as Lee continued to scan the street and parking lot. Amanda sighed heavily.
"What are you thinking about?"
"Oh, just wondering what we should do with our extended vacation."
"You know, I hadn't even thought about it. There has been so much going on it slipped my mind. What do you want to do?"
Amanda sat up again and twisted in the bucket seat so her back was against the door. She pulled one leg up and wrapped her arms around it to pull her knee to her chest. The light of the moon was just bright enough to highlight the features of her face. God, she was beautiful.
"Well, we still have a lot of bridges to rebuild."
Lee nodded deeply, resting his wrist on the top of his steering wheel and flexing his fingers. "Yes, we do."
"We could take a trip as a family."
"That sounds fun," Lee said, images of spending time with Phillip and Jamie flashing through his mind.
"Where is the Colonel posted now?"
"Colorado. Do you want to go see my Uncle?" he asked in surprise.
Amanda shrugged. "I'm just thinking out loud. You know we have to tell him, too."
Lee scrunched the corners of his eyes and shook his head once. "I know, but I'm not worried about it. The Colonel won't see it the way everyone else did. In fact, believe it or not, he might be the most understanding."
"There is something else we should consider," Amanda said, the slow tone of her voice implying it was going to be a doozie.
Lee took his eyes off the parking lot again to look to her. "Oh, boy. This should be good."
Amanda leaned forward and touched his arm, her finger curling around to brush his side. "Lee, we should talk about you moving into the house. I mean, that is, if that's what you want."
A smile spread across his face and he covered her hand with his own. "Amanda, there is nothing I want more. It's what I've always wanted. And you're right, we should talk about it."
"But we should talk about it with Mother and the boys," she finished.
Lee nodded. "Exactly."
A loud rapping on Lee's window ended the discussion. He twisted to see Billy standing outside the car, dressed head to toe in black, just like he and Amanda. They exited the car and Amanda came around to the driver's side to speak with their superior, her hands pushed into the front pockets of her jeans.
"Is everything ready?" Lee asked.
Billy nodded, but he could barely be seen in the darkness. "Francine will be here shortly. Then we'll let her know you're in on this."
"Is she going to be upset, sir?" Amanda asked. "I mean, we kind of tricked her earlier today."
Billy smiled, his teeth flashing white. "I can pretty much guarantee it."
Their relationship with Francine Desmond was definitely of the love-hate variety. She was the type of woman you loved to hate, but in a pinch, she was the one you wanted by your side. Francine was a good agent, and although she would probably not even admit it under the worst interrogation situation, she was a good friend. Amanda had told him how Francine sat with her for an hour after he left, until she was 'calmed down'. Not really offering words of advice or comfort, just kind of being there.
The three agents walked across the parking lot to a side alley that led indirectly to the dock they wanted. Francine had established a small command center in an empty wing of a warehouse, and her orders of preparation could be heard as they came through the side door. She was busy handing out five-by-seven glossies of Anthony Mancini to all the armed and outfitted TAC team members.
"We're going to set up a perimeter around the ship we suspect to be the means of transport for the weapons. Now, for the first hour or so, we are strictly observing. Those of you while cameras, take photos liberally. We want as much evidence as possible when all is said and done."
Billy led the way through the open space, walking several paces in front of Lee and Amanda. Amanda crossed her arms over her body and Lee saw her glance around the dark, cavernous warehouse. He pressed his hand against her spine and rubbed his palm along her sweatshirt until it rested on her shoulder.
"Hey. You okay?" he asked.
"Oh, sure!" she said just a tad too adamantly.
"A-man-da," he said, squeezing her shoulder.
She looked up at him with a shrug and slanted grin. "You know me pretty well. I'm just not much of a fan of warehouses."
"Yah," Lee said, shifting his hand enough to touch her cheek with his thumb. "I'm not much of a fan myself."
Amanda smiled and moved to walk closer to him, her arm brushing his side. They neared their group of peers, but still stood behind Francine and Billy. Francine was still unaware of their presence.
"We will keep in contact with earphones and small mouth transmitters. Do not move in until you hear from -."
"Scarecrow," Billy interrupted.
Francine spun around to question Billy, and her eyes widened when she saw Lee and Amanda standing nearby. Lee had to give her credit. She regained her composure immediately, squaring her shoulder and straightening her spine as she looked from Billy to them.
"Scarecrow," she said, as if finishing her previous sentence, but her voice had an obvious tension laced through it. She turned on her heels to face the other agents. "He will make the call to move in. Anything you want to add, Scarecrow?"
Lee reluctantly dropped his hand from Amanda's shoulder and stepped forward. "I don't need to tell you this is big. The Agency has been after Mancini for years, and we want him brought down. There is no room for mistakes tonight."
They went over the stakeout pattern once again, so there was no question where each shooter and agent was to be. The radio equipment was checked and checked again. Finally, at quarter past ten they all began to move out, heading silently to their posts.
Lee found his wife standing near the set up of radio equipment, her arms crossed over her body and her fingertips drumming her upper arms. He pressed his hand against her back when he reached her.
"Hey, pretty lady," he whispered and was immediately rewarded with her warm smile.
"Hi, yourself."
"You look like you were pretty deep in thought about something. Want to tell me?" Lee asked, taking the last few minutes before he had to leave as an opportunity to wrap his arms around his wife and rest his chin on the top of her head. She leaned back into him and laid her hands on his arms.
"I was thinking that my assignment for this evening didn't seem to be covered in the agenda. Are you planning on telling me to stay in the car? Because I'll tell you right now, I'm not."
Lee had to laugh at her adamant tone. "No, I'm not going to ask you to wait in the car. I'm going to ask you to play a role you've played before."
She twisted enough to look up at him. "Oh?"
"I need you to be my eyes. See the places I can't see when I'm down there on the dock."
Amanda settled back into his embrace, and he knew she understood what he meant. It was, indeed, a role she had played before. When they were on the run during the Stemwinder case, she had been his lookout and his backup when they met Rostov at an empty football stadium in an attempt to clear their names. And when he was poisoned, just a week before their wedding, it was her voice that led him through the Russian Embassy and brought him back out again. During many cases since then, Amanda had been his guide and his guardian angel, whispering the way in his ear.
"You know it drives me crazy not to be there with you," she said in a husky voice.
"I know, Amanda, but this is going to be dangerous. More dangerous than usual. I need to know you're going to be safe. And I need you to get me in and out alive."
Amanda turned in the circle of his embrace and wrapped her arms around him. She pressed her cheek against his chest, and Lee stroked her hair.
"I will. I promise."
SMK ~~~ SMK ~~~ SMK ~~~ SMK
**Stakeout Friday night - 10:56PM**
Amanda stood against the giant window that looked down on the freighter ship in docking slip 47B from three stories up. She held the high power, night vision binoculars to her eyes and scanned the deck of the ship below. Several workers moved about busily, carrying crates and boxes of various sizes into the cargo hold. Two forklifts moved in and out of the belly of the ship, moving pallets of cargo.
With a slight shift of stance, Amanda scanned the dock area surrounding the ship. With a trained eye, and the knowledge of where to look, she spotted all of the approaching agents except for those beyond her realm of view. Everything appeared in strange green and black shades through the night vision lenses.
"Amanda?" she heard Lee's voice whisper in her ear.
She adjusted the mouthpiece to rest at the corner of her lips and looked down to the dock again, scanning where she knew her husband crouched in waiting.
"I'm here. You're coming in good and strong."
"Good," he answered and his voice was nearly drowned out by a rustling, crackling sound. Amanda watched him shifting in his position.
"I'm getting a lot of background noise from your clothes, Lee."
"Well, there's nothing we can do about that at this point. Is everyone in place?"
On cue, the leader of each team reported in.
"Alpha Red Leader - in position."
"Alpha Blue Leader - in position."
"Alpha Green Leader - in position and ready to roll."
"Alpha Orange Leader - all set here."
"Alpha Yellow in position, Scarecrow," Francine's voice said as the final leader to check in.
"How is it looking, Amanda? Do you see anything we need to know?" Lee asked.
Amanda shifted her view back to the ship, not wanting to take her eyes off Lee but knowing she had to. "Nothing unusual. There are between a half dozen and maybe ten workers total, moving cargo crates onto the ship; some through the hull door and some down through the deck hatch."
"Any sign of Mancini?"
"No." Amanda leaned forward, as if the fraction of an inch would make the ship easier to view. Her binoculars bumped the glass.
"Keep your eyes open. It does little to no good to move in if we aren't going to get Mancini."
"Got it," she confirmed and continued to scan the setting below her.
As she watched, a dark car - probably a Monte Carlo - pulled up from the opposite direction and stopped near the ramp. The driver jumped out and walked around the front of the vehicle.
"Amanda," Lee's voice came in her ear.
"I'm checking it out," Amanda came back quickly, not needing him to ask the question to know that he saw the car, too.
The driver opened the back passenger door, and a man stepped out. His back was to Amanda, so she couldn't yet identify him. The dockmaster came down off the ship and approached the mystery man. They talked and shook hands, and as they walked toward the ship, the new man turned.
"Lee, it's Mancini!" Amanda burst out, a flood like a cold Atlantic wave hit her at the site of him. Memories flashed in her mind of his strong hand smothering her mouth and his wicked voice slithering in her ear like the serpent in the Garden of Eden.
"Hold on everyone!" Lee instructed. "Let's see if we get something powerful to work with. Keep your eyes on him, Amanda."
Amanda nodded, even though there was no one there to see her. She watched as Mancini walked to a crate that sat waiting to be loaded. The dockmaster produced a crowbar and pried open the wooden box, pushing shredded packing material out of the way.
Mancini reached inside and extricated a large weapon from the stuffing. From this distance, Amanda could not positively identify the weapon, but she thought it might be an M16. Her weapons identification wasn't great, but she didn't need to know exactly what it was - knowing it was a weapon as enough.
"Lee, he just opened a crate and pulled out a very large, very nasty looking gun. He looks like he's inspecting it."
"That's all we needed to hear. All teams, move in on my mark." Brief pause. "Now!"
The ensuing flood of noise in her ear was almost enough to make Amanda pull the earpiece out - but she just winced and listened, watching through her binoculars. Agents rushed in from all directions, weapons aimed and ready, taking down everyone in site.
"Don't move, Mancini!" Lee yelled, and Amanda watched with rapped attention as he made a direct line for Anthony Mancini.
Her heart pounded irratically, and Amanda fought to keep her breath steady and calm as she watched her husband bear down on the man that had been the thorn in his side for three years. She wanted to whisper to him to be careful, to mumble a prayer for his safety, but pressed her lips together tightly and did the only thing she could do. Watch helplessly. Anything she said would not only go to his ears, but to every agent down there risking their lives.
Lee moved toward Mancini, his weapon drawn and aimed. "Everyone step away!" he instructed of the dockworkers and Mancini associates, motioning with the wave of his gun for everyone anywhere near Mancini to move back. Everyone complied. Amanda held her breath as Lee walked right up to Mancini.
She heard Mancini's sadistic laugh echo back to her. He and Lee stood close enough his voice was picked up by Lee's transmitter. It was strange, connecting the actions of the men so far away with the sounds and voices in her ear. But just the hint of the man's cold cackle made Amanda flinch.
"I can see I grossly underestimated you, Scarecrow."
"Big mistake, Mancini. This is it for you."
Mancini stood with his hands held at shoulder level, away from his body, and glanced around. "So it would seem. I don't see your pretty little partner anywhere, Scarecrow. She always made our little tete-a-tete's more interesting. Don't you think?"
"Watch it, Mancini. All I need is a good excuse."
Billy and Francine joined Lee, each pushing a handcuffed detainee along with them. Throughout the entire dock area, agents were rounding up anyone and everyone who might be remotely connected to the outgoing shipment. Amanda knew some were completely innocent and ignorant to what was really going on. They would be weeded out and send on their way. Those with any information, but not necessarily part of it, would be pumped for whatever they could offer so it could be turned around on Mancini. Those involved would hopefully never breathe free air again.
"I heard I caused you a bit of trouble, Scarecrow. Hope your stepson isn't too traumatized by our time again. He's a feisty boy. Tried to get away more than once. I told my men not to hurt him, but I'm afraid they got carried away."
Having to listen to this monster talk about her son like that, and remembering the anger and fear in Jamie's eyes, made Amanda as angry as she was heartbroken. She gasped and jumped as Lee lunged forward, slamming Mancini back into a stack of crates, bending the man back over them. Lee's forearm pressed against Mancini's throat, and she could hear the labored breath of both men rasping over the earpiece.
"You worthless son of a!" The end of Lee's statement was lost in the physical struggle as Mancini pushed back against him.
Amanda pressed her palm against the cold glass, holding the binoculars with one hand. Billy grabbed Lee's shoulders and yanked him back while two other armed agents subdued Mancini.
"Oh, Lee," Amanda whispered, not thinking about or caring if the other agents on the circuit heard her.
A motion caught her eye and Amanda shifted her vision to a stack of crates thirty-five feet down the dock from where Lee stood. Her breath caught and her heart jumped when she saw a man lean over the top crate and level an automatic rifle at Lee.
"Lee," she said urgently. "Down the dock. Someone with a gun."
All the agents shifted into action, hunkering down and turning in the direction Amanda indicated. Shots rang out, the bright flashes of their rifles glowing white through the night vision goggles. Amanda yanked the binoculars away from her eyes, the burst of light momentarily blinding her.
The thunder of shots echoed through the night. Amanda cupped her hands around her eyes and pressed her face against the glass. All she could see was dozen of red bursts from all directions indicating the gunplay below.
"Don't let Mancini loose!" Lee shouted and Amanda was thankful she had that connection to him, even if she couldn't see him.
"Get him down! Get him down!" someone ordered.
"Get the gun!"
"Grab Mancini!"
Amanda heard another shot, this one echoing through her earpiece. Which meant it was close to someone. She only prayed it wasn't Lee.
"Murphy! Murphy!" There was a scuffle. "Murphy's down!"
"Damn it!" Lee cursed. "Mancini!"
Amanda didn't have to see what was going to know. Somehow Mancini had broken away during the gunfire melee. As long as the shots were going off, she couldn't use the binoculars, and she slammed the flat of her fist against the glass in frustration.
"Amanda, Mancini is on the run!" Lee's voice came to her. "Can you see him? Which way did he go?"
"I can't see! The gunfire is blinding with the night vision," she answered in frustration.
"Damn it!"
The echo of struggles and voices dimmed, to be replaced by the steady pounding of Lee's footsteps as he ran along the dock in search of Mancini.
"I'm down near the end of the pier. Can you look in this direction without the gunfire blinding you?"
"I'll try."
Amanda lifted the binoculars to her eyes again and scanned the dock below. She caught sight of Lee, crouched behind a pylon with his handgun at the ready. His hazel eyes shimmered an eerie light green through the special lenses as he glanced up at her position.
"I see you, but I don't see him. I'm still looking."
The background noise of the other agents finishing up the bust became distracting, and Amanda mumbled her sentiments under her breath. She continued to scan. Lee ordered all other agents on the frequency to break off, and when they did, the silence that settled gave Amanda the calm she needed to continue her search. The only sound she could hear was Lee's heavy breathing as he waited for her response.
"I'm moving further down the dock," he told her.
"Okay. I don't see him."
Lee cursed again, a tad more colorfully than before, and moved from his hiding place to edge down the pier.
"Be careful," she pleaded in barely a whisper.
"His careful won't be careful enough," said a voice behind her that Amanda remembered all to well.
She spun around to face Anthony Mancini. He stood so close her hand hit his arm as she twisted. A gasp caught in her throat. Amanda thought of calling out to Lee, but immediately saw the futility of it when Mancini held up the disconnected cord of her headset. Nothing she said would carry beyond the walls around her. One step back brought Amanda's spine against the glass behind her.
"What's that cigarette ad say? You've come a long way, baby. At our first encounter, Mrs. King, hardly anyone who was anyone knew who you were. You were just the wide-eyed and faithful assistant to the great Scarecrow. Now, I might dare say you've found your niche. Your groove, as they say. Why, you're almost part of the team."
Amanda remained silent, watching him intently and trying to formulate a means of both escape and capture.
"Oh, I'm sorry. It's Mrs. Stetson now, isn't it? I hope I didn't offend you."
"Not at all," she said, finding her voice.
"Good. I would hate to be accused of offending a lady." His hand came up and Mancini touched her cheek, rubbing the back of his knuckle along her jaw line.
Amanda turned away, pushing down the wave of panic. Once upon a time she would have been to afraid to think or act, but not anymore. That was the one thing she had as an advantage. Mancini had no idea what or who he was really dealing with. Was she afraid? Yes. She knew what he was capable of. Would she let it paralyze her? Not in this lifetime.
"Please," she whispered, letting a quiver take over her throat. "Please don't."
He didn't move away, but took a step closer until Amanda was sandwiched between him and the glass behind her. His finger left her cheek to move down her throat and along her shoulder, pushing the collar of her sweatshirt open. She didn't have to look down to know he found the now barely visible scar near her collarbone. He brought his other hand up to rub the blemish with the muzzle of his pistol.
"Is this the mark left by your lover's bullet? Was he your lover then? I know he wasn't your secret husband then."
Mancini leaned into her, his nose brushing her face and his breath shifting her hair. Amanda wanted to double her fist and swing, but he was too close for a hit to be effective, so she bought her time.
"I watched the two of you. After he thought we were gone. I watched him kneel over your body and beg for you **not to leave him**." The tone of his voice was mocking, but it only succeeded in making her more angry. "I watched him rip open your shirt and try to staunch the flow of blood with his own hands. It was so touching. Almost made me misty."
Amanda waited until she felt the subtle shift in his stance that told her he was letting some of his guard down. He thought he had her too intimidated to fight back. Chump. Recalling the many lessons she had taken with Leatherneck and Dr. Pain, Amanda pushed her foot between his ankles, took his arm in a maneuverable hold, and threw her weight into her hip. With a grunt, Mancini fell and landed on the hard concrete, pulling Amanda down with him.
Amanda used the momentum of the fall to her advantage and kept them rolling. Her shoulder slammed painfully into the hard floor, and as they rolled the leg of the table containing their sound equipment dug into her back. Mancini had a good hundred pounds on Amanda and she quickly lost any footing she had gained as he tossed her like a ragdoll into the table leg again. The sound equipment rained down on them. A loud groan escaped Mancini as the recording apparatus landed on his thigh.
She tried to use the opportunity to break away, and nearly made it to her feet when he grabbed her arms and yanked her back, his fingers digging painfully into her skin. Amanda got a hold on another piece of radio equipment and threw it back over her shoulder, hitting him on the side of the head.
"Ow!" he howled. "You little bitch!"
Amanda twisted and came up on her hands and feet, lunging forward to free herself from the range of any more electrical equipment that could come her way. She spotted Mancini's gun lying on the ground eight feet away and lunged for it.
Mancini lunged at the same time. Their hands closed around the handle of the weapon at the same time. Amanda's fingers curled into the trigger ring and Mancini's hand covered hers, digging the sharper points of the weapon into the palm of her hand.
"Oh, no you don't!" he cursed and shoved Amanda with his shoulder, trying to gain the upper hand in the battle over the weapon.
Amanda didn't think about what she needed to do, she just did it. They struggled again, the power shifting from one to the other, until Mancini twisted her around and pinned her to the ground with the weight of his body and the gun pointed away from them, somewhere over Amanda's head.
Mancini smirked down at her, blood dripping from the gash across his forehead to mingle with the sweat that glistened on his skin.
"Feisty one, aren't ya?" he hissed out.
Amanda tried to shift, but he slammed her shoulders back into the concrete, her head bouncing with a dull thud. Black spots flashed in front of her eyes, but she refused to pass out. With a twist and lunge, Amanda closed both hands around the pistol but her arms were pinned over her head. A scream of frustration squeezed through her clenched teeth as she fought with every ounce of strength she had.
Lee took the stairs two at a time, rushing to the third floor level he knew Amanda had been stationed. A rush of panic, like a dozen wild birds beating against the inside of his chest in a feeble attempt to escape, pummeled him the moment the radio line went dead. Something told him he needed to get to Amanda. And now.
He hit the landing and reached for the sliding steel door that blocked his entrance, but before his fingers could close around the handle, a single shot rang out and echoed through the cavernous space beyond.
Lee yanked open the door with a pure adrenaline rush that left it crashing and clanging into its recessed pocket. He spun on the balls of his feet into the room, weapon drawn and ready. His pulse pounded at a furious pace in his temple as he scanned the room.
At first he saw nothing - no one. The table of recording equipment lay in sparking and broken heaps on the floor. Then he heard movement and scanned the floor. Protruding from behind the table were two sets of feet, mingled together, one of which he recognized as Amanda's. Heat rose up into his face when he realized the position they were in and he lunged forward.
"Mancini!" he shouted to get the man's attention.
He entered the room, his gun trained on the two people. The sight of Anthony Mancini on top of his wife churned his stomach and made him see red with the blood pounding in his temples. Lee came around the stack of equipment.
"Lee," Amanda's strained voice called to him as he got his first full look at them.
Amanda's hands sandwiched between their bodies and she tried to push Mancini's mass off her. Lee shoved his gun into his waistband and lunged forward, pulling the criminal off. Mancini rolled away with a groan, blood staining his shirt below his right shoulder. Amanda scurried away, grabbing Lee's arm as she came near him.
"I don't think he's dead," she whispered.
They linked fingers and Amanda held his hand with both hers. He hunkered down and pressed his fingertips against the side of Mancini's throat. Mancini groaned again and his head rolled to the side as his eyelids fluttered.
"No, he's not dead." Lee quickly forgot about Mancini and turned to his wife, releasing her hands to hold her face in his palms.
Her skin was pale and blood smeared her cheek as she took quick, short breaths. Amanda's hands trembled as she curled her fingers into his sweatshirt.
"Are you okay, Amanda? Did that bastard hurt you?"
Amanda nodded her head vigorously. "I'm fine. I'm okay."
Lee pulled her against him and hugged her fiercely, rubbing his cheek against her hair. "I heard the radio connection go dead and I just knew I had to get to you."
"I'm fine," she said again, wrapping her arms around his neck.
Remembering the task at hand, Lee pulled back and gently removed the headset that hooked around her ear. She reached up and helped him free the cable from where it tangled in her now-mussed hair. Lee stood and walked to the mangled mess that had been their expensive radio transmitter. With a flip or two of the switches, some knob turning, and one good whack, the equipment hummed back to life and Lee plugged the headset it.
As soon as he slipped the headset over his ear, he heard Billy's loud and annoyed voice booming over the earpiece.
"Scarecrow! Amanda! Respond!"
"I'm here, Billy. I need a medic unit in the warehouse. Stat."
"Amanda?" Billy asked.
"I want her checked over. She's got some cuts and bruises, but I don't think anything serious. It's Mancini. Bullet in the shoulder."
"On our way. We're just about done cleaning up down here."
Lee took the headphone off again and returned to Amanda's side. She was trying to stand, using the table near her as an anchor, and Lee immediately took over. He wrapped his arms around her waist as she straightened, and she moaned softly as she straightened her back.
"Where does it hurt?" he asked, concern making his voice tight.
A small sardonic chuckle escaped Amanda's lips as she reached back to touch the back of her head. Lee immediately followed with his own fingers and felt a large lump forming.
"Where doesn't it hurt might be an easier question to answer."
Mingled with the intense concern he felt for his wife's well being and the rush of adrenaline that flooded his veins, was a swelling sense of pride for the way his partner held her own. She obviously gave Mancini a run for his money.
Billy arrived just a few short minutes later, followed by four medical personnel. Three headed directly to Mancini and went to work preparing him for transportation. The fourth motioned Amanda to sit down in a chair he pulled, and Lee helped her ease down. While the paramedic checked his wife out, Billy pulled Lee to the side to get the rundown on what happened once radio contact was broken.
Lee told Billy what he knew, which was precious little. After running over the details of the bust, the paramedic who worked on Amanda came over to them.
"Is she okay?" Lee asked.
"Nothing that four or five days in bed and some TLC won't cure. She's bruised on her back and arms. The back appears to be a contusion from blunt impact, and her arms are physical. Meaning she was grabbed roughly. She's got a nasty knot on the back of her head, but I've ruled out a concussion. Other than that, some scrapes and cuts which I've dressed. Like I said, I recommend acouple days of rest and relaxation and she'll feel much better."
Lee nodded. "Thanks, Dave."
"What do you know about Mancini?" Billy asked.
"Shoulder wound, but nothing life threatening. Jake Paterson worked on him and said he thought he might have a fractured thigh. Mrs. King really gave him hell by the looks of it."
Lee smiled, pride once again swelling his heart in his chest. For the moment, the worries of Mancini and the future were gone. He looked past Dave to where Amana sat. She looked up and their eyes met. His wife smiled at him, her head tilted to the side and one shoulder lifted in a small shrug. A gesture that was so his wife. So Amanda.
"That's **Mrs. Stetson**, Dave."