Part 13

"Hannibal." The name fluttered around Peck's head; a lucky talisman, a ghostly saviour or just a desperate grasp to hold on to life? But he lacked the voice and the will to summon his mentor as the memories flooded through him.

And the memories were vivid and bleak and terrifying. He remembered a similar scene, he recalled being on his knees in the mud of Vietnam and the VC Captain holding the cold gun barrel to his forehead…. the infinite wait… the freezing fear deep in his bowels….. the inevitable ending.

"Say goodbye, Templeton!" Lorelei hissed pressing the gun to his temple.

A cold shudder of fear rushed through Peck.

And then all hell broke lose!

The dull throb that had only been a background noise suddenly exploded into the thundering thrash of helicopter blades as the craft swept upwards from behind the stationary train where it had been hidden. "Police! Put the guns down!" boomed an authoritive voice from the hovering bird.

Clouds of dust were blown up, stinging and watering the eyes and flapping hair and clothes in the wind. From out of the wagons a whole squad of SWAT Officers leapt guns ready as they fanned out to take offensive positions. Tearing up the hill at their front came of terrifying sight – gold glittered through the gloom, Mohawk hair standing up aggressively on his head and massive muscles flexing. BA was determined to be in any fight for his two friends. But his strength was barely needed; the trap was well and truly sprung – very few of Lorelei's men bothered to put up any sort of fight.

From his position on his knees, Murdock glanced up to see Westwood staring around him in shocked awe. As indignant fury crashed through him, Murdock took the chance and threw himself into the big man's barrel of a chest, knocking him away and down the hill. Hands still cuffed behind him the pilot sprang to his feet and threw himself at Lorelei as she hesitated, gun still at Peck's temple. They both fell rolling over and over through the choking dirt, down the hill.

"Bitch! Bitch!" Murdock screamed furiously as he rose to his knees and head butted Lorelei as she tried to rise, right on the nose. The perfectly sculptured face exploded into a bloody mess.

Peck remained kneeling motionless as he had been throughout, shuddering slightly, paralysed, eyes tightly closed as if desperately denying everything that was happening about him.

By that time the police had reached them and began to take control. Within minutes Lorelei was standing, sniffing back the blood into her battered, snot covered nose, hands cuffed behind her and eyes blazing with hatred as she watched Peck slowly climb numbly to his feet, stretch out his hands as the chains were removed and then walk purposely towards her.

"I don't like to boast," he said with his trademark smile. "But I think it was you, Lorelei, that underestimated me all along. I've been fighting people like you all my life; I must have picked up some ability along the way. I'll give you Robby Blake sure – I had no idea but I guess that explains why that whiskey knocked me out the other week – another one of your pharmaceutical delights, was it?" He looked across at Murdock who smiled encouragingly at him. "And thanks to Murdock, my flyboy, as you so rightly said, Robby's influence was only ever fleeting. As you can see from all this," he indicated the combined force of the LAPD that surrounded them. "I never really went for Simon Laycock – too smooth and not enough substance." His smile was even more stunning as he rolled his eyes. "It takes one to know one!"

"You bastard!" she screamed and tried to rush forward to reach him but the police officer behind her held her back.

Murdock laughed. "I see you haven't lost your affect on women, Faceman! She's just desperate to get hold of you!"

Peck nodded. "She's been after me for years."

Lorelei was trembling with rage as Peck stepped closer. "May I?" he politely asked the officer who nodded in permission. Very gently he reached across and stroked the hair from her face, then with his handkerchief he wiped away the blood that was pooling beneath her nose. The fury that ran through her was truly terrifying but Peck ignored it. Instead he took her face in his hands and stooped to plant a long passionate kiss on her lips. She tensed, squealing her dissent and trying to push him off but he was too strong for her, holding her tightly as she struggled, his lips ravishing hers.

Finally he pulled away smirking. "I've wanted to do that for one hell of a long time," he confessed. "It's my present to you Laura Stepford, something to remember me by on all those lonely nights you are going to have in prison. Just think of me and remember, Templeton Peck bested you like he did your father, sweet Lorelei!"

Murdock guffawed and moved to put his arm around Peck's shoulders. Together they walked back down the hill to where BA and Amy waited.

"Look at that," Peck whined as he brushed the dirt from his clothes. "Another pair of pants ruined!"

"Don't matter, Facey," Murdock muttered. "Now, that this is all over, I'm gonna take you somewhere you won't need to worry about your pants!"

Peck rolled his eyes. "Promises, promises!" he whispered back.

"Murdock, Face, you OK?" Amy asked as she hugged them both.

"Great!" the pilot answered.

"Oh just wonderful!" Peck said. "I just love being on my knees in the dirt, ruining my pants, with a gun at my head in the hands of a mad bitch who wants me dead. I find it just so uplifting!"

"Quit whining, Face!" Murdock chastised him. "You survived it, didn't you?"

"Thanks to me!" BA's voice rumbled angrily.

"BA!" Murdock leapt at the big man. "Give us a cuddle, you lovely, wonderful, mud sucker!"

"Get off, fool!" BA scowled and tried to fight off the pilot but he hung on resolutely.

"Careful, BA," Face cautioned him. "He's a limpet and once he gets under your skin, you've got no chance!"

"Yuk!" BA pulled a face. "I can't think of anything worse – fool under my skin!"

"Thank you, thank you, thank you…" Murdock kept repeating as he hugged the big man. "Never thought the LAPD would save our necks and never imagined that BA would be the guy to lead 'em over the hill like the seventh cavalry. Who'd have thought you would rescue Butch and Sundance – my hero!"

"Yeah, thanks BA," Peck said, managing to shake the big guy's hand between swots. "We couldn't have done it without you."

BA's scowl broke into a smile. "I know. It's a good job I'm here to look after you two. On you own you useless!"

"Useless!" Peck snorted in disgust.

"BA!" Murdock echoed, still trying to force his way under BA's armpit to continue his hug.

Amy giggled as the two men engaged in their own personal sumo match. BA was getting more angry by the second. "Get off me fool!" he was shouting.

"Somethings will never change," Peck sighed as he turned back to Amy.

"But other things do, Face," she said rolling her eyes to where Lorelei was being lead away to a waiting police car, lights flashing furiously below them. "I'm sorry about Simon Laycock," she continued. "I really hoped he was a good guy."

Peck smiled. "Well, not everyone can be as good as they look!" He said arrogantly. "Don't worry about it, Amy."

They hugged again. "So what now?" Amy asked as she pulled away.

"Now?" Peck smiled. "Now, I feel like a ten ton weight has been lifted from my soul. Now, I feel freer than I have in years and now I have Murdock!" He let out a long, satisfied sigh. "Now, at last, I can be happy!"

She chuckled again at his obvious enthusiasm and lust for life – he looked years younger! "You deserve it, Face. Now, don't you think you should rescue Murdock from BA, while there's still something left for you to rescue?"

"Good point, Amy! BA put Murdock down… please!"


Templeton Peck let out a long, contented breath as he regarded himself in the mirror. "Not bad," he muttered as he ran his hand through his hair. "Not bad at all!"

He found it impossible to stop his mouth quirking at the edges into a wicked grin. Turning from the mirror, his eyes fell on the bed and memories of the ecstasy of the night that he and Murdock had shared there caused his grin to widen even further.

He glanced at his watch – 10.40 already! God! Murdock had really left him to lie in bed for a long time. Throughout his life staying in bed in the morning had not been something he had been able to experience very often, but this morning Peck had felt so overwhelmingly at peace with himself and the world in general that he had not wanted to exit the covers. For once life was good! Murdock's stomach, however, had not allowed him to stay in bed any longer and after it started to rumble noisily, he had grudgingly pulled himself away from his partner, dressed quickly and wondered over to the diner for breakfast.

It was a full week since his final run in with Lorelei. She was safely behind bars and Peck had luxuriated in the blissfulness the closure had brought him. He and Murdock had decided to take the Viper and simply drive where the mood took them. They were up in the mountains, moving from one motel to the next, doing a little fishing but mainly just being happy together. They were making no plans – that would come later. Now the pressure was off at last and they were both determined to make the most of it.

After Murdock had gone, Peck had finally roused himself to take a long, hot shower. He had taken his time in the bathroom and dressing – didn't he always? But this time he was relaxed and happy. Still at 10.40, he should really get a move on.

Peck exited into the bright morning sunlight that filtered through the pine trees towering tall above the motel. He made his way across the parking lot, listening to the call of a bird and breathing in the nostril tingling smell of pine. His mind went back over the months to a similar journey he had made towards Murdock. That day he had been scamming a helicopter, his senses focused on the cell phone pressed to his head and unaware of the beauty that was all around him. That day had been just the start of the roller coaster ride that had been his life, it had been about to scream off frighteningly out of control.

His mind ran over the events of the weeks and months in between. Although it was all over, he still wondered, still did not understand. "Hannibal," he muttered. "What were you trying to tell me?"

He shook his head, deciding to concentrate on what he knew; today it was all done, all finished. Today he could relax.

Murdock's face lit up as he entered the diner. "Hiyah, gorgeous!" he called, then his eyes narrowed mischievously and his voice was pitched lower so it only reached Peck's ears as he continued. "I'm surprised you can walk after last night!"

Peck felt the flush heat his cheeks but he held Murdock's gaze and laughed. "And I'm surprised you can get anything in your mouth!" he retorted playfully.

Murdock batted his eyelids. "Not just anything!" he pouted. "Only sweet things! Want a pancake?"

"No, coffee's good!" Peck said sliding into the booth the other side of the table from Murdock.

The pilot offered across his cup. "Take mine, I'm done anyway. I don't want to eat when you're around. Let me just look at you Faceyman!"

Peck took a long slurp of the coffee. His tone was serious when he began, "Murdock, you've saved me in so many ways. I don't know if I can ever make it up to you. I …"

Murdock snorted. "Enough, Face," he said softly. "We don't need to say this, cos we both know." He reached out hesitantly and took hold of Peck's hand where it rested on the table. He expected it to retract from his touch but blue eyes came up to rest on his, gently affirming their consent. Peck's smile was brilliant.

"So what are we gonna do today?" Murdock asked. "Driving, fishing," he wriggled his eyebrows lecherously, "….. back to bed, maybe?"

Peck opened his mouth to respond but he never got the chance because at that precise moment a terrific BANG exploded through the air around them. The window in front of the booth where they sat exploded into a million pieces of sharp, shattering glass.

"What the fuck!" Murdock screamed.


TBC