Chapter Eight
She felt calm, peaceful, and for the first time in a very, very, very long time she knew without a doubt what her name was.
Amanda.
Tears stung at her eyes as memories came flooding back to her like a tidal wave.
Lee.
Phillip and Jaime.
Mother.
IFF.
Francine and Billy and Mrs. Martsen and Leatherneck.
Her friends.
Her memories.
Her life!
Trying to raise a hand to wipe away a tear she frowned when she felt something tugging painfully at her skin. Opening her eyes she saw an IV needle sticking out of her arm and wondered what had happened. The last thing she could recall was sitting in the living room talking to Lee. Looking around, seeing that she was not in a hospital her senses went to full alert and she removed the IV from her arm. Getting out of the bed she inched her way towards the door at the far end of the empty room. Voices on the other side of the door made her freeze in her tacks but she relaxed when they passed by the door and continued on.
With slow, noiseless movements she opened the door and peeked out into the other side. The hallway itself was empty but she could see a man sitting at one end of it, a gun tucked into his waistband and a larger one on the floor by his feet. His back was to her but she knew she wouldn't be able to get far without his noticing. Looking the other way she smiled. There was a window at the end of the hallway and she could see a roof just beyond it. It was a possibility.
Glancing at the other man again she slid out of the room and tiptoed down the hallway to the window. It wasn't far and after glancing out of it for the briefest moment she hurried back to her room. This was going to take some planning.
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Taking a deep breath Amanda closed her eyes for a moment, picturing the reasons she was going to take such a risk. Lee, Jaime, Phillip, Mother; their images flashed into her mind and she knew she was going to do all she could to get out and to safety. Slipping from the room she glanced over her shoulder as she made her way to the window, the guard's attention caught up in the game that was on the screen.
Unlocking the latch she slid open the window, cringing when it made a small screeching noise. Glancing back again she prayed he hadn't noticed. With a sigh of relief she saw that he hadn't and hurriedly slipped out of the window, closing it behind her as she squatted on the roof. Gravel crunched under her feet as she hurried to the edge of the roof. Looking down over the edge she frowned at the two-story drop to the ground. There had to be a better way.
Hurrying to the other side she smiled at the sight of a delivery truck waiting just a few feet away from the building. Spotting a drainpipe she took hold of it and hung on for dear life, releasing her grip in little spurts to slide down the pipe until it was safe to let go and fall to the ground. As her feet hit the ground Amanda almost cried out in pain, her ankle giving out beneath her and she crumpled to the ground.
The truck engine sputtered to life and she forced herself to get up, hobbling toward the back end of the truck she pulled herself up and in, pulling a tarp over her as they neared the gate. Amanda could hear the guards let the driver through and she breathed a small sigh of relief.
She was out.
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Entering his office Renetti moved toward his desk and sat down. Taking a moment to light his cigar he turned on the monitor to watch his order being carried out. His eyes were glued to the screen, lit match burning down to his fingertips without his realizing it.
She was gone.
Fury boiled up within him. Even in a coma she had thwarted his plans. Furious he sounded the alarm, bells ringing throughout the complex. When the door to his office opened he looked up at the man who had entered with a deadly glare.
"Find her and kill her or I'll kill you myself."
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Lying in the back of the truck she could feel it start to slow down. Sitting up she looked around and saw that they had entered a city. Deciding to take a chance Amanda hurried out of the truck when it was stopped at a stop sign, moving as fast as she could to get out of sight. Waiting until the truck was gone she looked around to try and figure out where she was. Nothing looked familiar; the signs were in a language she couldn't read even though it did look slightly familiar to her. She assumed she was somewhere in Europe and Amanda wondered how she was going to be able to get in contact with anyone.
The American Embassy was out. For all she knew her kidnapper would have that place staked out, if not going so far as to have a man on the inside. Amanda had a good idea who her kidnapper was and if she was right she couldn't even call the agency. Suddenly she realized whom she could call. It was the only hope she had to get a message to Lee. Leaving the darkness of the alleyway she hobbled as quickly as she could to the nearest phone, punching in the numbers she knew by heart.
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Scarecrow.
He had to get to Scarecrow.
Running through the halls Winter apologized as he brushed past or through the people, not stopping to hear if they were okay with it or not. Running into the bullpen and headed straight for Lee's office, throwing the door open only to stop in confusion at the empty office. Turning on his heel he scanned the large room and caught sight of the man sitting in a conference room across the pen. Running to it he opened the door without bothering to knock.
"What the...!" several of the occupants cried.
Winter ignored them, looking right at Lee.
"We've got her!" he announced breathlessly, a smile filling his face. "Queen just got a message to me. BR called the safety line, she's out and she's injured but she's okay for now. She needs a pickup."
"Where is she?" Lee cried, jumping to his feet.
"We traced the call to a small city near the border of Italy."
Calling out orders Lee gathered a team together, putting himself in charge. As they drove do the airport, a plane already being gassed up, Lee dialed the number for the safehouse. When Jaime picked up he could hear the hope in the boys voice. "We're on our way to Italy to bring her home," Lee said.
Jaime's cheer nearly deafened him and he heard Phillip echo it in the background. After a short scuffle Dotty came on the line. "Lee?" her voice filled with joy and tears. "Is it true? You've found her?"
"We found her Dotty and she's awake." He heard her gasp. "That's all I've got, Dotty. As soon as I have more I'll call, I promise."
"Bring her home to us, Lee. Bring my baby home."
Promising he would Lee hung up the phone as the car careened into the airport. The team hurried out of the car and into the plane, the pilot already knowing exactly where he was going. After the tea had settled down, orders given out to everybody of what they were to do, Lee settled back into his seat and turned to face Winter.
"Tell me everything."
"We have a safety line that goes straight to Queen. BR called it and told us that she was okay and needed a pickup."
"What did she call herself?"
"Black Rose."
Nodding Lee turned to face the window, the fact that she'd called herself Black Rose echoing in his mind.
She still didn't remember him.
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Huddled down in the corner of a dark alley she was still waiting, trying desperately to ignore the rats that were running around the garbage can a few feet away. Shaking with cold and exhaustion she hugged her arms tighter around herself, fighting the tears that filled her eyes. It had been so many hours since she had called the safety line, surely they were going to be here soon. Doubt began to creep into her heart despite her efforts to keep it out. Dropping her head onto her arms she allowed her thoughts to drift to a far better place.
'You have a cute nose.'
Smiling she laughed a teary laugh and looked up to see Lee standing before her, his tuxedo taking her breath away for a moment. "I miss you so much!"
'I know,' he soothed her. 'I'm almost there, Manda, just hang on okay?'
"I'll try," she nodded, blinking away her tears. When she opened her eyes again he was gone but she smiled anyway and the cold didn't seem so bad anymore. Leaning her head back against the brick wall she was almost asleep, the star-studded velvet above lulling her to sleep, when she heard it.
Voices.
English.
"Lee?" she whispered.
Getting to her feet Amanda hurried out to the end of the alley, praying it was Lee. When she saw the men she froze in her tracks for a split second before backing back into the alley. Had they seen her? Backing away she scanned for a way out, seeing a open doorway a few feet away she took the chance and entered it. The building was pitch black and as she went farther in she stumbled over a table, the racket calling the attention of the men that were out there hunting for her. Muttering under her breath she gave up on stealth and ran for the nearest window.
Out the window and onto the street she ran with everything she had in her, ignoring the pain that was shooting up her ankle and into her knee as she fled for her life. Behind her she could hear them chasing, hear their yells as they called out orders to the men with them. Turning and turning again, trying to get away, Amanda soon discovered she was quite lost. Knowing better than to stop she kept running, her chest heaving with exertion, her entire leg numb with pain.
Passing an intersecting street she didn't see the car that was stopped at a stop sign or the blond woman that was behind the wheel. Amanda never head the yells for her to come to them, her mind too focused on getting away. Turning again she headed down a single lane street, knowing that at the other end she would find freedom, an entire forest of trees that she could see clear from the other end of the street. Urging herself to keep going her heart fell to the ground when a black sedan pulled up at the other end, blocking her only exit.
"Stop!" she heard yelled from behind her.
"No!" she cried, realizing she was trapped. Standing still in the middle of the lane, her hope of escape dashed to pieces, her tears finally escaped. "Lee," she whispered. "Help me!"
Suddenly another car squealed to a stop behind the men that had been chasing her and three men jumped out. "Federal Agents, hold it right there!"
Knowing they had to kill her or their boss would kill them the men opened fire, trying to shoot Amanda before they were taken prisoner or got shot themselves.
"Amanda get down!"
Whipping her head around Amanda stared at the man running towards her. A sob tore loose from her throat and instead of ducking as she'd been ordered Amanda ran with every last bit of strength she could pull from her exhausted muscles. Ignoring everything around her, ignoring the bullets that were being shot back and forth, ignoring the pain the filled every inch of her body, ignoring the threat to her very safety, she ran. Tears blurred her vision but she could still see him as clearly as she could the moonlight from the heaven above.
"Lee!" she yelled as she neared him.
Throwing herself into his arms she wrapped her own around him, burying her face in his chest as her tears feel in a torrent, the ordeal finally over.
She was safe.
She was home.
SMKSMKSMKSMKSMKSMKSMKSMKSMKSMK
She felt calm, peaceful, and for the first time in a very, very, very long time she knew without a doubt what her name was.
Amanda.
Tears stung at her eyes as memories came flooding back to her like a tidal wave.
Lee.
Phillip and Jaime.
Mother.
IFF.
Francine and Billy and Mrs. Martsen and Leatherneck.
Her friends.
Her memories.
Her life!
Trying to raise a hand to wipe away a tear she frowned when she felt something tugging painfully at her skin. Opening her eyes she saw an IV needle sticking out of her arm and wondered what had happened. The last thing she could recall was sitting in the living room talking to Lee. Looking around, seeing that she was not in a hospital her senses went to full alert and she removed the IV from her arm. Getting out of the bed she inched her way towards the door at the far end of the empty room. Voices on the other side of the door made her freeze in her tacks but she relaxed when they passed by the door and continued on.
With slow, noiseless movements she opened the door and peeked out into the other side. The hallway itself was empty but she could see a man sitting at one end of it, a gun tucked into his waistband and a larger one on the floor by his feet. His back was to her but she knew she wouldn't be able to get far without his noticing. Looking the other way she smiled. There was a window at the end of the hallway and she could see a roof just beyond it. It was a possibility.
Glancing at the other man again she slid out of the room and tiptoed down the hallway to the window. It wasn't far and after glancing out of it for the briefest moment she hurried back to her room. This was going to take some planning.
SMKSMKSMKSMKSMKSMKSMKSMKSMKSMK
Taking a deep breath Amanda closed her eyes for a moment, picturing the reasons she was going to take such a risk. Lee, Jaime, Phillip, Mother; their images flashed into her mind and she knew she was going to do all she could to get out and to safety. Slipping from the room she glanced over her shoulder as she made her way to the window, the guard's attention caught up in the game that was on the screen.
Unlocking the latch she slid open the window, cringing when it made a small screeching noise. Glancing back again she prayed he hadn't noticed. With a sigh of relief she saw that he hadn't and hurriedly slipped out of the window, closing it behind her as she squatted on the roof. Gravel crunched under her feet as she hurried to the edge of the roof. Looking down over the edge she frowned at the two-story drop to the ground. There had to be a better way.
Hurrying to the other side she smiled at the sight of a delivery truck waiting just a few feet away from the building. Spotting a drainpipe she took hold of it and hung on for dear life, releasing her grip in little spurts to slide down the pipe until it was safe to let go and fall to the ground. As her feet hit the ground Amanda almost cried out in pain, her ankle giving out beneath her and she crumpled to the ground.
The truck engine sputtered to life and she forced herself to get up, hobbling toward the back end of the truck she pulled herself up and in, pulling a tarp over her as they neared the gate. Amanda could hear the guards let the driver through and she breathed a small sigh of relief.
She was out.
SMKSMKSMKSMKSMKSMKSMKSMKSMKSMK
Entering his office Renetti moved toward his desk and sat down. Taking a moment to light his cigar he turned on the monitor to watch his order being carried out. His eyes were glued to the screen, lit match burning down to his fingertips without his realizing it.
She was gone.
Fury boiled up within him. Even in a coma she had thwarted his plans. Furious he sounded the alarm, bells ringing throughout the complex. When the door to his office opened he looked up at the man who had entered with a deadly glare.
"Find her and kill her or I'll kill you myself."
SMKSMKSMKSMKSMKSMKSMKSMKSMKSMK
Lying in the back of the truck she could feel it start to slow down. Sitting up she looked around and saw that they had entered a city. Deciding to take a chance Amanda hurried out of the truck when it was stopped at a stop sign, moving as fast as she could to get out of sight. Waiting until the truck was gone she looked around to try and figure out where she was. Nothing looked familiar; the signs were in a language she couldn't read even though it did look slightly familiar to her. She assumed she was somewhere in Europe and Amanda wondered how she was going to be able to get in contact with anyone.
The American Embassy was out. For all she knew her kidnapper would have that place staked out, if not going so far as to have a man on the inside. Amanda had a good idea who her kidnapper was and if she was right she couldn't even call the agency. Suddenly she realized whom she could call. It was the only hope she had to get a message to Lee. Leaving the darkness of the alleyway she hobbled as quickly as she could to the nearest phone, punching in the numbers she knew by heart.
SMKSMKSMKSMKSMKSMKSMKSMKSMKSMK
Scarecrow.
He had to get to Scarecrow.
Running through the halls Winter apologized as he brushed past or through the people, not stopping to hear if they were okay with it or not. Running into the bullpen and headed straight for Lee's office, throwing the door open only to stop in confusion at the empty office. Turning on his heel he scanned the large room and caught sight of the man sitting in a conference room across the pen. Running to it he opened the door without bothering to knock.
"What the...!" several of the occupants cried.
Winter ignored them, looking right at Lee.
"We've got her!" he announced breathlessly, a smile filling his face. "Queen just got a message to me. BR called the safety line, she's out and she's injured but she's okay for now. She needs a pickup."
"Where is she?" Lee cried, jumping to his feet.
"We traced the call to a small city near the border of Italy."
Calling out orders Lee gathered a team together, putting himself in charge. As they drove do the airport, a plane already being gassed up, Lee dialed the number for the safehouse. When Jaime picked up he could hear the hope in the boys voice. "We're on our way to Italy to bring her home," Lee said.
Jaime's cheer nearly deafened him and he heard Phillip echo it in the background. After a short scuffle Dotty came on the line. "Lee?" her voice filled with joy and tears. "Is it true? You've found her?"
"We found her Dotty and she's awake." He heard her gasp. "That's all I've got, Dotty. As soon as I have more I'll call, I promise."
"Bring her home to us, Lee. Bring my baby home."
Promising he would Lee hung up the phone as the car careened into the airport. The team hurried out of the car and into the plane, the pilot already knowing exactly where he was going. After the tea had settled down, orders given out to everybody of what they were to do, Lee settled back into his seat and turned to face Winter.
"Tell me everything."
"We have a safety line that goes straight to Queen. BR called it and told us that she was okay and needed a pickup."
"What did she call herself?"
"Black Rose."
Nodding Lee turned to face the window, the fact that she'd called herself Black Rose echoing in his mind.
She still didn't remember him.
SMKSMKSMKSMKSMKSMKSMKSMKSMKSMK
Huddled down in the corner of a dark alley she was still waiting, trying desperately to ignore the rats that were running around the garbage can a few feet away. Shaking with cold and exhaustion she hugged her arms tighter around herself, fighting the tears that filled her eyes. It had been so many hours since she had called the safety line, surely they were going to be here soon. Doubt began to creep into her heart despite her efforts to keep it out. Dropping her head onto her arms she allowed her thoughts to drift to a far better place.
'You have a cute nose.'
Smiling she laughed a teary laugh and looked up to see Lee standing before her, his tuxedo taking her breath away for a moment. "I miss you so much!"
'I know,' he soothed her. 'I'm almost there, Manda, just hang on okay?'
"I'll try," she nodded, blinking away her tears. When she opened her eyes again he was gone but she smiled anyway and the cold didn't seem so bad anymore. Leaning her head back against the brick wall she was almost asleep, the star-studded velvet above lulling her to sleep, when she heard it.
Voices.
English.
"Lee?" she whispered.
Getting to her feet Amanda hurried out to the end of the alley, praying it was Lee. When she saw the men she froze in her tracks for a split second before backing back into the alley. Had they seen her? Backing away she scanned for a way out, seeing a open doorway a few feet away she took the chance and entered it. The building was pitch black and as she went farther in she stumbled over a table, the racket calling the attention of the men that were out there hunting for her. Muttering under her breath she gave up on stealth and ran for the nearest window.
Out the window and onto the street she ran with everything she had in her, ignoring the pain that was shooting up her ankle and into her knee as she fled for her life. Behind her she could hear them chasing, hear their yells as they called out orders to the men with them. Turning and turning again, trying to get away, Amanda soon discovered she was quite lost. Knowing better than to stop she kept running, her chest heaving with exertion, her entire leg numb with pain.
Passing an intersecting street she didn't see the car that was stopped at a stop sign or the blond woman that was behind the wheel. Amanda never head the yells for her to come to them, her mind too focused on getting away. Turning again she headed down a single lane street, knowing that at the other end she would find freedom, an entire forest of trees that she could see clear from the other end of the street. Urging herself to keep going her heart fell to the ground when a black sedan pulled up at the other end, blocking her only exit.
"Stop!" she heard yelled from behind her.
"No!" she cried, realizing she was trapped. Standing still in the middle of the lane, her hope of escape dashed to pieces, her tears finally escaped. "Lee," she whispered. "Help me!"
Suddenly another car squealed to a stop behind the men that had been chasing her and three men jumped out. "Federal Agents, hold it right there!"
Knowing they had to kill her or their boss would kill them the men opened fire, trying to shoot Amanda before they were taken prisoner or got shot themselves.
"Amanda get down!"
Whipping her head around Amanda stared at the man running towards her. A sob tore loose from her throat and instead of ducking as she'd been ordered Amanda ran with every last bit of strength she could pull from her exhausted muscles. Ignoring everything around her, ignoring the bullets that were being shot back and forth, ignoring the pain the filled every inch of her body, ignoring the threat to her very safety, she ran. Tears blurred her vision but she could still see him as clearly as she could the moonlight from the heaven above.
"Lee!" she yelled as she neared him.
Throwing herself into his arms she wrapped her own around him, burying her face in his chest as her tears feel in a torrent, the ordeal finally over.
She was safe.
She was home.
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