Disclaimer: I don't own Angel the Series

Thanks to Starway Man, my beta-reader

This chapter is shorter than I'd like, and doesn't cover all that I wanted to cover. But then I was having a hard time getting everything out onto the page, so I thought to 'hell with it' and decided to just publish what I had.

Exit Strategy

By Alkeni

Chapter 16: Something More Direct, Part One

Wolfram and Hart, Los Angeles

October 1st, 2001

Lindsey closed the file in front of him and set it to the side. Done and done. Yet another case that wouldn't be going to trial anytime soon.

I really do work at the best law firm in the country. The number of cases Wolfram and Hart's various...resources...could stall or seen tossed out without a trial meant he could take more and heavier cases. And, these days, do even more of the real work of his position.

Special Projects still had, as its main objective, getting Angel on the Senior Partners' side. But with Lilah's little defection, the firm's priorities had changed somewhat, which suited Lindsey just fine.

Holland didn't figure it out, and apparently Linwood Murrow and his bosses haven't gotten it either. Simple fact is, Angel isn't changing sides.

Lindsey knew it really was that simple. And that revelation gave him a certain...freedom in dealing with the problem, which his predecessors didn't have.

He wasn't supposed to know it, at least not yet, but Lindsey knew about the lovely little masterstroke Linwood Murrow had cooked up with the Senior Partners. Bringing Gavin Park into Special Projects was their idea of a great way to target Angel and make him darker, move him onto their side of the sidelines.

Meh. As far as Lindsey was concerned, Angel was better off dust. In the meantime, he had cases to deal with which didn't have much to do with everyone's favorite vampire with a soul.

Lindsey grabbed the next file and opened it.

"Oh fuck." I forgot about this one.

Well, now, it seemed he'd have to focus on Angel after all. Heck, it wasn't as if he had any other agents of the Powers that Be he could work with, in order to get a certain prisoner released from his fiery cage.

But first, Lindsey knew he needed two other things. Messing with Angel could wait until after that.

Though I have to admit, messing with Angel will certainly be worth the hassle. It always is.

Hyperion Hotel, Los Angeles

October 1st, 2001

"I'm not saying that we act differently. I just think we should be gentle in our inter-" Lilah smirked as Wesley saw Cordelia approaching, and immediately changed verbal tack. "Evening Cordelia."

Gunn waved at her with the hand holding his chopsticks, a smile that just about screamed fake. "Hey Cordy."

Cordelia looked at the two men and sort of nodded in acknowledgment. Lilah stood up, setting her General Tso Chicken down, ignoring the two men – and Fred – as they discussed their 'gentler' conduct.

Lilah caught up to Cordelia just outside the lobby, near the door to the basement.

"And what do you want?" The seer demanded archly.

"Well, excuse me for coming to poison your air." Lilah shot back. "But your free sample arrived earlier today." Lilah retrieved a small vial from her pocket and handed it to the woman. "Should last about a day or so, before the potency wears off."

Cordelia took the vial and looked at the whitish liquid within. "And if I don't have a vision during that day?" She hadn't had one in a while, and Lilah could tell it was making her just a little bit testy. Even if she was pretty good at hiding it. Mostly. Though Lilah was pretty sure there was more to it than that.

"Then I guess you're shit out of luck, because I'm not giving you another free sample without a formal agreement between us."

Cordelia narrowed her eyes at the lawyer for a brief moment, but then she shook head a little, as if thinking better of something. "Fine." Cordelia looked at the vial, then opened it and downed the contents. Swallowing, she looked at Lilah. "Didn't taste as repulsive as I expected it to. Actually, it didn't have much of a taste at all."

"So do we have a deal?" Lilah asked, ignoring Cordelia's comment about the taste. It was irrelevant to her.

"If I have a vision and your stuff works, yes. If I don't have a vision...maybe. The sample was for before I decided if I was going to agree to owe you some unspecified favor." Turning away from Lilah, Cordelia walked back into the lobby, only to be greeted by the trying too hard Wesley and Gunn. Lilah chuckled to herself at their back and forth.

"Hello again."

"Nice day."

"I know what you're doing." Cordelia told the two men flatly, unamused.

"You do?"

Lilah rolled her eyes at Gunn's confusion. Of course she knows. She's not an idiot.

"Told you." Came Fred's vocalization of Lilah's general thoughts.

Of course, now it means I actually agree with the twig about something. Lilah wasn't sure why she disliked Fred so much – well, granted, she didn't really like anyone here in the first place. So not liking Fred wasn't exactly strange, all things considered.

It was the extent of her dislike that was slightly surprising to her.

Though...her Angel-hero worship is getting real old real fast.

"You're being all fake nice and super-sensitive, like 'poor Cordelia, she's on edge, because she hasn't had a vision in a while.'" Well, it's true. Of course, that wasn't the point. They were, essentially, patronizing Cordelia. Not that, as men, they actually grasped that that was what they were doing.

Lilah rolled her eyes as Cordelia continued.

"Well, I have information for you. I look forward to my next vision."

"You do?" Wesley's confusion was more evident on his face than in his tone.

Of course she does. Just not for the reason you're thinking, Wes. The men around here really were completely clueless, sometimes.

"Well, why shouldn't I? I mean, the Powers That Be have seen fit to choose me – so who am I to refuse?" Cordelia's tone could have been less convincing – but it still wasn't that convincing, to Lilah's ears, as the seer walked around behind the front desk.

Lilah half-ignored their conversation as Fred said goodbye, making her way towards the stairs and back up to her room. She was at the bottom of the stairs when the doors opened and a familiar face walked in.

"Excuse me." Gavin Park said, as he walked in with a briefcase in hand.

"You're excused, Gavin. Get out." Lilah had no more love for this man than anyone else who worked for Wolfram and Hart. But he wasn't Lindsey, and in that sense, he was useful. Sort of.

Still, if anyone had an incentive to kill her, it was this particular weasel of an attorney. From what little info she'd been able to pick up in her efforts to find out where her mother was being hidden, Gavin was being moved to Special Projects and was being set up to be Lindsey's new rival. Fun stuff. And since the release of the stolen files she had set on a dead man's switch with regards to her death would have Lindsey directly in the company's cross-hairs...

The only question was if Gavin was creative or ballsy enough to try something like that. If his 'we've come to appraise the hotel' plan back in May was indicative of his strategy...

Well, I'm probably safe.

For now. On the other hand...

"I'm afraid I'm here on business, Lilah. If you'll just step out of my way..." Even as he said that, Gavin moved around her, and Lilah turned to see Cordelia coming around the front desk. Her eyes seemed to be on the expensive cut and style of Gavin's suit – which did scream 'money' rather loudly, Lilah had to admit, and it did so without being tasteless.

"Sorry about Lilah. She's not really part of Angel Investigations. So, how can we help-?" She started.

Wesley, however, walked over to stand just next to Cordelia, glaring just a touch at Gavin.

Oh, what I wouldn't give to have a pistol in hand right now.

"He's not a client." Wesley interrupted Cordelia. "He's Gavin Park, an attorney with Wolfram and Hart."

"From Real Estate. At least, until just recently." Lilah supplied, walking around Gavin to stand a short distance behind Wesley and Cordelia. "He's been moved to Special Projects."

Gavin raised one eyebrow at her. "For someone who doesn't work for the Firm anymore, you're remarkably well informed enough to know things even most current employees don't know."

So the rumor was right. Always useful to have the enemy confirm her intel, as it were. "You'd be surprised," Lilah said in a voice layered with confidence, "at just how hard it is to keep a secret at Wolfram and Hart. Especially from me." That should keep them guessing, looking for my informant.

"I see." Gavin turned away from Lilah and nodded in Cordelia's direction. "Pleased to meet you." His eyes turned on Fred, who stood there nervously, though she didn't seem to understand entirely why she should be nervous.

Gunn inched over a little to stand more between Gavin and Fred, arms crossed, and Wesley walked closer to Gavin, his hands in his pockets.

"Well, now that we've had this lovely reintroduction, I suggest you piss off." The words were delivered without a shred of anger or even annoyance. Just flat, cold promise. Wesley's accent only made the effect even better. The two men stared at each other for a moment, but Lilah had no doubt Gavin would fold first.

Wesley has a spine. He's an idiot in so many other ways, but since Gavin's a complete worm...

She wasn't able to have her theory proven true, however, because Angel chose that moment to enter the hotel's lobby.

"Is there a problem?" The vampire asked, taking in the tense atmosphere.

"Define 'problem'." Lilah suggested.

Wesley shook his head, "No problem. Mr. Park was just leaving."

Showing either stubbornness, bravery or blind arrogance, Gavin disagreed. "No. Actually, I've just arrived." Opening his briefcase, Gavin took a number of papers out and showed them to Angel and Wesley. "This is a list of fifty-seven city code violations for your hotel-"

"And?" Lilah cut in, "This is supposed to help Wolfram and Hart, how?"

Gavin looked at her, but then turned back to Angel as he dropped the papers on the circular couch. "Please be advised that I've filed a copy of these documents with the city planning office. So there's no point trying to ignore them."

"Gee." Angel replied flatly, "Fifty-seven. Is that a lot?" Gavin and Angel looked at each other for maybe half a minute before Gavin seemed to flinch just a touch.

"In a sense, yes. Well, I'll be in touch." Gavin turned around smoothly and exited the lobby, acting like a normal lawyer doing normal things. Just there to deliver some paperwork.

Cordelia watched him leave a moment. "Okay, minion of darkness. Satan's toady. But that is a nice suit. Did you see that suit?"

Lilah could see a bit of tension ease out of Gunn, Angel and Wesley at Cordelia's words, which Lilah grasped as the real reason she vocalized the thought. Though – the seer had a point.

"Why do you think so many people work for Wolfram and Hart?" Lilah offered. "Evil pays better."

"Don't I know it." Cordelia muttered. Everyone else heard her, but even Wesley had nothing to say to that.

Angel looked around, and Lilah ignored him, walking over to the papers and idly going through them. Unsurprisingly, the paperwork was completely in order. Which meant that the hotel's inhabitants – including her, Lilah realized with a minor note of annoyance – would have all kinds of lovely minor inconveniences to deal with. But just minor ones.

On the other hand, that's all Gavin's going for. Keep Angel off balance.

Lilah was about to say something to Wesley about the papers and the violations discussed therein when she heard a soft groan of pain from Cordelia. Turning towards the woman, she watched as the female seer stumbled a little, but she didn't fall over like she had been doing lately. Or even really start to. This didn't stop Angel and Wesley from grabbling hold of her, though.

"A bunch of demons are going to attack...attack a herbalist shop in Chinatown. Van Hoa Duong. Gonna take something – an amulet with a hole in it, or a...I'm not sure what. You don't have much time." Cordelia's hand was on her head as she spoke, but still, she sounded in far less pain than she had lately. She gave them a description of the demons.

"I'm not familiar with..." Wesley started, but Gunn was already on his way to the weapons cabinet.

"Grab some books and read on the way English." The black man grabbed his baseball bat-stake and tossed a sword to Angel, who caught it easily.

Hyperion Hotel, Los Angeles

October 1st, 2001

It didn't take Gunn, Wesley and Angel long to get ready and ship out.

"Looks like it worked." Lilah told Cordelia softly, after the other woman came out of the restroom behind the front desk. "Unless you've gotten better at faking how much pain you're in, all of a sudden."

Cordelia mustered a glare at Lilah, but then nodded. "It helped. So we have a deal. You help me get more, and I owe you one favor. As long as it doesn't hurt any innocent people or any of my friends."

"We didn't agree to any conditions like that." Lilah pointed out slowly.

"Yeah, newsflash, but we didn't actually agree to anything before I had the proof I needed this wasn't a complete scam." Cordelia returned. "Anyway, that's the deal. Take it or leave it. Because I can handle the pain without your help if I have to."

Lilah looked at the other woman, trying to tell if she was bluffing, but she couldn't be sure. "Alright. Fine." Lilah extended a hand, and after a moment, Cordelia took it and they shook for just a moment.

"How soon can you get more?" Cordelia asked after she got her hand back.

"A few days." Lilah answered. "But after that, you'll need to start getting it yourself. I can't go around handing your contact information without warning the guy I got it from, he'll start charging me top dollar for the goods."

Cordelia nodded and turned away from Lilah, making her way to the door. It was getting late, and if she had more visions, she could always call Wesley on his cell.

Wolfram and Hart, Los Angeles
October 2nd, 2001

Retrieving the coin had gone off without a hitch. Well, almost. The demon with the Coin had left the shop immediately and made his way to the drop point without delay, while the others had stayed behind to loot the shop.

Only to run into Angel and his buddies coming straight at them. Too late to save the demons protecting the Coin, granted, but still quick enough to kill most of the mercenaries sent there to retrieve the prize.

I should have known the Powers that Be would have put Angel in the way of getting that guy out of his cage.

Lindsey shrugged mentally. Probably either the Powers, or Angel and co. had been too slow – and they likely would be tardy again when it came to getting the Key, too.

To be safe, he made a mental note to increase the number of demons he was sending for that particular item. Just in case that undead bastard got involved again. Which, Lindsey admitted to himself with a shrug, was more than likely.

The sound of his printer activating itself and printing something out pulled Lindsey from his thoughts and he looked over at it, taking the unexpected paper out of the tray once it was done.

"I believe that's mine." A familiar voice said from behind him. It took the second in command of Special Projects a moment to place the voice, but Lindsey had placed it by the time Gavin stepped into view and took the paper from his hands. "Sorry about the lack of warning, but my printer's offline, so I had the I.T. guy network me into yours."

"Remind me to have him boiled in oil for that." Lindsey muttered. "And you felt the need to personally climb a few flights of stairs to get your asbestos paperwork, why?"

"Because I'm being transferred out of Real Estate. It hasn't been announced yet, but the Senior Partners gave Mr. Murrow the okay about moving me to Special Projects." Gavin smirked, "Although Lilah seemed to know that already. No wonder you haven't been able to catch her."

Lindsey laughed. "Catching Lilah was never the point, Gavin. I'd explain it to you, but you wouldn't understand the intricacies. So, what's the big plan with you transferring to Special Projects? Are you going to throw asbestos at Angel until he joins us?" Brushing past Gavin, Lindsey made his way towards his office door.

The funny partwas that Lindsey had actually known that Gavin was coming, though he hadn't known when. But let Park think what he wanted. It didn't matter.

"You tried fighting him directly, and all you accomplished was getting your hand cut off." Gavin pointed out. "I'm fighting Angel in my own way."

"Yeah. Let me know how building code violations work out for you." Lindsey replied, rolling his eyes just a touch as he went into his office.

Hyperion Hotel, Los Angeles

October 2nd, 2001

"I'm sorry Angel, but I'm unable to find anything on the amulet Cordelia described. Or any connection between the dead demons that were running the shop, and any sort of amulet at all." Wesley set another book down. "I'm not proposing we give up, of course, but we may want to try another angle. Perhaps Lorne knows something about them-"

"Can we not go there yet?" Angel proposed. "I mean, we go to Lorne, and the next thing you know he's going to have me sing – and that's just not going to be pleasant for anyone."

Cordelia laughed. "Yeah, well, everyone knows that by now, Angel. So I don't think he'll make you sing if he can avoid it."

Lilah watched the proceedings with mild amusement as she too put down a book and grabbed another. Wesley was right, there was no progress at all. The item that had been stolen was obviously important, and someone wanted to get their hands on it. But she too had no idea what it was, or who was behind it.

"What about if we try a different angle?" Fred suggested in a quiet tone. Oh, great, let's hear the crazy woman's idea. "Someone must have sent those demons, right? What if we tried to figure out who sent them?"

Okay, not a terrible idea. Lilah admitted. Still... Impractical. Fred couldn't actually have 'good' ideas as far as Lilah was concerned. None of this group of do-gooders really could, but definitely not her.

"The demons weren't a specific kind unique to any one master here in Los Angeles, but I suppose at least it gives us another line of investigation." Wesley looked to Lilah. "Any ideas?"

"It's impossible to say without knowing who would want the amulet." Lilah pointed out, shrugging. "I mean, granted, whoever wanted it, the demons' services were probably brokered by Wolfram and Hart, given how much of the demon muscle business they control. But without more information, that doesn't tell us who has the -"

Lilah was cut off by a cry of pain from Cordelia – much more severe this time than yesterday, given that she didn't have the painkillers working for her any longer – and Angel rushed over to the seer, catching her before she could fall to the ground.

"A key – more demons...the same demons...same kind, anyway..." Cordelia managed to get out, her hands on her head. After a moment, she gave them an address. "You have to hurry. They can't be allowed to get it!"

Wesley and Gunn were already on their way to the weapons cabinet as Angel got her sitting down on the circular couch. "Lilah, you're coming with us."

"I am?" But Lilah was already moving towards them as she said that, accepting the gun Wesley handed her. Better that, after all, than hanging around here with the Texas twig and the half-dead seer.

A key. Who wants it? And this amulet? And why? Lilah wracked her brain, trying to figure that out – but so far, nothing was coming to mind, and she'd didn't like that at all...