WARNING: Scenes involve mature language and violence.

NOTE: I do not own Girl Meets World and it's characters.

PART 30

Riley's phone rang, she answered it and put it on speaker.

"Nice of you to tell me that you're on the move," Fudo said. "I'm hurt, thought we're in—"

"Cut the crap Fudo. You put a tail on us," Riley interrupted. "I also know that the tail was for me. Gosh, you are as predictable as Thor."

"Hey, no need to insult me. Just want to ensure that you're safe." Fudo paused. "Is everything okay there?"

That put a smile in Riley's face. "Yes, Thor's still grumpy as ever."

"Don't care. Stay safe," Fudo added and ended the call.

There was still enough of a dark mood lingering in the car, but Thor thought he might punch some holes in that mood. "He likes me." he taunted.

Riley paused, even fought a little smile. "He totally likes you."

…..

"I'm going in." Thor got out of the car.

They'd been watching the damn motel all morning. Ismael had dropped Jenny off, then left. They'd hedged their bets on the theory that the man brought Jenny here for a quick meeting with Pandapatan.

"Stop." Riley came after him. "These things take time. He might not come till tonight."

He considered, knew she was right, but it didn't help his frustration. "At the very least, I am stretching my legs. They've been asleep since I set foot in that sardine can of yours."

She looked offended. "It's a perfect surveillance vehicle."

"I don't see what was wrong with mine."

"Other than it smells and the interior looks questionable?"

Her phone must have buzzed in her pocket because she pulled it out and opened it.

"What's up?" She listened. "Thanks for the heads up. Let me know if you hear anything." She tucked the phone away. "Friend of mine," she said when she was done. "Word is, there's a lot of chatter going on about a reckoning—"

He didn't like the sound of that, "Please tell me that these chatters mentioned a place and time or something?"

She laughed. "Hardly. The bad guys won't make it that easy."

"They are baiting us." He kept an eye on the old green pickup that circled the parking lot.

"They are, but we're smarter."

He was about to respond when the motel door opened and Jenny Mendez walked out not ten feet from them, heading their way.

He froze. What now? Thor couldn't think of anything but the oldest trick in the book. He pulled Riley to his chest, tilted her head to his and bent to her lips like he meant it.

It had been a good long time since he had kissed Riley. Apparently, his body hadn't forgotten a thing. Now that he'd gotten another smallest of tastes, he wanted to go on and do a good job of it.

"Mmm."

Which one of them made that noise?

He had to stop. If he lingered at her lips a moment more, he risked losing his professionalism.

Somewhere above him, she cleared her throat. "She's gone back in. Just came out to get the paper."

Right. He moved away and stuffed his hands into his pockets. "Sorry." He had to clear his throat, too. "I couldn't think of anything else."

"It's—fine. We should probably get into the car and drive around the building, pull into another spot."

"Good idea." He started out. They couldn't just stand there. Mendez's window looked out front. She might have been watching.

"Did you notice?" Riley asked, nodding toward a green pickup that had circled the parking lot three times that she had counted. They watched as it pulled up to the building and stopped. A stocky, middle-aged man got out, looked around furtively then walked through the motel door.

Not Pandapatan. He was at least a foot shorter than Pandapatan's data suggested. But still, very suspicious.

"I'll check it out." Riley was already on her way.

"I can do it," he said, not liking the idea he wouldn't be able to see her once she disappeared behind the door that lead to the rooms.

She tilted her head and gave him an impatient look. "You move like military. You walk like a sergeant for heaven's sake."

"Colonel," he said under his breath and let her go.

She was back in ten minutes. "He went into Mendez's room. I heard 'Careful…they don't know anything…just the beginning…' The air conditioner was going so that's all I could hear. I think he's about ready to come out."

"You listened at the door?" God, if one of them had come out and caught her… At this stage, they had to consider anyone connected to Pandapatan armed and dangerous.

"Best I could do." She looked as frustrated as he felt.

"I should have gone in."

"You really need to learn how to handle teamwork. Was I the last partner you had? If so, you really need to go look for a partner."

He was coming up with a snappy retort. It was on the tip of his tongue. But then she reached back for her snack pack, her breasts pushing against the soft material of her T-shirt, inches from his arm.

And all he could do was grunt.

…..

Thor wrote down the pickup's license plate number and texted it to Fudo. He considered following the guy once he left, then decided against it. His instincts said Pandapatan would be closer to the woman than to any of his buddies.

Five minutes after the man's departure, another arrived. Mendez had six visitors in the next two hours.

"What the hell is she doing? Servicing the troops?" Thor tapped his feet, impatient. "We should grab one of the bastards and get him to tell us where Pandapatan is."

"If we do, Pandapatan will know we're close to him. He'll go even deeper underground," Riley said, watching the latest visitor with a thoughtful expression, her dark eyebrows drawn together over deep brown eyes. "I'm not sure they know where he is."

"Hell they don't." And he had a couple of ideas on how to get the information out of them. Rage had been collecting in him; more and more with each man as he thought about what part each might have played in the bombings and the pending attack on his own country. Had this one made the bomb? Had this one placed it? Was this the one who'd figured out a way around security?

He wanted to get them; every one of them. That they lived, breathed, walked, while hundreds of victims were being buried in cemeteries all over the city was an insult to everything he believed in. But he wanted to get their head the most, he wanted Pandapatan. The rest could wait.

"I think she's passing on instructions," Riley said. "Think about it. It makes sense. She's standing in for Pandapatan."

Not a bad theory. He turned over the idea this way and that.

She shook her head slowly. "But how is he getting in touch with her?"

Damned if he knew. He had placed bugs all over her apartment the same day Riley got the woman's address from Fudo's source. The FBI was checking her mail, kept tabs on her email.

"Here she comes," he said, as Jenny appeared in the doorway and glanced around the parking lot.

She was picked up by the same man who'd brought her there. Thor started up the car and followed them back to the Laundromat parking lot, then to her apartment.

But the light in her window didn't come on, even several minutes after she'd been dropped off at the front door.

"Maybe she's feeding the dogs first," Riley suggested.

"The neighbor's apartment!" They thought of it at the same time. Mendez had the key so she could get in to take care of her neighbor's pets.

Pandapatan hadn't run off with the rest of his buddies. He'd been hiding in plain sight.

….

"I take the door, you take the window," Riley whispered as they entered the building.

For once Thor didn't object, but went around. He probably figured once she knocked on the door, Pandapatan would try to skip the back way, she mused.

The apartment seemed silent, no noise from TV, no sound of anyone moving around in there.

She drew her gun and tapped on the door. "Building maintenance."

No response.

She knocked again. "We are having a problem with the gas lines; I have to come in and check each apartment."

Nobody stirred inside. This is not going to work. Pandapatan won't believe her, a foreigner won't be working as a maintenance personnel. But what the heck. "This is a mandatory check. I'm using the master key to come in," she gave another warning then pushed the key she'd gotten from the super into the lock.

The man had been more than accommodating. He didn't like the idea of a wanted criminal hiding out in his complex, and saw the wisdom in having two foreigner cops taking care of his problem as opposed to the Philippine police swarming the building and shooting everything up.

"I'm coming in." Riley pushed the door open, gun in hand, went in low, and stepped to the side. The living room was empty. She shoved another door open and found three cats lounging in a small bathroom. She closed the door on them and moved toward the bedroom, caught the slightest of sounds and froze.

"Don't shoot," Thor said before he opened the door and walked out.

"Where are they?"

She scanned the apartment, zeroed in on the broom closet the same time as he did. The folding door was partially open.

They moved into position without a single word, each understanding what had to be done next.

"Come out with your hands in the air," she said in her best ass-kicking voice.

She didn't expect the man to come out meekly, immediately, but she hadn't expected him to be shooting through the door, kicking his way out, either. Riley dropped and rolled behind the couch for cover.

Pandapatan had a bloody semiautomatic.

Wood splinters flew over her head. "Put your gun down! Put your gun down!"

Pandapatan was directly between her and Thor, so neither of them could shoot for fear of hitting the other. The man summed up the situation quickly, went for Thor, probably figuring him the more dangerous enemy. She dove for Pandapatan's back the second it was turned; put everything she had into bringing him down.

"Get the hell away from him," Thor was shouting.

"I got him." She grunted as the man heaved, trying to fling her off.

"Get off him, bitch." Jenny made her way out of the closet finally, and damn it all, she was armed, too.

The momentary distraction was all Pandapatan needed. His hand sneaked around and caught Riley around the neck, brought her down. In the next second, his semiautomatic was at her temple.

"Drop it," Pandapatan said, victory flashing in his black eyes.

Thor wanted to blow the asshole away more than he'd ever wanted anything in his life; wanted to watch him go down, wanted to be the one to pull the trigger. Instead, he tossed his gun without hesitation. The bastard had Riley. Damn it, he should have never gotten her into this. Pandapatan was too dangerous and unpredictable.

"Come on, Jenny." Thor turned his attention to the woman, hoping he might find a weakness there. "He's just using you. They talked you into this—recruited you, brainwashed you. You don't have to go down with him." He moved forward slowly, bending, getting into position for a jump. Another few feet and he could lunge, another second and Pandapatan's neck would be snapped.

"Shut up!" Jenny yelled and shot at him. "Patayin mo na sila!" (Kill them!) Jenny instructed Pandapatan.

As Thor dove for the floor, he could see Pandapatan pulling the trigger, too.

His heart stopped.

Riley.

And cut! Yup that's where I will be leaving this chapter. Good news is I made it longer...I hear screaming...yes...yes...I know I'm horrible...what's that? Yes, I won't update till this voting business is done. I know right, how can I do that to you guys...well I wish I wouldn't have to but alas I can't update multiple stories all at once, so yeah, I have to prioritize and because I'm actually a really nice girl, I'm leaving the decision up to you readers.

So...vote...vote...vote...

ohhh, another thing...let me hear from you :)