As always, thanks to Poa for proofreading Chapter 10 and to the others who offered some suggestions on the last chapter. I made a couple revisions and re-uploaded it.
CHUCK VERSUS THE BURN NOTICE
CHAPTER 11
The Gang's All Here
Chuck looked down at the prone form of Enrique Obregon, then he looked at the splintered board in his hand, and then back down at Obregon. "Oh God," he cried and tossed the board away as if it would bite him.
"Good job, Chuckie," Carina said. "Although next time you hit someone with a board, you might want to keep your eyes open. It helps in case they duck."
Chuck looked at Sarah and Carina, then back down at Obregon and backed away a couple steps. "Oh God," he said again. "You don't think I killed him, do you? I wasn't trying to kill him. I picked a soft board."
Obregon moaned and Carina walked over and kicked him. The moaning stopped. Carina picked up the sawed-off shotgun and tossed it to Sarah. Sarah barely caught it, so hard was she staring at Chuck.
"Chuck, what are you doing here?" Sarah asked. "Where's Casey?"
"I'm here to rescue you," he said. Then cringed. "That sounded a little too Luke Skywalker/Princess Leah, didn't it? Listen," he said. "Do you think you could get this off?" he asked, holding up his hands and showing her the zip-cuffs that still bound his wrists. "It's kind of starting to dig in."
Sarah rolled her eyes, then pulled out her knife and cut the plastic zip-tie. "Wait here!" Sarah ordered him, while she and Carina started to collect the guns from the various thugs.
Chuck looked nervously down at Obregon and the other two unmoving thugs and moved a couple steps toward the door. He would have stepped back out onto the porch if he didn't think that Sarah would yell at him for leaving the house.
Sarah came back in the kitchen and Chuck seemed to notice for the first time that she was dressed only in her underwear. "Oh!" he cried and pulled off his shirt and handed it to her. She smiled and pulled on the shirt. Carina stepped in the kitchen and Chuck noticed that she was in her underwear as well. "Oh, ah, sorry Carina. I just gave Sarah my shirt."
"That's okay, Chuck," Carina said, sidling up to him. "I'm comfortable."
"Yeah, but I'm not," Chuck replied.
"Okay, Chuck," Sarah said, stepping in to move Carina away from Chuck. "Tell me again. Where's Casey?"
Just then there came the sound of squealing tires from outside. Sarah and Carina immediately went into combat mode and moved to look out the windows without silhouetting themselves in them. Sarah looked back and grabbed Chuck's arm. "Get down, Chuck." Chuck immediately crouched below the level of the window.
Carina turned to them and smiled. "Looks like the cavalry's here," she said and stepped out onto the porch. Sarah gave her a surprised look and leaned over to peer out the door.
Out on the lawn, Casey and Sam were crouched behind Casey's Suburban dressed in full tac gear, sans helmets. "Hi, Casey. Hi Sam," Carina called, waving at them. "Come on in and enjoy the party." When they hesitated, Sarah stood and waved from the window. First Sam and then Casey slowly moved out from behind the Suburban and blinked at Carina in surprise. Then they started across the lawn.
Sam pulled out a cell phone and dialed Michael. "All clear, Mike. Sarah and Carina are here."
There was a sound from the front of the house and Chuck glanced into the front room in time to see Michael and Fiona enter, guns drawn. Slowly, Chuck stood and smiled at them. Fiona ran up to him and gave him a hug, prompting dirty looks from both Sarah and Michael. "I'm glad you're okay, Chuck," she said.
Michael looked around at the carnage strewn throughout the house. "Looks like you pretty much had things under control," he said to Sarah.
By now, Casey and Sam had entered the house and Casey glowered at both Chuck and Fiona.
Sarah marched up to Casey the minute he was in the door and glowered at him. "What the Hell were you thinking, Casey, letting Chuck do something like this? What is he even doing here?"
Casey growled and turned to Chuck. "Care to take that one, Carmichael?"
"Um, I don't mean to break up the reunion," Michael said. "But maybe this can wait until after we get the girls and get out of here?"
Chuck breathed a sigh of relief, but Sarah gave him a look that said, 'This isn't over' and Casey gave him a look that said, 'I'm going to remove your private parts with a dull knife and stuff them down your throat.'
Carina sidled over to Sam and said, "Good to see you all dressed up, Sam." Sam rolled his eyes and said rather loudly, "Mike! Want me to check upstairs?"
Sarah turned to Michael. "There's Obregon," she pointed to the heap on the kitchen floor surrounded by wood splinters. "Three more downstairs; two on the stairs; and three more upstairs. The girls are upstairs locked in their rooms. We haven't had time to check on them, yet."
Carina turned to Casey. "Casey, can I borrow your phone? I need to call a DEA cleanup team." Casey looked dubious, but he pulled out his phone and handed it to her. Before she could dial, there came the sound of multiple engines roaring in the street out front. This time, Sarah, Casey, Sam, Michael and Fiona all went into combat mode and dashed into the front room to take up firing positions to cover the new arrivals. Before he left the kitchen, Casey handed several pairs of handcuffs to Chuck. "Put these on Obregon and the others," he told Chuck. "And then keep your head down."
Chuck went to Obregon and rather gingerly lifted his wrist, then looked at the handcuffs. He tried to pull them apart, but they were locked. He pulled harder. Nothing. Then he remembered the toy handcuffs he'd had as a kid and remembered to push the wrist bar further around until the cuff came open. "Hey!" he said happily. Then he looked down at Obregon and back at the handcuffs. Gingerly, he slowly snapped the cuffs closed, careful not to make them too tight so it wouldn't be too uncomfortable.
At the front of the house, the five operatives and former operatives took a careful look out the window. The hedge around the house blocked most of the view, but they could make out that several vehicles had pulled up and disgorged numerous armed men. "Not exactly an ideal tactical situation," Casey grumbled. "Come on Sam, let's cover the back."
Sam and Casey headed back into the kitchen. Casey noted with disgust that Chuck had just finished hand-cuffing Obregon and was looking at the next pair of cuffs. Casey gave grunt number three (let me do that, idiot) and grabbed the cuffs from Chuck. He went to each of the other men and quickly and expertly slapped the cuffs on their wrists.
Sam caught some movement in the back and fired off a warning shot that sent three tough-looking kids scrambling back out of sight.
At the front of the house, a man opened the gate on the chain link fence and stepped through. He had a green bandana tied to his upper left arm. "You in the house," he yelled.
"Yeah?" Michael called back.
"I am Raul Bolivar," he said. "We have the house surrounded."
"Raul Bolivar," Michael said quietly to Sarah and Carina. "Leader of the Los Lobos gang. Word is he's Obregon's half brother." Then he yelled out to Raul, "What do you want?"
"I just want to talk," Raul yelled back. "Come on out and let us see how we can settle this matter."
Michael motioned for Sarah to hand him the sawed-off shotgun and handed her his pistol. Then he stepped out onto the front porch. "So what is there to settle?" he asked.
"Let us not be hasty," Raul said. "I have introduced myself. Do you not think you should do the same?"
"Michael Westen," Michael replied.
An odd look came across Raul's face. "I see his car, so I assume that you have my brother, Enrique Obregon?" Raul asked.
"Yes," Michael said. "Enrique's been having a bad day."
Raul chuckled. "I can believe that," he said. "I have heard of you, Michael Westen. You are getting a bit of a reputation around Miami."
"Well, you can't believe everything you hear," Michael said.
"It is said that if you cross Michael Westen, bad things happen to you."
Michael shrugged. "I'm just visiting in town for a bit."
Raul smiled. "I assume that my brother, Enrique, is going to be going out of business."
"Probably," Michael said. The longer he could keep Raul talking, the longer before bullets started flying. Of course, Raul could simply be stalling to allow his gang members time to take up positions around the house. Michael heard three light taps from somewhere above him and knew that Fiona had just taken a perch in an upstairs window.
"I have a proposition for you," Raul said. "I do not want to be one of those who cross Michael Westen."
The best negotiating technique, Michael knew, was often to simply let the other guy talk.
"Give me my brother, and we will leave. You can keep the rest."
"Enrique has a few things to answer for," Michael said.
Raul gave a feral smile that matched well the name of his gang, Los Lobos – The Wolves. "Oh, I promise you he will answer," Raul said. "My brother and I are not exactly what you would call... close."
Michael glanced back at the house. "Let me confer with my associates," he said.
Raul nodded and took a casual stance leaning up against the gatepost.
Michael walked back into the house.
"What do you think?" Sarah asked.
"I'm not giving up Obregon," Carina said. "A DEA tactical team will be here in ten minutes."
"In ten minutes we could all be dead," Michael said. "They've no doubt got the house completely surrounded by now. We're out-manned and out-gunned."
"We can take them," Carina said.
"Carina," Sarah said. "The important thing is to get Chuck and the girls out of the house. You can always pick up Obregon later." Michael gave her a dubious look. It was clear that he didn't think there would be anything to pick up later if they gave Obregon to Raul.
"No," Carina said.
"Please," Sarah said. "We're in enough trouble as it is. If anything happened to Chuck…"
Carina rolled her eyes. "We're going to have to have a serious talk about Chuck," she said.
Michael strode into the kitchen. Casey was kneeling in a firing position, covering the backyard from a window. Michael guessed that Sam must be in the next room, covering the rest of the back of the house from there. Chuck was huddled in a corner behind an overturned kitchen table.
Michael reached down and pulled Obregon to his feet. Obregon swayed but stayed standing.
"What's going on?" Chuck asked, standing.
"Keep down, Moron," Casey admonished him.
"Sorry," Chuck said, ducking back behind the table. "Where are you taking him?" Chuck asked.
"It's his brother out front," Michael said. "If we turn Obregon over, we all go free."
"Really?" Chuck asked. "But, after all he's done, he needs to go to jail. You can't just let him go."
"Believe me," Michael said. "Obregon isn't going free. Evidently he and his brother aren't exactly part of one big happy family."
"You mean his brother's going to…" Chuck swallowed. "His own brother?"
Michael nodded.
"Well then you can't turn him over," Chuck said. "Not if his brother's going to kill him."
"Better him than us," Casey said.
"But…" Chuck began.
"Chuck," Michael said. "It's an imperfect solution for an imperfect world. Surely you've been in the business long enough by now to know that sometimes you have to make sacrifices."
"No," Chuck said. He was standing again now. "No you don't. The right thing is always the right thing to do.'
Michael looked over at Obregon, then back at Chuck. He admired the young man his principles. Unfortunately, Michael had never had the luxury of such principles. "I'm sorry, Chuck," he said. Then he led Obregon out of the room.
Michael led Obregon through the front room and out the front door. He stopped on the porch, steadying Obregon as he swayed. "Here he is," Michael said. "I have your word?"
"You have my word, Michael Westen," Raul said. Then turning his head slightly to address Obregon. "Hello brother. Not so tough now, eh, hermano? There is something I have been wanting to tell you for awhile now."
Raul jerked his hand up and fired off two rapid shots that drilled Enrique Obregon in the chest and in the face. His blood spattered across Michael's face, chest and hand. Michael released him and Obregon slumped to the ground.
Raul pointed his gun at Michael. "You didn't see nothing," he said.
"No," Michael said, trying to maintain his temper. "I didn't."
"Good," Raul said, and turned and walked away. There was a sharp whistle and the Los Lobos gang members jogged back to their cars and got in. Then they started them up and drove away.
Michael looked down at Obregon, then stepped back into the house. Fiona came flying down the stairs. "Oh my God, Michael, are you all right?" she asked. Ignoring the blood that had spattered across his, she grabbed him in a tight embrace.
"I'm fine, Fi," he said.
"Oh Lord, Michael, I was worried he had hit you. I came so close to shooting him until I heard you speak." She ran her hands over his body, as if feeling to make sure he was all right.
"I'm fine, Fi," he repeated.
Sarah left the front room and went into the kitchen. "Casey," she ordered. "Get Chuck out of here. Go out the back way. I'll meet you at the loft."
"Sarah," Chuck asked. "What happened?"
Sarah looked at him and her face was a mask of weariness. "Go with Casey, Chuck."
"No, Sarah," Chuck pleaded. "I don't want to leave…"
"Chuck!" Sarah barked. "Just go! Now!"
The force of her words was so strong, Chuck actually took a step back.
"Come on, Carmichael," Casey said grabbing his arm. "We have some things to discuss."
"Sarah," Chuck whined, but Sarah actually turned her back on him to make him leave. It was her job to protect him. From anything. And she didn't think Chuck could handle what had just happened in front of the house.
Casey dragged Chuck out the back door and over to the Suburban. With a roar, Casey pulled out of the driveway and sped off.
Sarah walked back into the front room. Fiona finally released Michael and he stepped into the bathroom to wash off the worst of the blood and gore. Sam was standing in the doorway to the back room. He still held his gun out, but pointed at the floor. "Come on," Sarah said to him. "Let's go get the girls."
Sam and Sarah went upstairs. Lupe was starting to stir and Weasel-face was sitting up with his head between his knees.
"Where are the keys?" Sarah asked him. He looked up and he looked thoroughly miserable. Sarah advance to stand over him and asked again, a little louder. "Where are the keys?"
"I don't know," Weasel-face said. "I dropped them."
"Hey Sarah," Sam said, pointing with his gun to an object on the floor. "Are those them?"
Sarah looked down. The keys were less than a foot away from her. She had forgotten than Weasel-face dropped them when she and Carina had jumped him. God, she really was exhausted. She usually didn't forget something like that.
She picked up the keys and went to the first door. She fumbled with the lock, but finally got the door open. Three young girls in their early twenties were huddled together in the corner. The deadness in their eyes made her heart ache. She wondered if any of the girls would ever really recover from this.
Sam stepped into the doorway and one of the girls gave a shriek. "I don't usually have that effect on women," he said. Sarah didn't appreciate the attempt at humor and gave him a dirty look.
"It's okay," Sarah said to the girls. "We're here to help you. Are any of you hurt?'
None of them responded.
Sarah walked over to them and gently laid a hand on the closest one. "Are any of you hurt?" she asked gently. The girl, wide-eyed, shook her head.
"I'm Sarah," she said gently. "This is Sam. We came to get you out."
The girls huddled closer together, pressing into the corner.
"It's okay. Obregon is dead. We have all his men. He won't hurt you or your families."
After much coaxing, she got them to move and sent them downstairs. The scene was repeated in the other two rooms with the other five girls. Finally, with Sarah in the lead and Sam taking up the rear, they led the girls downstairs.
Michael and Fiona were just emerging from the bathroom, having washed off most of the blood. "Is one of you Rachel?" Michael asked.
There was no response.
"Your sister Emily sent me. Her boyfriend is my brother, Nate. It's okay."
Finally one girl moved shakily forward. "I'm Rachel," she said in a very small voice. "Are you going to take me home?"
"Yes," Michael said. The girl dashed forward and clung fiercely to Michael.
"Take me home," she crooned. "Take me home."
Fiona launched into mother hen mode and took the girls under her wing. She sent Sam searching through the house for some clothing, since all the girls were in their underwear. Sam found a stash of girl's clothes, evidently what they wore when they went on 'runs.' He distributed the clothing, including some for Sarah and Carina.
"We better get out of here," Sam cautioned. "The DEA will be here any minute and I, for one, don't want to answer a bunch of questions."
"The girls are witnesses," Carina said. "They'll need to testify. We can get this bunch on drug running, kidnapping, racketeering, weapons charges, who knows that else."
"I have your word they won't be prosecuted?" Michael asked. "They all get protection?"
Carina nodded. "You have my word."
Michael looked over at Sarah. Sarah nodded. "You can trust her."
"Rachel goes with us," Michael said.
"Fine," Carina said.
"Oh, and there's a stolen car about a block north of here," Michael said. "Grey Camaro. I'm not sure how it got there."
Carina smiled. "I'm sure I don't know either. Get out of here. I'll see you back at Michael's loft once I take care of things here."
Michael hustled Rachel out the back door and to Fiona's car. Sam looked at it skeptically. "You couldn't have waited on the Camaro, Mikey? It's gonna be a tight fit."
Fiona drive and Sam rode shotgun, since Rachel insisted on staying with Michael. She had evidently latched onto him as the tangible evidence of her deliverance. As soon as they pulled away, Michael made a call. "Nate? It's Michael. We have Rachel. I'm bringing her home."
They drive straight to Rachel's sister's house. Emily was waiting in the driveway, Nate standing beside her with an arm around her shoulder. As soon as Fiona stopped the car, Sam got out and Rachel darted out of the car and into her sister's arms. Both started crying.
Nate walked up to Michael as he climbed out of the car and clapped a hand on his shoulder. "I knew you could do it, bro. I knew if anyone could do it, it would be you."
Emily came over and gave Michael a huge hug, then said, "Thank you, Michael. Thank you so much."
"Thank Sarah here," Michael said. "She's the one who really rescued your sister.'
Emily turned to Sarah. "I don't know what to say. I don't know how I can ever repay you."
Sarah smiled. "Just take care of her. She's going to have it rough for awhile."
"I will," Emily said.
"Oh," Sarah said. "You can't tell anyone about what we did. None of us were ever here."
"I… I don't understand." Emily said. "You did so much."
"Please," Sarah said. "It's… complicated."
"I guess that's the least I can do," Emily said. She gave each of them a hug and then took her sister into the house.
Michael turned to Nate. "Take care of yourself, Nate."
"Oh," Nate said. "Mom said when I saw you that she needs you to stop by the house. Her garbage disposal is stuck again." Michael sighed, but nodded.
They piled back in Fiona's Saab and headed over to pick up Michael's car. As they drove, Sarah fell asleep in the back seat.