Lee tried hard to get the image of Rita looking at him when he left. He hated separating from her as much as she did, but he had to. It was to keep her safe. He had purposely left Yin to go with them too since he knew how well Yin was in combat.
"I didn't peg you for the marriage type," John commented as they drove.
"I didn't peg you for a nosy type," Lee countered. Trench sniggered and Galgo guffawed.
"It's just weird is all," John muttered, going back to loading his gun.
"She'll be all right?" Galgo asked. Lee wished he had insisted Trench sit beside him in the front. He wasn't in the mood for chatter.
"She'll be fine. You didn't see her in the War." Lee remembered it clearly. She had been vicious and precise. Granted, he hadn't seen her kill a human being before, but he was confident she could do it.
"I like her," Trench chimed in. "Maybe she'll settle you down."
"Ha, sure," Lee snorted. Now that he knew Rita had been just as bored with their so called simple life, he wondered if she would want to do other missions with him. He knew he loved her for a reason. She was just as free spirited and adventurous as he was. The fact she missed being in action was a bonus.
"So how do we lure Scott?" John asked from the back. Lee had Scott's contact from the laptop, and he handed the burner phone to John.
"You call him," Lee answered.
...
Rita and the others waited for Lee's signal before going ahead. Thorn had the exact location pegged, and they were waiting until the coast was clear. She felt nervous, but she also felt excited. So this is how it felt to be on a mission. No wonder Lee did it for so long. The commotion in the yard alerted them to the fact that Scott had probably just found out where Lee was. Yin's phone buzzed, and he checked.
"Go time," he said, gesturing. They all went single file towards the building. It was kind of like an old hotel but abandoned. They slipped inside without anyone noticing, and they started down the stairs.
"I don't know of any prisoners who are kept in the daylight," Mars had said before they went in. Rita agreed. It was very dark in the basement, and it smelled bad. Rita fought to keep from throwing up.
"Who goes there?" a voice called, making them all freeze.
"People who are gonna save your ass," Yin replied.
"Yin?!" someone exclaimed.
"Yin!" another voice called, sounding grateful.
"Shorty?" a third said.
"Better hurry," the fourth said. Luna finally found the light switch, and she flicked it on. Everyone winced as their eyes burned from the sudden brightness. Then, Rita saw four men strapped to chairs behind bars looking at them.
"The rookies," Gunner groaned. His voice had been the one calling Yin "shorty."
"At least we're not the ones strung up right now," Thorn pointed out.
"Quit yammering and get us loose," the one who had a shaved head like Lee said. Yin came back with the keys and unlocked the door. Rita and the others set to work to quickly free them.
"Good to see you, Yin," the dark haired, older one said, shaking Yin's hand. His body showed signs of lots of beatings. Rita figured it had to be Barney.
"You too, Barney," Yin nodded, confirming it for her.
"Thank God," the shaved head guy said, shaking Yin's hand too. The giant, blond Swedish man and the thin, African American man followed suit.
"Good to see all of you," Barney said, nodding at Thorn, Luna, and Mars. He looked at Rita then. "I don't know you."
"Rita Vrataski," she managed to say.
"Full Metal Bitch," Barney said, his lips twitching into a small smile.
"How did you...?"
"Scott watches the news pretty loud," Barney finished for her. "Okay, team. Let's get out of here. Rita, this is Toll Road, Doc, and Gunner."
"Hello," they said, nodding at her.
"How did you get on board?" Barney asked, curious. "I didn't know you knew my younger team."
"She's Lee's wife," Thorn said. There was a stunned silence.
"Well I'll be damned," Barney chuckled. "The old boy settled down. Where is he anyway?"
"He's leading Scott away so we can escape," Rita said.
"Ah. Good plan. All right, let's go, but first, I'm getting my gun back," Barney said, going over to the bin by the wall. He pulled out all their weapons and tossed them to the others.
"Is it loaded?" Rita asked, looking at Barney as he holstered his little pistol. He laughed.
"Yea. It's loaded."
"Come on. Chat time can be later," Mars urged. Barney led the way. Rita hung near the back. She hoped Lee was all right.
...
"Scott's on his way," John said as they hit the bump full force. They were all knocked forward and back in their seats except Lee. He knew he was driving a little erratically, but he was nervous. He hoped Rita and the others had rescued Barney by now and got out. He pulled over and parked.
"Okay, now let's get Scott," Lee said, getting out. The others followed.
...
Scott was seething, but he knew it was all going to be over soon. He was in the lead SUV with four others behind him. He was going to finish Lee Christmas if it was the last thing he did.
...
"Hold up," Barney said, putting out his hand and catching Mars before he rounded the corner. He signaled for them to be quiet, and Rita knew there were guards out there. Barney peered around to see how many of them there were. He pulled his head back, confused.
"I thought you said Lee was taking the attention off this place?" he asked Thorn.
"He is," Thorn replied, confused. Rita felt a funny feeling in the pit of her stomach. Something was wrong.
...
"Here they come," Lee said into his intercom. "You know what to do."
"Say the word," Trench's voice came back.
"He brought a lot of guys," Galgo said, pointing out the obvious as usual. Lee shifted, his eye in the scope. John was with him, and they were waiting for Scott.
"That was the point, Galgo," Lee said. He turned off his mic then. "Geez, he's an idiot sometimes."
"Yea," John said absently. Lee looked at him then, sensing something was off.
"What?" he asked.
"I'm really sorry about this," John said. Lee went to move, but John was already mid swing. Lee fought him off, but then John had a gun to his head.
"What the f**k, man?" Lee demanded.
"I'm sorry," John said again, his voice wavering. Lee stared at him until Scott himself came up to join them.
"Well, well, as you can see I have my own eyes and ears," Scott said, crossing his arms. "Good work Smilee."
Lee was beyond furious that he had been played so easily. How had he missed it? This was why he did better as second in command. Barney would have figured this out. At least, Lee hoped he would have. Scott led him down to the waiting cars. Trench was nowhere to be seen, but Galgo was there with his hands behind his head.
"Is this all of them?" Scott asked.
"One is missing," a guy answered.
"Find him," Scott ordered. "Let's go. Now!" Lee was handcuffed and put in the back with Galgo.
"Didn't see this coming," Galgo sighed.
"Shut up," Lee growled. He hoped nothing had happened to Rita.
...
"Get down!" Barney shouted as bullets went flying everywhere. They were ambushed very quickly. Rita couldn't understand what was happening.
"Why are they all here?" she asked over the noise.
"Lee's been tricked," Barney replied back. "It's the only thing I can think of."
"Boss? We're gonna get out, right?" Toll asked. Rita could sense his fear. Everyone was looking at Barney as they huddled behind objects. Mars and Thorn were shooting off rounds randomly to keep them covered.
"We'll get out," Barney nodded. Rita saw he didn't look so sure, but she let it go. He fired off some more shots before gesturing they go down the hall. Rita felt her heart pumping as they ran. There were more guards in the hallway, and she didn't have any cover.
"Split up!" Barney shouted. He shoved Rita into a room and shut the door. She stood there frozen and alone. Then, she heard a noise.
...
Scott and his men led Lee and Galgo towards his hideout. From the gunfire going on inside, Lee figured Barney had been released. He really hoped so. Then, it all went quiet.
"We got 'em, sir," a guy said to Scott. "They're cornered."
"Perfect. Line them up. I'm gonna do this execution style," Scott said, shoving Lee forward. They went up the stairs, and Lee's heart sank when he saw them all on their knees. Barney, Toll, Doc, Gunner, Mars, Luna, Thorn, Yin, and...wait, where was Rita? Barney's eyes met Lee's, and he knew that his friend had done something to keep Rita safe.
"Let's go for a walk," Scott said. He was eager to get this over with.
"Sir?"
"What?!"
"The general wants to speak with you. He says it's urgent."
"Can't I get anything done around here?" Scott snarled. "Fine! Take them down and lock them up. I'll be back."
"Scott," John started.
"Shut up!" Scott shouted at him. John closed his mouth.
"Good to see you," Barney managed to say to Lee as they were led back downstairs.
"It wasn't supposed to go like this," Lee muttered back.
"It ain't over," Barney said, giving Lee a look. He understood what it meant. Rita was still roaming free.