Chapter sixteen,

Madeline was on her way to Disney World, not a normal destination for a woman of retirement age on her own, but it was one of Michaels favourite locations to send his mother when danger threatened. This time it was Jesse who had come into the house the night before and quietly explained to her that Mike was doing a potentially dangerous job and he would like her out of the way, some where safe, faraway with armed security guards. Well it wasn't quite like that she admitted it to herself. Jesse had been vague, but she had managed to drag a few details out of him. Then she had done as she was asked. By nine am she had been on her way, it was now shortly after mid-day, if she had been trained to recognize when she was being followed she would of spotted the two cars that had been tailing her since she left home. The first she knew about it was when she suddenly lost control of her car, as a tyre blew out. As she pulled over the two following cars went with her, one went in front and one behind. A man dressed in a nice suit wearing sunglasses got out of the lead car and walked back to her, she noticed he gave her a nice smile as he lent in through her open window.

"Mrs Westen, Ma'am, we'd like to offer you a lift back to Miami. Disney world, very busy, full of kids, no place for a lady on her own." He opened her door, then as he reached in and took the car keys she saw his gun. When she didn't move, he took hold of her arm. "Now Mrs Westen, let's keep this nice and friendly." He didn't exactly pull her from the car but he definitely gave her no choice.

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Once Sam and Chloe were sitting down, discussing the menu and waiting for their cocktails to be delivered. Fiona took over the job of watching them, ready to report to Michael and Jesse when Chloe or her security detail headed back upstairs. She sat in the lobby quietly reading a rather thick magazine, a hat concealing her hair and partially hiding her features. She frowned when a well dressed youngish man sat down next to her. He lent in towards her and as she opened her mouth to tell him to get lost she felt a gun barrel touch her side. "Let's get up and go for a walk Ms Glenanne." She weighed up her options. She really didn't have any, at least not while sat in the hotel. Smiling at him she got to her feet, he wrapped an arm over her shoulders pulling her in close hiding the gun he held on her. "When we get outside, you try anything and your boyfriend's mother won't survive her trip back from Orlando." Once outside, he took her bag and directed her into a rather nice BMW. Sitting between two men on the back seat she was already trying to think of a way out of her situation.

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Earlier on in the day, Fiona had borrowed the master key card from the hotel cleaning staff and had run it through a skimmer. Then an associate had made a cloned card that now allowed Michael and Jesse to wait in a vacant room for Chloe to go to lunch. As soon as she came out Jesse sent Sam and Fiona a message giving them time to get into position.

Fiona sent a text back, Chloe and Sam were getting very cosy. Having got the all clear they entered Chloe's suite. Michael directed Jesse to place a couple of camcorders up, so they would have the film and sound Ottoman wanted. The was no telling how good Sam's bug would be, besides it was more for him to listen to, in case Michael got into trouble.

"You want me in here with you?" Jesse asked.

"No, I need you outside ready to back me up if she screams or if her security just decides to check on her."

"You gonna be ok, I mean you're not at your best." Jesse was doubtful.

"I'll be fine Jesse, you wait back in the room, any movement by the security get your ass out here and give me a hand. Ideally we want to maintain her position in the company."

They waited for the call from Fiona to say they were on the way back to the suite, but instead they were just lucky that they saw the lift doors open and caught a glimpse of one of the security guards. Cursing Michael disappeared into the suite and Jesse just made it down the corridor and out of sight.

Once in the vacant room Jesse got his phone out, what the hell was Fiona up to, he thought as he brought up her number. The phone went straight to voice mail. Taking a deep breath he then tried Sam's number, the same thing, straight to voice mail. He could do nothing, he had to stay and back Michael up.

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Chloe walked into her suite, she kicked off her shoes and dropped her bag onto a small side table. She undid the bun and let her hair fall loose running her fingers through it. She had thoroughly enjoyed her lunch with Sam Axe it had been a welcome distraction. She couldn't shake the thought something was wrong. Meeting up with him like that, but all the intelligence that she had gathered confirmed that Westen didn't know about her involvement. What was he up to?

She went and turned the television on, selecting a news channel, she had a meeting in two hours. She went to her wardrobe and pulled out a business skirt suit and a plain white blouse. She had time for a relaxing bath and then she could get ready.

She was leaning over the bath, having just turned on the taps. "Hello Chloe, we need to talk." She froze, her heart racing. Slowly she stood up and faced him. The shock of him suddenly appearing in her bathroom brought a flood of memories.

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The bathroom door had opened, and Michael had strode in. This wasn't the young agent who had sat at her table eating meals shy and quiet in her presence. This man was angry and intimadating, he crowded her into a corner lent over her a hand on the wall on either side of her head, she could smell the whiskey on his breath she was looking directly into his blue eyes she wondered what had ever made her think they were his best feature. He went on to tell her in graphic terms what they were going to do to her if she ever spoke about what had happened. He had pulled out a knife and held it against her throat until she had promised never to speak about what had happened. When he left the room she had dropped to the floor and sobbed until she ran out of tears. She could hear them talking in low tones and then Larry had opened the door and thrown her some clean clothes telling her he needed her blood covered night dress.

She heard them leave, taking the body with them, when she stepped out of the bathroom David was packing a case. He told her she was to go to a lawyer and get a divorce he wouldn't contest it. He never wanted to see her again.

She resigned from her post in Military Intelligence, and once her notice was up she left Washington hoping never to see the three men who ruined her life again. She had smiled the day she found out David had been killed in Somalia. She was even happier when she heard that Larry Sizemore had walked into a building just before it blew up. That just left Michael Westen, she followed his career from a distance hoping she would hear he was dead some day soon. That was of course before she met husband number two who introduced her to a new business he had just set up with a couple of associates, who had recently been fired from the intelligence service.

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Now he was there in front of her again, in a bathroom. He moved back slightly and she saw he held a knife much like the one that had haunted her dreams years ago.

"Come and sit down. We need to talk." He nodded his head for her to go through into the lounge.

As she walked passed him she noted the drawn features, the bruises and how he was carrying his left arm. He was truly in a mess, it gave her a small feeling of satisfaction. She sat down in a comfy armchair that gave her a view of the beach. "Your new employer not treating you very well Michael." Her tone conversational, doing her best to hide her fear.

He put the knife away and now held a handgun, he sat down facing her and her eyes grew wide as he screwed a silencer onto the gun.

"Simon's bible brought up your name and I thought we should have a chat." He said. Getting straight to the point. Her face paled at the news. If they had the bible and were apparently decoding it they were going to have to shut down and then start up again with all new personnel.

"So what is the plan here Michael?" She asked. Wondering if he was just playing a game before killing her.

"They would like you to put a word in with your husband about a communications contract coming up." He started with the easy request.

"Is that all? I mean Drake Industries have a very good team of negotiators. I can't believe they would use this just to get a contract they could probably win without me, or are you just an errand boy now?" She knew it was dangerous to bait him but a part of her wanted to know how far she could push him.

Michael didn't bother to explain that they were probably just using the business deal to get their claws into a General working in the State Department. If she didn't know that, she shouldn't be messing about in the intelligence field. The cynic in him wondered if that was her reason for marrying the man.

"They also want to know exactly where you're holding Simon Escher." This was the real reason for the meeting.

"The contract I'll talk to Alexander about it, put in a good word. But the can be no guarantees. It's not only his decision." Chloe was always practical if she could get out of this meeting alive she would figure out a plan later. "Simon though. Not a chance, he is too dangerous to release and not only to us, you were with him. Did he strike you as sane?" She shook her head to emphasis the point. She would be on Simon's hit list if he ever got out.

"Neither part of the deal is a request Chloe. You agree to it, with me here, in your room or I have to hand you over." He softened his voice. "You don't want to meet my boss trust me."

"Are you trying to protect me again Michael?" She smiled. "I mean that's what you told me you were doing last time wasn't it?" She remembered the knife against her throat as he told her he was trying to protect her, it was for her good.

Chloe noted Michael's body tense, it was a slight movement that somebody who wasn't looking for it would miss. He was getting angry."It's not about protecting you, it's about protecting me, and you know me Chloe. I'll do what's necessary to survive." He lent forward his expression hardening. "Remember what happened to Vaughn."

She licked her lips. What he had done to Vaughn had taken them all by surprise. They thought the stress of living constantly under threat had finally sent him the same way as many of the other agents they had burnt over the years. Simon and Victor sprung to mind, both had become violent and unpredictable. His appearance now supported that theory, he was obviously giving his new employers as much trouble as he had given them. He was probably one step away from a bullet in the back of the head.

"So what I'm asking here is that you make a decision. Talk to me or talk to my boss but you will make this deal. Do it my way and your own side needn't know what you've done." He sounded sincere.

She continued to weigh up her options. Not liking either choice. He pulled a phone from his pocket. "Me or them." He reminded her again. He waved the phone. Watching her expression.

"Tick, Tick." He made a move to dial up a number.

"Yes, I'll deal with you." Chloe broke. She jumped when the phone Michael held started to ring.

Michael put the phone to his ear. "Hello."

"Well done Mr Westen, tell Mrs Sherrington we will be in touch tomorrow. Tell her not to worry we will be discrete we want her to continue with her present job." The line went dead.

What the hell he thought, they were listening in which meant they were with Sam. He stared at the phone for a second. Then he pulled himself together he had to get out of this room before he could find out what they had done to Sam.

He put his phone away. "Someone is going to debrief you tomorrow they want to keep the meeting secret to maintain your cover. They'll contact you."

She sat slumped in the chair. "Did Sam set me up?" She asked her voice barely a whisper.

"Sam saved you, I was meant to bring you in, you would of probably been facing one of their interrogators by now." Michael spoke the words with a touch of bitterness in his tone. It was possible Sam was with those interrogators right now. "You need to get ready to go out, take your security with you. I've got things to do."

While Chloe went into her bedroom Michael put a call through to Jesse, but before he could speak Jesse started to tell him what he had missed.

"You've gotta get out here Michael, Neither Sam, Fi or your Mom are answering their phones."

"Give me a minute and I'll be with you, stay where you are." Michael pushed the phone against his forehead, his eyes screwed up tight. They had taken them all, had he done enough to get them back or had he pushed too hard that Ottoman was now going to hurt them to teach him a lesson. He felt sick.

Chloe walked out of her bedroom, pulling her hair back up into a bun. The noise of her bedroom door opening made Michael spin to face her, the gun in his hand now pointing at her head his eyes fixed staring at her. She froze, something had happened. He threw a phone at her. "Press one and put it on loud speaker." He ordered.

"Michael?" Her voice trembled, "I Don't -"

"Do as I damn well say Chloe." He hissed out the words. He wanted to shout but couldn't, as angry as he was he knew he couldn't bring her security rushing in.

"What is it Mr Westen?" She had done as he asked and now she heard the voice of Michael's boss.

"Release my mother and my friends or I will kill her and you will have to find Simon yourself." The was a harshness in his voice that was terrifying.

"What will that accomplish? Your mother and friends will be dead and if you carry through your threat you'll join them shortly afterwards."

"Let them go." He flicked the safety off. Chloe gasped and shut her eyes.

"Please Michael." She almost whispered the words.

"Shut up. Ottoman I'm waiting." He felt cold. His breathing slowed. He would take the shot, then go through her guards, it would alert their side that Drake Industries was on to their agents. He would continue to hunt them all down, both sides he didn't care, until they killed him. He was preparing himself to go through with the threat.

"Your mother is on her way home." Ottoman finally spoke. "Ms Glenanne and Mr Axe will be released after we have any recordings you have made of your meeting and we have the location of Simon."

Michael didn't move. "If you harm either of them I will find you and kill you." He lowered his gun, Chloe opened her eyes her whole body was shaking.

"You need to leave now." Michael told her. As she hurriedly moved out of the line of fire. The man on the other end of the phone spoke again.

"I will be seeing you very soon Mr Westen, we will get in touch." The line went dead.

After Chloe left, Michael went to walk out of the room nearly bumping into Jesse. One look at Michael's face stopped the younger man in his tracks. "What happened? Have you spoken to Ottoman? Does he have them?"

"My mom's been released, I need you to go round and check she's alright, he says he'll release Sam and Fi when the deal goes through with Chloe. Have you managed to find out anything at all on Ottoman. Anything I can use?"

"Er, sorry, nothing of any use. The only thing I've got is, I don't think the guy whose jerking you around is Reid Ottoman. At least not the Ottoman who was a CIA interrogator. That one died two years ago in Iraq."

Michael couldn't believe it, he had absolutely nothing. "You couldn't tell me that before?" He turned his anger towards Jesse.

"I only found out from a contact in the CIA this morning I thought it could wait. Does it make any difference?"

"No," Michael admitted. If he had known that this morning he would not of altered the plan.

"So what do we do?"

"You stay with my mom, try and get her to stay indoors. I'm going to go back to the loft and wait."

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Back at the loft Michael pulled out every gun he had, all the ammunition and all every explosive, detonator and fuse. Methodically he cleaned each gun, made sure it was fully loaded and then moved onto the next. Once the guns were ready for use he began to cut the C4 to make as many small bombs as he had detonators. He put each one into a duffle bag and then put the bag next to the guns. Finally he got out the folder that held what information they had gathered and he searched through it for names and potential targets. He stayed up all night.

In the morning he loaded up the Charger with all the weapons, then went to visit Madeline. She was in a state and Michael listened quietly to all her complaints and worries. He apologised for all the worry and before he left he kissed her on the cheek. he told her he had to meet up with Fi and Sam.

It was mid-day when he got a call, it was from Fiona's cell phone. His head dropped into his hand as he heard her voice. They had been released, unharmed. It was sometime before he moved again, realising how close he had come to being another Simon. He heard the gloating voice in his mind. "You're going to end up just like me, just like me."