The Candy Store This Afternoon…
All the equipment was up and running, the monitors displaying the video feed, the speakers turned on high recording everything from the Candy Store as Deaq sat comfortably at Billie's desk, his broken leg propped up on one of the other chairs that usually sat around it.
"So this is what it's like to be Billie," he said to himself, surveying the expanse of the converted warehouse. "I could get used to this."
But his relative ease in his surroundings was far fromwarehouse, and Billie was trying to calm Van down after he'd spotted Rousseau. He couldn't help but wonder what had happened the day before to prompt him to get so angry with this guy. It was something he'd have to think about later, after the bust went down and the two were home safe.
As soon as Abney stepped into the picture, holding the aluminum case with the money, he leaned closer to Billie's computer screen, his hand on his phone so that the moment Van and Billie were out of there, he could call Aspen PD for backup. But that wouldn't be the case, because as soon as the exchange had been made, Abthough, he was all eyes and ears to the monitors and the speakers. Van and Billie were in the warehouse, and Billie was trying to calm Van down after he'd spotted Rousseau. He couldn't help but wonder what had happened the day before to prompt him to get so angry with this guy. It was something he'd have to think about later, after the bust went down and the two were home safe.
As soon as Abney stepped into the picture, holding the aluminum case with the money, he leaned closer to Billie's computer screen, his hand on his phone so that the moment Van and Billie were out of there, he could call Aspen PD for backup. But that wouldn't be the case, because as soon as the exchange had been made, Abney brought his endgame.
"Oh, no," Deaq barely whispered, his eyes unable to move from the screen as he watched Abney pull out his gun and point it at his partner and boss. When he heard Van begin to badger Billie about the decision she'd made to bring Rousseau in, he knew his partner was trying to buy them some time. And once Billie caught on, they were hopefully in the clear. She'd done a roundhouse kick, knocking the would be murders' guns together as she and Van made a run for it behind a steel pillar only meters from the door.
The scene played out like an action movie. Gunfire erupted from all directions. Van had only enough time to take out one of Abney's men before they started shooting at each other. When Billie yelled, "Cover me!" he could only hope that she'd found a way out and that she and Van would get away safely. Yet again, that wouldn't be the case. Just as Van reached the door, a bullet hit him in the shoulder. He fell into Billie and the feed cut out.
"NO!" Deaq shouted at the fuzzy grey screen as he shot out of his chair. He tapped the computer, hoping that it was just a slight malfunction, but when the picture didn't reappear, Deaq started to panic. He began the process of rebooting the computer in hopes of getting the thing working again, but he knew better. The small camera had probably been crushed when Van fell on top of Billie.
Immediately after the computer rebooted, Deaq started making phone calls. First to Billie's cell phone, then to Van's, but he never got an answer from either one of them. The panic he'd felt before only seemed to worsen as he kept trying to reach his partner and his boss. "Oh, hell no!" Deaq was now yelling at the computer screen and his phone as he tried to get the signal back from the camera.
Finally, Deaq resorted to calling the hotel and seeing if they had showed up yet, but as predicted, they hadn't. The hospitals in the area hadn't gotten any gunshot victims either. That only meant one thing: Van and Billie were still out there in the wilderness somewhere, with Abney's men at their heels. He could only hope they were safe, well, as safe as one could be with a bullet in their shoulder and a madwoman of a boss as a guide.
With his resolve wearing thing, Deaq finally called Aspen PD and put out an APB on Van and Billie. Soon after, he booked the first flight out of LA to Colorado and secured a ride to the airport. He didn't care about the overnight necessities. He'd pick them up when he arrived. Right now, his partner and his boss were in trouble, and they were his number one priority.
Van had once asked him what the scariest moment in his life was. It had been Billie going to prison on bull shit murder charges, but now it was this. Deaq could only cross his fingers and hope for the best as he hobbled outside to wait for Aquarius to pick him up and take him to the airport. Aspen PD had been notified that he'd be coming in to help them with the case since he had all the surveillance equipment and the radioactive dye marker signal tracker. It hadn't shown any movement for a while. Maybe by the time he was on the ground in Colorado, Deaq would have a better idea of where it was.
I hope ya'll liked that. It's almost 6AM right now, and I just wanted to post this little tidbit. It's not much, but it's something, ya know?
Avillie: There's plenty of drama coming your way. PLENTY! Believe me! I still haven't gotten to the really good part yet! As for your concern about the fire and the smoke... All in due time, my dear. All in due time.
prplerayne: I thought you'd like the devil incarnate crack. I had to put it in there. You know I did. Billie + Liquor Major meltdown! And poor Van is gonna get caught in the middle. Oh, the drama!
Shalimar1: Hi! So glad to meet you! Thanks for reviewing my story! I'm glad to see you're enjoying it so much. To satisfy your curiousity (and probably everyone else's), Van will have an interesting reaction to waking up beside Billie in the morning. You can count on it.
Francesca: Hey, I didn't mark this story with a Romance tag for nothing! You can definitely count on more sweet moments between the two of them, especially in a couple of chapters where all hell breaks loose. Uh-oh... I might have said too much!
agenttanya: Yep, almost over. Then it's time for my holiday story! Hehe. But not before I milk this one for all it's worth. Believe me, there's so much more to come, especially between Van and Billie.
fan4fastln: Where'd you go? I thought you woulda jumped on this last chapter with questions that I could answer. I hope everything's okay.
simbagirl: I just hope you're okay. Hope life isn't getting too hectic for you. Just wanna make sure you're okay. That's all.
The unsigned: You guys are awesome! Thank you for reading!
Sorry those were so short. I'm tired but I can't seem to get back to sleep, so posting this was my logical choice. Please review and keep me awake these next few nights so I can finish my story and post it for y'all. I really love feedback, especially when you have questions about the direction of the story. Please post them so I know whether or not there are holes in the plot I need to work out in future chapters. Thanks again for all your wonderful words and questions!
More story coming soon!
Happy Thanksgiving if I don't post before then!