Seven Days Prior Chapter 7: Day 7, a picket fences fanfic

Day 7

"I can't remember the last time I was up this early," Skeeter groaned, as he and Jimmy watched the Rembrandt dock, "The sun isn't even up yet, and damn that it is a big ship."

"They could blend in that way. Who would notice two people in a crowd of 3,000? Even if their pictures are plastered all over the T.V."

"People on vacation tend to forget about the real world."

Jimmy let out a long sigh, "I hope they have a damn good explanation for this."

"If they're even here."

"You ready?" Kenny asked, as he watched Max run a brush through her long dark wig.

She turned to look at him, "As ready as I'll ever be. How about you?"

Kenny hefted the backpack with the money, evidence, and some clean clothes over his shoulder, "Yeah. I hate to be leaving our accommodations here, but . . ."

Max slid the glasses on, and grabbed her purse, "I actually feel safe on this boat."

Kenny ran his hand across her cheek, "You want to get going?"

"I think we better."

"Look at all of these," Jimmy said, as he watched them stream through the gate, "The sun is barely up, and they're going sightseeing."

"I'm sure there is a great deal to do in Arica," Skeeter countered, not tearing his gaze away from the crowd, "Maybe they'll be late risers?"

"They're not on a pleasure cruise."

"What if they recognize us?"

"We're here to help them, and they're both smart enough to realize that."

Kenny wrapped one are around Max's shoulders, as they made their way down the gangway, "Smile, Cahli."

"It's too early Toby," she countered, as she relaxed some when he touched her.

He squeezed her a little, "Did I keep you up too late?"

"Yeah, your snoring did."

"You're brutal," Kenny said, glad to see her smile, "Those glasses are incredibly sexy by the way."

She tossed her hair back, "You don't look half bad as a blond."

Kenny groaned internally, and wondered what the hell they were doing. Whatever is going on between us has to take a backseat for a while. At least until we figure out the rest of this, "We better cool it. We don't want to draw attention to ourselves. Right?"

"Right," Max agreed, as she turned her attention back to the exit, "Um, do you see that?"

"See what?"

"Over to the left. Do they look familiar to you?"

"Keep walking," Kenny instructed, as he felt his heart drop into his stomach.

"They're going to recognize us!"

"Ssh. Look at me, Cahli. I wouldn't know you if you walked by me on the street right now. What do you want to do? Just get back on the ship, and hide out? They have to know we're here."

Max bit her tongue, as she glanced around the harbor, "Well we got really good at swimming places."

"Jimmy and Skeeter," Kenny said aloud, "They wouldn't have come alone. The Chilean police have to be here somewhere."

Max shook her head, "They wouldn't have let anyone off of the ship. It would have been easier to keep everyone on, and find us that way."

"Either way, we have to get out of here now, and on that plane."

"So we're going to walk, and don't stop," Max said, "No matter what anyone says or does, we move."

"If something happens, one of us has to get on that plane. You want to shake on that?"

"I trust you. Come on."

"There," Skeeter said, as he gestured to the couple on the pier, "It has to be."

Jimmy nodded, "Duck back, we want to surprise them."

"Shit, this is it. They look a lot closer than they did a week ago."

Jimmy gazed at the canoodling couple, "I wonder."

"Go, walk," Kenny hissed, as the passed through the gate.

"What do you think I'm doing?" Max retorted, as they made a beeline for the cabs, "Don't look at them."

"Faster."

"You want to draw attention to ourselves?"

"Kenny! Max! Wait! Freeze!"

"Go, go, go," Kenny said, as he grabbed her hand.

Max gritted her teeth, and glared at him silently. They wove their way between the cars, and ignored the voices behind them.

"Kenny Lacos! Maxine Stewart! You're wanted in the questioning of the deaths in Punta Arenas, and in Rome, Wisconsin! Freeze!"

"Get down!" Kenny yelled, as a gunshot rang out.

Max dove for the ground, and felt Kenny land beside her. Hearing the screams and the chaos around them, "Oh shit!"

Kenny held her down, as he peered around the car, "Come on. Now!"

"They're shooting at us!"

"Not us," Kenny said, as he watched Jimmy run over to the couple lying on the ground, "Look."

"They thought," Max trailed off, as she felt sick, "They had to think that . . ."

"I know."

"We should go back."

"And do what?"

"Innocent people are dying!"

"Yeah, you want to be one of them?"

"How can you even think like this?"

"They're going to figure out that we didn't get shot about now, and do you really want to give them that chance? Come on, Cahli!"

Max looked at the chaos erupting behind them before turning back to Kenny, "Okay. We can't help them now."

"What the hell was that!" Jimmy yelled, as the couple they identified as Kenny and Max fell to the ground, "No one followed us here!"

"Well we found them," Skeeter yelled back, as they ran toward the bodies, "So maybe the Millanis did too."

"Shit," Jimmy said, as they came upon the bodies, "It isn't them."

"You're still shaking," Kenny said, as he awkwardly laid a hand on her shoulder.

Max glanced up at him, and let out a long sigh, "Those people had nothing to do with this."

"It could have just been a random shooting."

Max just looked at him like he grew two heads, "I stopped believing in coincidences about a week ago. Plus, with Jimmy and Skeeter here . . ."

"You don't think that they're somehow involved with this?"

"I don't want to. They could have figured it out. If someone found the boat, and talked to the booking agent."

"Yeah? How would they know to look for Tobias and Cahli?"

"I don't know! Somehow they found us!"

"And we're leaving in about 20 minutes. We'll be halfway across the ocean before they even get off of the pier."

"How can you be so calm about this?"

"One of us has to be."

Max glared at him for a brief instance, "Maybe it would be easier to just go home, and work all of this out."

"How? We'll both be in jail, and then we'll be dead."

"You do have a way with words," Max said, as she leaned back against the chair.

"It wasn't them," Jimmy said, as he and Skeeter settled in the cruise ship terminal and watched the passengers walk back and forth.

"It doesn't mean that they're not here."

"Or it does. Maybe these Vangas' are just two people on a cruise."

"I am Captain Morales," a man said approaching them, "You are the American police?"

"Yes," Jimmy said, as he rose to his feet, "Thank you for taking the time to speak to us."

"You still mad at me?" Kenny asked, as they leaned back in their seats.

"I'm not mad at you," Max replied, as she turned her head to look at him, "Do you ever wonder how one choice changes your life forever? None of this would have happened if I had never met Tom, or if I said no when he asked me out."

"We can't control the world. This isn't your fault."

"Yeah? You don't blame me for your entire life being destroyed?"

"Hey, Cahli. You didn't know. Tom needed someone to take the blame, and why not me? I never liked the guy anyway."

"You never liked anyone I dated, Toby," Max replied, as she glanced out the window at the ocean below them, "I'm sorry either way."

"We're not landing for 10 hours. You're not going to apologize to me for all them, are you?"

"No."

"Well you're direct. We land at three in the afternoon, Zurich time. What do you want to do when we get there?"

"I'm voting for finding the bank."

"Okay. After that?"

"It depends on what we find. Whatever Tom left there, it has to be big. I wish I knew who was doing the shooting back there. The person he left the disk for?"

"I thought he left it for Morell? And he's dead."

"The rest of the Millani family? Anyone could have followed Jimmy and Skeeter."

"We'll just have to watch our backs."

"That is quite a story," Captain Morales said, "You're sure that your friends are on this ship?"

"It's the best lead we have so far," Jimmy said.

"You think they're traveling under the aliases Tobias and Cahli Vangas?"

"We didn't find any existence of them before they booked this cruise."

Morales nodded, "I spoke to the captain, and this ship is not leaving tonight. My men are going to search it, and see what we can find out about these Vangas'."

"Are we there yet?" Max mumbled, as she opened her eyes.

"Not yet," Kenny replied, as he brushed her hair out of her eyes, "A few more hours."

"Have you slept?"

"No. I'm glad that you did," Kenny replied, kissing the top of her head, "Hey, Cahli?"

"Hmm?"

"Do you really want to go home when this is done? I'll go if it's what you want."

"I don't want you to go to prison, or be killed. I might be on my way too, for that boat thing."

"They were going to kill us."

"There are so many bodies."

"You never answered my question."

Max regarded him carefully before replying, "We can't go back. I know that. I'm not the same person I was a week ago. In the past seven days I've been dead, kidnaped, shot at, rescued, blew up a boat, took on a new identity, ran for my life, been in at least two new countries, and whatever is going on with us . . . I'm not sure who I am now."

"You're amazing," Kenny said softly, "And you're still here fighting. Whatever your name is now."

"I'm warming up to Cahli."

Kenny leaned his head in closer, "I really like Cahli."

"I'm fond of Toby myself."

"We're still us. No matter what our names out, where we go, or what we do."

"I know that."

"What is going on with us?"

Max pulled away slightly, "A lot. That we were supposed to table until later."

Kenny whispered in her ear, "I want to lick you all over, right here and now."

Max reached out and took his hand in his, "Well I think most of these people are asleep."

He smiled at her, as he kissed her softly. Feeling her quiver in his arms, he pulled her in tighter, "I want you so much."

"I want to feel your hands on me," Max whispered hoarsely, as she traced the back of them with her fingers, "I want you inside of me."

"Jesus Christ," Kenny groaned, as he kissed her again, "You do things to me . . . No one makes me feel like you do."

"We can't do this here," Max protested weakly, as he kissed her neck, "Oh . . ."

"No we can't," Kenny agreed, as he pulled back slightly, "We're landing soon."

Jimmy and Skeeter wandered in what they thought to be Kenny and Max's room, while Morales and his men spoke to the room steward.

"It's pretty empty," Skeeter said, as he peered into the closet, "They travel lightly, or they got out of here."

"There is nothing here," Jimmy said, "A few changes of clothes, nowhere near enough for a two week cruise. No identification, just a few toiletries left behind."

"This is the room steward, Pepe," Morales said rejoining them.

"Are these the people that were staying here?" Jimmy asked, as he held out the photograph of Kenny and Max.

"Yes," Pepe said, with a nod, "That is who stayed in this room. Nice people. Stayed in the room a lot. Honeymooners. Very sweet."

"Tobias and Cahli Vangas," Skeeter stated, "Those were their names?"

"Yes. Nice couple from the States. Why are you looking for them?"

"We need to talk to them," Jimmy said vaguely, "Do you know if they got off the ship this morning?"

"Yes. Early. I made up their room first."

"Do you know where they were going?"

Pepe shrugged, "Sightseeing? They didn't say. They weren't the people shot on the pier?"

"No," Jimmy stressed, "They weren't."

"Switzerland," Kenny said, as he and Max stood on the curb outside the Zurich airport, "Wow."

"I think we need some warmer clothes," Max said, as she looked up at the sun, "And a shower."

Kenny rubbed her arms, as he tried to warm her up, "Better?"

"Hmm," Max agreed, as a cab pulled up, "Where to?"

"Are there any leads on who the shooter was?" Jimmy asked, as they made their way down the gangway.

"We have much turmoil in our country," Morales said, "From what you told me though, there is a price on your friend's head?"

"We identified the couple on the pier as them, and a minute later they were dead," Jimmy said, "I'd say that it was intentional."

"It is highly suspect. We do have a high drug trade on these piers that is tied into the mob," Morales replied, "The Millanis, I've heard of them."

"They're known for drug trafficking," Jimmy said, "And for insider trading."

"We monitor the activities of known mobsters. I will check and see if they've been in lately."

"The bank closed a half hour ago," Max sighed, as they looked at the dark building, "I guess we'll have to wait."

"At least we know where it is," Kenny countered, as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders, "We can come back first thing in the morning."

Max nodded, and leaned back into his embrace, "It's probably a good thing. I know I don't smell my best right now, and I feel underdressed to go in there."

"You're beautiful."

"Thanks."

"Come on," Kenny prodded, as they walked back down the street, "We need to go find a hotel."

"No known mobsters have entered the country in the last six weeks," Morales said, "Interestingly enough though, Cahli and Tobias Vangas have not returned to the ship. The crew is checking for them, and it was set to sail a half an hour ago."

"Has anyone checked the airlines, bus stations, train stations?" Jimmy asked, "They could be half way across the world by now."

"We're working on it," Morales said, as another man knocked on the door, "Yes?"

"The Vangas' booked several flights out of Arica today, to a variety of locations."

"Where?" Jimmy asked.

"New York, Zurich, Chicago, Prague, Paris, and Fiji."

"Tom has real estate in New York," Skeeter said, "And possibly some left behind clues to this."

"The FBI have been all over his properties," Jimmy countered, "But they might have some information that no one else has."

"I guess we're going to New York."

"We're going to spend all of Tom's money soon enough," Max said, as she collapsed onto the king sized bed and Kenny tossed the shopping bag at her.

"We still have plenty," Kenny countered, as he joined her on the bed, "So."

Max smiled, "So?"

Kenny pulled the wig off of her head, and combed his fingers through her matted hair, "We have hours before we have to be at the bank."

Max carefully peeled away his beard, "I'm aware of that."

"We shouldn't do this."

"We shouldn't have done most of what we've done lately," Max countered, as she stood up slowly. Smiling seductively at him, she slowly unbuttoned her shirt and let it fall to the ground. Watching his eyes widen at her sudden boldness, she dropped her pants as well.

"Jesus Christ."

Max walked slowly toward him, and straddled him as he sat on the bed speechless.

"You're a goddess," Kenny groaned, as he took in her toned body in the white lace panties and bra, "A fucking goddess."

"And you're wonderful," Max whispered, as she helped in pulling his shirt off, "Hmm, touch me."

They fell back on the bed together, as Kenny kicked his pants off. Kenny rolled on top of her, and let his lips trail down her torso, "I've waited so long for this . . . Cahli."

"Wait," Max whimpered, as their eyes locked, "If we're going to do this . . . we're going to be ourselves. Max and Kenny. One last time, before this is all over."

Kenny nodded, as he drank in her beautiful face, "Okay. I may like Cahli, but I love Max."

Max froze, as she stared at him silence. What did he just say, she thought, did Kenny just tell me that he loves me?

Kenny just stared back her, and couldn't believe what he just said so easily. I meant it too, he thought, I'm in love with this woman.

"What did you just say?" Max whispered, as she felt her heart pound in her chest, "Kenny?"

"I love you," he repeated, as he sat up and pulled her with him, "Don't cry."

"I'm not," Max replied, and she vowed not to, "Kenny . . . Do you even know what you're saying?"

"Of course I do," he countered, as he brushed her hair back.

"We're been through so much," Max trailed off, as she tried to fight off the overwhelming emotions overtaking her, "I . . . Why are you doing this?"

"Doing what? I'm in love with you! There I said it!"

Max fell silent at that, and just looked at him for a moment, "Are you insane? Why are you telling me this now?"

"Because I just figured it out now! Come on, Max! Look at us!"

She stood quickly, and pulled her shirt on, "I can't deal with this now. I need to go for a walk."

"You're not going anywhere alone," Kenny countered, as he pulled his pants back on, "There are a lot of people out there that want to hurt you!"

"I want to be alone," Max said, as she pulled on her sweat pants, "I can't even think straight right now. I'll be fine."

"Max. Forget about what I just said, and listen for a second. People are looking for both of us, and we're so close. We can't afford to blow it now. Sorry I freaked you out, okay? You want to forget, we can forget it."

Max felt some of the fight go out of her, as she looked over at her best friend, "Kenny . . ."

"I know."

"No, you don't," she countered, as she sat back down on the bed, "Whatever is going on between us is a lot more complicated than it should be. Hell, look at the situation that we're in! That compounds things, a lot."

"Does it?" he asked, joining her again, "Look at me, Max."

She swallowed, as she did what he asked, "I need time."

"That's the one thing we don't have anymore."

"Those are the places they flew to," Skeeter said, as he watched Jimmy buy the plane tickets, "Tom had some Swiss accounts, so my money is on that. The sheriff and I are going to New York, and that'll keep him occupied for a while."

"Thanks for the information," Giorgio said, "We'll get right on that."

"Anytime," Skeeter replied, as Jimmy rejoined him, "I'll see you when I get home. Bye."

"Who was that?" Jimmy asked, as he handed him a ticket.

"My wife," Skeeter said, "I just wanted to check in."