Disclaimer: Mary and Marshall belong to David Maples. If they hadn't been misused by others I wouldn't be writing this.
Provoked Too – Chapter 17 – They All Fall Down
Despite Mary's impulse to rush into the fray, Lucas insisted on calling for backup as they hustle down the stairs. "Michael isn't your witness, Mary. He's armed, he's trained and battle tested. The ATF and the FBI need to know what's going on. They may not even know he's there." They reach the ground and he looks her in the eye. "Just think for a minute."
"He's right Mare." Marshall joins them at the bottom of the stairs, phone to his ear. "I've called the marshals and I'm on with the PD now."
Mary twists her lips, disgusted. "Ganging up on me? Et tu Marshall?"
"Fraid so." Marshall tips his head and starts talking to the PD as they walk. Backup taken care of, they gear up at the back of Lucas' Rover, Marshall giving directions to the police. Mary fidgets with her vest and checks theirs. She usually goes over the plan while she waits, making sure she knows her part, anticipating what might happen and rehearsing what she needs to do. Tonight there is no plan.
Her first concern is always her witness but her partner's safety is a close second. This time she thinks of Norah. She has to get through this in one piece for her baby. For the first time adrenaline isn't driving her. It's fear. She doesn't like it and tries to stuff it down by filling vest pockets with extra ammo checking and rechecking weapons. Still talking to the PD, Marshall grunts when she shoves extra clips into his front pants pockets. He quickly hangs up, pulling up his pants. "Mare! What the hell?"
"Wouldn't want you to run out of bullets. Here," she hands him a helmet. "For god sakes wear this. If you got hit in the head we'd drown in all the trivia that fell out."
Lucas parks a block away from Caldwell's location. It's dark and eerily quiet. The stark security lights focus on the entrances to several warehouses leaving the areas in between dark. As they head for the warehouse with an open loading door they see several SUVs parked nearby. They crouch behind k-rails and loading docks flattening themselves against the corrugated exterior. The light above the open loading door lights the dock, but not the interior. They hear sounds coming from the gaping black hole. "He's got to be in there." Mary whispers harshly then points her gun at something on the concrete.
Marshall squats, gets out a tiny flashlight and touches his finger to the dark spot. Mary and Lucas keep watch. He sniffs and licks. "Blood. Someone got hit. It's fresh."
There's no sign of Michael or Caldwell. They fall back to the darkness between buildings. "It's suicide to try a frontal assault." Lucas points out. "There's a door there." His gun points to a slightly darker rectangle at the side of the warehouse. "There's a fire escape on the other side of the building." Marshall squints questioning how he knows. "What?" Lucas shrugs nonchalantly. "It shows up on street view. You two take the fire escape, I'll take the side door."
Lucas waits while Mary looks to Marshall. "You got a better plan?" Marshall had pulled them out of many a bind by studying the area and planning. But this time he's just along for the ride. Marshall tilts his head and considers. It's weird to be following Lucas. It's not like following Mary on nothing but her instincts. "Nyah. Not really. What else do you know?"
"After the firefight when we got Davey Michael showed me blueprints for all Propack's warehouses. It's standard warehouse construction circa 1970. No heat or a/c. Water pipes and sewage lines and electrical come in the back. There's a room, probably an office with a bathroom next to it. Corrugated walls, high side windows, three skylights on top and stairs from the roof. You'll be exposed on the fire escape but the stairwell will provide cover."
"You got your climbing shoes?" Marshall asks checking on Mary. The metal fire escape is on the other side of the open service door. They don't have time to circumnavigate the building. So all they have to do is cross the black hole of the entrance without being seen. Easy peasy. Right?
Lucas is already trotting quietly down the building's side. Mary crouches preparing to run. "Wait." Marshall hisses. "We'll go together, make it in one transit. No sense giving them a second chance to hit us." Mary nods and tucks her blonde ponytail under her helmet. "On three." Marshall holds up one finger, two, then three. They dash across as quickly and quietly as they can. Marshall could have outrun her but he keeps his body between Mary and the opening.
The fire escape zigzags up the building starting above their heads. Mary holsters her gun and Marshall boosts her up. Once she's stable on the lowest platform she's reaching down to Marshall, when they hear clanking. They freeze hoping their dark gear performs as advertised. Marshall's head swivels slowly. Mary does the same. When it stays quiet, Marshall clambers up taking her hand although he's tall enough to make it without help. He follows her to the next landing, trying to ignore the temptation of her toned posterior.
Despite the occasional creak from the fire escape, they reach the roof without being shot at. Mary is ready to pop her head over the edge. "Okay Doofus. What's the best way in?"
He's a step below her, ready to catch her if she slips. "Quietly?"
If they were on solid ground she'd punch him. Instead she places one booted foot on the top step and throws a leg over the parapet rolling herself onto the roof. Lying on her back she raises up on her elbows, gun drawn, covering Marshall. Once he's beside her she sits and gestures to the skylights.
Marshall looks at the glazed double pitch skylights. "Stay down." He thinks cameras on the roof would be out of place in a building this old, but that doesn't mean they aren't there. "We need to slither over there," he cautions knowing her propensity for charging in, relying on surprise.
As much as she hates crawling it does make them smaller targets. Mary scoots over to the first skylight. Marshall pulls himself next to her as she scans the area. There's a rooftop door thirty feet away.
Mary tries to slow her breathing while Marshall peers into the dark interior. When shots ring out they jerk and Mary grabs Marshall's collar pulling him back. "Lucas?" Mary asks. Marshall shrugs. When quiet returns, Mary has just reached the next skylight when light pours out ruining her night vision. She blinks and kneels beyond the edge of the skylight looking down into the building. Marshall points to Lucas crouched between rows of crates. They see four shooters, two in front of him and two behind.
Mary points at the rear two then herself. Marshall silently aims at the remaining two. They fire together making glass shards shower the shooters, and Lucas. Their cover blown they run to the door and clatter down the stairs. Lucas is pinned down by the remaining gunmen.
One gunman is directly under a crate suspended by ropes. Mary aims at the rope and just as she pulls the trigger a bullet whines past her ear. The rope splits and the crate misses the gunman but spews parts and packing blocking the aisle. Lucas, now on top of the crates gives them a thumbs up.
The shooters have regrouped and a bullet whizzes past as she jumps the last few steps. When Marshall isn't behind her she knows something's not right. "Get down here Doofus," She hisses. Eyes forward she feels his touch on her shoulder. Like her he's scanning for threats. She examines his face quickly, eyebrow raised asking if he's okay. He nods and stands shoulder to shoulder with her, their backs against the wall of crates.
Mary jerks her head to the right, crouches down and heads for where they last saw Lucas. She stops and listens then checks behind her. Something is dripping from Marshall's left hand. She crabs her way to him, grabs his wrist and wrenches it up. Marshall winces, but doesn't make a sound. "What's this?" She hisses.
"A graze. I'll be fine." Marshall keeps watch while she examines his arm. He spots someone crawling on the crates. "Mare, we've got company." Mary ducks as he shoots. She yanks a cloth out of her back pocket and tightens it around his arm. They hear a thud and a grunt. Marshall looks at the cloth. "Thought you didn't carry a handkerchief."
"I don't. That's a burp rag." Then louder "Lucas? That better not be you," she shouts, then shoots a gunman behind Marshall.
"Thanks doll. Just what they needed to pinpoint me," Lucas retorts. Mary hears him scrambling over crates.
She peers up into Marshall's face, checking his pupils. "Marshall?"
He turns aside. "Let's move Sunshine. I don't like being a sitting duck."
"So the target on your back isn't a fashion statement?" Mary hisses then glues herself to his injured side her back against the crates as they crab walk down the aisle. "Where's Lucas?"
"Where's Mikey?" Marshall asks. The whole point of this exercise is to rescue the ATF agent.
"He's got to be there." Mary points to a door at the end of the aisle. "Looks like the office with two goons guarding it. Why aren't they shooting at us?"
"Just because they haven't doesn't mean they won't." Marshall grunted teeth clenched. "Lucas is heading this way. Shall we join him?"
"Oh yeah. Join away."
Any doubt about Michael's location is quickly erased by a bellow easily heard through the open office door. "Lucas you son of a bitch! What in the hell is taking you so long. Get your ass in here and cut me loose. You better have Maggie."
Marshall asks, "Maggie?"
"Mikey's M-15," Mary supplies. She noticed Lucas toting an extra rifle but thought he was just being prepared.
They inch their way around the crates and each take down a guard. Lucas covers them while Marshall enters ready to take out Mikey's captors.
After checking the small office he's sure Michael is alone, tied to a wooden chair in front of a big carved wooden desk. Mary is at the door. "Where's Lucas?"
"Right here," he responds pushing Mary out of the doorway. "All we have to do is stay alive till backup arrives." Mary's cutting Michael's ropes when Lucas blows past her. Free of the ropes, Michael rubs his wrists and reaches for the M-15 Lucas is carrying.
"How many are still out there?" Marshall asks Lucas.
"Four. I heard them say more are coming."
"Let's hope ours get here first," Marshall grunts as he and Lucas grab the huge old wooden desk. Michael gives them a hand and it lands with a loud whump and clouds of dust. Marshall coughs. "They must use your housekeeper, Mare." She glares as they crowd behind it.
Shots are fired, but not near them. They all breath a sigh of relief when they hear sirens and bullhorns announcing that their backup has arrived. Bright lights shine in the high side windows. They crouch and wait for the all clear.
"Marshall Mann! ABQPD," someone shouts. Marshall crouches and sidles along the wall to the doorway. There's a cop in a blue uniform walking toward them. Behind him men in dark blue jackets are scurrying up and down the aisles, guns drawn. Marshall steps out of the office, there's a pop, then he falls. The uniform runs past the door.
"Officer down, officer down," Mary wails as she runs to Marshall. Lucas and Michael follow the police officer. The three of them corner the shooter. As much as she'd like to shoot the bastard herself, Mary can't leave Marshall. "You're wearing a vest Doofus. Where are you hit?" He's lying face up so she checks for a pulse, and sobs when she finds it. She loosens his helmet then runs her hands down his arms and legs. The shot came from his left side. She loosens his vest.
"Where the hell are the EMT's," she bellows. "Officer down over here." She's loud enough to wake the dead, but Marshall doesn't respond. She looks down the aisle and sees the paramedics running with full bags. She stands and lets them tend to Marshall.
"He was shot, left side. He's wearing a vest. He's going to be okay? Right?"
"No lead poisoning. Did he hit his head?" the paramedic asks, positioning the stethoscope on Marshall's chest. They check his eyes.
The shooter is cornered. Lucas and Mikey aim their rifles at him, while the uniform moves in and cuffs him. Lucas comes back to check on Mary and watch the paramedics work on Marshall.
"Shooter's in custody," he informs her.
"Where is he? I want to see that son of a bitch. Keep an eye on him," she gestures to Marshall. Mary catches up to the cops holding the shooter. "Caldwell, you son of a bitch." Before the cops can stop her Mary decks the cuffed man. "If Marshall is injured the next time I'll slug you so hard you'll land on another planet."
Adrenaline spent, Mary's still worried but calmer as she and Lucas watch the paramedics work on Marshall. "Where's Mikey?"
"He's talking to his ATF buddies. They and PD have to figure jurisdiction and call the AUSA to see how he wants to handle this."
Shouts of ATF, FBI echo through room. Mary shouts back, "US Marshals" and holds out her badge. Mary's heart starts beating when she sees Marshall's long arm rise from the floor holding his badge. Everyone is holding a badge except Lucas. He just smiles when an officer approaches and points to Mary. "I'm with her."
The officers move on, clearing the warehouse. Mary is itching to touch Marshall but knows it's best to let the paramedics work. "He's wearing a vest. How bad can it be?"
"He was shot at close range," Lucas reminds her. "There's going to be a bruise at least. And then there's that bullet hole in his arm. I didn't see it until now. He's a brave man."
"He has to be, partnered with me all these years." Lucas nods and watches Mary smile as Marshall sits up. She bends to his side helping him stand up. Marshall groans, then collapses. The paramedics walking behind catch him and call for a gurney.
"What's wrong?" Mary shouts. "He was fine. You checked him. He was fine."
"Mary," Lucas takes her arm stopping her in midstride. "Let them get him to the hospital where he can be checked out. Okay? We'll be right behind them."
Distraught, Mary turns to Lucas. "There was no blood. What's wrong with him?" She shudders and sobs.
"C'mon. Let's find our ride."