Author's note: In writing this chapter, I came across a song that said volumes about some of the emotions Amanda's feeling. In fact, it matched so closely that I just had to link it in here. If you have the CD, feel free to pop that in instead of listening to the URL, but if you don't, just click on the song when it appears in the story. Hope you enjoy it!

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The feeling persisted throughout the day and when it didn't, Amanda's mind was forced into repeating the meeting she'd had with Abruzzi last night. Neither were things she really wanted to think about but she couldn't avoid them, not with the hit-man watching her every move from the back seat and her brother sitting quietly beside her.
In the 11 hours that had passed between Panora, Iowa and Grand Island, Nebraska, Anton had said little to nothing, which bothered Amanda more than she thought it would.
Yeah, she'd acted like it was a burden to take care of him over the last few years, but he was her brother- and the only one that could understand and relate to the tragedy she still carried so close to her heart. More than almost anything right now, she wanted her brother to talk… to tell her it'd be all right, that he'd make sure nothing happened to her, but she knew with Abruzzi's threat still hanging over their heads, it was her duty to protect Anton and to keep him from trying to protect her.
"How much longer until we hit Montezuma?" Abruzzi leaned forward between the two front seats.
"About 6-8 more hours."
"And are we planning a stop?"
Amanda tightened her grip on the steering wheel, her knuckles whitening as she imagined throwing the hit-man out right here, right now. Of all the people in the van, he'd been the most talkative during their 11 hour jaunt. He asked about Anton, then Amanda, then the plan, their home, even why Amanda kept playing the Fullmetal Alchemist soundtrack over and over again, to which she replied each time with, "I like Bratja, and if you don't, I'll be glad to leave you elsewhere." In truth, she didn't want to risk having Anton hear a news-break about the prison escape and put last night's events together… so Amanda did the only thing she could- she played the one CD she had in her car and Abruzzi hated it apparently.
"We can stop here." It was Michael.
Amanda looked back. "Fine by me. Any specific hotel you want?"
"Motel."
"You know what I meant."
Sucre leaned into the conversation too. "What's the difference?"
"Hotels are enclosed, open into halls-"
"Motel rooms open to the outside." Amanda smirked, having finished the criminal mastermind's sentence. "We're in luck then. There's only one motel in town."
Anton rolled his eyes. "Yeah, and can I stay elsewhere?"
"You're going to leave your poor little sister in a motel with 5 'dangerous' men, Ant?"
He sighed, rolling his eyes for the second time. "Just get me somewhere I can sleep without 'Melissa' or 'Bratja', okay?"
"I'll see what I can do." She glanced over to stick her tongue out at him or do something else equally childish, but Anton had already turned back to the side window, completely silent once more. There was that bad feeling again.

"Sucre and Franklin, you're sharing the room on the end. Burrows, you two are three doors down from that, and Abruzzi- you've got your own room on the other end." Amanda jerked her shoulder down and away as the Italian's hand brushed her arm. He smiled. "And uh, where are you and big brother?"
"You think I'd tell you?" She shoved his key into his hand. "Don't touch me again."
"Jumpy, aren't we?"
"Yeah, well, you try and get four rooms while the attendants talking all about the convicts that escaped out in Illinois. I'd like to see any of you handle that." She meant it too. She expected to run into people that were interested in the case, but she'd never expected to find an aspiring Sherlock Holmes in the very motel they'd stopped in. "Monsters," he'd said. "If I get my hands on them, I could shoot right up to detective… or Commissioner."
"You think they'll make it out of Illinois?" she'd asked.
"Naw… but if they cross my turf, the president herself is gonna hear my cry. $100,000 apiece is very persuading. I heard the big one, that Lincoln guy could get y' $300,000 just for his one measly self."
"Wow." She'd begun to regret their choice of lodgings at this point. "Well, if you see 'em, my congrat's."
"Thanks, Missus."
Amanda shook her head and took her brother's arm. "Come on, Ant."
"You go ahead."
"What?"
"I… I need a drink."
Both looked at each other, not even sure what to say anymore. She wanted to tell him who the convicts were and she knew he wanted to know… but she couldn't do it- not yet. If she did right now, he'd freak and probably make himself sick again. She couldn't afford for him to have two fits in as many days- it could hurt him too much.
"That is all-right, isn't it?" Right. Mr. Sarcasm.
"It's fine." She handed him a key. "219, and come back soon, okay?"
"I'll be back before you know it."
Amanda watched him leave… and after a long moment, she crossed back from the van to #219. Michael was waiting there, leaning back against the door and watching her almost as intently as she had Anton.
"He okay?"
"He'll be fine." She hoped so, at least.
"You fight like this a lot?"
"No…" She whispered. "We don't."


---------------Start: Rihanna's Unfaithful---------------

The squeak of her hand wiping the steam from the mirror finally brought Amanda's mind back from the fray. She barely even remembered being in the shower; the whole time, she'd been thinking of Fibonacci, then Abruzzi… then Michael. Two days ago, she hadn't known any of these men and now, they were going to affect the rest of her life, whether she'd be the murdered or the murderer. Would it even be murder to give away a location of a man she'd never met and hardly heard of? Her conscience screamed a resounding "yes," and she couldn't help but agree. Fibonacci was innocent, deserving of a timely death many years from now in the most peaceful way possible… never at the end of a gun.
She lifted her eyes to look at the reflection in the glass. How would she ever be able to face herself again if she did what she thinking of doing? More than that, how would she ever face Michael? He was smart; he'd figure out who got the information to Abruzzi, and never trust that person again… not that he really trusted Amanda right now, anyway. She wanted to believe that didn't bother her, that she didn't expect much of him either, but it'd be lie. She did trust him and longed for him to trust her in turn, but knew it'd never be so if she threw Fibonacci to the wolves.
Amanda closed her eyes, breathing deeply, reaching into the depths of her soul for the answer she'd been looking for since last night's attack. Murder or be murdered... trust Michael to save her from Abruzzi's wrath or fly from Michael's before he found out.
She looked at her reflection again, suddenly strong. No. She wouldn't be a murderer. She wouldn't be. She refused to be.
The mantra repeated over and over in her head as she slipped her pajamas on and then toweled and scrunched her hair. Already, she felt more at ease, even though she knew Abruzzi would come for an answer tomorrow night. It didn't matter. She would overcome.
Amanda began humming softly to herself and opened the door into the bedroom. Though she'd no idea how long she'd been in the shower, she was still slightly surprised to see that Anton hadn't returned yet. How long had it been? She looked back into the bathroom and not seeing her watch, wandered over to the suitcases stacked in the closet. Where else could she have left it? Never, had that watch been lost; it was one of her most treasured possessions.
Amanda unzipped her suitcase's first front pocket and just as her fingers found the well-known watch face, she heard it- the all too familiar click of a gun's safety being removed.
"Looking for something, are we?"
Her whole body went cold, paling as she heard the voice her soul wouldn't ever forget and cursing herself for once again leaving her own weapon out of reach. It was all she could do to turn and cautiously face him as he was, leaning against the window across the room, gun in hand. He smiled as she lifted her eyes to his. "And… have we found it?"
"Get out, Abruzzi." Her voice trembled, despite itself.
"I couldn't help but overhear your talk with our boy this morning-touching, really." He stood. "You'll have Fibonacci by tomorrow night, I know."
"If you're so sure, why are you here? And where's Anton? If you hurt him-"
"I've done nothing to big brother. He went out for himself to get a drink. I thought it'd be the perfect chance for you and I to go over our deal… make sure our lines aren't crossed."
"I'm not doing it."
"What?"
"I don't want to be a murderer. I don't want to be you." She flinched slightly as he raised the gun, but didn't look away. "You gave me 'til tomorrow night. I have one more day."
"To what? To arrange for my removal?"
"No. To get you all where you need to be. Think about it. If you kill me, Anton won't help you and if you kill both of us, you'll be right back to square one; five convicts with no where to go. What then?"
"You think a little thing like that would stop me from pulling this trigger right now?"
"If you want to get out of this alive, it will."
A beat passed and another, but neither spoke. Abruzzi lowered the gun and stuffed it back into his pocket. "You're good, girlie." He chuckled. "I'll see you."
"Later." Amanda spoke it as an order and meant it wholly, that is until she realized that the exiting door was behind her. Her enemy would have to walk right past her to leave… and she'd just insulted him.
Abruzzi leisurely crossed the room, all the time looking down or up Amanda's figure, knowing the girl was probably now scared out of her wits. Their eyes met at the exact moment he stepped beside her and both knew then and there… only one of them would leave this room alive.
Abruzzi needed no more excuse. He ducked beneath her right punch, stepping smoothly back and behind her for one of his favorite moves with those he intended to scare before he killed- the sleeper hold. No one ever expected it, because in it, Abruzzi always faked a frontal assault and then attacked from the rear. No one saw it coming. Amanda didn't either.
She tried to drop before his arm could get around her neck, but he was too fast and before she knew it, her right hand was jammed between his elbow and her neck. Her mind began careening, desperately repeating that which she already knew; it would only take 20 seconds of a well-applied sleeper hold to knock her out for an uncertain amount of time, and already, the edges of the room were becoming fuzzy. How long had it been? How much longer did she have?
Dots were beginning to form in her vision and all she could think about was another woman who'd died some 18 years ago. Is this how she'd left- struggling and longing to see her family again?
No. Amanda had trained too long and too hard to make sure she wouldn't die like that and especially not when it would leave Anton in danger. If this hit-man really wanted the kill so badly, he was going to have to fight for it.
She reached back with her left hand, jammed her fingers into Abruzzi's eyes, and sank her teeth into the arm around her neck. What hurt him more, she didn't know, but suddenly, she was free of the choke-hold and falling to the floor. As soon as her knees hit the carpet, she pivoted and rolled to her side, kicking her right foot out between his legs. He shouted again, louder this time, and lunged forward just as Amanda began to pull herself up from the floor. Both were determined to win and while she did have the white rage to drive her, he had the experience and a good advantage in size.
Within seconds, Abruzzi had her pinned beneath him. "Later does come sooner than we think sometimes, doesn't it?" He smiled as she began to squirm. "What you don't understand, girlie, is here, right now, I hold your life in my hands and just as easily as I can give it, I can take it away."
"Mich-" Her shout was cut off with a rough hand over her mouth.
"If they catch me, they catch them. Understand?"
She nodded, hoping that her distraction would keep him from noticing that she'd bent and planted her left leg up against her body for support.
"Good." He smiled again, lecherously. "Now… where were we?"
Amanda threw her right knee up against his backside, too sickened to let Abruzzi go any farther, and rolled to her left side as he fell forward. She knew that to regain his balance, he'd have to release her arms; as he did, she pushed him to the left and off of her. Both scrambled for their weapons, but Amanda reached hers first and, without even thinking, turned and fired one shot straight into Abruzzi's heart. He stopped, gun in hand, and looked at the girl almost collapsed against the wall. "You shot me."
She didn't move.
"You…" He laughed weakly. "Goodbye, girlie."
Amanda knew it was coming even before he'd addressed her- she could see the glint harden in his eyes. He may be merciless, but on her feet, she was meticulous. She fired a second shot just as he raised his own gun again and there, he fell to the floor- cut down by a 26 year old girl who was now almost as frightened of the deathly silence as she had been of the man now lying forever still.
In the quiet, her mind could fully comprehend what she'd just done. She'd killed a man-a horrible man, but a man nonetheless- and for what? For her life? What worthwhile thing had she ever done with this life to justify killing someone else to save it? And Michael… she had to tell Michael.
It was more than likely that someone had heard the shots and the police were on their way now. They would have to run; there was no other way out of it because now… now, she would be wanted too. Oh, what had she done?
Amanda tried slowly to pull herself up to stand, but the room began to dim and fade just as she reached the halfway point. As fast as she'd climbed, she sank again to the floor, now watching the room spin around itself. She didn't hear the voice outside the door or the key in the lock and by the time the door was open, for Amanda, everything had gone black.

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Yay! I finally got to do an action scene. Do tell me how you liked it. I haven't written a fight in ages.