CHAPTER SIX

Angel looked at Gwen after security brought her to Wes' office as per Angel's request. Gunn, Kate and Wes were on their way in. Harmony was in her office making sure no one went into Angel's and messed with the re-ruptured safe. Andrew and Spike helped oversee the security guards, shackling Gwen into the chair. She was still unconscious, looking like security had gotten in a few blows when she was down. Normally, he'd protest such treatment but he was hurting all over, especially where his scalp had been split open from the beating his son had given him. He knew he hadn't broken Connor's ankle, hadn't felt the pop, heard the tell tale crunch but he knew he had hurt the young man. He didn't like that but Connor had made it necessary. He regretted that Connor hadn't been captured along with Gwen. Spike lit up and Angel didn't protest. Gwen had fried the younger vampire pretty well. Angel was willing to make allowances.

"I'm still all tingly like my whole body is asleep," Andrew said.

"How'd she sneak past you? I thought you were going to be the advance lookout." Angel figured Andrew had, like he and Spike, fallen asleep until Harmony had her head bounced off the desk. He just wanted to hear the fantastical story he knew Andrew was likely to come up with.

"The two demons were on me before I had a chance to move," Andrew said.

"Gwen's not a demon and I'm not sure her partner is either," Angel said, honestly not sure what his son was, probably a hybrid like Doyle.

"At least the security guards got the Alatyr back." Andrew reached for it.

"Don't touch it, Andrew. That's the last warning," Angel said then his eyes snapped up to the office door. "Kate."

"Boy, she tore the crap out of you guys," Kate said coming in, looking fresh from bed. She stopped in front of Gwen.

"Gwen took out Spike and Andrew. Her partner got me," Angel said.

"Do we need to get someone from the infirmary up here?" Kate examined the bean bag induced knot of Gwen's head as Wesley arrived. "She has blood all over her."

"She's not bleeding any more," Spike said. "We'd know it. We can smell it."

"My word, they came back so fast," Wes said, looking shocked. "Did they get the Alatyr?"

Angel stepped aside so Wes could see it was safe.

"Connor must have given it to her then booked when he saw security. Guess we know which one has the balls in this partnership." Spike snorted.

"Connor who? Is that her accomplice's name? Kate asked.

"Yeah." Spike lit one cigarette from the tip of the other.

Angel saw the look on Wes' face, could practically see the wheels turning. His friend remembered that name on the box in the safe. He needed to steer Wes off that track. "Kate, you need to speak to your men. They opened up in the hallways on a business day with live ammo. There is blood all over the hallway and we're damn lucky that no one was killed since at least a half dozen bullets breeched the office walls. I was barely able to stop them from going outside with the guns. They weren't happy about taking the bean bag guns to Gwen."

Kate's lips tightened into an angry line. "I'll take care of that immediately. They're supposed to be carrying tasers. It's not the bad old days at the firm."

"None of this would have happened if Angel hadn't been holding back against the runt. I can't believe he got the better of you," Spike said, rubbing his chest where Gwen had shocked him. "What was up with that shit?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Angel said, nervously, willing Spike to shut up. From the slotted blue eyes staring at him, Angel knew Spike wasn't convinced. Spike know Angel fought and could easily spot Angel hadn't given it his all and worse, Wesley was looking at him curiously, too.

Gunn walked in and scowled, seeing Gwen sagging in the chair. "Did you kill her?"

"She should be coming around soon," Angel said. "The guards got a little enthusiastic."

"And her accomplice?" Gunn inquired.

"Long gone."

"Am I the only one thinking we need a better place to keep this damn thing?" Gunn gestured to the Alatyr then went over to Gwen, touching her cheek. "It's a shame. I really liked her. Always thought maybe we could have gotten her to work with us, do some good. She's not an evil person, just kinda lonely because of her powers."

"I think the word you want is greedy. I saw that bloody bint's house," Spike grumbled, not inclined to be forgiving.

"That's your last cigarette Spike," Angel said, watching him digging in his pocket for the pack. "And Gunn, for what it's worth, I liked Gwen, too. She and her partner could have dusted me, Spike and Harmony but they didn't. They just wanted the Alatyr. Gwen was unarmed."

"She's a bloody weapon in and of herself," Spike argued. " But I'm just as glad she didn't dust us but her partner was willing to douse us with holy water and bust out the windows."

"Maybe he just doesn't like vampires," Wes said with a faint smile. "It's been known to happen."

"Um, she's waking up." Andrew pointed a finger at Gwen who groaned.

Gwen lifted her head, her eyes squinting trying to regain focus. She struggled against the leather cuffs. "Connor?"

"You have bigger problems than your boyfriend running out on you," Spike said, getting to his feet. "Like me."

Gwen scowled up at him. "Did you at least get the idiots who rammed our car?" She nodded at the Alatyr. "They were after that, too."

"Someone rammed your car?" Angel's brow furrowed. "Security didn't mention that."

"Connor was hurt," Gwen said. "He sent me running because he couldn't go as fast. Your people shot him."

"That happens when you steal things," Andrew said.

"He was shot? How bad?" Gunn asked. "With our luck, he'll sue for excessive force."

"I don't know how seriously. He said it wasn't too bad. I thought it might be a graze but he was bleeding all over," Gwen said, her eyes wide with concern.

Angel saw the fear in her eyes. He felt it in his own heart. What if Connor was somewhere bleeding to death because they had his means of escape tied up here in the office? "Kate, I want a full report on this. No one mentioned anyone getting shot, or a car accident or someone else being after the Alatyr. Send out a team to sweep the area and make sure her partner isn't holed up bleeding somewhere. I'm just hoping it was Ethan who rammed their car since at least we knew he was in the game."

"I'll get right on it."

"In the meantime why don't she tell us what the hell her partner is." Spike's face morphed as he leaned over Gwen but she looked unimpressed. "He smelled human but he sure didn't move like one."

"He's special, like me, a freak," Gwen said, wryly. "We were born this way. Asking why doesn't exactly get answers."

"I can't believe you'd steal from us, Gwen. I thought we had an understanding." Gunn favored her with a sad smile.

"The prize was too tempting, Gunn." Gwen's lips pulled into a quick smile. "Can you possibly loosen these shackles up. I can't feel my hands."

"You're not going anywhere, sister," Andrew said, going over to her.

She shot him an incredulous look. "What? You think you can just turn me over to the police? They aren't equipped to handle me and last time I looked, this law firm likes to avoid police entanglements."

"We do have places here we can hold you," Kate said.

"I guess whining about my civil rights isn't going to get me anywhere." Gwen gave her bonds another tug. "Fine, it's not like Connor is just going to let you keep me here."

"Do you think he'll come anywhere near this? He knows we have you and he knows you can sell him out, cut a deal and let him take the fall for theft. He'll be doing the dime in San Quentin while you go free," Gunn suggested, sitting on the edge of Angel's desk.

Gwen laughed. "Connor will come and I'm not the least bit worried about a trial or what he'd do if it came to that."

"Angel, you have a file on someone with the name Connor in your safe," Wes said. "Why?"

Kate turned and looked at the vampire. "Angel?"

"It's not what you're thinking."

"Care to explain this?" Kate asked.

"He's probably in league with them so the Council doesn't get the Alatyr," Andrew said, glaring at the vampire as he sat back down.

"Right, that's it exactly," Angel said. "And I got the holy water burns and the busted open head to make it look good." Angel thought for a moment then added. "Connor Reilly was brought to me several years back. He was a freshman in college when he was hit by a van, surely you remember that, Wesley. You met his parents first."

"I...oh, oh, I didn't remember. You're right. It's the same boy. The van intentionally crushed him into the garage and drove off. He was totally uninjured," Wes said.

Angel nodded. "Yes, and I said we didn't have time to waste on small stuff."

"And we turned down the Reilly's case." Wes frowned. "I always thought we shouldn't have done that and this bears me out."

Angel threw open his arms. "You were right, I was wrong. There was something different about him and it wasn't just dumb luck he wasn't hurt." He hoped that would be an end to it. "That was just some of the stuff that was started on that case and archived."

"In your safe?" Gunn looked perplexed. "Why would it be there?"

"I was purging old files and ran out of time and just threw it in there so no one would get their hands on it. Confidentiality and all that." Angel hoped that would be an end to it. "Kate, why don't you get on security and find out why they left stuff out of the report while we make arrangements for Gwen to stay."

"That's not going to be necessary." Connor walked in, two pistols, one real, one a squirt gun, out and at the ready. "Gwen will be coming with me."

"Told you." Gwen favored them with a superior smirk.

Connor pulled his suit jacket back on, looking at the glass monolith before him. The gunshot wound on his side had stopped bleeding but it still burnt like a brand. His right shoulder, hip and knee were swollen and bruised from taking the brunt of the car wreck. They weren't serious injuries though. He'd been in far worse accidents. His ankle ached miserably but he couldn't worry about that. The fact that his wife was now a prisoner inside of Wolfram and Hart left no room for worry or self-pity or pain.

He didn't trust the firm not to hurt her. He didn't have time to go back to Malibu and properly outfit himself for a rescue mission so he improvised. He washed his blood-soaked shirt the best he could in a public rest room, thinking up a bootstrap plan. The shirt hadn't dried well under the hand-dryer but at least it wasn't reeking any more and would be less noticeable should his jacket gape open.

Connor had gone into a drug store and bought some gauze, tape, an ankle brace and another water pistol. He covered the bullet wound the best he could and painfully shoved his aching ankle into the brace before heading to the nearest Catholic church. He broke into the sacristy and tapped the large water cooler like font of holy water to fill his pistol. Connor snagged some holy Eucharist, wondering what would happen if he shoved them down a vampire's throat. Connor paused to light a candle after making a donation and sent up a prayer to St. Dismas, the patron saint of thieves.

The Irish Catholic in him satisfied with the offering to his patron, Connor limped into Wolfram and Hart, slithering past the front door guards. He trusted his tattoos to keep him unseen by the cameras and he stalked the halls looking for a lone guard and trying to scent Gwen. He found the guard and cornered him near the doors to the employee restroom with a question about safety in 'his' office after the morning's shoot out. The guard didn't even ask if Connor was an employee. Connor easily got close enough to put him in a choke hold. He counted to ten before letting the man go. Ten seconds and the brain would recover, no problems. Twenty seconds or longer and he'd make the man a vegetable.

He took the man into the restroom and set him in a stall. Connor pulled on the gloves he carried in his jacket pocket in case he had to steal a getaway car. He used them to steal the guard's gun and ammo. He didn't want to shoot anyone but he knew they wouldn't be so considerate of him. He locked the stall then swung out over the top of it, gritting his teeth as his sore ankle absorbed the energy of the landing.

First, he looked in Angel's office but Gwen wasn't there. He only smelled the vampire receptionist and didn't go any closer. He worked down the floors from there, finally catching Gwen's scent and followed it. He listened in the hallway, drinking in the scents, sifting through them; Angel, Gwen, the blond male vampire and the young man they had disabled in the outer office. There were two other men, one he thought had been in his house, and the other was entirely foreign. There was a woman he didn't know as well. Way too damn many people.

There was nothing he could do about that, and they were threatening to hurt Gwen. Connor knew he needed to go in guns blazing, more or less. He had an escape plan in mind. He knew that he could survive a fall if he had to. The landing would be a bitch but the brace had taken some of the pain away. Even carrying Gwen, he should be all right. He was gambling their lives on it.

He took out the Glock he had stolen and the water pistol and walked in. "That's not going to be necessary. Gwen will be coming with me."

The blond vampire cocked an eyebrow and said, "Hell, he does have a pair on him, after all."

"Gwen, are you all right?" Connor asked, ignoring the leech.

"Killer headache but I'll be fine," she replied.

"Why don't you put down the gun and we can talk about this," the blonde woman said softly but firmly.

Connor flashed her a smile. "You were a cop once, weren't you? You still talk like one. I don't want to have to use this but if I have to, you need to understand I'm a very good shot." To prove it, he pegged the blond vampire right between the eyes with the water pistol and the creature fell back, swearing colorfully as he wiped away the offensive liquid. "So why don't you just untie Gwen and we'll leave you alone."

No one moved for a moment. Connor made note of where they all were. The lady cop and a tall dark haired man were closest to him. Angel was behind the desk where the Alatyr sat. Gwen was next to the desk with a lean African American man at her side. The runt Gwen had fried earlier was in a chair by the window, right in the path of Connor's escape route, figuring the security guards would be up his backside sooner or later. The blond vampire was between him and the windows as well. "Let's all put our hands up so we're not tempted to trip a silent alarm," Connor said.

"Do you think the guards haven't already seen you on the cameras?" the lady cop asked.

"He knows they haven't," Gwen said.

"A spell, like the one Lindsey had?" the dark-haired man asked of Angel.

"I think so," Angel said.

Connor gestured at the dark-skinned man with the Glock. "You're closest, you free her."

"Y-y-you won't get away with the Alatyr again," the short man in the chair by the window said, standing up. "We won't let you."

"Look, this is one of the guard's guns." Connor pointed it at the man. "I wouldn't use a Glock because a half pull on the trigger is the only safety. If I get nervous, I might accidently shoot you so sit down and shut up."

"I'd do what he says Andrew," the dark-haired man said.

"I'm losing patience. Set Gwen free, please."

"You have a problem," Angel said. "You can't free Gwen with guns in your hands and if you set them down, we'll have you incapacitated in a heart beat. We aren't going to free her for you."

"Really? Fine, I'll start shooting and I'll start with you. I know it won't kill you but I bet if I knee cap you, you're going to be in agony for a few days until that undead body of yours heals itself." Connor's eyes narrowed. "Wonder what would happen if I put a bullet in your head."

"Let's not find out," the lady cop said, making downward gestures with her hands trying to calm him.

"Told you he'd show up. We should have been better prepared," the African American man said. "Think about what you're doing. I know you're worried about what your partner might say in court, how much jail time you'll do if she testifies but think of how much worse it'll be if you shoot one of us."

"Oh great, let me guess, you're the lawyer. I suppose this place is crawling with them," Connor said with disdain. "Wonder what would the general public would cheer more, me killing a vampire or me killing a lawyer?"

"We're not going to find out," Angel said, taking a step away from the desk and got pegged by the water pistol. "Damn, when did those things get made so they can do more than dribble?"

"I don't see anyone freeing Gwen."

"Maybe she's not interested in going with you. I don't see her struggling," the lawyer said, gesturing at Gwen. "Maybe she's already sold you out to us."

Connor laughed. "Even if she did, it would do you no good." He shoved the water pistol in his waistband and wiggled his ring finger, flashing the platinum band. "Gwen's not my partner, she's my wife. Even if she did talk, which I know she didn't, you couldn't use it. I'm not afraid of that. I'm just here to make sure you idiots don't hurt her."

"You're married?" The lawyer looked crushed as he addressed that to Gwen.

She shrugged as much as she could trussed up. "Sorry, Gunn."

"You know him, too? Do you know everyone here, Gwen?" Connor asked, irritatedly. The fingers of his left hand curled on the door jamb and the wood creaked ominously.

"About half of them. Gunn helped me steal Lisa," Gwen said.

"I didn't need to know that. Now I feel like thanking him." Connor grimaced. "So he'd better start unshackling you before I lose that good feeling."

Angel moved out from behind the desk, coming in on Connor's now unarmed side. Connor ripped off the door jamb he had his fingers around and hurled the long strip of wood, piercing Angel straight through. The vampire fell with a grunt and Connor twisted, getting the water pistol back in hand as the blond vampire started moving. The second bloodsucker backed off, hands up.

"Don't you bloody shoot me again," he warned. "I'm not going to rush you."

"I'm done playing," Connor said as the lady cop knelt at Angel's side, trying to help extract the make-shift spear.

"Just let him have his damn wife," the blond vampire said.

Gunn grimaced and Connor's finger started pulling the Glock's trigger. Gunn undid the shackles then dived for the desk. Connor heard his hand hit the desk.

"That was the alarm. How long do you think it'll take for the guards to get here?" the dark-haired man asked.

Shoving the water pistol in a pocket this time, Connor didn't even bother to glance down the hall. He jumped over Angel and the lady cop, snagging the Alatyr. He gestured to the window and Gwen nodded her understanding. The blond vampire blocked his way. Connor shot him twice, the bullets tearing through flesh and bone and into the glass behind him. As the window shattered, the bleeding vampire rolled out of the path of the sunlight.

Connor and Gwen raced for the window. To his surprise, Andrew jumped at him. Connor lost the gun as the man grabbed his arm. He twisted and his ankle sent fire up his leg. Connor stumbled and fell out the window. Gwen leapt on him, crushing herself to his chest, squashing the Alatyr between them. The motion yanked Andrew after them. He shrieked, finding himself in free fall from a skyscraper. Connor caught his hands, dragging him around to his back. Andrew, with all the survival instincts hardwired into his reptile brain, locked arms and legs over Connor and Gwen.

Connor had no idea how this much weight would throw off the landing but he couldn't kick free of the other man and let him die. He managed to twist so he could control the landing. Connor screamed in agony as his powerful legs cushioned the fall. He took a few awkward steps, trying to get his balance. He passed out momentarily, crumbling to the ground on top of Gwen. A moment later he heard her groaning and through tear-bleared vision saw the Alatyr rolling down the street, having been thrown free. Andrew rolled off him.

"Ohmigod, I'm not dead. How am I not dead? How did you do that?" the man babbled.

Connor couldn't talk, could barely breathe. He was afraid to look down, afraid he'd see his ankle bones sticking out through the skin. Gwen eased out from under him but she looked as shaken as he felt. He couldn't even tell her to go after the Alatyr.

"The Alatyr," Andrew cried, getting up.

Connor cursed himself for not at least falling over backwards and crushing Andrew instead of his wife. The little man raced after the stone. "Get it, Gwen."

Andrew scooped it up, looked back at them and started running. Gwen tried to hobble after him but Andrew hailed a cab on the busy street and clambered inside.

"Where the fuck is he going?" Connor growled, trying to get up.

"I have no idea." Gwen put her arms around him, shooting 'back off' looks to terrified pedestrians who had seen the fall. "Come on, babe, they'll be coming."

"Gwen, I can barely move."

She helped him up and took a page from Andrew's book. She hailed them a cab. Gwen shoved Connor inside and got in behind him. "Where to?" she whispered.

"Pick a place where we can get a car," he whispered back.

Gwen gave the cab driver instructions for the nearest mall then huddled with her husband in the back seat. "Should I have made that a hospital? You were thinking about one before the fall as it was."

He shook his head. "You know how I heal. Do you need one?"

"I'm fine...but I'm pretty sure I have a concussion." She touched her head where she had an egg from the bean bag barrage.

"Damn, we should go to the hospital then."

"No way, not like this. They'd be obligated to call the cops. I'll call Dr. Ungaretti when we get home. I know I can't take any aspirin, or risk bleeding into the brain," she said. "From the last time this happened."

He leaned back against the smelly cab seat. "We fucked this up bad."

"Yeah, the buyer isn't going to be happy. Do we go back after it again or do we just give it up?" She rested her head on his shoulder.

"The smart thing would be to just give it up but I'm so pissed I could kill." He punched a fist into the seat beside him.

"If that were true, you would have let the twit fall to his doom," she said. "You didn't even stake the vampire."

"Okay, so maybe not kill. How about maim?" He kissed her forehead. "I just don't want to lose you, baby."

"Not going to happen." Her eyes clouded. "You're not going to ask a million questions about Gunn, are you?"

"We all have pasts, Gwen. I don't need to know," he assured her. "We just need a way to track that damn stone. It didn't look like Andrew was taking it back inside. I thought he was working with them."

"I have no idea. Maybe he was heading for a new safe house with it," she said. "I think I know who to call for a tracking spell."

"Oh man, not the three nut jobs in the book store. Those ladies make me feel dumb," he moaned.

"They make everyone feel dumb." She patted his hand. "But has their magic ever failed us?"

"No, all right. Home, call the doctor, then the Florida Three. Ever wonder why they didn't stay there?" Connor tried to shift into a position that didn't hurt.

"Because they hated the humidity."

Gwen had to help him out of the cab and he barely could limp out into the parking lot of the mall. They took a car at the far end of the lot and headed back to Malibu.

Ethan hadn't expected manna from heaven when he and Kippendragr staked out Wolfram and Hart. He also hadn't expected to see three people falling to their deaths from the building. He turned his face even as Kippendragr leaned forward eagerly. The demon had been out of sorts ever since he had been smashed in the face by a manhole cover earlier in the day. Ethan had been trying to figure out a way to get into Wolfram and Hart and steal the Alatyr, seeing it being hauled back inside with Gwen. A triple homicide - he knew no one committed suicide in a threesome - wasn't on the menu.

"Damn, they didn't squash," Kippendragr groaned, disappointed.

Ethan looked up and saw all three on the sidewalk, all obviously not dead. "How'd they manage that?"

"The guy who clobbered me stuck the landing like a Russian gymnast...well, until he fell over. What the hell is he?" The demon reached under his hat to pull on his horns.

"Not a clue. Damn, there goes our prize into a cab," Ethan couldn't believe his bad luck.

"Well, at least it's not back inside the law firm where we can't get to it." Kippendragr shrugged. "That guy's on his lonesome. Think you can whip up another tracking spell?"

"For this, no problem. Let's get a car first," Ethan suggested. The Hummer they had stolen and crashed had been hustled away by the firm's security.

Kippendragr shoved his thick hand through a window then broke the steering column of a nearby older model Cadillac so he could hot-wire it. Ethan cast the spell on the tacky dashboard Jesus and the thing started point, gyrating and glowing to indicate the path of the cab the man with the Alatyr had taken. It led to an Econolodge not so far away. Ethan took the Jesus off the dashboard and let him point out the room on the second floor. They could hear the man inside jabbering loudly.

"I've got it, Mr. Giles. We don't need their help. Someone keeps trying to steal it from them. He nearly shot me then knocked me out of a skyscraper window and I don't know how we didn't all die and I can do this, trust me."

Ethan knocked but the man inside didn't answer. He pounded more loudly. "You'd better let us in."

Kippendragr shoved Ethan aside and shoved in the door with one kick.

"Giles, that Connor fellow must have found me!" the man was saying as Kippendragr took the door.

Ethan gestured and the phone flew out of the young man's hand and shattered against the wall. "Ripper doesn't need a full update."

"You aren't the thieves...you must be Rayne." The young man tried to puff out his chest and bluff his way into making them think he wasn't scared. "You can't have the stone either."

"Awww, isn't it sweet, he thinks he has a choice." Ethan smirked. "Just give it to us."

"Never."

Kippendragr's fist lashed out catching Andrew in the head cracking it open like an eggshell with a pink-grey yolk. He wiped the gore on the garish bedspread.

"Well, that was messy," Ethan said, curling his lip in disgust

"They'll think the other one did it. This one told them as much. We know he's strong enough to do this," Kippendragr said. "Hurry up and get the stone."

"Why don't you just do it?" Ethan pussyfooted around the spreading puddle of blood.

"My kind can't touch it," Kippendragr said as Ethan snatched it up and they both fled the hotel room, shutting the broken door the best they could to hide the body.

"Then why do you want it?"

"Because we're being well paid by a certain political party for it. They want to shove it under an Alaskan oil field to pump up the yield when they get the rights to rape it. My kind feeds off the decay of the earth. They keep screwing the place up and we get nice and fat," the demon replied.

Ethan shrugged. "I'm all for getting well paid. We'd better work on that plan to get out of town."

"We'll be making the transfer during the symphony in the glen at Griffith Park tomorrow," Kippendragr said.

"Oh great, nature." Ethan shuddered as they climbed back into their stolen car.

Author's Note - St. Dismas is a real Catholic saint. Check him out ?saintid=114