Chapter Thirteen

Badge and Bribary

-oOo-

Fache was hardly convinced that it was a good idea to kidnap a murderous monk, especially since Chloe would be doing the kidnapping and she was hardly the strongest person in the force. But if she had a gun and he didn't, she had a chance.

"How long do you think you'll be here?" Chloe asked once she'd convinced him of her plan. He shrugged.

"I should imagine quite a while, it's the only place where I can go that's safe" he sighed, "You do understand I would have offered you solace if-"

"If I was Opus Dei" she nodded, "But thank you anyway, sir" she said, slipping back into formality.

"I trust you warned your godfather?" he asked, twiddling his thumbs.

"Oui, he refused to leave the city but he'll be staying at a hotel for a few days" she replied, they sat in an uncomfortable silence for a second or two before Chloe got to her feet to insinuate it was time for her to go, "Thank you for your help, Capitaine, I should leave you to it" she added.

Fache got to his feet but seemed struck with a thought and bent over a table, shifting through papers and pens. When he withdrew, he handed Chloe a piece of paper with a number on it.

"This is the number to this Opus Dei house, call me if you have an emergency, but try not to let them get it" he said sternly, handing Chloe the paper who tucked it carefully with her car ticket.

"I will, sir. But I hope when I next speak to you it will be the end of this madness" she said as she was led to the front door. Fache gave a stiff smile and handed her the baseball cap. Chloe tucked her hair back under her hood and bid farewell before rushing away from the house.

Now she had to formulate a plan to get Silas. She still had her pistol in her bag which she carried with her, but she couldn't just waltz into the hospital and hold a gun to the monks head. She would need to get to him away from the hospital and away from the people. She would have to become the predator and not the prey, but she still needed to keep and eye out for the Council's lapdogs that were looking for her.

Chloe continued to walk into the city, the roads were gridlocked so it made more sense to walk then get a taxi. The city was teeming with tourists and children walking home from school, she blended in easily with the crowds, but kept her head down all the same. Her eyes were constantly swivelling around her, to every face and every car, she was sure she saw the BMW pass at least once, but it was quite a popular car for businessmen so it was likely not to be her stalkers.

The hospital was just around the corner, a steady throng of people were coming and going out of the doors, she entered the building and pulled her hood down, but kept her cap on. She walked up to the receptionist she saw before and flashed her badge to remind her who she was.

"I was wondering if you could tell me if a monk has recently been in or out of this hospital. He's quite easy to recognise, tall, white hair, pale skin and he's wearing a robe?" she asked.

The receptionist didn't even need time to think, "Oh yes of course, he left earlier today and returned with a shopping bag, but I haven't seen him leave since. Hang on" she said and turned to the two other women behind the counter to ask them if they had seen him leave since that morning. Neither of them had seen him so it was apparent he was still with Aringarosa.

"Did you want us to leave him a message or something?" she asked.

"No thank you, we just need to ask him a few questions but I understand he has some catching up to do with his Patron so I'll see him later" she smiled and left.

Luckily there was a hotdog stand opposite the hospital, she brought one and a can of coke and perched herself on a bench beside the stand, her eyes peeled on the faces leaving the hospital, but she never once saw the monk.

She checked her watch, already it was getting dark and it almost six in the evening. She knew she couldn't sit around forever but she was still sure that Silas would have to leave soon, even just to pray or repent. Then finally as her eyes began to drift, she caught a flash of white hair and brown robes in the thinning crowds. She got to her feet and found her bottom had grown cold and numb. As casually as she could, Chloe crossed the road and picked his tall frame from the crowd heading back towards Saint Sulpice. Nervously, Chloe felt around her bag for her gun and felt her fingers rest on the cold metal.

Confidence growing, Chloe hurried to keep up with the tall monk, her eyes never leaving the back of his head. He looked back only once, but Chloe had dropped her head so the beak of her cap covered her face and when she looked up he was moving forward again. Another thing she noticed was the painful way he seemed to be limping, although Chloe felt that this would make his capture easier, she couldn't help but feel a little concerned and thought back to the evil cilice he had wrapped around his leg. She wondered if he still had it on.

She was snapped out of her thoughts when instead of crossing the road into Saint Sulpice, Silas turned down a narrow path between two large buildings. Frowning, Chloe followed, being careful to keep her distance from the monk. She stayed between the mouth of the alleyway, watching until Silas would out of view, the she moved on, keeping her steps light and slow so she couldn't be heard. The alleyway curved slightly, cautiously, Chloe moved forward but found as the path straightened again, there was no sign of the monk.

"Merde!" she hissed quietly under her breath, her eyes darted frantically to see which house he had entered, but all the doors were closed. Except, she found, there was a golden plaque on one of the doors nearby. She squinted and moved closer, her eyes widen and she smiled in triumph.

Opus Dei House

Cul-de-Sac, Paris

"Children of God"

So this is where he's staying, Chloe thought. It seemed unlikely the hospital would let Silas stay over night at the hospital, especially since he needed to repent. Chloe looked about and saw no one so rushed back down the alley and out onto the busy street. She had half a mind to go in there after Silas and beat the crap out of him for betraying her, but she had to use her head, think and be like a cop. That was easier said then done considering she was now in hiding and any contact with her godfather would mean endangering his life.

She had to be prepared for when she took the monk; she needed to know where she was going, how she would get there and how she would keep him. Chloe knew of a convenience store nearby where she could get some duct tape, she had the food from Fache's house still in her bag, but her spare clothes and other homely items were still in the boot of her car and she would have to take a taxi to get back there.

Making a decision, Chloe made her way to the store and grabbed a basket throwing in all the things she would need overnight; deodorant, toothpaste, toothbrush and duct tape were among the main things. Once she paid for the items, she asked the clerk where the nearest hotel or motel was, she was directed to Hotel Picard which was just around the corner.

The building was nothing special, the bricks were old and mossy, the windows were peeling paint and weren't even double glazed, but it would do and it was cheap. She got a small single room equipped with nothing but the essentials. One small narrow bed was in the centre with two lamps either side, a small wooden chest of drawers was pushed against the wall with a small television perched on top. The carpet was dark and barely thicker then paper and the wallpaper was a foul brownish colour and peeling at the sides. Chloe dropped her things on the bed and went about making herself comfortable. Firstly, she decided, she needed a shower; she had been running about all day and stank to high heaven.

She stripped her clothes off and dropped them in the shower with her so they could enjoy a good wash as well. The dirt and stress of the day swirled down the plug hole with the water and Chloe felt refreshed and ready to proceed with her plan the next day. She took her wet clothes and hung them on the shower curtain railing before wrapping a towel around her head and body and flicking on the television.

Not surprisingly there was nothing in the news about two police officers being hunted down by members of a secret society of Bishops who made it their business to kill people who got in their way. She smirked as she dried her hair with the towel and grabbed an apple out of her bag. Once she was dry and fed, she got into bed and tried to let the troubles of the day sink away, but like always, they stuck to her like glue and made her toss and turn in her sleep, but she was grateful for the warm bed, she just wished she were in her own.

-oOo-

The next day was as foul as the previous. The rain came down like bullets and little figures ran about in big coats and umbrellas. Chloe got changed into her adequately clean clothes and went about preparing herself for what she had planned.

She had decided to grab Silas as he left his Opus Dei house, it was nearest to the hotel and the large crowds of people would help disguise them. She grabbed her jacket and cap then tucked the gun and duct tape into her pockets. She rushed downstairs, declined the offer for the breakfast menu and rushed out into the rain towards the alleyway. She could only hope that Silas had not already left for the hospital, but it was still early in the morning and the sky had not yet brightened.

Chloe kept her hands in her pocket to hold the gun and tape in place as she jogged down the alleyway and found herself before the Opus Dei house. She ducked the side and stood near the door, her back pressed against the wall. Her heart began to race at the thought of taking on the tall and powerful monk, but she didn't have any other plan, it was this or find herself hiding from shadows for the rest of her life. She resolved herself and pulled the handgun out of her pocket.

The rain was beginning to level off, but still the monk had not left the house ten minute since Chloe had got there. She was beginning to lose hope when the door finally opened, Chloe tensed her, her hand tightening on the gun, but two women walked out of the house, completely oblivious to the wet girl standing beside them. She calmed as the women walked away from her, still chatting to one another and dropped the gun back into her pocket.

Suddenly the door opened once more, but no one left, she could hear to men speaking to one another, one of them she was sure was Silas, but his voice sounded weak and distant.

"Are you sure you should be going in this condition, my brother?" came a voice she did not recognise.

"I would consider it a sin not to visit my Patron when his pain is so much greater then mine" came the reply.

"I understand, be careful and may the peace of the Lord be with you"

"And you" Silas replied and Chloe saw him for the first time that morning as he stepped unsurely out into the rain. The door closed behind him, but before he could take another step, Chloe clicked the pistol off of safety and pointed it dramatically at the back of Silas' skull.

"I shouldn't have to tell you that I am holding a gun to the back of your head" Chloe muttered.

Silas remained unmoved, only breathing heavily as the gentle rain ran down his pale face.

"I have no time for you, woman" he mumbled, lacking the edge of contempt. Chloe frowned, something was definitely wrong here. Where was his anger? Where was his retaliation?

"Aringarosa will have to wait, put your hands behind your back" she ordered.

Silas paused for a moment before complying; Chloe pulled the duct tape out of her pocket with one hand and carefully tied his hands together with some difficulty.

"Let's go" she muttered and grabbing Silas' sleeved pulled him along next to her, her gun at her hip, pointing directly at Silas. The monk was definitely limping painfully, his face winched every time he took a step and his eyes were unusually distant. Chloe ignored the signs of an ill man and marched the monk into the hotel. She walked up to the receptionist, Silas still at her side and pulled her badge out of her pocket.

"I don't want to be interrupted for the rest of the day unless it's an emergency, and don't tell anyone about this" she instructed, nodding her head towards the monk.

The shocked receptionist nodded and watched as the unlikely couple got into the lift.

"The Bishop will not rest until be finds me" Silas mumbled.

"That's what I'm hoping for" Chloe replied, letting go of his arm and pushing the button for the second floor.

"What do you mean?" Silas asked. Chloe turned on him, her anger flared on by the question.

"I mean, I don't like being used" she snapped, "You and your Patron used me and set me up, I've been dodging men who've been trying to kill me since yesterday. That's what I mean" she said, tugging his arm roughly as the lift door opened. She hauled him into her room and was surprised at how well he complied; he wasn't even putting up a fight. Chloe was growing suspicious.

Carefully she locked the door behind her and found Silas sitting on the bed, a sweat had grown on his brow and his eyes were fluttering. Something was very wrong.

"Silas?" she asked a hint of concern in her voice.

He looked up at her but did not reply. Desperately she cleared her things of the bed and cut Silas' restraints so he could lie down. There was no question that he was not faking the pain he seemed to be in.

Gingerly she reached for the drenched hem of his robe and cautiously began to lift it. Silas twitched and tried to sit up.

"What are you doing?" he demanded.

"Just shut up, I need to check something" she snapped and lifted the hem of his robe higher until she could see the purple and yellow infected flesh.

"Jesus" Chloe muttered. The cilice was still tightly wound around the monk's leg, constricting the blood flow. She reached for the cilice and felt Silas flinch again. There was no way she could deal with this here, she didn't have the expertise but she couldn't take the monk to hospital in case he was recognised or worse.

Chloe grabbed the duct tape and lifted Silas' hands to the headboard of the bed where she tied them tightly, "I'm not taking any chances" she mumbled to Silas, who seemed to be dozing in and out of a fever induced sleep.

Hurriedly, she rushed back downstairs and flagged down the receptionist she spoke to before, "Excuse me, the man I came in with, he had quite a bad infection, do you know of anywhere I can take him nearby" she asked.

"Well there's the Hopitaux de Paris-"

"Non, non" Chloe stressed, "Somewhere smaller, less conspicuous. You see, the man you saw is a witness to a case and I can't risk taking him to a very public place"

The receptionist seemed only too eager to help, she seemed intrigued with the whole situation, but she finally gave her the location of a clinic nearby which mainly took care of overnight emergencies, whilst in the daytime catered to addicts, HIV victims and women wanting abortions. Chloe asked the receptionist to arrange a taxi and rushed back up to Silas. He seemed asleep, his eyes were closed but he was murmuring under his breath. Beads of sweat formulated on his brow and he felt hot to the touch. She checked his wound again and flinched at the pure foulness of the wound.

"Silas, we need to go downstairs" she said, Silas opened his eyes and starred at her.

"What am I doing here?" he asked.

"I haven't got time for your questions right now, you're sick and I need to get you help" she said, cutting him loose again and pulling him to his feet. She attached his hands in front of him this time so he could sit comfortably in the taxi and led him back downstairs. The receptionist leered nervously at Silas who seemed to be in a world of his own and showed them outside where the taxi was waiting for them.

Chloe gave the driver the directions of the clinic; he starred curiously at Silas for a moment before pulling away and joining the rest of the traffic.

"Why do you care?" Silas asked as the driver pulled down numerous roads.

"I don't care about you, I care about getting my life back, the one you and your Patrons' friends ruined" she snapped.

Silas starred at her for a moment before turning his gaze to the window. Chloe growled quietly and asked herself the same question. Of course it was about saving his life so she could bribe Aringarosa into helping her, but she couldn't help recalling the guilt she felt at seeing him lie, tied to the bed in his feverish state.

The taxi turned down a road labelled 'rue du Faubourg'.

"This is it" she said to the driver. She paid the man and helped Silas out of the cab and towards the door of a small building that looked no different to the barber shop next to it. She pushed open the door and pulled the monk in behind her. They stepped into a waiting room, several chairs were laid out, two of which were occupied by a young drug user who was rocking on her chair and an elderly black man who was asleep. A Chinese woman behind the counter smiled politely at the arrivals.

"How can I help you?"

Chloe pulled the monk with her towards the woman. She immediately noticed his arms tied in front of his body and looked shocked. Chloe pulled her badge out and flashed it at her, making her glad she decided to become a police officer so she had that privilege.

"I'm Officer Blanc, this is a witness to a case but he's injured, I need someone to take a look at him urgently" she said.

The receptionist flicked through her books, "Well it looks like Dr Peniz is free at the moment. Would you follow me?" she offered and led the pair down a small hallway and through a door into a room the size of Chloe's bathroom.

A man in a white coat got to his feet, cradling a mug of hot coffee. He was a tall man, though not as tall as Silas. His hair was curly and untamed and had a goatee in the same dark brown. He was skinny and there were dark bags under his eyes as if he worked quite long hours.

The Chinese receptionist muttered something to him that Chloe could not hear and he nodded respectfully, the lady smiled at Chloe and rushed off back to her post. Dr Peniz closed the door behind Chloe and Silas and pointed towards the bed.

"Can you help me get him on?" he asked. Chloe and Dr Peniz grabbed an arm each and pulled Silas over to the medical bed. He lay comfortably but still shaking with the infection.

"Wow, I bet you have a story to tell" the doctor smiled, clapping his hands together, but Chloe was not amused, she just wanted him to heal the monk.

"He's wearing a cilice and it's got infected" she explained and lifted the robe to the wound. Dr Peniz hissed as if he were experiencing Silas' pain, he gently began to prod the infected skin.

"Yeah, that is infected. You're lucky, if you'd left it any later he'd probably have to have the thing amputated" he said.

"But you can fix it?" Chloe asked.

"Well, I don't know" the doctor said, scratching his head, "It's been a long time since medical school and I really only deal with overdose victims and such now, so…" he said looking at Chloe expectedly.

Chloe starred at him. She would have smacked him had he not been important to her right now. She grabbed her purse from her bag and pulled out fifty euros and slapped it on the desk.

Dr Peniz clapped his hands together, "Well! Let's get this done!"

Chloe stood to the side as Dr Peniz did his work. She watched as he firstly removed the cilice. Congealed blood caked the spiked metal; Chloe took it from him and immediately threw it in the bin, glad to be seeing the last of it.

The next few hours were a haze of drips, injections and gauze. Silas remained still and stuck between consciousness and sleep. Sometimes he would say something audible and other times he would just mumble nonsense, but one of words he often repeated was Séverin, Chloe thought this might be the name of a loved one in his past and thought nothing of it, but soon he stopped talking all together as the antibiotics went to work.

"So can I ask who this guy is? Don't see many monks with metal spikes attached to their legs" Dr Peniz asked as he finished wrapping the last of the gauze and joined Chloe where she sat on his desk.

She continued to watch the monk as he slept peacefully, "He's an Opus Dei monk, they follow strict doctrine, and for some members that includes chastising"

"Merde!" the doctor exclaimed, crossing his arms over his chest. Chloe noted how more laid back he was to other doctors and how cheery he was, but then she figured it was probably a defensive mechanism to having to work in such a place full of hopelessness, all the time surrounded by addicts who went back to drug as soon as they left and dealing with people who had to life threatening sexually transmitted diseases. She almost admired his resilience against the depression that must fall on the place.

"What's Séverin?" Chloe asked. Dr Peniz scratched his head again and shrugged.

"No clue, could be a chick? But I thought monks were supposed to be celibate"

"Yeah" Chloe agreed, "Supposed to"

Another half an hour passed and Silas was beginning to come to. He blinked several times and tried to move but obviously found the task to arduous and settled for lifting his head.

"Where am I?" he demanded.

"Golden boy's awake" Dr Peniz said over his shoulder to Chloe who was dozing in a chair. She got to her feet and walked up to the bed, level with Silas's head.

"Don't you remember anything?" she asked.

Silas put a hand to his forehead and groaned, "I remember…" he faltered, "…gun"

Chloe smirked. Good, he remembered last night.

"You had an infection in your leg. I had to take you to get some help. But don't you dare think I won't give a second thought of shooting you in the head if you try anything" she said sharply, causing Silas to glare up at her.

"You kidnapped me" he growled and tried to move again, but he found his hands still tightly wound with duct tape, "Let me go, woman, or there will be consequences"

Dr Peniz got to his feet, "I didn't know you'd kidnapped anybody" he said.

"He's a witness. I'm holding him for his own protection" Chloe explained.

"I will not tell you anything" Silas growled.

"It's not you I need to get talking" Chloe mumbled and turned to the Doctor, "Is he safe to move?" she asked.

"Well the worst is over, but he still needs rest and lots of fluids, plus he'll need to keep off that leg for a while" he explained.

"Fine, I need to get him out of here now. Help me get him to the door" she ordered. Both doctor and police officer hauled the reluctant monk off of the bed and limped out of the office and back to reception. Chloe turned to the doctor and passed him ten euros.

"I don't have to stress that you're not to tell anyone what happened here" she said.

Dr Peniz nodded and saluted as he pocketed the cash, "No problemo, just remember to put fresh gauze on that wound every hour or so" he smiled.

Chloe hauled Silas with her out onto the streets and pulled her gun out of her pocket.

"I remember that" Silas muttered as he felt the muzzle press up against his side.

"Good, then I don't have to remind you not to try anything" she snapped and flagged down another taxi.

The brunette receptionist at the hotel smiled curiously at the pair as they re-entered the hotel, Silas limped painfully after Chloe as she headed from the lift and threw him on the bed as they got back to her room. Hurriedly she got the duct tape out and tied his wrist to the headboard. Silas glared at her.

"You need to get some sleep" she instructed, "I'm going to go and get a few things for your wound" she explained.

"You will pay for what you have done" he said.

"You mean saving your worthless life!" Chloe snapped, "Because that cost me a hundred euros and a hell of a lot of time" she added spitefully.

"I did not ask you to spare me. I would rather have died!" he spat back

"Well it was awfully tempting to just do that!" she shouted, but she felt her shoulders droop as she realised how tired and hungry she was. She rubbed her forehead with the palm of her hand and sighed. "Just get some sleep" she muttered and left the room making sure to lock it behind her.

How could my life get so complicated in so short a time, she thought miserably.

-oOo-

Possessed-Gummy-Bear-Inferno - I'm out to get you with my well placed cliffs. Damn you for hanging on! lol, thanks for the glowing review, it makes me warm inside!

Strgazer - I thought I might make it easier for Chloe by making Silas ill when she grabs him, this way he doesn't put up much of a struggle. Thanks for the pep-review!

Laura - Hey, thanks for that! I do like these cheery upbeat reviews you give me! Rock on.

Rae-scars adorn me - I hope that's a good 'Oh my God' and not a bad one. But thanks for reviewing all the same mate, loving it.

phoenixrisingGhostLoveScore - Yeah, I got a bit sick of the whole 'Silas kidnapping OC's', this was a bit different and still manages to tie into the plot. Glad you like!

A/N : Thanks again reviewers, I'd only just put the next chapter up when I got all these reviews flooding in! Excellent. I was in such a roll during the last chappie that I just had to write this one. It also helps that I've been terribly bored lately and just needed something to keep me busy! Also, just a quick note, I know that Silas recovered just a little too quickly, but I wanted to get the story moving along. Hope you can forgive me!