A/N: Fixed some issues I found re-reading. It should make things fit together better.

Lifeline

Chapter 1

"Do I get to find out when or will I just have to wait until the call comes and scramble at the last minute to get my shit together?" Chikage Pierce sat across from the man behind the desk, the back of his chair facing her, her ankles crossed, boots resting on the table. A fist supported her head, her elbow pillowed in the stuffing of her leather chair as she leaned on the armrest. A cloud of blue smoke rose slowly as the man exhaled, and she bit back a smirk.

"You'll know when I know," he said simply. "Just tell me if you're up for the task." His voice held an edge to it, as usual, and she'd learned not to read too much into it. It was when his voice didn't sound strained that she worried. She inhaled sharply, letting the breath out slowly as though she were pondering her answer.

"You hired me as a bodyguard, Marcus," she said, adding a slight tone of acquiescence to her words. "You know better than to ask that question." Leather creaked as he shifted in his chair, pivoting slowly. He moved slowly, deliberately, resting his elbows on his desk as he folded his hands together, leaning his chin on his knuckles.

"This isn't exactly in your job description," he conceded, tilting his head to the side to appear calculating. Her eyebrow rose.

"Yes, actually, it is." He stared into her light brown eyes; brown approaching yellow in color. She held his gaze confidently. "Don't question me, Marcus," she said quietly. "You know you need me." He nodded, as though it were painful to admit. "And I know you can't do this without me." He sighed. "You hired me as a bodyguard, yes," she continued. "And that means my job description includes only your protection. Nothing more, nothing less. So yes, this is in my job description. If there's any question about that, hire a different body guard." His eyebrow rose. "Not another one," she pressed, "a different one."

"I know," he said with a touch of a smile. "You work alone." Her expression remained unchanged, and he finally averted his eyes from hers, though he knew she would interpret it as a victory and a sign of weakness on his part. "You'll know when I know," he repeated, nodding once as if it made his statement a promise.

"The moment you know, and not the moment before it happens," she said slowly.

"The moment I know," he agreed. She stared at him for a moment and stood.

"Dave's waiting out side," she said, not bothering to turn toward him as she walked to the door. "His turn on shift now, but I'll hang around for a while to avoid drawing more attention." She paused, hand hovering over the doorknob, and turned back to him, smirking at the discovery he'd turned his chair again. "Don't want everyone knowing you need bodyguards." He waved at her, the cigar between his fingers leaving an artsy trail of smoke in the air.

She knew the moment she opened the door something was different. After a quick nod to Dave, she glided through the darkened club, eyes flitting around as she approached her spot. It was always empty, unless she was sitting there, and she slid across the circular leather bench behind the table, propping her feet up once again on the opposite side of the seat, crossing her arms over her chest. The bartender glanced up at her and she nodded once, smiling at his returned signal before he busied himself behind the counter. Sujun, the cocktail waitress, appeared a moment later, laying a napkin on the table and sprinkling it with salt before setting Chikage's drink on it.

"Anything I should know about?" Chikage asked quietly. Sujun glanced at her quickly.

"New guy," she said with a shrug. Chikage's eyebrow rose. "Never seen him before, but he's not making trouble if that's what you're asking."

"Seem like he's waiting on someone?"

"No, just having a drink and watching the show like most of the guys that come in here," Sujun said with a small shake of the head and a thoughtful frown. "Why?"

"Just wondered," Chikage answered with a reassuring smile.

"I thought you were off duty anyway," Sujun continued, glancing pointedly at the drink she'd just set on the table.

"I am," Chikage replied, punctuating her answer with a long swallow. "But you know as well as I do how relative 'off-duty' is around here." Sujun chuckled, shrugging.

"Let me know if you need anything else," the girl said, still smiling as she turned.

"Keep me in the loop." Sujun nodded, glancing back at Chikage before heading back to the bar. Chikage watched her go, shifting slightly against the back of the bench to adjust the butt of the pistol digging into her back. She planned to stay until the place closed, just like she always did. Then she'd watch from the alley alongside the club as Dave escorted Marcus into a black sedan and drive off, watching until she was alone on the lot before heading back to her apartment, just like she always did. And finally, she'd fall asleep in front of her computers, just like she always did.

---

Three in the morning now and she'd still not spotted the new guy Sujun had mentioned. James, the bartender, was wiping down the counter, signaling the last call for drinks before the bar closed, and the last song was playing before patrons were ushered out. Only four heads not employed here remained, and all were regulars. She'd been watching the door and hadn't noticed anyone new leaving. Fuck. She shook her head, rubbing her eyes before standing, and pulling her trench coat back on. James nodded as she left the table, and she returned the gesture, noting to herself once again it was probably the most common movement in her collection. A nod was so much more versatile than any other gesture or even speaking, most times. She went out the side door, leaning against the corner of the building until the lights went out. Thirty seconds later, Dave emerged, glancing around the back parking lot before Marcus ventured out, following his male bodyguard to the vehicle and crawling in before him. The car pulled out, and the tail lights disappeared. After a final glance, she turned and walked down the alley way, her feet carrying her silently across the sidewalks.

---

One of these days I'm gonna have to get a life, she thought with a wry smile, flopping into her chair with a contented sigh. Her eyes lingered on her monitors, and her eyes narrowed in concentration as the front door opened and Dave followed Marcus in. Neither man had been happy at Chikage's insistence she be allowed to install security cameras, much less monitor them from her home. But after she pulled Marcus aside and explained her reasoning, he finally agreed and convinced Dave to as well, even making his male bodyguard help with the installation. Though their relationship could have turned into a competition, Dave and Chikage ended up working well together, even though they split the days into two twelve hour shifts. Chikage took the day shift, explaining that Dave's presence would draw more unwanted attention than hers, since most people would assume she was Marcus' sister or lover – either worked. Dave's night shift went virtually unnoticed, as there were generally three groups of people in this city – those who went to bed before the club closed, those who frequented the club and were too drunk to notice either Marcus or Dave, and those who Dave and Chikage were hired to keep at bay.

Though Chikage played the role most took to be a lover or relative, those after Marcus knew her too well to venture close, much like their feelings toward Dave. Both she and Dave were preceded by their hard earned reputations, and Marcus spent a good chunk of his profits on them without batting an eye. He needed them and knew it, and had absolutely no problem either admitting that need or paying to have it met. Sure, Marcus had his security entourage, but Chikage and Dave were top notch, the rest of the team basically back up for them. No vacations, no sick leave, and no tardiness.

Her eyes remained glued to the monitors, following each camera window as Marcus moved from room to room, until his light was extinguished, and Dave lifted the phone, punching in numbers before staring up at the camera poised over his head. Her pager buzzed insistently at her hip, and she glanced down at it, turning it so she could see without removing it from the clip attached to her belt.

0-0-0.

Good. All's well. She smiled, leaning back in her chair, reaching out to shuffle a stack of poker chips she'd been unable to cash in at her last excursion. A heavy sigh. Her eyes focused on her mobile computer and she shook her head. Not tonight, Chi, she chided herself. Something's up. Another lingering glance, and her eyes closed, her fingers pausing on the chips mid-shuffle.

"Okay," she said, standing. "Fine." The poker chips went into her pocket, and the mobile in the other after synchronizing with her main system. She checked her clip and returned her gun to its holster before snatching up her keys.

---

"Lady bets one thousand." Chikage's eyes met her opponent's, who quickly dropped his gaze back to his cards. When he glanced up at her again, her stare hadn't wavered, and he swallowed, dropping his sunglasses back over his eyes. The clicking of her constant chip-shuffling was starting to get under his skin, she could tell, but she kept it up.

"Call." She smirked inwardly, her eyes leaving the man's only long enough to watch the flop. Texas Hold 'Em was an old game, and her chosen poison.

"Deuce of hearts, trey of spades, six of spades. Gentleman's bet," the dealer said flatly. Her opponent stared at the flop, then glanced back at Chikage. He took another look at his cards.

"Check." The dealer's gaze shifted back to the lady, but unlike most people, she didn't look at her cards again. She never understood that. She knew what she had from the first peek, so why return to it? The clicking stopped as she cocked her head, watching her fingers select a stack of chips.

"Lady raises twenty-five hundred. Gentleman's play." He scratched his eyebrow with his thumb, and she suppressed a smirk, watching his eyes return to her fingers as her shuffling chips returned.

"Call." Stupid. Her face didn't reflect the thought. One card was discarded, and one turned up.

"Jack of diamonds. Gentleman's play."

"Check." Chip shuffling silenced. Chikage tapped her fingers on the board.

"Lady checks." A card thrown out, another turned up. "Nine of clubs. Gentleman's play." She watched him size up his stack. "Gentleman bets five hundred. Lady's play." She shuffled her chips some more, appearing to think about the bet, and tossed in five hundred. "Lady calls." A card tossed, another turned. "Eight of spades. Gentleman's play."

"Check." Chikage watched him for a moment, and then selected her bet.

"Lady raises three thousand. Gentleman's play." She knew her raise would put him all-in, but she also knew he thought his pair of Jacks and ten kicker was the best hand. His thumb scratched his eyebrow again, and she knew she had him.

"Fine," the man said, standing slowly after pushing in his stack of chips. "You didn't get your straight on the river." She glanced back down at the cards as he flipped his over. Jack of spades, ten of spades.

"You're right," she said with a shrug, flipping over her cards. "I flopped it." He let out a growl, watching the dealer push what was his money over to her, and she neatly stacked it in a tray. "Don't be a sore loser," she said, a slightly teasing tone to her voice as her trench shifted just enough to give him a glimpse of the straps of her holster. She wasn't worried – she had a permit and this was a concealed carry city anyway.

"I'll win it back from you," he said, still obviously angry.

"You're probably right," she agreed, still stacking up her chips. "But that's how the game goes." The dealer stifled a snicker and she glanced up at him with a quick wink. She didn't wait for the man to leave the table, instead collecting her stacked trays of chips and heading to the cashier's window. Not bad for four hours' work, she thought with a mental grin, watching the girl behind the bars count out thirty thousand dollars in cash. She slipped the money into her inside pocket and smiled before leaving the casino to head home. She was two hours behind on sleep.