AN: I just got back from 5 days of family bonding. Terrible for internet access, but good for editing drafts. So hopefully I'll have the rest of his story typed and uploaded in the next few days!

MysticWolf1, as always, thanks for the good advice. I've tinkered with the summary a bit. Glad you enjoyed the last installment. (Yeah, I think Wesley would totally dope someone up if he thought it was for their own good).

Chapter 6

Rachel hadn't been exaggerating when she'd said that the Saavin had tight security. The area around the building practically teemed with demons. It had taken Angel a long time to work his way inside their lair. He was slowed down by the fact that he wanted to remain unseen. It would have been much faster to simply fight his way in, but that approach tended to blow the element of surprise. That would be a problem if he couldn't get Rachel's uncle out of here tonight. He didn't want the Saavin on the alert if they had to return in force later.

In the end it was a good thing he exercised caution. He found James Harper by the simple, but effective technique of following the scent of human blood. When he located the room the Saavin were keeping their prisoner in, for a moment he was afraid that the man was already dead.

James Harper was curled on his side on a floor covered with stained and peeling linoleum. He bore little resemblance to the smiling man from the photo. His hair was crusted with blood, as were his clothes. A narrow gash ran down the side of his face and one eye was swollen shut. His right arm was situated at a painfully wrong angle, either broken or dislocated. His breathing was shallow and raspy, hinting at the possibility of more serious injuries.

He was also firmly chained, even though it looked as if there was no possible way he could move under his own steam.

"James," Angel whispered. He checked the man's pulse, and was relieved to find it fairly strong. "James Harper."

The man flinched at the sound of his own name. His head tilted slightly and his good eye opened. He stared at Angel in confusion.

"Who…….?"

"It's all right. I'm here to help you," Angel said.

Mr. Harper looked panicked as he tried to shake his head. "No. Get out. Saavin'll catch you….tear you to pieces……"

"Don't worry about me. Can you walk?"

"Leg's broken. Go. They'll be back soon." Angel could see the man's strength starting to ebb. His eye was dimming and drifting closed.

Angel rocked back on his heels. He knew that he didn't have long before the pair of demons who were monitoring this part of the building came back. Everything in him rebelled against the idea of leaving the man there. But if he tried to remove him now, alone, he knew the consequences would be disastrous. He wouldn't stand much chance of sneaking out while carrying the wounded man, and he'd have even less chance of fighting his way out. And either way, he'd risk hurting him further by moving him.

"I'll be back," Angel promised. "Just hang on a little while longer." He could hear the sentries approaching. Quietly, Angel slipped back into the shadows. It was time to regroup and formulate a plan.

In another part of the building, Lindsey McDonald closed his cell phone with a bemused expression.

"What was that all about?" Lilah asked.

They were waiting to speak to the leader of the band of Saavin, a demon named Cran. Cran's 'office' was a far cry from the room James Harper was currently calling home. This room was crammed with mismatched overstuffed, claw-footed furniture and garish bric-a-brac.

"That was Rogers. He says two of Angel's sidekicks showed up and cleaned out young Miss Harper's motel room."

Lilah rolled her eyes. "Oh God. Angel's adopted another one?"

"According to Rogers, Angel killed her."

That actually made Lilah pause. "If it's true, it would be of great interest to the Senior Partners," she said slowly. "It could be a sign of him moving over to our team."

"If it's true. In which case we'll need to explain why she was sent after Angel in the first place." He and Lilah had already been well warned on that score.

Lilah waved this off. "We were careful. There's nothing to tie her to us. And if somehow they do find out, we say that we sent a resolved and obviously outmatched girl after Angel to push him into killing an innocent. Or a near-innocent," she said. "Okay, it needs some work, but it's all in the spin. Trust me. I'll come up with something."

"We'll come up with something," Lindsey said firmly. If Lilah thought he trusted her enough to let her concoct the story on her own, she was delusional.

"Besides," Lilah continued, ignoring his interruption, "we're about to bring in a huge prize for the firm. That always keeps them from questioning circumstances too closely."

The door opened and a seven-foot tall demon with scaly gray and green skin entered. A dirty red sash, a mark of his rank, was tied across his chest.

"Mr. McDonald. Miss Morgan," Cran said, his voice a gruff snarl. "Please, sit down."

Lilah and Lindsey sat down in a pair of wing chairs upholstered in an eye-smarting shade of magenta.

Cran sat down at an ornate desk. The chair creaked piteously under his weight.

"Not that it isn't always a pleasure," Cran's eyes flicked over to Lilah, "to deal with Wolfram & Hart," he said. "But what brings you down here at such an…..inhuman hour?" He laughed at his own turn of phrase.

Lilah and Lindsey plastered matching professional smiles on their faces. "We're here to offer you an opportunity," Lindsey said without preamble.

"Oh?"

"We got a tip that you have a man in your possession who belongs to the Kindred," Lilah said.

"Kindred." The demon shuddered in disgust. The gesture was almost amusing coming from an overgrown clawed monster. "Royal pains in the ass—if you'll beg my pardon, ma'am," he said to Lilah. Lilah raised an eyebrow. "We picked that one up snooping around one of our training sites. Another one turned up here a couple of days ago. Killed one of my people and burned the hell out of two others. To bad she got away." Cran tapped his claws on the desktop. "What does this have to do with an opportunity?"

Lindsey opened his briefcase and pulled out a sheaf of papers. "We're prepared to pay you handsomely if you'll let us take him off your hands," he said, handing them over.

The demon flipped through the contract. If Saavin demons had been capable of whistling, he would have done so.

"Handsome indeed. Especially for damaged goods," he said. "What does Wolfram & Hart want with a half dead wizard?"

"We want to offer him a job," Lindsey said.

The demon laughed appreciatively. "This is what I like about you people," he said. "You have a sense of humor. Offer him a job." He set the contract down. "I'm not sure how much is left of him."

"As long as his mind and his mouth are in working order, we don't care about the rest," Lilah said.

The demon smiled. It was not a pretty sight. "Why not? We probably would have killed him in the next day or so anyway." He signed the papers with a flourish. "You!" he barked at one of his underlings. "Go fish that human out of his cell for these good folks."

"It's a pleasure doing business with you," Lindsey said, carefully shaking the demon's clawed hand.