Gunshot Serenade
A/N: Okay... It didn't upload right last time, so here it is with everything that supposed to be here before. Sorry! I know this took a super long time, and I have no excuse. I know I've said this before, but from here on out, the chapters should get shorter and the updates more frequent. Again, thank you SO much for all of the reviews! I love you guys so much!
Last time on Gunshot Serenade:Spike slipped his communicator away and grinned at the aging man. "I have a meeting." He glanced at his watch. Seven ten.
"With Alexander King?" Jet asked warily, dropping a second mystery object in the pan.
"Yes. At noon."
"What does that mean?"
"At this point?" Spike smiled. "I have no idea."
Chapter Twelve:
Tell Me Lies
Gravity works slowly if you notice it at all.
Some of us are getting mighty lucky,
Aren't we?
If you had to live with this you'd rather lie than fall.
You think I can't fly?
Well you just watch me!
Watch me!
-The Dresden Dolls
Amber Beaumont had never been particularly fond of Italian food. But she did, however, view Spike Spiegel as a friend. And if he wanted to eat enough garlic to kill a moose, than she would, too. But Amber had the distinct impression that Tuesday, February 15 would not be a garlic filled day. No one would be eating much.
At 12 o'clock sharp, Amber was sitting in a baby blue skirt, white heels and a cream cashmere sweater in an uncomfortable booth at Mia Bella's, Spike's favorite Italian restaurant in Tharsis. For the life of her, Amber couldn't comprehend why he liked it so much. The walls were overcrowded with bad family pictures, the food was fattening, and the servers had a nasty habit of talking to you more than necessary. But Amber found that there were several things she couldn't comprehend in life, so she didn't try and figure out this particular one. She would save her energy for the random cowlick that kept popping up randomly on the left side of her head every twelve hours.
Amber sighed and glanced up from her nails. Lucy was seated across from her, his striking eyes focused on the second hand of his Rolex.
"A watched pot never boils," Amber reminded her boss casually, taking a sip of her iced tea. She mentally added up the calories. She would just scrape by today, if Luke was still going to take her out after they took care of their hit. She would have to order a salad, though.
"I can't believe he would be late to this meeting! This will change to course of his life!" Lucy responded, clearly indignant but struggling to appear otherwise.
Amber just smiled at him. "Don't worry, Alex," She leaned over the table and glanced at Lucy's watch. "He still has thirty seconds left. He'll make it. I'd even put ten woolongs on it."
Lucy narrowed his eyes at her. "I'll take that bet," He responded. Amber smiled sweetly. The pair sat and looked at each other for another thirteen seconds before a shadow fell over the table. Spike.
Amber grinned as Lucy reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet, slapping a crisp bill on the table. "Do you have change for a hundred?" He asked through his teeth, shooting a glare at Spike, who raised an eyebrow and slid in next to Amber.
Amber shrugged, "Nope. I guess I'll just have to keep the whole thing, then." She slid the bill off the table and folded it neatly, stowing it in her purse. Lucy's eyebrow twitched, but he didn't object.
Amber sniffed, glancing down at her iced tea. She took a sip. It was bitter. She cocked her head, wondering if she could afford another packet of sugar in there. Amber reached for the sugar box, flipping through the little sachets. She could always put in sweet n' low. But that stuff was disgusting. Amber narrowed her eyes and quickly calculated the number of calories she would eat that day. Unfortunately, she got hopelessly stuck trying to calculate the number of calories per packet times the number of packets consumed.
"Hey," Amber said, looking up at the boys, a package of sugar pinched between her thumb and index finger. Spike and Lucy looked up from their napkins. "Do you think I can put this in my tea?" She indicated packet of sugar.
"Excuse me?" Lucy said, furrowing his brow.
"I mean, will I exceed 1,200 calories if I put this sugar in my tea?"
"I don't know, Amber." Lucy replied.
Amber paused for a moment. "Me neither. How many calories is in a piece of toast?"
"Did it have jelly on it?" Spike asked. He might have been teasing, but Amber couldn't tell. She assumed he wasn't.
"No. Only butter." She glanced back down at the sugar packet, held in her hands like a diamond.
Spike shrugged, "I wouldn't risk it."
Amber was dejected. After a moment, she replied, "Are you sure? I mean, do you think maybe I should use sweet n' low even though it tastes like cyanide?"
"Amber," Lucy interjected. "Shut up."
Amber froze, mouth open. Lucy smirked. She sighed and tossed the packet away. She couldn't afford the extra calories. Not today. Maybe tomorrow.
Oh, who was she kidding? Amber reached into the sugar box and pulled out another pack, ripping it open and dumping it in. She never could drink sugarless iced tea. After all, she lived with her Georgian grandmother. Sugarless iced tea was a sin her house. She wasn't breaking her diet. She was upholding good family values. Amber nodded to herself, pleased, and took a sip. Much better.
Amber was still smiling when Luke walked in, looking beat up in a sexy sort of way. He looked tired and was limping a little, and had a nasty black eye. It was moments like this that he was at the pinnacle of his criminal suave. Goosebumps raised on Amber's arm.
"Wow," Luke said, sliding into the booth next to Lucy. "You look like shit, Spike." He winked at Amber, who smiled.
"So," Lucy said, turning to the man next to him, "Did you do it?"
Luke nodded, "Yeah. I did it. Can't you tell?"
Lucy smiled, "Good. I knew you would. Did you bring me anything?"
"Of course I did," Luke reached into his pocket and pulled out an envelope, placing it on the table and sliding it towards his boss. Lucifer smiled a little sadistically and took it, folding it once and placing it in his pocket.
Spike's brows were furrowed. "What is that?" He asked. "What is going on here?" He asked, his voice low.
Lucy smirked at Spike. "That's on a need to know basis. You don't need to know."
Spike shot him a dirty look while Amber laughed. "Snap! What now?" She giggled.
Two of the three men at the table shot her a glare. Luke just smiled that adorable smile and reached for her hand across the table. He glanced at Spike as he laced his fingers through hers. "So what's up? You look tired."
"I am," Spike replied.
Amber smiled sweetly. "Why is that again?" She teased.
Spike quirked an eyebrow. "Can we just get down to business, please?" He said, a little coldly.
"Sure we can," Lucy replied quietly.
Amber squirmed uncomfortably in her seat at the look on Spike's face. She edged away from the man as he said calmly, "Take her off the list."
Lucy raised a delicate eyebrow. "I'm afraid that's impossible."
"Well, that's going to be a problem."
"I'm sure we'll be able to work it out once she's dead, Spike."
"If you touch her, I'll kill you." Spike said casually, pulling the salt shaker towards him and fiddling with it.
Lucy grinned, "I don't doubt that. Now why don't you let Amber out. She has some work to do."
Amber gave Spike a weak smile as the man slid out of the booth. Luke stood as well, taking Amber's hand and leading her out of the restaurant, onto the streets of Tharsis. It was cold and rainy, had been all month. Amber pulled on her blue overcoat and retook Luke's hand. Her boyfriend smiled softly and turned to her, a little regret in his dark eyes.
"Are you ready?" He asked softly.
She smiled and replied, "Of course I am, sweetheart. When have I not been ready?"
Luke stopped, pulling Amber into an embrace. "Amber," he whispered into her ear, "We are going to get hurt tonight. Lucy is going to try, but he can't keep Spike on this leash."
Amber smiled against Luke's shoulder, leaning her head until it touched his. "We're going to be fine. Spike is going to be fine. It's just another job."
She couldn't see his face, but Amber could tell he was smiling sadly. It echoed in his voice as he said, "Amber. This isn't just another job. Spike Spiegel is going to try and kill us."
Spike was about to light up when he remembered he didn't smoke anymore. He raised an eyebrow and took his pack back out, putting the cigarette back and tossing the pack into Faye's trashcan. He glanced up. Faye was watching him skeptically. He grinned at her.
"What was that about?" She asked, propping her feet on the kitchen table, giving Spike a clear shot of her legs in rapidly unraveling blue shorts. He blinked and looked away.
"I quit. Forgot for a second."
"Wow. Spike Spiegel quit smoking. Never thought I'd see the day."
He looked back at Faye and gave her a lopsided grin. "Yeah, me neither."
Faye wiggled her toes and matched his grin. Her toes glimmered as the wet polish caught the overhead light. Spike felt a little like a crow, instantly attracted to the shine. He recognized, of course, if they had been anyone else's toes, he wouldn't have been nearly so interested.
Almost anyone else's.
Faye noticed. He heard her laugh, and instantly moved his gaze back to her eyes.
"What's wrong with you today?" She asked, only a tiny bit of concern in her voice.
Spike shrugged and pushed off the wall he leaned against, sitting opposite Faye at the table. He poked the arch of her foot. She squirmed and removed her feet.
"Where's Jet and Ed?" Spike asked, his face blank.
"Getting Ed's stomach pumped. She started throwing up all over the house."
Spike nodded, brow furrowed.
"Why?" Faye questioned, grooming her nails. Spike could smell the wet nail polish.
"I have to go again. I don't want you here alone."
It was Faye's turn to furrow her brow. "You're gone so much." She observed, throwing him a seductive sideways look. "Do you work this much usually?"
Spike paused to consider. "No."
Faye was silent for a moment. Spike thought she was done with him until she felt her foot slipping under the hem of his pants. A knowing smile broke on Spike's face as Faye tilted her head innocently to the side. Her dark hair swished to the side, a few strands sweeping across her face. "Are you sure you want to go tonight, Spike?"
Just the way she said his name made Spike want to take a cold shower, but he forced his face to remain blank. Her toe trailed gently up his leg. Spike just smiled and stood, shoving his hands in his pockets.
"I'll be home later," He said, grinning. "While I'm gone, get dressed. We'll go out later."
Faye laughed. "If you're lucky, Spike." She said, standing, her movements more liquid than he was sure his could ever be. "As you know, I'm a very busy girl." She turned to him and winked before sauntering out of the kitchen and across the hall. Her bedroom door clicked shut.
Spike wished he could follow her.
But he knew if he ever wanted to repeat last night's experience, he would get Faye Valentine off the list.
"I'm just letting you know that whatever you're planning, it's a bad idea." Spike said matter-o-factly as he stepped into the apartment after Alex. The other man turned back to him, an innocent smile on his face.
"I don't know what you're talking about, Spike."
"Yes you do."
Alex shrugged and changed the subject. "So do you like it?"
Spike assumed he meant the apartment. It was nice, or would have been earlier that day. On the twelfth or thirteenth floor of the ritziest apartment building in Tharsis, the apartment itself was large and comfortably modern. With inoffensive cream walls and beige carpet, it was tasteful. Furnished with the finest of furniture, including a beautiful cream sofa facing a huge window, Spike could tell that whoever had inhabited it formerly had enjoyed the view of what looked like an apartment building across the street. A large, expensive telescope was pointed out the window, facing down to the street. Unusual.
The only real problem with the apartment was the blood. And the bodies that went with them. There were three in all, two men and a woman. One man was slumped on the couch, killed with a nice clean shot to the back of the head. The woman had died differently. She was crumpled on the floor at the base of the telescope, shot several times. Her blood spattered the window and was pooling under her body. The other man was stabbed in the neck. His body was in front of the nice glass desk to the right of the window, but that didn't stop Alexander King from plopping himself down in the leather chair behind the desk with little more than a sneer.
"It's nice," Spike replied belatedly.
Alex smiled, pleased with his answer. "Why don't you take a seat at the couch? It's comfortable."
"No thanks." Was Spike's diplomatic reply. "So who did it belong to before you came along?"
"I don't know," Alex said with a shrug, "I just liked it because of the view."
Curiouse, Spike moved towards the window. He stopped a few feet away. The view was of a bedroom window, in an apartment building that looked eerily similar to Faye's. He could see someone moving around inside. Spike subtly reached into his pocket, his hand meeting with cool metal.
His gun.
If he had to, Spike Spiegel would stage his own little revolution.
"So what the hell is going on, Alexander?" Spike asked bluntly, deciding to get right to the point. Alex took out his cell phone and pressed a button on speed dial. It was silent for a moment before the other side picked up. A few seconds later, Alex hung up the phone.
Spike was on edge in his own laid back way.
"So, Spike," Alex began, folding his hands on the top of the desk. "Do you know why Faye Valentine is on the hit list, exactly?"
"No." Was the short reply.
"Then I guess I should tell you."
"I guess you should."
The leader of the Red Dragon Syndicate smiled his beautiful, sadistic smile. "You are aware, of course, that my father died recently. You were at the funeral." Spike nodded, and Alex continued. "It was some freakish infection something. The doctors told me it was untreatable. But they lied. There was a cure. It was illegal, but it existed."
"What does this have to do with Faye?" Spike demanded subtly.
Alex just kept smiling. "So I made a little deal with a blackjack dealer at the Snake Eye Hotel and Casino. My men would gamble away a great deal of money, and in return, would receive the medicine. So I sent Amber and Luke."
Spike smirked. "So Faye is on the hit list because Amber and Luke are incompetent? They choose the wrong dealer and suddenly you're trying to kill her?"
Alex shrugged. "You know my motto. Shoot first, ask questions later."
"That's bullshit, and you know it."
"We do what we need to to survive in this business, Spike. We don't want to become a joke to the other syndicates. Then we all die."
"Fortunately, we're not in any danger of becoming a joke. It's one woman. Just let her go. I'll get her off Mars if you want me to."
"Sorry, Spike," Alex said, a sad smile revealing glimmering white teeth. "If I let one go, I have to let all of them go."
"We'll make it our little secret."
"There are no secrets in a syndicate. You of all people should know that."
Spike's eyebrow twitched. He opted to let it go. "She hasn't even done anything."
"My dad is still dead," Alex spat, his knuckles white.
"Your dad beat the shit out of you." Spike countered.
"Yeah, but I still loved him."
Spike's gaze moved to his feet. "Well," He replied, "maybe I love Faye."
Alex's laughter rang out sharply. "No you don't. If you loved her, you would have killed her that night in the casino."
Spike looked up sharply. Alex jeered at him. "I have eyes everywhere, Spike. You seem to be forgetting that."
"What are you going to do tonight?" Spike demanded quietly.
"Wanna do me a favor?" Alex asked, equally as casual.
"Not particularly." Spike replied.
"Don't worry, this is an easy one."
"Sure it is," Spike drawled.
"Really, it is," Alex replied. "All you have to do is look through that telescope and tell me what you see."
Spike knew something was up, but he made his way towards the telescope anyway. Closing his bad eye, he leaned forward, looking into the lens. What he saw was not unexpected in the least, but Spike could still feel his heart leap into his throat. He jerked back, turning on Alex.
"What apartment building is that?" Spike asked, his voice low.
"Faye Valentine lives there." Alex said, still smiling. "And tonight, Amber and Luke are going to kill her. And now, they don't have you to deal with. I'm thinking you saw them on the second level? There is no way you can get over there before Faye dies."
Spike's mind was having some issues processing the information. He blinked once and looked around. There were scissors and pens on the desk. There was Alex, like Spike, in his black on black suite and red silk tie. There was the window. There was a telephone line stretching past Faye's apartment building. Before he could think about it, Spike leapt into action.
He had crossed the room and pulled to scissors to him before Alex could react, and once his boss saw what Spike was going to do, he was comatose, allowing Spike to fulfill his goal. A moment later, Spike was moving across the apartment towards the window, Alex's beautiful tie, all the way from Earth, in his hand. As he pulled out his gun and fired four shots at the window so it shattered, he could hear Alexander King's pitiful whimpers.
Gripping the tie tight in his left hand and pocketing his gun, Spike jumped.
In midair, he looped the tie around the telephone line, praying that it held. It did. Spike grimaced, pain shooting through his right arm, where he had been shot a few days earlier. He could feel the wound ripping back open, but he was otherwise engaged swinging back and forth, and, finally, releasing the tie to go rocketing towards a window he was sure was Faye's.
"Shit!" He cried out as he realized he had released the tie too late and was slated for impact with a very hard wall. A second later, Spike was scrambling in vain back up the wall. He finally grabbed a drain pipe, and began to pull himself up. The pipe creaked menacingly. Cursing again, Spike leaned over and pulled out his gun, shooting the huge window closest to him and snaking through.
When he landed crouched on the floor, he knew he was in the wrong apartment.
If anything, it was the horrified scream that tipped him off.
Spike scrambled to his feet, gun pointing at a shrieking woman who was definitely not Faye Valentine. She was blonde and pretty, and under any other circumstances, Spike would have been happy to stick around. But he was in a hurry, so instead shouted out, "What floor is this?"
The woman paused for a moment, considering. A second later and on the edge of tears, she replied, "Fourteen!" Then she burst into tears.
Without so much as an apology, Spike was ripping out of her apartment, practically knocking her door off its hinges as he burst out into the hallway. He turned sharply to the left, skidding on the carpet as he tore down the corridor and into the stairwell. Spike's footsteps were deafening as he half ran half slid down the concrete stairs, searching for the twelfth floor. When he found it, he was out into the hall and charging down it, trying to ignore the blood running down his arm from his old wound.
Spike nearly passed Faye's apartment by the time he saw the numbers. He stopped suddenly, skidding on the carpet and back peddling until he reached her door. Cocking his gun, Spike threw open the door and fired twice.
He knew he had hit something when he heard Amber Beaumont shriek.
The gun smoke cleared and Luke was on the floor.
He was dead.
Spike's arm lowered slowly. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Amber sink to her knees and pull a still bleeding Luke into her lap, her perfectly painted nails colored red with blood. But he was focused on something different.
Faye.
She was alive and she was beautiful, her lips very very red and her skin very very white and her hair very very black. But she was shaking.
"Spike…" She said so softly he could hardly hear her. Her green eyes flitted to Luke and Amber on the floor. Spike's gaze followed hers. His heart sank. Amber was crying.
"Spike…" It was Amber who said it this time, her voice shocked. Spike looked back at Faye. Her eyes were wide with surprise.
Shit…
"He's dead, Amber." Spike said gently, his gun awkward in his hand and his eyes still on Faye.
"You killed him, Spike," Amber said quietly, pulling Luke's limp body to her chest. His blood was staining her sweater. "You killed one of your own."
Spike swallowed hard and brought his gun up, leveling it at Amber's head. "Stop talking, Amber," He said, his voice still gentle and his thumb on the safety.
"Spike, what's going on?" Faye asked, her voice quivering. She was moving forward. "You're bleeding…" She extended her arm, as if to touch the blood on his hand, but she was too far away.
"Don't move, Faye." Spike ordered. Faye complied, stepping back. She was alarmed, and Spike knew it. It suddenly became extremely clear that Spike had been backed into a corner he couldn't get out of.
"Amber… We need to get Luke to a hospital." Spike ventured, lowering his gun and turning his attention to Amber. He did a quick scan of the hall, looking for Amber's gun. It was near Faye's feet, and out of the hit woman's reach.
"He's dead Spike. Really dead." Amber said sadly, sinking onto her side and releasing Luke's body, which fell to the floor with a sick thud. "You know, Spike, syndicate leaders aren't supposed to kill their own men. But you did. You're a dragon, Spike. You run the Red Dragons. And you-"
A gunshot cut her off. Spike jumped; he hadn't fired it. His russet eyes turned to Faye. She was clearly on the verge of tears, Amber's gun clutched in shaking hands. Her eyes were bright and focused on him, as was the barrel of her gun.
"What is she talking about, Spike?" She demanded through gritted teeth.
Spike was silent. That wasn't the answer Faye was looking for. She fired. The bullet lodged in the half closed door. The force of the blow sent the door knocking back into the wall.
"Tell me she's lying, Spike. Tell me she's lying." Faye demanded.
"I can't."
A/N: Again, thank you so much to all of the reviewers, I love you guys so much! Seriously, you have no idea. Hugs! And if I'm taking a long time on a chapter, check my profile! I do update it a bunch.
Rock on, guys!
Lulu