Chapter Five

Kate smiled gratefully as the guard reached for the loop of keys hanging at his side and began to search for the one that belonged to her handcuffs. She guessed that Sawyer took the jingling of the metal as a cue to spring into action. She was momentarily confused by the stupidity of Sawyer's actions as he pounced on the guard but not for long.

The glint of the metal keys sliding under the bus seats caught Kate's attention and broke her from her astonishment. Instincts kicking in, Kate quickly scampered on the floor trying to reach for the keys but hindered by her restraints. As soon as she was near enough to make a desperate reach for the ring she did. The tips of her fingers brushed the closest edge of the metal to her. She almost had them, just a little bit farther. Kate went to push herself a few more inches along the floor. Suddenly, she was violently slammed into the hard legs of the seats above her watching the keys travel from her grasp, sliding toward the front of the bus. The vehicle's erratic movements continued as Kate futilely tried to move towards the key's ever-changing location.

Thankfully, the bus soon jerked to a sudden stop, ending Kate's pursuit of the moving target. Her fingers soon clasped the cool metal sending relief flowing through her body. Then she heard a gun being cocked behind her and she immediately tensed again.

"Don't you dare touch that radio, cabby," Sawyer's southern voice rang out.

Even though Sawyer held the weapon, Kate still feared his predicament. It was two against one. She doubted that Sawyer's strength could overcome the odds and his bonds didn't help either.

Well, I might have been able to help you Sawyer if you hadn't been so idiotic, she thought to herself. Why hadn't he waited until the guard had her cuffs off? Didn't it make sense to hold off his attack? She sighed inwardly; knowing that Sawyer didn't possess the logic that Kate had from her years on the run.

Unlocking her restraints was becoming as frustrating as Sawyer's lack of sense. Every key she tried didn't turn and the metal was chaffing her skin as she held her hands awkwardly to have access to the lock. One key, two keys, three, keys; knowing Kate's luck, the one that would work was certain to be the last one on the ring.

Behind her, Kate heard the frantic contest resume: the quick, uneven footsteps, the dull thuds as bodies fell to the floor, the groans of struggle. She held her breath as she tried the last key on the ring, letting it out slowly as she heard the subsequent click of the lock. Having the full range of motion back in her arms, Kate hurriedly started working on the leg chains, easily finding the right key. Just as she removed her bonds, she was startled by the loud crack of the gun. Time seemed to slow as she turned to see the gun pointed at her, the flash of the gun powder exploding, followed by the look of surprise on the men's faces.

Out of reaction, Kate pulled her arms around her head and face in hopes of protecting herself. She felt the bullet pass her arm, where a fraction of a second ago her head had been. The superheated air around the projectile burned a stripe of her skin stretching from her wrist to her elbow. Kate closed her eyes, breathing heavy, shuddering breaths.

"Kate! Kate!" Sawyer yelled agonizingly, the anxiety plainly in his voice.

"I'm okay," she responded, not so much as to Sawyer's shout, but to reassure herself that was the case. Grabbing the keys from the bus floor, she pushed herself upright into the seat, peaking back to make sure the situation was safe to stand upright.

Sawyer stood in the aisle, while the guard and driver were lying flat on their stomachs. Kate wasn't sure who had the weapon, but thankfully spotted Sawyer holding it down at his left side pointing it at the two hostages seconds later. The coast was clear and she stood up wincing slightly as she accidentally nudged her burnt arm against the seat.

As Kate locked eyes with Sawyer, she saw the look of anguish soften then change to questioning as she walked towards him.

"How in the hell did you manage to get your cuffs off, Ms. Houdini?" Sawyer demanded.

As an answer, Kate held up her hand up by her face, the keys hooked on her index finger, giving Sawyer a wry smile.

"Oh so that's where you've been while I was back here fightin' for my life. Going for keys? Well, at least now I know what's more important to you, don't I sweetheart?" Sawyer responded, trying to sound irritated and offended at the same time.

Kate shook her head, believing that Sawyer's question didn't merit a response, as she closed the distance between them. When she reached him, they exchanged the keys and the gun. Sawyer plopped down on the nearest seat and began to fiddle with the handcuff's lock.

"So, Freckles, since you're runnin' the show, what'da we do next?" Sawyer drawled.

Kate gave him I-can't-believe-you-just-asked-that look and said, "I'll tell you when you need to know. I don't imagine that it would be a good idea to discuss that in front of them."

"Goodness, I was just wonderin'," retorted Sawyer. "Even though you're in charge, I thought I would still be privy to the plan ….finally," he muttered as he slipped his restraints off.

"That took you long enough," Kate uttered exasperatedly. "Now go get my hand cuffs and leg chains that I left up in the front."

Sawyer threw her a piercing look, but complied without comment. Did he actually take an order from me without a smart remark? Kate thought in disbelief. How ironic was it that Sawyer had asked her for trust and now he was the one that had to trust her. For Kate, trusting Sawyer in a way meant being dependent on him. She had never been comfortable with dependency. Through her life the only person she was able to rely on was herself. More than anything, giving her trust made her vulnerable.

What was taking him so long? The distance was no more than thirty feet round-trip. She had heard Sawyer pick up the bonds many seconds before. Why wasn't he coming back? Breaking her attention from the driver and guard, she turned to see Sawyer staring out the windshield. She turned around a little more to see the object of his attention. Her heart stopped. A red pick-up truck had pulled over in front of the bus and a middle-aged man emerged and set forth toward the scene of Kate and Sawyer's precarious dilemma.

"We've got company."