Deception (Chapter 16)
A/N: Gosh! I've completed another update and I can barely believe it. Hope you enjoy!
Previously: Rick and Shane interrogate the assassin and learn that he is more diabolic than they imagined.
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Michonne quells down her panic as her mind twirls with thoughts of what could be going on within the bowels of the cabin. She knew it was Rick's job to protect her and he took it very seriously from the start. Now that they are….together, she knows without a doubt he will stop at nothing to protect her and keep her from harm of any magnitude. She is even more curious about his military background as she can't deny that she has the feeling he has done something like this before.
She lifts from the bed and starts pacing the floor, remembering how he was when he told her about the assassin. She knew Rick wanted to kill him but could she allow that to happen? He could go to jail behind something like this. This is…..murder and how would it look if the authorities determine that the man was bound and beaten before he was shot and killed? She wrings her hands nervously, not liking the path her thoughts are taking but realizing the truth of their situation.
She sits on the bed again and takes a deep breath to calm her racing heart. She exhales slowly, a hand going to her roiling stomach except this time she is sure it's nerves rather than hunger. She decides to think of something other than what Rick could be doing and remembers they are supposed to go to the hospital for a pregnancy test. She gasps and jumps to a stand, arming herself yet again as she makes a beeline for the door and exits.
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Rick aims his gun at Jared's head. "This could've gone a different way."
Bravado and cowardice war within Jared's heart. For a long time he thought he didn't care if he lived or died but looking into this man's eyes lets him know he won't hesitate to pull the trigger. He's not bluffing and Jared realizes he wants to live.
"Alright. I'll talk but I'm only going to tell everything to Michonne."
Rick moves closer and puts the barrel of the silencer against Jared's temple. "You'll never set eyes on her again."
"Rrrriiiiccckkkkk!" Michonne yells as she lifts the trap door and climbs down the ladder. "Stop! You can't do this!"
She watches as her boyfriend turns disbelieving eyes towards her and frowns in frustration. He reaches her in three long strides and indicates for her to exit the room. She grabs his hand tight. "Only if you come with me."
"Michonne…."
"Please," she begs.
Rick sighs in frustration but gives Shane a look as they exit together.
Jared turns to Shane. "Tell me he's not hitting that."
Shane ignores him, torn between watching over this asshole and finding out what's going on with Rick and Michonne.
The latter two go up to the bedroom for privacy waving off T-Dog who pokes his head out of his door to ask what was going on.
Michonne turns to face Rick as soon as he closes the door. "You can't do this. We can't make a decision like this. Taking a man's life….things could go wrong. What if the police investigate and uncover what really happened here? I can't lose you. I won't."
"I know what I'm doing. You don't have anythang to worry about."
She wrings her hands tightly. "But I do. What if….what if I am pregnant?"
His face lights up with realization. "You mean you know?"
She shakes her head in a slight panic. "No. I don't know. I'm just asking what if I am. We can't do something like this and bring a baby into the world. We'll just….call the cops and let them handle it." She can only watch as Rick drops his head with a deep sigh.
He remains silent, trying to form an answer that she will accept with no arguments.
His silence makes her even more anxious and she knows she has to see his eyes in order to determine what he's thinking.
"Would you look at me please?"
He lifts his head but keeps his eyes downcast. Another quiet plea from her has him looking directly at her, recognizing the desperation she is feeling.
"This man….is a killer who won't stop at anythang until he has you in his clutches and you expect me to just hand him over to the police?"
"Yes," she whispers.
He drops his head again, this time in frustration. He wants more than anything to please her but his job is to protect her. Her safety has to come first. "Fuck that." He turns his back to her and starts walking towards the door.
She reaches it before he does, placing herself between him and the exit. "You can't do this. It's not right and you know it."
"What I know is that he's not going to get another opportunity to come after you. Not if I have anythang to do with it."
"So what you're telling me is….his….death is more important than the life we could have together? The family we could have."
He squints his eyes as he looks at her, his mouth dropping open slightly in disbelief. "You know that's not what I'm saying. I'm doing this to ensure that possibility. To keep you safe. Now….. would you step aside please?"
"I don't want you to do this."
"I don't have a choice."
"Yes you do and if you're going through with it, then I'm going to be there to witness it."
He pinches the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes, anything to conjure some patience. "Michonne, I…."
She turns so abruptly that her hair swats him in the face as she opens the door. "Let's go."
He doesn't even attempt to detain her or talk her out of it. He skims her body as she descends the stairs, her head held high, her shoulders straight and rigid, and her walk firm and determined. He sighs as he realizes there is no stopping her outside of manhandling her and locking her in a room, something she'd probably never forgive him for.
The door where T-Dog is housed creaks open and their friend hobbles out into the hallway.
"What's going on?"
Michonne opens her mouth to speak but Rick interjects with, "We're questioning the assassin."
T-Dog doesn't need any further explanation but frowns as he wonders why Michonne seems to be headed in the same direction as Rick. "Uh….you questioning him too?" He directs the inquiry specifically at Michonne.
She throws an uncertain look at Rick before facing T-Dog. "The interrogation is over. We're calling the police so they can arrest him."
"Calling the police? We can handle this on our own," he returns.
"And by handling this you mean…..what exactly?"
T-Dog looks to Rick before giving his attention to Michonne again. "We know what to do for guys like him is what I mean."
"I'm not disrespecting either of you in any way but you're not in the military anymore. We have to do this the right way so everyone comes out unscathed. That means getting the authorities involved. He broke into this home with the intent to kill me. You restrained him and now it's up to the police to handle the rest."
"There are extenuating circumstances involved that justify our way of handling it," Rick reminds her.
"Not when one of you could be charged with murder. There will be an investigation and they can uncover exactly what happened here. I'm not willing to risk it."
"But….." T-Dog starts but Rick interrupts.
"She's right. Let's not risk it."
Michonne is taken aback by Rick's sudden change of opinion. She looks at him curiously. "Rick?"
"Come on. Let's tell Shane the new plan and inform the assassin of his new destiny."
"This isn't funny," Michonne states.
"You see me laughing?" Rick replies as he moves toward the living area.
She offers to assist T-Dog but he declines preferring to make his way to the living area on his own. By the time he gets there, the room is empty as Rick and Michonne have made their way through the trap door.
Seconds later, he hears a bellow of protest from Shane so loud it carries and lingers in the living area. He shakes his head as he drops onto the sofa and squints his eyes to listen more closely.
"You have got to be kidding me! Call the police?" Shane asks incredulously. "That is not the way this shit needs to be handled."
Rick doesn't answer. He looks to Michonne to give the answers since this was her idea.
She glances between the two men with uncertainty before cutting her eyes over to the assassin. "Not in front of him. All he needs to know is that he's going to jail. Get him ready for transport."
As a man in love, Rick is more than proud that she is making this stance in an effort to protect him and his comrades but as her bodyguard and ex-military officer he knows this guy is bad news and needs to be executed in order for her to get her life back. He looks to Shane, about to speak when Jared snorts and laughs.
"Jail? They ain't made a jail that can hold me. You go ahead and call 'em. The most they'll charge me with is breaking and entering. How you gonna prove that I was here to kill her huh? Plus I got an attorney who's more than proficient in this type of thing. I'll get bail and be out by tomorrow if they book me today."
"This mutherfu…..that's why I say we do him and we do him now," Shane affirms.
Rick knows Shane is a wildcard and impulsive. He'd shoot Jared and think of the consequences later. Everything in him is telling him to allow Shane to do what he does best but he finds himself uttering, "Help me untie him."
"I like that sound of that," Jared announces. He would smirk if his face didn't hurt so much. He does so inwardly knowing once the police and his attorney got a look at his face, he'd be the one pressing charges against them. He slyly looks over at Michonne, knowing his plans would still go forward. He'd just have to kidnap her and get them out of the country first.
Shane runs a hand through his hair roughly. "Rick….man, I'm telling you this ain't the right call. We can't let this dude go."
"We aren't letting him go. We're taking him to the police," Michonne explains.
"Listen to the woman. She knows what she's about," Jared taunts.
Shane turns to her. "Michonne did you just hear what I heard? The police are only going to hold him for so long. He's right. He'll walk and then they'll do a trial and all that other shit IF they can find him."
Michonne falters for a moment, wondering if she should just allow them to handle this their way. Her determination comes back tenfold and she is willing to put herself on the line for them just like they've done for her again and again. "We have to do the right thing."
Rick walks over to stand behind Jared and gives Shane an indicator, watching as the latter lifts his gun in preparation for any sudden moves. The former then drops to one knee, using a knife to cut the restraints. A loud 'woo' from the would be assassin has him hesitating but he continues until the goon's hands and legs are free.
Jared rubs his wrists gently and asks, "Can I stand up now?"
Shane remains quiet, his focus solely on one person.
Rick looks to him and then Michonne, "You should probably go on up now."
She nods and places her weapon at her back, preparing to exit.
Jared stands slowly, enacting a bit of wobble for affect as he eyes both of his captors and the one he'd like to capture. What these assholes didn't know about him was that he'd been taking beatings since he could remember. His father was one of the meanest bastards he ever encountered so the assault they administered barely registered with some of the shit he'd been through. He was right as rain and ready to risk another move.
The shot Shane got off grazed him but not enough to stop him from getting to Michonne and using her as a shield. He couldn't help the laugh that bubbled up inside of him as he held the beautiful movie star in place. He reached down and snatched away the gun nestled at her back, feeling superior now that he basically had the upper hand.
Rick felt like a cold hand had reached inside his chest and taken hold of his heart, almost paralyzing him. He gives himself a hard inward shake and concentrates solely on Jared, waiting for an opening to take him out once and for all. He knows Shane is doing the exact same thing. He wishes he could offer some words of comfort to her but now is not the time.
"Let her go…..now," Shane commands, words of profanity echoing through his head as he remains focused on the gun near Michonne's head. He knew this shit was a bad idea but Rick just had to do what his woman wanted. "There's no way you're getting out of here alive, man. Just give it up."
"Looks like you underestimated your opponent, dude. So just stop all the tough man talk, put your guns on the ground, and slide them right on over to me and the missus here." He drops his head so his mouth is right next to Michonne's cheek. He inhales deeply, excitement coursing through his veins with the scent of her. She smells heavenly. He laughs goofily and points the gun at Rick and Shane. "Stop fucking around and give me the damn guns."
A noise from above distracts Jared enough for Michonne to take both hands and shove his gun arm upwards while she drops to the dusty asphalt floor and covers her head as Rick and Shane unload their weapons, every slug plunging into Jared's body painfully and soundly.
She fought against it but her body jerked with each successive pop administered from Shane's and Rick's weapons. She squeezed her eyes together tightly, oblivious of the splatters of blood that flew from her assailant's body to land on her back, in her hair, and on her hands.
The thud of Jared's body is so loud it prompts her to open her eyes only to squeeze them shut again but not before witnessing his bruised and battered face and lifeless eyes frozen open in death. She jumps again when she feels hands on her body, comforting hands. She knows who they belong to and doesn't even bother opening her eyes as she lifts up and wraps her arms around him.
"Are you alright?" He asks anxiously.
She only nods and holds him tighter, trying to shut out the thoughts of how wrong things could have gone just now.
Shane moves over to the body and checks for a pulse although he knows there is no way this asshole could've survived the number of bullets he and Rick put into him. He sighs in relief, knowing this nightmare is finally coming to an end. A creak above them has him looking up towards the trap door.
T-Dog looks down on them with an abashed smile. "I was trying to be quiet. I fucked up. Sorry."
"It's alright T, we got him," Shane assures him.
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Michonne is seated on the living area sofa, wrapped in a blanket and trying not to spill her hot tea as her hands continue to shake. The police had arrived and soon called in detectives who called in forensics and the coroner. The four of them were separated and questioned and now they could only sit back and watch as the authorities did their jobs.
The cabin is abuzz with activity and it almost reminds her of a movie set only this time, it's all very real. She takes several deep breaths to calm her nerves as her eyes search the room for Rick. They killed the hitman for her but would the police think the same way or would they label this shooting as excessive and try to charge Rick and Shane with a crime? Flashes of Jared's body flit through her memory and for the first time she wishes she could go back to before all this business began. Go back to the time before she was a target but then she wouldn't have met Rick so she has to believe that everything happens for a reason.
One of the detectives clears her throat loudly, gaining Michonne's attention. "I'm sorry to bother you but could we go over your recollection of events one more time?"
Michonne nods politely, realizing that the only reason they're going over this again is to ensure her story doesn't change.
The authorities overstayed their welcome of course and Rick was on the verge of being rude. He could tell Michonne was bone tired and he wanted to give her the comfort she needed. They all answered the questions asked of them more than once and now it was just time to wrap things up.
Luckily, Shane and T-Dog volunteered to linger with the cops while Rick and Michonne retired upstairs.
No words were needed between the two as they stood right by the door, sequestering themselves away from the outside world and its issues, and holding each other closely. She caresses his back softly while he cradles her gently and kisses her forehead. He guides her over to the bed and allows her to lie down, joining her promptly.
They cuddle comfortably before she lets out an audible sigh and whispers, "You were right."
"Shhh…..we won't talk about it now. We'll have plenty time for that tomorrow. Let's just get some sleep ok?"
She nods against his chest, kisses him there and whispers, "I love you."
"I love you too."
