Chapter 42
"Hey, can't sleep?" Larrin asked Miller as he came into the kitchen dressed in pyjama pants and t-shirt, it was about 2am and Larrin had given up on trying to sleep. It just wasn't going to happen and she didn't want to have a sleep hangover or oversleep for today.
"Yeah, hungry." Miller lied as he'd been tossing and turning all night. He was nervous about the mission, he was worried about leaving his Mom, afraid for Larrin going back to the guy who hurt her. He knew it was to save Dr Scott but it didn't make things any easier to deal with.
"Toast?" She offered as she finished lathering a piece of toast with Apple butter. She pulled off a small corner and tossed it to Halsey who had woken up and found Larrin in the kitchen. The dog caught the small piece of toast and gobbled it in a second before sitting alert waiting for more.
"Nah, I'll make my own." He said not wanting to take food away from Larrin but also because she had lathered the Apple butter thick which was a little too sweet for him at this hour in the morning. He couldn't help but notice that Larrin was completely dressed in the woodland BDUs all she was missing was the boots. Her hair was loose but brushed. It was like she was ready to move out in the next hour.
"So, you're going to go running tomorrow." Larrin said referring to him and the other volunteers who were going to be handed over to scavengers. She moved to dining table and sat down where a glass of milk was waiting for her as she had placed it there before making her toast. She scratched Halsey's head enjoying the soft feel of his fur and how he looked so happy for the attention even if he wasn't getting anymore food.
"It's the plan. I have a tracker in my boot which is more comfortable than if they put it in my arm." Miller said with a shrug as he made his toast and poured himself a glass of juice. He didn't like the topic of conversation given what it meant. He looked over his shoulder at Larrin and wished he'd said something else instead of talking about the damn trackers.
He looked over glad to see his words hadn't upset her as she had moved onto rubbing Halsey's stomach. It made him smile as he felt sorry for Danny given his dog was a working dog but was currently lapping up the enjoyment a family dog would have.
"Yeah, it's driving me batty. Hence I can't sleep among other reasons." Larrin said, 'Batty' was an understatement as she was ready to cut off her cast and pull the thing out of arm. It wasn't that it was itchy or doing much; it was just a mental thing of her brain saying it was a foreign object that needed to be removed. It was also a nauseating reminder that it was the only thing that would save her. So yeah, it drove her crazy but she kept it all contained in her brain.
"Mmm, you know Tex will have your back." Miller told her as he leaned against the kitchen bench and looked at her while his toast cooked.
"I know, and Captain Chandler went through all the details once again with me last night. So I'm good. I just wish the biggest problem was not getting paint on my clothes." Larrin said wryly.
"I think everyone feels the same. It'll only be a day if that." Miller said, it was something he kept telling himself in the hopes it would help but it didn't. Though he kept trying just in case it did.
"Yeah and then what?" Larrin asked him, it was a loaded question given neither of them knew what was going on. But luckily the toaster finished cooking his toast and Miller turned around because he didn't want them to get bogged down in the bad outcomes of the mission. So he went with keeping it light.
"We could go out for dinner." Miller suggested as he fixed his toast with some butter and moved to the table. Larrin looked at him with an incredulous expression.
"With what money? We're both broke." Larrin reminded him with a smile.
"I will get paid at some point." Miller said as she was right they were both broke but he hadn't thought of the logistics yet. He just like the idea of taking her out of the house where it could be just the two of them. "Or we could have a picnic." he suggested as he sat at the end of the table so he was close to her as she sat to his right. He turned his body and chair so he facing her and in a way closer to her.
"A picnic?" Larrin asked before she picked up a piece of her toast and bit into it. She looked to Halsey wishing the dog would not look at her like he was right now as she was an easy mark right now. But she held strong in not feeding him and focused on Miller.
"Yeah, we steal food from here and eat outside somewhere nice. Just the two of us minus six chaperones." Miller said, Larrin smiled and laughed as he was right about the chaperones and that he counted Halsey as a chaperone. They would never really have more than these quiet moments in the early hours of the moment given there was always someone home.
"That would be nice. I for one do not enjoy my brother glaring at you." Larrin said with a smile.
"I'm hoping he'll get over that." Miller told her, he asked permission to date Larrin and Wolf approved it but his friend was definitely pulling scary big brother routine well.
"He's just messing with you." Larrin assured him, she knew if Wolf really didn't approve he'd be more vocal and try to keep them apart. Something he had done before in the past with other men she had been interested in that he and her other brothers deemed 'unsuitable'.
"I know but it's still unnerving." Miller confessed.
"But are you sure you want to waste your time with me?" She asked him.
"What do mean?" Miller asked as the question was a little left of centre for him.
"I'm a mess." Larrin said in a low voice like it was a secret but also because she didn't want to admit it any louder than she already had. She had dated guys who didn't like what was past her appearance. She really liked Miller, so she'd rather he just dropped her now than let her hold onto hope. Miller leaned in close to her.
"We all are. It's called being human but I would like to kiss you again when everything is not so tense and both of us don't have life threatening situations hanging over our heads." Miller told her, he liked that he wasn't the only one blushing as he sat back. He didn't know what pedestal she had him up on or if it was her own insecurities but he didn't want to be lumped in with those guys. Especially when he felt flaws weren't something that necessarily detracted from one's appearance. At least with Larrin it didn't.
"So, a kiss now would be totally inappropriate?" Larrin asked him with a hopeful and playful smile.
"No, but I think Halsey will bark alerting the house if I try anything like that. He's on Wolf's side." Miller told her, they both looked to Halsey. The dog looked between them as if he were watching and waiting for something. Miller moved his hand to cover hers which made Halsey became more alert and his eyes narrow as if he was assessing whether what Miller was doing was an 'infraction' or not.
"Raincheck?" Larrin asked him as she had to admit that Miller was onto something with Halsey being a 'chaperone' but she also wanted to kiss Miller again but she didn't want to wake up the whole house and she also had to admit she didn't want a dog watching them.
"Definitely." Miller said as he took his hand back so she could continue to eat and drink her early morning snack. "When we get back, we'll square some time for us." he said.
"Done," Larrin said, she knew she could see the negative in the situation but right now she wanted to ride the high of happy emotions than dwell on what wouldn't be. "So I heard you went through the attic of the house yesterday." she added, changing topic.
"When changing gears put in the clutch then move the gear stick. Use the clutch! USE THE CLUTCH!" her Grandfather shouted as Rachel tried to change the gears and the car made a horrible grinding noise while the car lurched. She could not get a handle the timing of changing gears correctly.
"I can't find the Clutch!" Rachel shouted back at him, not sure whether to laugh at the ludicrous situation as they were driving in the backstreets of her grandfather's sleepy town in England. Well, she was attempting to drive so far she hadn't gone above 10km per hour so basically people were walking faster than them. Or running in Mrs Kittredge's case as she was deathly afraid she and her fluffy dog would be run over by Rachel in her grandfather's bomby little 1970 mini cooper.
"Now we've stalled." Her grandfather told her as the engine cut out completely and the car lurched to a stop.
"Sorry, I'm really rubbish at this." Rachel said as she turned to her Grandfather. The old man gave a shrug like it was not a problem. The man had the patience of a saint putting up with her since her Father just dumped her in his care. Apparently her father couldn't tolerate a 15 yr old daughter on holidays from boarding school questioning his faith and his need to travel around the world all the time.
"We all stall out. Just got to put your foot on the clutch and turn the key. The first twenty hours of driving are the hardest and you're only on hour number 3." He told her, Rachel gave a nod and returned her attention to the task of driving. She put her foot on the clutch as he'd told her and turned the key. But the engine made some sad noises and the engine light came on. She tried again and the car just refused to start. She looked to her Grandfather.
"It's not turning on." She told him, Her grandfather pursed his lips and nodded for a long thoughtful moment.
"Well, let's pop the hood and see what's going on." He told her.
"You ready for this?" Tom asked Larrin the following morning. It was a stupid question but he felt the need to see where her head was at. They stood in the large grass field that was attached to an abandoned farm as the house stood empty a few miles behind them. The place was flat so one could see for miles. So even if they went the idea of a sniper, they wouldn't been able to set it up in time as Tom already counted two vehicles with men standing sentry on opposite ends. They were Julian's men, they had sent up a flare so now they were waiting on Julian to arrive with Rachel.
"It'll be fine. Tex will find me. It's only 24 hours." Larrin said more for herself than Tom. It had been a long drive and night out to the meet. Saying goodbye to Miller and the others had been a hell of lot easier than it had been with Wolf. Her brother was beating himself up about not being able to protect her or help the others.
"You can back out." Tom assured her.
"Right, it's not going to happen. He's coming for me now." Larrin said pointing out the six cars travelling to their position. Tom had wished they'd brought more than two cars but Julian had set the provisos and Michener made it clear they followed Julian's rules to a tee. "You're outnumbered. I think you'll be lucky if you get out of this alive." Larrin told him, her tone wasn't mocking but filled with concern.
"He's supposedly a man of his word." Tom remarked drily before he radioed in the situation back to base.
"You shouldn't have come." Larrin said to him, she swallowed the fear searing it's way through her nerve endings as the six cars pulled to a stop and men piled out armed with guns. Julian stepped out of a front vehicle, he smiled as he motioned to one of the men. Another car door was opened and Dr Scott was pulled out of the vehicle.
"I needed to look this man in the eye." Tom told her, as his tamped down on his anger as Rachel's head was covered with a bag and her hands were handcuffed.
"Captain Chandler, I presume." Julian said across the distance. It was a perfect day as the sun was out but no wind to impede their communication over the distance. But Julian walked to the middle of the field. Like old warriors did in the past meeting on the field, Tom held his weapon low and met the man half way.
"Julian Heldt. Your reputation precedes you." Tom drawled when he felt he was close enough to shot the man but far away that Julian couldn't try to take his weapon. Julian had ego as he stood before Tom unarmed in a nice suit. "Tell me, do you run down your prey in a suit or did you put that on for me?" Tom asked.
"I put it on for Larrin actually. She's more my type. I'm disappointed that I only get to see you plain clothes. I was hoping to see you in uniform but you're still a forbidding looking gentleman." Julian said sizing him up.
"That why you brought so many friends?" Tom asked Julian.
"I came prepared because let's say I have trust issues. Shall we get to business?" Julian said not wasting time.
"I want to see Dr Scott's face." Tom told him.
"No, you get that luxury after Larrin is in my car. I know you and Dr Scott were on your ship together for a while. So I don't trust you to not have some kind of shorthand communication with her." Julian told him. Tom wondered if he should push it but he knew Rachel's long hair anywhere. The clothing obscured her figure but the skin tone looked about right as did her height. It was a risk.
"We don't take off the bag or no deal." Tom told him deciding to push it.
"Or my men will kill you and I'll take both women with me. Decide quickly as I think you've done the math. You can't kill me before they kill you. Take the deal and we both walk away happy." Julian told him.
Tom looked over his shoulder at Larrin, she moved towards them.
"Mon Petit Lapin, what's with all the military wear?" Julian asked when she reached them standing at Tom's side.
"You ruined her other clothes so we supplied her with wear." Tom replied as Larrin was frozen. He had his doubts if this was the best plan but Julian was right. Tom was heavily outgunned. He and the others were still needed to help track and capture scavengers for this plan to work. He now just had to trust Larrin; he knew if she could walk this far then she could go the rest of the way.
"How generous. We will of course be checking her for trackers and weapons." Julian said, he motioned behind him and man came up with a handheld metal detector running it over Larrin's body. It sounded at her arm.
"Her arm-" the man started but Tom interrupted and spoke to Julian directly.
"You broke it and she required a plate and six screws to fix it." Tom told him. Julian looked mildly amused at Tom before looking to Larrin.
"He speak for you?" He asked Larrin in teasing manner.
"Just get this over with. You got what you want now give them Dr Scott so it'll be done and my debt paid." Larrin told Julian and Tom. Julian smiled at Larrin's bitterness not turned off by it in the least as he knew he could fix that and frankly she was right. They were drawing this out too long.
"Of course, so eager to come home to me." he said, as he reached out to touch her but Larrin jerked away from him like it would burn her but her reaction only pleased him. "Take her to my car." he ordered, the man with the metal detector tried to grab for Larrin's arm but she pulled herself out of his range and walked around him heading towards the cars. Tom watched as Larrin was directed into the vehicle that Julian had stepped out of. He then turned his gaze to Julian.
"You got the girl, now hand over Dr Scott." Tom told him.
"Of course," Julian said he made a motion his hand and Tom watched as Dr Scott was released. She walked slowly past them in a weaving pattern like she were drunk towards the cars on Tom's side. He wanted to go to her but right now it was a Mexican stand off and Julian's rules were they couldn't assist the women to the cars which was why Larrin had waved off Julian's goon. "We had to drug her to keep her compliant. Now I'd love to stay around but I have better things to do. Good doing business with you. I hope we'll see each other again soon." Julian told him.
"Oh we will." Tom promised him, he watched as Julian walked away and stood his ground but as Julian stopped at his open car door he smiled at him.
"You know I said you'd get her alive, didn't say it'd stay that way for long once you had her Captain." He told him, Tom's expression fell as a gunshot rang out, he lifted his rifle and fired at Julian first. He got the man in the shoulder and kept firing his weapon as he ran backwards to his side for cover. His team fired off suppression fire and grenade launcher fire. He had expected Julian's people to return fire and for him to be cut down but instead they took the hits and drove off without even returning it fire.
Once they were off in the distance, Tom turned his attention to Rachel. He raced over to her body on the ground and dropped to his knees. She'd barely made it 3/4's of the way to their vehicles. His gut boiled with anger at following Julian's rules and anger at himself for failing Rachel once again. The pain of losing her tore through his chest threatening to make him break his quasi-calm facade.
The bullet had torn through her chest. He rolled her body taking into his arms not caring that blood would stain his clothes. He cradled her carefully, his stomach rolled with nausea as the blood seeped through the fabric of his clothes. Her skin still warm but there was no pulse to be found. His eyes burned with hot tears but he refused to let them fall as he blinked them back.
He gently lifted the bag off of her face; needing to see her face. The bag came off but the face that greeted him was not Rachel's but Dr Clarke's. His grief snapped away and anger flared a new life inside him as Julian had played him the fool. He looked up to the men on his team. They all looked just as bewildered and as pissed as he felt.
"Radio base and tell them Julian lied. He still has Dr Scott." Tom said, he rose to his feet with Dr Clarke's body in his arms and moved to one of the vehicles. "You'll take her remains back to St Louis, I'm taking the other vehicle and meeting with Tex." Tom added as he ran to his car, not wanting to waste a moment.
