Chloe felt more in control as she entered the restaurant this time around.

She wasn't really being hunted so close, she'd had a really good sleep, and she knew that Lex had a gun. It made a difference in her outlook.

The vacant waitress that they'd talked to the day before smiled when she saw them.

"Ah guess ya didn't make yer airplane, huh?" She asked as she handed them both menus.

"Not really." Lex said, smiling. "Tell me," He glanced at her name tag, "Lisa, can I get a decent cup of coffee?"

"Sure ya can, hun." She said, beaming. "I'll get that right away." Then she turned and walked off, presumably to get the coffee.

Chloe smiled. "You're really taking a liking to that waitress, aren't you Lex."

He smiled. "Well, she was *so* helpful yesterday."

They both had cups of coffee, and had just placed their orders, when Chloe noticed Lex looking over her shoulder at the door. She turned around to see who it was. Relief washed through when she didn't see the kidnappers. It must be Adams, she thought.

Lex stood as the man approached, they shook hands without speaking, and Lex sat back down, beside Chloe. Adams sat across from them.

The waitress came back, offering Adams coffee and a menu. He took the coffee and refused the menu, asking outright for eggs, toast and sausage.

When she had left again, Lex spoke. "Chloe Sullivan, this is Greg Adams. Adams, Chloe." He said by way of introduction. "She's in on this till the end, so get used to working as a trio." Lex said simply.

Adams nodded. "I have a car, it's out front. I've also got some things for you that your housekeeper saw fit to pack. This also." He placed an envelope on the table, and pushed it over to Lex.

Lex opened it and smiled. He pulled his wallet out. "I'll have to remember to give the housekeeper a nice bonus." He said with a smile.

Adams nodded. "We can talk later. Right now, I'm hungry."

Lex and Adams ate in comfortable silence. Chloe wasn't sure what kind of silence she was eating in. When it had just been Lex, she had been able to handle it, but with Adams arrival she realized just how nieve she was when it came to this sort of retribution game.

Adams wasn't like anyone she'd ever met before, barring Lex on certain occasions. He was quiet, but in an unsettling way. His movements were controlled, so that unless there was a reason, he didn't move at all. His speech was clipped and delivered quickly and in near mono-tone, and even his breathing seemed regulated. Chloe was sure he made a great enforcer, but as a human being, he was kind of eerie.

When they were done eating, Lex paid for the meal with the remainder of the cash he'd taken with the Ferrari. Then Adams agreed to follow the Beemer in the rental car, and they made there way back to Angie's estate.

There were no police cars, and no one made a fuss as they pulled back onto Angie's property. Not that that meant they were undiscovered, but it was still a good sign.

The nervous man reappeared the second that Lex pulled the BMW to a stop. He waited, nearly dancing on the balls of his feet, for Lex to get out of the car, for he took the keys, and drove it off, to the garage presumably.

Adams parked the rental, and got out. He stood observing the mansion, not moving.

Chloe leaned over to Lex. "Hey, is he human? I've been thinking, and his movement reminds me of lizards. You know, immobile one second, and then zoom they move, and then, nothing!"

Lex smiled. "Well, with Adams, it's the 'zoom' you want to look out for. Just be glad he's on our side!"

Then he made his way up the steps to the front door, motioning for Adams to follow. Charles opened the door for them before they even knocked. Lex smiled.

"Hey, this is Adams. He wanted to see Angie's place so we brought him along." He paused, allowing a form of awe to creep into his voice. "Is she still up there?" He asked quietly.

Charles nodded. "Yes." He cleared his throat. "Shall I announce you?"

"Nah, don't bother. I know the way." Then Lex pushed past him, Chloe and Adams trailing in his wake.

Angie was still unconscious in the closet when they opened the door. Concerned Chloe felt for a pulse and found it. She glanced at Lex.

"Are you sure that you didn't hit her too hard?" She asked.

Lex nodded. "Well, she didn't wake up and rat us out, so I'd say I hit her just right."

Adams nodded his approval, and Chloe kept her mouth shut. Instead, she walked over to the bed, and sat on the foot of it, watching to two men.

"Talk." Adams said simply.

"I believe that Winston is behind my kidnapping." Lex began without preamble. "I need more information, plus I owe these guys. I did promise them they would regret having apprehending me, and I never go back on my word. There are three of them. The leader is a big guy, dark hair, big build. The other two are slighter, though one is built. The slimmest one is the more violent of the two. There is a large brick wall surrounding the estate, with cameras on the outside, wire on the top. The place is a fortress, and we're going in."Adams nodded, not saying anything.

Chloe had noticed that Adams had hauled a large plastic case in with him, which Charles hadn't questioned verbally. Merely raising an eyebrow when he saw it.

Now, Adams flipped it open. Inside was an arsenal. Chloe had only seen that many different kinds of guns and weapons on TV, and certainly not the ones she was seeing.

Adams loaded a clip into a pistol, and handed it to Lex, who turned and walked over to Chloe.

"Are you one hundred percent sure you're in?" He asked her, one last time.

Chloe observed Adams barely disapproving look. She leaned towards Lex and whispered, "I don't think he likes me."

Lex shrugged it off. "Doesn't matter. Are you in?"

With a last look at Adams, Chloe looked at Lex. "Yes." Lex nodded, then he took her hand, held it palm up and placed the gun into it. He closed her fingers around it.

"Hang onto this. You might need it." He said. Then he turned and went back to Adams.

Chloe stared at the weapon in her hand. She'd seen guns before. Clark and Pete had tried to convince he to go gopher hunting with them. She'd seen rifles and handguns stuck in police belts, but she'd never held a pistol, and she'd never seen one so small. It was like a baby gun, maybe four inches long, and Chloe actually found herself considering it 'cute'.

She looked up. The guns that Lex and Adams were loading were a lot bigger. Somehow, it made her more comfortable. If they expected her to jump into the fray, they would have given her a bigger gun, right? She figured they just gave her the baby gun as a precaution.

Adams looked up to see her still holding the gun in the palm of her hand. He tucked his gun into a shoulder holster and walked over to her. He took the gun out of her hand.

"This is the safety." He said simply, showing her how to flip it on and off. "Can't fire if it's on. This is the trigger. This is the sight." He pointed to each thing as he said it. "This drops the clip." The clip slid out of the grip. He showed it to her. "This is full. You put it back in..." he shoved the clip into the gun. "And lock and load." He pulled on the top of the gun and chambered a round. "You understand?"

Chloe managed not to take offence at his brusque manner. She took the gun back. "Flip the safety off, point and shoot till I run outta bullets, then come and find you." She managed a saucy smile. "Right?"

She didn't get a rise out of Adams, but Lex smiled. "Here." He tossed her a spare clip. "Keep that with you too. You can use all those up too; before you try to find us."

Chloe nodded, trying to decide where on her person, she was going to hide a gun and spare ammunition.

Noting her dilemma, Lex pointed to Angie's closet. "Maybe you can find something in there with pockets." He said. Chloe nodded, and went to ransack Angie's clothes.

Once Chloe disappeared into the walk-in closet, Adams turned to Lex.

"Is she a good idea?"

Lex looked at him. "I want her along. She's got more guts then you think, and I believe she'll actually help us crack this faster." He looked thoughtful. "Just try to tone the violence down if she's actually watching."

Adams looked doubtful, but didn't say anything more. If the boss said the girl was coming, then he would just develop a new plan that included getting her out alive as well.

In the bottom of the case, Lex found black, expensive slacks, a dark gray polo shirt, and his duster. He pulled them out, smiling.

"Housekeeper." Adams said by way of explanation.

Relieved to be able to dress as he was most comfortable, and figuring that his own clothes would make him more intimidating to the kidnappers; Lex was finally able to change out of the ratty jeans and sweatshirt he'd been wearing.

He put a holster on underneath the duster, and straightened the collar before glancing in the mirror Angie had hung on the wall. He smiled coldly at his reflection. Showtime. He thought.

Adams had strapped random weapon paraphernalia onto his person, and was standing immobile by the door, ready to go. Lex was himself again; the epitome of what everyone thought when they heard 'Luthor'. Well dressed, cold and dangerous.

Chloe was still in the closet.

"Chloe?" Lex finally called. "Are you coming?"

"Yep. I was just getting into this super-cool assassin thing, and Angie's got some really cool clothes!" She stepped out of the closet. She'd found black spandex type jeans, and a black long sleeved knit shirt with a skull and cross bone on the front. She'd found a cool belt, and a black vest to complete the ensemble. She'd even rustled up a pair of combat looking boots; but she was still holding the gun in her hand.

Lex smiled. She reminded him of Lara Croft, minus experience and attitude.

"No clothes with pockets?" He asked her, motioning to the gun.

Chloe shrugged. "Couldn't I just have a holster too?"

Without a word, which would have been against the grain for him, Adams set the case down, flipped it open, and pulled a holster out. He handed it to Lex before shutting the case and standing up again.

"You really look like you want to be in the thick of things Chloe." Lex observed as he fixed the holster to her belt, and fitted the gun into it. "Just let me and Adams go first, okay? Don't get carried away."

"Aw, you care." Chloe quipped. "Let's just go, okay?"

Lex nodded, and turned motioning for Adams to lead the way.

They made it down the hallway and to the front door before they were stopped by anybody. Thankfully, it wasn't Charles.

The maid looked surprised to see three such grim looking people in the hall. Lex held up a hand to stop her from raising the alarm.

"We're guests of Angie's. Go talk to Charles." He said brusquely, before they walked outside into the sunlight.

Chloe blinked, finding herself surprised by the daylight. The mood that Adams and Lex were projecting made her feel dark and sneaky. She was surprised to find the sun out, and birds chirping.

Adams got into the driver side of the rental car, and Lex got into the back. Chloe looked at him, and he motioned for her to join him.

Once they were settled, Adams started the car, pulling away from the house, Lex turned to Chloe.

"Looks better to be chauffeured, if you're showing up unannounced." Lex said.

"Ah something to remember for the next time I'm invading an insanely rich person's estate." She smiled, trying to lighten the mood.

Adams pulled out of Angie's driveway, had barely accelerated, before they reached the gate of the kidnappers estate. There was no guard at the gate, simply an intercom system, and the locked gate.

Adams pressed the button. It buzzed, and a voice asked who it was.

"Mr. Greg Adams, personal business." He said simply.

"Uh, very well sir." The voice said. The gate slowly swung open, and Adams drove in.

"Lousy security." Chloe commented.

Lex shrugged. "When you think you're invincible, security seems like overkill."

"Oh." They continued in silence up the driveway to the front of the mansion. Chloe glanced out the window. She didn't recognize it, and part of the knot in her stomach dissipated. She'd been afraid she'd recognize the house, and that it would bring everything back.

Adams got out of the car, moving around to open the door for Lex. Lex offered his arm to Chloe, who followed. Lex was moving up the steps to the doors, as Adams shut the door, and followed a short distance behind.

A butler opened the door as they approached.

"Is he in?" Lex asked ambiguously, hoping that the butler would know who he was talking about.

The butler nodded. "Shall I show you to the study?" He asked.

Lex nodded curtly. "Thank you."

With her hand on Lex's arm, Chloe stepped into the mansion, as the doors swung shut behind them, cutting off the bright sunlight.

TBC...

A/N: I'm not going to be able to update for a few days so I hope two chapters makes up for it! Review, cause I'm working through a massive writers block right now!